CBC Edmonton – Canadian Olympians balk at carrying flag at Opening Ceremony — What kind of athletics get tired carrying a flag? Geez.
It could be because of the so-called “jinx” or the strenuous exercise, but several of Canada’s top athletes are shying away from carrying their nation’s flag at next month’s Olympic Opening Ceremony.
Speed skater Catriona Le May Doan carries the Canadian flag at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. (CP Photo/Tom Hanson)
Olympic gold medal cross-country skiing star Beckie Scott, world champion bobsledder Pierre Lueders, Olympic speed skating medallists Cindy Klassen and Clara Hughes, who all train in Calgary, have all said they would prefer not to carry the Maple Leaf at the Torino Winter Games.
Well, consider what their whole national identity is based on:
“We’re not the USA. Oh, also, our extremely corrupt government rather than insurance companies serves as the intermediary through which we pay for health care.”
… not really much there to excite patriotism. No surpises here.
“We’re not the USA. Oh, also, our extremely corrupt government rather than insurance companies serves as the intermediary through which we pay for health care.”
Hmm yes yes, expensive private insurance and HMO issues are the ticket. Let’s only let the rich have access to medical services US style.
As for corrupt government… haha. I don’t think I even need to go there.
Anyway, this is nothing more than extremely focused athletes who have intense superstitions. After training your whole life to perform at a single event of a lifetime, you’d listen to even the most absurd mental suggestion regarding improving your luck.
Geez, Kevin, you lead me to believe that Americans are SO insecure that they need to pump themselves up taking cheap shots at perfectly decent countries they understand not at all. Of course, that’s not true but there ARE plenty like you. We have plenty of problems and hangsup here, like everyone else. We, of course, actually DO know a great deal about the US, both its greatness, which we admire, and its horrible blindnesses, which are so obvious to many of its friends around the world. But if the US is truly leader of the free world and the finest nation on earth, as you no doubt believe, why do you need to build yourself up by demeaning others? Get a grip and stop embarrassing your great nation.
Best wishes from Canada
Complete ignorance (and arrogance) displayed in comment #1.
Are you one of those people that can’t figure out why on earth people from other countries don’t like americans?
“extremely corrupted government”? are you freaking kidding me? the ONLY reason why the government was brought down by an issue as small as the sponsorship scandal, which began as an attempt to unite the country, is because SOME countries are actually concerned about government corruption unlike others. While on the other hand, the President of the “free world” (as Americans, namely the lovely openminded and unbiased journalists working at FOX News, love to call him) lies about issues that cause warfare and the overthrow of another government, yet he is reelected by a people so unconcerned about truth, justice, and a transparent government that they give him even MORE support than before. The obviously rampant scandals and corruption that occurs in the governmental offices of the US make little to no effect at all on the elections of government that they are accepted as normal occurrences by the average electorate.
So quit your snide and arrogant remarks regarding the problems of other countries and concentrate on fixing the major problems plaguing and slowly eating away at the once great United States of America.
Tim couldn’t have said it better. Any American who dares criticize another government for being corrupt has absoultely no high ground to claim. People like him who continue to believe the corporate news and give their unquestioning support of the Bush Corporation because they are either too lazy or too stupid to do a little digging to find out the truth deserve what they get. And if current government trending in the US continues, Kevin and those like him will find out soon enough.
I agree with you Steve…your plan seems like an extremely sensible and effective one. Honoring past atheletes and letting current ones concentrate on the task at hand is a good idea and should be brought up with the Canadian Olympic Committee. Btw…sorry Al but I had to go there, too tempting…couldn’t resist 🙂
Canada? Where’s that?
Kevin you are a true genius! The government hasn’t even been in power for 2 days in Canada and you already know it’s extremely corrupt.
Of course it’s extremely corrupt. It’s a government! (OK, we will give Harper a few weeks first)
Kevin, well said! Who, in their right mind would want to be canadian when you can be a proud self-adoring, red white and blue blooded American. That type of patriotism doesn’t grow on a dog sled… nope this type of pride comes from crass egocentric self-righteous greed. The same pride you get when you blast a cap into some 7-eleven clerk, or launch a patriot missile into an iraqi household, or rip off canada out of billions of dollars and shout out “softwood payback suckas”, or when we suck on our artery clogging McChicken meal spoon fed information by Fox (it’s easier than learnin’ stuff). Nope, that kind of pride is home grown and Canada will never feel it. Hockey? pffft… we laugh at hockey cause our national sport is breaking things!
“Some members of the United States Olympic hockey team vandalized their living suites in the athletes’ village after the team was eliminated by the Czech Republic on Wednesday, according to Olympic and hockey officials.”
February 20, 1998, Friday (New York Times).
Kevin
I’m not sure if you even know what patriotism is.
Patriotism is NOT, my country, right or wrong. It is NOT, blindly following a President that lies to his people. It is NOT standing on a corner waving the Stars and Stripes while shouting “God Bless America”. It is NOT believing that whatever General Motors does is good for the country. It is NOT accepting blindly everything that comes out of the government mouth pieces. It is NOT listening to Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity, the true saviors of the world order. It is NOT calling fellow Americans “traitors” because they disagree with you.
Patriotism is knowing the difference between right and wrong and doing whatever you can to have your country do right. Patriotism is helping those around you because together you will make the country stronger. Patriotism is doing what you can for the senior citizens, because they built the country you live in today using their blood, sweat, and sacrifices. Patriotism is in the loving of what your country represents.
Are Canadians Patriotic? I believe they are. They don’t stand around waving a flag. Yet whenever they see a Canadian flag in a foreign country they feel proud. They don’t preach to the world about “democracy”. Yet more than 125 Canadians have died serving as United Nation Peace Keepers, trying to keep waring parties apart. They don’t try to make their world subservient to a specific God. Yet they encourage all faiths to worship in their own style (as long as no one is hurt).
And they don’t turn their backs on those who came before them, who served in the wars to protect the Canadian way of life, who worked in the factories creating wealth, who tilled the soil to feed the hungry, and who raised their children to be the next generation.
Canadians are not only Patriotic, but they have good reason to be proud of their country.
From rural Indiana, the heartland of America.
Well said A Hoosier. Canadians don’t dislike all Americans and paint them all with a broad brush, but we do openly dislike their government, the majority of its policies, and the self-righteous, arrogant, and hopefully minority of those like Kevin. To prove a point, during our recent election, our previous governing party made some light “American bashing” remarks hoping that it would appeal to the Canadian psyche but only caused negative reactions and eventually their defeat. We understand that America is our closest trading partner, and arguably our closest friend and ally, but their recent governmental polices have resulted in a strain in this friendship. I think that most of us agree that a change of government is in order, if not to only make things better, but to merely make things different. I, along with much of the rest of the world, very much hope that the American government can evolve for the better and become less domineering. It is said that the larger and more powerful the country, the larger and more dangerous the corruption. Britain and Germany managed to turn things around, and I sincerely hope that America can as well.