Fernando

I woke up in a dream where I was walking back to my house in the snow and a neighbor started singing Fernando. I woke up singing along. The song is about the Mexican Revolution, which started near El Paso with young people wanting a less corrupt government. The version I had was a medley of Abba voices & a baritone male.

My Great Grandpa was there in El Paso. My grandpa was a baby. My Great Granddad was a railroadman who had friends who were probably involved in the Mexican Revolution. But he was warned about the dangers and moved back to Vermont. 

The Mexican revolution exposed both the ideals and hypocrisy of our countries. Some of the major fighting started just across the border.  And Wilson sent Gen. Pershing to intervene in the war after Pancho Villa raided our side of the border.  Our involvement in WW1 was largely inspired by German efforts to get Mexico to attack us - or British efforts to make us think Germans were doing that. Influence operations are not a new phenomena.

div>https://t.co/IzPtQl7PAZ

Thomas Paine's life and it's lessons for modern Journalism

Thomas Paine, can be thought of as America's first Whistleblower,  a model for journalism, and his life presents some lessons and suggestions for enabling Journalism.  That this should be obvious, is made visible in modern rewrites of his biography. I just read a bio on the  US History webpage (https://www.ushistory.org/paine/index.htm), in which they nearly accuse him of abandoning the American Revolution. The authors write of him as leaving for Europe, “instead of continuing to help the Revolutionary cause...” But that is not what actually happened to him. When he left the United Colonies in 1791, the treaty of Paris, which ended the revolutionary war, had been ratified in 1784. So the US had won independence by the time he left the United States.  Moreover, by 1791, Thomas Paine wasn't IN the government, but he was advancing an ideology. That ideology is Republicanism. No not the garbage pedaled by modern Tories that styles itself republicanism, but the real thing.  He expresses the ideals of Republican thought best in his writings.

One of the best examples of the use of these principles is from Gutenberg:

“I consider the war of America against Britain as the country's war, the public's war, or the war of the people in their own behalf, for the security of their natural rights, and the protection of their own property. It is not the war of Congress, the war of the assemblies, or the war of government in any line whatever. The country first, by mutual compact, resolved to defend their rights and maintain their independence, at the hazard of their lives and fortunes; they elected their representatives, by whom they appointed their members of Congress, and said, act you for us, and we will support you. This is the true ground and principle of the war on the part of America, and, consequently, there remains nothing to do, but for every one to fulfil his obligation.” [https://www.ushistory.org/paine/crisis/c-06.htm]

To Paine, all nations, whatever officials claim to govern them, are a country with a “mutual compact” with the people of that country. In a democratic republican government officials don't rule “over” the people, their representatives rule in their name and ultimately at their direction. This is true of all governments, even dictatorships. The only difference is that dictators and oligarchs rule at the direction and oversight of a shrinking pool of people and with usurped powers and often by conning the people they claim to represent. The best government is good government and good government works with all the people, even ones who represent different factions.  War is not supposed to be in pursuit of “private, separate advantage” I'm sure that Paine, like John Locke saw that as corruption and the basis of oppression and tyranny.

Paine wasn't a politician. He knew he was no good at politics. He was more prophet and gadfly than natural politician. He was the original whistleblower, a journalist and he struggled his whole life to work with publishers. He found them because well written truth is desired by people who also have honor and integrity.

Ultimately honor, integrity and principle were more important to him than even fame and fortune. Not that he didn't seek either, but the principle was more important than self aggrandizement for him. Modern Journalists, Activists and Patriots not entering government would be wise to study his example and follow it. Some bad Politicians are good prophets. It takes a particular skillset to run for office and be popular. The job of journalists is to oversee that process and ensure that promises made are documented and kept.

Lesson One: The law on Whistle-blowing and classification should privilege journalism as part of democracy.

Thomas Paine played a role as a whistleblower in the early 1780s.  He worked as  He was involved in exposing corruption around the secret money being given to support the Revolution, in contravention of French Treaty agreements,  When his role in this was exposed, the congressional committee involved forced him to resign. They wanted to try to have him charged with Treason. But he had the evidence. This alone makes him our Countries First Whistleblower.

As usual I have a lot more to say...

[https://www.ushistory.org/paine/crisis/c-06.htm]

Atlas Was Robbed

Today is the last day of the year (I wrote this at the end of 2018). I started to watch "Atlas Shrugged" on a lark.  Folks often mistake young libertarians for liberals. Looking at NETFLICKS promotions this morning I realized, someone there is very so! They offer the Cheesy, updated, modern version of 'Atlas Shrugged.' I've tried to read it over and over again but it is a cheesy story with a cheesy plot & a misleading message. It is poorly written, unresearched. Worse the story is offensive to any understanding of reality, causality and not in a good way. This was like watching a Superman versus Bizarroman flick.

The Trouble with Atlas Shrugged.

The story starts with people demanding work. The headlines ask, "who cares about the inventories", while noting gasoline shortages. It shows images of black people striking for a Job. It has people saying "there is plenty of oil in the ground." It sounds like a Donald Trump campaign commercial. Trouble is, these are management decisions. She blames common folks for the responsibilities of her heros in management.

False Causality

The logical error that Ayn Rand committed was that of ascribing false causality to the dysfunction of reality. In the world of Atlas shrugged nobody works & that is the fault of,... drum roll ... workers. Management is somehow not responsible for their own decisions. She sees the pirates as heros while calling those workers looters.

Actual History

And the plot lines act like we still have competitive rail lines. In real life Passenger rail were looted & abandoned to airlines, bus lines & freight rail years ago, by the entrepeneurs. Those remaining  were given to the State via bankruptcy courts. Mexico is promoting jobs not nationalizing rail. She describes a world of Monopolists & pirates, & then makes them heros.

Trump thinks he's John Galt

None of this was new. But what I found fascinating was the Pirate Motiffe.  As depicted the line "who is John Galt" was a recruitment call to managers & elites to desert their posts & work for John Galt & join his war.

