We know it happens often, Police Officers lying on the stand and getting away with it. In fact the simple fact that the Supreme Court has made it legal for officers to lie to obtain evidence and confessions http://www.criminalattorney.com/blog/police-can-lie-to-you/ Frazier v. Cupp, 394 U.S. 731, 739 (1969)paves the way for this slippery slope of justice. So what does this have do to with Barry Bonds and this current trial where he is being accused of lying to a Grand Jury in 2003 by the U.S. Government? I cannot help but wonder if this is another get out a measuring stick and compare private parts moment. They could not get him to admit it so it’s all expense paid (by us, the US Citizens) trip to years of evidence collecting. Yes, this did help in bringing down BALCO (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BALCO_Scandal) and no, I do not feel like cheating with steroids is justified in fact it destroys the joy of the game.
Honesty and integrity sadly seem to be a fleeting ideal; we treat our athletes like Gods knowing full well somewhere in the back of our minds that the muscle size we see just cannot be a common physical norm. Like everything these days it seems we want it bigger, faster, and cheaper. We complain about lost jobs and sub standard goods provided by China but we continue to stuff Wal-Mart priced products down our throats at alarming rates. Lying on the stand, in politics or Sports should not be tolerated but if we are going to show the masses that this is not an acceptable practice we need to start at the top.
Honesty and accountability should not be for the few, our own Government needs to lead by example. When we are in a financial crisis is nine years of resources devoted to one issue cost effective? It is hard to say but something has got to change. Marion Jones was stripped of her Olympic Medals in a flash and she came clean, Bonds pleads ignorance and he is still a record holder. Police officers lie on the stand, politicians lie while in office yet spend millions pursuing one and ignore the many.