Becky Hammon grew up in the Midwest, where American values and patriotism run high. She plays guard for the WNBA's San Antonio Silver Stars, and at the ripe old age of thirty one years old, is still chasing her dream.
In her off season, she plays for a professional basketball team in Moscow, Russia. So far, no big deal. Because she has worked over in Russia for an extended amount of time, she was given citizenship status. And here is where it starts to get a little murky.
Becky's dream has always been to play in the Olympics. At her age, she knows Beijing is her last shot at that dream. So when Russia asked her to be a member of their National Basketball team and represent them in the Olympics, she said yes.
She was asked to try out for the US team after she said yes to the Russians and their sevenfigure contract, but has made the decision to play point guard for the Russians.
Keep in mind, she speaks little Russian and has no Russian in her bloodlines. She is 100% American, a native of Rapid City, South Dakota and a Colorado State graduate. her basketball jersey is the #2 selling jersey, right behind Lisa Leslie's jersey.
Anne Donovan, the coach of the women's basketball team, has called her a "traitor."
Sue Bird added, ""When you walk into that stadium, it really, really hits you. There is something to be said for representing your country and
going over there and competing against other countries' best."
Hammon will be marching into Beijing donning a Russian uniform and marching behind a Russian flag, all of which doesn't sit well with many Americans. Keep in mind, J.R. Holden, an American, will be playing on the Russian's basketball team in Beijing-he plays for a professional basketball team in Russia.
No big deal. Not too long ago the women's Mexican soccer team was fielded by a majority of Americans with Mexican blood lines. Who is to say somewhere along Hammon's bloodline there isn't a hint of Russian.
This is similiar to 1500/5000m track athlete Bernard Legat. He grow up in kenya, represented kenya but trained and lived in the US as an adult. He became a U.S. citizen and now all of a sudden he is "the best American miler of all time"? The liklihood of Hammon having Russian ancestors is greater than Legat having American ancestors.
Last edited by texasbagger on June 14th at 12:51 PM.
Her situation is NO different than J.R. Holden's. Why aren't people calling Holden a traitor? Better yet, leave Hammon alone. Russia gave her citizenship because she lived and worked there for an extended period of time. She probably passed the minimum period of time Russian immigration law allows for an alien (noncitizen) to be eligible for citizenship. And perhaps she wanted dual U.S./Russian citizenship.
All throughout Olympic history there have been athletes from this nation that have represented other nations. I'll give you a recent example. Vanessa Czarnecki, a former Fresno State softball player, played for Greece in the 2004 Olympics because her maternal grandparents came from Greece, to the best of my understanding.
An athlete that hails from this country CAN represent another country if the athlete has a parent or grandparent that came from that other country.
That's okay, there isn't a lick of American ancestry in Legat's bloodlines either but I'm sure America will be welcoming of his gold medals and perhaps world records in events not typically associated with American dominance.
I just really don't mind it. Along with Holden that is primarily where Hammon has made her living. Europe embraced womens basketball long before America.
I have not taken a side in this yet....fyi. But Holden is American and is playing for the Russians. So how "we" do welcome his gold medals when he's playing for "them."? I brought him up to make a point that she isn't the only American who is doing this, Texasbagger.
I didn't mention Americans welcoming Holden's gold medals (if by some miracle) and I am not saying we will or should welcome Hammons medals should they win because they are representing Russia.
I did however touch on the double standard that occurs when foreign born athletes with no American bloodlines are welcomed with open arms (especially those of the calliber of Legat). If Manu Ginobli and or Yao Ming became US citizens and chose to represent the US would there be this much drama from our side?
I actually just about posted my(what would have taken four) seperate posts and then I thought it's just not worth it.
To much PC and to many excuses for peoples actions.
