Category Archives: Truth

IN THE MIDST OF BATTLE

Corruption, Truth, , , ,

Joshua M. Blahi is the man who was known as General Butt Naked during the Liberian Civil War which drew to a close in 1996. He always went into battle naked except for boots and weapons, hence his war name. I still find his story both troubling and perhaps redemptive.

Blahi’s crimes were heinous and revolting, including ritual sacrifice of young children and drinking of their blood and eating their hearts. Yet he claims to have been called by God while he was still in the midst of a battle. He says he immediately dropped his weapons and left the war entirely. After many weeks of fasting, prayer and counseling with a pastor he saw Jesus in vision and was told to repent and never return to his old ways. He says he knows he has been fully redeemed through faith in The Lord Jesus Christ. For awhile he lived in hiding in Ghana, but now preaches the Gospel in a church in Liberia. He was the only man involved in the Liberian Civil War who returned to the country and requested that he stand trial for his crimes, but there were no genocide laws at the time which he could be charged under.

After reading his story I felt compelled to write a poem about him, a poem that could just BE, with no judgment made. It was at first a very daunting and frustrating experience. My pitiful attempts at trying to describe what hand-to-hand combat might be like were stymied when the most beastly word I could think of was “snot.” I didn’t want to use profanity and yet I wanted to convey the idea of violence contrasted with the call to repentance and where the call might lead. It turned out to be both a physically and emotionally difficult task.

Blahi’s story is very controversial and he has many detractors who still feel he is “the most evil man in the world.” I do not know what crimes can be forgiven by God, but He is the only one who knows the hearts of men. Has He atoned for the General’s sins? I chose to write my poem as though I do believe, and yet questions remain. So here is my offering, I hope it causes thought on the possibilities of redemption for each human being.

THE GENERAL

Naked, plunging again into slaughter, aching
to inflict pain –
Furiously pounding pulse revels in screams
As legs push powerfully forward,
gasping effort of lungs, muscles and sinews
now wading – blindly – through sobbing moans, the
leaving life of others,
arms straining, stabbing, slashing;
– always forward through smoke and noise –
Drunken on blood, consumed hearts of
children form rivulets, greencongealing from mouth
and nose:

Insensate, lust of killing remains.

But now, suddenly – silence –
– – – choice – – –
between the familiar comforts of hell or
the rigors of Damascus –

Strange scene when God speaks, and
old ways cease.
Feet stop, filthy body slumps, sweating and spent –
Eyes see
(at last),
and back turns.

Who will believe this stranger in the land?

BENGHAZI BLUES FOR OBAMA

Bengahzi, Corruption, intelligence, Politics, Truth, , , , , , , ,

THE FORGOTTEN VICTIMS

After all that has been said about Benghazi, nothing is as damning as the callousness, dishonesty and lack of humanity put on full display by President Barack H. Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and other members of this ruthless regime towards the families of the four Americans killed there on September 11, 2012.

Anyone who was paying even a smidgen of attention in those few days after the attack had a pretty clear picture right away of what had gone down in Benghazi, and the failures of this administration in dealing with the attack. Why the Regime thought they could get away with lying, and then sending Susan Rice out to compound the lies is beyond belief. And still they lie, again and again.

Remember the scene and the promises made at Dover AFB on September 14, 2012, as the flag-draped coffins of the four American Citizens who had been murdered three days before, Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, who preferred to be called Chris, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty and Tyrone S. Woods arrived back in their homeland? Remember the crocodile tears that were shed as a “visibly moved” (per the UK Daily Mail) Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that Chris Stevens was a friend of hers, and promised the mother of Sean Smith that her son’s murderers would be brought to justice.

President Obama said, “Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. We will bring to justice those who took them from us. . . . Four Americans, four patriots. They loved this country. They chose to serve it, and served it well.” Then he jetted off to a fund raiser. He mourned no longer than necessary.

At Dover AFB Mrs. Clinton hugged Pat Smith as she blamed a video for what had happened, and promised Mrs. Smith that if any information changed she would be the first to know. As of May 4, 2014 Mrs. Smith says she still has not heard anything from anyone, despite her pleas.

All the promises that were made, the tears that were shed, and then, nothing. Less than a year later Hillary Clinton would famously testify: “what difference at this point does it make?” We heard her say Chris Stevens was her friend, but she seems no longer to care, and doesn’t she still have “promises to keep” to Mrs. Smith and other family members?

