Two Cases of Bile (Andy Stepheson story)

Seattle Weekly



http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0527/050706_news_andy.php

Would freerepublic raise 50,000 dollars if one of them needed it? I doubt it.

Personal responsibility and all that sort of thing!

was down to his last dollar and needed 50,000 Oxycontin tablets for the week...

the front row for his Crucifixion.

They don't have the compassion to do it, not to mention all of their trailers combined wouldn't equal 50K:eyes:

live in the large trailer subdivision here ...

Just concerned folks.

Get better soon Andy! :hug:

It's not like anyone here was offering to do the surgery for him. If that was the case, attacking us for not being professional surgeons may have been appropriate. But folks were just raising money to help a friend. I think someone else said this - it was really DU's finest hour. The freepers must be jealous. No other explanation - except maybe pure evil.

You know, I never thought of it that way. :think:

Thank you for that perspective! :pals:

I am NOT volunteering to do surgery on anyone. I can't even watch that cable channel where they do surgery. :scared:

:scared: I'm with you - those cable channels give me the creeps.!

Thanks again :rofl:

:kicK:

And now, after taking a look at that whatever it was website, I need to go wash off the dirt. What a nasty place it was.

How can this Grady guy claim that Andy "defrauded" anyone if the money was given freely and voluntarily for a medical emergency that has been confirmed and surgery that has been performed?

What the hell is wrong with these people? Do they have a problem with spontaneous charity? Or are they just afraid that somebody else is getting something they're not?

Stupid freeper creeps....

A trait he shares with Bev Harris.

He's a dispicable fuck and assumes everyone else is as well.

My own fault for not reading the threads on the subject at the time, of course, but I had other things on my mind. I'll have to make the effort to figure it out at some point.

In any case, I know a couple of people personally who are masters of the art of "projection" and they're impossible to communicate with in any meaningful way.

How anyone can be against someone else doing something nice for another person is just beyond me -- especially when it is none of that individual's damn business to begin with!

:banghead:

"He learned of the controversy through a conservative Web site, Free Republic (www.freerepublic.com)"

He couldn't possibly have learned anything there. There's only one thing you can pick up in a cesspool.

A cesspool, indeed.

I believe the ones of us who contributed to Andy were more concerned with getting his surgery done in time to worry too much about how professional the fund raising was. Emergency is the key word. We saw a need, and worked to take care of a beautiful human being.

Freepers apparently would rather attack than cooperate, and destroy rather than build. Their actions speak for themselves. What a vile bunch of people. I'm proud to be a liberal, and think the group here at DU are the best people in the world.

that tactic worked in Iraq...

"Their actions speak for themselves."

No question about it.

Something about the article doesn't quite read right, although the generally sorry state of medical reporting could be the cause. My cousin died of pancreatic cancer a few years ago and I spent weeks on the Internet trying to find something, anything, that offered hope. But pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed only after it has already metastasized. No one has ever been confirmed as surviving metastasized pancreatic cancer. Never heard of treating it with radiation, and I think that surgery is fairly rare. Often the only treament is a chemo protocal know as Gemzar(sp?), which only provides comfort, not recovery.

I hope this guy pulls through, but it's pretty doubtful.

:sarcasm:

Current Treatments
To arrive at the best treatment program for each patient, all diagnoses are reviewed by a multidisciplinary team of surgeons, pathologists, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists.

The complex Whipple procedure, perfected at our cancer center, offers one of the most effective treatments for operable pancreatic cancer. A recent review, the largest single institutional experience reported to date, demonstrated that the mortality rate at Hopkins for this procedure is less than 1 percent (0.7 percent). The actuarial data for one-, three- and five-year survival rates for the 201 patients studied were 57 percent, 26 percent and 21 percent, respectively, with a median survival rate of 15.5 months. More than 150 patients have been included in the study since then, with all new data accumulated for future analysis.

A multidisciplinary team of cancer specialists, including surgeons, pathologists, medical oncologists and radiation oncologists, each of whom specializes in pancreatic cancer, is exploring new combinations of radiation and chemotherapy. The benefit of this approach is apparent in the survival rates. This team has developed special postsurgery treatment protocols to study ways to make further improvements.

http://www.hopkinskimmelcancercenter.org/cancertypes/pancreatic-cancer.cfm?cancerid=130

Advances and innovations occur daily in the oncology field. Pancreatic cancer used to be almost an automatic death sentence, but improved diagnostic techniques as well as surgical and chemo advances are changing that.

