There seems to be some problems going on with the Winter Olympics in Vancouver this year. Of course, it seems that there are problems in every Olympics and this one is no exception. However, this is of particular interest to those of us who have sons and daughters in the United States military. The Olympic news today is that Support Our Troops is banned in Vancouver. What’s that you say? Yes, they’ve banned the use of a ‘Support Our Troops’ slogan as being too political for the Olympics.
United States ice hockey goalie Jonathan Quick has a ‘Support Our Troops’ slogan on his helmet. That sort of sentiment is not accepted under Olympic rules. The International Ice Hockey Federation has reported that Quick will be told to remove the slogan from his helmet.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules specifically forbid political propaganda or advertisements on the equipment of athletes participating in the games. Other athletes have been told to cover up slogans on their helmets. Ryan Miller is having to cover-up ‘Miller Time’ that he had on his helmet and Tim Thomas has covered up a slogan he had on his mask.
There are avenues to petition the IOC through the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) to be allow to use slogans. One assumes the athlete would have to use an argument that the slogan doesn’t constitute a political statement or propaganda.
I can certainly understand why the Olympic Committee makes every effort to keep politics out of the games. I can also understand how they would need to use a broad brush to make every effort to keep anything out of the games that could be remotely interpreted as political. On the other hand, I think what has concerned me the most are the comments that people are making in regard to this issue.
If you read the comments at the article linked above, you will find an appalling lack of respect for and even vitriolic hatred for American Troops. What’s with that? The name-calling and intolerance for different points of view, coming from the ‘tolerant’ left is appalling. A common theme in many of the comments is that anyone that supports our troops are ignorant, brain-dead, spiritually-dead, gun-toting, uneducated … you get the point. One guy even equates ‘Support the Troops’ with ‘Impeach Obama‘. That’s a real stretch. What kind of mind comes up with that twisted logic?
So the Olympic News is that Support Our Troops is banned in Vancouver. However, it seems that the real news is the deep division in the United States over the ever-increasing political chasm between the left and the right in the country.
Here is a picture of the ‘Support Our Troops’ slogan on Jonathon Quick’s helmet.
Only a few months till the world cup. The excitement is building. Bring it on.
I say to hell with Canada what our troops are doing overseas will benefit them as well as the rest of the world. Our troops selfishly put themselves out there to be killed if that needs to happen. We cannot say out support our troops, that is just not right. As much tolerance as we have in the United States for religions, cultures, and customs we should be allowed to let our athletes express their support. So to hell with Canada and there ideas.
Germany was banned 3 times in the olympics for “participating” in WW1 & for starting WW2, Austria was banned once “participating” in WW1, and other nations have been banned here & there as well. It’s absolutely ridiculous that the United States has not been banned for it’s defying of UN regulations and its invasion of the (formely) soveriegn nation of Iraq. Israel too should be banned for it’s 50 years of state terrorism.
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