Now a State Department spokesman says John Kerry can’t appear before the Special Committee. Oh, wait, maybe he can after all. And Rep. Adam Schiff (Dem. CA) recommends that Democrats just boycott the hearings, even while Nancy Pelosi demands that half of the committee be Democrats or, if not, the Dems actually may follow through on the boycott. This is the same Nancy Pelosi who as Speaker regularly weighted Special Committees with Democrats. And if Elijah Cummings is appointed to the committee will Pelosi control him since he can’t control himself?

Charles Woods, father of Benghazi victim Tyrone Woods, repeatedly asked Obama to answer questions about the murders and what was being done about them. The mainstream media paid scant attention to him. Remember when this brave man called Obama out on Benghazi and told him to act like a man? He addressed his words directly to Obama and asked him, for the sake of his own soul, to stop lying. He ended by saying, “It’s better to die a hero than to live a coward.”

Since he received no recognition or answers from the administration, Mr. Woods finally returned to his home in Hawaii. I think I heard someplace that Obama regularly plays golf in Hawaii. Did he ever take time out to visit Mr. Woods, or even call him while he was there? We can guess he prefers to live as a coward.

All the necessary facts are known about Benghazi by which to make an informed judgement. But the most damning aspect of this whole affair has nothing to do with the facts of the attack as much as it has to do with the blatantly callous disregard shown to the families of the four murdered Americans. Perhaps if President Obama and the other principal players in his regime had shown even one speck of human feeling for those families they could have avoided the problems they now face.

ONE LITTLE, TWO LITTLE, THREE LITTLE INDIANS

Education, Politics, Truth, Uncategorized, , , , ,

Harry Reid Feels Your Pain

Bonnie’s mother is Navaho (or Navajo, if you prefer). When she had to choose a tribe, Bonnie also chose to be Navaho, so when she had her second little Indian, a lovely girl with masses of black hair, she gave her the wonderful name Nizoni, pronounced ni-ZHON-ee, the Navaho word meaning Beautiful, and beautiful she is. Nizoni was born exactly one year and nine minutes after her older brother, Gavin, so they are real “Irish twins.” Or is that considered a racist term now? Their shared birthday parties are a juggling act, although as long as everything (including the chili) has chocolate in it, Nizoni is happy.

Bonnie’s father is one-half Hopi and a member of that tribe. At Gavin’s Hopi Hair Washing Ceremony, all his direct Hopi relatives (parents, aunts, uncles, etc.) washed his hair and gave him the Hopi name meaning Tadpole. Other members of the tribe are witnesses to the ceremony. At Nizoni’s Hair Washing, being a girl, she was named after the Kachina for cumulus clouds.

Bonnie’s father is also one-half Tewa. His father was the last full-blooded Tewa Indian in Bonnie’s family, and he was the first Indian Platoon leader in the US military. During the closing weeks of WWII, he and the members of his platoon parachuted behind enemy lines in the Phillipines and helped rescue a group of American POW’s who they knew were scheduled for execution by the Japanese within 24 hours. Bonnie’s grandfather was a great man and a great warrior.

When her third little Indian, Soren, was born, she gave him the middle name of Tewa, a lifetime remembrance of his heritage. He was named Little Corn at his Hopi Hair Washing. His mother thinks he’s pretty corny for sure when he’s hungry and yelling for food. He’s nine months old now and seriously considering walking. Since his eyes shine with mischief, Bonnie wonders how she’ll corral him when the time comes and if there’s any sleep in her future.

If you question Bonnie about her heritage she says she prefers to be called an Indian, with no hyphenated anything. That she is a patriotic American is a given. She wishes some Americans would just get over being so phony about their supposed sensitivities and if someone wants to call her a “Redskin”‘ hey, that’s fine with her. She’s proud to be an Indian and hopes the Redskins keep both their pride and their name.

Bonnie’s children belong to a mixed world, for you see she chose a (gasp!)
white guy for a husband. Alex’s roots in America go back only to the Mayflower, so he’s a newcomer to the land. Together Bonnie and her Alex are more concerned about the character, good behavior and toughness of their Three Little Indians than they are about any manufactured hurt feelings. They are, however, not above using Indian culture to make a point.

