Breaking : Russia has been barred from the 2018 Winter Games for systematic doping.

[sunonmars]

Link to tweet

[sunonmars]

1. lay your bets for how long it takes Trump to get his orders to attack the olympics.

[sunonmars]

2. I'll give it a few hours....

[Pachamama]

3. Just had at the exact thought....Putin is probably happy his great athletes will be spared...

[sunonmars]

6. Trump wont resist.....

[Sneederbunk]

4. Dotard will probably want US boycott. Too late.

[ProudLib72]

5. Armstrong/McGwire 2020!

With Putin's full support.

[0rganism]

7. the "doping" they did to their athletes is minor compared to the "doping" they did to our electorate

turned 30% of us into dopes last year
granted, for many of us, it wasn't a long journey, but it still sucks
can someone please ban them from participating in our elections?

[HAB911]

8. Honestly didn't think the IOC had it in them

[NightWatcher]

9. Poor Olga Trotsky is just broken up that she cannot perform in ice skating

She's so torn up about it that she hit the gym early to blow off steam.

[Pachamama]

11. That just made me laugh so hard....

[Leith]

10. Why Is Russia So Busy Trying to Fuck Everybody Over?

Their own country is a shambles. Instead of working on getting it right, they decide to tear the rest of the world apart. That's not only ineffective, but incredibly childish.

If Russian athletes can't compete and win in an international setting without resorting to cheating, then they just aren't as good as other countries who compete fairly and go home without medals but in a good spirit of sportsmanship.

And, yes - I wrote that let the Russian trolls see themselves the way the rest of the world sees them: failures who are mad that they don't measure up. After all, how many people around the world want to go to their country to start a new life of freedom and opportunity? Obviously not many. Rather than work to improve their own situation, they work to worsen everyone else.

[pangaia]

13. It isn't "Russia" that is trying to tear the rest of the world apart.

It is certain Russian leaders, bankers, the oligarchs, just like here.

Intentional chaos to their benefit only.

SHOCK DOCTRINE -- it works

[Leith]

14. Then Why Is Putin So Popular in Russia?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/22/overwhelming-majority-russians-support-putins-handling-world/

A study conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that 87 per cent of Russians have confidence in Putin’s ability to do the right thing on world affairs.

You won't find that kind of approval rating in any country (a) that has freedom of speech; or (b) where the citizenry don't live in fear of their government. It doesn't matter how nice a country is or how terrific the leader is. So which is it? Do Russians love Putin or are they afraid to say they don't?

[pangaia]

18. It is a complicated issue to which I can not provide a simple answer,

not suggesting that I DO know THE answer.

The Russians I know are almost all highly educated, artistic types, in many cases widely traveled. They are not fooled by Putin et al, but at the same time also see clearly that America is not just the goodie, goodie two-shoes that too many Americans think 'we' are. There IS a .. 'west vs east' battle going on, if I can put it that way.
Any political discussions we have, which are seldom, always are enlightening to me, whether we agree on something or not.
And yes, there are those who think trump might be a good thing for America.. Of course, they have no idea what is really happening here, which surprises me. BUT, how many 'educated' Americans have any idea what is going on with Putin?

I have one close friend who grew up in St. Petersburg, had to leave the country for political reasons, can not go back and now lives in Den Haag.

And then there are the... 'unwashed masses,' just like here, who haven't a clue. Why do they support Putin? Why do our unwashed masses support trump? I think there are many more of theirs than ours..

Anyway-- those are just some thoughts on the matter.

[moondust]

19. "Slavs"

Some disagree with the word being associated with "slaves," but I personally tend to think this has may have something to do with their seeming worship of their "strong leader":

The term slave has its origins in the word slav. The slavs, who inhabited a large part of Eastern Europe, were taken as slaves by the Muslims of Spain during the ninth century AD.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/9chapter1.shtml

The Slavic countries don't have a particularly strong history of democracy or freedom. They went from centuries of tsarist autocracy to communist totalitarianism to Putinism which looks a little like a return to tsarist autocracy.

Plus fear of social rejection and a lifetime of unthinking conformity. Like Oklahoma.

[Leith]

21. That Makes a Lot of Sense

I read once that they train elephants to stay tethered to a rope by starting them as babies tied to the ground with a strong rope. No matter how hard they pulled, they could not get away. As they grew into adulthood, the lesson that they couldn't get away and would just hurt themselves if they tried stayed in their brains. They accepted the rope and didn't try to get away even when they really could.

Humans are the same way.

[moondust]

23. Maybe not a historical coincidence

that Ivan Pavlov was Russian.

[Yavin4]

12. Now, if we can only get them barred from our elections

How can we do that?

[HAB911]

15. they will still be participating in the 2018 U.S. Elections

Link to tweet

[Sugarcoated]

22. Funny! I want to share this gif on FB but

I can never figure out an easy way to do it

[HAB911]

24. I don't how either, yet

I looked on The Daily Edge FB page and the same message has a different pic

[Orrex]

16. They certainly injected a dope into the White House.

[leftstreet]

20. Oh you didn't

[obamanut2012]

17. Good! They should have stayed banned for Rio

For those who have Netflix, watch "Icarus."