I think it’s mildly amusing to watch organizers of the London Olympics try to throw everyone else they possibly can under the bus when it comes to denying school kids tickets to Olympic shooting events. The executives may come from the private sector, but they are doing a very good job at embracing their status as government employees and passing the buck onto everyone else but themselves.
When the ban on allowing schoolkids to get free tickets to the shooting events was announced, they said the anti-gun lobby was to blame for the ban. As part of that excuse, blame also fell on the Mayor Boris Johnson’s anti-gun efforts.
Now that it’s been exposed as outrageously over-the-top insanity, they are deflecting the blame while also overturning the policy. The Olympic organizers are now claiming that the ban on tickets was based on feedback from teachers.
At least the broader Olympic competitive community came together to back the shooters with a defense of the inclusion of shooting from the British Olympic Association.
The British Olympic Association said the shooting competition at the Olympic Games was not only inspirational but sent positive messages of non-violence, respect and friendship.
“The London 2012 Olympic Games is an opportunity for high performance shooting athletes to showcase their skill and talent in a controlled and safe environment,†a BOA spokeswoman said.
â€Shooting athletes believe in the Olympic values and can, as role models, pass on the positive message of non-violence, respect and friendship. As such we believe the Ticketshare programme is an excellent opportunity for the future generation of Olympic shooting hopefuls to be inspired by today’s Olympians.â€
Of course, the London organizers are probably going to keep trying to shift the blame instead of just admitting they made a stupid decision since they aren’t getting the best attention at the moment. One of their organization volunteers who went through an application process, interview, and training session was arrested as a lead rioter recently. She threw bricks at a police car and was the first to throw bricks through the windows of a Vodafone store and declared that it was “the best day ever.” Yet, the group that recruited her wants to blame Olympic shooters for violence?
One of their organization volunteers who went through an application process, interview, and training session was arrested as a lead rioter recently.
I feel badly for her family, who turned her in and will suffer.
I feel for her family, too. They obviously never expected anything like this, but they did the right thing. I hope there are people around them reminding them of that.
The depravity of the depraved ruling class is even more egregious in the UK than in the US. It’s so bad that hysterical hoplophobia now passes for ordinary common sense.
The American Revolution looks better all the time, but the UK still functions as a bad example to be avoided, and we still have some work to do here.