Democratic Activist and former DAV head Roger Andal passes away

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The Argus Leader has a story this morning about how Roger Andal, who was recently in the news over being berated by a US Senator over his criticism of John Thune, passed away after surgery.

Roger Andal, former state commander of the Disabled American Veterans, died Tuesday in Omaha from complications after surgery for Crohn's disease.

He was 57.

Andal's friends and colleagues said he fought tirelessly for veterans' rights.

and...

"He took no prisoners. He really went for it all in the pursuit of the truth," said Rick Weiland, a friend who met Andal in the late 1970s during Tom Daschle's campaign for U.S. House.
Read it all here. Andal was also a two-time Democratic Candidate for the state legislature on the Democratic Ticket.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Roger was a great American and the strongest voice in South Dakota for veterans' healthcare. He will be missed.
8:56 AM
Anonymous said…
Roger was a great advocate. I don’t think there is a disabled veteran in South Dakota who was impacted by his work. He will be missed.
8:57 AM
Anonymous said…
That was suppposed to be "wasn't impacted".
8:58 AM
Anonymous said…
Roger Andal was a great American patriot in the truest sense. It was an honor to know him and work with him. His finest characheristic was his pure, uncompromising loyalty. Roger would cross rivers and climb mountains to help fellow veterans, Tom Daschle, and his friends. He loved a good political fight, but not because he wanted fame. When Roger got into a fight, it was always to help those he revered, and never to build a political base for himself.

He was one of those who entered politics for all of the right reasons. He saw it as his tour of duty to preserve classic American ideals and to make government own up its commitments and responsibilities to its people.

Every veteran in South Dakota -- no matter how they are registered politically -- lost a real foxhole buddy Tuesday. There is no replacement for someone as dedicated and as skilled to lead the fight for veterans' rights and benefits as Roger Andal. He was a noble warrior.
9:48 AM
Bob Newland said…
Now that he's dead, I can let you all know that Roger used cannabis to alleviate his symptoms. He told me this in 2000 in the Capitol.

How sad that a man like this had to make himself a criminal in order to get through each day. Thanks, PP, Todd, et. al.
2:28 PM
PP said…
Jeez Bob, isn't that a little inappropriate to bring up?
11:45 PM
Bob Newland said…
PP, et. al.: A well-liked and respected man dies of a really ugly disease. Modern science can help control the disease by lowering the number of times a person experiences a recurrence, but there is no cure.

The man got little relief from prescription medicines, but quite a little more relief from cannabis, so he made himself a criminal daily for years just to be able to function normally. His normal functioning included being an advocate for veterans.

Inappropriate? You are simply frothing-at-the-mouth political-dictum-sucking nuts. This man died fearing that enforcement of a crazy law would detract from his work for other people.

Two universities in England and one in Germany have reported confirmation of what I have said about cannabis as a therapy for Crohn's disease, through evidence acquired in clinical trials.

If you, PP (and Todd Epp, and others), weren't so apparently genetically bound to a bankrupt con-game empty political philosophy, you'd be breaking windows and throwing Molotov cocktails in anger over laws that condemn people to pain and death for no reason.
11:59 AM
Anonymous said…
Bob:

You're over the line.

Todd
2:16 PM
Bob Newland said…
Where would the line be that you are talking about?

We have a medicine readily available that hundreds of South Dakotans use daily, making them criminals. Roger Andal was one of those; he died from the disease for which he was self-medicating (because the effing gummint says that by definition he was a liar). Where did I cross the line?

Oh, I'll bet it's because I implied that you are 1) malicious in your desire to keep sick people from getting their medicine legally, or 2) crazy (for the same reason), or 3) stupid (maybe), or 4) just uninformed (easily enough cured, but you've shown no inclination to cure it).

Yeah, I'll bet you're just miffed that I suggested that folks like you added to Andal's misery. Deal with it.
10:33 PM
Anonymous said…
Cannibas?? That was a stupid comment and cannot be verified, nothing more than hearsay. Roger was a great man, and as Tom Daschle says, "We need him more than heaven does." Thank you Roger.

Rev. Terry Miller
11:59 AM
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