Larry Nassar - Decades of Sexual Abuse Ends

Larry Nassar sexually abused young women for decades. He's finally being punished, decades too late.

From FOX News:

Larry Nassar, the disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting young female athletes, was sentenced Wednesday to 40 to 175 years in prison.

“I just signed your death warrant,” Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said. It was the culmination of a remarkable seven-day hearing in which more than 150 of Nassar's victims gave impact statements detailing the abuse they endured at the hands of the former team doctor and Michigan State trainer.

Aquilina said Nassar's "decision to assault was precise, calculated, manipulative, devious, despicable."

She continued: "It is my honor and privilege to sentence you. You do not deserve to walk outside a prison ever again. You have done nothing to control those urges and anywhere you walk, destruction will occur to those most vulnerable."

Nassar pleaded guilty to assaulting seven people in the Lansing, Michigan, area between 1998 and 2015. He has already been sentenced to 60 years in prison for child pornography crimes and is scheduled to be sentenced next week on other assault convictions in Eaton County, Michigan.

...The 54-year-old was working at Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians, when he sexually abused the athletes.

...Nassar's accusers, which included U.S. Olympic gymnasts Mckayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles, said he would use his ungloved hands to touch them inappropriately while they were on a table seeking help for various injuries.

Nassar was allowed to continue to commit his crimes because those in positions of authority didn't stop him.

USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee didn't stop him.

Michigan State University didn't stop him.

They could have spared some victims the horror of abuse, but they didn't.

Their silence is mind-boggling to me.

How could they remain silent? How could they live with themselves, knowing what they knew?

It's like the scandal in the Catholic Church. Why did so many stay silent for so many years? People with knowledge of crimes being committed need to say something.

If I knew my child had been sexually abused by a team doctor like Nassar or a priest, I would contact authorities immediately. I would fight like hell for justice. I wouldn't be satisfied until the abuser was convicted and behind bars. No one could convince me to be silent.

Tom Brokaw, Ambien

Tom Brokaw seems to have a problem.

Everyone by now is probably familiar with Brokaw being rushed to a hospital in Charlotte.

From the Los Angeles Times:

NBC News special correspondent Tom Brokaw was hospitalized Thursday morning after he said he mistakenly took Ambien.

Brokaw was taken to a Charlotte, N.C., hospital following an appearance on MSNBC's “Morning Joe.”

NBC reported that Brokaw felt "lightheaded" on the set. "Out of an abundance of caution, he was taken to a hospital. He is being evaluated, is in good spirits, and is expected to be released shortly," NBC News President Steve Capus said in a statement released to the media.

For his part, Brokaw appeared to sheepishly joke about the incident.

He tweeted: "All is well. Early AM I mistakenly took a half dose of Ambien and made less sense than usual. Made a better comeback than Giants..."

But the newsman didn't explain: How do you "mistakenly" take an Ambien? (Ambien is a prescription medication typically used to treat insomnia.)

It's good news that Brokaw is in good health, and this scare was due to his personal negligence.

However, the incident is rather embarrassing.

"Mistakenly" taking an Ambien before a TV appearance is weird.

What did he think he was taking?

Does he have a bowl of pills and picked the wrong one?

If one takes a number of prescription medications, one certainly is familiar with their color and shape. One doesn't just grab an Ambien getting ready to go to work in the morning.

Brokaw's carelessness is a bit strange.

When I heard the news yesterday of Brokaw's Ambien "mishap," I was reminded of an appearance he did with Bob Costas for the London Olympics. Brokaw was in the studio with Costas to introduce a taped piece. I think it was something related to World War II, London, and an athlete. Whatever, the segment was historical in nature.

As Brokaw introduced it, we thought something was terribly wrong with him. He looked pale and frail. His speech was slurred beyond his normal way of speaking. We thought maybe he was drunk.

Yet when they cut to the tape, Brokaw seemed more like his usual self.

We were concerned that Brokaw was having some sort of serious health problem because the contrast was so stark.

Upon hearing of Brokaw's Ambien mix-up, I thought his London behavior now made sense.

Brokaw needs to be more careful with his drug use, especially when he's on the job.

Michelle Obama and Jay Leno (Video)

Michelle Obama was a guest on Monday's Tonight Show - AGAIN.

Here's video:

First Lady Michelle Obama on Healthcare Reform (8/13/12)

First Lady Michelle Obama Kiss Cam (8/13/12)

Leno did ask Michelle about Paul Ryan. She claimed she hasn't really been paying attention and she doesn't know him, but she welcomes him to the campaign.

