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whereaminow (70.26)

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October 04, 2009 – Comments (26)

"But today, I can dream, and I am dreaming of an Olympic and Paralympic Games in Chicago.... that will expose all our neighborhoods to new sports and new role models; that will show every child that regardless of wealth, or gender, or race, or physical ability, there is a sport and a place for them, too." - Michelle Obama

Um, I think physical ability plays a part in the whole Olympics thingy, but hey it sounds good right? 

As for the role models, the poor in Chicago can still watch multicultural athletics on ESPN and ESPN2.  With 26 attendants, you'd think they'd have come up with a better sales pitch.  Seeing as the Olympics would have been the greatest boondoggle in Chicago since the Milton Bradley signing, at least half the city is relieved she wasn't smart enough to sway the judges.

Congrats to Rio, whose children now get to see role models and stuff regardless of all that stuff and blah blah blah, except the whole natural talent thingy.

Thank goodness I can separate the idea of sports and role models. Otherwise I'd probably be disappointed for Chicago.  Then again, if I was that stupid, I'd be in politcs.

David in Qatar

26 Comments – Post Your Own

#1) On October 04, 2009 at 8:44 PM, dragonLZ (99.34) wrote:

She said "regardless of physical ability" because of Paralympic Games (if you know what that means and who competes there)...

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#2) On October 04, 2009 at 8:49 PM, devoish (98.73) wrote:

Michelle Obama is correct.

There is a place in sport for every child. There is the major leagues, the minor leagues, Sunday afternoon recreational leagues, the school yard, the hardcourt, and the Paralympic Games.

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#3) On October 04, 2009 at 8:55 PM, whereaminow (70.26) wrote:

dragonLZ

So every kid can play in the paralympic games then? Is that what you're saying?  Cuz I don't think they can (if you know what they are and who competes there)

devoish,

Yeah, that's pretty much the way it is.  Every kid can do that.  Regardless of whether the Olympics are in Chicago or not.  That's what makes the whole speech so stupid.  You're still so slow to the party.  I might have break things down a little bit for you.  Maybe there's a Paralympics of Comedy I can enter you in.

David in Qatar 

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#4) On October 04, 2009 at 11:13 PM, TheClub55 (48.48) wrote:

As a resident of the Chi town burbs... I can say its no big loss, it would have been just more city politics, bribes, etc. and taxes going at even a faster rate than they are already because of the cost overruns that would have surly occured. 

Best of luck to RIO!

 

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#5) On October 04, 2009 at 11:29 PM, kristm (99.75) wrote:

Georgia was culturally destroyed by the Atlanta Olympic games. The people of Illinois and Chicago who aren't politicians or contractors really dodged a bullet with this one.

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#6) On October 04, 2009 at 11:36 PM, dragonLZ (99.34) wrote:

whereare you know, I think you have a slight problem understanding what it means when somebody says "Every child...regardles of..."

What Michele said is: No matter if you are wealthy or not, no matter if you are male or female, no matter if you are black or white, no matter if you are handicapped or not, there is still a sport and place for you...

p.s. If one is handicapped, there are Paralympic games, and he/she can compete too...

Does this help? 

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#7) On October 04, 2009 at 11:47 PM, whereaminow (70.26) wrote:

dragonLZ,

You must enjoy being the butt of a joke.  I understand.  Every know and then I don't mind having everybody laugh at me either.  Okay, drone, let me break it down real simple so that even a public school graduate from DC can understand it.

Everyone who competes in the Olympics or Paralympics must excel to get there.

Everyone can excel.

They can do this whether the Olympics is in Chicago or on the Planet Mars.

Hence, Michelle and her attendants didn't provide any reason whatsover that the Olympics and Paralympics should be in Chicago over any other city.  She just "dreamed about it."

Hence, the sales pitch was pathetic.  Multicultural and egalitarian sob stories only work on No Child Left Behind victims.

