Actually, what has happened is that Elephantman has once again dropped some more Elephanturds in the Living Room, and no one has noticed! There they are, those delightful turds, right next to the sofa!

Just like GW Bush and Gang have been dropping their personal very smelly turds all over the US body politic since the US Presidential Miscarriage of 2000 - and US citizens have STILL not thrown this bunch of thieves and scoundrels out of power, have not impeached them, have not put them into jail for the rest of their miserable lives!

What will it take to wake US citizens up?

(God only knows - if He exists. The fact that GW Bush is still in power in 2008 seems to be good reason to believe that the phrase "Great and Good God" is actually the First Oxymoron of all human history).

-- GSC

Apart from the celebration of joy and physical beauty, strength and courage that is the Olympic Games, I look forward to just two things:

1) The total humiliation of the Chinese leadership, for what they have done to Tibet and to their own citizens who may have dissented from the global adulation that the leadership is seeking;

2) The total humiliation of GW Bush and Gang, for what they have done to the world since 2000.

Both are equally important.

Both appear to be equally unlikely to happen.

But just you watch and wait! (This is not a prediction, but a fervent hope).

-- GSC

If it so happens that the (hoped-for) total humiliation of the Chinese Leadership (and their supporters) and/or the total humiliation of GW Bush and Gang (and their supporters) happen to diminish, in some significant way, the celebration of beauty that is the Olympic Games, well, I shall surely feel profoundly sorry for the athletes whose heroic displays are diminished - but I shall live with that for the greater cause of humanity.

-- GSC

I see the living room so far entirely free of Elephanturds!

-- Where on earth or in the nether world is he?

-- How come we don't see him yet, mucking up the landscape?

-- Is it just that he's all stifled up by constipation or some other dire contretemps?

-- Is he more seriously ill than just being stoppered?

-- Or, is it that he's been invited by GW Bush, War Criminal, to partake of some kind of weird blood fest or another, in grateful appreciation of his valiant contributions here at Salon?

-- ???

GSC

The first 'good' result that has come out of the Beijing Olympic Games:

"Katerina Emmons spoiled China’s bid for Beijing’s first gold medal by winning the 10-meter air rifle for the Czech Republic."

I really feel sorry for that unfortunate Chinese rifle-shooter who lost out to Emmons - but I'm generally delighted that China did NOT win the first gold medal. Long may such results continue! (For what the Chinese have done to Tibet, this would be only small pay-back).

That loss is a humiliation for the Chinese leadership (and their supporters) only because they will regard it as such** - may there be many, many, MANY more such humiliating moments for them!

(**I'm from India, which has not a hope on earth for ANY gold medals; only rather slim hopes for silver or bronze medals. We'll probably get a few wooden spoons. That's no humiliation or hassle at all for me. (Though I whall feel sorry for our athletes: I only wish they [the athletes] on the team will have a really good learning time at Beijing, and that they are able to escape the bureaucratic hassles that our bureaucrats will for sure have put their way! Next time around, maybe some of us shall get a few medals, in some hues and materials, even gold, silver, bronze, wooden).

Meanwhile, I wait for the utter humiliation of the Chinese leadership and their supporters; and following that the even bigger humiliation of GW Bush and his War Criminal Gang of thieves and scoundrels (for what they've done to the world).

-- GSC

What an outstanding, truly excellent review of Beijing Olympics Day 1 from Gary Kamiya! I believe it is the best I have seen; I shall be reading his "pressure cooker" column regularly.

I'm a native of a country (India) destined to win ZERO gold medals and very few medals of any other metal (perhaps there will be precisely ZERO of those too!! Well, we Indians actually invented the great and wonderful concept of zero, it is believed, though that is not quite why we are winning ZERO medals at these Olympics!) Anyway, I really have no interests in the medal tallies of any country: my over-riding and ONLY interest in this Olympics is just to see the Chinese leadership (and their supporters) utterly humiliated for what they've done to Tibet - and also to see GW Bush and his War Criminal Gang utterly humiliated (for what they've done to the world).

How can we make these wonderful things happen WITHOUT hurting or shaming these amazing athletes at the pinnacle of human physical prowess? - and also without hurting innocent Chinese and/or US citizens who do NOT support their leadership in their crimes?? Tough question. I've not figured that out; probably there's no answer to it.

Anyway, thank you, Mr Kamiya: please do keep in mind to carefully observe and bring to our notice anything that might take down the Chinese leadership and/or GW Bush.

-GSC