# To Russia with love. President sends openly gay athletes to Sochi. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 18, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645 "2013-12-18T14:40:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/61 "2013-12-27T03:24:13Z")
> [@burunduk34](#): > > ( I did make the last two up, but you get my drift) Welcome to the SDMB, **burunduk**. It’s against the rules here to make up quotes by other posters, just so you know, so please don’t do it again. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/62 "2013-12-27T03:44:24Z")
> [@burunduk34](#): > > Why, thank you, **Frylock** , always glad to hear friendly advice. While I have no doubt your explanation is sincere, it, frankly speaking, reeks of political correctness (of which I’m not the fan in the slightest ) taken to absurd levels. > > There’s nothing wrong refering to anyone by his/her name. > It does, however, explain this tempest in the teapot we’ve got on our hands here, and moves it from incomprehensible to hilarious. I’m perfectly fine with you calling Obama whatever you like–nothing I’ve said is intended to tell you what you may or may not say. I’m telling you what I think people will think you’re trying to communicate. It’s up to you to communicate whatever you like. I’d never call him “Barack Hussein Obama” because I don’t want people to assume I’m either an avowed racist or a crypto-racist who dislikes Obama because he’s black (and who possibly believes Obama is muslim). However, if you are okay with people assuming this about you, more power to ya. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/63 "2013-12-27T04:03:59Z")
> [@burunduk34](#): > > Why, thank you, **Frylock** , always glad to hear friendly advice. While I have no doubt your explanation is sincere, it, frankly speaking, reeks of political correctness (of which I’m not the fan in the slightest ) taken to absurd levels. > > There’s nothing wrong refering to anyone by his/her name. > It does, however, explain this tempest in the teapot we’ve got on our hands here, and moves it from incomprehensible to hilarious. > > - [These are the people](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaxECcTjCuw)who you would be associated with. ---
**Author:** ![burunduk34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burunduk34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burunduk34)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/64 "2013-12-27T04:04:47Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Welcome to the SDMB, **burunduk**. It’s against the rules here to make up quotes by other posters, just so you know, so please don’t do it again. Thank you, Idle Thoughts! Transgression is duly noted, and won’t happen again. > [@Frylock](#): > > I’d never call him “Barack Hussein Obama” because I don’t want people to assume I’m either an avowed racist or a crypto-racist who dislikes Obama because he’s black Fascinating, truly fascinating! So, calling the president “Barack Hussein Obama” causes people to believe that whoever uttered these words is either avowed racist or a crypto-racist? (what is crypto-racist, btw? how does one distinguish crypto-racist from non-crypto-racist?) As an example, here’s a youtube clip. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/274_VdeckAU/hqdefault.jpg "Barack Obama Oath of Office") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=274_VdeckAU) At about 0:40 mark, judge Roberts calls Obama “Barack Hussein Obama”. Is judge Roberts avowed racist, crypto-racist, or some other kind of racist? At about 0:42 mark, Barack Hussein Obama calls himself Barack Hussein Obama. Is Barack Hussein Obama avowed racist, crypto-racist, or some other kind of racist? Now, hypothetically speaking, let’s go back to Obama’s childhood. Let’s say he’s at his grandmother’s house, runs around, breaks a glass and spills water all over the floor. His grandmother sternly admonishes him : “Now, Barack Hussein Obama, you come here this instant and clean up the mess you made!”. Is she avowed racist, crypto-racist, or some other kind of racist? And finally, what about people (like yours truly, for example) who dislike Obama because he’s, quite clearly, a pathological liar (I think it’s been proven in this thread beyond a shadow of a doubt) and call him “Barack Hussein Obama” because that’s his name? Are people like that avowed racists, crypto-racists, or some other kind of racists? