Heres my letter to Mr Hooton... by MikeS
(the stats on medical mishaps came from this board)
Dear Mr Donald Hooton,
Id like to first express deep sympathy for the loss of your son. My wife is a funeral director, I understand the grief of death. She also lost a 7 year old daughter in a freak accident. She is strong, but will be forever changed by the tragedy.
Now I would like to speak on the true properties and capabilities of Anabolic Steroids. If I may qualify myself briefly, I have written about Anabolic Steroids for Muscular Development, given minor assistance and contribution to the definitive book LEGAL MUSCLE: Anabolics In America (By Rick Collins, ESQ). I suggest strongly you read this book as it can be purchased at
www.teamlegalmuscle.com. I have also written many articles on the subject in newspapers, online magazines, have been interviewed twice by The Wall Street Journal, and The New Your Times. I was interviewed on NBC Nightly news about 2 years ago. I have used steroids for since 1985, inconsistently. And I have cycled them on and off consistently since 1997 without any physical or mental problems whatsoever.
Steroids are, taken correctly by an educated user, a very safe and effective way to gain muscle mass and strength. A high school kid is not safe or educated, concerning steroid use, and your sons was an example of that. He acted like a child (not the only kid to ever act out) and obviously had some underlying problems that caused his rage-these actions do not happen to normal, adult users. They are more likely to occur with immature kids who are or arent using steroids. Your son was on the edge of a disaster. All these symptoms of violence were not attended to, and steroids are being used as a scapegoat to Taylors bad behavior. This is so typical of our society, where personal responsibility is overlooked and blame is placed on whatever is convenient and defenseless, to take that responsibility. Like steroids-which has been vilified by the media and the naive public. Acting in an assertive manner to your sons outrages may have nipped the problem in the bud. He needed help.
There is no euphoria from taking steroids. You cannot overdose. You cannot become physically addicted. Lyle Alzado did not die of steroids, as everyone is so willing to believe without question. Don’t believe me? Well, look up his cause of death on the internet, as it is listed on the Death Certificate. Then look up that condition and you will see that it is rare, and almost always a symptom of AIDS. Alzado had AIDS, and tried to blame steroids to distract from the fact he was gay. Everyone eats the steroid story up with no dispute. Just as the Caminiti cause of death was clearly determined to be a cocaine and heroin overdose-yet the media still irresponsibly blurts out that steroids killed him! And your son is another example of using steroids as a victim. Suicide was your sons cause of death, not steroids. MLB is certainly not to blame for your sons death either-but keep searching for that easy scapegoat. It appears that he was manic, violent, depressed and his choice to use steroid coincided with his erratic actions. He had severe emotional problems! And, no high school kid with a torrent of hormones already flowing through his body, should use these steroids! This child was not being monitored or restrained in accordance with his actions.
Steroid use in adults is safe as an aid to an experienced athletes program. Competing athletes should be aware of the rules of its particular sports governing bodies, if its use is prohibited by that particular sport. No minor should ever use steroids other than for a medical condition. Any undesirable side effects from steroids can be minimized greatly by the educated user. Yes, there can be some side effects. The worst being prosecution by our law for its relatively harmless use. The vast majority of users are not competing athletes in major sports. Its users are bodybuilders, without a doubt the ‘real’ experts on steroids (not the Medical Community-their knowledge generally pales in comparison to an educated, mature, bodybuilders knowledge of physique enhancing drugs). Its users are also your average gym enthusiast, who wants to look better this summer or see his lifts go up-and is harming or cheating no one! Pro athletes in jail for these crimes? None! They were the ones the legal laws were enacted for-following Ben Johnsons positive test after a record breaking performance in the 1988 Olympics. The 1990 Anabolic Steroid Control act made steroids a Sched III drug offense-like cocaine and heroin (incidentally, during the hearings the laws were opposed by the DEA, FDA, AMA, and National Institute of drug abuse-because all of the untrue current hysteria about steroids had not yet begun and they were basing their stance upon ‘fact‘ only, not hype!). But Canseco is being given a free ride, ever when he brags about encouraging and starting so many ballplayers to use steroids. Rick Collins ESQ, the most predominant lawyer in steroid cases in America, says the vast majority of prosecuted cases is not the pro/amateur athlete, but your typical gym lover hoping to improve his physique. We are saying-leave us alone! If youre in a sport, let that sport govern itself and enforce its rules as they wish - and you are bound by those rules. However, don’t take the choice away from other responsible adults! You can legally chose to have other physique changing procedures. Liposuction (1 of 3000 die), plastic surgery, breast enhancement, is applauded. Ever see “Extreme makeover“? Some lazy slob is chopped and sliced and sucked until it looks like a mob of Mafia thugs worked them over. They suffer severe side effects and dangerous recuperative setbacks for months. But in the end this lazy lug who has never - seen the inside of a gym, eaten properly, taken care of themselves - is transformed (if they live through it) and everyone applauds in glee! Wheee! But a guy who watches his diet meticulously, doesn’t drink or smoke, dedicates themselves to strenuous workouts-shoot a shot of hormones and, (heaven forbid you gain 10lbs of muscle or 20lbs on your bench press) you need to be locked up! Now! That 10lbs of hard earned muscle is a danger to national security! Yes-how ridiculous it is!
Are you missing the illogic in all this uproar about steroids? Lets check some other alarming statistics:
7,000 people die each year from pharmaceutical screw ups ....
120,000 die from infections caused my improper sterilization in hospitals a year;
7,500 die from aspirin reactions;
18,000 die from penicillin reactions;
4,200 surgical tools are left inside patients each year ;
Where is all the attention toward these problems? Why were you the only parent to testify about the particular tragedy your son suffered? Lets see all the families lined up whos kids died from alcohol related deaths; whos loved ones died from tobacco products; or obesity related deaths? By the millions and millions! This is where the focus and action need to be. Steroid use is so far down the list of real, important, issues that it shouldn’t make the cut. Except in reeducating people toward the truth about these substances.
The lies must stop. And steroids need to be reexamined by an open minded media and legal system. They and their users are a victim of sensationalism, exploitation, lack of education, by the idealistic, politically correct media and government. Our government - who certainly have better and more important things to focus on like our war, our disaster of a medical and prescription system, recreational drug abuse, violence and major crime…
Making steroids illegal obviously does not stop kids from using them- it did not stop your son from using them. Jailing a gym enthusiast is not the answer! No real athlete ever seems to pay the legal price although the laws were made because of them. The gym guy takes the hard-time and nothing is solved! An observant family is the answer in this case, as you should admit. Unfortunately you realized too slowly and late for your son. But maybe the next parent will be much more aware-and get the root of the problem-to adjust their childs poor behavior and make them take responsibilities for their own actions! Teach personal responsibility, don’t distract from it! Quit making excuses, and attacking Anabolic Steroids to take the rap!
God bless, stay strong -
MikeS
.gif "IP Gear")
People are always looking to blame someone else for there problems.
