Tom Oliphant: My Journey Into Darkness . . . BosGlobe . . .

[TaleWgnDg]

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"Tom Oliphant: My Journey Into Darkness
Globe Columnist | June 5, 2005

"WASHINGTON

" 'WHERE HAVE you been?' people have asked.

"I have been away -- really far away, almost to the other side.

"For those who have wondered what happened to my musings all spring, the official answer of ''on leave" didn't tell the entire story. To those who produced a mountain of correspondence and gifts, I have been more than overwhelmed even as I attempt to answer each one.

"Near-death experiences are far from unique, except for the poor slob who almost dies. For each tale of the famous bright white lights, there are countless others like mine of sudden, impenetrable darkness. As with any condition or disease, information is a large part of the battle.

"So here is what happened. I remember very little of it, but it's the information I've been able to piece together thanks to my wife, my kids, and the others who saved my life."

. . . more at . . . http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/06/05/my_journey_into_darkness/?page=full

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DUers were wondering the other day, what happened to Tom Oliphant, the Boston Globe op-ed columnist and the Jim Lehrer's News Hour member of the team that, at times, does a weekly political commentator segment. Tom is suffering from a "near death" brain aneurysm! He's slowly recovering which is what this op-ed column is about . . .


Tom Oliphant
appearing on Jim Lehrer's News Hour

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[evlbstrd]

1. My god.

He is a very lucky man.
And we're lucky he's still around to write.

[ElectroPrincess]

10. I agree ... may his recovery be soon ... we admire and need him /eom

[slor]

2. Thanks for posting!

I really was wondering what was up with him. I actually thought he had been dropped, due to his obvious affinity towards a Kerry victory in the election.

[globalvillage]

3. OMG, I hope he's OK

[e-mail]

I love Tom. Prayers and best wishes for a speedy recovery.:loveya:

[In_The_Wind]

4. Welcome home Tom Oliphant - glad you made it.

Yes, it's loving hands and minds not the government that each of us would want to decide our fate.

May your recovery be speedy and complete.

[0rganism]

5. "...neurologists often have to reintroduce themselves to patients..."

Yowch!

That article's a heartwrencher.

[izzie]

6. I am glad he is back and getting better.

He got a smile from me about his way of forgetting G. W. Bush. He must be getting well if his wit stays with him.

[rox63]

7. So glad he's recovering

He's a real journalist, and there are precious few of those left. Sending prayers and positive vibes to him.

[paineinthearse]

8. Welcome back, Tom

We've missed you.

This is Tom's first Globe article since March.

Nominated, do we have a 3rd?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

9. makes an excellent statement - re: Shrivo tragedy...

"This place where I have been is a dark one. The one thing I know is who belongs there -- your family and the pros. No one else, especially not the government. You want the loving hands and the healing ones to bring you home or let you go."

I'm so glad he's ok.

[MadisonProgressive]

11. I emailed him

Dear Mr. Oliphant,

I just read your article, “My journey into darkness”, and am so happy to know that you are recovering from your terrible ordeal. May I suggest that the reason you were brought back to us is to help lead our country out of the darkest time in our history? You must help expose to the masses what many Americans already know, if only from spending time on the internet. Please make your greatest life’s work the awakening of our people to the darkness inflicted by the Bush administration on the once shinning light of liberty.

May God bless you.

Sincerely,

(my realname)

[Dudley_DUright]

12. Tom is one of the best

So glad he made it through the crisis OK. Of course, there are upsides and downsides to this:

Miraculously, I can concentrate again and finished reading a book last week. Sadly, I now know who the president is.

Welcome back to reality Tom. We need you now more than ever. Another of my favorite columnists, Lars Erik Nelson, unfortunately did not make it back from a brain aneurysm (happened just after the 2000 selection, probably for good reason).

[Nothing Without Hope]

13. Thank you for this. I'm glad to know. How awful to come back to full

awareness and realize how terrible current reality is.

[bertha katzenengel]

14. My god!

Welcome back, Tom.

[LeahD]

15. He has been on the Al Franken show recently,

and he's as insightful and funny as ever. His musings are a breath of fresh air, and he hits the nail on the head with such eloquence! Glad he's back.

[geckosfeet]

16. I read his column, Very moving and revealing.

At the end he said that when something like this happens to you, you need your family and the pros (doctors, nurses, etc.) there to help, not some government weenies. I think, he was making reference to the recent Schiavo incident among other things.

[Trigger Hippie]

17. I'm glad to hear from him again...

His columns have always been highlights since I moved to the Boston area...


:hi:

[TaleWgnDg]

18. Welcome to DU, BushIsAPooHead . . .

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Welcome to DU, BushIsAPooHead . . .

With that nick, you are very welcome here!

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[Trigger Hippie]

19. Thanks for the welcome!

And please, call me Poo.

;)


:hi:

[Say_What]

20. Heard an interview with him as I was driving cross country to/from Boston

on XM radio--Ed Schultz show maybe--can't remember. He was great. He talked about the aneurysm and how he didn't have the typical medical problems that most people have.

[TaleWgnDg]

21. We are so fortunate that Tom survived! To put it bluntly,

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We are so fortunate that Tom survived! To put it bluntly, Tom Oliphant adds intellect, decisiveness, class, brevity, and vast knowledge to any political/governmental discussion including a debate.

I've been a devoted fan of his for so many years due to his op-ed pieces in the Boston Globe and elsewhere as well as his appearances on PBS Lehrer's NewsHour where he presents multi-faceted discussions.

Great to hear he's added Satellite Radio to his table as well!




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