1.Marissa says:
May 17th, 2005 at 7:10 am
So, it WASN’T Cancer. Imagine all the people who could have saved money to pay their bills this month if Andy had just done like everyone else in Washington: get the surgery in a timely fashion (MARCH would have been a good time for a painful ailment) and then let the Wash hospital let him and his mate work and pay off the bills just like everyone else. Just like everyone else. “Andy is gonna die!!
He’s gonna die! He’s gonna die! How can people be SO CRUEL as to QUESTION if there is some documentation of a cancer diagnosis? You must hate America!!! Cause Andy is gonna die!” Will, you got played big time. Wasn’t Andy’s biopsy done in February? Did you EVER see any proof? (How could you, the tumor was benign?).
I can see everyone on DU just being grateful that it is not cancer. That IS a good thing. But Andy and all of the money collectors NEVER corrected the general belief that Andy had cancer. Not even Andy in YOUR initial thread saying Andy had pancreatic cancer! Not even when people speculated about how difficult RADIATION would be for Andy. Not even a simple: Oh, there will be no radiation.
This despicable travesty of USING people and misleading people to soak them for a ton of money needs to be remedied not ignored, Will. I believe you were taken. I do. But your credibility was used to gain the confidence of god knows how many people. And for THAT, you need to publicly find a way to determine exactly how much money was collected. And that means paypal and amazon account statements (personal info redacted of course). All the naysayers who got banned from DU…and got flamed on other boards where this scam took place…were correct in their suspicions. And our second question is: How much friggin money was collected. NO ONE KNOWS… except the owner of the paypal and amazon accounts, and that’s the same person who allowed everyone to say it was CANCER. Put up, Will, or just bow out of the public activist scene.
ADMISSION, finally, on DU:
bettyellen Donating member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author’s profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Tue May-17-05 08:05 AM Response to Reply #29 30. yes, pain, and no i don’t think he’s on any meds. and that’s it for now.
i’m sorry, when i was with him, we really tried to focus on other things. again as i said, he reads these things, and i think this really is not helping him right now. since most of the correct info was searchable. and it’s just getting intrusive and worse, tactless. the negative stuff here is hurtful and inaccurate and worse, always spreads likfe fire. i’ll suggest you do a search and try to get up to speed before posting a brand new thread. and keep in mind he reads this. fyi: it is a tumour on the duct, not the pancreas themselves. it looks to not have spread at all. it is not pancreatic cancer as others have posted, but if it was not caught early enough, it would have certainly spread there. so you can do some searches on that, keeping in mind, he has the best surgeon at JH.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3667896&mesg_id=3671011
2.Lauri says:
May 17th, 2005 at 7:25 am
Will, you may not be complicit in this tale, but with every hour that you do not admit this is a scam, the noose is tightening on your own neck.
Andy bipassed excellent medical coverage in Seattle in order to make a point about health care - that much is truly evident. His message, however wrongheaded and pathetic it is, has been drowned out by the simple fact that the whole thing was a set up.
Please ask Andy, since he is a friend of yours, to give us the diagnosis of his condition. He has stated that the surgery he needs is for pancreatic cancer, as have you.
But now its a tumor on the duct - which is new info for most of us. Which is it?
3. Marissa says:
May 17th, 2005 at 7:37 am
Lauri, It’s clear that Andy had a biopsy of the tumor done. We now know that it was benign. There isn’t anything for Will to sort out EXCEPT “how much money was collected?” Actual paypal and amazon account statements will suffice. Money Orders and checks?
Won’t ever expect to learn how much was raised with them.
4. Lauren says:
May 17th, 2005 at 9:16 am
I’m sorry, but if there was fundraising for a person who says he has cancer, then it turns out that he never had that diagnosis, isn’t that fraudulent and a crime?
I am not a lawyer, so I don’t know.
Will, my biggest fear is that the authorities will be involved, and I hate to see you caught up in it. I love your essays and your writing style is just beautiful; I would hate to see anything happen.
5. Anonymous says:
May 17th, 2005 at 9:30 am
God damnit! I’m physically disabled, can barely walk, and living off my $700 a month SSD payments. I chose to give Andy Stephenson $250 and now I learn he never had fucking cancer? This is fucking bullshit!
6. TheMotz says:
May 17th, 2005 at 10:00 am
To the tune of “The Candy Man”….
“The AndyScam”
Who can make some dough-rise?
All he needs is you
Blinded by your hatred and
Your lack of judgement too
The AndyScam
The AndyScam can
The AndyScam can
Cause a tumor could be cancer
If the money’s good
(If the money’s good)
Who can take compassion?