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/65 "2013-12-27T04:22:27Z")
> [@burunduk34](#): > > Thank you, Idle Thoughts! Transgression is duly noted, and won’t happen again. > > Fascinating, truly fascinating! So, calling the president “Barack Hussein Obama” causes people to believe that whoever uttered these words is either avowed racist or a crypto-racist? (what is crypto-racist, btw? how does one distinguish crypto-racist from non-crypto-racist?) Generally, yes. > [@](#): > > As an example, here’s a youtube clip. > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=274\_VdeckAU](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=274_VdeckAU) > > At about 0:40 mark, judge Roberts calls Obama “Barack Hussein Obama”. Is judge Roberts avowed racist, crypto-racist, or some other kind of racist? No,\* this situation is marked by formality and an existing convention to _use_ the participant’s full name. Most situations lack these two marking characteristics. > [@](#): > > And finally, what about people (like yours truly, for example) who dislike Obama because he’s, quite clearly, a pathological liar (I think it’s been proven in this thread beyond a shadow of a doubt) and call him “Barack Hussein Obama” because that’s his name? Are people like that avowed racists, crypto-racists, or some other kind of racists? I do not know. I do know that their audience will assume that is what they are trying to communicate about themselves. \*Note that you asked whether Roberts _is_ a racist etc, whereas what we were discussing is whether people would _assume_ he’s a racist. My reply works as a response to the latter issue as well as the former, but it is important to keep the two issues distinct. ---
**Author:** ![burunduk34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burunduk34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burunduk34)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/66 "2013-12-27T04:33:32Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Generally, yes. > > No,\* this situation is marked by formality and an existing convention to _use_ the participant’s full name. Most situations lack these two marking characteristics. What about the grandmother scenario I outlined? Clearly, there would be no formality and an existing convention to _use_ the participant’s full name. What kind of racist would people assume his grandmother to be, then? Or, let’s say, Barack Hussein Obama goes to a pub in Harvard (or Yale, or Columbia, or whatever). He sits next to some guy at a bar, and the guy remembers seeing him at a class and says:“Hey, you’re Barack Hussein Obama, right? We went to constitutional law 101 together. Can I buy you a pint?” Clearly, there’s no formality and an existing convention to _use_ the participant’s full name. What kind of racist would people assume this guy to be, then? Is there a list of rules or guidelines that outlines when it’s appropriate to use “Barack Hussein Obama” or not to use “Barack Hussein Obama”? ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2013, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/67 "2013-12-27T04:40:16Z")
What I’ve already said should suffice as an explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/68 "2013-12-30T10:46:05Z")
> [@burunduk34](#): > > I will, however, make an additional point. As pointed out earlier, Barack Hussein Obama made the following hypocritical point: > "And if Russia doesn’t have gay or lesbian athletes, then it probably makes their team weaker.” > while at the same time insisting that the games should be only about athletes’ performance and NOT about their sexual orientation. > This simple phrase, however, reaches a kafka-esque level of absurdity. > Allow me to explain. > > Firstly, Barack Hussein Obama is probably one of the least qualified persons to advise on what the composition of Russian Olympic team should be. Any average Russian sports fan would provide infinitely better advice. In fact…drop “average”, “sports” and “fan”… Any Russian. Period. Is more qualified than Barack Hussein Obama, simply because an average Russian at least heard the names of some of the Russian olympians, and it’s safe to say that the hypocrite-in-chief hasn’t. > > Secondly, the Russian Olympics team is formed on the bases of athletes’ performance. No consideration is given to their sexual orientation whatsoever. Since you’re making up things out of whole cloth here, let me offer the entirely plausible alternative explanation that in fact consideration _was_ given to their sexual orientation in selecting the team given the potential risk of a Russian athlete outing themselves at a high profile moment for political purposes. And if so, Obama’s comment makes perfect sense - if you’re excluding potential athletes for reasons other than athletic ability, you are potentially excluding the most qualified athletes and thus weakening the team. And you may have noticed the inclusion of the word “probably”, which seems rather relevant here. > [@](#): > > So, of course, any inclusion of homosexuals would weaken the team considerably (if you’re aware of any case, where a deserving athlete was denied a spot on the Russian team, because of his/her/it/whatever sexual orientation, please do let us know. I’m unaware of any such event taking place) > So, it’s completely opposite of what Barack Hussein Obama is saying: including homosexuals in the Russian Olympic team would make it weaker, not stronger. I’m pretty sure Obama wasn’t suggesting that they bus in token gay people for diversity purposes but if if amuses you to think so please proceed, Governor. ---
