So Marion Jones finally tells all, loses a $25M suit to that scum bag Victor Conte, gets stripped of her records, her medals and her dignity, and is this enough to satisfy someone’s need to punish her? Oh no. In addition to all of that she gets a trip to the hoosgow. For 6 months!
Her sentence was for lying under oath – just like Martha Stewart.
Does obstruction of justice land everyone in jail? Well Libby was sentenced to 30 months but had his sentence commuted by W. Bernard Law, a catholic Bishop who actively covered up sexual abuse of children has not gone to jail. Tim Finneran, former speaker of the House in Mass traded a perjury charge for obstruction of justice – and no jail time.
This isn’t to say others don’t go to jail for obstruction of justice but there is precedent for not sending someone to jail on that charge so you have to wonder why Marion Jones who was ultimatly cooperative and who is the mother of 2 young children including a 7 month old baby she’s still nursing is being sent up the river.
According to the Judge:
Karas turned aside her appeal for leniency, saying that, at her plea hearing in October, she failed to fully admit that she used banned substances.
Well whoop dee do…. this makes her a danger to society? He also has put her on 2 years probation and sentenced her to 800 hours of community service. That isn’t punishment enough?
She is the first one to be sent to jail as part of this anti-steroid sting.
At today’s hearing, the judge said Jones’ sentence should serve as a warning to other athletes.
“There’s a very strong inference that would make other athletes think twice before lying,” Karas said. “Nobody is above the obligation to tell the truth.”
Do you think Barry Bonds will ever go to jail or even be stripped of his record? I’m doubthful and his getting away with it because we have such a deep national love of baseball (and by “we” I mean “the rest of you”) will make the bitter taste in my mouth last all that much longer. I just hope I’m wrong.
21st-century-mom.com 
i totally agree with you.
TOTALLY.
what about ken lay? what about all those corporate CEO’s that actually hurt people?
you nailed this one, missy.
The part that is not being covered in the news is the impact on the six other teammates that were stripped of their Gold and Bronze Medals thanks to this lying B*+!.
Don’t get me wrong, I agree that she was slapped harder than most child molesters and other perpetrators of more heinous crimes, but this is certainly not a “victimless crime”.
I certainly couldn’t care less about her dignity. She did that to herself. Hopefully she’ll learn a lesson she can teach to those little children that she’s separated from.
I’d certainly ask her 2000 Olympic teammates if she got “punishment enough”.
What got her 6 months was the check fraud charge…not the steroid use.
And yes- she did it to herself. I don’t feel sorry for her at all. Bad choices.
And to look back at all that talent and money she had with sponsors and such…one just has to shake their head and wonder….
I hope you’re wrong about Bonds, too. Unfortunately, you may be right.
I’m torn on the jail time thing for Jones, though – I don’t know how the sentence compares to Joe Citizen being convicted of the same thing (remember she had a check-fraud scheme in there as well). The issue of her kids is very sad, but she should have thought of that before she started messing around.
I understand there are 2 sides to every story. However, this story has many many sides.So many of which will never be told. All of those competitors who lost their FAIR chance to compete and possibly win against her.
Lets consider the fact that she cheated, willingly and with intent. Maybe, just maybe, she was good enough to win all of those medals. Fact is, we’ll never know because she didn’t play on a level (fair) playing field. She artificially enhanced her performance and as an end result she robbed every other person on that field of their opportunity of a medal. In essence, without fair play, if you cheat to win and do so sweepingly, the only justice you can deal is to take back the winnings. In essence strip them of everything they stole. You can never, EVER give back the chance to compete fairly to those who lost in the competition. She was a liar, a cheat and a thief. She didn’t stop there either. She continued to lie and cheat in a check scam. She had the world at her feet and the love of a nation – she kicked them in the teeth and laughed all the way to the bank. Let’s all pray that she doesn’t teach her young children that her actions and decisions is the way to go through life.
I feel the same way about Bonds – more so, he seems to think it’s funny. His claim that his record is an untainted one – well, nothing about him is pure. He is filthy to the core.
If Bonds doesn’t get wrapped up in the pokey, it will forever mar sports.
If Bonds doesn’t get wrapped up in the pokey, it will forever mar sports.
too bad she’s not in washington d.c.
no one goes to jail for lying.
i also think most people would lie under oath to save their asses. even those commenting on this blog. it’s too easy to say you wouldn’t do it from the “never going to be in that situation” chair. like those who find it so easy to say they’d have been part of the resistance in the 1930s and early 40s. so easy to be an armchair moralist.
i just think jails are full enough. what a waste of money. same with vandals. more community service and real service-no token time. clean up the roads. read to kids. do something. jail time is a waste of time for those who haven’t done harder crimes. give me a break.
but no way would a big name like bonds serve. ooooh, no. way. we’re still knuckle draggers at heart.