This year, behind our church, someone planted a flowering plant that I have not seen in over 70 years! I recognized it right off! Way back in the 1930’s, as a teenager, I planted a packet of “old-fashioned garden” seeds and as they grew my mother identified them for me — cosmos, hollyhock, marigold, sweet William, and the plant by the church which I think she called “balsam.” The flowers are tucked up close to the stalk, amid the leaves.
When I googled “balsam” there were pictures of a number of plants, none of which looked quite right. But I did learn that those long-ago plants are called “antique flowers” and there is a online catalog of those old time flowers with really beautiful flower photos. Remember zinnias? When is the last time you saw a zinnia? Or a common cosmos, for that matter?
I got to thinking about all the things my mother taught me besides flower names – like how to say the German alphabet (at age 5), how to know which shoe goes on which foot, how to dress so things are not inside-out and backside-front, how to sew on a treadle sewing machine, how to thread a needle, and on and on. Is it not good of God to put us on earth with a mom and a dad to watch over us? Dad worked and Mom was at home so she did a lot more teaching. How to make cream of tomato soup so the tomatoes don’t curdle the milk, how to say please and thank you, how to cross the street. How blessed is anyone who comes to earth with a half-way decent mother!
One day while we were looking at the garden, Mom told me she had never deliberately hurt anyone. I had no trouble believing it. I cannot remember her ever hurting me in any way. I remember only truth and caring.
In those days money was scarce, I was the oldest of five, and I had an idea that my Dad was looking forward to my graduating from high school and getting a job. I was awarded a $100 scholarship to the local junior college and when I told Mom I wanted to go the college she said, “You’ll have to speak to Daddy.” How well she knew the family dynamics! I did, he said OK, I ended up with a Bachelor’s, and never was a financial boon to the family. Note that I wasn’t asking for help to go to college, just for permission!
Mom taught me the first prayer I ever learned:
Angel of God
My guardian dear,
To whom His love
Commits me here.
Ever this day
Be at my side
To light and guard
To rule and guide.
The current politically correct version, of course, reads “To whom God’s love, commits me here.” For some odd reason, it is deemed not proper to refer to God the Father with a masculine pronoun. Go figure! Next we’ll have to stop saying “Our Father.”
This, I guess, is a tribute to mothers. I’ll top it off with a link to Danielle Bean’s “I sob because I care.”
MOM AND DAD
~~~
A Christian who does not have Our Blessed Mother is a Christian orphan. — Homily, Fr. John Perez
Father Pavone and Senator Brownback on effect of abortion on women.
“The Silent No More Awareness Campaign is an effort to make the public aware of the devastation abortion brings to women, men, and their families. Our hope is that the emotional and physical pain of abortion will no longer be shrouded in secrecy and silence, but rather exposed and healed. Believing that women deserve better than abortion we pray this effort will make abortion unthinkable as every culture develops ways to help women and men embrace their pre-born children.”
Video below posted by Pat Madrid today. Who’s watching over our trillions? Does anybody know?
Representative Alan Grayson (D- FL) queries Federal Reserve Inspector General. Grayson graduated from Harvard, received a law degree (with honors) from Harvard Law School as well as a Master Of Public Policy from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. (wikipedia).
‘Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good,’ but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics.. We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and Set us free. Amen!’
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, ‘The Rest of the Story,’ and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord’s help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called ‘One nation under God..’
Here is one of those ‘viral’ emails that goes around. It is followed by a link to the text of Obama’s speech in Bozeman, Montana.
Hello All,
By now you have probably heard that President Obama came to Montana last Friday. However, there are many things that the major news has not covered. I feel that since Bill and I live here and we were at the airport on Friday I should share some facts with you. Whatever you decide to do with the information is up to you. If you chose to share this email with others I do ask that you DELETE my email address before you forward this on.
On Wednesday, August 5th it was announced locally that the President would be coming here. There are many groups here that are against his healthcare and huge spending so those groups began talking and deciding on what they were going to do. The White House would not release ANY details other than the date.
On about Tuesday Bill found out that they would be holding the “Town Hall” at the airport. (This is only because Bill knows EVERYONE at the airport) Our airport is actually located outside of Belgrade (tiny town) in a very remote location. Nothing is around there. They chose to use a hangar that is the most remotely located hangar. You could not pick a more remote location, and you can not get to it easily. It is totally secluded from the public.
