Soap Box

I count myself among the millions who are bitterly disappointed to find out that Lance Armstrong, probably the greatest cyclist the Western World has ever produced, has feet of clay and not only used performance enhancing drugs but lied about it for years, right to the faces of his legions of adoring fans.

Although I am not particularly a fan of the sport, I was proud of Lance Armstrong, proud of his ability to win against the best Planet Earth had to offer, a superstar among superstars on the international stage bringing a heretofore unknown level of prestige to America's cycling program, encouraging untold numbers of youngsters to take up the sport.

Lance continually raised the bar winning in the toughest races, personifying the grinding hard work, devotion and tenacity required to compete against the best and win.

And now we find that Lance Armstrong, American Icon, hero to millions, winner of seven Tour de France titles, whose name was a household word, cheated repeatedly and covered it up by lies, threats and intimidation.

The truth of the matter is that he is a human being who fell prey to the proposition that "winning at all costs" is the only thing that matters, not stopping to realize that sometimes the cost is too high and that a lie of such magnitude, with so many people involved, cannot be hidden forever.

There is a lesson to be learned here, however, there is a risk of throwing the baby out with the bathwater and disregarding the very real and far-reaching good that Lance Armstrong has done.

At the same time we condemn the harm he caused the sport around the world, should not the positive things be remembered?

Lance Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation brought a much needed awareness to the scourge of testicular cancer and encouraged thousands of men suffering with it, giving them courage and hope by submitting himself to aggressive new treatments and not only beating the cancer but returning to a normal life and world class biking competition.

A dear friend of mine suffered from testicular cancer, and when I say suffered, I mean it in the true sense of the word. He went through surgery, chemotherapy and months of grinding rehabilitation and Lance Armstrong was an inspiration to him, even having the same treatment Lance had and when he got well enough he took up biking himself, and kept up with Armstrong's career taking pride and pleasure every time he added another victory to his prestigious record.

To me the shame of the matter is that I believe Lance could have won without the doping. There is no doubt that he had the talent and the determination, the competitive spirit and the will to win.

Of all the harm he has done, he has done most of it to himself, a once revered superstar disgraced, barred from competition in the sport he devoted his life to, without accolades or trophies, facing the prospect of having to repay millions of dollars in sponsor money and spending the rest of his life being known as an international cheat who forsook his principles for gain.

I forgive Lance Armstrong. I certainly don't condone what he has done, but I'm not the one who has to pay the price for it, and like most everybody else, I have my own shortcomings to face.

To paraphrase the Bible, some of our deeds are made of indestructible material and the others are made of straw and stubble. When exposed to the fire of truth and righteousness the straw and stubble will be burned up but the good deeds will be left whole.

Let he who is among us without sin cast the first stone.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels