There is no other choice

There is no other choice

The Sochi2014 Winter Games are set to sow division in a world already divided. Silent Governments and official Sponsors will be complicit to gross human rights violations and even murder of innocent human beings. 

The "civilized" world should reject these draconian laws and the individual Nations that embrace them. By allowing the Games to continue under this cloud where LGBT citizens and athletes are oppressed will send a clear signal to any future world events, where other horrible measures may be implemented. 

The IOC turning a blind eye and going along with the Games in Russia in this current format, will have blood on their hands and so will the rest of humanity by not speaking up for the right of an athlete to compete freely and fairly.

I abhor the fact that people are not more vocal about this issue. It speaks of intolerance in the extreme. Will we see future Games where the IOC will approve a hosting city and nation with a clear record of human rights violations? 

To even contemplate sending athletes to Sochi in Russia next year, is a slap in the face of everything we learned about our moral obligations as a species. LGBT athletes contemplating attending Sochi must realize that they will be supporting the persecution of their brothers and sisters in Russia and in nations elsewhere.

The persecution is happening right now and will continue after the Games. There is only one outcome and only one moral obligation. Boycott the Sochi 2014 Games - there is no other choice. The IOC must move it to another venue, or cancel it. 

HOW SICK IS THE WORLD?

Sochi shame...

The wanton disregard by the ‪#‎IOC‬, their sponsors and Governments around the world, of the hideous laws enacted by ‪#‎Russia‬ to criminalize humans because of their sexual preference and supposedly wanting to enforce these laws at the ‪#‎Sochi‬ Winter Olympics 2014, bodes exceedingly disastrous for mankind as a species. 

There is absolutely no difference between the 1936 games giving Hitler his world stage, than this one. The only difference is that it is yet more gross human rights abuse in the extreme, forcing the LGBT community and their athletes into the cul-de-sac of the 21st Century. 

The LGBT athletes may as well sew on an upside down pink triangle on their clothing as forced to do in the death camps of Auschwitz and other penal enclosures of the Third Reich. Maybe they may have to do so in defiance and sympathy with the thousands killed by the Hitler regime and the thousands still to be persecuted in Russia.

The really sick thing is, public support of products and services of the sponsors of these hellish Olympic Games, will only reap $-million incomes for Coca Cola, Samsung, McDonalds, General Electric, Omega, Atos, Panasonic, VISA, Yamaha and others. 

So far, no "voice of reason" has emanated from these corporates. They turn a blind eye for financial gain, yet in the end, should they be hard hit by public sanctions, they will sit in their walled boardrooms and ask themselves "how they could have been so stupid and wrong" to back human rights abuse.

There is something intrinsically wrong with this whole picture. Everyone is pu$$yfooting around the issue. The USA and UK governments as example, believe that there is no point in boycotting the Sochi Games - the very people supposedly carrying the torches of freedom of association, the ones who say they fight for liberty and freedom for all humanity? 

The IOC is another sad example of furthering the aims and ideals of the Olympic spirit. Are they so ensconced in their ivory towers not to give a damn? To put it in a nutshell...

"Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles. The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.

The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play."

Turning a blind eye? Where is the "human" in human dignity or in humanity?

There is only one hope

• "May you find serenity and tranquility in a world you may not always understand. May the pain you have known and the conflict you have experienced give you the strength to walk through life facing each new situation with courage and optimism. Always know that there are those whose love and understanding will always be there, even when you feel most alone. May you discover enough goodness in others to believe in a world of peace. May a kind word, a reassuring touch, and a warm smile be yours every day of your life, and may you give these gifts as well as receive them. Remember the sunshine when the storm seems unending. 
• Teach love to those who hate, and let that love embrace you as you go out into the world. May the teachings of those you admire become part of you, so that you may call upon them. Remember, those whose lives you have touched and whose have touched yours are always a part of you, even if the encounters were less than you would have wished. It is the content of the encounter that is more important than the form. 
• May you not become too concerned with material matters, but instead place immeasurable value on the goodness in your heart. Find time each day to see beauty and love in the world around you. Realize that each person has limitless abilities, but each of us is different in our own way. What you feel you lack in the present may become one of your strengths in the future. May you see your future as one filled with promise and possibility. Learn to view everything as a worthwhile experience. May you find enough inner strength to determine your own worth by yourself, and not be dependent on another's judgment of your accomplishments. May you always feel loved."

~ Unknown

You can always retain your individuality within a sea of others, but remember to see yourself as part of the ALL on Earth and the whole of the Universe, and that ONLY as ONE would we direct the overall being of this Universe - the choice is yours to make for the GOOD of yourself and everything around you.