This just aggravates me to no end. This is a colossal waste of resources against a completely innocent citizen. The US Anti-Doping Agency is trying to penalize Lance Armstrong for something he did several years ago in France.
Lance Armstrong being bullied by Unconstitutional US Agency
My questions are:
You asked:
Don’t the French people have a say?
In fact they do, and French (as well as Belgian and Italian) authorities are every bit as rabidly anti-doping as the American ones. In fact it was a French newspaper, L'Equipe, which started spreading rumors about him, as they have spread rumors about other Tour de France winners like Alberto Contador (recently disqualified by the World Federation after a show trial which would have made Uncle Joe proud: Spanish sports authorities had previously cleared him of all charges).
Now, the Tour de France is the most important cycling race in the world. Not even the highly prestigious, well financed and splendidly organized Giro d'Italia and Vuelta de Espana come close. Great athletes like Bradley Wiggins, Andy Schleck and Cadel Evans train all year long just to win that single race. They could compete in the other two prestigious races, get good results (and money) but they sacrifice everything just for the Tour de France. That's how important it is. The problem is with so many great athletes from all over the world competing, French riders usually get their **** handed to them. The last French winner was Bernard Hinault in 1985. From then on French riders have not only failed to win, but also to impress. Obviously the ultra-nationalist French (a minority, but a very vociferous and influential minority: most French love the Tour no matter who wins in the end) have started blaming "cheating foreigners" for this lack of success. And what better target than Lance Armstrong, who won a whooping seven Tours, beating such racing luminaries as Miguel Indurain (the most powerful racer ever) and Eddy Merckx?
They found a precious and unlikely ally in the US government, whose terrifying and useless crusade against drugs has been dragging on for decades without anything to show to its credit. Instead of calling it quits, in the past two decades they expanded their jurisdiction to include illicit doping substances. Before of that date doping was dealt with by every single federation according to an internal policy. The anti-drug crusaders are usually rabid people. They are rabid because they are useless, ineffective and oblivious and aware of it. They need to justify their existence. They have managed to infect other (incidentally Big Government loving) countries with their poison and fomented a war on doping in the sports which, far from achieving the promised results, is pushing athletes towards more sophisticated and dangerous doping practices.
So why have they taken such an interest in Lance Armstrong? The reason is simple: the man is a bloody hero. He beat cancer and every single racer who confronted him except for Alberto Contador. Cancer sufferers everywhere look up to him as an example and a beacon of hope. Nothing gives evil people a kick like destroying a bone fide hero genuinely beloved (as opposed to "respected" or "crammed down the throats") by millions. Nothing gives Big Government a kick like rewriting the history to suit its own agenda. There's a reason Napoleon Bonaparte said "History is a set of lies agreed upon". Anti-drugs crusaders want to show everybody the hero was really cheating scum and it was them who took him down.
The scum I clean from my septic tank doesn't want me to throw up as these people.
Thanks for the response. I feel more comfortable that I am not alone in my hatred for this foolishness. And the real annoying part is that the USG does not have the limitation that the French do. The Tour is bigger than the Oylimpics for cycling and attracts a world wide audience. The French have a huge incentive not to "Cut off their nose despite their face." and piss off the greatest cyclists in the world so much that they race someplace else. And it can happen in France just like it did here with the Indianapolis 500. The US Government on the other hand can just pursue these NON-CRIMES indefinitely as they are getting paid by tax payers.
"Though not a government body, the agency is partly funded by a U.S. federal grant through theOffice of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), with its remaining budget generated from contracts for anti-doping services with sport organizations, notably the United States Olympic Committee." -Wikipedia
From what I see this is an effort based in part on the drug war, whichmakes sense if you think about it. It is also endorsed by the USFG giving it an unfair advantage with the seal of approval by the oh so benevolent government. /s