Conflicted Libertarian » Latvia

BEST PART OF THE WINTER OLYMPICS HAS ALREADY OCCURRED!

Elwood Earl "Sandy" Sanders, Jr. — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 15:22:39 +0000

The best part of any Olympics (I wait for it every Olympics!) is the opening ceremonies. Each nation comes into the stadium with their athletes, one (sometimes the only one) carrying the flag of their nation, except for Taiwan, the Republic of China, our old ally in WWII until President Nixon sold them out to Red China. Taiwan cannot now carry its flag in (This was not always true: There is a scene in the 1924 Olympic movie Chariots of Fire where there is an unusual five striped flag and that was the old flag of the Republic of China) and goes by Chinese Taipei. This is shameful and we ought to protest but Red China might sell some of its Treasury bonds in response! No one has won; no one has lost yet and all nations and athletes (except Taiwan, see above) are equal in dignity.

I was especially impressed by the athlete from Peru’s story. I know he has no realistic chance to win a medal, but I’ll root for him anyway! Maybe he’ll have the run of a lifetime and win the gold! Could happen! I also plan to root for the Republic of Georgia after their tragic situation. I also root for all the small countries who have no chance or who have never won a medal before. Paraguay had never won a medal in any Olympic sport until 2004 in Athens when they won the silver in soccer. (I went on a missions/eclipse trip to Paraguay and it is an interesting nation few get to go to!) I also root for the three Baltic Republics (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia), occupied illegally in 1940 and thankfully never recognized as part of the USSR by our nation and finally independent at last!

In a new and potentially disturbing development, Canada is taking a decidedly unCanadian attitude toward this Olympics: Own the Podium!

From the USA Today of January 29:

“Canada has an aggressive new attitude,” Stephen Colbert said on his Comedy Central TV show. “In contrast to their previous slogan: ‘Pardon, would it trouble you if we won a medal or two? It would? OK. Never mind!’ ”

Rarely in Olympic history has the host nation failed to win even one gold medal. Twice, the too-gracious host has been Canada — at the 1976 Summer Games in Montreal and the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary.

That won’t happen again. “Own the Podium” is more than a battle cry. It is a $117 million Canadian (about $110 million U.S.) business plan that provides Canadian athletes in select sports with more coaching, enhanced training and paid travel — plus this ambitious goal: Place first in the total medal count.

Perhaps this is the wave of the future. The larger countries will use their technological advantages to dominate the medal count and further shut out the smaller nations. (One thing about the Winter Olympics is that smaller nations like Norway can do well.) Hence my enduring interest in the opening ceremonies – the nations, their costumes, their flags etc.!

In some ways this encourages a degree of cynicism. I always figured during the Cold War days, the Soviet Union and its Eastern European allies would cheat their way to the podium while one of our athletes would be banned from the games for cold medicine! I watched the famous ending of the USA-USSR basketball game in 1972 and shook my head in derision (I think they interrupted that game to show Taiwan being kicked out of the UN!) at how the ref put time back on the clock and the Soviets then won.

Understand, I do want USA to do well! BEAT CANADA! But if some small nation that has never won or hardly wins a medal wants me to organize their curling team, I’ll take some lessons and read the rules and help them win a medal! Ought to be a nice consulting fee out of it! Just contact me through this blog entry!

Remember, for more information about curling near you, contact USA Curling at this webpage.

THE WINNER OF THE 2008 ELECTION WAS NOT OBAMA BUT…

Elwood Earl "Sandy" Sanders, Jr. — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:41:09 +0000

Cong. Ron Paul! Here’s part of the evidence! This article from the Houston Chronicle (a frequent critic of Paul) shows the increasing clout of Paul and his following. I have been amazed at how often Cong. Paul is interviewed by the MSM. Nearly every day, he gets an interview. Both the Huffington Post and Lew Rockwell report (Lew cites the HP) that Paul is the most interviewed Congressman by foreign media (Paul’s a regular on Russia Today for example).

I prefer to believe what the Houston Chronicle suggests: That Ron Paul and Liberty is popular. History teaches that liberty resonates with a deep need people have. Our Declaration asserts that “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The Bible agrees: “Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof” (Leviticus 25:10)

Ron Paul did not get the most votes but his ideas are now available for people around the world to see. He also has encouraged others to seek lesser office (Rand Paul and Peter Schiff are only two examples) to place liberty ideals into action. Dr. Paul has cured the apathy of many Americans!

To paraphrase Emile Zola: Liberty is on the march!

NO STALIN BUST FOR BEDFORD D-DAY MEMORIAL! FOR THAT MATTER AX CLEMENT ATTLEE, TOO!

Elwood Earl "Sandy" Sanders, Jr. — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 12:18:56 +0000

I read in today’s Richmond Times-Dispatch looking for coverage about the special session of the legislature but I found a more disturbing story instead: Stalin’s bust coming to America! I have blogged this in several places but I wanted my Jindal fans to protest as well!
To be more specific the D-Day Memorial in Bedford. There are busts of FDR, Harry Truman, and Winston Churchill already at the memorial. And the intent of the memorial is not to honor Joseph Stalin, the communist dictator who ordered the murder of millions in the forced collectivation of farms in the Soviet Union (a crime covered up by Walter Duranty and the New York Times) millions more in the Great Purge of the 1930’s, and sent thousands of Soviet POWs after they came home to ten year terms in the Gulag. But even this bust is an honor Stalin is unworthy of. He should not have a bust in an American WWII memorial. Stalin did not directly assist in D-Day and between 1939 and 1941, the Soviet Union was Hitler’s ally. As such, the independent nations of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia as well as part of Poland were occupied and the Baltics lost their independence. Even Gorbachev was not fully willing to right this wrong. The Polish officers captured by the Soviets were executed in the Katyn Forest and the Nazis were blamed. After the Second Worl d War, the USSR occupied Eastern Europe for what was ultimately nearly 45 years of communist slavery.
I urge all the readers of this blog to contact the D-Day Foundation and protest this. It is right to honor the suffering and support of the Soviet people but not with a bust of Stalin.
While they are at it – ax the bust of Clement Attlee, too. He was not Prime Minister during D-Day, Churchill was still in office. All Atlee did as Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951 was bring to the United Kingdom the type of socialism that is being sought in the United States today.
You may contact the administrative offices of the National D-Day Memorial at dday@dday.org