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TB Patient Apologizes For Causing Scare
kfoxtv.com ^ | 06/01/07 | fixtv

Posted on 06/01/2007 7:17:20 AM PDT by TornadoAlley3

The tuberculosis patient who sparked an uproar over his decision to fly against medical advice said he's "very sorry" for the pain he has caused.

But Andrew Speaker said he didn't think he was contagious and no one ever said he would be putting people at risk.

(Excerpt) Read more at kfoxtv.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: apologizes; speaker; tbandy
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To: iceskater
What if he had ebola

What if . . .

What if he had a map of the subway system of Pittsburgh, PA in his joc%$trap?

21 posted on 06/01/2007 7:51:45 AM PDT by RightWhale (Repeal the Treaty)
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To: iceskater
And what’s up with the father-in-law who is a TB researcher at the CDC? That is a coincidence that rreeeaaaallyy bothers me.

You and Katie Couric would get along quite well.

Where did you get your degree in epidemiology that you know so much about it?

22 posted on 06/01/2007 7:57:08 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("All the measures of the law should protect property and punish plunder." --Frederic Bastiat)
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To: Volunteer
Nothing says "I'm sorry" quite like a huge settlement paid out to the people who sat on the plane near him. You know someone is going to sue.

They may, but unless any of them has significant consequences as a result of his actions, I doubt a huge settlement. The likelihood is that the worst any of them will suffer will be having to take medication for some months. However, this should not be interpreted to mean I approve of his action - I don't. Any of the lawyers here care to comment?

23 posted on 06/01/2007 8:01:30 AM PDT by retMD
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To: dragonblustar

I don’t believe that this self-centered, narcissistic twerp is “very sorry” at all for the pain he has caused. I do think he is “very sorry” about the potential consequences to himself - i.e. lawsuits and the fact that so many people think that his selfish behavior was beneath contempt.


24 posted on 06/01/2007 8:01:48 AM PDT by Sons of Union Vets
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To: dragonblustar

LOL!


25 posted on 06/01/2007 8:04:55 AM PDT by oakcon
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To: Volunteer

“This guy strikes me as a “me first, screw everyone else” type.... or at least his behavior seems that way to me.”

Says a lot about his character...his bride should be very worried.


26 posted on 06/01/2007 8:06:17 AM PDT by DonaldC
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To: ClearCase_guy
>>That’s Situational Ethics. Your daughter is sick. She will die. You can’t afford the medicine. Do you break in to the pharmacy and steal the medicine? Well, who wouldn’t??<<

And then there is the “situation” of having planned a Bridezilla dream wedding in the Greek Isles with an extended European honeymoon. The gown, the guests, the M-O-N-E-Y! The groom comes down with a virulent strain of TB.
What’s a gal to do? Answer: SCREW EVERYONE ELSE THIS IS ALL ABOUT ME! ME! ME! Can you recall another “situation” of such breathtaking selfishness? I cant.

Oh, and BTW, the happy couple took Bridezilla’s 8 yr. old daughter along for the fun. Why haven’t these people all been arrested, every last one of them? The new father-in-law knew about this, it is his field of expertise at the CDC.

I am so damn tired of DHS incompetence. The bunch of them are nothing more than a very expensive sad joke. Old people getting frisked at the airport and beating up soldiers in Las Vegas...disband that corrupt and broken black hole NOW!

27 posted on 06/01/2007 8:07:47 AM PDT by ishabibble (ALL AMERICAN INFIDEL)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
"The press is going insane over this non-story, which indicates that things are actually going quite well in these United States, despite everything they would have you believe."

The press has got to keep the story out in front while they wait for the DNC to find a way to blame it on Bush.

IMO, the piece of crap should be locked up.

28 posted on 06/01/2007 8:09:52 AM PDT by cake_crumb (May I never live to see the day America has a 'popular war'. God bless our troops.)
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To: albie
I'm wondering why if this guy was so dangerous was he not put on the no fly list until after he left the country?

Why did they only recommend that he not travel, but admit they were only doing it as a bureaucratic formality, but after he didn't follow that recommendation ban him from returning to the US?

They told him that he was no threat to others, and then tried to bar him from returning to the US where he could get appropriate medical care.

Either he was contagious and should have been banned from traveling, or he wasn't contagious and should have been allowed to return to get treatment.

It sounds like either the CDC screwed up, or some arrogant bastard at the CDC didn't like the fact that this guy didn't heed the recommendation not to travel and decided that despite his fellow doctors telling the guy he wasn't a threat, that he was going to make the guy pay.

In either case, there is no excuse for our government banning a US citizen who had committed no crime, and who was told that there was no real reason that he couldn't travel by the CDC and has it on tape.

If the CDC screwed up and shouldn't have let him travel, they should have arranged for him to pay commercial airline rates to take a military transport form Aviano Air base in Italy back to the US.

He has every right to feel that his government mislead and then abandoned him.

