"HeLa"

I might read this book before I read Andrew Young's, as it is a story worth knowing and re-telling.

The N.C. Court Of Appeals Needs To Tell The N.C. State Bar That It Has Much Bigger Fish To Catch And Fry

I've been meaning to post a short update on former judicial candidate Rachel Hunter's appeal (before the N.C. Court of Appeals) of disciplinary action taken by the North Carolina State Bar . . . for the horrible crime of using the moniker, "Madame Justice" on her blog/website.

The Bar's contention is that Rachel attempted to "mislead" voters as to her credentials.

Never mind that there was an "About Rachel" tab on sidebar of her website (which inandofitself disproves the notion she intended to mislead anyone) . . . never mind that "Madame Justice" is a nickname she's used amongst friends and on various "ancient" websites for years . . . never mind a host of other things we've discussed before.

The Bar's self-serving theory, of course, is that the average North Carolina voter is stupid, gullible and unsophisticated.

Come to think of it, the Bar might not be too far off base. After all, a whole lot of someones DID vote for John Edwards and Mike Sleazely (among others) . . . as much as no one wants to admit it now.

On the other hand, I don't see the Bar moving to take any action against ex-Governor Sleazely or his greedy gopher, Ruffin Poole, or John-the-beautiful-ego-monster Edwards.

They've rested on the laurels of their after-the-fact pounding of Mike Nifong for far too long.

The Bar didn't bat an eyelash when I reported the big bad lawyers (supposedly "experts" on "non-profits") from a big bad Greensboro law firm for blatantly suborning perjury . . . or my own attorney for gross negligence (missing the perjury . . . and telling me that punitive damages were not taxable).

But the public needs to be protected from Rachel Hunter because she used a nickname on a blog?

I mean, really. WHAT THE HELL???

Let me state (one more time) the obvious: In a series of shameful/blatantly un-Constitutional maneuvers (fed by totally bogus accusations made by anonymous complainants), the disciplinary arm of the North Carolina State Bar was turned into a political weapon-of-asinine-retaliation.

Oral arguments on Rachel's appeal of the Bar's action were heard on the 27th . . . before judges McGee, Beasley and Steelman.

One can only hope that these real judges are not stupid or gullible or unsophisticated as to the ways of the Internet . . . that they can see the absurdity in all of this . . . and that they tell the Bar to grow up and play fair.

The legal eagles that are supposed to protect We-The-People have much bigger fish to catch and fry.

2/1 Update: Rachel Hunter contacted me to make two factual corrections to this post (one is noted in a change of the title of this post).

Her appeal is before the N.C. Court of Appeals, and is being heard before judges, not justices.

I shouldn't elevate them above their station.

Professional Suicide Is Not Painless

Remember M*A*S*H . . . both the iconic 1970 movie and the 11-season TV series (whose finale still is the most-watched TV episode in U.S. History) . . . which featured doctors and nurses behaving badly in order to cope with the horrors of war? It was cool and "anti-establishment" and PC for Alan Alda and company to wallow dramatically in their angst.

I wonder how horrible/stressful it is to be practicing critical care medicine in shattered third-world conditions???

Hummmmmmm . . .

Puerto Rican doctors back from a humanitarian mission to help Haitian earthquake victims are under fire for photos of them goofing off . . . photos that one of them apparently (stupidly/moronically) posted to Facebook. It's almost like they wanted to commit professional suicide.

Back home, "the establishment" is in a tizzy.

And/so I guess that sort of thing is not cool or "PC" anymore.

. . . some of the photographs were taken in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic after the group had operated on 70 patients who were in critical condition.

And . . .

An anesthesiologist who traveled with the group said she was saddened by the photographs, but said her colleagues "gave 200 percent" with limited resources. "Their work was excellent," Dr. Enid Garcia told Puerto Rico's Primera Hora newspaper.

I don't suppose any of the bloviating fat cats passing sanctimonious judgments from their air-conditioned offices will be letting any of the inconvenient facts about what these physicians actually accomplished on their mission get in their way.

I suppose we should be grateful the doctors were not charged with murder.

"Bunny Money" Equals Funny Money

Honestly, when is the U.S. Attorney's office going to put this loser in handcuffs?

Bunny Mellon might be a rich old lady who was trying to recapture her youth/the Kennedy years, but she was still an old lady who was played and used. And John Edwards is nothing but a common crook.

Hey Willie, They'll Bust You & Paul For That Happy Weed In Duplin County

My last speeding ticket was in Warsaw (Duplin County) several years ago . . . on a four lane straight-away, a half-mile from Interstate 40 . . . on a post-call day, on my way out-of-town.

Total *&^%$#@! speed trap. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

As is alluded in one of JoeBlogg's comments on this story, I've always scratched my head on what law enforcement goes after down there . . . and what they don't.

But Kenansville isn't Amsterdam (see below) or California. The concert was cancelled . . . not because most of the band was arrested, but because Willie's hand was hurting. No pot, no play I guess.



Update (related, kinda): Smoke that (actually, NO, DON'T!!!).

Apocalyptically Ethereal

Tonight's Full Moon is supposed to be the brightest of the year.

Maybe that's why the view of the blizzard outside my kitchen window looks so apocalyptically ethereal.

Oh Johnny, We're Gonna Know Ye

Like many others, I was out running quick errands today . . . buying bare essentials like bread & Mountain Dew . . . and generally preparing to hunker down for the great Carolina snow-and/or-ice storm of 2010.

As I mused about what I might read by candlelight when the power goes out (and it ALWAYS go out on Asheboro's Dave's Mountain), a wonderful, awful idea popped into my Grinchy head. What if I could get a copy of Andrew Young's new book, "The Politician"?

It ain't J.D. Salinger. No ma'am/No sir. It's better. I can hardly wait. It's gonna be like snuggling up to a boxed set of National Enquirers (they really do deserve a Pulitzer) featuring the uppity neighbors that used to spit on you.

According to the manager at the Asheboro "Books-a-Million", the original release date for we ordinary mortals (as opposed to the book reviewers and TV pundits) was on February 2nd. But it was moved up to January 30th.

And he would not budge an inch on selling it to me today:(

Evil bastard (no, not really - he's just doing his job). Foiled again.

Looks like I will be calling one of my buddies with a four-wheel-drive tomorrow.

Update: It just keeps getting better and better.

Evening Update: And better. The TV/Internet may have to hold me for a while (if we keep power). It looks like we're all snowed in for at least a few days.

Ethics Reform "On The Fast Track": Now WHERE Have I Heard That Before?

According to the N&O, Ruffin Poole's arrest is going to put ethics reform in state government on the fast track.

How many times have we heard that before? How many of the people making the promises to be more available . . . to be more accountable or transparent . . . to provide more "sunshine" . . . are now either in jail or half-way there?

It's not just about government and you're not going to fix anything until it starts being not just about government. Our non-profits are cess-pools of corruption swathed in supposed charity - NO ONE is looking over their shoulders. Our state professional agencies . . . most notably the (innept) Medical Board and the (corrupt) State Bar . . . have winked and nodded to the point that their eyes are crusted shut and they've got a permanent case of torticollis.

Oh, and "people lie in Court every day".

No big deal. "Shut up about it". "Get over it". "Move on."

Yeah right. Because those things have worked SO WELL to get us where we are.

This Is Greensboro

Ahhhhhhh . . . the "non-profit" vs. "for-profit" under-the-table dance. Joe hits another one out of the park.

Lexie

Little Lexie is having a very bad day.

