The same loon who disrupted the 2003 British Grand Prix interfered with the marathon run today at the Athens Olympics. Cornelius Horan, clad in green beret, a red kilt, knee-high green socks, a green neck-tie and the Star of David, suddenly leapt into the path of the leader, Brazilian Vanderlei de Lima, and knocked him into the crowd. Though the Bedlamite was wrestled off the dazed runner who struggled back into the race, de Lima lost valuable time and concentration and was eventually passed by two other competitors.
Horan seems to make a habit of this sort of disruption which he uses to publicize his views on the inerrancy of the Bible and the imminence of the end of the world. The tutu-wearing Canadian who dove into the water at another Olympic venue shows that exhibitionism is a continuing menace at public events. It was greed, not lunacy, which motivated the transvestite Canuck and a female streaker at last year's US Open gof tournament --both were advertising internet casinos.
The appropriation of public space and a public event for commercial or political purposes is not new. Suffragette Emily Davison threw herself under King George V's race horse at the 1913 Epsom Derby to advance the cause of votes for women, dying in the process. Terrorism is merely an extension of this principle and those who choose to hijack events should be found guilty of terrorism in parvo. They are robbing a community of a time of bonding and building social values. Let's hope the Greek courts fiind a nice private prison cell for the perpetrators.
Posted by Dexter at August 29, 2004 06:38 PM