LA still has a lot of stuff left from the '38 Olympics (Coliseum, for example) that we cherish. And a clever plan can make the Olympics an economic boon for the area (cf: Uberroth’s LA Olympics).

Politics is politics, and you gotta live with it. Hope no one wants to cancel the World Cup because of politics! And a really cool aspect was iron-curtain country athletes, getting to visit the west and partying and making friends. Hope the North Koreans (and Iraqis and Iranians, etc.)have a great time in Greece.

Agree completely on the increasingly loopy opening and closing ceremonies, etc. Only thing I can say about that is viewership (and ticket scalping prices) shows that they are incredibly popular, so something must be wrong with you and me.

I love how easy it is becoming to see the weird sports like fencing, pentathlon, archery, shooting, etc. I hope they aren’t pushed away to make room for more youth-oriented extreme events (though I want to see those too).

I don’t like the my-country-got-more-medals-than-your-country aspect, and I enjoy watching foreign athletes win.

Security is an issue. Everywhere and always. If we can’t make the Olympics secure then we should close Disneyland and put a dome over D.C. and only let security cleared folks in. You have to make a decision that you will deal with threats the best you can, while insisting on the things that make life worth living.