When Gavin started school this past autumn, he quietly folded his arms and bowed his head over his food at lunch. His teacher told him he was not allowed to do that. He was confused and upset when he told Bonnie and Alex about it because he had been taught at home to always bless his food. His parents very carefully considered their options and what they hoped to accomplish for their son. The next morning Bonnie went to the school and explained that in Hopi culture and tradition it is important to give thanks for the bounty of the earth. Caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place, the school, to be politically correct, bowed to Hopi, not Christian, tradition.

Harry Reid’s evil remarks are both demeaning and insulting to both sides of Bonnie and Alex’s family. Please Harry, everyone’s heard enough from you, just go away.

We are the blessed ones as the Three Little Indians invade our home every day. They giggle as they pull their Papa’s suspenders and kiss the bald spot on his head. He saves himself by bribing them with anything chocolate and calls them his “War Whoops.” The dog loves them with slavish devotion and makes certain they are safe in the yard. They love the dog and tolerate me as they kiss me and call me gramma.

Harry, not a single one of us needs anything from you.

THE CARE AND FEEDING OF GENIUS

Education, intelligence, Truth, Uncategorized, , , ,

CAN WE REALLY KNOW WHAT GENIUS IS?

In the late 1970’s Popular Science ran an article about The Next Decades Up- and-Coming Young Scientists, or something of that nature. At the time I was busily engaged in the trenches rearing three small children. Our eldest son had scored very high on an IQ test (I almost want to say here that he was “diagnosed” with a high IQ), which was no surprise, but it did increase our insecurities about how best to meet his needs.

The author of the article in question interviewed several of the men and women scientists who had been recommended for the magazine’s honor. Some of the questions asked and the answers were very illuminating.

When asked when they knew they were “smart”, over half said they had no idea until they took the SAT and/or entered college. They thought of themselves as “just one of the guys” until they went away from home. There were very few who said their parents told them or any of their siblings they were smart or praised them for it. Some of the respondents still sounded shocked that they were considered smarter than average.

When asked what they considered their biggest advantages in growing up,  the answers were almost all along the lines of:

My parents made me do my homework, and they checked it.

I had responsibilities at home, but learning was a priority.

My mother took me to the library at least once a week to get as many new books as I was allowed to borrow, and made certain I both read the books and took care of them. My parents questioned me about them.

Both of my parents were interested in what I was doing and what I thought. We ate dinner together and discussed everything under the sun.

All of the respondents said their strengths started with their parents and being taught to work.

The article also quoted one top scientist as saying, “You can learn anything in the world if you have an IQ of 120, anything above that number is just so much gravy.”

I’m still not convinced that we know enough about intelligence to “test” for it. What is considered intelligence in one culture may be totally irrelevant in another. Is a Polynesian explorer steering his canoe by his knowledge of the ocean and heavens any less intelligent than a book taught scholar at Cambridge? Would some of our present day educators have enough knowledge to survive if dropped into a wilderness? What kind of IQ would survival take?

So, does IQ matter? I read once that after Richard Feynman won the Nobel Prize in Physics, he and his wife visited his old high school where he asked to see his school records. Upon leaving he turned to his wife and said, “Winning the Nobel Prize didn’t seem like such a big deal, but now that I know my IQ it seems huge.”

I have watched the trap that parents of “smart” kids can fall into when they think that their child “has no peers”, as I heard one woman say. It’s an easy trap to be caught in. When our son skipped sixth grade and began Middle School he left his friends behind and felt lost without them. He came home one day and happily told me he had made a friend. Without thinking, I asked, “Is he smart?” My son, wiser than I, answered, “I don’t know, but he sure is nice.” I mended my ways.

Remember, we should be engaged in the business of rearing good people first, geniuses if we have to. Now that I have watched my children become adults and begin families of their own, I have learned a few lessons that, in the real world, seem important to me in growing those good people:

All children should be taught to work at a young age. They should also be given some moral and/or religious instruction.

All of your children, whether genius or not, will have different strengths and weaknesses. Other children are their peers.

All children will fail, and need to be told they failed. Their feelings will recover and their self respect will be strengthened when they master what they failed at.

Never be afraid to tell your children “NO”, and mean it.

Unless they are infants or ill, never clean up after your children. They need to clean up their own messes and mistakes.

All children should learn a skill or trade, but not all should go to college.

