Events such as the Olympics, with all the money and attention that they attract, tend to be used by people (politicians especially) for their own self seeking ends.
It seems that in order to attract the Olympic flame of publicity, Democratic Representative Tom Lantos has fallen into that trap.
Yesterday Lantos gave an absurd warning that China must not be allowed to turn the 2008 Olympics into the "genocide" Games.
Quite when genocide was ever included in the Olympic agenda is beyond me. Lantos then went on to "demand" (why can politicians never "ask") that US security aid for the games must safeguard human rights.
Lantos is quoted as saying:
"We don't want these Olympics to go down in the history books as the genocide Olympics."
Lantos called on the US government to ensure security cooperation with Beijing, designed to protect the Games from terror attacks, would not in any way infringe basic human rights and free expression.
He went on to say:
"It is outrageous that China is using the very symbol of international unity and brotherhood to further grind down the Tibetans and the Taiwanese who simply want to live their lives without interference from Beijing."
Quite how Lantos expects hyperbolic terms, such as "genocide", to aid the cause of the Tibetan and Taiwanese people is beyond me.
With regard to freedom of expression, Lantos might do well to review the workings of his own country's Patriot Act before castigating others.
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