...from a fan of Democracy: Barry Bonds... the truth we all knew...

Friday, November 16, 2007

Barry Bonds... the truth we all knew...

The San Francisco Chronicle reported today that "slugger" Barry Bonds is under indictment for four counts of perjury and obstruction of justice. This is, of course, due to his lying about being on steroids during his climb to the top of the home run list.

As the record stands now, Bonds is the home run king with 762 home runs, a number that, due to the indictments, is liable to be as far as he goes. It is unlikely he'll play again, and even if he does, he'll be greeted with even more boos and giant syringes that he has in the past.

And that's as it should be, because Barry Bonds (and others, to be sure) has tainted an entire generation of baseball statistics, first with using the steroids to bulk up to freakish size, and second, simply by lying about it and arrogantly refusing to acknowledge what everyone could see was as plain as the muscles on his arms, so to speak.

Arrogance is no crime, and the history of baseball is full of unsavory characters, starting even before the Sultan of Swat himself. So, as offensive as Bonds is personally, that doesn't disqualify him for the Hall. Cheating, which is precisely what the use of steroids is, IS grounds for disqualification.

Meanwhile, in what I deem a bigger tragedy, Pete Rose, whose reputation for hustle and his lifetime hit total of 4256 inspired a generation, perhaps including Bonds, remains ineligible for the Hall of Fame. Sure, Rose bet on baseball, but the question is now as it has always been, did he bet against his team? If so, he doesn't deserve to be in the Hall.

The difference in Rose and Bonds is clear, though. You just KNOW Pete Rose never bet against the Reds (or his other teams) with the same certainly that you KNOW Bonds used steroids.

This is what baseball is about...

Not this...

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The 14 Points of Fascism

1.) Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2.) Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3.) Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4.) Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5.) Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
6.) Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
7.) Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses
8.) Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
9.) Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10.) Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11.) Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free _expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
12.) Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations
13.) Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.