[Peace-discuss] Olympic demonstrations

[E. Wayne Johnson]

Karen, I really like your approach to this.

*

I will insert another concept or open another can of worms, the idea of 
Westphalian Sovereignty.   According to the Wikipaedia, Westphalian 
sovereignty is the concept of nation-state sovereignty based on two 
principles: territoriality and the exclusion of external actors from 
domestic authority structures.  Of course I bring it up because I 
subscribe to its libertarian precepts.    I dont want the police state 
interfering with my personal life, I dont want the State interfering 
with my City or County, I dont want the Federal Government interfering 
with my State, and therefore I must not favour the idea that I should 
interfere with affairs of another country.

One look inside my sock drawer reveals that I have quite enough 
organizational problems that I am not yet ready to manage other people's 
sock drawers.  However, I do stand am ready to defend my sock drawer 
against all enemies, whether foreign or domestic.

In popular culture the notion of Westphalian Sovereignty was advanced by 
the 60's phenomenon Star Trek's Prime Directive, that they could explore 
and interact with strange new cultures in strange new worlds, but were 
prohibited from interference with the internal affairs of other 
civilizations.

International relations theorists have identified the Peace of 
Westphalia as having several key principles, which explain the Peace's 
significance and its impact on the world today: (from Wikipaedia)

   1. The principle of the sovereignty of states and the fundamental
      right of political self determination
      <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_determination>
   2. The principle of (legal) equality between states
   3. The principle of non-intervention of one state in the internal
      affairs of another state

In Southern Illinois English that philosophy is restated as "/Quit yer 
meddlin and mind yer own business".
/[usually peppered with colourful obligatory homespun emphatics]

In Chinese this might be expressed as "Bei lai guan wo" (gently 
translated as "piss" off) :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr1wEChslsA

Now, part of the Olympic Movement Philosophy as I understand is to lay 
aside all of the Ya-Ya-ing that different philosophies do at each other 
and to compete in the field of sports as a way of promoting an attitude 
of "see, we can get along with one another, even though i dont like 
chocolate with mustard and you do", but by interacting with each other, 
we can both learn something that we can take home, and someday I might 
try a bit of mustard with my chocolate, while you may or may not decide 
to try either chocolate alone or mustard alone as a result of 
interacting with me.  I dont impose my ways on you but something might 
be transferred just in the interactions.

I dont see how one can be in favour of promoting peace around the world 
and  take the Olympics as an opportunity to intervene and displace, 
which is as I have noticed from watching my boys, is a fantastic way to 
start a fight.







Karen Medina wrote:
>>   We must agree, though, that the Olympics are
>>   political. BD
>>     
>
> As are Christmas, the 4th of July, biofuels and off-shore drilling.
>
> Just because politics is involved does not mean you should make huge mistakes that hurt your cause and make you become that which you are demonstrating against.
>
> -karen medina
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>   

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