Burma: Thousands dead in massacre of the monks dumped in the jungle

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Comments

  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    boycott is a great idea I'm all for it. but can anything really be done without military force? and if not the US, who can intervene?
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    jlew24asu wrote:
    boycott is a great idea I'm all for it. but can anything really be done without military force? and if not the US, who can intervene?

    Look how quickly Imus was pulled off the air because people called sponsors and complained. If the same determination can be installed into calling Olympic sponsors and NBC the same goal can be reached.

    I think it's time we stopped looking to our government to resolve problems and start taking matters into our own hands. Our government has only one interest and that is self preservation. It barely cares about the citizens of this country why would it care about the people of Burma.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7022437.stm

    4,000 monks are to be sent off to prison in Burma.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    mammasan wrote:
    Look how quickly Imus was pulled off the air because people called sponsors and complained. If the same determination can be installed into calling Olympic sponsors and NBC the same goal can be reached.

    I think it's time we stopped looking to our government to resolve problems and start taking matters into our own hands. Our government has only one interest and that is self preservation. It barely cares about the citizens of this country why would it care about the people of Burma.

    the problem is most americans don't give a fuck about burma and couldn't place it on a map. who cares what happens over there? there's no unified interest to rally around, as opposed to the imus thing where people are 1) scared shitless of discrimination litigation (which can't be brought against burma) and 2) have people like shartpon and the naacp to fan the flames of outrage among a built-in base.
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    the problem is most americans don't give a fuck about burma and couldn't place it on a map. who cares what happens over there? there's no unified interest to rally around, as opposed to the imus thing where people are 1) scared shitless of discrimination litigation (which can't be brought against burma) and 2) have people like shartpon and the naacp to fan the flames of outrage among a built-in base.

    Unfortunetly what you say is true. Man it is really sad to think that people just don't give a fuck. People have become so insulated in their little bubble that they are disconnected from the world. As long as everything inside that bubble is fine they just turn a blind eye to their fellow man.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    mammasan wrote:
    Unfortunetly what you say is true. Man it is really sad to think that people just don't give a fuck. People have become so insulated in their little bubble that they are disconnected from the world. As long as everything inside that bubble is fine they just turn a blind eye to their fellow man.

    I think many people do care. but there really isnt much that can be done. military force is the only option where sometime can actually happen.
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    jlew24asu wrote:
    I think many people do care. but there really isnt much that can be done. military force is the only option where sometime can actually happen.


    I don't think so. If enough people get involved and threaten to boycott NBC or not buy products from corporate sponsors there very well could be a US boycott of the Olympics. That would definitely send a message to China that it needs to stop it's support of the military junta in Burma.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    Below is a link to an ad that will be published Thursday in several prominent newspapers.

    http://www.avaaz.org/images/114_feature1_en_ad.pdf
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    mammasan wrote:
    I don't think so. If enough people get involved and threaten to boycott NBC or not buy products from corporate sponsors there very well could be a US boycott of the Olympics. That would definitely send a message to China that it needs to stop it's support of the military junta in Burma.

    even if the boycott worked, do you really think china would give a shit?
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    mammasan wrote:
    I don't think so. If enough people get involved and threaten to boycott NBC or not buy products from corporate sponsors there very well could be a US boycott of the Olympics. That would definitely send a message to China that it needs to stop it's support of the military junta in Burma.

    enough people won't though. for every person who boycotts, there are 3 willing to watch and buy tickets.
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    jlew24asu wrote:
    even if the boycott worked, do you really think china would give a shit?

    If countries started pulling out of the Olympics I think the Chinese government would act on Burma.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    enough people won't though. for every person who boycotts, there are 3 willing to watch and buy tickets.

    I would say the ratio is probably greater than that. Like 1 to 30.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    Just because enough people may not care or the Chinese government may not budge doesn't mean we shouldn't at least try.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    mammasan wrote:
    Just because enough people may not care or the Chinese government may not budge doesn't mean we shouldn't at least try.

    I hear man. keep up the good fight. I support you. I am all for a boycott. maybe list the sponsors so we know who to avoid.
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    jlew24asu wrote:
    I hear man. keep up the good fight. I support you. I am all for a boycott. maybe list the sponsors so we know who to avoid.

    Coca-Cola Company
    Atos Origin
    Eastman Kodak
    GE
    John Hancock
    Johnson & Johnson
    Lenovo
    McDonald's
    Omega
    Panasonic
    Samsung
    Visa
    Anheuser-Busch
    AT&T
    Bank of America
    General Motors
    Home Depot
    Allstate
    Hilton Hotels
    Jet Set Sports
    Kellogg's
    Nike
    24 Hour Fitness
    Tyson Foods
    United Airlines
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • the reason "nobody gives a shit" is because we can all comfortably look around and say, see? nothing I can do! and just "feel bad" about burma...a BOYCOTT works provided everyone that even just gives it a second of their time acts upon it.


