SF Olympic torch run irony

[KJMUNC]

Anyone else watching this video feed where the Olympic torch is being escorted through the streets of SF surrounded by two columns of armed police, vehicles, etc?

Just seems a little ironic and rather pointless.....

[TMB]

Pointless in the absolute freaking extreme!

They are spending more time standing around than running, some symbol.

And the idiots at IOC are probably too damned arrogant to even be thinking " what did we do?"

[M.Sommers]

bro 99% of the people in the world can't find tibet on a map and 98% couldn't find china.

:beer:

[Bill Bove]

WWTDLD?

What Would The Dali Lama Do?

I will watch the Olympics as I always do because it is a wonderful showcase of athletic talent. But there will be Tibeten prayer flags draping the television set. I will not watch the opening and closing ceromonies and I will refrain from buying any Chinise made goods during the Games.

[ecl2k]

If I had my wish, all of the athletes would participate in the opening ceremonies wearing face masks and the tibetan flag. That would be an incredible punch to the chinese governments' and IOC's sack and then the rest of games could proceed as scheduled.

[Skrawny]

From CNN.com:
"Liu Jingmin, vice president of the Beijing organizing committee, said the Olympic torch has been "warmly welcomed by the local people" in each city."

-s

[TMB]

And then, of course there is this,

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2008/04/08/olympic-torch-escorts-not-such-nice-guys.aspx

[Fixed]

bro they are just trying to clean the torch
cheers imho

[kgreene10]

bro 99% of the people in the world can't find tibet on a map and 98% couldn't find china.

Exactly why we, as a society, seem to be so indifferent. It's as if human rights violations in a place we don't know don't really exist!

BTW, my favorite quote in yesterday's news "The Olympic Torch, symbol of peace, is currently at an undisclosed location"

[KJMUNC]

http://network.nationalpost.com/np/...-nice-guys.aspx


Only in Paris would they put the cops "guarding" the Olympic torch on friggin' roller blades.

awesome.

[inGobwetrust]

Olympic torch unit sparks anger
By Anita Chang

The Associated Press

BEIJING — They wear bright-blue track suits and Beijing Olympic organizers call them "flame attendants." But a military bearing hints at their true pedigree: paramilitary police sent by Beijing to guard the Olympic flame during its journey around the world.

Torchbearers have criticized the security detail for aggressive behavior, and a top London Olympics official simply called them "thugs."

"They were barking orders at me, like 'Run! Stop! This! That!' and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, who are these people?' " former television host Konnie Huq told British Broadcasting Corp. radio about her encounter with the men in blue during London's leg of the relay Sunday.

So far, the "29th Olympic Games Torch Relay Flame Protection Unit" — as the squad is officially known — has kept the flame from being seized during chaotic, protest-filled runs through Paris and London.

Its mettle is likely to be further tested today in San Francisco, where activists protesting China's crackdown in Tibet and its human-rights record have promised widespread demonstrations.

The unit's members were picked from special police units of the People's Armed Police, China's internal security force. Special police units are the top tier of the paramilitary corps, chosen for skills in martial arts, marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat, according to sinodefence.com, a British-based Web site specializing in Chinese military affairs.

The training for the Olympic flame detail included daily mountain runs of at least six miles and lessons in protocol. They also learned basic commands such as "go," "step back," "speed up" and "slow down" in English, French, German, Spanish and Japanese, the state-run China News Service said.

But as the torch made a stormy procession through London and Paris, the military training rather than the protocol seemed to come to the fore.

At least one torchbearer said she clashed with the squad, and others have criticized their heavy-handed tactics.

Yolaine De La Bigne, a French environmental journalist who was a torchbearer in Paris, said she tried to wear a headband with a Tibetan flag, but the Chinese agents ripped it away from her.

"It was seen and then, after four seconds, all the Chinese security pounced on me. There were at least five or six [of them]. They started to get angry" and shouted "No! No! No!" in English, she said.

The chairman of the London 2012 Games, Sebastian Coe, was even more blunt.

"They tried to push me out of the way three times. They are horrible. They did not speak English. They were thugs," Coe, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was quoted as saying in British media.

The Olympic flame wasn't part of the ancient games, and the torch relay didn't become a fixture in the modern Olympics until the 1936 Berlin Games.

In years since, security details have been sent out by Olympic hosts to accompany the torch, but until now, they never faced such protests.

