Little Steve Van Zandt once got some of his buddies such as Lou Reed and Bono to pledge that they ain't gonna play Sun City. In the aftermath of Steven Spielberg's withdrawal from the Beijing Olympics, is it time to encourage Ireland's athletes to do the same to the Bird's Nest Stadium?
If there are three things that politicised me as a callow student, it was in no particular order a) the way that musicians around the world took a stand against Apartheid South Africa b) the music of Christy Moore, Steve Earle and Bruce Springsteen and c) a small paragraph on the liner notes for U2's 'The Joshua Tree' that encouraged fans to join Amnesty International.
Two decades later, artists such as Yoko Ono Lennon and Mia Farrow are again taking a stand against abuses of human rights and again they are mobilising popular opinion and boycotts, an Irish invention by the way, against the continuing crisis in Darfur. So Sound Waves, being a rather liberal blog asks, should Ireland boycott the Beijing Olympcs? To help you decide I have posted up some (very few) relevant links below and, should you then come to the conclusion, either yes or no, you can convey your support of or protest against Ireland's planned participation in these games, directly to Ireland's Olympians.
The Olympic Council of Ireland
Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: Official Site
Irish Defences Forces To Deploy in Chad
BBC: Q&A, Sudan's Darfur Crisis
Amnesty International (Irish Section)
China & Darfur: Washington Post