**Author:** ![BrianJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/54ee81/32.png) [@BrianJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrianJ)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/69 "2013-12-30T12:18:57Z")
This link seems relevant: > **[Putin: Gays, lesbians welcome in Sochi for Olympics | CNN](https://www.cnn.com/2013/10/28/world/europe/russia-putin-olympics-gay/)** > > Russian President Vladmir Putin says everyone will be welcomed to next year’s Winter Olympics in Russia, regardless of sexual orientation – comments that come on the heels of a controversial Russian law on homosexuality. Point 1: It is not illegal to be gay in Russia. It is illegal to distribute gay materials (whateer those are) to minors. Point 2: Putin apparently doesn’t care if the US sends gay athletes ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/70 "2013-12-30T13:36:00Z")
> [@burunduk34](#): > > Is there a list of rules or guidelines that outlines when it’s appropriate to use “Barack Hussein Obama” or not to use “Barack Hussein Obama”? Sure: 1. When speaking to Americans, if you want to be thought of as somebody who thinks Obama is (a) Kenyan, and/or (b) Muslim, then refer to him as BHO. It’s a cultural thing, one you may not understand unless you live here 2. In formal occasions like courtrooms and legal documents, it is common to use your full name, to complete the record. 3. When speaking to non-Americans… I have no idea. Call him what you will. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/71 "2013-12-30T15:05:38Z")
> [@BrianJ](#): > > Point 1: It is not illegal to be gay in Russia. It is illegal to distribute gay materials (whateer those are) to minors. It’s never a good sign if you have to describe a law saying “whatever those are;” it suggests the legislation is vague so the authorities can do whatever they want to do with it. Anyway the law does a lot more than that: > [@Wikipedia](#): > > Under the statute it is effectively illegal to hold any gay pride events, speak in defense of gay rights, or say that gay relationships are equal to heterosexual relationships.[…] > Critics say that the statute is written so broadly that it is in effect a complete ban on the gay rights movement and any public expression of homosexuality. > [@BrianJ](#): > > Point 2: Putin apparently doesn’t care if the US sends gay athletes He may not care about the gay athletes. He probably does care that his Olympics are supposed to be a celebration of Russia on the world stage and a lot of major powers are refusing to send their A-list diplomats to his big party. He has bigger problems at the moment, but it’s unmistakeably a snub no matter what he says in public about it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/72 "2013-12-30T15:49:13Z")
> [@burunduk34](#): > > Obama’s just a bit peeved, since Putin has been slapping him around for the past couple of years (see Snowden, Syria, Ukraine, etc). > > No surprise there, of course, if you compare a flaming metrosexual ([http://gillreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/obama\_rides\_bicycle.jpg](http://gillreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/obama_rides_bicycle.jpg) ) with a black belt in judo ( [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Vladimir\_Putin\_in\_Japan\_3-5\_September\_2000-22.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/Vladimir_Putin_in_Japan_3-5_September_2000-22.jpg) ) > > With that being said, I don’t think anyone in Russia would care or “get” this “message”. I don’t think you know what a metrosexual is, other than an opportunity to take a potshot at Obama (which is especially bizarre since you implied you aren’t even American.) > [@burunduk34](#): > > Now, is it just me or is anyone else shocked by the blatant hypocracy on display here? > > “I have no patience for countries that try to treat gays or lesbians or transgender persons in ways that intimidate them or are harmful to them”–Barack Hussein Obama. > > Let’s see here… > Saudi Arabia punishes homosexuality with imprisonment, corporal punishment and capital punishment (wikipedia). > Russia does nothing of the sort, homosexuality (wrong as it may be) is completely legal. > > How long do you think we’ll have to wait till the current administration sends gays to Saudi Arabia on any sort of sporting, cultural, political, etc mission, and actually announces that they’re gays and are sent there for that reason, and for that reason only? First, it’s _hypocrisy_. Second, it’s only hypocritical if you can point to a sporting or cultural mission the President has sent to Saudi Arabia. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/73 "2013-12-30T15:52:47Z")