For Beijing's relay, protesters disrupted the ceremony at Ancient Olympia when the Olympic flame was lit two weeks ago. In London, protesters nearly grabbed the torch, and in Paris, the men in blue extinguished its flame and hustled it to the safety of nearby buses, amid rowdy protests that prompted officials to call off the last third of the relay.

In China, paramilitary police perform a wide range of security tasks from fighting forest fires to quelling civil unrest. After deadly riots and protests broke out in Tibet last month, detachments mobilized to reassert government control.

The Olympics squad is composed of two groups: 30 members covering the torch route outside China, and 40 handling the relay inside China, according to China News Service.

The guards work around the clock to ensure the Olympic flame never goes out. News photos showed them on an Air China charter jet staring at two lanterns containing the flame.

Officials with the Beijing Olympic organizing committee and the government had only praise for the flame attendants.

"I think our protection team members have been following regulations and properly carrying out their flame protection work," said an official in the Olympic torch relay center in Beijing, who gave only his surname, Liu, because he is not an official spokesman.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

[rwsaunders]

We battle the Chinese every day on the economic and natural resources front. Wait until it becomes a military issue.

[rounder]

I wish all the human rights guys trying to put out the torch would stand aside (or go away) and let the olympics play. Just my opinion. Most of the participants are just everyday guys who are going for it in their particular sports. They are not going to make it big as a career (dream team athletes and a few others aside). They know that and just want to compete, and maybe win a medal. For a lot of them, there is no next time.

[goonster]

The smart move here, if you're running the show, is to run laps in the desert somewhere, or around WalMart HQ, for a nice photo op.

Do they really need to run the torch, with police protection and brute force, through downtown San Francisco? Who needs that?

The olympics are overdue for collapse under the weight of the IOC's self-importance, atmo. I'm boycotting them, and it doesn't even have anything to do with what I think about China.

[inGobwetrust]

I wish all the human rights guys trying to put out the torch would stand aside (or go away) and let the olympics play. Just my opinion. Most of the participants are just everyday guys who are going for it in their particular sports. They are not going to make it big as a career (dream team athletes and a few others aside). They know that and just want to compete, and maybe win a medal. For a lot of them, there is no next time.


I couldn't disagree more. I love the competition and admire the athletes but this is truly the best way to get the world's attention and put some pressure on the sponsors, fans, and governments to call China out on it's horrible policies. Embarrassing the Beijing regime may be the best tool available. Wishing that the human rights guys would "go away" is truly a scary position IMHO.

BTW, many might read this post and assume I'm a bleading-heart liberal but the fact is I'm probably more conservative than anyone else on this board. Caring about human rights isn't a left/right issue. It's a right/wrong issue.

[BBB]

I wish all the human rights guys trying to put out the torch would stand aside (or go away) and let the olympics play. Just my opinion. Most of the participants are just everyday guys who are going for it in their particular sports. They are not going to make it big as a career (dream team athletes and a few others aside). They know that and just want to compete, and maybe win a medal. For a lot of them, there is no next time.

I guess at least in San Fransico, London and Paris you can actually express your point of view through protest. The Chinese (or Tibetians) have no such luxury. Remember Tiananmen Square? While it is true that many athletes have sacrificed an awful lot to reach the Olympics, it is my view that basic human rights are far and away more important than a few laps in a pool shown on international TV. The recent events in Tibet have highlighted the folly of awarding the Olympic Games to an authoritarian state.

[M.Sommers]

We battle the Chinese every day on the economic and natural resources front. Wait until it becomes a military issue.

We are already.
Iran.
North Korea.
Russia.
CHINA.
They're not wearing white Giro hats atmo and their jerseys are eerily similar...I see them working together bigtime in le peleton and if I see/know it, the big cats certainly are aware.

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=3920

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/03/04/iran.un.ap/

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=China-Iran-Russia_axis

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4162054.stm

[inGobwetrust]

I guess at least in San Fransico, London and Paris you can actually express your point of view through protest. The Chinese (or Tibetians) have no such luxury. Remember Tiananmen Square? While it is true that many athletes have sacrificed an awful lot to reach the Olympics, it is my view that basic human rights are far and away more important than a few laps in a pool shown on international TV. The recent events in Tibet have highlighted the folly of awarding the Olympic Games to an authoritarian state.


I wish I had said that as well as you.

[93legendti]

I couldn't disagree more. I love the competition and admire the athletes but this is truly the best way to get the world's attention and put some pressure on the sponsors, fans, and governments to call China out on it's horrible policies. Embarrassing the Beijing regime may be the best tool available. Wishing that the human rights guys would "go away" is truly a scary position IMHO.

