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http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/17/dalai.lama/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/1...rest/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Expressing hope that the future of Tibet and China will move beyond mistrust, the Dalai Lama accepted the Congressional Gold Medal from President Bush Wednesday during a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda.

"I am deeply touched that this great honor has been given to me, a Buddhist monk born of a simple family," he said.

Earlier, China slammed the United States for bestowing the nation's highest civilian honor on the Dalai Lama, calling the ceremony an affront to the budding relations between the countries.

But the Dalai Lama repeated his stance that he's seeking a "meaningful autonomy" for the Tibetan people, not independence from China.

"Despite all this, Beijing continues to allege that my hidden agenda is a separation and restoration [of] Tibet's old social political system. Such a notion is unfounded and untrue," he said.

"Much of the world is waiting to see how China's concepts of harmonious society and peaceful rights would unfold."

Though Bush said the ceremony was not meant to antagonize the Chinese, he made repeated references to religious oppression.

"Americans cannot look to the plight of the religiously oppressed and close our eyes or turn away," Bush said.

Calling the Dalai Lama a "universal symbol of peace and tolerance, a shepherd to the faithful and a keeper of the flame for his people," Bush presented the medallion to the Dalai Lama. Watch actor Richard Gere explain the importance of the ceremony »

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The spiritual leader grinned broadly, pulling the award from its case and showing it to the lawmakers with whom he shared the stage.

Democratic and Republican leaders praised the Dalai Lama's record of promoting peace and urged China to allow the return of the exiled leader.

Bush also lauded the spiritual leader who as a boy kept a model of the Statue of Liberty by his bedside.

The president met privately Tuesday with Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th dalai lama, in the White House.

Before the Wednesday honor, Bush said he was attending the ceremony because he admires the Dalai Lama, the two of them both support religious freedom and because "I like going to the gold medal ceremonies."

He further said fostering religious freedom was in China's best interests and that Beijing should meet with the Dalai Lama.

"If they were to sit down with the Dalai Lama, they would find him to be a man of peace and reconciliation," Bush said.

China saw the ceremony as a political statement and believes the honor represents U.S. acquiescence to the Dalai Lama's calls for Tibetan autonomy. Tibet, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao, is "an inalienable part of China" and Chinese-Tibetan affairs are strictly a matter of Chinese domestic policy.

"U.S. leaders meeting the Dalai [Lama] seriously violate the basic principles of international relations," Liu said.

The Dalai Lama laughed off Chinese criticism of his visit, saying Tuesday in Washington, "That always happens."

The Congressional Gold Medal -- one of four honors Congress is doling out Wednesday -- is presented "both for singular acts of exceptional service and for lifetime achievement."

Past recipients include Mother Teresa, former South African President Nelson Mandela, former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and baseball and civil rights icon Jackie Robinson.

White House spokesman Dana Perino said Bush considered the Dalai Lama "a great spiritual leader." Bush, who has met with the Dalai Lama four times, told Chinese President Hu Jintao at a summit in Australia last month that he would be attending Wednesday's ceremony, Perino said.

She quickly dismissed the notion that the president was trying to make a statement by attending the ceremony.

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I starting to think we should boycott the china olympics.

A lot of people already have or are calling for people to do so. I know Steven Spielberg pulled out as artistic adviser. Although leave it to President Numbnuts to decline to support actions taken in protest against the Chinese government....those bastions of humanity.

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I starting to think we should boycott the china olympics.

What would it take for you to get beyond "starting to think" about boycotting

the olympics and for you to make a personal decision to boycott the olympics?

:whistling:

Please join me in boycotting the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

So,.. anyone care to join me?

How about you, The Rover? You're calling for Tibet to be freed, are you willing

to boycott the olympics as an individual show of support for the Tibetan cause?

:whistling:

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Count me in Hermit.

Awesome! Thank you, wanna be bro!

:beer:

The best way is to check the label of any product that's made in China and refuse to buy the piece of junk. :angry:

True.

Shunning the Beijing olympics would send a worthwhile message too, though. ;)

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Darfur, Sri Lanka, Tibet... I hear about them all the time and nothing is done... i am in Model UN, and when we pass resolutions on these topics, it never really works out that well

its a small step, but count me in to boycott the Olympics as a show of my support for a free Tibet!