What?

I find it very hard to believe Michelle isn't familiar with Ryan.

If she doesn't have some idea who he is or an opinion of him, then she's extremely out of touch.

U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas, two-time Olympic gold medalist, was also a guest on the show.

Michelle stayed for Gabby's interview, very unusual, but she didn't hang around for Norah Jones.
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Video, full interview:

First Lady Michelle Obama, Part 1 (8/13/12)

First Lady Michelle Obama, Part 2 (8/13/12)

First Lady Michelle Obama, Part 3 (8/13/12)

The Who, Closing Ceremony, NBC

Animal Practice?

NBC, YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

Instead of showing the closing ceremony of the London Olympics in full, NBC abruptly left to air an episode of NBC's new series, Animal Practice.

Considering the ceremony was taped, there was no excuse for this.

I was waiting to see The Who.

Didn't happen.

It was weird. No closing credits. No real sign-off.

Bob Costas didn't say, "Stay tuned for The Who after your late local news." There was no indication there would be anything other than a rerun of the evening's coverage.

After the news, TMJ4 didn't say, "Stay tuned for the continuation of the closing ceremony program."

Nothing.

But, instead of the listed rerun, after the news, Ryan Seacrest comes on and introduces The Who.

Then, there were some interviews with athletes on the field.

And, then came NBC's promotion of the 2014 winter olympics.

Costas wrapped things up with some final remarks and the credits.

It couldn't have been more awkward.

It was such a fitting way for NBC's coverage to end - screwed up.

Manteo Mitchell, Broken Leg in 4x400m

To say Manteo Mitchell is a team player is an understatement.

During the 4x400m relay, Mitchell's leg broke.

He kept running.

From the Associated Press:

Manteo Mitchell felt the pop in his leg and knew it wasn't good. "It felt like somebody literally just snapped my leg in half," he said.

The American sprinter had half a lap to go in the first leg of the 4x400-meter relay preliminaries Thursday and a choice to make: keep running or stop and lose the race. To him, it was never much of a choice.

He finished the lap and limped to the side to watch the Americans finish the race and qualify easily for the final. A few hours later, doctors confirmed what he suspected: He had run the last 200 meters with a broken left fibula.

"I heard it and I felt it," Mitchell told The Associated Press. "But I figured it's what almost any person would've done in that situation."

Mitchell finished his heat in a more-than-respectable 46.1 seconds, and the United States tied the Bahamas in the second heat in 2 minutes, 58.87 seconds -- the fastest time ever run in the first round of the relay at the Olympics.

The 25-year-old sprinter from Cullowhee, N.C., said he was diagnosed with a complete break of the left fibula -- but it was not a compound fracture and the bone is expected to heal on its own in four to six weeks.

He knew what the stakes were when he lined up to run the first leg of his first Olympics. The Americans have won gold in the last eight long relays they've entered at the Olympics.

"Even though track is an individual sport, you've got three guys depending on you, the whole world watching you," Mitchell said. "You don't want to let anyone down."

..."I was doing my job," Mitchell said. "But probably at 201 meters, I heard it and I felt it."

He credited something more than simple adrenaline for pushing him the rest of the way around the track.

"Faith, focus, finish. Faith, focus, finish. That's the only thing I could say to myself," he said.

Wow.

"Faith, focus, finish."

Words to live by.

Team USA Women: 51 Medals

Incredible showing by the women of #TeamUSA today - first GOLD in women's boxing, first GOLD in women's water polo & GOLD in women's soccer!

— US Olympic Team (@USOlympic) August 9, 2012

The U.S. leads in the Olympic medal standings with a total of 90. The U.S. also leads in the gold medal count.

Women have earned 51 of the 90 medals won by U.S. athletes.

USA! USA! USA!

Olympics, Matthew Perry

Waitafuggin minute!!! NO MORE Tape Delayed Olympic coverage...for a Matthew Perry episode??!!! FO' Realz??!!!

— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) August 9, 2012

Gabby Douglas, NBC, Racist Monkey Commercial

I think this is an absolutely ridiculous controversy.

NBC has become the centre of a race storm after airing an ad featuring a monkey performing gymnastics, right after showing the performance of Gabby Douglas, the first African-American to win Olympic gold.

The network has since apologised for the advert's poor timing, explaining: 'No offense was intended.'

The controversy ignited as sportscaster Bob Costas wrapped his analysis of her incredible routine during the all-around competition last night.

