Regime Watch: Beijing

The editorial board of my hometown newspaper, the Denver Post, have taken both Beijing and its toadies at the International Olympic Committee to task for falling short on promises made…the money excerpt:

The Chinese desperately want the $40 billion games to be lauded as a success — a showcase for athletes reaching superlative heights against the backdrop of a perfect city.

Unfortunately, the early reports paint a far from perfect picture.

Instead of human rights improvements, the situation has worsened. Even as Beijing publicized the establishment of “protest zones,” dissidents were detained or jailed. So-called troublemakers have been denied entry to the country. In Beijing, taxi cabs are wired for eavesdropping. And Tibet, which has long clashed with Chinese authorities, remains closed to the outside world.

Furthermore, journalists in Beijing to cover the games have reported their Internet access is being filtered, with some websites being blocked.

Inexplicably, the IOC appears impotent in applying pressure on the Chinese to keep their promises. That is, if the IOC is even trying.

In the face of growing concern by athletes over air quality, the IOC’s chief medical commissioner said Tuesday that the Beijing air looks like pea soup because of its “humidity.” What?

The U.S. Olympic Committee seems to be taking its cues from the IOC. When four members of the U.S. cycling team got off a plane in China wearing air masks distributed by the USOC, their actions were questioned by USOC officials. USOC CEO Jim Scherr reportedly said the cyclists were “overly cautious.” The cyclists ended up making a public apology to the Chinese.

The events leave us wondering why the great effort to soothe the Chinese ego?

Nice! The folks at the Post don’t seem quite as timid as the New York Times editorial board, who have acted genuinely surprised that a communist regime is granted the Olympics, and then continues to act like a communist regime.