Thank You and Goodbye

Thank You
A couple of weeks ago a 26 billion dollar package was passed by the government to deliver two main objectives. The first was to ensure that teachers would not be laid off and the second was to shore up medicaid programs in the states (government insurance for the poor). The next day I went to my children and thanked them for being so generous with their money. In essence the government is borrowing/stealing money which will be paid back in the future by my children and grand children. The government is basically taking their future income and giving it to me so I can take care of poor people. So thank you kids, for transferring your future wealth to me.

They are also transferring this stolen money to support ridiculous and unsustainable government pensions. This is instead of making the tough and necessary changes in those benefits just to continue pandering to secure votes and power. HOW IRRESPONSIBLE of these generational thieves to steal this money? They spend money as if there is no payback. Both parties are at fault (you know which one primarily) and are a bunch of pathetic cowards.

Good Bye
Yesterday I sent off my first child, my only daughter. She went to study abroad for 10 months before she starts college next Fall. I suppose I wasn't prepared for how difficult it was going to be for me. As if a piece of me has been removed, and one of my best parts. The years of her living with me under the same roof are over. It went way too fast. The memories are so numerous but it is difficult to think about them because they are by definition in the past and this marks the transition to a new stage for which I am not prepared. The memories just reinforce this painful change.

My daughter's main worry and apprehension was she didn't want things to change. She was worried that the dynamics of the family, the day to day relationship would be altered by her absence. Although I reassured her that things can never change between us, inevitably her absence produces a huge void in our household. Although this change is extremely difficult for me, it is good change. I know time will heal this emotional wound but in the meantime it is extremely difficult. As we enter a new and different stage in our father daughter relationship I know we will share experiences that exceed anything so far. So goodbye to my daughter for now. I miss you and love you so much.

Ground Zero Mosque, Too Close or Too Far

I think I have come up with the perfect location for the 9/11 mosque. Some say it is too close to the terrorist massacre that occurred but I say it is not close enough. I mean why should the mosque be built a whole two blocks away from ground zero. I propose that the mosque be located on the top floor of the Freedom Tower. Yes, one third of a mile up in the air in the replacement to the World Trade Center is the ideal place and fulfills several important goals.

I suspect it will be difficult to lease out the space on that floor. For whatever reason, companies and employees may fear occupying the top floor. By locating the mosque on that floor it alleviates this concern. Perhaps as time goes on they will need to expand and occupy more floors. Probably a Halal restaurant will need to be built on the floor. Maybe some office space or sleeping quarters for visiting Muslim leaders and dignitaries. Yes, put them all on the top floors of the Freedom Tower.

As tenants the Muslim community will be paying rent to support the existence of the replacement to the World Trade Center. This is a wonderful way to demonstrate their rejection of extremist Muslims. What better way to spend their dollars than to assist in the success of the building that was brought down in the name of Islam. Quite a statement by moderate Muslims that they will not be brought down by the extremists amongst their ranks.

The Mosque will be called the Cordoba Mosque in the Sky and will be the highest Mosque in the world attracting many tourists. The top floors will be packed with Muslim tourists from around the world to take in the views, be called to prayer, and to catch a bite at the Halal Windows of the World.

By putting a mosque on the top floor I think the chances of another similar attack on the building is brought way down. Al Quaeda will certainly be deterred from sending another plane or planting a car bomb in the basement if the result is the destruction of the Cordoba Mosque in the Sky along with their brethren in the building. It serves as a great deterrent.

Finally, Imam Rauf should have his top floor office facing New Jersey with all glass windows so he has a great view of any incoming aircraft.

9/11 Mosque, My Two Cents

Regarding the 9/11 mosque, there were two thoughts I heard that I thought were the most interesting. I am not sure where I heard the first but it alluded to the fact that the Muslims can build a mosque at ground zero when the Jews can build a synagogue in Mecca. This comment distinguishes the degree to which other religions are tolerated by Judaism and Islam. While the Jews and Christians are tolerant of Islam, unfortunately, the opposite cannot be said. By being intolerant of other religions, Islam engenders resistance when it requests to build a mosque based on our rules of equality, fairness, and tolerance.

