by 
Get a load of this:
In the ultimate drubbing of an embattled man, they are ridiculing him as a wimpy has-been, a ceremonial rider, a hapless greeter who shakes hands and kisses babies, just another spectator watching the race he used to dominate. All through France, all through the cycling domain, Lance Armstrong is seen now as a wobbling legend who stuck around much too long and, by doing so, faces dire consequences that might not have arisen had he simply stayed in retirement.
jay-mariotti.fanhouse.com.
We’re using kid gloves around here compared to that.
by 
Pretty snotty attitude from a nation whose moms fucked our dads for Hershey bars.
Wait, if their moms fucked our dads for Hershey bars, does that make us brothers?
Dunno, Jonny. You’ll have to ask Lenny Bruce.
My gran did not get any american cock… Maybe because she was in the St Nazaire pocket until well after Berlin fell (held hostage by the Germans to force my great grandad to work on german boats), she also has a metal plate in her head because she was knocked over by a german tank. My grandad was busy making clandestine radios to listen to the BBC, sounds not much, but would have had shot on the spot if caught.
Their house was bombed out by the english, then a few months later, the bomb shelter took direct hits from a joint english US raid, they barely escaped throu a hole while the air raid was still on (my gramp still jumps at loud noises today). Only then did the Germans let them move a few KM out of the path of the worst bombing.
But despite that, they attended the burials of english airmen downed by the germans. The germans could have shot them here and there, but they still attended. They would have gladly helped any allied airmen to the peril of their lives. Yet they never, ever complained about the allies, only about the fucking germans.
A great uncle was a Juste, that means that him and his familly hid jews for the duration of the war (1940 to 1945) from the germans, despite the farm being searched many times. If found my uncle and his wife would have been shot, and his whole familly tortured (think rape, maybe with dogs, then eletricity and cutting – better die) then all sent on their jolly way to concentration camps.
The depravity and hardship in the occupied zone (think german anvil and allied hammer) is hard to believe. Germans only allowed people out in the contryside during the day, when allied Jabo raids would shot anything walking cycling or in any motor vehicule (sometimes they would even shoot the shade under trees). Once they had complied with the german demands for foodstuff, they would have only starvation rations left. Failure to do so would have meant being sent to germany as slaves with the STO program.
Stuff was a bit different in big towns and in the south where collaboration was rampant, but so was it most conquered countries till 1942/3 (in our case driven by a cocksucking subservient decomposing arsehole of a gouverment), lucky we had a real army with balls in Africa…
So yeah, some douche bag GI’s took advantage of the situation by using Hershey bars on starving women to date rape them. But that was a minority (that’s what my gramps say anyhow), most GI’s where better people than most present US citizens could ever dream to be.
And I include you Joetheelectrician, and I bet your great great gran sucked both yankee and rebel cock for some chewing tabacco.
Damn Gildas.
When you bitch slap someone you don’t mess around do ya ??
I’m making a mental note to never piss you off.
Comparing the GI’s that liberated Europe to some cyclist/doper is an insult to those US heroes. You should be ashamed. Their name should not be used in vain you arse wipe.
Patton = heroe
Armstrong, Lemond, Merxx, Fignon, Hinault etc = just another cyclist.
Go back to fucking your liver with some redneck douchebag bad liquor until you can get your basic fact right.
Cheap saladtosser.
Previous insult for joetheelectrician and him only, I love the rest of you guys.
In a non gay manlove kind of way. I think.
Since we’re rolling hard today, I’ll throw this one in. My grandfather was born on a farm in Missouri. The only time he left his hometown was to be a mechanic on planes during WWII. Stationed in England. He met my grandmother there, ten years his junior. They married during the war, and my father was born. They came back to the states on, I believe, the Queen Elizabeth. Back to Missouri, back to the farm. Where my grandparents raised two more sons. My grandfather lived there until the day that he died, sitting in a chair, in the back yard, on the very property he was born.
And Jay Marrioti is american, and is from Chicago/great lakes region… Oh dear, I think you have some splainin’ to do… Did moms suck for GI Hersey there?
And so we roll.
My father was a Marine in WWII. “Saw action in Iwo Jima” as his paperwork said. We never heard a word about it growing up. Learned this all after he died of a heart attack at the age of 68.
That’s how the best of them did it. Went off to the nastiest war imaginable, did what needed to be done in a honorable manner most of us today couldn’t handle(as Gildas pointed out), and then came home and raised families best they could.
So joe. What did my father use to rape the woman in the other theater of that war ?
I’m kinda out of the loop around here.
Well. I’m kinda out of the loop every where but that’s not the point of this post and I’ll entertain no comments in that regard.
joetheelectrician = dave ??
