Let "The Games" Begin

Today it began. From across the world the athletes have gathered for the one event in sports at seems to bring the world together, the Olympic Games.

I am not a huge sports fan, but, I do always watch the Olympic Games, winter or summer, and I always feel a sense of pride in my country as I watch team USA take the medal stands.

These Olympic Games are even more exciting, I personally believe, because of where they are-- the People's Republic of China.

I remember fondly the Olympic Games of the 80's at the end of the Cold War. There was excitement as Team USA went up against athletes with CCCP on their uniforms. It was us against the Soviets and even if the finals of an event did not include an America, we could always root for the British, or Aussies or for ANY NATO/Allied Country… all to beat the commies and the Warsaw Pact.

In the 90's and through 2004 some of that rivalry was lost… There was no Communist Evil Empire for us to compete against. I mean I just could not get as excited about us against the Australians, or the Japanese or British.

But these Olympics bring some of the "Old Rivalry" back for me. Team USA is once again in a Communist Country. Again, Team USA will have the chance to show that FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY can prevail over Totalitarianism and Communism…

GO TEAM USA!!!

Lest we forget about the host country and lest we think from the Opening Ceremonies that they are open, free, and respect people and human rights… just a quick note from news I have archived--

February 5, 2008- BEIJING - A court Tuesday sentenced a Chinese democracy activist who wrote about corruption to four years in prison on subversion charges, his wife and lawyer said.

Lu Gengsong was convicted of "inciting subversion of state power" by the Intermediate People's Court in Hangzhou, a resort city near the eastern commercial center of Shanghai.

And, of course, we should never forget what happened just down the street from the new Olympic Stadium--

Let "The Games" Begin