Sheet, Fans and Dr. John "Jack" Kruse

Well the internet is a-buzz.  Jack's sh!t has hit the fan.

Nashville Surgeon Target Of Cyber Attack, Kicked Off Cruise Ship , archived.
Nashville surgeon removed from cruise ship , archived.

I don't know who these reporters are, but even these articles smell super fishy.   

"I know that one of the main ringleaders that's tied to the twitter feed is in New York and they're probably going to be talking to her very soon," Kruse said.
Kruse was told a conviction for this type of crime could carry anywhere from a ten to twenty year sentence.
Let me be perfectly clear.  I WILL NOT BE INTIMIDATED.  I've retweeted a few @shitkrusesays tweets because I thought they were funny.  Nothing more, nothing less.  I have NOTHING to do with that account, and not only that, I have no clue who is behind it.  This is more than likely why neither the FBI nor any other law enforcement agency has yet to contact me, let alone show up at my door.  Surely this morning of Tuesday May 8 would have brought all heck down on me were there even one iota of truth to Jack's publicity stunt that supposedly went down two days ago.  

But Angry Dick Nickoley is on it!  Yes, he's all over this case.  From Twitter:



Oooh ... Dick, I'm not afraid of you.  You do realize using the c-word makes you appear to be a very very small ummm ... man.  Right?  Eh, probably not.  I forgot.  Nine years, 3000 posts and a sh!tload more comments than I can ever hope for here and all that.  Yeah, Jack went to the right hack.   Over at Paleo Hacks people are actually accusing me of spreading rumors for posting a link to an official sanction of Kruse by a professional society.  No, I don't know all the facts, but I'm betting the committee that recommended disciplinary action to the board does.  

No doubt the web will be abuzz for a while with conspiracy theories.  Impostors and Terror Plots: Why a Cruise Ship Prank is a Worrying Sign That Paleo is Sunk.  If paleo "sinks" it will be because of the Jacks and Jimmys celebrated by supposed powers that be.  Speaking of ....

Consider this post to be an open letter to Dave Asprey, Kevin Cottrell, and any others who are along for the Kruse to Iceland.  When this dust settles, it won't be the so-called haters left with egg on their faces.  Kevin, think Dan Rather, and Dave?  I dunno, too much coffee perhaps.  Read what's written on my blog, not what's written ABOUT my blogging.  You don't want this going regional or national because it will be a huge pox on all your castles.  You all can't POSSIBLY be this stupid, can you?   And to Jack Kruse?  I'll say this.  If the government comes after me on this, it won't be me you end up taking down.  Get help.  Please.

Comments

Eric said…
Why make something up. He has already shown an irresponsible use of MRSA and is desperate enough to be responding to paleo blog posts rather than return to the ship when cleared.

Oh and as a followup, Lance Armstrong is obsessed with the cold not for some magical healing properties, but in order to try and reduce water loss from such aerobic activity. I'm sure this is the reason why such elite athletes practice in the cold, to extend their training time that would normall be cut down due to water loss and heat.
Andrew said…
Three days after you published that he was censured by the AANS. Interesting.
Unknown said…
Damn this is one hell of a train wreck
This comment has been removed by the author.
My recollection is that Dr. Kruse made reference to a stick of dynamite at PaleoFX. A rhetorical flourish. I wasn't there, BTW.

The whole affair sounds like a childish prank gone awry.

When I heard about this, I never thought of you as a suspect, Evelyn.

What a soap opera (unless you're one of the parties directly involved).

-Steve
Jules said…
I think those tweets from Richard come off far more threatening than the @ShitKruseSays tweet.

