Oh, Russia. What are you doing?

The Olympic in Sochi, Russia begin tomorrow. I'm not sure that I can watch. I always feel sympathy for the people (or countries in this case) who are trying hard but just not getting it right, and there's something about Putin that makes me want to give him a hug and tell him that his country doesn't suck. But based on what I've read, that would be a misplaced hug.

First, the Sochi Olympics are most certainly a security nightmare. Recently, the US has warned of bombs concealed within toothpaste (what??) being smuggled into the country. Russia, of course, says that security is tight and everything is ok. Then there are the Black Widow(s) who have promised to carry out a terrorist attack at the games, and one of them may have already penetrated the aforementioned tight security. Great. And Sochi is close to Dagestan, a current hotbed of terrorist activity. Even greater.

Then, there's the fact that many of the hotels in Sochi are not yet ready even though journalists are showing up. The Washington Post reports that journalists are tweeting their hotel experiences and it ain't pretty. This fact makes me sad for Russia. Are they trying but just not measuring up? They had enough notice though. I just don't get it.

Third, there's the issue of LGBT rights. It is illegal to suggest in front of children that gay relationships are equal to straight relationships. Although this article isn't exactly unbiased, the restrictions that Russia is putting on people seems like a violation of human rights. What will happen to athletes who are openly gay in Russia remains to be seen, but apparently I'm not the only one upset about this. The international community has also come out against Putin and these laws.

Finally, and perhaps most heartbreaking (at least to me) is the "biological trash" issue. Russia is now rounding up and killing stray animals. I get that strays can be a problem but I do not think that the solution is to summarily execute these poor animals. It's certainly not a dog's fault that he's homeless. Try shelters. Try spaying and neutering pets. Try putting them on a plane and shipping them to a country that doesn't view pets as biological trash.

When each of these issues is considered independently, it doesn't seem so bad/sad/appalling/substandard/unethical whatever. But when I look at all of them together, I can't help but wonder what Russia is thinking. Will they be able to pull this off without looking like buffoons?

I suppose we'll find out. Only I'm not watching.