Olympics may not be something to be proud of . . .

Nearly 2000 people were in the streets outside the opening ceremony for the 2010 winter Olympics in Canada on Friday night, yet few media outlets around the world even mentioned it. Knowing what I know about how all of North America was stolen from its native inhabitants, I found it nauseating to see the obviously contrived welcome from Canada’s native peoples that was part of the ceremonies. Clearly, huge amounts of money was spent on the stadium and the ceremony. “Wow,” I remember commenting to my partner as we were watching the ceremony, “I am glad that Canada seems to have housed and fed all their people to have all this money left over.”

Well, it seems that Canada spent huge amounts of public money on the overly glitzy ceremonies while native peoples continue to be disenfranchised and millions go without shelter, food, or heath care. Their Olympic budget was over $6 billion!

Over 2 million people have been displaced by olympic-related construction in various host cities since the 1980's . Since Canada won the bid for the 2010 games in 2003, Vancouver's homeless rate is up 370 percent.

Olympic sports have long since ceased being a monument to human achievement. They have become examples of corporate greed and propaganda. Here is a good overview discussion of why it makes sense to protest the Olympics by The Dominion, News From The Grassroots, formed in 2003 by independent Canadian journalists. See a video about the impact of the 2010 games on poverty and homelessness.

A number of organizations and private citizens have joined to protest. Here are some of them:

No 2010 Olympics on Stolen Native Land

No 2010 Victoria

2010 Watch

The Anti Poverty Committee

Olympic Resistance Network

Learn about the issues and decide what is important to you. Follow the actions of those deeply involved and remember, taking care of each other, feeding those who don’t have enough, and providing shelter for those without is what all the world’s businesses should be about. Anything else is about greed and selfishness. Haven’t we had enough of that?

Watch this video that will reveal little known truths about the Olympics throughout modern history. You will be forever changed.

Resist 2010: Eight Reasons to Oppose the 2010 Winter Olympics. (LOW RES) from BurningFist Media on Vimeo.