Most are aware of the brutal way China has treated Tibet and now it's just gotten much worse.

Should we register our protest by boycotting the Olympics? Should we try to get a number of nations to join us?

When it comes to human rights violations this one is as bad as it gets.

You pose two very good questions Deane and I have no answers at this time.

A unilateral boycott has a lot less impact than a significant group of major participators would. That's a much more difficult to obtain solution considering how the reputation of the U.S. has been so damaged in the last 5 years. The U.S. should approach Great Britain, Japan and some other major players and get them to provide the first steps towards pressuring China.
Then U.S. support is participatory and subject to less worldly criticism.

The US is a World Leader, arguably THE World Leader.

The US should boycot the Olympics and put a trade embargo on all products made in China.

Peole will have to buy a "Billy Bob Bass" made somewhere else.

Hey, isn't this how a Tom Clancy novel started?

"put a trade embargo on all products made in China."

The Bush team can't do that. Their friends in industry wouldn't allow it.

YES we should boycott the Bejing Olympics but not just because of the issues in Tibet but because of an endless list of abuses by the Chinese government.

ALAS though we will not Boycott the Olympics but I see the very real possibility of certain "High Profile" atheletes boycotting instead.

What happens IF a Tieanamen style demonstration takes place during the Olympics? What will the Chinese government do when the whole world has there eyes on Beijing for the Olympics? Will it be quashed queitly or will it be an internationally televised massacre?

I suspect we might just find out.

You know they are thinking about it.

Personally, I say let the games stand. It does no good to make political statements with the people, who invest most of their lives into the games themselves.

NO, absolutely NOT.

All boycotting will do is penalize the young men and women who have trained and practiced for years and years for their one shot at being the best.

Boycotting the Olympics won't make one iota of an impact on the commie’s stance on human rights.

If the US team AS A WHOLE decides they don't want to go, then that's fine. It would have to be 100% unanimous or no deal. Also if an individual athlete wants’ to boycott, that is OK.

The Government should play NO part in making the decision.

" The Government should play NO part in making the decision."

I was looking for something to help boil it down to a realtively simple point. That's probably closer than I could have ever come up with. I mean, a HUGE part of The Olympics is that they are supposed to transcend politics. I know that's hard to do, but it can be done.

It certainly puts the atheletes in an awkward position - which is unfair. However, it's really their decision. Put it this way, if a team member has such a conviction about this that they boycott The Olympics, I will have great respect for them in doing so. Not because I agree ( because frankly, I haven't made up my mind where I stand on all of it ) but to witness someone who worked SO hard for this, then be willing to take a stand ( either pro or con, too - they each carry their own kind of validity ) then I like that in a person and would not forget their name. Maybe that would be enough to help them in the future - I don't know. It's about all I can offer to them though; Respect.

Go to Peta website and watch the video on the Chinese torturing and killing dogs for their fur to sell to stupid Americans who thinks its another animal.

I will not be watching the Olympics.

I will. The athletes deserve the effort.

This is kind of like using kids as a weapon against somebody we don't like. So, let's say Bob is an ass. So, we make sure and put the kids in the middle of our beef with Bob.

Were the kids responsible for Bob being an ass? No. Should they have to confront a bunch of adult issues because somebody thinks Bob is an ass? No.

The athletes, who trained their lives away for this event, are not political pawns.

They might choose to make this statement or that, and that could open the door for some things, but it's got to be their initiative, not others.

Not watching the Olympics and rewarding the best of the best for their time and energy helping to define what the word human really means won't do a damn thing to deal with the abuses.

If it's that important to throw away lives on, then maybe it's worth some real political action, not just a big ass guilt trip that puts hard working athletes in the middle of things.

Boycotting the Olympics is ineffective.

Mc74, every once in a (very great) while, I could kiss you. Herbbocrite will probably denounce you for that comment, but I thank you.

Yep, ineffective, but great self-affirmation! Useless for all but the person needing to feel a bit better about something.

No boycott.

"NO, absolutely NOT.

All boycotting will do is penalize the young men and women who have trained and practiced for years and years for their one shot at being the best."

I couldn't have said it better myself, Skybill!

Yes, the Chinese government has a horrible history of human rights. They have a horrible history of ecological disaster in the interest of industry. They're not exactly warm and fuzzy neighbors, or occupiers of land. Yes, they have us over a barrel economically and will continue to do so for a long time (which, BTW, is OUR fault!)

How in the hell is this the athletes' faults?

The United States government made a stand against the Soviet Union in 1980 when President Carter boycotted the Moscow Olympics because of the Afghanistan invasion. Who suffered? The American athletes, the rest of the world and their athletes (because in many of the events, the outcome was changed. All of these athletes who bust their ass to get to their very best want to COMPETE AGAINST THE VERY BEST! And that was taken away from them.) The Olympic movement, which was founded in the modern era as a model of peace and unity and friendship amongst ALL countries, suffered. The suffering continued in 1984 when the Soviet Union boycotted the Los Angeles games in retaliation.

I know that some of the German athletes are talking of personally boycotting the Beijing games, some for the human rights reasons, some for health reasons. That's fine, that is THEIR decision. The government should not be the one to make that decision for ALL of its athletes though!

NO WAY IN HELL we should boycott the Olympic games. Ever.

Our anger should be directed at the Olympic Organizing Committee Morons who selected Beijing in the first place. Boycotting watching the Olympics hurts only the TV networks.