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Post by doctork on Jun 2, 2012 19:06:04 GMT -5
Good point, BB. I do not watch American Idol or the Kardashians (I have read that they are very popular and I used to know more of that stuff before my People subscription ran out), though I did enjoy some of the episodes of Dancing With The Stars this past season.
Was perjury one of the charges against Edwards? I thought the charges had to do with obscure campaign finance laws. Certainly Bill Clinton, Eliot Spitzer and Anthony Weiner had to deal with (well-deserved) perjury issues. However, it seems politicians never learn.
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Post by joew on Jun 2, 2012 21:40:27 GMT -5
I think perjury is the rap on Clemens.
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Post by doctork on Jun 3, 2012 9:25:02 GMT -5
I think perjury is the rap on Clemens. Yeah I think you are correct. Isn't it a shame that there are so many of these high-profile cases that we can't remember which is which? Take the case of George Zimmerman who shot Treyvon Martin. I was always suspicious of the police tendency to attach malign intent to any young black male in a hoodie but I still thought it was improper to try the case in the media, forgetting that everyone is (theoretically) innocent until proven guilty. When it was revealed that he had lied to the judge about having no money in order to get a lower bail/bond, when he actually had around $200,000 in his PayPal account, I was less inclined to feel he was wrongly railroaded. Then it turns out he has two passports, one of which he reported stolen shortly after his arrest and it was replaced with a new one with a longer expiry by the State Department. The judge reportedly demanded he turn in his passport to minimize his flight risk; Zimmerman handed in the "stolen" one (which has been cancelled and would not be valid to leave/enter the country). He reportedly placed his valid passport in his safe deposit box where it was available for his surreptitious use. Mr. Zimmerman gives me the impression that he was planning to flee the country in order to beat the rap, using the second hidden passport and his $200,000. Clumsier than "TB Guy" and his bride but it probably would have worked.
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Post by doctork on Jul 20, 2012 8:32:37 GMT -5
As I type I am watching the CNN Breaking News about the Aurora shootings at the Century 16 Theaters. The theaters are about 10 blocks from my old office, so in addition to being horrific, it feels way too close to home. I think of the 1,000 or so babies I delivered while I worked in Aurora - they're all 20 - 30 somethings now, just the age to be at a "Dark Knight" movie. Or to be the shooter, who is a 24 year-old, but according to unofficial news reports is not my patient.
I dunno, I started to cry when I was first watching the news reports. 50 people shot, 12 reported dead. It's tragic whether they are people you know or not. You think of Columbine too, though that was about 20 miles away on the other side of town.
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Post by joew on Jul 20, 2012 9:13:05 GMT -5
I only heard of it this morning, and I also thought of Columbine.
If only there were a way of identifying in advance people who do these things and curing them of the impulse (without turning into a police state).
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Post by gailkate on Jul 20, 2012 10:33:23 GMT -5
I guess it makes no difference how old the victims are, but I heard one little girl of 8 or 9 was shot in the stomach. Of course, it would be something kids that age would like, too, and it was probably a really fun outing for some families to go at midnight. One witness said she thought the shooter was part of the show, and people didn't realize the gunshots weren't in the soundtrack.
Yes, it would help to identify crazy people, but I think gun control has to be part of the solution. This guy had at least a shotgun and a handgun, said he had explosives at his apartment. More information will clarify things, but we always get it after the fact. How can we get it before the massacre?
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Post by doctork on Jul 20, 2012 17:59:33 GMT -5
Additional information is quite shocking to me. The shooter was a PhD student at the University of Colorado Medical School - my residency alma mater.
How does such a nut - I am assuming he will be found to be either schizophrenic or sociopathic personality - graduate with high honors from undergrad and get into a very competitive neurosciences PhD program without someone noticing how abnormal he is?
All his guns were purchased legally but I am sure he could also have defeated any gun control laws. This sounds rather like that Norwegian case a year ago where all those young people on an island were murdered by a nut with guns. Norway has very strict gun laws.
If a lot of money is going to be spent on "gun control" I would hope a lot of money will be spent on mental health. This guy might appear normal, but so many murder sprees are committed by crazy people. The families are interviewed and they always say "Well we knew he was sick and tried to get him some help, but there wasn't any."
