Following the troubled Beijing relay, some now say future Olympic torch relays are likely to be limited to the host nation .

After Thursday in San Francisco, the Olympic torch relay escaped major incidents Friday in Buenos Aires, with the flame covering almost 14 kilometers through city streets amid very tight security.

The Olympic torch arrived Saturday in Tanzania, where about 1,000 people cheered and marched with athletes in the flame's only stop in Africa.

The torch goes to Oman on Sunday. It is scheduled to arrive in China on May 4, and the Olympics begin Aug. 8.

Chinese-issued stamp to honor Olympics

(Beginning of sarcasm)

The next summer Olympic games are planned for 2012 in London. But, perhaps, since there's British support for the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, these games should be boycotted.

Chicago's bid for the games in 2016 also, obviously, has to be cancelled.

And the whole idea of the Olympic torch even going through Oman today just makes me feel uneasy. Where the heck is Oman? Who's side are they on?

Do they support American Idol?

(End of sarcasm)

The torch's 85,000-mile, 20-nation global journey is the longest in Olympic history --- and we have some distance to travel ourselves.

Other -- good people --have a different opinion on this, but I wonder if the Olympics are the best time to scream "Free Tibet," in Chinese faces. Or complain that China can do more to "Stop the genocide in Darfur."

Maybe rallies to "Say No to dangerous Chinese Toy Imports should also have been organized --- or perhaps demand China "Devalue the Yuan!" (as if the problem of the 'falling dollar,' was their fault).

But wasn't the whole point of the Olympics the idea that states (and city-states) could put aside their differences for a day and play sports? Isn't this an ideal worth preserving?

But now the event has become just another flash point for a war of words.

I'd suggest that if we want to influence our own or the foreign policies of other countries we do that in the real world and in the real ways of democracy.

Trying to influence foreign policy by protesting the Olympics is like trying to change the placement of stop signs by demonstrating during the Superbowl or World Cup.

There is also a certain 'sanctimonious hypocrisy' in these anti-China protest that struck home when I read that President Jimmy Carter boycotted the Olympic games in 1984, in Russia, because Russia had invaded Afghanistan. Wow. What about us? Now we're the ones invading Afghanistan (and Iraq).

We should stop using this sporting event to preach to others.

In sports, especially, you don't win by crying or complaining.

You win in sports by getting the best score.

If we want to 'defeat,' insult, or 'put down,' China in the Olympics then our athletes will just have to win at the games. Just like Jesse Owens put a big dent in Hitler's concept of "Aryan racial superiority"' not by words but by winning four gold medals on the track field in Germany in 1936.

To insult any nation hosting the games is wrong. It's the opposite of what the games are suppose to be about. It's like being invited to a wedding and insulting the bride. . Maybe she's ugly. Maybe her new husband is a loser. Maybe we figure they don't have a chance in hell to stay together.

But a wedding is not the place to say such things, to express such opinions. Are we going to start protesting Chinese weddings next? It makes about as much sense.

The Olympics are a time and an opportunity to interact with other nations.
We're missing the point if we use these games to endlessly insult each other.

The Olympic ideal of nations coming together for fun and games is worthy of celebration, it's a flame we should keep burning, a torch that deserves a parade, a good time for getting to know one another a bit better.

So forget the propaganda and play the games. That's the whole idea.