Abram Sauer Online

Oh my, this isn’t the charming Canada we all know and love mock:

“Martin Macias Jr., an independent media reporter from Chicago travelling to cover the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver BC, has been rejected by Canadian border agents… He was travelling with political organizer Bob Quellos of No Games Chicago, who was allowed to enter Canada. They were both to be picked up by Chris Shaw, a member of the Olympic Resistance Network, local Olympic critic, and author of ‘The Five Ring Circus’…”

It appears that there is one “nation” that is not all rainbows and sunshine about the Olympics.”First Nations” (knows as Native Americans in the US) are upset that, despire signing partnership agreements with Games organizaers, they are not seeing the promised development money being spent to improve the quite poor living conditions for most First Nation peoples:

“…controversy continues as to whether the inclusion of First Nations iconography is simply propaganda to make the Games appear “Indian approved” or a sign of sincere cooperation”

But First Nations aren’t the only ones upset about the Vancouver games. It seems that despite making up a significant portion of the population, society and economy of the region, Asians are upset, having largely been shut out of any recognition:

“Usually in any Olympic Games, the host city will use the opening ceremony to show the world what that city is all about,” said Peter Kwok, a civic leader in the Chinese community. “They did a good job telling the early history of Canada - then they forgot about today’s Canada, which is multicultural.”

“The point is, if you were watching the opening ceremonies on television, you wouldn’t even know that it took place in the most Asian city in North America. Have any of the producers been to a high school in Vancouver?”

It’s hard not to see their point. Those with Chinese and South Asian heritage comprise one third of the area’s population (about 2 million).