I myself am fairly Kruse-neutral, but the articles struck me as very odd also; doesn't seem like very responsible journalism. I didn't see the tweet when it came out, but was following the spoof account and was pretty shocked this morning to see how the situation had blown up.
M. said…
I think Nikoley has his Gestapo boots tied too tight. It is a parody tweeter feed poking fun at a public figure (who has bragged about culturing dangerous bacteria at home and injecting it into himself). Kruse is talking about cyberstalking charges and 20 year federal prison sentences, and Nikoley is cheering him on and saying those damn free-speechers will “regret” it. Seems like an awful lot more than just “hand wringing” (as he would say) over a parody tweeter feed of a public figure.

And it seems to be working. Paleo Hacks is running scared and closing all their Jack Kruse threads.
bentleyj74 said…
Hopefully there will be lots of die hard low carbers watching so I can have all the popcorn :)
Unknown said…
We aren't running scared. We just don't want to fucking moderate these threads anymore. We aren't deleting them, just closing them. Now that Kruse has his own forum, people can discuss his garbage there.
CarbSane said…
No I'm not, but Jack is targeting me on Twitter and has all but named me in interviews. I'm the only "she" hailing from NY to whom he might be referring. I did joke in a tweet that I hope he didn't infect himself with norovirus and do CT before the cruise. Last I checked jokes like that are still protected by the first amendment.
When a man puffs out his chest and throws around the "c" word, I think of him as about as manly and praise-worthy as infected poo, frankly. How immature.

Now, I am not clear on the whole twittering thing ( I didn't chase the links), but it seems like a post-9/11 reaction on the Cruise line's part (I get it, ya know?). I think it was nice they offered to fly him to join up at Montego Bay. Seems like a fair apologetic offer.

I do hope they stop and pause and think about the free speech stuff. Free speech is not a luxury. It's a basic, important human right. As is open debate. False reports to authority are a crime. Parody tweets (if that is what this is) are just that. I hope it sorts out and there isn't some added overreacting nonsense. It doesn't make any community look smart or worthy of serious attention when there is that macho "c" word threatening posturing. If anything, it makes one think that devolution has taken hold. Is that what they want? To look like rampaging fools?

However, it had to be very embarrassing to be tossed from a cruise ship, and as wacky (or even a bit nutter) as Dr K's experimentations seem to me, I feel bad about that. In his shoes, I'd be spitting mad. I'd just hope not to accuse the WRONG people just cause I'm pissed.

A bit of calm reflection all around might be a very positive thing.
I think the most interesting, possibly the BEST, thing that can come out of what seems a host of overreaction in this situation (from a lot of sides) is that a serious journalist will look into, investigate, and report on Dr. K. I would love to see a serious, multi-page report on the doc from a non-Paleo/non-dieter journalist taking an objective look at what the man has done/said and is doing/saying. Taking full advantage of that free speech, free press thing that is such a foundation of our society. :D
Re "c" word threatening posturing from Angry Dick, I had to laugh at one of his later tweets: "I have not the slightest intention of naming any names where I don't have an explicit admission or claim of responsibility."

Right, why name any names when you can sling poo in a veiled fashion?

Not to mention that unless "Lance" really fooled Carnival, the person behind this whole thing is a dude, not a c*nt.
Unknown said…
I'm with you--it had to be a horrible experience for Dr. Kruse. So I do feel bad for him although I'm not surprised to hear he's taking full advantage of the temporary media attention. I personally don't think we should assume the caller that precipitated the incident is the same person that had the spoof Twitter account. The spoofer showed a lot of wit and sense and the caller showed very different qualities.
He's taking that "acting like a neanderthal" stereotype thing seriously in more than a dietary sense, I guess.... It's repulsive.
Unknown said…
Evelyn, isn't it a little ironic for the Asylum to be one of the few "sane" spots right now? It's pretty sad that people would accuse you of being the caller when you blog daily against stupidity in all its many variations. I managed to enjoy a few of Richard's posts along the way but now I wouldn't go to his blog if you paid me. I know he's still suffering acute grief, but come on guy--get a grip.
MM said…
What is Nickoley doing worshiping at the altar of Kruse? I thought he was all about thinking for himself. Now Nickoley has fallen hard for a pseudo-science hack. I can't believe he's buying what Kruse is selling. Maybe he's finally found a personality more over-powering than his own and he's too dazzled to think clearly.
Woodey said…
I find this incident to be rather humorous. Reading the tweets and comments on different sites really ups the entertainment value. Stuff like this really brings the mutants out of the woodwork, Dick Nikoley is a prime example. When people like Dick talk or type I get a picture in my head of a person with one brow, slightly cross-eyed, and a tendency to have spit foaming/rolling down one side of the mouth. I also think he has a bit of a man crush on Kruse. I think he just needs to go pump some iron and shower with the guys at the gym, work out that aggro and sexual tension.