Your child may be a “late bloomer”, cut him or her some slack.

All children, no matter how “smart”, will have troubles and heartache. It’s called the human condition.

At some point, earlier than you might think, you lose the right to be your child’s boss. They’re on their own.

As long as your children know how to work and love God and learning, chances are, no matter what they do, they’ll be fine.

One more thing. If I were doing things all over again today, I would home school in a heart beat.

REVISITING THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

Biblical Wisdom, Education, Truth, , ,

WHY THE SABBATH AND FREEDOM INTERTWINE

In previous postings about the Sabbath Day observance required by the Fourth Commandment I had raised the question of why God would make this a matter of freedom for Israel, and I felt I needed to consider what keeping the sabbath holy might do to make us as individuals and as a nation worthy of that freedom.

As I posted before, there are three things God required of Israel in regards to the sabbath day. They are: (1) To keep the sabbath day holy; (2) for you and your family to do no work, nor are you to require anyone else, including strangers and slaves, or even animals, to do any work on the sabbath day; and (3) to remember that the Israelites had themselves been slaves and that God had made them free.

I did not understand the relationship between the sabbath and freedom, and yet The Lord told Jeremiah that if the Kingdom of Judah would again keep the sabbath holy Jerusalem would remain free and stand forever. Last week I caught a small glimpse of the link between sabbath worship and freedom and why our nation is losing liberty.

When people turn away from God and no longer follow His ways, they lose the knowledge that it is He who made man free: that all men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Unalienable, or inalienable, means an inherent, or inborn, right which cannot be taken away, nor should it be relinquished by the possessor. If people forget this meaning it becomes easier for unscrupulous men and women to foster the thinking that it is the Government that GRANTS freedom. One way to understand the nature of freedom is to REMEMBER that we have all been in some form of slavery. We have not all been in physical slavery, but we are all slaves to the lies we believe.

Where do we learn the TRUTH that makes us free if we no longer give time to God and His Word? How do we even know what freedom and liberty are if we have no contact with truth? Keeping the sabbath holy was enjoined on the people of the bible to keep them REMEMBERING God by REMEMBERING that only HE can teach us Truth and guarantee freedom.

Learning about the truth of God and the purpose of our lives requires us to consider HIM in all our doings. The sabbath day requirement to REMEMBER WE WERE SLAVES directs us to the ways of The Lord

He does not want slaves, He wants men who freely turn in love to Him, with broken hearts and contrite spirits. When men humble themselves before God and put Him first they become more able to resist relying on the arm of flesh and to begin acting on God’s Commandments which were given to insure freedom and safety for all. That is the only way to have a civilized society and a nation worth saving.

Is sabbath day worship the most important thing we can do for the freedom of the United States of America? How many of us will it take for God to honor our effort? Are YOU willing to follow this commandment?
I, for one, am convinced that this understanding of the nature of freedom and the sabbath is a small but important step in the right direction.

WHEN DOES A STUDENT DOCTOR BECOME A LICENSED PHYSICIAN?

Corruption, Medicine, Truth, , , , , , ,

WHERE WAS THE SUPERVISING PHYSICIAN AT BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, AND WHERE ARE THE GOVERNORS OF THE STATES OF MASSACHUSETTS AND CONNECTICUT?

The unseemly horror story of Justina Pelletier taking place in Boston, Massachusetts is so nauseating one wonders at the ability of the physicians involved to live with themselves, to say nothing of the judge and those in Children’s Services.

After reading that the “doctor” who diagnosed Justina with Somatoform Disorder had come from Holland and been a Resident at the hospital for only seven months, I was stunned. It is misleading to treat him as a full-fledged Doctor of Psychology or Psychiatry, and for him to make a diagnoses of Somatoform Disorder, or anything else for that matter, without the direct aid of his Supervising Physician. He had only completed the “Book Learning” portion of his studies (no matter how many “papers” he had authored), and had been accepted at Boston Children’s Hospital as a Resident to train for his medical specialty. Residency requirements depend upon the specialty selected. They vary from three years to become a GP (for instance), or up to seven years for more advanced degrees such as Neurosurgery. THEN the doctor must also complete a Fellowship in his specialty. The Fellowship timing varies from one to three years.

