Re: News & Media: Articles, photos, videos, etc. Going to China as part of a tournament is not something that she CHOSE to do. I agree with the poster who said politicians use the players. I think she's doing the right thing. She's not making a big deal about it and giving interviews all over the place, but she's also sticking to her guns and living up to her values. Good for her.
Re: News & Media: Articles, photos, videos, etc. The Honor is because she won. She is a US Employee through US Soccer. regardless of her politics, the correct response is to go, Smile and nod your head, and move on. If your CEO at your company (Rather, the company that owns your company) invites you over for a function to Honor You and your Departments acheivements. Would you have the audacity to My Employees can go, but I disagree with the parent companies modus operandi, so I will not attend. HER Employees are american citizens and it was a team request, not just a request of the coach
Re: News & Media: Articles, photos, videos, etc. Wait, she chose to take the job, which she knew included a trip to China! Oh politicians definitely use the players: I thought the Bush things w/ the volleyball players was a joke(apparently they liked it but ) Ok, she's living up to her values, well, do her values support the one child policy and the long held "son preference"? If not, then why basically take a job w/ the Chinese gov't? But if those are the values and policies that she supports, then never mind.
Re: News & Media: Articles, photos, videos, etc. No, But she choose to go there as an Assistant Coach of the Chinese Team
Re: News & Media: Articles, photos, videos, etc. She coaches the US Women's NATIONAL team. You won't find too many posters more opposed to the current regime than me, but I think declining a White House invitation in honor of winning the gold medal representing the United States shows poor judgement. She was willing to shake hands with FIFA/IOC people - sort of weakens the whole moral stand thing. I think you go and shake hands with "the President" - then you can campaign against him or vote against him or whatever. I really hope that US Soccer (United States Soccer Federation) thinks long and hard about whether their coach ought to actively disrespect the institutions the WNT represents.
I've stayed out of this forum for a while now because I got too wrapped up in the WWC last year, but I can't help to respond this topic. I hope US Soccer gives her an additional raise for having the courage to spurn the most powerful man in the world. GWB is a man, and his office should not be used as cover to demand displays of fealty. He is personally responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people in an absolutely useless and unprovoked war. Watching our olympians kiss-up to him these last few weeks made me sick, and I'm glad there's someone with the conviction not to do that. People have compared Pia's acceptance of a job with the Chinese national team with her refusal to meet GWB. Ridiculous. The comparison should be her acceptance of a job with China with her acceptance of her job with the USWNT. It's likely she has political disagreements with both countries and with their leaders. If she ever met with China's leaders, then you have a reason to consider her hypocritical. Compare apples to apples, please. I say these things as a long-time defense contractor, as the husband of a woman who served in the military for over ten years (including anti-terrorism stints in Africa and Asia), and as a man whose closest friends are mostly members of the military. Our country needs more people who defy power, and less who kowtow to it.
I knew the "courageous" bit was coming.. Ho..ne..y. sit down! There's nothing remotely courageous about some chick saying she doesn't want to meet Dubya--she ain't the first to do it. Nobody asked her to come and kiss the man's hand. She could have simply said: I have a scheduling conflict. And inviting athletic teams to the White House is a tradition, not something that Bush came up with to "demand displays of fealty"--whatever the hell that means. Believe it or not, a few of those Olympians ::gasp:: actually like the guy. But being respectful and mature is akin to kissing up. Oh, and this hypocritical only if she happens to disagree w/ the Chinese politics. When you take a job w/ the Chinese National Team, you are an employee of People's the Republic. Exercise common sense please...But as I said earlier, perhaps she has no problems with Chinese gov't and its policies--then this whole conversation for naught. Lastly, I've worked for the military; I have friends and family members who have served in wars from Vietnam to the current one. A good friend of mine just returned from Iraq. And I'm the daughter of a military man, who spent 30 years in the service and died, so people could logon to anonymous web forums and tear others down in order to feel good about themselves. So, your little diatribe(declaration of hatred for Bush) doesn't mean any more than the rest of us, who have questioned Pia's silly "protest".
Protest? All I read was that she wasn't interested i meeting the guy. That's everybody's right, American or not.
Re: News & Media: Articles, photos, videos, etc. The last time I looked the USSF was not part of the federal government. She is not a US "Government Employee" and George Bush is not her CEO.
Point taken. Since I'm not a man, I have no problem admitting that "protest" was the wrong word to use ;-). That said, it is also the right of mine and others to question the obnoxious assertion that this chick doesn't want to meet the guy bc they don't share the same politics--according to the article, she did say that.
Re: News & Media: Articles, photos, videos, etc. This has nothing to do with where she works or where she plays tournaments. & I am not arguing that China is better than W. Bush, or even comparing the two governments, and neither is she, so why are you? The issue is whether she wants to have an official reception with a certain leader. If she doesn't like Bush, that's her prerogative.
I didn't read that she expounded on a reason, but Ok, if she wasn't interested in meeting the guy because of his politics THAT's everybody's right as well, American or not. Since when is it necessary to be forced to meet anyone? did she get subpoenaed or anything?
