Michael J Fox

[Pawsitive Thinking]

I am soooooooooooooo mad right now :mad: :mad: :mad:

What sort of moron would accuse anyone of faking Parkinsons

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15408508/

[moosmom]

What sort of moron would accuse anyone of faking Parkinsons

A moron such as Limbaugh, that's who. I NEVER liked that jerk and he just confirmed my belief that there still are such idiotic people out in this world. He must be back on drugs again (he was in rehab for sometime) to accuse such a respected, loved person such as Michael J. Fox of faking Parkinson's??? How dare he!! :mad: If I were Michael and his wife, I'd sue the pants off of this piece of garbage, just to prove a point.

That is SO despicable. :mad: He's up there with Howard Stern, the shockjock, another person I loathe.

[AbbyMom]

Unbelieveable!!!

He was in my congressional district campaigning for Tammy Duckworth when he made these remarks. Now what sort of person would choose/accept Limbaugh as a public supporter?

I'm going to e-mail her campaign right now.

Edited to add correction: Michael J. Fox was campaigning for Tammy Duckworth. Limbaugh was not.

[Daisy and Delilah]

Rush Limbaugh has actually topped himself. I guess he wasn't getting enough attention lately. Why would anybody make public accusations like this except to get attention? This is so sad to see him do this to Michael J. Fox. I can only imagine what the poor guy and his family are going through after hearing this.

People like Rush Limbaugh will get his in the end :mad: :( :mad:

[JenBKR]

Oh I know I heard about that this morning - I didn't think 'ol Rush could dig a deeper hole for himself.....I saw a bit about this on Good Morning America, and the idiot who Diane Sawyer was talking to (not sure who he was, missed that part) seemed to be actually defending Rush Limbaugh! For crying out loud!! :(

[critter crazy]

It is disgusting!! Now I know why I hate Limbaugh so much!!!! Michael J. Fox is one of my Hero's and it takes guts to do what he has been doing! I hate people Like Rush, is is juat appaling!!!:mad: :mad:

[Miss Z]

I saw that on the news at lunch-time, and it made me wonder how on earth someone like him could cope with Parkinson's. :rolleyes: I didn't really know very much about Limbaugh before this, but I think now I know enough not to like him. What things people do for media attention.

I think that perhaps Michael J. Fox was perhaps shaking a little more than usual on that advert due to the fact he was concentrating hard on delivering the speech to the best of his ability, and I see no harm in that.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Unbelieveable!!!

He was in my congressional district campaigning for Tammy Duckworth when he made these remarks. Now what sort of person would choose/accept Limbaugh as a public supporter?

I'm going to e-mail her campaign right now.

It was Michael J. Fox who was campaigning for Duckworth -- not Limbaugh!

And in case anyone believes Limbaugh "apologized"...here it is...


"All right then, I stand corrected. . . . So I will bigly, hugely admit that I was wrong, and I will apologize to Michael J. Fox, if I am wrong in characterizing his behavior on this commercial as an act."

"If I was wrong??????

[moosmom]

That still does not excuse his behavior. :mad:

[JenBKR]

Wow some apology.... :rolleyes:

[Barbara]

I don't think that anyone who knows about Parkinson and related diseases could believe someone would be able to fake this over the years. And certainly nobody would WANT to do that. There are much nicer ways to get attention.

BTW it is classical that there are phases in which the meds work better than in others (I believe they talk about being "on" and "off").

Let's hope that this Limbaugh guy (whom I don't know and whom I don't want to know) does not get one of the more fancy neurogenerative diseases that are likely to come up more often as we all become older.

[Edwina's Secretary]

Wow some apology.... :rolleyes:


Yes, like so many of his ilk....an apology is always couched in some self-serving way.

I do suppose he knows the effects of drugs better than most people! (meow.....)

[Karen]

Mr. Limbaugh has never been very good at seeing beyond the end of his own nose. If the illness isn't *his* illness, it must not be real, right?

[elizabethann]

I am soooooooooooooo mad right now :mad: :mad: :mad:

What sort of moron would accuse anyone of faking Parkinsons

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15408508/


That would be King Moron....Rush.