BTW, many might read this post and assume I'm a bleading-heart liberal but the fact is I'm probably more conservative than anyone else on this board. Caring about human rights isn't a left/right issue. It's a right/wrong issue.

Well said.

[TMB]

The olympics are overdue for collapse under the weight of the IOC's self-importance, atmo. I'm boycotting them, and it doesn't even have anything to do with what I think about China.

Bingo.

What on earth were the IOC thinking putting the Olympics ( which have become a colossal bore) into China? A totalitarian police state, they put them in China to show how evolved and enlightened they are, much further ahead than the rest of us unwashed prolls who are incapable of understanding.

The fact is, China is a police state and anything that hits the fan as a result of this bloody stupid decision is deserved and deserved to land squarely on the desks of the self important idiots at the IOC.

Of course they won't notice, they'll be off at another fancy dinner.

I wish the Olympics would just go away.

[M.Sommers]

bro germany hitler and jesse owens and then the 1968 power salute. bro if you show up you can make change happen faster than not showing up at all. however, goonster, it is a great idea with your boycott of the tv...this will hurt the network in their wallet.

(paraphrasing fixed :confused: )

:beer:

[rounder]

Bingo.

What on earth were the IOC thinking putting the Olympics ( which have become a colossal bore) into China? A totalitarian police state, they put them in China to show how evolved and enlightened they are, much further ahead than the rest of us unwashed prolls who are incapable of understanding.

The fact is, China is a police state and anything that hits the fan as a result of this bloody stupid decision is deserved and deserved to land squarely on the desks of the self important idiots at the IOC.

Of course they won't notice, they'll be off at another fancy dinner.

I wish the Olympics would just go away.

I think they are holding the olympics in China because, like it or not, China is a fast emerging world power and you can't just ignore them. I think we would be better off trying to make peace with them than to insult them. (hate getting political but know that i brought it on myself).

[kgreene10]

bro germany hitler and jesse owens and then the 1968 power salute. bro if you show up you can make change happen faster than not showing up at all.

Um, Jesse Owens in Berlin = 1936
Nazis spark WWII = 1939
10 million killed in Holocaust by 1945

What exactly was sped up?

Constructive engagement with China might liberalize the regime, enhance human rights, and put it on the path to democracy, but it might not.

To take one small example, Google and Yahoo initially argued that their presence would improve political conditions, but now they just argue that they can't suffer the monetary losses of not getting into China's giant market.

[BURCH]

I couldn't disagree more. I love the competition and admire the athletes but this is truly the best way to get the world's attention and put some pressure on the sponsors, fans, and governments to call China out on it's horrible policies. Embarrassing the Beijing regime may be the best tool available. Wishing that the human rights guys would "go away" is truly a scary position IMHO.

BTW, many might read this post and assume I'm a bleading-heart liberal but the fact is I'm probably more conservative than anyone else on this board. Caring about human rights isn't a left/right issue. It's a right/wrong issue.

+1

[MarleyMon]

$$$$$$$$$
$$$$$$$$$
$$$$-$$$$$

[saab2000]

bro 99% of the people in the world can't find tibet on a map and 98% couldn't find china.

:beer:

Actually, that would be people in the US.... ;)

[saab2000]

Besides, after Alexi Grewal won the gold in LA with his Cinelli hairnet and ephedrine it just didn't matter anymore. Marion Jones was just proof of the fiasco.

Let the Koreans win at archery and the Swiss and Canadians fight it out in curling. The rest is a crock of Coca Cola and McDonalds et al.

[TMB]

Let the Koreans win at archery and the Swiss and Canadians fight it out in curling. The rest is a crock of Coca Cola and McDonalds et al.


The Chinese men (?) beat Canada in curling today!!!!

The world has stopped turning ......................

[M.Sommers]

Um, Jesse Owens in Berlin = 1936
Nazis spark WWII = 1939
10 million killed in Holocaust by 1945


In 1936 we did the best we could, Owens took gold and gave Hitler the ultimate shine off (best we could at the time).

1939 happened and again, we did the best we could do (we kicked their butts).*

You have to do the best you can do at that time, that moment and maybe the best thing an athlete can do in China is win a gold medal. Boycotting accomplished nothing in 1980 or 1984. Win gold in China in 2008, raise your flag (or a Tibetan flag from your saddle bag if one wants to be trendy). The Tibetan situation has been going on for quite some time now, it's simply cool and hip to protest.

I was at this concert in June 1997, it was 98* and water was $6.00 a bottle, I didn't wait for the 2008 Olympics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRTamdD06qA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdpMKpI_PS0&feature=related

*11 million people died.