Only after completing all that training may the doctor take the exams for licensing to become a physician all on his own. He would need still more testing and training if he wished to become Board Certified. Thus the doctor in Justina’s case has completed nothing but basic medical school and was performing duties under his Supervising Physician’s license. Who is that person and why did he or she allow this travesty?

Which brings us to the Governors of the States of Massachusetts and Connecticut. Why has Deval Patrick not stepped in to end this matter once and for all? Has it not occurred to him that the anger his Children’s Services are causing by their arrogant and overweening actions is harmful to both him and to his state? Both residents of the state and nonresidents alike are aware of his lack of leadership in this matter. There are those who will no longer visit Massachusetts nor bring their children to its hospitals. All those who have been following Justina’s story and praying for her see what the governor  does, or does not do in this matter and should hold him accountable.

And why isn’t Governor Dannel Malloy of Connecticut demanding the return of a juvenile resident of his State?

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, that can begin to describe the disgust that Boston Children’s Hospital and Judge Johnston deserve.

AM I MY BROTHER’S KEEPER?

Biblical Wisdom, Corruption, Truth, , , , , ,

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED WHEN CAIN KILLED ABEL?

Now Obama wants to have favored groups, people of color, receive specialized training to prepare for jobs. Funny about that. People of non-color get no such special treatment. Obama uses the biblical sounding group name “Brothers’ Keepers” for his new protected class. In what sense is this a biblical concept?

Did God tell Cain that he WAS his brother’s keeper? Do any of us really want to be our brothers’s keepers? Do YOU want to be “kept?” What is a “keeper” anyway? We should remember that there are keepers who restrict  freedom and even imprison others.

Cain killed Abel, his brother, because he coveted his property and his standing with God. When he was confronted by God who asked where his brother was, he tried to change the subject. Cain was the one who  challenged God by asking, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”  The answer is of course not, but he WAS his brother’s murderer.

What exactly do we owe our brothers? To do them no physical harm nor cause them mental anguish; to not steal ANYTHING from them, INCLUDING their spouses or children, nor their property; to not bear false witness against them or ruin their good name; to covet NOTHING that is theirs. There go those Ten Commandments again. God’s prescription for civilized society.

Most of the time we should just leave our brothers and sisters alone. Let them live their lives as they desire. We do have a responsibility to be civil and aid our neighbors in their need. But once the aid is given it is not our place to enslave each other. If our aid includes gifts, it is not up to us to tell our brothers how they must use that gift. Their property, once they have received it, is their own to use as they see fit. If you think your gift has been misused then don’t throw your help that way again.

We are “keepers” of our young children until they are able to care for themselves, and, insofar as we are able, we must care for those who are incapacitated. Again, we only do what our brothers NEED and ASK of us and what will not weaken them.

Politicians and government should NEVER be our keepers, however much they pretend to be the only ones capable of helping.

If you wish to support a charity you should investigate where its money really goes. Several charities have high overhead and leaders who make VERY large salaries. We can all be fooled but we can try to be careful. Many years ago Bear and I wanted to find a group that helped children. We received heart-rending appeals from a religious order showing the priests holding and feeding stick-thin African babies with huge bellies and flies on their faces. I actually had the checkbook out to make a donation when I heard on radio news that the very group I was addressing was facing indictment for theft and that NONE of their donations were actually used to help anyone but themselves.

Do not, as a rule, make charitable donations to a government entity. Find a private charity you trust and follow its record carefully.

We may not be our brothers’ keepers, but we should be generous when disaster strikes and our help is needed.

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT

Biblical Wisdom, Corruption, Truth, , , , , , , ,

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT:  YOU SHALL NOT COVET YOUR NEIGHBOR’S WIFE. YOU SHALL NOT CRAVE YOUR NEIGHBOR’S HOUSE, OR HIS FIELD, OR HIS MALE OR FEMALE SLAVE, OR HIS OX, OR HIS ASS, OR ANYTHING THAT IS THY NEIGHBOR’S.  Deuteronomy 5:12 . Tanakh Version, Jewish Publication Society.

The use of the word “crave” in the Tanakh translation is illuminating. My reaction to “covet” is strong, but to “crave” something hits me in the gut. Covet sounds like it could be a longing from afar, almost like a “wish” for something, but a craving sounds beastly and uncontrollable. That may be because of drug associations with the word. The King James Version is different still and uses the word “desire” in relation to  your neighbor’s wife, and “covet” where the Tanakh uses “crave.” Our grandson and Bear both find covet to be a stronger word.

