Just got off the phone with Digby — Jane went into surgery this morning at precisely 7:30 am PT. Digby spoke with the surgeons prior to Jane going in, and hung out with Jane while the anesthesia was kicking in this morning. (Let's just say that Jane was a hoot as she was going under and leave it at that…) The surgery is expected to last a while, depending on what they find and how the pathology reports come back and what those indicate will dictate a couple of other things, and then Jane will be in recovery for at least an hour afterward, so it's going to be a fairly long day today. I am promised updates as they get them from the surgeons. Will let you guys know as soon as I hear anything. In the meantime, consider this an open thread.
And just for kicks, here's a little Buffy…because everyone needs a little cancer vampire slayer, now and then. What has caught your eye in the news today? Link it up in the comments below.
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Huggity!
By the way, how’s the Peanut, Redd? Give her a hug from me, too.
Hey y’all… just to let you know I’m kicking America’s ass at this sign-hanging thang…
http://freewayblogger.blogspot.com
Cardboard, paint and something to say… that’s all it takes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6274147.stm
You can always count on big time to do the wrong thing.
Praying for Jane
Jane!
you rock, momma and we are sendin’ out the vibes to you and those surgeons too!
christy,
what catches my eye is that NYT editorial about the attorneys Bush is kicking out, especially the one that’s investigating Congressman Lewis of California. to my mind, this act alone is worthy of impeachment. the faux POTUS is aiding and abetting a criminal. he is interfering with the justice system of this nation. this is malfeasance, pure and simple.
Well, this is interesting/funny/scary as hell. It made Countdown last night as the second runner up in the WPITW segment.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/…..kid18.html
posted near the end of the earlier “waiting room” thread, and definitely worth reviewing for a great laugh – thanks, CBL!
cbl @ 180
prayers and good intentions….
white light
the FBI chief in San Diego about fired U.S. Attorney Cariol Lam:
“What’s she suppose to do? Let crime exist?”
What catches my eye in the news this am? This:
“John McCain is tanking,” says ARG president Dick Bennett. “That’s the big thing [we’re finding]. In New Hampshire a year ago he got 49 percent among independent voters. That number’s way down, to 29 percent now.”
oh sweet jeebus !
Colbert slaps around Dinesh and takes his lunch money
http://www.crooksandliars.com/…..sh-dsouza/
Christy – thanks so much for the update !
Thanks for the update, Christy. I told Jane (e-mail) that they probably wouldn’t let her live blog from the OR, but I’ll bet she tried! Buffy’s got nothin’ on Jane.
…hugs for jane…and a shout out to digby and john for being there. caring friends go a LONG way!
a link? ok, here’s an early afternoon distraction … in case you’ve missed this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9mEKMz2Pvo
cbl – because of the appearance on Colbert, Dinesh D. Looza was KO’s worst person in the world last night.
Hi CHristy,
Thinking about you and Jane today,
As to what is burning my britches- I’m with farender on one:
what catches my eye is that NYT editorial about the attorneys Bush is kicking out, especially the one that’s investigating Congressman Lewis of California. to my mind, this act alone is worthy of impeachment. the faux POTUS is aiding and abetting a criminal. he is interfering with the justice system of this nation. this is malfeasance, pure and simple.
From what I gather from sources, the San Diego lady on the list was going to indict more Congress people too. Probably Goppers.
I had a beloved uncle, Uncle Donald, who had a lung removed in the late fifties, due to the big “C”. This man, who never smoked, lived another 40 years. True story.
Jane is a fighter-writer-thinker, with a passion–and an intellect that burns. I’m confident she’ll pull through this one.
Pentagon ‘reluctant to share data on Iraqi troop readiness.’
Pacing, pacing…
Yup, gonna be a looong day in the waiting room.
Jane’s recovery must be accompanied by gales laughter and giggles. Maybe some episodes of Faulty Towers or Monty Python. Richard Pryor. Borat. What else?
Buffy fans should check out the season 8 opening credits.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 12
Becoming John McBush may not have been such a great move after all.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 12
Yeay! Booyah! I can’t think of better news! Now if Kyl would go down too, I’d be much happier.
I’d never seen D’Louza up close and personal. What a dork. ‘Splains a lot, actually. he seems like such a hot-house flower. Was he home-schooled? I bet his hands are soft as a baby’s bottom ;~0
Ann in AZ @ 24
McCain no longer rocks in Granite State
And this is what caught my eye this morning, from Salon’s War Room, al-Maliki and US Army Chief of Staff skeptical about Iraq escalation:
Mommybrain @ 21
Princess Bride, Raising Arizona, Spinal Tap…because, it goes up to 11.
Hugs and prayers. Thanks for keeping us posted and thanks for the great place.
And, for more that just thanks, I just got back from the Visa page and made a donation – to help keep this place going and Jane from stressing out about money.
Christy, I know you don’t like to ask, so I will ask for you. If you are a FDL reader, commenter, or lurker – and you love this place like I do – and you haven’t donated yet, get your behind over there and do so. IE, put your money where your love is. There is nothing we can do to help what is going on this morning, except pray, but we can help keep this place going while Jane gets better!!!
mc @ 28
Dont forget Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstien
Ministers: No Bush library at SMU
……..