You know Kruse is just loving this, eating up the sympathy he will get and use it for personal whatever. I wouldn't be surprised if this was staged.
CarbSane said…
I've contacted both reporters. Nothing back yet. I hadn't watched the Channel 5 video before posting. OMG. I'd be embarrassed all the way around. Station, anchors, reporter on that piece. I think they'll look at this and let it slide if they're smart because they don't want to draw attention to their own incompetence. Or perhaps someone will step up to redeem themselves?
Woodey said…
I freed the animal twice yesterday.
There is definitely a story here for a real profile on a "guru" figure in a current dietary "cult" type situation. And since he's a practicing neurosurgeon, and because now you have this weird "false terror threat" thing going on, I hope maybe someone with some verve and balls would do the article. I mean, hey, I can see Rolling Stone doing this. Or TIME. Or the NY Times magazine. It can be adapted. Let's face it: Dr. K is a character. He'd make interesting copy that would let the journalist riff for their audience--be it dieting/obesity interest, medical/science interest, terrorism or hacking interest, or just cult of personality. (play the song, baby!)
Just wondering, what with all the wonderful techie investigative tools the FBI has these days: Can't they easily figure out who the "lance" call came from (at least the phone/line/etc)?

Cause, after reading around a bit, the parody twitter account isn't the culprit. A parody account is not the place one gets scoops. It's a joke, yes?

But whoever CALLED it in, that person wanted to stir up trouble. Trouble for the tweeter or for Jack or both.

I'd think Jack K would be more interested in who called it in, not the tweet itself. The tweet seems like the piece of lumber lying around that someone picked up to use as a weapon.
Yes, I think it's all about the caller.
Nigel Kinbrum said…
So, has @shitkrusesays been shut down permanently? Was that the plan all along? Tinfoil hat at the ready!
CarbSane said…
LOL Princess!

Welcome to the Asylum Jules! The news stories are pretty freaky. I only later watched the videos. I mean no vetting whatsoever went on here. The SKS twitter feed was a spoof/parody. Everybody knows that.
The thought entered my head (momentarily). The staging. But it passed as an unworthy thought on my part. I don't want to believe Dr. K could be that conspiratorially nuts. (Maybe a wild-eyed minion of someone's might be.)

I will say that not accepting the offer to fly to rejoin the cruise is what made me wonder. If he were so concerned about the folks who paid to hear him, then isn't the logical response to just accept the offer, go on the cruise, and flexibly arrange to GIVE THE DANG TALK somehow --maybe on deck with the folks sitting about, or at a luncheon table. Or just see if the captain would arrange for a comfy room venue out of apologetic benevolence? (My guess: they'd have bent over backwards to accommodate him and maybe toss in some low-carb snacks.)

If it's about the cruise-goers,you go and and share with them.

If it's about the self, you stay home, take calls from reporters, etc, and feel aggrieved while being the center of newsy attention (for however long as that lasts).

My take.
Unknown said…
I think both the tweeter and the caller are about to have their lives change dramatically. With respect to the FBI, they can't just call up Verizon and ask them who placed the call, they have to subpoena the record, just as they have to subpoena the ISP of the tweeter (which they will get from Twitter). As this is probably not #1 on their list of priorities it could take a while before they identify the two persons.

