China 2022 Olympics, Moral Failure, and the Case for Boycotts

Though only a year away, more and more attention is being devoted to the upcoming winter Olympics in Beijing, and rightfully so. As conversations about the winter games escalate, so too is the question of whether or not the Olympics should be boycotted. The primary controversies in China center around extreme human rights abuses and atrocities, especially involving the Uighurs, the COVID-19 pandemic, tyranny against Hong Kong, and many other state-sponsored acts of aggression and indignities orchestrated by the Chinese government. From genocide and organ harvesting to sterilization and forced labor, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been accused of serious human rights abuses against the Uighurs since at least 2014. In an Amnesty International report from 2019, they describe the Uighur situation as follows:

In November, the New York Times and the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists disclosed two sets of leaked documents from unidentified Chinese officials detailing the crackdown in Xinjiang and the framework for facilities where hundreds of thousands of predominantly Muslim ethnic groups are being subjected to brainwashing and other ill-treatment. The descriptions in these documents matched the testimonies Amnesty International received from former detainees and overseas relatives of those sent to the camps or who went missing in Xinjiang. The documents also further disproved the Chinese government’s claims that these facilities were merely “vocational training facilities”.

As recently as a few weeks ago, the BBC provided extremely disturbing accounts of torture and the rape of Uighur women in Chinese detention and re-education camps. The video footage below documents the brutality and inhumanity experienced by Uighur women.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6bPGl10Cts

As more print and video information surfaces, the world is grateful for the many human rights organizations that have been on the front lines monitoring the Uighur situation very closely and making these realities available for all to see. Thankfully, more pressure seems to be mounting on the Chinese government to stop the torture and inhumanity suffered by the Uighurs, but much more is needed.

Because the Uighurs suffer simply because of who they are as an ethnic-religious minority, which is the essence of injustice and human rights abuse, the most pressing question government leaders face worldwide is, should the 2022 Winter Olympics in China be boycotted? There are two sides to this question. First, the pro-side states that given the cumulative history of human rights abuses in China, both past and present, China does not deserve to be rewarded and should be boycotted forthright. The opposing side argues that boycotts deprive athletes of an opportunity they sacrificed and worked their entire lives for and that they can actually draw more attention to the issue through political statements and protests during performances and interviews.

While I am sympathetic to Olympic athletes and the sacrifices they endure to compete at the highest levels nationally and internationally, theirs does not create an overwhelming sense of obligation that overrides the human trauma, suffering, indignity, and injustice suffered by an oppressed ethnic minority. In fact, in the face of the argument against boycotts, which I mentioned above, thehill.com released a powerful article on February 4, 2021 titled, 180 human rights groups urge boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics. The author cites the following which challenges world leaders to do the right thing right now:

The coalition said its members and other human rights advocates have “repeatedly sought to inform” the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about the reported abuses for two decades, noting it “refused to listen in 2008,” when Beijing hosted the Summer Olympics.

“As human rights experts predicted, this decision proved to be hugely misplaced; not only did China’s human rights record not improve but violations increased substantially without rebuke,” the coalition states. “Now, in 2021, we find ourselves back in the same position with the IOC who are refusing to act despite the clear evidence of genocide and widespread and worsening human rights failures.”

Thirteen years later, more recorded state-sponsored horrors and atrocities than ever before, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) gets rewarded with another Olympics cash cow? I'm confused...the world is confused! How dare the IOC enrich the Chinese government given its gross moral failure and an impoverished track record of human misery and ethnic destruction! The unmitigated inhumanity suffered by the Uighurs is indefensible and defies not only American ideals, but everything the United Nations has stood for since its inception. Perhaps my outrage is misdirected; maybe the object of my outrage should be directed squarely at the IOC for China's unjust and undeserved reward. Whatever the case, tyranny against the Uighurs has no historical, political, or legal justification whatsoever and must be challenged by the world court of public opinion and investigated by the UN Human Rights Council.

John Locke's Second Treatise of Government has much to say about this blatant abuse of power and government authority. Locke writes the following in Chapter XVIII. Of Tyranny:

§. 199...so tyranny is the exercise of power beyond right, which no body can have a right to. And this is making use of the power any one has in his hands, not for the good of those who are under it, but for his own private separate advantage. When the governor, however initiated, makes not the law, but his will, the rule; and his commands and actions are not directed to the preservation of the properties of his people, but the satisfaction of his own ambition, revenge covetousness, or any other irregular passion.

