Justice: Rarely Required of Them and Much Required Of Us

                                                                    photo credit: M. Dunham

Marion Jones was released from prison today. She served a 6-month sentence for lying about her use of steroids. She had already been stripped of her Gold medals and fined. In addition her Olympic relay teammates were stripped of their Gold medals also. She had recently given birth to an infant she was still nursing when she was sent away. Do you think that was just?

So according to the IOC rules she had violated, she deserved to be punished. Okay. Some of us have the pitchforks out and the condemnations ready to fly. Doesn't this country espouse a win at all costs philosophy? Then why are we surprised when people actually take that the heart? Oh let's be clear it wasn't that she did it, it was that she got caught.  

There were questions about whether the Chinese gymnasts who won Olympic gold in 2008 met the age requirements or were in fact 14 y.o instead of 16 y.o. Yet where is the discussion of the way these children are mentally broken down and conditioned to push their bodies to respond to such rigorous and rigid training required to win? Who cares if these young women are emotionally scarred, suffer from eating disorders and have their entire worth riding on one contest? USA. USA. USA. USA. Must dominate.  

Where are our priorities? While Marion was in the clink (and I by no means am trying to belittle to horrors of being imprisoned) some of our worst criminals get to walk around like they're king of the world. See Marion Jones may be famous, but she has little power. That's why some of us get punished and have to be made examples of while others get pardons. Paging Scooter Libby.