The night before last, while eating dinner with my family in Barone’s Restaurant in the Valley, I felt acute pains in my chest and stomach. At first I thought it was too much pizza, but it soon felt like more than a case of heartburn. On the advice of my doctor, I headed over to Cedars-Sinai Emergency, trying to tell myself I wasn’t having a heart attack. I wasn’t.
I had gallstones. I am now sitting in the hospital, waiting to have my gall bladder taken out — a relatively routine operation. See y’all next week, when I’ll do some stoneblogging, hopefully with jokes.
(Posted for Roger by Charles.)
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212 Comments
1. Skookumchuk:Take it easy. We were worried. You don’t post for 24 hours or so and the fan base starts getting antsy.
Feb 11, 2005 - 9:56 am 2. petrie:yes; worry worry…get well.
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:05 am 3. Bostonian:I *thought* it was quieter than usual. Get well.
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:12 am 4. Charlie (Colorado):Remember what we always said at the medical school about stones: “This, too, shall pass.” Except, I guess in this case, it didn’t.
Having your gallbladder out is an excellent excuse for eating more sushi, though.
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:15 am 5. Michael Babbitt:Roger, Was wondering if you had fallen ill as you have been diligent in your posting, which I check several times a day. You’re like a family member. Take care. Hope you get well quickly.
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:16 am 6. Scott B:Get Well!!
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:17 am 7. lawhawk:Get well soon Roger. We look forward to more of your pithy and hard-hitting comments.
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:17 am 8. Anthony (Los Angeles):Rest well. Maybe you should bring a guest blogger in for the meantime, such as your snarky editor? (What’s that supposed to mean? –ed. Oh, nothing.)
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:20 am 9. SmallishBees:Roger, get well soon!
Oh, and we’ll want to hear the details of your operation. No stonewalling!
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:22 am 10. Percy Dovetonsils:Best wishes, Roger!
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:28 am 11. Stankleberry:I wonder if it’s worse to pee the stones out or have an operation to have them all removed. I’d rather get the operation.
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:32 am 12. Fausta:Wishing you good luck, and a quick recovery!
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:33 am 13. jrsygrl:Delurking to wish you a speedy recovery!!
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:36 am 14. WichitaBoy:Yikes! Glad to hear it’s nothing more serious. Get well soon.
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:42 am 15. Knucklehead:And all this time I thought Roger’s commendable absence of bile was a personality thing – now I find out he’s got some stones.
Best wishes for a rapid recovery! Guess we can’t pin this on the French, heh?
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:43 am 16. JBR:Roger: I hope that your time being ill is as brief as John Kerry’s Presidency.
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:56 am 17. Stan:Roger,
Add me to the list of well wishers. You never appreciate something/someone as much as when it/they is/are absent – we miss you, Roger, goodhealth and speedy recovery.
Stanley
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:57 am 18. chuck:I was getting worried. Best wishes and may you have a speedy recovery. Can we blame France2?
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:05 am 19. Franco Aleman (Barcelona, Spain):Roger, best wishes and get well soon. If you need, I can send over some Rioja or Priorat red wine to speed it up!
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:06 am 20. mongai:Get well!
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:09 am 21. Joe Schmoe:Roger-
Get well soon!
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:09 am 22. Richard Nieporent:Roger,
Here’s hoping that you have a speedy recovery. And don’t worry, your faithful readers have more than enough bile for you to use on the MSM, French, Islamic terrorists, democrats, etc.
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:12 am 23. Sandy P:Push the envelope, Roger, local anesthetic and blog it w/a vidcam!
YEEEAAARRGGGHHHH!!!!
Feel better soon.
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:18 am 24. jerry:Roger:
Get well soon.
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:31 am 25. TmjUtah:Roger, you have my very best wishes for a surprise-less surgery and speedy recovery. Good luck to you, sir.
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:39 am 26. Tassled Loafered Leech:Get better. I don’t think I can stand losing you ans Sullivan from my daily reading.
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:40 am 27. Terrye:I wondered about you. This kind of surgery is routine and much easier to tolerate than the old gall bladder surgery..but then no surgery is routine for the guy having it.
Take care.
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:44 am 28. bigger:Take notes! Somewhere in your experience to come is the kernel of a story with passion, conflict, excitement, and a boffo box office!
And keep the stones (I will avoid the inevitable rock pun.)
Rest up and get well. You’re already missed.
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:46 am 29. Matt Evans:Just remember, morphine prescibed by a doctor is goooood.
Best wishes !
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:48 am 30. Becky Swann:Hm, by noon Thursday I was getting suspicious that you must be ill. My midnight I was sure, but I was also jonesin’ for my Simon fix. Get well soon.
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:54 am 31. lindenen:“This kind of surgery is routine and much easier to tolerate than the old gall bladder surgery..but then no surgery is routine for the guy having it.”
My father had the old school surgery back in the 80s and till this day he looks like he was attacked by machete-weilding surgeons on his abdomen. The modern day techniques are an incredible improvement and far less invasive.
Good luck and get well!
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:58 am 32. Patrick Tyson:Godspeed.
Feb 11, 2005 - 12:01 pm 33. yadid:Roger,
I hope this treatment will not affect you converted political spirit….
Enjoy and speedy recovery…
Yossi
Feb 11, 2005 - 12:05 pm 34. ms anne:dear roger:
such surgery is mere prelude to the main event: the morphine drip. i kept saying, “why didn’t anyone tell me how wonderful this is? i want to wear one on my belt all day.” push those buttons, keep ahead of the pain, and hurry back to us. our community is the bright spot of the web for me.
Feb 11, 2005 - 12:05 pm 35. Hovig:Sincere best wishes. Your blog makes the Internet a better place. And many happy returns. But take it easy for now. We won’t leave.
Feb 11, 2005 - 12:25 pm 36. quieti:I was just remembering this morning that my own gallbladder removal was just about a year ago. As a cholecystectomy veteran, I can assure you that it’s practically miraculous. I wasn’t even overnight in the hospital when I got mine out.
It may take a few months for your body to adjust, and in that time you find that certain things you liked to eat give you stomach aches. Eventually that goes away, or if it doesn’t, there are enzyme-type supplements that you can take.
The worst of it for me is that I’m still having a hard time with alcohol. More than one or two sips of wine and I just don’t feel well, although recently it has been better. It seems like tolerance for that is just a bit slower to return.
I wish a speedy and complete recovery for you!
Feb 11, 2005 - 12:26 pm 37. rod:get better soon, you’ve got meetings to take!
best wishes,
Roddy
Feb 11, 2005 - 12:27 pm 38. utron:Missed your comments, Roger, and here’s wishing you a routine operation and a speedy recovery. BTW, last time I had surgery I got Demerol instead of a morphine drip, and if you get a choice I’d recommend the Demerol.
Get well soon.
Feb 11, 2005 - 12:29 pm 39. William Rice:You are in my prayers. I appreciate your humor “Romancing the Stone” even in time of trouble. We look forward to your return.
Feb 11, 2005 - 12:33 pm 40. charlotte:Can’t keep a good man down for long. Please feel better soon! (Coincidentally, I was going to order a couple of your books today for a birthday and get-well. Don’t suppose we should send you one of your own?)
