Our Nazi Games? An American columnist says so.

[Jetsfan]

On Sunday, Gil Lebreton, a columnist with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in Texas, wrote what must surely be the most offensive things said about Canada durning the Olympics or at any other moment in recent memory. He actually linked our outpouring of Canadian patriotism during the Olympics to the infamous Nazi games in Berlin in 1936.

http://communities.canada.com/calgaryherald/blogs/braidbuzz/default.aspx

[Envitro]

Unbelievable idiocy...

[Locke]

Pretty much the only way hes going to get read.

Good old modern media, say something offensive, create some traffic, Profit!!

There should be an injunction on Nazi comparisons, journalists should have to fill out an application with some sitting board of Jewish survivors or something and if they decide that whatever point you're trying to make via Nazi comparison is worth it then go nuts, otherwise the offending journalist should be interned in some sort of forced labour camp or something.

I think they've got a few rocking still somewhere in Northern Russia, and hey, whatshisnuts would be there for the NEXT olympics and in plenty of time too!

[Netskot]

Texas?

see chart ..

http://www.rense.com/general59/iq.jpg

[Regulator75]

Send rants here.

glebreton@star-telegram.com


(http://forum.calgarypuck.com/glebreton@star-telegram.com)

[Puppet Guy]

...guys like this are the reason I chose against a career in journalism. And isn't it just a little ironic that he's accusing another nation of ignoring the rest of the world?

[gargamel]

Send rants here.

glebreton@star-telegram.com


(http://forum.calgarypuck.com/glebreton@star-telegram.com)

Or just call him: 817-390-7760. I have to at least give the guy credit for putting his phone number at the end of that nonsense.

[Bertuzzied]

Poor guy must have been stuck with Canuck fans the entire 2 weeks.

[burn_baby_burn]

Its only his opinion. I can see some of his point. A Nazi accusation always gets lots of attention. There were plenty of Americans dressed head to toe in the stars and stripes. Canadians just out numbered them 100 to 1.

[Bigtime]

This guy is getting hammered with rebutals from Canadian writers. The Calgary Herald's Don Braid has wrote one already, as has the Vancouver Sun (with links to the articles they wrote on other countries athletes during the games).

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Or just call him: 817-390-7760. I have to at least give the guy credit for putting his phone number at the end of that nonsense.

It's a good thing his number's being displayed here, and not beyond.ca

[Hades]

What events did this guy go to? I was at two events in Whistler (both Luge), and though the Canadians were cheered the loudest, all other athletes were cheered too (by the mostly Canadian crowd). The second loudest cheers were for the medal winners, showing the crowd's appriciation for the best in the world.
This guy is simply out to lunch.

[MJM]

This moron is complainnig about Canadians focusing on Canadian athletes? This coming from a guy who lives in a country where their 450 pound teenagers can't even name the capital of the State they live in?

Judging by his 3 chins, he probably spent more time in the buffet line watching the games on CTV rather than actually going to the event.

[The Yen Man]

Was he deaf when the "USA! USA! USA!" chants going on in both the womens and mens gold medal games? I saw fellow Canadians joining in to give the American teams a salute as they got their medals.

[Vulcan]

Like a lot of other Americans, he has this strange idea that everyone else cheers for the Americans first and considering the games were in Canada and they think they pretty much own us, we'd be cheering for them.

Hey, 'First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin'.

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

My favourite part of the article is where he throws out that China made 6.8 million tickets available to the 2008 Olympics, while Canada only had 1.6 million tickets available for 2010.

Yeah, don't bother mentioning that China's Olympics had 302 events (how many of which were held in an 80,000 seat stadium?) and Vancouver's had 86.

Yup, that's some good "Journalism".

[mykalberta]

It's a good thing his number's being displayed here, and not beyond.ca

Not anymore :)

[mikey_the_redneck]

That's right Gil................we are all Nazi's up here.....and when you least expect it........we're coming for you!






Seriously.........what a ######.

[Kybosh]

It's funny that he didn't intend to insult Canadians but compared us one of the most despicable regimes of the modern era anyway. It's like saying "I don't want to sound racist but . . . ".

[Kavvy]

This article made me mad, but its just one dummy in a nation full of good people.

I think its important to make a post with these links so anyone who doesnt read the full article doesnt miss these from some large american news outlets:

http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2010/02/26/2213393.aspx

http://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/la-sp-olympics-plaschke28-2010feb28,0,4599199.column

[West Karma]

nm

[West Karma]

nm

[stuck_in_chuk]

I didn't realize that this Olympics was designed to be a showcase to the world of the genetic superiority of the Canadian race. Heck, I didn't even know there was such a thing as the Canadian race.

Yes, Canadians celebrated the accomplishments of Joannie Rochette. We also celebrated Kim Yu-Na, and Shaun White, and Apolo Ohno, and others. To single out Joannie Rochette shows a complete lack of tact. The writer is an ignoramus.

