Andrew Speaker: He’s No Mr. Popularity
As you could probably tell from the results thus far in our reader polls, Georgia lawyer Andrew Speaker — the patient with drug-resistant tuberculosis, who engaged in extensive air travel despite knowing of his condition — hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the world.
If you run a search for “Andrew Speaker” on Facebook, here’s what you get:
We don’t endorse what Andy Speaker did; but we find these anti-Andy clubs a bit over-the-top. If you’re going to join a Facebook group centered on a specific individual, why not join one that’s about celebration rather than condemnation?
Search: Andrew Speaker [Facebook]
Monica Goodling Fan Club [Facebook]
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Comments
Why don't you celebrate me?
If I was on facebook (ie. a 16 yr old girl or someone trying to meet them) I would join the "douche" club. the "death sentence" club sounds a little intense, although it appears to have more members....
Andy's situation is being used to fuel and legitimize lawyer-hatred (aka jealousy) throughout the country.
Lat's sycophantism for Monica and her GOP overseers is no longer amusing.
12:00 - you're either a troll or you REALLY need to Get A Life
12:05, why is that? why is this an either/or?
www.ralbylove.douche.com/iheartbillgates4life.
I'm guessing that the "one member" of the Monica Goodling Fan Club group is David Lat...?
Yeah, Lat was the founder. But now the group is up to four (4) members!
All I know is that I am not Bill Gates, and could not afford extended medical treatment/housing in Europe.
In addition, I know if I was diagnosed with a life threatening disease while abroad, my first instinct would be to try to get home to Ustados Unidos ASAP.
If the guy fouled up and demonstrated poor judgment in traveling (and we don’t exactly know PRECISELY what his doctors told him about how infectious he was), it is mitigated by the intense stress of just hours before told you might die.
Look, jerk heads, if you could have done it different after being told you had TB—let alone on your honeymoon—good on ya.
But do not judge unless you have walked a mile in his shoes.
okay 4:23, moron. I researched all the TB articles readily available on TB this weekend, out of (morbid) curiosity. TB Andy was diagnosed in January, based on an X-RAY of his lungs following a rib injury. He had a big ol' ball of goo in his lungs that now likely must be surgically removed, putting the entire sugical team in jeopardy (see Sanjay Gupta's reports). The CDC site, probably developed by his dumb-ass father in law, now under investigation, differentiates between "latent" and "active" TB, of any strain. ANY TIME YOU HAVE A BIG BALL OF GOO IN YOUR LUNGS ON A CHEST X-RAY, YOU HAVE ACTIVE, CONTAGIOUS TB. That is a symptom, despite that he wasn't coughing blood all over the passengers on the flight home. Accordingly, he's been exposing people to TB since he saw the X-Ray on his first diagnosis day in January. The fact that he learned it was extremely drug resistant will screwing around in Rome is irrelevant. Any strain passed to an HIV patient or chemo patient easily could kill them. I assume you are a lawyer if you bother to read this board, so go do you freaking research...he's no Jesus and very few people (sociopaths) with the knowledge of how to research their condition would (1) not bother to research it; or (2) research it and ignore the fact that they were walking around with a giant ball of goo in their lungs containing billions of contagious bacteria. One sneeze could kill any immune-compromised person near him, and he disregarded their right TO LIVE, for months. Read the articles on the CDC website and see if you really would behave like TB Andy. Wouldn't you at least read the public research articles on your TB if you were diagnosed? Would you ask your father in law - the CDC specialist who now admits to giving TB Andy "fatherly advice" about (NOT) getting on a plane -- before he left the states? Would you not wear a mask? Would you try to get treatment instead of jerking around planning a world-wide TB tour? He's a tool...for killing people.
5:35:
No doubt the vast majority agrees with your take.
But what would have been your instict if diagnosed in Europe?
I probably would have hired a private ambulence jet home, but I would have tried to get home.
I agree that if he knew about the "goo" before departure he should have stayed home in the first place.
Maybe his "finace'" did not know?
The poster by the name of “Ralbylove” is in no way associated with the individual named Ian M. Ralby, but is instead an alias created without the consent of Mr. Ralby.