Stealing an Election

The election grows near and the noise from both sides is ramping up. But I think the thing that bothers me the most is that, once again the same strategy rears its ugly head, Voter suppression and the accusations of voter fraud. Voter fraud for this argument is one person trying to either voter more than once or trying to get many to vote more than once under false information ie. Hi my name is “Joe the Plumber” and I would like to vote please. Now imagine trying to throw an election like this. You’d have to be successful at a number of different points in the registration process with thousands of different identities and then have them actually go to the polling places and vote to have even the slightest impact.

Then there is election fraud. Election fraud is the wholesale manipulation of a voting segment. Literally 1000’s of votes and/or voter registrations being either altered or rejected in a single instance. Like say a recount being stopped, or stuffing the ballot box electronically on a voting machine without paper confirmation or throwing out tallies that don’t fit your particular desired outcome, or soldiers overseas being “caged” or for that matter people from a single demographic being targeted by either caging or under servicing of polling places, which would demand that certain people stand in line for hours in order to cast their vote. Not a very democratic thing to do if that population is an hourly work force. Laugh if you like; there is evidence of all these things happening over the last 8 years.

What does it say about your party when one of its primary strategies is to actually suppress voter turn out?? How is this supporting democracy??


In case you haven’t heard Lance is back. And back with Bruyneel at Astana. Contador was unsurprising less than thrilled, but Lance is Claim cancer awareness as his motivation. He’s already confirmed for the Tour Down Under, and the Giro. Could be interesting. My biggest concern/objection to this is simple, its time for someone else to get the attention. The US has more than one cyclist and more than one cycling team. I’m tired of Lance. And clean going forward doesn’t say anything about the past. Was he clean?? Who knows. All I know is that virtually everyone he competed against over that time has been busted for one thing or another, including a good number of ex postal/discovery riders.



T minus 88 days

LeMond v Trek/Armstrong

So it's time to get back on my soapbox and shout (write?) to no one in particular. w00t!

Last night I started building bikes at the Bike Lane in Burke. Why?? Pro-deals baby!! It's been 4 years since the bike quiver has seen any real action beyond the addition of the Fixie, so its time for some needless upgrades. Why Bike Lane?? Esp. since they are definitively out of the way for me. Because these guys do the most for the biking community at large. They host their own events, they lead rides, they help sponsor teams, in short they do all the stuff a good LBS is supposed to. All the stuff. Most of the others in the area do contribute, but not to the extent that The Bike Lane does, here to be known as TBL. Either way, a slow start for me. 3 bikes in 4 hours. There was some time wasted, and I'm really rusty. It'll get faster.

What kind of upgrades?? Like it or not Mrs. Culimerc will be getting a new bike. Hopefully something under the 27lb tank she's riding now. Yours truely will be getting a new road bike (moots or merlin hmmmmm), and a new mountain bike, because you know I spend sooooo much time on the one I have now. The Jamis will be sold, in favor of a 29'er probably. And a pair of SIDI's just cause. and all the stupid schwag I'll pick up in the mean time.

Now for something that actually matters. Greg LeMond is finally getting his wish, He and Trek will be parting ways. after years of trying half heartedly to get away from Trek, Greg finally pissed Trek off enough and they are counter suing to terminate the contract that was going to keep LeMond with Trek til 2010. Apparently Trek got tired of Greg accusing Lance of doping, and all the related news making he was making. Greg admittedly sounds like a bitter old man, puts at the same time much of what he has been accusing people of has come to pass. I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for Lance to fess up tho. You can read more about the Lemond/Trek thing here. Essentially, it boils down to LeMond sells 12,000 bike for 15 million a year, and he was bad mouthing the company's biggest image in Lance Armstrong.

Alexi Grewal wrote an amazing brave open editorial in Velonews. For those of you who may not know; Alexi was one of Americas premiere cyclists back in the early 80's. About the same time as LeMond or even just a little earlier.

