A prolonged visit to the VA Medical Center

I spent 2.5 days in the ICU at the VA Medical Center near me and I share some blame in the severity of my illness.  That illness is Clostridium difficile colitis and it is not as I originally believed, caused by eating spoiled food. 

It almost certainly began on Monday.  I had to go to the VA for a routine check-up.  I was sent to the lab for tests.  I had to "fill the cup" for a urine test and while I washed my hands as instructed before filling that cup, I neglected to do so after finishing.  Given how C-diff is communicated, that's probably where I was infected.

It didn't hit until Tuesday evening when I began having severe diarrhea and vomiting, accompanied with nausea.  I went to the ER where they pumped me full of fluids, gave me some anti-nausea medication and ran some labs. After a few hours, they wanted to keep me for observation and I convinced the doctor to let me go home.  Big mistake on my part.

I got sick again a few hours later but figured that if I kept hydrated it would eventually pass.  I was wrong on that part as well.  Things worsened Friday afternoon and Saturday morning I finally gave it and went back to the ER.

I've battled hypertension (high blood pressure) for many years.  Never had to worry about hypotension before.  That's when the blood pressure of a person is too low.  Any readings below 90 over 60 is considered hypotension.  My BP when I was admitted to the ER was below 80 over 50.  The ER staff  said at that level a patient would normally be disoriented.   I was completely lucid throughout the day, but it was that low BP that resulted in my being sent to the ICU.

* * *

I'd never been in the ICU at the VA Medical Center before.  The building has been going through renovations recently and the ICU ward looks very new.  They have one nurse assigned to take direct care of every two patients.  The nurses who took care of me had a lighter load with me than whoever else they were caring for.  I could get up and go to the commode on my own.  They had me on a liquid diet at first, but that was changed to soft food by the end of day one.

The two doctors who were overseeing my care while I was in the ICU were very engaged in my care and I believe they did a great job.  Their attending physician was entertaining to listen to as I eavesdropped on the review of my condition and treatment proposals.  He made me laugh aloud when he said they should include an HIV test in my next blood draw.  Sorry Doc, but it's been so long since I was last potentially exposed to HIV, there was no possibility of that test coming back positive.  Unless it was a false positive of course.  It would have had to have been some strain that could lie dormant for a number of years.

* * *

After spending Saturday and Sunday nights in the ICU, on Monday afternoon I was moved to another ward.  Instead of my vitals being checked hourly, which makes sleeping tough, they were only checked every four hours.  I had two new doctors, one of whom seemed very engaged in transitioning me from ICU to being discharged to go home, and the other who was more interested in observing the other.

The ward had one nurse for a number of patients.  The day nurse, James, was awesome.  The night nurse, no so much.  At one point at 4 a.m. on Wednesday morning, I asked for some more water.  The LVN who was taking my vitals said she had to talk to the night nurse.  When the night nurse came in two hours later to give me some medications, I mentioned that I'd asked for water two hours ago.  She brought me the water without an apology but did admit there had been a miscommunication between her and the LVN.

The doctor who I mentioned was observing put in an order that the head of my bed was to be kept at a 45 degree angle.  That's the norm for patients who have congestive heart failure, which I have, but  I don't need the angling of the bed.  That's because I don't have orthopnea, a condition where you develop shortness of breath when lying down.  I have lost count of how many cardiologists who have examined or treated me who find that hard to believe, but it's the truth.  As a result of this doctor's order, my sleep on Tuesday night was horrible.  

* * *

Wednesday morning brought a visit from the doctor who wanted to get me home to finish healing and she told me that there would be one last test and then I'd be released.  They'd held some of my regular medications while I recovered from my low blood pressure and they wanted to give them to me and then see if that caused my BP to crash. It didn't, and I was given the all-clear after 1 p.m.

