Run to Win

Marion Jones

USATF CEO Douglas Logan has written an open letter to President Bush urging him not to pardon Marion Jones for her illegal and unethical activities over the past decade.

I can not agree with him more and I plan on writing to the white house with my thoughts on the matter. Marion Jones broke the law, she cheated in her profession, and she lied about both for years.

There should be no double standards for athletes when compared to average citizens of the United States, and pardoning Jones will make us laughing stocks in the international track community. If you think that cycling as a sport gets a bad rap, wait until the United States takes a lenient stance against an admitted doper that broke multiple US laws including involvement in bank fraud.

Pardoning her sends the wrong message, and I think that she should take responsibility for the choices that she has made.

If you would like to send a letter to the White House, you can address it to the following address:

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

If you would like to call the White House to voice your concerns, you can dial 202-456-1111 (or 202-456-6213 for TTY service.) To send a fax, dial 202-456-2461.

If you would like to send an email, address it to: comments@whitehouse.gov

The USATF has provided a sample email/letter that you can use when communicating with the White House about your thoughts on offering Marion Jones a pardon:
http://www.usatf.org/promotions/MarionJones/

Click through to read the rest of this entry for Douglas Logan’s open letter to the President.
(Click here to continue reading…)

President Bush has approached the senate, looking for approval on a bill that deals with doping in international competition.

“Ratifying the convention will solidify our nation’s place as a leader in the worldwide effort to rid athletics of cheating through chemistry,” White House press secretary Dana Perino said in a written statement.

U.S. Olympic Committee CEO Jim Scherr said he appreciated Bush’s support.

“This convention is emblematic of the commitment our government has made to work in partnership with anti-doping authorities and governments from around the world to further eradicate the use of banned and illegal substances in Olympic sport,” Scherr said in a statement.

The bill would not affect professional sports in any way other than to serve as a guideline for each league’s own policies. It would affect elite athletes representing the United States in international competition, such as at the Olympics.

(Further Reading: ESPN - Photo Credit: cmcentral)

Update: I admit, I was had! That photo isn’t President Bush, it’s professional impersonator John Morgan.

The The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund was set up by the two former presidents to help raise money for relief after the Hurricane disaster down in the gulf states. Last night they held a telethon during the football games with former and current NFL stars manning the phones. I could not find any press releases that state how much money they earned from it, but it seemed to be going strong as they cut over to it during commercial breaks during the game. President Bush was in the broadcasters booth for a little while during the Saints “home opener” last night, and he explained how the fund gives the money to the Governors and how there is an audit to make sure that the money goes where it is supposed to and is not funneled into unnecessary projects.

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