So I decided to just do this. As long I'm happy, isn't that all that matters to everyone nowadays? lol
ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME....Gas prices cripple the economy..ME ME ME ME ME ME ME..The outsourcing of jobs continues...ME ME ME ME ME ME ME...People can't afford health insurance but nothing changes....ME ME ME ME ME ME ME......After paying in most of their lives, people looking for the SMALL AMOUNT of SS that is owed to them are being told it will be gone soon....ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME....We care about animals more than we do people, the homeless ,vets etc because pets make ME ME ME ME ME happy.
Hammon just represents whats most important to most people anyway and that is ________________lol
This is split. Becky wasn't guaranteed a spot on the U.S. team, she had to try out,right? And they asked her AFTER she had already said yes to Russia? Russia guranteed her a spot plus $4 mil, she would have been crazy not to take it... although it does suck that she will playing against the United States. If Becky had deliberately snubbed the U.S. in favor of Russia just for the money then traitor would have been the right label, but from what I read here it seems she aleady gave her word to Russia and the U.S. talked to her after the fact. So shame on Anne Donavon for calling Becky a traitor...maybe if Anne would have been on top of things Becky would be playing for the U.S. team instead.
If she had a gun and was shooting at Americans while wearing Russia's colors, Id have a problem with that. However, whats more American that selling your services to the highest bidder.
Long live capatalism!
I'll tell you what's more American than being greedy and selfish. It's sacrifing your own dreams so that you are sure you have done everything in your power to support the country you love. This country has always been at its greatest when American men and women were willing to sacrifice the things, and sometimes people, they hold dearest in this world for the greater good. There is no glory, and certainly no honor, in wearing another country's jersey for your own selfish reasons. No matter if she wins a medal or how much money she puts in the bank, she will never be able to live down the fact that she gave her allegiance to another country during the most important event of her life.
becky hammon is a nappy headed ####. what a jerk trying to get $paid$ like that. who does that?
times are a changing, patriotism is dying. too many politicians lying.
and unless your ancestors are american indian, they moved from one continent or another to the grand ole' U.S. and A in hopes of living a fuller life, and taking advantage of opportunity presented to them!
let her play, let her play, let her play......
edclinchsaint,
happy fathers day. it was reported that when the invites for the US women's team were sent out 24 players were invited to join the squad. becky hammons name wasn't on that list.
Lisa H
This has nothing to do with 'patriotism' . It's nothing more than Hammon looking to sell her services to the highest bidder .
If anyone loses then it may well be the expense and integrity of the game. And the professional game as it now stands is in somewhat of a shambles.
I saw this on 'Outside The Lines' and both Anne Donovan and Nancy Lieberman seem to be 'making a mountain out of a damn molehill ' ! This is all so redundant and asinine.
Will anyone be condemning the Chinese once the opening ceremony begins or the first events start ?
The Olympics now are a US$4-6 bn enterprise > where the athletes are enabled to make tens of thousands if hundreds of thousands of dollars dependent upon the success atttained .
So who are we to begrudge them ?
Patriotism comes in many forms . And ought to be judged as such ! Is this country at war with Russia ?. Or is it just the typical xenophobic tendencies that's once again rearing its ugly head
for some ?
The world is now a global community not an isolated one that many would want it to remain.
We have scientists being lured here to conduct research that benefits this country. So if a similar things happens within the field of sport then should it be viewed a
Last edited by justanotherfan on June 15th at 8:27 AM.
Well, if you want to play for a loser than go ahead! That being said the girls situation is more atrocious than the dude. He isnt very good or he wouldnt be playing in Russia.
The girl on the other hand is a bigger name and plays right her in good ole Americana.
Our American girls just need to make sure she regrets this decision. Just Beat Em!
Next time somebody wants to kill you or take away your American rights or tell you where to work and what to do, go call the World Police or the Planet Army to protect you ...
Or, how about the United Nations, the world's largest irrelevant debating society ...?
The Olympics are or should be and were about Nations getting together in fair athletic contests, to promote international cultural understanding and friendship.