Last time I was an inpatient, they'd had me walk down from the ward to the discharge center.  This time I got a ride in a really nice wheeled chair.  Several of the staff we passed in the hallways mentioned to the man pushing the chair how lucky he was to have use of this new piece of equipment.  Finally, just after 2:15 p.m., I was able to walk out through the sliding glass doors I'd walked in through Saturday morning.  

People talk a lot about the wait for treatment at the VA.  I can tell you one thing from what I saw when I walked into that parking lot.  This lot was filled to complete capacity, including the spaces that are normally blocked off  to make it easier to move around from row to row.  There were a number of cars circling like hungry vultures, eager for a space to fill.  That tells me that like other VA facilities, in spite of constant expansion, the West Los Angeles VA appears to be near, at, or over its capacity to treat outpatients.  With the competing needs of finding space to house homeless veterans, continue to provide outstanding care to all eligible veterans, and dealing with the inappropriate leasing of space on the VA campus to non-VA operations, there needs to be more attention paid to the upcoming settlement of that lawsuit.  You know the one, the one that questioned the VA's choice to provide land for UCLA to construct a baseball stadium.  The one that questioned leasing space to an exclusive (and expensive) private school located to the North of the VA Campus.  Veterans need to be the priority.

I voted, or did I?

Before the registration deadline, I used the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder's website to change my party affiliation.  I wanted to vote for Bernie Sanders in the CA primary.  I thought I'd done so at the poll on Election Day.  Now I've learned that more than  two weeks after the election, my vote almost certainly remains uncounted.

According to the Los Angeles Times, more than 7.8 million ballots have been counted.  And more than 784,000 provisional ballots remain uncounted, most of them in Los Angeles County.  So why is my vote among those, since I re-registered before the deadline.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived at the polling place and found that I was not yet on their documents and ledgers as a registered Democrat.  So they gave me a provisional ballot.  I assumed it would be counted with all of the others.

Will counting all of the uncounted ballots change the outcome in the contest between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders?  Probably not.  But it would bring more transparency to the process.

* * *

Retired Army Reserve Lt. Colonel Charles Kettles will receive the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony next month.  The award is in recognition for his valor and heroism in a battle during the Vietnam War in 1967.  He is credited with saving the lives of 40 soldiers and four members of his own crew.  His Army biography contains the details of his actions.

Lest you think his actions nearly five decades ago had been overlooked until now, I wanted to point out that he was awarded the nation's second highest medal for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross, not long after the battle he was involved with.  This is an upgrade, and based on what I've read, a long overdo award.

The requirements to be awarded the Medal of Honor are very stringent and rightly so.  But sometimes in the effort to ensure awards are appropriate, the crossing of t's and the dotting of i's can delay or deny a deserved award.

Congratulations Colonel Kettles.

* * *

Lynne Coates, aged 50, was an attorney for Farmer's Insurance.  Jensen Walcott is a 17 year old who was hired by a restaurant called Pizza Studio in Kansas City.  She was fired before she worked her first shift.

What do these two women have in common?  They are proof that is still a serious gap in wages paid to men and women, in spite of laws that prevent such things.  Ms Coates filed a lawsuit against Farmer's after they demoted her for complaining her male litigation partner earned nearly twice as much as she did, in spite of the fact that she had more experience than that partner.  Ms Walcott was fired after she asked why her equally inexperienced male friend was hired at $8.25 per hour, 25 cents more per hour than she was offered.  Pizza Studio claims both Jensen and her friend were fired for discussing wage, in violation of company policy.  This policy was never explained to either of them.

There is no reason for this to go on in the year 2016.  Equal pay for equal work is the law of the land  A law that far too many employers attempt to obfuscate or outright ignore.

More laws won't fix this.  Better enforcement of the existing laws and stiffening the penalties for violators might.

Here are the names

While there were four votes on gun control legislation in the U. S. Senate on June 20th, only two of those really mattered.  Two of the measures under consideration were introduced by Democrats and represented a serious effort to change the status quo.  The other two were attempts at saving face by Senate Republicans and would have done nothing to change that status quo.

So here are the names of all of the Republican members of the Senate who voted in favor of those two measures.

Senator Mark Kirk of Illinois.

Short list, eh?  So is the list of all Democratic members of the Senate who voted against both of those measures.

Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota.

* * *

Every single Republican in the Senate except the aforementioned Senator Kirk apparently has nothing to offer involving the problem with gun violence in our nation except for the occasional moment of silence.  Let's examine their names:

Richard Shelby
Jess Sessions
Lisa Murkowski
Dan Sullivan
John McCain
Jeff Flake
John Boozman
Tom Cotton
Cory Gardner
Marco Rubio
Johnny Isakson
David Perdue
Mike Crapo
Jim Risch
Dan Coats
Chuck Grassley
Joni Ernst
Pat Roberts
Jerry Moran
Mitch McConnell
Rand Paul
David Vitter
Bill Cassidy
Susan Collins
Thad Cochran
Roger Wicker
Roy Blount
Steve Daines
Deb Fischer
Ben Sasse
Dean Heller
Kelly Ayotte (give her credit for voting for one of the two Democratic gun control bills)
Richard Burr
Thom Tillis
John Hoeven
Rob Portman
Jim Inhofe
James Lankford
Pat Toomey
Lindsay Graham
Tim Scott
John Thune
Mike Rounds
Lamar Alexander
Bob Corker
John Cornyn
Ted Cruz
Orrin Hatch
Mike Lee
Shelly Moore Caputo
Ron Johnson
Mike Enzi
John Barrasso

Every single one of these individuals apparently doesn't give a damn about the 49 Orlando victims.  I bet they'd vote differently if it were their loved ones lying dead or fighting for their lives in the hospital.  But it doesn't impact them personally, nor will they risk the loss of their NRA political contributions.  So when the next list of victims of assault rifle violence is printed, remember THESE names and assign blame where it belongs.

Potential Running Mates for Donald Trump

Who in the world wants to be Donald Trump's running mate?  Ohio Governor John Kasich and Florida Senator Marco Rubio have already said they won't do it.  So has former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice.  So here are a few suggestions that Mr. Trump may want to consider.

Given he is such a serious candidate, perhaps someone like this can "balance" the ticket.

Or perhaps someone from Trump's earlier life.

At least this guy has some experience as a president, albeit as president of a hair club for men.

Of course, Sy Sperling isn't just the President of the Hair Club for Men, he's also a client.  Then again, there was some talk that Mr. Trump would seek out someone with real political experience.  How about a former mayor and governor?

Jesse "The Body" Ventura has a great resume to be Trump's choice for VP.  Military experience, star of unreality television and then governor of Minnesota.  It is a shame the next Republican isn't eligible to be Trump's running mate.

Of course if the former Gubinator gets pregnant again, he might resign without warning.

The really sad thing about all of this nonsense is that there is no good running mate for Trump, because Trump shouldn't be allowed anywhere near the White House, except if he's taking the tour with a group of tourists.

Our Founding Fathers and their words

The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution is not specific about what types of arms the people may bear.  When our Founding Fathers wrote the Bill of Rights, the muskets in the video below are what they were writing about.

Alexander Hamilton wrote about the militia in Federalist Paper #29 and it is interesting reading.  But there is a simpler approach to viewing the issue of private ownership of assault weapons.  We already know that such a ban is not unconstitutional; as there were several unsuccessful constitutional challenges to the 1994 assault weapons ban.  However, the simpler approach is that we need to view the rights set forth in the first 10 amendments to the U. S. Constitution in terms of their priority.  Their importance.  Because none of the language in that Bill of Rights supersedes our right to life.  For those who need a reminder...