Feb 11, 2005 - 12:33 pm 41. Katherine:Best wishes, Roger.
Get well soon.
Feb 11, 2005 - 12:51 pm 42. notthisgirl:Feel better! Glad it wasn’t more serious …
Feb 11, 2005 - 12:59 pm 43. ema:Speedy recovery, and save the stones
.
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:00 pm 44. PC14:You recovered from being a Democrat, this will be much easier.
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:05 pm 45. Charlie (Colorado):… last time I had surgery I got Demerol instead of a morphine drip, and if you get a choice I’d recommend the Demerol.
Mmmmmm, Demerol.
Morphine sulphate is not to be sneered at, however.
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:08 pm 46. socalgal:Roger,
I was genuinely very worried about you when we didn’t hear from you all day.
As a cholecystectomy veteran myself, who had the “old school” open thoracic surgery, I can assure everyone that even that surgery was better than the stone pain (and to Stankleberry – you don’t “pee out” gallstones, those are kidney stones) several people I know who have had the “new and improved” technique tell me that it’s a piece o’ cake – I hope it is for you as well. I have known at least one person who had the above-mentioned gastric troubles afterward, but I don’t remember having any such problem at the time, and can assure you that some 18 or so years on down the line I suffer absolutely no effects except for the six inch scar, which you will, fortunately, be spared. Get well soon – best wishes! Your presence is sorely missed.
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:13 pm 47. Mannning:This too will pass.
Get well soon!
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:18 pm 48. Pat Curley:“Guess we can’t pin this on the French, heh?”
Only if he’d had Gaul stones.
Get well soon, Rog!
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:22 pm 49. Homer:Take it easy Roger. We’ll still be here.
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:27 pm 50. goldsmith:Roger,
Best wishes on a speedy and thorough recovery.
And don’t forget that that greatest of all early journal-keepers, Samuel Pepys, had the very same operation (there is some dispute if it was a kidney or gall stone but for now let’s choose the latter), at nearly the same time of year (his operation was on March 26, 1658). Comfort yourself with thoughts of the vast progress of science and medicine since that time. Pepys was so happy to have survived and relieved of his pain that he made the day of his surgery an annual “festival”:
I trust you will also follow Pepys’ example when deciding what to do with the stone once it is removed:
He did find a case maker for the stone and was pleased with the results, though he did complain about the 24 shilling price tag on his little reliquary.
In any event, I though you might enjoy the anecdote.
Godspeed and come back soon.
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:32 pm 51. Mister Ghost:I predict Roger will be back in action before
Kobe. Happy Recovery from a Celtics fan!
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:33 pm 52. Barry Dauphin:Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:34 pm 53. PeterUK:Best Wishes Roger,
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:47 pm 54. scaramouoche:Don’t worry, Roger. Even if they remove your gall bladder, I’m sure you’ll still have plenty of gall. And that’s what makes you so enjoyable to read.
Take it easy and get well a.s.a.p.
-scaramouche
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:53 pm 55. PeterArgus:Seems like there are no stones left unturned here as far as puns go so I will just wish you well!
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:54 pm 56. Charlie (Colorado):Only if he’d had Gaul stones.
Oh my gawd.
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:57 pm 57. mudmarine:Best Wishes and a speedy recovery Roger.
Feb 11, 2005 - 1:58 pm 58. Brian:Get well, get well soon, we want you to get well….
yadid: I hope this treatment will not affect you converted political spirit….
Now that would be pretty funny – a man whose journey toward political conservatism was brought about by a bad case of gallstones. That’s your story idea right there! Although these days dyspepsia seems to send its victims ever leftward.
Hurry back Roger.
Feb 11, 2005 - 2:05 pm 59. Allah:Get well soon, RLS.
Feb 11, 2005 - 2:10 pm 60. Cara Remal:Roger,
Hope you’re feeling better soon!
Feb 11, 2005 - 2:18 pm 61. Lola:Best of luck! And my hubby and I’d like to meet you if you ever come out here (or if we decide to come out to Los Angeles and need a break from the nutty relatives) . . .
Feb 11, 2005 - 2:25 pm 62. Won Dampchin:Been there … had ‘em both … believe me, what you have beats the heart thing by a mile! Get well quickly, watch your diet in the beginning, and don’t worry (your production of bile won’t be impeded in the least, so your writing won’t suffer at all). (;^)
Feb 11, 2005 - 2:25 pm 63. Cap'n Billy:Congrats on it not being a heart attack, Roger. Going under the knife for any reason is not a small thing, but far better for that reason than the ever-popular bypass surgery.
Let me take this opportunity to recount a little medical adventure of my own, information which may be useful to some. I, having reached the age of 70 without serious health problems and being in excellent shape due to the past 20 years of good nutrition and exercise (I won’t discuss the previous 50), was persuaded to take a “cheap and easy” ($99) CT scan by my loved ones, although I showed no symptoms of heart problems. My blood pressure, pulse, etc., have always been well within normal limits, and my daily 1 hr., 4 mile fitness walks have never resulted in undue fatigue. Nevertheless, the CT scan showed a calcification level of 803, twice the level considered to be significant calcification. A subsequent interview with my doc indicated that one artery may be affected, and he scheduled a nuclear stress test. This is a test where they inject some sort of radioactive fluid into your system, take a comprehensive scan, get on a treadmill to get your heart rate up and take another scan. Result–everything clear and no problems detected. I have subsequently learned that many, if not most, of the CT scans deliver false positives. I tell this long story for your information, and to indicate the value of “cheap and easy” tests. Use your own judgment as to what you want to do with it.
Feb 11, 2005 - 2:35 pm 64. VietPundit:Get well soon Roger. Best wishes.
Feb 11, 2005 - 3:13 pm 65. Lefty:G-d Speed!
Feb 11, 2005 - 3:27 pm 66. jack risko:Feel better soon. All the best, Jack Risko
Feb 11, 2005 - 3:33 pm 67. Old Grouch:Yikes… take care and be well.
Feb 11, 2005 - 3:52 pm 68. Maggie:Now Roger, all kindsa bloggers have pulled all kindsa stunts to get hits and up their comments…BUT THIS IS A FIRST!
GALLSTONES!
We are here…we are reading…we might not always be commenting…but we are here!
NO NEED TO TAKE SUCH DRASTIC ACTIONS IN THE FUTURE!!!!!
Recover quickly, stay well, and NO MORE DRAMATICAL MEDICAL EMERGENCIES!!
My heart just can’t take it! We wait it silence
(it’s a majority American tradition) for your return to us!
MAKE IT SOON!!!!!!!!!
Feb 11, 2005 - 3:53 pm 69. Retread:Good luck with the surgery and all the best for a speedy recovery.
I know some of you people are old enough to remember the days of Steve Allen doing the Tonight Show, but do you remember he had a jar on the desk labeled Unmittigated Gall?
And I think we can figure out how this is the fault of the French if we work on that Gaul stone angle a bit.
Feb 11, 2005 - 4:14 pm 70. nikita:Well those stones have some gall (sorry couldn’t resist)
Feel better soon!
Feb 11, 2005 - 4:18 pm 71. JenLArt:Roger, may God be with you and your surgeons!
Do feel better soon and come on back to us–your country needs you and I miss you!
