England Olympics: A Time of Reflection and Acceptance

The Olympic torch was lit last night and the cheers from the crowd are the same at every Olympic venue; Hopeful, joyful, and exciting.

It means something to know that that flame burns brightly for us, regardless of country of origin or ethnic background. Regardless of ideology, political views or gender.

For some, their own aspirations to an Olympic medal or simply participating in a future event, fuels their determination to continue training and making the necessary healthy choices that one day, will get them there.

For others, the notion of a united and peaceful world becomes more tangible when they see that all nations are competing in the same games and do so with grace and civility.

There are those who are competitive and can't help but to compare previous venues and criticize the current planning, opening ceremonies, or complain about international judges.

It is worthy to note that these people have never had anything positive to say about present or past venues unless the games were held in US soil.  The commentary on forums from previous Olympic games are horribly charged with ethnocentric, and often, racist vitriol.

One of the worst I had ever seen where the running commentary on a few forums during the Winter Olympics in Canada.

The Americans participants bashed everything about the opening ceremonies while the Canadian participants responded politely or not at all. Several Americans with an obviously more expanded world-view, responded in the same manner as the Canadians, while others felt it was more productive to retaliate against the embarrassment of their own countrymen by going straight for the jugular.

It got ugly.

It quickly became political. The shame of having these people show their ignorance and hatred in public was a National embarrassment. More than most could bear.

There were apologies on forums to the Canadians with disclaimers that all Americans do not fit that profile. Fortunately for us, Canadians are well aware of that.

Unfortunately for us, a great number of Americans are not.

via worldwidecrazynews.Blogspot.com

Now the Olympics are in Britain and many wonder if the British, due to their distance from our shores, are aware that all Americans are not as clueless, arrogant and offensive as Mitt Romney. Specially in light of British newspapers and commentary comparing Romney unfavorably to another American production and disaster: Sarah Palin.

The short answer is yes. They are fully aware that we are not all the same or are as uncouth and insecure as Mitt Romney.

Fortunately, they know we have a much better and positive side because their educational system  teaches them about the world, not just their own history.

Ours? not so much. Our kids' lessons are all about American Revolution, American history, American supremacy... How can we expect the adults in the aforementioned forums to be civilized and understanding of other cultures when what little they have learned, has been slanted in such a manner that superiority is no longer a complex to be ashamed of, but to brag about viciously?

This has obviously been going on for a very long time, here is an excerpt from Mitt Romney's book and he is no Spring chicken:

England [sic] is just a small island. Its roads and houses are small. With few exceptions, it doesn't make things that people in the rest of the world want to buy. And if it hadn't been separated from the continent by water, it almost certainly would have been lost to Hitler's ambitions. Yet only two lifetimes ago, Britain ruled the largest and wealthiest empire in the history of humankind. Britain controlled a quarter of the earth's land and a quarter of the earth's population.

Bob Costas

Our media reinforces these insecurities by providing us with coverage from the same people we have come to associate with Olympic coverage.  Every two years, there is an Olympic event, and every two years, the American public is bombarded with stories about our own well-heeled, pampered athletes.

We rarely hear about the likes of a Jamaican bobsled team unless it is to make a joke or dismiss them outright as not medal worthy.

Not everyone is blood thirsty. Many know a medal is not within their grasp but they want to participate in a peaceful world event because they too, want to represent their country in its best light.

What is it about this notion that is not sexy enough for the media? Why is this not more than enough for us to cheer each participant's struggles and achievements regardless of country or ethnic background?

Time to reflect and think.

Jamaican Bobsled Team - 1988

What did it take to be a group of people from a tropical island to be competitors in a winter event? How hard was this for them without the financial support of mega-corporations willing to brand every piece of equipment,  and dish out lucrative contracts on the athletes afterward?

It took a lot. It took passion and determination for the Jamaican Bobsled team to get to the Olympics. Their goal was simple: They wanted to participate and join the rest of the world.

Nothing to laugh about. Certainly something to admire.

A movie called "Cool Runnings" brought these people into our collective frame of reference, but how many of these teams and individuals have we missed? How many great human stories have we been denied learning because they were not Americans? - Our loss.

Our national hero seems to be Michael Phelps this time around again. He is a phenomenal athlete and surely he will win some medals. He will be hailed as a god if he gets them all in gold, but degrading commentary from our own media will soon follow if they are silver, bronze... or heaven's forbid, none at all.

Michael Phelps

The media will make comments about enhancement drugs and will vilify the athlete's country of origin of whoever, rightfully, earned the medal.  They will also say Michael Phelps was too old or jaded. Someone will bring up again the photos of him and a marijuana bong.

The beat goes on.

These events are multi-billion dollar events and not everyone is competing on a leveled field. I hope we take the time, and have the opportunity to get to know the athletes from American Samoa, Andorra, Senegal and those other places most of America can't find on a map.

It is truly worth it for our own edification and personal growth.

In the meantime, I predict, we will have to be embarrassed by our own media coverage and feel compelled to apologize to the world for comments on blogs degrading Britain and its people. So without wasting anymore time, here is a preemptive apology:

To all our international readers and citizens: I apologize for those Americans that offend you. We want you to know, we are not all like them. They are the reason we just can't have nice things or travel outside our own country.


Best wishes to all participants in the Olympics. This is your moment, your time, and our pleasure.


Thank you for keeping HOPE alive.


PEACE to all

Mitt Romney Needs a V.P.