“Methodists have a long history of social conscience, so questions about the conduct of this president are very concerning,” said one of the petition’s organizers, the Rev. Andrew J. Weaver of New York, who graduated from SMU’s Perkins School of Theology.
http://www.protectsmu.org/
…ok, now i must get back to work. :(
Sending warm and strong wishes to Jane for a good outcome. Six hours is a long time. Thanks for keeping us posted, Christy.
A blog pimp.
I’m sure you have all heard the news that cancer deaths are down two years in a row both in percentage and absolute numbers. According to this post at think progress the boy king has cut funding for cancer research by something like $10 mill. And that’s just this year.
Not gonna Zigg:
Old Robin Williams concert videos.
Steven Wright.
Hoodwinked.
Videos of kittens and puppies playing.
i am hoping for the excellance of Jane’s surgeons, oncologists, and nurses and the competance and hard work of all the researchers who have brought therapy for brest cancer to its present point to carry Jane to many more years of joyful life. My mother died from breast cancer and my sister’s health has been damaged by her grapple with the beast.
on another matter in the news today…. i find this quiet yet long lasting alteration in the federal proscecutors office unsettling in the extreme… i feel queasy that we are watching all this action on the top of the table, but some real business in going on quietly below. and this real business is altering the protections in the constitution, bit by bit, in lots of different ways (which is their strategy as you can see in the elections…no single way to sabotage elections, many many insects chewing at the whole structure). So, they are looking like they are not planning on going away any time soon, although now the 2 years seems like a lifetime…. but are they laying the groundwork for it to be our lifetimes? i know that sounds paranoid, but why all this quiet chewing at our basic rights and constitutional protections if they are not planning to be in control while it crumbles? it all fits with the “unitary power” issues, signing statements that negate the key elements of the law without the cleansing nature of a veto and as always, done quietly.
Thank you for being who you are, where you are. i read FDL every day, multiple times. All of you at FDL are an inspiration to me. Did you get your name from the books by the Gears?
bourbonjockey @ 15
IMHO, that guy on the link deserves fame and fortune. I was nearly mesmerized. He seems quite talented. Thanks for the link.
Mommybrain @ 21
Oh, I find DUCK SOUP always goes a long way. All the boys are at their best, and Harpo is truly hilarious in this one. Some good anti-war statements in there as well.
WHAT’S UP, DOC?, A SHOT IN THE DARK, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL…. That’s enough to get you started.
Catching my eye in the news today:
Great story about the “accomplish everything!” 110th Congress: MSNBC: Five down, one to go in House 100-hour goals
I can’t see how Snow can belittle this. Heh.
Also via MSNBC.com: Fitz is pushing back at the Defense, saying that jurors should not be dismissed because they are against the Iraq war. Go Fitz!
And, Pakistan denies that a Taliban leader is hiding in their country (a claim the Afghan government says is true… looks like the US is a little quiet on this right now):
via CBC.ca: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/…..istan.html
bourbonjockey @
15
That’s beautiful. Thanks.
Mommybrain @ 33
Night Court
High Anxiety
The BBC versions of Hitchhiker’s Guide.
BC
ok fine, one more: Cute Overload
“The belief by legal experts is that Fitzgerald, already shown to have covered up critical evidence in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that would have implicated Osama Bin Laden, who, at the time, was still under the operational control of the CIA and Britain’s MI-6, has taken a dive for the Bush administration.” — WayneMadsenReport.com
That’s worrisome.
Socialized Canadian medical researchers discovering a cure for Cancer:
http://www.newscientist.com/ar…..ncers.html
That’s fantastic!
Revealing more of the Niger uranium forged document story:
http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=7681
That’s wonderful!
Christy, thanks a lot for the Jane-update. A lot of us are (metaphoricaly) in the waiting room with Digby, (metaphoricaly), holding our breath.
Never believe anything Wayne Madsen says. He’s slightly less reliable than Jason Leopold.
MarkH @ 42:
I understand that Wayne Madsen is generally considered Not Very Reliable as a source. And I can’t see Fitz taking a dive on this case at this point.
/holding breath, more prayers
zeppo @ 37
and especially “Life of Brian” !!!!!!
Funny how the world shrinks all around us when a very special friend is in dire straits. The news of the world seem nothing more than a way of distracting one’s self.
Christy,
While we’re all waiting for news of Jane’s victory, how are you Christy, our very own Hot Lips, doing?
Is there anything we can do for you?
Sweet!
NY Daily News confirms that for the O’Reilly/Colbert show swap today, the O’Reilly show tapes first (and Colbert is only on there for 8 minutes, followed by some “Fox Analysts” who will respond to the interview of Colbert). Then, Colbert’s show will tape later in the day.
Even O’Reilly admits that Stephen is gonna have the upper hand. Oh, please give us a really nice slap down of “Papa Bear”, Stephen! Please give him the D’Souza treatment.
salivating at the thought…
linky to story
MarkH @ 41
Man, oh man, oh Manischewitz. The science is plausible, the results are promising.
On that basis, I expect clinical trials to begin somewhere around Never 12. Dichloroacetate is in the public domain and there’s no money in it for Big Pharma.
BC
Yesterday, on Capitol Hill, three Congresswomen not only spoke out powerfully on the issue of escalation, but also – with characteristic leadership, courage and determination – laid out a principled alternative to the Bush Way Forward into continuing human catastrophe. And, at this critical moment, it offers all citizens who care about peace the opportunity to rally around a single, rational proposal for withdrawal.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/edcut?pid=158515
Why is it when I think of Senator Hillary Clinton’s attributes, the quality of “courage”, is so sadly missing?
