ping Lesley: the Olympic police state

This must be very near you:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17884897#

Mexico 1968: Olympics as an excuse for a massacre of the opposition

Athens 2004: Olympics as an opportunity for corruption on a country-busting
scale

Beijing 2008: Olympics as pretext for mass evictions

London 2012: Olympics as a try-out for full-on militarized fascist rule

This isn't sport, this isn't entertainment, this is a globalized war
on civil society.

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e m a i l : j a c k @ c a m p i n . m e . u k
Jack Campin, 11 Third Street, Newtongrange, Midlothian EH22 4PU, Scotland
mobile 07800 739 557 http://www.campin.me.uk Twitter: JackCampin

Jack Campin wrote:

This must be very near you:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17884897#

Mexico 1968: Olympics as an excuse for a massacre of the opposition

Athens 2004: Olympics as an opportunity for corruption on a country-busting
scale

Beijing 2008: Olympics as pretext for mass evictions

London 2012: Olympics as a try-out for full-on militarized fascist rule

This isn't sport, this isn't entertainment, this is a globalized war
on civil society.

Don't forget Munich 1972!

Joyce

On Apr 28, 5:14*pm, Jack Campin wrote:
This must be very near you:

The main stadium is less than 10 minutes walk from my front door- am I
excited?

NO!

The road restrictions are truly scary I face 6 weeks of struggling to
get to and from work. Things are being done that would normally draw
a public enquiry but as they are being done by LOCOQ nothing is being
said- I've actually seen a notice detailing road closures that will
make it nigh on impossible for cars to go to Straford shopping centre
(whilst of course chanelling punters through the Westfield Centre)
that said they were being passed "By the powers vested in LOCOQ"and if
there was an election for members of LOCOQ that passed me by.

Tower Hamlets helped support the Olympic bid and part of the reason
London got it was the exposure it would give places like Tower Hamlets
then the organisers reneged on a promise that the marathon would
finish in Stratford and be run along the Whitechapel/Mile End/Bow Road
stretch citing the World wouldn't want to see them so the route
finishes at the Mall or somewhere like that.They even wanted to
demolish Bow Church parts of which go back to the 1600's for the
marathon and to speed up traffic. They very nearly won but for once
English Heritage showed their teeth

Shop owners will not be allowed to display posters of any product that
isn't Olympic approved. Police are being given the right to enter the
houses of anyone who displays an anti-Olympic poster without a
warrant,

Ancient trees have been cut down in Greenwich Park so the TV cameras
covering the equestrian events can see Canary Wharf when filming.

Hackney Marshes has a large traveller community facing eviction

Allotments in Lee Valley area ripped up for no real reasons- the
original plan (in the bid) was to source produce for some of the
Olympic restaurants from there on "sustainability" grounds- but I
guess McDonald's who are the official Olympic caterers don't have a
lot of use for local vegetables

High Voltage Festival (and Glastonbury) unable to go ahead.

Residents near Victoria Park are facing the park being used every
night until 11.00-12.00 to show events on big screens up to 20,000
people expected per night (should have been 30,000 but the Friends of
Victoria Park got it reduced)

Ticketing a complete fiasco- the only people who got tickets for
events they wanted were either lucky or had friends in the right
places- many tickets for the more popular events have mostly been sold
to corporate sponsors

Hotel charges to go through the roof

Residents near Fish Island will have to deal with a temporary
nightclub that will be open until1-3am every night

"But it creates jobs"- yeah 6-8 weels minimum wage mostly- Mc Donalds
are holding "X factor" style auditions for applicants to flip burgers

Celia Hammond's animal rescue was overwhelmed getting cats out of
derelict sites- even though they were sending in rescuers with all the
appropriate certificates to work on building sites the impression was
the demolition companies were quite happy to crush cats if they didn't
get out of the way and even if they had left where would they have
gone?

Clays Lane- an area of low cost hoursing was demolished with all the
attendant pressures that then put on other London boroughs to rehouse
the people from there over people in their areas

Effect of local businesess- the road I live on is going to be
designated as an olympic route- our local minicab office won't be
allowed to park outside their base office nor round the corner. The
owners are giving serious consideration to closing for 6 weeks- the
drivers won't be able to claim dole even since they're all self-
employed and will technically still have a job so many of them will
lose 6 weeks work

If you get the impression I never wanted it here and now want it even
less you're right

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs

MaryL wrote:

"Bastette" wrote in message ...

Have my fellow Americans noticed that the summer olympics always take
place during a presidential election year?