Bush Sr. Endorses Mitt Romney

The flurry of commentary regarding the Vice-Presidential options for the Mitt Romney camp are a lovely distraction from the fact that we have only seen hundreds of pages of  tax returns instead of the massive quantities released to the McCain camp. The then hopeful V.P. candidate did not hesitate to release many years of tax returns.

No one can blame the Romney camp from attempting to run away from negative issues. Unfortunately, Mitt Romney, throughout his bid to become the nominee of the republican party touted his business experience and solidified the name Bain Capital into our collective psyche. It is hard to run away from what he claimed to be his crowning glory and meritorious track record.

The only other major advantage to Willard "Mitt" Romney's illustrious career is his record as the governor of Massachusetts, which he campaigned fiercely on until his work there was scrutinized. He was also proud of his achievement as governor of Massachusetts on the health care issue. A model for the nation and the basis for the unfairly maligned "Obama Care."

It stands to reason that the only two things left to distract the public from further scrutiny on Mr. Romney's record as governor, health care, and Bain Capital is the Utah Olympics and the selection of a running mate for the upcoming presidential election.

No one cares about the Utah Olympics. Sorry to say, but past Olympics retain little of their luster as the years, and new Olympic events take place. Also, The Olympic narrative continues to tie Mitt Romney to his tenure at Bain Capital because he was still receiving a salary from Bain Capital.

The salary portion brings up the inevitable tax avoidance, Cayman islands, offspring's trust funds, Switzerland bank accounts, and the Bermuda triangle of financial records involving a blind trust and whatever else has not been discovered yet.

In essence, this is not a good topic of conversation that will advance Mitt Romney's presidential bid.

That leaves us with the vice-presidential nominee.

Condoleezza Rice and George W. Bush

Condoleezza Rice is still being floated around as a potential candidate despite Sarah Palin decrying her "moderate conservative" leanings. Despite the evangelicals screaming foul, and in spite of  Ms. Rice stating she was not interested.

Ms. Rice has been touted as one of the most likable and intelligent people in the GOP by democratic-leaning media pundits. We can picture them salivating as they dream of this unlikely nomination.

We will reserve our commentary on Ms. Rice's statements and track record during her tenure in George W. Bush's administration and focus squarely on the fact that the GOP has tried, for the past three and a half years, to disassociate itself from the George W. Bush administration.

Having Ms. Rice up front and center will only bring further scrutiny to an administration most people wish had not happened; the events of 9/11 and how it could have been avoided instead of  botched, Osama Bin Ladin, Rudy Giuliani, disturbing photos of Abu Ghraib and a host of other issues that no one in their right mind in the GOP wants to resurrect.

Of course there is always the resurfacing of conspiracy theories that run the gamut; from our own government orchestrating the attacks so Halliburton could profit from the oil fields in Iraq to the weapons manufacturers milking tax payers for actual weapons of mass destruction.

There is also the theory of knowing, and letting, 9/11 happen so a war could be justified. There are tons of links to these accusations but won't find them here. Readers are smart enough to find them throughout the web, or even watch video on You Tube.

Mitt Romney with Jeb Bush - 2012

Jeb Bush is also being floated around as the other half of the ticket that would save Mitt Romney's bid for the White House.

It is claimed that the former Florida governor brings respectability, a proven track record, and strength of character.

There are quite a few holes that need to be plugged in the above paragraph, but before we do that, we need to understand the following:

A) The GOP tapped Jeb Bush to run in 2000, not his brother. He declined. He was happy in Florida.

It is rumored that Jeb Bush's presidential aspirations are for 2016, not 2012. B) The fact that Jeb Bush endorsed Mitt Romney in March, as did his brother, George W., and their father should be more than enough of the "Bush connection" for the public.

Our ability to tolerate the Bush dynasty has diminished greatly over the past few years.

The anti-Bush sentiment grew exponentially after Mitt Romney went to Wyoming to benefit from a fund raiser courtesy of former vice-president, Dick Cheney. Reporters stated that before they were kicked out of the rooms, Mitt Romney was overheard invoking the Bush name.

This may be the main reason why Jeb Bush's name keeps popping up in the media as a likely candidate for the position. However, we must go back to the sentence that needs to be scrutinized:

If Jeb Bush brings, according to the punditry, "respectability, a proven track record as governor of the State of Florida, and strength of character" -  good questions to ponder must be: "Shouldn't the presidential candidate bring those qualities to the table himself?" secondly, "Can the State of Florida and the Supreme Court stand more scrutiny regarding George W. Bush's election fiasco?" and finally, "has anyone looked closely to Jeb Bush and his associations with shady Florida developers and their connections to organized crime?" - We have, and if Jeb Bush ends on the ticket, our readers should too.

So who? who would be the best Vice-Presidential candidate for Mitt Romney?

Palin and Paul

Mitt Romney should align himself with those who dislike him the most. He must force them to vote for him because they will follow the VP and its derangement to the ends of the Earth.

No, not Sarah Palin, like burnt toast, she's done.

We are talking about Ron Paul.

Whoever Romney chooses must bring enthusiasm and votes because Mitt Romney can't manage either one on his own.

What are your thoughts?

ABC News: Jeb Bush Endorses Romney
CBS News: Cheney has high praise for Romney at fundraiser
Los Angeles Times: Former President George H.W. Bush Endorses Mitt Romney Photo credit as well
Jacksonville.com: Jeb Bush Endorses Mitt Romney (via email) Photo credit