DarkStar Spouts Off

Privilege

Privilege. That's the only way Dick Cheney, a 71 year old man, a man who has said in interviews that he does not always follow doctor's directions, should have received a heart transplant.

If I'm a young person waiting for a transplant, or a family member, I would be burning up the telephone lines to my doctors asking them to explain the situation.

Something is wrong with the transplant waiting list system.

They Must Get Government Money

For a group to do something THIS stupid and THIS desperate, they must get government funding based on how many people are in their program.

A Northeast Baltimore clinic that once pitched on-demand methadone to desperate addicts during the late-night hours is focusing on a new idea — paying addicts to come in for treatment.

"We are targeting a non-traditional population of addicts that isn't so interested in treatment," said the Rev. Milton Williams, who runs Turning Point Clinic, housed in his New Life Evangelical Baptist Church. "This will be an incentive."

The state has yet to approve the original on-demand, or "open access" idea, citing federal rules that require, for example, a lengthy examination of anyone getting methadone, a Schedule 2 narcotic. The incentive, $20 supplied by a private foundation or other group yet to be named, is a "Plan B," one Williams believes doesn't need any special approvals because the program would be run as a traditional clinic, just at night with no appointments.

Yes, I'm sure they get money from the government. Regardless, it's a dumb idea. First off, methadone "treatment" isn't treatment at all, it's just substituting one drug for another. Next, PAYING addicts to come in off the street and do methadone treatments? When the "treatment" requires recurring doses?

Is there ANY common sense with ANYONE who works in that program?

Nice Story, But Are His Demons Conquered?

The story of the homeless man with the radio voice, Ted Williams, is all over the Internet and news channels. It really shows promise as a story about failure because of alcohol and drugs and a rise because of prayer and a drive to show his mother, before she passes, he is back on track. He appears to be successful in marketing himself, even though he is down. But I have to ask, why was he still homeless?

Many people are homeless because they have mental health problems. Many people are homeless because they have substance abuse problems, and that can be a result of the mental health problems. Many people are poor because their financial situation, not due to drugs and alcohol, became dire.

Ted Williams said he fell to the demons of alcohol and drugs. But is that situation "solved" or to put another way, is he in recovery? Before businesses offer him compensation for Williams' vocal talents, they should make sure his demons are under his heel. They need to ask, "Are your demons conquered"? And they need to verify.

Go Elsewhere For Health Care

Go elsewhere for health care?

MOUNT DORA — A doctor who considers the national health-care overhaul to be bad medicine for the country posted a sign on his office door telling patients who voted for President Barack Obama to seek care "elsewhere."

"I'm not turning anybody away — that would be unethical," Dr. Jack Cassell, 56, a Mount Dora urologist and a registered Republican opposed to the health plan, told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday. "But if they read the sign and turn the other way, so be it."

The sign reads: "If you voted for Obama … seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin right now, not in four years."

As I've written a few times, I'm not a fan of the "health care" bill, but I think all of the people cheering what the doctor posted are foolish and not thinking.

Suppose a patient of the doctor doesn't do well under the doctor's care. Suppose the patient then sues the doctor saying the doctor was against the "health care' bill while they, the patient, supported the "health care" bill and they think the reason why their treatment didn't do well is because of their opposing political views?

Then what?

Forgive Me, Oh Grilling gods...

But I've decided to get a gas grill.

Last year, around this date, my cousin died from prostate cancer. His family had a strong history of prostate cancer so i guess he was high risk, but one of the things he did on a regular basis was to eat charcoal grilled chicken.

I can't get that off my mind along with the research that shows a link between charcoal cook food and prostate cancer.

So, I apologize for YEARS of mocking against the gas grillers. :-)

Question About a Scam

I have a question about "climate change" and carbon credits.

If you are convinced that "climate change" is a direct result of human energy consumption, then why are you not raising a ruckus over carbon credits? Here is what I don't understand. If someone burns energy that compares to 1.5 times "normal use", and another person only burns energy at a level of 0.5 "normal use", why is it reasonable to allow the person who burns "too much" to "buy carbon credits" from someone who doesn't burn energy in a wasteful way?

I just don't understand it.

Changing Health "Standards"

Last week and the week before I had some sort of bug. Mrs. D.S. nagged me enough that I went to the doctor to see about it. During the examination, the doctor's assistant told me I had high blood pressure, based on the "new blood pressure standard created by the blood pressure experts." Under the old standard, I would not have been marked as having high blood pressure. I laughed because my pressure was raised from what my blood pressure norm.

