U.S. Olympic Boycott Noisemakers Have Some Nerve
Mariel got it right. The handful of political noisemakers in the U.S. have zero, nada right to get on the moral high horse and call for a protest, speak out, snub, or even more ludicrous, a boycott of the Olympics. The political sins and high crimes of the U.S. in countries from Vietnam to Iraq could fill up a mini telephone directory.
But even if the U.S. was as pure as Caesar's wife and did not have its dubious war record, saber rattle of small nations, and dance with every despicable dictator that's come down the pike in the past half century, talk of Olympics protests should still be off limits.
This is sport not politics, and it's for athletes not politicians. Yes, politicians and nations shamelessly wave their flags, primp their colors, and bellow about their medals, but in the end it's still about athletic achievement, pride, and honor, not protests and boycotts, and certainly not by anyone waving a U.S. flag.
One thing that people should remember is that human rights are more important than spectator sports.
As for the argument on US political sins, it buys into divide and conquer tactics that corporations use to keep people down globally. Until liberals and progressives relearn the important value of solidarity, we will never be effective in fighting corporate power.