Posted on 09/23/2002 6:27:48 PM PDT by Mr. Morals
Edited on 05/07/2004 6:18:34 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
With secrecy still surrounding the health of U.S. Rep Patsy Mink, her Republican challenger in the general elections plans to back off the issue this week, while waiting to hear whether she plans to continue her campaign for a 13th term.
(Excerpt) Read more at the.honoluluadvertiser.com ...
Here are some good threads on the Honolulu Advertiser about Mink. I registered and post under the nick "Mink Watch".
"Waking Ned Devine" in Hawaii Politics.
Mink Coat? (My own post.)
Patsy Mink-- Does Anyone Actually Believe This?
Who will the Dems choose to replace Mink? (Again, another thread started by Yours Truly!)
Also, on Saturday, Mink defeated a political unknown in the Democrat primary with 82% of the vote.
Any more info from fellow FReepers will be warmly welcomed.
-- Mr. Morals
Is this merely a coincidence or should I put a little tin-foil hat on?
This is getting more and more interesting.
It started with chickenpox? Wow...
If anyone is interestd in the matter regarding Rep. Mink, i'd welcome you to join.
-- Mr. Morals
Sure as heck worked in Mizzou for the Widder Carnahan.
Those dearly departed loved ones and the terminally incapacitated make superb sympathy candidates!
But if she's no more right now - no one will know?
According to her bio, she's 74...almost 75. IMHO, I would call that old, but not "very" old. My father is 70, will be 71 at the end of October and I don't even consider him to be old. He plays golf every day!
From http://www.house.gov/mink/t2_bio.html:
Personal Information:
Born in Paia, Maui, Hawaii, USA (December 6, 1927)...
Married to John Francis Mink, born Jim Thorpe; hydrologist/geologist; B.A., Pennsylvania State; M.A., University of Chicago; Johns Hopkins Fellowship One daughter; Gwendolyn Rachel Mink (Wendy), professor of political science, Smith College, Mass.; B.A., University of California Berkeley; PhD, Cornell University
WOW, She was married to Jim Thorpe!!
Reports of U.S. Rep. Patsy Mink's battle against pneumonia and chicken pox emerged the beginning of September. Since then the general public has been asked to be patient. Democrats have wondered aloud if she can recover and her colleague Neil Abercrombie assures us she will make a full recovery, albeit a long one.
Recent reports, however, tell us Mink is not allowed to "move or speak." Other conflicting reports state that doctors believe that the combination of chicken pox and pneumonia striking someone of Mink's age, 74, is profoundly serious, fueling speculation that her extended stay in intensive care indicates she is in extremely critical condition. Other physicians say the fact she is still combating the illness is a good sign she is indeed recovering. Clearly, the only thing clear about Mink's actual physical condition is how unclear things really are.
In raising this issue, I mean no disrespect to Mink or her family. I have been bedside with a relative who was facing a life-threatening condition. I believe we all share an empathy for what her family must be experiencing. All you are concerned with is the recovery of your loved one.
But Mink is in a unique position. She is one of 435 congressional representatives in the country and one of two in Hawaii. She holds a seat in our legislative branch of government while we as a nation are facing some of the most dire of times we have had to confront. It is election time. There are several candidates for her congressional seat whose campaigns have been put on hold. Her constituents are being asked to cast ballots for whom they wish to represent them in Waashington and they deserve to know the accurate condition of the incumbent candidate. As of this writing one day before the primary, there are more questions than answers.
Who is controlling the information about her condition?
What are elected officials legally and morally bound to disclose about their personal health?
When should that information be reported?
If Mink is clearly facing a prolonged debilitating condition, at what point does the law speak to her ability to serve?
If, heaven forbid, Mink loses her battle to this illness, what is the procedure to insure the continuity of representation for the 2nd district?
Does the sitting governor make an appointment or is there a special election? (I know the answer to this one - special election)
I have waited, along with many others, for definitive information about Mink's ilness and precise condition. It has not been forthcoming. I believe the constituents' right to know should be considereed as much as the family's right to privacy. Why? Because Mink is a duly elected official and she has a duty to be forthright about such sensitive, yet relevant issues. Nobody is clamoring for the minutiae of Mink's health status. However, a statement from her physician about her present condition and a realistic, qualifiable prognosis is in the public's interest.
Perhaps Mink is going to be just fine and all the talk about her deteriorating health will prove to be pure speculation. That would be good news. In the meantime, would somebody please tell us exactly what is going on?
She *is* a Democrat, isn't she?
BRING OUT YOUR DEAD!!
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