The numbers coming out of Asia are staggering: more than 43,000 dead from the cyclone in Burma and possibly up to 50,000 lives lost from the earthquake in China. Please remember to pray for the people of these countries and for those trying to help them.

National Review says the world made a mistake by bringing the Olympics to China.  They also suggest that this might be what the world needs to see what China really is.  A communist monster.

It was a mistake to allow a cruel dictatorship to host the Olympics. China’s rulers wanted the Olympics because they thought this would be a p.r. triumph. Instead the Olympics are turning into a p.r. disaster for the Communist autocrats. As the torch wends its way to Beijing, shouts of protest meet it at every turn. It’s almost comical to listen to thugs in bureaucrats’ clothing as they denounce the machinations of the “Dalai clique.” That’s the way Mao Zedong talked. That isn’t what the “New China” is supposed to sound like at all - that land of skyscrapers and 10 percent growth and a happy populace with no need for elections, so wise and benevolent are its “leaders.”

I wonder, would Reagan have boycotted these Olympics?  Nixon wouldn’t have.  Will Bush?

It is understandable that first heads of state to announce their intention to boycott the opening ceremony - those of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany - all grew up under Communism. They have heard at close range the cries of the pulverized. President Bush, whom we know to care deeply about those cries, should follow his counterparts’ example. It is understandable that he may wish not to announce his decision far in advance. (Among other things, it might create a perceived duty to escalate his form of protest should the Chinese crackdown grow worse.) But when the time comes, he should not attend.

So, yes, the games have already been politicized by the very fact of their being in China.  But the games are also awesome to watch, whether they’re in China or Alabama.  I’m not sure I care where they are.  But I’m glad some people do.

According to a Drudge “Exclusive,” Hillary Clinton will call on President Bush to boycott the opening ceremony of the Olympics this summer in Beijing. Ben Smith at Politico has more, and USA Today reports that the Clinton campaign soon will issue a statement.

The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing are creating quite a stir. And thanks to the extra scrutiny that comes with the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, the international community is finally speaking up against one of freedom’s greatest antagonists.

China, which will host the Games in August, is drawing the world’s ire for its hard line stance against protesting Tibetan monks. The skirmish is the biggest in Tibet since the late 1980s, and has led to 140 deaths according to Tibetans. With its anaconda-like grip on state news, though, China only reports 19 killings. But as unrest continues that number should grow. In fact, there are disputed reports of Chinese police killing another eight people today.

The Dalai Lama, ruler of the exiled Tibetan government in India and leader of the Tibetan monks, has led the charge against China. The usual peaceful guru has refused to call off the protests and is pushing for an international inquiry into the situation.

Amnesty International has obliged, denouncing the “excessive, sometimes lethal” force used against protestors. Echoing AI’s sentiments, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said “It’s absolutely clear that there are human rights abuses in Tibet.”

In addition to the abuses in Tibet, many are also turning red over China’s open support of the Sudanese government during the genocide in Darfur. Citing China’s involvement with Sudan, Steven Spielberg resigned in February as an artistic adviser for the Games. The heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, was caught calling China’s leaders “appalling old waxworks,” and said he would not attend the games if invited. There is even an international campaign underway to dub these Games “The Genocide Olympics.”

Who could have guessed the Olympics would rally the international community to speak out against communism, murder, and excessive government control? If the Olympics can produce this much scrutiny, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should think about giving the Games to countries like Iran, North Korea, and Cuba.

Just when we thought Ted Turner was finally making sense, he appeared on the Charlie Rose Show, opened his mouth, and removed all doubt of where his head is. Here’s a link to the NewsBusters report, which features these gems from the interview …

On the “catasthropic” effects of global warming: “Most of the people will have died and the rest of us will be cannibals.”

On China’s military buildup: “China just wants to sell us shoes. They’re not building landing craft to attack the United States.”

On Iraqi insurgents: “I think that they’re patriots and that they don’t like us because we’ve invaded their country and occupied it.”

Steven Spielberg is washing his hands of the Beijing Olympics. Citing China’s failure to do more to end the humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Spielberg resigned as Olympic artistic director last week.

The Chinese government called Spielberg’s resignation “unfortunate.” The embassy in Washington chose stronger words: “unreasonable, irresponsible and unfair.” The Olympic Organizing Committee reprimanded Spielberg too, saying his attempt to link Olympics and politics was “contrary to the spirit of the Olympic games.”

But choosing an Olympic host that is bedfellows with a brutal regime should be against the “spirit of the Olympic games” as well. China’s involvement in the Darfur imbroglio is decidedly sketchy. The world’s second-largest oil consumer after the United States, the Chinese government is heavily invested in Sudan’s natural energy resources and one of Sudan’s closest international allies.

To Beijing’s credit, it has promised Darfur a $10.4 million humanitarian aid package, invested $30 million in a dam project and provided additional goods and materials for building schools, transportation and electric facilities. At the same time, Chinese President Hu Jintao reportedly forgave the Sudanese government up to $70 million in debt and promised the country an additional $12.9 million loan for a new presidential palace.

According to Amnesty International, Beijing has even sold the Sudanese government millions of dollars worth of weapons in breach of an international arms embargo. And despite its purported commitment to helping establish peace, China has blocked U.N. Security Council attempts to place sanctions on Khartoum and has refused to speak out against the government’s role in the mass killings.