Re the parody element, these days the FBI doesn't have a sense of humor about cruise ships and terrorism. I would be amazed if the tweeter wasn't at least questioned, and you don't want to be questioned by the FBI without having lawyered up.

/not intended as legal advice
I suspect when it's HOmeland Security issues, they can get the info mighty fast. The crux is that this is not priority. (And should NOT be priority.)

This is a diet doc and a false threat with a joke tweet and a malicious prankster caller (who knew that wasn't a real threat). I wouldn't want the authorities spending time and money to make THIS a priority when we have real terrorists with real bioterrorism and other weapons making their dark plans. This is a nuisance, a fly-and-swatter level of insignificance, in comparison with what evil really swirls about us....

But I hope it perks the interest in some real solid journalist to look into it and Dr. K, honestly. (fingers crossed):D I so wanna read that.
Unknown said…
I e-mailed the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and got this response

As counsel for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) I have been asked to respond to your message of May 4th inquiring about Dr. John J. Kruse. It is the AANS' policy to not comment further on disciplinary notices of the type to which you referred, beyond what is contained in the respective notices themselves.

Russell Pelton
AANS Counsel

Russell M. Pelton
77 West Wacker Dr
Suite 4100
Chicago, IL 60601-1815
312.750.8652 (Direct Line)
312.920.6764 (Direct FAX)
Eric said…
Pen registers do not require a subpoena. But it costs the FBI $$ for each request, if they haven't requested it it's because they don't care.
Dracil said…
Well it seems like Richard's offered an apology of sorts for the twitter comment: http://freetheanimal.com/2012/05/dr-jack-kruse-booted-from-carnival-2012-low-carb-cruise.html
Dracil said…
Also, saw Kruse post that agent's phone number on the naturallyengineered site. That was such a facepalming thing to do. I mean seriously, who in their right mind would think it's proper to post an agent's phone number in public?! Oh wait... :P
Woodey said…
I saw that as well. What a dipsh*t.
Woodey said…
It was a lame apology. I love how he talked about his distaste for the hateful and vile comments that JM got on his pity party blog, yet he goes around doing the same thing. He also used the word "envy" when describing the attacks on JM....how can anyone be envious of a guy with sloppy tits?
Almost posted here about that (saw it, read it). But I figured y'all would find your way. :D The fact that he admits he likes "panties" getting twisted--and the fact that it's women (mostly) who wear panties--leads one to conclude that he just likes using the "c" word to offend women. Last time I checked, that said something sexist, not to mention immature, about a person. But I did like the apology in that post. A bit of humility in the face of making a serious whack and offensive comment is a good thing.
No, no. He was just thinking diagonally! (or horizontally. Or pentagonally...)
Is it in a five to six hour window? Like, an IF animal?
J-Sant said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
J-Sant said…
"As an aside, I get a lot of flak, particularly from women, about using the c-word so much. It got into my regular vocabulary back when, when I lived abroad and always sought out expat communities of Brits (simply locate a British-syle pub and you'll find them): Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Jakarta, Bangkok, Pattaya, Philippines. They use the word all the time and it's tantamount to a term of endearment." - Nickhead

Lulwut? Sorry, this fake dancearound doesn't work. He's clearly unfamiliar with the cultural aspect because in his case context exposes his intention. What's more, it isn't used on women as a 'term of endearment'.

Too bad that people will be buying into this 2 faced apology. What a load!
Unknown said…
http://freetheanimal.com/2012/05/dr-jack-kruse-booted-from-carnival-2012-low-carb-cruise.html

People say he lies. I say that everybody lies, and that honesty is a spectrum that begins with one's self. One of the reasons, I believe, that I've escaped some of these sorts of criticisms on others' blogs is because I do my damnedest to be honest, like this:

...I promise you that the 3 cunts behind it will regret it.

