Olympic Follies

News just came down about how Chicago, and thus the United States, lost out on its bid to host the 2016 Olympics — in spite of the lobbying of heavyweights such as Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and the US president, himself.  I couldn’t have cared much less either way, but I do find the outcome kind of amusing.  I never knew that US presidents got directly involved in lobbying for the Olympics to come to a US city.  So, to me, it seemed kind of beneath the president to fly to Copenhagen to make a case for Chicago, directly.

Now, I’m not one of those who has ever thought much of the “there are more important things to be doing” argument.  Just because the president is on a plane to Europe, or taking a “vacation”, or attending a ballgame, or whatever, that doesn’t mean he is neglecting his other responsibilities.  The president never has a day off.  He is always connected, always being briefed, and always engaged.  That is true of this president as well as any other (I thought the ire directed at GW Bush, for his August “vacations” at his ranch, was completely ridiculous).  So, I think it’s a shame that Republicans chose to make so much noise about the president’s priorities being out of order.

Still, it did seem odd to me that the President would be involved (directly) in lobbying for the Olympics.  The fact that it was for his own city made it even more unseemly, for me.  Which is one reason why I chuckle at the rejection.  I also think it’s funny that the president would get involved without being pretty certain of the outcome.  Seems like a bit of a (worthless) risk for the president to take.  Now, perhaps this president believes too much in his own myth.  Maybe he thought that, because the whole world obviously loves him so much (in his mind), there was no way they’d say no to a direct plea from him.  That also makes the result kind of funny.

But the biggest factor that makes this whole thing amusing to me is the way in which President Obama and his people tried to sell Chicago as the obvious choice for the Olympics.  Here’s what Rahm Emanuel had to say:

There’s no better city in the United States or the world to host the international community than Chicago — because of the diversity.

The world will feel comfortable given the diversity of Chicago all the different ethnic communities are there.

So, let me get this straight, diversity is what makes a city a good place to hold the Olympic games?  Diversity is what’s going to make the world “feel comfortable?”  Seriously?  That’s the case you guys are making?  No wonder you lost.  The world doesn’t need to be coddled.  “Hey guys.  Look, Chicago is just like all of you.  See?  There’s nothing to be scared of.  (Eh-hem, nevermind the beatings in the streets based on skin color.)”  Isn’t the diversity of the host city beside the point?  Isn’t the point to help to introduce the host city/country to the diversity of the rest of the world, under peaceful circumstances, and to help to introduce the visiting countries to the culture of the host city/country, regardless of what that may be?  China just hosted the Olympics in Beijing.  I can’t imagine that anyone would call Beijing an exceptionally diverse city.  And yet, it was a great place to host the games, as one of the goals of the games is to help break down barriers between peoples/nations.

In the grand scheme of things, this whole episode is pretty meaningless.  However, it does seem to highlight how self-important, naive, and silly this crew can be, bolstering the case that Obama is truly “The Adolescent President.”

A Horrible Tragedy Turns Disgusting

Today we learned that the woman who drove her minivan the wrong way on a local New York highway, killing 5 children, 3 men, and herself, when she collided head-on with an SUV, was drunk and high.  According to the toxicology report, her BAL was .19, and had enough THC in her system to indicate that she had smoked pot as recently as 15 minutes before the accident.  Since she was near the end of a 4-hour trip, that means she had been drinking and smoking while the kids were in the car.

When I first heard about the accident, in which the driver, her 2-year-old daughter and 3 nieces were killed, along with the 3 men in the SUV, I was sickened by the tragedy of it all.  Four young lives ended.  (Miraculously, the woman’s 5-year-old son survived the crash.)  The driver’s brother, father of the 3 girls, had spoken to her (and to one of his daughters) while they were on the road, and told her to wait, and that he would come and pick them up.  Now his girls are gone.  His babies.  Gone.  Her husband lost his baby girl.  And the families of the 3 men lost loved ones.  For nothing.

It was vary sad.  At first, reports said she had called her bother to tell him she wasn’t feeling well, which is why he offered to pick everyone up.  So, even from the start, it did seem that poor judgment had caused the tragedy.  But still, it was just a very sad story.  Now, with the news of the woman being drunk and stoned, the story has turned disgusting.  As a father, I cannot help but be furious at this woman, who’s husband and brother trusted her with their children, and who then made the selfish decision to drive on, even though she knew (enough to call her brother) that she should not be behind the wheel.  It makes me feel physically sick to think about it.

Perhaps there’s more to this story.  The details are still sketchy.  How did she start out on a 4-hour trip, at 9:30 in the morning, “fine,” as witnesses have reported, and wind up drunk and stoned 4 hours later?  She would have had to guzzle vodka (a bottle of Absolut was found in the car) and smoke up in the middle of the trip.  Why would she do that?  Regardless of the reasons, it’s hard not to judge the woman as selfish and irresponsible beyond belief.  I’m sad for the children.  I’m sad for the parents who’ve lost them.  I’m sad for the families of the other men.  And I’m angry at this woman.

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Note:  I had originally linked to a NY Post article for this story, but decided to use a different source because of the Post’s inappropriate use of wordplay in their title: “CRASH MOM WAS FULLY ‘LOADED’”  Great time to make puns.  How embarassing.

Things Just Ain’t What They Used To Be

“Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”

... well, maybe snow.

Got this notice in the mail, the other day.  I thought it was kind of funny.  Though I just learned that “Neither snow, nor rain…” is not actually the US Postal Service’s official motto, I do think most people expect their mail to be delivered, even in bad weather.  I’m guessing that 20 or 30 years ago, you’d never see a notice like this.  But I’m sure the USPS can’t risk being sued by the letter carriers.