I have a lot of things on my mind today. I don’t know if I have the time to fully explore them here as I’m on my way out the door on an errand that will take most of the day. However, I did want to mention one of those things because it has bothered me a lot.
Yesterday, I watched as preparations were made for the Olympic torch to make its only North American procession in San Francisco, almost in my back yard. What happened was an insult to everyone. I do appreciate that all were kept safe but at what expense? I think it was censorship at its best. The torch and the runners were ushered away from the public view, away from the protesters, away from the supporters. It left everyone frustrated. It left the United States looking, not like a country that can keep the torch and the runners safe, but as a country that is so cowardly that they turned the moment into a farce. No one was allowed to view it. No one was allowed to protest. No one was allowed to support or cheer. No one was allowed to look upon the torch and dream that one day they would be an Olympic athlete. I guess it was just another instance of taking away our voice, our right to voice our feelings, our right to even dream.
Before yesterday, I was not really sure how I felt about supporting the Olympics being held in China. On the one hand, it’s just sports and maybe not a venue for political protestation. On the other hand, it is ALWAYS the place and time to protest inhumane treatment and censorship and all that is going on in Tibet and other places. I just wasn’t sure what I felt about the whole situation. Then yesterday happened.
Now I know that non-violent protest has a place all the time, and everywhere. Now I know that protesting against China’s treatment of Tibetans, even as it relates to the Olympics, is right. Now I know what I feel. I thank the San Francisco Police Department and the Powers That Were in control of yesterday’s fiasco. They’ve made me see this whole situation in a very bright, clear light.
The price tag just came in for yesterday’s exercise in frustration: one million dollars. What a waste of time, resources, and money.
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I agree that the whole situation was ridiculous and sad, and reflected poorly on the USA.
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My son was there. His thought was that if the torch had gone through the original route, there would have been pandemonium. I’m all for protesting, and I agree that China is a terrible example of human rights, but it’s been that way for years. They knew about it when they were awarded the Olympics. Perhaps that’s where the mistake was originally made.
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They are actually looking at that decision now, according to the media. The Olympics, traditionally, has been awarded to countries that don’t have that “baggage”. Somehow, that went wrong.
The route was changed a number of times. However, the experts interviewed agreed that the crowds were very non-violent and that it was a very positive atmosphere. These were retired law enforcement officials, one a retired FBI agent whose detail was crowd control in exactly this kind of event. The talk that afternoon, when the torch was “lost” was that everyone hoped it would wind up at the designated ending spot where the closing ceremonies were supposed to take place because the protesters had been very well behaved and opposing sides had been very friendly. It was mentioned more than once, that the atmosphere there was exactly the picture we wanted to show to other countries: a place where people were allowed to voice their opinions peacefully.
Too bad that didn’t happen.
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I’m actually interested to hear Stevo’s point of view on this one.
I think it’s a shame that China is having the Olympics. The Olympics brings a lot of money to the host country. I feel like if I support the Olympics in Beijing I’ll be helping to support human rights abuses in China and elsewhere.
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I watched the whole fiasco streamed live – all three hours of it. My initial reaction was that Newsom was a complete chicken sh*t, and that it was a very cowardly move. However, I’m starting to change my view somewhat. If you watched any of the coverage on TV, the beginning and the end of the route was overwhelming made up of Chinese supporters – many of whom were bussed in by the Consulate to create a happy, supportive picture for the world press. While there were certainly anti-Chinese protestors along the original route, they seemed pretty well outnumbered by all the happy Chinese flagwavers. It seemed very, very, VERY staged.
While Newsom changing the route at the last minute may have deprived the protestors of some time in the spotlight, it also deprived the Chinese of their propaganda. Instead, the run was not about China or Tibet, but rather about the athletes who were doing the torch run. Unfortunately, what also got lost in this were the plain ol’ folks who just wanted to see the Olympic torch. They were the ones who got screwed. And for them, I feel bad.
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I agree, LB. I also feel bad for what this says about our country and our “rights” to peaceably assemble and voice our views. A sad comment.
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