Monday, while talking with Mrs. D.S., I heard the newscaster state a government medical panel has changed the recommendation for regular breast cancer screening from 40 to 50. When I heard that, I went on a quick mini-rant about changing standards, asking who knows what's the right answer for anything these days.

Tuesday, while driving, I remembered Mrs. D.S.'s friend who found out she had breast cancer. She was in her late 30s and is now recovered. She would not have known if she followed "the advice" of this government board. In fact, because her family has a history of breast cancer, she started getting regular checks earlier than the old standard.

Today, this issue is still being discussed but I hear the political spin on it. Imagine if we had single payer or the system that is in the House bill that recently passed. Would women in their 40s be able to get mammography readings done and paid for by insurance, if the standard is 50? And can't the new standard be seen as a way of COST CUTTING? To really cap this off, in Britain, the death rate from breast cancer is higher than in the U.S. because a medical treatment that is available in the U.S. is not paid for by the Britain health care system, thus causing deaths.

This is a GREAT example of the fear of rationed care under a government system and there seem to be a lot of women AND men concerned about this.

Maine Does Health Care

Maine Finds a Health Care Fix Elusive

Maine’s history is a cautionary tale for national health reform. The state could never figure out how to slow the spiraling increase in medical costs, hobbling its efforts to offer more people insurance coverage. Many on Capitol Hill have criticized national reform legislation for similarly doing little to tame costs.

To Ms. Snowe, Maine’s past shows that change, while needed, should be incremental because mistakes are common. This is among the reasons she opposes an immediate public insurance option. “I mentioned to the president that people can’t digest everything at once,” she said in an interview.

To conservatives, Maine proves that government efforts to strictly regulate the nation’s health insurance market are doomed. Many of the reform proposals circulating on Capitol Hill have already been tried in Maine.

“These reforms are very well-intentioned, but in reality they have yet to produce the promised results or even be financially sustainable,” said Tarren R. Bragdon, chief executive of the Maine Heritage Policy Center, a conservative research organization in Portland.

A state does some of the same things that congress wants to do, and the costs still rise, yet congress says these are the things that will bring down costs?

Comments R Us:Quickie On Health "Care" Politics

I wrote this somewhere:

Obama isn't in control of the "health care issue", the Dem congress is in control. The administration learned from Clinton-care that when you are specific, you get specific bullets and arrows shot at you. Unfortunately, you get bombs dropped on you when you provide no specifics and leave it up to the nut jobs in congress.

I hope the effort fails.

I mean it.

Government Insurance "Care"

Maryland cuts in Medicare

The board approved cuts, proposed by Gov. Martin O’Malley, $75 million in cuts in Medicaid reimbursements that will now be covered by federal matching funds as the state unemployment rate grows, as well as another $34 million in reductions in Medicaid payments to hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers.

...

Nancy Fiedler, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Hospital Association, said the group, representing the state’s major medical providers, is concerned about the state’s recent budget cuts, “and even more concerned” about additional cuts O’Malley could make prior to Labor Day.

“This round of cuts limits the number of days a Medicaid patient can stay in the hospital,” Fiedler told IFAwebnews.com. “That falls disproportionately on hospitals that care for the greatest number of Medicaid patients and patients who are often the sickest patients. “

She noted that hospitals that can least afford it, including Bon Secours and Prince George’s Medical Center, are “already in extremely fragile financial condition.”

“It is important to remember that every dollar cut in Medicaid results in program reductions of $2, because the federal government matches the state contribution dollar for dollar,” she said.

Emphasis mine. I need to point out two things.

First, when companies were rushing women out of the hospital after having a baby, people strongly objected. Now look at what the government is doing. Second, you know that O'Malley and company KNOW what their cuts mean for federal funding.

A Query Concerning Health Care

A family member of yours is in the hospital with terminal cancer. This family member wants to come home to spend his last days. To be blunt, he wants to die at home, not at the hospital.

Meanwhile, because the cancer is terminal and nearing the last stages, the hospital wants to stop dialysis treatments and medicate for the pain. In fact, they tell you they will no longer provide the treatments because it is too expensive. But, they won't release him because he needs dialysis treatments.

Catch-22.

You work it out and your family member is now at home. He does a few treatments and finally passes one morning with family around him praying for him.

Now change one word in the second paragraph. Substitute government for hospital.

Meanwhile, because the cancer is terminal and nearing the last stages, the government wants to stop dialysis treatments and medicate for the pain. In fact, they tell you they will no longer provide the treatments because it is too expensive. But, they won't release him because he needs dialysis treatments.

