April 8, 2008
NYC's Olympic Torchbearers Not Worried
While San Francisco is bracing for tomorrow's Olympic torch relay--protesters scaled the Golden Gate Bridge and unfurled "Free Tibet" banners yesterday --torchbearers hailing from New York City say they aren't worried about potential disruptions. A retired NYPD cop, James Dolan, told the Daily News, "I've seen enough demonstrations in my career. I'm confident the city will be able to make the event go off smoothly."
The Olympic torch is only visiting San Francisco in the United States, and torchbearers from around the country will be participating. Environmental activist Majora Carter told the News:
"I'm grateful that I live in a country where you can say things like this," said Carter, 41, who heads Sustainable South Bronx and is co-founder of GreenForAll.org, which finds environmentally friendly jobs for poor people.Yesterday, SF Mayor Gavin Newsom emphasized that the Olympic torch route is "not fixed" and, today, the torch arrived under security usually "reserved for head-of-state visits.""I completely understand the whole controversy about China, but I just think that we should look at this in the spirit the Games represent," Carter said. "It's about unity, it's about respect and it's about reaching across boundaries in the spirit of sportsmanship."
In 2004, the Olympic torch was carried through NYC (P. Diddy and Chuck Close were among the torchbearers). The Olympic Flame went out on while on the Staten Island Ferry, but there's always a standby flame.
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Maybe these folks should actually go to Tibet and do something other than making blanket suggestions.
I thought the flame wasn't coming to NY or anywhere else besides SF? then I read the daily news link, the cop is a torch bearer not some kind of security consultant cracking protesters heads.
Hey, JacqueMehoff, thanks for your comment- I added that the Olympic torch is only going be in SF in the USA... people from all over the country participate.
[1] At least they're trying something. What have you done for people living under repression lately? Maybe you're posting from Iraq? I didn't think so.
#4- and by that same token, back atcha.
Hey, we can do this forever.. whee!
There is more than just Tibet as a reason to protest the Beijing Olympics. China is the worst prisoner of journalist and dissident bloggers.
[5] No, we can't. Your logic is terrible. I'm not sitting around doing nothing making fun of others who are trying to help. You are.
#7- How are they helping? How will hanging signs help anyone? Do you really think the average person will say, "Hmm, maybe I SHOULD do something about something that doesn't affect me at all?"
Yuh. Logic.
Friggin Hippies. They talk big and wave big signs but in the end they don't do shit.
I'd head to Tibet myself and bust some PLA heads if it wasn't for my bad knee.
What a confusing story. Is Majora Carter in San Francisco carrying the torch?
I don't understand why they are protesting China when America goes to Iraq and basically rapes that country.
they're protesting china because iraq is not involved in the olympics. never has been.
there's a time and place for appropriate protesting.
Wow, the olympics are in China now.
Is Ping Pong going to be one of the games they compete in?
Babyhitler, do you mean rape as in what the Han Chinese did to Tibet?
jaja007, table tennis, or ping pong, has been an Olympic sport since 1984. The United States has never medaled in the event.
"Is Ping Pong going to be one of the games they compete in?"
Actually Yes! And usually China dominates.
Actually all these protestors are making a fool of the Dalai Lama. He's losing his moral authority and looking weak. Time for a reincarnation, Dr Who style.
I like how the buddhist protestors are doing thuggish things. Nothing sends a message about non-violence like violence.
isn't the guy behind the current guggenheim show one of the main so called 'creative directors' of the olympics here in new york? he has a studio in the east village.
"we don't want olympics we want human rights"
non violence is the way. take a page from gandhi's book.
the dalai lama said he was gonna retire, or quit, so what's taking him so long? phony!!!!
It's called ping pong, or as the chinese call it, ping pong.
babyhitler, you just made it pretty clear that you don't know what "violence" means.
I don't understand why they are protesting China when America goes to Iraq and basically rapes that country.
One has nothing to do with the other. This is pretty pathetic logic. The US invasion of Iraq didn't give other countries a free pass to do bad things around the world. And China was mistreating Tibet long before Iraq anyway.
George Bush might not have much moral high ground to stand on but I would bet the Tibet protesters were against the Iraq invasion so they care free to say whatever they want.
America didn't rape Iraq. It was consensual.
Iraq led us on.