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it's between tibet and china. a backwards government and population? 1 in 9 of my country's citizens are behind bars. our leaders are war criminals, our people are fat and stupid. america should shut the fuck up. fuck the olympics too.

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What would it take for you to get beyond "starting to think" about boycotting

the Olympics and for you to make a personal decision to boycott the Olympics?

I just think it would be a big fuck you to china. I read that the air quality is going to be horrible and the china officials are making all athletes sign something that states they won't talk about china problems. China wants to be big dog on the block and they need to settle down a little bit. Plus I'm still piss about Nam, even though i was born 10 years later and the fact they won't let there athletes come over and compete in the NBA without some sort of a hassle.

it's between Tibet and china. a back wards government and population? 1 in 9 of my country's citizens are behind bars. our leaders are war criminals, our people are fat and stupid. America should shut the fuck up. fuck the Olympics too.

remember 1 in 4 teenage girls have an STD. We should never shut up, the world spins on American dollars, and we have a right to say what we think. In China if you said, what you just said, they would shoot you and send a bill for the cost of the bullet to your parents, whom by the way should only have one child.

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Hi all,

O G boycott,1980?1984? Didn't really change anything.

Don't buy anything from China,...well I have tried,go to any store,it's really not easy.I am not saying this makes it right,but darn it if I could get a shower curtain NOT made in China let me know.

it's between tibet and china.

And other certain events use to between,er,...England and Germany,then Japan,then,.........

Then in the 50's China(again?!?) 'needed' to help another cool nation,N. Korea,then,......

a backwards government and population? 1 in 9 of my country's citizens are behind bars.

Most are innocent,...... :blink:

our leaders are war criminals,

Prove it. Since Congress was in on the criminal activity and the UN approved it,.....well we might have to build more jails,so then it will be 2 in 9,...

our people are fat and stupid. america should shut the fuck up. fuck the olympics too.

Hey,these jeans only make me look fat!And yes I am make a rock look smart and also thank you for grouping all Americans in the one fat,stupid landfill,......

KB (maybe tomorrow,maybe some day,...)

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it's between tibet and china. a backwards government and population? 1 in 9 of my country's citizens are behind bars. our leaders are war criminals, our people are fat and stupid. america should shut the fuck up. fuck the olympics too.

While yes, our people are getting fat, we should not shut the fuck up.

Our leaders are not war criminals, you simply don't agree with the wars. That doesn't make them war criminals.

America should only shut the fuck up in matters that don't concern them. China concerns us. Thus, we should keep our mouth, as well as our eyes, open at all times.

It's bums like you, who whine and bitch about everything, who lead the way for fat, lazy, and stupid slobs that America has been churning out the last two decades.

Thank you for your contribution to the downfall of America sir. I ask that you do not have children and you move yourself to Canada, an act that would greatly increase the IQ of America

:wave:

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Shouldn't we be boycotting China, well, because they are a communist pile of dog-dung? I mean, look at their human rights record, period, not even taking into account Tibet, etc. What about Taiwan? They are under some illusion that they are part of China.

These s.o.b.'s would no doubt lay claim to Japan if they thought we'd buy it...

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While yes, our people are getting fat, we should not shut the fuck up.

Our leaders are not war criminals, you simply don't agree with the wars. That doesn't make them war criminals.

America should only shut the fuck up in matters that don't concern them. China concerns us. Thus, we should keep our mouth, as well as our eyes, open at all times.

It's bums like you, who whine and bitch about everything, who lead the way for fat, lazy, and stupid slobs that America has been churning out the last two decades.

