http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=51 Always select Genuine Rant™ Brand. Everything else is just words. Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:27:08 -0400 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=51#comment-182 Where do we go from here? « Endless Cycle Thu, 02 Nov 2006 19:09:10 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=51#comment-182 [...] Anger from earlier posts is turning into something else. Men in Tights seems to be capturing the emotion. [...] http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=51#comment-73 Operacion Puerto and Doping in Cycling - Recreational Reading Thu, 05 Oct 2006 23:29:02 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=51#comment-73 [...] If you want more insightful, critical thinking about WADA, the IOC, and doping allegations in cycling, head over to Peloton Jim’s Endless Cycle and read his article titled Is Operation Puerto unravelling? . Additionally, you should check out Whither Public Discourse? Wither Fair Play? from Rant Your Head Off. You will find both sites in the Links section. [...] http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=51#comment-66 Debby Tue, 03 Oct 2006 21:08:40 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=51#comment-66 Dear Rant, It amazes me that people who are so disillusioned by our government (and other entities) believe every comma printed in a newspaper and every broadcast on TV as if it were gospel truth. I don't understand that disconnect: you trust nothing of your leaders, and everything you see in the media. I do know, as a former librarian, that teachers were trying desperately to follow a mandate in our state to teach critical thinking skills. I'm not sure that it's working -- the ability to analyze and ask questions seems lost. But that is another topic for another day. I don't know if you or your readers have listened to the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.competitorradio.com/details.php?show=62">Howard Jacobs interview</a> (link from our trusty TBV site -- let me know if you need it and I'll try to hunt it down <em>Ranter's Note: Thanks for mentioning this, I've put the link into your comment</em>). My husband and I listened to it last night and what he shared was pretty shocking. He is Landis' lawyer and talked about, among other things, how the sports agencies can pretty much refuse to supply athletes and their lawyers documents they need to make a reasonable defense. His discussion of what he went through with Tyler Hamilton's case -- having to fly to Switzerland because the lab wouldn't or couldn't print and mail copies of documents, and then produced notebooks they supposedly didn't have -- was just a travesty of justice. There's enough rant-worthy material in there for months. I'm new to this whole procedure of how athletes are charged and can appeal their cases, but it seems to me that from what Jacobs said, there is no accountability on the side of the labs or agencies to cooperate in these cases. Perhaps it is because we are dealing with European entities that do not have the same laws/rules that we do -- they seem to work on guilty until proven innocent and are not required to turn over requested information as would be demanded in the US. (Please listen to interview in case I have this wrong). Getting back to your point, I know all this only because I spend time daily looking at various blogs and news sources digging down for information on Landis' case. That gives me a very different picture than the one held by those who take the five-minute soundbites off of the TV and then argue them without "owning" the knowledge. Unfortunately, those are often the people who shout the loudest and don't seem to want to hear your side, or consider what you have to say. How sad to miss the opportunity to learn from each other, especially when a man's reputation is at stake. I talk to my friends about this case, who are not interested in the details of cycling news, and only know what they hear on the TV. When I tell them (or email them) new information, they are often surprised and wonder why this is not discussed on the news. Nowhere did it resonate better than when an acquaintance of an acquaintance commented, "I know about false positive tests. My doctor told me my baby would be born with Down's Syndrome. We worried for nothing -- it was normal and healthy." A lot of women understood Floyd's case much better that day. Thanks for all you do.
It amazes me that people who are so disillusioned by our government (and other entities) believe every comma printed in a newspaper and every broadcast on TV as if it were gospel truth. I don’t understand that disconnect: you trust nothing of your leaders, and everything you see in the media. I do know, as a former librarian, that teachers were trying desperately to follow a mandate in our state to teach critical thinking skills. I’m not sure that it’s working — the ability to analyze and ask questions seems lost. But that is another topic for another day.

I don’t know if you or your readers have listened to the Howard Jacobs interview (link from our trusty TBV site — let me know if you need it and I’ll try to hunt it down Ranter’s Note: Thanks for mentioning this, I’ve put the link into your comment). My husband and I listened to it last night and what he shared was pretty shocking. He is Landis’ lawyer and talked about, among other things, how the sports agencies can pretty much refuse to supply athletes and their lawyers documents they need to make a reasonable defense. His discussion of what he went through with Tyler Hamilton’s case — having to fly to Switzerland because the lab wouldn’t or couldn’t print and mail copies of documents, and then produced notebooks they supposedly didn’t have — was just a travesty of justice. There’s enough rant-worthy material in there for months.

I’m new to this whole procedure of how athletes are charged and can appeal their cases, but it seems to me that from what Jacobs said, there is no accountability on the side of the labs or agencies to cooperate in these cases. Perhaps it is because we are dealing with European entities that do not have the same laws/rules that we do — they seem to work on guilty until proven innocent and are not required to turn over requested information as would be demanded in the US. (Please listen to interview in case I have this wrong).

Getting back to your point, I know all this only because I spend time daily looking at various blogs and news sources digging down for information on Landis’ case. That gives me a very different picture than the one held by those who take the five-minute soundbites off of the TV and then argue them without “owning” the knowledge. Unfortunately, those are often the people who shout the loudest and don’t seem to want to hear your side, or consider what you have to say. How sad to miss the opportunity to learn from each other, especially when a man’s reputation is at stake. I talk to my friends about this case, who are not interested in the details of cycling news, and only know what they hear on the TV. When I tell them (or email them) new information, they are often surprised and wonder why this is not discussed on the news. Nowhere did it resonate better than when an acquaintance of an acquaintance commented, “I know about false positive tests. My doctor told me my baby would be born with Down’s Syndrome. We worried for nothing — it was normal and healthy.”

A lot of women understood Floyd’s case much better that day.

Thanks for all you do.]]> http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=51#comment-62 William Schart Tue, 03 Oct 2006 12:59:53 +0000 http://rant-your-head-off.com/WordPress/?p=51#comment-62 Exactly. I have stopped visiting the topix forum because of this.