The Book talks about allies of John Galt making war on US Shipping. It became obvious to me that she was advocating privateering. Anything goes capitalism is pirate capitalism, given a thin veneer of respectability by relabeling private warfare, private government of public assets and theft as legal privateering.

It also occured to me that the owners strike was really a lock out. Especially after rereading the end. Scientists don't lie about the safety of "rearden metal", but con artists do. Years ago I wanted to write a parallel story where the safety testers were the heros & rearden metal full of plutonium & radioactive metals. In bizaaroland exec's & managers sabotaging their own business, are heros.

Trump thinks he is John Galt. He doesn't need "gubbornment" so he can just "shut it down" to get his way. To his thinking it should be run for, by & of oligarchs. He loves the Russian model!

Galts Gulch is Panama or Cyprus banks.  Treason is just business. After all it is our own fault we don't live in a libertarian paradise like Somalia.

Ayn Rand was advocating thieves rules.

This was written 1/1/2019, for some reason when I updated it, it changed the date.

Esotericism and the Books on the Shelf

A new translation of the Zohar, puts it in reach of modern English Speakers. The work is an apocryphal work, purportedly written around the same time as parts of the Talmud, but actually possibly not written down til the late 13th century, it represents oral teachings handed down and later written down by Rabbi's and their disciples. Who knows how many? The Zohar, like much of Mahayana Buddhism, Tendai and Nichiren Teachings, represents the work of teachers following a contemplative tradition. The Jewish Authors may not have been monks (Buddhist or Christian) but their insights are part of a tradition of meditation and contemplation with roots from before either Christianity or Judaism took their present form. That is what makes the work interesting to me. This translation of the Zohar can be useful to anyone studying religion, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim or non Jew. Arthur Green, in is review of the book illustrates some of why that is true. My book (if I ever finish it) explains why. At the very least folks should read his article:

Zohar Kabbalah & Mainstream Judaism

General Grant and Mark Twain, Greenbacks versus "Solid Money"

Accounting Money and Credit Money

The General purpose of money is to enable trade by creating a currency as a common unit of account that allows agreed on measures of value so that people can more easily exchange goods and services. Where it gets tricky hinges on the question how do you regulate the value of that currency so that it measures the value of commodity and services in a stable manner. Whether a currency is based on "commodity money" (Gold, silver by weight and purity), "fiat money", or accounting money (credits and debits/ mostly debt money); this presents an issues of sovereignty. Without sovereign money, currencies fall into the hands of bankers and speculators, grifters and frauds. When sovereignty over currency is in the hands of a Privateering Central Bank; The same. The People of the world need sovereignty over their currenies in actually sound hands. When money is available in an unsound manner, it;

.... falls into the hands of privateers:

• Money loses it's value as an accurate measure of transactions and relative value.
• It loses connection to the commodities that are supposed to back that value.
• Those with control over that currency speculate with their possessions.
• When they do some get very rich, in money terms, and...
• Suddenly part or all of the currency loses its collateral
• And everyone else gets very poor.

The Fallacy of the Final Answer

History presents us with a lot of lessons. Some of those lessons are about our fallacious reasoning. One of our primary fallacies is the "fallacy of the final answer." Throughout history, mankind, and individuals have made this mistake. Chariots, close in formation legionaries, Armored Cavalry, Maginot lines, etc.... each, in turn, found itself countered and bested. In military thinking, in strategic thinking, in Science, in the Soft Sciences, in all of these endeavors; theories rise and fall, get revised, lost and reborn. And we humans still grope, fruitlessly, to put a final framework on the truth. History doesn't end. Theories tend to display weaknesses that beg revisions. One generation's certainties are the next's subject for refutations. The fallacy of the final answer is the hubris of mankind.

Malvina Burstein

On the 19th of November 2010 my friend Malvina Burstein passed away. She was a Holocaust survivor, though she was never in the death camps but was instead someone who did some heroic things during the time when the Nazis were killing nearly every single Jew they could get their hands on. I think of her everytime I visit her wife. Her grave is near that of my wife and I always say hi to her when I visit my wife. It has no headstone. I remember where it is because her husbands grave (Max Burstein) is right next to it. I always put a stone on it when I'm visiting her. And it makes me sad that she is forgotten, apparently by her own children and friends. But I do not forget her. I don't know what day her yartzeit is but today is close enough for this year. I'd been thinking of her and then I saw a memorial to another hero of that time who died this week and it reminded me of her while I was near a computer. Gariwo net summarizes her experience:

"Malvina was from Trebisow, in Czechoslowakia. When the village was invaded by the Nazis she closed her milliner's shop and hid in a cellar for one year. In 1942 she reached Budapest thanks to forged documents. Here she met other Jews." [http://www.gariwo.net/pagina.php?id=6711]

She told me she made a living as a seamstress. I think she said she made hats. She told me other stories too, including one story of one German Nazi officer who seemed to have a crush on her and how she was able to use that to help her stay alive. As she also told me (Washington Post Reports):

"A Jew could exist in Hungary at that time," she told The Washington Post in 1981. "I had illegal papers and no visa, but I got along. You had to keep well-dressed, look clean and neat, with nail polish and everything." [Post Article]

She had to act like she wasn't afraid. She seemed a fearless person to me. She smiled for us, she and my wife got along like mother and daughter. And My wife's mother ("La Suegra") loved her too. My Mother In Law didn't want to visit the retirement home however, she didn't want to move to one and those places gave her the heebie jeebies. So we'd pick Malvina up and bring her to the house or go to a restaurant. She needed to get out of the place. My Mother in Law could speak Yiddish with her. She adored her.

"One of them managed to obtain hundreds forged work permits for non Jews by ordering them on the phone from the national printing institute, by pretending he was a prominent industrialist. [http://www.gariwo.net/pagina.php?id=6711]

He goes on:

"Malvina, who was smart and good-looking, accepted to run the risk of life to fetch these permits for three times, saying she was the secretary of the faked enterpreneur.[http://www.gariwo.net/pagina.php?id=6711]

The Nazis and their European Allies from every single country operated their project of murder by starting with dehumanizing and denying citizenship to Jewish citizens. Non citizens had nowhere to go but Gas Chambers. British, French and US colonies wouldn't take them. If they coud make it to Israel the British would put them in concentration camps on Cyprus if they captured them. Or sink their boats before they reached Israel. The Mufti of Jerusalem was in Berlin egging on Hitler to finish the job. Rommel's target was Israel. People forget this.