Feb 11, 2005 - 4:32 pm 72. Occam's Beard:Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Roger.
I suspect French food…
Feb 11, 2005 - 4:39 pm 73. Maggie:Roger, so sorry, but happy it’s not something very serious. Of course all surgery is serious, but you know what I mean.
And thanks to Charles for posting this and letting us know. I got all nervous too when I didn’t see anything from you. Sending healing light and prayers your way.
Feb 11, 2005 - 4:54 pm 74. PeterUK:Roger Eason has just given you a reason to be cheerful,http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050211/ap_en_tv/tv_cnn_jordan_2 he has resigned!
Feb 11, 2005 - 4:59 pm 75. charlotte:Re Eason: Did your doctors accidentally remove the wrong source of bile, Roger?
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:00 pm 76. Macker:May God watch over you, Roger. And will they let you take the stones home so you can blog about ‘em? (snicker)
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:11 pm 77. Yehudit:Get well soon, Roger! I’m glad it wasn’t your heart.
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:19 pm 78. richard mcenroe:Can you be a Bush supporter without gall?
Personally, I blame the perfidious French! They were afraid of the truth of your words so they took you out before you could reach the micrphone…
Meanwhile to keep the thread going till Roger gets back..,
Eason Jordan has resigned!
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:20 pm 79. ganzo azul:On Friday, Charles Johnson and I will be interviewed together by French Channel 2
Will your doctors allow you to be interviewed while medicated? Even if you were a bit loopy, I trust you could hammer away at the truth on the al-Dura tape.
Get well soon!
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:23 pm 80. Pearl:Like everyone else, I was worried.
Get well soon. My day isn’t complete without your input.
Pearl
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:29 pm 81. Connecticut Yankee:Hi Roger– Hope you come out of this with good health and a neat plot twist for your next Moses Wine novel!
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:29 pm 82. David Thomson:Eason Jordan has quit and Roger Simon is goofing off! Hey, itís time to celebrate. Who told him to get sick? This is truly scandalous. Oh well, letís hope he returns soon. Can one drink champagne if they are recuperating from gall stones? How about grape juice?
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:31 pm 83. dougf:Whoa !!
Under the circumstances I guess just having the gall-bladder removed is a good thing.
Hope everything goes perfectly and that you feel up to blogging again soon.
Take care,and very best wishes for a FAST recovery.
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:32 pm 84. richard mcenroe:And it gets even better…
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:35 pm 85. Rick Ballard:Very best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Van Der Leun is seeking recipes for your hat. I suggest that he soak it in Old Crow.
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:41 pm 86. cheryl5000:Roger -
I have a funny story about the aftermath of this surgery.
I had my gallbladder removed on 1/14/94 – we live in Glendale, California. It was an outpatient thing – it went pretty smoothly – I was a little sick afterward, but nothing major. Went home that night.
On 1/17/94 was the Northridge earthquake. I had been moaning and trying to get sympathy from my husband for the previous two days – he was waiting on me hand and foot and getting annoyed – and to be perfectly honest except for some shoulder pain the day after from the gas they inflate you with I was feeling better every hour.
Anyway, when the earthquake struck at 4:15 AM I was out the door like a shot – no holding my side or moaning. When my husband joined me on the front lawn he pointed at me and we both started laughing – I was fine and I went back to word two days later.
We still laugh about how fast I got out of bed that morning, only 2 days after the surgery.
You’ll be fine – they even give you a tape of it all.
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:43 pm 87. richard mcenroe:I have a feeling that whole France 2 thing was a set-up. Even though Roger didn’t make the interview, I found the following posted on their website:
“Bon jour! Ajourd-hui, sur “Dhimmi, c’est Bon”, nous avons l’Americain Charles Johnson, premier du les chemises brun digital, dans les mots juste d’Al Gore, et le juif perfide Roger L. Simon, vraiment un nouveau Dreyfus pour cet ‚ge moderne…”
[texte aprÈs]
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:43 pm 88. Retread:The Jordan news ought to cheer up your recovery.
And maybe he could use your stones…
Feb 11, 2005 - 5:57 pm 89. WichitaBoy:Ding dong Eason Jordan is gone!!
Congratulations to Roger and all the Rogerites on a job well done.
[DtP: let's get with the program and get rid of little Wardie, shall we??]
Feb 11, 2005 - 6:01 pm 90. Gabriel Gonzalez:Roger
I sincerely wish you a swift recovery and we all hope that your absence will be brief.
Gabriel
Feb 11, 2005 - 6:11 pm 91. JBR:Richard McEnroe: Your France 2 post was one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.
Feb 11, 2005 - 6:12 pm 92. PJ:Hey, Roger, get well soon!
Feb 11, 2005 - 6:17 pm 93. Cybrludite:Get well soon, Roger!
Feb 11, 2005 - 6:19 pm 94. DennisThePeasant:Get well soon.
Feb 11, 2005 - 6:19 pm 95. Morgan:I’m glad to see I’m not the only one who worried about Roger’s not posting.
Get well soon, sir. In the meantime, we’ll just continue to amuse ourselves with puns on the words gall and bile.
Feb 11, 2005 - 6:26 pm 96. wayne:God bless and get well soon. Glad you quickly went to the doctor.
Feb 11, 2005 - 6:26 pm 97. Steven Smith:I too have eaten the square pizza. I feel your pain. Best wishes.
Feb 11, 2005 - 6:58 pm 98. Major John:Sir,
I was a bit alarmed when I heard that you were having your stones removed…but then I saw it wasn’t what I feared, heh heh. Hurry back and give us some good Recovery Blogging.
Feb 11, 2005 - 6:59 pm 99. Eric Deamer:God. That sounds awful, but so glad it wasn’t your heart. Have a speedy recovery!
Feb 11, 2005 - 7:00 pm 100. richard mcenroe:Mr. Ghost ó And I bet Roger will hit better from the outside, too.
JBR ó Thanks. Just trying to keep the media on the message. These days, they need the help…
Feb 11, 2005 - 7:02 pm 101. Lem:You have some gall.
Quit stonewalling and give us a post.
Get well soon Roger.
Feb 11, 2005 - 7:08 pm 102. kynna:I had this proceedure in 2001. I was amazed at how quickly I recovered. The gas bubbles inside are the main source of post-op pain.
You’ll be on your feet in no time. In fact you’re probably already on your feet.
Be happy you got this problem now instead of in the 80’s like my mom. In the old days you’d have to go through an upper GI exam (disgusting), and spend at least a week in the hospital. Then you’d go home with a huge belly scar and weeks of recuperation.
You live in the future! Be happy!
Feb 11, 2005 - 7:16 pm 103. kbdabear:Roger,
Get well soon!
With the rain we’re having here in Los Angeles, don’t you think Charles or Cathy will get cabin fever and bug you on the cell phone for some commentary?
You’re one of the must reads of the sphere. With Andrew jetting off to Europe, when he wants to find out what happened to his readers, this is the first place he should look.
Feb 11, 2005 - 7:20 pm 104. Peg C.:Best wishes, Roger! A teammate at work experienced the same thing 1-1/2 yrs. ago, had it out, and after a brief recuperation, was better than ever. She has not had to curtail her diet at all. It’s a breeze these days.
