And So it Begins...

So far it looks like these 2008 Olympics are going to be the epic struggle NBC has been hoping for. It's still really early, but the Americans have so far kept pace with the surging Chinese. It's been the swimmers that have kept Uncle Sam's squad afloat, and there should be many more chances to pull some precious medals from the pool.

It felt great to see our guys make the Frenchies eat their words. It couldn't have been scripted any better: the guy who talks the most shit loses it in the last 25 meters! And the celebration was perfectly suited for the moment. The one place where NBC blew it had to be during the National Anthem. 75% of the song featured close-ups of Michael Phelps, as if he needs any more exposure. The person they should've showed is Jason Lezak. The dude makes up for past Olympic failures by going out and swimming the fastest split ever. 'Phuckin Phelps', as I'm calling him, has 6 more podiums, interviews with Leno, Wheaties boxes, and countless opportunities for national facetime. Odds are, two weeks from now, Jason Lezak will be a name we'll only hear every four summers and that will probably be only as a sidebar to any Michael Phelps montages...give the man some pub!

So after three full days of the Games, the U.S. trails in both the overall and gold metal count, but it's still early. Because of the scheduling, the Americans are notoriously slow starters. The Chinese have picked up a ton of golds in weightlifting (one of our weakest sports--speaking of weightlifting, how painful does that look?). Don't you worry however, there's plenty of magic left in that '97 Hummer with the Stars and Stripes paint-job. Watch out China, there's a freight train comin' and you better get off the tracks...

Russia invades former republic on day of Olympic Opening Ceremony

Only Russia pulls this! There's this informal pledge around the world to try to stand down during the Games. What does Russia do? They invade their former republic. On the day of the Opening Ceremonies! They have balls, these guys...

I hope the International Olympic Committee holds them responsible. Look, the Russian athletes have nothing to do with what their government/army is doing, but it's time someone remind the Ruskies about how things work. Except, it has to be someone else who tells them. Right now, we would be the proverbial pot calling the kettle black. Our word and our dollar mean very little right now; the other big fish need to start adding something to the tank.

And so begins the 2008 Summer Games, should be a weird 2 weeks...

The Olympic Test...

Later today and over the next two weeks, the world will witness the ONE true test of a country's well-being: the Olympics. This year's games have even more riding on them because of the host country's potential place in the world is at stake.

Ahh, China... everyone wants to like you, but you don't make it very easy. This is supposed to be your "coming-out party", but unfortunately the only invited guests are those who are sympathetic to your views or are uncompelled to express any dissent. Hey , I love parties, and it sucks when that one dude with the bad attitude shows up. He always does; there's no stopping him and it's best to just deal with it (not beat the guy and throw him into a 3x6x3 box to rot for the rest of his days). I think the world would be more trusting of China and its people if they didn't come across as being so sneaky. And it's not just the out-in-the-open sneakiness (quite the oxymoron) that bothers me, but what really chaps my ass, is the facade the Chinese people have been putting on (or have been forced to put on). 'We are so happy to welcome you to our games. We hope you will find our country most accommodating' is what they'll say. My best guess is that for the next two-and-a-half weeks, the Chinese Government will make every journalist as comfortable as possible, showering them with gifts and pro-China literature, all to assure that during their time in Beijing, nothing will seem amiss. Even one of China's most vocal critics, a homegrown movie-maker, has given in and is producing the spectacle that is the opening ceremonies.

These Olympics are also a test for every other participating country, too. Here in the U.S., right now, we are beginning to doubt our own greatness. For the first time in my life, the United States is not a given to win the medal count. We may not win the gold in basketball (a sport we invented, and first shared with the world only 16 years ago). Not only that, our athletes seem to have been instructed to not to rock any boats. It's as if they've been told if they speak out, they can forget about that Tonight Show appearance. Sport was the one place you could count on American success; by taking the biggest, fastest, and strongest from around the world and making them ours, we could exercise our dominance over other, less viable countries. Our best and brightest would then get freedom to talk about any injustices they know of. Now our best and brightest (i.e. The US Men's Basketball Team) stay at the Four Seasons and never consider doing anything that may upset their regular stream of income back at home.

I truly believe these Olympics will determine where the world and our standing in it go from here. What's the best way to motivate to win? Through fear and consequence or through self-driven determination. There are two schools of thought and only one will come out the victor.

