Alternate Views on Tibet China

It is hard to find anything in support of China these days. Watching the TV one would easily conclude that it must have gone from the Sick Man of Asia to the Bad Boy of the World.

But are there alternative views on the matter of Tibet ? Plenty on China Daily online, but most people would simply disregard them out of hand.

Lately there are some articles from more respectable sources out of Europe and the USA. Such as

Whitbeck's "Hypocrisy over Tibet"

http://a-collection-of-articles.googlegroups.com/web/Whitbeck%20-%20Hypocrisy%20over%20Tibet.pdf?gda=9wBJjVcAAACF5i0uTJ6STiN5tcobIpz88kyVT50Y3v6UIEKEUPfrl-G2sVwGLF-i21hNBTL4y6MCqbA1vORZ0pcupp78DgrLRySewvC0CjnYqDSnY9uOb0xg22m2FwBFf91XlOZZeQ0&gsc=Pq7mwBYAAABysr6fRy-Go8PzxNP-0nJVA0pdQ4U5FOg87d5GlWLCNQ

Chossudovsky "Tibet Human Rights PsyOp"

http://a-collection-of-articles.googlegroups.com/web/Chossudovsky%20Tibet%20Human%20Rights%20PsyOp.pdf?gda=oTG-Q10AAACF5i0uTJ6STiN5tcobIpz88kyVT50Y3v6UIEKEUPfrl-G2sVwGLF-i21hNBTL4y6N40vP9HiJZN11QJ4XCus17wXKWGq1zaPJ2-NL5nPQXfs1M8pNy7OuaKy1lcv2vgI8&gsc=Pq7mwBYAAABysr6fRy-Go8PzxNP-0nJVA0pdQ4U5FOg87d5GlWLCNQ



A collection of such articles can be found at

http://groups.google.com.au/group/a-collection-of-articles/files?hl=en&upload=1

Red Flag waving Chinese alarmed Bob Brown

Green leader Bob Brown commented critically on the large number of Chinese Olympic supporters and the sea of red Chinese flags, associating them with Beijing’s Communism. Perhaps Bob Brown should be reminded that many people love their country and are proud to be hosts to the Olympics without necessarily endorsing the politics of their leaders. Certainly, many Australians who waved the Aussie flag and supported the Sydney Olympics were, like Brown himself, much against the politics of the then Prime Minister John Howard.

Tibet and the Olympics

Over the past weeks the mass media have reported extensively about the protests that were disrupting the Olympic Torch relay in Paris, London and San Francisco. The reports were overwhelming sympathetic to the Tibetan dissidents' cause. Unfortunately there have been little if any analysis of the facts surrounding the issue. (for an alternate view, see Stockwell's http://members.tripod.com/~journeyeast/myth_and_reality.html )

On Sunday 14 Apr 2008 thousands demonstrated in Sydney in protest against the media and in support of Tibet as an integral part of China. Perhaps confirming the claim of bias, the Sydney Morning Herald did not report the event, while the Australian Chinese Daily devoted an entire front page to it. Instead, the SMH had a lengthy article on the blog anger, an event largely ignored previously, perhaps only attracted to it after Singapare PM Lee Hsien Loong's recent speech on the subject. (http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/pdf/20080411/PMLEESPEECH.pdf)

Multiculturalism Anyone?

Former Labor leader Mark Latham commented in his regular column in the Australian Financial Review recently that racism was behind the objections to the building of a mosque in Camden in western Sydney.

A reader commented quite curtly and perhaps cryptically (8 Apr 2008) -

Not an original comment and certainly not a constructive one. If so, what is the next step? As Kay rightly put it, (9 April 2008)

Perhaps Layton is one of those who does not want it to work.

Tibet Now ?

Howard's Legacy?

A group of aboriginal youths was asked to leave a backpacker hotel in Alice Springs because of the colour of their skins. Apparently the excuse was that there was complaints from “Asian tourists”. Strange that tourists going to central Australia would object to facing real life aborigines.

