Pageantry won’t hide oppression

Dart — To the communist Chinese government, for its oppressive limits on free expression. No matter how much it wants to show the world a progressive face, the government cannot suppress its totalitarian tendency. It has barred past Olympic gold medal winners because they wanted to protest China’s human rights violations. It reacted defensively when President Bush properly called attention to its human rights violations and limits on free expression. It delayed the White House press corps plane for three hours at Beijing’s international airport for no known reason. Yes, China showed that it can put up an impressive array of arenas and gyms (thanks to $40 billion we all helped raise through Wal-Mart shopping). Yes, it put on a sensational opening show last night, featuring 30,000 fireworks, acrobats on high wires and 2,008 drummers and covering 5,000 years of Chinese history. But in the meantime, Chinese military forces are shutting down protesters everywhere. “The Chinese government and the International Olympic Committee have wasted a historic opportunity to use the Beijing Games to make real progress on human rights in China,” said Sophie Richardson of Human Rights Watch. Exactly. The pageantry impresses. More impressive and lasting would be a signal from China’s leaders that they respect democratic movements on the nation’s borders and around the world.

Laurel — To Blue Ridge Community College and area firefighters for training at the college’s Fire and Rescue Academy. Fire and rescue personnel have been training for years at BRCC, but the academy has grown and changed its format to train groups of emergency personnel daily over three months of coursework. The firefighters and rescuers work through drills based on real-life scenarios as they learn how to pull victims out of burning buildings and crumpled vehicles and how to locate and treat injured hikers. The course is state-funded through BRCC and free to students training to become fire and rescue workers. The college’s new Technology and Development Center will offer new opportunities. We all benefit when emergency volunteers and staff receive the highest level of professional training.

Laurel — To Hoyte Jones, Joyce Pace and French Rogers who retired last Saturday after working more than 50 years selling items at the Curb Market. That’s 50 years each, not all together. Each of three venders was presented a cake during a ceremony that was rich with the market’s history. “If they could continue coming, they would stay on,” said Ralph King, a regular seller at the market. “They raised their families in here too.” Jones, 85, started coming to the Curb Market with her mother when she was a little girl, and later started selling aprons, table linens and fruits and vegetables to supplement her family’s income. “Learned to love it before I was ever married,” she says of the Church Street institution. Our community is a richer place thanks to Jones, Pace, Rogers and all the Curb Market venders.