[mugsy]

Limbaugh is a flaming, idiot, blowhard and always has been. His comments are unexcusable, and his halfhearted (or as he would say, fake,) apology are more of an insult than the original statement. At least you can sort of ignore the comment, but, it is in bad taste to ignore the apology.

I hope this drives him off the airwaves.

[Blue_Frog]

For anyone who wants to see the ad / interview, heres a link on Youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14pGY1P97L8


This is the first time i've seen Michael on TV in a long time ... and its so sad :( Its too bad that so many people listen and believe in what this Rush Limberger guy has to say, and to accuse someone of faking an illness like that is just disgusting.

[Laura's Babies]

Ewwwwwww! WATCH OUT! God has a strange sense of humor!

Open mouth...... insert foot...... all the way up to his HIP!

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Ewwwwwww! WATCH OUT! God has a strange sense of humor!

Open mouth...... insert foot...... all the way up to his HIP!
Well, Rush is in danger of swallowing himself!!! :(

My dad had Parkinson's and it's nothing that anyone who has it would treat lightly, specially someone like Michael J. Fox. He's one of the few in actors I admire.

[RICHARD]

I just saw the MJF ad.

With a familial history of Parkinson’s, I had never seen anyone with such pronounced body movements.

Fox looked more like he had Tourette’s .

No, I am not being mean or trying to be funny.

The PD I saw in my family was mostly hand and arm tremors. After working in a hospital for a little while I saw quite a people with symptoms stemming from neuro disease.

I am not saying I am a doctor or play one on TV-I have a 25 percent chance of getting PD myself. That commercial was very troubling to me.

Limbaugh’s rant was what you can expect form a drug addled, deaf, irresponsible talk show host.

THAT SAID….

Why are we supposed to support giant mega medical companies in finding a cure for PD or any other illness?

If you break a bone and you need a screw and plate to fix it you are looking at a at least 150 dollars for two screws and another few hundred for the plate.

Then the hospital is sold a ‘special’ screwdriver with a special driver bit for a few grand.

The screws are stainless steel, threaded and driven differently……..I can buy 30 boxes of regular stainless screws the same size, at my local hardware store.

That’s roughly 3,000 screws.

Giant medical companies sell pills manufactured for pennies to ill people for astronomical markups.

Why should the public finance stem cell research and then pay for it again when a cure is found?

It’s not like these companies have no research facilities in operation now. They want the money from the gov’t. so they can make even more profits.

Company “A” uses 1 million to find a cure for “X” disease. They spend 1 million to produce the cure. Another million to package and distribute it.

Why spend 3 million dollars that can go into the company coffers when you can get the money from the U.S.?

I do feel sorry for Fox, but find the idea that a few dollars will suddenly make the difference is absurd.

On the date that any disease is conquered, take a look at the stock for that company the next day, check the cost of the cure and about the dollars that the company heads will make.

Giant drug companies are not willing to spend money on research that may not give them any answers. It’s far more easy to use someone else’s money.

[Lady's Human]

I'm going to get flamed for this, BUT......

I had to go run a couple errands during lunch, and caught Rush Limbaugh's broadcast this afternoon. I listened mainly because of this blowup. Normally if I get a chance to listen to the radio in teh afternoon (Rare, I'm normally working) I listen to sports.

Mr. Limbaugh's comments have a basis in Mr. Fox's past actions. In an interview with Diane Sawyer after his congressional appearance in 1999, (the interview was in 2001) Mr. Fox stated that he stopped taking his meds prior to appearing before congress because he felt it was the right thing to do and it would help him get his point across. In other words, he did exactly what Mr. Limbaugh is being pilloried for accusing him of.

[finn's mom]

Mr. Limbaugh's comments have a basis in Mr. Fox's past actions. In an interview with Diane Sawyer after his congressional appearance in 1999, (the interview was in 2001) Mr. Fox stated that he stopped taking his meds prior to appearing before congress because he felt it was the right thing to do and it would help him get his point across. In other words, he did exactly what Mr. Limbaugh is being pilloried for accusing him of.

