Jun 19, 2008 04:57PM GMT
Question
•
Politics - United States
Have any of you SH's heard of Cindy McCain's drug use?
After reading this, do you still think she is fit to be our 1st Lady?Cindy McCain escaped prosecution for stealing/using drugs!
The Arizona Republic, August 24, 1994 -- "Cindy McCain, the wife of U.S. Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, admitted in a series of media interviews Monday that she became addicted to the painkillers Percocet and Vicodin. She said that she used the drugs from 1989 to 1992 and acknowledged that she had stolen some pills from the American Voluntary Medical Team, a charitable organization of which she is president . . . at one point, McCain, 40, was ingesting 15 to 20 pills a day . . . the normal dosage for seriously ill patients is 6 to 10 a day for a short period."
The Phoenix Gazette, August 25, 1994 -- "Cindy McCain was investigated recently by the Drug Enforcement Administration for stealing and using Percocet and Vicodin, both narcotic painkillers from her aid organization . . . the county attorney's report provides a window to drug dealings within Cindy McCain's nonprofit corporation . . . Gosinski also alleged that Cindy McCain abused her husband's office and diplomatic privileges by transporting illegal substances overseas. He also claimed, according to her lawyers, that Cindy McCain tried to prevent him from providing accurate information to the DEA."
Playboy, July 1999. -- "Ms. McCain admitted stealing Percocet and Vicodin from the American Voluntary Medical Team, an organization that aids Third World countries. Percocet and Vicodin are schedule 2 drugs, in the same legal category as opium. Each pill theft carries a penalty of one year in prison and a monetary fine." However, McCain did not face prosecution. She was allowed to enter a pretrial diversion program and escaped with no blemish to her record. Source: James Bovard, Prison Sentences of the Politically Connected.
http://www.usvetdsp.com/nov07...
Loading...-
Answered I think Cindy McCain....
lies
Cindy's version!
I will fill it out! Cindy really plays it down..Quote "Cindy was addicted to perscription drugs in the 90's, INCLUDING illegally obtaining painkillers from a charity where she worked and filling perscriptions in the names of staff members. This led to DEA investigation but no criminal charges, with Mrs McCain diverted into a treatment program instead." This information was from a news feature by Bob Curley headed Obama and McCain: Where They Stand on Addiction Issues- dated June 6, 2008 for Join Together. www.jointogether.org. Join together is a project of the Boston School of Public Health
Ya she used their money and pulled strings to get into a program right away..usually people have a very long wait time..That is one paragraph there is a lot of good information in that piece. -
Answered None of the above
Cindy McCain became addicted to pain killers following 2 spinal surgeries. It is not uncommon for people to become addicted to pain medications that are prescribed to them. Of course you left that out and the fact that she went public with her struggle with addiction in the hope that it would help others with addictions. She also wasn't just the President of the foundation, she started the foundation. In addition to that foundation she is involved with many charities and does much work for them. But you leave that part out, how convenient. -
June 23, 2008
Background on Cindy McCain's drug addiction
Harold Pollack argues that Democrats should refrain from trashing Cindy McCain for her history of drug addiction.
"There's no shame in being a recovering addict--or an active user for that matter, provided your habit isn't hurting other people. However, Cindy McCain chose to feed her addiction in particularly loathsome ways.
When you're as rich and well-connected as she is, there are ways to feed a prescription drug habit that don't involve pressuring your underlings to commit crimes on your behalf.
Cindy McCain stole drugs from a medical charity. It doesn't get much lower than that. Worse still, she used her employees' names to obtain drugs, and even enlisted some her her staff to pick up those prescriptions on her behalf. She also used the DEA numbers of multiple physicians who worked for the American Voluntary Medical Team to obtain drugs, often without the doctors' knowledge. (Cf. Laura Silverman's excellent reporting on the McCain drug scandal.)