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Post by Jane on Jul 20, 2012 18:52:13 GMT -5
I read that his mother knew right away that it was him. The tragedy is that there isn't much anyone can do. No more institutionalization means that these people are on the streets. My brother has a son who is mentally ill, but has no where to turn for help, so he just keeps supporting him and keeping him off the streets. He won't go for help, and he can't be forced to go. And if people like this are forced to go for help, they are held for a max of 72 hrs., told "take your meds" and sent home.
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Post by doctork on Jul 20, 2012 23:58:54 GMT -5
I think you have nailed it exactly Jane - there just isn't anything you can do under the current law. We've gone from the nightmare of Willowbrook and Nurse Ratched to the nightmare of people living under bridges or hobbling their families.
It seems to me it would be reasonable to require some education, permits and registration for gun ownership just as is required for cars, but such gun control is a separate issue from this shooter. He would have passed any controls, and there is nothing that could be done to stop him.
That is the scary thing about a free society - there is no way to guarantee safety.
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Post by joew on Jul 21, 2012 6:57:43 GMT -5
… That is the scary thing about a free society - there is no way to guarantee safety. That's the thing. Although, as I said, it's too bad we can't detect mass murderers in advance, the fact is we can't. Sane gun laws, including computerized recordkeeping that shows buying sprees, might help. But ultimately we need to accept the fact that life is full of risks.
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Post by doctork on Jul 21, 2012 10:30:12 GMT -5
Amen Joe!
I do not want to see a federal Entertainment Security Administration doing nude body scans at the theater entrances using equipment sold by Michael Chertoff solely to put money in his pocket.
Sane gun laws, and if theater owners choose, metal detectors at the entrance. Then customers can choose a theater with or without WTMD - though of course that would have made no difference in the Aurora case.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 21, 2012 10:59:25 GMT -5
As much as I complain about the lack of morality in business, I feel that the lack of morality in general is the real threat.
Teaching right behavior from wrong behavior, teaching the ability to choose the correct behavior, and teaching consequences for all behavior, seems to have been kicked to the roadside in favor of "personal freedom."
Although this story did not glean dramatic national coverage like the recent Colorado shootings, it had as much impact on us. The kid that shot and killed my long-time friend was protected by the silence of his friends for well over a year. When one of his friends finally developed a smidgen of morality and told the cops, this kid explained his motivation: he had just wanted to know what it felt like to kill somebody.
This kid was not a street kid, or a gang member, or a bad kid. With that motivation, he could have easily decided to kill many people instead of one. Clearly, the morality of his behavior was not a factor in his choice.
Not to over-simply the situation, but how do we pass more gun laws, or change mental health practices enough, to protect people like us from people like him?
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Post by doctork on Jul 21, 2012 11:29:52 GMT -5
An important and poignant question BoatBabe. I think I will open a thread on the Questions forum to discuss. Maybe you can give us a few more details or a specific link, but if you'd rather not, I am sure we all know examples of such random extreme violence.