I didn't hear anything about any of this, I'm just reading this thread. I'm not flaming you at all, but, from what I'm understanding, Mr. Limbaugh is accusing Mr. Fox of faking the disease, right? Please, correct me if I'm wrong, because again, I didn't hear anything about it. But, Mr. Fox wasn't faking the disease during the Congressional hearing, he simply didn't take his medication so that Congress would see what the disease can and does do to people. In a way, he was doing it to get "attention", I looked at it more like he was "bringing attention" to something not many know too much about... but, not "faking." Again, I could be completely misunderstanding all this. :)

[Cinder & Smoke]

In an interview with Diane Sawyer after his congressional appearance in 1999, (the interview was in 2001) Mr. Fox stated that he stopped taking his meds prior to appearing before congress because he felt it was the right thing to do and it would help him get his point across ...

NOT to defend the Limburger Toad in any way ...
but I was starting to think *I* was the only one who heard about MJ Fox intentionally
not taking his meds to insure that his PD was "noticable" for an interview.

I think Limburger should have just avoided the PD subject totally ... there's enough
"other stuff" for him to rant & rave & act like and Idiot over.

/s/ Phred

[Lady's Human]

During the congressional hearings he made not one mention of not taking the meds. Not exactly full disclosure one would expect in front of the governing body of the United States.

Mr. Limbaugh was not accusing Mr. Fox of faking the disease, he was accusing him of exaggerating the effects (sort of like testifying in front of Congress without telling them he didn't take meds). He said nothing publicly about that until an interview with Diane Sawyer in 2001 when he admitted he had done so "As an actor". In other words he thought it would be good for effect to not take the meds, he thought it would be good to be "uncomfortable" in front of Congress.

Full transcripts of both Mr. Limbaugh's original comments and the vid clip of Mr. Fox's interview on 20/20 in 2001 are on Mr. Limbaugh's web site.

[Lady's Human]

Just as an addition, as I know there are people who will not go to the above mentioned website, is the FULL apology offer, and the close of the monologue:

The FULL text of his remarks :

Now, people are telling me that they have seen Michael J. Fox in interviews and he does appear the same way in the interviews as he does in this commercial for Claire McCaskill. All right, then I stand corrected. I've seen him on Boston Legal. I've seen him on a number of stand-up appearances. I know he's got it; it's pitiable that he has the disease. It is a debilitating disease, and I understand that fully. Just stick with me on this.

All I'm saying is I've never seen him the way he appears in this commercial for Claire McCaskill. So I will bigly, hugely admit that I was wrong, and I will apologize to Michael J. Fox, if I am wrong in characterizing his behavior on this commercial as an act, especially since people are telling me they have seen him this way on other interviews and in other television appearances.


And the close of the monologue:

So let there be no misunderstanding about this. I stand corrected, did not know and had never seen Michael J. Fox in the way I saw him in this commercial for Claire McCaskill. But people have and have seen him say in interviews that he doesn't take his medications when he wants to make an impression to show people just how horrible the disease is. And it's true of all Parkinson's patients. At some point the medication will not work, and the condition will become permanent, and there's nothing pleasant about it. It's one of the most frustrating diseases one can have. Pope had it. It's not pleasant in any way, shape, manner, or form, nor did I mean to implicate that one could easily act it out for the purposes of a commercial.

[moosmom]

sort of like testifying in front of Congress without telling them he didn't take meds

You mean like smoking pot, but not inhaling???

I think what MJF was trying to do was drive the point home to Congress on how debilitating the disease is and to show people how it effects them. Nothing wrong with that.

[Lady's Human]

When you see someone who has a disease that is treatable in some respect one normally makes the assumption that they are doing everything they can to treat the illness. Personally, I would NOT suspect someone was testifying in Congress in a purposefully created situation, like not taking meds to magnify a condition.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I guess even the devil has his defenders. :( :( :(

[Lady's Human]

Defending? no. Showing what the media didn't in a barely 3 second voice clip that they are attacking someone with? Yes.

(Pssstt.......It's called a balanced presentation)

[Edwina's Secretary]

Psssttt...I call it defending a horrible man who said horrible things....

