The Brain Tumor Made Me Do It
How sad is this? Former San Diego Mayor Maureen O’Connor acknowledged in federal court Thursday that she took $2 million from her late husband’s charitable foundation to pay for her addiction to video poker. Even better, she lost $1 billion wagering over the course of a decade. A billion f%cking dollars! She has pleaded not guilty to money laundering as part of a deal with prosecutors that will defer the charges for two years as she attempts to repay the debt. My favorite part of the USNews article is this:
“An attorney for O’Connor, Eugene Iredale, told reporters outside the courthouse that his client had severe health problems, including a brain tumor, that led to her gambling addition”.
What? I can’t stand when lawyers use a medical problem or disease to excuse a behavior. Ain’t nobody got time for that! To lose over a billion dollars would make that the most powerful brain tumor in the history of mankind.
Was that the Mayor’s brain tumor in the MRI? The pic looks like a large extraaxial tumor, e..g. meningioma. I’ve seen quite a few patients whose brain tumors caused abnormal behavior, but it’s usually stuff like impulsivity or apathy/depression (frontal lobe symptoms…think of Phineas Gage’s behavior), dementia, or behaviors associated with epilepsy. I’m sure that the defense and prosecution will call their experts to argue the case in court. I’m sure the testimony will be fascinating.
That was just a pic of a tumor I stole. Sorry.
I will accept the apology when a big-name politician or wife of a banker or corporate executive says that her brain tumor caused her to build a string of homeless shelters or “living room” psychiatric hospitals (see Recovery Innovations website).
I think the saddest/funniest part of the story is that it was …video poker!! Not baccarat, high-stake, low-shade poker, or even roulette? No trip to Monte Carlo for comp’ed rooms and free Vespers, no interaction, drama, or luxury? Hell, my animated role model “Archer” at least hit top ante’ blackjack with his $ 2 million in bearer bonds to blow. Video poker??? That is pitiful on an assisted living scale of aesthetic.
The whole thing reeks of the infamous “Twinkie” defense, or any given Rep. Patrick Kennedy public apology.
(PS – the most powerful brain tumor in present existence is the Obama re-electorate, and sadly there ain’t enough chemo in the world)