Many of us rabid Americans, including me, can relate to and thrill to the stories of other people in other countries struggling and achieving, just like our kids do, and that is an important part of the Olympics.
Changing loyalty from one's homeland for personal gain is not part of that concept, nor should it be.
Alex Rogan
I'm a British subject and proud of that fact. At the same time I've served my country in the military and have seen action both in Ireland as part of a UN force N Africa as well as tours of duty in Cyprus and beyond. And I've travelled considerably across the world having served in the military.
The asinine solution that of being isolationist is one at best that's myopic.
It's through travelling and learning about others define who we are and not what we're prepared to be force fed by the press and government alike.
When you've got something of relelvance then we can debate the subject.
Somehow I get the opinion that you've never really set foot beyond borders of the US ? Then again I may well be wrong because I'm sure whether or not it's ignorance your showing just sheer xenophobia.
justan' aka tophatal .........
Last edited by justanotherfan on June 15th at 12:38 PM.
Alex Rogan
One more thing idealism when it comes to Olympics went out the window as it bacame commercialized as its nothing more than about money now !
All of the ideals that Pierre de Coubertin set out with have become blurred because of it.
I love Great Britain, a beautiful country with so many ties of friendship to America.
However, I have never met someone there who so immediately presents themselves as such a poor representative of such a truly great country as you do ...
Your attempt to portray me as an Ugly American is pitiful, and embarrasses your county.
I've quite likely traveled more and to more places in the world than you likely ever will, even given your claimed military record ... and my comments reflect a wide perspective of experience, not a narrow Isolationism as you state.
It’s patently obvious that wherever you may have gone, you simply let yourself be redefined by your experience, learning little to nothing about the proper exercise of Values, and were as a result likely a classically poor ambassador for GB … a real shame, because so many folks from Great Britain are wonderful people, fun and optimistic, not pessimistic, paranoid, and nihilistic …
Mirabile dictu ...
Finally, you are incorrect to think that travel and other people define who you are. Values define who you are, not culture, nor the press nor the government, which is after all, a Collective lowest common denominator of Culture. Culture is the exercise of mores which derive from Values.
Adopting the Values of wherever you are, is convenient for a traveler, but undoubtedly confusing as a life style realization. Perhaps, you are a Moral Relativist, since the concept of Values seems to be beyond you.
No wonder you are so cynical about the Olympics ...
Last edited by AlexRogan on June 16th at 12:46 AM.
The Olympics? What the heck is that? We haven't had a true Olympic games since the early 60's. "Countries getting together for fair play and competition"...MY ####!!! It's a big scam and anyone who wastes their time glued to their television at 3 in the morning is a ####. Let's send another group of overpaid NBA crybabies to the Olympics and watch them get schooled by another South American team who knows the concept of TEAM PLAY and UNSELFISHNESS!!!
Let's turn our blind eye to the U.S. and other European teams fast tracking "citizenship" papers through for an athletes services in the Olympics. BLOODLINES? If that's what we're looking for in the Olympics then I'm not seeing a whole lot of Sioux, Cherrokee, Cree, Nakota and other Native American Athletes participating in the "games".
The author of this blog throws a "Traitor" line in the subject then steps back and says that she hasn't taken a side. BWWWAAAHAHAHA!!! Whatever.
Then Alex Rogan goes on a one man tirade against JAF. What's up with that?
Rogan: "Your attempt to portray me as an Ugly American is pitiful, and embarrasses your county."
Ummmmm....WHAT? My God Alex, are you wearing your lace panties today? Getting ready for a slap fight?
So Alex...what countries have you traveled? I'd like to hear about them. You say that world travel does NOT define who a person is or who a person becomes? Hmmmmm...you must do a lot of "safe" travel then because I've set foot on five contenents and 17 different countries and I can absolutely and unequivocally say that...with the exception of my formative years with mom and dad...my travels around the world are the number ONE thing that defines who I am today.
