Quick Weekend Update

- China is upset with Speaker Pelosi over her support of Tibetan freedom:

China attacks Pelosi over Tibet remarks

By CARA ANNA, Associated Press Writer

CHENGDU, China - China attacked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Sunday for her recent meeting with the Dalai Lama, accusing her and other "human rights police" of double standards and ignoring the truth about the unrest in Tibet.

China also again accused the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, of orchestrating anti-government riots in Tibet and neighboring provinces this month in a bid to mar the Beijing Summer Olympics and overthrow the area's communist leaders.

Pelosi's visit to the Dalai Lama in Dharmsala, India, on Friday was the first by a major foreign official since the protests broke out. The Democratic leader said if people don't speak out against China's oppression in Tibet, "we have lost all moral authority to speak on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world." (click here for more)

The Chinese government are fascist, perverted thieves, like the Bush folk, only without the need to shelter their perversion. Speaking of which, I am off to Mexico. I leave ye with this:


It might be worth a damn...

Dalai Lama may step down....

The Washington Post reports:

Dalai Lama Airs Prospect of Quitting
Exiled Spiritual Leader Says Further Violent Protests in Tibet Would Leave Him No Other Option

By Rama Lakshmi
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, March 19, 2008; A09

DHARMSALA, India, March 18 -- Reacting to a week of sometimes bloody protests in Tibet, the Dalai Lama said Tuesday that he would resign as spiritual head of the Tibetan government-in-exile if the violence spun out of control. At the same time, the revered religious figure vehemently denied Chinese accusations that he was organizing the riots.

"If things become out of control, then my only option is to completely resign," the Dalai Lama, a Nobel Peace laureate and the exiled leader of millions of Tibetans around the world, told reporters. As he spoke, the narrow, winding streets of this Himalayan town were filled with hundreds of angry youths, monks and nuns, marching and chanting, "Long live Dalai Lama!"

The prime minister of the government-in-exile, Samdhong Rinpoche, quickly sought to play down his leader's statement. "I don't think he has said those words without any qualification or context," Rinpoche said at a news conference. "The Dalai Lama has always said, over and over again, that if the Tibetan people resort to violence, he would not be able to lead the people and be their spiritual leader."

"The Tibetan people's commitment to nonviolence remains, and there is no question of his resignation," Rinpoche added.

The Dalai Lama reacted angrily to the statements by Chinese premier Wen Jiabao blaming him for engineering riots in Tibet that have left scores of people dead. The Tibetan leader, who fled China for India in 1959, said that he was open to scrutiny by any international body. (for more click here)

I was in Dharmsala 18 months ago and must say that I became much more aware, and depressed, about the situation in Tibet than I had ever been before. Dorks like Richard Gere are often associated with this tragedy, which means, for many, the coolness has been removed from the issue. I have been to over 35 countries and I have to say, the Tibetan exiles I met were without a doubt among the most beautiful and passionate people I have met in my life. I hate the fact that China has raped them of their culture, their identity, and their land-- yet, for the most part, the Tibetan spirit is intact.

I hope the Dalai Lama hangs in their, and that he gets his country back...

(Brief) Evening Memo:

- Here is a story about a fella that got 13 months in jail for hiring undocumented/illegal immigrant labor. I think this is bullshit. If we are going down this path, should we not hire the consumer that pays 19 cents for a banana? Perhaps the only thing saving our economy from a catastrophic inflation crises is the cheap labor that is keeping produce reasonably cheap. Is it better we import goods from poor countries with devalued dollars? As Mr. Mackey would say, "Xenophobia is bad, M'kay."


- The U.N. is broken and needs to be rebuilt. Here is just one more example of their ineptitude. They will not take any action on the Chinese atrocities in Tibet. For the record, the Security Council should consist of The U.S., Japan, China, Germany, and India, if it is going to be based on the current century. More later...

China sucks?

A few things...

- A brief history of the situation in Tibet.

- Here is some insight into an Egyptian election.


I'm not sure if this is an indictment on Manson or Fox news:


This is fucked up (and the Radiohead is good too):



Also, the U.S. Bombs Pakistan!

On a lighter note, if you are married, ALWAYS wash your feet...

Sen. Obama picks up 9....

...Delegates today. (click here for more)

Up to 100 Killed in Tibet

Tibet protest crackdown claims up to 100 lives

By David Eimer in Beijing

Tourists were warned that if they ventured beyond their hotels they risked being shot. Yesterday morning there were soldiers and police posted on every street corner, Mr Plooj said. "They had a circle around the very centre and no-one could get in there."