Mad Dogs at 49 — Well, thanks for asking. I’m on pins and needles and hovering over my cell phone. Meanwhile, I need to hop in the shower and go and get my hair done because, apparently, there are some teevee media types who want to talk with me on camera next week (eeep!) and I cannot do so with bad hair. Jane would kick my sorry ass. *g*
So, I’m trying to get a hair appointment at some point today. No one wants a ReddHedd whose hair is scraggly, now do they?
To CHS @ 54 –
Would that be a ReddHedd with BeddHedd?
Before I left for work today, I read the scathing review of D’Souza’s “book” from Sunday’s Post:
Fun stuff, and he doesn’t even really get into the fact that D’Souza is effectively saying that he agrees al-Qaeda.
FWIW, I’m going to call John Amato mid-day, to see what progress has been made.
Pray for success.
My thoughts and prayers for Jane to have a speedy recovery….
christy – let me add my thanks for the update.
some of us tried to live blog the senate judiciary committee hearing webcast (with gonzales on the dock) on scarecrow’s earlier thread. the hearing is now in recess… will continue at 1:45pm.
now i can catch up on the libby thread!
major but gentle hugs to Jane
Badwater @ 23
He really is the king of bad timing. In terms of investing in the BushCo political “company,” it would be hard to find a clearer example of “buy high, sell low.”
Ideally, this would become a cautionary tale for decades to come about the dangers of abandoning the style that made your reputation in order to suck up to the people you think you need to win. But since the pundits refuse to see beyond the “straight-talking maverick” myth that they constructed, they’ll probably never understand what happened.
best wishes to Jane.
AP – Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with senior U.S. and coalition naval commanders Thursday to plan operations in the Persian Gulf, including the arrival next month of another U.S. aircraft carrier and more Patriot missiles meant in part as a warning to Iran. This tiny state in the northern Gulf is headquarters to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet and Central Command’s naval staff.
scarlet p. @ 3
Great work! I’d love to see those all over America.
Redshift @ 61
probably alreasdy posted, salon.com cover story:
For the most amusing news story of the day, I nominate Maliki’s statement that Bush Administration criticism of his government emboldens the terrorists.
Big pharma has lost the plot. Pig Pharma has never been neccessary in the devlopment of new drugs: they are certainly not neccessary to conduct clinical trials (Phase I – III) in human subjects.
The GOP (acting through Reagan) defunded public sector biomedical research, but they did not eliminate it.
Cancer researchers all over the planet will be looking at the results. Public and private (Kaiser) entities with large numbers of patients will cheerfully subsidize thier own clinical trials – more effective (and less expensive) cancer treatments help these entities fight Pig Pharma’s monopolistic pricing on chemo agents.
Even Pig Pharma couldn’t stop clinical trials of this promising agent.
Bargain Countertenor @ 51
Jane in my heart until this thing is kicked into dust, just like she and we did to the Repugs this year. No wonder she is so fearless. After cancer, nothing can stand in your way.
Panel grills Gonzales over spy program
Responding, Gonzales said “there is going to be information about operational details about how we’re doing this that we want to keep confidential,” he said.
Good thoughts going out to Jane.
This caught my eye in the news:
Publishing house HarperCollins announced Wednesday that it’s shutting down all operations of Regan Books, the imprint headed by Judith Regan before she was fired last month. In a statement, the company said: “Effective immediately, the Regan name will no longer be used and an interim logo, HC, will appear on all books published through summer.” (Hollywood Reporter)
aine @ 35
Nah, you’re not paranoid, they really are doing all that, and probably lots more we have yet to find out about. Our problem is that being basically optimistic, live-and-let-live, help your neighbor types, we can’t imagine why or how anyone would behave that way. Also, we don’t really believe that they will keep on doing it after we said not to (eg, Nov 2006).
“I’m more concerned about normaloia than paranoia. That’s when you think everything is OK, no matter what.” Jan BenDor
Mommybrain @ 21
Blackadder! Lately, I’ve been mentally casting W as Baldrick (no slight intended to Tony Robinson.)
“So for you, Baldrick, the Renaissance is something that happened only to other people.”
Thanks to Redd for the update, to Digby for being with Jane, to Amato for feeding her pretzels.
Compared to the medical (co-pay) bills that I’ve been faced with in recent years, a few bucks in the FDL till is really not much. Deeply appreciate the updates on FDL.
twolf1 @ 69
Continued grilling, please, over a slow, open fire.
414 Members Of Congress Go On The Record About Escalation
The news is out that Maliki’s government has arrested 400 members of the Mahdi Army of Muqtada al Sadr. There has been a lot of criticism that Maliki has not responded promptly to US suggestions. Well, this debunks that. Maliki was so quick off the mark this time that, in fact, he began these arrests in October 2006 3 months before Bush’s January 10 speech.
Washington is not the only place that kabuki is practiced.
In other words, this is manufactured news. The impression you are supposed to take away is that 400 Sadrists were arrested in the week following Bush’s speech and moreover and somewhat inexplicably Muqtada just rolled over and didn’t react to what amounts to mass arrests of his followers. Well, one reason he didn’t is because it didn’t happen. The timeline isn’t a week, it’s 3-4 months. And we have only Maliki’s word that A) those arrested were militiamen and B) they belonged to Muqtada.