Prayer appreciated.

Well, I Know Where My NCBCBS Premium Is Going

Remember this brouhaha last fall?

NC Blue Cross Blue Shield has agreed to pay $95,000 in fines to resolve a dispute with the state over 100,000 "robocalls" pushing the company's views on the national health care debate.

Our Attorney General at work. Where does he think the money is going to come from? Executive bonuses?

Yeah, right.

"We Didn't Mean To . . ."

"Why yes, I did threaten those City Council members, but I didn't mean to be an extortionist."

"Yep, I did threaten/frighten that lady doctor with my nasty e-mails (heh-heh-heh), but I didn't mean to be a cyber-stalker."

"As a matter of FACT, we did lie-our-asses-off during a civil proceeding . . . and then negotiated a deal on the lies . . . but we're really fine upstanding right-people, and we didn't mean to be unconvicted felons."

Of course, there's more, but you get the drift.

I am so sick and tired of this CRAP!

"The Perp Walk"

It's not so much the news stories that are entertaining (even though lately they really are), but some of the comments from the disgruntled masses now engaging in the dialogue . . .

From JoeBloggs on Ruffin Poole: "I hope he squeals like a Smithfield ham!"

Amen, brother-in-arms. Amen!

On Asheboro, "Evil Keith" And "Mentors"

One of my New Year's resolutions was to turn more of my home-girl wrath on the hometown newspaper (that would be Asheboro's Courier Tribune) that treated the Pediatrician who came home to serve like something nasty on the bottom of a mill-owner's shoe . . . in favor of David & Bonnie Renfro's good buddies and biggest advertisers.

Two stories online (I refuse to pay for a subscription to that rag) caught my eye:

(1) It seems like we've discovered at least one of the reasons for the State of N.C. vs. Jeffrey Ray Martin to be continued.

Whatever. Whenever.

(2) With Keith Crisco now heading the N.C. Commerce Department, the Courier Tribune apparently thinks its path to the journalistic big leagues is to be "Evil Keith's" mouthpiece and/or official puffer-upper. (Disclaimer: "Evil Keith" is in quotes because the moniker did not originate with me. It actually dates back to Crisco's tenure on the school board, and can be credited to a teacher-not-my-Mother-whose-name-I-cannot-recall.)

This time Keith is promoting the notion of educational and professional mentors. Governor Perdue has asked her Cabinet to be mentors . . . "spending an hour a month with an adult".

???Only an hour???

Lately, my sainted Mother (who like one of Keith's mentors, was an "educational angel" to so many children over the years) has been hearing more and more from old students and parents of students . . . some of the parents being quite influential in the great scheme of things in Asheboro.

The proud parents update Mama on their kids' progress in their chosen professions (medicine/law/business) and complement her on giving them "a really good start".

The less-influential/more "ordinary" folk will ask Mom about her own kids (the doctor and the pilot). But not so much with the people-of-import. And that's because the right people" already know the answer to how/what Mary is doing.

You see, Mary has a blog.

And/so, there's a bit of a black cloud lingering over some of those conversations . . . and a bad taste left in the mouth.

For as it pertains to Keith and his small-town professional "mentors", Mama and I both have to ask the question . . .

"When it came down to simple right and wrong . . . where were these people . . . these "mentors" . . . when her daughter, as a young physician/child advocate under fire, needed them most?"

And in that context, it's very hard not to hurl when empty, "evil" suits like Keith Crisco and/or some of his very important pals hold themselves up as examples to anyone.

With "mentors" like that . . .

On The Theory of Criminal Extortion In The Greensboro Hotel Wars

Dr. Joe Guarino has a great post up . . . posing an interesting question: Do some of the threats tossed back and forth between Council Members and County Commissioners in the Great Greensboro Hotel Debacle rise to the level of criminal extortion?

I could not help myself:

The answer to your question is yes, Joe. But as for "the next step", who in North Carolina would you suggest the victims of this crime appeal to?

Local law enforcement (where police officers do the very same thing in the form of bogus EEOC complaints and frivolous lawsuits)?

The local newspaper (that can't seem to stop playing the tired, worn-out race card)?

The SBI (a direct appeal is not an option for private citizens)?

Our BEYOND-USELESS Attorney General (who is paralyzed by his desire to one day be Governor)?

The FBI (whistle-blowers are SOL and lawsuits are a black hole)?

Our Senators and Congressmen/women (buying votes with stimulus money)?

Been there. Done ALL of that. Even got accused of "extortion" (I believe your "affirmative defense" more-than-applies) by the fine mill-town upstandings who ultimately lied-under-Oath (it's called perjury and it does not have a statute of limitations) to minimize what they paid out (they apparently don't need a defense because "people lie in Court every day").

Told I was "irrelevant" (not-to-mention "crazy") by the "business-as-usual" crowd.

Got nasty, threatening e-mails from another blogger too . . . in an attempt to EXTORT my silence.

That didn't register with the deep-blue-progressives-who-cannot-stand-violence-against-women either. You see, they hate me, ergo I deserved it.

The state of our union sucks.

So does being the not-connected-to-the-right-people/no-name victim of a crime in the North Carolina Justice system.

"Pursuing" crime IS the problem when most of the people you're pleading your case to are sleazeballs themselves.

The thread at Joe's continues, we'll keep it there.

Afternoon Update: Turns out (as his victims were looking to call the cops) Skippy didn't really mean it. Shameless jerk.

The State Of The Union Is Not All About The State Of Obama

He (the President) shall, from time to time, give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient. - Article 2, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution

I spent Monday morning in various auto shops dealing with assorted auto issues (apart from needing an oil change, state inspection, four new tires, and a leaking moon roof repaired, my beloved 2007 Camry is one of the models that was recalled because of that pesky accelerator problem).

The TV channel in the first service center waiting room was tuned to CNN . . . and a huge sign on the wall said, "DO NOT TOUCH TV".

So I did not touch it. They had my car at their mercy.

In the wake of the big tea party in Massachusetts last week, CNN seems bound and determined to rehabilitate President Obama's battered image/psyche. They're "reporting" on the katrillion-dollar stimulus package . . . picking out the lucky/endowed programs here and there and "dissecting" them.

(As an aside, although I've refrained from commenting on the latest round of shameless GSO race-baiting, I've thought about calling CNN's tip line about the "hotel wars" in Greensboro. But (1) Joe's back and in fine form, and (2) I figure we're just a few days away from JJ and Al showing up to stir that pot anyway.)

As CNN dissected, they had to insert an Obama speech or talking point every five minutes.

After almost four hours of this in the background (is anyone else tired of the word "historic"?), I could barely stand to hear sound of the man's voice.

The State of the Union Address is tonight. Many pundits on the left side of the aisle are bloviating about Obama using the speech as an opportunity to somehow turn hearts and heads back towards his agenda . . . in other words, using the ultimate bully pulpit (the SOU is what it is) to push what he thinks is necessary and expedient.

I'm thinking the President's general audience, running a little short on hope and change, is not going to be as fawning or adorative (yes, it's a word, I looked it up) as they have been in the past. We ordinary working middle-class folk (you know, the "fat rednecks" that populists tend to use/then take for granted) have pretty good reasons for being "tea-baggers".

In short, we're tired of getting crapped-on AND paying for the privilege.

You see, as Obama/his minions were marginalizing and ridiculing and insulting and dismissing and generally poo-pooing anyone who disagreed with him, the President of these United States forgot that the state of our union is not all about one man. In fact, it being all about the cult of him is what got the President into trouble in the first place.