Costas said: 'There are some African American girls out there who tonight are saying to themselves: "Hey, I’d like to try that too." More from London in a moment.'

The broadcast then went to a commercial break, showing an advertisement featuring a monkey wearing a gymnastics uniform and performing a rings gymnastics event.

The unintentional, but poorly-timed ad was for Animal Practice, an upcoming NBC sitcom.

...In a statement to MailOnline, NBC Sports said: 'Gabby Douglas' gold medal performance last night was an historic and inspiring achievement.

'This spot promoting ’Animal Practice,’ which has run three times previously, is one in a series with an Olympic theme which have been scheduled for maximum exposure. Certainly no offense was intended.'

I'm no fan of NBC, but the criticism the network has received over this is completely unwarranted.

The commerical had already aired repeatedly without complaints. There was no reason whatsoever to connect the monkey with Gabby Douglas. None.

Other commercials promoting Animal Practice use a dog and a penguin as Olympic athletes.

So what?

Some of the most popular commercials during the Super Bowl use monkeys. I've never heard any complaints about those ads and their juxtaposition with the football players.

The monkey in the NBC promo was in no way meant to be an insult to Gabby or any other gymnast.

Good grief.

People get bent of out of shape over such silly things.

Remember, Gabby's nickname is the "Flying Squirrel." She seems to enjoy it. She doesn't consider it degrading. It's cute.

She's a champion, earning two Olympic gold medals so far, representing the United States.

Why would anyone think NBC's commercial was some sort of racial insult?

Is NBC getting complaints about the swimming dog and the diving penguin?

There are plenty of things to complain about when it comes to NBC.

This isn't one of them.

Here's the video:

Michael McPhail

Wisconsin Olympian Michael McPhail was a millimeter away from making the finals in the 50m Rifle, Prone.

From Ed Klajman, Madison.com:

Whether it’s football, baseball, hockey or basketball, describing a sport as a “game of inches” is a well-worn cliché.

For Michael McPhail, the difference between fighting for an Olympic medal and early elimination Friday was even more minute — more like a millimeter. And unfortunately for the Darlington native, he came out on the wrong side of that mark.

McPhail was one of 50 marksmen vying for a spot in the final round of the men’s 50-meter rifle in prone position, where the top eight qualifiers battle for medals.

He ended with a score of 595, which means he hit a target 10.4 millimeters in diameter from 50 meters away 595 times out of 600 attempts. That was good enough to tie for fourth place along with eight other shooters. So there was a nine-way shoot-off for five spots.

In the shoot-off, it’s not just enough to hit the target. What matters is where the bullet strikes, down to the millimeter. Each shooter took five shots, with a cumulative total tallied. McPhail ended with a score of 51.3, placing him sixth, just one spot out of the final. A score of 51.6 would have been good enough to stay alive.

“You’re looking at a millimeter and I’m in the final, easy,” said the staff sergeant with the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit at Fort Benning, Ga. “I’m not disappointed with how I shot. Of those 65 shots I had, maybe one I would shoot again. I mean, I shot 64 great shots. There’s not a whole lot more you can ask for.

"I’ve been beaten before. And if I stay in this, I’m going to be beaten again. I did everything I wanted to do at the level I wanted to do it. I can sleep.”

...McPhail said becoming an Olympian was the fulfillment of a dream he’s had since he was 14 years old. He got emotional when describing his Olympic experience.

“It’s just surreal. For a lot of people, this is the biggest thing in their life that will ever happen. And you know, it’s cool just to be a part of that; walking into opening ceremonies, it’s incredible.

McPhail would like to participate in the 2016 Olympics in Rio. I hope he does.

He didn't medal in London, but he made Wisconsin and the USA proud.

The media focus so much on winning and the Olympic "stars." Winning in a particular competition doesn't necessarily define athletic or personal greatness.

Read more about Michael McPhail.

Darlington native Michael McPhail began target shooting for fun as a teen, traveling to competitions around southwestern Wisconsin, not knowing he was honing skills that would one day take him around the world.

Today McPhail is a fiercely competitive Army staff sergeant who is headed for the Olympics in London with his sights set on a gold medal in the 50-meter men's prone rifle marksmanship event.

"I love to compete," McPhail said Wednesday. "I live for the competition, the feeling of being nervous and excited."

McPhail, 30, won the event in the 2011 Pan-American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, and has taken home medals in several international shooting World Cup matches, but this is his first trip to the Olympics.

