This picture was sent to me earlier this year by a friend that is a buddhist monk. We are both of the faith typically called “Tibetan” Buddhism. As such, we’re pretty much automatically labelled enemies of the Chinese People. I wanted to share this picture with you because of several things going on right now concerning His Holiness the Dali Lama, the candidates for President, and the upcoming Beijing Olympics.

This picture demonstrates the real force being the so-called rioting monks and the violence last April in Tibet. It was posed so China could justify the disappearance of over 10,000 Buddhist monks and nuns. You are seeing this correctly. It is a group of Chinese soldiers holding monk garb. This was taken by a friend of ours right after some of the riots. I think you can figure out the rest for yourself.

I decided to re-open this issue since I was also speaking to my Lama today. A lama is a spiritual teacher along the lines of a Rabbi in Judaism. His wife, Ang Dawa, is an activist for the Sherpa peoples. They both are from Nepal but were born in a section where the line between Nepal and China is more relevant to countries than native peoples. The Sherpas are the natives people that live in the Himalaya Mountains and you all probably know them best for their incredible mountaineering skills. Ang Dawa has just been elected to the new Nepali parliament and has been an activist/journalist for the UN for many years for Human and Women’s Rights. She just wrote an article in the local newspaper stating that there are basic human rights and they include being able to practice religion as you see fit, including becoming monks and nuns. It was a very generic article on human rights and mentioned no countries by name. However, there are over 10,000 tibetan buddhist monks and nun–many of which are Sherpa–unaccounted for after the april/may so-called uprisings. This includes some of the senior most and most respected rinpoches. They have simply disappeared.

While I am not surprised the President George W. Bush has decided to attend the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, I had held out some hope. This week there have been several headlines out there concerning both the Olympics and the struggles of the Tibetan people to maintain their cultural identity and practice their religion. There have also been some activities on the parts of presidential candidates. I argue, both activities are essential windows into their approaches to Human Rights.

The first was this picture of John McCain and his Holiness the Dali Lama. The New York Times in its story stated this:

“But other Republicans — the so-called foreign policy pragmatists, many of whom have come to view the Iraq war as a mistake — say the administration’s policy shifts highlight the more confrontational nature of Mr. McCain’s foreign policy, particularly in his approach toward Russia and his embrace on Friday of the Dalai Lama, whom the Chinese regard as the fomenter of a rebellion in Tibet. They say the meeting will only antagonize China before the Summer Olympics, and at a moment when the United States is seeking its cooperation on economic issues and negotiations with North Korea.”

source: New York Times

At the same time, we see this move from the Obama Campaign.

As reported by Advertising Age, it appears that the Obama campaign is going to be a major TV sponsor of the Beijing Olympics.

“It’s official. Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign will be among the TV sponsors of NBC Universal’s Olympics coverage. In the first significant network-TV buy of any presidential candidate in at least 16 years, the Obama campaign has taken a $5 million package of Olympics spots that includes network TV as well as cable ads. According to NBC’s political file, the campaign had initially requested information about 500,000, $2 million and $4 million package of Olympics spots. The network also offered the candidate a $10 million package.”

So, let me ask you a question. Aren’t the progressives supposed to be the ones concerned with Human Rights and standing up for them regardless of the economic consequences? Is it way too cynical of me to see this move by the Obama campaign as finding a way to profit and gain votes from an event that highlights a country that mistreats its peoples? This is Communist China folks! Monks and Nuns disappear there. Google and MIcrosoft have had to build limits into their software to suppress free speech in this country.

Oh, btw, after the Chinese government protested the publication of Ang Dawa’s statement of basic human rights, there were threats issued to the publisher of that paper in Nepal. The editor was assassinated shortly thereafter.

Is this the type of thing the Obama campaign should be sponsoring with campaign dollars?

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From my blog, “Sky Dancing in a Man’s World.”

Then there are her recent, major foreign policy speeches, some of which are excerpted below.

UPDATE: “Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was not sure what he would do when asked about the Olympics last week; LINK Clinton’s statement, issued Monday, may mean that Obama clarifies his views.” — From “Clinton calling on Bush to boycott China Olympic opening ceremony. What is Obama’s position?,” by columnist Lynn Sweet for the Chicago Sun-Times, April 7, 2008.

TODAY’S PRESS RELEASE:
Statement by Hillary Clinton on Olympics

The violent clashes in Tibet and the failure of the Chinese government to use its full leverage with Sudan to stop the genocide in Darfur are opportunities for Presidential leadership. These events underscore why I believe the Bush administration has been wrong to downplay human rights in its policy towards China. At this time, and in light of recent events, I believe President Bush should not plan on attending the opening ceremonies in Beijing, absent major changes by the Chinese government. [Continued below.]

