Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sports, "Hunt's Grunts"

Free as you wish to be

That time of year has rolled around once again, with barbecues and hot dog-eating contests...

Raveendran/AFP/Getty Images
Tibetans protest against China earlier this month, demanding the release of jailed Tibetan leaders and a boycott of the Beijing Olympic games.

By Hunt Archbold

That time of year has rolled around once again, with barbecues and hot dog-eating contests, concerts and baseball games and, of course, the fireworks. Truly, Independence Day is a most excellent celebratory time, as we as Americans recognize our most precious gift: freedom. As I strolled through Centennial Olympic Park last week on a lovely summer’s eve with boundless children frolicking in the Fountain of Rings, I internally prayed in gratitude for the freedoms that I have been afforded . It has been said that freedom is like the air we breathe: We don’t miss it until we’re deprived of it. Can I get an amen?

Surely Michael Vick dwelled on the idea of freedom last week as he celebrated his 28th birthday imprisoned at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kan. A year ago at this time, Vick had yet to be charged with any crime and was preparing for what was to be his sixth season as the Falcons’ starting quarterback. But as we know, things quickly changed.

Do you think Barry Bonds thinks much about freedom these days? How about Roger Clemens? Or O.J. Simpson? And then there’s former baseball star Willie Mays Aikens, who was released from a federal correctional institute in Jesup, Ga., earlier this month after spending more than 13 years incarcerated on charges including crack cocaine distribution, bribery and gun charges. Yes, freedom is a package deal, and with it come responsibilities and consequences.

It was 232 years ago this week that Thomas Jefferson was putting the final touches on the Declaration of Independence. And yet the validity of that founding document of the United States of America was clearly in question 144 years ago this Saturday, when the Battle of Pace’s Ferry raged on near what is now Vinings. The federal troops won that Civil War skirmish; freedom ultimately prevailed and our country remained intact. But oh, how our country continues to be divided over an immeasurable number of ideas. The truth is, our freedom of speech has far more supply than demand.

But we do have that freedom, and are continually reminded of it with the 2008 Beijing Games a month away. Without question, China has purposely brought the spotlight upon itself and the world is watching. But will they be watching in Iraq? With major soccer victories including last year’s Asia Cup championship bringing Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds alike together in celebration, sports has been one of the few things unifying Iraqis in recent years.

But Baghdad politics could keep more than a dozen already qualified Iraqi athletes from participating in Beijing. Earlier this month, the International Olympic Committee suspended the nation’s national Olympic committee for “political interference,” as the country is experiencing a nasty fight between the government and Iraq’s National Olympic Committee and sports federations. This is a world I do not ever choose to know. One thing I do understand, though, is that while many boast of their right to say what they desire, few have the courage to do so.

But you can’t muzzle those who wish to speak. Unless, that is, you’re the Belgium Olympic Committee, which has banned its athletes from making political comments in Beijing (New Zealand and Great Britain initially said the same, but ultimately backed down after much public outcry). It’s been seven years this month since the Olympics were awarded to China, and at that time the IOC noted that China needed to improve its human rights issues. According to Amnesty International, the situation has actually deteriorated in many ways since then, as the agency notes an increased persecution of human rights defenders and journalists.

Jacques Rogge, the Belgium-born president of the IOC, has indicated athletes will be free to express their political views, but face sanctions including expulsion if they indulge in propaganda. Basically, don’t be expecting to see too many “Free Tibet” banners or “Save Darfur” T-shirts next month on NBC. The IOC blathers on about the Olympics having nothing to do about politics, and then sides with one of the most oppressive regimes on the planet to ban any athlete for merely expressing an opinion on the subject. Somebody needs to tell the Belgium-born Rogge that freedom not to listen is just as precious as freedom of speech.

Freedom comes in many packages. U.S. sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos expressed theirs with their Black Power salute from the awards podium at the 1968 Games in Mexico City. But it also can be extinguished in an instant, as it was at the 1972 Games, when 11 Israeli athletes and coaches had theirs snuffed out senselessly during the Munich Massacre. Disgustingly, one of the hostage-takers, Jamal A-Gashey, is presumed to be alive and free today.

And as I found myself in Centennial Olympic Park last week, I came across the Quilt of Remembrance Plaza, which memorializes the Olympic bombing victims with a stylized eternal flame and a mosaic of stones from around the world. And I thought of native Georgian Alice Hawthorne, the only direct victim of the blast 12 years ago this month. A mother of two, she was dancing with her 14-year-old daughter when the pipe bomb exploded, pelting her with deadly shrapnel. Those who knew the 44-year-old Hawthorne described her as having “determination, generosity and spunk.” Sounds to me as if she epitomized what it means to be free. And I while I’m saddened by her tragic death, I find her life’s qualities truly inspirational as I express thanks for my freedoms this Independence Day.

Happy times … and happy Fourth! SP