The Aftermath…The Real Problem

An editorial in the October 18th issue of the New York Times (“Republicans and Foreign Policy”) states that “Accusing President Obama of being weak or refusing to lead is ludicrous when you consider all he has done to repair the damage his predecessor did to America’s standing in the world.”

None of the Republican presidential candidate frontrunners are coming close to a viable foreign policy platform, the editorial concluded. 

At a recent debate, Texan Rick Perry was asked what he would do if the Taliban took control of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. Perry jumbled up names and facts, the NYT said, “and ended up accusing Washington of refusing to sell F-16s to India, which actually had declined to buy the combat planes.”

Herman Cain said a leader does not need to know the names of people who run places like “Ubeki-beki-beki-beki-stan-stan”. But apparently Cain doesn’t know that although Uzbekistan’s President Karmov is a tyrant with a woeful human rights legacy he allows America to use Uzbekistan as a supply route to Afghanistan. 

Romney wants to increase defense spending but gives no idea how. Hunstsman wants the US out of Afghanistan right away, while Senator Santorum wants the US to mount an aggressive push to win, but gives no clue as to how the US is to do that. Neither Perry nor Romney give an indication as to when or if they would get troops home, the NYT said.

The aftermath always brings with it a stew of recrimination, complicity and hopeful alliances that may or may not work out. Back in the 1960’s, everyone was waiting for Madman genius Jerry Della Femina to come up with a blockbuster idea at a brainstorming session his first day working on a Panasonic ad campaign. Finally he said, “I've got it!” How about 'From Those Wonderful Folks Who Gave You Pearl Harbor.'"

All of us, including the Occupy Wall Street folks, would love to see Obama solve the problems of the aftermath of the Bush administrations. But he didn’t and he hasn’t. However, claiming that he caused the problems is silly and not productive. A simple statement from the Repubs that they don’t know how to get themselves, us and the world out of the mess their guys caused, would be the most healing and positive thing they could do.

Will they do it?

Of course not.

AMA’s Biggest Problem: Doing Harm

The American Medical Association, which had its inception in 1844, has a mission. It is to: promote the art and science of medicine for the betterment of the public health, to advance the interests of physicians and their patients, to promote public health, to lobby for legislation favorable to physicians and patients, and to raise money for medical education.

Doctors and healthcare workers take a Hippocratic Oath which states that above all, doctors are to do no harm.

However, the truth is that in 2011, the AMA has but one aim. And that is to enrich itself and physicians and hospitals. And the AMA doesn't give a damn about doing nothing but harm to patients.

Yesterday, I heard from three friends who underscore the reality of the above statement.

Friend No. 1

Her cancer has returned after five years of having no recurrence. Her physician is demanding that she undergo a toxic series of chemotherapy which may prove to be so debilitating and horrendous that permanent impairment or death could ensue. My friend, who has made a second career of researching her own disease, wants to try radiation therapy, but her doctor is adamant and will only advocate chemotherapy.

Friend No. 2

Obeying her doctor’s advice over this past weekend, she entered a hospital in her city to have her heart medications changed. However, during a test, the artery to her heart was “nicked by accident”. She went into cardiac arrest; her chest had to be opened in order for the damage to be repaired and for her heart to be restarted.

Friend No. 3

A few months ago, he fell and broke his hip while walking to a grocery store. Nine-One-One was called. He was transported to a hospital (not of his choosing) where an emergency hip transplant was performed. Now it has been discovered that the physician who did the transplant neglected to insert a necessary washer to keep the device from abrading a bone. My friend will go into the hospital this week to have this oversight corrected. He is in his eighties.

In case you are not aware of it, EMT’s answering a 911 cannot go to specific hospitals, but only to hospitals their ambulance company requires. And they cannot recognize preferences as to “do not resuscitate” since their oath says they must save lives no matter what it entails and no matter how ill-advised in reality.

The AMA has made unconscionable pacts with the pharmaceutical industry so that all physicians prescribe drugs to all patients, whether necessary or not, whether safe or not, and which often have side effects more deleterious than the disease being treated.

The aim of the AMA is to have all persons (including babies) under a doctor’s care and on some sort of drug therapy FOREVER.

All doctors are advising all patients to undergo expensive tests that are unnecessary, thus driving up the cost of healthcare and enriching doctors and hospitals.

The main problem with healthcare in the United States is not that there are no adequate affordable health insurance plans—which also can be laid at the door of physicians and hospitals—but the main problem with healthcare in the United States is the avarice of doctors and hospitals that are greedy and immoral and doing horrendous harm.

And by the way, if you think the medical community is avidly trying to find a cure for cancer, it is not. Cancer is too lucrative to doctors, the pharmaceutical industry, hospitals and auxiliary organizations to have it cured and no longer in our lives.

I believe if a cure for cancer were found, the person who made the discovery would be either discredited or murdered. There is a frightening similarity between the Vatican and the AMA.