Hey, take it up with Lenny Bruce. It’s his quote.
Reminds me of the ‘NAM….Pun Tang Valley in ‘ 69…..it was 3 thousand against 3….and we got all 3 of them commie bastards!
My dad was a Nam era Green Beret so I can say that right?
Anyway, way I see it the Frenchies bailed us out when we got the country started and then we returned the favor in WW2 and Nam so that makes it
USA – 2
France – 1
right??
Jesus, let’s everyone take the weekend and drink a tall glass of lighten the fuck up and reconvene Monday.
Lol, sounds like you fathers and grand fathers did a lot of great things but most of you all haven’t done shit.
“Lol, sounds like you fathers and grand fathers did a lot of great things but most of you all haven’t done shit.”
Yea. That about sums it up.
You have an alternative ? Or you just being a dick ?
Laugh at loud at this, KG. Men did exceptional things in exceptional times. These are not exceptional times. My father did great things. My father in law did great things as well. But they do not have the stories of a man who was involved with the war to end all wars. Nor will I. And neither will you.
Geez Jonny, you sure did start something.
Why the fuck do people even care about Lance?
Just throwing this in there,
My grandfather & his brothers fought in WW1, one of them was in a place called Delville wood. The South African 1st Infantry Brigade was charged to hold the position, they suffered 80% casualties but held it.
My father fought in North Africa & Italy with the South African air force. Ran away from school & lied about his age. Never said a word about it but he left a box containing a shit load of medals.
Due to ill feelings from the Boer war, South Africa never had conscription during WW1 & WW2. Every troop volunteered, it was not unusual for them to get beaten up at home if they were in uniform on the street.
Me, I got conscripted straight out of high school in 1973, spent a year fighting ‘communists’ in Northern Namibia & Angola. Did two more 3 month TODs up there in subsequent years & spent a lot of time in the townships engaged in urban combat with ANC “guerillas”.
Jumped ship in 1987 when I was offered a job in New Zealand.
The ANC are now the government in South Africa, guess who are now portrayed as the bad guys? Great trying to explain it to your children when they come home with school projects.
History has a way of turning things..
Every town & hamlet in New Zealand has monuments to their fallen & they are honored here. On a per capita of population basis, New Zealand lost the most troops in both wars. My daughters primary school has a monument to their pupils who died in WW1 & WW2, it’s pretty sad when you see 5 names with the same surname.
As Johnny says, they were exceptional men & women, we’ve lost something..
& Yeah, kg,
I freely admit that I haven’t done shit. I hated what I was doing but lacked the balls to choose the alternative, Jail & the contempt of my family.
My Dad, his Dad & his brothers, they were fucking awesome! Better men than I could every hope to be. I’m just sorry that it took me so long to realise it.
History called & they answered.
The hershey comment was out of line.
We’ve lost nothing.
As for you and Gildas, perhaps you’d prefer to be eating sauerkraut and speaking German right now.
“most GI’s where better people than most present US citizens could ever dream to be.”
Keep in mind that that “Greatest Generation” gave way to the most generous collection of people in the history of the world. This is not rhetoric. When some region of the world faces disaster our donations ofter overwhelm the infrastructure to distribute it. Even in the midst of the greatest financial crisis this country has faced since the depression the people of this nation continue to give.
We’ve.
Lost.
Nothing.
I’ll leave you with the words of the infamous Col. Jessup:
“I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I’d rather you just said thank you and went on your way.”
If you’re refering to my Lost comment, you’re totaly out of context.
I was refering to the calibre of our parents, we are nothing like them.
‘Our Donations’ ? thats it right there, throw money into a bucket & it’s solved. Most of that money never even gets to the people that it’s supposed to help, it’s grabbed by govenments to by more weapons, protect their dictatorship, sell the aid supplies etc.
I speak from personal experience in Africa.
Throwing money at a disaster is probably the worst thing that you could do.
Africa is a fucking basketcase thanks to all the donations.
Look up the paradox of the Swedish trucks sometime.
“Donny, you’re out of your element.”
Educate yourself. Google Index of Global Philanthropy.
The fact that the people who are the motivation for our generosity are continually exploited or otherwise letdown by members of their own governments takes nothing away from the donations themselves. Would you rather no attempt? Or perhaps a regime change is in order?
You make no point. You’re illogic has earned you a demerit of shame.
I’ll say it again. This was once a great blog about bikes. Now it’s a shitty blog about political commentary.
stick with bikes guys.
