President Biden: The NEW one and only politics thread

There are real discussions to be had about the place of trans athletes in competition. But the whole issue is incredibly small and so obviously being blown out of proportion as a cultural wedge issue.

And Lance Armstrong still doesn’t really seem to fathom how much he let people down. He’s not some libertine thinker who was punished for his views. He’s a drug cheat.

 

Let's pretend, for a moment, that there is a rash of athletes who are transitioning in order to excel in competition (biological men playing a women's sport, as they say). Although that is extreme (if it's indeed some kind of exploding trend -- which it's not, but it's a heck of a boogeyman), it's not all that different then what Lance himself did to win competitions, using science to transform his body, his blood, his cardiovascular system, etc. better than anyone else in the competition.

 

FWIW, his first Tour win was on a Litespeed branded as a Trek. #crossthread

 

My gods … next thing I know, you’re gonna tell me that the U.S. Postal team used FedEx.

 

Comfort the afflicted and all that... someone who is transitioning obviously is dealing with a lot. Why not just shut your mouth and not say something that's hurtful? Or more importantly, why don't you try and view things from their point of view before before saying something hurtful? And if someone corrects you, nod and try to do better next time.

 

Davis Phinney was spotted shopping at Circle K. /deep cut for oldschool cycling fans.

 

Yankees have been coming south for college education well before the current boom. Ask Mel Allen.

(White) Greek life at Alabama is simultaneously a toxic presence and at the same time overblown in terms of its impact on campus life. They can be cringy, but they aren’t the only 17-22 year olds with a corner on the cringe market. There are people who take it super seriously (and they can spend thousands on hair, makeup, clothes and rush consultants), but the vast majority of students do not.

The chief advantages of pledging at UA are if you are a well-off, somewhat plastic person who needs other people like that in your bubble or otherwise if you are super locked in on wanting a future in statewide politics and want to get in on the ground floor with the Machine. But if you are independent it is still possible, even likely, that you will have a kickass good time in Tuscaloosa for 4-plus years and pick up a sneaky good education along the way to the extent you are willing to seek it out.

 

Also: Gay Talese (Bama, BA, '53) from Ocean City, NJ son of Italian immigrants. Mel Allen was from Birmingham, right?

 

While at Mizzou I once took a 20-hour round trip roady from CoMo to Tuscaloosa with a buddy because a friend from high school invited me to her Phi Mu homecoming party. And yes, the sorority scene there was everything it was cracked up to be!

https://www.uaphimu.org/

 

Guessing the answer is yes. Still won't vote for him. My guess is he's on one of those testosterone boosters.

Twitter Fawns Over Videos of RFK Jr. Working Out Shirtless

 

30+ years ago when I was in the navy the two biggest purveyors of “southern” culture were from Idaho and extreme northern West Virginia. Me and the other guys who were actually from the south would look at them and shake our heads.