Gemzar is only one of the new drugs and there are clinical trials for new therapies going on all over the country. Since we aren't privy to the details of Andy's case or the exact state of progress in treatment of his type of cancer, we certainly are in no position to offer opinions as to his prognosis.

He isn't just 'this guy' to a lot of people on this site. A lot of folks here have worked with him and met him in real life - he has travelled the country for this cause and touched a lot of people here. He is a friend and a colleague to many of us. So please try to be sensitive to that when you choose your words.

Peace.

DrRang,

I lost my mother to PC in 1991 and the whipple was available then but she was not a candidate due to previous surgery.

She had both chemo and radiation. Standard chemo back then was 5FU.

I am praying for Andy's complete recovery and for a cure!

To all:
IMO, the fundraising for Andy was DU's finest hour.

:hug: Thank you for your kind words and well wishes for Andy. :hug:

Welcome to DU! :pals:

I lost my mom in 1981 to cancer, I know that loss. Thank you for caring and sharing. :loveya:

yes, survival rates ar low but they are much getting much better all the time.
And John Hopkins is the best, so I'm sure you completely understand now why his friends wanted him treated there.
Maybe you should go to the JH website and check the stats before you post again. Undoubtably the misinformation you post will be spread elsewhere, it's interesting that this didn't occur to you hat after reading the article above.

and when it comes to pancreatic cancer, they are continuing to make strides. His tumor was encapsulated. He has a better chance than most.

Why don't you do a little more research? Begin by searching "whipple procedure".

And one of the guys who outdated it is Dr. Yeo, Andy's surgeon.

With this surgery, Andy has a 1 in 5 chance of survival. In 1983, those odds would have been 1 in 30.

And they caught it early because the tumor collapsed a bile duct, and the surgeon who operated on that to install a stent was very observant.

no one has the right to take away from anyone.

and the statistics are not encouraging at all.

"Only about 23% of patients with cancer of the exocrine pancreas will be alive 1 year after their diagnosis; only about 4% will live 5 years after diagnosis. Even for those people diagnosed with local disease (has not spread to other organs), the 5-year relative survival rate is only 15%."

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_are_the_key_statistics_for_pancreatic_cancer_34.asp?sitearea=

The statistics quoted from the Johns Hopkins site are really not that encouraging either. They give a median survival rate of 15.5 months for patients having the procedure.

Having said this I can only wish Andy a continued and speedy recovery.

200 billion dollars spent on cancer research would go a long way to ending the terror of this disease.

...keep them there. thanks.

I'm a cancer survivor, myself. I had testicular cancer in 1985, back when that used to mean a death sentence (treatment has advanced nowadays).

I'm still here.

and that will follow him for the rest of his life.

Does the idiot still have his web site up?

posting lies after vicious lie.

They have posted the SW story, but no comments yet.

I suppose now that it is proven Andy has cancer they will accuse us of stealing a tumour and implanting it in Andy.

That's how their sick little minds work.

:rofl:

And you call yourselves Christians, ya scum.

I am predicting he moves far away soon.

These guys are cowards. They are only "brave" when they have anonymity to hide behind.

I'm now convinced that that is the reason.

But what a horrible thought! How can those freeper creatures even be considered human?!

It was just their compassionate conservatism, don't cha know, not wanting liberals to get ripped off.... Don't you think you owe them an apology....

HEY!!!!

DUCKING!!!!

RUNNING!!!!

Put that brick down!!!!

Just kidding...

:D

"...there was no board of trustees controlling a third-party account and carefully documenting expenditures and donations..."

Yeah, that's what the world needs more of. </sarcasm>

That's why money rarely gets where it needs to go, IMO, too much bureaucracy.

I'll PM Beth in case she hasn't seen it yet!

And :loveya: to Andy!

This is a good article!

Hi Hope :hi:

:hi:

(((((ripple))))) keeps going on.

Ripple On! :patriot:

Good to see ya! :pals:

Kick and recommend!

Now even MORE people will be sending Andy prayers and healing energy!

:)

why is it always those who stick their necks out for ALL Of us in this country who get the most ingratitude in return?

I am thankful for all who lifted Gbnc with your sheer humanity.

.... need anything, just ask.

And, to all the wonderful people of DU, most of whom I unfortunately will never get to know, what was achieved on behalf of Andy is a beautiful example of the values of trust and generosity.

Those totally incapable of such selfless behavior are never to be allowed to distract us from our ability to respond quickly to another's need.

And, to Beth and merh and several others who had to withstand an enormous amount of hateful behavior while working tirelessly, ceaselessly to help Andy, be proud of your exceptional humanitarian accomplishment. Thank you.