Feb 11, 2005 - 7:44 pm 105. richard mcenroe:It’s not like we don’t have plenty to keep us busy in the meantime.
Anyway, we gotta keep Roger’s hits up for his blogads rates, so pitch in, guys!
Feb 11, 2005 - 8:02 pm 106. Cecil Turner:Roger,
Take care of yourself and get well soon. Best wishes.
Feb 11, 2005 - 8:05 pm 107. richard mcenroe:Save those gallstones, Roger!
In Milwaukee, they can register to vote…
Feb 11, 2005 - 8:31 pm 108. vexedTXn:I concur, it’s “a relatively routine operation,” which is of course not to be confused with “minor surgery.” A malpractice defense attorney told me once, speaking from experience, “There is no such thing as minor surgery, only minor surgeons.” No doubt you have chosen the best. A friend of mine had the same surgery a year or so ago and breezed through, as I’m sure you will. Warmest wishes for a speedy recovery and a timely return to your much-appreciated blogging. Oh, by the way, I have discovered your mystery novels and am enjoying them hugely.
Feb 11, 2005 - 8:36 pm 109. Kyda Sylvester:You had us worried, my friend. Speedy recovery. We’ll keep a light in the window.
Feb 11, 2005 - 8:48 pm 110. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):Roger,
Been there, done that. Best wishes.
The worst thing about the laparoscopic surgery is that you feel good so soon it is easy to overtire yourself. That means you have little excuse not to immediately blog again
The best, of course, is the morphine. In my case, my hospital stay was 23 hours, and then home with a bottle of morphine pills. Good stuff. Felt no pain.
John
Feb 11, 2005 - 9:06 pm 111. Scott S.:Dear Roger,
Here is wishing you a comfortable and speedy recovery. First Andrew, and now you…anymore and I’ll start thinking conspiracy or something.
Feb 11, 2005 - 9:15 pm 112. richard mcenroe:John Moore ó Oh, man, giving a 60’s survivor a jar of opiates. I hadn’t thought of that… Expect to see a lot of threads entitled “Inna Gadda Davida Redux…”
Feb 11, 2005 - 9:24 pm 113. Mark Poling:Roger, get well soon. Someday I want to do shots of Old Crow with you.
Feb 11, 2005 - 9:39 pm 114. Right Brain:Yes, it is now but a routine operation, still get well soon, we shall miss your sharp wit until you are.
Feb 11, 2005 - 9:43 pm 115. Clay Ranck:Wishing you a speedy recovery…Get well soon, Roger!
Feb 11, 2005 - 9:46 pm 116. Kieran Lyons:Best wishes and my family’s prayers are with you. My neighbor had the same surgery two weeks ago, and recovered so quickly he found himself itching for something to do and his employer wouldn’t let him come back early.
He wound up coming over to my place and felling 2 giant dead trees that I havn’t had time to get to, and he cut both into rounds.
I hope you recover with the same alacrity.
Peace and comfort to your wife and daughter, as well. Worrying about a sick loved one can be worse than the illness itself.
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:03 pm 117. Charlie (Colorado):The best, of course, is the morphine. In my case, my hospital stay was 23 hours, and then home with a bottle of morphine pills. Good stuff. Felt no pain.
Don’t do it, Roger. Make them give you the drip. Oral MS goes right to the liver and gets metabolized, it’s just not the same.
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:16 pm 118. JohninLondon:Roger
I had the keyhole surgery for gall-bladder removal two years ago, age 62. Just day surgery – I arrived at 8am, was on the table by 9 and awake again by noon. Very little pain, was taken home at 5pm for a few days’ convalescence. The old-style operation was very invasive, the new style is a doddle.
Since then, no problems. The great risk with gall stones is that they can pass into the pancreas – if they block the pancreatic duct, pancreatitis ensues, and that can be a killer.
So – good luck, take a rest, and thanks for your posts.
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:33 pm 119. shakespeare_101:Roger!
Get well soon!
God Bless!
Matt
Feb 11, 2005 - 10:44 pm 120. Ron Wrght:Roger
Bummer I wouldn’t wish that on my enemies.
Drove myself to the ER. However since I wasn’t having a heart attack or other serious problem I got to sit in the ER waiting room for several hours.
Talk about being painful. It hurt worse that the time a when I broke my leg skiing.
My gallbladder and I parted ways two years ago.
Get well soon Roger.
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:14 pm 121. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):Charlie,
What’s the drip? A morphine pump? An IV you take home with you?
I lost my stones… err… had my gallbladder out in 1995. They offered not choice but the bottle of pills. This ’60s survivor took them all, even though I would love to have some around in case of painful injury. I was once in DC and slipped getting into a cab at midnight, crushing my thumb (multiple small fractures). I didn’t want to go to an ER that night and miss the Aerospace Museum the next day. A few strong pain killers would have been very handy (darned DEA).
Instead, I kept the thumb in ice water all night, and went through th emuseum holding it up to lower blood pressure (looked a bit odd – as if I care).
So Roger, if they give you a bottle of strong stuff, keep some for emergencies.
richard mcenroe
It’s been a long time since I heard that song. Sigh.
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:19 pm 122. simone_r:Roger, I hope you have a speedy and uneventful recovery.
All the best,
Simone
Feb 11, 2005 - 11:42 pm 123. OJ:At least you won’t have to pass those stones.
Wish you a speedy recovery!
Feb 12, 2005 - 12:13 am 124. Steve J.:Get well and hurry back!
Steve J.
Feb 12, 2005 - 1:54 am 125. Brown Line:Stoned again, eh? (Sorry.)
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Feb 12, 2005 - 1:54 am 126. truepeers:Best wishes; your keen sense of where we are is already missed.
Feb 12, 2005 - 3:00 am 127. ahem:Rest up and get well soon!
Feb 12, 2005 - 3:23 am 128. klrfz1:Get well soon, Roger. We miss you. But take your time to recover. We’ll just talk among ourselves here for a bit.
Inna Gada Davida? Damn! Now I’ll be hearing the song in my head all day! The long version!
Feb 12, 2005 - 3:39 am 129. triticale:You need not feel so very lonesome,
Everybody must get stones some.
Feb 12, 2005 - 5:08 am 130. Oyster:Whew! Get well real, real soon. I was starting to worry. You didn’t say anything about leaving.
Feb 12, 2005 - 5:31 am 131. inkling:My co-worker was just diagnosed with the same thing on Thursday. Something’s going around! Have a speedy recovery, Roger, and thanks for everything you do.
Feb 12, 2005 - 6:44 am 132. erp:Just checking
Feb 12, 2005 - 6:58 am 133. Caroline:Roger – can you feel the love??
Feb 12, 2005 - 7:15 am 134. fountainhead:Roger, please tell the guards outside of your room to be on the lookout for a graying, average sized man in his 40’s. He may be muttering words like “I meant to say bloggers were targeting news executives, not troops targeting reporters.” At any rate, he’s unemployed and very mad – watch out. Get well.
Feb 12, 2005 - 7:26 am 135. richard mcenroe:The LA Times has promoted Roger! Sort of. (hat tip: Instapundit)
Feb 12, 2005 - 7:35 am 136. Retread:Richard, I saw that story, too. Don’t know the other Roger, should Roger ‘with an L’ be flattered or offended?
