What a disaster! On behalf of all fair minded Australians and that includes everyone who has no connection with the olympic games organising committe i extend my apoligies to all the dissapointed marching bands.

Had this matter been aired before the invitation was issued it( the invitation) would never have been issued.
What committee in it's right mind would invite some non indeginous person or group to participate in the entertainment part of an Olympic Games.
The Opening extravaganza (altho IMHO totally irrelavant)is the time for the host country to display it's own culture and entertainment talent.
What were they thinking of?
I have been watching Olympic Openings since they were on film and cannot recall one instane of , say, the Japanese Dancing Puppets being featured at,say, Atlanta
Bruce has told you all of the compromise proposal. The late news here tells us that someone in California has rejected this and says "If we canot participate in the opening we will not participate at all" I can understand their dissapointment but surely some open discussion can produce something workable?
I also am not sure that I will think that Ihave expressed myself rationally when I read this tomorrow but Gil upset me so much with his vitriolic attack that I nearly posted "Get Like a Xmas Turkey" to him.
However after reading all the above posts my ruffeled feathers have settled and i feel bathed in the warm glow of Cyber fellow feeling from all or American 'Catters and realise that Gill belongs in some other boat entirely ( the one that is up the proverbial creek)
Geeze that set me off , my longest post ever.

Regards Ted