...McPhail enlisted in 2004. After training he was assigned to the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, whose members have won hundreds of individual and team honors including 23 Olympic medals, more than half of all U.S. shooting medals won since the unit formed in 1956.

Created to raise Army marksmanship standards, the unit is used as a recruiting tool and training resource. It also develops and tests new firearms with gunsmiths who make and customize the team's weapons.

McPhail and another unit member, 1st Sgt. Eric Uptagrafft, are the U.S. team for the 50-meter event.

I didn't know active military members are on Team USA.

Hey, Bob Costas and NBC! That deserves some prime time coverage.
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Congratulations, Michael McPhail!

Hope to see you in Rio.

Phelps, Franklin, Ledecky: GOLD

It's a GOLD rush by the American swimmers today.

Missy Franklin won GOLD in the 200m Backstroke, setting a world record. Elizabeth Beisel picked up the BRONZE.

Michael Phelps won GOLD in the 100m Butterfly. In the last individual swim of his career, Phelps won his third straight GOLD in the event. It was his 21st Olympic medal, his 17th GOLD.

The guy's pretty good.

There was more GOLD for Team USA.

Katie Ledecky won GOLD in the 800m Freestyle.

In the 50m Freestyle, GOLD medalist Cullen Jones picked up the SILVER.

Wow.

What a day at the pool!

Congratulations, Team USA!!!

Phelps - Gold, Lochte - Silver: 200m IM

Most-decorated Olympian @michaelphelps WINS 200 IM and is first male to earn gold in same indiv. event three times!Silver for @ryanlochte!

— US Olympic Team (@USOlympic) August 2, 2012

.@michaelphelps wins GOLD in the 200m IM! @ryanlochte takes silver. #Phelps is first male swimmer to win the same race at 3 #Olympics!

— NBCOlympics (@NBCOlympics) August 2, 2012

Another great day in London for Team USA!

Gabby Douglas: GOLD

Congratulations to U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas for winning GOLD in the women's all-around!

Kevin Spacey and Mitt Romney

Solely because of the Olympics, I caught some of NBC's Today on Wednesday morning. The TV was still on NBC and I thought maybe some athletes might be interviewed.

I last watched Today regularly when Al Roker was overweight. Katie Couric was still on the show.

My viewing on Wednesday was, indeed, a very rare happening.

The small segment I saw had nothing to do with the Olympics. It was Matt Lauer interviewing Kevin Spacey.

It was disgusting.

Here's video from the Media Research Center:



Nauseating.

I used to think Spacey was a good actor, back in The Usual Suspects days.

Now, he seems very bent on pushing a Leftist agenda.

He peaked as an actor long ago. I'm no longer a fan of his acting, let alone his choice to be a mouthpiece for the radical Left.

Here's the transcript:

MATT LAUER: You've been on a lot of planes lately, going back and forth to Baltimore. You're shooting a series there called House of Cards, kind of a political drama, and I just want to read how you described your character recently: 'A wily murderous politician worming his way to the White House.'

KEVIN SPACEY: Yeah, yeah.

LAUER: Another great [guy?] to sink your teeth into.

SPACEY: Kind of like this year, isn't it?

LAUER: Oh, no, no, no. Get yourself in trouble, not me.

SPACEY: [Laughs]

Good grief.

What a lame shot at Mitt Romney to worm in the interview!

With the Olympics, I've been spared the inanity spewed by Jay Leno and Jimmy Fallon and celebrity guests yapping about the evil, rich Romney and the god-like, perfection personified Obama.

So I see just a few minutes of Today and there it is.

Really, really annoying.

Yes, I switched the channel immediately.
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UPDATE:

From Breitbart's Christian Toto:
Twitter is a celebrity's best friend when it's time to clean up a mess. It's even better if the mess is self made.

Take Kevin Spacey. The gifted actor put his entire foot in his mouth yesterday on NBC's "Today" by referring to Mitt Romney as a "murderous politician" during a chat about his upcoming Netflix political drama.

Spacey must have felt some Web-related heat from the remark, so he leveraged his Twitter account to try to make amends.

Made joke on Today Show. General, not serious. Some claim I “smeared” & named a politician. I didn’t. Wanted to get the facts out there.

— Kevin Spacey (@KevinSpacey) August 1, 2012

Spacey was very clear on Today.

This is damage control.

He fails.

Michael Phelps: 19 Olympic Medals

Three of his teammates helped Michael Phelps swim into history today.

The U.S. 4x200m freestyle relay team took gold, earning Phelps his 19th Olympic medal, the most of any athlete ever.

