One thing that was so clear at the one-year countdown to the 2008 Beijing Olympics was that nobody could ignore the pollution. It’s just that bad. Human rights abuses and corruption are hard for tourists to see and so easy for most - like the IOC - to pretend not to notice. But there is no way you can travel in China and ignore the pollution. I’m pretty sure it was the only touchy issue that Jacque Rogge, IOC President, addressed openly and it was one of the only news items that the censors didn’t black out on CNN and other broadcasts. (Read the BBC article).
Reading Choking on Growth (August 26th) by Joseph Kahn and Jim Yardley in the New York Times is enough to make one feel really sad and scared for the future of China and the globe. Pollution in China is getting extra attention because of the Olympics and maybe that’s the only good thing that will come out of this. But one thing is certain: the current leadership in China is not capable of saving the air, the water and the environment because they pursue economic growth at all costs, since the nation’s growth rate is their only excuse to rule. That’s why for real change to come to China, the CCP rule must come to an end first.
Goodness…if I were an Olympic athlete, I’d think twice about competing in that toxic soup!
lhadon la,
stop wasting your time tibet is part of china.I’m very happy that china invaded our country otherwise your are from in tibet not in canada.if u are born in tib u are uneducated and slave.
To “Pure tibetan” –
You are a “pure impostor.” Are you a Chinese in China, or are you a Chinese student in the West?
Given how your government censors anything it doesn’t like, chances are you can only be on this website if you’re enjoying the freedom of the West.
I hope you use your time to learn that your government has been feeding you lies about Tibet (just like it lies to you about how it massacred your own people in Tiananmen Square). I don’t blame you for your ignorance.
It’s fine to be patriotic, but the communist government does not equal the nation of China. The communist government is bringing shame to China. And as long as the Chinese government continues to colonially occupy the independent country of Tibet, it will continue to bring shame on the Chinese nation.
Ketsun
I don’t see how the pollution in Beijing is related to Tibetan independence, which is the main theme of SFT and this website. It makes me wonder why Lhadon Thetong and her colleagues decided to post this largely unrelated news report here. After some reflection, it occurred to me that demonizing China is in the agenda of these Tibetan independence activists, because this helps them secure more supports from people in the outside world. What a disgusting strategy! As you said before, you have your rights to pursue what ever you believe in. But please don’t bash other countries for your own interest. It is selfish and low-minded. After all, I don’t deny the bad environment in Beijing and in China general. But I fail to see any direct relationship between environment in Beijing and political freedom in Tibet.
An maybe not so proper analogy:
You are saying: “don’t make friend with person A because he stole my watch”. And in the same time you are saying: “Person A’s home is dirty and a mess.” Everyone who listens to you can’t help feeling the childishness or your logic.
Dear S.Cai,
I understand you feel insulted and wounded your pride as a Chinese since Lhadon talks about your “dirt”, but remember this website title “A Tibetan Activist Speaks Out One Year Before the Olympics”. So this is really more about the Olympics in Beijing than strictly about issues in Tibet (you can read more about the Tibet issue at the SFT homepage). Olympics becomes related to Tibet because China will use the Olympics to cover up the occupation of Tibet and lie about the reality in Tibet.
If you accept that this blog is about mainly about the Olympics, then the whether the pollution issue will or will not affect the Olympics in Beijing is a relevant question? IOC president Jacque Rogge and some athletes have also commented on the pollution issue and Beijing has put into effect large measures to reduce pollution during the Olympic games.
BTW: I am very happy that you are so interested in Tibet issues and keep yourself updated on all perspectives. BTW: If you want academic studies that can live up to your high standards of logic and balance, I recommend you to check out these books on Tibet written by Chinese authors:
http://www.fireofliberty.org/oldsite/level4/issue8/jsdss-cover.htm
http://gangjanba.googlepages.com/SkyBurial-wang.doc
Dear user “spymustgo”,
Thank you for your comments. But after reading it, I still feel the preposterousness of the logic behind the original post. The SFT is against Olympics in Beijing because it thinks that Beijing is using the Olympics to cover up its wrongdoings in Tibet and to “legitimze” its control of Tibet. If this is a sufficient and proper reason, why should it resort to other reasons like environmental pollution? Don’t you think it’s illogical? Sure, this website has a lot to do with the Olympic Games. But should the connection be restricted to portions that are directly pertinent to Tibet? You may argue that it’s difficult to draw a clear border. But why do you keep posting negative reports about the Beijing Olympics and ignore the positive ones like most Western media do? It seems to me that the only logical answer to these questions is that SFT is using any possible means, including those laughable ones, to demonize Beijing and China. There maybe another explanation, which is the hatred toward China instigated into may SFT members by improper propaganda. I regret either case.