And/so, I'm not sure I'm going to watch the speech tonight. Listening to Obama once again drop his g's is just about more than I can take.

After all, We-The-put-upon-People can always wait for the uber-elitist-know-what's-best-for-the-world pundits to tell us what we're supposed to think tomorrow.

Olberman, in particular, is always good for a laugh.

More Bad Johnny

As I seethe that I ever pleaded my case to the oily likes of John Edwards and Mike Sleazely and Marc Basnight (or as some of my more conservative/anti-imperial pals call him, Bassackwards) and all the rest, the Washington Post has published a preview of Andrew Young's book.

Edwards wanted to abort the baby. But of course, he did! As one commenter at Under-the-N&O's-leaking-blue-Dome noted, that would make him a Democratic front-runner in 2012.

I'm wondering if a copy of the tape of that "slow motion traffic pile-up" will be in a sleeve on the book's jacket cover? That would keep it off the three-dollar pile for a long while.

Turning the page: This afternoon, it was reported that Elizabeth and John have separated.

I'll Bet Some People In Asheboro Wish This Doctor Wasn't Quite So Relevant

After being dismissed and marginalized and told by Robinson, Cone & company that my story-of-public-service-woe is "irrelvant" to the current sad/sorry/ugly/corrupt state of our union . . . that people "lie in Court every day" . . . that I needed to "get over it" and "move on" . . . lest I be taken for "crazy" . . . the title of a post at KevinMD's this morning was good for a hearty laugh-out-loud:

"Doctors who are not on Facebook, Twitter and blogs risk becoming irrelevant"

For someone who preferred a good book and paper/pens to computers before Randolph Hospital put the screws to her, you certainly cannot say Dr. Mary Johnson has ignored the Internet . . . or not evolved into her own unique "brand".

I ditched Facebook because I thought it was too shallow and superficial. Maybe I need to reconsider;)

Holocaust Memorial Day

The UN designates January 27th Holocaust Memorial Day. Yom HaShoah is observed in Israel in the spring.




My second embedded video. I'm glad it's PP&M.

A Meeting Of The Minds

Last summer, accompanying Mama to her 60th high-school reunion in Bath, we stayed with one of her classmates/her husband on their homestead. They were warm and gracious hosts.

But there was a sadness in the house. As Mama had explained to me before we arrived, many years ago, the couple had lost their only son in college (they have daughters) . . . while he was at home on break . . . to a sudden illness . . . the kind that can be treated if caught in time . . . but is often fatal if it is not. The young man died in a small Eastern N.C. hospital. His Father blames the "country doctor" who did not come in or answer the nurses' calls in what he thought was a timely fashion before the boy "crashed" and coded, and was transferred out to a bigger/bluer hospital - where he later died.

Mama warned me that being a doctor was not a "plus" in the old man's eyes, and that he could be "gruff" and blunt when the subject of hospitals or religion came up.

For tragically, when he lost his son, he lost his faith in God . . . even as his wife hung onto hers for dear life. It was most evident at the reunion. When a gospel group contracted to sing for the assemblage began to perform, he stoically got up and went outside to sit in his car.

Of course, we got on famously. I have a soft spot for curmudgeons. I listened to him tell many a story about my Pops.

I told Mama afterwards that I just felt like if a doctor . . . any doctor really (it didn't have to be one of the physicians involved . . . who are likely long dead anyway) . . . would just apologize to this man, and tell him that what happened to his son was wrong and should not have happened, it might go a long way towards healing the wound. I thought long and hard about doing it myself (I actually did have a long conversation with his wife - which seemed to help her), but a good opportunity never seemed to open up . . . and I wanted to leave doors open.

The memory came back to me last week in a slightly different context.

It's contract renewal time (I negotiate my own), and I spent an hour last Wednesday hammering things out with the administrator of a new physician's group that has taken over the employment and independent contracts at the small Eastern N.C. hospital where I currently work.

There were some sticking points. Fortunately, I know the guy fairly well . . . from a previous assignment . . . and we've always had a fairly open and honest relationship . . . sometimes brutally honest. I respect him as an administrator, and that's saying a lot.

I don't envy him right now in his new job. He's gonna catch it from all sides.

He has even visited Housecalls, and spent some time on the sidebar reading about my experience with the hometown hospital.

(As an aside, the "parent company" has known about my blogging for a very long time . . . and it doesn't really care . . . as long as I do my job, and don't breech patient confidences or say nasty things about the hospital. Of course, if you treat me right, I don't have nasty things to say - a point that was ALWAYS lost on the nimnuls running Randolph.)

This guy gets it. And during the meeting, he made a point of telling me that he got it. Plainly and simply, I was shafted. Malice was clearly involved. It should not have happened the way it happened. Ergo, I have lingering "commitment" and "trust" issues which can color my interaction with "the suits".

But it's within a good suit's job description not to let those issues hinder a productive working relationship with a good doctor.

Because he gets it, he could laugh (fairly heartily) when, during the conversation, I reminded him that it was my general belief that if a hospital administrator's lips were moving he/she was lying.

Of course, he was compelled to defend his own. It was a valiant effort in the face of my considerable experience to the contrary. I allowed him to do it without much argument.

It was a good meeting. Neither one of us left the table completely happy. But we can still work together. Such is the nature and art of negotiation (as opposed to the Randolph method of mowing people down and then lying about it).

But the best part of the meeting was actually not sealing the deal. The best part of the meeting was hearing someone in a suit say, "You were done wrong. It should NEVER have happened."

My fondest dream is to one day hear someone in Asheboro say it without making them say it.

But either way works for me.

Into The Sunset: Pernell Roberts

Adam Cartwright was pretty AND smart. And that's why he could not stay on the Ponderosa.

Evil Esquire Bar Association

In my research on the previous post, I came across this gem of a blog. It appears to be active.

"The Bar Association for Evil and Unethical Lawyers" . . . powered by Satan and Hybrid."

"The Prosecutor Has Yet To Be Prosecuted"

Given my own experience with the legal system in Randolph County, North Carolina, I have often wished that more lawyers found themselves under the kind of scrutiny that doctors live/cope with on a daily basis.

The deck is stacked. For instance, in this case out of Johnston County, IMHO, all four lawyers and the clerk should have gone to jail.

There are actually five lawyers involved. The prosecutor "at the center of the plot", formerly an ADA in Asheboro (funny how that's now almost impossible to pull up over on the Courier Tribune's website), has yet to be prosecuted.

"The prosecutor has yet to be prosecuted." Man, that is a sorry commentary on the state of our legal system! But come to think about it, Jaeger's predicament sounds at lot like our ex-Governor's (an ex-prosecutor) current plight;)

From the article:

Court documents were treated like currency, traded after hours among friends, filed in daylight under the auspices of official court business.

Now that sounds like way back in the day . . . when Randolph Hospital & RMA executives used and abused documents that I had submitted to hospital peer review . . . or the Medical Board . . . or private correspondence I had sent to patients . . . for their own shady purposes (ala, What can we use to prove Mary Johnson "disruptive" . . . wait . . . I know . . . we can plunder documents that she authored & submitted/sent in good faith . . . stuff that is NEVER, EVER supposed to see the light of day in a Courtroom!")

It's illegal (a misdemeanor) . . . not-to-mention a total breach of trust (that threatened the professional well-being & safety of the entire medical staff of Randolph Hospital) . . . not that any of the "right people" in Asheboro or Raleigh ever cared about that.

Doctors are just pawns on Bob Morrison's board, baby.