Maybe it doesn’t matter, because There Can Be Only One.
Feb 12, 2005 - 7:45 am 137. richard mcenroe:And of course, good news comes in threes… Terror Lawyer Convicted a Lot
Feb 12, 2005 - 8:13 am 138. richard mcenroe:retread ó At least it was US News… not like they accused him of writing for Time er nuthin…
Feb 12, 2005 - 8:15 am 139. maria horvath:Get well soon, Roger. There’s a lot of news out there (like North Korea’s boast and Eason Jordan’s good-bye) that needs your comments.
Feb 12, 2005 - 8:17 am 140. Silicon valley Jim:I hope the operation goes smoothly and you’re up and about quickly. Take your time getting back to the blog, though; your health is more important than anything else.
Feb 12, 2005 - 8:30 am 141. foreign devil:Gosh, Roger, I thought you had to be fair, fat and fifty to get gallstones (or is that kidneystones)…whatever! Just as long as you can still type you’ll be fine! Get well soon–big doings out here. The blogosphere is abuzz and I can tell you that if a big tree falls in the forest…it makes lot’s of noise, so hurry up and get well…time’s a wastin’. There are more ‘false icons’ to topple and we need your help! Much love…f.d.
Feb 12, 2005 - 8:34 am 142. bobbi:Get well soon, Roger! I visit your site 5-6 times a day and will miss your posts. I’ll just mark the time by reading Director’s Cut until you get back, but, mind you, I’m a fast reader!
Feb 12, 2005 - 8:54 am 143. Knucklehead:Richard McEnroe,
Re: keeping the hits coming here at Roger’s Place…
Should we hijack other blog’s topics and blather about them here? If we do I bet we can challenge the record for number of comments (530+?).
Jim Miller is generally interesting and hey, blathering about Revisionist Hyenas seems to hold a lot of promise.
Also, lotta new names – some folks delurked to wish Roger well. I hope they don’t relurk forever.
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:11 am 144. Brian:There’s a lot of news out there (like North Korea’s boast and Eason Jordan’s good-bye) that needs your comments.
Hmmm… Since Roger’s gone for a few days, maybe it’s time to make an open thread out of it?
You know how Dean is running for DNC chairman? And sane folk are saying he would be a disaster? And leftoids are returning fire by saying that this proves that Dean is the right wing’s worst nightmare? Well Jim Geraghty wonders if this isn’t the single biggest exercise in reverse psychology in history.
And Gary Gagliardi over at the invaluable Sun Tzu blog is gaming the Nork revelations – he says they’re bluffing: “If people are planning on acting, they keep their moves a secret. When they cannot act, they threaten if they feel it will gain them something.”
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:14 am 145. richard mcenroe:Knucklehead ó OK, here’s an in-house topic:
The Ultimate Test of Easongate: How soon before “evil military torturing and killing reporters” becomes a plot thread on West Wing or one of Dick Wolf’s Law and Order cookiecutters….?
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:20 am 146. BeckyJ:Get well soon, Roger.
Richard McEnroe: I’m betting the May sweeps.
Brian: Dean was “elected” as DNC chair this morning.
Does the “selected, not elected” meme apply here? or is that only good from Dems to Republicans? He gave what amounts to a campaign speech. It’s going to be an interesting year or so.
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:24 am 147. Jeff:Roger,
I understand the “too much pizza” thing @ Barones. Their pizza is my favorite!
I hope you feel better soon.
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:26 am 148. Peter G.:So the LA Times thinks Roger L. Simon is in the mainstream? This is what happens when you’re out of commission for a few days, others take their shots at you. (I’m sure the LA Times thinks it isn’t in the MSM.)
Roger will be only be mainstream if the operation includes removing his curiousity, his individuality, and his nerve.
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:28 am 149. Ann:Make sure the surgical staff keep count of their instruments! When my dad has his out, they left a clip behind. Then of course, they tried to deny that that big white clip-looking thing on the x-ray was anything at all.
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:44 am 150. richard mcenroe:BeckyJ ó Howard Dean as DNC chairman?
YES!
[dance] Cabbage Patch [/dance]
Feb 12, 2005 - 10:01 am 151. mshyde:May your surgery go well, and your recovery be swift.
Feb 12, 2005 - 10:03 am 152. 11A5S:Get well soon.
Feb 12, 2005 - 10:09 am 153. Knucklehead:Richard McEnroe,
I haven’t a clue what the production schedule for a TV program is but its probably a reasonably safe wager that there’s already a suggestion for this as a potential plot for a future story. They’re probably working on it already.
Feb 12, 2005 - 10:19 am 154. Knucklehead:OOH! OOH!!! A JAG episode where they either prosecute some journo mudering GI or defend one accused of murdering a journo (don’t have a clue what the tone of the show is, don’t watch it).
Feb 12, 2005 - 10:21 am 155. Brian:richard mcenroe: Your Cabbage Patch dance only proves how frightened you are!
Can’t fool me…[/LLL]
Feb 12, 2005 - 10:58 am 156. Knucklehead:VodkaPundit knocks one out of the park re: EasonGate and the MSM.
Brian,
The analysis at Sun Tzu’s blog makes a good deal of sense. I suspect it is a strategic error on the part of NK. It takes “denial” off the table for the PRC and SK. It also gives Japan a stronger hand to say, “Hey, we can’t afford to fool around with that loon anymore!” He’s demonstrated that he has missiles which can reach Japan. He claims he has nukes. If you were Japan what would you do? I’d start running the checklists on the nukes stored in Mt. Fuji
Got a kick outta Geraghty’s reverse psychology stuff. He’s OK.
Feb 12, 2005 - 11:24 am 157. Sean the INFDL:Roger, my father has had both a major heart attack and gallstones. According to him, the gallstones trumped the heart-attack for sheer pain. I’m sorry you had to go down, but relieved that it wasn’t your ticker. Hope you get back on your feet soon, because I think your writing is some of the finest out there.
Feb 12, 2005 - 11:46 am 158. richard mcenroe:Republicans Steal 2008 Election
Feb 12, 2005 - 12:47 pm 159. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):I have set up an for those who wish to know Roger’s current condition.
If you have an update, please post it in the comments section of that article.
Thanks
Feb 12, 2005 - 1:04 pm 160. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):Argg – that’s an article and comment section for tracking Roger’s progress.
[John, you should have previewed the previous article!] Nag nag nag! Besides, it was too short to go wrong! [Yeah right, would you accept that excuse fro your daughter?] Sigh.
Feb 12, 2005 - 1:07 pm 161. RogerA:Best wishes for an uneventful surgery and a speedy recovery. And on a somewhat different note, it was nice to see many of the readers delurk!
Feb 12, 2005 - 1:07 pm 162. Katherine:Knuckle,
A lot of statements by crazy dictators of the world are made mostly for internal consumption. What with keeping everybody in line etc. Claiming to be a nuclear power is an excellent bit of propaganda, its aim to convey the message that the regime is (still) invincible.
Which in turn may mean that Kimchieís generals might have finally decided that keeping him around is detrimental to their health.
I suspect that the regime is having problems.
Feb 12, 2005 - 1:18 pm 163. James H:Best wishes for an expedient and full recovery. Your objective analysis and carefully crafted prose are definitely missed.