FYI: We have many areas in Belgrade and Bozeman which could have held a large amount of folks with sufficient parking, (gymnasiums/ auditoriums). All of which have chairs and tables, and would not have to be SHIPPED IN!! $$$$$
During the week, cargo by the TONS was being shipped in constantly. Airport employees could not believe how it just kept coming. Though it was our President coming several expressed how excessive it was, especially during a recession. $$$$$
Late Tuesday/early Wednesday the 12th, they said that tickets would be handed out on Thursday 9am at two locations and the president would be arriving around 12:30 Friday.
Thursday morning about 600 tickets were passed out. However, 1500 were printed at a Local printing shop per White House request. Hmmmm……900 tickets just DISAPPEARED. This same morning someone called into the radio from the local UPS branch and said that THOUSANDS of Dollars of Lobster were shipped in for Obama. Montana has some of the best beef in the nation!!! And it would have been really wonderful to help out the local economy. Anyone heard of the Recession?? Just think…with all of the traveling the White House is doing. $$$$$ One can only imagine what else we are paying for.
On Friday Bill and I got out to the airport about 10:45am. The groups that wanted to protest Obama’s spending and healthcare had gotten a permit to protest and that area was roped off. But that was not to be. A large bus carrying SEIU (Service Employees International Union) members drove up onto the area (illegal)and unloaded right there. It was quite a commotion and there were specifically 2 SEIU men trying to make trouble and start a fight. Police did get involved and arrested the one man but they said they did not have the manpower to remove the SEIU crowd. The SEIU crowd was very organized and young. About 99% were under the age of 30 and they were not locals! They had bullhorns and PROFESSIONALLY made signs. Some even wore preprinted T-shirts. Oh, and Planned Parenthood folks were with them ……professing abortion rights with their T-shirts and preprinted signs. (BTW, all these folks did have a permit to protest in ANOTHER area)
Those against healthcare/spending moved away from the SEIU crowd to avoid confrontation. They were orderly and respectful. Even though SEIU kept coming over and walking through, continuing to be very intimidating and aggressive at the direction of the one SEIU man.
So we had Montana folks from ALL OVER the state with their homemade signs and their DOGS with homemade signs. We had cowboys, nurses, doctors you name it. There was even a guy from Texas who had been driving through. He found out about the occasion, went to the store, made a sign, and came to protest.
If you are wondering about the press…..Well, all of the major networks were over by that remote hangar I mentioned. They were conveniently parked on the other side of the buildings FAR away. None of these crowds were even visible to them. I have my doubts that they knew anything about the crowds. We did have some local news media around us from this state and Idaho. Speaking of the local media…they were invited. However, all questions were to be turned into the White House in advance of the event. Wouldn’t want anyone to have to think off the top of their head.
It was very obvious that it was meant to be totally controlled by the White House. Everything was orchestrated down to the last detail to make it appear that Montana is just crazy for Obama and government healthcare. Even those people that talked about their insurance woes……..the White House called our local HRDC (Human Resource and Development Committee) and asked for names. Then the White House asked those folks to come. Smoke and mirrors…EVERYTHING was staged!!!!!!!!!!!
I am very dismayed about what I learned about our current White House. The amount of control and manipulation was unbelievable. I felt I was not living in the United States of America, more like the USSR !! I was physically nauseous. Bill and I have been around when Presidents or Heads of State visit. It has NEVER been like this. I am truly very frightened for our country. America needs your prayers and your voices. If you care about our country please get involved. Know the issues. And let Congress hear your voices again and again!! If they are willing to put forth so much effort to BULLY a small town one can only imagine what is going on in Washington DC . Scary!!
Here is the text of President Obama’s speech in Bozeman, Montana, on August 14.
When I titled my blog Musings at 85 I had a passing notion that some people might be interested in what an old lady thinks about all day. It also occurred to me that we old folks might be of some help to each other, sharing problems and solutions and woes. What never occurred to me was how helpful the blogs of OTHERS might be to ME!
As you can tell by my early posts, I started blogging without ever having read a blog. And I had obvious growing pains. There was a time when I couldn’t italicize or bold or post a picture, much less a video. So it has been a growing experience in that way. What I have found out through reading the blogs of others is that it is a wonderful way of broadening and increasing your friends and family – real friends and family, not pretend ones like those in the soap operas in the afternoon — real people that you could actually interact with if you had a mind to!