6 million were Jewish.

1.5 million were children.

In addition to Jews, Hitler targeted homosexuals, communists and other political dissidents, gypsies, slavs, Jehovah's Witnesses, Protestant and Catholic priests, blacks, the mentally and physically disabled, and others.

[thinpin]

I think we in the West can be a bit smug and self-irightous about our values. The Sydneys games went ahead with minimal if any disruption in the setting of appalling human rights inadequcies against the indigious people of this country.
While I agree these games afford a wonderful public forum to protest against injustice we should be very mindful of our own failings.
As for any notion of the sanctity of the games as a sporting event... its $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$...all the way to the banks and hosting the games is as political as it gets esp for emeging nations, a sort of coming of age maybe.

[thinpin]

In 1936 we did the best we could, Owens took gold and gave Hitler the ultimate shine off (best we could at the time).

1939 happened and again, we did the best we could do (we kicked their butts).*

You have to do the best you can do at that time, that moment and maybe the best thing an athlete can do in China is win a gold medal. Boycotting accomplished nothing in 1980 or 1984. Win gold in China in 2008, raise your flag (or a Tibetan flag from your saddle bag if one wants to be trendy). The Tibetan situation has been going on for quite some time now, it's simply cool and hip to protest.

I was at this concert in June 1997, it was 98* and water was $6.00 a bottle, I didn't wait for the 2008 Olympics:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRTamdD06qA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdpMKpI_PS0&feature=related

*11 million people died.

6 million were Jewish.

1.5 million were children.

In addition to Jews, Hitler targeted homosexuals, communists and other political dissidents, gypsies, slavs, Jehovah's Witnesses, Protestant and Catholic priests, blacks, the mentally and physically disabled, and others.
Agree

[inGobwetrust]

I think they are holding the olympics in China because, like it or not, China is a fast emerging world power and you can't just ignore them. I think we would be better off trying to make peace with them than to insult them. (hate getting political but know that i brought it on myself).


That's called appeasement. Sounds a lot like "peace in our times", doesn't it? What the protesters are doing is peaceful protest, civil disobediance, and should be supported, not beat down and hushed up. Yes, they are a world power and need to improve their human rights policies. If embarrassing them in front of the world helps even a little and impacts the bottom line succe$$ of the olympics then it is worth supporting.

[saab2000]

China wanted the Olympics and now they have to live with the Olympics. They can no more live in isolation of world opinion than can the US. Both countries are having a difficult time dealing with 'international' opinion. Maybe the Olympics are a good thing in some ways, in spite of my cynicism.

[Alexi]

not to be obnoxious but most Roma find the term gypsy to be insulting

[M.Sommers]

China wanted the Olympics and now they have to live with the Olympics. They can no more live in isolation of world opinion than can the US. Both countries are having a difficult time dealing with 'international' opinion. Maybe the Olympics are a good thing in some ways, in spite of my cynicism.

Take the words China doesn't wanna hear and shout them out! Sing them loudly. Take your nation's anthem and blast it throughout their stadiums, their hearts and minds. Change is a verb. You've got to show up to make it happen.

We listened to this man sing about change since the late 70's, peace now exists in his homeland. The impossible became a reality. The word 'Yahweh' is taboo, not to be spoken so what did he do? He said, "I won't whisper it, not gonna hide...I'll scream, shout and sing it...Yaweh!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkEQS5SJZPU

Win gold in the 400 meter on the track, grab a flag, any flag, maybe even the Chinese flag, heck even a white one and skip around another 400 meters. There are great people in China with good hearts and minds, they will sing your song. It will echo atmo.

:beer:

[Louis]

All I can say, is that it's a good thing the Olympics are being held in Canada. Imagine all the protests then...

[saab2000]

If I could win gold in the 400 I would be pretty happy. Frankly, If I could ever again run less than 60 seconds in the 400 I would be pretty happy!

The winning time will be around 42-43 seconds. I would be middle of the final curve when the winner would be crossing the line.....

Starting blocks in the 400??? :eek:

[M.Sommers]

If I could win gold in the 400 I would be pretty happy. Frankly, If I could ever again run less than 60 seconds in the 400 I would be pretty happy!

The winning time will be around 42-43 seconds. I would be middle of the final curve when the winner would be crossing the line.....

