DJ's son and mine went to school with Michael at one time or other. I recall him being in elementary school and hearing on the announcements that he won another race. His entire life has been one of tremendous discipline. Too bad he couldn't continue to control himself in all areas of his life. I have a feeling he'd probably been drinking, inhibitions were down, someone passed the pot, and the rest is history. STUPID mistake which he's paying for.

Wouldn't you love to know what FRIEND sold the photo and what they got for it?

I read an article written by a boomer that said he needs to bag the pot and hit up the wine. Sorry, but I thought it was funny.

Headline news states that the S.C. sheriff is not going to charge Phelps for smoking pot. Sheriff Lott said Phelps was an American Hero.

Do you think this is fair?

I think there are a LOT of people they catch smoking pot that they don't charge. If they charged them all, our court system would be even worse of a mess. I think this one just stands out because of who it is.

He was probably not in posession of enough to really make a difference, and definetely didn't have enough to sell - from what I understand, he was just holding the bong. It's just a shame that he lost some of his sponsors. And as someone said, wonder which "friend" took the photo and turned it in?

Friends like that you don't need. I'm sorry he buckled under
to temptation, but that just proves he's human. I don't think
he should be charged. If everyone was charged, every time they
did something wrong, as DD said, the jails couldn't hold 'em
all. Sorry he lost his sponsors, though that's understandable, too. Hope this entire situation does not ruin his sports career or crush his spirit!

There's never enough evidence from a photo. The thought that they were going to charge him was a joke. How could they possibly do that from one photo? You should see what my son does with photos using his editing suite. It's amazing. Just last night, for fun, he took photos of a friend's home, water front, pier, etc., and inserted it into the trailer for the new Friday the 13th movie. It was so cool because it made it appear as though the movie took place at thier home.

I know Michael Phelps confessed, but it's possible that in this day and age, someone could take a photo of him and attached it to a bong using all the latest editing equipment. What a world.

All that information aside Dotsie, the young man screwed up and was caught, dead bang! He is a champion swimmer, not a saint!
He confessed because he was guilty and from what the papers say the Sheriff did arrest some of the kids whose home the party was at. I agree that unscropulous people can and do do terrible things to others but usually we are our own worst enemies.

Anne327, I completely agree. Pot is the least of "evils" when compared to tobacco or alcohol, never mind the harder drugs. Why don't we drop the double standard and arrest people (and nix their contracts) for smoking cigarettes in public or drinking? Or not demonize anyone at all?

Pot was made illegal because of pressure from the cotton industry. Cotton growers didn't like the competition from fast-growing, easily replenished hemp plants, so they lobbied (read: $$$$) to make hemp illegal. It had nothing to do with the "dangers" of smoking weed. That PR BS came later.

I'd like to see the penalties for driving under the influence (regardless of what the influence is) increase tenfold -- and the penalty for recreational drugs done in one's or a friend's home completely disappear.

It's true that pot is pot and some feel it is not a problem. I've seen many a young dancer be taken down by it though, as well as in school. It makes you stupid, pure and simple. Pot makes one lazy and as my own son says he can't afford to get stoned and keep up his grade average.

As to Phelps, he is only and athelete as DJ says. He is a trained body, not mind, not soul. To be a world class athlete, which I am reveiwed as too, takes a lot of work on the body and discipline but they will do anything we ask if we are good enough to draw the crowds and make the money.

Our hearts, our minds, our integrity are NOT trained as athletes and Lord knows we have seen that from many national athletes and their stupid behavior.

What I'm saying is that a world class athlete does not mean a world class person and I would wager the young man has done quite a bit that they have had to cover up to get him into the Olympics. He is only a trained body like so many wonderful bodies that are highly trained.

Once we are trained, if we step out of line, if we stop working at it, we are NOT world class athletes, we are drunks or drug users or whatever we become after we achieve what we were working for.

I've always been cool when it came to Phelps because I've seen that type of athlete before, I saw it in his interviews. He did not have heart enough for me to call him a person that should be looked up to in the country..

I know that may not be a popular opinion but he showed rudeness when interviewed, he has a body that is built for what he did, in fact, it was VERY unique for swimming and so he COULD do what he did. A lot of what we achieve as athletes depend on the gifts God gives us. If we are tall, if we are built right, etc.. all is the luck of the draw and we should be grateful if we were given a body that can do something wonderful, we should not have an ego in it at all.

He was given a gift in his body to do what he did. It's not a shorter man's fault who was at a loss because he was short. It's not a less wide upper body on a man that makes him the loser to Phelps, it's God's gifts to him.

He needed to learn humility in my own opinon. Then again, I've very close to this subject because dance is the hardest sport on the body according to Harvard studies. I know what it takes to get that audience amazed too.

He should have kept it together but whose to say he could. He is who he is.


Dancer

There is a 'romance' of sorts in using substances that are illegal. I have maintained for a long time that pot should be legal. At least remove the penalties for owning small amounts for personal use. It can be addictive if someone is prone to becoming addicted; but people get addicted to all kinds of things, legal and illegal. I don't think pot is as bad as the PR campaign makes it seem.

All these posts are real food for thought, or fodder, if you will; and, I enjoyed reading each one. Dotsie, what you wrote about your son having the ability to dub photos is interesting stuff. I've heard commentators say how one entertainer's head is put on another's body, on magazine covers. And I knew pictures were frequently airbrushed. Thing is, a person can't believe their eyes. We all know truth is spun into whatever the spinner desires. And that begs the question, "Do people actually tell the truth under oath?"