The stakes in this discussion

Nobel head: Liu's prize based on universal values

"The Nobel Peace Prize panel on Thursday defended its award to jailed dissident Liu Xiabaobo as based on 'universal values,' rejecting Beijing's accusation that it is trying force Western ideas on China.

China maintained its combative tone on the eve of the prize ceremony in Oslo, and announced the award of its own 'Confucius Peace Prize' to former Taiwan vice-president Lien Chan, though his office said he was unaware of the award.

China jailed Liu last Christmas Day for 11 years for subversion of state power and for being the lead author of Charter 08, a manifesto calling for democratic reform in the one-party state.

Nobel committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland told a news conference the award of the prize to Liu was not a protest.

'It is a signal to China that it would be very important for China's future to combine economic development with political reforms and support for those in China fighting for basic human rights,' he said.

'This prize conveys the understanding that these are universal rights and universal values, they are not Western standards,' he added.

His comments were unlikely to placate Beijing, where Communist Party ideologists consider 'universal values' to be codewords for Western liberalization...

...Chinese state-run media accused the West of 'launching a new round of China-bashing.'

A number of countries and international human rights organizations have criticized Beijing for its sweeping crackdown on dissent ahead of the Oslo ceremony, preventing Liu's friends and family from attending.

'The Chinese government should be celebrating this global recognition of a Chinese writer and activist,' said Salil Shetty, secretary general of rights group Amnesty International.

'Instead, the government's very public tantrum has generated even more critical attention inside and outside China -- and, ironically, emphasized the significance of Liu Xiaobo's message of respect for human rights,' Shetty said.

Beijing has briefly blacked out BBC and CNN reports on Liu and his supporters over the past few days, though foreign news channels are generally only available in upmarket hotels and apartment buildings mostly inhabited by foreigners."

Do you let bullies off the hook because it stings their thin little skins?

Or do you call them out for their bullying?

Do we get honest about the bullying? And about our own bullying?

Or do we resign ourselves to it? And the long and tragic history that it has had for humanity. And reverse every single sign of real progress that human history has ever known.

And, in doing so, reinforce the repressive instincts of every authoritarian government and culture around the globe.

Or do we get honest that our most recent path reverses that more real progress that comes with freedom, democracy, liberalization and liberal democratic values?

Those are the stakes here.

Choose wisely.

Lot of peoples' lives and freedoms on the line.