Does it make a difference?

You Want Gov't To "Fix" Health Care?

You want the government to "fix" health care?

June 12 (Bloomberg) -- Health-care overhaul legislation being drafted by House Democrats will include $600 billion in tax increases and $400 billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel said.

Democrats will work on the bill’s details next week as they struggle through “what kind of heartburn” it will cause to agree on how to pay for revamping the health-care system, Rangel, a New York Democrat, said today. The measure’s cost is reaching well beyond the $634 billion President Barack Obama proposed in his budget request to Congress as a 10-year down payment for the policy changes.

Asked whether the cost of a health-care overhaul would be more than $1 trillion over a decade, Rangel said, “the answer is yes.” Some Senate Republicans, including Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, say the costs will likely exceed $1.5 trillion.

I say leave it alone. This is the nonsense that is going to get our economy further in trouble and get Democrats kicked out, but the only hope then would be a "real" "third party" option.

Family First

Family has to come first, because in the end, they are the people who should have your back.

It's been a rough 5 weeks but things are going to get back to normal as much as they can when a member of your family passes.The point of the "Black men get yourself checked out" has been the death of a family member which may have been prevented if regular checkups were done. The death of Mrs D.S. family member, however, was unexpected and, frankly, the work of evil.

But with the grace of God, both families will prevail and continue to live life.

I haven't been paying close attention to the news of the day but that will start to change now that things are going to "get back to normal." But what I have been paying attention to, I have a lot of thoughts about. That should come out in the next few days.

I Say, Get Yourself Checked Out

I don't get too personal on this blog, but I'll make an exception here. Mind stream follows...

A few weeks ago I posted that Black men need to get checked out.

A close cousin wasn't feeling well. After deciding which hospital was the best one to go to and when was the best time, he checked himself into a hospital thinking he was sick from a change in diet. When he checked himself in, his blood pressure was SKY high and the doctors worked to bring that down, which they did. However, he suffered some kidney damage from the VERY strong medicine they gave him.

He had blood in his urine and it turned out he had polyps on his colon. They removed the colon polyps and saw spots on his liver and they had to remove part of his kidney.

"Man, you know us Black men! We don't go to the doctor or get checked out!" That's why he told me when I first talked to him in the hospital. He said that in response to a doctor who said to him, "You're not in as good of shape as you thought you were."

It was said he had colon cancer and they gave him 6 months to live.

He died today (Friday), 4 weeks later, at home with his sister, mother, ex-wife, my daughter, and nurse around him, praying for him.

I had stayed the night because I got a call he wouldn't make it. I had to be there. This morning, I left to go home and wash up and then head back. After I got out of the shower, the call came saying he passed.

Grand total for services and burial? $9 - 10K when we are finished. A few of the family members are rallying around to pay funeral expenses.

My daughter works part-time in the hospital where he checked himself into. She's a transporter. She wheels people around. When he checked himself in, she was the one who took him to his room.

"Daddy. I don't understand. He came in feeling so-so, and now..."

His last day in the hospital, before he was released, he said, "If I knew I was this sick, I would have gotten checked out a long time ago."

Once at home, he was staying in his nephew's room and said he wanted his recliner chair from his house.

We got it.

Yesterday (Thursday) he left his room and got in the chair. Today (Friday) he died in the chair.

I think he left the room to die because he didn't want to die in his nephew's room.

I got checked out 2 weeks ago. I'm scheduling a colonostopy for the end of the week or the following week.

My cousins, who I track for health issues because we look so much alike and have shared mannerisms, have told me for years things to look out for, and I seem to be on their track.

High cholesterol? Check but I'm working on it.

I'm "in store" for high blood pressure even though I'm fine right now.

Again, Black men, get checked out.

Black Men: Get A Regular Physical

The title says it all.

"The story ends" but not really, because the story has yet to be finished.

It's been a rough few weeks.

How Do We Get People To "Wrap IT Up"?

Someone PLEASE tell me how we get people who are just going to have sex without benefit of marriage or outside of marriage, to do what is necessary to "protect" themselves?!?!?!

ESPECIALLY BLACK PEOPLE as is, YET AGAIN, demonstrated with the HIV/AIDS rate, this time in Washington, D.C.

The first 3 paragraphs:

At least 3 percent of District residents have HIV or AIDS, a total that far surpasses the 1 percent threshold that constitutes a "generalized and severe" epidemic, according to a report scheduled to be released by health officials tomorrow.

That translates into 2,984 residents per every 100,000 over the age of 12 -- or 15,120 -- according to the 2008 epidemiology report by the District's HIV/AIDS office.

