LIVING WITH MCL

Now that John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio and a host of other Republican leaders are beating the drum to return the US war machine to Iraq, I think it is worthwhile pointing out one little known fact. .......we [the United States] spend more in six months in Iraq ($54 billion) than we spent in 30 years on the National Cancer Institute, which funds most cancer research. Today, only two in 10 grant proposals from qualified researchers are funded by the NCI, which means that plenty of possible cures die for lack of funding. That quote was made over 6 years ago by Hamilton Jordan shortly before he died of cancer in 2008, in an interview with Johnathan Alter . I only bring this up because I find it reassuring to know there are still members of Congress who won't rest on their laurels, nor compromise their principles one iota. They still place a higher priority on taking lives, than they do on saving them. Just my opinion of course.

Browsing through the Mantle Cell Lymphoma message board today, something I still do on a mostly daily basis, I was directed to this article in Newsweek magazine , by Jonathan Alter , an award winning columnist, frequent TV analyst, and a Mantle Cell Lymphoma survivor. In the article, Alter talks about the relationship between Ted Kennedy, and his bout with cancer, and that of Hamilton Jordan , who recently died of cancer, and the goings on in congress today.   It's a short article and worth reading, but of particular note, was something Hamilton Jordan said to Jonathan Alter, that I think really puts the whole cancer funding, and health care issues in perspective. ...we [the United States] spend more in six months in Iraq ($54 billion) than we've spent in 30 years on the National Cancer Institute, which funds most cancer research. Today, only two in 10 grant proposals from qualified researchers are funded by the NCI, which means that plenty of possible cures die for lack...