Re: News & Media: Articles, photos, videos, etc. Since when is George W. Bush the CEO of U.S. Soccer? The U.S. Federal Government does not "own" U.S. Soccer. The easy thing to do would be to go and smile and take photos. I respect Pia's right to decline the invitation. This is America, she does have that right. Oh, and for those comparing "going to China" with taking publicity photos with the President: seriously? She took her team to China to play soccer, not to meet their communist leader. She took a job in the US to coach soccer, not to meet President Bush.
Of course it required courage, because not displaying mindless patriotism can cost you your job in this country, especially when you occupy a position that's at least a little bit in the public eye. Refusing to do the easy thing because of principle is practically the definition of courage. Your disagreement with her decision is irrelevant to whether or not it was brave. It's always funny to me how people can log on anonymously to web forums, attack people for their opinions, and then end their posts with a rant about how people log into anonymous web forums and attack people's opinions. You may need some more tar on that brush, honey - ya got most of it on yourself. I don't feel any obligation to hide my disdain for GWB, Hu Jintao, or any other killer. I certainly think they are evil men that will answer to God for their crimes. Treating such figures with deference and respect is not a sign of maturity. It's a slap in the face of all their countless victims.
As long as we are talking about Pia's supposed obligations to the presidency God, apple pie and mom to go see Bush, I think it's only fair to talk about dubbya's trampling on American sports and traditions For the third year in a row, Dubbya refused to throw out the first ball, a tradition that has only been violated in times of war and, in Woodrow Wilson's case, a stroke. Even Franklin Roosevelt did it from his wheelchair. Truman even did it during the Korean War, and Johnson during Vietnam. A little strange, don't you think, from a fellow who's only paycheck other than being President in his life was as head of a baseball team? If you think that sports figures have an obligation to see the President, I submit that the President has similar obligations to the traditions of sport. without honoring sports and its figures and traditions, he forfeits claim to reciprocity. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/01/AR2007040101262.html
It's not an obligation quite frankly. But again, if she feels that strongly about not associating w/ someone, who doesn't share her politics, then why become an employee of the People's Republic..that's my thing. If she agrees w/ the Chinese gov't's policies then so be it. I would find that a bit disturbing.
Good god, refusing to meet a man, who disliked by more that half of the people in his own country isn't brave. Perhaps, if she actually went to the White House and voiced her displeasure for whatever policy concerns her, I could see it. Hell, true courage would entail rejecting the paycheck from the if she'd refuse to take money from a country ruled by the "evil, killer"! Oh..but wait, that country pays pretty well.. Nah, I wasn't attacking; but you're the one you got on your high horse and spouted off your experience as if somehow provided more of a validation to your opinions than the others on this forums. The point was, you ain't the only one with military connections. Yeah, we can come on here and rant and rave all we want, huh buddy? That's my dad and other family members fought for. God bless them, cause I sure would not have done it.
Wait a minute... I find the argument of consistency pretty humorous from defenders of the current administration. You don't see inconsistencies in human rights positions there? Really?..
Good for Pia. Theres no way I would go to the White House to have my picture taken with dubbya either. I don't even care if there is some "honor the office" thing, too.
Sorry, try again: I ain't defending the administration at all nor has anyone else defended Bush. I'm no even a Bush fan. However, why would Bush's policies be any worse than that of China? She took the job with the Chinese government. If we go by her argument, then I would take it that she supports China's policies on Taiwan, forcing women to have abortions to comply with the one child rule among other things.
Uh, being honored in the Rose Garden for representing the United States in international competition is NOT the same as "having my picture taken with . . ." There's no reason Pia couldn't simply avoid getting in the picture (have the players present the President with a US jersey or whatever and sit in the audience, for instance). The idea that having Pia in the picture would help a particular party or politician is laughable, as is the idea that disrespecting the least popular national leader in the western world shows "courage." It just shows poor taste - she certainly could've (as someone else pointed out) not shown up if she really has some sort of personal antipathy for Bush. I will be equally offended when some right-wing jerkoff athlete/coach refuses to go the White House to shake hands with Barak Obama. I hope people calling Pia "courageous" (making the term meaningless - you used to have to put yourself on the line in some way to be "courageous" & she's about as protected from any backlash as a coach could be) would be as firm in their defense of someone who was disrespecting a leader they DO admire (or maybe see how stupid Pia is being when you imagine the roles reversed).
This is not without precedent. Mark Chmura did the same thing when invited to the Clinton White House after the Packers won the Super Bowl. Way too many people worked up about this, IMO.
That's talking about throwing out the first pitch for the Nationals, not for all of baseball. According to Wikipedia ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceremonial_first_pitch ), out of eight opportunities, Bush has thrown the first pitch five times. This includes the current season, when he threw the ceremonial first pitch to inaugurate the new Washington Nationals ballpark.
No president has ever thrown the ball out for all of baseball. It's been traditionally done at the Ballpark of whatever team is the resident team in Washington DC. When there was no team there, it was done in Batimore, and it was to honor all of baseball. Thanks for confirming , though, that he has failed to do it 3 times. If you want to talk about what is traditionally done and not done with regards to the President, you can't pick and chose, just like the supreme court ruled he can't pick and chose which human and constitutional rights a person has.
Umm, not to put too fine a point on it, BUT . . . Doesn't that pretty much point out how stupid it is to not go with the team? I mean, with a precedent set by a fine, upstanding example (err, scumwaffle?) like Chmura . . . <insert tasteless joke here>