Feb 12, 2005 - 1:18 pm 164. richard mcenroe:Because it wouldn’t be a Roger thread without a Belmont Club link…
Feb 12, 2005 - 2:07 pm 165. Jeremy Brown:I don’t think there’s a pun that hasn’t been used yet (no, nor a stone left unturned…sorry). So I’ll just say: get well, Roger!
All the Best,
Jeremy
Feb 12, 2005 - 3:04 pm 166. BeckyJ:Knuckle & Katherine & everybody else,
Here’s an interestingarticle from the Christian Science Monitor on that very topic. It seems that the claim/boast of nuclear weapons is “compatible with available intelligence.” It is also clear that China is really ticked off at NoKo.
Even though crazy dictatorships, or in this case totalitarian states, usually make broad statements designed for internal consumption, they do expect that information to get out to other governments. This is going to get interesting….
Feb 12, 2005 - 3:31 pm 167. triticale:Ann, that’s about why my son’s birthing required two caesarian sections. Fortunately, they went right back in at the first indication. And fortunately for Roger, today’s gall bladder operation requires far fewer instruments than the old style did.
Feb 12, 2005 - 3:40 pm 168. Spaceman Spiff:Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Feb 12, 2005 - 4:14 pm 169. Jamie Irons:Roger,
Get well soon. (I visited the PayPal tip jar to cover your morphine drip. Those things can get expensive, for a veteran of the sixties!
Your story put me in mind of reading Cope’s “On the Early Diagnosis of the Acute Abdomen” many years ago. What a gem that was!
But I became a psychiatrist rather than a surgeon, even though my neurosurgery residents tried to recruit me: you know that old joke about the psychiatrist, “A Jewish doctor who’s afraid of blood…”
Be well.
Jamie Irons
Feb 12, 2005 - 4:17 pm 170. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):Darn it… what is this morphine drip thingie?
I understand IV’s and pills, but this???
Speak up, someone who knows.
Feb 12, 2005 - 4:40 pm 171. richard mcenroe:John Moore ó A morphine drip is basically an IV where the patient controls the administration of the morphine by need. You know, when the pain occurs or the sun comes out or it’s a day with a Y in it…
Feb 12, 2005 - 4:44 pm 172. bkochba:Here’s hoping the surgery goes well.
Feel better soon!
Feb 12, 2005 - 5:00 pm 173. Katherine:BeckyJ,
ìThe truth about North Korea’s nuclear capability cannot be verified, but yesterday’s boast is compatible with available intelligence.î
I kind of got a bit skeptical over ìavailable intelligenceî of late, but of course it is quite possible that NorKs got themselves few nukes.
However, as far as I remember we believed that to be the case for some time now, so I donít really know how this changes things in practical sense. I donít want to sound cavalier, but I have this nagging suspicion that even if Kimchie indeed has Da Bomb, the delivery of it is another matter. Given the state of NorKs technology probability that the goddamn thing will explode in a silo is way higher than hitting an intended target; that of course does not mean that we should entirely discount it. Handing it to the terrorists would be my major worry.
However, let us not forget that totalitarian regimes lie about practically everything if they think that it will suit them, and our ìintelligenceî tends to believe them. Been there, done that many, many times.
Feb 12, 2005 - 5:51 pm 174. richard mcenroe:Thank you, Hollywood! Heh. Heh. Heh…
Feb 12, 2005 - 5:52 pm 175. richard mcenroe:Katherine, Becky J ó The South Korean students are marching in the streets again… but this time, they’re protesting the North Koreans.
John Kerry observed that this is just more evidence people of color in the Third World are not ready for democracy. Who protests nukes that aren’t American?
Feb 12, 2005 - 5:55 pm 176. Katherine:Richard,
Re Hollywood: this must hurt!Ö.:-)
Re Kerry: you know, we said everything that can be said about him before, but every time he opens his mouth I am still amazed. How this guy can remember to breathe?
PS. Here is a comment from SDB in response to a Bill Quickís quote from Tenet that NorKs have a capability to hit the US.
ìI was under the impression that “hit the US” meant the Aleutian islands.
Since when do they have a missile with the range to strike CONUS?
Posted by Steven Den Beste on February 12, 2005 12:50 PM | Link to this comment | Donate | TrackBack (0)î
http://www.dailypundit.com/
Feb 12, 2005 - 6:17 pm 177. Knucklehead:The delurkers and folks who haven’t piped up in a long while are coming out of the woodwork. To repeat what someone else said, Roger, can you feel the love?
Whomever,
How do I get in touch with this person? I may be a knucklehead but I have learned to stop climbing trees with a chainsaw in hand. I need access to someone who hasn’t.
Whomever else,
The Gaul Stone angle is worth persuing. Any relation to Sharon?
Richard!
Catherine recently pointed to a Japanese 6th grader’s math test that is, well, challenging. I’ll manage but its taking longer than I expected. But I have to admit…
has me stumped. Please provide the answer.
Roger,
You didn’t grab the freakin’ armagnac, didja (wuss!)
Richard again,
Do you happen to know if Roger was able to fix that hole in the side of his house from the last party and has he managed to replace the lock on his wine vault? Do you have any of that hank o’ C4 left? (I found a detonator in my wetsuit pocket so…)
Feb 12, 2005 - 6:27 pm 178. richard mcenroe:Katherine ó Truth in advertising: that was a made-up quote playing off his actual statement that the Iraqi people didn’t want democracy, but ’stability’.
Feb 12, 2005 - 6:29 pm 179. richard mcenroe:Knucklehead ó No, but I gotta can of fffG powder for the Dragoon, will that work? About three pounds left.
And EVERYBODY you knows you only protest American nukes! Dincha learn nuthin in the 80’s?
Feb 12, 2005 - 6:38 pm 180. Knucklehead:BTW, have any of y’all seen this bit of insanity. I get way out of line sometimes but these people have gone completely batty.
Feb 12, 2005 - 6:41 pm 181. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):Richard,
I’m familiar with the patient controlled IV drip, but what good does that do you at home? Do they send you home with it?
That’s where I ended up with a bunch of morphine pills.
Feb 12, 2005 - 6:42 pm 182. Knucklehead:You have a Dragoon?!?!? Was that what you were waving around when Katherine klobbered you? And yes, if its enough for all cylinders it will suffice for our purposes while Roger is, umm… sidelined.
Feb 12, 2005 - 6:43 pm 183. Knucklehead:John Moore,
When one is as old as Roger they send one home with the drip. It’s called “choice”.
Feb 12, 2005 - 6:46 pm 184. richard mcenroe:Knucklehead ó Three pounds is enough for an 1849 Howitzer…
John Moore ó They’re gonna send him home with a drip?! Forget Inna Gadda Davida, he’s gonna be posting on Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon…
Feb 12, 2005 - 6:58 pm 185. richard mcenroe:Chris Matthews and his carny-folk panel are talking about Dean on NBC. Remember Animal House? “All is well!”
Feb 12, 2005 - 7:01 pm 186. chuck:For those who enjoyed Norm’s “waving the sheet” joke, he has posted another, Mrs Cohen and the biker.