That was a follow-up Tweet last evening, after I had learned the news and was angry. I've had time, space, and the council of a couple of prominent Paleo peeps I count as friends, such that I now regret it as a massive, dick-stepping fuck up.

I apologize, particularly to anyone who may have insinuated that I was accusing them. The fact is: I do not know who was behind it, but that Tweet makes it appear as though I do, and that is wrong. I was wrong, plain, simple, and easy. And I always hate to be wrong and stupid...but the only thing to do when you're either, or both, is to stop being wrong and stupid moving forward. So that's what I'm doing.

...As an aside, I get a lot of flak, particularly from women, about using the c-word so much. It got into my regular vocabulary back when, when I lived abroad and always sought out expat communities of Brits (simply locate a British-syle pub and you'll find them): Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Jakarta, Bangkok, Pattaya, Philippines. They use the word all the time and it's tantamount to a term of endearment.
bentleyj74 said…
C*nts are much less likely to beat your @ss than c*cksuckers are so it's not as risky to get their panties in a twist.
Well, maybe next he'll say using the "N" word is to give black people the warm fuzzies. I just love it when someone calls me "spic"...it's so tender and endearing to us Latinos.
CarbSane said…
Yeah Nance, truly ironic! I was almost moved to post on one of his Jorge posts, but just couldn't bring myself to do it. As Beth posted on his "apology", he knows full well HOW he uses c*nt and he lives in CA, USA, not where ever it is supposedly a joking term of endearment. I feel sorry for Jack in that I feel he's not in right mind and his "friends" are not getting him to get the help he needs. Notice no family in those news stories. Has anyone ever MET his wife? Talked to her?
Karen said…
Just read the news info on how/why Kruse was taken off the ship. I applaude the officials for doing what they needed to. Whoever did the tweeting (I have no clue who) should be held responsible. I think he is a wacko but there are those who think I am. LOL Its not good for anyone to do that to anyone else. Truth be told yes, lies no.
Sanjeev said…
this type of thing usually takes a long, long time to work their way through a bureaucracy. At least a half year, usually longer, sometimes much longer. I remember reading about the case of a young doctor being accused and him having to live through 9 months of sleepless nights before being completely exonerated.

Even if Kruse accepted the initial result and did not appeal. If there were appeals, at least a year.
JRAC said…
I'm British... no one uses it like that. I might call a good friend one but only a very close one and even then it's not exactly common. Usually we use less strong words; ''alright you prick'' et cetera
At the risk of being difficult, the @shitkrusesays tweeter(s) are not the ones who should be held responsible ... it's the person who called Carnival who should be. If "Lance" completely misread the tweet, I see no reason why he wouldn't have been more forthcoming with his identity. So I think it far more likely that "Lance" intended to cause a stir and that's who needs to answer.

As do both Kruse and Angry Dick who were really quick to blame some folks in the paleo community they had no business blaming.

I totally understand that Carnival, Homeland Security, or the FBI might have issues with the tweet without context, but I suspect that once alerted to the context (thanks PaleoHacks mods!) any attention to the tweeter(s) will be i-dotting and t-crossing.
CarbSane said…
Save some for me!
ProudDaddy said…
It might have been good that he didn't accept Carnival's offer. He just blogged that carbs don't make you fat.
Unknown said…
"I see no reason why he wouldn't have been more forthcoming with his identity"

The Tweeter hasn't been too forthcoming with his/her identity, either.
luckybastard said…
@princess dieter, i mentioned the n-word to him when he first used cunt in that epic thread. people inside of a particular group have much more leeway with the way they address each other than others do... i call my brother the n-word all the time, i know homosexuals who call each other the f-word(i would never do that because i'm not part of that group) and women who call each other b's. the c-word is off limits for a man to use, no matter how you try to dress it up. it's too loaded.
Well, yah, sure. It's lack of sufficient ice that leads to obesity.
Unknown said…
Do you think Jimmy Moore will still like Jack??

http://jackkruse.com/ct-12-getting-back-on-board-with-my-message/

Going on a low carb diet is an excellent way for an obese person to lose weight, but it is not an excellent way to sustain your weight loss forever. Many people in the low carb community are living this way now.
I didn't mean forthcoming to the public. If you're concerned about possible terrorism on a cruise, is that your move? Call up Carnival and go "hey, this is Lance, I think you need to know about this tweet"?