I sincerely hope that no one he came in contact with got TB from him, but from the sounds of things, it seems extremely unlikely that would have happened. It sounds more like some bureaucrat in the CDC pitched a fit, and now they can't back down and have to scare the crap out of anyone he might have come in contact with to cover their asses.

Why also if this guy was such a danger did we not warn Europe and Canada not to let him fly either? Or did Europe and Canada not share the belated concerns of the US CDC?

29 posted on 06/01/2007 8:14:36 AM PDT by untrained skeptic
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To: retMD
. The likelihood is that the worst any of them will suffer will be having to take medication for some months.

It's bad enough having to take Isonaizid for 6 months, but since this is an MDR strain they'll probably end up with something like 6-12 months of daily ethambutol and pyrazinamide or 6-12 months of pyrazinamide and a quinolone (i.e, levofloxacin, ofloxacin, or ciprofloxacin). Though rare, average onset for optic neuropathy with ethambutol is 3.4 months. So the risk of liver/other risks due to prophylactic treatment aren't insignificant.
30 posted on 06/01/2007 8:14:53 AM PDT by Old_Mil (Duncan Hunter in 2008! A Veteran, A Patriot, A Reagan Republican... http://www.gohunter08.com/)
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To: cake_crumb
IMO, the piece of crap should be locked up.

See Post #7

The guy is not contagious. The MSM just wants you to think he is so they can have something to shriek about, since there aren't any missing blond girls at present. They are preying on the general public's epidemiological ignorance.

31 posted on 06/01/2007 8:17:21 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum ("All the measures of the law should protect property and punish plunder." --Frederic Bastiat)
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To: TornadoAlley3

Should have known better with his education. Real jerk. http://i19.tinypic.com/677haw0.gif


32 posted on 06/01/2007 8:19:13 AM PDT by Logical me (Oh, well!!!)
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To: TornadoAlley3
I can not get over how selfish this jerk was. He is saying that doctors suggested that he not fly in the first place. Doctors usually don't say that because they feel like it. And on top of it one would think that if you were contacted in Rome about your health that you would realize what a possible risk you would cause instead of being a jerk and possibly endangering hundreds of others. If this had been super contagious the people he contaminated would have contaminated hundreds of others by now. His apology is obviously PR, the guy could care less! For more on the subject you should read what Dr. Blaylock has to say about it.
33 posted on 06/01/2007 8:27:01 AM PDT by BananaHamock
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Tuberculosis is contagious.

You and the CDC Head ought spend a few weeks close with him.
But then you get a CHOICE - the public did not.

TICKET AGENT:
Woooo-eeee. San Francisco, New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Kinshasa, Karachi, Bangkok, Peking!
That's some trip you're taking, sir, All in one week!

MR. PONYTAIL (o.s.) Business.

TICKET AGENT: (handing over the tickets) Have a good one, sir.


34 posted on 06/01/2007 8:27:37 AM PDT by Diogenesis (Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
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To: albie

Boortz is a lawyer too - and has about as much decency in him as the rest of that bunch.


35 posted on 06/01/2007 8:32:03 AM PDT by madprof98 ("moritur et ridet" - salvianus)
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To: TornadoAlley3

In the interest of accuracy, he didn’t fly back to the US. He flew back to Canada, then drove across the border where the inspector saw the flag and made an poor decision.

If the inspector hadn’t noticed the flag, or hadn’t properly queried him on primary, then I’d be really worried. Bottom line, one person on the border made the wrong call.


36 posted on 06/01/2007 8:40:17 AM PDT by Not A Snowbird (Some people are like slinkys, the idea of them tumbling down a flight of stairs makes you smile.)
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To: Old_Mil

Very true. If anyone has liver complications, optic neuropathy or quinolone-related tendon ruptures, etc. out of this, there will be a huge settlement. But apparently he had no AFB in his sputum, so I understand why they’re saying the risk is low.


37 posted on 06/01/2007 8:52:49 AM PDT by retMD
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To: ClearCase_guy

I think that you’re missing the point. He was safe to walk around here and interact with others but he goes to Europe and the CDC plays CYA. Either he wasn’t contagious or he was.


38 posted on 06/01/2007 8:53:43 AM PDT by DJ MacWoW (If you think you know what's coming next....You don't know Jack.)
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To: Sons of Union Vets

If he was so dangerous, why didn’t the CDC quarantine him to begin with instead of letting him conduct his life normally? If he was contagious in Europe, he was contagious here.


39 posted on 06/01/2007 8:57:32 AM PDT by DJ MacWoW (If you think you know what's coming next....You don't know Jack.)
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To: TornadoAlley3
But Andrew Speaker said he didn't think he was contagious and no one ever said he would be putting people at risk.

In addition to being a megalomaniacal delusional idiot, this doofus is a ******* liar!

If what he says is true, why did he "sneak" back into the United States? He knew exactly why and his actions belie his words.

I hope he gets exactly what he deserves. Let's leave it at that.

40 posted on 06/01/2007 9:00:11 AM PDT by Publius6961 (MSM: Israelis are killed by rockets; Lebanese are killed by Israelis.)
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