Feb 12, 2005 - 7:16 pm 187. richard mcenroe:OK, this has gotta sting…
Feb 12, 2005 - 8:03 pm 188. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):Regarding North Korea – the announcement was like a kid being nauhty to get attention.
However, the Norks are dangerous. Here are the threats as I see them:
1) They sell HEU and bomb plans, or even a crude bomb, to terrorists. Terrorists deliver it (even a crude bomb isn’t any large than a bale of Marijuana, and shielding isn’t hard. It may not even be traceable back to the Norks. This is one reason to stop Iran – if there is only rogue nuclear power, retaliation is more likely and seen that way by the rogue.
2) Kim has enough underground that he may feel he can ride out a counterstrike. We *do not* have the capability to take out all of the hidey hole, and he may be more confident of riding out the result than he should be. Narcissistic dictators tend to overestimate their abilities on the foreign front.
3) Kim attacks South Korea in a non-nuclear war of conquest. He holds hostage Japan, Hawaii, and the rest of the US (via threats of bombs that he could claim are all ready sitting in our cities), thinking that will protect him in his attacks. Instead, he starts losing and uses his nukes to survive.
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:08 pm 189. asher:Get well soon, Roger – refuah sheleimah. And take care of yourself. Write again when you can.
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:14 pm 190. Katherine:Richard,
ìTruth in advertisingî
I knew the quote was made up. ìI know YOU, by the wagging of your headî(or, in this case, the keyboard) – WS.
This does not change my opinion about Mr. Kerry, as stated
Knuckle,
ìWas that what you were waving around when Katherine klobbered you?î
Me “klobber” Richard? (shocked, innocent stare)? Why?
Sir, you must be thinking about some other ìKatherineîÖ I only have it for sweet old ladies, remember?
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:33 pm 191. Barry Dauphin:A few weeks ago it sounded as if Kim Jong Il’s regime was about to implode. Now come the threats. This announcement might be for internal consumption and to let us know he’s still around. But to pop out with it out of nowhere suggests he’s not as in control as he’d like to be.
Last night on Canadian TV I saw some of our friends to the north opining about how the US must eat “humble pie” and have bilateral talks with NK. The delusional thinking among this crowd is that somehow the Norks will actually keep an agreement if we give them food. They fretted about the Norks selling missiles to everyone to get money and suggested that the US should simply buy all their missiles (as if the supply is finite in perpetuity). Essentially these wise academics (and they had Graham Allison on TV hook up) were ready to lay the blame for the Norks’ behavior at the feet of the US. The Norks are upset because Bush put them in the Axis of Evil. What I took away from the experience is that Graham Allison is a first class boob.
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:33 pm 192. ambisinistral:I’m late to this thread. Here’s hoping to a speedy revcovery for Roger.
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:35 pm 193. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):A clarification. I attach little significance to the announcement of the nuclear capability.
The important announcement was about restarting the plutonium producing reactor.
Starting that reactor may be a version of the reactor sacrifice gambit mentioned here before: if we attack it, we help solidify internal support; if we don’t, he gets more plutonium.
Since he probably has underground reactors, and underground enrichment technology, this reactor is not needed.
Let’s see what happens next. The best would be for the Chinese to take the darned reactor out – with a few megatons.
Oh well… just kidding. They should take it out with a bunch of high explosive bombs.
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:47 pm 194. Katherine:Barry,
ìEssentially these wise academics (and they had Graham Allison on TV hook up) were ready to lay the blame for the Norks’ behavior at the feet of the US.î
Yes, what with low birth rates, failing crops (or bumper crops), cows not producing enough milk (or producing too much), hens not laying proper size eggs, inclement weather and occasional tragic effects of plate tectonics, etc. everything bad that ever happens and/or has happened on this planet is the fault of the Big Bad Amerikkka.
It does carry a whiff of Salem, donít you think?
Regarding our response to the NorKs demand for bilateral talks ñ Iíve heard on the radio on Friday that weíve already said No.
So, Kimchie and wise academics can stuff it.
Feb 12, 2005 - 9:58 pm 195. Katherine:John,
ìThe best would be for the Chinese to take the darned reactor outî
There is no way Chinese will do it. Why should they? They will never be a target for NorKs (at least not a deliberate one)Ö and it is incomprehensible to me that they would do anything to make our life easier. They may be our trading partner, but otherwise they still see us as an enemy. What weakens us strengthens them (at least, that is how the thinking usually goes).
Feb 12, 2005 - 10:06 pm 196. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):Katherine,
I agree. I didn’t say they would do it, I just said it would be best.
The Chinese/US relationship is very complex. The Chinese relationship with themselves, for that matter, is very complex.
However, the Chinese are the only ones with the power to reign in the Norks. If they don’t, some very bad things could happen to them – ranging from huge refugee flows and radioactive fallout if the Norks do the wrong thing, to the US waging economic warfare on the Chinese.
We cannot invade the North. We cannot destroy its capabilities by bombing, without an enormous campaign and the use of small nuclear weapons.
We shall see, but if we don’t stop them, we will lose a city or two to nuclear explosions. After that, diplomacy will only be useful for accepting surrenders from survivors.
Feb 12, 2005 - 10:10 pm 197. Katherine:John,
You are right about the radioactive fallout; and as Norks targeting capability will most likely be entirely random China might accidentally get hit, too Ö Still, they may discount that to make things as bad for us as possible. As you say, all this is very complex and Chinese decision-making may rely on not entirely rational thinking. Face or honor saving might become more important than survival ñ we have seen that before in that part of the world.
I still think that the NorK regime is on a brink of implosion; the danger is that it may not follow the Soviet/Eastern European model of going out in a whimper.
Conclusion: yes, it all can be very, very bad. (sigh)
But I do have a technical question: how easy it is in reality to bring in a functional nuke to take out a city? Not a dirty bomb, but a real nuke. Anybody knows?
Then again, if somebody does know perhaps it is better to be not too elaborate.
Feb 12, 2005 - 11:00 pm 198. Mark Poling:Don’t know that I agree with the idea that China will let NoKo run. Kim is a loose cannon by just about anybody’s standards, and authoritarians generally HATE that. Remember when China cut the power to NoKo last year? What if China starts worrying about Peking getting nuked?
The next six months are going to be more interesting than anyone expects, I think.
Feb 12, 2005 - 11:02 pm 199. zefal:Hope you have a speedy recovery.
Anyone see DHC where they had people who woke-up during surgery? Never thought I’d want to have surgery without being put to sleep but after seeing that, I think I would go with a local anaesthetic.
Feb 12, 2005 - 11:06 pm 200. Mark Poling:Woke up during my ACL reconstruction, but not enough to feel pain. When I started flirting with the anesthesiologist, she asked me to describe what I felt. I told her the surgeon was pulling like hell on something in the the inside of my knee joint, and she said okay, time to up the dose.
And that was that.
Feb 12, 2005 - 11:12 pm 201. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):Katherine, I’m not giving away any secrets here. Al Qaeda has plenty of engineers who know this stuff.
The good news is… there is no good news on this issue!
The bad news is that it’s easy to smuggle in an effective crude nuclear explosive (i.e. nuke, not radiological weapon) into the US.
The bomb is not that big, and if brought in a cargo container could be surrounded by shielding to prevent detection of the slight radioactivity of HEU.