Here's a cool article on doping and game theory written by smart guys

I would talk about the Democratic Primary, but it's taken it's toll and I'm just kind of done with it at this point. Hillery just seems to be hanging on for I dont know why.

Hey here's something I heard on left wing radio. The Saudi's are actually holding telethons on TV trying to raise money for insurgents in Iraq! Then again the biggest source of cash right now for militias in Iraq is the US. .oO("Here's $10, now stop shooting at me"). Pay offs are one of the oldest tactics of occupiers of foreign soil. Guess we're kickin it ol' skool.

285 more days

When it rains, it pours

So much going on, way does it always happen all at once??

The Dems cave again. And again they blame senate republicans for "filibustering" the timetables involved in the original bill. Whatever, and if I shit gold I'd live in a bigger house.

Seriously folks, either talk tough and deliver or say outright that your going to bargain to get what you can, but dont tell me its all his/her/it's fault when you dont put up *any* kind of fight and fold in a stiff breeze.

Senate Republicans were also to blame when it comes to no new CAFE standards or reinstating taxes on the record breaking profits of the oil companies. Why you say?? Because oil companies wouldnt dare cut into their margins, they'd only raise prices.

They Assholes!! Thanks alot for repesentin those that brung ya'. Namely corporate interests that fund your re-election campaigns over what your going to leave your kids to clean up environmentally and economically. Seriously, pull your head out of your ass for 10 minutes and take a look around, what do you think is really going to happen?? News Flash!!! Sometimes you just gotta do whats right anyway.

The Mitchell Report came out, and shocker!!! Baseball players are doing steroids like their jobs depend on it. Who Knew?!?! FU all you redneck fucks who thought cycling was dirty, but nobody cheated in baseball.

So they figured out that all the guys setting all these records and that are all shoe-ins for the hall of fame are doping to the gills. Why is this a surprise?? We're talking about millions of dollars, hell I'd do it too. Hey sports fans welcome to the real world.

Trek is backing Astana. Told Ya So, Told Ya So. Different uniform, same team. lets see what happens.


Yeah its been a hell of a day. When are we gonna run out of stupid ya think??

End Of an Era

Its the end of an era in Cycling. Team T-Mobile is done; stick a folk in 'em its over. Too bad really, I've got fond memories of watching big german guys dressed up in pink riding rough shod over everybody else in the mid 90's. They came from almost no where. At the end of the 80's there no german cycling teams at all. By '95 not only was there a solid team, that team had chalked up a big pile of race wins including multiple green jerseys (courtesy of Eric Zabel) and the first of two tour de france yellow jerseys. Thank You Bjarne Riis and Jan Ullrich.

Ullrich had the unfortunate timing to run directly up against Lance Armstrong. Jan finished second to Lance 4 times, and second to Riis in '95. Quite possibly the most bittersweet palmere in the history of cycling.

Either way starting in 2005 and coming to a head in June '06 with the firing of Ullrich, T-Mobile was plagued by doping allegations dating back to the good ol' days. Most of the major players from that time have coped to doping and the German press has been quite happy to hammer away at them for it. Dont get me wrong DOPERS SUCK.

In 2006, after the firing of Ullrich and Godfroote (team director since 92) the now T-Mobile hired American Bill Stapleton as team director. Bill made significant changes. He fired the team doctors, who both later ended up being charged by the german authorities for distributing doping products. He hired a bunch of new young talent, and he did pretty well this year. Some good solid wins, inc. a mountain top finish at the tour thanks to the baby faced Linus Gerdemann.

But there were more doping convictions, Patrick Sinkewitz being the final straw. Even tho T-Mobile reaffirmed their support for the team in Aug. The new CEO Hamid Akhavan could continue to risk negative exposure and terminated T-Mobile's sponsorship effective immediately. Such is life

Bob Stapleton has promised that the team will continue without its title sponsor under the name of "Team High Road".

Thank You Bob Stapleton!! Good Luck Team High Road!!

I'll still be rooting for Slipstream this year.

Dopers Suck.