Persecution

The Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games officially began on Feb. 4, 2022. My wife Marsha and I have always enjoyed watching the Olympics, marveling over the accomplishments of the athletes. Marsha especially likes figure skating and ice dancing events, while I my favorites are skiing and ice hockey. But in 2022 we won’t watch the Beijing Olympics. The rest of this post tells you why we won’t watch the Beijing Olympics.

The Chinese Communist Party’s Disdain for Basic Human Rights 

We’ve long known how China’s one child policy results in not only elective abortions but also forced abortions and infanticide. Unfortunately, too many Americans ignore China’s abortion policy as we’ve slain 63 million unborn children on the altar of convenience and is one of only seven nations allowing abortion after 20 weeks. Notably, three countries, including China, have communist governments.

But China’s human rights abuses go much further, including crimes against the humanity of its own people. That is why we won’t watch the Beijing Olympics.

A Brief Catalog of China’s Crimes Against Humanity

First, perhaps the evilest is the genocide of the Uyghur Muslims. Among the horrors endured by these people are slave labor, mass incarceration in concentration camps, unchecked rape as a tool of terror, and forced abortion and sterilization.

Next on the list of atrocities is organ harvesting among the Falun Gong. Falun Gong is a Chinese spiritualist practice. The Chinese Communist party has persecuted and arrested its practitioners since 1999.

The Party places the Falun Gong in detention centers and forced labor camps, where they endure torture and are subject to live organ harvesting.

Due to the lack of voluntary organ donors within the country, China has taken extreme measures in order to provide transplants for its nationals and ‘organ tourists’.

These ‘organ tourists’ travel from all over the world to buy an organ from a non-consenting prisoner for a minimum of around £5,000 (€5,857). Falun Gong practitioners who were imprisoned in China’s detention centres and labour camps report undergoing unexplained medical examinations and blood tests as a precursor to live organ harvesting; while doctors who were involved in the practice report of basements filled with live prisoners whose organs were extracted on demand.

There is also evidence that the Chinese also use Uyghur Muslims, Tibetans, and other prisoners for live organ harvesting. This is why we won’t watch the Beijing Olympics.

Intensifying Persecution of Christians

Third, there is ongoing persecution of Christians, which appears to be intensifying. From a recent report by Open Doors:

China’s growing Christian community currently stands at around 96.7 million–just under seven percent of the country’s total population. The church in China continues to enjoy strong growth; however, life for Christians is anything but straightforward. The policy of “Sinicizing” the church is implemented across the country, as the Communist Party relies strongly on Chinese cultural identity to stay in power and limits whatever it perceives as a threat to its control on society.

New restrictions on the internet, social media and non-governmental organizations, and 2018 regulations on religion are strictly applied and seriously limit freedom. Churches are being monitored and closed down, whether they are independent or part of the Three-Self Patriotic Movement.

And it’s not just the introduction of new laws that impinge on Christian activity, it’s also the stricter implementation of already existing laws, such as the ban on the online sale of Bibles. On a more local level, if a convert from Islam or Buddhism is discovered by their community and family, they are likely to face threats and physical harm–all in an effort to win them back. Spouses may be forced to divorce. Neighbours and the community may even report the practice of Christian activities to the authorities, who could take action to stop them….

Thousands of churches have been damaged or destroyed, some confiscated, in a campaign that has spread to almost every region of the country. Crosses have also been removed from churches. Meanwhile, laws on regulating religion, which were introduced in February 2018 and enhanced in February 2020, continue being rolled out in an increasing number of provinces.

There are reports that citizens are being financially rewarded for disclosing information on Christians and other minorities to the authorities. This reflects the determination of the Communist Party to exert its control over all areas of life.

This is why we won’t watch the Beijing Olympics.

But Wait, There’s More.

Wesley J. Smith adds to the list of human rights violations.

• Cultural genocide in Tibet
• The suppression of Hong Kong
• The social-credit system that targets, among others, Christians
• Racketeering-levels of intellectual-property theft
• Illegal South China Sea hegemony
• Menacing of Taiwan
• Aggressive hacking, spying, loan sharking the developing world
• The Great Covid Coverup

This is why we won’t watch the Beijing Olympics.

So, How Does the World Respond?

You would think that the human rights abuses perpetrated by the Chinese Communist party would abhor most nations. Wouldn’t you expect good people of all faiths, even good atheists, to recognize the evil and say NO to taking part in these Olympic games as a vehement protest against Chinese crimes against humanity?

You would be wrong!

First, no nation tries to stop or boycott the games. Rather, they encourage all to take part. Even worse, the gutless Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, is attending the games, giving his tacit approval of Chinese behavior.

Second, and even worse, Speaker-of-the-House Nancy Pelosi tells our athletes to compete, but keep their mouths shut about what they see, learn, and know about China’s anti-humanitarian record. The most powerful woman in Congress has issued a gag order on the athletes, telling them they do not have the right to speak freely.

I suppose when in China, freedom of speech, guaranteed by our Constitution, no longer applies to  the competing American athletes. Thank you, Nancy, for your guidance. Not!

This is why we won’t watch the Beijing Olympics.

Why Did the World Cave into China?

Here I will let Wesley J. Smith explain.

But much of the world is addicted to the money to be made in and from China, cheap products manufactured there, and our dependence on its willingness to exploit natural resources needed for modern technological and clean-energy products that western environmentalists insist be [kept in the ground here] (https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/environmentalists-oppose-lithium-mining-in-nevada/).

Yep, it’s all about the money. About human greed. You can’t let a million dead Uyghur Muslims stand in the way of profitability?

Also, let’s not forget all the advertising money that will flow into NBC’s coffers from innumerable broadcasts via multiple media outlets.

Then, there are the sponsors, primarily Coca-Cola. Coke paid at least $3 billion for its sponsorship and wants to reap the rewards. But it seems they’ve forgotten their many heartwarming commercials about love and sharing.

This is why we won’t watch the Beijing Olympics.

How Did the Biden Administration Respond?

Wouldn’t you expect that the United States, the “Home of the Free and Land of the Brave,” a nation founded on basic human rights, would take a strong stand against Chinese human rights abuses?

Well, you would be wrong again.

Those who care for basic human decency to boycott the Olympics beseeched the White House. But all China-friendly Joe Biden could only come up with a “diplomatic boycott.” I don’t think China really gives a rat’s behind about this, and the only one hurt by it is Vice-president Kamala Harris will miss out on a free trip to Beijing for the opening ceremonies. Sorry Kamala. Now that you must stay home, could you do something about the border crisis?

This is why we won’t watch the Beijing Olympics.

What Should We Do?

I have adopted the following recommendations from Wesley J. Smith and encourage you to do the same.

Our leaders may be inert, but we can all make a simple symbolic statement of disdain. Don’t watch the Olympics. Ignore tomorrow’s opening ceremonies. Don’t record the events. Shun YouTube videos of the skiers or skaters. Boycott the whole damn thing. Make these Games the lowest rated in television history.

That symbolic protest won’t stop the genocide. But it will tell our leaders that human rights still matter to the American people.

The opposite will also prove true too. If the Games are widely watched, if most of us cheer on Team America, it will prove to Chinese leaders that the West speaks loudly about human rights but carries a limp stick.

And we will demonstrate to ourselves that most of us care more about being entertained and having access to cheap products than we do the actions of the world’s most vicious tyranny. I hope we are not that decadent.

    Recommended Read: The War on the Uyghurs 

A report by Wesley J. Smith inspired this post and makes many of the same points. Please read his post for more in-depth analysis.

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