Andy Stephenson in happier, healthier days, March 2004 (Karen Steichen)




Peace.

www.missionnotaccomplished.us - How ever long it takes, the day must come when tens of millions of caring individuals peacefully but persistently defy the dictator, deny the corporatists their cash flow, and halt the evil being done in Iraq and in all the other places the Bu$h neoconster regime is destroying civilization and the environment in the name of "America."

That is what blew me away.. that this accountant fellow (freeper) would actually spend his own money to take out a website like that. Does that man not have any clients? Hope his clients realize what a putz he is and what a bad head for money he apparently has.

Glad that Andy is doing better, as it was reported earlier.

they registered the domain in MY name, hoping to discredit me and sow further dissent on DU.

Sweet people. I wonder how they stand their own foul stench.

It proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that Andy really does have cancer, did have surgery and is still recovering. You would think this would be the end of scamdy.

I don't think they have the decency to admit error, Freepers never do.

to save face. They'll just keep after Andy.

a similar fate, but I still have a soul,

whinners for loosing the election.

(spelled wrong on purpose - these are the two words I think freepers misspell most often)

inbred cowardly keyboard commandoes. Incestuous sheep fuckers.

some of them are only first cousins.

A blight on humanity is what they are. A disease worse than Cancer.

Sorry to hear he had to go back into the hospital. Stay strong, Andy!

LOVE YA ANDY!

http://mistakesweremade.com/vid/votergatethemovie.mpg

sounds like a real winner, and a douchebag with way too much time on his hands

or does this crap on his employer's time.

they really human beings? Maybe they are some of these lizard people you hear rumors about? I didn't even realize that the lowest of the low could spew this kind of vial hate. They must be sociopath's or psychopaths..........their neighbors should be alerted.......
Bama

outright putrid nature of these slimy fucks.

They are sociopathic...malignant narcissists.

reminds me of a saying: "there are none so blind as those who refuse to see"

Maybe we could find out his problem and take up a fundraiser for his disabilty? :shrug:

mentally impaired. A social reject.


I'll take up a fundraiser for him when the pope turns protestant.


If he was on fire, I wouldn't piss on him to put him out.

Check out my deaf/hard of hearing website I'm Listening as Hard as I Can!:
http://www.deafnotdumb.homestead.com/index.html

If you want to start a fundraiser for that particular disability, I would be so much more deserving than some creeper-freeper! <LOL>

now is it?:

To: SCALEMAN

Later on in the article she then states his dianosis by the doctors is UNCLEAR. But didnt the nurse practitioner say it was pancreatic cancer?

104 posted on 06/30/2005 5:02:08 PM PDT by Cruzin2fold (To get to the greener pastures in life, you have to step through a lot of fertilizer.)

Ummm...it says "CURRENT diagnosis and treatment", idiot. Seems you missed the tidbit earlier in the article that states that he is back in the hospital with some kind of post-op complication.

These people really are totally sick!

that I have ever read. I forwarded it on to the Seattle Weekly. Others need to read and evaluate.

I think several of the people involved in this were PAID by the GOP and the voting machine companies. But I cannot prove that. YET.

This is exactly the kind of tactic they're known for.

Btw, Ben, you've done a great job on Andi's site!

:hi:

For those who haven't seen it yet: http://www.andythanksyou.com

Ultra-Fucking Douchebag. A waste of human flesh.

It's too bad they didn't name the others in on the site attacking Andy:

FReeper commonguymd, aka. "S.B." from Suffolk VA, and "Steve, aka MrNiceGuyDied, SomethingsGotaGive, AnonymousArmy, AndyScam etc.

I guess I didn't see any recent updates. :(

If you want to sign the Greeting Card that DA has made go to this link.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3989129

This link has updates!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3984810

:hi:

:hi:

Evil and chaos surround us, but good will triumph.

But which rhymes with "See you!"

Somebody there posted the Andy story, and now they are accusing the reporter of being party to the fraud!

:rofl:

Man, whenever I need a laugh, I go there!

:rofl:

Excuse the error, please.

I found these earlier ones:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1400691/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1408830/posts

Bile, indeed.

That OTHER site which I cannot name without having yet another posting deleted...

I believe they are mentioned specifically in the DU rules.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1433767/posts?q=1&&page=101

If you look at the names of the posters in those franksolich threads, and look at the member list of scummy.com you'll see that 99% of the members on the site set up specifically to attack Andy are stinking worthless fucking freepers.

I've talked with him.

is more important than ever, and it sounds like he's one of us.

