Aspies For Freedom

As someone who lives in the only city in the US where the torch visited, I am horrified at the mess.  

The streets all over downtown were a complete disaster, with people being bussed in from both sides.  They were screaming at each other, one side "Free Tibet" and the other side "Lies".  The protests were anything but silent.

The torch was accompanied by both Chinese Police and San Francisco Police in FULL RIOT GEAR.  At one point, the Free Tibet people accosted a tour bus full of people.  They laid down in front of the bus and when that was not enough, began to shake it from side to side.  The police intervened.

The route had to be changed because of public safety.  The mayor, whether or not I agree with his normal politics, did what I consider a really good thing, and changed the route at the last minute and did not inform anyone.  He will suffer some serious political repurcussions on this, and his supervisors are already talking about how unfair it was.

The closing ceremony was cancelled.  

I do not know the reasoning behind all of the protests.  I am going to be honest here.  But I have to believe that this was terribly misplaced.  I would have loved to have seen the torch.   But I could not do it because of all of the protests.  I plan to educate myself so I understand more about it, but I do not think the whole thing was acceptable, no matter what.

Anger is understandable if what you are saying is what is happening.  I think the people of China may disagree with you about the situation. How much of this is "different" than the invasion of Iraq by the US?  I am not stating an opinion, I am asking one.  

And angry, sure, but the public safety suffered.  And the thought that it would make a difference, well, that, IMHO, is silly.

I am not surprised (the do not give a *** part).  

If you are careless with your actions and run over a child on the street, your intentions are not important. The child is still dead.

I am not sure, though, that a tour bus should have been bothered and that public safety should have been at risk.  I do not live in China and have yet to imprison or torture a person from Tibet.  But then again, I am a person who believes in taking care of stuff in my backyard before I comment on the neighbor's landscape.

I am also not sure that half of the people at the protests on either side knew anything about it.  We have a big tendency of people to "jump on the protest bandwagon" here in the Bay Area.

We had a movement here recently regarding bicyclists, the name escapes me at the moment, but they do this "free ride" through the cities regularly in these large packs of bikes.  They wanted some publicity for their cause.  They caused a huge traffic jam, and when a poor older tourist was trying to get through the mess they claimed that he hit one of their bikes.  They were hitting his windshield, yelling at him, etc.  Then the video came out.  The video of one of the protesters/bike riders putting the bike underneath the wheel of the van.

ah ha ha ha!

Not funny like it was not true, funny as it was said so concisely and to the point.

Actually that is what a lot of people here in my area are saying.  If you did not want the Olympics there, it is a little late now...

You should go to sfgate.com and read up on how people felt about things yesterday.  There are many stories, and are an interesting read.

See, I knew you were a criminal sort.

(KIDDING)

My husband suggested a good way to figure it out would be to take a World Map and ask the protesters to find Tibet.  LOL

I've been very surprised by the American attitudes here towards the protests and those involved in them.  Maybe this is another cultural thing.  In Europe public protest is regarded as a human right, I would say.  One which the UK government are attempting to take away in their efforts against their so-called war on terror!

So far, from what little I've seen of the news, the protests have been successful.  It is the nature of public protest that people are inconvenienced, shaken up, frightened and maybe injured.  It's maybe a question of whether or not you consider the benefits to outway the costs, or not.

outweigh not outway!

I don't know enough about the situation in Tibet/China to comment, but I kind of take some issue with the comments about the "destruction of ...the British people."  Britishness is an increasingly abstract and out-dated concept, and one the UK government is keen to define and maintain in defiance of increasing confidence in Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish identities.  I'm 40 and I have never described myself as British, despite having a British passport.  My identity is Scottish.

Sorry, poppet.  It's been interchangable with the "British" one for so long that I tend to forget!

Yeah, or should I say "aye"! You're right, of course.  I was refering to my "national" identity, such as it is.  I was responding a bit too rapidly to the comments about Britishness and how it's being destroyed by immigrants.  I thought there was something a bit sus about our British friend, and having looked back I see he's BNP so I'm not engaging, with him, that is!

Scotland tends to be a bit more welcoming of immigrants than England is.  Unfortunately, asylum and immigration is still dealt with by the UK govt. so we've been unable to make our own, more welcoming, policies.