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Post by gailkate on Jul 26, 2012 10:26:42 GMT -5
I know we've all been reading about the ND oil boom, but I ejoyed this column from the NYT's Gail Collins so much I wanted to share the whole thing. She has a great eye for details. It looks as if anyone thinking about a move could get a job with just a phone call. BB, you could probably get your own bank. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- July 25, 2012 Where the Jobs Are By GAIL COLLINS WILLISTON, N.D. Right now you are probably asking yourself: “What would it be like to live in a place with an unemployment rate of 1 percent?” Me, too! So I went to Williston, N.D., to find out. There are certain things that journalists do as a public service because you, the noble reader, are probably not going to do them for yourself — like attending charter revision meetings or reading the autobiography of Tim Pawlenty. Going to Williston is sort of in this category. The people are lovely, but you’re talking about a two-hour drive from Minot. If you did come, however, you would feel really, really wanted. Radio ads urged me to embark on a new career as a bank teller, laborer, railroad conductor or cake decorator. The local Walmart has a big sign up, begging passers-by to consider starting their lives anew in retail sales. The Bakken Region Recruiter lists openings in truck driving, winch operating and canal maintenance work, along with ads for a floral designer, bartender, public defender, loan officer, addiction counselor and sports reporter. All in an area where the big city has a population of around 16,000. There’s an oil boom. The Bakken formation, which runs under the western part of North Dakota and into Montana, contains a huge amount of oil, which the industry figured out how to extract about five years ago. Williston’s median income, which was under $30,000 when the serious drilling started, has jumped to well over $50,000 a year. Job-seekers flooded in. The schools are now so crowded that teachers are holding classes in modular units, some dating back to the ’80s, and one that was constructed by a high school shop class. “It’s a place of opportunity,” says E. Ward Koeser, the genial head of a local communications company who has also been Williston’s part-time mayor for the last 18 years. A waitress at a restaurant that Koeser patronizes recently told him that she made $400 in tips on a single night. “Although I’m sure that’s not the norm,” he added hastily. You are probably wondering about the downside. Obviously there has to be one, or you and I would already have moved to Williston, or at least taken up a collection to send unemployed college graduates. Well, the oil is extracted through the environmentally suspect method of hydrofracking. The area appears to be geologically well suited to the process, but it still uses up a ton of water. Also, an endless progression of large trucks create spills, tie up traffic and tear up the roads. “Is it dustier, dirtier — yes,” said the mayor. While it’s normal for some of the town’s retirees to move south, these days, he acknowledged, a lot of residents are just packing up and going to Bismarck. “My goal,” Koeser said intently, “is that the day comes when they say: ‘I want to move back to Williston.’ ” You would expect that, as population and incomes rose, new stores, theaters and restaurants would follow. But, in Williston, they haven’t. Lanny Gabbert, a science teacher at the high school, says his students yearn for a mall where they could shop, “but the closest thing is Walmart.” The most ambitious restaurants would be classified under the heading of “casual dining,” and the fast food is not fast, given the lunchtime lines that can stretch out for 20 minutes or more. Neither retailers nor restaurateurs are interested in investing in a place where they have to compete with the oil fields to attract workers. “The retailers are at least looking at us,” said the mayor. He is a stupendously positive thinker who wants to build Williston into a city that rivals Fargo and Bismarck as a convention destination. “Why can’t Williston be the best little city in America?” he demanded. Well, right now because there’s no place to live. Honestly, no place. To house its teachers, the school district has already purchased two apartment buildings, which have long since been filled even though the residents are all required to share their homes with another teacher. Superintendent Viola LaFontaine has taken to the radio airwaves, urging citizens to come up with places for the new faculty to stay. “We’ve been getting good applicants,” LaFontaine said. “But they’ll make $31,500. When they find out an apartment is $2-3,000 a month, they say they can’t pay that.” Yes! Housing costs in Williston, N.D., are approaching those in New York City. Many of the oil workers stash their families back wherever they came from, and live in “man camps,” some of which resemble giant stretches of storage units. “The man camps — I call them the necessary evil,” said Koeser, who added, apologetically, “that’s a little derogatory.” If the place you love can’t quite climb out of the recession, think of this as consolation. At least you’re not living in a man camp and waiting half an hour in line for a Big Mac.
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Post by BoatBabe on Jul 26, 2012 19:49:44 GMT -5
My husband and I frequently say, "Thank God for rich people who are still building something."
However in the case of Williston, N.D., they aren't really building anything. And a lot of the people who are working there, really aren't living there.
I'm sure that there are a lot of people in Williston who are thanking their deity of choice for the opportunity to make a paycheck.
There are several clues about the lack of real growth and longevity for this suddenly over-stuffed small town. This is one: "Well, the oil is extracted through the environmentally suspect method of hydrofracking. The area appears to be geologically well suited to the process, but it still uses up a ton of water. Also, an endless progression of large trucks create spills, tie up traffic and tear up the roads."
Here is another one: "You would expect that, as population and incomes rose, new stores, theaters and restaurants would follow. But, in Williston, they haven’t."