I really got the sense that had the facts fallen the other way that this article would have been 180 degrees different. In other words, objective.

dug for and leavened with insight. How very refreshing! I'm a scientist, and the mind-set is similar. Indeed, in science you must be extra-cautious when testing favorite hypotheses - unless you are a Bush sycophant.

But computer programming paid SO much better than I have been doing it since '78.

Did work in computing at Fermilab for a while, though. That was FUN.

I have always loved it and still have the Astronomy Picture Of the Day Site as my browser startup page;
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Tonight's is really cool - "Ring Around Fomalhaut" - in case you don't ALSO have APOD as your home site.

I also wanted to be a paleontologist, a geologist, an archaeologist specializing in ancient history, and several other things. I ended up segue-ing from math into chemistry, got my PhD in biochemistry, moved further into cell biology, and have now been out of it all for about 5 years. I do miss it.

And I still love Astronomy. It stretches the mind in such a satisfying and energizing way. Helps put things into perspective and reminds of the awesomeness and beauty of it all. Since I'm sinking into my late-night philosophical phase here, as must be obvious by now, I'll indulge both of us with one of my favorite Einstein quotes. I'm betting you know it and will enjoy hearing it again just now in these hard, scary times.

and say he was glad that I liked it.

Like you say, a nice guy.

The light of TRUTH and goodness always prevails! It blinds the nasty rats back into their holes! Bama :hi:

I immediately suspected Freeper dirty tricks (and a truly sick
and disgusting one at that).

I wasn't able to donate at that time, but I am now. So...
if Andy is still in need, simply start another fund drive and
I'll kick in the first $50. I know what it's like to go with
no health insurance (I'm "unisurable"... which is to say, because
of a previous heart condition (heart defect from birth), only
Blue Cross will take me, and then it's $900/month with a $10,000
deductible. It's not something I would wish on anyone, even
the most vile freeper. The constant stress and fear of bankruptcy
and financial ruin really affect you on a daily basis.

:hug: You need to take care of yourself. The health care system in this country is pathetic and I am sorry that you have had such troubles with it.

If you want to send Andy some best wishes, you can sign his Get Well thread.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3989129

Your offer of kindness has truly touched my heart. :pals:

"For instance, the money went directly to Stephenson—there was no board of trustees controlling a third-party account and carefully documenting expenditures and donations."

I guess I never realized that you had to do all of that just to give a few bucks to help a friend! Sheesh! :shrug:

Only in the rethug world where everyone expects a cut of the pie and are on the charty's payroll is that the case. They have never heard of and could never imagine, a fund raiser were the money went to the individual purpose - to help the person in need. Not to line anyone's pockets.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

He is an ophthalmologist in Philadelphia. My cousin, who is a radiologist at University of Maryland Hospital diagnosed him- he complained of abdominal pain and my cousin, who is a childhood friend, had him come to Baltimore and he and doctors there examined him.

I don't know what kind of surgery, if any, he had, but he is many many years post diagnosis and is well. He has married, had a few kids and is doing well.

I know it is not common, but people do survive it.

Hang in there Andy- sending good thoughts and optimism and prayers and the like your way.

Those creeps at Free Republic are pathetic. They have no idea of what is good and kind and pure in human nature- they are so filled with hate and suspicion and fear that they cannot even imagine altruism and compassion for anyone from whom they can derive no benefit. I would feel sorry for them, but I just can't.

doubted where my nickle went.


Get well soon, Andy!

Obviously this kind of journalism can only be done these days at an independent weekly, since it doesn't manufacture moral equivalence between Andy and the jackals who accuse him of faking his cancer. The reporter actually did the hard work of seeing for himself. My best to Mr Stephenson for a speedy recovery.

Shame on you scumsucking freepers! Count your blessings that there is no God. If there is, I'll see you all in Hell!

Hmmm, anyone going to be in Stanton any time soon?

RL

:rofl:

RL

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

and explain a few things to him face-to-face.

(Is there anywhere to practice archery too?)

RL

And I am not sure if buck season and pheasant season overlap.

But yeah, we need to show these folks what nice and decent guys we are. I think they have all the wrong ideas about us, and it is time we laid that to rest.

The message was (though some appear not to have understood) that we know his exact address (and have for weeks) and though we could have hurt him, all we really want to do is sit down with him and talk this over. I cannot for the life of me understand why a decent human being (and I am still assuming for the moment that Mr.Grady is one) would decide to harm a very sick man. If he does not believe Andy is sick, we need to convince him that he is.