Thank you for your contribution to the downfall of America sir. I ask that you do not have children and you move yourself to Canada, an act that would greatly increase the IQ of America

wow a clown just called me a hobo

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you wouldn't say that to my face without me not leaving behind spiders inside your cocksucking mouth. if i were you i'd kill myself now
You really think I wouldn't say that to you? OK tough guy, you're right, I'd back down :rolleyes:

Oh, and I like how you avoided everything I said, and went straight for the cocksucks and suicide insults. That must be the manly road. Can you teach me to be tough senor? :banana:

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If you are serious about the boycott you may want to extend it to the multinational corporations that are sponsoring the Olympics. For example, several U.S.-based corporations, including McDonalds and Coca-Cola, have invested over $100 million each to sponsor the Olympics. If the violence against the Tibetan people continues to escalate, these multinationals are considering how to protect their investments in the Olympics while not appearing to support the policies of China.

For years, as a protest against apartheid, my husband and I boycotted any multinational companies that were doing business with the apartheid government of South Africa. Given the current violent situation in Tibet, we will boycott both the Olympics and the multinational sponsors.

March 17, 2008

Sponsors' Olympic Balancing Act

Tibet Unrest Could Devalue Investments,

But Firms Fear Riling China's Government

By MEI FONG

The Wall Street Journal

March 17, 2008; Page B1

BEIJING -- The violent clashes in Tibet and western China are causing Olympic sponsors to evaluate how they can protect their investment in the coming Games here, without appearing to undermine China's government.

Lenovo Group Ltd., Coca-Cola Co., McDonald's Corp., Volkswagen AG and others have paid record sums -- as much as $120 million, according to some estimates -- to sponsor Beijing's Olympics. To them, the Games are a unique opportunity to tap China's vast and burgeoning markets, and build vital relationships with the country's decision makers.

But there is growing concern among corporate sponsors that the rising tide of protests over Tibet and China's support of the Sudanese government will detract from the Games' commercial success, say some executives, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear their comments could sour relations with the Chinese government.

Behind official statements that emphasize the Olympics as a festival of sport that can bring people together, sponsors are deliberating what to do, say some executives and advisers. Several high-level executives from U.S. sponsor companies had already planned to meet in New York, said a person familiar with the matter. The meeting, which is scheduled to take place in the next two weeks, was prompted by an anti-Olympic campaign from activists, who say the Chinese government's ties with Khartoum are aggravating strife in Sudan's Darfur region. The group, led by actress Mia Farrow, recently scored a publicity coup by getting director Steven Spielberg to withdraw from his role as an artistic adviser to the Games.

Now, the deadly violence in Tibet, which began after demonstrators set fires to Chinese shops in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, Friday, is likely to add urgency to the matter, said a person advising several Olympic sponsors. Unlike Darfur, Tibet is more obviously linked with China, and the Chinese government's sensitivity over the issue of Tibetan independence makes it more likely that they could overreact. "The last thing [the sponsors] want is another Tiananmen tank incident," said the person, referring to the iconic photo of a lone protester impeding a line of Chinese armor sent to put down a 1989 prodemocracy demonstration.

"While it's true many sponsors can take the position that they have nothing to do with Tibet, they can't take the position they have nothing to do with the Games in China," said Eliot R. Cutler, managing partner at the Beijing office of Aiken Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a law firm that advises clients on crisis management and public policy. "They have an interest in making sure the Games are free of controversy -- and in taking themselves out of the middle," he said.

Coca-Cola, Samsung Group and Lenovo have more immediate worries, too, as sponsors of the Olympic torch relay that begins in two weeks and is scheduled to pass through Tibet and up Mount Everest. The celebration now could be in danger of being marred either by activists or a heavy military presence. But there won't be changes to the torch relay, said the companies and the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee.

It will be "more challenging and sensitive" for Olympic sponsors to activate their marketing campaigns and derive maximum value from their sponsorship given these recent controversies over Darfur and Tibet, said Marcus John, China managing director for marketing agency IMG Worldwide.

For example, sponsorship for the torch relay is separate from the Games itself and usually costs about $15 million to $20 million, say people in the industry. Torch sponsors can spend an equivalent amount building marketing campaigns around the relays. Coca-Cola, a six-time torch sponsor, has planned a campaign highlighting the eco-contributions of many of its torch-bearers, while Lenovo held a global competition inviting potential torch-bearers to submit essays and video clips.

Most company sponsors said it wasn't their role to advise China on political policy, and they stressed the role of the Games in promoting peace.