Who are you to tell JAF what impact his travels had on forming the person he is.
Rogan: "Culture is the exercise of mores which derive from Values.....The concept of values is beyond you."
Ummmm....WHAT AGAIN???
Why can't you just say that you don't agree with him. You sure are an Ugly American Rogan.
I personally think this is disgraceful. Who in their right mind thinks - "Boy - looks like US doesnt want me - lets go play in the Olympics for the Russians!"??...There is no amount of money that would make me sell out my country. I understand this is just basketball - but the Olympics are one avenue where you shouldnt be "sold to the highest bidder." Patriotism and love for your country should come before personal pursuits. So she would be proud of herself if she hit a game winning shot to defeat the United States of America?...Then come back into the country...and be able to look anyone in the face?...Craziness.
Alex Rogan
Perhaps that was then but this about now. The world has changed and so do the circumstances that we all now live under.
We not only learn from what we see but from the experiences we have along our journeys. Or do you view that somewhat differently ?
These are the lessons that I've learnt not only as being within the military but also in my various travels around the world professionally as well as privately.
A healthy respect for cultures goes a long way in defining someone would you not agree ?
But it'd appear that you and I both view the world somewhat differently.
I guess that may well come from our differing backgrounds more than anything else ! WE can but agree to disagree on this matter I expect ?
My sincere regards chimin' out.
You can play for any country once you are a citizen of it, no?
She was asked by Russia, her adopted home, first. She accepted. It's not against the rules is it? Then what's all the bruhaha? As if U.S. womens basketball doesn't have enough players to field a squad without her.
BTW this goes on in other sports. Look at Euro 2008 and the Africans playing for European nations. These players live in these countries and have become citizens, so they have the right to play for their new countries. Get over yourselves!
JNorr35 - are you aware that the United States Olympic Committee has been petitioning athletes for citizenship for over 35 years? More than half the Greek Olympic softball players in 2004 were Americans. A number of Kenyan long distance runners have received U.S. citizenship SIMPLY to represent the United States in the Olympic Games.
You want to be a patriot? Follow the election, research your local candidates and go to the polling place and vote. You want to make a diference that matters? Expose the fraud that is Barack Hussein Obama. You want to love your country...dust off your flag that sat in the garage this past saturday...FLAG DAY...you want to show pride in your country? Write a letter to a soldier, sailor airman or marine with "operation dear abbey".
Don't pick on some girl who wants to experience international play in a basketball tournament.
The world has not changed due to your travel, it is you who have changed.
What you learn on your journeys has more to do with where you start than what you see.
If you have strong Values, what you see is measured against them, supporting your initial conclusions, and causing you to use them to understand new circumstances. If you have a Relativistic view, with weak or poorly defined Values, such as you seem to have, your journey shows you many new considerations, and gives you pause. You become more Relativistic, and less sure of yourself and your Path in Life.
That is not to say that there are no lessons to learn in traveling the world. It IS to say that the lessons prove your Values strength or not.
I don't like the phrase "agree to disagree", and I have never heard someone with strong Values say this, only those of Relativistic bent. Values are True regardless of what I believe about them, and finding the absolute is to a large measure the purpose of Life.
Those who have strong Values are optimistic and enthusiastic about Life and the Future. Those who are Morally Relativistic are paranoid, cynical, and tend to make or see Hollywood movies in which the Future is a piece of c-r-a-p.
Respect for different cultures does not mean equivocation of Values. Ethnocentrism is not a fault, but a guide.
If you don't know where you are going, any direction takes you there.
A little off point, but not much. I don't know how I feel about Becky, mainly for 2 reasons; the Olympics were her dream, and the US had not made any gestures before accepting the Russian offer. Once she had accepted the Russian offer, IMO, she was bound by her word. Maybe the US should have made an offer sooner, or maybe she should have checked to see what if any status she had concerning the US team, but neither happened.