David in Qatar

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#8) On October 04, 2009 at 11:57 PM, starbucks4ever (99.54) wrote:

A politician is a person in whose mouth formal logic goes to die...

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#9) On October 05, 2009 at 12:01 AM, devoish (98.73) wrote:

I missed that point entirely. Probably because I have seen the effect on American girls when our soccer team won the 1999 womens world cup at the Rose Bowl in front of 90,000 American fans.

Or the statement China made to their kids.

But hey, her husband is the President. You cannot help yourself.

 

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#10) On October 05, 2009 at 12:02 AM, catoismymotor (67.50) wrote:

# 5 - What in the world are you talking about? Seriously, I wish to know. I am a native of Atlanta. I have lived in the area all my life. I had a great time while the games were here in town. It was fun hosting the world for two weeks. Metro Atlanta exploded in population and business reputation after the games. I am not aware of a single cultural nuance that was whisked away by the olympics. I think the worst things that happened outside of the bombing at the park was the use of chrome plated pickups in the opening ceremony. 

 

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#11) On October 05, 2009 at 12:05 AM, dragonLZ (99.34) wrote:

Where did Michelle say: You will for sure get to Olympics or Paralympics? She just said "there is a sport and place for you." So where does your "you must excel" fits in there?

She also said "children from our neighborhoods will be exposed to..." so your Planet Mars thing doesn't really make any sense either.

p.s. The sales pitch was pathetic, I agree, but that's no reason to then try to change the meaning of what she said (and she said something very simple, btw.)...

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#12) On October 05, 2009 at 12:26 AM, mawnck (< 20) wrote:

The poor have ESPN?

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#13) On October 05, 2009 at 1:29 AM, ArgusPanoptes (27.03) wrote:

"Georgia was culturally destroyed by the Atlanta Olympic games."

Woa.... wut?

I lived in Atlanta for seven years - and I never heard ONE person, NOT ONE, ever express or even hint at that opinion. The only sentiment I picked up on was a sadness that they would not be back soon. That and they missed all the money and excellent improvements to the cities reputation and infrastructure that came with the olympics.

 This whole "we don't want the olymics" thing is truly new to me. I saw it for the first time only a few weeks ago. I guess every country in the word trying to land the games are suckers? 

I would not advocate for the winter olympics though... they seem to get half as relevant every year. 

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#14) On October 05, 2009 at 3:58 AM, DaretothREdux (45.32) wrote:

#12

The poor have ESPN?

Yes and big screen TVs, And cell phones for all their kids....

Dare

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#15) On October 05, 2009 at 7:49 AM, cthomas1017 (38.79) wrote:

Dare,
For almost two years, I took my kids to work once a week serving at a soup kitchen.  They never stopped asking me why the people we were serving had cell phones if they were so poor.  For a while, I was able to explain that being poor was a temporary setback and it would cost more to cancel a contract than to keep the contract for the period while they were getting back on their feet.  That explanation wasn't very good after about six months, when some of the "institutionally poor" kept coming for their free lunch while gabbing away on their ***NEW*** phone.  :o

I don't understand the "culturally destroyed" comment either.  I was there before & after, and Atlanta's "culture" is far more rich today than 20 years ago.  Not sure I can pin that on the Olympics though.  Personally, I'd chalk that one up to the discovery of the air conditioner.

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#16) On October 05, 2009 at 10:18 AM, G8BigBoom (69.78) wrote:

Hey its only fair. We got f_cked with the RNC here in MN. The only ones that cared to have it sat in government and didn't have to deal with the BS.

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#17) On October 05, 2009 at 12:44 PM, whereaminow (70.26) wrote:

Man, this was a fun post. I may have to do this kind of stuff more often. In the spirit of equality and togetherness and racial harmoney and all, I think I"m going to dedicate the rest of my blogging career to the poor children in Chicago that won't have any role models now.