I don't think so.
Isn't that what Evelyn and a bunch of others have been saying? It can be effective short term for loss, but not for lifelong maintenance?
Oh, this: "In closing this blog, I want to let you know I have a webinar scheduled for May 19th where I will be exposing what Factor X is and how it causes a sped up epigenetic program in modern humans. Seating is limited to 100 and only 25 seats remain."

Why is a webinar limited to 100 seats?

And will the 300 low carb cruisers get the info for free? :D

Hey, it's possible X Factor is a huge breakthrough. Even wacky people CAN have creative genius insights, after all. :D But if he was gonna reveal it on the cruise, why May 19. Why not, um, NOW?
Unknown said…
Maybe it was Lance Armstrong, supposedly he is a big believer in Kruse's thermo ... thermo ... sitting in ice water thing.

Does anyone know where Lance Armstrong was at the time the call was placed?
Sue said…
This Kruse email was received 26 hrs ago:

"Greetings!
I will be on Nashville News Channel 5 and Nashville Channel 2 WKRN, tonight at 10:00pm Central Standard Time.

If you are out of the Nashville area, you can check for my breaking news story online.

News Channel 5: NewsChannel5.com
News WKRN Channel 2: WKRN.com

You don't want to miss this story.

Here's to living an optimal life!

Dr. Jack Kruse"
Tonus said…
Jeez, I put down the internets for one second (ONE SECOND OMG) and all hell breaks loose. Funny stuff, at least from over here.
Woodey said…
"No, no. He was just thinking diagonally! (or horizontally. Or pentagonally...)"


Oh that's right I forgot about his super abilities that he's gifted with.
Woodey said…
Regardless of where he is from he lives in the U.S. and knows how Americans take that word, especially women. This is just playground tactics and really childish of him. In grade school and Jr. high we used to do the same thing, call another student a name and when they took offense explain that in another country it has a different meaning and that is what we meant.

He is correct in calling his actions stupid, his apology and explanations are just as stupid as his original tweets. Stupid + Stupid = Stupid.
Woodey said…
If it makes him money and gets him publicity Jimmy will like it.
Christopher said…
Kruse may prove to be Nikoley's Kimmer. One of these coming, perhaps?

http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/from-the-bottom-of-my-heart-im-sorry/1949
Woodey said…
What is it with people and their long winded blah blah blah apologies. I got through the first three paragraphs and then skipped to the last couple. Obviously his apology or whatever you want to call it was short-lived. How anyone can take assclown apologies seriously I have no clue, but generally sincere apologies are short and sweet. The actions do the real talking.