I've often wondered how many times Morrison, Eblin & Bridges got together around drinks (cuz you really had to be drinking to conjure up/justify some of the things they did to me) and a coffee table and plotted my abject destruction?

Fec thinks he's real bad and all that, but he wasn't the first to say (with an insipid smile on his face), "We're going to destroy Mary Johnson."

(For my daily readers from Randolph Hospital: Yes, boys & girls, that one got back to me . . . through one of my ex-parents . . . one of your Board members thought that filing that despicable "libel" lawsuit was brilliant . . . just hysterical. I wonder if he still thought so after you-all had to RUN from it?)

I've digressed. Sorry. The lawyers in Johnston County are facing their music. It does make me smile. We can hope for change.

Meanwhile, down in Randolph County, a lowly doctor is still waiting on the powers-that-be to fix the ultimate "ticket-fix".

Cooleemee Is SOL

Uber-big/uber-bad Novant is closing a small town's only doctor's office.

Cooleemee is SOL. Residents are not amused.

"They had money to fight this lawsuit with Baptist Hospital, but they don't have any money to keep a little old office open," said patient Jerry King.

There is ALWAYS money for lawsuits, Mr. King. Lawyers and suits are what it's all about.

Doctors and patients are SOL.

"Four Lawyers And A Clerk" . . .

(Every time I think I'm out, they pull me back in.)

. . . sounds like the prelude to a bad joke. It is.

The North Carolina legal system IS a joke!

Dr. J's Housecalls: Best Of January 2010

Author's Note: This post has been updated (see "Scumbag alert" below).

I'm a little confused as to whether or not last Monday was "Blue Monday", or it's this Monday. I've made no bones about the fact that the end of 2009 was a pretty rough row to hoe, and I took an extended blogging break just before Christmas.

A friend and I were joking around about it the other day. My pal observed that since emerging from withdrawal, I was "obviously feeling better", and taking this "tea party thing" pretty seriously. "You're absolutely on fire . . . and it really does become you."

"Depression is anger turned inward, my friend", I said. "The secret of happiness is not to hold it all in until you blow - or are tripping around in your own darkness . . . but to direct that anger where it needs to go."

Of course, there are limits to that theory. Sometimes you just have to call the law and/or take a breather.

January 2010 has been a rather prolific month for me . . . there's just so much blue-tinged malfeasance and hypocrisy to scathingly comment on (God knows Cone & company won't do it), and so little time in my busy days (as someone who isn't paid to do it).

Sometimes I think a post deserves a little more time "front and center" than it gets before I move on to another one. This month that was especially true. Here are what I think are the Housecalls' posts that deserve more time/another look. The links are in red, because they're just not progressive at all;)

On Bubba's Request

On Fox 8's Recent Irresponsible Foray Into Medical Journalism (Subtitled: Doctor Questions TV Station's Treatment Of Hospital)

On Saint Elizabeth And The Ego Monster: Yeah, The Game Needs To Change

Dr. Earl Bradley: An Alleged Pedophile Flourishes Despite Years Of Complaints

News Flash For North Carolina's Progressive Advocates Of Free Speech: Oral Arguments On Rachel Hunter's Appeal To Be Heard On January 27th.

Obama's First Year: Way Too Much Time Talking And Not Enough Time Listening

Dr. Mary Johnson's Thoughts On Congressman Brad Miller's Defense Of Dr. Anna "Kiss My Big Indian Ass" Chacko

And, of course,

And A Little Child Shall Lead Them: Lexie Fights Cancer

Taking a short breather now.

Sunday Evening Update (Scumbag Alert): Taking ambulance chasing and being a total publicity whore to the nth degree, John Edwards (who left with a sleeping bag and no return ticket on Wednesday - the day before his minions released a statement admitting paternity of Reille Hunter's child, Quinn) is already back in the states . . . having "toured" Port-au-Prince and returned on a transport plane with 33 earthquake survivors (they might have had room for one more had he not been on the plane).

According to News 2's write up, that brief trip makes him a "humanitarian".

This man HAS NO SHAME!!!

Monday Morning Afterthought: Under the Dome, the Raleigh N&O is clearly still hoping Edwards can somehow be redeemed. I dropped a comment:

According to WFMY 2, Edwards is already back from his "tour" of Haiti. It was a fast trip for someone who was going down with just a sleeping bag & no return ticket (we wish).

It's not just the "faithful" that Edwards & HIS WIFE owe an apology to. It's the constituents that this pair stuck their noses up at and/or gave short shrift to while he was in office. Trying to get this man to advocate for anyone or anything that did not serve his mad dash to the White House was a blue hole of arrogance & indifference.

I served in - and was badly burned by - the very kind of Federal program that John & Lizzy advocated to help "fix" healthcare. But because my story did not suit/reflect well upon their purposes, I was dog meat. I ultimately turned to the blogs (and if you wanna talk about empty fakes pretending to be something they're not, that's where you talk about "Saint" Elizabeth, not her Ego Monster).

I don't think his apologies are sincere now because he's NEVER been sincere.

Speaking Of Jail . . .

Once again, I cannot BELIEVE I ever pleaded my case (as a matter of ethics) to the Sleazebuckets in Raleigh. It really has been a great week for the Democratic Party.

And yeah, (Governor) Bev, you're damned straight I'm (POSITIVELY) tired of it. And (I'm POSITIVE) it IS wrong for North Carolina.

You really gotta wonder. Where were all of the progressive blue truth-seekers and fact-checkers until now?

Hat tip to Sykes: Binker has the indictment.

Cyberstalking Update: Case 2009056649 CR Continued

I was supposed to take a break this weekend.

From a letter, dated January 22, in UPS this afternoon . . . from Clark Bell, "Lawyer" and Asheboro City Council Member:

Re: State of North Carolina vs. Jeffrey Ray Martin

Dear Dr. Johnson:

Please be advised that I will be making a motion to continue the above referenced case in court on Feburary 23, 2010. Your appearance on February 23, 2o1o will not be necessary.

If you should have any questions, please contact the Randolph County District Attorney's office.

Very truly yours,

Clark R. Bell

At least Bell addressed me as "Doctor" (as opposed to "Ms.", "Miss", or "Honey"). That's real progress for Randolph County.

It works for me. Whatever and whenever. I've not heard word one out of the DA's office. I guess I'll be contacting them next week with my hospital call schedule . . . already carved in stone and scrolled out until the end of the year (I'm home/in Asheboro 9 consecutive days every month) . . . so we can work the next Court date around that.

Short of a guilty plea, retractions, and an apology, I WILL be there.

Unless, of course, one of Mr. Clark's stall tactics is going to be imposing hardship on the target of his client's cyber-wrath (not-to-mention her colleagues/patients) . . . and interfering with the on-call responsibilities of a Pediatrician who works 4 hours away . . . not that our DA's office ever gave any consideration to that before.

Meanwhile, someone (who appears to be spending quite a bit of time on Housecalls) dropped a comment in the Inbox (on my "Conan" post) just a few minutes ago - from a Greensboro IP address (Host Name: cpe-174-098-172-113.triad.res.rr.com . . . IP Address 174.98.172.113 . . . Safari 4.o . . . Operating System Mac OSX):

"This is the first time I've seen you post something positive. The meds must be working."

The comment (which sure sounds like classic "Fec") was rejected. However, I've saved the StatCounter data in the file I've been keeping on "unfriendlies" since Martin had his keyboard meltdown.

This, ladies & gentlemen, is "blogging", Greensboro, North Carolina style.