From the Associated Press:

With a lot of help from his friends, Phelps took down the last major record that wasn't his alone, swimming the anchor leg for the United States in a gold medal-winning performance of the 4x200-meter freestyle relay Tuesday night.

About an hour earlier, Phelps took one of the most frustrating defeats of his brilliant career, making a shocking blunder at the finish and settling for silver in his signature event, the 200 butterfly.

That tied the record for career medals held by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, but it was hardly a triumphant moment. Phelps slung away his cap in disgust and struggled to force a smile at the medal ceremony.

But any disappointment from that race was gone by the time he dived in the water on the relay, having been staked to a huge lead by teammates Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Ricky Berens.

Before the race, they all huddled together, fully aware of their role in history.

"I thanked those guys for helping me get to this moment," Phelps said. "I told those guys I wanted a big lead. I was like, 'You better give me a big lead going into the last lap,' and they gave it to me. I just wanted to hold on. I thanked them for being able to allow me to have this moment."

I like that Phelps' record-breaking medal was gold. I like that it came with a relay, a team effort.

Congratulations to Michael Phelps.

Congratulations to Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Ricky Berens.

Fantastic!

Michael Phelps: 200m Butterfly - SILVER

So, so close!

But no gold.

Watching NBC's livestream of the event, the commentators said that Phelps lost.

True, he wasn't first, but silver is not bad.

One more medal and Phelps becomes the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time.

Not bad at all.
_________________

Congratulations to Allison Schmitt! She won gold in the Women's 200m Freestyle.

U.S. Women's Gymnastics: GOLD

The U.S. men's gymnastic team struggled yesterday, coming up short, no medal.

Today is a new day. The U.S. women gymnasts have something to celebrate.

No, not socialized medicine.

GOLD!

This is a great achievement. The U.S. women's team has not won gold since 1996 in Atlanta.

Congratulations!

USA! USA! USA!

Guy Adams Censored

I'm disgusted by NBC.

That's normal.

I'm very disappointed in Twitter.

Why would Twitter, at the request of NBC, suspend the account of journalist Guy Adams?

From The Independent:

The US television broadcaster NBC was at the centre of controversy last night after it persuaded Twitter to suspend an Independent journalist who criticised its coverage of the Olympics.

Guy Adams, this newspaper's Los Angeles correspondent, was removed from the social networking site on the day that he wrote a news story detailing widespread public complaints about the network's coverage of the London Games.

According to Twitter, he was suspended for a message posted during the Opening Ceremony, when NBC prevented viewers of America from watching live coverage, so that the network could screen the occasion during an evening prime-time slot coveted by advertisers. "The man responsible for NBC pretending the Olympics haven't started yet is Gary Zenkel," wrote Mr Adams. "Tell him what * think!" His tweet then contained the work email address of Mr Zenkel, the President of NBC Olympics.

Twitter claimed last night that the tweet breached its guidelines.

"Your account has been suspended for posting an individual's private information such as private email address, physical address, telephone number, or financial documents," the company informed Mr Adams. "It is a violation of the Twitter Rules."

In response, Mr Adams wrote: "I didn't publish a private email address, just a corporate one, which is widely available to anyone with access to Google and is identical to one that all of the tens of thousands of NBC Universal employees share. It's no more 'private' than the address I'm emailing you from right now.

NBC has received a load of criticism for its coverage of the Olympics.

But why target Adams?

"Violation of Twitter Rules"?

Give me a break!

This is censorship.

While I blame Twitter for capitulating, it's NBC that's the real bad guy in this.

How could NBC think silencing Adams on Twitter would help manage the criticism?

Another bad, bad decision.

Jordyn Wieber Out of All-Around

Jordyn Wieber is out of the all-around competition in women's gymnastics at the Olympics because of a lame rule.

Defending World Champion Jordyn Wieber is out of the all-around Olympic competition.

Because of a two-per country rule, each team can only advance two athletes to the All-Around competition. Teammates Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas both outscored Wieber, thereby advancing to the All-Around final.

The "two-per country rule" isn't fair.

Jordyn Wieber is being penalized for having talented teammates.

For the all-around competition, 24 gymnasts advance.

From the New York Times:

The top 24 competitors overall advance to the individual all-around.

Wrong.

Three Americans were among the top four. Because of the rule, Wieber is out.

Twenty-one gymnasts who scored lower than Wieber will be participating in the all-around.

That's a terrible rule.

Aren't the Olympics about excellence in sports?

This "two-per country rule" is nuts.

The best should advance. That's not what's happening here.

