It's like maiming two birds with one stone!

There was a blessed event in my extended family this week. A beautiful baby girl was born to my in-laws. We celebrated this event like most families - by spending money.

For the sake of convenience, we chose to shop at a large "big box" store that carries almost everything. And like almost every store these days many, if not most, of the goods were manufactured in China. Given the recent protests that occurred along the Olympic Torch routes in several cities around the world some might have mixed emotions about purchasing Chinese goods. I am not one of those.

The oppression of the Tibetan people by the Chinese is almost inevitable. If we have learned one thing from thousands of years of human history it is this - the strong will oppress the weak. We really didn't need Darwin to point out the concept of "survival of the fittest" (It has been pointed out by a friend of mine that "survival of the fittest", although used by Darwin, was actually an idea first presented in 1864 by Herbert Spencer in "Principles of Biology". I take this opportunity to suggest that Mr. Spencer get a better publicist.). It reveals itself in every page of every history book ever written. So the issue at hand is not whether or not China should be involved in Tibet. The real issue is how they should oppress them.

This is 2008 and I believe that unlike our ancestors we possess a civility that must be brought to bare in this conflict. The Tibetans should be oppressed (as I've already established) - but they should be oppressed well. Technology affords us the opportunity to see the people of Tibet subjugated humanely and effectively. High caliber bullets take the place of crude shot (or even worse, dull swords). There are also many crowd control tools like pepper spray and rubber bullets that are effective and non-lethal. Handcuffs that used to leave captives with chafed and bloody wrists now hardly leave a scratch. Technology and progress are truly wonderful things.

But there is a cost to this technological "properness". These things are not free. Technology costs real dollars. Research and development for new weapons would be all but impossible without a substantial monetary commitment. And that is where we the consumers are invaluable. By purchasing cheap Chinese goods we enable the Chinese to deal with the Tibetans in a manner befitting our technological abilities and social sensibilities.

So, to my new niece I say welcome to our world - with a gift to her & to Tibet.