At any rate, the commandment is very clear that we are not to desire, crave, or covet our neighbor’s family, property or goods of any kind. Bear says that should cover all the bases.

I cannot help but think that of all the commandments that deal with our relationships to our “neighbors” or fellow men, this particular one is presented last in order for a purpose. This one warns us of the beginnings of sin that lead to greater sin: bearing false witness, stealing, adultery and murder, all the ways we can harm one another, and we have already been told not to do those things.

When we wake up and find ourselves taking the path of covetousness, while we still have the capability and strength to see clearly our need to repent, we must do so and stop our downward slide into those greater sins.

In our youth, many of us succumb to jealousy over the beauty, poise or apparent riches of others. Teenagers may feel ugly, unloved and stupid, and so jealousy of others takes over. This is one of the reasons youth require much positive training and reinforcement in proper behavior. At any age, though, we all need to learn to restrain jealousy. Keeping any of The Ten Commandments takes self awareness and self control, virtues disdained in our society today. Many seem to have fallen into a degree of hedonism that can lead to the destruction of civil society if we do not reverse course.

Do not covet anything that is thy neighbor’s also has political repercussions as class warfare is used to divide us as a people. Do you think another’s money should be confiscated by tax policy to be given to others? Do you really believe that redistribution of wealth is a worthy goal? Who gets to decide what you do with what you have earned?

How should charity be handled, by the heavy hand of government, or by individuals acting freely out of love for their fellow men? Where is the most individual growth fostered?

Do not covet that which is not yours, and become adult enough to work for your own daily bread.

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

Biblical Wisdom, Corruption, Economics, Truth, , , , ,

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT:  YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, Deuteronomy 5:10. Tanakh Version, JPS.

One would think of this commandment as self evident in creating a civilized society. No such luck. Stealing has been a problem since humanity began. In ways large and small there are people who can always justify “taking” what they want or think they “need.” Is it a new pen, change from the cash drawer, shop lifting, or embezzling from the boss that tempts you? Would you get a thrill out of breaking and entering? Would you do it because you “deserve” more things or because “everybody else does it?”

Cain’s anger and choice to steal his brother’s flocks led directly to murder. How many murders today are the result of first deciding to steal?

Reading recently about the woman chosen to head ObamaCare in Colorado who has been indicted for embezzling massive amounts from a federal housing program in Wyoming leaves me scratching my head. It’s simply startling what people think they have a right to, and what they will do for financial gain. Some of them get away with their predations for many years and seem to never get caught. Some in the Government are known by Department heads to be padding accounts, double-dipping, and getting paid for personal travel for years and yet they receive no punishment at all when they are finally publicly exposed. They may even get promoted or simply transferred.

How much of the public debt has accrued because of theft and malfeasance all down the line? There is mind numbing malfeasance and outright theft by elected and appointed officials, and administrators within the bureaucracy, and recipients of government contracts and programs. Virtually penniless elected officials become millionaires, if not billionaires, and no one says a word.

In the end stealing leads not just to dishonor, fines or jail time for the thief, it also leads to a gradual breaking down of inhibitions in all who are willing to steal for their own gain. If the man at the top is willing to lie, cheat and steal, then the restraints that inhibit such behavior in others below him weaken and gross immorality occurs.

I have often wondered about Adolph Hitler’s underlings. If there had been no Hitler, would Eichmann, for instance, have been just a faceless bureaucrat all his days? Would the men who carelessly murdered and maimed their fellow citizens in the name of the state have been the animals they were? The same questions could be asked in any bureaucracy that falls into lawlessness. The old saying that, “A fish rots from the head down” is only the truth.

The public loss of confidence in the honesty and integrity of members of the government is another symptom of rot at the top. The corruption may take time to filter through society, but filtered or not, it does continue to taint all down the line and becomes public knowledge. TRUTH will out and eventually shine through to those who have open eyes to see and ears to hear. Many eyes and ears are beginning to open. Every honest citizen has begun to wonder if there is anyone at all in government worthy of trust.

God Himself has told His people not to steal. He knows how sin weakens us and always leads to greater sinning. Theft makes slaves of us all.