You call it whatever you like.

It was nasty and cruel. I suppose to some...that is balanced.

Whatever....like I said...

[Lady's Human]

1) 10-1 you didn't even read the entire transcript.

2) Nothing I said was nasty, just showing a more complete version of what was said.

3) Bias? Sara? Naaaaaaahhhh

[K9karen]

My dad passed from Parkinson's. I was so distraught by Limbaugh's accusations, and subsequent "apology' I actually prayed for magic powers to fly through the TV and punch that SOB in the mouth.

What goes around, comes around. I won't belittle myself by saying any more .

[RICHARD]

Now,

How's about Fox making a tape showing himself off the med and then going to Congress and saying something like.


"This is me off the meds...I am here before you to show you what medication can do for me.....

Imagine what research and a cure could do for everyone with this disease...."

More powerful indeed?

Probably not. :confused:

[Pawsitive Thinking]

With a familial history of Parkinson’s, I had never seen anyone with such pronounced body movements.

Parkinson's comes in many forms - some have very pronounced physical effects like Michael J Fox while others it affects mentally. My Dad had both. I've seen people in his PD group who moved more than MJF and they weren't acting either. There is no typical "Parkie" which is why it is such an awful disease to try to control.


BTW it is classical that there are phases in which the meds work better than in others (I believe they talk about being "on" and "off").

The "on" and "off" is very accurate but its not just a case of skipping one lot of tablets and then reverting back the minute you take the next lot. Even getting the timing wrong by half an hour or less can upset the levels in the patient to such an extent that takes weeks to find a right level again

[Logan]

I always think it is good to hear both sides of every story. I actually posted here, yesterday, but removed my response, because I figured everyone would think I was doing the typical "conservative" response.

I immediately wished that Rush Limbaugh would have kept his mouth closed, but I did take time to go to his website, read the background information, and his thoughts on the situation, and I better understood where he was coming from with his comments.

I have had a family member suffer with Parkinson's disease. It took his life, after over 20 years. We all wished for something to come about that could help him be more comfortable, live a more normal life. I don't know what I think about the kind of stem cell research that MJF is advocating.

I just hope that everyone will take the time to pray or send good thoughts for people with Parkinson's and other horrible diseases, but also that they will see both sides of a very sad story.

[Edwina's Secretary]

When a person is not able or willing to rebut another person's position they resort to argumentum ad hominem that is...attacking the person instead of the position.

That is what Rush Limbaugh did in this case...he attacked the person instead of the position.

Some may remember when he subsitituted on Pat Sajak's talk show? He attacked and belittled people with AIDS. The audience became so offend and Rush so frightened...the audience was removed.

This is a standard tactic of a certain kind of person. It is sad and it is sad to see it here on PetTalk as well.

[Lady's Human]

Again, ES, if you read the whole transcript of the monday show about the ad, he DID discuss the position set forth in the ad, his comments about Fox were the only ones that made the media. (Again, 3 seconds out of a long monologue)

He discussed the advert in depth, not just Michael Fox's movement.

[Barbara]

Read about Parkinson therapy. The meds cannot cure the disease, they only hold the symptoms down. They have horrible side effects.

Parkinson patients are waiting for a cure. This is what the stem cell research would be for.

I think it is courageous of Fox to show what his illness really looks like.
And yes Richard you are right: they think Tourette is related.

[Lady's Human]

Stem cell research is going on as we speak in the US, with both embryonic and adult stem cells. More progress is being made with adult stem cells, there (so far) don't seem to be as many side effects with adult stem cells as there have been with embryonic stem cells.

The US Government IS funding some of this research, despite what the advertisements say. The federal budget is NOT a blank check.

[mugsy]

One of our secretaries at school is alive today thanks to stem cell research. She had a bone marrow transplant about 11 years ago and was told that she had a 10% chance of living 5 years...she's still with us. Her cancer is back, but, controlled. She still works full time and is a single mom. So please do not dispel stem cell research, whatever kind it may be...it saves lives. I think that was Michael's point...whether his method was right or wrong, the fact remains that stem cell research should continue.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Katie Couric is supposed to be interviewing M. J. Fox on her news show tonight and talk to him about the commerical. Just thought some of you might like to watch it. It's on CBS.

