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The Obligatory USA Women’s Gymnastics Team Bikini Pictures
Here are some pictures of Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Alicia Sacramone, and a few of their teammates as they enjoy some much needed and much deserved rest after a terrific performance in Beijing.
(Click to enlarge)
(hat tip Egotastic)
What You Didn’t See In Beijing
I’ve been largely willing to turn a blind eye to the politics in China, at least while the Olympics were going on. I thought the games were really exciting this year and except for China cheating with underage gymnasts, the games went quite well.
Having said that, now that the games have concluded we’re beginning to learn more about just what made it possible for Beijing to put on such a spectacle. It seems that like everything else in China, one must take a peek behind the curtain to see what’s really going on.
Foreigners traveling around Beijing over the last couple of weeks have admired the beautiful flowers blooming and lush green grass around famous monuments.
We’re now learning that China was terrified that they would run short of fresh water during the games, predicting as much as a 30% spike in water usage. Rather than gather the smartest minds in China to come up with a solution, the Chinese government did what any good dictatorship does, and decided to steal the extra water.
More than 200 miles of pipeline was constructed which drained thousands of farms completely dry leaving farmers without a livelihood and many without a home.
More than 30,000 people have been left homeless, and many have even been driven to suicide. Security officials blanketed the area to ensure none of the disgruntled farmers could somehow make it to Beijing and clue the world in on what’s going on.
The blunders began when officials started to worry that Beijing might not have enough water to cope with 500,000 visitors to the Olympics. There was talk of a 30% spike in demand. Their gaze turned to Hebei province, its fields ripe with vegetables, corn and rice, providing a good living for its huge rural population.
Decrees were issued, targets were set and engineers scurried to complete a “100day struggle” to build almost 200 miles of channels and pipes to Beijing. These will form part of a gigantic project to bring the waters of the Yangtze River to the drought-stricken plains of northern China. Meanwhile, four strategic reservoirs in Hebei, around the city of Baoding, were filled to the brim.
Accounts differ of what happened next. Some farmers say the price of water was raised by 300% to put it beyond their reach. Others simply say that their irrigation channels ran dry. As subterranean water levels fell, their wells collapsed, fields were abandoned, mud-brick farm houses stood empty.
About 31,000 people around Baoding are said to have lost their homes or land. Local leaders complained; China’s tiny environmental movement agitated. That all stopped when the Hebei media trotted out a barrage of propaganda assuring readers that the entire population was overjoyed to be making a sacrifice for the national good.
The security services were also on high alert for any foreigners entering Baoding. Taxi drivers were told to drive any foreigners who asked for a ride straight to the police station.
A reporter for the London Times who uncovered this whole story experienced the creepy security first-hand when he traveled to Baoding.
At a city hotel, the staff at the front desk arose aghast when I entered to ask for a room, then immediately telephoned the authorities. Deciding to forgo the pleasure of their acquaintance, I made my excuses and left Baoding.
As I waited at the railway station, the only foreigner in a reeking hall crammed with shabby migrants, a young man in a perfectly ironed green polo shirt and polished black shoes came and sat opposite, apparently engrossed in a newspaper.
A few minutes later a second young man, in a neat purple T-shirt and equally shiny shoes, sat down nearby and stared into space. A third fellow, this time in a pink polo shirt, materialized in the heaving throng next to me as we tramped towards the night express, murmuring into a mobile phone. After I climbed on board they vanished.
Yet another red banner, strung across the interior of our packed carriage, read: “The five Olympic rings include you and me.”
This pretty much destroys any illusions about the Chinese government. The entire Olympic games was a remarkably well choreographed charade intended to maintain a facade of progress. President Hu Jintao is really just a quieter and more reserved version of Joseph Stalin. It was a mistake to allow China to host the Olympics and it’s a decision the world will grow to regret more and more as time goes on.
Video: USA Women’s Volleyball Team Blindsides NBC With Shout-Out To President Bush
Team USA Olympians Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh finished as the winning team of the Women’s Volleyball games making them the first team to win back-to-back gold medals. What makes this Olympic victory sweeter than most is what the two did immediately after the match.
