To say that I've never really cared for Bjork's music is an understatement.

Even by English standards.

It's along the lines of saying "I've never really cared for fiberglass catheters" or "I've never really cared for National Catholic Reporter editorials." Her singing style reminds me of Yoko Ono after five years of a-pack-a-day habit. When the Sugarcubes showed up on Saturday night live performing one of their "songs," I deliberately turned the sound down and cued up AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap."

Be that as it may, she deserves some credit for giving Sinofascism a pop to the probiscus:

China pledged Friday to impose tougher curbs on foreign artists after pop star Bjork sang in support of Tibetan independence in Shanghai, warning similar actions could lead to them being blacklisted.

"We will further tighten controls on foreign artists performing in China in order to prevent similar cases from happening in the future," the Ministry of Culture said in a statement on its website.

"We shall never tolerate any attempt to separate Tibet from China and will no longer welcome any artists who deliberately do this."

A video on the Internet site Youtube shows the Icelandic singer closing out her concert in China's financial hub last Sunday with the song: "Declare Independence", during which she yelled "Tibet" several times.

A nice bit of defiance from a lefty in the lair of the beast. Better than the Indigo Girls in Cuba, that's for sure.

Sad as it is to say, this is quixotic. Tibet is finished as a nation. Thanks to more than a half century of repression and resettlement, Tibetan independence is about as likely as that of Aquitaine.

Thanks in some small measure to weaselly reportage like this closing tag:

Bjork is one of many prominent Western celebrities, including actor Richard Gere, to have lent their support to Tibetans campaigning for independence for their homeland, or at least an end to what they say is severe repression there.

"What they say," indeed.