Wrap it in a lie
Those checks were not deposited
But don’t you wonder why
The AndyScam
The AndyScam can
The AndyScam can
Cause a tumor could be cancer
If the money’s good
(If the money’s good)
The AndyScam makes the schemes he bakes
Appear on the up-and-uppy
Don’t listen to that Freeper yuppie
Here’s a pic of my new puppy!
So, we’ll be here tomorrow
Who could miss the scene?
Monitor the sorrow
And watch the DUmmies scream
The AndyScam
The Andyscam can
The AndyScam can
Cause a tumor could be cancer
If the money’s good
(If the money’s good)
The AndyScam can
Cause a tumor could be cancer
If the money’s good
(If the money’s good)
7. Lauri says:
May 17th, 2005 at 10:22 am
Marissa,
I agree.. the money trail is the bottom line now. How much went in, how much came out. How much is still left. Those need answering.
As for the person up above who sent Andy 250 bucks? Please make sure they get their money back!
8. DU member says:
May 17th, 2005 at 10:43 am
Will,
I regular reader of your column and at DU who wishes NOT to be banned for posting incorrect comments. So I’ll say what I have to say here.
THANK YOU! Thank you for asking some tough question at DU concerning this unfortunate incident and I hope you get to the bottom of what’s happening here.
9. JMK says:
May 17th, 2005 at 10:45 am
The DU got OWNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!
10. Abby says:
May 17th, 2005 at 8:12 pm
Will, based on YOUR CREDIBILITY I donated. Now the DU is saying he doesn’t have cancer? I don’t wish cancer on him, but I gave money I couldn’t afford because YOU SAID HE HAD CANCER. YOUR NAME, Will. PLEASE comment — what’s going on?
11. Marissa says:
May 17th, 2005 at 11:04 pm
You have my respect, William Rivers Pitt. I saw your question post on DU, and, as an upstanding man, you questioned the veracity at the exact moment that it became apparent that one should do so. Kudos for that, Will. Kudos. It’s a shame that the same calibre that you exude and own was used for this. I am looking around.. and I don’t see Andy out defending anything. And that says quite a lot. This is a lesson learned for all of us. We can’t do the DEAN BAT approach to bringing money in for anything other than a legitimate org or TRUST ACCOUNT… with lots of documentary proof.
Take it easy. You really redeemed yourself today. Big time. Jeeze, $50K. I think of those posts from people who chose to let their utility bills go. And that guy who got his employer to allow a bid on a week in Fla. And KarlSchneider INSURING donations for $20… and I just CRINGE.
Peace, Dude.
12. Marissa says:
May 17th, 2005 at 11:06 pm
Oh yeah, I practically wept when I read about that activist who has colon cancer. That really brought it all down to earth!! Blessings to him!
13. Steve says:
May 18th, 2005 at 11:54 am
As the DUmps love to say, Will, “What a moran!” Cancer indeed!
14. JoJo666 says:
May 18th, 2005 at 1:06 pm
testing
15. JoJo666 says:
May 18th, 2005 at 1:13 pm
Hi Will. Sorry you are going through this, it must be heartbreaking. I’m not sure Skinner is handling this situation well at all… in fact I’d say I’m really dissapointed in his judgement and how to handle this matter. Him saying that he’ll wait until May 26 and Andy’s scheduled surgery before he can get his ‘proof’… In the meantime there could be as many as 125 sites still asking for donations… They should all be made aware of this snag before everyone involved gets mired even deeper into this monstrous mess. But how can this be done - pull the requests, and with what explanation? Continue the fundraising under information that could be false?
Andy and his fundcrew should get a swift kick in the ass as well for handling this like they have. “”Oooo, I can vouch for Andy, I had Dinner With Him Once.” sheeeeesh.
16. Harhar says:
May 18th, 2005 at 3:23 pm
I can’t believe how easy it is to scam leftwingers out of cash.. Hell, this PDA crap is another scam, but just a little less devious because they aren’t actually claiming to be able to do anything with any money they get.
This place is similar to Bev Harris scam. Andy’s one of the most blatant I’ve ever seen however.
17. andy says:
May 18th, 2005 at 9:29 pm
When you Stand Up Next to a Mountain, be prepared for a mudlside when the storms come.
18. JoJo666 says:
May 19th, 2005 at 8:22 am
Hey, Will… (said in my best conspiratorial paranoical voice)… If this fiasco can bring DU down (which I really think Can be the case)… who would benefit most? Just looking at the huge picture here. DU has been a burr in the neocon saddles since the get go and it seems to be the season for bringing down dissenters or those who will not be stenographers for the WH…. Newsweek, Dan Rather, etc.
nah…….