And another: "Many of the oil workers stash their families back wherever they came from, and live in “man camps,” some of which resemble giant stretches of storage units."
I feel that this is a Boom Town with no infrastructure, and none of the guys living in storage units are "making a home" there, or paying land taxes for infrastructure there. They are away from their families and just making money to support their families who are living in their real homes somewhere else. They are spending money at the local restaurants, bars, stores, gas stations and they will be gone when the oil boom gets shut down or runs out.
It's a recipe for the next ghost town.
So, you better make money while you can! And when it runs out, I hope the town isn't completely in shambles. It probably won't matter, because the folks who really used to live there have all moved away to escape the flood of temporary workers, the dust, the destroyed roads, the noise, the inability to get into their local restaurant/store and the Man Camps.
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Post by doctork on Jul 27, 2012 0:52:49 GMT -5
I have seen the Man Camps, and can say with authority that they are not what you want in your home town. Large tent cities as far as the eye can see, perhaps punctuated by old railroad freight cars turned into "apartments." Trailers in the school playgrounds so that the newly recruited faculty have a place to live.
When I did Katrina relief work, we worked in the vicinity of those man camps, and that is the reason that we had Blackwater guards 24/7. Yes the same Blackwater of Iraq infamy. I was not afraid of the locals, or even those from other parts of Lousiana. After all, we were all "homies." But those men from other states or even other countries - who was really checking e-verify in those days and times?
The Blackwater guards were confiscating illegal weapons and drugs, and breaking up fights 6 - 8 times per night. I never felt unsafe in Kabul in the midst of an official Combat Zone. But in the midst of Katrina relief - that's another story.
I have received recruiter calls and emails offering $300,000 - $400,000 salary per year and up - several times what I make now - but I won't even consider it.
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Post by gailkate on Jul 27, 2012 9:22:54 GMT -5
ND is getting a lot of attention up here. Tea Partiers seem to think we should be able to match their tax revenues and are touting possible fracking here. Despite the strong tilt to the right that we've seen in recent years, I don't think Mn would tolerate the environmental impact, let alone these awful-sounding man camps and the consequences for communities. But I'm reminded of all the disruptions of the 30s when men left home or whole families piled into whatever vehicle they could to head out in search of work. No one wants to live like that; the need is driving them.
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Post by doctork on Jul 27, 2012 10:42:05 GMT -5
I am watching the morning session of the Colorado Health Foundation.
The keynote speaker was Wes Moore, author of "The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates." He is an amazing person, as well as a riveting speaker. I have noticed now when I see patients who were incarcerated that they are generally no different from my other patients. I guess I was insulated in my former lives/practices; I saw upper middle class to affluent and even wealthy patients, who buy their way out of jail with good lawyers.
Now the sessions are continuing on to "The Me Factor" and individual responsibility for health. A good session for me right now because at the moment I am damn sick of being caught up in the medical industrial complex.
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Post by gailkate on Oct 5, 2012 10:46:34 GMT -5
Here's a really interesting story in Vanity Fair by a guy who spent 6 months shadowing the President. It's very long but worth the time, as he weaves in the story of a navigator shot down over Libya (a personal account of one man sent into a war zone, which presidents have to decide to do). www.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/10/michael-lewis-profile-barack-obama There are genuinely important insights in this story (one I'm thinking about turning into a Question of the Day) but I enjoyed details on typical life in the White House, on Air Force One and what it means to change even a small thing that might get blown out of proportion in the news. For example, Reagan built a nice getaway patio 30 years ago that no president would dare build now. Interweaving the story of the downed navigator is an interesting choice which turned out to be one of the great strengths - maybe the greatest- of the whole srticle.
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Post by BoatBabe on Oct 24, 2012 23:07:23 GMT -5
I don't know how I missed this, gk! I thought that was a fascinating article! It was interwoven, indeed, with many subplots and details of events and times that we have never heard about, and enough that we have to strike a note of truth and clarity.
Thank you for posting that!
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Post by booklady on Oct 25, 2012 13:35:33 GMT -5
It's a totally fascinating article. Thanks, gk. I sorta kept thinking about the movie, "The American President," which was corny but I like to believe got a lot of things right.
