Position

In 1936, the Olympics were held in Berlin in Adolf Hitler's Germany. Despite the heroic spectacle of Jesse Owens' triumph, the games in general served to bolster the public image of the Nazis at home and abroad and to confer upon them and their actions a kind of false legitimacy. We did the wrong thing by participating.

In 1979, the Soviet Union invaded the poor nation of Afghanistan. The reaction of the United States was prompt and correct: we boycotted the 1980 games in Moscow. We did the right thing that time.

In 2001, the International Olympic Committee selected Beijing, China for the site of the 2008 Summer Olympics. China has one of the worst records for human rights in the entire world; this is not something to take lightly. We need to do the right thing again: the United States should boycott the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

What You Can Do

• Write your senators
  • Contacting the Senate
• Write your representative
  • Write Your Representative
• Write the US Olympic Committee
  • US Olympic Committee Contact Information
• Write the major television networks
  • ABC: Contact ABC
  • CBS: CBS Contact Form
  • ESPN: Contact ESPN
  • FOX: feedback@foxsports.com
  • NBC: NBCi.com: E-mail Us
  • UPN: Haven't located a contact link yet
  • WB: Haven't located a contact link yet
• Write major companies who are Olympics sponsors

When you write, be clear, polite, and firm. Keep in mind that the person you're writing to will very likely agree with you personally; your goal is to get him or her to agree with you professionally. Stress that you do not want to see any appearance of international approval or legitimacy given the Chinese government, due to their woeful record of human rights abuses. Say that you would like to see the United States take a stand on this important issue.

Please keep your communication brief and businesslike; a short, simply-worded, courteous plea is a dozen times more effective than a vicious harangue or abusive language. Individual letters or e-mails are more influential than petitions, form letters, or spamming. Remember: you want the person to whom you're writing to be on our side.

There's plenty of time to work with still. But even if we are unsuccessful in our campaign to boycott the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, there are still some things we can do:

• Refuse to watch the 2008 Olympics or read about them
• Refuse to watch the television network televising them
• Refuse to buy the products of the corporate sponsors

We don't have to sit still for this. Let's make our voices heard!

Links

Amnesty International USA

Human Rights Watch

International Olympic Committee

US Olympic Committee

China's Violation of Human Rights and the Olympic Bid

Yahoo: Human Rights in China

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