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Canadian Cancer Research Group
The following was written in February 2000.
The man who owns this site has a son who was diagnosed with cancer. The son had surgery for one tumour and radiation and chemotherapy for another and now appears to be cured. His parents are suing the doctors who saved his life.
This site claims to have the best database of information about cancer in the world and also offers advice about handling cancer. There would be no problem if the database led patients and their families to qualified oncologists, hospitals specialising in handling certain types of cancer, medical researchers who were investigating new treatment methods, reports of new pharmaceutical advances or doctors specialising in treating certain rare complaints. Much of this information would be available in medical journals or through networks (both formal and informal) such as specialist colleges, seminars and conferences, but nobody can know everything so a comprehensive database of current knowledge would be an invaluable resource.
Unfortunately, the words and testimonials offered on the site suggest that the sort of advice people get leads them to expensive, unproven treatments using methods that real scientists have either rejected or see as extremely speculative.
Anyone with cancer has legitimate reasons to be concerned; anyone told that they are dying has reason to feel desperate. Meeting the concern and desperation with promises (or even suggestions) of miracle cures is a reprehensible practice and it is not made better just by having a fancy and good-looking web site.
I had written the commentary above but had not yet loaded it up to the web site when the following email came in:
From: "CCRG" <william@ccrg.com>
To: <rsoles@ratbags.com>
Subject: Canadian Cancer Research Group
Date sent: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 08:35:54 -0500
Please be advised that in the event reference, link, or mention of the above website, group, or related individuals is not removed from your website by the close of business Friday, February 18, 2000, a libel action will be filed with the World Court seeking exemplary and punitive damages.
Please act accordingly.
William P. O'Neill
CEO-Founder
Canadian Cancer Research Group
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Well, it's now past the close of business on the day specified and all I can say is that I am still referring to the Canadian Cancer Research Group, I am linking to its web site, I am mentioning its web site which is at http://www.ccrg.com, I am mentioning that the Canadian Cancer Research Group is a group, and I am displaying the name of Mr William P. O'Neill. The amazing thing is that the legal action was threatened when the only thing on this site was the group's name and a link to its web site, without any comment. I always assumed that you made web sites to get attention, but these people must be extremely frightened of something if they think that my referring to them is a significant threat.
Mr O'Neill should possibly get some better legal advice, as I am sure the World Court (or International Court of Justice) would be a bit surprised if we turn up in The Hague with our teams of lawyers to settle a libel suit, given that the court mainly deals with disputes between nations (although it has just accepted that it can consider accusations of war crimes). As the current load at the time of writing includes a dispute between Nicaragua and Honduras over territorial waters, a charge by Pakistan that India shot down one of its planes, and a lot of cases involving Yugoslavia and the countries which were part of the recent NATO activity in that part of the world, I imagine that it might be some time before they could fit us in.
Update - March 4, 2000
You may notice how polite I was towards the Canadian Cancer Research Group in my original comments. That was before Sandra Schmirler died. Ms Schmirler was the captain of the Canadian curling team which won the gold medal at the Nagano Winter Olympics and, like most sporting champions, was somewhat of a folk hero in her native country. She died on the morning of Thursday, March 2, 2000, from cancer. She left behind her husband Shannon and her two daughters, Sara (2) and Jenna (8 months).
On February 11, Ms Schmirler held a press conference where she talked about how, in her desperation, she had turned to the Canadian Cancer Research Group for help when it seemed that there was little hope of success from the treatment she was already receiving. She talked at that press conference about her hopes for the future, about how she was about to start doing commentaries on and even participating again in the sport she loved. She talked about her joy at bathing her daughter for the first time. Three weeks later she was dead.
Sandra Schmirler's funeral will be held on Monday, March 6, and it will be televised. At first I thought that William O'Neill of CCRG might be too ashamed to watch the funeral, but then I remembered that people like him are incapable of feeling ashamed. He will probably turn up for a photo opportunity, that is if he isn't too busy giving advice or going to the bank to deposit the proceeds.
Don't bother threatening to sue me, Mr O'Neill. The money you would waste trying to frighten me on the other side of the world would be better applied to setting up an educational trust for Jenna and Sara. After all, they don't have a mother any more.
