Portland Oregonian, oozing compassion or something, wins gold for twisted Olympics angle

VANCOUVER, B.C. -- The protestors gathered Saturday on Granville Street in front of the giant windows of the Official Olympic Superstore that is Hudson's Bay Co. department store.

They glared at the mannequins outfitted with $40 stocking caps and $650 Official Vancouver 2010 Olympics sweatsuits, and they hissed about homelessness, global warming and the increasingly corporate feel of this event.

One guy shouted, "Homes before Games!" Another chided the tourists standing behind the ropes, a line a block long, waiting to get into the store. Another walked up and hurled a can of red paint against the Olympic rings stenciled on the glass.

I felt like joining right in.

Not over homelessness, though it's a great cause. Not over the corporate feel of the Olympics, which is a worthwhile question. But rather, over the reaction of the International Luge Federation and Vancouver Olympics officials when it comes to the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili, from the nation of Georgia.

The Vancouver Olympics feels like one giant beef today.