Still following the thread referenced yesterday at WordUp. I would like to put Edward behind me, but I don't run from a good thread.
And this one is good . . . pretty much putting what "change" really means in the ether for all to see.
Ed/Roch/Jr/Sue/Hoggard (I'm sure I left some out) should be so proud!
I've been waiting for something like this since I started blogging. Friends and family have expressed concern that I might be targeted by the powers-that-be (specifically the Medical Board) because of the battle I'm waging on this blog. Doctors are not supposed to have strong opinions, much less express them - especially not forcefully (no matter that this is what I believe the average John & Jane Q. Patient CRAVE). They're not supposed to talk - or fight - back.
It took less than one day for the "Tru Blu" progressive types that put Barrack Hussein Obama in the White House to show their true colors (keep in mind, we're living in "enlightened" America in 2009). Please pay particular attention to the "reasoning" presented in the second sentence. From the thread:
Seriously, has the NC Medical Board considered looking into someone who is this unstable still seeing patients? I mean really, anyone who can use the word "ethics" concerning our new President after the last eight years has more than a mental problem. Dr. Johnson lives in a high-dollar house in a high-dollar neighborhood. She was against the alcohol vote in Asheboro, yet still buys her alcohol in Randleman. She isn't a 'wack job'. She is a WHACK JOB who is also a bitter angry woman that wants to make the rest of the world bitter and angry. Come on, if she REALLY had a case any lawyer would be jumping to sue the likes of a hospital. It's beyond time to 'put up or shut up'. She just needs to go away.
Putting up, I responded (in red, since I'm a right-wing "wack job" . . . or is that "whack-job"? . . . I wasn't sure which spelling to use;):
Well, that was "productive" and "kind". And certainly not POLITICALLY MOTIVATED at all. Really Ed, do some of these people taking YOUR back not embarrass the hell out of you?
TruBlu, you actually sound like the boys at the NC State Bar . . . now going after Rachel Lea Hunter (I should have another post up on that farce of a disciplinary action up within a day or two). Do you expect me to duck in fear and hide now that you've invoked the wrath of the Medical Board? When exactly did free speech die?
Grow up, you nameless cretin.
Very simply, the NC Medical Board has not come after me because there is nothing to come after me for. Indeed, I was clinically vindicated in the Asheboro incident that got me fired . . . by action the Board took behind the scenes against the doctor involved (of course they did not see fit to commend my actions - or help me legally). Moreover, another (very ugly) case that I reported in Duplin County (where an OB inflicted injuries on a newborn that IMHPO amounted to felony child abuse) resulted in public discipline for the doctor.
As for the reasons the Medical Board traditionally goes after physicians, I don't do illegal drugs, I don't have sex with my patients (in this case, babies & children) - or lately, anybody else, and I don't visit Randleman enough to get me into trouble. And I am a very good doctor who cares about the welfare of her patients.
But again, don't let any of THE FACTS get in your way as you press the non-case that I am an "unstable", delusional "WHACK JOB".
Of course, if you'd been to my website/blog (for purposes other than crafting your clever put-down), you'd know that. But you'd rather take Roch's word for it. He who has, in no way, been there or done that.
I live in the house I bought when I came to Asheboro - purchased so that the mortgage deductions would offset the taxes I had to pay on loan repayment. It is one of the smallest houses in my "high-dollar" neighborhood. And I, in fact, had a very hard time hanging on to it while my bank account was being drained by both Randolph Hospital and Mr. Schmidly's law firm. My Mother actually had to help me make payments on several occasions. In comparison to most of my colleagues from medical school and residency, I am in the financial basement. Care to make any other value judgements?
I am bitter about the treatment I've gotten from the legal system and the press - and certain bloggers. I am VERY angry. I have admitted that.
I did a lot of thinking about journalism last night (especially local journalism) - in the context of Ed's original post. Journalism is supposed to look objectively at the stories of people who actually lived through and/or experienced something (like segregation) . . . it is supposed to educate and inform based on first-hand information . . . it is supposed to present the facts and let the public form an opinion.
It's not happening here. And as I looked out on the sea of people standing on the National Mall yesterday . . . as a product of the "class" and generation that paid the bills-that-kill for the welfare state . . . as someone who read Dr. King when she was in grade school (and believed/believed/believed) . . . as a young person/doctor who did not need a secular savior to lead/inspire her into public service to "serve the underserved" . . . I realized that I am on the wrong end of journalistic segregation.
It invoked strong emotion.
The simple fact is that, eleven years ago when this happened, if I were a black female doctor in public service burned by all of the "right" white, mill-town good-ole-boys, mine would have been the story Ethan Fiensilver ran with. And it would have been a better/truer story than the manufactured hatchet job he/the N&R did on Jack Perdue. But I was not the right "hue" to serve their agenda.
Be careful what you wish for TruBlu (and say hello to Schmidly). I made a conscious decision not to pursue Randolph Hospital in civil court for fraud - because it made no common/practical sense to return to the same venue I was swindled in. The only people who would prosper were the lawyers, and the truth would still be buried.