 

 

THE “HELL” THAT MEDICINE CAN BE

Corruption, Medicine, Politics, Truth, , ,

BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL – REDUX

Now that Alaska has its own scandalous medical situation, I wonder how many other states and hospitals are as sleazy as Boston Children’s Hospital. When the word finally got out that the “doctor” who diagnosed Justina Pelletier with Somatoform Disorder was in the United States to complete his medical training and had been at the hospital for only seven months, all kinds of red flags got raised for me.

First of all, this guy would probably be only a resident. That means he is not even yet a full-fledged doctor of anything. My experience with residents has been less than wonderful at times.

When our daughter was at Boston Children’s she had a resident come in and tell her that they would not give her her thyroid medication because her blood tests indicated she was fine and didn’t have any thyroid problems at all. She told him she had been taking the medication for two years and that was why her levels were normal, so if they took her off she would no longer be “fine.” He continued to argue but finally conceded the point and gave her the medicine. Why should she have had to defend herself? If the guy had any brains at all the situation should have been obvious.

One of the worst problems with residents is they tend to think they know it all and many of them stay that close minded in spite of what happens around them.

For the life of me I cannot understand how this “doctor” at Boston’s has been given leeway to do what he has done. And where has his supervising physician been in this mess?

The DFS in Massachusetts has been less than stellar in their handling of Justina’s case. For them now to say their goal has “always” been to do what’s best for Justina and reunite her with her family as soon as possible is a complete joke. Who does anyone believe anymore? Any patient, or their guardian, at any time has the right to request a second, third, or fourth opinion, and they also have the right to leave a hospital when their needs are not met.

And Judge Johnston needs to be thoroughly investigated. Who does he think he is and what conceivable right does he have to issue a “gag order” in such a matter?

This whole case is such a travesty, both medically and legally. Whatever can be done to restore trust in a hospital with such policies? I sincerely hope Justina’s family sues the hospital, the doctors and the state of Massachusetts, and that they sign no non-disclosure agreements.

In the Alaska case, I know that if our Governor does not at least speak out soon, I will work tirelessly against his reelection, and when the judge comes before voters for retention I will work just as tirelessly against him. When the names of the doctors are known I think they should be sued, individually and as a group. I will never again set a foot in any Providence medical facility if I can possibly help it.

What are the laws in your state governing what the medical profession can do to you? You might check out your state’s Youth and Family Services while you’re at it.

HARVARD HUBRIS

Education, Politics, Truth, ,

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL, WHO’S THE SMARTEST ONE OF ALL?

Sandra Korn, a student at Harvard and a columnist for the HARVARD CRIMSON, has raised eyebrows over her assertion that adherence to liberalism trumps academic freedom, and Harvard should lock out those who do not agree with her. I suppose she’s getting her fifteen minutes in the limelight, but let’s look at what she has to believe in order to make such a proposition:

That Sandra Korn is the smartest woman in the world, or at least at  Harvard (which, in her mind, may be the same thing.)
That she knows everything, so no other ideas are needed.
That anyone who thinks other than she is at least her inferior, if not downright stupid, and probably evil.
That free thought and free speech should not be tolerated in academia, so Harvard must bar its doors against such folk. (I thought they already had, so this point may be moot.)
That she has the right to determine what other people think and say.

In another context I had quoted Soren Kirkegaard as follows: THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO BE FOOLED. ONE IS TO BELIEVE WHAT IS NOT TRUE; THE OTHER IS TO REFUSE TO BELIEVE WHAT IS TRUE.

Sandra seems to have put herself on the horns of a dilemma here. What she says and why she apparently believes she has the right to say it are completely illogical and profound foolishness for the following reasons:

Sandra has not told us her IQ, but it is possible that smarter people than she exist, some may even attend Harvard, or no university at all.
It is impossible that she knows everything and has no need of other ideas. What a closed mind that would be.
Very intelligent people, some way smarter than she, may very well disagree with her.
Free thought and free speech are the very essence of TRUTH and LEARNING.
What other people think and say are, frankly, none of her business. If she chooses to engage them in debate then she is obliged to remain civil.

What she says, and apparently believes, is not true and meets Kirkegaard’s first test of foolishness. Her REFUSAL to believe that free ideas and free speech are vital to academic freedom meets his second test of foolishness,

Sandra appears to be a foolish person on all counts and the horns of her dilemma are very sharp, they might even break her ego mirror on the wall.