I really feel sorry for Jordyn Wieber. She has to sit out the all-around competition because she's an American.

It's not fair. She finished fourth, but she's eliminated. A slew of other gymnasts turning in lesser Olympic performances get to participate.

Obviously, the all-around competition does not include the world's best.

The top 24 should participate. The top Olympic athletes should make it. Period.

The "two-per country rule" runs counter to the Olympic ideal.

It seems Wieber is a victim of an unfair effort to spread the alleged glory around.

I don't see much glory in "two-per country."

Ryan Lochte

Dear NBC,

SHOW EVENTS LIVE.
________________

Breaking News:

NBC secures exclusive rights to air 2014 Winter Olympics during 2016 Summer Olympics.

— Adam Proteau (@Proteautype) July 28, 2012

NBC and Olympics Tribute to Terrorism Victims (Video)

We all know that NBC did not air the opening ceremony of the London Olympics live.

It was delayed to be shown in prime time.

The broadcast fit neatly into a four and a half time slot, obviously edited.

During the ceremony, there was an extremely odd break. They broke away from the festivities and went to a tape of Ryan Seacrest interviewing Michael Phelps.

Very, very strange. I've never seen the coverage of the opening ceremony interrupted that way. It was more like an intermission than anything of interest.

I thought it was a bad decision by NBC.

It was worse than I thought.

I just assumed NBC inserted the interview in its coverage of the ceremony. I didn't think NBC chose to eliminate an important part of the ceremony from its coverage.

Hosts Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer made no mention of the dramatic segment at all.

It was a dishonest, deceptive move. Viewers watching NBC didn't were prevented from seeing the very serious portion of the ceremony paying tribute to the victims of the terrorist attacks in London on July 7, 2005.

From Deadspin:

The major transitional element of today's London Olympics opening ceremony was a downtempo performance of adoptive sporting anthem "Abide With Me" by Scottish singer Emeli Sandé. The song and accompanying dance were a tribute to the victims of the 7/7 terror attacks in London that claimed 52 victims days after the 2012 Summer Olympic hosts were named.

...NBC regularly excises small portions of the opening ceremony to make room for commercials, but we've never heard of them censoring out an entire performance—especially to air an inane interview. We've asked NBC why they didn't air the tribute, and if they get back to us we'll let you know what they say. In the meantime, enjoy the performance everyone else in the world saw. [BBC]

Update (12:25 a.m.): Some readers have commented the official media guide to the opening ceremony makes no reference to 7/7. The sheer number of news stories that cite the performance as a tribute to its victims (as well as the performance itself) gives us pretty good confidence that the memorial was its theme. Here's the prepared BBC remarks as aired:

Ladies and gentlemen, please pause silent for our memorial wall for friends and family who can't be here tonight. The excitement of that moment in Singapore seven years ago when England won the games was tempered the next day with sorrow from the events of July 7th that year. A wall of remembrance for those no longer here to share in this event.

Watch the video of the segment cut by NBC here.

Why was this portion of the opening ceremony removed by NBC?

I expect complete coverage.

We sat through every participating country's team march in to the stadium, nearly two hours of nothing.

Certainly, the parade of nations could have been edited to permit the airing of the 6-minute tribute NBC chopped out.

By editing the ceremony, omitting a dramatic dance and vocal performance, NBC altered the tone of the program.

Way to go, NBC! Keep in the utterly lame and inappropriate tribute to socialized medicine, but scratch the tribute to victims of terror.

NBC definitely did a disservice to its viewers.

___________________

UPDATE: NBC Hit For Editing Opening Ceremony Segment Seen As 'Victims Tribute'

When asked about editing the song-and-dance performance, an NBC Sports spokesman responded in a statement: “Our program is tailored for the U.S. television audience. It’s a credit to [opening ceremony producer] Danny Boyle that it required so little editing.”

James Poniewozik, television critic for Time magazine, noted Saturday that there's "some disagreement over whether the segment was actually, literally a tribute to terrorism victims," despite the reference to the attacks during the BBC's coverage.

"But it also doesn't really matter," Poniewozik wrote. "Specific or general, a tribute to the missing seems like precisely the most sensitive section of a ceremony to edit out. And besides that, given the stranglehold NBC maintains on content for an event its audience has a massive interest in, why edit anything out? It may have been a long ceremony, as they always are, but there was plenty of time to air the song rather than have Ryan Seacrest interview athletes (which NBC has the rest of the games to do, over and over and over)."

No question.

NBC blew out.