Pew Internet & American Life Project says “Email is the most popular online activity, especially for internet users age 65 or older.” Once they find out how to do it, they love email. It’s a quick, easy, inexpensive way to keep in touch with the friends and family you already have. When people are bed-bound, home-bound, or just can’t get around they way the used to, they often turn to the television for company. Day after day many oldsters spend their afternoons glued to their TVs to see what is happening on their favorite soap opera (or all the soap operas!). Whiling away all those hours is nothing that appeals to me as I can’t help realizing these are only pretend people living pretend lives. What I have found out is that it is much more interesting and much more real to turn on the computer and read what others are writing out there. Bloggers are real people and they write with great honesty and integrity about their seeking, finding, suffering, solving.
Television was long ago heralded as a Window to the World, and indeed it is. But perhaps the computer is even more of a window to the world in that you can visit online a wider range of people leading different lives in many places with different families and challenges. And you can learn what they really think, not some scripted line in a fictional life. It is only about a year ago that I started looking at blogs and over the months I have come to actually know the first names of the authors of several blogs that I follow. Among my favorites there’s Aimee of Historical Christian, Jennifer of Conversion Diary, Barbara of Mommy Life, Jill of Prolife Pulse. They have inquiring minds and are interested in a multitude of things. They ask questions and get comments in response. They are up front with their trials and tribulations. They care about what is going on in the world. I believe them to be good and honest people.
I am in awe of the sheer beauty of some of the blogs, Ann Voskamp’s A Holy Experience, for example. I have looked for similar bloggers left of center, so far without success. Please point me.
According to Pew Internet only 26% of Americans age 70-75 and 17% of Americans age 76 or older go online. I think it could be a real blessing if you could help your oldster become acquainted with a computer. S/he might enjoy it and make a host of new friends.
Just as a bonus here is a link to a recipe that I copied yesterday from the Mommy Life blog for Curried Chicken & Broccoli Casserole. I looks good — can’t wait to try it!
On second thought, it seemed much simpler to include it:
CURRIED CHICKEN & BROCCOLI CASSEROLE
Fresh broccoli steamed
1 lb. chicken (boneless) sauteed
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 c. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. curry
Shredded cheddar cheese
Cut up broccoli and layer on bottom of casserole dish. Mix together in side bowl: chicken soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry. Cut up chicken into small chunks (or shred) and mix into sauce. Pour over broccoli. Top with flavored bread crumbs.
Oven: Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Fifteen minutes before finish, sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese, put back in the oven until cheese is melted.
And here, believe it or not, is a tutorial on how to start a blog with WordPress, which is what I use. I’ve never seen this tutorial before and upon viewing it know that I can learn quite a bit from it, once I get down to really studying it. Please God, I’m 86! I should have oodles of time on my hands. Where is it? Help me to learn how to use WordPress better, to find time to Scrabble. I want to read more of those beautiful blogs that happify my heart. I should take a bath every now and then and the yard is full of weeds where flowers used to be. Soon there will be potatoes to dig up. There’s the mail to sort and bills to pay, plants that need watering, the bathroom floor should be damp-mopped, shopping and cooking to be done, mass in the morning, prayer meeting Thursday night, the abortion mill to be picketed – AND a blog to write. I look at the blogs of others and realize I can’t do what they do. Help me, Lord, to be satisfied with my own best and grateful for the others that give me such joy.
Amen.
THE WORDPRESS TUTORIAL
~~~
Here I am Lord, I come to do your will. — Hebrews 10:7
I woke up this morning with the lovely Stephen Foster song, Old Black Joe, in my head. Are we still allowed to sing it? We sang Old Black Joe in assembly when I was in fourth grade at Henry Houck elementary school in Lebanon PA back in 1932. I guess we would now have to sing Old African-American Joe. (How come in Canada they don’t have African-Canadians?) I like black. Tell it like it is. It is a peaceful song about the end of life, hearing the call of those who have gone on ahead. At my age I identify with it more than ever. It was singing Old Black Joe and thoughts about death that led to this post today.