You can read Ms Schmirler's story in the book Sandra Schmirler: The Queen of Curling. by journalist Perry Lefko and Shannon England (Ms Schmirler's husband). The book is now out of print, but used copies are available through Amazon.com.As an indicator of Mr O'Neill's vileness, eight hours after Sandra Schmirler's death, he was searching this web site for the word "fuck". He also used an identifiable IP address in February 2002 when he wrote to me pretending to be Ms Schmirler's husband. Mr. Bowditch: I will ask you once and only once: remove the materials on your web site concerning my deceased wife. Shannon England |
See the CCRG Correspondence File and The GAL Chronicles for further communications from Mr O'Neill.
And here are some statistics about my relationship with Mr O'Neill.
Sleazy cancer quack sinks to new low (19/10/2002)
Regular readers of The Millenium Project will be aware of Mr William P O'Neill of the Canadian Cancer Research Group. Mr O'Neill has been writing garbage and threats directed towards me for a long time now, and he occasionally uses anonymiser services to write to me or to post messages to Usenet newsgroups. The method of transmission of these messages hides the originator and makes it impossible to reply to the messages. For a long time I pretended that I didn't know where these messages came from and maintained a separate collection in the GAL Chronicles. When Mr O'Neill commented on the birth of my grandson with the words "kill it quick and kill it good before it multiplies", I decided that it was time to stop pretending. I will still maintain the two collections - the CCRG Correspondence File for identifiable messages and the GAL Chronicles for anonymous, cowardly attacks - but nobody needs to be in any doubt about the source of the messages.
Just in case anyone wonders about my opinion of what Mr O'Neill does for a living, he is no different to the other cancer quacks like Hulda Clark, Lorraine Day, Stan Burzynski and so on who have no cures, no treatments, nothing to offer except false hope, empty wallets and full coffins. Mr O'Neill's "advice" shortened the lives of at least two people, Olympic athlete Sandra Schmirler and academic Annette Pypops. He encouraged Ms Schmirler to hold a press conference promoting his fraudulent business a few days before she died, and eight hours after her death he was searching this site for the word "fuck". He even pretended to be Ms Schmirler's husband in one of his messages to me. For almost two years after her death the CCRG web site carried a testimonial from Ms Pypops attesting to how well she was feeling. Mr O'Neill has on many occasions lied about suing me and lied about other people suing me. Now is his chance. He can tell his lawyers that I called him a liar, a fraud, and a person who would steal from the dead and dying. In fact, if he gives me the fax number of his lawyers I will tell them myself.
Speaking of charlatans and cancer ... (4/2/2006)
I finally got a chance to look at the CTV television show about Mr William P O'Neill of the Canadian Cancer Research Group. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to see someone blatantly lie and then see the lies exposed. The film crew took a hidden camera into CCRG and caught Mr O'Neill saying such things as that he had never lost a patient with prostate cancer and that he had an 80% cure rate for some other cancers. When they finally got to interview him face-to-face they asked him about these claims and he simply denied ever saying these things. When they offered to show him the tape of the earlier visit he said that it had to be cleared by his lawyer first and then ran away (well, he didn't run but he terminated the interview). When they offered him copies of written statements from CCRG he claimed that they were forgeries and, just as he used to do when he wrote to me in non-GAL mode, said that they were the subject of current criminal and civil legal action. So predictable. So crooked. You can see the four parts of the show here.
CCRG back from the dead (30/5/2009)
I 
haven't heard much lately from Mr William P O'Neill of the Canadian Cancer Research Group. Of course, ever since he wished for the death of my grandson I haven't been worried that rats might eat out his eyes and maggots might gnaw on his genitals, even though such thoughts are pleasant. He has been leaving me alone, and that is just how I like it. It appears, however, that there has been a lull in cancer curing in Ottawa and he has found time to complain about someone else's web site, in this case one run by Dr Terry Polevoy. Following the path now so frequently used by those who want to suppress criticism but can't call on any facts, he whined to Dr Polevoy's web host about a breach of copyright. I can't check now because the ISP folded and removed Dr Polevoy's site, but I would almost bet money that there was no copyright breach.
The ISP in question is BlueHost.com in Utah. Here is my email to them in support of Dr Polevoy's right to freedom of speech and opinion.