    I give a shit.
    IF YOU WANT A PLATE OF MY BEEF SWELLINGTON, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PAY THE COVERCHARGE.
  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    mammasan wrote:
    Coca-Cola Company
    Atos Origin
    Eastman Kodak
    GE
    John Hancock
    Johnson & Johnson
    Lenovo
    McDonald's
    Omega
    Panasonic
    Samsung
    Visa
    Anheuser-Busch
    AT&T
    Bank of America
    General Motors
    Home Depot
    Allstate
    Hilton Hotels
    Jet Set Sports
    Kellogg's
    Nike
    24 Hour Fitness
    Tyson Foods
    United Airlines

    thanks. I'm stuck with b of a and allstate. the rest I can do
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    If anyone is interested here is a great website to get information on how to get involved.

    http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/index.html
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    Fact sheet on the support that China offers Burma

    http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/action/ChinaBurmaInfoSheet.pdf
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • Someone has got to do something.
    Has GW said anything or any member of his cabinet? What is the United States doing?
    All that's sacred, comes from youth....dedications, naive and true.
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    Someone has got to do something.
    Has GW said anything or any member of his cabinet? What is the United States doing?

    They imposed more sanctions on 14 of the most senior members of the Burmese government. It restricts them from doing any business with a US based corporation or a US national and freezes any of their assests that may be in a US bank. So basically nothing.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    Someone has got to do something.
    Has GW said anything or any member of his cabinet? What is the United States doing?

    the US is calling for the UN to do something. will it?
  • soulsingingsoulsinging Posts: 13,202
    the problem with boycotts is it hardly makes a sent without a good PR machine. nike took many hits for the child slave labor thing a few years back. i could close my bank of america account and say why but nobody in the business will know or care and unless they lose several thousand customers, it's not going to hurt their bottom line much, certainly not enough to outweigh the added business from prime time olympic advertising. what you need is a coordinated effort to smear the companies and that is hard to do on an issue like this. it was easy when nike was directly exploiting kids... you clearly see their hand and it's an emotional issue everyone can get behind. but this is more complex... you have china meddling with burma, olympics in china, sponsors of the olympics, and you're going after the sponsors... that's a tough sell to people, especially in america where most people get little news and then only soundbytes. many would struggle to see how closing their bank of america account has any relation to atrocity in burma so it'd difficult to convince them that taking action is going to be effective or that hurting bank of america for actions taken by the chinese is fair or reasonable. it would take a huge coordinated campaign and i doubt it would be any more effective than the ads that tried to convince us all that smoking pot is supporting terrorism.
  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    mammasan wrote:
    Fact sheet on the support that China offers Burma

    http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/action/ChinaBurmaInfoSheet.pdf

    thats so wrong. maybe this will expose china for the scumbags that they are. we'll see if the usual america haters around here will actually notice that someone is bad in the world other then the US.
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    jlew24asu wrote:
    the US is calling for the UN to do something. will it?

    No. The US and the other members of the UN Security Council want to take action but China keeps vetoing any resolution that is brought forward. Since China is one of the permanent members states in the Security Council it's veto kills any resolution.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • jlew24asujlew24asu Posts: 10,118
    mammasan wrote:
    No. The US and the other members of the UN Security Council want to take action but China keeps vetoing any resolution that is brought forward. Since China is one of the permanent members states in the Security Council it's veto kills any resolution.

    o. you're right. I forgot about the ridiculous voting situation on the SN. what a joke. I will not be watching the Olympics
  • my2handsmy2hands Posts: 17,117
    we didn't lift a finger to help those people either though. we went to iraq 10 years later and it had nothing to do with genocide.

    we (the US) helped oppress the people of iraq

    that is well documented and factual
  • mammasanmammasan Posts: 5,656
    the problem with boycotts is it hardly makes a sent without a good PR machine. nike took many hits for the child slave labor thing a few years back. i could close my bank of america account and say why but nobody in the business will know or care and unless they lose several thousand customers, it's not going to hurt their bottom line much, certainly not enough to outweigh the added business from prime time olympic advertising. what you need is a coordinated effort to smear the companies and that is hard to do on an issue like this. it was easy when nike was directly exploiting kids... you clearly see their hand and it's an emotional issue everyone can get behind. but this is more complex... you have china meddling with burma, olympics in china, sponsors of the olympics, and you're going after the sponsors... that's a tough sell to people, especially in america where most people get little news and then only soundbytes. many would struggle to see how closing their bank of america account has any relation to atrocity in burma so it'd difficult to convince them that taking action is going to be effective or that hurting bank of america for actions taken by the chinese is fair or reasonable. it would take a huge coordinated campaign and i doubt it would be any more effective than the ads that tried to convince us all that smoking pot is supporting terrorism.

    We can't influence the Chinese government ourselves so the best we can hope to accomplish it to influence the corporate sponsors of the Olympics and then maybe they will influence the US to withdraw from the Olympics. I know it's a stretch but it's the best we can do.
    "When one gets in bed with government, one must expect the diseases it spreads." - Ron Paul
  • my2handsmy2hands Posts: 17,117
    mammasan wrote:
    I think a boycott of the Olympics is a great idea

    i was doing that way before this...
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