But the problem with this rant is that the same point could have been communicated with humor and grace, instead of bitterness and hatred.

Yes, hatred. I'm not sure how else to interpret, "I hate fans." Pretty clear, that statement.

And the example given about the mother who mentioned competing in the 400-meter freestyle -- this comment wasn't even directed to Ms. Sey. It was made by a mother to a daughter. Can you imagine! A mother and daughter bonding over a sporting event that the mother had once competed in. The fact that Ms. Sey has to make it about her is pretty much one of the textbook signs of narcissism.

And after reading some of the snarky comments of other athletes in the letters section, all I can say is you people need to get over yourself in a big way. Your accomplishments, as grand as they may be, haven't really done anything to benefit humanity.

This has really left a bad taste in my mouth. So much so that I don't even want to watch any more of the Olympics.

Of course we all have those kinds of thoughts.

But we usually don't write about them in a public forum in such a spiteful and graceless way.

Truth is, I'm not even an armchair athlete. I'm not an athlete at all, so I've go no dog in this hunt. I'm not competing with anyone here.

And, as I said earlier, this has completely turned me off to the Olympics. Probably not Ms. Sey's intent, but that's the result.

I found this, of all places, on a bottle of shower gel:

"How you climb up the mountain is just as important as how you get down the mountain. And so it is with life, which, for many of us, becomes one big gigantic test followed by one big gigantic lesson. In the end, it all comes down to one word -- grace. It's how you accept winning and losing, good luck and bad luck, the darkness and the light."

Grace - what a concept.

Someone writes something provocative, and then we who respond are scolded for being provoked, for being too sensitive, for making too much of it, for having a different opinion.

Anyway, there is apparently another Olympian who is behaving poorly (some Swedish wrestler), so we can all lay off Ms. Sey now, I guess. Maybe part of the training for elite athletes should be anger management.

...that I saw Mark Spitz being interviewed on Today this morning. He said that he's probably the only person who understands the pressure that Mark Phelps is feeling right now.

Which is, at the heart of it, the same point that Jennifer Sey is trying to make, I think.

But, he wasn't an asshole about it. He was what you might call a "class act".

I'm glad to know that, then, and I stand corrected. And this makes Ms. Sey look better how?

The way I see it, it's even more damning to athletes in general. Feh, who needs 'em.

what the dress codes actually said. The linked article doesn't specify. It simply says:

We were surprised how many times we found that employers' dress codes did not permit the wearing of comfortable sensible footwear by women...

I'm not sure what that means, though. Do these dress codes say that women have to wear heels? I find that hard to believe.

Because, last time I checked, these states have gone almost exclusively Republican for about the last 40 years.

No, better to talk about the rednecks in the south.

Methinks you are spending too much time in the pub, my friend.

Yes, those environmentalists have so much power and influence when compared with giant multi-national corporations!

Thanks for the laugh!

I remember her well back in the 80's when I was working in Cuyahoga County government and she was a judge, and I was glad to see that she went on to become a well-respected Congresswoman.

A sad day for the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio.

Thanks for reminding us at a time like this that for everything, everything, EVERYTHING that ever happens, anytime or anywhere, for the rest of eternity, someone like you can make a completely inappropriate and obnoxious comment about something that happened during the 2008 Democratic primary.

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/laurinmanning/gG59WM

If Senator Obama can be gracious at this time (and it looks like, as of now, Representative Tubbs Jones has not made it), then so can everyone else.

It's really easy to say people should have had insurance. But, insurance is relatively expensive. I just paid my homeowner's policy recently, which is pretty basic, and it doesn't include flood coverage (because I really don't need it where I live). It was $1,208. That's $100 a month. I just have this feeling that, when you're trying to make ends meet, and you have to decide between things like groceries and the light bill, and insurance, you're probably going to let the insurance go, because you aren't going to let yourself starve and go without electricity just to keep the insurance. I mean, isn't that the choice most of us would make?

And what about all those people who actually HAD insurance but were denied coverage? I'm sure many of them disputed those decisions. Maybe some finally got a check, but I would also imagine that many people were just too broken in body, mind and spirit to pursue the matter. I'm not going to judge them.

...for teaching me about freedom of speech. Apparently, if one doesn't answer his questions, one doesn't believe in freedom of speech. That's quite an interesting take on it.

Aside from that, he reminds me very much of the Rick Moranis character from "Ghostbusters".