We have the exact names and addresses of most of the people involved in this scheme. The greatest harm I want to see most of them subjected to is ridicule and shame - Both of which I will ladle out generously.

P.S. Clue to the clueless; If I should ever want to harm you, the last place to find that information is on a public forum...

Let me tell you a thing or two about small-town Nebraska, where Mr.Fred Grady is from.

It is probably made up of some very good people and he is the lone crackpot. His behavior would be eschewed by the town churchgoers, of which there are plenty. Grady is probably a self-employed bookkeeper who depends on a couple clients to keep himself afloat.

I wonder how Mr. Grady's clients would feel about his meanness and pettiness? I think they should know about his Web site and his efforts in this case.

Hmm. I might just be passing through Stanton, Nebraska in the near future. Perhaps I'll print out copies of his postings and leave them around town. If you have anything in particular you'd like the town's residents to see, PM me and I'll make sure I include it.


Cher

p.s. If you'd like to know a little bit about Stanton, here is their Web site.

http://www.stanton.net/index.php

Be sure to visit the Gallery for pics.

but that was fred grandy

Thank you for sharing that link! I think I'll go find myself a hard copy!

Incorrigible
Joined: 06 Jun 2005
Posts: 3


"Couldn't his illness just have easily been Pancreatitis?"

NO you fucking asshole! I wish with every fibre of my being it was pancreatitis and not cancer. You have no soul you worthless shit!

Here's "Ree" aka "reewalker" a stinking no-good freeper:

Ree
Joined: 04 Jun 2005
Posts: 23


TrueTruthTeacher wrote:
Howland is simply not qualified to be Andy’s new head cheerleader and Pitt should feel insulted by this poseur.


"He should have give the job to MoPaul."

Nice grammar dipshit.


They keep harping on the "Three Questions" Well here's my answer WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU TO DEMAND AN ANSWER TO ANYTHING YOU FREEPER SCUMBAGS?!?! WHAT DOES ANDY OWE YOU AN EXPLANATION FOR?

God dammit.

Another group appears to be people who are rightfully concerned about Internet scams.

And I think there's a lot of people in this group with me.

And I hope Andy gets better, and I'm sorry he's sick in the first place.

whoever wrote that doesn't read this site very carefully...

Which then translates to physical harm because it impedes his healing.


They're really sick twisted inhuman scum.

this up, Mr. Mace.

Andy's feeling better today AND an article!

:toast:

Hope all the naysayers read it and realize how much damage is caused by rumormongering.

I wasn't around much during the spring...but if I had been I would have helped out Andy in a heartbeat.

And I keep wondering who and where the 40% who still support the *clown are...now I know.

Gawd I feel dirty.

I came to DU after the Andy situation but if I'd been here earlier I would have helped.

I can't believe the shrub sycophants. I run into them sometimes on other boards and it amazes me how they just fawn over him like he is the second coming or something. I feel ill sometimes reading their posts-they seem incapable of seeing the profound stupidity and evil in that man.

I didn't know Andy had had complications. I hope he is feeling and doing better soon, and isn't listening to all the negative crap.

I don't care one bit that this wasn't done the usual way, it was an unusual circumstance, with little to no time to plan. I was happy to donate, and still am happy I did.

Get Well Andy

From: me
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2005 3:07 AM
To: '[email protected]'
Subject: I gave $10 to Andy.....

and would gladly give that and more again. I have been a member of Democratic Underground since the spring of 2002. I found it while searching for international news sources because I believed that I wasn't getting the entire picture of what the Bu$h administration was up to from domestic sources.

When I heard the news that Andy was sick and without health insurance I was deeply concerned. I was out of work for 10 months in 2003, so I could relate. When the call went out for financial support I gave all that I could afford at the time, since I have a 14 year old son with a bottomless pit for a stomach, two kids in college, and my husband is disabled.

The fact that there wasn't a Board of Trustees or a third-party account was of no consequence to me. When you have been reading the postings of these people for so many years, you begin to feel that you know them, and in a way, you do.

Andy went through a tough time with Bev Harris. I wouldn't give her a red cent after the way she treated him. Most of us on DU saw her for what she is during this mess, and I believe that she is behind part of this smear campaign against Andy.

Thanks for covering this story. Now, how about one where the President is exposed for all of his lies? Can you get a White House Pass, or have the rules changed and only gay hookers are allowed in?