The second was the comment by Newt Gingrich that if the goal of building the 9/11 mosque is to promote tolerance then why not have a building that houses a mosque, a church, and a synagogue. Let the religions co-exist in a building and be a microcosm of co-existence and tolerance. Let there be interfaith dialogue with classes, open debates, and courses that anyone can enrol into and potentially view over the Internet all over the world. If the religions can demonstrate peaceful coexistence and constructive communication in this building it will serve as an example to the entire world.

I think the sole purpose of this building should be as a symbol of tolerance amongst the religions. This is exactly the opposite of the mindset of the 9/11 terrorists and will have exactly the opposite outcome as the one intended by the terrorists (to instill terror). It should serve to eliminate suspicion and fear. Trust not terror should be the aim of this institution. It will hopefully serve as a deterrent to prevent future acts of intolerance and would also serve to encourage future generations to "buy in" to the idea of religious tolerance primarily amongst Muslims.

Unfortunately, the current plan does not appear to promote tolerance. In fact, it seems to be worsening the isolation of Muslims and promoting suspicion and fear. This is an enormous chance for moderate Islamic leaders to change their image that currently exists. By promoting inter-religious tolerance through this initiative they can impact future generations throughout the world.

OR Personnel

I was in the operating room a few days ago doing some procedures and a couple of things occurred which demonstrated the stupidity that has infiltrated the medical field. It also demonstrates the degree to which the legal profession has hamstrung the medical profession into the way we treat patients and in performing meaningless tasks which detract from patient care.

Besides the patient there are four professionals in the operating room. The surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the circulating nurse and the scrub tech (the person who assists the surgeon). The job of the nurse is to be available to the patient and the anesthesiologist throughout the procedure. In recent years all they have time to do is fill out the enormous volume of paperwork that must be completed for each procedure. In my case, a child was undergoing a procedure and the nurse was complaining that at the end of the procedure she had not yet completed her paperwork and was unable to help the patient. I do not blame her but I blame the lawyers who have created an atmosphere where everything has to be documented to such a degree in case anyone in the future needs to look back. More attention is paid to the paperwork than to the patient who is having surgery.

Due to the recent incidences of operations being performed on the incorrect side, the surgeon is asked to mark the site in the waiting room before entering the OR. My case involved an elderly gentleman who had a visible lesion on the outside of his ear. It was clearly evident to anyone who would look. The nurse asked me to mark the site. I said to her you must be kidding, the lesion is the mark. She agreed with me but told me this is the policy and I must comply. So here I was ridiculously making a mark next to a visible lesion to pacify some bureaucrat that created a policy to prevent lawsuits.

Although, the lawyers are supposed to institute changes which benefit the population, they have in certain circumstances created a system that forces that care to be diminished. We are so concerned with the threats of a lawsuit that our judgements are impaired and it is the patients that suffer. By instituting blanket policies it reinforces the belief not to use one's common sense but to create policies that dumb down everybody to pacify the lawyers.

In addition to the patient and the four professionals in the operating room I should truly add that invisible person that lurks in the shadows waiting to second guess, the patient's lawyer.

White or Black Racism is Racism

Growing up, it was always drilled into my head the concept of racism and how the white people are racist versus the blacks. But what seems to have been lacking is the reverse, the hatred of white people by blacks due to the color of their skin. For some reason this was never discussed and it seems that blacks would always get a pass when they would do or say something racist. I suppose the logic was since they historically have been the victim of racism (slavery) then they had the right to harbor hatred towards white people. I even heard that it is not possible for a black person to be racist towards whites because of their historical victimization. Or perhaps we feel so guilty regarding our anti-black racism we tolerate anti-white racism by blacks.

Whatever the case is or reason for this disparity white culture has come a long way in dealing with their racism. Years and years of education and media attention to promote tolerance by white people has worked. Blacks are given an equal opportunity to whites and some may even say they are given a leg up versus white people to compensate for their history. But what have the blacks done to temper their racist attitudes toward white people. The answer is very little and in fact the leaders stoke this hatred of white people as a way to maintain their leadership and it acts as a scapegoat for their own troubles.

Black leaders have recently changed the subject when it comes to racism. Although, individual racist activity exists and will always exist against blacks (and whites, and Hispanics, and Asians, etc.) the number of incidences are few and far between and certainly have been decreasing. Instead of being able to produce examples of individual racism they now talk about institutional racism. A convenient method to prolong the racist claim.

