Dr. Laura Schlessinger has a wonderful
blog, I have to say that I am very drawn to her principles and I trust her opinion very much. She is a beacon of values in a world that is terribly mixed up about right and wrong. Her entry today rang true to my values. I've thought all along that sending the
Olympics to China was a bad idea, my mother has said for years that we need to be careful. Weren't the Olympics supposed to be hosted by countries that upheld values of human preservation and honesty? Aren't we supposed to look at the countries(and cities) and marvel at how they've overcome struggles and contentions, how their governments are working to hopefully better the lives of their citizens?
Trust me I am not saying that our government is perfect or that we've got all the answers. But my goodness, this is outrageous, there are Olympians who are
not traveling directly to Beijing, but through other countries first, or wearing face masks, to avoid prolonged over-exposure to harmful pollution in the air. Pollution which China promised in 2001, to remedy prior to the opening of the Games... don't you think waiting until the
week before is a bit of poor planning? Instead, they've uprooted peasant families in order to build new state of the art arenas, continued to disregard the civil rights of their citizens, and limited the ability of foreign newscasters. Please tell me, HOW is this a good thing??? Why haven't these games been boycotted??? What as citizens can we do now, with the games looming a few short days away???
I don't know the answers, but I think we've become too complacent. I'm feeling a pull in two directions, I have been for a while now. On the one hand, I now have two children who are old enough to watch some events and understand why we hold these special events every four years. I want them to see these spectacular athletes and gain appreciation for their dedication, to look up to them as I looked up to Mary Lou when I was a little girl. I want them to be inspired to choose a sport or activity and really learn and grow in the joy of perfecting it. And yet, I want to show them that I don't agree with our involvement in events that bring gain to this country who can be very dangerous to us, who does not even uphold the promises it has made in order to receive the honor of hosting the Olympics.
I am torn. Will not allowing my family to participate in viewing the Games really show anyone anything? Or is this a time to sit my kids down and explain to them why we watch and support our athletes, and teach them WHY we are so lucky to live in our beautiful land? It seems that I have a decision to make soon. One that I am unfortunately certain will not be that last of it's type. Which happens to be exactly the reason I am grateful for people, like Dr. Laura, who have the voice and means to speak publicly about the morals and values that are being degraded by the popular culture. We would be blessed if we had more people like her in the media.