"Our rates are higher than West Africa," said Shannon L. Hader, director of the District's HIV/AIDS Administration, who once led the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's work in Zimbabwe. "They're on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya."

OK, so that's the "hyperbole" to get people's attention to keep reading. So, now comes the "pc" component:

The District's report found a 22 percent increase in HIV and AIDS cases from the 12,428 reported at the end of 2006, touching every race and sex across population and neighborhoods, with an epidemic level in all but one of the eight wards.

But, then a little further down, comes the REAL DEAL:

More than 4 percent of blacks in the city are known to have HIV, along with almost 2 percent of Latinos and 1.4 percent of whites. More than three-quarters -- 76 percent -- of the HIV infected are black, 70 percent are men and 70 percent are age 40 and older.
Heterosexual sex was the principal mode of transmission for blacks with the disease, 33 percent. Men having sex with men was the chief mode of transmission for white residents, 78 percent; and Latinos, 49 percent. Black women represent more than a quarter of HIV cases in the District, and most, about 58 percent, were infected through heterosexual sex. About a quarter of black women were infected through drug use.

People know what's out there. The question is, WHY continue doing what will kill you?

He Didn't Tell Me He Loved Me!

He said he would be gentle.

He covered up.

He lubed up.

He stuck it in and moved around.

It was over quickly, although it seemed like it was forever.

He finished and said my prostate seemed healthy and just to be sure, part of my blood workup will be a PSA test.

But he didn't tell me he loved me! He didn't even buy me dinner! :-)

 Did you know that high blood pressure, untreated, can cause kidney disease?

Black man, get checked!

There will be little to no blogging for a bit.

Men! Get Checked Out

Are you a Black man, 40 or over?

Get regular check ups. Get your prostate and colon checked.

[ UPDATE ]

A story told to me:

"Oh, I FEEL fine!

I don't know what's going on, on the INSIDE, but I FEEL fine!"

Look guys....

If you and a few of your friends get the exam, trust me when I say, you can actually joke about "the snap of that glove and the finger."

Your life may depend on it.

More On The Government In Medical Care

If the federal government were to say that medical records should be in X format, encrypted to at least Y standard when at rest, contain at least Z information, provide for A areas for additional information, provide for B options, and dictate S minimum level of security when the data is in transport, this can be justified using inter-state commerce clause for involving the federal government in medical records. Note in this example, the federal government is involved in defining an interstate commerce standard. The government is not involved in medical decisions. So, I think for the above, it's a good thing to do. HOWEVER....

But the bill goes further. One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and "guide" your doctor's decisions (442, 446). These provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis." According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and "learn to operate less like solo practitioners."

The above is the reason that should cause everyone's heart to skip a few beats. Here's the example:

Your mother getting treated by Dr. Vasoul. Dr. Vasoul decides on a treatment plan and gets approval from you and your mother on the plan. Dr. Vasoul implements the plan. You make sure your mother adheres to the plan and things start looking good. Your mother has returned to normal, meaning she's spoiling your children on a regular basis.

Now, Ms. Gover Mint comes around and reviews your mother's medical history and her current treatment. Ms. Gover Mint decides that based on her age, the treatment plan is not cost effective, even if the digital records show Dr. Vasoul noting your mother is responding well to the treatment. Ms. Gover Mint then tells Dr. Vasoul to follow another treatment plan that Dr. Vasoul knows is not as effective as the current plan and does not increase the quality of life. In fact, the stated plan even hinders the quality of life.

Think about the bureaucracy required to get the treatment plan approved while your mother suffers.

And consider this point. The I.R.S. has caught its employees snooping into the tax records of celebrities. Think about how many DON'T get caught and how many may use the medical information for ill.

Think about the trouble veterens have getting treatment at the V.A. hospitals.

This is NOT good.

Big Brother Does Meds

[ UPDATED ]

Medical whammy in the "stimulus" bill.

Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Republican Senators are questioning whether President Barack Obama's stimulus bill contains the right mix of tax breaks and cash infusions to jump-start the economy.

Tragically, no one from either party is objecting to the health provisions slipped in without discussion. These provisions reflect the handiwork of Tom Daschle, until recently the nominee to head the Health and Human Services Department.

Senators should read these provisions and vote against them because they are dangerous to your health. (Page numbers refer to H.R. 1 EH, pdf version).

The bill's health rules will affect "every individual in the United States" (445, 454, 479). Your medical treatments will be tracked electronically by a federal system. Having electronic medical records at your fingertips, easily transferred to a hospital, is beneficial. It will help avoid duplicate tests and errors.

