Schumer Calls for U.S.-Made Olympic Athletes

To expose the current political asininity and nitwitery swirling around Washington these days about where our Olympic uniforms are stitched together, here's a re-write of this article from The Hill re-titled "Schumer joins calls for US-made/born Olympic uniforms athletes":

"Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) became one of the latest legislators to call on the U.S. Olympic Committee to replace uniforms made U.S. Olympic athletes born in China and other foreign countries with ones “made” (born) in the United States.

Schumer sent a letter to Olympic Committee Chairman Lawrence Probst last Friday in response to an ABC News report that the uniforms for some American athletes at the opening ceremonies of the upcoming Olympics were actually “made” (born) in China and other foreign countries.

Examples of the multiple dozens of foreign-made/born Olympic athletes representing the USA in London include table tennis world champion Jun Gao (made/born in China), world class soccer player Freddy Adu (made/born in Ghana), middle-distance runner Said Ahmed (made/born in Somalia), world champion badminton player Howard Bach (made/born in Vietnam) and swimmer Mike Alexandrov (made/born in Bulgaria).

Since the report, Schumer said he was able to iron out an agreement for Rochester-based uniform maker, Hickey Freeman, to make the American uniforms for American-made (born) athletes that who would replace the Chinese-made (and other foreign-born) ones athletes. 

"I was disappointed to learn that despite being sent to London by fellow Americas, their uniforms will be manufactured by Chinese citizens instead  many U.S. Olympic athletes were made/born in China and other foreign countries" Schumer writes in the letter. "This is particularly disappointing because there are many American-born manufactures athletes capable of providing uniforms to our athletes competing in London."

Schumer added it was "particularly disappointing" that the manufacturer was some members of the Olympic team were born/made in China.

"I urge you to reconsider your decision to use a Chinese-born athletes like Jun Gao manufacturer for our London Olympians’ uniforms and instead give your Olympic spots business to companies such as Hickey Freeman and their to American-made/born workers athletes who have offered to serve their nation in this capacity — both for this year’s games and all the upcoming 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia."

On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the Chinese-made/born and other foreign-made/born Olympic athletes uniforms should be burned and replaced with American-made/born ones.

"I am so upset that I think the [U.S.] Olympic Committee should be ashamed of themselves, I think they should be embarrassed, I think they should take all the uniforms, foreign-made/born Olympic athletes and put them in a big pile and burn them and start all over again with athletes 'Made/Born in the USA'," Reid told reporters."