ACCUMULATING PERIPHERALS

Dennis Quaid testified to Congress yesterday that they shouldn’t ban lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies for drugs approved by the FDA. Quaid’s twins were almost killed when a nurse accidental gave them 1000 times the appropriate dose of a blood thinner called heparin; his suit alleges the company failed to recall bottles with confusing labels. GOP Representatives were somewhat tripped up by the fact that Quaid is a lifelong Republican. Quoth the Baltimore Sun’s Jonathan Rockoff:

After reading a statement attacking “predatory trial lawyers,” Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia identified with Quaid’s plight during questioning.

If “this had been my kids, I’d be suing everyone in sight. This should not happen,” said Davis, who later had a staff member photograph him standing beside Quaid.

The thing is, when some guy who works at a shoe store sues the hospital, he’s usually just a greedy loser who’s resentful over his failure in the great capitalist meritocracy and wants to cash in on the victim lottery at the expense of hardworking drug company executives. But this is obviously not true of Dennis Quaid, who is a loving and caring father and a <i>great American.</i> Didn’t you see “The Alamo”? “The Right Stuff”?