When I was a kid, I was in an ice skating show- one of our routines was a chess game, US vs. Russia. I was on the Russian team and had to wear a costume with a large hammer and sickle on it. My parents pulled me out of that routine, pronto.
Tonight the old hammer and sickle was showcased in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics- as part of a tribute to the wonderful things that happened to Russia when Communism brought an end to imperialism. I have to say, that seeing that hammer and sickle brought me back. And made me wonder, is Communism really dead in Russia?
The Cold War was still going on when I was little. Every Olympics it seemed that the only competitions that really mattered were the ones where we were beating the Russians or East Germans. With the fall of Communism, some of the fun was taken out of the Olympics. You couldn't root against the bad guys any more.
This Olympics feels different, kind of like when I was a kid. But this time it's just us against the Russians. I don't want anything bad to happen to anyone- just for us to beat their butts, and for Putin to look foolish. That would be fun!
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