"Most of the people who received the permits survived and fled to Israel. After the war Malvina emigrated to the United States where she ran a quiet life in the shade. She spent the closing time of her life in a resting house in Maryland." [http://www.gariwo.net/pagina.php?id=6711]

My wife and I knew her from the Synagogue and we visited her frequently in the the retirement home she moved to when she left her house. Her house in Silver Spring was less than a mile from mine. One year we spent time during Sukkot in her Sukkose Shelter soon after we moved to Maryland from DC. My wife and I adored her.

"The woman who took 1,500 Hungarian Jews into safety during the Holocaust passed away at age 97." [http://www.gariwo.net/pagina.php?id=6711]

Malvina was also a good painter. Here she is with my wife and one of her paintings:

They sleep within feet of each other. I believe I have that painting and one other. She was a marvelous painter too.

I miss them both. I really want to get a memorial stone for Malvina however. I know she's there, but who else does? I've got more photos but I have to either scan them off of old fashioned pictures or find my backup disks. I think I'll blog on her every year til it's my turn to join my wife.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/19/AR2010111906477.html

Further reading on the "homecoming" survivors got from non-Nazi Europeans:

Beyond Violence: Jewish Survivors in Poland and Slovakia, 1944–48

When Malvina tried to return to Trebisow after the war she was treated vilely. She never shared the details with me but with another interviewer from 2005 she said (see above Beyond Violence reference):

"After the war, I traveled to see my house. We had a big house. I came back and the woman [the maid before the war who was the caretaker] hit me" and said "why didn't you die with the rest of the people"[http://books.google.com/books?id=hem3AwAAQBAJ&dq=Malvina+Burstein

Malvina called the police and "she hit me again in front of a policeman and he didn't do anything." Malvina wasn't the kind to be intimidated. She stayed long enough to get her house back, then "sold" "cleared" her house and left the country. I don't think she looked back. The choices were the USA or Israel. And for many USA had entry barriers. She married Max Burstein. Had children and lived (more or less) happily ever after.

Further Reading:

http://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn504844 (terrible picture)

Understanding Argentina; Article on Formosa local news

FORMOSA, UN FEUDO QUE DUELE

EL APOYO DE LA PRESIDENTA AL GOBERNADOR DE UNA PROVINCIA SUMIDA EN LA MISERIA, EL NARCOTRÁFICO Y LA CORRUPCIÓN RESULTA UN MONUMENTO AL CLIENTELISMO PREBENDARIO. INSFRÁN-KIRCHNER, UNA SOCIEDAD DE BENEFICIOS MUTUOS, EN LA QUE PIERDEN LOS FORMOSEÑOS.

Con el pretexto de inaugurar una estación transformadora, la visita que la presidenta Cristina Fernández de Kirchner efectuó a Formosa días atrás tuvo la intención de brindar un firme apoyo a su aliado, el gobernador Gildo Insfrán -en los hechos una suerte de señor feudal vitalicio-, ante el pésimo panorama que de su provincia había difundido el programa televisivo de Jorge Lanata.
La desmesura que volvieron a adoptar los elogios de la Presidenta a un gobernador cuya gestión mantiene a Formosa sumida en la postración, el atraso, la miseria, los negociados, la corrupción, el tráfico de drogas, el hambre y la perenne desigualdad pueden explicarse por una perversa lógica partidaria: votos a cambio de caja y obras.
Son demasiados los formoseños que padecen los dramas, entre muchos otros, de la falta de agua potable, de asistencia sanitaria y de educación. Y en el caso de los indígenas de la etnia qom, debemos agregar los asesinatos impunes que sufren.
Por desgracia, son varias las provincias que podrían usarse como ejemplo de las peores lacras que resultan del ejercicio feudal del gobierno en esos estados. Pero pocas, sin embargo, ofrecen un panorama tan nefasto como el que muestra Formosa. Ese lamentable panorama es el que su gobernador quiere esconder detrás de los falsos logros que enumeró en el discurso con el que recibió a la Presidenta.
Una realidad que pretende ocultar la mostró Periodismo para todos al reflejar los graves problemas que afronta la comunidad wichi. Una semana después de emitirse el programa, un equipo de éste sufrió presiones verbales por parte de varias decenas de personas identificadas con el kirchnerismo local que lo obligaron a retirarse del pueblo de El Potrillo, a más de 300 kilómetros de la capital provincial.
Esa clase de avasallamiento sólo es posible cuando una provincia deja de serlo para retroceder a la categoría de feudo. Y como tal la gobierna Insfrán, quien desde 1995 es su gobernador, para lo cual tuvo que impulsar una reforma constitucional para habilitar la reelección indefinida.
Tal es su grado de cercanía con la Presidenta y sus funcionarios que Formosa escribió un oscuro capítulo del ya grueso libro de los negociados por los que está siendo juzgado y procesado el vicepresidente de la Nación, Amado Boudou.
En efecto, en 2010, Formosa pagó 7,6 millones de pesos al fondo The Old Fund por un presunto asesoramiento brindado a los funcionarios provinciales que negociaron con el gobierno nacional el canje de deuda. Esa operación se completó cuando Boudou era ministro de Economía.
Sin antecedentes de ningún tipo, The Old Fund, del presunto testaferro de Boudou, Alejandro Vandenbroele, y vinculado con el caso Ciccone, fue contratado por Formosa sin licitación ni concurso, por 7,6 millones de pesos para ese sospechoso asesoramiento. De ese monto, un funcionario muy próximo a Insfrán retiró 2,2 millones. Se trata de Martín José Cortés, director y presidente del Banco de Formosa.
Tampoco es de extrañar que en el feudo formoseño la oposición sufra persecuciones, como ocurrió con una suerte de inspección realizada por 30 funcionarios que concurrieron con cámaras de televisión al establecimiento agropecuario que la familia del diputado nacional (UCR) Ricardo Buryaile posee desde hace años en la localidad de Patiño. "No pudieron darse el gusto de encontrar trabajadores en negro. Sería muy bueno -propuso Buryaile- que también revisen los campos de los funcionarios de Insfrán con el mismo rigor, sobre todo aquellos campos de concejales del Frente para la Victoria donde se encontraron más de 700 kilos de cocaína."
Agregó el legislador que se intentó armarle una causa para fusilarlo mediáticamente "por pensar distinto, mientras que en los campos de Formosa todos sabemos que siguen aterrizando todos los días aviones con droga".
En 2011, la Justicia procesó al entonces concejal formoseño Héctor Hugo Palma por haberse hallado en un campo de su propiedad 701 kilos de cocaína. Palma se había dado a la fuga tras el secuestro de la droga, pero fue capturado y detenido.
Un federalismo que se declama, pero que no se practica suele producir la involución que transforma a provincias en feudos manejados con mano férrea por caudillos que se eternizan en el cargo. El autoritarismo que los caracteriza dentro de la provincia suele trocarse en franco servilismo hacia la Casa Rosada, de la que dependen para recibir fondos y obra pública. El unitarismo fiscal, desde el retorno de la democracia hace ya 30 años, nunca ha sido tan despiadado como ahora en el ejercicio centralizado del poder, paradójicamente ejercido primero por un ex gobernador de Santa Cruz y luego por una Presidenta de origen bonaerense.
Los elogios de la Presidenta a Insfrán, por carecer de base fáctica, constituyen otra afrenta para todos los argentinos y muy especialmente para los propios formoseños..

