The Leonard Lopate Show

Please ask Senator Specter why he invariably says one thing and votes the other way? Does he think people don't notice? FISA is a good example, but it's not the only one.

Some other examples where Senator specter orated one way and voted the opposite: voted for both Roberts and Alito, voted for the Military Commissions Act despite its lack of habeas corpus which he said he wanted, voted for both the temporary Protect America Act and the Senate permanent extension.

Given that Senator Specter has been battling cancer, that he, evermore, seems torn in his decisions, often stating the merits and justice of a certain position only to, in the end, vote for something quite different, if not contrary to his stated 'position', and that, like everyone else, Senator Spector will not live forever; might you ask the good Senator if he has any plans regarding retirement?

Please remind the esteemed Senator, that some of us in PA, have been pondering this eventuality on his behalf.

Was the Senator fully covered by federal government health insurance for all of his treatment?

Mr. Specter, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in 1979 when I was 30 years old. I was told at that time that it was typically contracted in younger people. Isn't it quite rare to be diagnosed with Hodgkin's at your age? Please talk aboput this briefly for others to learn from. Thank you.

This country is long overdue for a fiscally conservative, socially liberal party comprised of today's centrist Democrats and Republicans. The two extreme portions of both parties should be left to themselves in their own parties.

Please give my congratulations to Senator Specter. I contracted Hodgkin's Disease in 1984, and when my blood counts fell during

chemo- and radiation-therapy, I came to one month of dying. When the source of stress which was complicating my condition was identified and removed, I recovered. After 5 years, I was declared free of disease. After 7 years, I was declared cured (not just in remission). This past December 16th, I celebrated my 22nd anniversary of surviving my cancer. Thank you!

"Remember the what?" Are you kidding me?!

Ummm...I for one do NOT consider the pardoning of Nixon to be an act of great "statesmanship"...it was immoral cowardice. and quite frankly, I think Specter is wrong, it is the corporate right-wing media who look at it that way but from my experience a lot of people in real life expressed what an absurd notion that was.

1. Limit interest rates banks and c card can charge

2. Restrict mortgage amounts to provable ability to repay

WHY NOT CREATE THESE 2 LAWS?

People gave a lot of credit for that when they discussed it at Ford's death... my experience is that most society's don't take a person's death as an opportunity to publicly humiliate them.

While the pardoning spared the country a lot of bitterness and division at the time, but ultimately, it paved the way for the return of the imperial Presidency by not making an example of this man. Ford sacrificed the long-term benefits for the short-term convenience of avoiding an embarressing situation.

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Noone from my life gave it credit. I remember hearing "absurd" a lot.

Being fair and critical of a person's errors, especially a leader is not the same as the extreme of "public humiliation". Quite frankly, I hate the american tendency to whitewash all the bad things that a president committed during their term just because they died(they did it with Reagan, Nixon and Ford). It's disingenuous at best.

What Ford did was a disgrace...and it should be seen for what it was. And I 100% agree with the second part of what you said...which is one of the reasons that it should be seen for what it was. We cannot preach the ideal that the law applies to everyone including our leaders and then laud Ford for pardoning Nixon just because the man dies.

What I meant was that when somebody dies, people have a tendency to try to praise all of their good qualities and downplay or "whitewash" their faults and mistakes. Nobody in my life praised the decision, but I was also referring to the press and public commentators who were nodding their heads at the idea that this was a great thing he did.

Askenazi Jews are at much more risk to get Hodgkin’s disease. Does Mr. Specter think that he got it because he also has askanazi genes?

"Removed" refers to another generation. So my first cousin's daughter is my first cousin "once removed."

-Eileen

(friend of Leonard's colleague going back some years, Ruth Shereff)

first cousins have the same grandparents

second cousins have the same great-grandparents

third cousins have the same great-great-etc.

"removed" refers to the generations as noted.