Fun with irony

Well, if it wasn't so serious- it would be fun...

As ThinkProgress highlights, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Right hand of God), is up in arms over the Chinese government's plan to, in his words, spy on foreign visitors when they come to see the Olympics:

BROWNBACK: This is the public security bureau in China requiring the installation of hardware that they can listen to anybody and everybody’s and their communications and their recordings that are sent over the internet in a real-time purpose or over long-term. That’s spying, John. […] Your internet communications can all be monitored in a real time basis by the public security bureau of the Chinese government. I think they’re clearly intent upon spying. they’re going to be spying.

Seems to me, that as a silly graduate student, this is pretty damn close to what our government is already doing.

Furthermore, if I was a big time TV journalist, I would ask Senator Brownback how the Chinese plan is any different from our current plan. But once again, I am just a silly graduate student.

Funny

Turns out that Barack Obama is much more liked than Joe Lieberman by...wait for it...American Jews (60% to 37%).

What I think is the funniest part about all of this is that over the years, the press has made Lieberman the official Jew of Washington and the man that represents all American Jewish thought in this country. Half the reason why Obama was assumed to have a 'Jewish problem' was not because Jewish voters didn't like him- rather, it was assumed he had a 'Jewish problem' because Joe Lieberman didn't like him.

Those Pesky Canadians Hate the Olympics

The Chinese government continues to suppress dissidents who are using the 2008 Beijing Olympics to highlight human rights abuses by China towards the Tibetan people.

Two Canadians were reported detained in China yesterday along with four others after they displayed a huge banner on the Great Wall calling for a free Tibet. Chinese authorities detained the six activists who were scaling down part of the wall with a 42-square-metre banner that says: One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 2008. The two detained Canadians have been identified as Melanie Raoul and Sam Price by the New York-based Students for a Free Tibet. Both are from Vancouver.

This is the Olympic spirit in action? C'mon, what's the big deal?

Child labor. Forced abortions. Religious persecution. Jailed dissidents. Cultural cleansing in Tibet and ethnic cleansing in Africa.