Now if only Laura Bush would speak out against Blackwater contractors shooting innocent Iraqi civilians, we'd really have something. It's easy to condemn other people, the Burmese, but she should judge her own people equally.

The War in Iraq has literally racked the world. Countries and it's citizens are so weary from this that their will,might and economies are drained and so is their ability to notice other things just as important.

Somehow we need to get our balance back, a beginning would be to start stregthen our own US citizens,families,military,infrastruc
ture,ask for a united effort to keep peace keeping borders in the Middleeast trouble spots,start to bring war troops home,replace them with a primarily peacekeeping and start to rebuild the country of Iraq,show pictures of the Iraqi children going to school,elderly,persons enjoying shopping etc.

This will show the world that part of America that is caring and through and thoughtful and this will cause a ripple effect.

Until some sort of balance is restored,until we get real thinking and empathetic people in charge of our Monetary,Foreign,Educational,Legal and Security Policies, I'm afraid we will continue to have these kinds of reactions to very serious world events.

I'm very optimistic though because of more people like the first Lady who put emphasis on Reading and who are caring.

I applaud you Mrs.Bush for taking such a public stand on this issue. Many American people feel the same way. Personally, I have wondered for years why nothing was being done and was pleasantly surprised when the last U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. actually put a spotlight on it, albeit briefly. Unfortunately, your husband will do no more than pontificate and seize the junta's money. He and his handlers are more in the habit of supporting military dictatorships and monarchies. And besides, Burma has no oil that I'm aware of.

On Burmese Monks being killed.in protests.....It's great that the world is "calling for" , "urging" the junta etc to show restraint...but the sub text is "OR ELSE WHAT?" The essence of power is making another do what it otherwise would not do. What "incentives" or "disincentives" are we giving General Thswe to desist from his violent repression? That country has been living under "sanctions" for years and have only impoverished the people more broadly. The solution is outside of the box and may not have been tested....MULTILEVEL GOVERNANCE...THE COMING TOGETHER OF STATE AND NON-STATE ACTORS...private and public, to put pressure on the junta..Examples: 1. Since Gen. Shswe seem to love adorning his daughter with "mitts" of diamonds...then we need to find out where his off shore bank accounts are and suggest that he and his family may not be able to "access" his accounts, which may be "frozen" or worse " garnished" due to his "crimes" against humanity, as a "violator" of human rights. If his ill gotten "deals" are in China, Japan, India....the US and EU have VAST trading alliances with these countries which can be tied into or "tied" up with what is going on in Burma. If world humanitarians Bill Gates, Bono, and others are serious about their ethical goals for the world....what about calling on them to take their money and deals away from "recalcitrant" supporters of repressive regimes. Some say...oh this will be violating sovereignty, private property issues etc...will it be less so if we find we have to spend billions in troop deployment...come on let's do some "preemptive peace" strategies instead of "preemptive war".....
Maria

Thank you First Lady for your thourough knowledge and full understanding of Burmese situation. Thanks again for your full support to Aung San Suu Kyiand Burmese people.Burma needs outside help especially from US and other civilized countries to get democracy. Burmese are fun loving, easy going, progressive people, but because of these military thug, the country becomes least developed county and sore spot in southeast asia.
I am equally disturbed by comments made by some readers. They think the whole world is rotated around Iraq. They should read more about Burma and see how bad this military goverment is. After that I believe they will make more comments related to Burma .

Mrs.Bush's words are so encouraging for Burmese people.We do not care about politics here because this is about human rights,violence and murders on innocent own people.I was almost killed in 1988 under brutal military regime.World has been silent as Mrs.Bush said.We Burmese people have been victims of brutal military regime and helpless for several years.We have been begging for help but no one could help us.Eventhough I am not the republican,Thank you Mrs.Bush for your words and efforts for Burmese People.

I want to add something for the people who are only interested about Iraq.Let me tell you something,Burmese desmonstrators are unarmed innocent people too.Let's also talk about and get interested into different parts of the world where is no oil or dollars to gain your interest.However,we burmese people are humans too.Why some people are trying to ignore us,where is UN? Innocent people are dying...Can you imagine what would be in your mind if you were one of Burmes people ?

Mrs. Bush, I applaud your efforts. May your karma multiply favorably. The dictatorship in Burma has not been one "appointed by the people", and the person appointed by the people has been languishing under house arrest for decades. In a short time, she will die, and the story of democracy will be just that - a tale with a sad ending. Please note that China is blocking all efforts which other nations are expending - and I for one, believe that this is to protect Chinese interests in Burma. America and other countries are obviously not about to but heads with the mighty Chinese juggernaut - and thus I fear, more people may die over the next few days. This is the story of Burma, sadly, and we as Burmese often say "it is karma". Your thoughts, prayers and actions are much appreciated, and it is these that are so much more important in the long run.

I too thank the first lady for high lighting the crises in Burma. She is doing everything she can. I am confident, given her close ties to the powerful in D.C., many others are helping as well. Please, it's not for oil or any other natural resource that we sent troops to foreign countries, consider Somalia and Vietnam. As a nation we are happy to buy whatever we need from a country especially when it has a government with which to do business. BTW, in case it isn't obvious, political parties take a beating anytime they go to war, therefore they would rather do business than war.

