What did all this extra security and police cost the taxpayer? Is China going to reimburse SF for the expense of their route?

OK, so the Olympic torch relay in San Francisco wasn’t quite as it was originally designed but maybe it’s time to retire the tradition. It was the Nazis’ idea anyway. I think the San Francisco city government and police department did exactly the right thing in avoiding serious clashes and violence. They should be commended. This should also allert any would be terrorists to avoid San Francisco! Great job, SF!

I can understand some part of those protesters. But I have to say that they spread way too many lies. In the long run, lies will not work.

This Chinese American feel a great sense of shame on how easily his own community can be manipulated by an oppressive and unelected authoritarian regime that has a habit of crushing protesters with tanks. One thing that has always bothered me when reading about the holocausts is the complacency of the German population while millions of their own disfranchised citizens where sent to the gas chamber for either being of the wrong ethnic group or were considered to be socially “undesirable.” Beijing 2008 is eerily similar to Berlin 1936. The Chinese population is intoxicated by their meteoritic industrial and military advancements, added on by an infusion of ethnic and nationalistic fever, and stroked on by an authoritarian regime desperate to deflect domestic criticisms and forge its own state sponsored brand of xenophobia. Drunken with success, the Chinese has lost the ability for self-reflection. To see so many of my own community cheerily and proudly waving the flags of the Tienanmen Square butchers in the land of the free is sad indeed. They too are lost in their own illusionary vanity.

No Jennifer. The extra cost incurred in SF should be shouldered by the protestors and opportunists like Richard Gere who flew in and out just to get into the limelight. The City of S F accepted the hosting of the torch relay. It’s budgeted but the protestors are the ones caused the extra expenses.

This is but a fraction of what the taxpayers are burdened with by comparison. If the protests had been peaceful, as they should have been, it would have been great PR for S F. NeverthelessI think SFPD did a great job under the circumstances.

Ted, somehow I don’t see how any of this is going to help?, true it brings it out in to light.., but this has been going on for ever and what year is it? 2008 the year of the rat..and on one faces the true issue. It’s like that saying “Take Me To Your Leader!”..and take it from there..I give then an A for effort.

from the management standpoint, I think SF city authorities did an awful job today.
What was a point of playing cat-and-mouse game with its own citizens? With people who came to cheer or to protest, or just watch. SF mayor showed no respect to the city.
If they were so concerned about security they should have better canceled the whole event. The means defied the purpose. Stupid decision - i cannot find another word to describe it.
As someone who believes China has to improve its human rights records before getting an honor of hosting the Olympics, I’m glad that its PR campaign got such a treatment in my city. Torch run was on a run today!

The cowardly way the route was changed in secret at the last second is all to typical of the way the U.S. government conspires with the thugs who rule China to subvert our Constitutional Rights, this time the right to gather. Shame on the mayor of San Francisco for allowing London and Paris to once again upstage America and show the world how we are fast becoming a shadow-democracy where corporate profits trample over the voice of the people over and over until theirs nothing left and we’re just like the big money tyrant communist Chinese. God help us.

Those who don’t want to “politicize” the Olympics are missing the point as are those who have waited until this Olympic year to become activists.This isn’t about sport, it’s about human dignity. This isn’t about Tibet; it’s about a government who uses it’s massive army to bully it’s own citizens.

The world, especially U.S. consumers and the State Dept, need to turn their back on China. Nixon was wrong; China needs to come to the world; not the other way around. If the Chinese people, as opposed to the Chinese government want recognition and respect, they’ll impose their will on the capital. Until they do, let them wallow in the misery of the Great Failed Society.

As a Chinese American, I am not at all proud of the Beijing regime. What happened in London and Paris during the Olympic torch events was exactly what we need for the Chinese communists to see. But look at the City of San Francisco. Instead of letting the protesters have a say, they shamefully played hide-and-seek and bait-and-switch. Shame on Mayor Newsom. San Francisco does not live up to its reputation. I am deeply disappointed.

I second Jennifer’s comment. We taxpyers sure deserve the re-imburse. But I think the extra security is there to make sure the so called ‘peaceful’ demostors won’t go violent. KUDO for SF policemen.

The Olympics is about athletic achievments. I disagree with politicizing the event as well as a boycott of the games.