Also in the news is that Maliki has come out with strong criticism of the US failure to supply the national army (largely made up of Kurdish and Shia militiamen) with heavy weapons. I’ve talked about this for some time in the larger context of why the Iraqi army is an army in name only. After nearly 4 years in the country, you might wonder why we haven’t given them these weapons. The answer is pretty simple. We don’t trust this supposed army we created. We haven’t trusted them before and we don’t trust them now. We don’t trust how Maliki or the Shia dominated government would use heavy weapons against the Sunni, or eventually the Kurds. We aren’t sure that they might not try to use them against us.
Having overthrown the minority Sunni government and fostered political parties along sectarian lines, we are now confronted by a Shia dominated government which we support but don’t trust. We would like to cede power to it (and must if we are ever to leave) but are afraid of what they will do with that power. Stupid, short-sighted policies you see are not the monopoly of the Bush Administration.
Redshift @ 66
Saw this earlier but I was holding back. Thanks for putting it up. I snickered, too.
Oklahoma kiddo @ 63
Interesting. Note yesterday morning’s leading story on MSNBC.com (which I have heard nothing about on CNN or other news):
Commanders to Gates: Afghanistan needs more troops
a few snippets:
And there is that CBC story I posted upthread about how the Afghans are insisting that Pakistan is providing cover for a Taliban leader: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/…..istan.html
So, where exactly are all these troops going? Are we just going to send virtually all military personnel to the Persian Gulf and deploy them willy-nilly to whichever country we feel like dealing with on a daily basis?
Oh, the insanity of having a war – especially with no war plan.
The analogy is so strong: what Jane has done in ferreting out
the evil cancer in this administration, she’ll now have to do with
her own body. I trust she will be able to do as good a job on
herself as she has done here at FDL in finding, exposing and
defeating the enemies of the US. Good thoughts are on the way.
XO also to all of you who care so much. .
Mommybrain @
21
Firefly!
twolf1 at 10:07 am
Thanks for the link.
fahrender @ 47
My favorite is just plain old Python, the series. And MST3K.
Oh, and for more amusement, check out this remix of Bush’s speech (RealAudio) by The Daily Feed.
The Daily Feed isn’t so daily any more, but they were doing great political humor that was broadcast on the local alternative music station before blogs were born. That station got bought by Liberty Media and neutered (and later switched to a Spanish-language format), so they’re on the web now.
twolf1 @ 31
http://www.protectsmu.org/
…ok, now i must get back to work. :(
Being raised in the Methodist church, I really wish church leaders would go a step further and publicly denounce Bush’s policies. He shames the true spirit of the Methodist church, which, is inclusive, nonjudgmental and nonviolent.
Oh dear, the last thing you want to do when someone has just had major chest surgery is make them laugh — it is awful — very painful. The humor should be light, make you smile, turn up the lips a little, but not really provoke a laugh or a giggle. Save the laughs for after the healing is well underway. (Crying hurts just as much).
I too send all good wishes to Jane, particularly for a good recovery and post op period. In fact it was 37 years ago yesterday that I had cancer surgery — Melanoma in my case that had spread into my chest after an earlier simple wart removal was misdiagnosed. My statistics in 1970 sucked — 5% for more than 3 years, but I got into one of the early chemotherapy clinical trials, and I am still here, 37 years later. When this happens to someone I think I know a little, I always have those couple of years of surgery, recovery, chemotherapy flash by — now knowing that so much more is possible than we had in 1970. I know Jane’s hospital is good — it always shows up on lists with good outcomes from clinical trials — which is one way to rate a medical system if you ever need to do that for a complex medical problem.
mandrake @ 82
We have the DVDs of the MST3K shorts, and one of them is of a natural-gas business training film about relocating to Venezuela. Every time there’s a news story about Venezeula’s gas industry, it always has (more modern) stock footage of the exact same offshore natural-gas field, which never fails to crack us up. The first time it happened, it took a minute of “I know this scene, but from where?” before we figured it out.
Hugh at 10:08 am
Thanks, I’m waiting for various Middle East experts to start telling the WaPo and NYT’s that as bad as Saddam really was, Iraq and the entire region were a lot better off with him in power than under Bush and his war of choice.
OT, one of my probably forlorn hopes about the deevolution of Iraq is that Western libertarians will realize what the absence of credible government looks like.
Best of luck, Jane- get well soon.
I’ve had my share of surgery in recent years, and find modern anasthesia to be amazing. I usually ask for a shot of ‘happy juice’ to help me through the pre-surgical anxiety. Last time I got wheeled into the operating room I was high as a kite, couldn’t have been happier.
And I usually wake up feeling refreshed and clear-headed, sort of like it was good nap, no hangover.
Have sung a “mi shebeirach” for you twice today, Jane, before and during…
You are and continue to be such an inspiration! Enjoy reading these as you recuperate!
I liked this:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01…..ref=slogin
Micromanaging is the new trope of the Bush diehards. Anything but saying yes to Bush is micromanaging. An extension of this is if you have a military and fund it, then the President can do anything he wants with it. Of course, if you don’t fund it, then you aren’t supporting the troops.
Life is simple when everything is black and white and your best friends are strawmen.
Good thoughts and prayers for Jane, and support for you Christy. I and my dogs are all standing by for further information!
