Letter From The Capitol

Index 5/2/08

One post: Olympics: More Reasons to End Them--Us v. Them.

Olympics: More Reasons to End Them

Author Buzz Bissinger calls for an end to the Olympics, once and for all.  He cites the sorry history of Olympic outrages, beginning with 1968 (omitting thus the 1936 Nazi Olympics), adding a few new nuggets.  My favorite: At $12 billion, the 2004 Athens Olympics cost Greece 5 percent of its then GDP!  Imagine the United States, with its GDP of $14 trillion, spending $700 billion on the Games this year to host them here, and you get the measure of the financial excess that Greece indulged in to host the Games for the first time since the 1896 birth of the Modern Games.

Think of Baron Pierre de Coubertin's 1894 proclamation of his beau ideal for the Games:

May joy and good fellowship reign, and in this manner, may the Olympic torch pursue its way through ages, increasing friendly understanding among nations, for the good of a humanity always more enthusiastic, more courageous and more pure.

To date in 2008, we've seen: clubbing Tibetan protesters, Olympic torch-bearers dodging demonstrators in San Francisco, several countries admonishing their athletes not to say anything negative about the Games, the host country, or whatever, athletes preparing to wear masks in polluted Beijing, embarrassed world leaders deciding to skip the opening ceremonies, President bush saying that he will go, but lobby the Chinese to be nicer, the insufferable International Olympic Committee, whose bureaucrats are bribed every two years as they select the next locale, warning everyone to praise, praise, praise and please no emblems on uniforms or untoward demonstrations during the Games, etc.  Does any of this sound like "Shut up and praise the hosts, the IOC and the Games, or you will be shot at dawn without even the last cigarette?"  Nepal, reports the New York Times, has authorized its security forces to shoot--yes, shoot--torch protesters, if their commanders judge lethal force necessary.  From ex-NY Times foreign correspondent Richard Halloran we learn that 17,000-strong Indian security forces cleared New Delhi streets so that torch-bearers could proceed untouched.  The Chinese government, meanwhile, has urged Internet users protesting "unfair" coverage of China to show restraint, a sigh that Beijing fears a replay of 1989 when popular protest morphed into the confrontation that led to the June 1989 massacre in Tainanmen Square.  Oh, and BTW, China continues to block international efforts to end the genocide in Darfur, for realpolitik reasons--its relations with Sudan.

Yes, the Games have, still, their glorious moments, such as Michael Johnson's stupefying 200-meter WR gold in the 1996 Atlanta Games (his 19.32 second race chopped a full four tenths of a second off the then world mark, simply unheard of in such a short race).  But is this worth it, to perpetuate what has become a travesty--the very negation of the ideals de Coubertin trumpeted as the propose of the Games?

Let us instead, as Buzz Bissinger suggests, return to world championship festivals for each sport.  The result would be a series of events of manageable scale, less political, and without the absurdity of pseudo-sports like synchronized swimming.  My suggested tee-shirt for the Beijing (Genocide) Games: "Have you clubbed a Tibetan today?"

Index 5/1/08

One post: Iraq: Fallujah Surges--Us v. Them.

Iraq: Fallujah Surges

Soldier-blogger Michael Totten tells the inspiring tale of how the surge brought hope to Fallujah, once the most dangerous city in Iraq.

Index 4/30/08

One post: An Aussie Salutes America--Us v. Them.

An Aussie Salutes America

Australia is one of America's finest friends.  This makes the letter below, sent to a USA Army veteran, so moving.

