China Cracks Down For "Feel Good" Show

(CBS)  China's motto for its games is, "One world, one dream." But as CBS News correspondent Barry Petersen reports, since Hua Huigi's dream is religious freedom for Christians who meet outside of government-run churches, officials don't want him near their feel-good Olympic world.

They imprisoned his 78-year-old mother, and Hua says that last month police smashed into his apartment and warned him: Behave properly during the Olympics, the swarm of police told him, or we might make you disappear.

His friend, Qi Zhiyong, has disappeared.

Dissidents fear security forces will use Olympics protection as an excuse for more roundups. But officials say the 100,000 soldiers are just keeping the games safe. They've even installed anti-aircraft guns around major venues.

As for protests, especially on Tiananmen Square, police stop them in seconds because each echoes the 1989 pro-democracy demonstration put down by gunfire.

China didn't promise an open Olympics, just a secure one. And, if they are successful, it might just backfire. Human rights campaigners say it could prompt the average Chinese to ask some very uncomfortable questions.

Activist John Kamm thinks he knows what those questions are.

"We can create the fastest growing economy in the world, we can have a successful Olympic Games, why can't we elect our own leaders?" Kamm says.

And in the name of security, the Chinese seem intent on taking the fun out of games. Outdoor cafes are banned, music festivals cancelled, and forget about celebrating all night. Bars will close at 2 a.m. sharp.

And forgot that promise the Chinese made about freedom of the press. Video footage shows reporters roughed up while covering a crowd buying tickets for the games.

At the fancy new media center, Internet sites the Chinese don't like are blocked. Just getting permission to come here, was an ordeal, say Americans.

"You never knew what they were going to reject you for," says American tourist Tony Ramondo. "They always came back with extra questions."

And if that isn't enough, a $17 billion battle against air pollution bought a few blue-sky days.

Yet the soup over the city keeps coming back, so these could be the Olympics of one world, one dream, but lots of coughing.

[terrorislamw]

CHINA STINKS,,,

ALWAYS HAS,,, ALWAYS WILL,,,

the U.S. government has warned Americans against muggings, beatings and even carjackings, especially in the nightlife and shopping districts of large cities.

[harp1963]

Sorry historically retarded fellow, but most wars, if researched deeply, are about money and power, not religion.

[darkdennis]

Ignorance and religion (redundant?) cause so much trouble. Wish we could root out this source of nearly all war.

[harp1963]

This is a country George Bush should NEVER have given free trade to. George and his plantation owner friends couldn''t resist the free labor temptation though.

All this "engaging China will produce fruits of freedom" is a bunch of garbage. Engaging China has and will produce even an uglier more financially supreme communist state that will spread it''s ugly wings of dominating the least of of brother around the world.We should have left them in the stone age, but as always, the love of money is the root of all evil.

Instead of just being poor peasants who farmed for a way of life with their family, now the one child, mom, and dad can all go to work in a hot American factory 20 hours a day so board of director members of American companies and bribed public officials can build castles.

I''d rather be homeless during my life in this world than be these greedmongers when they have to stand before the Lord. Eternity is longer than we can imagine.

[ocasanas]

I posted the following comment in another CBS article about China, but since the article "disappeared" from the main page. Here it is again. The following is my opinion: "So far I haven''''t seen any of the Olympic Games. Although watching the Olympic Games is a tribute to the athletes of the world and the very Chinese citizens. I am NOT planning on watching them because their Government (and police) doesn''''t want us to "watch" their other side of China, the one of civil rights, the one of Tibet, the one of poverty. Why should I see what the government of China has created for the world to see if it''''s just an illusion? When China is totally a democracy, I''''ll watch the games, the recorded ones, many years from now. Go people of China! Go athletes! Go away their "phony" government who tells our miserable president GWB to "not to interfere in their country issues". Oh boy! When are we going to have a world where every body has liberties (without hurt)". Chinese government: so far we are NOT "feeling good", should we take medication to "feel good" with your lies of a NON democratic country?

[nothappyatall]

"ws correspondent Barry Petersen reports, since Hua Huigi''s dream is religious freedom for Christians who meet outside of government-run churches,"

Fine thing *HE* wants religious FREEDOM when these christian right wing crusading terrorists have subverted everyone ELES'' religions, non-beliefs and believes for centuries with death , burning at the stake, jail, hangings and torture.

I say GOOD for China cracking down on them and giving them a taste of their own medicine!

[shippg]

Government-run churches are predictably preaching government propaganda. It is only the house churches that are really churches (studying the Bible). Lack of control is why the Chinese government wants to make them disappear. There is nothing to fear from the house churches, but the paranoid government thinks people must be plotting. Their repression is brutal, and a big reason that China is not free yet.

[piercetheval]

...er...ah...never mind I thought the article read: "China Downs Crack to Feel Good."

[stevenga777]

NBC blacksout Olympic ceremony in America - American fans angered
Aug 8, 4:32 pm EDT

Buzz Up Print
NEW YORK (AFP) - The rest of the world might have been dazzled by the Beijing Olympic opening ceremony but angry US viewers clamoring for a glimpse of the spectacle on Friday were made to wait after a media blackout.

US network NBC, which owns exclusive rights to Olympics coverage in the United States, refrained from showing the opening ceremony live, preferring instead to delay coverage by 12 hours for a prime-time evening slot.

A spokesman for NBC, which paid nearly 900 million dollars for Olympic broadcast rights, said the decision was taken to maximize viewing figures.

"It''''s a business decision," the spokesman told AFP. "It protects our affiliates, our advertisers, and shows it to the largest number of viewers possible," he added.

Bizarrely, the co-hosts of NBC''''s breakfast television show barely mentioned the ongoing ceremony during their broadcast, which was reportedly pre-taped.

[txlakeside]

HEAD IN THE SAND! HIDE AND IT WILL GO AWAY!

IDIOT! We are waging a war supposedly due to a repressive regime, to bring freedom to IRAQ but it is wrong to speak out against human rights violations? You really are an idiot! Our dumb as dirt "SHRUB" says "BAD CHINESE, BAD CHINESE, NOW ON WITH THE GAMES!

BOYCOTT THE OLYMPICS. DO NOT WATCH THEM ON TV! SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE TO CORPORATE AMERICA AND THE CHINESE THAT HUMAN RIGHTS ARE REALLY MORE IMPORTANT THAN GAMES AND THE "MONEY"!

MONEY IS WHAT IT ALL BOILS DOWN TO ANYWAY!