So what is institutional racism and how do you prove it? The suggested proof lies in the fact that since blacks have not attained the same level of success as whites or other groups it must be due to racial preferences. The flaw in that proof is it assumes the lower social standing of blacks can only be due to racial oppression and not other factors. It completely absolves blacks of any responsibility for their own social level and places the blame on "institutional racism" which is a nebulous phenomenon that cannot be proved or disproved.

Ultimately, racism is a human phenomenon that exist in all races and victimizes all races. Racism is not inherently a white problem and blacks are not the only victims. We all must fight that natural tendency to group people based on their race, sex, religion, etc. The black community for too long has been given a pass for their racist activity and speech and it is time for this to be addressed and given the same attention as white racism. BO needs to step up.

The Pocketbook Phenomenon

I have come up with a few observations regarding pocketbooks that I would like to share with you. There are times when after seeing an elderly woman in the office I will pick up her pocketbook for her so she doesn't have to bend down and it astonishes me how heavy these bags are. Keep in mind that some of these women are quite old, have difficulty walking, and can barely bend down. Regardless, they carry these bags that definitely weigh over twenty pounds. What the heck are they carrying in there? No wonder they have back problems.

Another scenario arises while taking a history from a woman that I ask her a question and she responds that the answer is in her pocketbook and she will get it right away. Immediately, I know I am in for a five minute expedition while she searches the depths of this black hole known as the pocketbook. The search goes on and on as she exclaims I just had it, give me a second. She looks into pocket after pocket, compartment after compartment until I am ready to shoot myself while patients are waiting for me in the waiting room. Seriously gals, a pocketbook is just a bag of stuff thrown in no specific order that rarely gets cleaned out. It piles up loads of junk and it is nearly impossible to find anything in there.

The most surprising thing about this useless appendage that women carry is the obsession with them and the cost of these bags. They need a different one based on the color of their outfit and based on where they are going. And the costs of these pocketbooks goes into the thousands of dollars. Some women collect dozens of different bags. Not understandable to me.

Now I am not sure if it is my abnormality but I never notice a woman's pocket book. I never remember saying to myself wow, that pocket book just doesn't go with her outfit or it is so nice or so ugly. So I suspect the obsession isn't to impress a man but rather to outdo other women. They compete with other women over the beauty of their bags. Totally ridiculous.

I know I just do not understand women and certainly their obsession with a pocketbook. Maybe this is connected to a woman's inherent nesting impulses. Maybe there is a neurologic need to carry a portion of their belongings with them at all times. Who knows? Anyway, gotta go, I think that lady finally found what she was looking for in her pocketbook.

Racial Divide Deepens

It is amazing that having just elected a black president, this country is experiencing its worst flair up of racial tensions that I have experienced. Rather than promoting unity amongst the races, the administration is creating more polarization and worse is creating more radicals on BOTH sides. While BO, Holder et al. think they are doing black people a favor by treating them more favorably than the remainder of the population, in the long run they are creating more hatred and racism both against the blacks and black racism against whites.

A recent example is where the black panther in Philadelphia was engaged in voter intimidation and the case was dropped. An official at the Justice department testified that no case will be pursued where a black person is accused of racism. This exemplifies different standards of treatment based on the color of one's skin which is by definition racist. But by the law of unintended consequences, although BO thinks he is doing black people a favor by this policy, he is doing the complete opposite.

If black people feel there is no consequence to radical behavior then one would expect more episodes of these acts and perhaps much worse. If white people feel there is no law enforcement against black crimes then they will take the law into their own hands. It will also push whites into more radical racist groups. By treating people differently in front of the law based on skin color, people will see the law as arbitrary and lead to greater polarization of the races into more extreme ideologies.

We already hear a call to arms by black extremists and murder of cracker babies and their mothers. The administration does nothing to pacify these extreme voices. The media only reports about the radicals on one side and not the other. Both the administration and the media are unintentionally encouraging more radicalism by their inaction and bias.

This radicalism is likely to continue to worsen as this administration continues with its policy failures. Blacks will falsely blame BO's failures on racism as they have so much invested in this president's success. As BO become more unpopular and the GOP regains control this will further polarize the black community and they may become desperate as their great hope whithers. I predict we are heading into a time of extreme racial unrest and I fear where these trends leads to. Is it not logical to assume that violence will eventually be the outcome of this radical racial polarization.