LikeLike · 

• Friend writes:  a dime a dozen. I don't read Spanish.

  1 hr · Like
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  Christopher Hartly Holte SUPPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT TO THE GOVERNOR OF A PROVINCE destitute, DRUG TRAFFICKING AND CORRUPTION RESULTING A MONUMENT TO Prebendary CLIENTELISM. INSFRAN-KIRCHNER, MUTUAL BENEFIT SOCIETY, WHICH LOST Formosa. 
  
  Under the pretext of opening a new power transformer station, President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner visited Formosa days ago in order to provide strong support to her ally, the governor Gildo Insfrán - in fact a sort of feudal lord - hiding the dismal picture that his province had through the Jorge Lanata television program. 
  The fawning excess of praise by the President of a governor whose managed of Formosa is mired in prostitution, backwardness, poverty, corrupt influence and bribery, drug trafficking, hunger and inequality can be explained by the perennial perverse party logic: votes in exchange for cash and works. 
  So much theater while formoseños suffering, among other things; from lack of potable water, health care and education. And in the case of the Qom indigenous ethnicity, we must add unpunished murders and oppression. 
  Sadly, several provinces could be used as examples of the worst evils that result from the exercise of feudal government in those states. But few, however, offer such a grim picture as Formosa presents. This unfortunate scenario is the governor hides behind false achievements listed in the speech that the President received. 
  A show that claims to practice Journalism and show the serious problems facing the community actually helps hide them. A week after the issuance of the program, a team suffered verbal pressure from several dozen people identified with the local kirchnerismo that forced him to withdraw from the town of El Foal, more than 300 kilometers from the provincial capital. 
  That kind of enslavement is possible only when a province cease to be self governing and goes back to the category of fief. As such governor Insfrán, who's been in his position since 1995, had to push a constitutional amendment to enable indefinite reelection.
  
  Such is the degree of closeness with the President and his staff that Formosa has written a dark chapter in the thick book [of dark deeds] and showed it's corruption trying and prosecuting National Vice President Amado Boudou. 
  
  In 2010, Formosa paid 7.6 million dollars to fund The Old Fund to allegedly provide advice to provincial officials who negotiated [kickbacks?] with the national government debt swaps. That operation was completed under Economy Minister Boudou. 
  
  The Old Fund, the alleged frontman of Boudou, Alejandro Vandenbroele, and linked with the Ciccone case, was hired by Formosa without bidding or competition, for 7.6 million pesos for that suspect advice. Of this amount, a retired official close to Insfrán received 2.2 million. This is José Martín Cortés, director and president of the Bank of Formosa. 
  
  Thus it's not surprising that the Formosa Govt. opposition suffer persecution, as with a kind of inspection by 30 staff who went with television cameras to the agricultural establishment that the family of local MP (UCR) Ricardo Buryaile has had for years in Patino location. "They could not have the pleasure of finding workers in black. It would be great" -proposed Buryaile [an opposition leader] - if they also visited the fields belonging to Insfrán officials, especially those fields belonging to the councilors of Front for Victory where more than 700 kilos of cocaine were found previously."
  
  Added the lawmaker who tried to aid [Buryaile] they got the media to try to "shoot him through the media" "for thinking differently, while in the fields of Formosa all know that every day are landing airplanes with drugs."
  
  Formosa is a major shipment point for drugs coming in from mountains on way to USA/North America and Europe through the Containership connection.
  
  In 2011, Justice indicted the then Councillor Hector Hugo Palma formoseño 701 kilos of cocaine that had been found in a field of their own. Palma absconded after the seizure, but was caught and arrested.
  
  Here the author is teaching:
  
  A federalism declaimed, but not practiced often produces involution which transforms into fief provinces handled with iron hand by warlords whose power is allied with those in office. Thus the Authoritarianism that characterizes power within the province is often bartered in ex subservience to the Casa Rosada, on which the Government depend for funding and public works. Paradoxically the prosecutorial Unitary governmental centralized exercise of power since the return of democracy 30 years ago, thus has never been as ruthless. This from a former governor of Santa Cruz and then a President of Buenos origin first. 
  Thus Praise of President Insfrán, for lack of factual basis, is another affront to all Argentines and especially to Formosa dwellers.