I did thing it was bizarre that Lewis mentioned provisions for "the president's coffin" more than once.
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Post by doctork on Oct 25, 2012 22:25:33 GMT -5
It's a totally fascinating article. Thanks, gk. I sorta kept thinking about the movie, "The American President," which was corny but I like to believe got a lot of things right. I did thing it was bizarre that Lewis mentioned provisions for "the president's coffin" more than once. Since Obama became President, assassination threats have gone up hugely, maybe a factor of 5, compared to Bush or Clinton. I guess they have to be prepared with a coffin.
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Post by booklady on Oct 25, 2012 22:51:10 GMT -5
I should have mentioned that they were on Air Force One when those references came up, and the provisions go back some time, to Reagan or before.
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Post by booklady on Oct 26, 2012 17:00:30 GMT -5
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Post by booklady on Oct 26, 2012 17:58:28 GMT -5
Well, not so much. The author hasn't spent six months following Mitt around and writing about his challenges, decisions, and basic decency. He's spent time talking to other Mormons, friends of Mitt's who are prominent in business schools like Harvard's, about the culture and how it has informed Mitt's development as a businessman and leader. But this comment by one of the men, really sticks out to me. Would that every American sub-culture had such high expectations for its children. (I have spent a lot of today reading Harry Wong's, "The First Days of School," and his philosophy of effective teaching that has "have high expectations for your students" as one of three primary requirements.)
"'My mother, every day, would look me in the eye and say to me, "You are a leader! Stand up for what you believe in. Don’t let people drag you around by the nose. You have a responsibility to your heavenly father. You have a responsibility to do your very best." And on my way out the door she’d add, "You remember who you are. People sacrificed for you. They died so you could have what you have." I’m sure I’m not the only L.D.S. child who heard that from his mom. That came out of the pioneer experience. It’s deeply ingrained. Being persecuted, driven across the country. I was five! And then the Church gives you those leadership opportunities. For little kids, three years old, there’s something called Primary. I gave my first talk to an organization when I was four or five years old. At twelve, they put you in a leadership position. At nineteen, you get sent on a mission. At twenty, you’re responsible for other missionaries, and it’s serious. It’s people’s lives. All through your experience, you’re trained to be a leader.'"
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Post by booklady on Nov 8, 2012 19:29:28 GMT -5
I see by the news that lots of people are saying Mitt lost because people don't like "rich white men" anymore.
So, have we reached the stage in our civilization and social development that classism and racism are wrong unless directed at rich white men? I am sick to death of all the emphasis on race, and believe me, it seems like an issue that just will never die in the South. I went to a substitute teacher workshop this week in which I was required to indicate my race on the attendance sheet. Can we PLEASE get past this? WHEN is it not going to matter what my race is?
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Post by gailkate on Nov 8, 2012 20:19:17 GMT -5
I think we all wish that, but it will take another generation. Republicans Claim Obama Won Re-election Because Blacks And Hispanics Wanted More Handouts By Igor Volsky on Nov 8, 2012 at 12:21 pm
When they’re not expressing shock over the growing participation of women, Hispanics and African American voters in the election, Republicans are reacting to President Obama’s victory by acknowledging the party’s shortcomings in appealing to non-white voters. Some members of the GOP, like former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, are even suggesting that the party should cut a deal with Democrats and pass comprehensive immigration reform to win votes from the growing Latino population.
