News Flash: The Olympic flame is ridiculous!

It doesn't matter if the Olympic flame is carried to the top of Mount Everest. I never harbored negative feelings about the flame until I saw the throngs of police running alongside the torch-bearers and attacking protesters who got too close in Paris, London and other cities. I remember watching the torch go by in Eugene, Oregon in 1996. I even held the torch after the flame was passed off to another runner, and the previous torch-bearer let me pose for a photo. But with China hosting the Olympics I'm a lot more critical. I know the U.S. has engaged in plenty of human-rights abuses and doesn't always live the democracy it preaches, but China is awful and the Olympic "tradition" shouldn't be used as an excuse to justify their government's behavior. We really have no choice when it comes to supporting China through our purchases of everyday goods. We do have a choice when it comes to the Olympics. Maybe the flame should be left atop Mt. Everest, where the air is so thin people looking at it might think China will be reformed through economic integration and sales of Olympic hats.