God bless you, Lance Armstrong

[dgun]

If there is one thing all American's should be able to dispassionately agree on, it's that Lance Armstrong is awesome. Unfortunately, although he has never failed a drug test, Lance Armstrong has been harassed and pursued by an overzealous non-governmental agency over allegations of blood doping, the United States Anti-Doping Agency.

Although U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks dismissed a case that would have blocked the USADA from continuing its pissing contest with Armstrong, he stated he had misgivings concerning the agency's conduct. Afterward, following Armstrong's decision not to follow through with arbitration, the USADA claims to have stripped Armstrong of his 7 Tour de France victories.

The USADA has about as much authority to strip Tour de France victories as it has authority to raise an army and invade a foreign country. The whole idea is stupid. You know what else is stupid? This private organization, without government oversight, is partially funded with tax payer money.

I think tax payer money would be better spent NOT attacking and hounding a national hero. Did Armstrong dope? Armstrong passed all the drug tests. This should have been the beginning and end of it.

Oh, by the way, in three of the Tours that the USADA claims to have stripped, Jan Ullrich finished second, meaning he would be the winner. Mr. Ullrich was recently banned from cycling for doping.

[Corodon]

Well said.

I think the problem here, the reason Armstrong can never reach the end point, is that he must prove a negative. It's not for nothing that our standard of justice requires that the accused is innocent until proven guilty, and not the reverse.

Armstrong is not in court, which is sadly ironic, because he is being asked to prove his innocence, which is well-nigh impossible. Hundreds of tests, all of which he passed, cannot prove it; his own word cannot prove it, against the possibility that contrary witnesses might be right, or against the possibility that he was clever enough to evade the testing technology.

For this reason I choose to believe Mr. Armstrong's account, until it is proven otherwise. And abdicating in an arbitration agreement proves nothing.

[RosieS]

Hold on there. Admitted dopers and additional evidence says otherwise:

http://news.discovery.com/adventure/...ng-120614.html

He shoulda quit and not comeback.

Regards from Rosie

[Corodon]

Originally Posted by RosieS

Hold on there. Admitted dopers and additional evidence says otherwise:

http://news.discovery.com/adventure/...ng-120614.html

He shoulda quit and not comeback.

Regards from Rosie

Your citation goes to my point exactly. It lists the suspicions and allegations.

[RosieS]

Originally Posted by Corodon

Your citation goes to my point exactly. It lists the suspicions and allegations.

Which are strong enough to not be worth fighting - even with all of Armstrong's resources.

Red blood cell boosting. growth hormone and self-transfusion are not 'doping' like steroid use is...but are still cheating methods.

You understand the implications now?

It is plenty enuff for the Tour de France organization to strip the seven victories when the suspicious results and the testimony gets the official endorsement of the USADA.

More than enuff. Loads of smoke encircling the fire.

Regards from Rosie

[Corodon]

Originally Posted by RosieS

Which are strong enough to not be worth fighting - even with all of Armstrong's resources.

Red blood cell boosting. growth hormone and self-transfusion are not 'doping' like steroid use is...but are still cheating methods.

You understand the implications now?

I understand that you and many have settled on their narrative, and that by quitting the field Armstrong has given that position credence. I'll even grant that his guilt is quite possible.

And I understand more than ever why "innocent until proven guilty" matters.

[RosieS]

Originally Posted by Corodon

I understand that you and many have settled on their narrative, and that by quitting the field Armstrong has given that position credence. I'll even grant that his guilt is quite possible.

And I understand more than ever why "innocent until proven guilty" matters.

Innocent until proven guilty means exactly nothing in France.

Regards from Rosie

[Corodon]

Originally Posted by RosieS

Innocent until proven guilty means exactly nothing in France.

Regards from Rosie

True, more or less. And the United States Anti-Doping Agency is not French.

Nor is the cycling world unanimous in endorsing its authority here, according to this Assoc. Press report this morning.

[RosieS]

Originally Posted by Corodon

True, more or less. And the United States Anti-Doping Agency is not French.

Nor is the cycling world unanimous in endorsing its authority here, according to this Assoc. Press report this morning.

Matters not at all if France accepts its authority. Since USADA is official for the Olympics, among other competitions. Tour de France officials have no reason not to accept its conclusions.

Thinking otherwise is grasping at straws, which Armstrong himself has quit doing.

Regards from Rosie

[MCTHOUSAND]

Originally Posted by RosieS

Matters not at all if France accepts its authority. Since USADA is official for the Olympics, among other competitions. Tour de France officials have no reason not to accept its conclusions.

Thinking otherwise is grasping at straws, which Armstrong himself has quit doing.

Regards from Rosie

A Frenchie might get those yellow shirts if they can stink out enough riders.