Doctors can be bankrupted and even prosecuted for irregular prescribing patterns. So, McCain was risking the futures of multiple families when she ordered hundreds of pain pills on the sly. One of the doctors who worked with McCain at AVMT lost his license to practice medicine over the diversion scandal.
Cindy McCain's self-indulgence ruined lives. She has publicly apologized for taking the drugs without permission, but I'm not aware of any apolo...June 23, 2008
Background on Cindy McCain's drug addiction
Harold Pollack argues that Democrats should refrain from trashing Cindy McCain for her history of drug addiction.
"There's no shame in being a recovering addict--or an active user for that matter, provided your habit isn't hurting other people. However, Cindy McCain chose to feed her addiction in particularly loathsome ways.
When you're as rich and well-connected as she is, there are ways to feed a prescription drug habit that don't involve pressuring your underlings to commit crimes on your behalf.
Cindy McCain stole drugs from a medical charity. It doesn't get much lower than that. Worse still, she used her employees' names to obtain drugs, and even enlisted some her her staff to pick up those prescriptions on her behalf. She also used the DEA numbers of multiple physicians who worked for the American Voluntary Medical Team to obtain drugs, often without the doctors' knowledge. (Cf. Laura Silverman's excellent reporting on the McCain drug scandal.)
Doctors can be bankrupted and even prosecuted for irregular prescribing patterns. So, McCain was risking the futures of multiple families when she ordered hundreds of pain pills on the sly. One of the doctors who worked with McCain at AVMT lost his license to practice medicine over the diversion scandal.
Cindy McCain's self-indulgence ruined lives. She has publicly apologized for taking the drugs without permission, but I'm not aware of any apologies for pressuring her employees to risk their futures to feed her addiction.
Ironically, part of her diversion from criminal prosecution involved joining Narcotics Anonymous--which stipulates that an addict must make amends to those she has harmed. That's not a step Cindy appears to have taken to heart in her dealings with her former emplyee, Tom Gosinski, the main whistleblower in this case.
Gosinski alleges that Cindy fired him from AVMT for knowing too much about her drug habit. Gosinski also tipped off the DEA to McCain after he left the charity. He came forward in part because he was afraid that Cindy had filed prescriptions in his name, a suspicion that turned out to be justified.
When he sued Cindy for wrongful dismissal, she levied spurious accusations of blackmail against him.
Cindy McCain let Gosinski go in January 1993, ostensibly because AVMT couldn't afford to pay him. Gosinski alleges that she fired him because he knew too much about her drug addiction and her penchant for pilfering pills from the charity. Gosinski filed a wrongful dismissal suit against McCain in January 1994, just ahead of the 1-year statute of limitations.
The entire basis of the extortion complaint was a letter from Goskinski's lawyers asking for a $250,000 settlement. McCain and her spokesman lied to the press when they claimed that Gosinski threatened to take the case to the DEA if he didn't get the settlement. In fact, he went to the DEA months before he filed the lawsuit.
Frankly, the character of a First Spouse is rock-bottom on my list of desiderata for a presidential candidate.
As Harold says, we should abide by the norms of our moral universe, if we decide to bring up Cindy McCain's history of addiction. I would argue that our morality requires us to call out double standards where we see them. The mere possibility that Michelle Obama uttered the word "whitey" was enough to send the whole country into a tizzy for several days. Yet, nobody seems to care about the fact that Cindy McCain enlisted her employees to help her steal Vicodin from her own charity."
This whole episode underscores the rock bottom Republican truth: There are two sets of rules. One for the rich and powerful and one for everyone else!(less) -
Harold Pollack is an Obama supporter from Chicago. Cindy McCain did what all addicts do when they are using, lied, stole, cheated and used others to enable her addiction. It's the frankness which she now addresses, her recovery and her actions folllowing her addiction that should count. Harold Pollack says "There's no shame in being a recovering addict--or an active user for that matter, provided your habit isn't hurting other people. However, Cindy McCain chose to feed her addiction in particularly loathsome ways." Well, that addict just doesn't exsist. It seems as though this Pollack person and perhaps you find her biggest sin to be having wealth and power. Alas, Cindy Mc Cain is not running for office, even if she was, she is very accomplished and does so much good, she made a mistake and owned up to it. I'll take that anyday over Michelle Obama OR her husband.
-
Sorry but she downplays her addictive personality..what about the 12 step program? Making amends to the people she hurt and being truthful..Jail? She really does not quite 'own up to it'.
I do not think wealth and or power is wrong just the abuse of it..
John McCain as president? no way..His temper, his lies, his flagrant cheating on his 1st wife with Cindy..
The Obama's have far more class and intelligence and after these Bush years..we as a nation are tired of the clown party
-
I don't see how she downplays anything but that is subjective and you have a right to perceive it that way, I do not. I don't know that much about addictions but I don't think every person uses the 12 step program to get clean or sober, either way making amends doesn't mean a person has to go to jail. I understand that people with no prior criminal record, who are cooperative and forthcoming with authorities and who have productive lives even when their crimes are felonious are not sentenced to prison and instead asked to meet certain conditions, wealthy and powerful or not.
You see the McCains and the Obama's one way and I see them another and that's fine but you cannot speak for the Nation and say "we" are tired of anything because that is simply not the case for everyone. -
Answered I think Cindy McCain....
If you look at her whole life, not the worst year of her life, she is great. Michelle Obama not worth her finger. What Michelle ever did for people?
Was born in poor family and were smart enough to go to college? Went on the View?
Besides, Cindy addiction because of surgeries vs Obama casual drug use. Hm, tough choice....
No, not really
McCain 08 -
Obama is no pot-head, he admitted to trying cocaine the much touted recreational drug of the 70's and 80's Everyone of college age tried it. Everyone tried pot it was not unusual it was the 'times.'
HOWEVER
Not everyone stole prescription drug slips and forged their co-workers name to them to acquire the drugs. co-workers from a charity! No thanks and no Cindy I will have as my first lady the outspoken, graceful, intellegent and TRUTHFUL Michele Obama..
-
All one has to do to see libs for what they are is read their comments. This one is classic... "...of the 70's and 80's, everyone of college age tried (cocaine)." Do you really, honestly and truthfully believe that?
I'm not at all surprised though... it is typical of so many liberal comments I have heard that are full of emotion and bereft of any truth or fact. -
I checked this for the record... the highest percentage of Cocaine use among college students was in the early to mid 1980's when it peaked at 17.3%. To spin this into "everyone of college age" is nothing but liberal drivel...right up there with "Bush lied."
-
Well if you look back in to history books, the first person who used cocaine in this country was Abe Lincoln...he had to sign the book for it's purchase in a drug store....he didn't steal it or use his employees names to get it illegally like Cindy McCain did. She's just a high classed dope fiend in my book!
-
Answered None of the above
Jesus wept! I absolutely cannot believe that people are f*cking focusing on this bullshyt. It was almost 20 years ago for Christ's sake.
Has anyone bothered to take a look at what she has done positive in her life for OTHERS??? No, it's much easier to focus on the negative as if we are perfect examples of humans and she doesn't measure up. F*cking bullshyt, it was an addiction to pain killers AFTER several spine surgeries. There was an intervention and she dealt with it like an adult. Case closed.
One thing about Cindy McCain... she has done more for poor and sick children around the world hands on than Michelle could even dream about or want to think about. What the hell has Michelle EVER done for anyone else??? Cindy McCain could simply do like most extremely rich so-called philanthropists and write a check but she is genuine enough to do the work herself and to know where the money goes.
Get over it people. She is not a drug addled monster and, again, she has done more for the disadvantaged that Michelle or Barack Obama have ever even thought about.
Answered I think Cindy McCain....
I am voting for Mccain to keep Michelle obama out of the White House. She is a racist,hate monger,unpatriotic,values perverting,and hysterical ass.