An executive at one of the sponsor companies said: "We think when the Games start, as has always been the case, people will focus on the Games." While the situation in China could be better, the country is moving in the right direction in terms of democracy and greater freedom, and the Olympics would help "move things along."

In a statement, computer maker Lenovo -- the only Chinese company to be a top-tier Olympic sponsor -- said the company is following news reports from Tibet "with concern and regret" and noted that "the situation involves a longstanding dispute and political forces beyond the control of Olympic sponsors, and it would exist even in the absence of the Olympic Games."

Adidas AG said it was concerned about violence in Tibet and would continue to monitor news on Darfur and Tibet closely, but "we should however not lose sight of the fact that the Olympics is being held to celebrate sports." General Electric Co. spokeswoman Deirdre Latour said any issues regarding the Olympics should be left to the governing bodies, and the Olympics "is a force for good." McDonald's said in an email that political issues should be resolved by governments and international bodies such as the United Nations.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge told reporters that a boycott of Beijing Games would only hurt athletes and "doesn't solve anything."

Few expect the sponsors, which have longstanding businesses in China, to pull out of the Games at this stage. But people close to the matter say some companies could scale back Olympic marketing to distance themselves.

There is precedence for such a move. During the 1996 Atlanta Games, International Business Machines Corp., suffered an embarrassment when an Olympic news-distribution system it devised crashed. Subsequently IBM -- then a sponsor -- reduced its Games marketing. In a similar vein, Adidas yanked sponsorship of the T-Mobile cycling team this past summer, after a doping scandal at the Tour de France.

Executives at some sponsor firms also say they have been privately lobbying the Chinese government and the International Olympic Committee to improve human-rights issues. Such an approach has its problems because the nature of its privacy makes it hard to appease activists, who are increasingly seeking to publicly link the Games and sponsors.

To that point, a coalition of Darfur activists is planning to target sponsors the activists deem unresponsive in a campaign beginning March 31. Called Turn Off/Tune In, the campaign is asking the public to pledge to turn off Olympic sponsors' ads during the Games, and instead tune in to daily live broadcasts with Ms. Farrow from a refugee camp in Darfur, according to the Dream for Darfur Web site.

In November, the group released a report grading sponsors on whether they had used their influence with the Chinese government or international bodies to lobby for a cessation of violence in Sudan.

Now, in the second phase of the campaign, companies that received low scores could face demonstrations at their corporate headquarters, likely headed by Darfur survivors, said Jill Savitt, the organization's executive director.

Tibetan activists also say they are planning to target Olympic sponsors in grass-roots campaigns.

"We don't have high hopes, but it doesn't mean we let them off the hook," said Lhadon Tethong, director with the New York-based advocacy group Students for a Free Tibet. Referring to the Olympic Games this August, she said, "We are taking their moment in the sun and [highlighting] the shame of the occupation in Tibet."

--Jane Spencer in Hong Kong, Kathryn Kranhold in New York, Janet Adamy in Chicago and Mike Esterl in Frankfurt contributed to this article.

Write to Mei Fong at mei.fong@wsj.com7

URL for this article:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120570507375240027.html

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Can you teach me to be tough senor?

i can't teach you anything. you have shit for brains. i'm sure your father smacks you around enough already. and i'm done socializing with you i've stepped in dog shit many times. other than a quick "goddamn it" i never thought i'd actually respond to it as if it were worthy of such.

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i can't teach you anything. you have shit for brains. i'm sure your father smacks you around enough already. and i'm done socializing with you i've stepped in dog shit many times. other than a quick "goddamn it" i never thought i'd actually respond to it as if it were worthy of such.

:hysterical:

Yeah ok tough guy. Run away when someone challenges you're beliefs. I'm sure you're successful in life.

Do me a favor, and if you do decide to comment back, explain how I was wrong in anything I said referring to your beliefs mmkay?

But I did meant what I said dude. Cross that border, and use a condom ;)

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i can't teach you anything. you have shit for brains. i'm sure your father smacks you around enough already. and i'm done socializing with you i've stepped in dog shit many times. other than a quick "goddamn it" i never thought i'd actually respond to it as if it were worthy of such.

"Mr. Zero, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

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