I think China’s human rights policies and their veiw of Tibet are wrong. I beleive peacful protestng and expressing out right to free speach is the way to go. I also beleive trade sanctions would send a stronger message. Especialy with the discovery recently of their shipping defective and contaminated consumer products to the US.

It’s time to stop all the non-sense anti-China protests. The actions taken by the American politicians and many of the western media demonstrate that they are either intentionally against China because they do not want to see a strong and prosperous China or they have no knowledge of what have happened in China especially since China openned herself up to the world in 1978. If the politician and the media think they are helping the ordinary Chinese, I can tell you that, on the contrary, they are hurting feelings of the Chinese nation this time. No one can believe that the American politicians care more about the human right of the Chinese people than the Chinese themselves. The responses from Chinese communities this time to the Olympic torch relay send a very clear message that the Chinese people — those in China and overseas, are unitied this time. We know the human rights the Chinese enjoy today are the best in China’s 5000 years history, though not perfect yet, but No society is perfect. Look at the American society today. Even not long ago, African American were still fighting for their rights; less than 200 years ago, the US governments caused tens of thousand of American Indians to die in the infamous “Trail of Tears”. What have we done to undo those damages? American society has lot of problems too. We need to take care of our own business first. To have a real equal and justice society in this land first. I think, politicians and media reporters should be humble, not to think they represent the right side, the justice. (The same kind of argument as God is on my side vs I am on God’s side) It’s this kind of arrogence that causes the resentment to American around the world. This wave of anti-China activities will certainly promote Chinese nationalism, unify Chinese under one banner and incite resentment and angers toward the West in China which will do Nobody good. There is No way to stop China from becoming a powerful nation, but the two countries can live peacefully together. Let’s stop those non-sense anti-China protests.

Jennifer, why should China reimburse SF for being its normal, zealous self?

Yes, its a serious issue, but protest the governments and not the sports participants.

They should have avoided SF the minute they started putting the signs on the GG.

A great job by the SF city and state police. The Hamas wing of the Tibetan exiles has planned a PR stunt today, and they would be disappointed.

What would Americans feel if Londoners line streets to stop a future Chicago-olympics torch relay for the invasion of Iraq? America has some of its own problems, so don’t pretend to always have the moral high ground.

Hate to break this to ya’ll, China is way too important to our economy for us to do any protesting and further, we owe them so much money they now own most of our country. This is the reason we are seeing ambivalence on the part of our officials in doing any kind of protesting.

China is not going away for us. We have a long way before that happens - considering we are paying them back in treasury bills. And they want our money. They want to comply with our product compliance so bad that isn’t it a mystery the head of their compliance was assasinated after the toy recall?

Things that make you think deep…..

“At least one torchbearer decided to show her support for Tibetan independence during her moment in the spotlight. After being passed the Olympic flame, Majora Carter pulled out a small Tibetan flag that she had hidden in her shirt sleeve.

“The Chinese security and cops were on me like white on rice, it was no joke,” said Carter, 41, who runs a nonprofit organization in New York. “They pulled me out of the race, and then San Francisco police officers pushed me back into the crowd on the side of the street.”

I didn’t realize China was exporting their repression of free speech as well. How about deporting all of the communist sympathizers waving communist red chinese flags?

Everything has a price. Ideology alone is never the goal when counties deal with each other. This has been true between America and China. How much one side can ask in the bargaining depends on how many and good cards one side has. Same thing is going on now. What has America concerned for China? One thing is Chinese currency issue. America has kept putting pressure for Chinese currency’s appreciation. OK, have you noticed that Chinese currency has been appreciating recently? This is the price China is paying for America’s cooperation during Beijing Olympic Games.

Rex, protesters exercised their First Amendment Right. What makes you think they were violent? Protests on a day before showed quite opposite.
As far as tension between sides there were reports about pro-China supporters acting aggressively towards others.

Stop the torture. Stop the Brainwashing.

Free the innocent opposition critics and journalists in China. Free Tibet.

Long live Democracy.

SHAME on San Francisco for hiding behind a cloud of secrecy.

Shame on China for politicizing the Games. They are trying to use it as a global stage to assert that all is well in China, while they systematically brutalize and rape a peaceful people. The Chinese government is cowardly, and the world begins to wonder about the Chinese people themselves, including supporters here, who are content to live in or support that kind of puppetry.