I'm with you Kyi Aung. I've spent a lot of time in S.E. Asia. My heart goes out to the Burmese people who are suffering because of a group of thugs. They will not give up power because they know the people will bring them to justice and they will lose their wealth, power and protected status. At heart they are greedy, cold-hearted cowards who will do anything and everything to hold on to their power.

Several battalions of U.S. Marines with heavy air support and carriers sitting off Burma's coast could probably free your people within a week. Of course the leftist, anti-war people would never accept that! They would rather hold to their anti-war activism while people continue to be brutalized.
Peace activists my arse! These people PREVENT viable solutions because they aren't feeling the pain personally. They will do anything to hold to their naive and selfish ideologies (You noted their mindless chatter about Iraq). I saw it in Cambodia, I saw it in Vietnam.

In Burma's case peaceful solutions and talking haven't worked. A serious threat of military intervention (Preferably by the U.N. but we know they are spineless, toothless and corrupt. NO one takes them seriously now.)--and a total commitment to proceed and complete the mission is the only thing that will shake these vile thugs out of rulership positions in Burma.

Consider: A few weeks of military operations or decades more of rape, beatings, torture, imprisonment and overall repression for the Burmese people. Liberals will naively and selfishly chose the latter because they aren't there and have NO idea what it's like.

Sometimes a strong military action is the quickest way to peace.

Thank you Mrs. Bush for doing everything you can to move world leaders to intervene. God help the Burmese people.

Both the brutal repression of the Burmese people and the brutal occupation of Iraq are terrible human rights crises.

Thanks The Great First Lady. Why did'nt ask your husband to send 2 Aircraft Carriages to Bengal Bay near Burma to show than U.S force.I bet you they will scare the hell when they see our force and the army junta force who kill innocent people will run away like the Mad Dog.They are "The World Most Wanted Terrorist Group".

Thank you so much for your sincere concern on behalf of our people in Burma. They have been suffered for such a very long years that they have to express their pain and sorrow in exchange of life and bloodshed. I pray that this event shall be their last effort as the door of the silent world has been knocked by heartful people like you and other world leaders.

I would like to say, that this is a very noble cause that the Bush admin is using to look like good guys. They have caused much suffering and repression of democracy in financially strategic places. Fortunately Burma is not one of those and now bush gets to look like a defender of democracy. China and India have financial gains in keeping status quo in Burma, and will have to be pressured to promote democracy in Burma. I give Bush no kudos for his true and noble words that rarely come out of his mouth.

At the bottom is a super-power wanna be named China that props up dictatorships around the world to get access to raw materials -- including Burma.

In Darfur, world pressure has caused the Chinese to belately do the right thing. Then there is their client state, North Kores, who starves their own people and the occupied horror of Tibet and the marginalization of non-ethnic chinese in the outer provinces.

Joining the first rank of nations requires more than cheaply produced electronics - China needs to recognize the value of individual human life before it is allowed to gain the respect it yearns.

i read one reason for the recent protests were because of the big price hike in fuel ( exxon mobil texas based can you connect the dots ? ) what caused that ? could it be turmoil in the middle east ? we have lost our moral authority we are seen as hypocrits around the world i will never vote republican again

Time will tell

I applaude Mrs Bush for speaking in behalf of Burmese people who have suffered enough under this military regime. It's about time that the U.S and the world have noticed what this military dictatorship is capable of, yes they are truely cowards hiding behind guns ang military thugs who intead of protecting their own people;are the first ones to violate their in-born rights to live free and without fear of being persecuted.

Rob wrote,
"...I read one reason for the recent protests were because of the big price hike in fuel ( exxon mobil texas based can you connect the dots ? ) what caused that ? could it be turmoil in the middle east ? we have lost our moral authority we are seen as hypocrits around the world i will never vote republican again"
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How INCREDIBLY naive and uninformed some of these selfish, uneducated liberal posters are! When I read comments like these, i.e. It's GEORGE BUSH's fault, it's the Republicans, it's America's fault, blah, blah, blah ad nauseum" I am deeply troubled by their ignorance of this world we live in.

NOT A WORD of condemnation for the actual and literal evil-doers, the Burmese military thugs. No, if you listen to some of these air-heads you'd think that it's really President Bush's fault that Burma has been a hopeless prison for 45 years. No compassion for the Burmese people--no praise for what Mrs. Bush is TRYING TO DO!
Only another opportunity to spout hatred for the U.S. and the Republican party in particular. How bigoted. How prejudiced. How selfish and narrow-minded some people in my country (USA) are. THINK OF THE BURMESE PEOPLE instead of yourself and your own political and ideological biases!

Okay, let me figure this out... Bush sends 130,000 troops to "free" people that hate our guts, and dont want us there, but we can't help the people of Burma, who would actually want us there, and would actually take any chance they get at democracy? It would literally take about 10 Navy SEALs to turn their tanks into scrap metal. Well Bush, fine job, what a mighty waste of effort on your part. To the people of Burma, stay strong, I will pray for you every day (and I never pray). If I could, I'd come over there myself and help you fight these animals. After all, the monks will give your people the high ground, but you will need to bear arms before this is done. Look at our history, and see what we did to the British thugs in the 1700's.