  12 mins · Edited · Like · 1
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  Christopher Hartly Holte Argentina has similar tensions between it's very powerful capital city, the province of Buenos Aires (which is as big as the country of Uruguay) and the rest of the country. Problems there reflect the things that scared our founders into creating the sort of Federation they did. At one time the provinces conquered the capital and at other times the reverse happened, and in both provinces and central government a corrupt dance occurs around power, taxes and banking. This article shows how corrupt power sharing and lack of local democratic republican forms, can corrupt an entire country and make life miserable for people.

  8 mins · Like
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  Christopher Hartly Holte You need not only the forms -- but the reality.

  7 mins · Like
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  Christopher Hartly Holte I like Kirchner. She seems very personable and has done some good things for Argentina. But she's also done some evil and this article is talking about some of the systemic evil that drives a corrupt system. The people in that system may be relatively good or very bad, but can never be virtuous because the virtues of their government are subverted by perverse incentives and power relationships.

  6 mins · Like
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  Christopher Hartly Holte formoseño means from Formoso. My wife was a Porteña because that is the popular term from someone from Buenos Aires city.

  2 mins · Edited · Like

Ebola -- Or why Medicaid Expansion matters.

Summary:

It seems obvious to me that the Hospital turned away on September 25 2014 Thomas Eric Duncan because of his insurance and because Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital is part of a medical system that refused the Medicaid expansion and doesn't make money from indigent patients. The medicaid expansion matters because it will make a dent in this inequitable and dangerous system. Because that is part of the purpose of medicaid and the medicaid expansion -- to ensure that doctors get paid for treating sick patients, including ones who might be infectious and otherwise make others sick.

Discussion

NBC article titled "Texas Hospital Makes Changes After Patient Turned Away" the Hospital admitted that the Nurse documented his disclosure he'd come from Liberia in the Electronic Medical Record at the Hospital. This puts the lie to the usual official first response of the Hospital that it was "The Nurses Fault" (anyone who knows Doctors, Nurses and Hospitals know that many Doctors always blame Nurses for their inattention, arrogance and mistakes). They admit:

"The nurse who took Thomas Eric Duncan’s medical history did the job correctly, the hospital said. “However, we have identified a flaw in the way the physician and nursing portions of our electronic health records (EHR) interacted in this specific case,” it added."

Thomas E Duncan didn't get treated until his relatives called the CDC and alerted them multiple times. Anyone ask why? Here's what his neighbor said:

"That was the day "I called CDC to get some actions taken, because I was concerned for his life and he wasn't getting the appropriate care," Duncan's nephew, Josephus Weeks, told NBC News on Wednesday night. "I feared other people might also get infected if he wasn't taken care of, and so I called them to ask them why is it a patient that might be suspected of this disease was not getting appropriate care?"

But you have to go outside the major news media to even get the "elephant in the Room" -- Insurance and the fact that Texas is refusing the medicaid expansion and that Hospitals around the country are either turning away patients or closing on account of that:

Charles D. Ellison rightly notes that:

"Did Duncan get initially turned away because he is black and, possibly, uninsured?"

Of course the Supreme Court says racism is dead in the USA and uses that to justify striking down laws intended to stop racist policies. So who wants to talk about this? He continues:

"We may never know for sure and it’s unclear if Duncan had insurance or not (it’s unlikely considering he’s a Liberian national on a U.S. visa)."

It's not hard to find out. A reporter should have asked him, or his relatives. Or the Hospital. But none of them seem to have asked this basic question.

“I was stunned,” Walks told The Root. “You could put [Duncan’s] picture in the dictionary under what you look for when responding to Ebola. How do you miss that guy?”

The Hospital had to notice. But I really don't think they missed this disclosure, what they missed was an even more important set of facts; the hospital wasn't focusing on where he was coming from. The Hospital was focusing on his insurance card and his ability to pay. Anyone who's been to a hospital recently with less than perfect insurance has found that out. In 2010 I went to a hospital after breaking my arm, spent 4 hours in the emergency room, only to be put in a cab to a clinic in Bethesda. Why? They said because they didn't have anyone on the staff who could set a broken arm. That wasn't true, the Hospital didn't have any doctors who would treat my broken arm under my insurance so I rode a cab. I suspect he was sent away because the Hospital didn't want to lose money on Thomas Eric Duncan by treating him under his substandard insurance if he had any. Texas has blocked the medicaid expansion. He likely didn't have insurance and the State wasn't going to reimburse him for the expense, they thought. I'm Sure the Federal Government is paying for his care now, but that is probably what really happened. Is anyone verifying this? I doubt it. Will it get investigated? Will the gross negligence of the hospital be punished? Will the Gross Negligence of Governors like Rick Perry who won't take the Medicaid expansion get punished? I doubt it. They'll prosecute Thomas instead. Ellison notes:

"That’s where factors such as Duncan’s race and level of insurance could have influenced the hospital’s first decision in either subtle or not-so-subtle ways. “There is a lot of research showing that different people get turned away in different places,” argues Walks. “So, if they turned him away at first because he’s an African with no insurance that would not be inconsistent with what we’ve seen over the years.”

Ellison also notes, quoting Walks:

"Walks draws on lessons from a similar event in October 2001 when the D.C. area was struck by multiple anthrax attacks which hit postal facilities particularly hard. When two black Brentwood facility postal workers – Thomas Morris, Jr. and Joseph Curseen - dropped by Maryland hospitals complaining of anthrax-triggered symptoms, the same time news of the attack and Brentwood as a focus of investigation was plastered on every cable channel, they were sent home and died soon after."

Our Hospital system has never been kind to minorities, but it has a duty to treat all people who show at the emergency room and it has an even more important duty to protect public health.