Australians are known for their ability to stand up and speak out and even defy world opinion, such as with Kyoto and the refugees issue. Why is it when asked to commit as racist act the person responsible is so quick to comply? Well trained by John Howard, perhaps ?

SIEV X - Will it be just a memory ?

In October 2001, 353 asylum seekers drowned on the way to Australia. Questions remain on the involvement of the then Howard government which was determined to disrupt the flow of refugees into Australia. Why was the government so determined to prevent the disclosure of information regarding this "incident" ? What was the involvement of the Australian Federal Police ?

Even the construction of the memorial to the victims was discouraged. Today the "temporary" memorial still stands on the bank of Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra. It was a remarkable project created with the involvement of schools and other communities.

For a helicopter view of the site, click on the object below (sourced from Youtube). (Visit http://www.sievxmemorial.com/ )

Hissy Howard

Letter in The Australian, 11 Dec 2007, in the aftermath of the Howard defeat -

Not happy about John

Someone not happy with John Howard standing outside his campaign office in Eastwood demonstrating his displeasure.

Howard's Transformation

This cartoon in the Weekend Australian of 13-14th October 2007 summarises it all . . .

Howard and the Aborigines

Speculations are rife as to the real reasons behind John Howard’s latest backflip – that over the status of the aborigines. For more than a decade he had resisted any kind of reconciliation and refused to provide a formal apology for past atrocities. Recently he even introduced draconian measures to deprive aboriginal communities of some basic rights. Then suddenly yesterday, he declared that the aborigines were deserving of special status in the Australian society and he would initiate a referendum to incorporate that in the Australian Constitution !

Some guessed that he had a true change of heart and perhaps was worried about his legacy in the face of imminent election defeat. Others believed he was pleading to more progressive constituents in his electorate so that he might snatch a win from the jaws of defeat.

There could be another reason. He might be attempting to create fear among his more ignorant constituents. By making a symbolic accommodation with the aborigines he might be indicating that Labor would be doing much more and therefore something to be fear for.

Contrasts in Leadership

Peter Beattie, Premier of Queensland has just stepped down after 10 years saying that leadership renewal is in the interest of the party. Recently other State leaders had stood down for the sake of leadership renewal.

In contrast, the Prime Minister John Howard who is 13 years older, is saying today that he intends to contest the next election because he is the only one who could win it.

The comparison is most striking - Howard is only there to win elections and nothing else matters more.

As Paul Keating said, the "desiccated coconut" is "Araldited" to his seat.

Collaborating in Silence

Steve Burrell of Sydney Morning Herald on Aug 14, 2007 ( http://www.smh.com.au/news/business/nobody-tackles-after-pm-throws-a-hospital-pass/2007/08/13/1186857430882.html )

listed for comments a number of Howard government’s targeted pork barrelling in recent months in a cynical and desperate effort to survive the next elections. The list included

- Taking over a non-viable hospital in Tasmania

- Funding legal challenges to amalgamation of local councils recommended by an independent review

- Propping up a timber mill that was in danger of losing supplies after breaching contracts with the state NSW government

All the interventions were in marginal seats. All were directed against reforms which governments and businesses advocated.

Burrell’s main point was not that the Howard government’s desperate intervention was surprising. It was the deafening silence from the business sector. A sad state of affairs indeed !

Howard on his knees?

No, he wasn't appearing before George W Bush. The poor guy just had a fall, just like his ratings. Will he get up again?

Watch out for the Asians, John

Telstra's Phil Burgess has raised a new excuse for keeping out Singapore-owned Optus from the broadband competition. "We're talking about turning over Australia's only nationwide telecommunications network to a consortia run by the Singapore Government. .... that executes people...." he said.

(see
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21883831-2702,00.html)

Burgess' past record on the issue of capital punishment is not known. But cautioning John Howard about an Asian threat is a well proven tactic, one that was successfully used by Qantas when Singapore Airlines wanted to take over the failing Ansett.

Just mention to John Howard about a potential threat from the Asians. It always works.