Starting blocks in the 400??? :eek:

Toughest single track event atmo, 400 meters. It's all atmoable, but 400 meters is death. I know, I wanted to go to Russia in 1980 and run on their red track. Stick it to em'. I was ten. Couldn't go so if I recall, Great Britain showed up for us and stuck it to the Ruskies, thanks to Mr. Ovett and Mr. Coe. :)

The Miracle on Ice took place cause we showed up!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTev5pSuYLk&feature=related

:beer:

[DukeHorn]

Whereas I'm all for critical self analysis of one's country, there's no way you can compare the Australian or the US government to a one party oppressive communist regime. That's just inane.

I'll take on my fellow liberals that complain about our involvement with Pinochet and the Shah and still note that with our Supreme Court, our legislature, and our press, we can at least try to change society without having fear of tanks rumble down upon us (ala Tiananmen Square).

There's a lot to admire about the US and I know we can be better. There's frankly not much to admire about the Chinese government.


From NPR (April 4th) of all places

At least a dozen investigations of Chinese espionage cases have led to criminal charges or guilty pleas in the United States this year. Over the past eight years, according to the Washington Post's Carrie Johnson, officials have launched more than 500 investigations of illegal technology exports to China, a significant increase in such activity.

Be warned...

[thugly]

There's a lot to admire about the US and I know we can be better.


http://www.realitybasednation.com/images/iraq-blood.jpg

The many admirable aspects of the US do not negate the destructive folly of its power brokers.

[thinpin]

Clearly a different league Duke but we should not be complacent :beer:

[DukeHorn]

Agreed :D.

Though as an American born Chinese, I'm frustrated by the short-sightedness of some American citizens supporting a communist regime though I know a great deal of the "chinese" supporters up in the city were foreign graduate students transported in from UC-Davis and Los Angeles.

[William]

We battle the Chinese every day on the economic and natural resources front. Wait until it becomes a military issue.


+1 They've got the numbers and emerging manufacturing base to soon make things difficult for the rest of the world. atmo




William

[M.Sommers]

Is Carl Lewis doing the long jump this time? Alone, the man can destroy Communism atmo, break it up we all have the power to make a better world and wear skin suits in the sauna while doing abs for nine hours and sit in the hot tub with chubby ladies...at 2:00 this video goes haywire and super bizarro:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jamJ4-C_TME

Let Carl sing!

http://www.zippyvideos.com/5752355776759776/carl_lewis/

:beer:

How many of those with strong opinions of China are riding a bike made in China? A car? Clothes? Lawnmower?

[DRZRM]

Dude, if you don't run the torch relay, you break a tradition that dates back to...the German 1936 Olympics in Berlin under Hitler... Oh never mind, maybe we could just let that one go out, huh?

The smart move here, if you're running the show, is to run laps in the desert somewhere, or around WalMart HQ, for a nice photo op.

Do they really need to run the torch, with police protection and brute force, through downtown San Francisco? Who needs that?

The olympics are overdue for collapse under the weight of the IOC's self-importance, atmo. I'm boycotting them, and it doesn't even have anything to do with what I think about China.

[thinpin]

+1 They've got the numbers and emerging manufacturing base to soon make things difficult for the rest of the world. atmo




William
How will it "be difficult for the rest of the world" William?

[DRZRM]

True enough I guess, but not so much if you are being held on Guantanamo. I think that the high horse of US protection of human rights has left the barn (is that a mixed metaphor? Sorry.). The UN conventions never said that a government should only recognize the human rights of citizens, but the US never signed that one anyway. This in not written in order to let China off the hook for what it is doing, I'm just reminded of pots calling kettles black and people in glass houses (I'm apparently all about the clichéd metaphors today).

http://www.hrw.org/doc/?t=usa_gitmo

I guess at least in San Fransico, London and Paris you can actually express your point of view through protest. The Chinese (or Tibetians) have no such luxury. Remember Tiananmen Square? While it is true that many athletes have sacrificed an awful lot to reach the Olympics, it is my view that basic human rights are far and away more important than a few laps in a pool shown on international TV. The recent events in Tibet have highlighted the folly of awarding the Olympic Games to an authoritarian state.

[73Camaro_Dude]

not to be obnoxious but most Roma find the term gypsy to be insulting

If thats the case, I should burn my copy of 'From Russia with Love'. Bond got to hang out with and watch gypsy girl on girl action before getting in a gunfight. I think Bond hit a woman in that movie too. Lets ban Sean Connery.