I hear it makes Ed-Cone-of-the-Cones weep.

For God's Sake, Blog!

Okay people, you've heard it now . . . from the Bishop of Rome.

I didn't have to wait for Pope Johnny Paul Billy Bob Fred, Jr.

And A Little Child Shall Lead Them: Lexie Fights Cancer

Several folks have asked for updates on my "niece-once-removed" (my niece's cousin) who was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) just before Thanksgiving.

From my November 24th post relating the circumstances of her diagnosis:

The child, an adorable little girl, had actually been seen for her two-year-old check-up within the last week or so - but the doctor did not notice anything amiss (I must add the caveat here to parents that physicians are not psychic . . . if you're worried about something at a check-up, SPEAK UP!).

My sister-in-law called me the night before last with a list of symptoms, and asked me what I thought and what to do. As she rattled off the list, an ominous chill ran down my spine. I did not tell her exactly what I thought* (it's best not to instill terror if one does not have to), but I told her what to do and to do it very fast.

*As I told my sister-in-law (a RN), the best case scenario was iron-deficiency anemia - because "the baby" was still breast-feeding, and (as far as she knew) not consistently on a vitamin. Not a really big deal. Easily treated. But the worst case scenario (which is what I was thinking given some of the child's symptoms . . . and simply could not bring myself to utter to my tender-hearted brother's wife as a disembodied voice over the phone), was leukemia or aplastic anemia. I told my sister-in-law that the baby needed a CBC with Diff (complete blood count/differential) and she NEEDED it LIKE YESTERDAY.

When I hung up, I felt sick at the other end of the phone. I still feel sick.

Yesterday, the "baby" went back to the doctor. They put her in an ambulance and sent her straight to Duke. As I type this, she is been introduced to the world of bone marrow biopsies and permanent central lines and blood & platelet transfusions and all manner of exotic chemicals being pumped into her tiny body. It's all to save her life . . . a life that hasn't even started yet.

And now, I am crying.

It's very frustrating, because I am working several hours from home (for all of the reasons I blog about) . . . "on-call" for Thanksgiving . . . and cannot be there to support/advise people I love.

The only reason I mention these things before continuing on with this post is to emphasize the point that those of us that sit at these keyboards have private lives and families and stuff going on.

Lexie Hinsdale, the only daughter of my sister-in-law's sister, remains at Duke.

I am linking Lexie's new website, courtesy of "Caring Bridge" . . . which offers updates on her condition/progress.

As you can see, I wasn't exaggerating when I said she was adorable;)

Please pray for our little Lexie. She could teach a lot of adults a thing or two.

Feeling Feisty Again

I'm gonna see if this works:





Update: O crap! It did! It worked! My first embedded video! WoooHooo. Ooo-rah!

Of course, in the 2008 election . . . after being spat-on/ignored/called nasty names/marginalized by every "forward-thinking" Democrat from Greensboro to Raleigh to Washington since the Clinton/Hunt administrations (a good portion of them now disgraced or facing indictment) . . . if it walked or talked in a progressive/super-humanly enlightened "blue" fashion . . . yours truly did not vote for ANY of these hypocrites and losers.

Told ya so. Tea anyone?

Conan O'Brian: A Class Act And A Freebird

I just watched Conan O'Brian sign off the Tonight Show. He's on guitar now, playing fricking Freebird with one helluva band.

He's gonna be okay. Not so sure about the rest of the primary players in this mess.

John Edwards: Does Haiti Have An Extradition Treaty With The USA?

Taking a weekend break. But before I go . . .

In the wake of the revelation-that-wasn't, the Raleigh N&O has a new puff piece up on John-Boy Edwards. That crowd is clearly still in mourning. I've commented there.

The grand jury is still out. Edwards had a one-way ticket to Haiti. Smooth move, Johnny;)

Dr. Mary Johnson's Thoughts On Congressman Brad Miller's Defense Of Dr. Anna "Kiss My Big Indian Ass" Chacko

I missed a post at Joe's when I went on Christmas break.

Probably just as well. Right before Christmas, in the wake of "the Fec and Mary Show", and wrestling with some pretty heavy decisions (still waffling), I would not have had the energy to put up much of a fight.

But I'm feeling pretty fiesty now;)

It seems that Congressman Brad Miller, one of North Carolina's elected (Democrat/liberal/progressive) representatives to Washington (and the political darling of Greensboro's elite brie & blogging set) had the time to write a letter to the Veteran's Administration on behalf of an out-of-state physician . . . Dr. Anna Chacko . . . a physician who was (PAY CLOSE ATTENTION NOW) fired for professional malfeasance . . . (KEEP PAYING ATTENTION) after a thorough administrative review.

Before I go any further with this, I invite the reader to take a gander at the "disclaimer" on the contact page at Congressman Miller's website:

Regrettably, I am unable to reply to any email from constituents outside of my District.

This did NOT stop Congressman Miller from writing a letter to the VA on behalf of a physician from Pennsylvania.

Translation: Not a constituent.

On Joe's original post, Roch Smith, Jr (the We101 Wizard), acting like, well, a deep-blue partisan Roach/total tool, accused Joe of "Yellow Dog Journalism".

"Junior", could not resist chiding Joe, for chiding Congressman Miller's support of Dr. Chacko, while at the same time lending his support to me . . . support which has made numerous Cone-loving (I'm referring both to the hospital and the scion) heads in our blogosphere spin.

You've taken the side of people with major league issues too. Should we fault you for that?

Of course we know who Roch is referring to. He is a self-professed "expert" on my case.

NOT. NOT EVEN CLOSE.

In the thread, Roch hurled the invective at Joe and at me. Likening me to Dr. Chacko, Roch implied that I had . . .

. . . exhibited horribly abusive behavior in the workplace . . . from a number of perspectives.

Now, I'm going to assume that Roch's "sources" are the new-found-friends of Fec-our-resident-cyberstalker (perhaps some of those "sources" and their motives should be as closely examined/vetted as mine have been) . . . as opposed to, oh I don't know . . . checking the FACTS by giving credence to those who actually sign their names . . . in other words, the colleagues I worked with on a regular basis in Asheboro (that is, before a good many of them left Asheboro).

(As an aside), I don' bite unless I'm bitten. Some of Fec's new-found friends hate me not because of anything I did while working in Asheboro, but because (being someone who pays more than empty lip service to the health & welfare of the community), I more recently vigorously opposed an alcohol referendum (becoming the online voice of a large segment of the town's population that was being given short shrift by the local MSM) . . . and in the process, stood up for a preacher who was thrust into a spotlight he did not want and was wrongfully bashed by the high-minded progressive crowd who never make any mistakes. You see, having a soul-that's-not-for-sale, along with a sense of right & wrong, are cardinal sins with some of the "right people" whose machinations killed a town.

(Back on point), of course, Roch's self-proclaimed "expertise" notwithstanding, I was not fired for malfeasance.

It was a WRONGFUL termination, poorly disguised as a "voluntary" or "without cause" termination, diabolically fashioned to destroy my practice and keep me from competing with the hospital's "controlled affiliate" (at the time Fec was actually moved enough by the details to link it). Looking at it in the context of what was going on then (as opposed to the ugly battle that ensued afterwards), Randolph Hospital did what they did it because I was too respected and too popular - not because I was unpopular.

And here's one of the big differences between my case and that of Anna Chacko (PAY CLOSE ATTENTION): No fair hearing or review. No due process.

