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EDITOR OF REDSTATE

On Lance Armstrong

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  August 24th, 2012 at 04:47 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

If you haven’t heard yet, Lance Armstrong has given up on fighting the US Anti-Doping Agency. He’s throwing in the towel.

I don’t really have a dog in the fight. I’m never cared much for competitive cycling. But it really does seem horrendous and un-American to me that a quasi-government agency, mostly funded by the government, gets to pretend it is not a part of the government and throw out due process to harass an athlete after he’s largely left the sport and all prior investigations turned up in his favor.

The USADA has gone back decades to reinvestigate doping allegations against Armstrong who is probably the most tested athlete in history. He’s surrendered blood and urine and everything else they’ve asked for over and over at frequently unannounced visits and somehow, if you believe the USADA, beaten them every time.

Or . . . he wasn’t doping.

There’s a lot of jealousy in the world. I don’t know whether Armstrong cheated or it is all jealousy. But he tested clean every time and the USADA has ignored its own statute of limitations to make an example of Armstrong.

The horror stories of professional athletes and the abuse they suffer at the hands of anti-doping bureaucrats can boggle the mind. There’s something very much of the feel of a witch hunt to this. If Armstrong was doping, then by God take away his awards and give him a medal for being the smartest damn athlete on the planet.

You can read Lance Armstrong’s statement here. Again, I’ve got no dog in the fight and I haven’t much cared for Lance Armstrong since he left his family for Sheryl “one piece of toilet paper” Crowe. But objectively, it seems the investigation of the USADA amounts to holding Armstrong under water until he dies to declare him human or, should he survive, burning him at the stake for being a witch. In the process they’ve taken a sport made relevant by Lance Armstrong and put the whole thing under a cloud of suspicion that the anti-doping bureaucrats’ tests can’t even beat Lance Armstrong.

Michael Phelps better watch his back with this as precedent.

Exit point: if we’re going to go through this witch hunt every time an athlete gets too famous, maybe we should just let them dope and then, on the same competitive level, see who is best.

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COMMENTS

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  • willik

    I’m not particularly fond of the gentleman but like he says “enough is enough!”

    I wish more people would tell these overreaching “nanny state” witch hunters to put it where the sun don’t shine. Their jealousy of a real winner, athletically at least, is sooo unbecoming.

    Hopefully Mr. Armstrong’s action will send a message to other falsly accused athletes to stand up and just say “NO!” and walk out of the room with no further acknowledgement of pansies that can’t hack it themselves.

    An old adage ends: “Those that can’t do OR teach, criticise.”

  • gmscan

    n/t

  • jiminga

    Why does the USADA exist at all? All international sports competitions are governed by one or more organizations that are supposed to keep their sport clean. It is beyond arrogance for the US government to assume the role of governing any sport or imposing rules that it cannot enforce.

    It seems 1984 was a little late in coming, but it’s here now.

  • sbm1

    and the witch hunt character,

    But not failing a drug test is not equivalent to “testing clean”, it just means that the markers were within the testing norms.

    It is almost certain that Lance Armstrong doped, just as it is almost certain that OJ killed Nicole and Ron Goldman. But even though everyone knew OJ got away with murder, we didn’t re-prosecute. We have laws which stop us from re-prosecuting when someone has been pronounced innocent.

    Lance Armstrong has already gotten all of the economic and fame benefits from his cycling results, so taking them away now is meaningless to him.

    The more humorous side will be to see who they give the titles to, considering it is almost impossible that any of the top 20 didn’t dope.

  • avacadojoe

    Erick is definitely on target with this one. What, exactly, is the USADA really hoping to accomplish with this ruling? Will the USADA administration ever come to the realization that, guilty or not, we in the mass public will always pay a lot more attention to Lance Armstrong says than we ever will to what the USADA says? That no member of the USADA administration will ever appear on a National Enquirer cover, and that we will always give a glance at the headlines concerning Lance as we stand in line at the grocery store? That even though they have supposedly stripped Lance of his Tour titles, that not only does Lance not care, neither do we? Notice to the USADA: we do not care if you have made an alliance with the Lilliputians.

  • clamdigger53

    “one piece of toilet paper” LOL! Boycott france next summer! Poor frenchies win-less! 0 for 7!!!!!!! Cant win a home game, Bite me!!!!!!! Big brother KICKED THEIR ASS!

  • clamdigger53

    ?