[Lady's Human]

Again, regardless of federal funding (and federal funding is STILL THERE), stem cell research has continued. If the evil entity known as "Big Pharma" thinks there's money to be made there, they will continue research.

[RICHARD]

I saw the Couric/Fox interview on the tube.

Holy Poop

I felt terrible watching.

This is going to sound terrible..

My GF had a son who was a terrible speed freak. He would fidget and I could only stand to be in the same room with him for minutes at a time.

I literally wanted to slap him because of his addiction and the way he would jerk around like a marionette.

---------------


God, It made me feel badly becuase if my wife or GF had a disease like that it would drive me crazy.

I had to literally stand up and watch what parts of the show I could bear. :(

[K9karen]

Parkinson's comes in many forms - some have very pronounced physical effects like Michael J Fox while others it affects mentally. My Dad had both. I've seen people in his PD group who moved more than MJF and they weren't acting either. There is no typical "Parkie" which is why it is such an awful disease to try to control.



The "on" and "off" is very accurate but its not just a case of skipping one lot of tablets and then reverting back the minute you take the next lot. Even getting the timing wrong by half an hour or less can upset the levels in the patient to such an extent that takes weeks to find a right level again



*CLAPS*
Thanks for putting it so perfectly. My dad's Parkinsons started with a shaking of his thumb. He never had much physical shaking: his PD affected his throat, stomach..internal organs. He had pneumonia 5x or more, ate pureed food and finally apirated. His facial muscles were affected, he became stiff and wheelchair bound. People in his PD group, as Brody said, had so many different levels of it.
Dad was too old for brain surgery. He was a guinea pig for any new med on the market. His doses were changed constantly. In the end, the meds caused hallucinations, delusions, paranoia and seizures.
Oddly, maybe not, our family knew of 4 men, all my dad's age who died from Parkinsons. All served in the military around the same time. Coincidence? Environmental?
I'll tell you what..whenever I get a "twitch", I freak out.

[Pawsitive Thinking]

I'm donating my brain and other bits to the UK Parkinson's Disease Society Tissue Bank when I go......

[todd]

wow that makes me :mad: :mad:

[trayi52]

Never have liked Rush Limbaugh. He never has anything nice to say about anybody!

Willie

[Edwina's Secretary]

A good read for those who believe in decency....

Slate (http://www.slate.com/id/2152347)

[Lady's Human]

real balanced article, Sara. Any article that starts the lead paragraph talking about someone being a "Republican Operative" is about as balanced as a political convention. :rolleyes:

[Edwina's Secretary]

Pity you didn't read the whole article.....

[lizbud]

Good article Sara. :) I liked this one too, also from Slate.



Rush Limbaugh Fakes Stupidity
You may think he's dumb as a chair, but it's all an act.
By Timothy Noah
Posted Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006, at 6:29 PM ET
Michael J. Fox
Many people have concluded, from Rush Limbaugh's recent disparaging comments about Michael J. Fox and Parkinson's disease, that Limbaugh must be an utter fool. But of course that's exactly what Rush wants you to think. Does the man's capacity for manipulation know no bounds?

Limbaugh's tirade was in response to a TV ad Fox appeared in for Claire McCaskill, Missouri's Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate. (To view the spot, click here.) Fox also appeared in a similar ad for Sen. Ben Cardin, D.-Md. (To view that spot, click here.) Here is what Limbaugh said:

Now, this is Michael J. Fox. He's got Parkinson's disease. And in this commercial, he is exaggerating the effects of the disease. He is moving all around and shaking. And it's purely an act. This is the only time I have ever seen Michael J. Fox portray any of the symptoms of the disease he has. I know he's got it and he's raising money for it, but when I've seen him in public, I've never seen him betray any of the symptoms. But this commercial, he—he's just all over the place. He can barely control himself. He can control himself enough to stay in the frame of the picture, and he can control himself enough to keep his eyes right on the lens, the teleprompter. But his head and shoulders are moving all over the place, and he is acting like his disease is deteriorating because Jim Talent opposes research that would help him, Michael J. Fox, get cured.