There couldn't be. For I was fired in retaliation for defying the threats of three clueless, over-rated, WAY over-paid hospital executives, to answer a terrified nurse's phone call in the middle of the night and save a dying newborn's life.

I get a Christmas card every year from her parents.

The guy who screwed up was later promoted to Chief of Staff.

I was hired to "clean up Pediatrics" at Randolph Hospital. But being the kind of patient advocate that might actually instill trust in the care that the hospital provided to children made me "disruptive". It was like fighting a war with no one to take the back that my hands were tied behind.

But neveryoumind, I've got "major league issues".

Damned straight I do. Just ask the President of the N.C. Medical Board.

While we're at it, I should probably link the two letters that essentially shot down Randolph Hospital's "libel claim" IN FLAMES . . . letters that lend serious doubt as to the credibility or veracity of ANYTHING my former "non-profit" bosses/their sycophants say . . . bosses who, despite having been caught lying multiple times under Oath (and negotiating a settlement on their lies) have not been posed one single objective question by the earnest, truth-seeking journalists and fact-checkers in this blogosphere.

Reveling in his libel and ignorance (because that's apparently the only thing he knows), Roch continued . . .

Joe has a history of defending doctors marginalized by accusations of being crazy.

Yeah, well, given that Roch has the history of doing most of the marginalizing and accusing, that's a fairly convenient observation.

Now, it takes a lot to get Joe mad, but I could tell he was mad (God bless him) when he finally responded to Roch's barbs:

I am not going to respond to your statements about my own defense of certain local blogger(s) other than to suggest that you are comparing apples and oranges. I am not a member of Congress, unlike Miller; and the folk(s) about whom you speak in the local blogging community had situations that were demonstrably different than those which Dr. Chacko had.

Joe did a follow-up post on Miller's faux-pas this week.

And, incensed by what I read in the before-Christmas post, I dropped a comment

Wow. I missed a lot while on break.

By the way, Joe, thanks for the "apples and oranges" comment on the previous thread. Although Roch is an "expert" on my case, he seemed to miss a boatload of salient differences as he dropped the snark.

Our fact-checker can't be bothered about the facts when Mary Johnson is in his sights. Par for the course.

And no, I'm not going to waste my time pointing them out.

The times I've written Congress and Senators outside of North Carolina (serving on various Congressional oversight committees charged to "oversee" the public health service), I've been politely referred to my own "representatives" . . . such as they are.

Howard Coble actually took action that was helpful, but it mostly amounted to too little too late. And John Edwards - liberal/populist/socialist-reformer-of-healthcare/darling of the N.C. media could not be bothered at all.

Have I said lately how much I'm hoping the "Ego Monster" will be indicted? Counting the days.

So I am wondering what the H was going on here. How did this real "wack-job" rate a letter from Congressman Brad?

Joe responded. He reiterated the impropriety of Miller's intervention in this case. I responded:

A lot of terminated doctors these days are wrapping themselves in the the mantle of the "whistle-blower", never mind that they were not fired/disciplined for puckering up to blow. If you read the links, it is CLEAR this physician used whistleblower hotlines and other peer review mechanisms (that are in place to prevent bad care or fraud) in a manner that was all about retaliation against people she wanted to get rid of.

It's kind the kind of bad faith (and illegal) behavior I've been blogging about for five years - but hey, "NEVERMIND".

For Roch's benefit (since the facts once again escaped him here), I was the employee of a private "not-for-profit" (i.e. subsidized by tax dollars) who was recruited home with more federal tax dollars (loan repayment) via a DHHS public service program. My loan agreement (more-or-less a three way deal) with the Federal government and the practice supposedly guaranteed adequate peer review mechanisms (which include due process) and well as the opportunity to transition to private practice.

It didn't happen. I repeat (on the off chance that it might sink into Roch's thick skull): Threatened for complaining about a myriad of problems at the hospital. Fired for saving a desperately-ill newborn's life. No malpractice involved (on my part anyway). ZERO DUE PROCESS. Sued for telling the truth. Swindled by perjury, contempt and fraud at settlement.

Those were the apples. Here are the oranges:

(In stark contrast), this woman got BOATLOADS of due process (because again, it's virtually impossible to fire these people - just ask anyone at the Post Office). Moreover, leaving a multitude of lawsuits in her wake - not to mention a destroyed department, there is NO COMPARISON between she and I (I loved the part about being dragged out by security screaming, "Kiss my Indian ass!").

But Congressman Miller can write a letter for this out-of-state uber-entitled medical biootch, and (like so many others) completely ignore the plight of one of his own constituents who has a REAL beef.

All I really need is a couple of good Congressional letters to USDHHS and the IRS and we could really talk about oversight and accountability and transparency and ethics - without me suing the whole fricking world (which, at this point, I'm thinking is going to be really fun).

Roch HATES. And he hates along party lines and his (fairly narrow when you get right down to it) world view. You simply cannot tell him he's wrong. Moreover he has ZERO respect for the EXPERIENCE of people who have been burned being there and doing that.

I think more and more folks in this blogosphere are seeing that.

That's when Steve Harrison chimed in, laying the bait, asking me if I had written Miller and asked for his help. It sounded very much like the prelude to a "gotcha" - like Roch would post (but perhaps was afraid to). I responded:

We are talking about the black hole of Congressional representation. So let me educate you.

As was noted in my first comment, my Congressman is Howard Coble (6th District). And Howard has been copied correspondence on a number of occasions over the last almost twelve years . . . including correspondence sent to the ENTIRE NC legislature and now-Governor Perdue . . . AND the criminal complaint I sent to Randolph County DA Garland Yates (as well as NC/USDHHS & the IRS) in 2003 and again in 2005.

Some of that correspondence (as well as the criminal complaint) is actually already posted online at Housecalls.

And no, I don't care to offer (yet another) summary of the salient points (we don't want Spag's thumb to get tired). Apart from prodding the NHSC to honor (only) one aspect of my public service agreement (the payment of an approximate $10,000 malpractice "tail" rider) . . . before the lawsuits were even filed . . . Coble has done a whole lot of NOTHING.

Although he serves on the House Judiciary Committee, and he did his own time in public service (the Coast Guard), it does not seem to bother Howard very much at all that the senior executives of a "non-profit" institution in his district can get away with lying repeatedly under Oath . . . in a matter pertaining to the stated mission of Federal programs.

Bottom line: Defrauding the former public servant - and the taxpayer is a-okay with our Congressman Coble.

I'm not "right people" in Asheboro, you see.

For the record, over the years, in addition to John Edwards (who advocated the very kind of service program I got burned in), I also wrote Jesse Helms and Liddy Dole.

Useless. During his later days in office, the former was doddering/coasting to retirement. And the later, well, in terms of representing anyone, she was just a sad, pathetic joke.

Brad Miller serves the 13th District of North Carolina. As we've pointed out earlier, once you start writing people in the Congress and Senate, you're quickly admonished by their minions to contact your own district representative. Doing otherwise is pretty much wasting a stamp (and I've wasted a lot of stamps). Files go into 13. E-mails are directed to SPAM.

So while Brad technically represents me as a North Carolinian, practically speaking, he doesn't really represent me.

Moreover, as far as I know (and I did check it out) Mr. Miller does not serve on any committees that provide direct or even indirect "oversight" of my issues with the Public Health Service.

Indeed, I've yet to figure out the mental contortions Congressman Miller went through (as a member of the House Committee on Science and Technology) in order to write his letter on behalf of Dr. "Kiss my Indian ass!" Anna Chacko . . . who lives and works in Pittsburgh, PA . . . and whose connections to the destruction of a collection of legionella isolates (presumably Miller's angle into butting into a fairly petty/rancorous employment matter) is tenuous at best (Chacko was "at war" with the physician who destroyed the samples).