[Not that anyone needs to play this game, but here’s Putin on a bike. Bonus photo of Putin with a badminton racquet.](http://www.dhgate.com/!forums/topic-News-Medvedev-and-Vladimir-Put-5816-1.html) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/74 "2013-12-30T16:04:55Z")
Plus Obama did that whole “fly ninja” thing in that interview. And I bet he could take Putin in a one-on-one hoops match, as long as Putin is kept from blatant fouling. ---
**Author:** ![burunduk34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burunduk34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burunduk34)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/75 "2013-12-30T20:54:26Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I don’t think you know what a metrosexual is I think I know what a metrosexual is, and I think Barack Hussein Obama fits the bill nicely. I also think that you don’t know what a metrosexual is. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > it’s only hypocritical if you can point to a sporting or cultural mission the President has sent to Saudi Arabia. Why, sure, m’chicadie. Here’s the US delegation from U.S. Chamber of Commerce going to Riyadh. No mention of Barack Hussein Obama including any homosexuals in the said delegation. [http://www.uschamber.com/press/releases/2012/november/us-chamber-lead-delegation-saudi-arabia](http://www.uschamber.com/press/releases/2012/november/us-chamber-lead-delegation-saudi-arabia) I’ll give you one better, though. Here’s the video of Barack Hussein Obama meeting Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the King of Saudi Arabia. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9WlqW6UCeaY/hqdefault.jpg "Obama Bows to Saudi King") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WlqW6UCeaY) For someone who claims to have "no patience for countries that try to treat gays or lesbians or transgender persons in a way that intimidate them or are harmful to them.”, you would think Barack Hussein Obama would let his feelings known to the King of the country, where homosexuality is illegal. Au contraire, Barack Hussein Obama even bows to the King, who acknowledges him with a curt nod. I’m guessing, when the conversation is turning to 30 billion dollars in arms sales from US to Saudi Arabia, it’s pretty easy to go from “i have no patience, etc” to “in fact, a few imprisoned or executed gays never hurt anyone, Your Majesty” > [@JohnT](#): > > 1. In formal occasions like courtrooms and legal documents, it is common to use your full name, to complete the record. What about informal situations, like the one I described above? Allow me to repeat myself: Let’s say Barack Hussein Obama is 5 years old, at his grandmother’s house, runs around, breaks a glass and spills water all over the floor. His grandmother sternly admonishes him : “Now, Barack Hussein Obama, you come here this instant and clean up the mess you made!” > [@JohnT](#): > > 1. When speaking to non-Americans… I have no idea. Call him what you will. I will call him Barack Hussein Obama, thank you very much, since the rules for calling/not calling the president by his actual names seems to be made up, as we go along. > [@Gyrate](#): > > Since you’re making up things out of whole cloth here. What exactly out of the quoted paragraph I’m making up out of whole cloth? 1. Is Barack Hussein Obama one of the least qualified persons to advise on what the composition of Russian Olympic team should be? The answer is a resounding “yes”. I’d think that any Russian would easily name at least a few Russian winter sport athletes. Unless you think Barack Hussein Obama is a closeted fan of Russian winter sports, I doubt he’d be able to do the same. In any case, it is beyond a shadow of a doubt that Russian sports officials are infinitely more qualified on the subject, than he is. 2. Is the Russian Olympics team is formed on the bases of athletes’ performance, and not based on their sexual preferences? Without a doubt. Give me one example, where a Russian athletes’ spot on the Olympic team was based on his/her/it/whatever sexual preferences. > [@Gyrate](#): > > let me offer the entirely plausible alternative explanation that in fact consideration _was_ given to their sexual orientation in selecting the team given the potential risk of a Russian athlete outing themselves at a high profile moment for political purposes. And if so, Obama’s comment makes perfect sense - if you’re excluding potential