People are going to die of cancer no matter what. Let's stop trying to cure it.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

Besides, it's people's own right if they want to expose themselves or other people to carcinogens, so who are we to trample on their rights?

And let's not forget, while some people who do have cancer, there are plenty of other people who don't have cancer and may never get cancer? Why are we so obsessed about something that may never actually affect millions of people? Just to appease the people who do have cancer?

Listen, it's obvious that nothing we've done so far has cured cancer. Cancer's just going to happen, no matter what. Let's just get over this whole "cure cancer" thing before it just makes us all look silly and overbearing.

[Robb]

1. Trying to cure cancer will cost us elections!

And we need the help of pro-cancer Americans if we want to cure cancer!!!!

[Scuba]

3. Perfect!

[kelliekat44]

36. Not to mention the money that has been spent unwisely over the years funding all kinds of research

that ultimately has nothing to do with a cancer cure but is made to seem so.

[monmouth3]

2. Trying to cure cancer is a great money maker for so many. Those "Walks for the Cure" for instance

bring in millions..

[woodsprite]

4. Hoping the snark or sarcasm smilee are missing here.

Just having a friend who came through successful early detected lung cancer surgery this week, and myself having been through endometrial cancer surgery/treatment, I'm not typing what I'm thinking right now because I have too much invested in DU to jeopardize my membership.

Just saying.

Signed
Cancer survivor of 7 yrs (and counting)
Daughter of 11 yr cancer survivor

[Tommy_Carcetti]

6. Yes, it is purely satire. It's not actually about cancer.

Good Lord, I'd be an animal if I actually literally believed that.

Very happy to hear about your and your mother's stories, and thoughts and prayers go out to your friend.



Best of luck to you.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

17. Then what the hell is it about? I wish all these inside joke threads would stop and

What the heck is the Original Post referring to if it is not cancer?

There are so many of these threads cluttering up the forums that are obvious jokes to those who read all the threads in GD and other forums but not to those of us who read only a few a day.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

19. Post 13. Thanks. nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

24. Have a care with your analogies. My father died from his cancer #4 and #5 ganging up on him.

He defeated 1, 2, and 3 in sequence.

[MoonRiver]

32. VERY happy to read that.

Almost 2 year cancer survivor here.

[Downwinder]

5. Everyone will die from Cancer,

unless something else kills them first.

[Cryptoad]

9. That is kinda like

"Everybody going to die....so do it quickly so you don't cost the living any more money! "

[hack89]

7. It would be good if cancer deaths fell as much as gun deaths did.

that is a lot of people.

[Cryptoad]

8. Last time I looked

you are free to have cancer if you want to.,,,,, and the same goes for treatment of the same......

[cheapdate]

10. If cancer is worth curing, the free-market will cure it. Period.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

11. So you're proposing everyone undergo pre-emptive chemo whether they have cancer or not?

Sounds invasive, expensive, deadly and dumb.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

13. See, I knew someone would miss the analogy.

The cancer is not the guns. The cancer is the gun violence, such as these mass shooting incidents.

Guns themselves would be--I don't know--hexavalent chromium.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

20. Perhaps you should address the banners in your thread.

I know I was.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

25. Banners?

[IdaBriggs]

12. Proud to kick and rec an insightful post. nt

[Snake Plissken]

14. These radical anti-cancer extremists are totally out of control

next thing they'll want is the billionaires to cut their profits be removing known carcinogens from our food supply

[Downwinder]

15. Legalize pot. Problem solved.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

22. You win both sides of the argument.

[niyad]

16. so glad I finished my coffee before reading this.

[joeybee12]

18. Don't forget, their right to cancer is guaranteed by the Constitution...

Pursuit of happiness, right? If cance makes them happy, why should we place limits on their cancer-getting rights? KNR

[Tommy_Carcetti]

23. Well, at the least the government guarantees the right to possess hexavalent chromium.

Remember folks, hexavalent chromium doesn't kill people. People kill people!