But in acknowledging the nation’s changing demographics, Republicans and conservative pundits are also advancing a new pernicious narrative: America has permanently shifted from a white male-dominated electorate, to a new crop of minority voters who support Democrats because they are dependent upon government:
– BILL O’REILLY: “The white establishment is now the minority. And the voters, many of them, feel that the economic system is stacked against them and they want stuff. You are going to see a tremendous Hispanic vote for President Obama. Overwhelming black vote for President Obama. And women will probably break President Obama’s way. People feel that they are entitled to things and which candidate, between the two, is going to give them things?” [Fox News, 11/6/2012] – RUSH LIMBAUGH: “It’s just very difficult to beat Santa Claus. It is practically impossible to beat Santa Claus. People are not going to vote against Santa Clause especially if the alternative is being your own Santa Claus. [The Rush Limbaugh Show, 11/7/2012] – SEAN HANNITY: “One other thing that we need to come to terms with as a result of last night. What appears to have happened is that the liberal welfare state in this country has now grown. More and more Americans have become dependent on that welfare state. As they have, they have found themselves siding with the party of government.” [Fox News, 11/7/2012] – STUART VARNEY: “With Obama’s victory, the takers have taken over. The makers are clearly in the minority.” [Fox Business, 11/7/2012] Conservatives are doubling down on Romney’s claim that 47 percent of Americans refuse to take “personal responsibility and care for their lives” — though the argument is highly misleading. In fact, to the extent that Americans are growing dependent upon government, Republican voters are raking in a greater share of the benefits.
The recession has pushed more lower-income Americans to rely on government assistance like food stamps, but “nearly 70 percent of all benefits of these programs go to white people.” Data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that the overwhelming majority “of counties with the fastest-growth in food-stamp aid during the last four years voted for the Republican presidential candidate in 2008.” These included Republican strongholds like King County, Texas, where 96 percent of voters supported Romney.
More than 90 percent of the population has turned to government programs at one point or another, ranging from Social Security pay outs to government grants or contracts — including the traditional Republican block of higher-income voters. Top earners disproportionately benefit from the a plethora of government tax breaks that deplete the government of revenue in the same way that access benefits do. According to a study from the Tax Policy Center, the top 1 percent of income earners, those who take home in excess of $400,000 a year, account for almost a quarter all tax breaks, saving more than $250 billion a year in taxes. Meanwhile, the bottom 60 percent of wage earners take in just over 20 percent of annual tax breaks, or approximately $217 billion in breaks each year. Exit polls show that Americans earning an income of $250,000 or more (around the top 2 percent of earners) “voted for Romney approximately 1.5:1.” thinkprogress.org/economy/issue/
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Post by doctork on Nov 8, 2012 21:22:46 GMT -5
I hope all keep in mind that Social Security and Medicare are not government "hand outs." People pay premiums their whole working lives in order to have SS and MC available when they turn 65 or retire or become disabled or lose a breadwinner parent (about 15% of SS benefits are paid to widows/children under 18 and a similar percentage of Medicare benefits go to those under 65 who are totally and permanently disabled).
Booky, those check off boxes for race are usually labelled optional, or there is a box you can check "Prefer not to answer." The reason the question is there is usually due to federal regulations (not limited to the South) requiring that the sponsoring agency prove they are not discriminating, or prove that they are "diverse." Most people do not care what race you are, but they don't want to incur a big federal fine, so there is the check box. There are hundreds of thousands of (mostly unnecessary and burdensome) federal regs like this.
In election post-mortems I think that the criticism of the Republican Party is that they focused excessively on their appeal to white males, who voted for Romney by a factor of more than two to one over Obama. Meanwhile women favored Obama 55% to 44% and 80% of non-whites voted for him. Since the proportion of non-whites is increasing along with a concurrent decrease in the proportion of white voters, a strategy that focuses on white male voters is not viable in the long run.
A side effect of the campaign "discussion" was that the general population became less opposed to taxing "rich white men" more. All those investment bankers getting hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses after we the taxpayers had bailed them out was not well received. But most Americans appreciate a nation that offers the opportunity to become wealthy themselves, so opposition to "rich people" is a bit muted.
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Post by booklady on Nov 8, 2012 22:07:30 GMT -5
Quickly....it wasn't a check-off box. It was a space to fill in. It's a constant here.
There were "demonstrations" or a "riot," depending on your point of view, at Ole Miss Tuesday night when the election was final.
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Post by booklady on Nov 8, 2012 22:14:07 GMT -5
Also, it seems like the demographics of this election are all anyone can talk about, left, right, or (ostensibly) neutral. That stuff gk quoted from the Fox crowd is despicable, but, to me, so are the snide snarky remarks I've read from my liberal friends on facebook. People are so mean-spirited. And I still say there is a great deal of reverse-racism around, which is still racism in my book.
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