Here's the thing, Steve. According to everything we've been told, Brad Miller is a hip, fairly cyber-savvy guy. He hangs out with all the really "cool" people and all.

I've been in the GSO blogosphere for five years (with a lot of the air from my whistle aimed at Cone Hospital), begging for help, and I'm fairly certain Brad knows I'm here (Elizabeth Edwards sure did).

I'm sure he's enjoyed some of the Conings.

Alas, I'm not "right people" in the GSO blogosphere either. And Brad Miller must hold the same philosophy as John Robinson of the N&R:

“There’s some amount of reporting that they do but not a whole lot on the things we care about..."

I know it's not the answer you wanted, but there you are.

Steve protested. He had his answer. He compared me to his (irrational) ex-wife (not that I should take that in a sexist fashion). And I should not treat other people unfairly just because I have been. That would hurt me more than anything else. And, apart from being TOTALLY LAME, that bit of self-serving, progressive wisdom just TOO MUCH:

I was waiting for it. I didn't write to Brad so I'm being "unfair". What a load of horse-hockey.

Steve, given the deep festering wounds I already have, it's very hard to be lectured (by someone who has not been there/done that) as to what might be "twice as injurious" to me. And perhaps you and the rest should STOP with the back-handed slams attacking my sanity or character.

You didn't mean to be sexist in comparing me to your ex-wife, nevermind that it WAS sexist. These tactics are old, they are garbage, and I'm not playing anymore. We're going to be turning the mirror on you, the rest of "the Coneheads", and some of your motives.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

We've covered (fairly thoroughly) why I have not directly contacted Brad Miller (although, come to think of it, he may have gotten at least one mass e-mail in the past). You say my argument is a "little misleading". But in adding the word "little", you acknowledge that you're talking about semantics, NOT the actual truth of the matter . . . or the way things really work for those of us who do not have the right name, good connections or lots of money.

From Miller's contact page on his website: "Regrettably, I am unable to reply to any email from constituents outside of my District (the 13th)."

And/so, as a moderately-conservative white woman/proud descendant of rednecks/"nobody" from Randolph County (the 6th District), there's not much point in me contacting Brad about anything - especially when Cone Hospital might be embarrassed if he did pick up his pen.

Cone is Miller's real constituent here. How do you think I rate in comparison? Should I really waste the stamp?

The embarrassing truth you're wanting to downplay here is that I've been in THIS BLOGOSPHERE for FIVE YEARS - as a REAL whistle-blower done horribly wrong - openly pleading my case (which is MARKEDLY DIFFERENT from Anna "Kiss my Indian ass" Crackpot's), yet I've been determinedly, methodically ignored by ALL of the "progressive" journalists and keyboard pundits AND politicians like Brad Miller . . . people who say they care about truth, justice and the American way . . . people who preach that transparency, accountability and ethics matter . . . just not when it's Mary Johnson.

Wait, I know. You wish me well.

Man, that just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

These "progressive-who-aren't-really" don't think my story-of-public-service-woe is important or "relevant" (mostly for partisan/or self-serving reasons), and/so they've been entitled (when they're not ignoring & marginalizing) to hurl all-manner-of-nastiness, and even threats against my person and livelihood.

And it's been a real a HOOT!!! Ooo-rah!

I'm angry because Brad Miller, NORTH CAROLINA Congressman, was played like a Strad by this WACK-JOB DOCTOR FROM PENNSYLVANIA . . . who no doubt got his intervention/her letter because she knew an important/moneyed somebody who knew an important/moneyed somebody else.

And that's just typical in my own dealings with politicians.

If you spend more than a passing two minutes on the story/links in Joe's post (which is Roch's path to expertise), you realize that this woman that Congressman Miller championed as a heroine has a LONG HISTORY of truly disruptive, diabolically horrible/manipulative/self-serving professional behavior. Moreover, she's claiming to be a "whistle-blower" without having any REAL credentials in that department (and that REALLY burns my butt).

She's NOT been treated unfairly. SHE GOT HER DUE PROCESS. And Joe's right. It takes an act of God & Congress to fire somebody in her position.

As for me being "mean" to poor Congressman Miller, IN STARK CONTRAST, I invite you to take a GOOD LOOK at the stories and testimony of others on my sidebar at Houscalls, and tell me I shouldn't be furious that state and Federal politicians - and law enforcement officials - have treated me like a disease to be eradicated.

Your underwear is twisted here because Mary Johnson lives and breathes right here under a lot of stuck-up deep-blue noses as an example of the ABJECT FAILURE of Hillary's village . . . as a sad personification of John & Lizzie's "Two Americas" . . . as Edward Kennedy's folly (that government can do anything but destroy healthcare) . . . as the "wrong people"/red-state dirt under Hunt/Sleazely/Cooper/Perdue's shoes . . . and as a prelude to Obama's impending failure in reforming anything . . .

. . . because like Brad Miller, our President is plowing ahead with his socialist agenda - like a freight train through Congress, without listening to anyone who might tell him (1) there's so much more to real reform, and (2) he's just flat-out wrong about a lot of things.

I guess what I'm trying to say to the "very important" bloggers and journalists and politicians in this ether is . . . wake up and smell the tea. WALK YOUR TALK. PUT UP OR SHUT UP.

At least you acknowledged, I've been "unfairly treated".

And/so as we close, let's review.

I am a North Carolina doctor formerly in public service to her own hometown (in the days of Bill & Hill's "village") whose life was brutally, methodically and viciously ripped-to-shreds for doing her sworn duty by a patient-not-even-her-own almost twelve years ago. I did everything I was supposed to do to try and see it rectified through ALL of the proper channels. I played by every rule. But everything about our systems of medical and legal oversight is broken.

Moreover, I've got coming-up-on five years in this blogosphere under my belt . . . a good portion of that time being insulted and verbally/otherwise brutalized by people like Edward Cone-of-the-Cones, Jeff Martin, and Roch Smith, Jr. for the horrible sins of (1) telling the truth about what happened to me because I saved a baby's life, and (2) refusing to roll over/"move on"/"get over it"/"shut up"/die.

I am STILL HERE . . . ignored by local & state news media (it's called burned citizen journalism) . . . with "major league issues" that have yet to be properly investigated by ANYONE in a position of government oversight or local/state/Federal law enforcement.

And, with the exception of the crumbs Howard Coble threw, I've been treated LIKE RED DIRT by every politician in this state since the Clinton/Hunt administrations. I've begged. I've pleaded.

Meanwhile, with a MINIMUM of prodding, North Carolina Congressman Brad Miller can write a letter for a doctor from Pennslyvannia who was fired "for cause" after a fair review?!?

She "blew the whistle" on another doctor ordering an X-Ray!?!?!?

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE FRICKING KIDDING ME!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

WHAT THE HELL?

Laughter, The Best Medicine

For the enjoyment of tea-drinkers everywhere, there is a beautifully-doctored Inglourious Basterds video at Spag's.

It's so funny, I almost forgive him for every nasty thing he's ever said to me;)

John Edwards: Who's Da Daddy Now?

Former N.C. Senator and 2008 Democratic V.P. Candidate, John Edwards admitted today that he fathered Reille Hunter's child, Quinn.

She's not an "it" after all.