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/esther_duflo_social_experiments_to_fight_poverty.html
Ran the ‘cross bike through the LBS. It needed a new chain, the Shimano 105 BB keeps self-unraveling, the head set was loose and brake & shift cables. “Cross is hard on road-grade components, especially cheep ones. I got out for a cheap chain and a half-hour of labor. I’m just lucky with bike shops, I guess. The bike looks perfect; I rode 100 miles of gravel last weekend and I’m thinkin’, hey, here’s another weekend. Keep the rubber side down y’all.
iketaylor
Let me see if I’ve got this right.
As long as we donate money, we’re good. We have no responsibolity to ensure that it is actualy used for the purpose that it was intended ?
Big words, small balls
Word, Son!
Back to the bikes.
So LA has changed his tune now that “Federal-pound-me-in-the-ass-Prison” has come to call. While I respect his accomplishments off the bike, riddle me this:
With so much to lose, why come back and risk all this? Methinks hubris.
How does one dope during a stage race? Exactly how? Since Festina people have been watching. They’ve gone from uppers, to hormones, to EPO, to homogeneous blood. Who transfuses? How complicated is it? How dangerous is it? How do they disguise the infusion sites (especially after the toll a three week race takes on % body fat?)
I know what all the articles say but some of you have raced and seen this stuff. Speak up. Lay some knowledge on us.
I think he doped (and I’m a fan.) But my evidence is purely anecdotal. He rode away from proven drug cheats the same way Rico rode away from dudes a few years back. Now that answering questions comes with the threat of perjury (or worse) I think three things can happen:
He’s vindicated (unlikely).
His legacy is ruined or put into peril but nothing is proven (my money is here.)
He goes to jail (an absolute wet dream for some of you.)
I’d love to see a post, article, whatever, about how to dope.
Holla. Some of you have insights – let em rip.
Hurben, yet another demerit for stupidity. How should I remedy the problem put forth in the hopelessly insipid example?
By the logic put forth I should do nothing b/c my intended good could possibly be misused or used for an unintended purpose.
Clearly giving is not the entire solution. There are other parts of the equation. Argue against what I’ve said, not against what I have not. Or.. you know..
stick to bikes.
Good one!
Unfortunately, I’ve been there.
Smelt the stench, got the the t-shirt, (& the rash & the other things but lets not go there).
Words count for shit when you’re dealing with lives.
And seeing as this thread did do a bit of French bashing, I would like to point out that when ever there is shit, Médecins Sans Frontières are amongst the first in there. They do exceptional work.
At a few disaster sights, I have had personal experience with the French Foreign Legion, frankly they scare the shit out of me, they are are hard core like you would not believe but they get things done.
Gildas – good on you, great country, great people.
I like sauerkraut.
I’m not saying that all french people are great, in fact, its a bit like the US, you got douchebags, we got “beaufs”… Same shit different place, different language. Except you have more because you have 250 million people we have only 65… Fuck I even recently moved to Belgium because I found love there AND was sick and tired of our fine french bureaucracy.
The generation of my great gramps and gramps built and saved a great country… My father’s generation sucked it dry with their “I want more more” bitching. So now so the state coffers are empty and on average we are taxed twice as much as our fathers to pay for their mistakes and overindulgence. Yet they call us lazy and remind us of how good they had it.
I do like the present generation of Germans, and I like hanging out in Germany, it’s hard to imagine they where turned into a butch of blood thirsty lunatics… But if some arse wipe tries to tell me something is Uber only because it’s superior german, I remind him where he stands (actually I do that with all over nationalistic idiots).
Back to bikes…
My gramp rode the same single speed jobbie (english) to work from 1947 till he retired. Saddly he gave it away before I could grasp it’s value and buy it from him.
It was dark dark green with a few gold jighlights and stainless bits and bobs…
Anyone see the “Did Lance Cheat?” special on ABC’s Nightline last night?
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/floyd-landis-nightline-interview/story?id=11226456
Guess more and more folks ain’t feelin him either.
Daaaaaaaaamn Son.
…i survived the psychedelic era…does that count as an accomplishment ???…
…’cuz i can wash & dress n’ wipe myself most a’ the time without too much help & oh, sure, i still drool when i hear the grateful dead & bright lights kinda trip me out n’ i get a little spastic at times but that’s kind of a groovy trip kinda like “stream of consciousness” is like a way of life n’ not just cool stuff to read in a book & patchouli incense gives me flashbacks but hey, who doesn’t get those, right & ya, i think they’re far out, too but…where was i ???…
No, your survival is not an accomplishment. Neither are your posts. Hippie flapdoodle. Talk about a useless generation. Now we have to take care of an army of useless aged zombies. Nice legacy.
@iketaylor: one word says it all. Hubris. One word.
The boomers were such a self absorbed spoiled generation that they damaged the generations after.