My case involves a "non-profit" that accepts state and federal funding - and what the hospital did is criminal. Perjury is a felony that has no statute of limitations. And I could obtain fairer/more reasonable restitution through the resolution of (or plea to) a criminal charge.
This will be clearly stated in the post I'm devoting to the current plight of Rachel Hunter, but let me offer a preview here: If the lawyers running the state of North Carolina (at the Medical Board, at DHHS, at the AG's office, and even at the State Bar) do not shortly get their heads out of their asses and do something to investigate and adjudicate my case - in a fashion that vindicates and restores me, I am going to file the biggest, baddest, ugliest negligence lawsuit against the state and it's agencies that Roy Cooper has ever seen.
Also, be on notice. I am also not going to put up with any more crap in the blogs. Being nice and jumping through all of Edward Cone's hoops has not worked.
Change is here.
9:15 Update: I just got back from dinner with a hospital CEO who is grateful for my services and does not think me a "wack job". It was very nice to be treated like a human being. I got home to find that the thread at Cone's continues . . . and the usual suspects are "all in" flinging their poo. It never ends.
I sent out an e-mail this afternoon - making friends/other bloggers aware of what was going on and asking for their support. I sincerly thank everyone who has commented or e-mailed me thus far.
Rachel Hunter's assessment of the thread at Cone's is posted on Blue NC. Her thinking is very much in line with that of friends & family who are sick and tired of seeing me take these vicious verbal bashings . . . all and only because I've asked for help in casting public/press attention on a case/situation that should have been properly investigated by the state long ago.
They want me to stop waiting and asking for government to work (ala Obama's inaugural remarks) . . . and start filing lawsuits to make it work.
1/22 PM Update: The "Coning" continues. The boys seemed determined that I accept their conclusion that I am "delusional".
I am equally determined to give better than I get. It could be a long few days.
"TruBlu" is back as well . . . incredibly prefacing his/her comment with the statement, "I have never read Dr. Johnson’s blog and don’t need to".
At that incredible admission, I really had to blink a few times. In other words, all of TruBlu's nasty opinions about me (which he/she freely and anonymously spews) are based on hearsay.
He/she apparently works in one of the local mills (if I had to hazzard a guess, for Keith Crisco), wrote in for Hillary, voted for alcohol (the city "needed the money"), supports David Wray (on this we agree), and clearly has some economic "class" issues with the folks who live on Dave's Mtn (we should be grateful the city wants to help us).
I responded at Cone's blog (please see the link at the top of this post).
I'm going to share an excerpt from that post . . . because it describes something that happened today that was so profoundly good for my wounded soul . . . an exchange with colleagues in the nursery of the hospital where I currently work:
This morning I told my story to several LDRP nurses where I am working who just discovered my blog - and could not believe what they were reading.
As I related the story, I became emotional - and welled up - had I to stop several times. The memory, although over a decade old, is still quite vivid - I would admit that it's very much a PTSD-type reaction.
I still remember the terror - thinking the child was going to die in front of my eyes no matter what I did - because so much precious time had been wasted by the NIMROD who refused to ask for my help when he should have. I also still remember the gasping baby's eyes - alive/alert and darting around the room in terror.
I also remember being furious that her parents ever were put in the position of feeling they had to apologize to me (because of being mislead by the CRETIN who could not take responsibility for his actions).
As they listened, the nurses' eyes began to tear as well. They innately KNOW what I have suffered at the hands of a system (still fairly sexist and racist) that has spent years devaluing and dismissing those who man the front lines and are sometimes the only stopper in the drain for a patient going down it.
In the wake of the pummeling I have taken on this thread (and this blog - almost every time I show up), it was very nice to see those tears and know that someone GOT it.
Edward Cone and his oh-so-enlightened friends need to come to grips. They've been wrong for quite a while. They've behaved despicably. For I suffer under no delusions. I deal very much in reality - a reality I doubt they could really imagine. And I will not rest until the people who did this to me answer for their actions.
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8 comments:
Let us ask ourselves as to the mental stability of Dr. Mary Johnson, and if indeed she has become a "wack", or "whack", depending on how you see the job.
She leveraged herself financially to attend medical school. She opted to go into pediatrics because of a love for children. A point of reference here, both Bob and Steve have informed us that "pediatricians are a dime a dozen", so we must infer that it wasn't for the lucrative income that made her opt for this particular path. She returned to her home town due to a desire to practice medicine and bring her services to those that she felt a kinship for. She saved a child's life due to the incompetence of the attending physician. She attempted to have the matter reviewed to avoid another child suffering the same, or worse fate, and endured bloody hell from there on out.
So, is Dr. Mary Helen Johnson crazy? Depends on who you ask. If I had been able to attend medical school, I damn sure would be doing boob jobs and tummy tucks in Florida or California, and no way would I have returned to what has been described as the "fourth fastest dying town in America" to practice something that has a limit as far as earning potential goes. It's all about the green, and the greed. But, thankfully, that's just me, and Mary Helen Johnson is one of the better of our species.