Giving the timing (at least it's not a throw-away Friday), you have to wonder if there's a secret deal with the White House to draw attention away from "the big one" in Massachusetts. You know, taking the heat in exchange for a seat in the State Department . . . as a gofer . . . someone who can fetch the Clintons' coffee or something.

Gotta have some way to make the child support payments (as opposed to plundering the campaign coffers). Cuz John-Boy aint gonna have any credibility as a trial lawyer anymore.

Meanwhile, Andrew Young, Edwards' former campaign aide who originally "stepped up" to cover his boss's backside, has a book coming out and an interview with ABC ready to air.

And, of course, the grand jury's still out . . . on whether or not Edwards broke campaign finance law by paying "hush" money to Hunter and Young over the affair.

Let me see . . . public money for a private pay-out.

DUH.

(This in red, because it's just not progressive at all): I cannot BELIEVE I ever pleaded my case to this shyster sleazeball. Talk about a matter of ethics and truth/justice falling on deaf ears!

What else can there really be to say about the duplicity of team Edwards?

I guess we get to wait and see.

Update: The News & Observer is in mourning.

And call me a "naysayer", but do these two HAVE NO SHAME??? If I were a doctor in Haiti right now (and I'm not because I'm contracted by a non-profit to help take care of poor & underserved children in rural Eastern N.C.), I would not let this vulture within a country mile of me. You could wind up the next Anna Pou . . . or sued for not foreseeing the unforeseeable (which, of course, our John-Boy can channel).

I'm gonna have to take an extra blood pressure pill today.

Reporting In Haiti: The "Ick" Factor

I'm relieved to know that I'm not the only one who has been a little icked-out by big-name reporters in Haiti inserting themselves into the stories they're telling . . . in a fashion that honestly feels a little too self-aggrandizing and exploitative for comfort.

Reporters diving in to help is great/noble/admirable. But maybe the cameras should be turned off when they do.

Obama's First Year: Way Too Much Time Talking And Not Enough Time Listening

Predictably, in the wake of Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts, President Obama is taking to the airwaves (with one of his favorite journalist-sycophants, Georgie Porgie Stephanopolous) to explain to the American people what happened. And his patented paternalistic arrogance was stomach churning:

"I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are and why we have to make sure those institutions are matching up with those values."

No, Mr. President. The American people do not have to be told what their core values are. You thought you were a rock star, you believed your own press, you heard only what you wanted to hear, and you/the Dems acted like a bunch of common schoolyard bullies.

Especially as it pertains to you plans to overhaul healthcare, you shut people out (most notably, the people who actually provide it). You were not accountable or transparent.

You've spent way too much time talking and not nearly enough time listening.

As a physician formerly in public service - and badly burned there (with NOTHING about any of our institutions actually working to put any salve on that wound) I've felt "remote and detached" for quite a while . . . long before you came on the scene to "reform" my world . . . making the same promises I've heard before . . . from the big/two-faced Blue "technocrats" . . . over and over again.

Mr. President, you're just another empty blue suit in a long line.

1/21 Update: Related.

"But now every time I hit the stage, bigger crowds appear in fits of rage . . ."

How HOT Is It?

Since my time in New Orleans, I've been a connoisseur of hot sauce.

It's genetic. Granddaddy Cecil liked Texas Pete on his eggs (apparently it's an Eastern N.C. thing). Although, I thought (and still think) that was NASTY.

I have some hot sauce right now . . . that I found in a shop a year or so ago in Edenton . . . that is SO hot, its cap boasts a tiny little skull (I forget what "time" my reserve is - but it's sold out now). One drop will supposedly season an entire pot of soup . . . and/or pucker your butt for days.

I say supposedly because I've yet to muster the courage to break the wax seal on the bottle.

The best sauce, of course, burns going in and coming out. The longer the burn, the better the sauce;)

And/so I had to laugh. Stupid is as stupid does.

The Doctors They're Buzzing

The election of Scott Brown to Ted Kennedy's Senate seat, has doctors everywhere buzzing (in a mostly-positive way). KevinMD's is no exception. I've commented there. I may have more to say as the thread progresses.

Don't see any need in repeating myself.

Sign Up For USGS Earthquake Notifications

Although "the big one" in Massachusetts (and it's aftershock in Arlington) was not reported last night, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) actually has a mechanism via which one can sign up for "earthquake e-mail alerts".

The link is here.

I found the site while fact-checking on this post, and registered immediately. The site is not just about earthquakes. But already, going over some of the data has been quite fascinating (especially if you're the least bit worried about when the Yellowstone "super-volcano" is going to blow).

And I am. Because that's what I do . . . worry about stuff that probably won't happen until way long after I'm dust in the wind.

I'd like to think I'll be red dust;)

There was a 6.1 aftershock in Haiti today. You didn't necessarily hear it here first.

That Wasn't Thunder At Arlington

I've been up since 4 AM, but can go to bed now that I am assured Senator Edward Kennedy is rolling in his grave.

But first, maybe I'll have some iced tea (tea - get it?) in memory of poor Mary Jo . . . some things being best served cold;)

Tonight, baring any sick babies or STAT C-Sections, I will sleep well. I actually have a little hope . . . for the first time in a long while.

Maybe We-The-People really can STOP some of this *&^%$# madness.

On Vodou And HooDoo And Haiti

As regular readers know, for brief/glorious period of time, right before I came home to Asheboro, I lived and worked in the New Orleans area.

And New Orleans before the storm was a wonderful, magical place to be. One day, I hope to go back.

During that time, as a bit of student of other faiths and religions (while still managing to stay firmly grounded in the one I was born to), I immersed myself in the local culture. I encountered vodou and hoodoo, and met people who believed in and practiced some fairly dark arts. And, as open-minded and respectful as I try to be of someone else's spiritual faith (I expect the same in kind), I must say that what I saw and read about made an impression. You could say the spirits moved me.

I already believed in evil as a palpable presence in the world.

But it is one thing to believe, and yet another to feel it.

Many folks are wailing and gnashing over Pat Roberton's recent remarks about Haiti's alleged "pact with the devil".

Pat will be Pat. Playing devil's advocate (get it?), Robertson has deeply-held beliefs (which I respect as much as anyone else's) and very good intentions, combined with the God-given ability to put his foot in his mouth faster than any TV evangelist I've ever seen. On the other hand, I'm thinking that if what he said made people mad and galvanized them to donate even more to relief efforts, ALL THE BETTER.

The Lord uses all things for good and works in mysterious ways.

But the thing is (and it's a big but), as soon as I heard about Pat's "gaffe", I remembered hearing variations of this story . . . in bits and pieces . . . way back when I once roamed the French Quarter and trolled around in its shops.

I don't have access to my library right now . . . which houses the books I bought in New Orleans that might served as references. But being a girl who prefers facts, I did a little online research, trying to find the basis for the story. I came up with two fairly decent/straight-forward links.

I present them now - if only as food for thought.

The first is a primer on Vodou from the New Orleans Mystic.

The second is an actual scholarly article published in the Stockholm Review of Latin American Studies this past March (2009) entitled, “Our Government is in Bwa Kayiman:” A Vodou Ceremony in 1791 and its Contemporary Significations.

And, as you contemplate all of that, please remember that there are hard times and there is Hell and give what you can to the earthquake relief efforts.

Comments are closed on this one. I don't care what you think. I just want you to think.

You could say it's about practicing tolerance for "diversity".

It would be particularly nice if some folks thought before they spoke.

1/18 Update: From CNN.

1/18 Afternoon Update: A Wesleyan Professor weighs in.