The garden reflects my thoughts of this administration today. After the freeze in S.Calif this week everything is dead and black!
Hugh @ 90
micromanagement? fuck that shit! throw his sorry ass in jail!
And if she’s not up to looking at stuff, here’s some cool things to listen to from the ZBS Foundation. Remember radio plays? Lots of fun for driving, too. I can see Jane as Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe, or maybe vice versa.
kirk murphy @ 66
You’re more optimistic than I about the FDA. I fully expect them to put trial applications for these agents on the
v e r y
s l o w
t r a c k.
Remember, fascism is the coalescence of government and corporate power.
BC
Hey Sara, your beautiful prose gives you away imho as the wonderful Sara at tnh. Hey completely other thing, you had that great post, last year, (was it your first at tnh?) about West Point’s policy on occupations? It was the 1921-22, doc that informed General George Marshall’s occupation of post WWII Germany and Japan. Back when you did it, we didn’t have the spotlight capability. If you could provide a link to it, (or repost it at tnh), I could “spotlight” it to some main stream journalists who might be interested in what the Bush administration is ignoring.
Best of luck to you Jane. You are in thoughts today.
All of us at BobGeiger.com — oh, wait, it’s just me — are sending all positive energy and thoughts to Santa Monica today for our friend Jane… When I’m not typing, my fingers are crossed all day…
She will prevail.
Bob
Peterr has a fresh thread, gang. Just FYI. Liveblogging of jury selection in the Libby trial will start again after the lunch break.
New thread upstairs from Peterr. w00t, Peterr!
The zero, however, is already taken, ahem.
…thanks for Jane update Christy…what I saw in the news today?
Aerial gunning of wolves has started in Alaska today, at least ten have been gunned down and there are “hopes” of killing at least 600 more…Killing of more wolves will begin shortly in Idaho where a lottery is determining who gets a ticket for the kill (don’t write their governor, he is “hoping for a ticket” ) Fish and Game in both states (and Wyoming is next) is in full support of this SPORT and KILLFEST so if anyone has a bit of heart for the majestic wolf, can you please make your feeling known? Am begging on my knees…
ET: what say you?
Redshift @ 86
Oh, that’s funny! See, we must have the same sense of humor – I loved it b/c when we were kids, my brother and I used to do running commentary on cheesy movies, too.
I wanted to buy the whole set but it’s outrageously expensive! I keep wishing someone would sell it on e-Bay.
I never have really understood why they can’t put the show into syndication – something to do with licensing.
Speedy recovery, Jane! You will beat this thing! Just glad you don’t have cancer of the buttocks, we need your a** back here! *g*?
My prayers and thoughts are with Jane. Thank you FDL, I love you guys.
and I might add, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”
I know there’s a new thread, but to CHS @ 54:
“Meanwhile, I need to hop in the shower and go and get my hair done because, apparently, there are some teevee media types who want to talk with me on camera next week….”
So bloggers really DO blog in their pajamas? *g*
Christy, thanks for keeping us smiling and keeping us updated re: Jane as we sit here in this virtual waiting room. I can hardly think about anything else.
–
That McCain is tanking is no surprise whatsoever.
Now for the real fun –watching the bought and paid for whores who shilled for McCain on a daily basis try to find themselves a new “straight-talker” whose ass they can kiss in Macy’s window at high noon.
News schmews…
Sweet Jane,
we love you, Tiger!
Sitting here, reading the comments and my mind wanders to Jane. From there to her posts about Lieberman. Thence to the song, Nobody Does it Better…nobody does it half as good as you. Lieberman is such an especially horrible human being, not everone can convey just how horrible. Jane can and does. Boy oh boy, the times I’d have liked to hang that man out to dry. Then I visit FDL, and get the full concept of the inanity that is Lieberman, the pathetic, whining, weasely waste. Jane I can’t wait until you’re well. For Lieberman, you’re my Fitz!!
Good Luck. Bon Chance. Slante.Compai.
I’m thinking about Jane and sending all good thoughts and healing.
Another friend told me over IM this morning she’s just been diagnosed with malignant melanoma.
I may have to go to church and light a candle over all this. I’m not especially religious, but I’m feeling the need for a little comfort right now, and the belief that she and Jane will come out of this just fine.
-S
You are so Right about Lieberman, Jane! Can’t believe the latest ThinkProgress that there would be nothing to lose by escalation, showing that to the repukes and traitors that our troops and their ability to defend America and themselves after Generals on the ground in Iraq have been saying that our Army is danger of being broken and then Gen. Schoomaker saying OUT ARMY IS BROKEN and then Lieberman’s unbelievably smarmy statement of nothing to lose.
Best wishes, Jane. I am holding you in my heart. Thank you for using your talents so generously to let us know the details of bush/cheney/libby’s treason against US citizens in the outing of Plame and destruction of Brewster Jennings to hide their lies that have murdered so many in Iraq.
The hearings are going great – thank you for pushing so hard to give the Dems the majority with subpeona power which Sen. Leahy is using to good advantage.
Live webcast http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=2473
watch Sen. Leahy yell at gonzo for renditions and torture. It’s long overdue and it is great to watch, as important as the Watergate Hearings and should be on prime time.
Bargain Countertenor @
94
The FDA has nothing to do with this, the research was done in Canada. Trials can be done anywhere in the world.
