Today I read an article where a conservative attorney is saying that President Bush should boycott the Olympics, because of human rights abuses and persecution.  He feels that the Olympics is a money making enterprise and that it will hinder progress for human rights in China.  Here's part of the article...

Attorney John Whitehead believes the rampant greed of large corporations has turned the Olympic Games into a moneymaking enterprise, making it difficult for human-rights activists to call attention to the continued persecution and abuses in the communist Chinese dictatorship.

Whitehead, president of the Rutherford Institute, says that millions of dollars have already been spent by various companies for the right to sponsor the Beijing Olympics this August. Some of the contributing corporations include Adidas, Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and Microsoft.

The constitutional attorney says the latest tensions in Tibet illustrate that pouring capitalism into the communist dictatorship has not helped reduce the human-rights violations in that country. "The argument I always heard was that the more [the U.S.] interacted with China, the more they would become like America and revere freedom," he contends. "[But] the opposite has happened. In fact, China is not getting better; they're getting worse."   

You may finish the article here.

And I'm curious, what do YOU think - should President Bush boycott the Olympics?  Please leave us a comment.

Comments

[Jorge Orjuela]

Of course, I do think that not only should he, but also every Christian and non christian person around the world should boycott these olympics that block the view of the bloodshed and atrocities that go on in China.

[Brad]

I don't think athletes who dedicate thousands of hours to perfect their sport should be used as political pawns. President Bush has flushed the Constitution and turned the USA into a war-mongering police state. They do not have the high moral ground.

If I were an athlete whose country boycotted the Olympics, I would simply represent another country. Loyalty is a 2-way street.

[proclaimation]

how will boycotting the olympics help our brothers and sisters being persecuted? If we do boycott, we need to somehow turn it around for their benefit. only by prayer and fasting.

[Debrah]

I believe that the U.S. should not participate in the olympics. How can we as Christians and as a free nation ignore the persecution of Christians in China? How can we place the value of hours spent by an athlete to perfect their sport to the value of the lives of those who are persecuted because of their faith in Jesus Christ?

[Debrah]

I believe that the U.S. should not participate in the olympics. How can we as Christians and as a free nation ignore the persecution of Christians in China? How can we place the value of hours spent by an athlete to perfect their sport to the value of the lives of those who are persecuted because of their faith in Jesus Christ?

[nicole]

He can and should boycot the olympics. And then what?? The Us has the power to stop all subhuman treatments in China and other countries any time. It seems that money and politics blind the US Government. But someone already mentioned that God is able to do imeasurably more than we ask or immagine if only we would be persistent in "prayer and fasting". So let us do just that in the meantime.