Of interest to thinkers:

AD:  Just a quick note:  this puts me in mind of taking a few rights away from some for the "greater good."  There's a famous quotation from one of our founding fathers relating to that, and to the other piece you wrote recently; it applies here as well.  Naturally I can't remember his name or the exact quote.  I'm sure there are many on this site who will gladly fill it in.

More later I hope.  Mercy!  How the mundane (e.g., laundry and baking) does interfere with my thinking!  My writing!  I can't stand it. 

Also, just a feint:  I can't talk to that man of peace!  I'm attending a fight!

By this evening I won't be anywhere near computers, so it looked like a good time to post something that I found interesting, without investing too much of my own writing for me to leave unattended.

The Dalai Lama and the Tibetans obviously did not contribute to Obama's ascension to the Presidency as much as unions did.  Obama's internal polling numbers probably didn't show much loss of support among liberals over  his "non-reaction"  to the young girls' (what was her name?) videotaped murder at the hands of Iranian police.  Thus it is a no brainer to continue the all talk, no action policy towards the abused and enslaved people of the world.

His recent speech at the UN concerning nuclear disarmament was essentially mocked by the French President.   

It is a fact of life that nations need to deal with other nations that do not measure up to one's own nation's standards on human rights. But the need to successfully deal with such nations does not obligate one to conceal or misrepresent one's own principles on human rights. Obama and Hilary Clinton each proclaimed during their separate presidential campaigns that they were morally committed to human rights. Obama goes further by falsely trying to cloak even non-moral economic issue like health care, in moralistic language. For Hillary to argue that "pressing China on human rights 'can't interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crisis'" and for Obama to pass on seeing the Dalai Lama at the White House is pure hypocrisy. Either Hillary and Obama believe in articulating moral principles to the world or they don't. This is not to sidestep the obvious that these may be sensitive issues to other countries or that it may make diplomatic engagement more challenging. But, that is the job of the President and Secretary of State and let's face it, other countries understand that world leaders must make certain statements and engage in certain actions to please their own citizens.

So the real issue here is that Obama who claims to be so adept in diplomacy feels he needs to back off on simply seeing the Dalai Lama. I think that displays weakness on his part as a leader, since the act would be overlooked as all part of what one needs to do in their own country. Moral leadership, regardless of who happens to be President, requires a commitment to moral principles and to back up your professed principles with action. The price for not doing so is lack of creditability in your own country and a blow to all those who are suffering from human rights violations who look to the United States to condemn it. If Obama or former U.S. Presidents were really concerned about human rights they would address the human rights violations in our own country by police and prison officials, which are usually supported by social conservative Republicans. Thus, there are problems with the left and the right on human rights. Hillary and Obama have just signaled to all that they believe it is okay to be silent.

We have been gaily ignoring Tibet  for quite sometime. 

"Nothing undermines power as much as resignation~ the complete refusal of power in any form."~ Pier Paolo Posolini

I love that the Dali Lama himself sees that the situation is not " all that and a bag of chips" so to speak. There are huge cultural issues going on here as well a monetary,political and moral ones.

While I lament that Tibet was, and continues to be, swallowed up by China, the idea that is Tibet will live on.

Passive resistance, Peace, Compassion ,Works.

Richard!  What a pleasant surprise.  I'm out of town right now, enjoying the cool weather that, I understand, has finally come your way, and Bakersfield's way.

You make good points, as always.  What remains of the passion for human rights between these shores is a shadow of its former self.  It made me sad when International Women's Day came and went with the sultan's share of media exposure of it coming from Europe and Asia.

AD: Just curious - does the discussion so far pass muster, as far as you're concerned, in terms of "no coarse partisan bashing"?

It's much better than average.