You have to realize that unfortunately Tibet is a highly politicized issue and there is a propaganda war going on. CCP has their own progaganda about Tibet, and SFT have their own propaganda. It is up to the readers to decide what they want to read and believe (at least readers outside Tibet have this choice, inside Tibet it is illegal to listen to alternative radio media from outside).
Since SFT is a non-violent political activist organization, like Amnesty International and many environmental NGO’s, they really only have one tool and that is “name and shame”. Make a lot of publicity in other to create awareness about Tibet and thereby putting pressure on China. China themselves shamelessly demonize Dalai Lama and Tibetans living outside Tibet, they call Tibetans part of five poisionous forces and they use violent force against Tibetans every day in Tibet.
Since CCP care alot about their image abroad, SFT only weapon is to tell the truth about the Chinese occupation of Tibet and thereby incur a cost on CCP so that they will take the Tibetans seriously and find a good solution to the issue (maybe something like one country two systems or real autonomy, today there are actually one country three systems, hong kong is most free, mainland medium free and Tibet and Xingjiang no freedom).
I seriously don’t think SFT or tibetans hate China, actually many Tibetans outside China like China and Chinese culture. But did you know that many Tibetans I have met in Tibet, they hate both China and Chinese because they have suffered so much because of Chinas occupation. It is really sad..
Thanks again for your comments, user “spymustgo”. If I read you correctly, you are saying that demonizing China is an important weapon of SFT and alike organizations. And you use the excuse that China is also demonizing the Tibetan exile government. Let’s for now put aside the issue whether use others’ wrongdoing as justification of one’s own wrongdoing appropriate. Still, I can’t see how criticizing China’s environment can help Tibetan independence movement. It might end up making the Chinese government more responsible for the environment, but it won’t benefit the freedom of people in Tibet in any way. You may contend that spreading bad news about Beijing’s environment may eventually lead to widespread boycott of the Beijing Olympics. Let’s make the wildest supposition that this indeed happens, would it help Tibetan freedom in any way? The Chinese government, embarrassed by its massive international face loss, will only step up its control of Tibet, maybe for fear, maybe for revenge.
This comes to my point that boycotting the Olympics won’t help Tibet in any way. But I understand that the process of trying to boycott it, as SFT is now doing, helps it to make some noise and raise its public awareness. I regard this as an unethical strategy.
i fully support S.cai.beijing pollution has nothing to do tibetan independence.
I’m very happy that china invaded my country.lhadon tethong love fame and attention.
All the tibetans should read a book called THE STRUGGLE FOR MODERN TIBET By melvyn goldstein and tashi tsering
Some of you may say, given that the Chinese government did countless unethical things on Tibetan people in the past, it is okay for SFT to be unethical too. But please realize that when you unload your propaganda bombs onto the Chinese government, you are also hurting those innocent Chinese people, inside and outside China. These people did nothing to hurt Tibet. Given enough knowledge of the truth and freed from “brain-washing”, many of them will be sympathetic of Tibet, as exemplified by Wang Lixiong and Yuan Hongbing, the authors of two influential books on the Tibetan issue. What you are doing when renouncing the 2008 Olympics and China in general, is essentially mercilessly hurting their national pride and self-esteem every day. The Chinese people have worked hard to make their country more prosperous and open than ever, and now they are ready to hold the Olympics party to show the world their achievements in the past two decades. What kind of people would it be to deprive them of the right to hold the party? But that may be what you want.
As I said before, if there is one people in the world that’s really gonna help the Tibetan people find the way of freedom, it’s the Chinese people. You seed friendship today, you harvest friendship tomorrow. You seed hatred today, you harvest hatred tomorrow. Don’t imitate the Western media, which constantly bash China to political ends.
I didnt say exactly that, but okay, you are free (at least here in the free world) to have your own interpretation of what I said.
You think its unethical to raise awareness and pressure CCP.
