Olympic protests: choosing sides

Re “Protest to nowhere,” Opinion, April 9

Tim Rutten writes of the futility of an Olympic protest in changing China’s behavior toward its citizens. However, I’m equally concerned with America’s behavior. Protesting the Olympics isn’t about China’s behavior, it’s about us, Americans standing up in support of human rights. With no expectation or hidden agenda, we should boycott simply because it’s the right thing to do.

Pamela F. Winter

Anaheim Hills

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It seems proper to protest a country that overthrows and imprisons another nation’s ruler, uses its army to occupy that nation and takes the best land for its own people, leaving the natives as the poorest people. The new regime even prohibits the citizens of that country from practicing their own religion. I am talking about the United States’ behavior toward Hawaii in the late 19th century. We did apologize, but never gave back the land or independence. China’s behavior toward Tibet is no different from our behavior. I wish Americans would be as concerned about their own disgraceful past as they are about the behavior of other countries.

Daniel A. Guthrie

Claremont

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Re “Harrying the torch,” April 8

It is extremely tempting -- and totally justifiable -- to condemn China for its occupation of Tibet and to advocate a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. For the United States to do this, however, is an abomination in view of its equally intolerable occupation of Iraq. Otherwise, we would have a case of the pot calling the kettle black. The ideal solution would be to put the Olympics temporarily on hold and subject both vessels, meanwhile, to a thorough and relentless scouring.

Gordon Wilson

Laguna Niguel