Reuters: Marion Jones Tells Oprah She was Tired of the Lies. “Disgraced Olympian Marion Jones [was] stripped of her medals and fac[es] six months in prison.
Her crime? Lying to prosecutors about her steroid use. Should have just asserted her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Perjury is a B.S. offense. Sure, we don’t want people lying under oath to prosecutors or in court, but these prosecutions seem more like political stunts than true crackdowns on criminals. Doesn’t make me feel any safer knowing that Martha Stewart or Marion Jones is behind bars. I’m pretty sure that if politicians were prosecuted for lying to the American public, Congress would work pretty hard to make the crime of perjury disappear.