[The Yen Man]

Hail Harper?

[Infamous1]

The mofo is comparing all the Maple Leafs in Vancouver to Swastikas? Wow...

[pria(kin)16]

"Texas-based Olympians fared well, winning five medals, which is as many as Finland, Japan and Italy...and the Dallas Stars' Brenden Morrow (gold) and Jere Lehtinen (bronze) are going home with hockey medals"

Gil confuses me, did Jere win the medal for Finland or Texas? Calling this hack would be too great a compliment for this clown.

[CokeMachineGlow]

what a disgusting human being

[Mtt48]

Regarding the Korean gal that won the Women's figure skating, everyone I have talked to has said that that was one of the most incredible performances in that event EVER. The whole Canadian story there was just a great story of a girl doing what she has trained her whole life to do, in very difficult circumstances, and succeeding. The whole world was pulling for Joannie Rochette, except this clown I guess.

[Red Ice Player]

Probably trying to get a job at Fox News.....

[Shazam]

Godwinned in one.

[Cowperson]

It is probably true this was a very jingoistic display by the home crowd and it only picked up speed to the final, gold medal hockey climax.

On the other hand, we had a lot to cheer about - a record number of gold medals for any home team, let alone any Winter Olympic team - and secondly we didn't seem to mind when our greatest insecurity, America, swept up an even greater number of medals on our own soil.

It's the latter point which must be emphasized in retort to this columnist. There were no Jesse Owens interlopers bothering the party in Vancouver.

It was what it was . . . . . a great big party where everyone seemed to be pretty happy. It just happened that 2.5 million of the home side happened to live in the immediate vicinity.

Nothing more and nothing less.

Cowperson

[holden]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_V4w18ZWaPas/SLb6AMye_8I/AAAAAAAABb8/l5KlaNNGJzM/s400/Stephen-Harper-Hitler.jpg

[Displaced Flames fan]

Texas?

see chart ..



Funny, but that chart is a joke. There's no way to measure a state's average IQ...and there are huge chunks of the Texas population that are professional.

Obviously, this journalist is bringing the state average down though.

[Displaced Flames fan]

It is probably true this was a very jingoistic display by the home crowd and it only picked up speed to the final, gold medal hockey climax.

On the other hand, we had a lot to cheer about - a record number of gold medals for any home team, let alone any Winter Olympic team - and secondly we didn't seem to mind when our greatest insecurity, America, swept up an even greater number of medals on our own soil.

It's the latter point which must be emphasized in retort to this columnist. There were no Jesse Owens interlopers bothering the party in Vancouver.

It was what it was . . . . . a great big party where everyone seemed to be pretty happy. It just happened that 2.5 million of the home side happened to live in the immediate vicinity.

Nothing more and nothing less.

Cowperson

How is it that you have such a level-headed and completely logical opinion on absolutely everything? Have you EVER made yourself look like a fool?

Great post RC.

[Vulcan]

Another point to this whole kerfuffle, is that with the odd British and American reporters laying on the hate, is that they don't hate an also ran. They don't like us, because we're good.

[Red Ice Player]

Pretty lame apology now. Somehow I don't think he will be sent on any more posh assignments in foreign countries.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/01/2006364/dont-let-the-games-message-be.html

[habernac]

How is it that you have such a level-headed and completely logical opinion on absolutely everything? Have you EVER made yourself look like a fool?

Great post RC.

Well, he did say he didn't like Neil Young. I think he's the only old guy out there like that.

;)

[gargamel]

South Korean Kim Yu-Na's dazzling gold-medal performance in women's figure skating, for example, was overwhelmed here by the attention given to Quebec's Joannie Rochette, whose mother tragically died.

Yeah, thank goodness the American press focused on the gold medal winner in Lillehammer instead of that sob story Nancy Kerrigan, who finished 2nd.

[CaptainCrunch]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_V4w18ZWaPas/SLb6AMye_8I/AAAAAAAABb8/l5KlaNNGJzM/s400/Stephen-Harper-Hitler.jpg

We really need that no thanks option.

[Cowperson]

How is it that you have such a level-headed and completely logical opinion on absolutely everything? Have you EVER made yourself look like a fool?

Great post RC.

I feel your man-love . . . . in a Bears kind of way of course.

In a very complimentary column about Brendan Morrow in the same Fort Worth Star-Telegram is this pretty funny welcome he got at his house in Dallas . . .

His Texas neighbors welcomed him back Monday with almost 200 American flags stuck in his yard and a gigantic American flag hanging on his fence. All of them said something along the lines of, "Love you, man, but for a couple of days or so, I kind of have to hate you."

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/03/02/2010033/stars-morrow-exemplifies-greatness.html

Great response from the Americans.

Cowperson

[Danijam]

Love the LA Times article. Thanks for posting!

Gil Lebreton seems like the kind of guy who spends the whole party sulking in the corner, then complains to himself afterwards that everyone was mean to him.