As usual, NBC interviewed team USA right after their win to get their reaction. After thanking the usual suspects like coaches, families, etc. the two women did the unthinkable. They gave an entheuastic shout-out to President Bush thanking him for his inspiration and everything he’s doing for the country.
I can just imagine the NBC producers looking on with horror as these two Olympic champions thanked the man they so loathe, and in front of the entire world no less.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh deserve a huge congratulations for their impressive win and another congratulations for being patriots.
(hat tip Hot Air)
Usain Bolt Smashes Record, Fastest Man Ever
When Jamaican Usain Bolt smashed the world record in the men’s 200m last night in Beijing it was a historic moment. Not only because the record of 19.32 seconds stood for more than 10 years, but because his speed set new parameters on what human beings can achieve. What makes his 19.30 world record even more incredible is that it was achieved with a head wind, and at his fastest Bolt was clocked at more than 30mph.
SOLID GOLD
Congratulations to Nastia Liukin for winning the GOLD medal in the women’s gymnastics all-around.
Congratulations To Shawn Johnson For Winning The Silver!
Congratulations to Shawn Johnson for winning the SILVER medal in the women’s gymnastics all-around!!
HuffPo: Documents Reveal Underage Chinese Gymnasts
The Huffington Post has a very interesting collection of documents that seem to definitively prove what we’ve all known to be true since these games started — China cheated.
Like any other country, when a Chinese athlete has an impressive victory the Chinese media reports it. This otherwise routine reporting of sports news in China has left a lengthy paper trail that reveals the true age of China’s gymnasts.
Making an issue of this has nothing to do with being “sore losers” because the U.S. team came in second. The Chinese team was amazing and they deserve all the credit in the world. However, rules are rules and winning a medal at the Olympic games doesn’t mean anything if it’s based on a lie.
The athletes are not to blame here, the Chinese government is. China has proven that not only do they have no respect for human rights or freedom, but they also have no honor. In other parts of Asia, to have no honor is a fate worse than death.
By winning on a lie, not only has China cheapened the victory of their own athletes, but they’ve stolen the dreams of athletes from other countries who’ve trained for years hoping for a shot at Olympic glory. For many of those athletes this Olympics in Beijing was their last chance to fulfill a dream they’ve spent their entire lives up to this point working for — the chance to honestly compete against the best in the world.
What a disappointment.
-Chris Jones
Why We Should NOT Boycott The Olympics
As I was reading through my news feeds this morning I came across a new column from Ralph Peters. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Peters and read his columns often. However, his piece today is about his ‘private boycott’ of the Olympics. This is a sentiment I’ve heard expressed not only by Peters but by others as well.
China’s record on human rights is a dismal one and the entire world knows it. Having said that, America’s economy and China’s economy are hopelessly linked. China cannot survive without the U.S. as a customer and the U.S. cannot survive without the goods that China produces. We have no choice but to engage China while continuing to encourage reforms.
China has a long way to go before it resembles anything close to a democracy, but when you look at how far China has come over the last twenty years it’s truly stunning. Who would’ve thought Chairman Mao’s brutal communist regime would have turned into the bastion of capitalism it is today. The progress China has made is undeniable and in another ten years or so I believe we will see more changes in China. Unlike North Korea, China’s leaders are pragmatic and forward looking. Reforms are slowly taking hold in China and eventually democracy will begin to catch-up with China’s capitalism.
Having said that, the Olympic games are not a place for politics. Every American should watch the games and the President was right to attend them. Our athletes don’t have day jobs, they work hard and train 24/7 in the hopes of winning a medal on behalf of the United States. We owe it to these athletes to watch them and acknowledge their skill and hard work.
We also owe it to the rest of the world to watch their athletes. The Olympics is the one time where countries with bitter disagreements can check their politics at the door and engage in friendly competition. Countries which rarely have the opportunity to interact with Americans are afforded such an opportunity at the Olympics. These interactions can serve as a kind unintentional ’soft diplomacy’ that works to everyone’s benefit.
President Bush has publicly acknowledged America’s opposition to China’s domestic policies, but now is the time to put politics on ice for a while and cheer on our incredible athletes.
-Chris Jones
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