In Bush’s America, the agents of a foreign government, in this case China, were permitted to assault an Olympic torchbearer and civil rights activist, Majora Carter, because she had the audacity to express her support for the people of Tibet by displaying a Tibetan flag while carrying the torch in the communist enclave of San Francisco. Let’s go to the video:
Here’s what the NY Times reported about this incident earlier this week:
In her left hand she held a water bottle, which was serving as a stand-in for the Olympic torch. In her right sleeve was tucked a Tibetan flag. Majora Carter was ready. […]
Five seconds into her run down Van Ness Avenue, Ms. Carter pulled the Tibetan flag from her sleeve and began waving it. There she was, a mole at the head of the procession.
She waved the flag for roughly five seconds, until a Chinese guard saw her. He lunged at her. She dodged him. He lunged again and soon wrested the flag from her hand, saying, “Sorry, I can’t let you do this.”
She said she was pushed toward a group of San Francisco police officers, who then pushed her into a crowd of bystanders. Her time in the spotlight was over. The torch kept moving.
This is how liberty dies in 21st Century America. Our government permits the agents of a foreign government to forcibly take away a person’s freedom of speech because she makes a statement in support of freedom for Tibet which they find unacceptable, and then our own law enforcement officials nakedly use force to assist that foreign government in suppressing her right to free speech by literally kicking her to the curb. How are we any different than any other dictatorship around the world? They don’t allow dissent to be publicly expressed either.
I salute Majora Carter. I condemn the Chinese government and the San Francisco Police for their suppression of her constitutionally protected right to express her own opinions in public. In America (or what’s left of it).
Under the bush White House, America has become a fascinating country.
The same channels that fired Ward Churchill for speaking his mind and publishing his opinions-will not fire John Yoo. Fascinating.
John Yoo expresses the “right” opinions so of course he won’t be fired.
A few days ago the BBC World Service referred to the Chinese men (all men?) who are ‘accompanying’ the Olympic torch as ‘paramilitaries’. Startling! All these countries, including the U.S., apparently allow foreign paramilitaries to operate in their countries. Has U.S. Homeland Security got on to this?
Is this how they run things in San Francisco? And what about all the people standing around doing nothing in protest of what happened?
unfortunately yes
as pointed out by others, it might not have happened here if it hadn’t already happened all over the country. free speech and freedom of assembly have been killed by this administration and the courts let it happen.
local specifics: California isn’t as politically liberal as outsiders like to think. As long as I’ve lived in norcal, the mayors of SF have been moderate/conservative Democrats closely tied to the business community. And the business community is very very closely tied to China. Even many non-Chinese businesspeople make big money trading with China – people like Dick Blum, husband of Dianne Feinstein. So the city govt could be relied on to minimize the embarassment to China.
another interesting point: I didn’t see this incident in any of the bay area news reports about the protest. I read it on blogs quoting the NYT. (It was reported in a local liveblog but not in SF Chronicle or SJ Mercury AFAIK).
People like to joke about all those crazy, liberal people in California which always gets a rather sour laugh out of me. I know I sure as hell am not living in any crazy liberal paradise…living in the Bakersfield area I can tell you isn’t exactly fun times if you’re a true liberal. In fact it can be pretty appalling most of the time. I sometimes feel like I’m living in some 1950’s time warp.
I guess she wasn’t in a free speech zone…
“Free speech” is a privillage afforded to only a select group in the USA. This individual obviously presented a threat and thus, she was obviously not afforded that protection.
On the other hand, michael regan can call Democrats traitors and not a peep. The president of the US can come before the public and blatantly lie and nothing. The daily spew of the right wing punditry steadily uses the most defamitory language and yet – nothing.
So, Free Speech? Give me a break.
Praise, indeed, to Majora Carter for her eloquent protest in behalf of a free Tibet! What a disgrace that Chinese hoods were allowed by the SF police to wrest the flag away from her.
Patriots are springing up across the land to battle against the Bush Administration’s brand of soft dictatorship. The fight for the streets is just beginning.
Silence now is betrayal.
Don’t leave out word for the IOC who is afraid to do anything to offend the Chinese, going back 7-12 years.
Think of this. It would stand to reason that the IOC would have an interest and be allowed to provide security for the torch as it traveled the globe. Of course it should be coordinated with local security.
But what do the Chinese have to do with this? They are the host country, Until the torch gets there it should not be their concern.
The Chinese have their paramilitary force, who British torch bearers described as “thugs” because they asked/told the IOC they wanted them there. The local governments tolerate them as a courtesy to the IOC. Not that they should or need to, but the IOC could have avoided the whole thing by telling the Chinese the IOC would handle it themselves.
BTW, Boo’s grandfather carried the torch for the 84 Olympics. He was 82 at the time, but ran with it several miles through Michigan. I can safely say Grandpa would have had nothing to do with the way this torch “relay” was being handled.