Boland hospitalized, doing "fine"
Rumors circulated earlier Tuesday that Mike Boland was hospitalized and some speculated that he'd had a heart attack. His wife Mary dispelled such rumors in a piece in the Dispatch today.
State Rep. Mike Boland, D-East Moline, is fine after being admitted to a hospital, according to his wife.
"He's fine. He has not had a heart attack," Mary Boland said Tuesday, when contacted via cell phone. "He got sick. He's had some tests, and he's going home tomorrow."
Mrs. Boland said her husband had a virus, in response to reports that he'd had a heart attack.
Apparently, it's hazardous to your health to be a politician around here. First Pat Verschoore, the Denny Jacobs, now Mike Boland have all been hospitalized. Mike Jacobs, have you had a check-up lately? Just sayin'.
posted by The Inside Dope @ 4/06/2005
42 comments
42 Comments:
Come on LatinV, what do you expect his Mary Bolad to say?
I was standing near Sen. Mike Jacobs when a reporter from WQAD came-up to him and asked, "Did you hear that Mike Boland had a heart attack and was in a hosptial?"
Sen. Jacobs replied, "I don't know about that, but Mike Boland did have a heart attack about a year aog. He added that Mike's recent epsiode could well be more of the same."
By the way LatinV, how many people do you know that has been hospitalized for a virus? Just asking!
Anon, I think you're being amazingly callous regarding someone's health problems. Is partisanship really so intense that you jump on people even when they're hospitalized? Yikes!
At any rate, I may be naive, but I'd hope that if Boland had indeed suffered a heart attack, his wife wouldn't feel the need to cover it up. I mean, a heart attack is after all, as serious as, well, a heart attack. One would think it would come out anyway, so why lie about it? I think you don't give Boland's wife enough credit. (or too much, depending on how cynical you are, which in your case, is very.)
And I'm disappointed that apparenly you're ignorant of the fact that people are hospitalized with viruses (virii) all the time. They can be very serious, and in fact in many cases can be fatal.
Ever heard of anyone being hospitalized for any of these?
• AIDS
• Hantavirus Infections
• Hemorrhagic Fevers
• Hepatitis C
• Meningitis
• Myelitis
• Monkeypox Virus Infections
• Mumps
• Rabies
• Respiratory Syncytial Virus
• Encephalitis
• Rubella
• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
• Shingles
• West Nile Virus
They're all viruses. As a matter of fact, Multiple Sclerosis is often a result of viral infections of the spinal cord.
And influenza is a common viral infection. If it was so harmless as you assume, why then does the government spend untold millions to provide flu vacinations to those at risk? Obviously, people are hospitalized for this by the thousands and it is sometimes fatal.
Unlike bacterial infections, viral infections are extremely difficult to treat and cure.
So perhaps think twice before you jump on someone with both feet while they're down. Maybe just once put your partisanship aside when it comes to someone's health problems?
what is the new senator supposed to say when the local news asks if he knows about boland -then they pick and choose which comments to air. channel 8 is famous for this. they used to be a fine news channel but not so much anymore. mike boland may be in the hospital for a virus but my money is on a heart attack. that or angst over how he is walking all over people to promote himslef lately. here the one about keithsburg? what a hack.
I agree that WQAD may have thrown the question to State Sen. Mike Jacobs, but apparently without the facts it was irresponsible & insensitive for the Senator to talk about whether Boland had had a heart attack.
Some issues are above and beyond politics!
must be tough running an anonymous blog these days - look at all the health problems!
it came out of springfield that Rep Boland had a heart atta ck
Anonymous at 10:03.
First of all, I'm having a blast running this site. I love it, and an average of over a hundred others every day find it worth looking at.
This past Monday the site had 172 individual visitors.
Normally, I'd just delete a weird comment like yours, but I can't help myself. I just gotta ask you to explain just what the hell you meant.
I'm tryin' real hard here to squeeze some sort of logic out of your comment, but it's not working. What are you trying to say? Out with it, or else you just look stupid and leave us all wondering what planet you're from.
And here's my two cents on the matter. Number one, it doesn't matter if the story came from Springfield, that doesn't make it true. That's just a lame attempt at an excuse. As is blaming WQAD's editing.
And one can only imagine the venom that would have been unleased, likely by some of you anonymous commenters, were the situation reversed and Boland had popped off and speculated on live television that Denny had suffered a heart attack. It would be loud and blistering, no doubt.
Secondly, it sounds as if Mike Jacobs got put in a situation where he speculated not knowing the facts. After all, that's what speculation is. We all do it. But we're not state senators and we don't have TV cameras recording our words.
