GOP Vixen

Back from S.F.: Torch protest roundup

There's a line in "Pulp Fiction" where Samuel L. Jackson's character, Jules, has a "moment of clarity" after several short-range bullets miss him: He decides to quit the hitman career, finally start living the Ezekiel passage he quoted to victims about the path of righteousness being beset on all sides by evil men, and even though totally unsure of his future he tells Vincent Vega (John Travolta) "I can't go back to sleep."

After this week's protests against the Olympic torch in San Francisco, one can't help but think -- and hope -- that many spectators now have that feeling about the myriad grievances brought against China: Tibet, the PRC's support for Sudan and Burma, press freedom (or lack of it, as the situation is), even the crackdowns on China's Uighur community (which showed up waving Eastern Turkistan flags). Media reports tend to leap to the loony protesters -- like the trio of nude guys I interviewed (and photographed, providing a scary surprise for my mother in her e-mail) -- but a strong message was sent by a passionate mass of protesters who generally heeded the call for nonviolence yet blocked the path for the torch to enter the closing ceremonies.

I was there for it. Protest events actually began Tuesday, with a Tibet-centric rally at U.N. Plaza, marching to San Francisco City Hall and the Chinese consulate after that. Many in the crowd were ethnic Tibetans, waving Tibet and American flags, but many were supporters from other walks of life. One speaker -- described as the only Tibetan in Appalachia -- eloquently compared this fight against communism to Eastern Europe's efforts, and hoped that Rangzen ("independence") would reach the same one-word movement recognition as Solidarność in 1980s Poland. One organizer handed me a sobering list -- names, ages, gender, town of those Tibetans thus far confirmed killed by the Chinese government since March 14. The elected North American representative for the Tibetan government in exile had sobering news: Some of those monks who were arrested and tortured for defying protest bans have committed suicide upon their release from Chinese custody. As it is, monasteries are under siege without access to food or water.

Mayor Gavin Newsom, of course, cowered inside City Hall and didn't come out when the protesters massed on the steps and spilled across the street. Marching up Van Ness Avenue (and yes, I did get new running shoes for the week) toward the consulate, cars driving the opposite way stopped in lanes to take pictures of the monks, the activists, and the plain ol' concerned citizens; drivers honked and flashed peace signs.

On Wednesday I got to the Embarcadero long before the torch relay was to start, sipping the best ever clam chowder on the patio of the Waterfront Restaurant as helicopters buzzed overhead and a plane flew a "Free Burma" banner. As Newsom decided to play hide-and-seek with the torch at the last minute, protesters made the wise decision to gather near the closing ceremonies site rather than spread out among the supposed waterfront route. Before long, the police barricades were null and the Chinese nationalists who had lined up to watch the missing torch were treated to a parade of demonstrators. I was in the middle of the protesters, dashing over to watch the latest shouting match or flag wrestling with China supporters who had wandered into the protest crowd.

At about 2:30 p.m. -- the relay was supposed to start at 1 p.m. -- Tibetan organizers told protesters to go through the Embarcadero Center building to get around police barricades branching far from the stage setup. “Block all the entrances!” a protest leader shouted. “Do not let the torch enter the closing ceremony!” Demonstrators streamed through the doors of the shopping center, chanting slogans as shopkeepers peered from windows.

Once close to the ceremony site, protesters pressed against another set of barricades that kept the public out of reserved seating. “Bring down the barriers!” demonstrators shouted as police lined up and a band played covers of tunes such as David Bowie and Queen’s “Under Pressure.” A couple of protesters asked me -- I was smushed in, close to the front of the pack -- if I would push in on the barrier: "You have a press pass, so you won't get in trouble!" they theorized. Uh-huh.

I find it interesting that so many stories are painting the day as a victory for Newsom when it was the strong protest efforts that made the torch run and hide.

This, I think, is one of the saddest stories of relay day:

"At least one torchbearer decided to show her support for Tibetan independence during her moment in the spotlight. After being passed the Olympic flame, Majora Carter pulled out a small Tibetan flag that she had hidden in her shirt sleeve.

'The Chinese security and cops were on me like white on rice, it was no joke,' said Carter, 41, who runs a nonprofit organization in New York. 'They pulled me out of the race, and then San Francisco police officers pushed me back into the crowd on the side of the street.'"

I'm so glad that, here in America, Chinese authorities are allowed to decide what's acceptable speech, and then our law enforcement officers go along with it, acting like her peaceful display of a Tibetan flag is a crime. Shame on the city of San Francisco!!

But major, major props to the people of San Francisco, who are unlikely to continue to be silent about the policies of communist China. Once you learn the truth, it's hard to go back to sleep. (Unless, of course, you're President Bush, who unfortunately refuses to ditch the opening ceremonies in Beijing.)

Here's the coverage roundup thus far from my trip:

MY VIDEO:

April 8 Tibet protests

April 9 torch relay protests

MY STORIES:

Round One of Anti-China Protests in San Francisco

San Francisco alters Olympic torch route to avoid protests

Olympic Protesters Run Torch Out of Town

And coming very soon, my Daily News column on an interesting angle of the whole torch protest affair...

