Dubya is one of the great current international terrorists. So if the Olympics were to be held this year in Birmingham instead of Beijing do you think it would be right, proper and meet for the world to hurl imprecations at the Olympic torch as it wandered around its course? China is home to 1.3-odd billion people, only a very, very, very small handful of whom are responsible for the repression of Tibet, the disagreeable human rights atmosphere, etc. MOST Chinese are like MOST Americans-- hard working, reasonably minded, and despite the loathesome behavior of their government, proud of their country. The Olympics is not some government shindig, it's not like some October First parade down Chang An Jie celebrating sixty years of communist rule-- It's an international even hosted by the Chinese. And it's a matter of great pride and happiness for hundreds of millions of Chinese that the world is coming to their house for the Olympics this year. If the Chinese government is lacking in certain qualities, the Chinese people are not. Unlike say, the Swiss, they welcome guests. They go out of their way to make the stranger feel welcome. If people want to work, actually work, to try to make the lives of ordinary Chinese better, if they want to help improve conditions in Tibet and western China, then they need to think of some other way to accomplish these goals, ways that do not insult people who have done them no harm, and ways that might possibly be more effective that what we've seen in the last few weeks. These people, all clearly deep thinkers and sincere of spirit, like Anne, not only have no positive effect, but they may very well make matters they supposedly care about worse.