§. 201. It is a mistake, to think this fault is proper only to monarchies; other forms of government are liable to it, as well as that: for wherever the power, that is put in any hands for the government of the people, and the preservation of their properties, is applied to other ends, and made use of to impoverish, harass, or subdue them to the arbitrary and irregular commands of those that have it; there it presently becomes tyranny, whether those that thus use it are one or many...

§. 202. Where-ever law ends, tyranny begins, if the law be transgressed to another's harm; and whosoever in authority exceeds the power given him by the law, and makes use of the force he has under his command, to compass that upon the subject, which the law allows not, ceases in that to be a magistrate; and, acting without authority, may be opposed, as any other man, who by force invades the right of another.(1)

Locke's words are timeless and the perfect challenge to CCP tyranny and oppression against the Uighurs. For a country that seeks to be treated with full rights and access to all the benefits of the world over, China must show a basic understanding of and respect for foundational moral and legal principles upon which the authority of the State is predicated. In essence tyranny, then and now, is hostile to civil society and incompatible with government for and by the people upon which it was meant to serve and protect.

China's history of denying the obvious when it comes to prolific wrongdoings and the COVID-19 pandemic of today are obvious examples of CCP treachery, tyranny, and corruption, a pattern of practices which continues to haunt the world more than a year later despite CCP impunity. Until China's government restores confidence in the institution of government, its leadership, and humanity's conscience against human evil, I find no basis whatsoever that justifies China hosting the 2022 Winter Olympics. In fact, I fully support a boycott of the Olympic games as an act of global compassion against China's blatant brutality and defiance against UN standards of accountability and humane treatment of ethic minorities. Moreover, in the absence of cooperation from China, I would argue that Americans and all freedom loving peoples worldwide boycott all Chinese products until the inhumanity ends and dignity is restored to the Uighurs in compliance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Uighur Humanity Now!...U I G H U R H U M A N I T Y N O W!

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1. John Locke: Second Treatise of Government, Macpherson, C.B., Editor, 1980.

Constitutional Crisis at the World Health Organization

In my April 15, 2020 blog titled China, Communism, Pandemics: Statism, Negligence, and Secrecy on Trial, I wrote the following:

The highly acclaimed ethicist and philosopher Sissela Bok, the daughter of two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Gunnar and Alva Myrdal, is a notable scholar who is well written on matters pertaining to lies, deception, and secrets. In her book Lying: On the Ethics of Concealment and Revelation, Bok's chapter on Secrets of State makes the following argument and goes to the heart of the actions of China's rogue regime.

For coercive governments, secrecy is essential to every aspect of their exercise of power. These regimes combine control over secrecy with equal control over what becomes public. But secrecy also becomes the central means of resistance and survival of those who oppose such regimes, whether actively or merely in thought. From childhood on, these citizens surreptitiously learn how to reinterpret propaganda, read between the lines, resist indoctrination, evade the secret police.

This was my initial treatment of the COVID-19 crisis and the case against Chinese corruption at the Chinese Communist Party. Since then, an avalanche of evidence has emerged strengthening an onslaught of criticism against the government of China for its egregious handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that so far has killed 80,682 Americans and 286,330 globally according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

On May 9th, Taiwan News posted an article titled, China asked WHO to cover up coronavirus outbreak: German intelligence service. Matthew Strong, Taiwan News Staff Writer, writes, "TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平) asked World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to suppress news about the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the German intelligence agency BND found, according to a report by German magazine Der Spiegel." This shocking revelation confirms everyone's worst fears and also shows how the World Health Organization is in crisis and complicit in Chinese treachery at its highest level.

I like to refer back to Constitutions, oaths of office, and other official declarations and affirmations because they define purpose, principles and vision, and help promote transparency and accountability with constituencies. They are important during transfers of power, but they need to remain important to help establish accountability and integrity and preserve the public trust without compromise. Here's what the WHO's Constitution says and why we should never lose sight of what this organization is founded upon:

The health of all peoples is fundamental to the attainment of peace and security and is dependent upon the fullest co-operation of individuals and States

Article 1 The objective of the World Health Organization (hereinafter called the Organization) shall be the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.