Jimmy's (or any of these bozos) caricature http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FvYmf4tPA1A/SnHH7r5u3GI/AAAAAAAABjY/GabRF1WXrCI/s1600-h/assclown.jpg
Susanne said…
J-Sant; I am an American female expat and for the last two years have been using, almost daily, a gym at the local British hangout -- the gym in which the rugby club trains, in fact, and which overlooks the field. I have not heard that word once, as endearment or otherwise. As scary as they can look on the field, they are quite gentlemanly off it. I have not encountered anyone there who uses language like Mr Nikoley, even in their pub.
AL-209 said…
Im English, and men here often refer to each other as cunts, but usually in a mildy derogatory way. e.g. - whats taking this cunt so long, listen to this cunts nonsense etc etc and no offence is usually taken by it. Sometimes, usually when drinking/drunk it becomes a term of endearment (love this old cunt, known him all my life etc) but we never use the word around women (if in error, an apology is given), and we never, ever, ever use it to refer to a woman, certainly to a womans face. People like Nikoley are what we would refer to as "a proper cunt", or maybe "a fat cunt". Sometimes, you know, it just means womens genitalia, but not often...
CarbSane said…
Thank you for this explanation. The bottom line with Dick is that he intends to abuse with his language. Pretty pathetic. His tweets and such were threats that he's somewhat backing off of because underneath the vulgar tough guy exterior he's pretty much a wuss.
CarbSane said…
Dick is all about page hit and comment counts and publicity. He let that fly on his recent Jimmy podcast. Kruse surpassed David Asprey. Simple as that. LOL Woodey!
That's my issue with Angry Dick. It's not the word that offends me, it's his intent. That he knows it gets some womens' "panties in a bunch" and does it purposefully strikes me as sadistic or misogynistic or both.

He can do what he wants on his blog, but I'm disappointed that the ASH12 program committee saw fit to reward such behavior with a speaking slot.
Tonus said…
"Why is a webinar limited to 100 seats?"

Probably a pricing issue which would be based on bandwidth or concurrent connections. This is not to say that there aren't marketing based concerns as well. Telling people that 25 seats of 100 remain sounds much more impressive than telling them that 425 out of 500 remain. A smart marketer is aware of how powerful the perception of exclusivity can be.
Thomas said…
While I do wish he would blog more, who can blame Kurt Harris for dropping out of this crazy scene? What a circus! I think the paleo movement is more about personalities, turf and emotions than it is about a legitimate approach to diet (too bad, because it IS a legitimate approach).
Anonymous said…
Evelyn, so sorry you got dragged into this ugly scene. Keep your chin up!
Kate Berger said…
But wait...does it attract of deflect?
Anonymous said…
Ditto Steph's comment. This seems to be about the Kruse ego.
J-Sant said…
Agreed Susanne. Even when used it is used among a certain circle of familiar folk in a closed off setting. This isn't the kind of behaviour that I see people advertising proudly. The point that stands most is that it is never used on women without the intent of offence. Nickhead is clueless.
Lesley Scott said…
I watched the news clip. Given the buzz the incident generated - not to mention a face-saving escape from the clutches of the LC schmoos given that he's now blogging about the fact carbs don't make you fat - I half wondered if Kruse staged the stunt himself. Something's amiss in Denmark about this whole kerfluffle methinks.
Anonymous said…
The thing with AANS is a done deal and not appealable. He has been suspended for six months. My own speculation, which is just that, a speculation, is that the issue of pedicle screw length might have been serious for the following reason.

When pedicle screws are placed, they can sometimes end up where you don't want them. Normally they are totally contained within bone - the pedicle and the medullary space of the vertebral body. Pedicle screws were invented to stabilize one vertebral body with respect to another and 20 years ago were mostly used to stabilize and reduce serious fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine. These days, they are used more often to effect fusion across a vertebral level and try to "alleviate pain" via fusion of a putatively painful level of the spine. (Some would argue that they are used more often now because the reimbursement per surgery is several times higher for the surgeon. See the work of James Weinstein who I used to work with at Iowa)

Occasionally there are complications of pedicle screw placement, and someone will sue because their back hurts more or still hurts or even because they had nerve damage from the surgery. If the pedicle screw were in the wrong spot, a critical issue at trial would be WHY. If someone were to testify that the surgeon used a pedicle screw that was too long, and the person had damage from an errant screw, it would be a huge burden for the defense to prove that the standard of care was not breached. Strandard of care breached + damages = malpractice.

A surgeon having a bad outcome could easily lose a million dollars or more in front of a jury based on incorrect testimony about screw length in such a trial if the plaintiff's expert gave erroneous testimony about the size of the screw.

