So there I was, minding my own damn business, drinking a bottle of Aunt
Jemima when I see this on CN:
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Leblanc regrets rider ejections
Tour de France race director Jean-Marie Leblanc has expressed his regret
at having to eject Martin Hvastija and Stefano Casagranda from the race
on the rest day, in accordance with the Tour's anti-doping policy.
Leblanc was forced to act when he received a fax from Italian prosecutor
PM Paola Cameran last Saturday informing him that the two riders were
part of doping investigation. Subsequently, Leblanc admitted that it
wasn't the ideal outcome, as Hvastija and Casagrande have been punished
without proof of guilt.
"We have a conscience ourselves, like you," Leblanc told the Associated
Press. "We know about the presumption of innocence. I looked at Hvastija
yesterday, this brave guy who will return to his country covered in
shame. Do you think I'm happy and proud of that?I'm troubled by it.
Maybe he is right. I'm scared I might, maybe, have committed an injustice."
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:
*cough* *choke*
"I'm scared I might, maybe, have committed an injustice."
Might? Maybe? Pardon me, but was Jean-Marie part of the Bush or Blair
administration, about the lay the blame for war at the feet of an
intelligence agency? "Mea cupla! Mea culpa! I've thrown these poor
[censored] to the wolves and now I think our policy wasn't well thought out?"
Such is the way of the world today: kill 'em all, let God sort 'em out.
I certainly know a very good way to right this wrong. How about LeBlanc
and his boys put their pointy little heads together, agree to toss out
this folly and re-admit the ejected, say with their time off the leader
intact and forget the whole mess. Sound good?
Oh, wait, the other riders may gripe and complain that these guys now
aren't tired enough so they give their personal or team ambitions a leg
up. Ah, but when the body stops cycling it forgets how. Maybe make
them ride a quick 50km crit on the local sports track and then toss them
back into the team hotel, all being equal and forgiven, eh? Seems like
a very appropriate gesture on Bastille Day, after all, what better day
to release the unjustly accused.
Might and maybe, being the weasel words they are, I don't think so. I
expect Jean-Marie to hang his head, feel bad for a bit and then continue
on. And if more ancient judicial procedings rear their dusty heads,
Jean-Marie can look sad and mournful as he may unjustly eject other
riders, thanks to some prosecutor somewhere who wanted to get his name
and face in the papers for being tough on those fraudulent cyclists then
promptly forgot to close the folder when the leads dried up. This is
probably all Prudhomme's idea anyway, so that may let LeBlanc off the
hook with a sigh and a weary look, even though he could always say, "bad
idea, let's scrap it." No, no he couldn't do that. Prudhomme is his
chosen successor. Alors.
BTW what's the best way to remove a pint of syrup from a keyboard?