Comments on: Late Nite: Sharing Freedom With The “Havenots”: SF Meets The Blood Olympics http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/ Firedoglake weblog Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:58:47 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: slouching http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1382405 slouching Thu, 10 Apr 2008 21:27:52 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1382405 <p>I was so proud to be a Bay Area resident and a Californian on Tues night. I respect Desmond Tutu so much and was so excited to actually see him in the flesh. Unfortunately, my camera kept flashing a ‘change batteries’ message, so I didn’t get any pics.</p> I was so proud to be a Bay Area resident and a Californian on Tues night. I respect Desmond Tutu so much and was so excited to actually see him in the flesh. Unfortunately, my camera kept flashing a ‘change batteries’ message, so I didn’t get any pics.

]]> By: Kirk James Murphy, M.D. http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1382184 Kirk James Murphy, M.D. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:10:59 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1382184 <p>Enfant T, you’re raising an interesting issue. Here in SF, the same activists who organized the March 19 protests against the war crime that is the Iraq invasion/occupation also played key roles in organizing the “welcome” SF gave the Blood Olympics Torch.</p> <p>Last night I joined them at an early dinner (the torch headed off to the airport by 4). Along with a lot of celebrating, one of the senior organizers raised the question of how Americans could move past their “learned helplessness” on influencing the US Govt.</p> <p>Intersting discussion - I hope we at the Lake will also explore that in the months leading up to November - and I hope to see vociferous and active public pressure applied at the RNC and DNC nominating conventions.</p> <p>The folks celebrating last night have long and impressive records of successful work pushing whole industries to change, as well as pushing political change. For them - and for me - the fact that sufficient numbers of people gathered together can force political change is a given in our lives. Yet I’m not certain about how to best convey that experiential knowledge to those who feel so helpless to alter US policy that even attempting feels pointless and hopeless.</p> <p>I hope further discussions of this issue - at the Lake and elsewhere - help us all come up with better tools to re-aquaint our fellow citizens with their immense latent power.</p> Enfant T, you’re raising an interesting issue. Here in SF, the same activists who organized the March 19 protests against the war crime that is the Iraq invasion/occupation also played key roles in organizing the “welcome” SF gave the Blood Olympics Torch.

Last night I joined them at an early dinner (the torch headed off to the airport by 4). Along with a lot of celebrating, one of the senior organizers raised the question of how Americans could move past their “learned helplessness” on influencing the US Govt.

Intersting discussion – I hope we at the Lake will also explore that in the months leading up to November – and I hope to see vociferous and active public pressure applied at the RNC and DNC nominating conventions.

The folks celebrating last night have long and impressive records of successful work pushing whole industries to change, as well as pushing political change. For them – and for me – the fact that sufficient numbers of people gathered together can force political change is a given in our lives. Yet I’m not certain about how to best convey that experiential knowledge to those who feel so helpless to alter US policy that even attempting feels pointless and hopeless.

I hope further discussions of this issue – at the Lake and elsewhere – help us all come up with better tools to re-aquaint our fellow citizens with their immense latent power.

]]> By: EnfantTerrible http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381913 EnfantTerrible Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:56:12 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381913 <p>This is great stuff! My only quibble is that I wish that we would be as active and as passionate about the ***U.S.*** government’s human rights violations.</p> This is great stuff! My only quibble is that I wish that we would be as active and as passionate about the ***U.S.*** government’s human rights violations.

]]> By: spurious http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381586 spurious Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:26:15 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381586 <p>Great post, Kirk! Worried about you guys today. Thanks for putting yourselves on the line for all of us who couldn’t make it. Proud of you all.</p> Great post, Kirk! Worried about you guys today. Thanks for putting yourselves on the line for all of us who couldn’t make it. Proud of you all.

]]> By: nahant http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381569 nahant Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:13:05 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381569 <p>Looks like a starling to me!</p> Looks like a starling to me!

