BIKE: Lance in Yellow

[Patrick Goetz]

Lane S. Wimberley wrote:

> It's good to have heros.  They inspire.  I think cyclists are lucky
> that one of contemporary society's heros is a cyclist.
> 
> Maybe you just don't like Lance.  Fair enough.  But, credit where
> credit is due.  And, while we're at it, maybe twisting or fabricating
> facts to slander someone isn't the most effective way to make a point
> about a totally unrelated issue.
> 

What did I twist, slander, or fabricate?  Lance was a big Bush supporter 
in 2000 and certainly hasn't publicly renounced his prior support, 
despite a possible personal change of heart.  This is unconscionable; 
the Bush administration is imprisoning (confirmed) and possibly 
torturing (several corroborating first-hand testimonials) children! 
Silence = tacit approval, as far as I'm concerned, especially since 
Lance could use his prominence to help put an end to this nonsense and 
thus absolve himself of complacency with evil.  Last time I checked, 
though, Lance "stands by the president" despite disagreeing with him on 
the Iraq war.  You don't stand by people who are torturing innocent 
children.  Period.  This is not a point I'm willing to discuss.

Now that said, I'm feeling a little less animosity towards Lance after 
reading the UK Times interview, and feel guilty about directly 
associating him with the torture article, despite the fact that I think 
he is morally culpable for his support of the most heinous regime in the 
history of the United States.  On the other hand, it's customary in our 
society to forgive the rich of all crimes, so why should Lance be an 
exception?  Go Lance!