Gates book: Harry Reid asked Pentagon to research irritable bowel syndrome

[Dos Equis]

Words fail me . . . .

Gates book: Harry Reid asked Pentagon to research irritable bowel syndrome

01/16/2014

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid once urged Defense Secretary Robert Gates to spend taxpayer money on researching irritable bowel syndrome.

Gates revealed the strange request in his new memoir, “Duty,” writing that Reid made the plea while the military was fully engaged in two ongoing wars.

“With all the major issues we had to deal with, my personal contacts with Senate Majority Leader Reid were often in response to his calls about Air Force objections to construction of a windmill farm in Nevada because of the impact on their radars,” Gates wrote.

“He also once contacted me to urge that Defense invest in research on irritable bowel syndrome,” Gates continued.

“With two ongoing wars and all our budget and other issues, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.”

http://dailycaller.com/2014/01/16/gates-book-harry-reid-asked-pentagon-to-research-irritable-bowel-syndrome/#ixzz2qaP1XBzp

[JOHN MATRIX]

Tar and feather this clown and launch him via trebuchet into the Atlantic ocean.

[240 is Back]

I don't suffer from it, but I know many people do... and it is a health problem that does reduce productivity for many Americans, thus it does affect the national GDP. 

I'm fine for slashing ALL medical research in the USA for non-life threatening things... but I'd rather them fix IBS than send the $ for ball-washing programs.

[dario73]

That is the poster child of the Democratic party.

[dario73]

I don't suffer from it, but I know many people do... and it is a health problem that does reduce productivity for many Americans, thus it does affect the national GDP. 

Link?

[240 is Back]

Link?

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ibs/

between 3 and 20% of the population is affected

Read through all of the symptoms.  If the lady at the window at the DMV is leaving her window 12 to 15 times per day to deal with loose or watery stools, then YES, her productivity is dropping. 

Multiple her daily deuce dropping by tens of millions of Americans and yes, it's pretty easy to see our overall national work productivity is slumping.  Plus, you can look at the ripple effects... people with these problems in pvt/% arena will earn less, spend less, exercise less, suffer from health problems sooner.   If you're crapping 17 times a day, you're probably not at the gym 90 minutes a night.  I could go on, but you get the idea.  It's a common problem that sends tens of millions to potty all day long.  IF they're going to dump our tax dollars into non-life threatening conditions, well, this one is okay.

[Dos Equis]

 

[OzmO]

I don't suffer from it, but I know many people do... and it is a health problem that does reduce productivity for many Americans, thus it does affect the national GDP. 

I'm fine for slashing ALL medical research in the USA for non-life threatening things... but I'd rather them fix IBS than send the $ for ball-washing programs.

sooo  lets have the pentagon figure it out?      

[Soul Crusher]

Typical

[dario73]

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/ibs/

between 3 and 20% of the population is affected

3 to 20%?

That is a huge differential.

3% doesn't affect the GDP.

If it's 20% you might have a case, eventhough you still didn't provide proof of IBS hindering GDP.

[240 is Back]

3 to 20%?

That is a huge differential.

3% doesn't affect the GDP.

If it's 20% you might have a case, eventhough you still didn't provide proof of IBS hindering GDP.

#1) I don't think we should spend the money on it.  I just said, in terms of non-life threatening conditions, it's a better bet than say, ball-washing studies

#2) YES YES YES, 3% of Americans taking 12 to 20 poopy breaks each day definitely affects the GDP.  Just over HALF of the US population is in the workforce.  So 3% of 150,000,000 people... that means 4.5 million people are spending a shitload of time in the bathroom each day, working less than their peers.  Yes, if very much affects the GDP.  Cause people are less productive when dropping the Browns off at the Super Bowl.   I don't know how to argue this point any more with you.  If you think 4.5 million people missing work for 5 minutes, 12 to 20 times a day, doesn't affect their productivity compared with their peers that only crap 1-2 times daily... well, I'm not sure where we go from here in this debate.

[Soul Crusher]

Yeah - boys are dying in Afghanistan and this is what liberal commies are worried about. 

[OzmO]

Those shittees just need to change their diet.  

[headhuntersix]

#1) I don't think we should spend the money on it.  I just said, in terms of non-life threatening conditions, it's a better bet than say, ball-washing studies

#2) YES YES YES, 3% of Americans taking 12 to 20 poopy breaks each day definitely affects the GDP.  Just over HALF of the US population is in the workforce.  So 3% of 150,000,000 people... that means 4.5 million people are spending a shitload of time in the bathroom each day, working less than their peers.  Yes, if very much affects the GDP.  Cause people are less productive when dropping the Browns off at the Super Bowl.   I don't know how to argue this point any more with you.  If you think 4.5 million people missing work for 5 minutes, 12 to 20 times a day, doesn't affect their productivity compared with their peers that only crap 1-2 times daily... well, I'm not sure where we go from here in this debate.

That's not the DOD's issue......Reid is a jackass....

[dario73]

#1) I don't think we should spend the money on it.  I just said, in terms of non-life threatening conditions, it's a better bet than say, ball-washing studies

#2) YES YES YES, 3% of Americans taking 12 to 20 poopy breaks each day definitely affects the GDP.  Just over HALF of the US population is in the workforce.  So 3% of 150,000,000 people... that means 4.5 million people are spending a shitload of time in the bathroom each day, working less than their peers.  Yes, if very much affects the GDP.  Cause people are less productive when dropping the Browns off at the Super Bowl.    I don't know how to argue this point any more with you.  If you think 4.5 million people missing work for 5 minutes, 12 to 20 times a day, doesn't affect their productivity compared with their peers that only crap 1-2 times daily... well, I'm not sure where we go from here in this debate.

 

[RRKore]

Do you mu'fuckas not know how to use the google or what? 
(Threads like this are the reason I read this forum for laughs only these days.)

http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2014/01/16/263087761/doctors-say-reid-request-for-bowel-research-money-no-joke

In his new memoir, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates heaped scorn on many members of Congress for pushing their parochial interests with him.

But he saved a special dig for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

"With two ongoing wars and all our budget and other issues, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry," Gates writes, describing how the Nevada Democrat urged him to have the Defense Department invest in research into irritable bowel syndrome.

It's an anecdote that drew snickers – and media attention, including here at NPR.

But was Reid's appeal to Gates really as absurd as portrayed?

Not according to doctors who treat Gulf War veterans, and researchers like those affiliated with the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine. They identify irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is marked by chronic cramping, bloating and diarrhea, as one of a range of illnesses that plague returning military women and men.

"If you look at the veterans coming home, and what proportion of them are becoming disabled by chronic conditions, you will see that this is not something to ignore, but something to treat," says Dr. Douglas Drossman, an internationally-recognized expert in gastrointestinal disorders.

"There is a bill in Congress that would provide for research on this, and I think that's why Sen. Reid came up with that request," Drossman says.

Reid's office declined to comment. But it's worth noting that the $1 trillion omnibus spending bill currently being considered by Congress includes close to a billion dollars in medical research funding for the Defense Department.

A Classified Disability

Drossman served on an Institute of Medicine committee that in 2010 determined that, in addition to Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, "a large number of veterans" of the 1991 Persian Gulf War were reporting long-term, multi-symptom health issues. They included IBS, substance abuse, anxiety, and depression.

Evidence included in the report, "," showed a relationship between military deployment and gastrointestinal infections, and, subsequently, post-infectious IBS.

That 2010 study involved veterans of the 1991 war; ongoing studies of more recent returning veterans suggest that IBS and other multi-symptom health issues continue to plague that population.

The Veterans Administration has determined that IBS is a disorder that can be classified as a disability if related to military service, even though the exact cause of the syndrome is difficult to pinpoint, says Dr. , a University of Michigan medical school professor and expert in gastroenterology, including IBS.