What I can say is I know how I felt in a similar situation. A girl I grew up with, who lived 2 houses down from me, spurned the US and skated for the Netherlands in the 1976 winter Olympics. She was World champion in 1975 and did win silver behind US's Dorothy Hamill in '76 (In spite of knowing Dianne de Leeuw personally I rooted for Hamill). Dianne de Leeuw had dual citizenry because her mother was Dutch by birth, but DD lived and trained in the US. She was world champion and COULD have skated for the US, but chose not to. I felt she was a traitor.
In her favor, Dianne was dutch, even though all her life and all her training was USA. In Becky's favor; she didn't know that she could become an athelete on the US team, Dianne did. Dianne was, in my mind, a traitor. Is Becky? I don't know, but I have more sympathy for her than I did for Dianne.
Last edited by UltTroyDos on June 16th at 11:47 AM.
What are you, a Nobel Peace Prize winning philosophy professor? lol!!!
YOu are biased in your argument regarding values and its proper exercise. Values DO NOT define who you are. It is what you do and how you act that defines you. Someone could have strong values about a particular thing yet could act differently when placed in a particular situation. Don't ask me how, it's human nature.
I could exhibit strong values regarding respect for elders when I'm in Asia, yet I could act differently in the United States, which doesn't preach respect for elders as much as they do in the Orient (if you've done some traveling, you'd know what I mean).
Having strong values isn't about the ability to stay true to what you believe in. All that makes you is a self-conformist. Inner strength is about the capacity to be able to shed one's own ethnocentric beliefs and allow oneself to flow like water, if you will, and continue to develop and modify their values.
Values are not a constant, they are shaped and modified by one's experience through time.
To say only those people who have strong values are the ones who are optimistic and enthusiastic about life is a farce. Everyone has strong values because everyone believes in something, whether its faith, hope, a certain god, or even aliens. A bum, believe it or not, has strong values despite their apparent cynicism about life. If you've ever met one, you'd know they have a sense of optimism about the future unlike no other.
You are implying that Becky Hammon has weak values. Do you know her? Can you attest to her life experiences? Do you know what her family values are? If you lived the next 30 years of your life in Tibet with the Dalai Lama, how sure are you that you wouldn't adopt new values and relinquish current ones?
I don't care how old you are or how wise you purport yourself to be with your implied wisdom but frankly, you are proving to be a perfect example of someone who judges a book by its cover. The fact that you even mention "morally relativistic" people as being "paranoid" and "cynical" proves this. Who are you to judge others? No one, that's who.
Perhaps you are the one who is not enthusiastic about life. Last I checked, those people who love life and are optimistic are the ones who can adjust their ways of thinking. Sort of like la tabula rasa.
You say, "The world has not changed due to your travel... What you learn on your journeys has more to do with where you start than what you see."
I couldn't disagree more. Where you start only serves as a guide since one's memory about their past experiences is what they base their decisions on. But what you see is what allows you to evalutate, modify, and change. What you see is something new, therefore it creates the journey which, in turn, shapes the outcome. The start and the finish are merely points on a map. The journey is what makes the man and therefore cements his values.
i like when the "patriotic" american corporations outsource work to other countries because labor is so much cheaper.
i like when "patriotic" american governments outsource for OIL when we have resources we could be tapping into right here in the good old U.S.and A.
i am looking forward to the day i retire (about 30 years from now *hopefully*) only to find out the government has mismanaged social security so badly that there's no $$$$$ left for me and millions of others like me who would have paid into SS for our entire lives.
and we are worried about a womans basketball contest.
The world has changed, contrary to your belief. The fact that the world keeps changing is what separates us from other species. Change is what drives humanity, and with change comes a shift in values and social consciousness.
I'm a nonconformist Rogan. Straight out of the counterculture revolution. My values are strong, and its because I can accept differing views, differing values, and most of all, change.
I believe that "Man - he is constantly growing and when he is bound by a set pattern of ideas or way of doing things, that's when he stops growing."