]]> By: newtonusr http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381567 newtonusr Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:12:37 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381567 <p>very nice essay</p> very nice essay

]]> By: TeddySanFran http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381559 TeddySanFran Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:10:04 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381559 <p>Fun watching on teevee — the ChopperFive camera would cut real close whenever there was a chance that a flag-draped protester was nearby. Then when the security cordon had outrun the protesters, the chopper-cam would go wide. They clearly had their instructions, especially after the protesters met up with the Torch halfway up Van Ness.</p> <p>I bet Newsom’s plan was to go across the GG Bridge, to counteract all Monday’s publicity, thereby supplying his Chinese overlords with lots of photo ops. But the late start ran them right up to rush hour — and rush they did, right to SFO.</p> <p>I did see the one unregulated moment on teevee, when I noticed my friend <a href="http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=2863" rel="nofollow">John Caldera, an essay winner</a>, take the torch with his runner-partner. But she shook her arm and something came out of her sleeve; you couldn’t see what it was, but she was hustled away from the torch by the blue-and-white meanies. There was a brief paragraph about her in an earlier version of the constantly updated story on the Chronicle website, but I haven’t seen it again.</p> <p>Here’s a snippet <a href="http://www.tv3.co.nz/News/SanFranciscoOlympictorchrelayrunnersetuponoverholdingTibetanflag/tabid/209/articleID/52094/Default.aspx?ArticleID=52094" rel="nofollow">from New Zealand</a>:</p> <blockquote><p>At least one torchbearer decided to show her support for Tibetan independence during her moment in the spotlight. After being passed the Olympic flame, Majora Carter pulled out a small Tibetan flag that she had hidden in her shirt sleeve.</p> <p>“The Chinese security and cops were on me like white on rice, it was no joke,” said Carter, 41, who runs a non profit organization in New York.</p> <p>“They pulled me out of the race, and then San Francisco police officers pushed me back into the crowd on the side of the street.”</p></blockquote> <p>Great post, Kirk, thanks for all you did today.</p> Fun watching on teevee — the ChopperFive camera would cut real close whenever there was a chance that a flag-draped protester was nearby. Then when the security cordon had outrun the protesters, the chopper-cam would go wide. They clearly had their instructions, especially after the protesters met up with the Torch halfway up Van Ness.

I bet Newsom’s plan was to go across the GG Bridge, to counteract all Monday’s publicity, thereby supplying his Chinese overlords with lots of photo ops. But the late start ran them right up to rush hour — and rush they did, right to SFO.

I did see the one unregulated moment on teevee, when I noticed my friend John Caldera, an essay winner, take the torch with his runner-partner. But she shook her arm and something came out of her sleeve; you couldn’t see what it was, but she was hustled away from the torch by the blue-and-white meanies. There was a brief paragraph about her in an earlier version of the constantly updated story on the Chronicle website, but I haven’t seen it again.

Here’s a snippet from New Zealand:

At least one torchbearer decided to show her support for Tibetan independence during her moment in the spotlight. After being passed the Olympic flame, Majora Carter pulled out a small Tibetan flag that she had hidden in her shirt sleeve.

“The Chinese security and cops were on me like white on rice, it was no joke,” said Carter, 41, who runs a non profit organization in New York.

“They pulled me out of the race, and then San Francisco police officers pushed me back into the crowd on the side of the street.”

Great post, Kirk, thanks for all you did today.

]]> By: Quebecois http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381552 Quebecois Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:04:17 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381552 <p>This morning, I accompanied my mom to the hospital for some tests. As i was walking from my parking location, I heard so many birds singing. We had a pretty harsh winter, so hearing them was a joy. Can anyone tell me what bird this is?</p> <p><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/pichugues/20080409Fleurystreet?authkey=uktYOKpVhTo" rel="nofollow">black bird with a funky tail</a></p> This morning, I accompanied my mom to the hospital for some tests. As i was walking from my parking location, I heard so many birds singing. We had a pretty harsh winter, so hearing them was a joy. Can anyone tell me what bird this is?

black bird with a funky tail

]]> By: CTuttle http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381551 CTuttle Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:04:16 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381551 <p>At least it’s not <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woLQI8X2R6Y" rel="nofollow">Eagle’s wings…</a></p> At least it’s not Eagle’s wings…

]]> By: ChristineEdmonson http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381550 ChristineEdmonson Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:04:04 +0000 http://firedoglake.com/2008/04/09/sharing-freedom-with-the-havenots-sf-meets-the-blood-olympics/#comment-1381550 <p>Damn disappointed in UPS. And I’m proud to say that I live in a city where the only MacDonalds failed, and left.</p> Damn disappointed in UPS. And I’m proud to say that I live in a city where the only MacDonalds failed, and left.

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