Limbaugh later retreated to the position that Fox didn't fake the symptoms, but rather that he refrained deliberately from taking his medication, something Fox apparently did seven years ago to demonstrate the effects of the disease while testifying before Congress. It's certainly possible that Fox once again skipped or delayed taking his meds to achieve the same goal (though Fox's public response to Limbaugh suggests not; during a public appearance for yet another political candidate, Fox appeared steadier and said, "My pills are working really well right now"). The obvious retort to Limbaugh is: So what? Whether Fox takes his meds or doesn't take his meds is nobody's business but Fox's, and there would be nothing counterfeit about Fox filming an ad unmedicated. He's been known to twitch, OK?

Limbaugh's continued refusal to drop the matter as more commentators become aware of his stunningly boorish remarks has inevitably led some of these commentators to conclude that Limbaugh is mentally defective. Who but an absolute moron would attack a Parkinson's sufferer for displaying impaired muscle function?

It's a classic trap, right out of the right-wing playbook.

Ever since the resignation of Richard Nixon, a very smart man who got caught abusing his executive power, the GOP has deliberately avoided nominating conspicuously intelligent people for president. Gerald Ford was smarter than he looked, but he was unable to dispel his buffoonish image. Ronald Reagan was famously checked out and ill-informed. George H.W. Bush, though clearly smarter than Dubya, is not exactly imposing in the brains department, and he's demonstrated almost as much difficulty as his son in formulating a coherent sentence. And George W. Bush? Let's just say the guy is either mentally lazy, not very bright, or some combination of these two. I've never felt it necessary to refine that diagnosis; the term I favor is "functionally dumb."

Two things must be said about my assertions in the previous paragraph. One is that they are all unmistakably true. The other is that whenever a liberal repeats any one of them out loud, that liberal—and contemporary liberalism generally—come under attack, along with the Democratic party, the New York Times, Harvard, the AFL-CIO, the Council on Foreign Relations, the three major TV networks, and the Sierra Club. If a liberal is deciding whom to hire to answer phones and return papers neatly to a metal filing cabinet, it's considered legitimate for that liberal to formulate a judgment as to the candidates' intelligence. If a liberal is deciding whom to vote for in a presidential election, it is not. Merely to raise the issue is seen as conclusive evidence that one is snobbish and effete, and that the subject of one's skeptical inquiry is an authentic man of the people.

Nobody knows this better than Rush Limbaugh, who has said so many idiotic things on his radio show over the years that Al Franken, a famous liberal comedian/talk-radio host, walked right into the trap by penning a book titled Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot. Which of course made Limbaugh an even bigger hero to the dittohead faithful.

I'm not saying Limbaugh isn't a little bit stupid. I'll give him that. But give me a break. On the subject of Fox's Parkinson's, he's just all over the place making one asinine comment after another! He can barely control himself! But you'll notice Rush can still cut to a commercial when his engineer tells him to. I'm telling you: Limbaugh's moronic blowhard routine is purely an act. Limbaugh is exaggerating his stupidity to advance political ends, and I find that despicable.

You think Rush Limbaugh is dumb enough to lay into a person for exhibiting symptoms of a debilitating disease? Come on. Nobody's that dumb. You think Rush doesn't know that over time the medications that a person takes for Parkinson's can reduce motor control rather than increase it? Oh, please. You just have to read the papers to know that when he sets his mind to it, Limbaugh can navigate his way around the PDR very adeptly, thank you very much.

Take it from me. Rush Limbaugh wants you to think he's a dumbass, a pea-brain, an absolute yutz. It's a con job. Don't fall for it.

[RICHARD]

It's a classic trap, right out of the right-wing playbook.





A right wing trap play?

Is this football or politics? :confused:

[Husky15]

This is all I will say: I find it unbelievable that someone would accuse a person of faking such a disease. It sickens me to no end. I cannot even begin to stress how mad this makes me. I choose not to say much on this topic because I will more then likely end up writing a novel about how idiotic I think this Rush Limbaugh is. I must remind myself to have self-control.