Dissent, and one’s right to express it, are conceptual cornerstones in America. Men and women who disagreed with the crown founded our nation, and our constitution guarantees that every American can voice their disagreement and even mount protests against ideals with which they disagree.

That deeply rooted concept is causing a dilemma in San Francisco this week as the city prepares to welcome the relay of the Olympic Torch as it winds its way toward the Summer Games. Because its destination is China, and because China has a long history of human rights abuses and heavy handed foreign relations, the torchbearers’ path has been treacherous.

Throughout Europe, protesters lined the route, lunging at torchbearers and attempting to extinguish the flame. In Paris, the torch was eventually loaded onto a bus and whisked out of the maelstrom. Organizers have seriously considered ending the torch relay for the 2008 Summer Games because of safety concerns. We hope that doesn’t happen.

The Olympic Games have long been recognized as the apex of human relations, national pride, team dynamics and personal ambition. Athletes from around the globe commit their lives to their sport in the hope of gaining the skill to represent their countries in the international Olympic arena. The Games build goodwill. But when the event is used as a mechanism for political discourse, the true meaning of the Olympics is obscured.

The reasons for the protests, particularly China’s treatment of Tibet, are sound. And the paramilitary henchmen sent by the communist nation to accompany the torch give the relay itself a sinister tone. Protesters who disrupt the relay, accost torchbearers and attempt to douse the Olympic flame can accomplish nothing toward the resolution of the conflicts of mankind. The Summer Games are a far more effective means of diplomacy.