October 9, 2002
TORQUEMODO:
Tribulation Worketh Patience (MAUREEN DOWD, October 9, 2002, NY Times)We may soon find out, if W. David Hager becomes chairman of the powerful Food and Drug Administration panel on women's health policy. His resume seems more impressive for theology than gynecology. [...]A professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Kentucky, he has a considerable body of work about Jesus' role in healing women, and last summer he helped the Christian Medical Association with a "citizens' petition" calling on the F.D.A. to reverse its approval of RU-486, the "abortion pill," claiming it puts women at risk. (RU-486 or RU-4Jesus?)
Hot on the heels of recent inappropriate jokes about things like Saddam Hussein gassing his own people, Ms Dowd chimes in today with that neat little wisecrack about abortion. Get it? Are you for Jesus or are you for "86ing" the human embryo?
Posted by Orrin Judd at October 9, 2002 12:44 AM
You greatly underestimate Canute
.
Regards,
Though Dowd is quite bright, I can't decide if she really even noticed the implications of the number "86", and therefore would have made the joke even if the drug was called, say, RU-433. My first thought was that her quip was solely based on the RU-4 equalling "Are you for." Oh well, I can't stand Dowd, and Mr. Judd's interpretation puts her in the most negative light, so I'll assume the worst.
Posted by: JW at October 9, 2002 4:42 PMJW:
Your point about her not even knowing what her own joke meant is perfectly valid. I even like it because it once again calls into question whether anyone even bothers to edit the Times anymore. A half decent editor would have caught it.