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"


Mother Jones compiled data regarding mass shootings in the U. S. from 1982 through now.  There have been 81 such shootings, which are defined as involving four or more victims.  668 people have died in those 81 shootings.  Another 647 were wounded.  The right of those people to live is a lot more important than the rights of militia wannabes to own AR-15s.  Our Founding Fathers wrote the Bill of Rights without knowing that roughly 100 years after we declared our independence, weapons could reach this point.

The cannons are better.  The Mauser rifles used by the Japanese soldiers are still single-shot weapons.  But those Gatling guns that killed almost all of the samurai in that final charge were capable of firing 200 rounds per minute.

The carbines carried by Captain Miller's (Tom Hanks) troops are semi-automatic assault weapons.  But the Thompson carried by Captain Miller could fire between 600 and 1200 rounds per minute, meaning it would empty a 30 round ammo clip pretty damn fast.

Those are not the arms that our Founding Fathers wrote about.  Nor did they intend the right to bear arms to result in that right being prioritized above the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Worst mass shooting in U.S. History

In the comments section of a news story on the tragedy in Orlando, some moron attempted to compare what happened this past Saturday night with the Battle of Gettysburg.  Apparently this genius thinks a battle fought during a civil war is on the same level as one domestic terrorist massacring 50 innocents in a LGBTQ nightclub.

The investigation into the true motive of 29 year old Omar Mateen will take time but the speculation began as the story first broke.  Some are focused on the fact that he dialed 911 and "pledged allegiance to ISIS" before he was shot and killed.  Others have locked in on reports that he made homophobic remarks on a number of occasions.  So is it a hate crime?  Terrorism?  Does it have to be one or the other?  The answer to that question is of course not.  In either case he committed an act of terrorism.

The FBI questioned him twice regarding statements he'd made.  But their investigations concluded there was nothing to demonstrate any substance to the comments and the investigations were closed.  Was this preventable?  Even if ownership of assault-type weapons by private citizens was to be banned and all such weapons confiscated, he could have used just semi-automatic handguns and killed dozens.  By the way, this is a good moment to clarify the difference between automatic weapons and semi-automatic weapons:

The weapon at the top is a version of the AR-15 assault rifle used by Omar Mateen in Orlando, and coincidentally by Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza.  The other image is that of the M4A1 rifle used by the U. S military.  Similar, aren't they?  The difference is that when you put a 30 round magazine in each and then pull the trigger.  The AR-15 will allow you to pull the trigger over and over, firing one shot at a time.  That's semi-automatic.  If you pull and hold the trigger of the M4A1, it will fire over and over until the magazine is empty.

Neither Omar Mateen or Adam Lanza had an automatic weapon.  That didn't stop them from committing multiple murders.

Ownership of assault weapons was banned in the United States beginning in 1994.  That ban expired ten years later and the Republican-controlled Congress chose not to renew the ban in 2004.  The time has come to reinstate that ban, and at the same time address the Second Amendment concerns of those who prattle on about the only way we will get them to give up their assault rifles is to "...pry them from their cold, dead hands."

What we need is the Assault Weapons Ban and Militia Act of 2016.  Before outlining what this act would do, a review of the text of the Second Amendment as written by the founding fathers is in order.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Therefore the Assault Weapons Ban and Militia Act will do the following:

1.  Amend the existing Militia Act of 1903 and its amendments to redefine the "Reserve Militia" from consisting of all able-bodied men between the ages of 17 and 45 to all able-bodied persons age 18 and older; provided that they:

a.  Pass physical and mental screening (such screenings to be done by the Defense Departments MEPS units around the country.

b.  Agree to participate in an annual training drill to demonstrate their continued fitness to serve.

c.  Agree to be a volunteer member of the militia, receiving no compensation or reimbursement of expenses.  Reserve Militia members would be eligible to claim an adjustment to total income on Form 1040 as current military reservists can do.

d.  Set forth specific regulations that detail how Reserve Militia members would be able to legally own specific assault weapons that are otherwise banned from ownership by section 2 of this act.