I think it is unethical to DO NOTHING against a regime whose mission since 1949 has been to to destroy tibetan culture and destroy tibetan people. Just read the history of what the chinese government did in inner mongolia. I believe in dialogue, but as a realist, I know we need political tools as well. I don’t believe in dreams, CCP history tells what they want to do, maybe you are an idealist Mr. S. Cai.
BTW: Who said anything about Boycotting Olympics, I didn’t or maybe you interpreted what I said again… I am supporting Team Tibet to JOIN the Olympics, just like Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei.
“spymustgo”
If I misunderstood you, you can correct me. This is not an issue of freedom. Everyone should strive to be understood correctly by others. Now I have to correct your misunderstanding of myself.
“You think its unethical to raise awareness and pressure CCP.”
That’s your wrong interpretation of me. I support actions to reveal to the world, and to the Chinese people, the truth about the CCP. But this blog isn’t about revealing CCP’s bad policies and violation of human rights. There are plenty of other websites for that purpose. My point hasn’t changed from the beginning, even though Beijing truly suffers from a bad environment, there’s no justification of putting this unrelated news here other than your “realistic” philosophy of action and propaganda.
“… against a regime whose mission since 1949 has been to to destroy tibetan culture and destroy tibetan people”.
This is purely exaggeration. My understanding of the recent history of Tibet is that most human disasters that occurred in Tibet wasn’t a systematic effort of the CCP to eradicate the Tibetan culture and people. What CCP wanted in Tibet is no more than political stability and economic prosperity. After all, why would the Chinese government want the supposed genocide? There hasn’t been any major religious or ethnic conflict between China and Tibet before 1950. Of course things afterwards often complicated due to resistance from the Tibetan side and mutual distrust.
Dear S.Cai,
Everyone, including Tibetans want “Political stability and economic prosperity”. If you read the 17th point agreement, the Chinese government promised Tibet political stability, while they didn’t keep their promise and actually worked to undermine the stability that was in Tibet at the time.
You have to ask “Political stability and economic prosperity” to whom? Japan has more advanced technology and economic development than China. If Japan occupies China, in order to achieve “Political stability and economic prosperity”, maybe you would rather term it political oppression and economic exploitation? In one word: “Colonialism”.
I am not an expert on history, but I think there have been some conflict between China and Tibet before 1950. And I don’t think the CCP wants genocide, but they wrongfully believe that is the only tool they can use to achieve stability.
Regarding the environment issue, I don’t see why it is so wrong by Lhadon to discuss the environment issue in Beijing, everyone who has been in Beijing and experienced the Beijing air know that it is an issue that must be solved. Don’t you discuss this issue with your friends? Why shouldn’t Lhadon be allowed to discuss it on her own blog?
Here is the 17th point agreement
http://www.tibetjustice.org/materials/china/china3.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventeen_Point_Agreement_for_the_Peaceful_Liberation_of_Tibet
S. Cai, the pollution issue is very relevant because it shows that deciding to put the games in Beijing was not a reasonable move for the IOC to make from the standpoint of athletes’ and fans’ health. Maybe 20 years from now, after the CCP is gone and things settled back down to normalcy, Beijing might be ready for the games, but not now. The point is that the IOC’s decision to give China the games was not about what made sense or what was right; it was about politics and about giving the Olympic sponsors what they wanted, brand exposure in China.
As far as ethics, there’s nothing unethical about pointing out what China is doing wrong, whether that wrong is destroying Tibet or destroying the Earth.
S. Cai, regarding your statement:
“This is purely exaggeration. My understanding of the recent history of Tibet is that most human disasters that occurred in Tibet wasn’t a systematic effort of the CCP to eradicate the Tibetan culture and people. What CCP wanted in Tibet is no more than political stability and economic prosperity.”
Perhaps you should read the leaked document from 1993 detailing a secret CCP meeting which took place in Chengdu at which a “final solution” to Tibet was proposed and became policy. If that doesn’t sound like systematic genocide, I don’t know what does. China is just more clever than folks like the Sudanese government. They know that carrying out genocide with minimal actually killing is a lot more discrete and internationally defensible than sending in militias to commit rampant rape and murder, but the result is the same either way. Under the continuation of Chinese occupation and current policy, the Tibetan nationality will likely not exist in 50 years due to the intentional population dillution policies.