I am listening live to the Senate Judiciary hearing where Alberto Gonzales was actually sworn in, and I choose to believe that the blasting he got from Sen. Leahy (re our rendition of Maher Arar) just before break should help Jane get better. Unfortunately C-SPAN is not covering the hearing, but KPFA fm 94.1 in Berkeley CA, and online IS. Even Arlan Specter stopped Gonzo short more than once this a.m. re the NSA and FISA outrages.
You are in my heart Jane.
For those in Jane’s virtual “waiting room,”, I thought I’d hang a little artwork, Revealing the Monet of Pencil and Paper courtesy of the NYTimes. The second page has some nice works too and all can be expanded with a click.
Praying for you, Jane, and for Christy, Digby, and all the friends and family at the hospital.
Jane! feel the love!
New Mexico state senator Gerald Ortz y Pino is presenting a bill in the New Mexico Legislature calling for the IMPEACHMENT of both fuckwad and cheney. if it passes in New Mexico it can then be presented in the House by a congressperson from New Mexico. this is a legal method of initiating articles of impeachment. Anyone wanting to add their endorsement of this venture can email Senator Ortiz y Pino (from Albuquerque) at:
jortizyp@aol.com
more details (and a link to Albuquerque News with photo of O y P) at Digby’s. Poputonian doing the writeup …….
Prayers from me in Ohio. Lit a whole bunch of candles for you last night, Jane. Hugs from afar.
Ann in AZ and RGB … glad you liked the link. that guy blew me away too. here’s one more ukelele link and then i’ll stop ;) … it’s not as beautiful, but these guys sure are fun!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuQXtCiSABo
drive-by US condemns China ’space weapon’
and
Kerry calls for probe of Pentagon sales
Kinda EPU’d backwards(?) from Peterr’s post:
Lou Costello @ 16
My prayers are with you, Jane.
Sweet Jane,
I, Fire Woman, just cranked up the woodstove in your honor. I’ll think of you with each log tossed on.
And — Snow in Malibu! The Little Snowflake Fairies are dancing for you, too.
Grandma Jo @
29
I agree with this 100%. I’ve been a big fan of FDL since finding it long long ago and got sucked in by the Libby coverage that Jane and Christy (then ReddHedd) were rockin’ my world with. The site has just gotten better and better so I put my money up when the call went out (as well as pre-ordered Marcy’s book when pre-orders opened). I don’t post here much at all, but I read all the time and can’t imagine what I’d do if the site folded. Pitch in, people!
Best wishes for a speedy and full recovery to Jane.
Bargain Countertenor @ 94
My different conclusion is the result of greater information about the topic at hand, rather than a reflection of optimism.
In my world as a physician-activist, the corporations and their elected servants are already powerful opponents. When seeking to defeat real enemies to life on this planet, I derive no comfort or satisfaction from imaging they have even more power than is the case.
There’s more than enough work to be done defeating the real threat posed by the megacorps’ creeping annexation of the public sector.
I’ve spent the last twenty-five years observing academic medicine.
I’ve served as a psychiatric consultant for organ transplant and oncology teams, and have more intimate knowledge than just about any layperson may have of just how terribly wrong (and wonderfully well) high-tech modern medicine can go.
That work has allowed me to observe very common fantasies about pharmaceuticals and medical care – fantasies so pervasive that many have become “folk wisdom”…and taken roots as deeply any other societally endorsed folklore.
Most of the deeply held folklore I encounter about about biomedicine seems to grow from lack of basic knowledge about biology, scientific method, and the very complex systems that provide care for patients.
Some of the more intense inaccurate “folk wisdom” about medical care include the belief that most or all participants in medical care are actively conspiring to directly harm patients.
The clinical term for elaborate fixed belief systems based upon false perceptions that others are conspiring to hurt one is a paranoid delusion.
Over the last few years I’ve noticed a lot of overtly delusional paranoid content bubbling up in the “folk wisdom” about medical care.
I’m not suggesting that you, Bargain Countertenor, are in any way paranoid, delusional, psychotic, or in any way the “owner” of a psychiatric condition.
I do believe that the outcome you posit is simply the result of lack of information – and hence lack of comprehension – about the complex process of clinical trials and investigational drug development.
When people lack sufficient information about a complex system, they are very easily misled by commonly held social beliefs.
Hence the FOX news watchers “know” Saddam was behind 9/11.
And lots of my liberal arts educated friends “know” all manner of rather laughable folk tales about modern medicine – even those who never troubled to take a science class in their comfortable arty lives.
They’re not delusional, either.
They are so sadly uninformed that they lack sufficient basic information for hypothesis testing. They simply don’t know enough to test the validity of hypotheses that are baseless, paranoid, or delusional in other ways.
The problem with delusional beliefs about complex systems that affect everyones health and safety is that those delusions can get other people killed.
The corporate sector are the high priests of creating delusions. It’s called advertising: buying crap will make you happy.
The corporate schills successfully created the false belief that global warming is “unreal”. The carefully crafted misinformation campaign from big carbon convinced tens of millions of American of a “negation” delusion: “global warming is a myth”.
Volunteering among activists in the Bay Area and working in a community psych clinic, I’ve also had plenty of exposure to paranoid ideation.
I’m no longer suprised by the amazing paranoid fantasies I hear about medical care, but I still comment when the conclusions are so erroneous as to dishearten those not already in thrall to the conspiracy theory du jour.
