"Pure hatred in San Francisco"

"All that is needed for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
Edmund Burke

What disturbed me the most was how aggressive the pro-Beijing protesters were towards the Tibetans, the protesters concerned about Burma or Darfur, and even some of the Falun Gong members. Simply put, I was watching pure hatred being unleashed!

Another disturbing thing I witnessed was how many of the pro-China protesters basically said, "The Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989 didn't happen" and that "it was Western propaganda spreading lies about China and the Olympics!" When I heard that, I was completely bewildered … I thought, "So much for any meaningful dialogue. Why waste my breath!"

The other thing I noticed was how many pro-China protesters were being bussed in. I myself counted at least 20 buses in one area near the AT&T Stadium. Ok, you may be asking, "How do I know this?" Well the People's Republic of China flags gave it away!

I kept putting myself in between both those supporting the Olympic torch and those protesting the Chinese regime. I was sure someone was going to get hurt. The pro-Chinese protesters couldn't figure out who I was so it kept a lot of them at bay.

I am an American first and German second but watching this event unfold on Wednesday, I am really starting to believe the People's Republic of China has a stronger hold on our society then I want to admit. I have never seen so much hate and pure evil in so few hours as on that day.

It is bad enough that the United States is under economic attack each day! Our market is flooded with products, "Made in China" and we stupid Americans continue to tighten the noose a little more each day around our own necks! …

People were escorted from public parks because of their political views. The San Francisco Chronicle reported:

"Police escorted some pro-Tibetan protesters out of Justin Herman Plaza this morning, in some cases telling the demonstrators that the area was reserved for those supporting the torch run. In most cases, however, police simply told the protesters that they could not guarantee their safety in the area, which is packed with torch supporters holding Chinese flags." …

I met a young lady from Los Angeles who came up for the Tibet vigil at the UN Plaza on Tuesday night. She indicated to me that members of her family have simply "disappeared" in Tibet since the crack down in her homeland began about three weeks ago.

I felt so horrible. I had finally met someone with first-hand accounts of these horrific acts taking place a world away. It just made me more determined to work harder on letter writing and anything else I can do to be a voice for the Falun Gong, the Tibetans, the people of Burma and the people in Darfur.

I think there was a small victory Wednesday: The world saw the flame come in under the cover of darkness to be hidden in the Asian Museum, (at least that is where I think it was judging from all the security that was present), and watched it sneak out of San Francisco via 19th Avenue to the SFO [San Francisco International Airport]. …

Thank you for educating me on this … Now I understand even more what I must do in this world for those that are voiceless. …