Gimme a Break!

Gotta love getting emails like this from the US Dept of State:

Travel Alert

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs

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This information is current as of today, Mon Apr 28 2008 09:44:50 GMT+0800 (China Standard Time).

China

April 25, 2008

This Travel Alert updates U.S. citizens about security issues in China and advises American citizens traveling or residing there to be alert to their surroundings and exercise caution at all times. This Travel Alert expires on October 31, 2008.

Any large-scale public event such as the upcoming Olympic Games may present an attractive target for terrorists. There is a heightened risk that extremist groups will conduct terrorist acts within China in the near future. In light of these security concerns, U.S. citizens traveling in China are advised to use caution and to be alert to their surroundings at all times, including at hotels, in restaurants, on public transportation and where there are demonstrations and other large-scale public gatherings. Consistent with our standard advice, American citizens are urged to avoid the areas of demonstrations.

In accordance with these security concerns, Chinese authorities have increased security in China's airports during recent months. For example, Chinese airport authorities recently implemented tighter restrictions on taking liquids, aerosols, or gels aboard flights in carry-on baggage. Such restrictions may apply to food, cosmetics, toiletries and medicine. Travelers should contact their air carrier before their flight to determine the precise regulation in place.

American citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance, be aware of local events, and take the appropriate steps to bolster their personal security. For additional information, please refer to “A Safe Trip Abroad” found at travel.state.gov.

U.S. citizens planning travel to China should regularly check the Department’s Country Specific Information for China at travel.state.gov for the latest safety and security information, including the updated Olympics Fact Sheet, as well as the U.S. Embassy Beijing website at beijing.usembassy-china.org. Americans planning travel to China are advised to register their presence with the U.S. Embassy at travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/.

As the Department continues to develop information on any potential security threats t.o U.S. citizens overseas, it shares credible threat information through its consular information program documents, available on the Internet at http://travel.state.gov. In addition to information on the Internet, travelers may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the U.S. and Canada or from other countries on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444.

This Travel Alert is being issued to update U.S. citizens to safety and security concerns.

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Yet another attempt to keep US citizens ignorant and in fear of China. Don't go to the Olympics? No, they don't want you to come to China because if you spend any real time here you'd realize that China isn't nearly as bad as they want you to think. The US has hosted the Olympics countless times and they never told us to leave then... plus, I think all Western countries have a predisposed bias against China because of the Western repulsion towards communism. Ever since WWII, the West has HATED any and all countries that have any kind of government that is socialist or communist in nature. China's not a threat to us, guys. This isn't the Cold War anymore.

And one more thing. I want people over there, all comfy and ignorant in the US, to STOP PRETENDING THEY KNOW WHAT IT'S REALLY LIKE IN CHINA. People are whining "boycott the Olympics... China's bad, etc etc etc" without really knowing anything. All they know is the Western side of the story concerning Tibet. The only reason the West is so outraged about Tibet is because the country involved is communist and communism is always seen as evil and threatening. What we are currently doing in Iraq is no less inhumane than what outrages everyone about Tibet. But because it's the US instead of China, it's not seen that way. In reality we went in there and attempted to destroy their culture and government because it was seen as a 'threat' to us - the SAME idea that the West believes fueled China's invasion of Tibet.

Human rights violations? Is that REALLY why the US and the Western world is so determined to hate China? No, in reality China is communist and has the largest population in the world - two factors that make it very threatening to us. Furthermore, China is developing rapidly and becoming more and more influential and powerful in the world. This is why all of the sudden we have all of these calls to boycott China and the Olympics. Once the Olympics arrives, people from all over the world will pour into China, look around and realize "hey, this isn't as terrible as they say" and return to their countries with positive reports of China. God forbid anybody LIKE China. I assure you, China cannot be equated with its government. Chinese people are not all evil communists, as the West might like to think. The people are just like you and I. You cannot associate a government with the people in general. The Chinese people didn't choose this - it just kind of 'happened' back in 1949. Now they can't do anything about it, but they know and readily admit the flaws of their own government. I see it like this: I don't want people from other countries associating me and US citizens with the US government and its many flaws, so I will offer the same treatment to other people.