Beijing Has No Right to Be Awarded Games

By all means, let us reward the People’s Republic of China for its tolerance and human-rights record by participating in a Beijing Olympics in 2008. Let us pretend that the most recent offense of the PRC against the innocent was at Tiananmen Square in 1989, when in fact recent years have been rife with reports of persecution of religious Chinese nationals, baseless imprisonment of naturalized American visitors--and even journalists, on Clinton’s last visit--to say nothing of their violations of international law in the capture of a Navy P-3 and its crew last spring. The PRC is a violator of international copyright and patent laws, already evidenced by the sale of knock-off Olympic badges.

Beijing’s smog is not only physical, but political. The PRC is owed nothing by the IOC; on the contrary, the Chinese owe the world an apology.

Lisalee Anne Wells

Long Beach