Thanatopsis is the title of a poem by William Cullen Bryant and means a ‘view of death’. Christian spiritual writers say we do well to ponder the “four last things” – death, judgment, heaven and hell – for a proper perspective on life. This being a blog of a woman in her 86th year of life, thoughts of death are something I live with. That being said, I don’t really look forward to Obamacare with Section 1233 of HR 3200 which will pay physicians to give end-of-life counseling to Medicare patients every five years (or sooner if terminally ill. ) As Charles Lane of the Washington Post writes:
Though not mandatory, as some on the right have claimed, the consultations envisioned in section 1233 aren’t quite ‘purely voluntary’ as the backers of the bill assert. He adds: ‘purely voluntary means ‘not unless the patient requests one.’ Section 1233, however, lets doctors initiate the chat and gives them an incentive – money – to do so. Indeed, that’s an incentive to insist.”
As Lane points out, the legislation says the doctor shall discuss “advanced care planning, including key questions and considerations, important steps, and suggested people to talk to”; “an explanation of . . .living wills and durable powers of attorney, and their uses” even though those are legal and not medical papers. The physician shall present “a list of resources to assist consumers and their families. ” Admittedly, this script is vague and possibly unenforceable,” Lane writes. “What are “key questions”? Who belongs on ‘a list’ of helpful ‘resources?’ The Roman Catholic Church? Jack Kevorkian?”
I am including the actual text of Section 1233 of HR 3200 at the end of this post. Section 1233 is just a small section of a mammoth bill. It is easy to see why it has not been read by those who will vote on it. It is also a bill in a state of flux. This is the current House version, not the Senate version which has yet to be completed. Who knows how it will all end up? And we want to give this due consideration and pass it in September?
Who are these people (doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant) who shall come after me every five years or more often if I am terminally ill? What is the definition of ‘terminally ill?” Is old age a terminal illness? How long do these consultations last? How often? What incentive (in the way of remuneration) does the “practitioner” get?
It seems to me there is too much opportunity for abuse by governmental agents. Please God keep them away from me and leave me to my family and the caretakers of my choice.
OLD BLACK JOE
Gone are the days when my heart was young and gay
Gone are my friends from the cotton fields away
Gone from the earth to a better land I know
I hear their gentle voices calling, Old Black Joe
Chorus
I’m coming, I’m coming, for my head is bending low
I hear their gentle voices calling, Old Black Joe
Why do I weep, when my heart should feel no pain
Why do I sigh when my friends come not again
Grieving for forms now departed long ago
I hear their gentle voices calling, Old Black Joe
Where are the hearts once so happy and so free
The children so dear that I held upon my knee
Gone to the shore where my soul has longed to go
I hear their gentle voices calling, Old Black Joe
~~~
Section 1233, HR 3200.
Advance Care Planning Consultation
(1) Subject to paragraphs (3) and (4), the term ‘advance care planning consultation’ means a consultation between the individual and a practitioner described in paragraph (2) regarding advance care planning, if, subject to paragraph (3), the individual involved has not had such a consultation within the last 5 years. Such consultation shall include the following:
‘(A) An explanation by the practitioner of advance care planning, including key questions and considerations, important steps, and suggested people to talk to.
‘(B) An explanation by the practitioner of advance directives, including living wills and durable powers of attorney, and their uses.
‘(C) An explanation by the practitioner of the role and responsibilities of a health care proxy.
‘(D) The provision by the practitioner of a list of national and State-specific resources to assist consumers and their families with advance care planning, including the national toll-free hotline, the advance care planning clearinghouses, and State legal service organizations
(including those funded through the Older Americans Act of 1965).
‘(E) An explanation by the practitioner of the continuum of end-of-life services and supports available, including palliative care and hospice, and benefits for such services and supports that are available under this title.
‘(F)(i) Subject to clause (ii), an explanation of orders regarding life sustaining treatment or similar orders, which shall include–
‘(I) the reasons why the development of such an order is beneficial to the individual and the individual’s family and the reasons why such an order should be updated periodically as the health of the individual changes;
‘(II) the information needed for an individual or legal surrogate to make informed decisions regarding the completion of such an order; and
‘(III) the identification of resources that an individual may use to determine the requirements of the State in which such individual resides so that the treatment wishes of that individual will be carried out if the individual is unable to communicate those wishes, including
requirements regarding the designation of a surrogate decisionmaker (also known as a health care proxy).
‘(ii) The Secretary shall limit the requirement for explanations under clause (i) to consultations furnished in a State–
‘(I) in which all legal barriers have been addressed for enabling orders for life sustaining treatment to constitute a set of medical orders respected across all care settings; and
‘(II) that has in effect a program for orders for life sustaining treatment described in clause (iii).