  • nedescon

    Seems that Dagny’s agents of the Destroyer have struck again. What will the USADA looters do when the other champions start to disappear? Another question, how much of the 15 trillion deficit did we give to these looters anyway? Our American Tax dollar and our Federal Government over site hard at work….

  • wintermute

    to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trial

  • wintermute

    takes one hell of an athlete to accomplish things like this. i dont personally care about it except that the government is involved in another quest that breaks their own rules.

  • durocherl

    Armstrong has been out of cycling for some time and they are digging this stuff up now? Talk about government waste of time and money. Honestly, I could care less about cycling but there seems to be this big obsession now to take down athletes for drug abuses.

    Let it rest, these athletes could care less about you. They live in their own worlds. And please do not give me the “role model” talk either. To get to the level they are at they probably need to be self-absorbed. So, let them do their thing and I will do mine.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    Borrow from China to fund USADA’s witch hunt against Lance Armstrong. Meanwhile, back at the farm gutting medicare to pay for Obama Care. Perhaps we can gut USADA to pay for the debt.

  • gmann2009

    If there is no proof, but “we” only suspect, then why have any system of testing at all? Armstrong beat every test. THERE IS NO PROOF, only suspicion because no one beat him during this period…so armstrong is guilty of being too good? This tyson person needs to find some traffic to go go play in …the real dope here is the USADA, which needs to be disbanded. One more thing, it is extremely hard to be respectful of those who have earned no respect. Suhc as the demoncratic party, Liberals and government bureaucrats full of their own self importance.

  • runner12

    I am so glad to see someone make this point. I am not a fan of Armstrong as a person, per se. But this witch hunt by the USADA is just plain wrong.

    If you have not proved in ten years that he has doped, give it up! Either the guy is the best cheat on the planet, or he is innocent. It just seems so un-American that someone can be robbed of tbeir life’s accomplishments based on paltry evidence and hearsay.

    When an agency ignores its own statute of limitations and pursues one person for ten years relentlessly with very little evidence, it is time to call into question the motives of that organization.

  • Locked and Loaded

    so much as telling them to put it where the bicycle seat goes. Maybe he spoke ill of He Who Would Be King.

    I agree with Erick on all the details. I noted also that the sanctions list shows that the sport of cycling has overtaken all of track and field in number of penalties – and that’s not even on a per capita basis. Why this would make them go after Armstrong though is anybody’s guess.

    As wintermute alludes, there is a culture creep in all government agencies, to include state and local ones, that seeks to dominate the people. It is becoming very unhealthy.

  • norris

    all government agencies need every dime they can get to protect the children give me a break. Leave sports alone and test elected officials, they must be heavily drugged to vote the way half of them do.
    We could dump this bunch and ten more and never miss them.

  • runner12

    Just read Armstrong’s statement. He told the USADA off quite nicely and exposed them for the bullies they are.

  • streiff

    if the “markers were within testing norms” that means whatever he did was legal.

  • Wubbies World

    … yea, how they carried this out is ridiculous and over the top. I view this as a conviction based upon a, “your too good so you must be cheating” prosecution case. There is definitely no evidence they can actually present.

    This is a government agency with too much power imposing summary judgement without actual evidence.

  • ihateliberals

    i don’t like Armstrong and his attitude or anything else about him but that isn’t important in this situation. the man, however it was acheived, tested clean or within limits or whatever you want to call it. But it seems that the USADA didn’t get the expected results it wanted so they are going to prosecute anyway. i still respect Armstrongs achievement and until Proof positive that he doped as far as i am concerned he is a winner. This whole process is a witch hunt for these organizations like the USADA or NCAA. Penn State Athletes have been unjustly punished for the sins of the Father. They absolutely did nothing wrong yet they have been stripped of their wins all the way back to 1998. This is Justice? The losers of the world are in revolution against the winners. They are jealous and vindictive. The way these witch hunts are going all Atheletes should be on the alert. hell next they might be going after Babe Ruth?

  • http://www.conservativefiction.com kywrite

    This is why we don’t have double jeopardy in American jurisprudence – but apparently the USADA can test until they win.

  • proudmarinemom

    if these athletes used EPO or other transfusions. These procedures are extremely dangerous, even when done in a clinical setting for the legitimate treatment of disease. When done in secrecy in non-sterile conditions, they can be deadly. There are consequences to health that may not be obvious until years after the procedure.

    That said, the lack of due process is troubling. Do taxpayers want to keep paying for the USADA to stalk athletes for years and years? Let’s put it to a vote.