I encourage the Chinese to take advantage of this moment as an opportunity to live up to universal human aspirations of respect for human rights and unity, ideals that the Olympic games have come to represent.

Americans will stand strong in support of freedom of religious and political expression and human rights. Americans will also stand strong and root for the success of American athletes who have worked hard and earned the right to compete in the Olympic Games of 2008.

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After reading this press release, I did some digging to find Hillary Clinton’s previous statements on these urgent human rights matters. I remember well that this is not the first time she has spoken out so frankly, and with such clear evidence of intimate knowledge of the crises facing the world. Here is some of what I found:

From “Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Remarks on Foreign Policy at George Washington University,” February 25, 2008:

[RE WORLD EVENTS and RESPONSIVENESS] … Dramatic events during this past week have reminded us how volatile our world has become and how essential it is that we have sound strategy and strong leadership.

From Kosovo to Cuba, from Iraq to Pakistan, to our embassy being burned in Belgrade, these are some of the most challenging spots on our global map. The world is being transformed with enormous risks and possibilities that we must meet with confidence, optimism, resolution and success.

The next president will inherit all of these global challenges and more from a president who failed to handle them well. A war in Afghanistan and a war in Iraq. America’s reputation at an all-time low. Countries rushing to acquire nuclear weapons. Crushing poverty that stymies economic and political progress in too many regions of the world. Global warming and global health pandemics. Genocide in Darfur. A rise of borderless, stateless criminal cartels. And the continuing real threat of terrorism here at home and abroad.

But while these stark realities carry dangers, they also bring unprecedented opportunities if we act wisely, if we have the right kind of leadership. There isn’t any doubt in my mind that we will not only navigate through these uncharted difficult waters but emerge stronger than ever, reasserting both our leadership and our moral authority.

The vision I have for America is one that is rooted in those values. Values that have served us well but have been temporarily sidelined because of this administration’s approach to the world. …

[...]

[RE THE CHALLENGE THAT CHINA PRESENTS TO THE U.S.] Dealing with the rising power of China provides an example. I went to Beijing in 1995 and spoke out for women’s rights and human rights. The Chinese government wasn’t happy; they pulled the plug on the broadcast of my speech. But I took that as a compliment. Because it was important for the United States both to be represented and to make absolutely clear that human rights is an integral part of our foreign policy and that women’s rights is key to that. What we have learned is that where women are oppressed and denied their basic rights we are more likely to have regimes that are more adversarial to American interests and values.

Today, China is most obviously the world’s largest and one of its fastest growing economies. It’s become a global superpower that needs to be convinced to play by the rules in the global marketplace. Here again, the Bush administration has failed. One third of our trade deficit is with China and over the course of the last seven years Bush policies have has allowed the Chinese government to become our banker. Today, China’s steel comes here and our jobs go there. We play by the rules and they manipulate their currency. We get tainted fish and lead-laced toys and poisoned pet food in return. That will change when I am in the White House because I know we have got to take a consistent approach towards China.

I’ve co-sponsored legislation to compel the Administration to take aggressive steps to stop China from manipulating its currency, to make our goods look more expensive. I’m the original co-sponsor of the Foreign Debt Ceiling Act which really means that we would require any administration to begin reversing our trade deficit and start breaking our reliance on China for not only what they provide to us in terms of the way they buy our dollars and buy our debt but also to be held to higher standards for what they import into our market. …

(PHOTO ABOVE: From a photo gallery of the 1995 Beijing Women’s Conference.)

From Hillary’s speech, “NATIONAL SECURITY: Center for a New American Security,” June 2007:

… There are so many other challenges across the board from obviously the Middle East to Latin America, from the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the ongoing violence in Darfur.

The next president will face a rising China with growing economic, diplomatic and military power. China is using its power throughout the world in new ways that challenge our current thinking and policies. We should neither fear a stronger China nor ignore it. That means engagement and understanding, but also frank dialogue on issues ranging from trade to currency manipulation to human rights abuses and the environment.

I remember traveling to China in 1995 to represent the United States at the Fourth World Conference on Women. Shortly before the conference was to start, the Chinese government imprisoned a dissident – as some of you might remember – and many felt that we shouldn’t go in order to send a strong message of disapproval.

But I thought we should send another message. That’s why I did go and spoke out about the importance of human rights and particularly emphasizing the importance of women’s rights. I don’t think we lose by speaking out and engaging with those with whom we disagree, even in profound ways. …

There are far more speeches and statements from Hillary Clinton on these critical international matters. And, every time I read her words or hear her speak on these issues, I am more convinced than ever that she would make a great president.