[catulle]

True enough I guess, but not so much if you are being held on Guantanamo. I think that the high horse of US protection of human rights has left the barn (is that a mixed metaphor? Sorry.). The UN conventions never said that a government should only recognize the human rights of citizens, but the US never signed that one anyway. This in not written in order to let China off the hook for what it is doing, I'm just reminded of pots calling kettles black and people in glass houses (I'm apparently all about the clichéd metaphors today).

http://www.hrw.org/doc/?t=usa_gitmo

Er, I like your metaphors. It'd be nice if the horsey comes back home, innit? Or if we manage to clean the pots and kettles somehow someday. Just sayinmo...

[William]

If thats the case, I should burn my copy of 'From Russia with Love'. Bond got to hang out with and watch gypsy girl on girl action before getting in a gunfight. I think Bond hit a woman in that movie too. Lets ban Sean Connery.


Dude, I find that your handle leaves me with feelings that are diametrically opposed. On the one hand, it makes me think of a dude who may be into classic cars or reminiscent of easier less complicated times. I have fond memories of the 70's. Our kitchen was full of big yellow flowers and avocado colored appliances. We had one phone in the house that refused to be untangled and the cord could stretch the length of almost three rooms. To this day I am still a huge fan of 70's music. Maybe it's because it takes me back to my youth. Although my Mom would never admit it now, I can still remember her listening to Meatloaf through her giant black headphones that were plugged into our 700 pound stereo turntable. The cord could stretch so far that she could do the dishes while grooving to the music. Back then no one even dreamed of wireless technology. We didn't need it--they just kept making longer cords. Remember? "All skaters, change directions" OR "couples skate" means something to you. Your sister begged your mom for Jordache or Calvin Klein jeans. You thought Farrah Fawcett was the bomb!. You remember using a rotary phone. Schoolhouse Rock was how you learned the Preamble to the Constitution. Your sister tried to feather her hair so she would look like one of Charlie's Angels. There was nothing strange about Bert and Ernie living together. You learned to swim at about the same time "Jaws" came out...enough said. You remember having to get off the couch to change the TV channel...and there were only 4 channels. You took family trips BEFORE the invention of the mini-van and remember riding in the back window. You remember not wearing seat-belts on those family trips. Your favorite shows were 6 Million Dollar Man, Road Runner, Thundar the Barbarian, Super Friends and, of course, Shazam. You were not allowed to see The Blue Lagoon when it came out even though the star of the movie was your age. John Travolta shed his Barbarino "Whaa" for white tights and a sparkly dance floor. And you had an 8-track tape player.

On the other hand it just makes me think of duct tape and large, dark car trunks.

I have a headache. :crap:




William ;) :D

[catulle]

Dude, I find that your handle leaves me with feelings that are diametrically opposed. On the one hand, it makes me think of a dude who may be into classic cars or reminiscent of easier less complicated times. I have fond memories of the 70's. Our kitchen was full of big yellow flowers and avocado colored appliances. We had one phone in the house that refused to be untangled and the cord could stretch the length of almost three rooms. To this day I am still a huge fan of 70's music. Maybe it's because it takes me back to my youth. Although my Mom would never admit it now, I can still remember her listening to Meatloaf through her giant black headphones that were plugged into our 700 pound stereo turntable. The cord could stretch so far that she could do the dishes while grooving to the music. Back then no one even dreamed of wireless technology. We didn't need it--they just kept making longer cords. Remember? "All skaters, change directions" OR "couples skate" means something to you. Your sister begged your mom for Jordache or Calvin Klein jeans. You thought Farrah Fawcett was the bomb!. You remember using a rotary phone. Schoolhouse Rock was how you learned the Preamble to the Constitution. Your sister tried to feather her hair so she would look like one of Charlie's Angels. There was nothing strange about Bert and Ernie living together. You learned to swim at about the same time "Jaws" came out...enough said. You remember having to get off the couch to change the TV channel...and there were only 4 channels. You took family trips BEFORE the invention of the mini-van and remember riding in the back window. You remember not wearing seat-belts on those family trips. Your favorite shows were 6 Million Dollar Man, Road Runner, Thundar the Barbarian, Super Friends and, of course, Shazam. You were not allowed to see The Blue Lagoon when it came out even though the star of the movie was your age. And you had an 8-track tape player.

On the other hand it just makes me think of duct tape and large, dark car trunks.

I have a headache. :crap:

William ;) :D

What about Travolta...? :(

[William]

What about Travolta...? :(

Read again. ;)




William

[catulle]

Read again. ;)
William


Touche, #2. Cool. :beer:

[DukeHorn]

The point is we can type about Guantanamo on many forums here in the US and not be jailed for 15 years. The cases in Gitmo have also made their way up the Fed Circuit. Think there are legal appeals pending for the dissidents in China and Tibet?