His statement on air as reported in a comment above was ill-advised to say the least, and he should have edited himself. Speculation is fine on other topics, but speculating on a potential opponent's (or anyone else's)health problems isn't.
It's not the end of the world, but it's certainly something Jacobs should take the opportunity to learn from.
To me, it sounds as if Jacobs, programed to never pass up an opportunity to impugn Boland, simply took the comment about Boland's hospitalization and allowed himself to speculate on air. Which at least on this topic, was not wise.
I sincerely doubt Jacobs intended to perpetuate a story he knew to be false, however, he failed to realize how his simply saying that the story sounded plausible in light of Boland's previous heart problems could be taken.
All in all, it's a big nothing, but an example of how politicians can get burned by an otherwise innocent remark. It's a bit unrealistic to expect any politician who speaks on camera constantly to never insert their foot in their mouth.
But one hopes that Jacobs realizes his error, and that maybe, just maybe, he can overcome his genetic disposition to take shots at Boland and think twice before offering his diagnosis of anyone's health problems before an audience of thousands.
Some good points, Ms. Dope, but readers have to remember that when a local TV stations shoves a mic into your face and asks you a question "LIVE" you don't have much time to think about what you're going to say.
That kind of question is way out of bounds to ask someone, so I excuse Sen. Mike Jacobs.
WQAD should go to the hospital for comment; that's what a professional news crowd should do.
the news should have called MAry Boland as they did AFTER Senator Jacobs said the dreaded HEART ATTACK words. wonder who spread the rumor around the qc's and springfield that denny was dead when he was in the hospital for his virus.
I mean they should have called her to find out what happend to Mike Boland FIRST
Yeah, I know you sure ran a blog on Denny in the hospital STAT.
"ran a blog"????
Seriously, what the hell are you trying to say here? Would you PLEASE attempt to post something besides vague one line nothings.
Are you criticizing me for doing a post on Denny? And if so, are you pissed that it was too soon or too late? And if it's any of the above, what the hell does that have to do with this story?
I'm sorry, I'd like to respond, but I have no earthly idea what the hell you're trying to say. A little help here?
the DOPE reported this as an update on his march 5th article about Denny Jacobs being hospitalized - and I quote:
A very alert and helpful Dopester has reported that apparently Denny has suffered a mild heart attack and will be kept in the hospital overnight for observation. Further details as they appear.
guess you speculated without the facts to my friend.
march 15th article
Come on, wake up everybody. The fact of the matter is that WQAD set up Mike Jacobs. They've had it in for him since he was sworn in.
The Jacobs, having just gone through their own family health scares, have nothing but sympathy for Mike Boland or any other person with health problems.
To suggest otherwise is absolute
B.S. and this blog ought to be ashamed of itself.
DOPE,
How about your error in reporting that Senator Denny Jacobs had a heart attack! Oops looks like you should be apologizing.
ladies, ladies, ladies!!!!! Are we forgetting that the media should have contacted the Boland family instead of the people in office in Springfield. After all if my memory serves me right the Jacobs family had a spokesperson giving the public information. Was it such a secret that Representave Boland was in the hospital?? after all if all the other politicians have to have their medical records right on the front page of our local papers and news stations than what makes this Representative any different! what's good for one is good for all. Get real!!!!
Should Senator Mike Jacobs supporters be upset with the blog title and story "Jacobs to step down and give Boland a clear shot for Senate"? This whole blog conversation is pathetic. Really, Cut the guy some slack, the people on the blog weren't crying when the dope said that the Senator wanted to open a shoe store in carbon cliff and fly in the fluffy clouds. If he burped wrong would he be criticized for that as well. Seriously! No harm no foul. What harm was there in his being concerned for his co-worker?
Did anyone hear about Mike Boland trying to take credit in Keithsburg for something that Rep. Pat Verschoore did...Typical Mike Boland ... ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME ME TYPICAL MIKE BOLAND- How much attention does one person need. WOW
This whole episode just reinforces for me why I don't like the blogging world. For Quad Citians, it's just another version of "Speak Out," the most irresponsible form of expression because it's all ANONYMOUS. You are free to be as irresponsible as you want, which makes anyone who thinks blogs are newsworthy, credible reliable barometers of widespread local opinion absolutely off their rockers!
you people are giving little miss dope way too much credit for being in the know! rod knows more of what's going than her!
to "thinkpink1"
you are right; i am just as hypocritical as you are by not signing my name. i could be "thinkpink2" or "thinkpink3" but the endgame is all the same -- we're all anonymous, like the host of this site, wasting time firing off angry little jabs.
bloggers, get a life.
Sigh...
Well it's interesting. If I dump on Boland, I get comments dumping on Boland. If I'm mildly critical of Mike Jacobs, I get a torrent of ill conceived howls of protest and waves of attack.
