LA Daily News Questions The Torch Welcome By San Francisco

In San Francisco shouldn't welcome tainted Olympic torch, Bridget Johnson asks the question

So why in the world would a progressive city like San Francisco welcome the torch of the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics?

and continues, quoting Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.

The torch should not be permitted to be used as a propaganda vehicle for the communist dictatorship in China ... After the monks have been mowed down and slaughtered in the streets of Rangoon, (Myanmar), it has to be more difficult for people to accept that we have the Olympics in Beijing.

and quotes Shannon Service

The mayor doesn't seem to quite get that when the torch passes through our fair city it will not be hailed as a symbol of international unity and sports.

Laurel Sutherlin

We cannot allow the Chinese government to exploit the reputation of our city to advance their nefarious policies on the global stage.

and Giovanni Vassalo, who waits for an answer to his letter to Mayor Newsom

Your welcoming of the Olympic torch would suggest ... that you are ready to turn your back on a unique opportunity to promote legitimate international concerns and... take a stand for justice in Tibet and China.