[Rex]

21. Besides we all know that a hard dick and long rockstar hair

is faaaaaarrrr more important in this society than cancer. Men all over America suffer from male pattern baldness and not being able to have an erection hard enough to drive nails into walls! LORD KNOWS we need to spend trillions of dollars to make me...er them feel better!

[nolabear]

27. The solution, of course, is privatization. Corporations are people; they'll cure it.

Oh wait, or is it Corporations are cancer? I can never keep that straight.

[lastlib]

29. I think it's the latter, and they're working hard to cure people!

[Lint Head]

28. I say forget about curing anything! It's a money waster. Also, let the poor starve and make sure

the rich, especially celebrities, make more money than is humanly possible. Food Stamps? Baw ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.. ha .. ha!

Survival of the fittest! Ayn Rand forever!!!!

[90-percent]

30. historical cancer stats

sorry this is from memory, but,

in 1900, about 1 out of 20 caught cancer in their lifetimes.

in 2013, that figure is currently 1 in 3.

we are all going to die from cancer.

And I got skin in the game. MY wife of 23 years is currently receiving home hospice care for her horrible cancer and I'm just sad all the time.

-90% Jimmy

[Sissyk]

56. Oh, 90-percent,

I am so sorry! You made me cry. You are both in my thoughts, and I hope she passes peacefully.

I lost my younger brother to kidney cancer. Hospice is one of the greatest orgs out there. I hope they are treating you and your wife the way we were treated.

And you, Hang in There!

[sarge43]

63. Cancer is coming to the forefront because other diseases are being eliminated,

prevented or controlled.

In 1900 only one person in 20 died of cancer because the other 19 died of infectious diseases, TB, heart disease or accidents.

http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/06/25/historical-changes-in-causes-of-death

http://www.livescience.com/21213-leading-causes-of-death-in-the-u-s-since-1900-infographic.html

Nowadays very few of us don't have skin in the game. Each of us probably know someone who has been afflicted. I've had it; my mother died of it as did a good friend a few months ago and my husband may have it - waiting on the tests.

May you and your wife stand in the light.

[dangin]

31. Joke or moron?

I don't get it.

Tommy what is your age? that is the percent chance that you have prostate cancer right now.

20% of 20 year olds, 50% of 50 year olds, 80% of 80 year olds. Most of us die with prostate cancer not from it. It grows very slowly. (autopsies verify these percentages, particularly for the older ages)

one third of us will be treated for cancer in our life times. Nearly all of us will "have" cancer and have it defeated by our immune system with out ever knowing it. (this is thought to be quite common among oncologists).

Finally I'm sitting less than three miles from the university that has developed six of the 20 newest cancer treatments. New treatments are being developed constantly, and the lives of cancer patients and the cures for cancer patients have increased considerably.

This is a douchy OP.

[Sanddog42]

43. really?

[dmr]

33. What's this about? Been away from DU, so am confused.

Looks like the idiots are at it again.

I hope someone responds. I'll be back later to check in, as I'm having an infusion this afternoon for my Stage IV breast cancer - and the drugs are kicking its ass! So fuck the idiots!

[PowerToThePeople]

40. gee you in es. (I think) n/t

[The Straight Story]

34. If you want to stop cancer do you blame the sidewalk people walk on

And if 99.2% of the people walking on it don't have cancer would you focus all of your time and effort on that sidewalk?

Or would you focus your efforts on the very few to find out what caused it for them and not others?

Some would want to ban that sidewalk and let no one walk down it, or make it narrower, or to feel better plant some flowers next to it.

Smart researchers would be looking at the few and what caused them to get it instead of adding in all the people who didn't do it and saying 'well, they will get cancer any day now because they walk on the same side walk'.

But others see that as too much work "Just get rid of that sidewalk, problem solved!"