Good luck to ya, Andy! :D

peace.:grouphug:

:hi: Andy

And FU Freepers. :grr:

I'm not completely up to date on what's going on, but I do know that I stumbled upon a post by WilliamPitt that was demanding answers from Andy because, according to him, the whipple procedure was not done. Has the story changed?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3672828

about what was going to be done, not what had already been done. The story hasn't changed. Will's questions were answered.

I didn't stick around for the entire thread.

with an accounting of donations to Andy than an accounting of their own donations to Jim Robinson? He sure collects a lot of money to run such a poorly maintained and designed site.

One poster there was hoping for the worst for Andy. God I dislike some of the people there

If I heard of a fund-raising scheme put together by Freepers, and had my doubts about it, I would laugh and say "Good! That's money NOT going into the Republican fundraising pot". Then I'd keep my mouth shut, and hope the scheme would just continue to divert their disposable income.

Why do they want to point out that they think we are being bilked? Isn't that just doing us a favor, saving us from making additional donations and freeing up that money so we can send it to Dr. Dean?

So in addition to being evil, self-centered swine that daily violate the teachings of Jesus, they're also as dumb as a bag of rocks.

Keep up the good fight, Andy - both for your health and for the right of all of us to have our vote counted properly.
:patriot:

But it sounds nice, doesn't it? Much nicer than admitting you're trashing a cancer patient because you disagree with his political activism.

I don't think they be sorry about that.

-to the author of this 'piece'

...I don't understand this controversy.

Either the guy has/had cancer or he doesn't/didn't. Either he got the operation at John Hopkins or he didn't. And either the 50 grand was paid to John Hopkins or it wasn't.

Who cares what the Freepers or this Scamdy website have to say? Have these questions been answered and the answers verified? If so, FOAD to the freepers.

Didn't know a damn thing about him when the appeal went up. (I don't pay much mind to individual monikers on DU; I recall and recognize very few of them.) But I donated twice -- thankfully, I can afford to -- because I'd rather give money to an individual than an organization with a board of trustees and a budget.

Besides, the guys who run DU have always been honest and above-board (I think they should go on the Daily Show, myself; I'd like to see what they look like) so I didn't have too many concerns. Even when the whispers began about a "scam" I took a wait-and-see attitude.

Well, obviously the man was sick, and is still sick, and I hope he gets better soon. And he's actually kinda cute, in an impish sort of way.

Is he still doing O.K. in the Hospital?:shrug:

better now. The docs have him on a different course, and that hopefully should resolve the problems that landed him back in the hospital and that delayed his chemo.

Thanks for asking.

(Mods: online link not working. posted by permissin. b.)

Bad stuff for Black Box
The Life and Tragic Times of An American Activist
By Carol Sterritt

On May 12th, Andy Stephenson believed that he was heading for life-saving surgery. Who stopped his needed medical operation from taking place? And why does this matter so much to so many voting rights organizers?

For many American activists, much of last year was spent working with or alongside an organization known as ÒBlack Box Voting.Ó

BBV was the brainchild of Bev Harris, a self-styled rabble-rouser who crisscrossed the country demonstrating the vulnerability inherent inside the new technology of the electronic voting machinery. Through BBV, Harris disseminated important information about electronic voting machinery. She laid out specific county-by-county information about those locations where fraud would play a heavy part in the election. Her website (blackboxvoting.org) gave activists a place to organize, brainstorm and hold well-attended discussion forums.

To many people, including this reporter, Harris was a hero. She was a tireless ball of energy. Knowledgeable and dramatic, she effectively shed light on the most important element of the 2004 presidential race � that the Democratic candidateÕs main contender would not be George W Bush, but a voting system so easy to corrupt that in one Washington DC demonstration, Harris had a chimp slide the votes from one candidate over to the other.

Here in California, during Spring of 2004, she turned up at the Sacramento hearings on voting machinery that were held by Secretary of State Kevin Shelley. Her presentations to the audience helped galvanize the convictiotion information delivered with passion.
Of course the constant eighteen-hour days spinning into nights took their toll. Both Stephenson and Harris spent long hours on cross country flights flying from one County RegistrarÕs Office to another. They checked audit logs. They examined voter registration tapes. They made life difficult for election officials whose districts had questionable results.
And then it all fell apart.

Shortly after the election, Stephenson got word that his sister had died. He headed back to Texas for her wake and burial. Meanwhile, Harris was engaged in a battle for prime time news coverage. To many participants in the election investigations, it seemed that the fraud involved in the Presidential election should be loudly trumpeted by the media. However, this was not the case. Rumor was wild on the Internet that the press had been Òlocked-downÓ on this issue. Since less than fifty days earlier, the White House had helped to exile veteran reporter Mary Mapes and her boss, Dan Rather, from CBS news, the mainstream media was only too eager to fall in line with whatever the President wanted and the truth be damned.