I doubt the Chinese government is taking much notice of the protests that are occurring in other nations even when directed at their practices. The only thing that the Chinese might pay attention to is a boycott of the Olympics and for the US to stop buying all the inferior products they sell us. When you hurt someone’s pocketbook they begin to take notice. If China wants to be treated like a powerful nation and as part of the world community they should honor basic human rights.

Annie Kate
Birmingham AL

Watching close the riots in London and Paris caused by those extremists, I’m hard to believe the protest in Tibiet last month was peaceful. If they used violence as that everywhere (and I reasonably assume the last month’s riot was much worse), it’s reasonable that Chinese goverment arrested them and crackdown the riots.

While I have never been much of a fan of China Government, the series of demonstrations along the Olympic torch have placed me right on the same side with Chinese government. Having been in U.S. for more the 15 years and been exposed to “free” society for so long, I do not see myself in any way be “brainwashed” by Communist China. Yet, I see clearly and feel strongly that hosting the games is such a precious experience to so many ordinary Chinese. Mixing this sporting event with politics is plainly disgusting. This time around, I side with Chinese government, and yet more, for the first time in years, I lack sympathy toward those anti-China protesters, what so ever.

To Marcus:
What if ‘Free Tibet’ not equal to Democracy? Do you know Dalai is a dictator in Tibet’s traditional local system? Be careful about what you wish.

Richard Gere is welcome to compare the lives of average Tibetans in China vs. the average exiles’ in India. I have, and the truth is shocking. Not only are the Chinese Tibetans live better lives, enjoy privileges not available to other Chinese, they even receive better education in Tibetan.

Amazing how a bleeding heart liberal actor can so easily forget the virtue of separation of church and state and advocates a theocracy as the preferred method of governing in the 21st Century.

Tibetan were free from the slavery 50 years ago already. Most of the Tibetan exile are slaveholders and Dalai Lama is the head of those slaveholders. It was the Chinese central government free the Tibetan from the oppression by the slaveholder. Dalai Lama can not represent the people in Tibet. He can only represent himself and those slaveholders exile.

If you do care about the Tibetan in Tibet, please do not support the claim by Dalai Lama to regain the control of Tibet. As the Dalai Lama and the slaveholders following him want to bing Tibet back to the theocracy society.

I support Chinese government to talk to Dalai Lama. However he can only talk about the future of himself and the Tibetan exile. Dalai Lama does not qualify to talk about the future of Tibet.

I wonder where the SF Golden Bridge climbers were trained for this. It obviously was not an amateur job.

I wonder why American and allies in E.U now stick to all religeous movement in Asia!? Monks in Burma in Tibets in India …then why they hate Muslim,s clerics in Iran in Iraq in Lebenon …it seems hypocrit
is not!? I belong to old era of leftists movement decades ago all were
about USA and Emperyalism!!? now it turned by American to religeouses against leaders who don,t like American supperirity
this new era now Eastern blocks has cllapssed and Westerns
blocks keep pushing by Monks ….it is amazing

To John:

I’m very disappointed to see you compare the support of Beijing Olympic Games from Chinese people to the complacency of the German population to holocaust. It’s the first time I heard about the this, which helped me understand why the media from western countries, including CNN, put such a focus on the protestors in the Olympic torch relay and neglect the Chinese overseas supporters in their broadcasting.

For many Chinese people, we are sad to see our government puts strong media control and many many Chinese people are constantly fighting against that. Democracy takes time, especially for a peaceful one.

We are complacent about Tibet today because we know there is no oppression or discrimination as described by opinionated media and Tibetans not have even been to Tibet. Also, we believe it not because our government propoganda said so, but because we are free to visit Tibet and see what it is like there today and how Tibetans enjoy their lives.

Ethnic conflict is not a simple topic, and sometimes it’s hard to distinguish right and wrong. I believe no matter what solution, there will be different voices, and I truly believe everybody is free to express their ideas. However, Olympic Games is not for politics. Using Olympics for politcal reasons and sabotaging the Olympic torch relay will deeply hurt the feelings of all Chinese people and every peace lovers in the world.