But the bill goes further. One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and "guide" your doctor's decisions (442, 446). These provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, "Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis." According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and "learn to operate less like solo practitioners." 

Keeping doctors informed of the newest medical findings is important, but enforcing uniformity goes too far.

Yeah, I'm Packin' [ UPDATED ]

The Giants have decided to suspend Plaxico Burress without pay for the rest of the season.

All of this happened because Plaxico went to a club packin' heat, and shot himself in the leg. Now, me, I'm thinking dude is a fool for carrying a gun in New York when New York has the strictest gun control laws in the country. I was also thinking that he is supposed to be hurt, and there he is, out partying at a club, a few nights before a game, even if he is not going to play.

A team is paying you millions of dollars, you are already hurt, and there you are, out there ready to get your groove on instead of trying to get back playing. Yes, I realize you can't rehab 24/7, but hanging out at a club with a messed up hamstring? And you're packin' heat?

In NYC?

Look, I understand that high profile people in this day and age may need protection, but at dude's level, couldn't he hire a bodyguard? Couldn't he just NOT go to the club?

Here is a quick list:

• Broncos player Darrent Williams was killed outside of a club in a drive by after leaving a club.
• Raiders player Javon Walker beat up and robbed.
• Jaguar Richard Collier shot.

I say just don't go to the club. But then there is the case of Sean Taylor.

He was in his home. He was at home.

If I'm making enough money, there is a "safe room" in the basement, a safe room on the living level, and safe rooms in the bedroom level. The safe room would be in the master bedroom closet and in the children's bedroom closets.

If I'm not making enough money, there would be a safe room somewhere in the house and at a minimum, I'm packin' on every level.

Dude should have hired a body guard, so the comments about him being dumb, are on point, even when you take into account players "being targeted."

[ UPDATE ]

I forgot to mention something important to the story. Plaxico's teammate, Steve Smith, was robbed a few days before Plaxico was caught with the gun. It's important to mention but my comment still stands; he should have had a body guard or not gone out.

Men's Retreat

I attended a men's retreat held by my church and I will never be the same.

Coming back, I thought about a thread I read on P6 and other places about Black men needing to talk through issues with other men. I'm looking but I can't find it which is too bad.

You see, I heard some very interesting testimonies. There seemed to be a single core running though them all and it dealt with relationships with fathers and men taking their problems on all alone.

Men need to talk with other men.

I am not the same and my family will be better for it.

Health Care

If you had free health care available, and it was "good", and you had paid health care available, that is also "good," what would you do?

HONOLULU (AP) - Hawaii is dropping the only state universal child health care program in the country just seven months after it launched.

Gov. Linda Lingle's administration cited budget shortfalls and other available health care options for eliminating funding for the program. A state official said families were dropping private coverage so their children would be eligible for the subsidized plan.

"People who were already able to afford health care began to stop paying for it so they could get it for free," said Dr. Kenny Fink, the administrator for Med-QUEST at the Department of Human Services. "I don't believe that was the intent of the program."

So, how many people are surprised?

My main criticism of this government provided health care has always been, when the money gets tight, the health care provided will get worse.

Men Need To Talk

Thanks to reader LLR for this one:

Starting a new Mens Group in DC/MD/VA area

I want to start a support group of like minded men to fellowship with, support and encourage.

Some of us go through a lot of crap in a week with no real brothers to download and get a word of help. Some need a new job and all of us have connections to something or ideas that don’t fit us but may benefit another.

Married men, need a “attaboy” every now and then when we do what is right but not necessarily what we would want to do

Single brothers need to hear some wisdom from fathers that have overcome…

This group would maybe do breakfast, go fishing, see a game together..etc. once a month. Whatever. But geared toward going deeper than usual.

If you are interested, give me a shout.

This is a good idea.

Troubles With The HPV Vaccine?

8 more deaths connected to HPV vaccine
Adverse reactions from Gardasil number in thousands

Another eight deaths in just the past few months are being connected to Gardasil, Merck & Co.'s vaccine that targets the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus and is being considered by many states as mandatory for all schoolgirls, according to documents released by Judicial Watch.

There also have been another 1,824 adverse reactions to the drug, bringing the "known total" of such problems to 3,461, according to the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption.

"In light of this information, it is disturbing that state and local governments might mandate in any way this vaccine for young girls," said Tom Fitton, the group's president. "These adverse reactions reports suggest the vaccine not only causes serious side effects, but might even be fatal."

More at the link.