For further reading I suggest you read Ellison's report. He covers it pretty thoroughly in his article in the Root:

http://www.theroot.com/articles/culture/2014/10/where_ebola_meets_concerns_over_race_class_and_the_uninsured.html

References:

NBC Report on Hospital "Texas Hospital Makes Changes After Patient Turned Away":

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/texas-hospital-makes-changes-after-ebola-patient-turned-away-n217296

Same Report from Dallas, with more detail: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20141004-dallas-hospital-under-fire-as-accounts-of-ebola-patients-initial-release-change.ece

Report on his Brother:

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ebola-virus-outbreak/ebola-patient-thomas-eric-duncans-nephew-i-had-call-cdc-n216326

We know he lied on his entry papers. But he didn't lie the first time he showed up at the hospital

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/03/world/africa/dallas-ebola-patient-thomas-duncan-airport-screening.html?_r=0

Fact is our hospitals need to employ a virtuous and uniform (just) standard of care, and they don't.

Bullying and what to do about it

Today I saw a horrible story about bullying from my friend Bridgett on Facebook, and it brought back memories of my own childhood. I usually keep those memories fully buried, but this image brought them all back:

The image breaks my heart. The URL says she beat herself up:

Little Girl Kicked & Assaulted, School Determines That She Injured HERSELF

http://realitywives.net/blogs/little-girl-kicked-assaulted-school-determines-injured-self/

The article via Gulf Live says:

An Arlington Elementary student was injured on the school’s playground on Tuesday and her mother filed a police report on Thursday, according to Pascagoula Police Department Lt. Jim Roe.

The child was beat up on the playground.

“The mother alleges another child kicked her child on the slide,” Roe said. “Right now, there’s no indication something criminal took place. I have spoken with school security and an assistant superintendent is investigating the matter.”

Instead of acknowledging the reality the school Authorities here are real ********, they compound her injuries with the same kind of bull chips that authorities always put out in response to bullying. The idea of confronting it is foreign to authorities, who just plane don't know how to confront bullies. Teachers are intimidated. They often are bullied by the same miscreants themselves!

Roe identified the mother as Lacey Harris and the student has been identified on social media sites as AvaLynn. There is a Justice For AvaLynn Facebook page created as well as a gofundme.com account that is raising money to help pay for her medical bills. It indicates about $1,000 has been raised in one day.

I think I'm not the only one who has first hand memory of being Bullied. But the School district? Do they know what to do? No:

"The Pascagoula School District issued the following statement about the incident:

“A student was injured while playing on the playground at Arlington Elementary School Tuesday afternoon. School officials responded to the situation. The parent was contacted and the student received medical treatment. No other children were involved in the incident. The Pascagoula School District remains committed to the safety of all its students.”

So regardless of the little girl's testimony, "no other children were involved" -- which is an obvious lie.

"The gofundme.com page indicates AvaLynn was “was badly injured in an incident at her elementary school.”"

The Justice for AvaLynn Facebook page says she was “attacked by another student on the school playground. We are fighting for answers and for greater supervision at school.”

[http://realitywives.net/blogs/little-girl-kicked-assaulted-school-determines-injured-self/]

Greater supervision is important. But I don't see any evidence schools are any less clueless now than they were then.

My own experience with Bullying

I'm sure I also did some bullying. But I also remember going through years of bullying that in retrospect I see as even more horrendous than it seemed at the time. We had unrestricted play time in my school. They might have had one playground mom, but there were hundreds of us. Then they integrated the school and new kids came in who picked on me. I remember getting into fights and getting beat up. And then after that every day at lunch time I raced the bell out into the field and dived into where there was a thicket with blackberries, wild roses and rasberries. I'd dive under the bushes and wait until the bell ran again and then run again. I was terrified.

Then one day the kids ran with me, caught me and formed a circle around me punching me over and over again until I collapsed on the ground. Then they kicked me until I couldn't move. Finally one of them helped me into the Principle office and said "This kid got beat up on the field". Instead of being grateful I shouted he was one of the kids who beat me up. He got suspended. After that I sat out recess reading books.

Eventually I got to know some of the kids a little. But I'll talk about that more. The bullying went on, but one day I traded lunches with the smallest of them. I had forgotten my lunch and left it outside the school in the morning. A boy nick-named Junior with a tiny thumb who sucked it all the time. He had a really small lunch and I remember being hungry that day. I was angry because after lunch I realized my mom had simply packed the wrong type of cupcake. I traded lunch for a wishme sandwich because I couldn't believe my mom would give me a coconut covered cupcake. I guess I was an entitled little asshole. But it became a lesson later.

My Karma sucked. We moved and I rode the bus with the same kids. One day one of them put out a cigarrette on my head and I got even more hurt when I tried to hit the guy who did it. They would just laugh at me. Shortly after that two other kids. One named Daniel and the other one I've been wracking my brain to remember ever since, stood up for me and stopped them. I became friends with Daniel and his friend. This was the sixties. I learned a lot from meeting Daniel. For one thing I learned to look at the people bullying me as individuals. I also was being bullied by white kids, so it was really nice to find friends. Later the kids from my own neighborhood tried to attack me and I simply attacked one of them and broke through their circle. I'm sad to say I didn't become a bully myself, but I did come close to killing people. I remember having fantasies of bringing a machine gun to school. Fortunately I was broke.

I don't even like thinking about this, but there are methods for dealing with bullying, and they involve a variety of approaches that are also approaches for improving school hermaneutics.

Lessons Learned

1. Bullying doesn't end by ignoring it.

What is happening to that little girl will no more stop because the School administration denies it, than bullying stopped for me when I was a kid. Later, when I was a little more recovered friends would excuse it by telling me "well you're so pickable." Bullies pick on people because they are vulnerable. If Children aren't protected, the bullies take advantage. Unfortunately.