CNN’s news about Beijing 2008 Olympics has been biased so far. You have lost respect and trust from most Chinese as an objective news source. How can you be so blind about so many people supporting Beijing Olympics? CNN is brain washed by the stupid Western superior mentality. If you want China to get out of Tibet, why doesn’t America get out of Native Indian’s land and go back to Europe? Why doesn’t America get out of Iraq? CNN sounds really funny.

Thank you activists!


Twenty eight years ago, my family and thousands of other Soviet Jewish families were able to leave the Soviet Union because of political pressure put on the Communist government before the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. The Soviet Union considered Soviet Jews as second class citizens but it allowed thousands of us to emigrate in order to look benevolent on the international stage.

I hope that the current protests and pressure for China to stop its repression in Tibet and to negotiate an end to the genocide and Darfur will be as successful as international pressure was on the former Soviet Union.

Last week, I returned from a trip to China and witnessed similar repression on the freedom of the media and personal expression as was present in the days of the Iron Curtain. The Chinese need to know that they may silence their own population. The rest of us are neither deaf, blind nor mute. We care.  

I want to firmly tell the US people that Tibet is a part of China. During the Dalai’s time in Tibet, there was a slavery system. I believe that any American, who supports the human right, never supports the slavery system. I also hope CNN can report the Tibet fairly. Any tortured Tibet news will not destroy the justification of CNN.

I strongly support the Olympics in China. Also, I strongly opposite some American people try to mix the politics into Olympics, because this idea/action is completely against the spirit of Olympics.

The Dalai’s time in Tibert had been the time for the slavery system. Any American, who supports the basic human right, never supports the slavery system. We do NOT want Tibet go back to the Dalais’ slavery time. As an American, what is your standpoint on the slavery system in view of the human right you claim?

I can’t believe that people would bring the Olympic Games into a mockery like this. Wait a minute, yes I can. It just goes to show you how low some people will stoop. Not good. Let us have freedom of speech but not like this. C’mon. Get real.

No countries are without enemies. If it is US to host the Olympic Games and the relay is in the Middle East and South America, the same thing would happen.

I thought it was great how they changed the Olympic flame route.

Most Tibetans are living very well in China, only those bad guys living overseas are hating all Chinese, and want to destroy the peaceful society. If “free Tibet”, the public will be the slavers again under the king Dalai Lama, which happened 100 years ago!!!! Slavers!!!

To Susanna Zaraysky,

No doubt, America will use this opportunity to squeeze a lot from China, probably hundreds of billions of dollars by pressing Chinese currency’s appreciation. This may not be what you want. But it will be good for American people.

I guess you would not deny that China is much different from the 1980’s Soviet. China has allowed Chinese like me who am not a big fan of the government to leave China and allowed foreigners like you who dislike China government to enter China.

I like to tell you that in China Tibetans are not the second class citizens. They have more rights than regular Chinese, which always reminds me of the Affirmative Actions in America. If you don’t think French government was repressing French people when it was cracking down the youth riots, you should not call China government’s cracking down the riot in Tibet as repression on Tibetan people. Do you know what Tibet was like before when Dalai was in Tibet? Do you know what Tibetans are like now in Tibet? Do you know the history of Tibet and Dalai? I hope you would build your judgments on a sound foundation.

I will not be watching the Olympic games this summer. To me that’s the best way we can boycott them as normal citizens. I visited the Olympic Committees web site today and found the definition of Olympism. I wrote my own definition based on reality and not what we are told Olympism should be. Ed

Old school Olympism
“Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.”
(Olympic Charter, Fundamental Principles, paragraph 1)

2008 Olympism
“Olympism is a philosophy for creating more wealth for corporations, governments and businessmen combining the balance of finances,media ads and the selling of products. Blending blatant disregard for human rights and freewill, Olympism seeks to create a way to manipulate the minds of people into believing that the Olympic games are about the athletes, when in reality it’s about the bottom line and the educational value of holding the games in a country that has no respect for freedom in complete disregard of universal fundamental ethical principles.”
(Ed, Plantation Florida)

To all who accuse the Chinese side for politicalizing the Olympics:

To all who have accused the Chinese side for politicizing this year Olympics Games:

Although we ordinary people may wish it were otherwise, unfortunately Olympics Games has always been politicized by various powers for various purposes — just think of a couple of recent events in the 80’s. But this time around, who has been working SO extra hard to politicize the Beijing Olympic Games ? It is some allied forces in the west that are doing it right now!