>IMHO, the poison is so deeply rooted that only intervention by the powers
>that be can help revitalize what was once an exciting site to visit.
I would remind list members that the list charter ALREADY limits drug
accusations. The relevant portion of the charter reads:
"Damaging accusations, speculations, and misinformation presented
as factual are prohibited. Example, "Joe Runner's rapid improvement
means he has taken banned drugs," is not acceptable. Accusations
and speculations must be presented as personal beliefs or opinions,
such as "It is my opinion that...." Violators of this guideline
will have their subscription suspended, and must provide a
retraction before they may rejoin the list."
It has not always been as strictly enforced as it might have been, but the
rules do already exist. And some who wanted to talk about nothing but drugs
have indeed been suspended under this rule (anyone remember Tony Craddock?).
However, it would be hiding our heads in the sand to try to simply prohibit
drug talk altogether. Sorry to say that it's a significant part of modern
elite track and field. Simply banning drug talk would be futile in the face
of the constant drip, drip, drip of positive drug tests we currently have
among athletes. But perhaps it is indeed time for little retrenchment in
the area of avoiding unsubstantiated and damaging innuendos and accusations.
Kurt Bray
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