icemilkcoffee,

Some of us didn't wait until the US hosted the Olympics to protest the Iraq War. Some of us were protesting it before it even started. Some of us aren't engaged in protests of the Olympics, but feel that others have the right to protest whatever they want.

To compare the NASCAR races to the Olympics is disingenuous. NASCAR does not have anywhere near the exposure of the Olympics, a reason that the races would not be a popular protest venue. The implication that a US hosted Olympics wouldn't be subject to protest because NASCAR races aren't being protested is silly. If that's not what you're implying, then your post is not speaking to the issue, which is that the US is subject to a just as high a level of scrutiny for its actions in Iraq and elsewhere. The reason that the Tibet situation is so prominent now is that China has requested the international spotlight.

On a separate note, the idea that Americans should not criticize the Chinese government for its actions because the US government is also engaged in unethical activities completely ignores the fact that it's the same Americans protesting *both* governments.

These sorts of recriminations only distract from the main issue, which is that social justice should be pursued in all cases. Whether or not you feel that the CCP's choices are right or wrong is a valid point of argument, but the ethical implications of its actions have nothing to do with the Bush administration's actions in the middle east and elsewhere.