Article 2(c) to assist Governments, upon request, in strengthening health services;

(i) to promote, in co-operation with other specialized agencies where necessary, the improvement of nutrition, housing, sanitation, recreation, economic or working conditions and other aspects of environmental hygiene;

(d) to furnish appropriate technical assistance and, in emergencies, necessary aid upon the request or acceptance of Governments;

(g) to stimulate and advance work to eradicate epidemic, endemic and other diseases;

(h) to promote, in co-operation with other specialized agencies where necessary, the prevention of accidental injuries;

(r) to assist in developing an informed public opinion among all peoples on matters of health;

Article 21 The Health Assembly shall have authority to adopt regulations concerning: (a) sanitary and quarantine requirements and other procedures designed to prevent the international spread of disease;

Article 28 (i) to take emergency measures within the functions and financial resources of the Organization to deal with events requiring immediate action. In particular it may authorize the Director-General to take the necessary steps to combat epidemics, to participate in the organization of health relief to victims of a calamity and to undertake studies and research the urgency of which has been drawn to the attention of the Board by any Member or by the Director-General.

Article 37 In the performance of their duties the Director-General and the staff shall not seek or receive instructions from any government or from any authority external to the Organization. They shall refrain from any action which might reflect on their position as international officers. Each Member of the Organization on its part undertakes to respect the exclusively international character of the Director-General and the staff and not to seek to influence them.

Article 76 Upon authorization by the General Assembly of the United Nations or upon authorization in accordance with any agreement between the Organization and the United Nations, the Organization may request the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on any legal question arising within the competence of the Organization.

Again, the above highlights are straight from the Constitution of the World Health Organization, which derives its power and authority from the United Nations. Every single item above has been violated by the actions of the Director-General as reported in the Taiwan News article I cited in the beginning. Items in bold and underlined are especially noteworthy as they reflect a Constitutional crisis at the World Health Organization. For the Director-General to explicitly violate Articles 2(d & h), 28(i), and 37, notwithstanding all the others that are referenced, I see no professional or ethical basis for him to remain at the helm of this organization, whose primary existence is to promote "happiness, harmonious relations and security of all peoples".

The secret actions of Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus are indefensible and fireable offenses. Ultimately, they have rendered the WHO and its Constitution toothless, fraudulent, and delinquent, as too many lives have been lost under this reckless regime. This Constitutional Crisis at the WHO must stop now! Integrity must be restored from head to toe in order to regain respect, credibility, and most importantly, restored confidence in its ability to effectively carry out its mission. The world, especially now, deserves and expects nothing less.

COVID-19 and The UN: UNacceptable, UNsound, and UNaccountable

Never shy about issuing moral platitudes when it comes to their obvious environmental agenda, the article, First Person: COVID-19 is not a silver lining for the climate, says UN Environment chief at UN News, exposes their environmental narrative as exploitative climate-change dogma.

Rather than address the Chinese Community Party's (CCP) reprehensible coverup and obfuscation of the facts that launched the COVID-19 pandemic, the UN Environmental Chief seems more interested in human wildlife encroachment, cleaner and greener policies, and "keeping nature rich, diverse and flourishing". So rich is the environmental propaganda that the controversies surrounding wet markets and the wildlife trade are treated as mere footnotes and incidentals to the brutal realities of our growing pandemic tendencies. The quote below is an example of UN dogma that uses COVID-19 as an on-ramp to the more important issue of environmentalism.

The “wild” must be kept “wild.” It is time to restore our forests, stop deforestation, invest in the management of protected areas, and propel markets for deforestation-free products. Where the legal wildlife trade chain exists, we need to do a far better job of improving hygiene conditions. And of course, there is the urgent need to tackle the illegal wildlife trade, the fourth most common crime committed worldwide.  

The article concludes with a challenge to the world to use post COVID-19 strategy as a pathway to transition to a "different way of life". In UN terms, this means global transformation and global acceptance of the UN's broader "Mother Earth" agenda. No, I'm not opposing environmental considerations at all. I'm all for stewardship and humane, responsible, and reasonable approaches to protecting wildlife, nature, and the Earth that God created for humanity. My criticism with this piece and the thinking behind it, however, is that there's no treatment of wrongdoing against the Chinese Communist Party whatsoever. I went into this in greater detail in my last blog and won't belabor the point here. Instead, I will reiterate that in the absence of accountability, I find UN thinking, or the lack thereof, UNacceptable, UNsound, and UNaccountable when it comes to truth, transparency, and the CCP's incorrigible and reckless behavior toward the world. From moral cowardice to moral compromise, it is painfully clear that the UN has a serious credibility problem, and as long as they continue to ignore the importance of holding the CCP accountable to the world community for the suffering and harms it has caused, it will remain complicit in CCP wrongdoing and forever crippled as an organization.