I have been informed that following a complaint from Mr William P O'Neill of the Canadian Cancer Research Group you have disabled the web site of Dr Terry Polevoy at http://www.healthwatcher.net/
Before acting on complaints made by Mr O'Neill it might be worthwhile looking at Mr O'Neill's history of complaints and the character of the man himself.
At http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/onews/onews.htm you can see several years' worth of attacks on me and my family by Mr O'Neill. If you care to wade through the bilge you can see several obscene references to my wife and daughters.
At http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/onews/gal.htm you can see more of the same where Mr O'Neill made anonymous comments. I used to pretend that I didn't know it was him until he commented about the birth of my grandson with the message "kill it quick and kill it good before it multiplies" to a public newsgroup. (You can see the post at http://groups.google.com/group/misc. health.alternative/msg/2b61b27154abec78)
It's not just Dr Polevoy and I who have a poor opinion of Mr O'Neill. You can see a television show about him at http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060127/ WFIVE_dr_hope_main_060127/20060131?hub=WFive in which he says that he can cure cancer and then denies saying it when presented with the evidence of the statement.
Please reinstate Dr Polevoy's web site. If you are going to act on complaints, then at least limit that action to complaints made by people whose opinions might matter.
This email will be published on my web site, The Millenium Project, and I will report your response as soon as I know what it is.
Thank you.
Look what's back! (23/7/2011)
There was a ripple on the surface of the swamp. Bubbles of methane rose from the rotting garbage at the bottom. A familiar smell of putrefaction spread across the surface. And there it was - yes, the Gutless Anonymous Liar had put in an appearance.
For those unfamiliar with GAL, it is the alter ego of Mr William P O'Neill of the Canadian Cancer Research Group. Mr O'Neill has had me as a project for many years and has never tired of lying to people about me, my family and this web site. I have to give him credit for persistence as an ordinary person would have given up when faced with the level of failure that Mr O'Neill has experienced.
Previous correspondence from Mr O'Neill can be seen here, and you can see him pretending to be someone else here.
From: Anne Onime <anonymous@rip.ax.lt>
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
Subject: Dead Organs of the "QuackBusters"
Message-ID: <59329d81f1c59bbdfb461960ba247539@rip.ax.lt>
Date: Sat, 16 Jul 2011 17:44:09 +0200 (CEST)
Welcome back, Mr O'Neill. You haven't been around for some time. Where have you been?
Tragic news....The "Australian Council Against Health Fraud" is no more! According to Bowditch, the "council's" only member,
You have access to the membership list? Please email me a copy. If you can't, which you can't, you will be revealed as the liar we always knew you were.
Oh, did I just defame Mr William P O'Neill of the Canadian Cancer Research Group by calling him a liar? Why, yes I did. And unlike Mr O'Neill, I am not too frightened and ashamed to use my own name.
Sue me, Mr O'Neill. Like you have promised to do on so many prior occasions.
"after eight years of successfully fighting health fraud, the ACAHF" is closing its doors. Really.. "eight years of successfully fighting health fraud"...Examples please... And where, according to the now defunct organization, are the vast sums of monies raised for ethical investment? (Bowditch wouldn't know ethical if it bit him in the arse.)
You have access to the ACAHF's bank accounts? Please email me a copy. If you can't, which you can't, you will be revealed as the liar we always knew you were.
Oh, did I just defame Mr William P O'Neill of the Canadian Cancer Research Group by calling him a liar? Why, yes I did. And unlike Mr O'Neill, I am not too frightened and ashamed to use my own name.
Sue me, Mr O'Neill. Like you have promised to do on so many prior occasions.
There is no scarcity of ignorance, arrogance, lies and deception amongst the "quackbusting" movement. Setting up pretend organizations like the ACAHF is no different than Barrett's limp organ, Quackwatch or Polevoy's flaccid Healthwatcher. Barrett and Quackwatch are delightfully under siege in the well publicized law suit with Doctor's Data and Polevoy hasn't published anything new on the internet for over two years or in fact been seen anywhere since he lost his law suit against Ilena Rosenthal. Juicy rumours have it that Polevoy declared bankruptcy to avoid the Rosenthal judgement and has been forced to close the doors of his pustulating pimple spa and is now showing up at a run down walk-in clinic in downtown Waterloo plying his trademarked brand of abuse on new unsuspecting patients.