Interesting.
And to those who seem to think I'm hypocritical to scold Jacobs for speculating on Boland's diagnosis, all I can say is that, as you show in the quote, I reported what I had heard from more than one source, and I also used the word "Apparently" (look it up). I also indicated that the story was not complete and that I would provide more details later, which I did when I provided the entire story as reported.
And since apparently the complainers here can't make the distinction, I'd point out to them that I am not a State Senator speaking on broadcast TV news.
I'm a blogger reporting what I hear and what is credible according to my best judgement.
It's become apparent that there are many visitors here who don't have the foggiest idea what a blog is, have never had any experience with one, and have wildly erroneous ideas of what it is or should be.
I'm sorry that it apparently doesn't fit some people's pre-conceived notion of what they thought it would be. But, all I can say to that is, sorry to see you go.
If you're the type that immediately attacks the messenger every time you hear something you don't like, I can't help you.
To the person who fails to see the difference between actually taking the two seconds it takes to fill in a name and lazily just posting endless comments as anonymous, you obviously have no clue how blogging works, nor do you realize that it's nearly impossible to reply to specific comments when your all "anonymous", as well as the fact that no one can at least identify individual commenters, even if they do remain anonymous.
So as I've asked since the beginning, pick a name and stick to it. Lazy anonymous' take away from the blog and I don't like either blocking them or deleting them. It's really not much to ask.
And the rest? They just gave me a good laugh. Seriously, you should see you people! haha.
Oh, and to the person that suggests this entire blog should be ashamed of itself? Well, I'll work on it, but I really don't think it'll happen. The only thing I'm even mildly ashamed of is what happens when I open up comments to anonymous posters.
OH, and by the way, to those out there who are so backwards and catty that all they're concerned about is who I am or who various commenters are, get over it. Seriously.
The commenter that said this is akin to speakout was sadly correct as far as some comments go.
If all you have to contribute is your guesses at people's identities or similarly foolish games, then please don't waste space here. You're welcome to comment on anything here, but please stick to the issue or topic.
AND ONE BIG SUGGESTION...
You are communicating with other people here. Many people will read your comment. It's not 5 people sitting around reading each others words.
And you are communicating by writing. Please try to keep that in mind when leaving comments.
Try to post complete thoughts, not just the tail end of what you're thinking.
Remember that you need to tell us A. what subject you're talking about, who or what you're responding to, and B. a complete thought expressing what you want to say.
Take a moment to make sure it makes sense if you were someone else reading it. Don't assume we all know what you're referring to or what your one line message is trying to suggest.
I realize not everyone is a professional writer, and everyone makes mistakes. That's OK. Just do your best to be clear and to state a complete thought.
Most commenters do a great job already, but others... not so good. But I know you can do better.
Blogs, like anything, aren't everyone's cup of tea. And one great thing about them is that even if you can't stand this blog, there's millions of others out there. I hope you find one where you fit and feel comfortable.
But I'm pleased that there have been many thoughtful and sharp people who have been willing to contribute their thoughts and knowledge here, and trust that the "newbies" out there that are unfamiliar with blogs will learn to get comfortable with this once it's not all some big, new, confusing and maddening experience any longer. (well, it might still be maddening, no guarantees)
Glad you asked Think.
It's a big subject of internal debate here at Dope Central.
I really want to make this open to anyone. That was my intention, and it's still my hope.
But unfortunately, there have been times when the amount and irresponsibility of anonymous comments has dipped to a level that couldn't be tolerated.
So I'd shut the door and leave it open a crack by allowing registered users to post comments. This for the most part has the desired effect of thinning the herd and leaving only people that are willing to jump through a little hoop in order to contribute. The comments from registered users (with rare exceptions) have been thoughtful, witty, and intelligent and have provided a lot of knowledge that I don't have. (and that's a HUGE area.) After all, I want to learn here too, and I'm always grateful when someone who is knowlegeable in one subject or another shares that with myself and others.
If I could have a hundred commenters like those, I'd be in heaven.
I don't expect everyone to be brilliant (Lord knows I'm not) nor to be fantastic thinkers or writers. I believe everyone's opinion is worth something (even if it's next to nothing)
So after restricting comments, I get to feeling guilty and want to hear what people have to say. So I throw open the doors again and... well, you see the results.
It's almost like I have my own mob of villagers with torches and pitchforks just waiting outside the gates! I'm getting a Frankenstein complex. ha!
I opened up comments for election day, and neglected to shut the door afterwards.
I'm going to leave it open for a while and we'll see how it goes. I keep having faith that people will get with the program as time goes on and maybe if there's enough commenters and readers here who value quality comments, they'll actually begin to police the comments themselves and the trolls will feel unwelcome?