[Tommy_Carcetti]

50. Sidewalks cause cancer?

[Sissyk]

58. Have you not been reading your own thread?

All the members here that are currently going through different stages of cancer? And, their families?

If you want to talk about guns, can you not leave the members that this hurt out of the discussion? Most of them don't talk in the gun threads anyway.

You should delete it.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

62. The point wasn't to be cute and frivilous.

Think about the first line of what you wrote.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

64. It was quite something to read your OP and then find out you think it's all a lark.

Read the cancer in your thread and then think twice about the cuteness of your frivolous OP.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

65. Again, the point of the post wasn't to be funny.

If I wanted to post something funny, I would have done it in the Lounge.

I don't think you understand.

One need not be literal to make a point.

[KamaAina]

35. Besides, we're making trillions off cancer drugs!

Curing cancer would stop the gravy train!

[kelliekat44]

37. WE have a WINNER!!!! nt

[Renew Deal]

38. Thanks for proving that many people are hypocrites

It is sorely needed. If you are offended about this post/thread, then it's about you.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

46. I'm actually glad there were a few people that were offended.

It pretty much brings home my actual, unspoken point of the post.

[kelliekat44]

39. We spend trillions to help people live longer so they can pay obscene money for medical care.

This is what keeps the pharms and medical communities in business. Way too much spent on cures and way to little on helping improve the quality of life for those already here. Preventative care gets very little funding while chasing the cures for aliments that might be prevented by better and more accessible health care and preventive medicine. Follow the money again....there is a lot of history out there about bio-medical research and the charlatans involved. It's what keeps the elite schools in business, charging the highest fees for education, paying the highest salaries, and selectively keeping out those of the lower class.

[furious]

41. A cure of cancer would be fantastic,

as long as it didn't end up like this.

[KG]

42. when someone dies from cancer is no time to talk about cancer...

[pintobean]

44. We need new laws to regulate cancer

or just outright ban it. Everyone should contact their representatives this week and come back to this thread to report how that goes.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

47. Post 13. nt

[pintobean]

49. My mistake.

I mistook you for one of the many gun control advocates who can't distinguish the difference.

I apologize.

[KansDem]

45. Are we still trying to find cures?

Treatments are much better money-makers for BigPharma...

[Historic NY]

48. Really who needs to spend money on health insurance.....

when you get the "big c", just go quickly.

[dem in texas]

51. Bad Satire, No good Humor

If this is satire, which I think it is, it is not well written or funny. If you are trying to show the attitude of the guns nuts, there could find a better way. People take cancer seriously and don't think it is subject for satire.

I am all for good satire, just try again.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

52. People do take cancer seriously.

They should take cancer seriously.

Bingo.

The thing about satire, as opposed to general comedy, is that it's not supposed to be laugh out loud until you cry funny.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

54. Post 13. Welcome to DU.

Glad I inspired you to join.

[The Magistrate]

55. You Are, Sir, A Much Kinder Man Than Me....

[Tommy_Carcetti]

57. Well, clearly my post inspired his screen name.

(Which I happen to think is a very good sentiment, BTW)

So I like to think of him as my kid, of sorts.

[The Magistrate]

59. Fair Enough, Mr. Mayor

You will probably have seen this, but I think it is a thing of high beauty worth widest circulation....

http://badassdigest.com/2011/03/24/the-most-brilliant-thing-ever-the-wire-as-dickensian-serial/

[Tommy_Carcetti]

60. Shiiiiiiiiit.

I'll have to add that to my Facebook page.

[The Magistrate]

61. All Five Syllables, Sir --- Good For You

[Rider3]

66. that's just dumb

There's probably a cure already out there, but Big Pharama won't allow it through. Besides, why do you want to stop progression? If you don't want to take advantage of the medicine, then don't. But, don't deprive others of their choice. Hmm.... Choice. Good thing to have.

[SomethingFishy]

67. I think you missed the point...

Cancer is a metaphor in this thread...