It is quite a humorous delight to witness these incredible little pricks getting everything they deserve and in a very public way. One the best parts of all of this is "The Bolen Report". Bolen reports and Barrett, Polevoy cringe while Bowditch brilliantly rebuts by calling Tim, Pat....Brilliant!
I have to say this for Tim Bolen, Mr O'Neill - unlike you, he is not frightened and ashamed to use his own name. Why do you always post anonymously, Mr O'Neill?
You truly deserve the title Gutless Anonymous Liar.
Oh, did I just defame Mr William P O'Neill of the Canadian Cancer Research Group by calling him a liar? Why, yes I did. And unlike Mr O'Neill, I am not too frightened and ashamed to use my own name.
Sue me, Mr O'Neill. Like you have promised to do on so many prior occasions.
What's that smell of decay? (5/11/2011)
Apparently
it was a slow day in the Canadian cancer quackery business, so Mr William P O'Neill of the Canadian Cancer Research Group put on his Gutless Anonymous Liar mask and launched the following noisome piece of flatulence into the world of Usenet. What is amusing is that Burzynski is a competitor for Mr O'Neill in the cancer quackery business, and if Burzynski is 1% right (which he is not of course), then Mr O'Neill's cancer "cure" is 100% wrong. But since when has such an inconsistency bothered anyone who is in the business of stealing money from desperate people?
As usual, he was too cowardly to put his name to it and had to use a remailer which hid his identity. Cowards are like that. They say things but make sure that nobody can talk back. I replied to the newsgroup even though I know his broad yellow stripe hangs over his eyes, but my reply is meant for other people who might come across the message in the various places that archive newsgroups.
From: Nomen Nescio <nobody@dizum.com>
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative
Subject: Peter Bowditch: Convicted Felon to be sued by Burzynski
Message-ID: <02816b35ddf41e0304762dcd8d03d3a4@dizum.com>
Date: Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:58:08 +0100 (CET)
Welcome back, Mr William P O'Neill of the Canadian Cancer Research Group.
For those who came in late, you can read Mr O'Neill's acknowledged correspondence with me at http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/onews/onews.htm
and him trying to hide at http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/onews/gal.htm
No surprise that convicted felon ('80's charge, conviction and incarceration for aggravated assault) Peter Bowditch of Australia
Oh, I love this, and it makes me smile every time Mr O'Neill brings it up.
http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/history/2006/05may.htm#6ntfootball
is soon be in front of the courts again. Bowditch has been noticed with a "Cease & Desist" order by in-house legal counsel for
There has been no "Cease and desist order".
the Burzynski Clinic in Houston, Texas. In an unusual act of bravery (stupidity), Bowditch has boldy published the "Cease & Desist" demand letter on his hate site.
Of course I published it. The policy relating to publication of such emails has been there since 1999.
Seems he's following the good example of Stephen Barrett who is currently being sued by Doctors Data Laboratory for $10M US. Bowditch, like Barrett believe they are omnipotent in all matters of science and medicine, immune from recourse, and above the law. They are both about to find otherwise.
What was the first time you threatened me with legal action, Mr O'Neill?
Oh, that's right - February 17, 2000, when I was being dragged into the "World Court". The first of 111 such accusations.
http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/onews/statscriminal.htm
With Barrett on the ropes and near death, Terry Polevoy bankrupt and missing, there is only Bowditch left. And no doubt Bowditch has the cash flow and reserves from his "ethical investments" of the recently defunct "dead organ" The Australian Council Against Health Fraud". But maybe not? Apparently Bowditch couldn't afford the annual upkeep of his pretend council...internet fees, filing tax returns....But then there's "Gebesse Computer Consultants"....Bowditch's pretend "employer". Certainly there are enough resources there defend the Burzynski action?
As there will be no action there will be nothing to defend.
For further information concerning development in this case see the facebook group "Burzynski vs Peter Bowditch"
It almost goes without saying that no such group or page exists at Facebook. After all, Mr O'Neill has never told the truth about anything else in all the time he has been pursuing his risible campaign against me so why should he start now?
Did I suggest that Mr William P O'Neill of the Canadian Cancer Research Group does not tell the truth? I hope I did.
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