A woman at the airport was holding a Tibetan flag at an arrival gate in the domestic terminal. The Olympic flame was scheduled to arrive later in the day. It arrived at 330am at the international terminal under extensive and heavy security. During the day 3 people climbed the ropes at the Golden Gate Bridge and hung two huge banners. The flame is supposed to run through a portion of the city of San Francisco on Wednesday. The Dalai Lama comes to the Bay Area fairly often for teachings and seminars and there is a large Tibetan Buddhism following in the Bay Area and Monterey bay.



My grandfather was a Mexican Olympic coach and official from 1920 to 1968. At the 68 games he was in charge of conveyance of the flame from Greece to Mexico. The flame followed the path of Aegean culture and Christopher Columbus before it arrived on the island of San Salvador. At the last minute they had to figure out the protocol for handing the flame around since the island was under different flags. But the flame made it safely to the coast of Mexico, then to the pyramids in the ancient City of the Gods for a spectacular international ceremony at night, and then on to the opening of the Games.

Amigo, as we called our grandfather, started using a Japanese mining lantern to protect the 5 backup flames which is still done today. The lantern is wind and water proof and although safe to take on board an aircraft he had to sit between 2 firemen on the first TWA flight across the Atlantic with the flame. (He also started lighting the flame for the Central and PanAmerican Games at the Hill of the Star where the Aztecs lit the New Fire every 52 years)

Two weeks before the opening of the games there was a confrontation of demonstrators and Mexican police in Mexico City. Many people were killed and many were arrested. Amigo had to assure the press that the flame and the games would go on peacefully. This current conflict over the flame and the games is not new but this seems to be the first time that the flame has been stopped in it's travels as happened in Paris.

China has never seemed to me to be a good choice to host the games of the Modern Olympic Movement. And now they are using the flame just like Hitler used the flame and the games to promote nationalist ideas and put on a false face to the world.

The original traditions of the games started by Coubertin includes a flag and the opening and closing statements. The flame tradition started at the 1936 games in Germany. Maybe it's time to put that tradition away.