Deanna TaylorEnvironmental Injustice in China
I hope that folks will come out for the Human Rights Torch Relay Rally
Sunday, April 20, 10am – Peace Walk followed by Rally
City County Building at Washington Square400 South State Street, Salt Lake City
The Human Rights Torch Relay is an international campaign that seeks to bring an end to all human rights abuses against the people of China, while highlighting the persecution of Falun Gong - the most severely persecuted group in China today. During the run up to the 2008 Olympics, the HRTR will host events in 37 countries across six continents to present its message: The Olympics and crimes against humanity cannot coexist in China. The Tibetan, Burmese, and Vietnamese communities, the Darfur Support Network (Sudan), Chinese democracy groups, student groups, former Olympians, and representatives from sports and politics are among the relay participants. The HRTR was initiated by the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG).
I have been asked to be a speaker on environmental injustice in China at this rally.
For the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games, China has committed to a “Green Olympics,†giving top priority to environmental protection, including preventing air pollution and protecting drinking water sources. A reported $7 billion has been spent on environmental clean-up for the Olympic Games, and the government has committed to replacing coal with clean energies. However, the overall preparation for the Olympics has been plagued by corruption, forced relocations, and lack of transparency and independent monitoring mechanisms.
In other words, the Chinese government does not walk the talk.
(I’ve been absent for awhile and am slowly getting back into the swing of things. Sometimes “life” happens, throwing things off for a bit….glad to be back.)
April 19th, 2008 at 9:14 am
I’ll be there Deanna! Because you are the all too rare teacher who teaches by leading.
April 19th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Thanks! The weather is supposed to be kind of crappy though…….
April 19th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Hey, all of our crap is made by slave wage earners over in china, so what are you going to do at the torch rally, flame and protest yourselves?
All the money that slave wage earners have made from us buying their crap, have gone into higher CC mopeds, cars, and meat for dinner. The disconnection is total.
Y’all drivin da protest, mon?
April 19th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
There are some environmentally irresponsible organizations, but China tops the list by far. It’s that Communism thing that has been about power and destruction as long as it has existed. For the reason of China’s environmental rape and pillage, along with its destruction of freedom and sponsorship of freedom’s destruction in the Sudan and other places, I think we should hold an alternate Olympics someplace else.
April 19th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
China is proof positive that communism is not a cure for environmental problems, in fact the opposite is true. In a free society people can speak up and expose polluters, but in China you may wind up in prison or even dead if you speak up. China is going to close all their smoke billowing factories before the Olympics to give the impression their air is clean but after it will be business as usual. If China won’t even listen to their own people do you think they will listen to you? The only thing they will listen to is lost sales in the United States. They may be a “most favored” trading partner with the US, but they don’t have to be your personal “most favored”. When you go into a store look on the label if it says ‘made in China’ don’t buy and let the store management know why.
May 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Falun Gong’s faux torch relay is not grassroot. Rightwing “China hawks” in US Congress are linked to this event.
Susan Prager, the outreach director of HRTR, is also the communications director of “Friends of Falun Gong”, a quasai-government non-profit founded by people linked to US Congress and the NED - it has injected over 6 million dollars in 5 years to various FLG groups to promot their intensely anti-Chinese political message.