Floyd Landis Sentenced For Hacking Test Lab 173
McGruber writes with some news that slipped by in December: "Floyd Landis won the 2006 Tour de France, but was later stripped of his title after testing 'positive for an unusually high ratio of the hormone testosterone to the hormone epitestosterone (T/E ratio).' In February 2010, Slashdot covered the news that Landis had been accused of hacking into the laboratory that detected the unusually high T/E ratio. Since then, Landis was 'convicted in absentia by a French court for his role in hacking into the computers of a French doping lab,' according to National Public Radio. Landis and his former coach Arnie Baker both received 12-month suspended sentences, according to USA Today."
The important part is missing from the summary (Score:5, Insightful)
"Judges said that although no evidence directly linked Messrs. Landis and Baker to the hacking of the antidoping lab, both men benefited from the illegal intrusion."
So, basically, anyone who benefits from a crime is somehow culpable whether or not they actually had anything to do with it.
Gotta love that French "justice" system...
Re:The important part is missing from the summary (Score:5, Insightful)
Can't let lack of evidence interfere with how the French feel about themselves. They're still pissed off from Lance Armstrong.
Re:The important part is missing from the summary (Score:5, Insightful)
> We shall assume his guilt on the bases that he would have benefitted from committing the crime and we are already prejudiced against him over other stuff.
The French have a history of judging people like that. People living under common law systems don't realise how good they've got it until they try engaging with the authorities elsewhere.
Re:The important part is missing from the summary (Score:5, Insightful)
At least someone intelligent on slashdot. I have lived for many years in France *and* in the US and I have grown extremely tired of the constant misrepresentation of what happens in France by US media (and vice versa, unfortunately). The unavoidable subsequent avalanche of xenophobic comments by people who obviously do not have a clue is no less appalling. It generally takes me no more than 5 minutes to debunk 95% of lies spreads about France/US in the media, too much work apparently. Sigh.
Re:The important part is missing from the summary (Score:1, Insightful)
Lance Armstrong is a cheating doper, no doubt about that; he has simply failed too many doping tests that anybody can deny that. But for technical reasons he can't get a doping sentence because retro-testing can't be used as evidence.
If this were a cycling forum, everyone would know that they are all doping and that beating the tests is part of the competition. Lance was the best cyclist in part because he was the best doper.
Re:The important part is missing from the summary (Score:5, Insightful)
I like doping! (Score:5, Insightful)
The anti-doping groups are terrified of new doping methods they cannot detect.
This is great, if the doping has no adverse side effects and is not detectable then I want some!
I want these athletes testing out drugs and the long term affects and me benefiting from watching their performances and some day using safe versions of the drugs
Anti-doping is a waste of money. They should be putting money into making doping safe.
Fairness is pointless, some people are born taller, stronger, faster. Some have more money for better training, coaching, and equipment.
No reason we cannot level the playing field or push it beyond its current limits with chemistry.
Plus if your sport requires such little skill that doping can help you win it, then it is not much of a sport anyway
Re:You left one out: (Score:4, Insightful)
It is perfectly okay, yet tacky, to do so. The Flag Code has no penalties and is non-binding.
Re:You left one out: (Score:5, Insightful)
Since when is it OK to desecrate the flag by wearing it as a shirt, cupcake?
December 15, 1791.
Re:The important part is missing from the summary (Score:1, Insightful)
If you were absent without good reason then you can enjoy being charged for failing to turn up.
And...
[...] it goes against natural justice to convict you without the opportunity to defend yourself.
If you're absent without good reason, as you so helpfully pointed out word for word, then you HAD the opportunity to defend yourself and you chose to pass on it. Else "not showing up" simply becomes "get out of jail free".
There is a reason "convicted in absentia" actually exists as a real legal thing.
Re:You left one out: (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not going to deify the flag to the point of trying to determine what is okay for others. That you can wear the American flag as a diaper is what makes that flag so special in the first place.
Nationalism is a disease. Reverence for a symbol is religion. Be careful how you project your values onto others.
Re:You left one out: (Score:4, Insightful)
Some of can appreciate the meaning of a symbol without the brain washed devotion to it.
I much rather people understand what the US flag stands for even if they wear, burn, make cake out of or whatever than exercise devotional purity and in doing do completely miss it's meaning...
Re:You left one out: (Score:4, Insightful)
No, I expect people who are all LOOK AT ME I'M SO PATRIOTIC to walk the walk.
Re:You left one out: (Score:5, Insightful)
Well you're a hypocrite sweet cheeks.
A true patriot will shed his own blood to defend the freedoms for other people to scream at the top of their lungs, that which you would scream at the top of your lungs in opposition to.
Freedom is not selective. You either fight for all freedoms, or for none at all. Fighting for just those you agree with makes you an enemy of freedom, and in this case just a hypocrite.
You're love of freedom is not represented by a simple symbol, but your actions. Get over it.
Re:I like doping! (Score:5, Insightful)
Instead we watched Jordan, well into his thirties past his physical prime, lead the Bulls to multiple championships.
Well he's retired now, right? And if he attempted a comeback this year, it would be a weird joke, he couldn't even play bench. He hasn't lost the skill and the NBA hasn't overtaken the skill level Michael Jordan once had. So obviously skill is a contributing factor, but athleticism is also a good part of it.
There's millions of kids who aspire to the NBA, and tens of thousands of very skilled basketball players. 300 make it to the NBA. With such a large talent pool, there's plenty of player who are 98% as good, but just not quite there. I sincerely believe that these players who didn't make the NBA, if given unfettered access to steroids, would be better than Kobe Bryant. Even if they didn't, Kobe would no longer be such a dominating player, unless he also started juicing. Steroids are just that effective, and strength that important.
Think about Barry Bonds, who at the age of 37 had a sudden power surge and shattered batting records. A hundred years of baseball history tells you, baseball players don't dramatically increase their power in their late 30s. They do what A-Rod is doing in his mid 30s, getting dramatically less powerful and with less ability to recover sufficiently. Or look at Jose Canseco, who was always the worse player to his twin brother Ozzie. Jose got more into juicing and won unanimous AL MVP and had a near Hall of Fame career, Ozzie Canseco was never a regular starter.
Really all legalizing steroids would do is mean, every single professional athlete would have to use steroids. This would surely filter down to college athletes and just amateurs who want to get good. I think steroids deserve more study than they receive, maybe in the future all old people will take HGH, but I don't think we're at a point that the general population should be using them.
About justice (Score:5, Insightful)