That is usually how it progresses as blogs mature.
I appreciate your comment, and feel free to communicate your thoughts on such matters via email.
As I said, the issue of how open to leave comments is something I wrestle with and I appreciate any input on the matter.
JCK, thanks for the vote of confidence. You're a fine human being and great American. ;-)
This is a bit like having a house party. If you pass out fliers and invite everyone, strangers tend to pile in the house and leave muddy footprints and stains on the carpet, miss the toilet, break lamps, pee in your flower beds, impregnate your pets, and otherwise act like barbarians.
(just look at this place... geeze!)
But that way, you sometimes end up with some really interesting and fun people at the party. Sure, they might not behave all the time, but one thing is for sure, you'll never forget the night.
On the other hand, you can be selective in who you invite. That's fine too, as you don't have the headaches. But you also end up with a fairly predictable, and a bit less memorable party.
I kind of favor the wide-open free-for-all, but at the same time, I get tired of finding beer cans behind the couch, clogged toilets, unidentified smells, and fat guys passed out in the laundry room, ya know what I mean?
And in this case, what really pisses me off is the people that show up at the party I'm having and get drunk and insult the host.
That dog don't hunt, and it's a sure way to get them thrown out.
I want to enjoy the party, damn it! There's always a few that don't know how to handle themselves, and I can live with that. But I don't want to spend the majority of my time arguing with and tossing surly and disrespectful clods instead of enjoying the other more interesting guests.
And just a note to Anonymous at 16:48...
You write,
"...which makes anyone who thinks blogs are newsworthy, credible reliable barometers of widespread local opinion absolutely off their rockers!"
Please provide a pointer to anyone who has suggested anything close to that.
Sounds like you first errected a straw man statement that no one has made and then knocked it down.
And yes, anyone is free to be irresponsible here. I'm trying my best to discourage it, but whenever anything is wide open, as it should be, you have little control over what people think or say, and to a certain extent, that's the way it should be.
Also, to the anonymous who thinks all I do here is take "angry little jabs"
Well, here's one especially for you. You're nuts if you think my offering my opinion of this matter was an "angry little jab". I gave Jacobs every benefit of the doubt, pointing out that we all do similar things all the time, that it was no big deal, and that anyone who has much of what they say recorded will slip up from time to time. All I said was that it was unfortunate and that he should learn from the mistake.
And you think that's an "angry little jab"? You haven't seen my angry jabs yet.
Stuff like this is just not worth getting too upset over. The intense partisanship that makes people read things that aren't written, hear things that aren't said, and come to conclusions that no evidence supports is actually kind of fascinating and pretty funny.
well, no use beating a dead horse dope. I just get confused by the anonymous people. use "other" and make up a name and stick with it. then people won't be confused by who you are. you run a fine blog dope and I don't know why people care so much about who you are. jsut keep up the good work!!!
Thanks Cap... I appreciate that.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
We gotta get a better class of troll around here. These are just pitiful.
Is Mr. Boland O.K.? I have not heard or seen anything. Regardless of my political beliefs, my thoughts and prayers to him and his family.
No word as yet at least in the local media. One would assume based on the quotes from his wife that he is doing well.
When Denny Jacobs was in the hospital it was in the paper and he is NOT even an elected official anymore. Just a private citizen. Mike Jacobs was raked over the coals for his thoughts on Mike Boland's hospitalization because he is a newly appointed official. Mike Boland, however, is not deemed newsworthy because he's an ELECTED official? Something just doesn't make sense in my estimation.
can't you leave that poor jacobs family alone?
come on dope, where's the update?
why can't we get real news and not all this fluff dope?
Trolley, with all the uproar and media attention on this story, you think it's "fluff"? Sounds like you're trying unsucessfully to tamp it down. Good luck.
Nice that Boland held a press conference about Mike Jacobs saying he had a heart attack when the paper said it was never said. I read the article three times to GET it. Why is the Argus/Dispatch going along with this foolish crap?
Boland is fine. I just saw him last night at a fundraiser.
Again, a tempest in a teapot. It's unfortunate that each of these politicians feel the need to attempt to seize on the slightest thing to attempt to damage the other.
I've also noticed that I was confusing in one of my posts much further up the thread here.
I was responding to the person who implied that I'd erroneously reported that Denny Jacobs had had a heart attack. I had only reported that "apparently" Denny had suffered a heart problem, and that I would supply more details as they became available. It was an evolving story and even though I had heard it from more than one source, I did not have the entire story at that time and thus didn't report it as fact. I updated the story the moment the facts became available with quotes from Mike Jacobs.
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