Letters to the Editor
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Sylvain, thanks
you said: "If Bayard had any background at all on the matter he would know that the Dalai Lama does indeed offer counsel to Buddhists who have suffered horrible torture. In fact, he often tells the story of a monk who was imprisoned by the Chinese for eighteen years; after his release and escape from Tibet, the monk was asked whether he ever felt he was in danger. Yes, he said, he was sometimes in danger of losing his compassion for the Chinese."
I once hosted that monk, I think: his name was Palden Gyatso. Palden-la was one of the best human beings I have ever met.
I pity Salon for running this mindless article at such a critical time. How sad for the editors responsible, to be so ignorant.
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And cahcap, thank you too
You speak for me.
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Regarding Blank
"So you tell me - why is it Tibetans shouldn't rise up?"
Regardless of any American's opinion on this, some Tibetans are rising up. But the question is what will be the consequences? This is not the first time young monks have taken to the streets and when it has happened in the past it has started a cycle of arrests, repression and violent persecution. Tibet is not Kosovo, or even Chechnya. The geopolitical situation is quite unique in that Tibet is so remote and China so very tightly in control of the area. These young Tibetans have few arms or access to arms and no allies to speak of who would come to their aid. (Not to mention that they don't come from a militaristic culture.) They obviously can't defeat or even damage China militarily, so they would have to do so politically. Certainly, disrupting the Olympics will draw the eyes of the world to their cause, but what then? Are Americans going to rise up and demand that we go to war to against China in order to save the Tibetans? Is the UN going to get involved, when most of their membership fears and needs China? For years, the Chinese committed grievous human rights violations in Tibet and caused a large swath of the population to disperse and the world watched and mourned and wrung its hands but did little, in part because it was never clear what could be done outside of quiet, gentle diplomacy. What would make it different this time?
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cut him some slack
yeah, i thought i would cut some slack to colin powell as he addressed the UN general assembly.
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Salon or Thunderdome?
Wars of revolution and identity and separatism are the same pretty much everywhere. A small group fighting a larger group using brutal indiscriminate guerilla tactics like carbombs, massacres and terrorism. The Tibetans if sufficiently motivated could commit acts of terrorism at the Olympics. There's nothing special about Tibet that precludes that other than their refusal to do so. So again I have to wonder why the leftists, who generally support this sort of thing actively push it off the table in this instance.
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what!!!!!
The Dalai Lama is not a political leader: he's the Dalai Lama.
How can you possibly blame the Dalai Lama or the Tibetans for the fact that Tibet was invaded by China with shocking brutality. The Tibetans have been in a cage ever since. They have no freedom of expression, they cannot choose the government they want, they are rounded up by the Gestapo- like Chinese police and secret service at the whim of China and treated with monstrous brutality and even killed, simply for wanting their country back and wanting their human rights. But, of course, America has done exactly the same in Iraq, perhaps that explains your attack on the Dalai Lama rather than on China. If the world was serious about ending despotism all athletes of conscience would simply refuse to go the Beijing Olympics. But they won't, of course. The world held its nose and went to Hitler's Olympics too. There's a shitload of money involved and the Olympic Committee is thinking only of that. I personally hope that this olympics is dogged by activists and closed down. Rewarding monstrous behaviour never has a good outcome. Bear in mind that the Tibetans have been involved in peaceful protests for years and the Chinese have responded with complete inhumanity and the cruellest oppression imaginable. They deserve to have their olympics ruined: it's a small price to pay for what they've done to peaceloving Tibetans and to their own people who also have no liberty and no rights. Oh and just so you don't get confused - the Dalai Lama's the good guy, the Chinese government are the fascists.
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Red Chinese "running dogs" before the simple truth of humanity and Dali Lama..!
I hope to God that the Dali Lama does not begin to be subjected to the same abuse and disrespect ad lies as does the Pope now too..!
As the leader of his people he must act in their best interest but also within and with consistency of the teachings of the faith of Buddhism and also these are very similar to those of Jesus Christ as well or Issa as He was known in that region and the scrolls of Issa might enlighten some of you who are unfamiliar with them..
Jesus conquered and defeated Rome through His weakness not force rebellion death and violence but weakness..and humility and sacrifice..
The Dali Lama cannot be part of a senseless violent uprising bound to fail bring more suffer upon his people and only harden the murdering communist "running dogs" of Red China..the Red Dragon..
Also it is disingenuous to try and play semantics with Buddhist teaching and or call it dogma if you like..
Such as this article appears to do...
The nations and peoples of the world must come to condemn the Red Chinese for their barbarism murder and repression of not only Tibet and Buddhism but also every religion and also it's tactic and active support and enabling of the genocide in Darfur and the murdering "running dogs" of Mayamar..!
Few people realize how many Catholic priests nuns Arch bishops even cardinals well into their 80's languish in the disgraceful horrid prisons of the barbaric Red Chinese Communists who are when confronted and exposed in the proper light of day and nothing but "paper tigers" who will be scorched and burned by their own misdeeds and cruelties..!
We as Americans must all bare the shame and disgrace of our pathetically weak hypocritical President who has made America in may regions more hated than even these barbaric murdering Red Chinese for his willingness to cow tow before them and attend these disgusting blood soaked foul Olympics I hope as many Americans as possible boycott watching and complain to the sponsors of as the enablers and lackeys immoral greed ridden pigs they are for even participating in the farce it will be..!
Free Tibet Free all Religious Prisoners in Murdering corrupt "running dog" Red China..!