In a now-practised formula for dealing with internal protests, one that was copied by Burma's ruling junta last year when they cracked down on protesting Buddhist monks, the Chinese authorities have moved to isolate Tibet from the rest of the world. There is no internet access to Tibet-related websites anywhere in China and mobile telephone coverage is spotty. (Click here for more)

*UPDATE* -The Dalai Lama is arguing (and I think correctly) that China is commiting cultural genocide. (click here for more)

China has killed up to 30 in Tibet:

BEIJING (AFP) - Tibet's exiled government said Saturday that about 30 people had been killed during unrest in Lhasa, as Chinese troops locked down the city amid fierce international scrutiny ahead of the Olympics.

Witnesses said tanks and soldiers were out in force in Lhasa following Friday's protests, the biggest against China's controversial rule of Tibet since 1989, as authorities set a Monday deadline for perpetrators to surrender.

"We are confirming approximately 30 deaths, and we are even hearing numbers of over 100 dead, but this number we are unable to confirm," Tenzin Taklha, a senior official of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala in northern India, told AFP. (click here for more)

The global front for NAMBLA, ie, the International Olympic Committee, has stated that there should be no boycott of the 2008 games:

International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge (turd on the right) poured cold water
Saturday on calls for a boycott of the Summer Games in Beijing over China's
crackdown in Tibet, saying it would only penalize athletes. (Click
here for more)

This is absurd, offensive to the very concept of reason, and downright flabbergasting. They should just cancel the damn games altogether and instead spend a month having people in the West manufacture their own textiles. That would make much better television than 14 year old girls playing with monkey bars. Besides, doesn't Mr. Rogge (and I use the title Mr. very, very loosely) have a conflict of interest here? He has no soul and no rational for speaking at all. I highly recommend ignoring him whenever and wherever possible.

And you thought Bush was evil.....

....enjoy the Chinese century:


Weakness v. Strength...






















At least 10 dead..



Stop ethnic cleansing!


Here is some useful information:

Bjork:


Click here for more...

Morning Memo 2.0

Good morning.

- The U.S. Dollar is sinking to all time lows against currencies around the globe. This is getting bad, and ripple effects are appearing throughout the world. The Fed has decided to increase liquidity, which will thus, I presume, further weaken the Dollar. At least Israel is stepping in to help. Buy an umbrella folks! It may not rain today, but you will want to have something you own all by yourself when the other shoe drops. And umbrellas are still pretty cheap.

- This is another story on China and the Olympics to supplement my earlier post about Tibet. Boycott this summer's Olympics! Sign this too...

- Below you will find a great film about corporations. It is called The Corporation. It is long but good (that's what she said ;):


- Here is a bit more about Reverend Wright. I agree with Andrew Sullivan's sentiments at the end of this article. I too think that Sen. Obama must address this before it becomes a Swift Boat scenario. These sort of stories are like cancer; they can be treated, but only when done early and with surgical precision. Stories like this and feeble responses are not going to do the trick. The junior senator from Illinois is going to have to spend a good chunk of that 55 million he raised in February to deal with this. Otherwise, his delegate lead will suddenly appear less insurmountable in Denver this summer.

UPDATE: It appears that Obama is reading the Illiterate Electorate, as he posted a response at the Huffington Post to these remarks, only an hour after I suggested he act.

Morning Memo (Brief)

The Chinese ethnic cleansing of Tibet is still on...

(LATE) Morning Memo:

- Dateline: Tamarac, Florida- A town once famous for being the home of the great Kathy Willets, held an election yesterday where nobody showed up to vote. For the record, had anyone showed up the votes would have counted.

- Some of you may recall that war in Iraq. If so, you may remember the Carlyle Group. One of its subsidiaries, Carlyle Capital, is about to go under, as they can't pay a margin call. Normally when scum go down in flames I am happy. But when bastards like this are falling, that reflects the overall vulnerability of everyone in this economy, and that reality is something I can not rejoice.


- The Pentagon is seeking a uniform policy on video taping interrogations. I actually think all such interrogations should be recorded and filed away. Then, after a reasonable period of time (save for circumstances extreme in nature- ie- pending doom), they should be available to the public. While I recognize this would give prisoners a chance to prepare for their interrogations, the civil libertarian in me would rather error on the side of transparency and due process than brutality and safety.

- Lastly, the Chinese are again cracking down on the good people of Tibet. Please, boycott the 2008 Olympics...

Some disturbing clips

Slave/Rape trade in India:


Anti Suicide Bomb Ad


Retard Affirmative Action


Genocide

Boycott the 2008 Olympics: