I hear Jim Bullins, local child advocate, was a good man.
I say, "I hear", because to the very best of my recollection (it's been a long time and I could be wrong), this particular child advocate never met him. If I did, it was only a meet & greet . . . or in passing.
And in Asheboro, North Carolina . . . with its fragmented & polarized medical community - along an arrogant and cliquish hospital leadership that absolutely nobody can trust . . . the fact that these two child advocates never meshed to do good things together is something our town leaders can be very proud of. I'm sure they can dust off another award and give it to themselves.
Rest in peace, Mr. Bullins. I expect you have a lot of hugs waiting for you where you're going;)
Saturday AM Update: Several folks in-the-know have asked me to give special recognition to Mr. Bullin's family . . . his own kids . . . his wife. His public altruism (which got all of the attention) most certainly took a private toll. There were many very good people behind the man.
They did not "sit in darkness". They were, in fact, bathed in light.
My thoughts and prayers are with them this weekend as they navigate this loss.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
I'd Like To Thank The Academy . . .
Knowing I don't take any of the local papers anymore, several folks have called to (1) make sure I am aware of, and/or (2) gripe . . . about articles in both the Courier Tribune and the Randolph Guide (not online yet) reporting on the Asheboro-Randolph County Chamber of Commerce's annual award ceremony.
(I've apologized to all who've called for not jumping on it sooner. I've been very busy the last few days with projects at home.)
The individuals and organizations receiving the Chamber's awards were all "surprised".
Yeah, right. Sure. Tell me another good one.
This year, the winners were all beyond predictable . . . all the "right people" . . . especially J.B. Davis of Klaussner (citizen of the year) and Randolph Hospital (business of the year).
The hospital is, after all, "a critical factor in the local economy".
Why yes, I know. And that is why the hospital ("overseen" by the fine, upstanding, law-abiding types that sit on its Board of Directors) is not held accountable for the nasty/illegal things it does to people who do not frequent Pinewood Country Club.
I hear that a picture of Morrison, Eblin and Allen (Randolph's Big Three) was in the Guide. That's nice. I need a new cut-out for that indestructible voodoo doll from New Orleans. The old photo of Elbin is pock-marked with pin holes.
As for predictions, I predict 2009 Chamber Chairman April Thornton is going to run (again) for Asheboro City Council.
Word to the wise: Let's keep her record on that perfect. Just say no.
A good portion of the comments in the phone calls I took were unprintable - especially in lieu of Asheboro's recent dubious honor of being named the "fourth fastest dying town in America".
"Year after @#$%^&* year, the same *&^%$# people give each other the same *&^%$# awards for @#$%^&* up!"
"How can they do this with a straight face? Are these idiots smoking crack?"
(You really do have to wonder.)
I'm trying to picture J.B. Davis . . . or Morrison & Eblin . . . stammering and blubbering in faux surprise over their awards. As "damage control" goes, it's pretty pathetic.
"I'd like to thank the Academy . . . "
(I've apologized to all who've called for not jumping on it sooner. I've been very busy the last few days with projects at home.)
The individuals and organizations receiving the Chamber's awards were all "surprised".
Yeah, right. Sure. Tell me another good one.
This year, the winners were all beyond predictable . . . all the "right people" . . . especially J.B. Davis of Klaussner (citizen of the year) and Randolph Hospital (business of the year).
The hospital is, after all, "a critical factor in the local economy".
Why yes, I know. And that is why the hospital ("overseen" by the fine, upstanding, law-abiding types that sit on its Board of Directors) is not held accountable for the nasty/illegal things it does to people who do not frequent Pinewood Country Club.
I hear that a picture of Morrison, Eblin and Allen (Randolph's Big Three) was in the Guide. That's nice. I need a new cut-out for that indestructible voodoo doll from New Orleans. The old photo of Elbin is pock-marked with pin holes.
As for predictions, I predict 2009 Chamber Chairman April Thornton is going to run (again) for Asheboro City Council.
Word to the wise: Let's keep her record on that perfect. Just say no.
A good portion of the comments in the phone calls I took were unprintable - especially in lieu of Asheboro's recent dubious honor of being named the "fourth fastest dying town in America".
"Year after @#$%^&* year, the same *&^%$# people give each other the same *&^%$# awards for @#$%^&* up!"
"How can they do this with a straight face? Are these idiots smoking crack?"
(You really do have to wonder.)
I'm trying to picture J.B. Davis . . . or Morrison & Eblin . . . stammering and blubbering in faux surprise over their awards. As "damage control" goes, it's pretty pathetic.
"I'd like to thank the Academy . . . "
Monday, January 26, 2009
The Bookcases
I blogged last month on my digust with the racket that is extended warranties . . . without elaborating very much on the outsourced joke that is now "customer service" for most large companies (especially companies that trade online) . . . a joke that puts you on the phone for hours with people from India with fake American names who can barely speak English.
In that post, I did not allude to the troubles I was having with the delivery of a fairly large order I placed with bookcasesgalore.com last month.
Contrary to what most lay people think, many doctors in primary care are not "rich". Over the years, done way-beyond-dirty by my hometown hospital . . . and with lawyers siphoning off a huge portion of my meager income as a Locum Tenens Pediatrician even as they swindled me (but hey, that's okay with just about everybody) . . . I have not had a lot of extra cash to spend on frivolous things like furniture and home repair . . . much less invest in a retirement account.
Of course, at this point, I suppose I should be grateful I did not have the money to invest.
It was only by a fluke of someone else's bad luck that I got my driveway paved several years back . . . when the local DA's office decided to prove it was tough on child abuse by prosecuting the rape case that wasn't. My testimony was coerced and manipulated to serve King Dozier's self-serving ends . . . convicting a man of something I did not actually testify to. But the money I made as an expert witness on that case laid the asphalt over gravel.
Meanwhile, no matter what he's done, the over-paid & well-connected unconvicted felon running our local hospital can vacation in Hilton Head, and put an elevator in his house and move right on along with his retirement plans without missing a manicure.
While I'm getting hammered and insulted in the blogs on a regular basis . . . by people who don't have a clue about what I've endured - or what they're talking about - and seem to think it's all for sport - or that it somehow makes them "cool" to anonymously call someboy a "wack-job" . . . nobody asks Bob a single damned question.
Last year, I was beyond-blessed to hook up with a hospital system that desperately needed my services (as a Pediatric hospitalist) and was willing to pay (well) for them - as it was more or less an emergent situation. It literally was a first in ten years in terms of income for me . . . I was finally making a salary that many of my private-practice or fellowship-trained schoolmates have been enjoying for years. The extra money was like manna from heaven. And/so, buckling down and living frugally for all of last year, I paid off several long-standing debts (i.e. the equity line, my car) - and got the credit cards down to zero.
It was beyond-liberating to get some of these heavy monkeys off my back . . . especially as I watched the world financial system go straight to hell in a matter of weeks. A lot of my friends lost huge amounts of invested money. I'd never had it to lose.
The extra cash also made for a nice Christmas;)
I have wavered for a very long time about whether or not to sell the house in Asheboro. After this summer's alcohol referendum, and the Dave's Moutain annexation battle (in which my "rich" neighbors and I were apparently expected to be grateful to have our property trashed and our pockets picked), it was clear to me that the Asheboro I had grown up in and once loved dearly was beyond dead (I didn't need Forbes to tell me) - and I began to entertain thoughts about moving.
It was a hard thought to entertain. I've fought so hard to be able to come back/stay. I love my home - in which I have a lot of equity (because I did not move several times in my career). It is well-built and beautifully landscaped . . . with a view from the kitchen windows that ignorant, damnedYankee bluehairs would pay big bucks for were it in the mountains around Boone and Asheville. The ashes and ghosts of beloved pets are scattered on and walk the grounds. Birdhouses and feeders adorn the trees (I am a birdwatcher). A thicket on the front bank is home to dozens of rabbits . . . it's my own Watership Down. The house is a gathering place for my high-school YaYas when they come home (as well as a permanent home for one of them - who sits the place while I am gone). And there are the touches of both my parents in the wiring (not-so private joke) and the decor.
Last Fall, with all of this in mind, I did some interviews . . . including one in Lexington (which I really need to blog about - because the more I think about it, the more what ultimately happened pisses me off) . . . and one for a permanent job in a lovely coastal town . . . and I got offers, but in the end, I actually decided to stay where I was - with modifications for a longer term arrangement . . . and to continue the commute down East . . . as well as the compartmentalization of my life. I now work in several-week scheduled blocks of time . . . with one-week blocks of time off.
This is one of those weeks. And I was scheduled to have bookcases delivered today.
That's a bit of a story too.
I read. I read a lot. I started reading when I was very, very young. Dr. Seuss was small potatoes. I inhaled the WorldBook Encyclopedia . . . then Britannica . . . then Daddy's collection of National Geographics, and then literally anything & everything I could get my hands on. I read Gone With The Wind in the sixth grade in about three days without really putting it down . . . War & Peace was devoured shortly thereafter. Three majors in college, stints in medical school & residency, and a serious Borders/Barnes & Noble/Books-A-Million addiction later, I have quite the collection of books . . . indeed, there are collections in the collection (including a few of Daddy's train books that we did not donate to that museum in Tennessee).
I love the way books smell. I love the way they feel in your hand. I love the places they can take you. I love falling asleep with one and waking up to one. Say what you will about a computer and the Internet. There is NO comparison to a good book.
But until this year, I was never able to afford bookcases. With the extra cash on hand, and the bills paid, and no desire to invest in a market as the bottom fell out of it, I decided that I wanted a proper home office & library . . . and I decided it was going to be in my front (unfurnished) living room. I began budgeting for the project.
Just so you know how many books we're talking about, there are approximately 100 boxes stacked in the front foyer beside the stairwell . . . which, over Christmas, were moved downstairs from storage in an unused bedroom - in preparation for their transfer to their final, permanent home.
I did quite a bit of internal wailing & gnashing over whether or not to put in "built-ins" or simply buy bookcases. But when the housing market went to hell, the decision was more or less made for me. I decided pouring more money into the house (that I might not be able to recoup if I ever did sell), did not make any sense (especially since someone buying it might want a living room instead of a library). I needed something I could move if I ever left.
Budgeting not just my money, but my time, I decided to paint and prepare the room . . . so that would not have to be done over & around anything I purchased.
Then, I started looking for bookcases. Specifically, large solid-oak bookcases with some kind of door (like the cases I've seen in so many lawyers' offices). And I needed (based on my measurements of the room and available sizes), six to nine bookcases.
I found one at Pottery Barn that I really liked - with large, sliding doors. But it was not solid-oak and it was back-ordered into next spring.
Then I went to Furnitureland South and the Boyles at High Point to search the catalogues (as I did years ago with Mother when she furnished our home). But bookcases aren't a big thing. Ugly, over-priced, poorly-made furniture styled for P-Diddy & Elivs aficionados apparently is. The salespeople could only offer me over-priced (albeit very pretty) china cabinets. One saleslady tried to tell me that, sure, the glass shelving would support the weight of hundreds of books. I took her recommendations under advisement and moved on.
So I wound up online - and at "Bookcasesgalore". And I eventually found what I wanted. After talking with a very nice saleslady, I ordered/purchased five bookcases at a corporate rate . . . four "double cabinets and one single . . . all with doors and six shelves apiece. The order came in at just over ten thousand dollars. It's a whole lot of money for me. But a decent home library is something I've wanted for well over a decade.
Because of the size of the order . . . and the up-front payment-in-full, shipping was "free" and guaranteed within one week. The cases, made by a company in Virginia, were in stock. They would be delivered on December 22 - while I was home for Christmas.
The problem started when they were not delivered.
And when I started making calls, that's when the nice saleslady who spoke good English could not be found, and I was stuck talking to young people with thick-accents in India who had no idea what was going on . . . and were incapable of independent thought or action.
Many, many, many phones calls later, it was ascertained that Bookcasesgalore contracts out delivery on very large orders, and my bookcases were on a truck to Indiana. No one could/would explain how a product made in Virginia and destined for North Carolina wound up in Indiana. Moreover, delivery could not/would not be made until after the new year (on January 5) - after I went back to work.
No one said, "I'm sorry", for the mistake or the inconvenience. No one offered any kind of further discount. Many of the people I spoke to were just plain rude. I was just supposed to suck up and deal with it.
And haven't I heard that before?
I told the delivery company that, because of my work schedule, I could not accept delivery until the 26th of January, and that I definitely could not accept delivery on January 5th. I told them I would call them if something changed. Nothing changed.
In that post, I did not allude to the troubles I was having with the delivery of a fairly large order I placed with bookcasesgalore.com last month.
Contrary to what most lay people think, many doctors in primary care are not "rich". Over the years, done way-beyond-dirty by my hometown hospital . . . and with lawyers siphoning off a huge portion of my meager income as a Locum Tenens Pediatrician even as they swindled me (but hey, that's okay with just about everybody) . . . I have not had a lot of extra cash to spend on frivolous things like furniture and home repair . . . much less invest in a retirement account.
Of course, at this point, I suppose I should be grateful I did not have the money to invest.
It was only by a fluke of someone else's bad luck that I got my driveway paved several years back . . . when the local DA's office decided to prove it was tough on child abuse by prosecuting the rape case that wasn't. My testimony was coerced and manipulated to serve King Dozier's self-serving ends . . . convicting a man of something I did not actually testify to. But the money I made as an expert witness on that case laid the asphalt over gravel.
Meanwhile, no matter what he's done, the over-paid & well-connected unconvicted felon running our local hospital can vacation in Hilton Head, and put an elevator in his house and move right on along with his retirement plans without missing a manicure.
While I'm getting hammered and insulted in the blogs on a regular basis . . . by people who don't have a clue about what I've endured - or what they're talking about - and seem to think it's all for sport - or that it somehow makes them "cool" to anonymously call someboy a "wack-job" . . . nobody asks Bob a single damned question.
Last year, I was beyond-blessed to hook up with a hospital system that desperately needed my services (as a Pediatric hospitalist) and was willing to pay (well) for them - as it was more or less an emergent situation. It literally was a first in ten years in terms of income for me . . . I was finally making a salary that many of my private-practice or fellowship-trained schoolmates have been enjoying for years. The extra money was like manna from heaven. And/so, buckling down and living frugally for all of last year, I paid off several long-standing debts (i.e. the equity line, my car) - and got the credit cards down to zero.
It was beyond-liberating to get some of these heavy monkeys off my back . . . especially as I watched the world financial system go straight to hell in a matter of weeks. A lot of my friends lost huge amounts of invested money. I'd never had it to lose.
The extra cash also made for a nice Christmas;)
I have wavered for a very long time about whether or not to sell the house in Asheboro. After this summer's alcohol referendum, and the Dave's Moutain annexation battle (in which my "rich" neighbors and I were apparently expected to be grateful to have our property trashed and our pockets picked), it was clear to me that the Asheboro I had grown up in and once loved dearly was beyond dead (I didn't need Forbes to tell me) - and I began to entertain thoughts about moving.
It was a hard thought to entertain. I've fought so hard to be able to come back/stay. I love my home - in which I have a lot of equity (because I did not move several times in my career). It is well-built and beautifully landscaped . . . with a view from the kitchen windows that ignorant, damnedYankee bluehairs would pay big bucks for were it in the mountains around Boone and Asheville. The ashes and ghosts of beloved pets are scattered on and walk the grounds. Birdhouses and feeders adorn the trees (I am a birdwatcher). A thicket on the front bank is home to dozens of rabbits . . . it's my own Watership Down. The house is a gathering place for my high-school YaYas when they come home (as well as a permanent home for one of them - who sits the place while I am gone). And there are the touches of both my parents in the wiring (not-so private joke) and the decor.
Last Fall, with all of this in mind, I did some interviews . . . including one in Lexington (which I really need to blog about - because the more I think about it, the more what ultimately happened pisses me off) . . . and one for a permanent job in a lovely coastal town . . . and I got offers, but in the end, I actually decided to stay where I was - with modifications for a longer term arrangement . . . and to continue the commute down East . . . as well as the compartmentalization of my life. I now work in several-week scheduled blocks of time . . . with one-week blocks of time off.
This is one of those weeks. And I was scheduled to have bookcases delivered today.
That's a bit of a story too.
I read. I read a lot. I started reading when I was very, very young. Dr. Seuss was small potatoes. I inhaled the WorldBook Encyclopedia . . . then Britannica . . . then Daddy's collection of National Geographics, and then literally anything & everything I could get my hands on. I read Gone With The Wind in the sixth grade in about three days without really putting it down . . . War & Peace was devoured shortly thereafter. Three majors in college, stints in medical school & residency, and a serious Borders/Barnes & Noble/Books-A-Million addiction later, I have quite the collection of books . . . indeed, there are collections in the collection (including a few of Daddy's train books that we did not donate to that museum in Tennessee).
I love the way books smell. I love the way they feel in your hand. I love the places they can take you. I love falling asleep with one and waking up to one. Say what you will about a computer and the Internet. There is NO comparison to a good book.
But until this year, I was never able to afford bookcases. With the extra cash on hand, and the bills paid, and no desire to invest in a market as the bottom fell out of it, I decided that I wanted a proper home office & library . . . and I decided it was going to be in my front (unfurnished) living room. I began budgeting for the project.
Just so you know how many books we're talking about, there are approximately 100 boxes stacked in the front foyer beside the stairwell . . . which, over Christmas, were moved downstairs from storage in an unused bedroom - in preparation for their transfer to their final, permanent home.
I did quite a bit of internal wailing & gnashing over whether or not to put in "built-ins" or simply buy bookcases. But when the housing market went to hell, the decision was more or less made for me. I decided pouring more money into the house (that I might not be able to recoup if I ever did sell), did not make any sense (especially since someone buying it might want a living room instead of a library). I needed something I could move if I ever left.
Budgeting not just my money, but my time, I decided to paint and prepare the room . . . so that would not have to be done over & around anything I purchased.
Then, I started looking for bookcases. Specifically, large solid-oak bookcases with some kind of door (like the cases I've seen in so many lawyers' offices). And I needed (based on my measurements of the room and available sizes), six to nine bookcases.
I found one at Pottery Barn that I really liked - with large, sliding doors. But it was not solid-oak and it was back-ordered into next spring.
Then I went to Furnitureland South and the Boyles at High Point to search the catalogues (as I did years ago with Mother when she furnished our home). But bookcases aren't a big thing. Ugly, over-priced, poorly-made furniture styled for P-Diddy & Elivs aficionados apparently is. The salespeople could only offer me over-priced (albeit very pretty) china cabinets. One saleslady tried to tell me that, sure, the glass shelving would support the weight of hundreds of books. I took her recommendations under advisement and moved on.
So I wound up online - and at "Bookcasesgalore". And I eventually found what I wanted. After talking with a very nice saleslady, I ordered/purchased five bookcases at a corporate rate . . . four "double cabinets and one single . . . all with doors and six shelves apiece. The order came in at just over ten thousand dollars. It's a whole lot of money for me. But a decent home library is something I've wanted for well over a decade.
Because of the size of the order . . . and the up-front payment-in-full, shipping was "free" and guaranteed within one week. The cases, made by a company in Virginia, were in stock. They would be delivered on December 22 - while I was home for Christmas.
The problem started when they were not delivered.
And when I started making calls, that's when the nice saleslady who spoke good English could not be found, and I was stuck talking to young people with thick-accents in India who had no idea what was going on . . . and were incapable of independent thought or action.
Many, many, many phones calls later, it was ascertained that Bookcasesgalore contracts out delivery on very large orders, and my bookcases were on a truck to Indiana. No one could/would explain how a product made in Virginia and destined for North Carolina wound up in Indiana. Moreover, delivery could not/would not be made until after the new year (on January 5) - after I went back to work.
No one said, "I'm sorry", for the mistake or the inconvenience. No one offered any kind of further discount. Many of the people I spoke to were just plain rude. I was just supposed to suck up and deal with it.
And haven't I heard that before?
I told the delivery company that, because of my work schedule, I could not accept delivery until the 26th of January, and that I definitely could not accept delivery on January 5th. I told them I would call them if something changed. Nothing changed.
On January 5, I got a call from a delivery man informing me that he was on his way to my house to deliver the bookcases!?!
At the time I took the call, I was back at work down East . . . hundreds of miles and several hours away . . . and on-call. None of my friends or family were available to meet him/let him in, and none of them were comfortable accepting a delivery of this size and cost in my absence.
Exasperated, I told the delivery man not to bother coming to Asheboro . . . and that I was less-than-happy that the bookcases had been loaded on and off trucks over and over again . . . they were going to get damaged. He apologized and told me to call his dispatchers.
Arrangements were once again made to deliver the cases today . . . between 10 AM and 2 PM. I was very happy and excited this morning when I got up. And I was delighted when the (same) delivery man called at 8:30 to tell me that he would be at my house between 9:30 and 10:00 AM.
The truck arrived on time and the two young men on it began unloading the cases - which were to be assembled in sections. Once we established which door they would come in, I began clearing a path through the house from my garage door to the living room. But just a few minutes into this project, one of the young men came to get me - telling me that, "We have a problem, and I want you to see this before I unload anything else . . . you have to make a decision."
The first section they had unloaded - in an apparently pristine/undamaged box - had a massive hole through the top of the compartment - with wood pieces and splinters scattered inside the case and behind the glass doors. It looked as though someone had smashed their elbow or their fist through the very thin wood. The cabinet appeared to be poorly finished and not of the quality I had expected for the price I paid.
I could not believe what I was seeing. I was on the verge of tears.
The nice young deliverymen advised me that it might be best for me to refuse the entire shipment - before they spent hours unpacking and sorting it all - if I was going to reject the damaged section (of course I was going to reject it!). They could take it all back to their warehouse . . . where (for an additional charge) it could be unpacked and inspected by a company representative, then restored/re-shipped.
I could also just reject the shipment entirely, get a refund and re-order.
Reorder. Yeah, sure.
But the rest made perfect sense to me. I signed the appropriate "rejection" forms so the boys could get on with the rest of their day, and went inside . . . first to stand in my empty "library" and cry . . . then to steel myself for the hours I expected to spend on the phone to get my money back. I did not want the damned cabinets inspected or assembled piecemeal and re-delivered. I wanted to be done with Bookcasesgalore.
After several false starts - with more earnest young people from India - I finally was connected with a senior company rep who said she could not "cancel" the order, but she could refund my money to my Discover card. Her company would then investigate, and file a claim for their loss with their insurance company.
I said, "Fine, good, whatever. Just refund my money. I don't care what you or your delivery company or your insurance company do. You've wasted enough of my time."
This is commerce in America.
As YaYas called in late this morning - to see if I was happily putting books into cases, I had to tell the story one too many times. I was not a happy camper - this one really hurt. When Mama called to check in, I told her I had to get out of the house and out of this damned town. So she called my sister-in-law and we arranged to meet her and my niece at BonBebe off New Garden in Greensboro (which, alas, will be closing soon) for some major retail therapy.
Spoiling an already-spoiled beyond-beautiful baby whose smile lights up a room (and who was wearing some really swell fuzzy rabbit boots her Aunt Mary got her for Christmas with some of that extra money she didn't want to invest) is great therapy. The bookcases were quickly put into perspective. A lesson has been learned - the only thing really lost is a little time.
Mama and I are going to some asking around to see if someone local can craft what I need/want. It may take some time and I may pay a little bit more, but maybe, just maybe I'll have something of quality worth owning and passing on someday.
But the more I thought about it through the day, the angrier I got. As a doctor, my every action is subjected to the highest scrutiny. The customer is always right even when they are dead wrong. People in suits can devalue my services. I can be sued by ambulance chasers by anyone with a grudge and a filing fee.
Moreover, my life and practice in my own hometown could be destroyed for all of the wrong reasons - using unethical & illegal means - and nobody in a position or medical or legal oversight gives a royal damn.
When I come to the blogosphere to ask for help, I'm repeatedly insulted, ridiculed and told to get on with my life and over myself. My education is nothing but the butt of a joke.
Yet people with whom I do business . . . seeking goods & services . . . routinely assume I'm "rich" (because I'm a doctor) and repeatedly try to take advantage of me in the work and services they provide. And more than once, the work or product has been crap.
With all of this experience in mind, I have just one thing to say to Keith Crisco. SCREW YOUR &^%$#@!* GLOBALIZATION! THAT IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS DAMNED COUNTRY NOW! WE DON'T PRODUCE ANYTHING WORTH A CRAP. PEOPLE DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE QUALITY OF THEIR WORK - OR THEIR WORK PRODUCT! AND CUSTOMER SERVICE IS A CHEAP, OUT-SOURCED JOKE WITH A THICK ACCENT AND A FAKE NAME!
No wonder this country is on the fast track to hell. And it's got NOTHING to do with George Bush. It's all about us.
We need to get back to producing our own quality goods, providing our own quality services and taking quality care of our own people. We need drop the enlightened notions of entitlement . . . of everything for nothing . . . and get back to the basic concepts of accountability . . . of right and wrong . . . of rewards and consequences . . . of hard work and fair play.
On that note, I'm going to take a break, feed the cats, maybe draw a long, hot bath . . . before I trek back over to Ed Cone's and see who else has left a smart-assed comment aimed to diss Dr. Mary Johnson.
PM Update: I'm not up for WordUp tonight. In the morning perhaps. After a date with a good homeless book.
1/26/09 Update: A comment I posted at WordUp two mornings ago (in response to Sam/Ian/Ed) appears to have been deleted. Typical. I do not have a copy. I left another comment.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
The Storekeepers
I have a number of friends who follow this blog. Most of them grew up with me here and LOVE IT that finally someone is talking back to the "bad guys" who killed our little town. They often share "intel". Most of the time, I already know. And there's a lot I have not used.
One of these friends e-mailed tonight: You're taking on an entire town, and sometimes I feel that you need all the information that you can get. In cowboy analogy I see you as the lone good guy in a gun fight with a dozen desperadoes. And, I see myself as the storekeeper that peers ever so cautiously out the window at what's about to happen. You're brave.
One of these friends e-mailed tonight: You're taking on an entire town, and sometimes I feel that you need all the information that you can get. In cowboy analogy I see you as the lone good guy in a gun fight with a dozen desperadoes. And, I see myself as the storekeeper that peers ever so cautiously out the window at what's about to happen. You're brave.
I e-mailed right back: LOL! Good analogy. But you must remember, sometimes the good guys won - with the help of the storekeeper;)
To all of my "storekeepers". Thank You!
If Mary Were Mark: 10-Plus For Keith Crisco
As of early this morning (I'm only checking in once a day), the "Coning", referenced previously, continues. Have you ever noticed, on one of these things, how the cone-ee (to Spag, "the defendant"), is supposed to answer every question posed to them, and parse every phrase/word . . . but how Cone & company (especially in retreat) do not?
Sam Spagnola (a GSO lawyer - firmly entrenched in the politically conservative camp where my sympathies generally lie) is really starting to piss me off. Sam has been on the wrong end of a "coning" more than once . . . yet this time it's "cool" to pound. I think it's mostly because a mere lay person has challenged his cutting-edge analysis of the applicable law . . . and his feathers are ruffled because I do not concede his legal omnipotence.
He keeps coming back with the short/snide, "But no she didn't!!!" line . . . in terms of me explaining what I wanted/expected from the real journalists and "citizen journalists" in the GSO blogosphere (based on their own rhetoric) four years ago next month.
It reminds me of one of my toddler patients stomping feet, blowing snot, and throwing a tantrum when things do not go their way.
Some bloggers delivered. They know who they are. And I thank them from the bottom of my broken heart.
But the problem is that the journalists and citizen journalists with the most clout . . . with the actual ability to help propel my story to a larger audience . . . deliberately and determinedly shut me out . . . in, fact, doing everything they could to marginalize and discredit me . . . while not scrutinizing those I accuse at all. And a lot of that appeared to be politically and economically and even personally motivated.
You see, the voice of the less-well-named people is not always in tune. And I did not drink the Kool-Aid pro-offered by the corrupt Democrats running this state (especially healthcare in the state) into the ground. I saw through John Edwards before he spawned a love-child. I'm no fan of Sleazely, Perdue or Cooper . . . the very important people they play with . . . or paying to play. Moreover, I am saddened and disgusted by the Presidential election results, and am terrified at the prospect of becoming an Obamanation. Ergo, I must be crushed!
In fact, that's as big a part of the story as the original story itself . . . and will likely merit at least a few chapters in the book I will someday write.
Sam knows all this. Because I did answer his question . . . long ago . . . and over and over again.
But Spag has never answered me. He has admitted that, "People lie in Court every day". But he lets that stand . . . waving in the air like the thinnest slice of stinky cheese . . . implying that it's acceptable and to be expected . . . and in my case, where someone has been caught (to my extreme professional & fiscal detriment), especially someones accountable (at least in theory) to the state & federal governments, I'm supposed to just shut up and get over it.
I feel like little Cindy Lou Who, sipping her drink and being shooed back upstairs, without getting even a bad explanation as to why the Grinch is stealing her Christmas tree.
My question to the mighty Sam (that he has never answered) is, "Well, okay, but given what the law says about lying in Court (i.e. it's a felony, punishable by jail time and fines) - when someone is caught doing it, and you have a citizen ready/willing/able to swear out a complaint, why isn't anything generally done about it . . . unless it serves a political agenda (say like embarrassing a President diddling an intern)? When taxpayer dollars are in play, why are citizens wronged stuck with local DA's . . . often beholdin to local cabals? Why can't a public servant wronged directly petition the Attorney General? In the wake of Mike Nifong, and everything that mess proved was wrong with North Carolina's legal system (especially were ordinary people are concerned), why haven't the lawyers of North Carolina (especially the elected ones) risen en masse to do something about it?
In terms of ethics and honorable behavior that best serves the taxpayer, Spag rails against "the blue wall" (filing lawsuits for/with/whatever Roch) in Greensboro. Meanwhile, I've certainly banged my head against "the white wall" in medicine for eleven years . . . taking on "the establishment" of my profession to do it.
But what color is the wall in law? And what kind of reform has Spag called for? Has he stood up to the big boys in his profession to say, "Look guys, the public knows we don't play fair and we have to do something about it!"? Or is he just another gun for hire, going along to get along?
Make no mistake. I suffer under no illusion/delusion that ordinary citizen-journalists like Guarino, like Sam, can really do anything more than offer moral support (although I would like to see more of it from Sam). The REAL culprits in this travesty of journalism are the local newspaper reporters and Editors who have looked the other way.
And that brings me to Mark Binker, author of the N&R's Capitol Beat. Now, I consider Mark one of the N&R's better reporters. But like the now-departed Lex Alexander (who, in my opinion woefully under-performed in his reporting & blogging on local healthcare), I've had some issues with Mark's less-than-in-depth reporting before. And today, in terms of letting a big fish off the hook, he really stalled/sank the boat.
I present, for the reader's consideration, Mark's "10-Plus with Keith Crisco":
For those not familiar with Mr. Crisco, he is the Asheboro City Councilman who was Bev Perdue's second choice for NC Secretary of Commerce.
In terms of the choice, you could almost hear the collective groan coming up from Asheboro - recently "honored" as America's fourth fastest-dying town. But this was almost immediately followed by the sound of stomping feet and heels clicking . . . as many, many area residents were literally doing "happy dances" when he took the job. You see, this appointment meant that Keith could go practice his unique brand of smarmy, back-stabbing, double-dealing in China or South America - as opposed to on some of his neighbors. It also meant that, in this new era of transparency . . . under a Governor who says she's all about "accountability" . . . Keith's act might come under just a tad more public scrutiny than it was under the cover of David Renfro.
Now, Mark's a blogger, and he knows what at least one area blogger thinks about Mr. Crisco. Yet he still lobbed the softballs in his one-on-one. I actually had to wait a little while after eating my cheese biscuit this morning before I sat down to compose this post . .. . as I wanted to keep the biscuit down.
And what did we find out from Mark's interview?
(1) Well, Crisco's sons and son-in-law are going to take over the day-to-day operations of Asheboro Elastics (we already knew that - one question wasted).
(2) He's well-traveled and his favorite place was Antarctica (get a blog - answer a real question).
(3) He got into Harvard by mouthing-off to a Dean of Admissions (we have that kind of story in common - mine's better).
(4) Asheboro's not as bad off as Forbes said. The town (translation, Keith and other city Fathers) was just "slow to react" to certain economic realities - like globalization. (I'll keep that in mind. Cato's just closed. Goodys is not far behind. There are rumors swirling about at least three restaurants and two anchor stores at the local mall. And locals cannot shake the ominous feeling that the hammer is soon going to drop at Klaussner . . . the company that Asheboro sold its soul to accomodate . . . J.B. Davis's dubious honor of being voted citizen of the year of a dying town notwithstanding.)
(5) Keith favored NAFTA and CAFTA - which he now concedes didn't work out the way "we" (i.e. the Harvard MBA's) wanted. It was Mexico's fault. But whatthehell, Crisco apparently favors illegal immigration - because putting borders up around our country is not a good idea.
(6) Keith isn't sure if we should trade corporate tax credits (which didn't work) for lower corporate tax rates. He's still doing the research.
(7) He's the Governor's salesman for North Carolina. (I dunno about that. I've seen him try to sell preachers alcohol - God wants us to drink ourselves to prosperity - and then run right over them when they did not buy the pitch. He won't be able to pull that kind of crap with the Chinese.)
(8) It's "not fair" to make judgement calls in hindsight about corporate incentives - no matter how little evidence we have that they will work.
(9) We're in an "economic war" with Bejing. (No Keith. They won the war already. And you were one of the losing generals on our side. I guess Harvard isn't West Point.)
(10) Keith "cares". And he's working on it.
So we have established that, in this hard hitting interview, Binker wasted two questions. And in his last question, he asked, "What didn't we hit on?"
I dunno, but if I were Mark Binker, journalist & blogger, I might have asked Keith what his take was on the case of Dr. Mary Johnson vs. Randolph Hospital. I mean, Dr. Johnson, a local blogger, has openly accused executives at the hospital (as things stand, perhaps Asheboro's largest employer) of abusing their power, wasting government incentives designed to keep doctors in Asheboro, and breaking the law. It's an issue not unrelated to commerce.
Mr. Crisco cannot say he does not know about the case . . . because Dr. Johnson twice stood before the Asheboro City Council (while he sat on it) . . . and poured her guts out (the first time she was terrified, the second time she was furious) . . . outlining the unethical & illegal actions of hospital executives and begging public officials for help in getting the matter properly investigated by state officials.
From Mr. Crisco's inaction . . . and his choices afterwards . . . like selecting Randolph Hospital CEO, Robert Morrison, to chair the Asheboro 20/20 revitalization effort . . . or his snarls during Dr. Johnson's second appearance at council (as she lambasted the city's efforts to annex her neighborhood) . . . we can deduce that Dr. Mary Johnson is at least one citizen that Keith Crisco does not, in fact, "care" about.
Given Keith's answer to question #10, here would be my ten follow-up questions for our new Commerce Secretary (in terms of solid/ethical/sound/visionary business practice) if I were Mark and Mark were me:
We've established that you "care" about citizens who work hard to better their communities.
(1) Do you care that Dr. Johnson was threatened with termination if she complained about bad care/bad physician behavior at Randolph Hospital?
(2) Do you care that Dr. Johnson was fired after defying those threats in order to save a child's life . . . and reporting what happened to medical peer review?
(3) Do you care that the practice & excellent reputation she spent three years building (as you would look at it, "selling" herself to patients & parents) was destroyed in a matter of days . . . and that despite federal & state guarantees & incentives, every conceivable roadblock to success & fulfillment of her dream was thrown in her way?
(4) Do you care that hospital executives lied to Dr. Johnson's colleagues . . . and her patients about what was going on (leaving many parents to believe she had abandoned her responsibilities)?
(5) Do you care that Dr. Johnson was professionally black-balled for miles around - that a good doctor could not find employment locally because she was treated unfairly?
(6) Do you care that this same doctor was sued for "libel" (ultimately unsuccessfully) for telling the truth to the government she served . . . deeply and irreparably traumatizing her and her family?
(7) Do you care that Dr. Johnson was swindled at settlement by perjury, contempt, and fraud - and that this has keep her from returning to Asheboro to practice (ergo, the incentive money originally used to recruit her home was wasted)?
(8) Do you care that the growth & development of Pediatrics in Asheboro is light-years behind where it should be . . . eleven years after driving out a homegrown physician who did care enough to but a patient before her own welfare & happiness . . . or that underserved children "must" now see a P.A. at the Merce Clinic?
(9) Do you care that what was done to Dr. Johnson has adversely affected the community's reputation in medical circles, as well as its physician recruitment abilities . . . at a time when doctors are in shortage and might not exactly flock to America's fourth fastest dying town?
(10) Do you care that medical and legal oversight in this situation completely, utterly and repeatedly failed?
And here's the plus: If we can assume that you, Mr. Crisco, do not care . . . should we also assume that Bev Perdue, for all of her altruistic rhetoric, doesn't care either?
Of course, whenever the N&R is concerned, I cannot expect the reporter (be it Lex or Mark) to ask just one question on my behalf . . . even when they have a golden opportunity.
As Mark Binker had this time.
And with that, I think I've answered Spag's question for the umpteenth time.
Sam Spagnola (a GSO lawyer - firmly entrenched in the politically conservative camp where my sympathies generally lie) is really starting to piss me off. Sam has been on the wrong end of a "coning" more than once . . . yet this time it's "cool" to pound. I think it's mostly because a mere lay person has challenged his cutting-edge analysis of the applicable law . . . and his feathers are ruffled because I do not concede his legal omnipotence.
He keeps coming back with the short/snide, "But no she didn't!!!" line . . . in terms of me explaining what I wanted/expected from the real journalists and "citizen journalists" in the GSO blogosphere (based on their own rhetoric) four years ago next month.
It reminds me of one of my toddler patients stomping feet, blowing snot, and throwing a tantrum when things do not go their way.
Some bloggers delivered. They know who they are. And I thank them from the bottom of my broken heart.
But the problem is that the journalists and citizen journalists with the most clout . . . with the actual ability to help propel my story to a larger audience . . . deliberately and determinedly shut me out . . . in, fact, doing everything they could to marginalize and discredit me . . . while not scrutinizing those I accuse at all. And a lot of that appeared to be politically and economically and even personally motivated.
You see, the voice of the less-well-named people is not always in tune. And I did not drink the Kool-Aid pro-offered by the corrupt Democrats running this state (especially healthcare in the state) into the ground. I saw through John Edwards before he spawned a love-child. I'm no fan of Sleazely, Perdue or Cooper . . . the very important people they play with . . . or paying to play. Moreover, I am saddened and disgusted by the Presidential election results, and am terrified at the prospect of becoming an Obamanation. Ergo, I must be crushed!
In fact, that's as big a part of the story as the original story itself . . . and will likely merit at least a few chapters in the book I will someday write.
Sam knows all this. Because I did answer his question . . . long ago . . . and over and over again.
But Spag has never answered me. He has admitted that, "People lie in Court every day". But he lets that stand . . . waving in the air like the thinnest slice of stinky cheese . . . implying that it's acceptable and to be expected . . . and in my case, where someone has been caught (to my extreme professional & fiscal detriment), especially someones accountable (at least in theory) to the state & federal governments, I'm supposed to just shut up and get over it.
I feel like little Cindy Lou Who, sipping her drink and being shooed back upstairs, without getting even a bad explanation as to why the Grinch is stealing her Christmas tree.
My question to the mighty Sam (that he has never answered) is, "Well, okay, but given what the law says about lying in Court (i.e. it's a felony, punishable by jail time and fines) - when someone is caught doing it, and you have a citizen ready/willing/able to swear out a complaint, why isn't anything generally done about it . . . unless it serves a political agenda (say like embarrassing a President diddling an intern)? When taxpayer dollars are in play, why are citizens wronged stuck with local DA's . . . often beholdin to local cabals? Why can't a public servant wronged directly petition the Attorney General? In the wake of Mike Nifong, and everything that mess proved was wrong with North Carolina's legal system (especially were ordinary people are concerned), why haven't the lawyers of North Carolina (especially the elected ones) risen en masse to do something about it?
In terms of ethics and honorable behavior that best serves the taxpayer, Spag rails against "the blue wall" (filing lawsuits for/with/whatever Roch) in Greensboro. Meanwhile, I've certainly banged my head against "the white wall" in medicine for eleven years . . . taking on "the establishment" of my profession to do it.
But what color is the wall in law? And what kind of reform has Spag called for? Has he stood up to the big boys in his profession to say, "Look guys, the public knows we don't play fair and we have to do something about it!"? Or is he just another gun for hire, going along to get along?
Make no mistake. I suffer under no illusion/delusion that ordinary citizen-journalists like Guarino, like Sam, can really do anything more than offer moral support (although I would like to see more of it from Sam). The REAL culprits in this travesty of journalism are the local newspaper reporters and Editors who have looked the other way.
And that brings me to Mark Binker, author of the N&R's Capitol Beat. Now, I consider Mark one of the N&R's better reporters. But like the now-departed Lex Alexander (who, in my opinion woefully under-performed in his reporting & blogging on local healthcare), I've had some issues with Mark's less-than-in-depth reporting before. And today, in terms of letting a big fish off the hook, he really stalled/sank the boat.
I present, for the reader's consideration, Mark's "10-Plus with Keith Crisco":
For those not familiar with Mr. Crisco, he is the Asheboro City Councilman who was Bev Perdue's second choice for NC Secretary of Commerce.
In terms of the choice, you could almost hear the collective groan coming up from Asheboro - recently "honored" as America's fourth fastest-dying town. But this was almost immediately followed by the sound of stomping feet and heels clicking . . . as many, many area residents were literally doing "happy dances" when he took the job. You see, this appointment meant that Keith could go practice his unique brand of smarmy, back-stabbing, double-dealing in China or South America - as opposed to on some of his neighbors. It also meant that, in this new era of transparency . . . under a Governor who says she's all about "accountability" . . . Keith's act might come under just a tad more public scrutiny than it was under the cover of David Renfro.
Now, Mark's a blogger, and he knows what at least one area blogger thinks about Mr. Crisco. Yet he still lobbed the softballs in his one-on-one. I actually had to wait a little while after eating my cheese biscuit this morning before I sat down to compose this post . .. . as I wanted to keep the biscuit down.
And what did we find out from Mark's interview?
(1) Well, Crisco's sons and son-in-law are going to take over the day-to-day operations of Asheboro Elastics (we already knew that - one question wasted).
(2) He's well-traveled and his favorite place was Antarctica (get a blog - answer a real question).
(3) He got into Harvard by mouthing-off to a Dean of Admissions (we have that kind of story in common - mine's better).
(4) Asheboro's not as bad off as Forbes said. The town (translation, Keith and other city Fathers) was just "slow to react" to certain economic realities - like globalization. (I'll keep that in mind. Cato's just closed. Goodys is not far behind. There are rumors swirling about at least three restaurants and two anchor stores at the local mall. And locals cannot shake the ominous feeling that the hammer is soon going to drop at Klaussner . . . the company that Asheboro sold its soul to accomodate . . . J.B. Davis's dubious honor of being voted citizen of the year of a dying town notwithstanding.)
(5) Keith favored NAFTA and CAFTA - which he now concedes didn't work out the way "we" (i.e. the Harvard MBA's) wanted. It was Mexico's fault. But whatthehell, Crisco apparently favors illegal immigration - because putting borders up around our country is not a good idea.
(6) Keith isn't sure if we should trade corporate tax credits (which didn't work) for lower corporate tax rates. He's still doing the research.
(7) He's the Governor's salesman for North Carolina. (I dunno about that. I've seen him try to sell preachers alcohol - God wants us to drink ourselves to prosperity - and then run right over them when they did not buy the pitch. He won't be able to pull that kind of crap with the Chinese.)
(8) It's "not fair" to make judgement calls in hindsight about corporate incentives - no matter how little evidence we have that they will work.
(9) We're in an "economic war" with Bejing. (No Keith. They won the war already. And you were one of the losing generals on our side. I guess Harvard isn't West Point.)
(10) Keith "cares". And he's working on it.
So we have established that, in this hard hitting interview, Binker wasted two questions. And in his last question, he asked, "What didn't we hit on?"
I dunno, but if I were Mark Binker, journalist & blogger, I might have asked Keith what his take was on the case of Dr. Mary Johnson vs. Randolph Hospital. I mean, Dr. Johnson, a local blogger, has openly accused executives at the hospital (as things stand, perhaps Asheboro's largest employer) of abusing their power, wasting government incentives designed to keep doctors in Asheboro, and breaking the law. It's an issue not unrelated to commerce.
Mr. Crisco cannot say he does not know about the case . . . because Dr. Johnson twice stood before the Asheboro City Council (while he sat on it) . . . and poured her guts out (the first time she was terrified, the second time she was furious) . . . outlining the unethical & illegal actions of hospital executives and begging public officials for help in getting the matter properly investigated by state officials.
From Mr. Crisco's inaction . . . and his choices afterwards . . . like selecting Randolph Hospital CEO, Robert Morrison, to chair the Asheboro 20/20 revitalization effort . . . or his snarls during Dr. Johnson's second appearance at council (as she lambasted the city's efforts to annex her neighborhood) . . . we can deduce that Dr. Mary Johnson is at least one citizen that Keith Crisco does not, in fact, "care" about.
Given Keith's answer to question #10, here would be my ten follow-up questions for our new Commerce Secretary (in terms of solid/ethical/sound/visionary business practice) if I were Mark and Mark were me:
We've established that you "care" about citizens who work hard to better their communities.
(1) Do you care that Dr. Johnson was threatened with termination if she complained about bad care/bad physician behavior at Randolph Hospital?
(2) Do you care that Dr. Johnson was fired after defying those threats in order to save a child's life . . . and reporting what happened to medical peer review?
(3) Do you care that the practice & excellent reputation she spent three years building (as you would look at it, "selling" herself to patients & parents) was destroyed in a matter of days . . . and that despite federal & state guarantees & incentives, every conceivable roadblock to success & fulfillment of her dream was thrown in her way?
(4) Do you care that hospital executives lied to Dr. Johnson's colleagues . . . and her patients about what was going on (leaving many parents to believe she had abandoned her responsibilities)?
(5) Do you care that Dr. Johnson was professionally black-balled for miles around - that a good doctor could not find employment locally because she was treated unfairly?
(6) Do you care that this same doctor was sued for "libel" (ultimately unsuccessfully) for telling the truth to the government she served . . . deeply and irreparably traumatizing her and her family?
(7) Do you care that Dr. Johnson was swindled at settlement by perjury, contempt, and fraud - and that this has keep her from returning to Asheboro to practice (ergo, the incentive money originally used to recruit her home was wasted)?
(8) Do you care that the growth & development of Pediatrics in Asheboro is light-years behind where it should be . . . eleven years after driving out a homegrown physician who did care enough to but a patient before her own welfare & happiness . . . or that underserved children "must" now see a P.A. at the Merce Clinic?
(9) Do you care that what was done to Dr. Johnson has adversely affected the community's reputation in medical circles, as well as its physician recruitment abilities . . . at a time when doctors are in shortage and might not exactly flock to America's fourth fastest dying town?
(10) Do you care that medical and legal oversight in this situation completely, utterly and repeatedly failed?
And here's the plus: If we can assume that you, Mr. Crisco, do not care . . . should we also assume that Bev Perdue, for all of her altruistic rhetoric, doesn't care either?
Of course, whenever the N&R is concerned, I cannot expect the reporter (be it Lex or Mark) to ask just one question on my behalf . . . even when they have a golden opportunity.
As Mark Binker had this time.
And with that, I think I've answered Spag's question for the umpteenth time.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Spilt A Piece of Wood . . . Lift A Stone
CNN has asked i-reporters for their favorite movie line.
I expect mine might be considered odd. It is from the 1999 movie, Stigmata, loosely based on the discovery of the Gospel of Thomas. In the movie, a dead priest, who was authenticating a gospel alleged to have been written by Jesus himself, dies in exile in South America . . . his soul then possesses a hairdresser in the United States . . . after her globe-trotting Mother gifts her with the priest's stolen rosary. The young woman begins suffering The Stigmata, and writing Aramaic on the walls of her apartment. A skeptical priest investigates - even as his superiors at the Vatican try to suppress the investigation, because what the possessed woman is communicating is considered heretical.
The movie, very controversial for obvious reasons, was on cable tonight.
Without delving into the controversy, here is the movie quote:
Jesus said... the Kingdom of God is inside you, and all around you, not in mansions of wood and stone. Split a piece of wood... and I am there, lift a stone... and you will find me.
For some reason, I don't find it heretical at all.
I expect mine might be considered odd. It is from the 1999 movie, Stigmata, loosely based on the discovery of the Gospel of Thomas. In the movie, a dead priest, who was authenticating a gospel alleged to have been written by Jesus himself, dies in exile in South America . . . his soul then possesses a hairdresser in the United States . . . after her globe-trotting Mother gifts her with the priest's stolen rosary. The young woman begins suffering The Stigmata, and writing Aramaic on the walls of her apartment. A skeptical priest investigates - even as his superiors at the Vatican try to suppress the investigation, because what the possessed woman is communicating is considered heretical.
The movie, very controversial for obvious reasons, was on cable tonight.
Without delving into the controversy, here is the movie quote:
Jesus said... the Kingdom of God is inside you, and all around you, not in mansions of wood and stone. Split a piece of wood... and I am there, lift a stone... and you will find me.
For some reason, I don't find it heretical at all.
Attention Billie Wilson: An Answer From The NCDOT
On January 16th, I blogged a letter I sent to NC DOT regarding the sorry state of the distal end of Viewmont Road and its tributaries - on the back side of Dave's Mountain:
Mr. Blakley,
I was referred to you by one of your colleagues.
I have a question about Viewmont Road, just outside of Asheboro in the Dave's Mountain neighborhood. I am curious as to why its distal/far end and attached cul-de-sacs have not been/were not ever picked up for state maintenance.
The roads beyond state maintenance are in horrible condition after being built to "minimum standards" years ago (one of the road-builders is now an Asheboro City Councilman). The developers, home & road-builders shrug off responsibility and have not maintained the road or done repairs.
I have heard several conflicting versions of how a road is accepted for maintenance - and why Viewmont and its distal tributaries have been neglected for so long.
I would like to meet with you in person to hear it directly from "the horse's mouth". I will be home/in Asheboro during the last week of January and would like to schedule a meeting with you in Asheboro then. I want you to see some of these roads.
Please feel free to call or e-mail to schedule the meeting.
In the interest of full disclosure, please be advised that (1) I am a blogger, (2) we on Dave's Mtn are preparing for another annexation battle with the City of Asheboro, and (3) I plan to disclose what you tell me to my readers - and my neighbors.
Mary H. Johnson, M.D.
www.drjshousecalls.blogspot.com
On January 21st, I got a response:
Dr. Mary Johnson,
This is in response to an email you sent on January 16, 2009.
If a subdivision road is intended to be taken over by the North Carolina Department of Transportation construction plans must be approved by our office and the roadways must meet minimum standards at the time of addition. Minimum standards would include the road being satisfactorily maintained and having an occupied housing density of at least 2 homes per a tenth of a mile with a minimum of four homes. For more details of what is required you can reference the attached links to the "Subdivision Roads: Minimum Construction Standards, January , 2000" manual and General Statute 136-102.6.
http://www.ncdot.org/doh/preconstruct/altern/value/manuals/newsubdiv02-15-05.pdf
http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_136/GS_136-102.6.html
Specifically, concerning Viewmont Drive an inspection was done by this office in 1999. See attached correction letter mailed to Ms. Billie Wilson on April 14, 1999. This letter outlines items that must be corrected in order for the roads in question to be considered for addition. Keep in mind if maintenance of a road is neglected it will deteriorate and the cost to rehabilitate can be very expensive.
If you feel the items on the April 14, 1999 letter have been satisfactorily corrected we will need a completed SR-1 addition petition (attached) along with the necessary documentation as stated on the back of the petition for each road that is being requested to be added to the state system for maintenance in order to proceed with a final investigation and the remainder of the addition process.
The petition can be completed by the developer or by the property owners along the roadway. If the property owners complete the petition we do request that all property owners that have driveway access to the respective road sign the petition for addition.
Keep in mind from the NCDOT's standpoint it is the developer's responsibility to properly maintain the roadway until at which time the state takes it over for maintenance. As stated in General Statute 136-102.6, "Final acceptance by the Division of Highways of such public streets and placing them on the State highway system for maintenance shall be conclusive proof that the streets have been constructed according to the minimum standards of the Board of Transportation."
I hope this has helped answer your questions.
I will be glad to meet you on site to discuss further.
Reuben Blakley, P.E.
District Engineer
Division 8/District 1
300 Country Club Drive
PO Box 1164
Asheboro, NC 27204
office 336-629-1423
fax 336-629-7228
Mr. Blakley,
I was referred to you by one of your colleagues.
I have a question about Viewmont Road, just outside of Asheboro in the Dave's Mountain neighborhood. I am curious as to why its distal/far end and attached cul-de-sacs have not been/were not ever picked up for state maintenance.
The roads beyond state maintenance are in horrible condition after being built to "minimum standards" years ago (one of the road-builders is now an Asheboro City Councilman). The developers, home & road-builders shrug off responsibility and have not maintained the road or done repairs.
I have heard several conflicting versions of how a road is accepted for maintenance - and why Viewmont and its distal tributaries have been neglected for so long.
I would like to meet with you in person to hear it directly from "the horse's mouth". I will be home/in Asheboro during the last week of January and would like to schedule a meeting with you in Asheboro then. I want you to see some of these roads.
Please feel free to call or e-mail to schedule the meeting.
In the interest of full disclosure, please be advised that (1) I am a blogger, (2) we on Dave's Mtn are preparing for another annexation battle with the City of Asheboro, and (3) I plan to disclose what you tell me to my readers - and my neighbors.
Mary H. Johnson, M.D.
www.drjshousecalls.blogspot.com
On January 21st, I got a response:
Dr. Mary Johnson,
This is in response to an email you sent on January 16, 2009.
If a subdivision road is intended to be taken over by the North Carolina Department of Transportation construction plans must be approved by our office and the roadways must meet minimum standards at the time of addition. Minimum standards would include the road being satisfactorily maintained and having an occupied housing density of at least 2 homes per a tenth of a mile with a minimum of four homes. For more details of what is required you can reference the attached links to the "Subdivision Roads: Minimum Construction Standards, January , 2000" manual and General Statute 136-102.6.
http://www.ncdot.org/doh/preconstruct/altern/value/manuals/newsubdiv02-15-05.pdf
http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_136/GS_136-102.6.html
Specifically, concerning Viewmont Drive an inspection was done by this office in 1999. See attached correction letter mailed to Ms. Billie Wilson on April 14, 1999. This letter outlines items that must be corrected in order for the roads in question to be considered for addition. Keep in mind if maintenance of a road is neglected it will deteriorate and the cost to rehabilitate can be very expensive.
If you feel the items on the April 14, 1999 letter have been satisfactorily corrected we will need a completed SR-1 addition petition (attached) along with the necessary documentation as stated on the back of the petition for each road that is being requested to be added to the state system for maintenance in order to proceed with a final investigation and the remainder of the addition process.
The petition can be completed by the developer or by the property owners along the roadway. If the property owners complete the petition we do request that all property owners that have driveway access to the respective road sign the petition for addition.
Keep in mind from the NCDOT's standpoint it is the developer's responsibility to properly maintain the roadway until at which time the state takes it over for maintenance. As stated in General Statute 136-102.6, "Final acceptance by the Division of Highways of such public streets and placing them on the State highway system for maintenance shall be conclusive proof that the streets have been constructed according to the minimum standards of the Board of Transportation."
I hope this has helped answer your questions.
I will be glad to meet you on site to discuss further.
Reuben Blakley, P.E.
District Engineer
Division 8/District 1
300 Country Club Drive
PO Box 1164
Asheboro, NC 27204
office 336-629-1423
fax 336-629-7228
Here is the text of a 1999 letter he attached . . . from the DOT to Billie Wilson:
April 14, 1999
Randolph County
Ms. Billie Wilson
Wilson Realty & Construction
428 South Fayetteville Street
Asheboro, N.C. 27203
Subject: Correction letter for Viewmont Drive Ext., Viewmont Court, Wilson Drive, Wilson Court, Berrie Place and Woodside Place in Laurelwood Estates and Redding Woods Subdivision.
Ms. Wilson,
In response to your request to add these streets to the State Secondary Road System, personnel assigned to this office have investigated the above subject streets in the Laurelwood Estates and Redding Wood Subdivision. The following is offered for your consideration:
Viewmont Drive Extension - with a re-recorded plat of 60 ft right of way:
1. All trees or undergrowth (including overhanging trees) should be removed form the right of way.
2. Lot # 13 has two (2) large trees and several ornamental bushes that should be moved away from the right of way. This lot has also has some black plastic driveway pipe (at the lower drive) that needs to be replaced with 15” RCP or CMP.
3. Lot # 14 has two (2) large trees at driveway entrance which need to be moved away from the right of way.
4. Lot #42 has a brick mailbox that needs to be removed and several trees (approximately 5), which should be removed from the right of way.
5. Lot #35 has a large boulder at driveway entrance that needs to be removed.
6. This street has a large pothole which should be patched with asphalt, and several depressions which should be patched level with existing pavement.
Viewmont Court
1. Lot # ? (this would be the first house on the right on the cul-de-sac as you are entering) has a brick mailbox which needs to be removed.
2. Lot # 14 has a brick mailbox which needs to be removed and approximately eight (8) trees at the mailbox which should be removed from the right of way. This lot also has a couple of large trees at the intersection of Viewmont Court and Viewmont Drive which should be moved away from the right of way at both streets.
Wilson Drive
1. This road needs to be resurfaced with 1 ½” I-2 surface.
2. All trees and underbrush (including overhanging trees) need to be removed from the right of way.
Woodside Place
1. This street should be swept of loose gravel and dirt and should be resurfaced approximately 125’ from edge of pavement of Viewmont Dr. Ext. up Woodside Place. The new pavement need to be super-elevated in order to properly channel the water into the ditch; then retrograde shoulder to proper typical section and reestablish ground cover.
2. Lot #9 has a brick mailbox that needs to be removed.
Wilson Court and Berrie Place
These streets do not meet the required home density needed for addition to the State system.
If required, Department of Transportation personnel can meet on site to clarify and locate these problems.
Upon completion of the above items or if additional information is needed, please contact this office at 336-629-1423.
Yours very truly,
J.L. Pickleimer, P.E.,P.L.S.
District Engineer
cc: Mr. W.F. Rosser
Mr. R.T. McManus, Jr.
Hammond & Hammond, Attorneys at Law (Representing John Redding’s Estate)
This is all very, very interesting. I have already forwarded the e-mail to several Dave's Mtn. residents, and will shortly mail copies to all of the residents on these streets.
Billie Wilson/the other developers could sell the houses and the lots (and the powers-that-be, charged with oversight, let them keep right on doing it). But she/they did not maintain the roads until the state could pick them up.
Now we're supposed to be grateful that the city of Asheboro will annex us. Or we're supposed to do it ourselves. I'm not sure why I'm paying anybody taxes at this point.
I don't know about my neighbors, but I am sick and tired of being screwed over by the powers-that-be in this town/county.
When Wolves Weep
Although I never went there (my brother and Father did), and technically I am a Demon Deacon Doc, I have been a huge fan of the NC State Wolfpack since I was a wee child. The university always plays as the underdog to schools like Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill. Of course, that makes their victories all the more sweet.
Today the school has suffered a tremendous loss. The death of women's basketball coach, Kay Yow, from breast cancer, is beyond sad news.
I am overwhelmed with sadness. She was a very great dame.
Today the school has suffered a tremendous loss. The death of women's basketball coach, Kay Yow, from breast cancer, is beyond sad news.
I am overwhelmed with sadness. She was a very great dame.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Sticks And Stones And Broken Bones
It's a sad thing when the first thing you think of when you wake up from a nap is blogging.
As far as I know the "Coning" continues on the "Overcoming" thread at WordUp. I say "as far as I know" because I will not be getting back to it until late tonight or even tomorrow. I'm not even linking it here because I don't want to be tempted to jump in a rumble some more - with "disinterested" parties determined for me to agree with them that I'm a "wack-job". It's better to let the gang play - and then come back and clear out the trash all at once. Sitcks and stones. My last comment was posted very early this morning . . . after I got in from a neonatal resuscitation/ship-out during the night.
Had to go back to the hospital this morning (after no sleep for well over 24 hours), and have only just gotten up from a two-hour nap that wasn't really a good nap. I'm too wired - the kind of wired where your ears ring.
I had an MRI a couple of days ago . . . actually two MRI's . . one of my left knee and one of my lower back. I threw out my back the day before I went back to work in early January - lifting boxes at home. Within hours of that happening, my knee started to burn and ache - for no apparent reason. For several days, I was so stiff and sore, I could barely move. Regular readers will remember that I just got out of a walking boot (over the holidays) for a torn right ankle ligament (which I don't think has completely healed). The knee, in particular, has been giving me a fit - we were expecting a ligament tear - something that might require yet another date with a surgeon.
(The hospital were I am working is really racking up on my MRI's).
My back is fine - some mild degenerative changes that are not much to write home about. No significant disc issues. But, to my utter amazement, there were no torn ligaments (I was expecting a torn medical meniscus), but instead a sprained anterior cruciate ligament and a hairline fracture of the medial/proximal tibia. I'm not quite sure how the hell that happened (there is no history of injury). But it explains a lot.
Surgery is not required. The ACL and break should heal with some time and TLC. I am in a fairly magnificent knee brace now (it actually feels very good - sturdy and warm) . I've got to pull out the cane again. It's just so stupid and annoying.
My brother (who just had his hip replaced) thinks its hysterical. Big sis is such a crip.
Well, I must depart from the blogs and get on with the rest of a packed day. Cone and his friends can wait. But I will be back.
I've stopped running from bullies - be they in mill towns - or the blogosphere.
As far as I know the "Coning" continues on the "Overcoming" thread at WordUp. I say "as far as I know" because I will not be getting back to it until late tonight or even tomorrow. I'm not even linking it here because I don't want to be tempted to jump in a rumble some more - with "disinterested" parties determined for me to agree with them that I'm a "wack-job". It's better to let the gang play - and then come back and clear out the trash all at once. Sitcks and stones. My last comment was posted very early this morning . . . after I got in from a neonatal resuscitation/ship-out during the night.
Had to go back to the hospital this morning (after no sleep for well over 24 hours), and have only just gotten up from a two-hour nap that wasn't really a good nap. I'm too wired - the kind of wired where your ears ring.
I had an MRI a couple of days ago . . . actually two MRI's . . one of my left knee and one of my lower back. I threw out my back the day before I went back to work in early January - lifting boxes at home. Within hours of that happening, my knee started to burn and ache - for no apparent reason. For several days, I was so stiff and sore, I could barely move. Regular readers will remember that I just got out of a walking boot (over the holidays) for a torn right ankle ligament (which I don't think has completely healed). The knee, in particular, has been giving me a fit - we were expecting a ligament tear - something that might require yet another date with a surgeon.
(The hospital were I am working is really racking up on my MRI's).
My back is fine - some mild degenerative changes that are not much to write home about. No significant disc issues. But, to my utter amazement, there were no torn ligaments (I was expecting a torn medical meniscus), but instead a sprained anterior cruciate ligament and a hairline fracture of the medial/proximal tibia. I'm not quite sure how the hell that happened (there is no history of injury). But it explains a lot.
Surgery is not required. The ACL and break should heal with some time and TLC. I am in a fairly magnificent knee brace now (it actually feels very good - sturdy and warm) . I've got to pull out the cane again. It's just so stupid and annoying.
My brother (who just had his hip replaced) thinks its hysterical. Big sis is such a crip.
Well, I must depart from the blogs and get on with the rest of a packed day. Cone and his friends can wait. But I will be back.
I've stopped running from bullies - be they in mill towns - or the blogosphere.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
When Cretins Attack: The NC Medical Board Has More Important Things To Do, TruBlu
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
In The Spirit Of Change: I've Been Wanting To Say This For Four Years: Roch Smith, Jr., KISS MY ASS!
I did not mean to go there. I've been studiously avoiding Edward Cone's blog for quite a while now. But I was sucked back in by an N&R editorial . . . fascinated & inspired by the tenacity of a "cheripickr" on a tortuous thread . . . and then nauseated by crocodile tears.
But the tears actually led to a give & take on journalists, and how their opinions shape what they write. I posted there, referencing an e-mail conversation I was having with someone else - about my history in the GSO blogosphere:
I came to the blogosphere in 2005 - despairing of the Courier Tribune's black-out of my story in Asheboro - and answering the general invitation of John Robinson to participate in the grand experiment called "citizen journalism". I jumped in with both feet - and have experienced all the marginalization tactics you are now (and then some).
The doctor I rescued in Asheboro worked (at the time) for Asheboro Family Physicians - then owned by LeBauer which is owned by Cone. Ergo, my story is "embarrassing" not only to Randolph Hospital, but the Cone system as well. It would not look good that the Cone System employed a doctor who would have let a baby DIE rather than admit he was in over his head. It does not take a rocket scientist to connect the dots or see the hypocrisy. I have little doubt that the N&R was instructed to ignore me - and Edward Cone was given leave to dispatch me in the blogs.
Not only did Ed NOT dispatch me - he has only PISSED ME OFF MORE - and made me more determined than ever to someday see my story on 60 Minutes - or memorialized in a best-selling book - humiliating all the "right people" in the original liberal/elite GSO citizen-journalism clique who've want to shut me up and shut me down."
Predictably, Roch Smith, Jr, of We 101, popped in to tell me that, in his learned/informed estimation, my case isn't "newsworthy". You see, it's Roch's job to put the "crazy woman" in her place . . . to dismiss and discredit her before others can take interest.
I must be kept "obscure in my labor".
And I am sorry, on this Inauguration Day, where hope and change apparently apply to everyone but me, I have to admit, I just lost it. The two-by-four-upside-the-head that the We 101 Wizard has so deserved for so long got whipped out. Here is my response to Roch:
No Roch, you are a guy who sits at a computer all day long making superficial judgements about the mangled lives and sacrifices of others - while letting people like Spag fight your own oh-so-noble legal battles (I would suspect pretty much pro bono).
"I read everything you made available" is a cop-out. I've not posted everything online (as you well know) . . . a lot of it because of issues of privilege and confidentiality (and that has evolved as those involved talk openly and some cases become public record). But I've made it clear since day one that I was willing to sit down with a local journalist and share/go over all the material - even contact some of the patients and doctors involved if he/she wanted clarity and support for the story. But NONE of the citizen-journalists in Greensboro are interested - especially not the journalistic scion of the Cone family.
We have to protect the family name. It's easier to call Dr. Mary a "wack-job".
Again, I'm supposed to go tell it to Bledsoe.
NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. Our systems of medical and legal oversight DO NOT WORK. People - children - have been harmed - have died. Good doctors - trying to the right thing - have endured horrific insults to their lives and careers.
Yet the liars keep collecting their 200-400K paychecks and the doctor in this case is still on the road - at a time when Pediatricians are in shortage. And that's just cool with the lawyers running our state. Meanwhile, the fourth estate (our last/best defense against corruption) couldn't care less.
But hey, I'm just regretting a settlement. I've had it with you, Roch. How fricking/fundamentally CLUELESS can you be? HOW can you be okay with ANY this? What planet do you live on to think that this is ONLY about me being unhappy with a settlement? I have done my best not to call people names in this medium (even when provoked/sorely tempted), but your assessment of my case and what I am upset about/trying to change is just beyond MORONIC - especially since I have explained it over and over again on my blog . . . a blog that both JR and Cone delinked and you tried to ban from We 101.
Moreover, having done everything I was supposed to do - having played by every rule and jumped through every hoop and given/given/given at the office (playing no favorites and treating everyone equally), I am sick and tired of having LESS rights than your average illegal alien or crackhead Mom having her tenth welfare baby.
As a white woman, I'm actually DElighted that a black man is taking the Presidential Oath today (for all that I still think John McCain was far more qualified for and deserving of the job). Because we've got some real problems in medicine - and a lot of them have to do with things we as a society have let go on unchecked for far too long - because we were too busy pussy-footing around the smokescreens of race/guilt/entitlement and NOT dealing with reality. I have great hope that once the party in Washington (much of which has been sickening to watch) is over, we can finally confront some of these issues head-on. A black man is top dawg. No excuses.
Edward Cone's tears are fake, phony, only and all about him. He "fears" for the life of Charles Davenport - targeted by the nurse-who-wasn't. Yet he can't whip up any empathy for Dr. Mary Johnson. What if the life she saved had been his daughter?
I wonder if, as a "journalist", Edward (and the N&R) would have been more interested in the story . . . more "emotional" . . . if Dr. Mary Johnson was black?
Now I'm gonna go watch the snow. And probably cry.
I cannot stand hypocrisy . . . almost as much as I cannot stand liars. At WordUp, "tolerance" and "inclusion" are just pretty words. Emotion is false and self-serving. And so, after parsing one final insult, I've left Cone's blog behind. His brand of citizen journalism . . . Roch's brand . . . has proven ineffectual and irrelevant for this bruised and battered doctor . . . this public servant who came to them four years ago only asking . . . begging . . . for help.
I don't care what they think. Because they are wrong.
But I am taking heart. As of right now, there is a new sheriff in town. He has promised change and fair-play. He has promised a truly color-blind government that is accountable . . . a government that is responsible to all of its citizens (not just the "right" ones) . . . a government that works.
This is something I would like to see.
So, even though I think a good many of Ann Coulter's jabs are spot-on, I am going to take a leap of faith - something I have not been able to do for a very long time. I am going to believe . . . if only for a little while . . . that yes, WE (not he) can do it.
And I am going to hold President Obama . . . and those who supported him . . . to the promises they made . . .
. . . starting with accountability for two greedy, lying "non-profit" hospital administrators in Asheboro, North Carolina who treated a good doctor like dirt just because they could.
Right is right. Wrong is wrong. And if Roch Smith, Jr., the "Wizard" of the GSO blogosphere, doesn't think that fight is relevant or newsworthy, he can so kiss my ass.
But the tears actually led to a give & take on journalists, and how their opinions shape what they write. I posted there, referencing an e-mail conversation I was having with someone else - about my history in the GSO blogosphere:
I came to the blogosphere in 2005 - despairing of the Courier Tribune's black-out of my story in Asheboro - and answering the general invitation of John Robinson to participate in the grand experiment called "citizen journalism". I jumped in with both feet - and have experienced all the marginalization tactics you are now (and then some).
The doctor I rescued in Asheboro worked (at the time) for Asheboro Family Physicians - then owned by LeBauer which is owned by Cone. Ergo, my story is "embarrassing" not only to Randolph Hospital, but the Cone system as well. It would not look good that the Cone System employed a doctor who would have let a baby DIE rather than admit he was in over his head. It does not take a rocket scientist to connect the dots or see the hypocrisy. I have little doubt that the N&R was instructed to ignore me - and Edward Cone was given leave to dispatch me in the blogs.
Not only did Ed NOT dispatch me - he has only PISSED ME OFF MORE - and made me more determined than ever to someday see my story on 60 Minutes - or memorialized in a best-selling book - humiliating all the "right people" in the original liberal/elite GSO citizen-journalism clique who've want to shut me up and shut me down."
Predictably, Roch Smith, Jr, of We 101, popped in to tell me that, in his learned/informed estimation, my case isn't "newsworthy". You see, it's Roch's job to put the "crazy woman" in her place . . . to dismiss and discredit her before others can take interest.
I must be kept "obscure in my labor".
And I am sorry, on this Inauguration Day, where hope and change apparently apply to everyone but me, I have to admit, I just lost it. The two-by-four-upside-the-head that the We 101 Wizard has so deserved for so long got whipped out. Here is my response to Roch:
No Roch, you are a guy who sits at a computer all day long making superficial judgements about the mangled lives and sacrifices of others - while letting people like Spag fight your own oh-so-noble legal battles (I would suspect pretty much pro bono).
"I read everything you made available" is a cop-out. I've not posted everything online (as you well know) . . . a lot of it because of issues of privilege and confidentiality (and that has evolved as those involved talk openly and some cases become public record). But I've made it clear since day one that I was willing to sit down with a local journalist and share/go over all the material - even contact some of the patients and doctors involved if he/she wanted clarity and support for the story. But NONE of the citizen-journalists in Greensboro are interested - especially not the journalistic scion of the Cone family.
We have to protect the family name. It's easier to call Dr. Mary a "wack-job".
Again, I'm supposed to go tell it to Bledsoe.
Well, Jerry's busy . . . telling the other story (about another public servant who got the shaft) that the journalists at the race-baiting GSO N&R got completely, utterly WRONG.
(Brevity's not his strong point either.)
Moreover Roch, as our Edward cries his crocodile tears (Spag nailed that one on the head), your "research" (such as it is) boils it all down to me "regretting a settlement" . . . not newsworthy . . . not relevant . . . and that could not be a more pathetic, inaccurate assessment of why I, as a doctor wronged, have fought for so long.
Let me try one more time to get this through your thick skull: I am VERY, RIGHTEOUSLY ANGRY that (1) a doctor in public service was threatened - literally told that her concerns about BAD CARE and BAD BEHAVIOR were valid, but she had to "shut up or else", because it was "embarrassing" for the "non-profit" hospitals involved; (2) despite the threats, the (female) doctor STILL goes in to rescue another (male) physician who was in over his head and could not admit it . . . by ALL accounts, the actions of the lady doctor saved a baby's life . . . and again, despite the threats hanging over her head, she does what she'd supposed to do, and reports what happened (to hospital peer review and the NC Medical Board) . . . yet, in the end, the female doctor is fired - while the male is barely slapped on the hand and ultimately promoted to Chief of Staff; (3) believing in the system and hoping to cast light on what is going on, the female doctor files a lawsuit - but it is IGNORED by the local press for well over a year (in deference to the economic well-being of one of the area's largest employers) - until the hospital files it's own "SLAPP" suit - using the legal system as a weapon (on the public's dime) to fiscally bully & intimidate the doctor into silence; (4) when that does not work, and the hospital has to RUN from its own false claims, its lawyers & administrators LIE REPEATEDLY UNDER OATH in order to save some money - this is a CRIME, a fraud, and beyond contemptuous of the Court - yet the doctor, who has lost a practice and a good portion of her life to the battle, is supposed to just roll over and get over it; (5) in ALL of this, the tax-paying public (not just the "irrelevant" lady doctor) was SWINDLED out of the money that was spent to bring the doctor home and help her set up practice - a practice she would still be in today if ANYONE had treated her fairly; and (6) the SAME damned thing could happen to another young physician RIGHT NOW/TODAY and that physician would/could suffer the SAME loss & humiliation.NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. Our systems of medical and legal oversight DO NOT WORK. People - children - have been harmed - have died. Good doctors - trying to the right thing - have endured horrific insults to their lives and careers.
Yet the liars keep collecting their 200-400K paychecks and the doctor in this case is still on the road - at a time when Pediatricians are in shortage. And that's just cool with the lawyers running our state. Meanwhile, the fourth estate (our last/best defense against corruption) couldn't care less.
But hey, I'm just regretting a settlement. I've had it with you, Roch. How fricking/fundamentally CLUELESS can you be? HOW can you be okay with ANY this? What planet do you live on to think that this is ONLY about me being unhappy with a settlement? I have done my best not to call people names in this medium (even when provoked/sorely tempted), but your assessment of my case and what I am upset about/trying to change is just beyond MORONIC - especially since I have explained it over and over again on my blog . . . a blog that both JR and Cone delinked and you tried to ban from We 101.
Moreover, having done everything I was supposed to do - having played by every rule and jumped through every hoop and given/given/given at the office (playing no favorites and treating everyone equally), I am sick and tired of having LESS rights than your average illegal alien or crackhead Mom having her tenth welfare baby.
As a white woman, I'm actually DElighted that a black man is taking the Presidential Oath today (for all that I still think John McCain was far more qualified for and deserving of the job). Because we've got some real problems in medicine - and a lot of them have to do with things we as a society have let go on unchecked for far too long - because we were too busy pussy-footing around the smokescreens of race/guilt/entitlement and NOT dealing with reality. I have great hope that once the party in Washington (much of which has been sickening to watch) is over, we can finally confront some of these issues head-on. A black man is top dawg. No excuses.
Edward Cone's tears are fake, phony, only and all about him. He "fears" for the life of Charles Davenport - targeted by the nurse-who-wasn't. Yet he can't whip up any empathy for Dr. Mary Johnson. What if the life she saved had been his daughter?
I wonder if, as a "journalist", Edward (and the N&R) would have been more interested in the story . . . more "emotional" . . . if Dr. Mary Johnson was black?
Now I'm gonna go watch the snow. And probably cry.
I cannot stand hypocrisy . . . almost as much as I cannot stand liars. At WordUp, "tolerance" and "inclusion" are just pretty words. Emotion is false and self-serving. And so, after parsing one final insult, I've left Cone's blog behind. His brand of citizen journalism . . . Roch's brand . . . has proven ineffectual and irrelevant for this bruised and battered doctor . . . this public servant who came to them four years ago only asking . . . begging . . . for help.
I don't care what they think. Because they are wrong.
But I am taking heart. As of right now, there is a new sheriff in town. He has promised change and fair-play. He has promised a truly color-blind government that is accountable . . . a government that is responsible to all of its citizens (not just the "right" ones) . . . a government that works.
This is something I would like to see.
So, even though I think a good many of Ann Coulter's jabs are spot-on, I am going to take a leap of faith - something I have not been able to do for a very long time. I am going to believe . . . if only for a little while . . . that yes, WE (not he) can do it.
And I am going to hold President Obama . . . and those who supported him . . . to the promises they made . . .
. . . starting with accountability for two greedy, lying "non-profit" hospital administrators in Asheboro, North Carolina who treated a good doctor like dirt just because they could.
Right is right. Wrong is wrong. And if Roch Smith, Jr., the "Wizard" of the GSO blogosphere, doesn't think that fight is relevant or newsworthy, he can so kiss my ass.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Conscience Protections For Healthcare Professionals: Reality Bites
A few days ago, I channeled me some Joe Guarino.
Joe graciously linked the post on his blog.
A conversation ensued. It's my contention (based on sad experience - nightie, night Roch) that the way things are going, doctors might as well tattoo 666 on their foreheads and be done with it.
A very nice young man, from "The Protection of Conscience Project" appeared to tell me not to give up hope. Many young people in medicine believe that right and wrong and individual conscience still matter in medicine. "All is not lost", he said.
My response:
Sean, eleven years after what happened to me in Asheboro (because I followed my conscience), the sad fact is that the SAME damned thing could happen to one of those fine young medical professionals tomorrow . . . and they would be in the same boat I found myself in . . . alone and abandoned by the very regulatory bodies that are supposed to be their safety and haven.
NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. NOTHING.
Take it from me, Sean. All is pretty much lost. The reality is that medicine has already leveled off at about the eighth circle of Hell.
I had to face that reality young . . . during the Clinton (whose 1993 inauguration I am currently watching re-run on C-Span) & Hunt administrations.
I'm not holding out a lot of hope that life will be any better under Saint Obama . . . who is married to a hospital administrator.
Alas, according to the politicians and MSM, we doctors do not fit the current lefty qualifications for victimhood. Our problems are not relevant or worthy of championing.
Reality Bites.
Joe graciously linked the post on his blog.
A conversation ensued. It's my contention (based on sad experience - nightie, night Roch) that the way things are going, doctors might as well tattoo 666 on their foreheads and be done with it.
A very nice young man, from "The Protection of Conscience Project" appeared to tell me not to give up hope. Many young people in medicine believe that right and wrong and individual conscience still matter in medicine. "All is not lost", he said.
My response:
Sean, eleven years after what happened to me in Asheboro (because I followed my conscience), the sad fact is that the SAME damned thing could happen to one of those fine young medical professionals tomorrow . . . and they would be in the same boat I found myself in . . . alone and abandoned by the very regulatory bodies that are supposed to be their safety and haven.
NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. NOTHING.
Take it from me, Sean. All is pretty much lost. The reality is that medicine has already leveled off at about the eighth circle of Hell.
I had to face that reality young . . . during the Clinton (whose 1993 inauguration I am currently watching re-run on C-Span) & Hunt administrations.
I'm not holding out a lot of hope that life will be any better under Saint Obama . . . who is married to a hospital administrator.
Alas, according to the politicians and MSM, we doctors do not fit the current lefty qualifications for victimhood. Our problems are not relevant or worthy of championing.
Reality Bites.
Pardon Them
Breaking news: President Bush has commuted the sentences of two former border patrol agents convicted in 2006 of shooting an illegal alien who was smuggling drugs.
Lou Dobbs should be happy. And so am I.
Lou Dobbs should be happy. And so am I.
The Futility Of War
A Palestinian doctor who did everything right loses it all - on live TV.
When are we on this planet - all of us - all colors/races/religions - ever going to learn?
When are we on this planet - all of us - all colors/races/religions - ever going to learn?
Bush's Farewell
"Cheripickr" posted this in a comment at Ed's. On this last day of Bush's Presidency, it seems like a fairly good punctuation. Comments are closed. Heads can spin & spew elsewhere.
BUSH'S FAREWELL SPEECH (in case you missed it)
Normally, I start these things out by saying 'My Fellow Americans.' Not doing it this time.
If the polls are any indication, I don't know who more than half of you are anymore. I do know something terrible has happened, and that you're really not fellow Americans any longer.
I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit. Now before anyone gets all in a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or to avoid prosecution or something, let me assure you:
There's been no breaking of laws or impeachable offenses in this office.
The reason I'm quitting is simple. I'm fed up with you people.
I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's really going on in the world.
Or of what's going on in this once-great nation of ours.
And the majority of you are too damned lazy to do your homework and figure it out.
Let's start local. You've been sold a bill of goods by politicians and the news media.
Meanwhile, all you can do is whine about gas prices, and most of you are too damn stupid to realize that gas prices are high because there's increased demand in other parts of the world, and because a small handful of noisy idiots are more worried about polar bears and beachfront property than your economic security.
We face real threats in the world. Don't give me this 'blood for oil' thing. If I were trading blood for oil I would've already seized Iraq 's oil fields and let the rest of the country go to hell. And don't give me this 'Bush Lied...People Died' crap either. If I were the liar you morons take me for, I could've easily had chemical weapons planted in Iraq so they could be 'discovered.'
Instead, I owned up to the fact that the intelligence was faulty.
Let me remind you that the rest of the world thought Saddam had the goods, same as me. Let me also remind you that regime change in Iraq was official US policy before I came into office.
Some guy named ' Clinton ' established that policy. Bet you didn't know that, did you?
Now some of you morons want to be led by a junior senator with no understanding of foreign policy or economics, and this nitwit says we should attack Pakistan , a nuclear ally. And then he wants to go to Iran and make peace with a terrorist who says he's going to destroy us. While he's doing that, he wants to give Iraq to al Qaeda, Afghanistan to the Taliban, Israel to the Palestinians, and your money to the IRS so the government can give welfare to illegal aliens, who he will make into citizens, so they can vote to re-elect him. He also thinks it's okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons, and we should stop our foreign aid to Israel.
Did you sleep through high school?
You idiots need to understand that we face a unique enemy. Back during the cold war, there were two major competing political and economic models squaring off. We won that war, but we did so because fundamentally, the Communists wanted to survive, just as we do. We were simply able to out spend and out-tech them.
That's not the case this time. The soldiers of our new enemy don't care if they survive. In fact, they want to die.
That'd be fine, as long as they weren't also committed to taking as many of you with them as they can.
But they are.. They want to kill you, and they are all over the globe.
You should be grateful that they haven't gotten any more of us here in the United States since September 11. But you're not. That's because you've got no idea how hard a small number of intelligence, military, law enforcement, and homeland security people have worked to make sure of that. When this whole mess started, I warned you that this would be a long and difficult fight. I'm disappointed how many of you people think a long and difficult fight amounts to a single season of 'Survivor.'
Instead, you've grown impatient. You're incapable of seeing things through the long lens of history, the way our enemies do. You think that wars should last a few months, a few years, tops.
Making matters worse, you actively support those who help the enemy.
Every time you buy the New York Times, every time you send a donation to a cut-and-run Democrat's political campaign, well, dang it, you might just as well Fed Ex a grenade launcher to a Jihadist. It amounts to the same thing.
In this day and age, it's easy enough to find the truth. It's all over the Internet. It just isn't on the pages of the New York Times, USA Today, or on NBC News. But even if it were, I doubt you'd be any smarter.
Most of you would rather watch American Idol or Dancing with Stars.
I could say more about your expectations that the government will always be there to bail you out, even if you're too stupid to leave a city that's below sea level and has a hurricane approaching.
I could say more about your insane belief that government, not your own wallet, is where the money comes from.
But I've come to the conclusion that were I to do so, it would sail right over your heads.
So I quit. I'm going back to Crawford. I've got an energy-efficient house down there (Al Gore could only dream) and the capability to be fully self-sufficient for years. No one ever heard of Crawford before I got elected, and as soon as I'm done here pretty much no one will ever hear of it again.
Maybe I'll be lucky enough to die of old age before the last pillars of America fall.
Oh, and by the way, Cheney's quitting too. That means Pelosi is your new President. You asked for it!
So that's it. God bless what's left of America.
Some of you know what I mean. The rest of you, kiss off.
PS - You might want to start learning Farsi, and buy a Koran.
P.S.S. The text of the real speech.
BUSH'S FAREWELL SPEECH (in case you missed it)
Normally, I start these things out by saying 'My Fellow Americans.' Not doing it this time.
If the polls are any indication, I don't know who more than half of you are anymore. I do know something terrible has happened, and that you're really not fellow Americans any longer.
I'll cut right to the chase here: I quit. Now before anyone gets all in a lather about me quitting to avoid impeachment, or to avoid prosecution or something, let me assure you:
There's been no breaking of laws or impeachable offenses in this office.
The reason I'm quitting is simple. I'm fed up with you people.
I'm fed up because you have no understanding of what's really going on in the world.
Or of what's going on in this once-great nation of ours.
And the majority of you are too damned lazy to do your homework and figure it out.
Let's start local. You've been sold a bill of goods by politicians and the news media.
Meanwhile, all you can do is whine about gas prices, and most of you are too damn stupid to realize that gas prices are high because there's increased demand in other parts of the world, and because a small handful of noisy idiots are more worried about polar bears and beachfront property than your economic security.
We face real threats in the world. Don't give me this 'blood for oil' thing. If I were trading blood for oil I would've already seized Iraq 's oil fields and let the rest of the country go to hell. And don't give me this 'Bush Lied...People Died' crap either. If I were the liar you morons take me for, I could've easily had chemical weapons planted in Iraq so they could be 'discovered.'
Instead, I owned up to the fact that the intelligence was faulty.
Let me remind you that the rest of the world thought Saddam had the goods, same as me. Let me also remind you that regime change in Iraq was official US policy before I came into office.
Some guy named ' Clinton ' established that policy. Bet you didn't know that, did you?
Now some of you morons want to be led by a junior senator with no understanding of foreign policy or economics, and this nitwit says we should attack Pakistan , a nuclear ally. And then he wants to go to Iran and make peace with a terrorist who says he's going to destroy us. While he's doing that, he wants to give Iraq to al Qaeda, Afghanistan to the Taliban, Israel to the Palestinians, and your money to the IRS so the government can give welfare to illegal aliens, who he will make into citizens, so they can vote to re-elect him. He also thinks it's okay for Iran to have nuclear weapons, and we should stop our foreign aid to Israel.
Did you sleep through high school?
You idiots need to understand that we face a unique enemy. Back during the cold war, there were two major competing political and economic models squaring off. We won that war, but we did so because fundamentally, the Communists wanted to survive, just as we do. We were simply able to out spend and out-tech them.
That's not the case this time. The soldiers of our new enemy don't care if they survive. In fact, they want to die.
That'd be fine, as long as they weren't also committed to taking as many of you with them as they can.
But they are.. They want to kill you, and they are all over the globe.
You should be grateful that they haven't gotten any more of us here in the United States since September 11. But you're not. That's because you've got no idea how hard a small number of intelligence, military, law enforcement, and homeland security people have worked to make sure of that. When this whole mess started, I warned you that this would be a long and difficult fight. I'm disappointed how many of you people think a long and difficult fight amounts to a single season of 'Survivor.'
Instead, you've grown impatient. You're incapable of seeing things through the long lens of history, the way our enemies do. You think that wars should last a few months, a few years, tops.
Making matters worse, you actively support those who help the enemy.
Every time you buy the New York Times, every time you send a donation to a cut-and-run Democrat's political campaign, well, dang it, you might just as well Fed Ex a grenade launcher to a Jihadist. It amounts to the same thing.
In this day and age, it's easy enough to find the truth. It's all over the Internet. It just isn't on the pages of the New York Times, USA Today, or on NBC News. But even if it were, I doubt you'd be any smarter.
Most of you would rather watch American Idol or Dancing with Stars.
I could say more about your expectations that the government will always be there to bail you out, even if you're too stupid to leave a city that's below sea level and has a hurricane approaching.
I could say more about your insane belief that government, not your own wallet, is where the money comes from.
But I've come to the conclusion that were I to do so, it would sail right over your heads.
So I quit. I'm going back to Crawford. I've got an energy-efficient house down there (Al Gore could only dream) and the capability to be fully self-sufficient for years. No one ever heard of Crawford before I got elected, and as soon as I'm done here pretty much no one will ever hear of it again.
Maybe I'll be lucky enough to die of old age before the last pillars of America fall.
Oh, and by the way, Cheney's quitting too. That means Pelosi is your new President. You asked for it!
So that's it. God bless what's left of America.
Some of you know what I mean. The rest of you, kiss off.
PS - You might want to start learning Farsi, and buy a Koran.
P.S.S. The text of the real speech.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
The Freaky Mennonite
As I have said before, I love nurses. One good nurse is worth 20 overpaid suits . . . or 100 bad journalists. And these past nearly-eleven years on the road, I have met many Nightingales that I am grateful and very proud to call friend.
It's one of the fringe benefits of being booted out of your hometown on your ass, I suppose . . . right up there with never having had any money to put into 401K's and investment portfolios that suddenly went "poof" overnight . . . or going bankrupt because all the Medicaid patients cannot possibly pay the bills. The long and short of it is that I cannot miss what I never had.
Anyway, on this assignment, I have made the acquaintance of an LDRP (Labor/Delivery/Recovery/Postpartum) nurse like no other I have ever encountered, EVER. And I just adore her.
"M" is a Mennonite. She wears the cap and the hose and the dress/sensible shoes. She's about my age . . . never married/no children/takes care of her elderly Mom. Like me, she struggles with her weight. We go to the same gym.
Now, in my day I have made friends with Amish folk, and Mennonites and Moravians (the more "peaceful" branch of Christianity's tree), but "M" is the most worldly Mennonite I have ever met.
It's because she wasn't always a Mennonite. As "M" tells it, she "converted", or more accurately progressed from Catholicism to Agnosticism (as a lapsed Baptist, I laughingly told her, "Well hell, we all do that.") to Mennonitism (I'm not sure that's a word) as a young adult.
During her Agnostic phase, at one point she actually worked as a bartender. We had some pretty deep conversations about Asheboro's recent alcohol referendum.
Oddly enough, "M" found her faith in nursing school, as she studied the female reproductive system. She tells me that it just didn't make any sense that there was no Divine Hand behind what is clearly a miracle every single time it happens . . . or that life somehow began from an accidental "zap" to an ancient puddle of mud.
I get that. During my own young-adult crisis of faith (exponentially exacerbated by the death of a beloved cousin), I entertained a lot of spiritual notions . . . bought all the books . . . did all the reading. In fact, one of my senior biology dissertations in college mused on how life likely began with an accidental "zap" to the primordial soup (damn those Commie-Pinko-liberal-universities!). When I worked in New Orleans, I liked to joke that I had a license to practice medicine and voodoo. Indeed, I still have a large voodoo doll that I purchased there fifteen years ago - hanging on the door leading to my den. It's made of Spanish moss and should have disintegrated a long time ago. But it still looks like the day I found it in the French Market (in short, it's freaky). And my new home library (right now, still a work in progress) is actually going to have a fairly large section devoted to "The Craft" and darker arts (which I have a very healthy respect for).
You see, I believe that evil walks as a very real presence in our world.
I'm also very fond of black cats;)
But as I've said before, as much as I read, and as enlightened as I tried to become, nothing . . . and I mean NOTHING . . . ever came close to a personal relationship with a Living Savior who loved me before I was born.
So to answer Fec's latest question, Jesus is the answer to, "Who loves ya, baby?"
I've digressed again. "M" has been all over the world on medical mission trips. This Mennonite has seen and done it all. Sitting and waiting on "bad" babies to be born . . . or in the aftermath of a resuscitation/transport . . . or just having coffee in the morning when I check-in on the ward . . . we've had some wonderful conversations about our respective life experiences.
Although very world-weary, she laughs a lot. Common sense and compassion ooze from her pores.
She is one of the reasons I decided to stay with this assignment.
The other nurses like to tease her sometimes. For instance, when she loses her temper, she's "The Angry Mennonite" . . . and when she shares knowledge or experience that your average Mennonite is not going to have, she's "The Freaky Mennonite". But it's all done in affection and fun.
Now our "M" was being all freaky the other day . . . during a lull in the unit's action . . . researching something called "Bloodroot" and/or "Black Salve" on the Internet. Apparently, someone she knew was using the salve in a homeopathic attempt (remember, we're in Eastern North Carolina) to draw out badness . . . in this case, a lump on the breast . . . and the application of the salve had resulted in a first-degree burn.
"The badness" stayed in.
Very concerned, "M" put on her freaky cap (actually, she already had one on), pulled up some info off the web, copied it, and asked me what I thought about it.
Mulling it over for about ten seconds, I chuckled and said, "It looks to me like one of my Great-Grandma Blanche's mud poultices . . . but with a spell cast on it."
That started a fairly spirited (get it?) conversation about the "ugly"/"evil-looking" root, witchcraft, books of shadows, and the TV showed "Charmed". The nurses participating in the conversation raised their collective eyebrows over my knowledge of things wiccan & pagan - and the dark arts.
Then, putting on my doctor's face, I said to "M", "Seriously, your friend needs to see a doctor . . . like yesterday."
"M" said that her friend had an appointment the following day . . . to get a biopsy of the mass.
Here's the thing about that. Her friend, also a Mennonite, is 28 years old and about 3 months pregnant. There is no known family history of breast cancer. She has four children - the last one born two years ago. She breast-fed that baby (as a kind of birth control - she does not use the Pill) until she got pregnant again. She, of course, does not smoke or drink. In terms of all the things that are supposed to play in a woman's favor when it comes to developing breast cancer, she would be considered very low risk.
(Both much older and childless, the Mennonite and I are "higher-risk".)
"M's" friend developed the (painless) mass in one breast a short while back. It grew fairly rapidly, but the overlying skin did not dimple or blister. She tried the black salve at her Mother's urging.
You see, "M's" friend does not have medical insurance.
The biopsy results are back. "M's" friend has metastatic breast cancer. It is presumed to be "Stage 3". I say presumed because the definitive radiological studies that need to be done cannot be done because she is pregnant.
And abortion is not an option.
"M's" friend has already consulted specialists. The first doctor wanted her to have an abortion as a prerequisite to treatment. She moved on for a second opinion. The second oncologist is willing to begin chemotherapy in two weeks . . . with the goal of saving Mother and baby. Of course, no guarantees can be made as to the health & well-being of the baby during or after chemo, but the second doctor is cautiously optimistic.
The chemo (just the chemo), even at a "non-profit" tertiary care center with special funds in place for such situations, is going to cost in excess of $30,000.
I cannot imagine a more nightmarish medical scenario.
The Angry/Freaky Mennonite is a mighty warrior & patient advocate, and is already energized to help her friend fight this fight. Fire is in her eyes and hope burns in her heart. I expect we shall be looking into fundraising and other efforts to make her friend's journey easier.
I say "we" because any friend of the Freaky Mennonite is a friend of mine.
And that, you see, is why I believe in things unseen . . . like God.
Please pray for both my friends.
Update (January 19): "The Freaky Mennonite" clarifies a part of the story (which, in fact, makes it even more heart-rending): Her friend did not use black salve because of lack of insurance, but because her adoptive mom started using homeopathics after her first born developed encephalitis courtesy of the old DPT vaccines.
They were doing what doctor knew best, and their beautiful normal newborn daughter became a completely helpless cripple, who today is 30 years old and still requires complete care. The family calls the child their "Jewel", and love her very much. Nevertheless, they lost confidence in conventional medicine, so the decision to entrust this daughter to chemo was not an easy one.
The lack of insurance is a choice we all make to trust in God, and help each other. It's not really a bad idea, considering that many insurance plans do not cover chemo, according to the oncologist. It does take faith to look to God to cover outrageous medical bills, but according to the Bible, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, so it looks like it might be time to sell a few cows.
I am blessed indeed to have a friend such as this. If fundraising efforts solidify, and the young Mother/her family are amenable, I will post information as it becomes available.
It's one of the fringe benefits of being booted out of your hometown on your ass, I suppose . . . right up there with never having had any money to put into 401K's and investment portfolios that suddenly went "poof" overnight . . . or going bankrupt because all the Medicaid patients cannot possibly pay the bills. The long and short of it is that I cannot miss what I never had.
Anyway, on this assignment, I have made the acquaintance of an LDRP (Labor/Delivery/Recovery/Postpartum) nurse like no other I have ever encountered, EVER. And I just adore her.
"M" is a Mennonite. She wears the cap and the hose and the dress/sensible shoes. She's about my age . . . never married/no children/takes care of her elderly Mom. Like me, she struggles with her weight. We go to the same gym.
Now, in my day I have made friends with Amish folk, and Mennonites and Moravians (the more "peaceful" branch of Christianity's tree), but "M" is the most worldly Mennonite I have ever met.
It's because she wasn't always a Mennonite. As "M" tells it, she "converted", or more accurately progressed from Catholicism to Agnosticism (as a lapsed Baptist, I laughingly told her, "Well hell, we all do that.") to Mennonitism (I'm not sure that's a word) as a young adult.
During her Agnostic phase, at one point she actually worked as a bartender. We had some pretty deep conversations about Asheboro's recent alcohol referendum.
Oddly enough, "M" found her faith in nursing school, as she studied the female reproductive system. She tells me that it just didn't make any sense that there was no Divine Hand behind what is clearly a miracle every single time it happens . . . or that life somehow began from an accidental "zap" to an ancient puddle of mud.
I get that. During my own young-adult crisis of faith (exponentially exacerbated by the death of a beloved cousin), I entertained a lot of spiritual notions . . . bought all the books . . . did all the reading. In fact, one of my senior biology dissertations in college mused on how life likely began with an accidental "zap" to the primordial soup (damn those Commie-Pinko-liberal-universities!). When I worked in New Orleans, I liked to joke that I had a license to practice medicine and voodoo. Indeed, I still have a large voodoo doll that I purchased there fifteen years ago - hanging on the door leading to my den. It's made of Spanish moss and should have disintegrated a long time ago. But it still looks like the day I found it in the French Market (in short, it's freaky). And my new home library (right now, still a work in progress) is actually going to have a fairly large section devoted to "The Craft" and darker arts (which I have a very healthy respect for).
You see, I believe that evil walks as a very real presence in our world.
I'm also very fond of black cats;)
But as I've said before, as much as I read, and as enlightened as I tried to become, nothing . . . and I mean NOTHING . . . ever came close to a personal relationship with a Living Savior who loved me before I was born.
So to answer Fec's latest question, Jesus is the answer to, "Who loves ya, baby?"
I've digressed again. "M" has been all over the world on medical mission trips. This Mennonite has seen and done it all. Sitting and waiting on "bad" babies to be born . . . or in the aftermath of a resuscitation/transport . . . or just having coffee in the morning when I check-in on the ward . . . we've had some wonderful conversations about our respective life experiences.
Although very world-weary, she laughs a lot. Common sense and compassion ooze from her pores.
She is one of the reasons I decided to stay with this assignment.
The other nurses like to tease her sometimes. For instance, when she loses her temper, she's "The Angry Mennonite" . . . and when she shares knowledge or experience that your average Mennonite is not going to have, she's "The Freaky Mennonite". But it's all done in affection and fun.
Now our "M" was being all freaky the other day . . . during a lull in the unit's action . . . researching something called "Bloodroot" and/or "Black Salve" on the Internet. Apparently, someone she knew was using the salve in a homeopathic attempt (remember, we're in Eastern North Carolina) to draw out badness . . . in this case, a lump on the breast . . . and the application of the salve had resulted in a first-degree burn.
"The badness" stayed in.
Very concerned, "M" put on her freaky cap (actually, she already had one on), pulled up some info off the web, copied it, and asked me what I thought about it.
Mulling it over for about ten seconds, I chuckled and said, "It looks to me like one of my Great-Grandma Blanche's mud poultices . . . but with a spell cast on it."
That started a fairly spirited (get it?) conversation about the "ugly"/"evil-looking" root, witchcraft, books of shadows, and the TV showed "Charmed". The nurses participating in the conversation raised their collective eyebrows over my knowledge of things wiccan & pagan - and the dark arts.
Then, putting on my doctor's face, I said to "M", "Seriously, your friend needs to see a doctor . . . like yesterday."
"M" said that her friend had an appointment the following day . . . to get a biopsy of the mass.
Here's the thing about that. Her friend, also a Mennonite, is 28 years old and about 3 months pregnant. There is no known family history of breast cancer. She has four children - the last one born two years ago. She breast-fed that baby (as a kind of birth control - she does not use the Pill) until she got pregnant again. She, of course, does not smoke or drink. In terms of all the things that are supposed to play in a woman's favor when it comes to developing breast cancer, she would be considered very low risk.
(Both much older and childless, the Mennonite and I are "higher-risk".)
"M's" friend developed the (painless) mass in one breast a short while back. It grew fairly rapidly, but the overlying skin did not dimple or blister. She tried the black salve at her Mother's urging.
You see, "M's" friend does not have medical insurance.
The biopsy results are back. "M's" friend has metastatic breast cancer. It is presumed to be "Stage 3". I say presumed because the definitive radiological studies that need to be done cannot be done because she is pregnant.
And abortion is not an option.
"M's" friend has already consulted specialists. The first doctor wanted her to have an abortion as a prerequisite to treatment. She moved on for a second opinion. The second oncologist is willing to begin chemotherapy in two weeks . . . with the goal of saving Mother and baby. Of course, no guarantees can be made as to the health & well-being of the baby during or after chemo, but the second doctor is cautiously optimistic.
The chemo (just the chemo), even at a "non-profit" tertiary care center with special funds in place for such situations, is going to cost in excess of $30,000.
I cannot imagine a more nightmarish medical scenario.
The Angry/Freaky Mennonite is a mighty warrior & patient advocate, and is already energized to help her friend fight this fight. Fire is in her eyes and hope burns in her heart. I expect we shall be looking into fundraising and other efforts to make her friend's journey easier.
I say "we" because any friend of the Freaky Mennonite is a friend of mine.
And that, you see, is why I believe in things unseen . . . like God.
Please pray for both my friends.
Update (January 19): "The Freaky Mennonite" clarifies a part of the story (which, in fact, makes it even more heart-rending): Her friend did not use black salve because of lack of insurance, but because her adoptive mom started using homeopathics after her first born developed encephalitis courtesy of the old DPT vaccines.
They were doing what doctor knew best, and their beautiful normal newborn daughter became a completely helpless cripple, who today is 30 years old and still requires complete care. The family calls the child their "Jewel", and love her very much. Nevertheless, they lost confidence in conventional medicine, so the decision to entrust this daughter to chemo was not an easy one.
The lack of insurance is a choice we all make to trust in God, and help each other. It's not really a bad idea, considering that many insurance plans do not cover chemo, according to the oncologist. It does take faith to look to God to cover outrageous medical bills, but according to the Bible, He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, so it looks like it might be time to sell a few cows.
I am blessed indeed to have a friend such as this. If fundraising efforts solidify, and the young Mother/her family are amenable, I will post information as it becomes available.
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