The only small glimmer of hope was Keith Olbermann of MSNBC News, who had a news program on Cable TV. He alluded to voter fraud on more than one show. He put out feelers that he would be open to hearing from Harris. OlbermannÕs people called Stephenson about the need to reach Harris. There was a mix-up in Stephenson contacting Harris. And somehow or another, Harris and Olbermann came to blows.

The incredible fallout for all of this was the following posting, on the extremely popular Black Box Voting website: Ò�December 14th, 2004-- The six-member Board of Directors of Black Box Voting has unanimously voted to terminate the employment of Associate Director Andy Stephenson, for:
- Repeatedly lying to various members of the board of directors
- Misrepresenting results of investigations
- Mishandling telephone communications and withholding information
- Temper tantrums and hanging up on members of the organization
- Outburst at the Florida Supervisor of Elections meeting, offending public officials
- Failing to assist, show up, or even call while Kathleen Wynne and Bev Harris repeatedly reached him to request assistance when they were accosted by Volusia County police. Black Box Voting apologizes for these problems. (After tomorrow afternoon, this message will be moved to the discussion forums.)Ó

The reputation-ruining announcement was read by tens of thousands of people.

Rumors circulated on the Internet. It was whispered that Stephenson had embezzled; he had blown off important meetings; he had failed Bev Harris in basic ways. To people who had dealt with Stephenson for much of the past four months, there were suspicious naggings. He had just seemed too good to be true. Intelligent, generous, jovial, witty and brash. A kind word when you needed one. Impeccably honest. And of course, that Southern charm tempered by a most progressive heart. Was perhaps all of this a carefully constructed front? It seemed that his very goodness worked against him.

But sometimes goodness is simply goodness. Within a week or so, most activists sided with him. They felt revulsion that the many clearly trumped up charges were publicly aired. Some felt that most of the charges were projections. ÒHarris is claiming ANDY has temper outbursts!?!Ó one activist emailed me incredulously.

Stephenson didn't protest the denunciations. Instead, he was stunned. He issued no statement of rebuttal. He offered no defense. He was devastated by his sisterÕs death on the one hand, and by a loss of energy from the many overly long days when he had pursued the prize of preventing the theft of the Presidency. Late in December, when I finally spoke with Bev Harris, she remarked, ÒAnd he was handling all of the Olbermann phone calls � not passing them on to me. Because HE wanted to be on the TV show with Keith. And HE was determined to beat me out of that.Ó

I passed word of this conversation with Harris back to Stephenson. ÒOh,Ó he said slowly, ÒSo that is what she meant by phone communications. I didnÕt know what in the world she was referring to until you said this now.Ó Then he laughed, an amused but sardonic laugh. ÒHow in the world could she imagine that I saw myself going in her place on OlbermannÕs TV Show? I was in Texas, burying my sister. Even if Olbermann and Harris had insisted I be on that show that week, I wasnÕt available. My sister had just died!Ó

As Stephenson rallied after his sisterÕs death, he began to take part in various Verified Voter activities. He participated in oversights and audits of the Ohio recounts, witnessing a technician installing dubious files into election recount hardware. His place with the other notable activists of the voting investigations seemed assured. He stood with Susan Truitt, and Bob Fitrakis, and thirty some other individuals demanding that the world insist on establishing the same legitimacy in Ohio as they would in the Ukraine.

Then the second shoe hit the floor. In early January, he was hospitalized for placement of an emergency stent in his gallbladder. His energy levels were down, and finally he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Without insurance, and having had no real salary for the many months prior, Stephenson was in a difficult spot. In early May, using one of the discussion forums on Democractic Underground, a campaign to pay for his needed pancreatic cancer operation was underway. In about nine days, the campaign raised $ 31,000.

On May 12th, 2005, he arrived at Johns Hopkins Hospital where his operation was scheduled. But his operation did not take place. Instead, someone (or a group of someones) had shut down the PayPal account holding much of the money. Conservative newsgroups on the web had played up the theme that Stephenson was scamming the Internet community. Although their identity has not been released, a persuasive individual(s) had managed to convince PayPal officials that since StephensonÕs illness claims were fraudulent, neither he nor the hospital should have the funding made available.

