stuff happens, and sometimes i write about it

[rone]

I wanted to remark on two things that happened in the past ten days:

• Shysterball analyzes George Mitchell's report on the use of performance enhancing substances in baseball.  It is impressive that the sport thrives despite the persistently incompetent leadership displayed by the Players Association and Major League Baseball.
• The Lakota have officially withdrawn from the treaties they signed with the United States and have technically seceded.  I have no idea what's going to come of this; there doesn't seem to be any traction on this story in the mainstream media, but i suppose that it is the holiday season.  I am personally curious about this because it seems that this is the only way a legal secession could happen in the US; also, i'm wondering just how far Russell Means and the other activists and leaders have thought this through in regards to logistics, how much due diligence was done, and so on.  I wonder how well South Dakota will take this, given that Lakota territory is effectively the western half of the state.

In other events that occurred this month, i've attended, for the first time, a Hanukkah party (hosted by cda and crisper) and a Solstice party (hosted by deirdremoon and tronpublic).  All i need now is a Kwanzaa party to complete the set.

Comments

[dr-memory.livejournal.com]

The Lakota have officially withdrawn from the treaties they signed with the United States and have technically seceded.

Actually, they haven't (http://cos.livejournal.com/52318.html?nc=4&style=mine).

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Yup, this is exactly what went through my mind when i first heard the story. I'm glad someone else managed to do the homework.

[joepro.livejournal.com]

I read most of the 409 page mitchell report, and my conclusion is that it's a $30 million college term paper, and not a great one, either. First, it explains to us that steroids are bad for you. Then it tells us that lots of baseball players used steroids in the 90's. (This exonerates barry bonds by naming lots of other players, including pitchers and his counterpart roger clemens.) The mitchell report calls for no punishment and has no solution for "non-detectable" substances like hgh. (So, if the steroid era is over, the hgh era is in full swing.) Also, the report points out that bud selig and donald fehr are jackasses. Thanks, mr. mitchell, for fixing baseball. Now go retire.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

I don't see how the report exonerates Bonds in any way. The Mitchell Report calls for no punishment because that's not part of its scope; Mitchell would be overreaching if he'd made such a call. The only two solutions for currently undetectable substances is to take blood tests and put them into storage until such a time when a detection test is available, or to do regular threshold tests to notice when an athlete's blood levels go off normal, and the union won't go for either.

I think that the problem with drugs in sports is partly America's cultural struggle with the War on Drugs, and partly cultural baggage from the Cold War, back when the East German athletes were loaded on steroids. We need to come to terms with what's OK to use and what isn't, and what levels are tolerable, and we can't do that when we treat possibly useful drugs like they're the devil.

[joepro.livejournal.com]

I don't see how the report exonerates Bonds in any way.

Well, it more or less dilutes the fact bonds took steroids b/c now it's well known that a lot of other guys, including pitchers, were doing it as well. Certainly it doesn't exonerate him from the legal charges against him, but if it comes down to a hall of fame vote, it's now unfair to put in clemens but not bonds.

The Mitchell Report calls for no punishment because that's not part of its scope; Mitchell would be overreaching if he'd made such a call. The only two solutions for currently undetectable substances is to take blood tests and put them into storage until such a time when a detection test is available, or to do regular threshold tests to notice when an athlete's blood levels go off normal, and the union won't go for either.

Agreed on all. But was there really a point to pay all that money for publishing what everyone (especially selig) already knows? And how can you say the "steroid era" is behind us, when it's obvious that players are already using "undetectable substances" and the union will not agree to harsher testing?


I think that the problem with drugs in sports is partly America's cultural struggle with the War on Drugs, and partly cultural baggage from the Cold War, back when the East German athletes were loaded on steroids. We need to come to terms with what's OK to use and what isn't, and what levels are tolerable, and we can't do that when we treat possibly useful drugs like they're the devil.

I disagree on most of this. While some doctors do prescribe "steroids" for injuries, I think it's generally unfair to allow athletes to use ped's in any sport, because of their obvious danger. I'm not a big fan of america's war on drugs, but in this case i think it's important to keep athletes away from steroids. The advantage they create is obvious, so it's really unfair to let the athletes choose whether to use them. Anyhow, have a happy new year. And the good news is that the game will survive in spite of morons like selig and fehr.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Well, it more or less dilutes the fact bonds took steroids b/c now it's well known that a lot of other guys, including pitchers, were doing it as well.

C'mon, who didn't know this before the Mitchell Report? Sure, it names names, but we KNEW it; hell, a smattering of players got suspended for it!

And how can you say the "steroid era" is behind us

I'm not. Given how awful baseball's testing is, players will still be doing steroids and HGH and whatever else they can find.

I disagree on most of this. While some doctors do prescribe "steroids" for injuries, I think it's generally unfair to allow athletes to use ped's in any sport, because of their obvious danger.

Obvious danger? What about the more obvious danger of being a football player? It's not important to keep athletes away from steroids, because it's simply impossible; the visible benefits are too good, even if the results might not actually improve an athlete's game. It's more important to bring steroids out of the closet so that a team doctor can supervise it. If some idiot player is going to do steroids anyway, how exactly do you propose that the league should keep the player away from them?

Prohibition doesn't work. It has never worked. Until someone can prove it can work, i will not believe that it is possible.

[joepro.livejournal.com]

When I said,

"And how can you say the "steroid era" is behind us"

I was referring to the mitchell report and not ronebofh. My bad.

And how can you, me, and EVERYBODY EXCEPT Bud selig know these guys were juicing? They should have paid us to write this report, we could have used the dough.

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Oh, Bud knew; hell, there's been statements from him from the mid-`90s talking about it.

[kawgirl.livejournal.com]

What about an Eid celebration?

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

If you mean the end of Ramadan, doesn't it keep shifting backwards during the year?

[frosch.livejournal.com]

well, you know, the National Guard is in Iraq, because it's so, um, important, or something. So Washington might not do anything at all.

which is probably the right tack to take until Means and the three other names associated with this can demonstrate that they represent more than four people. It looks to me like Means' credentials to speak on behalf of the Lakota are suspect, considering they've never elected him.

whether or not the elections were fair isn't likely to make a difference, as long as Washington has a compliant, supportive chief to point to.

[frosch.livejournal.com]

which seems to be essentially what the other guy said, now that I've read the other comments.

[mdyesowitch.livejournal.com]

Yum! Latkes!