Lileks:

"American athletes have been warned not to wave the U.S. flag during their medal celebrations at this summer's Olympic Games in Athens, for fear of provoking crowd hostility and harming the country's already-battered public image. ... U.S. Olympic officials have ordered their 550-strong team to exercise restraint and avoid any jingoistic behavior."

Said Mike Moran, a USOC consultant: "If a Kenyan or a Russian grabs their national flag and runs round the track or holds it high over their heads, it might not be viewed as confrontational. Where we are in the world right now, an American athlete doing that might be viewed in another manner."

Please. You'd think President Bush had announced that our Olympians have a God-given right not only to grab the flag but use the pole to knock the losers senseless.

Apparently if an athlete grabs an American flag and runs around the stadium, it will enflame the European Street. And the Arab Street, the Asian Street, the African Street, the Central AND South American Streets, the Canadian Rue, and various other roads and alleys from assorted islands and subcontinents. The world simply is not able to take the sight of an American waving a flag in victory.

We sure would be wise not to piss off the Canadian Rue. This is idiotic, these athletes have been training for this for their entire lives and the USOC has the audacity to tell them how to celebrate. The USOC should just shut up and go back to taking bribes from the IOC.