Subject: A very flattering letter from an Australian whose son is in Iraq
~~~~~
Gentlemen

I am an Australian and my son is an Australian - as far as we are concerned there is not place on God's earth better than Australia , and there are no people better than Australians.

That was until the past week or so.

My son is in the Australian Army and he is currently on deployment in Iraq . I can not go into his duties in great depth, but shall we say that he and his fellow army buddies are on a glorified guard duty looking after the Australian Embassy. They don't go out looking for "action", though it is a different story in Afghanistan , there the Aussie troops chase the baddies over the hills and into the valleys..

My son and I just ended a long 'phone conversation and here are some of his comments, believe me this is what he said. We have all seen the bullshit emails written by some clown in his lounge room pretending to be at the coal face, but this is what was said.:

"Before I came over here I thought we (the Australian Army) were pretty shit hot..... was I ever wrong!....The Yanks (I hope you don't mind me using that word) are so professional from the top to the bottom that it is almost embarrassing to be in their company, and to call yourself a soldier....don't get me wrong, we are good at what we do but the Yanks are so much better.....they are complete at what they do, how they do it and their attitude is awesome....they don't complain they just get on with the job and they do it right.....I carry a Minimi (SAW) so I am not real worried about a confrontation but I tell you I feel safer just knowing that the US Army is close by....If we got into trouble I know that our boys would come running and we could deal with it but they would probably be passed by a load of Hummers. No questions asked, no glory sought, the Americans would just fight with us and for us because that is their nature, to protect those in need of protection.....We use the American Mess so you could say that we are fed by the Americans.....they have every right to be pissed at that but they don't bitch about that they just make us feel as welcome as possible....what gets to me is that the Yanks don't walk around with a "we are better than you attitude" and they could because they are, they treat us as equals and as brothers in arms. If nothing else, coming here has taught me that the Americans are a truly great Nation and a truly great bunch of people.....Let's face it they don't HAVE to be here, they could stay in America and beat the shit out of anyone who threatened them, BUT THEY ARE HERE because they believe they should be here, and the Iraqis would be screwed if they weren't here.....When I come home, you and I we are going to the US, we will buy some bikes and we are going riding...."
                                                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

The reason why I am sharing this with you is because I realize that you (as a nation) must get pretty pissed with all the criticism you receive by the so-called "know it alls" who are sitting at home - safe. The reality is that they are safe, just as I am, because of America . If the world went arse up tomorrow there is little we ( Australia ) could do about it, but I know that the Americans would be there putting themselves on the line for others. That to me is the sign of greatness.

The most precious thing in my life is my son, I look at him and I thank God that I am fortunate enough to be able to spend time in his company. We laugh, we discuss, we argue, we dummy spit, we have the same blood. I am not happy that he is where he is but that is his duty. He joined the Army to protect and to defend, not to play games. I mightn't like it but I accept it. My reasons for not liking it are selfish and self centered. I felt assured that he would be safe because he is in a well trained army with an excellent record, BUT NOW, I feel a whole lot better knowing that he is with your sons, daughters, brothers and sisters.

Whilst he was growing up. I was always there to look after him, I would not let harm befall him and I would always put myself before him to protect him. I can't do that now. When it comes to looking after him now he and his mates will do the job, but also THANK GOD FOR AMERICA.

Gentlemen, I have rambled on for too long. but as I finish I say to you, as a foreigner and outsider, a nation is only a collection of its people and its attitude is the attitude of its people, collectively and as individuals. I am really glad you are here on this Earth and I respect you as a nation and as people.

Stand up and feel proud because you deserve it, there is no one else who will do what America does without question. The next time someone howls you down, take some comfort in the fact that America is defending their right to act like an idiot.

Finally, thank you for looking after my son.

Peter Turner
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thank you Mr. Peter Turner for your kind, eloquent and most appreciated words!
 
Donald Cathcart
Lieutenant Colonel United States Marine Corps (Retired)

Thanks, mates.  And g'day.

Index 4/29/08

One post: Charlton Heston's Culture War--Class & Crass.

Charlton Heston's Culture War

The late Charlton Heston was justly famed for his characters, as much as for the characters he played on screen.  A loyal LFTC reader sent me a marvelous 1999 speech the actor gave to a college audience.  Heston passionately and articulately defends his conservative values, and assails political correctness.  Heston recounts as well his finest public advocacy hour: when, in 1991, he confronted Time-Warner executives at the annual meeting, and forced them to listen as he read cop-killer rap lyrics that Ice-T had recorded for a TW subsidiary.  The executives squirmed, but none could silence Moses!

Index 4/28/08

One post: Nuclear Nightmare Nearer?--9/11, 3/11 & N11.

Nuclear Nightmare Nearer?

Charles Krauthammer pronounces nuclear non-proliferation a dead letter, courtesy of the West's flaccidity vis-a-vis North Korea and Iran.  The New York Sun's Eli Lake details the latest news as to North Korean - Syrian cooperation, that led to the nascent plutonium nuclear reactor which Israel destroyed last September 6; even if Syria didn't plan to try to manufacture nuclear bombs, its plant served as a way for North Korea to eventually produce weapons-grade plutonium in a remote area thought free of close aerial scrutiny.  Which leaves, Iraq having killed preventive war as a politically viable option, deterrence as our only remaining option.

If deterrence fails, the consequences of a Hiroshima-size nuke detonating on the Washington, DC Mall are summarized here in the Washington Times.  Ashton Carter proposes coping strategies for the aftermath.  One assumption Carter helps raise doubts as to is that after a single terrorist nuke is set off in an American city, we would, as soon as we find out whom (using nuclear forensics to trace), instantly retaliate.  Except that the going assumption, as Carter notes, is that such a group will have other weapons in reserve.  If they face instant annihilation (assuming we find them, what incentive have they to not set off any other devices they have?  The deterrence that likely will be our main strategy for stopping nuclear terror and sponsoring states appears a slender reed indeed.