| The China Olympics got off to a bad start | | | | angering nationalistic Chinese and souring |
| with people trying to tackle the person | | | | the mood for the Beijing Games. |
| carrying the Olympic flame; however, that was | | | | |
| nothing compared to what we're seeing now- | | | | And now a violent earthquake has devastated a |
| earthquakes, tremors, after shocks, | | | | broad patch of central China, particularly |
| radioactive leaks, and potential floods from | | | | here in mountainous Sichuan province, killing |
| dams breaking, etc. Talk about China's | | | | up to 50,000 people. The scale of destruction |
| Olympic mood being somber! It's more like | | | | is so vast -- and the horizon for a return to |
| some cosmic curse. | | | | normalcy so distant -- that it is difficult |
| | | | to imagine a carefree crowd in Beijing when |
| Eight is an auspicious number in Chinese | | | | the Games open Aug. 8. |
| tradition, and 2008 was supposed to be a | | | | |
| joyful year, a time for celebrating at the | | | | Forgedaboutdit! |
| Beijing Olympics and basking in international | | | | |
| recognition of the country's tremendous | | | | Across the country, Chinese had joyfully |
| progress under the careful leadership of the | | | | embraced the role of Olympic host. Most also |
| Communist Party. It has not turned out that | | | | seemed to buy into the idea that -- during |
| way. | | | | the Olympic year, at least -- the world was |
| | | | ready to overlook the party's Leninist |
| The uprising in Tibet on March 14 should have | | | | ideology and accept its promises of eventual |
| been a sign! | | | | political reform. If other nations were |
| | | | willing to show patience, the party hoped, |
| The Tibet crisis focused the world's | | | | the Chinese people would be encouraged to |
| attention on the long-festering issue of | | | | follow suit. |
| China's abuse of human rights. The worldwide | | | | |
| Olympic torch relay, conceived as a "journey | | | | Now the attention is internal and the |
| of harmony," turned into a magnet for | | | | "internals" could get worse before they get |
| protest, embarrassing Olympic organizers, | | | | better. |