Based on Jack's public statements and his penchant for overstatement, inaccuracy and misplaced confidence, it is not at all hard to imagine him misstating or carelessly exaggerating the length of a pedicle screw in a malpractice trial. And for that to result in a professional colleague at risk of losing a lawsuit because of sloppy work that you are doing for a few thousand dollars pay in court. That's the kind of thing that really angers the leaders of your profession to the point to suspending you.

This is, after all, the same doctor who gives a TEDx talk where he refers to Sherpas living at 26,000 feet on the "top of everest" -when any 4th grader can google for 30 seconds and find that Everest is at about 29,030 ft. And with a few minutes more googling he can find that Everest base camp is at 17,000 feet, well above tree line where nothing grows, and Sherpas in fact live in a village far from everest that is at 11,000 feet, which is not much higher than the highest town in the US, which is Leadville, Colorado at 10,000 feet.

But Sherpas living not much higher than in Colorado doesn't fit the cold thermogenesis fantasy narrative as well, does it?

PS You are correct, Sanjeev, false testimony tends to be interesting to the state medical boards and that kind of thing can indeed take a while to percolate through the system, no matter which way the outcome goes. Lots of hearings accompanied by counsel, etc.
Tonus said…
I think that even for someone given to grandiose attention-getting schemes, he'd know not to do something like this. Between the tweet and the phone call, this looks like it can be pursued by the feds as a terrorist threat, and I suspect that they'll be doing a very thorough investigation. Whoever WAS involved may find that what they thought was a harmless prank is taken very seriously by the federal government.

Which makes Kruse's comment about "ringleaders" who might get a talking-to a bad idea as well. If the investigation gets taken as seriously as I figure it will, federal investigators will not appreciate having to track down false leads because someone got his e-feelings hurt.

This story should be interesting to watch develop, because I think that those involved may not have understood just what they were getting into. And if they did, well... it might get even more interesting. *cue ominous music*
CarbSane said…
T minus 72 hours since incident with no jackboots at my doorstep.

I showed hubs the video and he was wondering if it was for real. Rewatching I keep expecting Ron Burgandy on there. I mean the Ch5 where the anchor ends it with (paraphrase) 'Jack says the FBI told him this could result in 15-20 yrs in prison' is beyond absurd.
CarbSane said…
Thanks Steph and euler. No worries though, yet. I have nothing to do with this and am absolutely not one little bit concerned that the guvmint is going to descend on my arse any day now! LOL. What I do worry over is the vigilantism that could be unleashed.
Harry's Acolyte said…
It's insane that Nikoley isn't a pariah for his amazingly distasteful posts and articles.
Harry's Acolyte said…
LOL!

I took a look at his twitter account today and he obviously is googling the story and tweeting every time he finds something about it. He was bragging about the news story appearing in a British paper.
Tonus said…
"T minus 72 hours since incident with no jackboots at my doorstep."

No, you've got something worse. *points at the Razwell spam* :)
J-Sant said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Angel said…
I choose to not read Nikoley's stuff because of his profanity and aggressiveness ... I made that decision after reading just a few of his posts. I'd say the people that stick with reading his stuff are already the kind of people who think his behavior is acceptable and entertaining - "refreshingly honest" - and who think his usage of c* isn't the least bit offensive. I find the term very offensive, and his lame-o explanation is rather insulting to the intelligence of anyone who regularly uses the English language for communication. His behavior vindicates my original decision to ignore him, and I will continue to do so.
Galina L. said…
"I showed hubs the video and he was wondering if it was for real." It is my reaction in that bizarre news. It feels it belongs to the "Enquirer" or something of that nature. It is so unrealy odd, that I wouldn't be surprised with any further development up to the point if they found out that Dr. Kruis send that tweet himself.
Harry's Acolyte said…
YOU'RE invited!

http://www.jackkruse.com/new-years-challenge-youre-invited-to-a-community-wide-90-day-optimal-reset/
Woodey said…
I didn't know he was still alive.