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