— After Armstrong’s fall, fight against cancer must go on
(The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.)
Lance Armstrong is a cheat, a liar and a bully. He is selfish, vengeful and manipulative. He destroyed people, all to hide his cheating and his lies and to preserve the facade of his heroism and to protect his enormous wealth, celebrity and clout.
These facts, following the telecast of Armstrong’s stilted confessional with Oprah Winfrey, are crystal clear.
Millions of people are disillusioned now, some of them heartbroken. Armstrong was a hero. He beat cancer and struck back against the disease by establishing the Livestrong Foundation in 1997. By 2011, the foundation had grown to raise $36 million a year for the good fight.
We desperately wanted to disbelieve the persistent rumors and accusations that Armstrong had used performance-enhancing drugs to win his seven Tour de France cycling titles. Even after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in October released a damning 1,000-page report vilifying Armstrong, we clung to belief in his steadfast claims of innocence.
So now the truth — or part of it, anyway — is out. Armstrong admits it. He took PEDs. Then he lied about it. And he sued and bullied to cover his tracks.
It’s the way of the world — cheating and lying — according to experts in the dark arts of human nature.
A Duke University professor of psychology, Dan Ariely, wrote a book called, “The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone, Especially Ourselves.”
In an Associated Press article, Ariely explained the common excuses cheaters use to justify their transgressions. “They say, ‘Everyone else was doing it’ or ‘It was for a good cause.’”
Armstrong has used the first excuse. He claims it would have been impossible to win his Tour de France titles without doping. The record of the professional cycling tour from Armstrong’s heyday confirms that the use of PEDs was rampant.
So now, we’re left to ask, Was it for a good cause? After all, it’s unlikely that the Livestrong Foundation would have become the cash-fueled, cancer-fighting machine that it became without Armstrong’s record of not only beating testicular cancer but going on to spectacular domination of a sport at the world-class level.
Without Armstrong’s Tour victories, Livestrong wouldn’t have raised nearly as much money and couldn’t have helped nearly as many people battle cancer. And without the drugs, it’s unlikely that Armstrong would have won his Tour titles.
In the end, those whose love of Armstrong motivated them to support Livestrong should take solace — their donations have done a great good. Their giving has helped millions fight cancer. It wasn’t Armstrong who did that. It was each individual donor.
While the embodiment of the inspiration to fight cancer to the death — its death — has been exposed as a fraud, the inspiration for the fight survives. Whatever becomes of Armstrong, who faces litigation and possible criminal prosecution, the fight against cancer must go on.
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Thanks: Sen. Rockefeller
(The Register-Herald -- Beckley. W.Va.)
He wasn’t from West Virginia.
He didn’t have to be here.
But Jay Rockefeller chose to become a West Virginian.
As his surname suggests, Jay came from wealth but thrust himself into a small West Virginia mining community as a 27-year-old VISTA volunteer.
From there, he fell in love with the state and its people and dedicated himself to a life of serving them.
As a volunteer.
A state delegate.
Secretary of State.
A college president.
Governor.
Senator.
Rockefeller announced that he will not seek re-election at the end of his fifth term in the Senate.
His legacy is vast.
He is known as an advocate for accessible health care and miners’ safety.
He played an instrumental role in expanding our state’s economic opportunities.
He co-authored legislation to improve education for children.
He has targeted television violence and obscenity along with Internet security.
His support for our nation’s soldiers and veterans is well-documented.
Rockefeller’s position as the chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; chairman of the Health Care Subcommittee on Finance and being a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence while serving on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs has given him a strong voice in Washington in several vitally important affairs.
Despite the silver spoon status that may have come his way as a great-grandson to oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, Jay was just Jay to thousands of West Virginians.
By humbling himself to serve others in public office, his legacy will be much taller than even the lanky, bespectacled senator himself.
It will be one of representing West Virginia’s — and even the nation’s — middle class in a manner that improved the lives of several generations.
With two more years remaining in office, Jay will likely cement his heritage even more.
At a height of over 6 feet 6 inches, Jay will forever stand tall in West Virginia and United States history.
Leaving some quite sizable shoes to fill in 2014.