As for the people of China, they face the toughest test of all: the test of human spirit. With more than 300, 000 security cameras in place and switched on, it will be tougher than ever to voice any kind of dissent. Today is the first day in the rest of one and a half billion lives and the landscape of history in China will be altered forever. If China dominates in the games and quells every protest without too much international media attention, their product will be ready for export, just like about everything else we buy in America.

Jesse Jackson Newest Person Who Must Go Away Now...

Maybe this is the essence of this summer of 2008. Prominent public officials saying things off the cuff and being busted for it. Part of the allure of working in the media (I work in local television news) for me was to find out how we in the business take part in the uproar that follows each questionable comment or action. I think I have a vague idea, but I think what's happened is that journalism (if it still can be called that) has gotten caught in a deep rut, and I don't think it knows how to free itself.
But back to Jesse Jackson...oh Jesse, what will we do when you leave us? This guy has been a constant source of entertainment my entire life. We can look forward to the rapidly approaching senile years, which will certainly be excellent.
What I don't get is how is Barack talking down to Black America? For saying black men need to take responsibility for their children? For encouraging better family lives? I don't get it. By the way, was Jesse even the one to say he wanted to cut the nuts out? Or was it that other guy sitting next to him?
We need to come up with a name for this group of people. Just as I write this, now Phil Graham is trying to get on the team with his saying Americans are "whiners" because of their complaining about the economy.

Obama portrayed as monkey in Japanese Cell Phone Ad

Music of the SoL pt. 1...

I really like this, and I think it fits with the whole Summer of Lust theme. Apparently, Jay Z decided to cover Wonderwall because of some comment that Noel Gallagher of Oasis made about his disapproval of Jay Z as the headlining act at a Rock Festival. This video gave me the chills on multiple occasions, and I think it shows that the genre of the music doesn't matter, as long as it moves you...

A ballsy move by Jay Z, but I think he pulled it off. The fact is he probably did it for himself which fits perfectly into this whole blog idea. If it's good though, I guess it doesn't really matter...

All's Fair in Love and Uproar...

Wes Clark must be looking to be nominated...to the group of people who must go away for awhile. You know this group, the Don Imuses, Geraldine Ferraros, Trent Lotts, and Bill Mahers of the world. What do all these people have in common? They said something that, while awkward and politically incorrect, wasn't really thaaaaaaat bad.

There's a definite pattern to how these things work. The pressure begins to build. First, the evil-doer goes on CNN to defend his/her comments. Usually, they are pissed that the comments even drew criticism in the first place. They go on the record saying they absolutely will not take back the comments in question. But then the media picks up on something in their CNN Exclusive, and then the shit storm really starts, "Jimmy Badcomment in more hot water now..." is often how it sounds once it gets to the local news.

At this point, the offender gets backed into a corner. His/her most loyal associates have already condemned their comments, and most likely refuse to be photographed with the accused. Now the only route to go is to finally give in and apologize.

There's a weird double standard that comes into play that keeps me at a loss. Sometimes the little rapscallion will get away with the remarks based on past screwups. For example, Mike Tyson can get away with saying he is going to eat Lennox Lewis' children, but Bill Maher can be booted off of ABC because he questions the president's capability to handle crises. Jesse Jackson can call New York 'hymie-town', but Don Imus gets fired for saying the Rutger's Womens Basketball team was filled with nappy-headed hoes.

As a quick aside, what the hell were those girls thinking when they decided to sue claiming extreme emotional harm? What a bunch of na............yeah right, like I'm gonna ruin my career before it even gets started.

Back to the point, though. I think what happens is that public persons have a certain level of credibility that is given to them by the public. Depending on how shocking of a comment they make, they lose a reciprocal amount of the respect they've garnered. Once that person sinks below the point of treading water, the public essentially gives up on the guy/girl, and they become a sideshow. Think of Dick Cheney talking shit about West Virginia...the guy gets such little respect from the public, it's just a bad joke now.

In the end, I hope Wes Clark sticks by what he said, and doesn't have to pay the piper for his insensitive remarks, as the McCain people are calling them. The fact is, being tortured for 5 years, yet never giving up, is the definition of courage. But, being president isn't just about being tough. No matter how many back-lashings and electrocutions you can withstand, it doesn't directly translate to how effective of a leader you'll be. As unfortunate as it sounds, being president requires important policy decisions, not just the balls of a gorilla.