http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/23997862/

With all of the chaos stemming from the French protests yesterday, Olympic officials are hoping for a peaceful run through North America's only stop on the Olympic tour, in San Francisco, CA.  However, they may not get what they're hoping for.  Already in anticipation of the torch coming to the big San Fran, protesters were able to scale the Golden Gate bridge and hang banners regarding the "Free Tibet" issue.  My first question to the protesters (aside from how in the heck they got up there and were able to hang those huge banners without first being arrested/killed?) would be if they really think they're going to be able to make a difference.  I sincerely doubt that China (or the Olympic commitee for that matter) is going to change the location of the games.  I also doubt that the athletes that have trained and prepared their whole lives for this moment are going to boycott, and the same will probably hold true for most of the countries of the world, too, in an attempt to avoid civil unrest.  However, difference or not, China is still being mighty hypocritical!  For all their talk of "Let's not politicize the Games, etc." they sure have boycotted the games in the past, and for much lessor reasons than the oppression of thousands of people.  I strongly side with Tibet on this issue myself.  Tibet has only been a "part" of China for a little better than half of a century, and it was because China INVADED.  It would be comparable to the USA invading Cuba, taking them over by force, and then attempting to slaughter the Cubans when they try to rebel.  In today's day and age, there's really little point in taking over other countries, especially with the advantages that world-wide trade has wrought.  If China needs something from Tibet, for example, they are now free to trade with them for what they need, and a bloody take over of the country just causes even bigger political problems for them down the pike, like what's happening now.  And don't even get me started on Communism...  I suppose at heart I'm a bit of a commie myself, in that it would be "nice" if everyone shared with their neighbors so that everyone had what they needed and little excess/waste in the world.  No one would go hungry, and the world would be a happy albeit a tad rose-colored place.  However, history has proven time and time again that Communism does NOT work.  People are inherently greedy (yes, everyone!) and so those "in charge" of Communism at its inception are reluctant to release the reins, let alone allow themselves to step away from all the perks of controlling an entire country's assets.  Also, people tend to be lazy, as well.  If they can get away with doing little/no work for the same pay/benefit as the person next to them working their hands to the bone, why wouldn't they?  And thus begins a rather vicious cycle, because then the hardworkers see that the person next to them is doing next to nothing for the same gain, so they become discouraged, etc...  Ultimately, this is why the foundations of Capitalism work so well, MOST of the time people are rewarded for what work/effort they put into something...  and other times not so much.

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