  • jmsmaxwell

    Personally I did not beleive it when the subject first came up and I
    still do not beleiver it. This is just another witch hunt by incompentent pettie individuals in the USADA who are not capable
    of doing more than sit in a chair and take up office space. They have
    never had any evidence but only inuendos by individuals trying to save themselver from going to jail. They have attempted to drag down a great individual in his chosen sport. He has set standards and records that will stand a long long time Because he refused to
    knuckle under to the petty individuals and the USADA they set our
    with massive amounts of government money to thrown in their attack upon Lance. He still has not admitted any thing and regardless of how incompentent they are they cannot prove anything. Buy like most petty officaeries they will stip him of his titles and remove his records from the record books because of thier own incompentnecy and pettiness. After all the test that has been done by France and other to try and prove their charges and they have failed to even enter any evidence into recore that will stand this is very distrubing and makes you wonder if they were paid off to pull such a stunt or just that corrupt.

  • romeg

    ‘doped’ is risible. Where is the evidence? If you wish to assert that the fact that he outperformed others who were known to be cheating is evidence that HE cheated is even more ridiculous.

    It is unfortunate that Armstrong cannot sue in civil court and separate his accusers from all of the money he’s spent defending himself and receive compensatory damages for his time and the damage to his reputation.

    This agency and the tyrants the run it deserve all of the scorn and humiliation that can be heaped upon them.

  • fiscalsanity

    I’m waiting for football season. Besides, this guy had testicular cancer and was married to Sheryl Crowe (and likely had to attend her concerts and listen to all he albums). He’s been through enough pain… leave him alone.

  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens

    You’ve successfully rigged your sport after the fact to kick the American who beat you at your own game by being a superior athlete.

  • jakee308

    Have told the USADA to stop this and that they can’t rescind anyone’s medals, trophies, winnings.

    This is all about face. Like and out of control DA who has gone out on a limb because of an informant and finds themselves backing a liar are now out to prove themselves right. They’ve made deals with other cyclists and dropped investigations and pending charges if they made accusations against Armstrong.

    The Judge said they were wrong but couldn’t hold that he had any jurisdiction so he tossed the appeal.

    Once again a gov’t agency oversteps it’s bounds and a citizen has their fundamental rights infringed and the rest of the gov’t does nothing.

    It’s shameful and representative of the problem today being the Gov’t thru CONGRESS overreaching and meddling in things best left to others.

    How they can continue to persecute Armstrong in the face of only hearsay evidence by an admitted doper is beyond belief.

    Like Armstrong said; ENOUGH.

  • evilbloggerlady
  • gsatt

    you have no idea.

  • Repair_Man_Jack

    There is a point beyond which you cannot allow someone to excel.

  • stephekel

    Instead of going after an athlete who someone already mentioned has pretty much left the sport, maybe the gov should spend their time testing Welfare recipients before they get their check. Seems to me the wiser choice. Lance never asked for anything from the government (at least I don’t think so), He passed all the drug tests given to him. Its done. I also think he should sue

  • sbm1

    I clearly state that all of the top 20 are doping, most likely every single person in the tour de france, especially in the time from 1998 to 2012. Doping was not the reason for Lance Armstrongs performance relative to the others. They all dope.

    There have been numerous international commisions on this. There have been admissions from people on his team, and people on other teams who all worked with the same doctors as Armstrong. Not all of them have implicated Armstrong, but a number have, and not in plea deals.

    Jan Ulrich has finally admitted to his doping even during the times he tested negative.

    The testing levels have nothing to do with “legal limits”. Some banned substances for international sport are perfectly legal over the counter drugs in either the US or some other countries. Others are fully illegal without a prescription. But the testing cannot show fully which types of drugs might have been used.

    Read a couple of spiegel online articles on the use of Performance Enhancing drugs, because the Germans have been on the forefront on investigating PED use, especially in cycling. The result has been that the Tour de France has been taken off the german public television channels (the biggest channels) because the popular and political opinion is that those fees promote PED use.

    At Fuentes office (the main blood doper of most top cyclists) Armstrongs samples were listed as LAS and Cowboy.

    Let me be clear that Lance Armstrong’s performance was very impressive, but he, as virtually all other competitive cyclists definitely used PED and blood doping.

    There probably are some people out there who also think OJ Simpson is innocence despite the propenderance of evidence.

    And again, whoever they award the victories to will most likely be just as guilty, just happened to bike a bit slower….Jan Ullrich might get 3 or 4 of those victories, and he definitely admits to doping, albeit only to the time after his amphetimine positive test.

