Lance whacks Bush for retreating from another important war
By Joe Ritchie
Lance Armstrong is ticked off.
If you are a cycling race fan, you know what that means. "The Boss," as Armstrong's teammates on the Discovery Channel and U.S. Postal teams called him, is one of those grizzly bear types that you don't want to wake out of hibernation. When Armstrong gets angry, somebody is in trouble.
On the road that might be Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso, Joseba Beloki, Andreas Klöden or Alex Zulle, or any of the other riders who tried in vain to best Armstrong when he was winning the Tour de France seven years in succession.
So, who's in Armstrong's cross hairs now? It's none other than his old Texas sidekick, President George W. Bush, who of course is well known for listening well when his close advisers speak. Armstrong has been a key adviser to the president on cancer issues. Bush appointed the Austin resident to the President's Cancer Panel in 2002 and reappointed him in 2005 to a second three-year term on the board, which is chaired by the famed FAMU alumnus and oncological surgeon, Dr. LaSalle Leffall.
But in January, Bush proposed a funding cut for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for a second consecutive year. Also, despite recently visiting the National Institutes of Health, Bush raised Armstrong's temperature by not including in the State of the Union address any plans to fight cancer.
Armstrong informs everyone who will listen that 1.3 million Americans a year are diagnosed with cancer, and cancer annually kills 600,000 Americans. He wants the NCI and the Centers for Disease Control's funding increased to support new research and to improve services for cancer survivors. The funding cut and the State of the Union snub got his blood boiling.
To quote the cyclist's blog on his cancer foundation's Web site:
"Hell, it would have been nice if someone had just said the word 'cancer' for a change. But again we were left on the sidelines waving our hands in the air and begging the coach to put us in the game. How long will we have to wait until our elected officials show us that a disease that kills one American every minute of every day is one of their top priorities?"
How does the Boss react when he's ticked off? He acts. The next day, those of us who are on the mailing list of the Lance Armstrong Foundation got a strongly worded e-mail urging action. Armstrong also is mobilizing an army of cancer advocates to ensure that the fight against cancer get priority status.
As I have written here before, I enlisted in Lance's army and rode a century in his Livestrong Challenge Austin event last October, raising $8,000 for the fight. I've gotten information about the 2007 Livestrong Challenge, and I am signing up again. This time I hope to meet a couple of new goals.
I plan to form a team of other local residents who will join me on the ride and in fundraising. In future columns, I'll issue challenges inviting organizations and communities that I'm involved in to join this effort. I also will highlight other local people who are mobilizing support for the war against cancer.
Meanwhile, it's back in the saddle. I'm increasing my bike commuting miles and starting my training regimen again for the Oct. 12-14 Austin Livestrong Challenge/Ride for the Roses weekend. I'm also polishing my boots to march in Lance's Army.
If you'd like to enlist, start by visiting the following site and watching a video explaining why you're needed, too:
my.livestrong.org/site/c.kjJYJ5MOIwE/b.2091035/k.890B/LIVESTRONG_Army.htm
To quote Lance's blog one last time - and I hope President Bush is listening: "1,400 people will die of cancer today and tomorrow and the next day - are we comfortable as a nation telling them the status quo is the best we could do?"
A longtime cycling enthusiast, Joe Ritchie holds the Knight Chair in journalism at Florida A&M University.
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