The cliched metaphors don't work when attempting to compare the US to China.

From Austin Murphy at cnnsi.com (boy, I wished I had taken a day off from work to see the sights).

She sounds imminently reasonable, but then, she isn't finished. "You know what Tibetans do with their dead? They chop them up and leave them out for the birds to eat." After thanking her for this cultural insight, I take my leave of Mary, only to hear her shout at young woman in a Tibet shirt, "F--- you, Tibet!"

The young woman responds with a a retaliatory f-bomb, but Mary must have the last word: "F--- you and f--- all your ancestors!"

[M.Sommers]

Dude, I find that your handle leaves me with feelings that are diametrically opposed. On the one hand, it makes me think of a dude who may be into classic cars or reminiscent of easier less complicated times. I have fond memories of the 70's. Our kitchen was full of big yellow flowers and avocado colored appliances. We had one phone in the house that refused to be untangled and the cord could stretch the length of almost three rooms. To this day I am still a huge fan of 70's music. Maybe it's because it takes me back to my youth. Although my Mom would never admit it now, I can still remember her listening to Meatloaf through her giant black headphones that were plugged into our 700 pound stereo turntable. The cord could stretch so far that she could do the dishes while grooving to the music. Back then no one even dreamed of wireless technology. We didn't need it--they just kept making longer cords. Remember? "All skaters, change directions" OR "couples skate" means something to you. Your sister begged your mom for Jordache or Calvin Klein jeans. You thought Farrah Fawcett was the bomb!. You remember using a rotary phone. Schoolhouse Rock was how you learned the Preamble to the Constitution. Your sister tried to feather her hair so she would look like one of Charlie's Angels. There was nothing strange about Bert and Ernie living together. You learned to swim at about the same time "Jaws" came out...enough said. You remember having to get off the couch to change the TV channel...and there were only 4 channels. You took family trips BEFORE the invention of the mini-van and remember riding in the back window. You remember not wearing seat-belts on those family trips. Your favorite shows were 6 Million Dollar Man, Road Runner, Thundar the Barbarian, Super Friends and, of course, Shazam. You were not allowed to see The Blue Lagoon when it came out even though the star of the movie was your age. John Travolta shed his Barbarino "Whaa" for white tights and a sparkly dance floor. And you had an 8-track tape player.

On the other hand it just makes me think of duct tape and large, dark car trunks.

I have a headache. :crap:




William ;) :D


Dear William and 73Camaro_Dude,

Please start a 1970's thread. Include a poll. Hey, post some pics. I think it'd be awesome to have a 70's thread. Bikes from the 70's etc. Hip flexor stories from the 70's, Tony Orlando, Kojack, Hawaii Five-O re-runs, Rockford Files that your Mom loved. Disco, Dance Fever, shag carpeting, OPEC, Carson, your Dad struggling as he watched Clint and John Wayne age, Charlie's Angels and bad James Bond movies etc.

David Bowie on Dinah Shore circa 1975, feel the disco beat, it's there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx8RNvhKTMc

Cats today don't appreciate David Bowie. I do.

Best regards,
M. Sommers

[cadence231]

I guess at least in San Fransico, London and Paris you can actually express your point of view through protest. The Chinese (or Tibetians) have no such luxury. Remember Tiananmen Square? While it is true that many athletes have sacrificed an awful lot to reach the Olympics, it is my view that basic human rights are far and away more important than a few laps in a pool shown on international TV. The recent events in Tibet have highlighted the folly of awarding the Olympic Games to an authoritarian state.


Not really:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxRj4icrSww

[inGobwetrust]

This really pi$$es me off. US soldiers and many police departments are obligated to ignore illegal orders (don't get me started about how this is not regularly practiced) but apparently none of these SF cops had the guts to buck their political masters. :confused: :mad:



American cops take orders from red chinese thugs


Police Remove Olympic Torch Bearer On Orders Of Chinese Paramilitary Thugs
Communist Chinese-style political oppression comes to San Francisco as cops shove woman to sidewalk for displaying Tibetan flag

Friday, April 11, 2008

Communist Chinese-style political oppression came to San Francisco on Wednesday when police, acting on the orders of Chinese paramilitary cops, removed and shoved to the sidewalk an Olympic torch bearer for displaying a Tibetan flag, as the woman's pleas that she had the right to free speech as an American citizen fell on deaf ears.