Given China’s aversion to international censure (the country even tried to make athletes sign a contract promising not to make political comments about China) and its hope that the Olympics will shed a positive light on their country, it’s understandable that China is worried that criticism from Spielberg and his ilk will taint the 2008 games.

As Communist authorities in China make new efforts to enforce old laws, they call fresh attention to long-standing questions about the value of human life in their country of 1.3 billion people.

Since 1979, a “one-child” policy has restricted Chinese families to one child each in urban areas or at most two children in rural areas. Officials estimate some 400 million births have been obviated, but also say the sometimes-haphazard enforcement of these laws has “undermined social equality.” Wealthy citizens are often willing to pay heavy fines to have “extra” children.

Last year, 93,084 people in the Hubei province alone had more children than the law allowed. The government recently fined 1,678 of these people, stripped them of their government posts, or expelled them from the party.

Steven Mosher, President of the Population Research Institute told WoW that because the Chinese cultural ideal promotes “late marriage, few children, and quality children,” population restrictions create intense social pressure to breed “a better man and a better Chinese woman.” The dark nature of these idealizations manifests itself in late-term abortions, infanticide, and forced sterilization of the handicapped and mentally disabled. To Mosher, “Eugenics policy is part and parcel of the one-child policy.”

But with parents willing to pay a premium for more kids, Mosher blames the Chinese political structure for setting the price of life so cheaply: “There may be a lot of hostility on the lowest levels, but the policy is put in place by the highest and can only be undone by the highest levels.”

Mosher said undoing the policy isn’t likely: “The Chinese political party has so much political capital invested in this policy they are almost afraid to back off. It would undermine the legitimacy of the party.”

The Chinese government announced that it will encourage select Christian groups to distribute Bibles to athletes and visitors at the Olympics next year. The Christian groups will also be asked to act as volunteers to assist foreigners of the same religion while they are in China — this in a nation where smuggling in Bibles is still illegal.

The atheist government’s actions are in response to allegations by some foreign religious and human rights groups that said visitors would not be allowed to bring copies of the Bible or other religious items into the Olympic venue. The government said the only stipulation they set was that only one Bible be allowed per traveler.

Ye Xiaowen, head of China’s state administration for religious affairs, said China “respects and protects the religious freedom of all people.” He pointed to the Amity Foundation, an organization that has printed over 50 million Bibles, as proof that the government allows the distribution of religious texts. Amity Foundation will open the world’s largest Bible-printing factory in a few months.

An American who has worked with Christian ministries in China told WoW, “The whole thing in China is about control. … This way they can say they are meeting a need but still not allow Bibles to spread to the Chinese public.” She said since the Bibles will be given only to foreigners, the government is able to “save face” among religious groups while keeping Bibles out of the hands of their own people.

In regards to the Amity Foundation, she said they do print lots of Bibles and have increased the number of Bibles in the nation greatly, but the number per capita is still “quite low.” She also suspects the opening of the factory in the same year as the Olympics is a government publicity act as well.

USA Today reports that homeschoolers are helping propel Mike Huckabee’s campaign. Since Labor Day, Huckabee has climbed 20 percentage points in Iowa GOP polls, and the article says thousands of home-school activists could make a difference in the race.

FrontPage Magazine publishes an interview with Dave Gaubatz, who is supplying first-hand counter-terrorism intelligence with his Mapping Shari’a Project. The project identifies Islamic Centers in the U.S. and then does research to determine two things: which promote Shari’a law and which promote “violent Jihad and the destruction of the West.” Gaubatz is testing the hypothesis that Shari’a is the “driving doctrinal force” behind Jihad.

Humans are evolving faster, not staying the same, Science Daily says. Humans on different continents are becoming more different, not more alike: “We are getting less alike, not merging into a single, mixed humanity.”

The Chinese government is letting select Christian groups pass out Bibles at the Olympic Games. The allowance comes after human rights groups alleged that Olympic organizers were forbidding Bibles and other religious items. The organizers contended that they only said, “Each traveler is recommended to take no more than one Bible into China.”

Are gifted children “left behind” under U.S. educational law? Some experts argue that “No Child Left Behind” diverts resources from gifted children and focuses teachers’ attention on children who are on the verge of failure. Nancy Green, executive director of the National Association for Gifted Children, said “It’s all about bringing people up to that minimum level of performance.”

In Kansas, pro-lifers have convinced a grand jury to investigate a Planned Parenthood they say performs illegal late-term abortions, provides false information to state officials, fails to comply with parental notice requirements, and participates in illegal trafficking of fetal tissue.

Guatemalan lawmaker Roland Morales says, “Starting Dec. 31, the business of adoptions is over.” On Tuesday, Guatemalan legislators adopted a law that tightens adoption law but allows pending adoptions to proceed with the previous regulations. The law attempts to clean up a system that some say allows birth mothers to sell their children.

In a surprise twist, the Chinese government is now planning to allow select Christian groups to distribute Bibles to athletes and visitors during the Beijing Olympics. The move comes after religious and human rights groups have voiced concerns about China serving as a venue for the Olympics in light of the country’s poor record on religious freedom.

Ye Xiaowen, head of the State Administration for Religious Affairs, said the government respected and protected religious freedom of all people. It also supports the printing and distribution of the Bible in China.

Oh, really? Well then what about this recent case, or how about this one?