Today I walked the route the route the Olympic torch was supposed to follow in San Francisco.
The parade route was lined with protesters as expected, and a lot of people who just wanted to see the torch. People had driven in from all around California just to see this thing that happens as a prequel to an Olympics, the torch relay. Thousands of people from around the world who are not even competing in the games, volunteer to help the Olympic flame go from Greece to the location of the Olympiad.
From the moment I stepped onto the streets, I knew something was seriously wrong.
Someone stacked the deck.
Among the curious onlookers and protesters, there were pro-China Olympic supporters, there were thousands of pro-Chinese Olympic supporters.
They all had matching shirts, they all had matching flags, they all had matching banners, they all had matching poles supporting the banners. And every single one of them was Chinese. Not people who's parents or great-grandparents emigrated to the United States. Every single one of them was born in China and was a Chinese citizen. Some were students studying in the US, but many of them came from China just for this event. Every single one of them had a brand new, never worn before windbreaker and a new Giants or 49'ers hat or a protest hat. Every single one of them took a photo with a sign or a flag to prove they were at the location. Not as a toursit might, but as you would do to prove you were there.
In contrast, the anti-China people were all different. They came from every ethnic background you could imagine. There were people from Africans, Asians, Caucasians, Latinos, lots of Chinese. Some of them had printed protest signs and shirts, but none of them matched.
The strangest thing of all was the giant Chinese Communist flags. I have wandered all over San Francisco for several years now and I have encountered German tourists, Japanese tourists, Russians, English, Australians and Chinese. I have never, ever seen a Chinese family with a Chinese flag. I don't remember ever seeing a Chinese flag displayed in Chinatown. In San Francisco, Seattle, Oakland or even in London. Suddenly, there was hundreds of Chinese flags waving proudly in San Francisco.
I am happy to report that just like London and Paris, the torch did not make it through the parade route. The flame appeared and disappeared in secrecy. Even the media was uninformed and pissed that they missed the story. The only indicator of where the torch was came from the helicopters circling overhead.
This was a great day. China missed it's photo opportunity and San Francisco stood up to represent.
The torch is supposed to be on it's way to Buenos Ares, but I doubt the IOC will continue this folly. They have had their noses rubbed in the mud in every city and it will be no different in Buenos Ares or Canberra, or when it moves to Australia.