This is why Becky Hammon did what she did. And for you to claim that she has weak values couldn't be further from the truth. She's a tax paying American citizen who's served her country well.
Don't hate because the rest of us know how to keep up with the Joneses.
"i like when the "patriotic" american corporations outsource work to other countries because labor is so much cheaper...i like when "patriotic" american governments outsource for OIL when we have resources we could be tapping into right here in the good old U.S.and A."
I like how "patriotic" american corporations are at planning strategically and taking advantage of other nations that are hoping to adopt the capitalistic tendencies of the U.S.
I like how Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) are recognizing that Third World countries today are now going through what the U.S. went through over a hundred fifty years ago - industrialization - and are thus creating outsourcing opportunities abroad, so less manufacturing plants and less pollution and less spending occurs at the homeland.
I like how the U.S. is doing business overseas and outsourcing to call centers in India and Asia so as to expand its sphere of influence. Brilliant, if you haven't already noticed. It's called globalization.
Now I know you're speaking sarcastically Sizzel, but for those of y'all who take life for granted... be damn glad you are a citizen of this country. Because if you found out you were living in a Third World Country and making $200 a month while still living with your parents at the age of 40, you'd probably commit suicide.
Yes, we have oil reserves in Alaska and yes, we have vast drilling operations off the Gulf of Mexico coast and we are currently partnering with the Mexican gov't to help them help us with oil operations in the gulf.
But the fact of the matter is, the U.S. is an empire. It's a global conglomerate that will make sure its citizens can have their freedom, mismanaged social security initiatives or not. The bottom line is our country is the best at tactical planning and protecting our interests. Nothing could be more patriotic.
I don't really have a problem with it. The olympics really don't have any rules against being a free agent. The olympics used to be about representing your country, but today, those same values don't exist. Not just in Becky Hammon's case.
Side note: I met Becky Hammon when I coached youth basketball. She is a really nice woman. I wish her good luck in whatever she does.
I'll just quote one little part of your diatribe to expose your complete lack of logic and understanding of a Values based individual:
"Values DO NOT define who you are. It is what you do and how you act that defines you. Someone could have strong values about a particular thing yet could act differently when placed in a particular situation. Don't ask me how, it's human nature."
You are attempting to define yourself in terms of Behavior, which varies from situation to situation, and which you claim accordingly adjusts your own Values.
Such is the province of a Morally Relativistic person, and the Definition of a Hypocrite. You have no moral basis or standard if you really do try to live this way.
You bet I won't "ask you how", because I just told you "what" you are doing, and you apparently haven't got it.
OF COURSE I am being Judgemental! Having strong Values REQUIRES you to be Judgemental.
Not only with others, but with yourself.
Not being Judgemental implies that all Values are simply Points of View, which leads to Moral Relativism, as I said.
And, please don't quote that Biblical verse, "Judge Not lest Ye be Judged", without quoting the ENTIRE VERSE ... in which the true meaning of the first few words is completely opposite of the out-of-context sound bites the Relativists always state ...
You claim to be a "Non-conformist", yet your adjustment of your Behavior and re-defining your Values based upon the circumstances you are in at the moment is the very essence of a Total Conformist ...
yeah dizzle, globalization. good job. new world order.
hopefully there won't even be a russia soon. just one really big united states, then becky hammon can kiss it.
we rule!!!! go USA!!!!!!
_________________
LISA!! i remember this NBA playoffs when you wanted to have that jazz fan hanged for allegedly "covering his eye to mock d.fish".....
do you remember?
have you heard about this?
No Staples viewing in Game 6
Those of you planning on heading to Staples Center to watch Game 6 with a few thousand of your friends will need to find another plan. The Lakers, in consultation with local law enforcement, have canceled the viewing party. From Lakers PR:
After meeting with law enforcement and city representatives, we have agreed to not open STAPLES Center for a public showing of any upcoming playoff games from Boston.
