List of World Leaders Who Will Not Attend the Beijing Olympics Grows.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, yesterday became the first world leader to decide not to attend the Olympics in Beijing.

As pressure built for concerted western protests to China over the crackdown in Tibet, EU leaders prepared to discuss the crisis for the first time today, amid a rift over whether to boycott the Olympics.

The disclosure that Germany is to stay away from the games' opening ceremonies in August could encourage President Nicolas Sarkozy of France to join in a gesture of defiance and complicate Gordon Brown's determination to attend the Olympics.

Donald Tusk, Poland's prime minister, became the first EU head of government to announce a boycott on Thursday and he was promptly joined by President Václav Klaus of the Czech Republic, who had previously promised to travel to Beijing.

James: I'm pleased that major players on the world stage are voicing their displeasure with China's image before the Olympic games in Beijing. I opposed the decision to award China the Olympics in the first place, however, it is not possible to put that genie back in the bottle. That being said, It is important to remind the world that the Chinese government does not totally live up to the Olympic spirit of peace in how it rules its people nor the repressive governments that it supports (Burma, Sudan and Vietnam to name but a few).

As Buddhists we have a responsibility to be loving and compassionate but sometimes that requires speaking about uncomfortable things, sometimes it means disagreeing with people such as is the case with the Chinese governments' abuses of power.

Guess what two major corporations are sponsoring the Beijing Olympics? Two companies that are about as American as you get--McDonalds and Coca-Cola. Yet the message that they are sending by making money off the brutal Chinese regime is very much against the American ideals of freedom and human rights. It's a perfect example of how greed can lead us to rationalize anything--even our very principles.

I just sent an email to McDonalds and Coca-Cola asking them politely to think about their actions in supporting the dictatorial Chinese government through corporate sponsorship. If you would like to email them as well, just click on their company names listed above and the link will take you right to the email forms.UPDATE: I woke up this morning to sadly see the Olympic torch in a staged event at Tienanmen Square in Beijing China. Of course Tienanmen Square was the sight in 1989 of horrible violence meant to end a peaceful protest where some claims put the number of dead at 2-3,000. In sad irony the translation of the name Tienanmen means, Gate of Heavenly Peace.

So it was disheartening to see the Olympic torch which represents the goodwill amongst all people of the world displayed on that plaza of bloodshed. Goodwill is often defined as the disposition of kindness and compassion. Tienanmen Square does not represent compassion nor kindness to the people killed, beaten and illegally arrested for simply marching for basic freedom.

There are many people in China today who live in constant fear of their dictatorial government and I doubt that they experience much kindness and compassion coming from such a brutal leadership.

And as mentioned above the Chinese government that is running the over-sight of the Olympic games in Beijing supports the brutal Burmese government who beat, killed and illegally arrested hundreds of its own people in last years peaceful demonstrations for freedom.

~Peace to all beings~