China And The Death Penalty

I'm not keen on the death penalty myself, I would prefer people to get life and actually serve life, which in some ways is even crueller than just ending it. It's a moral dilemma that will exist as long as humans do.

What I find really interesting though is how the majority who support the death penalty have been ignored now for decades. This while on other issues, such as the smoking ban or hunting ban, the cry is "we must have it because the majority want it". So, by that logic, the death penalty should be restored and, if a majority think the first born in every househod should be sacrificed to the gods, then so should that.

Much fuss has been made in recent days of the execution of the British drug smuggler this morning in China. Like the days of old, well the '70s and '80s, and the British oil workers being flogged for boozing in Saudi, I tend to think when in Rome do as the Romans do. If you go there, especially if you are stupid enough to carry around 4kgs of heroin, then you take the consequences. Why should he get away with it because he is British? And as for him being mentally ill, I'm afraid that is no excuse otherwise you only have to be diagnosed manic depressive and there you go, free to do what you want. He wasn't too ill to travel to China and get his hands on his 4kgs of heroin was he?

The Chinese regime, like all totalitarian regimes, is vile and disgusting so my advice would be to visit somewhere else. But, most importantly, behave yourself wherever you go.

From Ananova

A Chinese airport shocked passengers and flight crew - by sending 30 workers to push a faulty plane off a runway.

It took them nearly two hours to push the CRJ7 plane, with 69 passengers and seven-strong crew on board, less than half a mile to a side lane.

"Thank God, it was only a 20 tonne medium-sized airplane. If it had been a big plane, it would have knocked us out," said one man, who said he had never experienced anything like it in ten years working at the airport.

Airport officials explained that plane's front hydraulic system was faulty and meant it could not be attached to a tow truck.

It happened at Zhengzhou airport where the flight from Guilin had a rocky landing because of the mechanical failure.

"Luckily the airplane was able to brake on time and all the passengers are safe," a spokesman told Henan Business Daily..

Crew and passengers watched in amazement as several vehicles arrived with sirens blaring, and 30 people jumped off the trucks and started to push the airplane.

The plane is still parked in the side lane, waiting for technicians to fix the problem.

Free Tibet

I have every sympathy with the people of Tibet and would happily campaign in the UK on their behalf, although I haven't yet. I fully agreed with the demos in London and elsewhere when the Olymic Torch was being carried to China. What I do find objectionable is people going to China, from this country, and demonstrating on behalf of the Tibetan people, or supposedly on their behalf. The case in point being this story that broke this morning.

Once again it seems to be 'eco-warrior veggie green' types indulging in a spot of cultural imperialism. They probably despise Britain for our imperial past but have no qualms about trying to impose their values and beliefs on alien cultures and systems when it suits their agenda. Yet another case of double standards on the pinko liberal left, a subject on which I posted here last month.

Chinese Olympics

In 1938 the England football team were asked to give the Nazi salute in Berlin before a game against Germany. It is still a shameful episode that occasionally haunts English football. Admittedly many people now look back with regret at the naivety of kowtowing in this way to Hitler.

This weekend a collection of sportsmen and celebrities took part in a similar action, this time a sop to the totalitarian dictators who govern China. They did it by carrying the Olympic Torch, on its relay route to China, and did it on British soil.

The Chinese government have called the demonstrations against this abomination "vile". Let's just put their vocabulary down to poor translation should we? Because what is really "vile" is the way the Chinese government subjugates its people, be they Tibetans, Christians or people who are even mildly critical of the regime.

And now that sport as a whole has sold itself to the highest bidder, the President of the IOC called for a peaceful resolution in Tibet, but saved his harshest comments for the demonstrators in London who stood in support of Tibet. His comments about them were: "it is not compatible with the values" of the Olympic Games. Well what about the mass slaughter and attacks on basic freedoms and human rights carried out, on a daily basis, by the Chinese government? How do they fit in with the Olympic ideals?

70 years on we have learned absolutely nothing.

Tibet, South Africa and Sport

As Tibet, or the Chinese brutality in Tibet, continues to make the news here is a link to the history of the conflict according to the National Democratic Party of Tibet. Although they obviously have their own 'spin' on events, I suspect it is more objective than the Chinese version and probably the BBC's.

Having said that here is also a link to a BBC broadcast of the demo, and attack by Chinese soldiers, that probably sparked the riots and growing unrest.

The problem for Tibet is that vested interests makes a boycott of the Chinese Olympics highly unlikely. The last serious boycott was of the Moscow games in 1980 over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Americans were forbidden from competing while our government 'advised' athletes not to compete.

Similarly, despite serious security concerns, and even doubts about the supply of electricity to the event, the South Africa Football World Cup in 2010 will go ahead, because it would be politically incorrect not to. Would the Euro Championships in 2008, in Austria and Switzerland, go ahead if they couldn't guarantee the power supply?

Sport is about money and power these days unfortunately, principle went out of the window a long time ago.

Tibet

The Chinese are at it again. It seems that Buddhist monks on a peaceful protest are fair game for the Chinese security forces. But I suppose our government would look rather hypocritical condemning China when we are in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I have also been sent this link to Youtube, allegedly showing Chinese troops murdering Tibetan pilgrims.