2. Bullies ignore efforts to stop them and escalate.

As we are learning from the experiences of law abiding black people with bullying cops one of the important things is to know how to de-escalate situations. When I was a kid I would fight back when I shouldn't or react to taunts, and that pretty much guaranteed Bullying. But the way to de-escalate is to act somewhat submissive while while trying to switch the conversation transaction from "parent-child" or "child-child" interactions to adult ones. That is why black people, who are expert at dealing with bullying, raise their hands and bow their heads a little. Cops would understand how to de-escalate situations but currently our cops are being taught bad Doctrine, Policy and getting bad guidance on how to deal with suspects or crowds, all involve teaching de-escalation. And that is also true with handling bullies. As long as a person is in "macho mode" (male or female) they're "fight or flight" brain is engaged and the rational analytical one is suppressed. You have to stop bullying. But then you have to find a way to de-escalating the conflict that drives the bullying. Whether it is angry racist prejudice, or criminal rebellion and fear, it won't stop until the parties decide to stop it. And that requires de-escalation.

3. Bullies need Intervention. Ironically intervention involves as a first step de-escalating the situation. The Crisis Prevention Website [http://www.crisisprevention.com/Resources/Knowledge-Base/General/De-escalation-Tips] has instructions for Police, for intervention. But they apply to bullies and demonstrators dealing with dysfunctional police too:

4.  First step in intervention is de-escalation

Dealing with Bullying as law enforcement with the Mentally ill

“A difficult and potentially dangerous situation for officers involves being called to a scene and engaging with a person who may be mentally ill. Most individuals with mental illness are not dangerous, but a special set of skills is required to bring a mutually successful end to the encounter.”[De-Escalation Tips]

Essentially dealing with bullies or cops is dealing with mental illness. It may be illness so common it's like the common cold, but it is illness nevertheless. Bullies are often hurt people themselves. The kids who bullied me on the playground were dealing with issues I (literally) could not comprehend at the time. The ones in my neighborhood also. In fact a study out of Brown University says that:

“Bullies often continue the cycle of social abuse that they have experienced themselves.”[http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/10/22/bullies-more-likely-to-have-mental-disorder/]

The author, Hilfer, continued:

“They can be depressed, fearful, and they often take out some of their anger and frustration on others down the pecking order,”[mental-disorder study]

And he continues:

“Support is often given to the bullied peers who are seen as victims. Many bullies should also be viewed as victims and offered help to change their behavior, they said.”[mental-disorder study]

So it is apt that a conflict de-escalation involves treating police, rioters, mobs, and deranged individuals as folks needing mental health support.

“This finding emphasizes the importance of providing psychological support to not only victims of bullying but bullies as well.”[mental-disorder study]

So while “The study did not look at the likelihood that bullies would have a mental health disorder.” experience with bullies suggest they need to be treated as if they have one. Bullying Behavior may be a symptom of a disorder. It certainly is disordering to both bully and bullied. The report notes that those bullied often bully in turn.[mental-disorder study]

Thus de-escalation requires intervention, and de-escalation:

“Although an officer's inclination may be to intervene immediately, that may not always be the best response. As long as the individual isn't an immediate danger to self or others, there's time to make a quick assessment. CPI, an international training company specializing in violence prevention and crisis intervention, recommends evaluating the person's behavior before acting, if at all possible.”[De-Escalation Tips]

The following steps apply to stopping bullying as well as stopping violence. I've added [or teacher/principle] to emphasize the quotes apply to schools too:

“How does an officer [or teacher/principle] make the decision about how to treat that individual? Of course the answer is communication: talking to the person and evaluating the responses. But what if the person is unable or unwilling to speak? Again, as long as the person is not a danger to self or others, there is time. Use it to listen to what the person is saying—not only with words, but also with body language and tone of voice.c[De-Escalation Tips]

Empathy

“CPI stresses the importance of listening with empathy, trying to understand where the person is coming from. Like other skills, empathic listening can be learned. The five keys are: give the person undivided attention; be nonjudgmental; focus on the person's feelings, not just the facts; allow silence; and use restatement to clarify messages.”[De-Escalation Tips]

Empathy is important because there is a strong link between bullying and trauma. Not only is bullying traumatic for the victim but bullies are often passing on what they learned as victims of trauma, of other people's bullying. The British Journal of Psychiatry [http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/193/5/378.short] reported:

“Adolescents who reported psychotic symptoms were significantly more likely to have been physically abused in childhood, to have been exposed to domestic violence and to be identified as a bully/victim (that is, both a perpetrator and victim of bullying) than those who did not report such symptoms.”

Bullying and Being Bullied as forms of Trauma

Bullying and being bullied are both forms of trauma. It could be that they induce Post Traumatic Stress symptoms in people. It really changes perspective to consider that both victims and victimizers are being traumatized. [http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/11/28/bullying-can-lead-to-ptsd-symptoms/48213.html

So when we endure Bullying from police, authorities, school mates and others some empathy is needed. That doesn't mean that it doesn't have to stop. Or that it is right. It just means that stopping it requires a different paradigm than simple violence or punishment. We are dealing with wounded people. Empathy has a practical role too. When someone is out of their mind or one is dealing with a person who is not fully rational. Empathy also helps one figure out where the person is going and maybe even understand where they are coming from. A good hunter knows his quarry so well he/she can anticipate their moves. That too is empathy. "Not fully in one's right mind means "handle with care." We have to give them:

Undivided Attention

“When people are paid attention to they feel validated; they feel important. The converse is also true: people feel less important and sometimes feel they need to up the ante if they feel like they need attention. Paying attention doesn't just mean saying, "I'm listening." It means looking at the person, making eye contact if it's culturally appropriate, and virtually listening with the entire body. By really listening, and conveying that through body language as well as words, an officer [or teacher/principle] can take away the person's reason for escalating the situation.”[De-Escalation Tips]

Often times just listening to a person calms them down enough so that they begin to think more clearly. So because school bullies, police, violent people aren't always in their right mind. De-escalating a situation usually also requires we make sure we understand the situation fully. That means:

Be Nonjudgmental

“If someone says, "The sewers are talking to me," an officer's [or teacher/principle] immediate reaction might be to think that the person is crazy. That reaction, especially if verbalized, will probably upset the individual even more. Even if not said aloud, that attitude may be conveyed through the officer[or teacher/principle]'s body language. If someone is psychotic, she may tune into the nonverbal communication much more than words. So besides paying attention to what is said, ensure that body language and tone are nonjudgmental as well. This will go a lot further in calming the individual.”[De-Escalation Tips]