Of course you’re right that they want “stability”, but stability will never happen as long as there’s a majority Tibetan population in Tibet who is not happy with being occupied. Stability is the motive for their genocide, but it does not justify it. A much saner path to stability is getting the @$#* out of Tibet.
As for “economic prosperity”, they want that only for the Chinese tourism and resource extraction industries exploiting Tibet. It’s clear when you see them erecting monuments “TOP TURIST [sic] CITY OF CHINA” in “LASA” how lucrative the tourism industry is to them, and how desperately they want to hold onto Tibet to keep that - even though Tibet would become a rather unattractive tourist destination if it remains under Chinese occupation and repopulation policies for another 25 years. Unsustainable Chinese thinking at its finest……..
Dear Rich,
Thank you for your replies, but I have to point out several obvious weak points in your argument. First, if you think the IOC made an irresponsible decision in choosing Beijing as the host city, which I think it has not, you should complain to the IOC, not China. Second, you didn’t understand my argument from the beginning. I was not saying that it’s unethical to pointing out the wrongdoings of China or its government. I was just saying that this blog is not a relevant place to put these information on, for which I made many arguments above. I hate to repeat my points, but this blog is about “Free Tibet from China”, is it about “Free the world from CCP”?
As for the “final solution” you mentioned, I couldn’t find it anywhere on the Internet, in English or Chinese. I would appreciate it if you can point out a link to it. This is not to be China-centered thinking, but even if such a document indeed exists, the thing we should be concerned about is its authenticity, which would be hard to prove. Therefore the conclusion regarding whether the Chinese government is carrying out genocide in Tibet should be reached by looking at what it’s really doing in Tibet. Based on this line of reasoning, the second and third paragraph in your response seems to me more like opinion-based logic, which subjectively makes up evidence to reach the conclusion you want to reach.
It is true that tourism is a profitable business in Tibet, but I find your opinions in the last paragraph a little bit naive. The GDP of Tibet is the smallest among all province-level administrative regions of China, less than half of the next smallest one (I can give you ref if you want). It doesn’t economically justify the huge amount of RMB spent on boarder defense and sending Han-Chinese government officials and technical specialist in, which you may regard as a way of ethnical dillution. Your argument might be better supported by the potential and discovered natural resources in Tibet. But I feel that economy simply isn’t the foremost reason why China doesn’t want Tibet to be apart. It’s more based on national security concerns. These being said, I would like to repeat that I am not advocating all the past and present wrongdoings by the Chinese government in China. I am just trying to convey my understanding of the situation. I am open to any exchange of well-founded opinions, which your replies unfortunately consisted of few.
For S. Cai:
Sadly the Canada Tibet Committee just messed up their archives recently so that all best historical links are broken, but here is a link to the wayback machine where you can read about the “Final Solution”:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040322123552/http://www.tibet.ca/wtnarchive/1993/8/30-3_2.html
(If someone is in contact with CTC, PLEASE ask them to put all their news archives back online at the same addresses they were at. It’s a huge disservice to the Tibetan cause that all of these links have broken.)
If you want more evidence of intentional genocide, you should look to Jiang Zemin’s argument for the railway in 2001:
“Some people advised me not to go ahead with this project because it is not commercially viable. I said, this is a political decision.”
(http://www.tew.org/development/railway.political.html)
If he was saying, as he seems to, that the commercial viability is not important, then resource extraction could not have been the primary motive for the railway. Rather, the “political” motive he speaks of is destroying the Tibetan nationality, through population dillution, so that Tibetans no longer offer a threat of one day gaining independence.
Complain to the IOC? Already done. Apparently you didn’t read the rest of this blog where Lhadon did it in person.
And finally, about the “purpose of this blog”, the purpose is anything that furthers the dream of Tibetans. The Chinese Government / CCP is the aggressor and enemy, and ANYTHING which exposes the badness and wrongs of the aggressor, regardless of whether that badness is in relation to Tibet or something else, is useful in motivating people to condemn that enemy.
I’ve noticed a trend lately (which I hope to write about on my blog) of Chinese like yourself telling Tibetans and Tibet supporters “what’s good for us” or telling us what to do “for our own good”. This is no different than the racist, chauvinist attitude Chinese have shown to Tibetans for the past 58 years. Tibetans know what is good for Tibetans. You do not. So stop it! Lhadon and her colleagues will speak whatever they believe and feel will make a difference in their cause. If you want to join SFT and actively work to end the Chinese occupation of Tibet, then you can talk about strategy with us. But until then, please kindly shut up and stop telling Tibetans what to do.