Because of concerns for resources needed to ensure the safety of fans throughout Los Angeles on nights when the games would be played as well as potential financial burdens on various City departments, we came to this decision.
On behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers, we encourage all of our fans to enjoy the upcoming games with friends and family and celebrate the championship run in a safe, responsible and respectful manner.
Too much of this sort of thing going on, I suspect.
My first reaction to this was to suggest taking away Hammons citizenship and deporting her to Russia. How could a she play for Russia??? Traitor!!!! Then I caught my breath and thought about it for a second or two or three. Is her decision unpatriotic or just a reflection of a less nationalistic spirit in todays Olympic games. Certainly with more pay for play vs amateurism the Olympics have become more commercial and less idealistic or perhaps more accurately less ideological. It really is more about individual athletes who cross national boundaries to play for teams in an international arena. We would certainly welcome foreign born, naturalized US citizens on our national team. Now, with a clearer head I would acknowldege that a US citizen could play on another national team if they enjoyed citizenship in that country as well. That said, I would hate to see a trend where countries provide citizenship to athletes as a means of building a more competitive team. Perhaps Saudi Arabia will offer citizenship to the Boston Celtics (and a few million in cash) to play on their national team. I mean really, is Hammond a citizen of Russia or just a guest worker? I guess from my perspective the medal count is a matter of national pride but falls well short of being an issue of national security. Personally I couldn't stomach playing for the Russian national team (nothing personal just how I was bent growing up) but I can't in good conscience call Hammond a traitor for doing so.
Hammon is not a traitor. She's not selling top secrets that will cost American lives. That word is harsh and out of line.
When the Men's soccer team naturalized ringers from other countries during World Cup' 98, no one said a thing. Why the double standard?
Those of you who are condemning her need to get a grip. It is after all a game, nothing more.
Have you considered that perhaps the coach has an axe to grind against her, that's why she had such harsh words to say about her.
Something to keep in mind is this, Hammon's detractors are backing off from their original harsh stance. I dare say they are feeling the heat from the public's outcry.
There is not one single person on this blog who would have not taken the 4 million without even an invite to try out much less a guaranteed spot at age 31. This is it for Becky. She gets to go to the Olympics, She gets to start which she would not do on the USA team and she gets her lifetime financially assured. WNBA women do not make big money.
How you can criticize her on the grounds of non patriotism when jobs are outsourced by the millions and allowed to do so by the politicans, when not one single person in Iraq has died defending America but died for the Oil profit money of Texas oil and Haliburtion who put Bush/Cheney in the White House is hyprocisy beyond belief.
Lack of patriotism my butt. You would have taken the money in a second. So would I.
You hit the problem right square on the head, but you were wrong in your conclusion.
If everything is for sale, as the Moral Relativists wish in their desire to have a Society in which Values mean nothing, then we have the situation described by Lisa, where Values mean nothing.
If there is virtually nothing you would not do for 4 million, how much would you take to kill someone? (The reported actual going price in many cities is as little as $500 ... think about that...)
Societies without strong Values view the money acquisition process as simply a risk-reward event, devoid of any Moral Issues.
OK, Alex, would you take 4 million to sell out your country? Even if nobody in your country, like lots of folks here, cared?
Nope. Seriously, I would not.
If you don't have strong Values, you have nothing. I love my country and I refuse to sell her out.
There is a story about a guy who sees a beautiful woman at the end of the bar, walks over to her and asks her, "Would you sleep with me for a million dollars?"
She hesitates, and then says, "Well, yes."
He says, "Great! Would you sleep with me for twenty dollars?"
Outraged, she snaps back, "No! What do you think I am!?!"
He replies, "I know what you are, we are just arguing about the price ...."
Becky's dream has always been to play in the Olympics. At her age, she knows Beijing is her last shot at that dream. So when Russia asked her to be a member of their National Basketball team and represent them in the Olympics, she said yes. 
