Tag Archives: law

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.

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.

 

 

LIARS – Explicit and Implicit

Homespun philosophy, Politics, , , ,

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.
Soren Kirkegaard
. . . . . . . . . .

And so today we act as fools, because of a supposed “law”. The people of the United States can no longer close their eyes, minds and hearts to the explicit lies of our highest ranking leaders. We have also been treated to the explicit and implicit lies of all those who support those “leaders”: those who are true believers in the lies and those who just go along to get along.

What happens to a nation of liars and oath breakers? What happens to those who choose to believe and support and be enslaved by those lies and liars? If the truth will set us free then the opposite must also be true, when we believe a lie we become slaves to that lie.

If we believe what is not true, implicitly we are passive in our own downfall. If we refuse to believe what is true then we are explicitly partners in what our future holds.

Consider what it does to our own souls when we ACCEPT such lies and are either too lazy or too apathetic to confront the lies and demand the truth. Do we then also become implicit liars, no better than those in power who lie to perpetuate their power?

Lies at this point seem to be coin of the realm and are spent by many.

When our three older children were young (and we still had a TV), the kids liked to watch AMERICA’S MOST WANTED. They all had a highly developed sense of the necessity for bad guys to get caught and punished for their crimes and it pained them to see someone “getting away with it.” I tried to explain to them that no one “gets away” with anything, that we are what we are. One day I made it really simple and introduced the idea of a lie that they might have told and thought they “got away with” because no one else “caught” them. Then I asked, “Are you still a liar or not?” As young as they were they could see the point that until they confessed and determined not to ever lie again, they would remain liars. Then we could discuss whether a politician who lies, or a thief or a murderer can really “get away with it.”

Of course we have all told what we consider to be “white” lies, and we do have need of change. One can always find something positive to say without lying, or maybe the truth just needs to be out there. Until we accept our own culpability and make the necessary changes, we remain what we are. If we are liars we remain liars still. Our very souls remain calcified until we break the shells we build to hide from ourselves.

Our leaders seem to have highly calcified and impregnable shells, and they continue in their lies. We need to call their game so we are free from the lies placed upon us.

WHAT MAKES A LAW

Politics,

WHAT MAKES A LAW

One thing people seem to misunderstand is what a LAW really is. RIGHTS are natural and given to us by our Creator. Laws are made by men in order to accomplish various goals, such as protecting rights and property, maintaining order, restraining harmful behavior, defending against enemies, etc. Laws are necessary in order to ensure civilized behavior and to prevent anarchy.

From time to time bad laws are enacted and must be removed from the books. Perhaps the worst thing is when there is such a multitude of laws that no one can possibly know them all. Ignorance of the law then becomes a rational excuse for law breaking. “I didn’t know the gun was loaded. . .” may sound like a crazy defense, but “I didn’t know I’m not allowed to fish here. . .” may be very rational.

One aspect of law that is never discussed any more is “Equality before the law” as set forth in Article XVI of our Constitution. If one person (let alone thousands of government and union workers) is excused from a law how then can it remain a “law”? To be a law in truth it must apply to everyone equally. Obamacare should be thrown out on that basis alone. If one person is excused from the provisions of that law it is no longer a law, and anyone who chooses not to enter into the program (which is what it really is) should also be excused from its requirements.

Why is this principle of legal jurisprudence not addressed by anyone, not even judges and lawyers. Only “We The People” discuss this with friends and scratch our heads at the stupidity of things like hate crimes. Only whites can commit them? Really? There are Minority Set Asides of all kinds. How does that work? And what about the graft and corruption in the building trades when only certain minority groups have any chance of winning bids? And Affirmative Action in Education hurts ALL when the brightest are not even allowed to enroll in colleges and universities if they are Oriental or Caucasian and even the most capable and intelligent blacks become suspect under such programs.

The list of misuse of the Law is lengthy and brings such divisiveness to society. Abraham Lincoln, one of the great Presidents ever, the man who led a war to free the slaves, in his time of trial often repeated the Biblical injunction that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

Will we stand as friends and citizens today, or will our house remain divided?
For so it is.