athletes for reasons other than athletic ability, you are potentially excluding the most qualified athletes and thus weakening the team. And you may have > noticed the inclusion of the word “probably”, which seems rather relevant here. I’m sorry, but you’re the one making up things out of whole cloth here. These are all suppositions and guesses, without a single shred of evidence. Do you have any evidence to backup your claims and guesses? Once again, please provide a name (a single name) of a Russian athlete, whose spot on the Olympic team was based on his/her/it/whatever sexual preferences. > [@BrianJ](#): > > This link seems relevant: > > [http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/28/world/europe/russia-putin-olympics-gay/](http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/28/world/europe/russia-putin-olympics-gay/) > > Point 1: It is not illegal to be gay in Russia. You don’t say!! Are you implying that our brave little homosexual Billy Jean King is in no danger of being > [@aruvqan](#): > > not allowed in or arrested for being gay. ?? I’m shocked, positively shocked. Could you be a dear, and also tell us if it’s legal to be gay in Saudi Arabia? > [@BrianJ](#): > > Point 2: Putin apparently doesn’t care if the US sends gay athletes Well, Barack Hussein Obama is sending a message here, so Putin must start caring right this instant! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/76 "2013-12-30T20:57:24Z")
> [@burunduk34](#): > > Here’s the US delegation from U.S. Chamber of Commerce going to Riyadh. > No mention of Barack Hussein Obama including any homosexuals in the said delegation. The Chamber of Commerce isn’t a government organization, it’s a business association. In fact it’s a lobby that is famous for being conservative. Perhaps if you’d read that press release more carefully you would have noticed that no one from any U.S. agency was quoted. So President Obama played no part in choosing the delegates. Good job! You really showed **Really Not All That Bright**!\* \*That he knows what he’s talking about and you don’t. At all. ---
**Author:** ![burunduk34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burunduk34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burunduk34)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/77 "2013-12-30T21:03:51Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The Chamber of Commerce isn’t a government organization Oh, I’m sorry. Is it a requirement that only US government organization be used as an example? Well, if that’s the case, here ya go. [http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304569504576405552639221080](http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304569504576405552639221080) “President Barack Obama sent a delegation of high-ranking advisers in secret to Saudi Arabia to pave the way for Thursday’s surprise release of oil from strategic reserves, administration officials said.” Would this suffice? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/78 "2013-12-30T21:05:20Z")
> [@burunduk34](#): > > Oh, I’m sorry. Is it a requirement that only US government organization be used as an example? > [@burunduk34](#): > > Here’s the US delegation from U.S. Chamber of Commerce going to Riyadh. > No mention of Barack Hussein Obama including any homosexuals in the said delegation. Obama didn’t send those people. See the problem? ---
**Author:** ![burunduk34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burunduk34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burunduk34)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/79 "2013-12-30T21:06:01Z")
And since we positively, absolutely, 100% can only use government organization, here’s another one. This one’s for you, **Marley23** , hope you enjoy it [http://www.trade.gov/press/press-releases/2013/obama-official-to-lead-cybersecurity-infrastructure-trade-mission-to-saudi-araia-and-kuwait-092013.asp](http://www.trade.gov/press/press-releases/2013/obama-official-to-lead-cybersecurity-infrastructure-trade-mission-to-saudi-araia-and-kuwait-092013.asp) OBAMA OFFICIAL TO LEAD CYBERSECURITY INFRASTRUCTURE TRADE MISSION TO SAUDI ARABIA AND KUWAIT ---
**Author:** ![burunduk34](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burunduk34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burunduk34)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645/80 "2013-12-30T21:07:11Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Obama didn’t send those people. See the problem? Did he, then, send “a delegation of high-ranking advisers in secret to Saudi Arabia to pave the way for Thursday’s surprise release of oil from strategic reserves”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-russia-with-love-president-sends-openly-gay-athletes-to-sochi/676645.md?page=5)