Precisely because of Pig Pharma, the FDA has lowered barriers to introduction of new drugs; the FDA’s response to Pig Pharma’s greed has lowered the barriers for approval of new medications. [In the case of Zyprexa - dangerouly lowered the barriers. The damn drug causes diabetes, Lilly knew it, and I spend 25% of my clinic time dealing with this very real problem.]
I’ve seen lots of bright ambitious physicians on the academic tenure track. Most are fine people – a few would run over their mothers and grandmothers if it would help them get tenure. Academic oncologists would completely stop any FDA attempt to block a powerful new tool.
However, even considering non-delusional responses to paranoid delusions makes my head hurt.
In the real world, the FDA will clearly need lots of help in catching up to the fantasy in which they’ll be putting trials of DCA (dichloroacetate) “on a very slow track”.
The FDA’s “Office of Orphan Products Development” has been paying researchers to get DCA approved for the treatment of congential lactic acidemia: funding for the Phase II trial commenced in September, 1998 – as of last record (2005) the study was still accepting new patients.
Bargain Countertenor, I trust that you are sincere in your beliefs and are in no way out of touch with reality.
My purpose in going on at such length today – and other occasions at the Lake on this topic – is to provide information-based responses to very non-factual folk beliefs about medical care.
FDL shapes opinions in many areas, and the “folk beliefs” expressed here about medical care also shape opinions.
High tech medicine is an amazing powerful tool, with the capacity to solve problems and to create immense suffering. On this of all days at the Lake, I believe the community here is best served by accurate information on topics which can quite literally affect all of our lives.
Peas.
Prayers and best wishes from someone who is on your side for this battle, even though politically I’m frequently on the other. Get well soon!
Gary E @ 111
Gary,
You’re right that the research was done in Canada. But you’re wrong about the FDA having nothing to do with it. The FDA has historically taken a skeptical view of foreign clinical trials. They also have a role in approving clinical trials in the US. What’s more, the FDA is the ultimate authority in licensing these drugs for use in the US.
While it’s true that the drug could be used off-label for cancer chemotherapy, given our lawsuit-happy society oncologists would be risking a lot by going off best accepted practices.
BC
spiderpaws @
100
Spiderpaws! Where the heck have you been? I miss you late nights.
kirk murphy @ 123
The FDA’s “Office of Orphan Products Development” has been paying researchers to get DCA approved for the treatment of congential lactic acidemia: funding for the Phase II trial commenced in September, 1998 – as of last record (2005) the study was still accepting new patients.
Bargain Countertenor, I trust that you are sincere in your beliefs and are in no way out of touch with reality.
Peas.
Kirk,
Thanks very much. My knowledge of FDA practices in clinical trials are clearly way out of date. I lost touch with it when I left public health for the academy (I’m a statistician) more than a few years ago. Another case of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing, I guess.
I’m glad to know that things are rather different. I truly hope you are right. I lost my grandmother, four aunts and a cousin to cancer. Another aunt and my sister-in-law are breast cancer survivors.
BC
Hugs and hope from the North.
Good luck, Jane.
Thinking of you, Jane, and sending positive thoughts your way.
I was thinking of Jane, Christy and all my FDL colleagues last night when I attended the Connecticut Democratic Central Committee meeting with about 20 other grassroots activists to request that the Democratic Party institute a provision that would not allow any future candidate from running as a third party candidate if he/she loses the primary. The motion was made and adopted and the CT Dems will now form a committee that will assure permanent adoption.
Hopefully a sore loser like Lieberman will never be able to run for office if he/she loses the Democratic primary.
Baby steps but it’s a start.
Our spokesman also talked about the divisiveness Lieberman’s candidacy caused (and his subsequent threats about becoming a Republican) and the damage done by some Democrats (in power) who insisted on continuing to support Lieberman over the Dem nominee, Lamont – and how detrimental it was.
The discussion got heated and there was a lot of defensiveness – but I think they got the point that we were watching and were holding their feet to the fire. A few of the delegates actually got up and spoke in support of Lamont – which was nice to hear.
Good luck Jane!
Strength and courage sister Jane.
Thinking about you, wishing love, light and peace too.
{{{gentle hugs}}}
glc
Hang in there Jane. My prayers are with you.
John Casper @95
Yep, same Sara. I think that George Marshall post is in the TNH archives, but I have variations on that theme at Kos and at TPM. My motivation for re-hashing this theme over and over is my profound anger at Condi’s efforts to use the post WWII occupation of Germany as a “spin point” during the lead up to Iraq, clearly thinking all she had to do was fly the flag of a reasonably successful post conflict effort, so as to distract attention from the fact they had no plan for Iraq. As with all of us, there are certain things some of us know a little about, and this just happens to be one of mine.
I suspect I was always interested, because as a kid I knew people who had a part in it — I knew the people who set up the medical camps for survivors of Buchenwald, I knew some of the Quakers who did refugees and DP’s, and I knew several former WPA administrators who got recruited to serve in the Military Government, and I knew their stories. As an exchange student in the early 1960’s…and in need of a project for college credit, I took advantage of being in a small German town on the Austrian border, and did interviews with very local German officials who were either elected in the first post war local elections in the fall of 1945, or were lowly civil servants who had worked with the Military Government, and I collected materials about how they had interfaced with the Military Government of Germany in the period 45 – 49 (49 being when the West German Government was formed). Returning home, and needing to put the stories into academic form, I plopped myself down in the library and researched the formation of the Military Government. Paper got done, decent grade, but I remained interested over the years. Thus as time went on, I collected the memoirs, the case histories, eventually the German Historians treatment of the times — and I still check out new books or articles that might have a new perspective. I felt intellectually insulted by Condi’s use of the icon of the Military Government of Germany without any sense of what was indeed involved.