David in Qatar

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#18) On October 05, 2009 at 1:00 PM, catoismymotor (67.50) wrote:

# 15 - Personally, I'd chalk that one up to the discovery of the air conditioner.

I take extreme offense to...Wait. It makes sense. Never mind!

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#19) On October 05, 2009 at 3:31 PM, sleepreading (< 20) wrote:

Why doesn't the Obamas get all of the kids in Chicago a subscription to Obsure Sports Quarterly (OSQ)?

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#20) On October 05, 2009 at 6:09 PM, tonylogan1 (28.66) wrote:

sweet post!

I want to know what the heck Chicago managed to spend $100 Million on to attempt to get the bid?

Seriously... $100 Million dollars?

I think the politicians and contractor scammers already got their take of "olympic money"

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#21) On October 05, 2009 at 6:13 PM, eldemonio (98.82) wrote:

Chicago's pathetic attempt to include Head Stomping and Beating Someone with a Big A$$ Board as demonstration sports in the 2016 games is what really put off the IOC judges. 

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#22) On October 05, 2009 at 10:36 PM, kristm (99.75) wrote:

I don't live in Atlanta. And I didn't say Atlanta was destroyed, I said Georgia was culturally destroyed. A lot of conservative values and organizations were thrown under the bus to make room for the Olympics. We need new buildings, new people, new ways of thinking - all these unsightly old too-southern things need to go! The media, the newspapers, the culture, it all changed between 1992 and 1996. A lot of outsiders moved in too. The state spent God knows how much money on projects that haven't made the money back yet, stuff we're still paying for. The only groups that benefitted much from the olympics, outside the athletes themselves, were contractors and crooked politicians. The common man was kicked around, displaced, and inconvenienced without compensation. The highlight was when those of us who live in rural areas north of the city had "brownouts" nearly every afternoon during the Olympics. Two weeks in Georgia during August with not so much as a working fan so the thousands of guests in Atlanta could keep their hotel rooms and swimming pools air conditioned. I spit on the olympics.

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#23) On October 05, 2009 at 11:19 PM, DownEscalator (< 20) wrote:

Okay - kristm - Atlanta's transformation culturally predates the Olympics in '96.  I would point to the cable media boom of the 80s/90s as one source.  Its development into a transportation hub after the renovation of Hartsfield in the late 60s would be another.  I would argue its comparatively progressive thinking from 1970-on compared to its southern neighbors is a reason why it's the 3rd most "gay" city in America and far more diverse than other places in the south.  These have absolutely nothing to do with the '96 game.

Back on topic, as a Chicagoan, I'm thrilled - THRILLED - the Olympics are going to Brasil.  I'm happy our taxes aren't going othrough the roof for something that is bound to be mismanaged and grafted to death by Chicago-style politics.  I'm thrilled someone told Obama no and hope it's a wake-up call.  I'm happy I don't have to hear the Olympics as a political excuse to justify all sorts of bankruptcy-tempting garbage.  Chicago is a gorgeous city that on its own rights deserves the admiration of the world.  However, the people it has running it deserve no such consideration, and for the sake of the world and my mental health it's best if good things like this go elsewhere.

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#24) On October 06, 2009 at 2:53 PM, kristm (99.75) wrote:

"Chicago is a gorgeous city that on its own rights deserves the admiration of the world.  However, the people it has running it deserve no such consideration, and for the sake of the world and my mental health it's best if good things like this go elsewhere."

The lot of crooks running Atlanta during the 90's can't match anything Chicago has, but they sure were a bunch of lying cons. They profited handsomely through the games, which is part of my problem with the whole thing. 

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#25) On October 06, 2009 at 3:15 PM, catoismymotor (67.50) wrote:

I'm for having the Olympics back in Atlanta. What do you say to ATL in 2020? I want Bud World back at Centennial Olympic Park. That tent was awesome!!!

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#26) On October 06, 2009 at 3:29 PM, sleepreading (< 20) wrote:

All I know is there is a population of 2 in OUCH Town...The Obama's.

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