The Making of Nations

Now that the Beijing Olympic Games are over I think it can be said with universality that they were a big success. but I do have an observation to make about one aspect I find distasteful. it has to do with the opening and closing ceremony, what the Olympic Organizers call "The Parade of Nations".
I had high expectations as I watched a little of that march, hoping to see art and athletics meet to join together in harmony. The parade was nice, smiling athlete and happy fans. But wait! What did I see but "nations' who were not listed on any map or in any atlas. There was Puerto Rico marching a few athletes under a flag of its own. yet, unless I have been asleep or hallucinating from medication, I do not remember hearing that Puerto Rico became an independent nation. Did Puerto Rico secede from he U.S. while I was dazed?
And another new "nation" appeared- Palestine. I didn't read a thing in my newspaper or on line that there is anew nation called Palestine. But there was a "nation' with it's own flag called "Palestine' that marched in the parade. Hmmmmmm Maybe Palestine became a nation while I was chatting on line.... and I missed it.
But wait! I saw Hong Kong marching a separate nation too. it had it's own flag and was not with China. Someone should tell the Chinese government that it lost Hong Kong. I know it's true because the Olympic Parade said so! But don't tell either China or Taiwan that a group of athletes had the Taiwanese flag and marched as a unit. Yet they called themselves "Chinese Taiwan". Either some graffiti artist wrote in the word "Chinese" or Taiwan changed it's name when we weren't looking.
And there I sat an watched a new nation called "American Somoa". Wow... the Olympic Committee sure is a nation maker. Maybe they should inform the U.N. about all these "new" nations. Or perhaps we should all form our own nation and march too.
Sigh.... I think all of this has given me such a headache I better forget the idea I probably would defect to "Palestine" or Chinese Taiwan" anyway.