Putin's sexiness analyzed

I know it's wrong to still lust for a ruthless autocrat (who fishes shirtless, I must add), but there was just such a stark difference in these two guys. Take these two images of German Chancellor Angela Merkel (aka Honorary Vixen for boycotting the Olympic opener!) being greeted on her trip to Russia last month:

First we have president-elect Dmitry Medvedev, looking rather smurfish with that too-bright blue suit on his 5'4" frame. He looks like a 16-year-old giving flowers that he just bought at the 101-Melrose offramp to his prom date. Merkel's reaction looks decidedly lukewarm.

But then...

Das Put steps up to the plate with a beautiful, exotic bouquet (not a baby's breath in sight) plus some cozy hand touches at the floral handover. Confident smile, not goofy chuckle. Merkel's got a bit of swoon going on. Vlad's got it going on.

Neglectful vixen!

Apologies for so few posts on the blog lately: I've been crunching deadlines to clear the decks before I go up to San Francisco for the Olympic torch protests. (And considering what happened in London today, looks like it's going to be good times!! Leave bail donations in the tip jar, please!)

Anyway, here's the catch-up from last week. My Los Angeles Daily News column was on Geert Wilders' "Fitna" film, which I watched and critiqued:

"Geert Wilders is not going to win an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short anytime soon.

The far-right Dutch politician with the trademark blond mane has delighted in being the shock-jock of parliament, and spends his days in police protection for a litany of anti-Islam comments. But while Wilders' short film 'Fitna,' released online last week with equal parts fanfare and trepidation, makes some salient points about the impact of Islamic radicalism, the message falls flat because of, well, the messenger.

Wilders, after all, prefers no Islam instead of championing moderate Muslims in Europe. He compares the Quran to Hitler's 'Mein Kampf.' And his film bounces back to the same premise: The Netherlands has too many Muslims.

The terror that killed filmmaker Theo van Gogh in 2004, though, goes a lot deeper than demographic figures.

With a script credited to 'Geert Wilders & Scarlet Pimpernel,' 'Fitna' begins with the cartoon of Mohammed with the bomb in his turban that sparked deadly riots in 2006. The fuse on the turban bomb is lit, sizzling across a blank page of a book that later stands in for the Quran.

Kurt Westergaard, who drew that cartoon for Danish publication Jyllands-Posten and was recently the target of a murder plot, said Wilders' usage was 'theft' and 'an abuse of my cartoon.' Nowhere does 'Fitna' touch on the real story behind that cartoon, either, which is one of the most troubling parts about the vicious reaction to the Jyllands-Posten spread: Westergaard drew the cartoon to show how terrorists misuse Islam. ..."

And something I never thought would happen: The Arab-American News has cited me as a voice of reason.

Over at Pajamas Media, I previewed the San Fran torch run, which took an interesting turn last week with the Board of Supervisors approving a resolution basically dissing the torch and calling out city officials for being so accommodating to Beijing:

"...Newsom postponed releasing details of the torch route — to wind along the waterfront Embarcadero — until Tuesday, stymieing protesters’ organizational efforts. Protesters, he said, will be allowed to assemble at the end of the six-mile route, and officials also have designated Union Square, Portsmouth Square, Civic Center and Washington Square as acceptable rally points — also known as points far enough removed from the torch route.

Tuesday’s resolution, authored by Supervisor Chris Daly, was a symbolic, stern resolution that included the following:

• Urges federal authorities 'to call for an international inquiry to investigate these recent atrocities' in Tibet and asks China to allow free media inside the country;
• Urges Newsom to buck up and express his concern regarding the Tibet crackdown and asks him to urge China to behave;
• Urges Newsom to give protesters full access outside of the designated 'First Amendment Areas';
• 'Urges the Olympic Committee to boycott the Beijing 2008 Olympics Opening Ceremony if there is no cessation of violence from Chinese security forces against peaceful protestors and other critics of the Chinese government';
• Commends the Olympic-protest flames also passing through town: the Human Rights Torch Relay and the Tibetan Freedom Torch;
• Urges the city official who accepts the torch to do so in the name of human rights and 'urges the above City Official to also make publicly known that the 2008 Summer Olympic Games Torch is received with alarm and protest at the failure of China to meet its past solemn promises to the international community'

The resolution passed 8-3. A resolution introduced simultaneously by Supervisor Carmen Chu — a watered-down statement welcoming the Olympic, Human Rights, and Tibetan Freedom torches equally without slamming China for human-rights violations — thankfully failed. Before Tuesday’s votes, the Chinese Consulate was quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle as saying the passage of either would be 'an insult to good, friendly relations.'

In fact, on Friday morning Chinese Ambassador Zhou Wenzhong stopped into Newsom’s office for a half-hour meeting that his office was otherwise zip-lipped about. On Tuesday, Newsom was passing off Daly’s resolution as symbolic mumbo-jumbo. Hardly surprising. Shortly before his 2004 swearing-in, Newsom credited Chinatown with handing him the runoff victory: 'There is one reason I won a very close election. And that is the support of the Asian community, and the Chinese community in particular. I could not have done it without you.'..."

Read the whole thing! And stay tuned for my San Fran coverage...

The myth of Charlton Heston's right turn

Heston was great in "The Ten Commandments," "Ben-Hur," et al. But the news obituaries written about him are interesting: Noting that he marched for civil rights (as seen in this 1961 photo outside a whites-only restaurant in Oklahoma City) and led the Screen Actors Guild, press reports then note his leadership of the National Rifle Association took him in some sort of right-wing direction. But it seems to me that he was just being consistent in his defense of constitutional rights, right?