    Read some articles on Angel Hernandez and Usain Bolt too, and the Boys form Balco, to understand why a non failing test in no way shows that someone is “clean”

  • gmscan

    … that Kafka described what it is like to be controlled by a mindless and meaningless bureaucracy where there is no justice and it is impossible to win because no one ever tells you what the rules are. This has become known as “Kafkaesque.” Some people describe him as a Marxist, but that is only because he died before knowing that the Soviet Union would become the ultimate example of what he loathed and feared.

  • gmscan

    No one is allowed to excel in America any longer. The authorities will go after any person, company, or industry that stands out or is successful. Success has become a crime.

  • fiscalsanity

    Which is the greater endurance test – a 2000 mile race through the French mountains or a Sheryl Crow concert? I think we all know the answer…

  • Tbone

    I really don’t care if Armstrong doped or not. He tested clean every time and won the Tour 7 times. What I really don’t like is the scumbag fascists trying to take away that which he earned well after the fact.

  • celador2

    I recall the bike rides they had and how open Lance was in supporting Pres George Bush to the everlasting indignation of the celebrity crowd including Crow.

    Somehow these harsh extreme retaliatory actions that single out Lance for doping make sense in the large context of anti Bush mania.

    Hunt him down and apply a double standard.

    .

  • Repair_Man_Jack

    Make him pay. Being nice to George W. Bush is millions of times worse than PEDs.

  • jacobtheodore

    I just finished re-reading both our Constitution and the Bill Of Rights (which in any conflict with the Constitution, overrules the Constitution. Says so right there in the Preamble. That’s the ‘declaratory and restrictive’ phrase.

    So I also looked for where the the Constitution spells out the powers granted to the Federal Government. There are about 23, with the States having sole control of all other things. There was NOTHING that said anything that could be construed as the authority to have any say whatsoever in regard to entertainment or entertainers. And that’s all any sport is. We need to go through each and every Federal assertion of authority and 86 them.

    It’s a damn sport, you idiots in DC! You are neglecting your designated duties to divert attention from what you ought to be doing, what you are sworn to be doing! Remeber: Bread and Circuses? You couldn’t even invent that one yourselves!

  • Ausonius

    Kafka’s novel The Trial is the main source of the adjective.

    The main character, Josef K., is arrested for an unnamed crime which is never explained, only hinted at darkly by obscure bureaucrats.

    Technically unfinished in that some chapters needed work, the book does have a conclusion.

    As with Orwell’s books, we now live in times that alternate between the adjectives Kafkaesque and Orwellian.

    American life is almost officially beyond satire: most of the trime it is a satire.

  • txteach

    “innocent until proven guilty”? Armstrong is hated by rivals and the Frency cycling community. In a world of skeptics, being too good at anything is a sin – Lance took more than his fair share so he must be punished (does this theme sound familiar?) We see it everyday from this administration who care little about the rights of those who don’t fit their template and they will go to ANY length to make an example of any individual who has personal success and doesn’t bow down at the altar of the “One”.

    BTW – Go see “2016: Obama’s America”. It is an excellent documentary and will scare the pants off of any true American patriot.

  • tlhanger

    It is so after the fact. Nothing has been proven. Again, a witch hunt. So sick of all this crap. Lance won and someone can’t stand it. Could it be Soros?

  • clamdigger53

    Whats next reversals in Superbowl victories?

  • bk

    is that he was doping and beat these guys, pretty much all of whom seemed to be doping, or he was clean and beat them. Either way….

  • celador2

    Where is the right side ticker with all the RS posts as they are posted? I could see who posted a comment and click and read. That former RS layout right side ticker gave us an idea who said what , when and where. The ticker provided a sense of community that I do not feel with this new format. All I see on right are a list of EE diaries.

  • oreillyconnection

    On Friday (8/24/12) night’s episode of ‘The O’Reilly Factor,’ guest host Monica Crowley shamelessly plagiarized this post.

    I’ve compiled a short video showcasing the clear plagiarism by Ms. Crowley:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za758ZdfSRE&feature=plcp

    I think an on-air admission apology to Mr. Erickson and to the Factor audience is probably in order.

  • 40love

    You have to understand that the white, high achieving , especially American male, must be persecuted and prosecuted for his extra-ordinary achievements! It is the communist way of redefining history. They, the communist left does this all the time with those prejudice ole white men who founded this nation. It is all a part of “Transforming America” that the Muslim-Marxist new Hitler was implanted to accomplish! Isn’t it clear by now that this is what is occurring?