Focus on Feelings

“Going back to the previous example, if an individual says, "The sewers are talking to me," a feeling response might be, "That must be pretty scary," or even, "Tell me what that feels like." This isn't getting into a therapist's bailiwick, but it is using a handy therapeutic tool. Most likely it will elicit a response that is positive, since the individual will know that the officer [or teacher/principle] understands what's happening.”[De-Escalation Tips]

Allow Silence

“As people devoted to protecting and serving, officers [or teacher/principle] are quite comfortable using silence during interrogations, but may not be quite so comfortable using it on the street. Officers [or teacher/principle] want to make sure the incident is handled quickly and peacefully. However, sometimes allowing that moment of silence can be the best choice.”[De-Escalation Tips]

Patience

“If the individual doesn't immediately answer a question, it doesn't mean he didn't hear you. It may mean he's thinking about his answer, or even that he wants to make sure he's saying the right thing.”[De-Escalation Tips]

More Patience

“Allow a moment of silence. If the person's face registers confusion, then repeat the question and let the silence happen again. Just as officers [or teacher/principle] are taught in basic training, another good reason for silence is that no one likes it—and people tend to start talking when silence lengthens.”[De-Escalation Tips]

Clarify Messages

“When a subject makes a statement, an officer [or teacher/principle] may think he knows what the person means. The only way to be sure is to ask. Sometimes a question may be perceived as challenging and can make the subject defensive. So restatement is used instead.”[De-Escalation Tips]

“For example, someone living on the street might say, "I don't want to sleep here anymore." The officer [or teacher/principle] might think he knows what the person is saying, but instead of just making an assumption the officer [or teacher/principle] could restate, "Oh, you're ready to go to the shelter?"”[De-Escalation Tips]

“The homeless person could say, "Yes." Or perhaps, "No, I don't want to sleep here anymore. I'm going to move over to Main Street where it's safer." In either case, the officer [or teacher/principle] has shown an interest in the individual and has kept the lines of communication open.”[De-Escalation Tips]

“One of the most important actions in any crisis is for the officer [or teacher/principle] to remain in control of himself. This factor, which CPI calls rational detachment, will be the key to whether the officer [or teacher/principle] helps de-escalate or escalate the situation. To rationally detach: develop a plan; use a team approach whenever possible; use positive self-talk; recognize personal limits; and debrief.”[De-Escalation Tips]

Develop a Plan

“Devise a plan before one is needed. Decisions made before a crisis occurs are more likely to be more rational than those made when on the receiving end of emotional outbursts. Think about those things that are upsetting and practice dealing with those issues ahead of time. This is called strategic visualization and is effective in helping officers [or teacher/principle] get through some stressful and even dangerous moments. Just as with other professional training officers [or teacher/principle] receive, this training will kick in when needed.”[De-Escalation Tips]

Use a Team Approach

“It's easier to maintain professionalism when assistance is nearby. Support and back up are both crucial pieces when trying to rationally detach.”[De-Escalation Tips]

Use Positive Self-Talk

“Positive self-talk has been the butt of many jokes. Picture Al Franken on Saturday Night Live saying, "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me." Sure, that's funny, but positive self-talk really can work wonders. Just as saying, "I can't deal with this" might cause an officer to behave in one fashion, saying to oneself, "I'm trained, I know what to do" will cause another response.”[De-Escalation Tips]

Recognize Personal Limits

“Being a professional doesn't mean that a police officer must be able to excel at everything. That's an unrealistic expectation. Know what your limits are. Know that sometimes it's not easy to leave problems alone. Sometimes the most professional decision is to let someone else take over, if that's an option.”[De-Escalation Tips]

Debrief

“Be sure to debrief with coworkers, team members, or a supervisor after a major incident. Talking about it can relieve some of the stress and is also a good time to start planning for next time: what was done correctly, what could have been handled better, how could the response be improved the next time a similar situation occurs. This serves to assist in being able to rationally detach in the future.”[De-Escalation Tips]

“Assisting someone with a possible mental illness is only one example of when an officer's evaluation, assessment and negotiation skills come into play. There are many other examples: domestic disturbances, dealing with children, assisting victims, helping traumatized witnesses, and even calming down an out-of-control colleague. No matter what the situation, keeping the lines of communication open can help to de-escalate a potentially dangerous crisis.”[De-Escalation Tips]

Bullying is also socially unacceptable and requires Adjudication

But like dealing with criminality. Dealing with bullying doesn't stop with de-escalation. It requires an adjudication. Someone has been hurt. And someone else hurt them. All this trauma doesn't justify bullying. It just is the vehicle by which bullying is passed on generation to generation.

It's pretty established that our formal legal system is incapable of handling school crime. There have been scandals where judges have been caught funneling children to private prisons. One reason why schools are loathe to turn offenders (such as the bullies of the little girl in Arlington Elementary, into the police is that the consequences are either the ruination of a child's life, or the kids getting away with it. There has to be a better way.

Trial by Peers in School

Schools have used mock trials for years to teach kids civic and laws. I'd suggest that schools have real trials with the Principle acting as judge and teachers acting as counsel. The trials would not have force of law beyond school discipline, but the students would pass judgment on the accused and the teachers would ensure that rules of law and procedure are followed. A conviction might involve escalation to the the Police. But more likely some kind of arbitration type solution can be found. And kids know the circumstances of what happened better than outside adults. The goal isn't to shame the perpetrator but to teach the kids about bullying, violence and the consequences of violence. I can't find any literature on that idea. But it seems like common sense idea so long as the basic principles of separation of officers (Separate Judge, jury, executive and counsel for all involved) are observed, and the adjudication is informal and informational. Kids literally are a jury of one's peers.

I'm not anyone important and I can't find any evidence of this working well.

Mock trial information: http://19thcircuitcourt.state.il.us/services/pages/mock_trials.aspx