(08-07-2013 08:44 PM)JRsec Wrote:  Been there done that, under Carter. No! It proves nothing, aids nothing, and punishes the athletes many of whom will be past their prime when another 4 years rolls around. And as it did under Carter the Soviets (then, Russians today) will return the favor 4 years later making a true Olympics impossible for 12 years. When the Greeks started the games they had a cessation of hostilities in order to carry them out. In the modern era we of course have not. What a shame. A truce in any war is a great blessing for the troops.

And something else we need to remember is that most of the world couldn't care less what Americans hold as their standards. If the ban is over gay rights in Russia should we ever permit Muslim nations to attend? I'm not sure China smiles on this issue either. Should American athletes from fundamentalist backgrounds be banned as well? The whole suggestion is ridiculous. We can't and shouldn't control other cultures. Let's deal with our own problems with this before we try to model behavior for everyone else.

i think the point over the muslim homophobia vs russia is that they dont get to host olympics whereas russia does.

and we are not the only ones who bring politics into the olympics. do you really think its fair for Israel to be barred from african and asian brackets because islamic athletes refuse to play them?