She's a decent human being. That's all. The world is a better place for her being in it. She's mad, but not insane, and she wants to return the unjustness that was visited upon her. Nobody can blame her for that.
Trublu is definetly not "tru" in any manner. wonder how much money they are getting from Schmidly? Seems to me that someone is getting scared and wetting their "Depends". Galatians 6:7-8:
for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption;
Trublu.....get a hoe. you and your clones got a lot of digging to do.
I just know Mary thru her blog so I don't know how good a doctor Mary is. I am a lay person (teacher with an MA in Psychology) and can not possibly judge her proficiency even if I saw her at work. So I can not claim she is a "good" doctor.
I do know one thing however that I would swear to with all my heart: Dr. Mary is sincere in her caring for children's welfare. One has only to read her blogs to understand how her medical practice and the children she treats are her entire focus in life.
Yes, she is angry because she was unjustly hurt and humiliated in her chosen profession. This was done in her home town with her parents looking on helplessly. So now she is one woman alone taking on the good old boy network that men deny, but women understand too well exists. Especially professional women.
Is Mary crazy? a whack job? a nut? Dear Lord, I get so tired of these no name jerks tossing out words and making threats. Mary has earned the right to her anger, and earn her right to spread the word about how doctors are treated by the system. She is a lone voice trying to get justice for herself and others and we all must respect her for that effort.
Sincerely, Brenda Bowers
Mary,
Don't be rattled by Trublu, whoever he or she is he or she is obviously a coward hiding behind a monitor. If anything, my almost 10 years as one of Blogsboro's most well known bloggers has taught me these anomoyous cowards are powerless fools whose opinion is of no value.
Here, here...Vigilant for pianos falling from the sky, I could not have said it better myself.
Dr. Mary Johnson is one outstanding person and doctor (she was my son's doctor when he was little) and I am happy and honored to call her my friend.
Hi Doc,
You know better than to give this blogger any credibility.
Who cares what he thinks?
I sure as hell don't.
regards,
marshall
I have read the threads in question and offer the following comments:
1. Whatever happened to "free speech?" While TruBlu has a right to express his/her conclusion, free speech is a two-edged sword. TruBlu has a right to make idiotic comments. However, he/she must expect the consequences thereof if he/she insists on spewing forth remarks before engaging his/her brain. The right to free speech only gives one the right to express his/her opinion, not to yell "fire!" in a crowded theater and certainly not to defame.
Dr. Johnson has a case for libel (written defamation). I don't think Dr. Johnson is a public figure so as to trigger New York Times v. Sullivan. Damages should be presumed, as TruBlu made no bones about impugning the good doctor's mental instability and making comments designed to further tarnish her reputation. With a bit of energy and money, Dr. Johnson can subpoena the internet provider/server and find out TruBlu's real identity. Should she suffer any financial loss because of this nonsense, she will certainly be well within her rights to sue TruBlu.
2. Another cause of action is one for tortious interference with contract. Current or prospective employers reading these comments may have some reason to call into Dr. J's mental stability and decide not to hire her or to let her go. Far-fetched, perhaps, but it can and does happen. And in this day and time, employers are looking for any excuse not to hire. She can sue for that too.
3. Please reveal your credentials TruBlu. What qualifies you to diagnose psychiatric illness without ever seeing a person? Where in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does one find wack- or whack-job? What are the symptoms of such a disease? Further, although I have never met her in person, I have corresponded with Dr. Johnson on numerous occasions and can discern no mental instability. Sure, she is understandably pissed off over what was done to her. As a person who is being given similar treatment, I can understand and appreciate that.
However, Dr. Johnson appears to be oriented to person, place and time and suffers from no hallucinations or delusions or any of the recognized symptoms accompanying a mental disorder. On what facts do you base your medical conclusions or are you as qualified as Ed Cone to make such pronouncements?
3. Dr. Johnson has expressed her story ad nauseum to anyone who cares to review the history. Why then is she to be threatened by a complaint to the medical board, i.e., by loss of her right to earn a living, by those who disagree with her right to speak out? She is harming no one and is in no doctor-patient relationship with TruBlu. Nor is she otherwise harming the public. Why would the medical board care?
I have found that as Justice Louis Brandeis once said, "sunlight is the best disinfectant." Expose TruBlu to sunlight. Let his/her comments shine forth like a beacon and bear testament to the consummate idiocy espoused therein.
Mary, sorry about my lateness to this conversation. I echo what many of the others have said-- what TruBlu did was cowardly and completely inappropriate. It is contemptible to threaten a person's livelihood because of what they write on a blog.
I think Billy is right. Most of the folks who swagger from behind a pseudonmym have all bark, no bite.
I am sorry this happened, Mary, and if the person who issued this threat can be identified, perhaps he/she can be held accountable in some way.
Joe Guarino
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