Again, rumors and gossip raged across the Internet. Not knowing what to make of the scenario, Democratic Underground finally shut off all discussion relating to it. However, this reporter decided that the one lead that could establish StephensonÕs innocence was the owner of the Baltimore Orioles, Peter Angelos. Angelos is the attorney famous for the legal showdown over asbestos. Among the facts that Stephenson claimed about his illness was this interesting tidbit: Angelos had helped contact the heads of Johns Hopkins and convinced them to make the operation possible for Stephenson.

On Tuesday, May 19th, I called Mr. Angelos. His secretary said that if the call was related to Stephenson, then Angelos had asked that I be put right through. After a short introduction, I explained my predicament. I needed to ask: "Was it true that Angelos had offered help in the matter of the Johns Hopkins operation?"

His reply was offered quietly and humbly. �It�s true that I�ve done a few small things for Andy. I was more than happy to arrange for the operation that he needed. I wished that I had known about all of his difficulties, then I could have offered him more help than I did.� Angelos came across as a truly gracious and benevolent person. When I mentioned how Stephenson�s operation was postponed, Angelos was stunned. �I thought that he would be home recovering by now.� The severity of the delay hung bitterly in the air. Angelos realized the gravity of the situation � a seriously ill individual being denied the needed operation, forced to wait an additional sixteen days.

I hung up, feeling elated. Perhaps I had been played by Bev Harris, as had so many others. But Stephenson remains, as always, the genuine thing. The task now before him is to survive the surgery rescheduled for May 26th at Johns Hopkins. Then to gather his inner strength and undertake a full recovery.

He deserves our prayers and best wishes. As the FBI is now investigating the matter, perhaps those responsible for shutting down the PayPal account will be found out. Apparently, that agency agrees with Mr. Angelos � it is a serious matter to delay an operation needed to save a person�s life. Should the perpetrator(s) be found out, they will be facing severe penalties.

Thank you for posting it here.

and disruptors won't bother. (The latter important as I'm not sure how much timeola I'll have to watch the thread.)

:hi:

Somebody put this in a thread on it own. Thank you for posting this..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3996705


tgif,

B.

this deserves to be read by everybody..

As the FBI is now investigating the matter, perhaps those responsible for shutting down the PayPal account will be found out. Apparently, that agency agrees with Mr. Angelos � it is a serious matter to delay an operation needed to save a person�s life. Should the perpetrator(s) be found out, they will be facing severe penalties.

I hope they nail that scumbag. Or those scumbags. Whoever they are.

DTH

epee
Mail Room Clerk


Joined: 10 Jun 2005
Posts: 54


PostPosted: Fri Jul 01, 2005 12:52 pm Post subject: Reply with quote
I read on Scamdy that Mr. Howland asked that his story be posted there. My guess would be that if someone asks for their story to be posted somewhere, he is probably following it, there. If so, he will probably have many of the blanks filled in for him. The consequence of his story, is that the debacle just grew legs. The date of the story is the week of July 6th, so I don't know when it hits the streets, but look for things to take off about then, as readers decide, particularly democrats, who appear to have very little use for Andy in Washington, to check out the Scamdy site for themselves. If I owned that site or were registered there, I think I'd do some dusting before then -- like company coming, make everything very presentable. You know, just the facts, ma'am -- up front and easily accessible -- maybe I'd be sure you HAD to enter through the front door, like have to read through the FBI complaint, to even get in.

CLEAN UP THE SITE?!!?!?? COuld that be because it's just a bunch of libelous bullshit? Could that be because it's illegal what they're doing?

"Meanwhile, Stephenson was readmitted to the hospital because of postsurgical complications on Wednesday, June 22, and remained there at press time on Thursday, June 30."

Does anyone know how he is doing now?

And Andy feels better, too, knowing he's not facing another surgery at the moment. It's a rollercoaster, and he's doing a great job.

I found this on that nasty Freep thread:

"No, William Rivers Pitt didn't write this article with the gooey creamy center. Pitt seems to have abandoned poor Andy."

There were other references on the thread to the idea that Will Pitt has turned against Andy. Surely this is just another of their lies! Please tell me that they are whistling out their collective asses on this matter.

See a pattern here? :)

They really do make everything up out of whole cloth.

as well as all good people who care about others.

:kick:

I donated twice to this man because I trust the people on DU who let us know about Andy's situation.

I donated because I needed to support a person who IS a voice because I am not a voice.

This is such a sick thing to do to Andy at this time.

.

I personally find it unwise to ignore political attacks on vulnerable people. Andy has been Swiftboated, and we know not to repeat that mistake. That's my position.

Could you explain yours?

:kick:

GET WELL SOON, ANDY!

I'll smack them good!

I was out for a week and has so much to catch up on.