Reason: George Bush vs. Barry Bonds: The government’s effective smear campaign against baseball’s best player More about the “crackdown” on steroid use in sports, from Reason magazine:
“Second, the federal justice system should be about apprehending serious criminals, not ‘sending messages’ to schoolchildren by abusing the grand jury process to compile and illegally leak publicly damaging information about non-criminals.
Thirdly, in an era when testosterone and other hormones are being used safely to treat various illnesses, isn’t it time to ask why, exactly, they can’t be used to help men who use their bodies for a living recover from the daily strain as they reach retirement age?
Which pretty well sums up my opinion on the matter. When it comes to boosting the performance of professional athletes, why are training technologies, nutritional technologies, and medical technologies good, but chemical technologies are bad? Steroids can be completely safe when used properly and under medical supervision.
If it is wrong for pro athletes to use steroids, then it is wrong for pro actresses to use Botox. Why isn’t President Bush going after any of the plastic surgery shows like “The Swan” or “Extreme Makeover” for sending the wrong message to our country’s little girls? A selected quote from Bush’s 2004 State of the Union address…
To help children make right choices, they need good examples. Athletics play such an important role in our society, but, unfortunately, some in professional sports are not setting much of an example. The use of performance-enhancing drugs like steroids in baseball, football, and other sports is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message—that there are shortcuts to accomplishment, and that performance is more important than character.
Hmm, lemme do some re-writing…
To help children make right choices, they need good examples. Movies play such an important role in our society, but, unfortunately, some in Hollywood are not setting much of an example. The use of image-enhancing techniques like surgery on breasts, lips, and liposuction is dangerous, and it sends the wrong message—that there are shortcuts to beauty, and that attractiveness is more important than character.
I wonder what the statistics are comparing deaths from steroids vs. deaths from botched plastic surgery.