‘(iii) A program for orders for life sustaining treatment for a States described in this clause is a program that–
‘(I) ensures such orders are standardized and uniquely identifiable throughout the State;
‘(II) distributes or makes accessible such orders to physicians and other health professionals that (acting within the scope of the professional’s authority under State law) may sign orders for life sustaining treatment;
‘(III) provides training for health care professionals across the continuum of care about the goals and use of orders for life sustaining treatment; and
‘(IV) is guided by a coalition of stakeholders includes representatives from emergency medical services, emergency department physicians or nurses, state long-term care association, state medical association, state surveyors, agency responsible for senior services, state
department of health, state hospital association, home health association, state bar association, and state hospice association.
‘(2) A practitioner described in this paragraph is–
‘(A) a physician (as defined in subsection (r)(1)); and
‘(B) a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant who has the authority under State law to sign orders for life sustaining treatments.
‘(3)(A) An initial preventive physical examination under subsection (WW), including any related discussion during such examination, shall not be considered an advance care planning consultation for purposes of applying the 5-year limitation under paragraph (1).
‘(B) An advance care planning consultation with respect to an individual may be conducted more frequently than provided under paragraph (1) if there is a significant change in the health condition of the individual, including diagnosis of a chronic, progressive, life-limiting disease, a life-threatening or terminal diagnosis or life-threatening injury, or upon admission to a skilled nursing facility, a long-term care facility (as defined by the Secretary), or a hospice program.
‘(4) A consultation under this subsection may include the formulation of an order regarding life sustaining treatment or a similar order.
‘(5)(A) For purposes of this section, the term ‘order regarding life sustaining treatment’ means, with respect to an individual, an actionable medical order relating to the treatment of that individual that–
‘(i) is signed and dated by a physician (as defined in subsection (r)(1)) or another health care professional (as specified by the Secretary and who is acting within the scope of the professional’s authority under State law in signing such an order, including a nurse practitioner or physician assistant) and is in a form that permits it to stay with the individual and be followed by health care professionals and providers across the continuum of care;
‘(ii) effectively communicates the individual’s preferences regarding life sustaining treatment, including an indication of the treatment and care desired by the individual;
‘(iii) is uniquely identifiable and standardized within a given locality, region, or State (as identified by the Secretary); and
‘(iv) may incorporate any advance directive (as defined in section 1866(f)(3)) if executed by the individual.
‘(B) The level of treatment indicated under subparagraph (A)(ii) may range from an indication for full treatment to an indication to limit some or all or specified interventions. Such indicated levels of treatment may include indications respecting, among other items–
‘(i) the intensity of medical intervention if the patient is pulse less, apneic, or has serious cardiac or pulmonary problems;
‘(ii) the individual’s desire regarding transfer to a hospital or remaining at the current care setting;
‘(iii) the use of antibiotics;
‘(iv) the use of artificially administered nutrition and hydration.’
(2) PAYMENT- Section 1848(j)(3) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-4(j)(3)) is amended by inserting ‘(2)(FF),’ after ‘(2)(EE),’.
(3) FREQUENCY LIMITATION- Section 1862(a) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1395y(a)) is amended–
(A) in paragraph (1)–
(i) in subparagraph (N), by striking ‘and’ at the end;
(ii) in subparagraph (O) by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting ‘, and’; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
‘(P) in the case of advance care planning consultations (as defined in section 1861(hhh)(1)), which are performed more frequently than is covered under such section;’; and
(B) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘or (K)’ and inserting ‘(K), or (P)’.
(4) EFFECTIVE DATE- The amendments made by this subsection shall apply to consultations furnished on or after January 1, 2011.
(b) Expansion of Physician Quality Reporting Initiative for End of Life Care–
(1) Physician’S QUALITY REPORTING INITIATIVE- Section 1848(k)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395w-4(k)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
‘(3) Physician’S QUALITY REPORTING INITIATIVE-
‘(A) IN GENERAL- For purposes of reporting data on quality measures for covered professional services furnished during 2011 and any subsequent year, to the extent that measures are available, the Secretary shall include quality measures on end of life care and advanced care
planning that have been adopted or endorsed by a consensus-based organization, if appropriate. Such measures shall measure both the creation of and adherence to orders for life-sustaining treatment.