"The link between being a veteran and having a higher risk of IBS is unclear," says Schoenfeld, "partly because the underlying cause is unclear."

"We don't know why all of a sudden those muscles in the colon don't work properly," he says.

Stress may exacerbate symptoms by inducing chemical and hormonal changes; women veterans suffering from PTSD are much more likely to have IBS than women veterans who don't have PTSD, says Schoenfeld, who heads the gastroenterology division at a Veterans Administration hospital in Ann Arbor.

Treatment ranges from anti-diarrheal medication to anti-depression agents used to mitigate pain, and the brain's reaction to it, he says.

(More at link)

[RRKore]

sooo  lets have the pentagon figure it out?    

Maybe the Department of Defense shouldn't be spending money on medical research but for Reid to suggest that they consider researching IBS isn't crazy because the DoD regularly spends quite a lot on other medical issues that seem to have even less of a connection to the military.

In fiscal year of 2013, the DoD spent 120 million on breast cancer research, 80 million on prostate cancer research, and 20 million on ovarian cancer research.

[240 is Back]

"Not according to doctors who treat Gulf War veterans, and researchers like those affiliated with the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine. They identify irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which is marked by chronic cramping, bloating and diarrhea, as one of a range of illnesses that plague returning military women and men."

Wow... I had no idea it was afflicting so many military vets returning.  In that case, I'm sure it's a lot more important than a lot of "pork" spending. 

[JOHN MATRIX]

Those shittees just need to change their diet.  

[Soul Crusher]

Then have the FNG VA study it. 

How utterly absurd Reid is

[RRKore]

Then have the FNG VA study it. 

How utterly absurd Reid is

Isn't the VA part of the Department of Defense, though?  (Honest question -- I'm done googling this issue.)

To be fair, I can see that it might be kinda absurd for Reid to ask Gates about it, though.

[OzmO]

Maybe the Department of Defense shouldn't be spending money on medical research but for Reid to suggest that they consider researching IBS isn't crazy because the DoD regularly spends quite a lot on other medical issues that seem to have even less of a connection to the military.

In fiscal year of 2013, the DoD spent 120 million on breast cancer research, 80 million on prostate cancer research, and 20 million on ovarian cancer research.

Had no idea.  Is this money well spent or someone pet project?  Shouldn't specialized research get money  like this?

[24KT]

Maybe if Halliburton wasn't feeding them rotten food, and serving them infected crappy water (pun intended) vets would be less likely to develop IBS. Or maybe Gates was torn between crying & laughing because he thought it was a huge waste of money ...assuming everyone already knew it was Halliburton playing fast & loose with the food?

[Dos Equis]

Maybe if Halliburton wasn't feeding them rotten food, and serving them infected crappy water (pun intended) vets would be less likely to develop IBS. Or maybe Gates was torn between crying & laughing because he thought it was a huge waste of money ...assuming everyone already knew it was Halliburton playing fast & loose with the food?

Halliburton is an oil company. 

This is the part where you say you knew that and you were just waiting to see how long it took everyone else to figure out you were just joking. 

[RRKore]

Halliburton is an oil company. 

This is the part where you say you knew that and you were just waiting to see how long it took everyone else to figure out you were just joking. 

Hey BB, don't you remember all those stories about evil Halliburton contracting services for the US military over in Iraq during the Dubya/Cheney years?  Halliburton IS primarily an oil company but that's not related to what they were doing for the US army.


Ah, OK, Halliburton's evil subsidiary, KBR, was the actual supplier.  (Fack the article below, from 2003, brings back some sad memories.)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1559574

...

In the first of a three-part series looking at the complex relationship between the defense contractor and the federal government, NPR's John Burnett examines the scope of contracts in Iraq held by Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root, better known as KBR.

America's war on terrorism has created a windfall for KBR. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the company has constructed base camps at more than 60 locations throughout the Middle East and South Asia. Under its deal with the Pentagon — known as a "Logcap" contract — KBR is the go-to company to provide troops in Iraq with everything from portable toilets to Internet cafes.


.