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# Georgia on my mind, and the Olympics too
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/georgia-on-my-mind-and-the-olympics-too/
- Published: 2008-08-15T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T00:41:55.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Considering Filing for Bankruptcy? Jack Neworth Laughing Matters*

ONE WEEK OF THE OLYMPICS DOWN, one to go. If I’m still around in 2012, I absolutely have to get TIVO.For every hour of coverage maybe there’s five minutes of action. With TIVO you could watch the entire two weeks in one day and be done before lunch.

So far, one thing is clear. Michael Phelps is a rather talented swimmer. All he’s done is win more gold medals than any other athlete in history. This week he’s won five and in all five he broke the world record. Phelps won a race with leaking goggles. If my goggles leak I immediately call Kings X (Time out).

Even Phelps’ warm up routine is intimidating. Like a giant condor, he bends over and stretches his long arms behind his back then across his chest,over and over,like he’s going to take off.He makes Cirque du Soleil performers look like they have arthritis. His size 14 feet are like flippers. Suddenly other swimmers start muttering,“Hey, second place isn’t so bad.”

Phelps is to swimming what Tiger Woods is to golf. NBC’s first four nights averaged 30.4 million viewers. NBC isn’t the only channel carrying the games. Others include CNBC, USA, MSNBC, OXYGEN (the para-medic channel?), TELEMUNDO, and UNI- VERSAL HD. And of course, the games are on the computer. I know a number of people who have giant plasma HD sets in their living rooms and are watching the Olympics on their tiny computer monitor. Go figure.

The games have not been without controversy, starting with the opening ceremonies. It turns out some of those fireworks gloriously lighting up the sky above Tiananmen Square were computer generated. And perhaps even worse, the adorable 7-year-old girl with the pixie smile who sang “Ode to the Motherland,” was lip-synching! (The Asian Ashley Simpson?) The beautiful voice belonged to another 7-year-old girl who wasn’t considered good looking enough to be on TV (I’ve always felt potty-mouthed Rush Limbaugh isn’t good looking enough to be on radio).

George and Laura Bush were at the games. Poor George. While watching the swimming, he proudly held up an American flag … backwards! It’s actually quite fitting if you think about it.

There were many who suggested Bush shouldn’t attend the opening ceremonies to protest China’s poor human rights record and their policies in Tibet, Darfur and Taiwan. Bush thought about lecturing Chinese Premier Wen Jibe but was afraid he’d be handed a bill for what we owe the Chinese. I think he settled for no more lead in our toothpaste.

The USA men’s basketball team beat the Chinese handily in a game watched by over 1.3 billion people. NBC plunked down $894 million for the rights to the Beijing Olympics. It already has surpassed $1 billion in advertising sales and still has commercial time to sell. That’s a net of at least $116 million. Granted it’s not Exxon profits, but it ain’t chopped liver (That expression never makes sense to because I like chopped liver).

Along with swimming, and diving, another glamour sport is gymnastics. But I always feel sorry for the women gymnasts. I say women, but they are really little girls, none of whom seem to weigh over a hundred pounds. They’re all so serious but not in a healthy way. When they lose it’s devastating. The American girls came in second to the Chinese and you’d have thought they’d received a terminal diagnosis. And former coach Bela Karolyi reminds me more of Bela Lugosi.

The big political story during the games was the Russian invasion of Georgia. A majority of Fox viewers thought this would be trouble for the Atlanta Falcons’ football season. Vladamir Putin (whom Bush nicknamed Pooty-Poot) still runs the show in Russia. Remember when Bush looked into Putin’s eyes and “saw the soul of the man?” Whenever I look at Putin’s photo I’m convinced he doesn’t have a soul. Then again Bush looked into Brownie’s eyes and saw “a heckuva job,” and he looked into Harriet Myers’eyes and saw a legal scholar.He obviously shouldn’t look people in the eyes.

The Russian invasion seemed quite serious but Condi, bless her heart, didn’t even cancel her vacation. Maybe she’s not a Falcons’ fan? Then again, during Katrina she was buying shoes. It’s a little puzzling because Russian affairs are supposed to be her specialty, other than shoes that is.

John McCain jumped in feet first and blasted the Russians for the outrageous act of invading a sovereign country. Wait a minute, isn’t that what we did in Iraq? Ever bellicose,the presumptive Republican nominee continued saber rattling at the Russians.That may look good on TV but somebody should tell McBush, thanks to W, we don’t have any sabers left.

When he isn’t glued to the TV watching the Olympics, JACK

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 15, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/081508.pdf?ref=smdp.com)