Dear Rich,
Thanks for your reply. I was just stating my opinions in the best way I can. Anyone who reads them can judge on it and decide whether or not to accept it. The fact that you regard me as trying to dictate my opinions upon Tibetans and supporters perhaps to some degree reveals your own conscious or sub-conscious habit to think and behave in that direction.
You said that “Tibetans know what is good for Tibetans. You do not.” Human reasons are imperfect, often marred by emotions and unreliable external sources of information. In this sense, no one exactly knows what’s best for himself. Everyone needs advice, which is one reason why communication and dialogue is so important. History is laden with evidence for this. To be more conservative, even if one really knows what’s best for him, his agenda is very likely to be in direct conflict with the interest of others. This is another reason for the importance of dialogues. Aren’t blogs like this kind, which I applaud for, largely for dialogues? But you might think that it is really for generalized bashing-oriented propaganda you talked about.
If I am not much mistaken, you yourself is not Tibetan either. May I ask why are you “meddling” in the affairs of Tibetans, while holding the idea that “Tibetans know what is good for Tibetans. You do not.”? I think you understand that no single person, nor people, live in vacuum. What you wrote in the previous reply, in my eyes, was just a reflection of your unfair prejudice against Chinese people. All your hollow accusations of me being “racist” or “chauvinist” amount to nothing.
“Complain to the IOC? Already done. Apparently you didn’t read the rest of this blog where Lhadon did it in person.”
You logic is flawed here. I wrote “… you should complain to IOC”. Is that equivalent to “… you haven’t complained to IOC yet”? Moreover, the weight of that sentence of mine was on “not China”. You apparently criticized me before understanding me correctly.
I don’t have any plan to join SFT yet. Thank you for your suggestion though.
S.Cai,
I’ve been following all this with interest. My “opinion” is that SFT is to be applauded and encouraged. Many international human rights organizations are concerned about the CCP’s abuses in China and in relation to Tibet. Surely you know this. If your job is to defend China, I think you must have a very difficult job indeed.
Because this is an “opinion” does not make it invalid. You have your “opinions” too. In my “opinion,” you have a tendency to start by expressing appreciation for what someone says here and then use twisted logic to condemn them for the very same comments. Despite your wordplay, your consistent defence of China makes it clear where you stand, and is very suggestive of who you represent. You can attack this all you want, but your harsh and patronizing approach only closes doors of dialogue.
“Some people advised me not to go ahead with this project because it is not commercially viable. I said, this is a political decision.”
All right. This actually enforces my arguments in a previous reply, and refutes Rich’s in another one. “Political decision” is such a vague term, which you can interpret in all possible ways. It might be a improper analogy, but when US purchased and colonized Alaska, was it largely for political or economic reasons? Didn’t large number of non-native US citizens immigrate into Alaska and greatly diluted the native population? Why don’t you argue that US was trying to perform genocide of native Alaskans?
This is an example to counter your argument. I just want to stress that your opinion-based logic is kind of ridiculous, only appealing to those who are emotionally affiliated with you.
S.cai
Rich is a Tibet supporter, i.e he supports what tibetans want. We tibetans want freedom from Chinese occupation, so Rich is helping us tibetans regain our freedom. Its very easy S.Cai, you don’t need to make it needlessly difficult. If you are a tibet supporter, S.cai, then you will support tibetans in their goals.
@haha
I know that Rich Felker is an active and well-known Tibetan indepdence supporter, to whom I might show some respect.
@Camis,
You think my logic is twisted. You need to substantiate you opinion. Otherwise it just sounds like hollow accusation. Please write anything in my previous responses you think is logically twisted, and I’ll discuss it with you if you want.
I am not a defender of the Chinese government or CCP. I’ve made a few statements in my previously responses that I am against human rights abuses by CCP in Tibet. I am just trying to bring to this blog points of views that are more close to being the truth (at least in my humble opinion). You don’t have to overstate the mistakes and crimes of CCP in order to accuse it or to support yourself. What CCP has done in Tibet is already inexcusable. Truth itself is already a powerful enough weapon against CCP. Follow the truth, use your reasons.