‘(B) PROPOSED SET OF MEASURES- The Secretary shall publish in the Federal Register proposed quality measures on end of life care and advanced care planning that the Secretary determines are described in subparagraph (A) and would be appropriate for eligible professionals to use to submit data to the Secretary. The Secretary shall provide for a period of public comment on such set of measures before finalizing such proposed measures.’
(c) Inclusion of Information in Medicare & You Handbook-
(1) MEDICARE & YOU HANDBOOK-
(A) IN GENERAL- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall update the online version of the Medicare & You Handbook to include the following:
(i) An explanation of advance care planning and advance directives, including–
(I) living wills;
(II) durable power of attorney;
(III) orders of life-sustaining treatment; and
(IV) health care proxies.
(ii) A description of Federal and State resources available to assist individuals and their families with advance care planning and advance directives, including–
(I) available State legal service organizations to assist individuals with advance care planning, including those organizations that receive funding pursuant to the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 93001 et seq.);
(II) website links or addresses for State-specific advance directive forms; and
(III) any additional information, as determined by the Secretary.
(B) UPDATE OF PAPER AND SUBSEQUENT VERSIONS- The Secretary shall include the information described in subparagraph (A) in all paper and electronic versions of the Medicare & You Handbook that are published on or after the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act.
It used to be that there was a civil liberty called freedom of speech. Those days are gone. In an unprecedented move our government — our GOVERNMENT! — has asked that citizens notify the White House if “chain emails” or “casual conversation” do not conform to Obama’s “facts” or claim to “uncover the truth” about the President’s health insurance reform plans. It then ranks as “disinformation.” The very notion that one could be reported to Big Brother for disagreeing sounds intimidating to me.
Facts Are Stubborn Things
Posted by Macon Phillips
August 4, 2009
Opponents of health insurance reform may find the truth a little inconvenient, but as our second president famously said, “facts are stubborn things.”
Scary chain emails and videos are starting to percolate on the internet, breathlessly claiming, for example, to “uncover” the truth about the President’s health insurance reform positions.
There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.
They would probably think the following words of ophthalmologist Zane Pollard qualify as “fishy” and disinformation. We would do well to listen to what he has to say. And don’t miss the video at the end.
OBAMACARE AND ME
By Zane F Pollard, MD
I have been sitting quietly on the sidelines watching all of this national debate on healthcare. It is time for me to bring some clarity to the table by explaining many of the problems from the perspective of a doctor.
First off, the government has involved very few of us physicians in the healthcare debate. While the American Medical Association has come out in favor of the plan, it is vital to remember that the AMA only represents 17% of the American physician workforce.
I have taken care of Medicaid patients for 35 years while representing the only pediatric ophthalmology group left in Atlanta, Georgia that accepts Medicaid. For example, in the past 6 months I have cared for three young children on Medicaid who had corneal ulcers. This is a potentially blinding situation because if the cornea perforates from the infection, almost surely blindness will occur. In all three cases the antibiotic needed for the eradication of the infection was not on the approved Medicaid list.
Each time I was told to fax Medicaid for the approval forms, which I did. Within 48 hours the form came back to me which was sent in immediately via fax, and I was told that I would have my answer in 10 days. Of course by then each child would have been blind in the eye.
Each time the request came back denied. All three times I personally provided the antibiotic for each patient which was not on the Medicaid approved list. Get the point — rationing of care.
Tim Tebow, 21-year-old quarterback for the Florida Gators, and the first home-schooled athlete to be nominated for the Heisman trophy, stunned reporters with his answer to the question: “Are you saving yourself for marriage?”
“Yes, I am,” he said. “I think y’all were stunned by that,” he said. “Y’all can’t even ask a question. Wow. I mean, I was ready for that question. I don’t think y’all were.”
According to Lifesite News Tebow’s mother, a Christian missionary, was pressured to have an abortion when she suffered an infection during her pregnancy. She refused and both she and her son survived.
I pray that Tim will continue to think that the teachings of his Christian missionary parents make good sense and that he will have the strength to follow them. In today’s culture it is extremely hard for a young man to remain chaste. Young women find men like Tim a tempting target – handsome, strong, famous, affluent, and (imagine!) a virgin. There will be women who will appreciate his strength of character, knowing that this is the kind of person who will some day be a faithful husband, a dedicated father, an honorable man. May he one day find such a woman. There will be others who will want to prove their allure by taking him down.
God help him and others like him. With God all things are possible. Even virginity.
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