this is getting to be quite a battle-down and dirty, and played with all
the mud and abuse one candidate can grab.  here is part of an article
which was in the Peoria Journal Star just a few months ago:

By JODI POSPESCHIL of the Journal Star
MACOMB - Andrea Lane Zinga kicked off her congressional campaign
Wednesday, saying in her hometown that 22-year incumbent Lane Evans has
failed to protect good jobs for others and lacks the health to do his
own. Zinga said Evans' battle with Parkinson's disease is making it
increasingly difficult for him to represent the 17th District.
"His health doesn't permit it," she said. "He just can't do the job, and
we're suffering mightily. If we feel for him, then we do not re-elect him."

 and then:

"Dignity can sometimes be about walking away, about knowing when you are
no longer physically up to doing the job. It was very dignified of
Michael J. Fpx to do that when his Parkinson's interupted his acting
career."

and more:

"in this campaign, the simple unvarnished truth that I am sorry to
report is that our congressman can't do the job anymore. His health does
not permit it.

this is my reply to Andrea Lane Zigna and to the editor of the Peoria
Journal Star:

Dear Andrea Lane Zinga: I would like you to know that I have no objection to you entering a race
 against Lane Evans...however, I DO take tremendous offence at your statements about the
Congressman's health causing him not to be able to do his job in Washington, DC for the 17th district.
I know Lane Evans
and I know his Parkinson's disease as only another person with Parkinson's can
know. I might not agree with every single vote he has cast but I know him to be a man
of integrity, vision, hope and I am completely confident in his ability to do his job.
I have had Parkinson's Disease for over 14 yrs; I too was diagnosed at an early age (39). They
call PD the "snowflake disease" with good reason and that reason is that no two people with Parkinson's
are exactly the same-they do not have the same symptoms, reaction to medicine, the same rate of
progression nor the same severity of smyptoms. While I am completely disabled, in large part because
of a botched pallidotomy, and I am unable to work because of this disease, DO NOT FOR A MOMENT
think that just because Lane has trouble speaking or running like he used to, that is brain or thought
patterns are in any way compromised. His brain is doing just fine, thank you, although his body is not
.Now, I will tell you that PD affects the voice, short term memory, and cognitive skills
but when you have surrounded yourself with a staff of the highest quality and rare
commitment to their boss, these things can be readily overcome. I don't have
the staff that Lane has but I can tell you in no uncertain terms that I can do
the mental work of 4 healthy people-in my own time and in my own way. I dare
you to find one person with Parkinson's disease who is not an over-achiever.
Now, Ms. Zinga, if you plan to wage a fair campaign, then more power to you BUT if you
continue to play the "ability" card, be prepared for vigorous support from the many people
with disabilities who think that Lane Evans is doing a very creditable job.
Sincerely,  Joan Blessington Snyder

and then this her reply to me:

Dear Joan,
I appreciate very much hearing from you, especially such a thoughtful letter. I replied
to you yesterday but am afraid that because of some problems with our Internet access,
you may not have received my e-mail.      So to be safe I'll try again.
This is in NO WAY about the disabled, or the ability of people with Parkinson's to function,
accomplish and achieve.It is in NO WAY about Mr. Evans' mental abilities.While, as you said,
Parkinson's is a  "snowflake disease," and while my research says that dementia can occur
in some people, none of us has any way of knowing what is or is not happening in the
congressman's brain.  So the assumption must be made, then, that his mental ability is,
as you say, just fine. You raise a couple of points I'd like to address.  You say that while
his brain is fine, "his body is not."  And that is the gist of the question as I see it:
whether he has the stamina to satisfy the job description of a Congressman.  Most disabled
people I know are quite proud, as are you, of what they CAN do; but they are also, to a person
in my experience, aware of what they cannot.    There are jobs Mr. Evans can do.
I just wonder if being in Congress is still one of them;  that is, is he being fair
to the people of the 17th District if in fact what the 17th District needs is someone
who can give 100% to the job?  Having your mental faculties isn't giving 100%
You mention his staff.  Joan, we do not elect his staff, although taxpayers do pay for that too.
Is it fair to the voters to have a Congressman who has much more of his load carried by
his staff than is the norm?  Why not just have the staff and not bother with the Congressman?
And then, you address another point.  You say you get things done "in your own time,
in your own way."  Of course, and more power to you!  But again I wonder:  time is in
precious short supply for any of us these days; and from what I observe of Congress,
those with speed, succeed.  Decisions and developments happen on the turn of a dime
sometimes.  The faster you can move, then the more people you can talk to, the more
visiting you can do out in the District, the more telephoning, attending meetings,
catching flights, driving, persuading, cajoling, buttonholing and advocating.
In other words, the more you should be able to accomplish for the folks back home.
It's that simple. If fate had turned the tables and I were the one with Parkinson's,
I assure you I would not have been able to continue in my job as a TV anchor.
I wonder if it's fair for Mr. Evans to continue to expect the voters to pay him and elect
him to that one.  And I firmly believe it's fair to raise these questions.
All the best to you.  You sound like a good woman to know.  Maybe we'll have that
opportunity one day. Regards,Andrea Zinga

and then these are the remarks that I made at a press conference held in Springfield,Il when
Land invited me to be there as he announced his bid for re-election:
Iam Joan Blessington Snyder. I
live in Chillicothe, IL and am a wife and mom to
two teenagers.
I am 52 yrs. old and have been dxed with Parkinson's Disease
for almost 14 yrs. now.
 I came here today to tell you why I think that
Lane Evans can handle the job that you elect him to do.
WhileI don't agree with every vote that Congressman Evans
 has cast...it is with certainty that I can vouch for his
 integrity, his humanity and his abilities. Parkinson's
Disease affects each one of differently-it's a designer
 disease with no two ofus progressing the same way or
reacting to medicines in the same way. But
what I know from meeting and talking to hundreds of
people with Parkinson's is that in nearly every case, our
disease (while none of us would choose this path) has
profoundly affected our lives for the better.

 It has taught us patience, compassion, and how to prioritize our
commitments...and I can tell you in no uncertain terms that a person
with parkinson's is a person who is an overachiever.

 I know Lane Evans and I know his disease and I can tell you that he is
ultimately committed to continue to do the best job despite what some
may see as a disability.

I am proud to call Lane Evans a friend and I think that he embodies the
words of Pope John the 23rd when he said:

 "Consult not your fears
but your hopes and your dreams.
Think not about your frustrations,
but about your unfulfilled potential.
Concern yourself
not with what you
tried and failed in,
but with what it is still possible
for you to do.


  If you agree that this is an outrage, please would you join with me in
writing letters to the editor of the following Quad Cities newspapers
because this has fast become an
affront to all people with Parkinson's.
I will send you snail mail addresses of all the newspapers that are in
the Quad Cities in my next post.

--

Joan E. Blessington Snyder       51/13
http://www.pwnkle.com/jes/jes_web/index.htm
<[log in to unmask]>
"Hang tough...........no way through it but to do it."
Chris-in-the-Morning   (Northern Exposure)


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