First, I’ll jump on the bandwagon and state that driving under the influence is a crime and in my opinion it is not a mistake; a conscious decision is made to drink and a conscious decision is made to drive a vehicle.
But when I see comments like “Of course, it's our business. First, what Phelps did is a crime, making it the public's business. Second, he endangered the lives of others…” I begin to wonder.
“what Phelps did is a crime” and “Should Phelps be suspended or fined by USA swimming? I think he should” – I was unaware that he was already found guilty??? Albeit some of the comments attributed to him infer guilt. We are each entitled to our opinions regarding his innocence or guilt, but wouldn’t it be nice to hear the facts first? This reminds me of some of the rants against Amy Van Dyken that followed her grand jury testimony in the Balco case.
“what Phelps did is a crime, making it the public's business” – If a crime was committed, shouldn’t that be the business of the judicial system?
“Of course, it's our business.” – Well I guess that depends on how you define “our business”. Michael is a public figure and his successes and failures are of interest to a great many people. Is it of great interest to me? Absolutely! Is it my business? No, at least not based on my definition of my business. Like Emmett, I have children swimming in USA-Swimming and they both are in awe of Michael. Last night we talked about this story and the importance of being prepared to accept the consequences for your actions. Hopefully this sent a powerful message to them. And as Emmett said, I hope it will be the right effect.
“he endangered the lives of others” – I did not see anything in any of the articles that reported this fact. However, I will agree that every time anyone drives a car, they are endangering the lives of others and that this risk increases after consumption of alcohol. But according to the MSN story Phelps was charged with DUI, violation of a license restriction and failure to obey a stop sign.
First, I’ll jump on the bandwagon and state that driving under the influence is a crime and in my opinion it is not a mistake; a conscious decision is made to drink and a conscious decision is made to drive a vehicle.
But when I see comments like “Of course, it's our business. First, what Phelps did is a crime, making it the public's business. Second, he endangered the lives of others…” I begin to wonder.
“what Phelps did is a crime” and “Should Phelps be suspended or fined by USA swimming? I think he should” – I was unaware that he was already found guilty??? Albeit some of the comments attributed to him infer guilt. We are each entitled to our opinions regarding his innocence or guilt, but wouldn’t it be nice to hear the facts first? This reminds me of some of the rants against Amy Van Dyken that followed her grand jury testimony in the Balco case.
“what Phelps did is a crime, making it the public's business” – If a crime was committed, shouldn’t that be the business of the judicial system?
“Of course, it's our business.” – Well I guess that depends on how you define “our business”. Michael is a public figure and his successes and failures are of interest to a great many people. Is it of great interest to me? Absolutely! Is it my business? No, at least not based on my definition of my business. Like Emmett, I have children swimming in USA-Swimming and they both are in awe of Michael. Last night we talked about this story and the importance of being prepared to accept the consequences for your actions. Hopefully this sent a powerful message to them. And as Emmett said, I hope it will be the right effect.
“he endangered the lives of others” – I did not see anything in any of the articles that reported this fact. However, I will agree that every time anyone drives a car, they are endangering the lives of others and that this risk increases after consumption of alcohol. But according to the MSN story Phelps was charged with DUI, violation of a license restriction and failure to obey a stop sign.