Sure, there are many examples of “political decisions”, but let’s not get off-topic. If the decision to buy Alaska was political (was the presence of oil not known at the time?), it was about not having an enemy (Russians) on the same continent. Not genocide or consolidating control over Native Americans. While the US had plenty of acts of calculated genocide against natives on this continent, you’re right that this was one one of them.
On the other hand, ask yourself: what are the possible political reasons for building a railway into Tibet? Here are the only possibilities I can think of:
- population dillution
- making Tibetans more dependent on Chinese imports
- enabling rapid deployment of PLA to crush any future Tibetan uprising
Can you think of any more?
Moreover, I agree with Camis’s analysis of your wordplay. You can say these clever things all you like, but it’s not going to make any of us change our minds and say “oh yeah I was wrong for so long - I should be appeasing to Chinese instead of actually supporting Tibet!” Camis used the right word too, “patronizing”. This is what you guys have been doing to Tibetans ever since you invaded. Saying things like “you don’t know what’s good for you; you need us to come show you the way.”
My prejudice about Chinese people? OK time for me to come clean! In my 8 years in this movement, I’ve met a very small number of Chinese who I really respect, who respect Tibetans, and who are willing to go all the way and say Tibet needs independence. Some of them are SFT members. I’ve also met lots of others who have their own reasons for hating the CCP, who are often but not always sympathetic to Tibetan independence. But by and large, everyone else I meet is like “Oh, it’s really a shame what we did to Tibetans. But not just them, everyone suffered so much during the cultural revolution. Now we need to make up for it by helping them…” where ‘helping’ means continuing to occupy and impose Chinese chauvinism. Sorry, but the only way you can help is by going home. Chinese trying to make up for their crimes by ‘helping’ now is like an abusive boyfriend who won’t let go of the girl who wants to break up with him but instead insists on “helping her” get over everything he’s put her through. And then who goes and starts the abuse all over again. Not cool! The only way is to break up. There is no other way. GO HOME! I’ve watched my dear Tibetan friends over and over again trying to talk with these Chinese, trying to reason with them, only to be put down and patronized like that over and over. It has to stop. It’s sick. Arrrrg.
Dear Rich,
This might be my last response on this blog. But I again thank you for your polite and sincere responses. If I didn’t help any of you guys at all during my hanging around here, I helped myself a lot. I think after these several weeks, I learned a lot about the Tibet issue and how people perceive it.
Dear Rich,
This might be my last response on this blog. But I again thank you for your polite and sincere responses. If I didn’t help any of you guys at all during my hanging around here, I helped myself a lot. I think after these several weeks, I learned a lot about the Tibetan issue and how people perceive it. This consolidates my belief in conversation, even between conflicting peoples. Also, I apologize for anything I said here that was perceived by you as patronizing or insulting. As an human being, my own reasoning has weaknesses. My thoughts and ideas are not immune from nationalism which I was trying to accuse some of you of, which of course you rightfully pointed out. It is just human trait. But with a better idea of how people on the other side feel and think, I can at least start to try to think and behave in a more mutually acceptable way, which eventually helps solving the conflicts.
I am sympathetic of the Tibetan people and culture, which has suffered a lot under the Chinese rule. Not being an activist or politician, I likely won’t do a much to help Tibet in the future, except perhaps conversations with friends, but I do hope for a bright future for her. Kah-leh shu.
Dear S.Cai,
Thank you for all your comments and insights, it has been a pleasure having this online conversation.
BTW: Although this blog and the Great wall poster might have offended many people, do you see the irony that you might not have learned more about the Tibet issue if these events didn’t take place and you didn’t find this website.
Take care, be well!
Dear S.Cai, thanks for clarifying that you are sympathetic toward the Tibetan people and their suffering. I was (obviously) under the impression that you were intent on defending the Chinese government on such issues, and I apologize if I misunderstood that. Perhaps all you really wanted was more clarification of the views many of us hold - and things got Lost in Translation. I don’t know.
I have always been fascinated by the ways that facts, logic, emotions, and opinions converge to form our views. And by the difficulties inherent in communicating effectively with each other whether we agree or not. Strange how hard it can be, isn’t it? You have rekindled my thinking about these things. I thank you for that.
I’m going to move on to newer topics on this blog. Perhaps we’ll “meet” again.
I wish you all the best and hope we can all continue to learn from each other.
you should have more information not more comments