And have anyone here noticed that the summer olympics always take place
in a leap year? (Except 2000.)

The Olympics occur every four years, and so do presidential elections. So,
once the dates had been set for the summer and winter Olympics, that
automatically meant that the summer games would always occur during
presidential election years.

I know. I didn't mean to ask *why* this was the case. I just thought it
was worth noticing.

--
Joyce

"Bacteria, with a few more bells and whistles."
-- Bonnie Bassler, describing human beings

"Bastette" wrote in message ...

MaryL wrote:

"Bastette" wrote in message ...

Have my fellow Americans noticed that the summer olympics always take
place during a presidential election year?

And have anyone here noticed that the summer olympics always take place
in a leap year? (Except 2000.)

The Olympics occur every four years, and so do presidential elections.
So,
once the dates had been set for the summer and winter Olympics, that
automatically meant that the summer games would always occur during
presidential election years.

I know. I didn't mean to ask *why* this was the case. I just thought it
was worth noticing.

--
Joyce

"Bacteria, with a few more bells and whistles."
-- Bonnie Bassler, describing human beings

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I really thought you would probably be aware. I just threw in the comment
in case some of our friends in other countries might not know about how U.S.
elections are set. Most countries do not have exact dates for their
elections.

MaryL

"Jack Campin" wrote in message
...
This must be very near you:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17884897#

Mexico 1968: Olympics as an excuse for a massacre of the opposition

Athens 2004: Olympics as an opportunity for corruption on a
country-busting
scale

Beijing 2008: Olympics as pretext for mass evictions

London 2012: Olympics as a try-out for full-on militarized fascist rule

This isn't sport, this isn't entertainment, this is a globalized war
on civil society.

I nearly died when I knew we were successful in the bid. Why would we want
to?
What a waste of money.
I know some people like sport, but really..
Do I care if a British athlete is the best in the world? No. Do I want
millions spent on the 2012 London Olympics? No.

I tell you what the money should be better spent on. Cancer research, or
cystic fibrosis, stuff like that.
How important is it that a Russian can jump higher than a Canadian and why
should all that money be spent on it?

"Christina Websell" wrote in
message ...
...
I nearly died when I knew we were successful in the bid. Why
would we want to?
What a waste of money.

I agree.

I know some people like sport, but really..
Do I care if a British athlete is the best in the world? No.

I find the whole concept of nations quite strange. First and
foremost, we're human beings, It doesn't matter to me where in
the world anybody comes from.

Do I want millions spent on the 2012 London Olympics? No.


But we don't have a choice, do we - as it's been partly funded
from tax trvenue. As a London Council Tax payer, I've had to pay
an additional element as well!

I tell you what the money should be better spent on. Cancer
research, or cystic fibrosis, stuff like that.

Well said.

How important is it that a Russian can jump higher than a
Canadian and why should all that money be spent on it?

It's not important where they come from, but human endeavour and
achievements should be recognised - just not with *my* money!

--
MatSav

"Bastette" wrote in message
...
MaryL wrote:

"Bastette" wrote in message ...

Have my fellow Americans noticed that the summer olympics always take
place during a presidential election year?

And have anyone here noticed that the summer olympics always take place
in a leap year? (Except 2000.)

The Olympics occur every four years, and so do presidential elections.
So,
once the dates had been set for the summer and winter Olympics, that
automatically meant that the summer games would always occur during
presidential election years.

I know. I didn't mean to ask *why* this was the case. I just thought it
was worth noticing.

--
Joyce


I think it's great that it occurs during a presidential election year. That
means that, for a couple of weeks, there's something in the news, and
something discussed on talk shows, besides politics.

Joy

Joy wrote:

I think it's great that it occurs during a presidential election year. That
means that, for a couple of weeks, there's something in the news, and
something discussed on talk shows, besides politics.

That is *so true*. Especially this year. What I wouldn't give to be
watching the rowing competitions in Beijing again!

--
Joyce

"Bacteria, with a few more bells and whistles."
-- Bonnie Bassler, describing human beings

And now they're talking about putting surface to air missiles on the
Bow Quarter to shoot down any hijacked jets to avoid a 9/11 scenario-
Bow Quarter is just 5 minutes walk from here- I can see the water
tower they want to put the missiles on from my bedroom window imagine
what will happen if they fire one of them- 300 tons of debris or so
landing around here possibly on my house......

You gotta love the PR spokesman for this insane idea who said (And I
have heard everything now)

"These weapons are designed to be used in built up areas - but not
necessarily with people present"

WTF does that mean?!

Lesley

Slave of the Fabulous Furballs