Or, it could be brought in pieces and re-assembled. In the latter case, the HEU could be sectioned into smaller pieces, each shielded and smuggled separately. The main weapon structure would then have no radiation, and wouldn’t look that odd on X-Ray or Gamma inspection if it was done right.
Re-assembly would not be bad if the bomb was designed right. This would be a “gun type” (Hiroshima) weapon – so easy to make and so reliable that the first test of the design was done by dropping one on Hiroshima (see here for a little info on this).
Such a weapon, fired at 1 mile inland from Long Beach harbor would kill millions from radioactive fallout, and tens of thousands from the relatively small blast.
A more sophisticated implosion weapon could be made higher yield (boosted with tritium), to slightly increase the deadliness. This sort of weapon would probably have to be smuggled intact however, as it has a lot of precision required in its assembly.
I would have to do more calculations than I have time for to estimate shielding requirements for any of these weapons designs, but I have read that any could be brought in intact in a shipping containiner without detection of radioactivity.
After all, orange pottery glaze has enough uranium to set off any detector – so radiation from a shielded bomb would be difficult to detect and difficult to distinguish from a box of orange kitchenware.
The primary danger of one of these weapons is radioactive fallout. That’s because the terrorists would most likely set it off at ground level, which produces massive fallout, even from a small (10kt) weapon. Hiroshima and Nagasaki had no significant fallout because they were air bursts, and hence the radioactivity was deposited in the stratosphere from which is slowly descended on the whole hemisphere, losing its radioactivity over time.
Unfortunately, a bomb set off in a large, crowded metro area (especially on the upwind side) would produce rapidly produce huge amounts of very lethal fallout, killing people in their cars or houses. This would be an unprecedented catastrophe – it would make Hiroshima and Nagasaki together look like a minor incident by comparison.
Finally, note that the North Koreans have built 16,000 underground installations. To hit each suspicious one hard would require huge numbers of precision ground burst high yield weapons (250kT-10MT). The resulting fallout would be a grave danger to anyone downwind for thousands of miles, and would increase the overall earth background radiation significantly (although not more than moving from sea level to a moderate altitude would do to you). Furthermore, even a 10MT weapon would probably not damage the critical sites, which would be too deep for trouble.
Hence an attack on the North would probably use a bunch of air-burst (clean) nuclear weapons, followed up by precision conventional bombing and then an invasion. The Chinese could very well react to an invasion the way they did last time, and for the same reason – the need for a vassal buffer state, not a democracy on their border. In any case, it would be a bloody mess and a huge number of civilians would die in South Korea and Japan, at a minimum.
What we need is a large amount of epoxy, and just seal the whole place in it from sea to sea and border to border. Then we could ignore them. Other than that or a Chinese power play, denuking North Korea is likely horribly expensive in lives and materiel.
Feb 12, 2005 - 11:44 pm 202. Vik Rubenfeld:Take good care and get well soon!
Feb 12, 2005 - 11:51 pm 203. klrfz1:I followed Richard McEnroe’s link to the Belmont Club and I found the explanation for why the left is so loony. The IM has explained in terms even I can understand.
Why the left is so loony.
The IM asks to keep this information confidential so please keep it under your hat.
Feb 13, 2005 - 4:09 am 204. Caroline:Zefal: “Anyone see DHC where they had people who woke-up during surgery? Never thought I’d want to have surgery without being put to sleep but after seeing that, I think I would go with a local anaesthetic.”
Zefal – yes I did see that! Freaked me all to hell! The paralytic part of the anesthesia worked but not the hypnotic part of it – leaving people fully conscious and pain-aware but completely unable to move or speak. One woman went through a several hour operation to have a hernia removed and felt every moment of it (including the cauterization). Another woman had her eye removed from its socket. They heard the music, the surgeon’s casual banter but they couldn’t signal any awareness. For some strange reason the monitors showed no distress. Now they’re experimenting with brain wave monitors to see if they pick up something to indicate conscious awareness. Utterly gruesome. I did learn – don’t ever lie to the anesthesiologist about how much you drink or whether you use drugs, because that affects their calculation of the dose during surgery (users presumably being more resistant to the anesthesia).
Oh I’m sorry. Where were we? Yes – we were talking about Roger and hopes for a speedy recovery! I Do hope the surgery is already done lest he read this in advance. Ummm – terribly insensitive of me. Nevermind…..
Feb 13, 2005 - 4:25 am 205. Bostonian:John Moore: “Regarding North Korea – the announcement was like a kid being nauhty to get attention.”
I think that about sums about NK’s entire foreign policy.
Feb 13, 2005 - 8:42 am 206. richard mcenroe:Just watched Fox News Sunday here in LA, and was reminded that while we may like some dinosaurs, they are still dinosaurs.
Inexplicably, Joe Biden is still being trotted out as a foreign affairs expert. Has no one else in the Senate ever bought a plane ticket to somewhere east of Paris?
Then we got to the pundit panel, and the brontosaurs paraded. Everybody seemed to think that the selection of Howard Dean was no big deal, that his public statements would be of no matter next to his abilities to organize and raise money (they seemed unaware that it was Joe Trippi who raised the money and did the organizing, but never mind). But Howard Dean didn’t really matter to the Dems’ future, because the electorate doesn’t vote based on the Party Chairman, but because they love old Ironbritches Clinton. So Howard Dean, not really a big deal.
Then they got to the Eason Jordan dismissal. Everyone agreed, the bloggers did old Eason in, although to a man, woman and Juan Williams they were puzzled and surprised by his resignation, because they just didn’t see what he did as a firing offense. In short, after two weeks, these elite journalists were completely ignorant of the story they were blathering on.
And they couldn’t make the important connection. Howard Dean matters because bloggers took down Eason Jordan, and Dan Rather, and Trent Lott. Hillary will not be able to run away from the Howler, whose every speech and comment will be broadcast throughout the internet and hung around her neck like the anchor chain of the Titanic. This is either going to cripple her ability to run to the center, or cripple Dean’s ability to get out his leftwing vote for the party. But not one of the experts, right or left, on TV this morning, got that.
Feb 13, 2005 - 9:26 am 207. richard mcenroe:Roger’s up and about. Speaks highly of the morphine drip.
Feb 13, 2005 - 12:41 pm 208. David Pinto:Get well soon, Roger!
Feb 13, 2005 - 1:33 pm 209. John Moore ( Useful Fools ):Well, THIS is why the left was looney before The Idiot Master’s false flag operation.
Feb 13, 2005 - 1:40 pm 210. Katherine:John,
Thank you for a very informative answer. I am saving it as a reference.
Lucky for me I went to bed before I read you post, I bought myself one night of chemically unaided, good night sleep
Mark,
ìThe next six months are going to be more interesting than anyone expects, I think.î
Oh, oh, interesting times! I think we are cursedÖ
Feb 13, 2005 - 1:44 pm 211. kathianne:Hope you are feeling much better soon. Face it, gall bladders are funny. You should see the posts! Wow, feel the love!
Feb 13, 2005 - 1:48 pm 212. Kevin P:Roger:
Hope you are feeling better. Just think, on the same weekend you had your gallblader removed, CNN removed theirs too! You will be up and around and feeling well long before CNN will be.
Feb 13, 2005 - 2:10 pm