Where's your Olympic spirit? The Canadian police want to know

Los Angeles Times ^ | Friday February 12, 2010 | By Kim Murphy

[granite]

Reporting from Vancouver, Canada - Chris Shaw, an ophthalmology professor at the University of British Columbia, has made no secret of his misgivings about the Olympic Games in his home city.

The event is going to soak taxpayers and primarily benefit land developers who backed Vancouver's Olympic bid, he warned in several public forums and a book about the Olympics, "Five Ring Circus."

Shaw was walking into his office several months ago when two plainclothes police officers approached him, one of them holding his book. "Mr. Shaw, I want to talk to you. . . . Some of the things in here disturb me," he recalled one of the men saying.

[granite]

"Civil libertarians are outraged over authorities' questioning of critics of the Games. 'If this had been China, that would be one thing. But this is Canada,' says a professor who got the shoulder tap."

[C19fan]

Wow imagine what Daley and his Chicago thugs would of done.

[Touch Not the Cat]

.
"I was offered time on one of the celebration stages where I would be allowed to read poems that corresponded to themes as provided to me by an Olympic bureaucrat," Cran wrote on his blog.

He said artists in the Cultural Olympiad had to agree not to make any negative remarks about the Games or their sponsors.

So -- this is our future under a world government.

Grim. Very grim.

[my_pointy_head_is_sharp]

Totalitarianism - coming to a town near you.

Oops, it's already here!

[Peter Libra]

Criticism of any Olympic games will always emerge. Not to rain on anyone's parade from this corner. The acquisition of second class hotels/beverage rooms, to hide the "homeless" has caused some upset. This in neighbourhoods that strive to try to keep things orderly. I hope everyone has a great time, even so. I am reminded of the preparations in London, England for the summer games. The old cynic comes out sometimes.

Bread and Circuses.

Anyone that remembers the Montreal Olympics might ponder about this huge outlay. The Olympic Stadium there is the whitest of white elephants. Not to gloat, but there are justifications for criticism.

A nasty experience for any citizen to be "tapped on the shoulder". A real miscreant, wise in the ways of the law, would just laugh in their faces.

[bakoj]

World Government? we don’t have to wait for a world government to take over we have obama. He would do this in a heartbeat if it wasn’t for talk radio and the internet. He still might try it if he gets reelected in 2012.

[rstrahan]

I’m hearing that there are going to be significant anti-Olympic demonstrations, primarily at BC Center all during the games. Let’s see if the media reports them.

[bamahead]

Civil libertarians are outraged over authorities' questioning of critics of the Games...'If this had been China, that would be one thing. But this is Canada,' says a professor who got the shoulder tap.



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[bamahead]

BUMP.

[Still Thinking]

Where's your Olympic spirit? The Canadian police want to know

I'd show them but then they'd either arrest me or I'd lose a body part to the cold, it being Canada and all...

[granite]

I think I will stay home and enjoy my Olympia Spirits.

[fanfan]

Thanks for the ping, Bamahead.

[max americana]

haha my old city...

The Berkeley of the North. Vancouver makes Berkeley look like Dick Cheney’s ranch. They hate Americans there. Who wants to bet against me that the US national anthem will be BOO’D?

[Lady Jag]

Taken away for speaking the truth. Pure evil.

[Westlander]

After I enjoy my Olson’s, I’ll vote in the snow.

[jmcenanly]

"There are many countries where if you speak out about your political views you can expect a visit from the police, but until the Olympics, we didn't think one of those countries was Canada,"
You could ask Mark Steyn about that.
The Olympics, whether Summer or Winter have become a major white elephant for any country that hosts them.to host them you basically have to build enough sporting facilities to outfit two major Universities and provide billets and security for hundreds of people. Once it's over, you are stuck with facilities for which there is now other use but to host Olympic games.