The key to it is understanding George C. Marshall and respecting his genius in spending more than 20 years thinking about how to do an occupation properly, and then putting the resources together in the early 40’s and having them on hand at the conclusion of the combat phase of the war. Marshall had a complete Political Military doctrine about all this, and he had been doing the intellectual spade work around it in Army and State Department circles for 20 years when we entered WWII. Marshall’s genius was out of logistics, which is to say he had highly developed skills as a planner. And of course his interest was whetted from his service as Pershing’s briefing officer in the wake of WWI regarding the disaster that was the British, French and American occupation of the Rheinland in 1919 and 1920. (We’ve made all those mistakes over again in Iraq, in spades.)
George Packer has interesting material on this in Assassins Gate which I just got around to reading after the election. GWB apparently had one meeting on post-conflict plans that lasted a little more than an hour. Gardner was present to present his plan. He made about a 15 minute presentation, and handed out an outline. Bush asked him no questions about the Iraq plans — the entire conversation with Bush was about Gardner’s father’s cattle ranch in Florida.
Contrast this with Marshall’s interface with FDR during the early war period (1942 and early 1943). Marshall needed 6000 specially trained officers for the Military Government, and he needed specific civilian skills. (Public Administration, Health Commissioners, Civil and other sorts of Engineers, Local Judges among other specialities.) If possible, he needed German Language Skills and some awareness of German Culture. They were not finding enough among the volunteers for Officers Training or among draftees, so FDR got Congress to give him 1600 special commissions, and he spent hours in the oval office or his study reviewing lists and writing personal notes to people asking they if they wanted to volunteer (FDR focused on the over 36 crowd, those not subject to the draft.) Copies of many of these notes are in the Archives at Hyde Park. Anyhow, thus some little elected village judge in a small town in rural Wisconsin who had grown up in a home with German Speaking Grandparents, got an FDR letter asking him if he would please volunteer. If I were ever making a film about the current mess I would figure how to do a quick cut between FDR’s list reading and note writing, and GWB’s interest in cattle ranches.
Packer does say that Gardner spent a couple of days in the Pentagon Library before he went to Iraq reading up on Marshall’s doctrine for occupation and military government, and all the planning behind it. Lot of good that did.
Dab from CT @ 130
That’s good news! (It would be interesting to be a fly on JoeL’s office wall when he hears, wouldn’t it?)
Bargain Countertenor @ 127
Kirk,
Thanks very much. My knowledge of FDA practices in clinical trials are clearly way out of date. I lost touch with it when I left public health for the academy (I’m a statistician) more than a few years ago. Another case of a little knowledge being a dangerous thing, I guess.
I’m glad to know that things are rather different. I truly hope you are right. I lost my grandmother, four aunts and a cousin to cancer. Another aunt and my sister-in-law are breast cancer survivors.
BC
If I might chime in from a slightly different angle, but a conclusion not entirely different from km’s, a comment I left at Digby’s discussion of the topic:
My heart has been breaking for Jane the last couple of days and there’s nothing I’d like to see more than something to make it just go away. But I wanted to say a word on this article…
I can’t speak to the medical side, which presumably has different editors, but I can a little to the physics side of the New Scientist, where this article appeared. At least in physics, when it comes to speculative scientific developments, NS seems to have adopted a very “forward-leaning” approach to interpretation, which is not always supported by the actual data. (To be fair, that’s a different, and lesser, sin from being outright wrong or misleading.)
The article reports one among many promising avenues for attacking cancer. And there’s no question that the intellectual property system is screwed up in many ways, of which this is simply one illustration (which I think was Digby’s main point.)
I certainly hope that the solution has been found and will be cheap and plentiful, starting sometime this summer. But I think it’s unfair to hold out a lot of possibly false hope for that.
P J Evans @ 135
Especially since the “CFL” party has been taken over by people whose “distain for Joe Lieberman will never subside”
UPDATE: Inevitably, someone is Waaaaaaaaaaahnnining
Sara, thanks so much. I have looked, but you are not listed as a tnh contributor. Do you recall the month you wrote it in, or what topic it was filed under. Thanks.
quick stop ‘n go from work -
Is this thing on ??
is this a live thread – what’s the latest from the OR ? anyone ?
thanks!
Jacqrat @ 137
So the CFL party only has two members, and we’re expecting a schism in it? Fast work!
cbl, I think this is the latest on Jane. We still haven’t received confirmation that she is out of the operation.
Well, while we’re all waiting for news about Jane, I jumped back in time to one of her archived posts.
For your giggling pleasure, here’s our Jane from 01/07/05:
For Jane and whirled peas! Hope to see you back in Scooterland soon. All our best wishes, hopes, and prayers.
new thread on Jane’s condition upstairs.
Jane,
You go, girl!
You’ll soon be doing flying chest-bumps with your favorite friends if *my* prayers are answered! (G)
Come back soon. We miss you.
Bob in HI