After seizing the Tibetan flag, the blue tracksuit-clad specially trained Chinese paramilitary police thugs who manhandled protesters in London made the torch bearer known to the San Francisco police were all too willing to do their dirty work for them.

Equally outrageous as Carter having her right to free speech violated is the fact that San Francisco police were following the orders of the Chinese paramilitary cops who turned her over to them in the first place. This is completely illegal and lawsuits need to be brought on the basis that the city allowed foreign cops to police Americans, which is completely unlawful unless a state of martial law has been announced. The people of San Francisco have a basic human right to know whether or not their city is operating under martial law.

In a You Tube video, Majora Carter, the founder and Executive Director of Sustainable South Bronx, and co-founder of Green for All, is seen being reprimanded by police before being pushed to the sidewalk during the Olympic procession.

"I was carrying a flag for Tibet and the Chinese guards came and took it from me," said Carter.

"I'm an American citizen, if I want to stand and support other people in Tibet I can do so - and I was not given that right," she continued.

"Free Tibet! Because we're American, we can do that," exclaimed Carter.

According to the New York Daily News, "Carter said a Chinese paramilitary squad escorting the torch pounced and turned her over to cops, who pushed her into the crowd."

"I was expressing my right as an American citizen using freedom of speech in support of people who don't have it," Carter said. "It just became really clear to me what was going on in Tibet and I wanted to do something," Carter told the media.

"Apparently, I'm not part of the Olympic torch-bearing entourage anymore," she quipped.

The Coca-Cola Company, who had sponsored Carter to represent them during the torch relay, were nonplussed about the incident.

"It's unfortunate that Ms.Carter used an invitation to participate in the torch relay as a platform to make a personal, political statement," a company spokeswoman said.

"It would be more disgusting not exercising my constitutional right," Carter responded.

Carter was asked to make the statement by Students for a Free Tibet in Memphis during last week's events to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death.

A report in the New York Daily News quoted an NYPD police officer and a retired FDNY fireman, both of whom also carried the torch and chastised Carter's actions as "disgusting and appalling," seemingly ignorant of that fact that such protests are outlawed in China because it is a Communist police state, unlike America which is supposed to be "the land of the free" where a God-given right to freedom of speech is afforded to every American citizen.

The incident coincides with an announcement by Jacques Rogge, the president of the International Olympic Committee, who said that athletes who display Tibetan flags, even in the privacy of their own rooms, could be expelled from this summer’s Games in Beijing under anti-propaganda rules.

This is not the first time that American police have displayed behavior more befitting of their Communist Chinese counterparts. During a March 14th rally in New York, peaceful Tibetan demonstrators were beaten up by cops who also threatened to kill them, during a sickening attack that was also caught on video.

[Geoff]

Thank you, William you just cured my headache.

Geoff

Dude, I find that your handle leaves me with feelings that are diametrically opposed. On the one hand, it makes me think of a dude who may be into classic cars or reminiscent of easier less complicated times. I have fond memories of the 70's. Our kitchen was full of big yellow flowers and avocado colored appliances. We had one phone in the house that refused to be untangled and the cord could stretch the length of almost three rooms. To this day I am still a huge fan of 70's music. Maybe it's because it takes me back to my youth. Although my Mom would never admit it now, I can still remember her listening to Meatloaf through her giant black headphones that were plugged into our 700 pound stereo turntable. The cord could stretch so far that she could do the dishes while grooving to the music. Back then no one even dreamed of wireless technology. We didn't need it--they just kept making longer cords. Remember? "All skaters, change directions" OR "couples skate" means something to you. Your sister begged your mom for Jordache or Calvin Klein jeans. You thought Farrah Fawcett was the bomb!. You remember using a rotary phone. Schoolhouse Rock was how you learned the Preamble to the Constitution. Your sister tried to feather her hair so she would look like one of Charlie's Angels. There was nothing strange about Bert and Ernie living together. You learned to swim at about the same time "Jaws" came out...enough said. You remember having to get off the couch to change the TV channel...and there were only 4 channels. You took family trips BEFORE the invention of the mini-van and remember riding in the back window. You remember not wearing seat-belts on those family trips. Your favorite shows were 6 Million Dollar Man, Road Runner, Thundar the Barbarian, Super Friends and, of course, Shazam. You were not allowed to see The Blue Lagoon when it came out even though the star of the movie was your age. John Travolta shed his Barbarino "Whaa" for white tights and a sparkly dance floor. And you had an 8-track tape player.

On the other hand it just makes me think of duct tape and large, dark car trunks.

I have a headache. :crap:




William ;) :D