TheAgitator.com
Grandstanding Ahead
Wednesday, December 19th, 2007
That dull roar you hear is the sound of congress-critters positioning themselves to mug for the cameras and demagogue the steroid issue.
Two House panels are planning mid-January hearings featuring former Sen. George Mitchell, author of a bombshell report last week that linked more than 80 players to the illegal use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. Baseball players, likely some of those named in the report, could be invited to testify as well.
Meanwhile, a Senate Republican and Democrat on Tuesday announced legislation to limit access to those substances and stiffen criminal penalties for abuse and distribution.
Central to that effort is cracking down on the abuse of human growth hormone, or HGH, a drug for which there is no reliable test, said its sponsor.
Just what we need. More people in prison for drug offenses. Golly. Is there no problem that can’t be solved by putting more people behind bars?
As I wrote the last time clownish politicians were exploiting the steroid issue, I’ll consider listening to their complaints about cheating in baseball when they stop cheating at fucking democracy. Yeah, I’m looking at you, Tom Davis.
Rep. Davis and fellow baseball antagonists say steroids and amphetamines give athletes an “unfair advantage” over the competition. Never mind that after the 2000 census, Davis led efforts to gerrymander his own congressional district to ensure he’d never need to worry about re-election. Due to gerrymandering, Davis ran unopposed in 2002, as did one in five of his congressional colleagues.
Davis also recently sneaked a provision into federal legislation that prevented an apartment complex from going up in his district because, according to the Washington Post, he feared it would bring too many Democrats into the area. And as head of the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee, Davis fought to similarly gerrymander Republican districts across the country, effectively giving many voters just one candidate to choose from.
Say it ain’t so, congressman!
As for Schumer, like many steroids demagogues in Congress he’s a campaign finance “reformer,” which means he supports those laws that not only restrict speech critical of people like him, but that also make it extremely difficult for challengers to accumulate the kind of campaign chest necessary to knock off an incumbent.
Especially an incumbent like Schumer, who’s going to save baseball for your children.
Just another example of congress going where they don’t belong.Baseball is a is no different than GM or Microsoft,a private concern that should sort out it’s own problems.
Congress isn’t the real culprit here, it’s the media (and that includes new media like blogs.) This has been a press-driven story from the outset, and the Mitchell report was designed in large part to appease these people. Congress is simply jumping on the free publicity bandwagon.
If I was the Major League Baseball Players Association, I’d put some serious cash into investigating and attacking the private lives of prominent reporters and commentators. On the steroid subject, the media cannot be reasoned with, so the players should respond in-kind.
I’ve had this recurring dream and I need to share it (sorry if it seems off-topic). It’s the near future, and virtual reality has advanced to the point where you can’t tell if you are in the simulation or reality. A libertarian vigilante group is formed, to kidnap those who act to curb the liberty of others. These people are strapped into a VR system, with full life-support, and remain unharmed throughout their natural life. In the simulation they can experience their greatest dream – leading a government which controls every aspect of people’s lives. While in reality people like Schumer/Clinton/Giuliani are prevented from impacting others with their psychological illness.
I’ve woke up with wet sheets twice this week so far.
How about a caption contest?
“This is a matter for me and my wife. All I can say is that Mr. Universe was over 18 at the time of our encounter.”
I think that these steroids are more problematic than recreational drugs because most people thinks that recreational drugs may pose problems to your health, while many may think that drug used by athletes may represent no problem.
I can believe in a steroid user that says that he didn´t knew what he was doing, not not in a heroin user. I don´t think that what one consumes is a problem of the State, but I remember more people dying because of steroids(Example, Andreas Munzer in 1996) than people dying because of marijuana or ecstasy. In fact, there are many bodybuilders that died in suspicious circumstances.
Sure, anyone should be free to consume what he wants, but I think that drugs like insulin and HGH are more dangerous than most recreational drugs.
The problem? The governor of California is THE poster boy of drug ridden body building. Now they call Schwarzenegger as a RINO, but I think that´s problematic to someone in the GOP to defend drug laws considering Arnold´s past.
Congress should be sued for recovery of lost time and revenue! WTF bidness is it of theirs what a professional athlete does to themselves?
All the while it seems sports is getting off the juice and our cops are getting on the juice! Causing them to shave their heads and wear dark glasses even at night!
I’m so very comforted!