2.  Ban the private ownership of assault weapons by private citizens who are not members of the Reserve Militia.

3.  Require federal and state level background checks for the purchase/sale of any firearm.  This includes but is not limited to private purchases between individuals, and sales at gun shows.

4.  Establish a new unit of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to perform such checks at the federal level.  Funding for this agency will come from section 5.

5.  Impose a federal purchase fee of $20 on each firearm sale for the purpose of funding section 4 of this act.

Brock Turner is a convicted sex offender.  Most of us consider him a convicted rapist, although he was not convicted of rape.  He was convicted of three counts of sexual assault.  The rape counts were dropped by the prosecutors because of the results of DNA testing and based on what they knew they could prove.  The fact his 22 year old victim was intoxicated to the point of unconsciousness has nothing to do with this case, other than to serve as positive proof that she could not have consented.  It is not her fault in any way, shape or form. Brock Turner was only 19 years old when the sexual assault took place.  He was intoxicated to the point of having a blood alcohol level of 0.17.  Nearly twice the legal limit.

So his victim bears no fault or responsibility for what happened, and he is the one who is guilty.  Except that our society is complicit to a degree in what happened.  Would he have sexually assaulted this woman if he wasn't drunk?  We will never know that with certainty and it doesn't begin to excuse or mitigate what this scumbag did.  But there is no denying that absent the alcohol, it might not have happened.  If eliminating alcohol on college campuses resulted in even a minor reduction in the number of sexual assaults, would that not be a good thing?

Our collective blame comes from the fact that in this nation, the law limiting alcohol purchase and consumption to only those 21 and over is universally ignored.  A few states have exceptions to this age limit for religious ceremonies, and when those under 21 are in the company of a parent or teacher.  You can examine those exceptions here if you wish.

When it comes to drinking on college campuses we look at those laws with a wink and a nod.  College drinking becomes little more than a joke used way too much in comedy films.  Animal House, Revenge of the Nerds and more recently Accepted and Neighbors are prime examples.

We ignore the drinking on campus because the overwhelming majority of the time, no one gets hurt.  Or so we are led to believe.  Research tells us that roughly 80% of college students consume alcoholic beverages.  It also indicates that 70% of that student population limits themselves to four drinks or less when they do drink.  If we do the math this means that 24% of college students who drink take five or more drinks when they do drink.  Another study by the NIH's National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), nearly 60% of students between the ages of 18 and 22 reported drinking alcoholic beverages in the month prior to the survey.  Nearly 2 out of every 3 of those reported that they had engaged in binge drinking during that period.

There are other troubling numbers in that study.  Roughly 1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die annually from injuries received in alcohol-related incidents (this includes DUIs).  Nearly 700,000 college students in that age range reported being assaulted annually by another student who had been drinking.  Roughly 97,000 students in that age band report being the victims of date-rape and/or sexual assaults where alcohol was involved.  Finally, a CDC report on binge drinking indicates that an average of 35 college students die each year from alcohol poisoning.

That NIAAA report had recommendations on how colleges could combat on-campus alcohol use.  Let me use an extract from the Wikipedia article on the National Minimum Drinking Age act on how colleges have responded to those recommendations.

Many factors may explain colleges' failure to implement the NIAAA's recommendations to control underage drinking on campus: a lack of university funding, a lack of time, a perceived lack of authority or jurisdiction within the community, or even a lack of interest on the part of the university, many universities even see the program as a waste of resources. Whatever the reasons may be, a multitude of options are available should colleges choose to institute programs to decrease instances of underage drinking on campus. These options include, but are not limited to, alcohol education programs, social norms campaigns, substance-free housing, individual interventions, parental notification policies, disciplinary procedures for alcohol-related violations, and amnesty policies to protect the health and safety of students.

A waste of resources?  There is our collective complicity.  How many of those deaths, assaults and rapes could have been prevented by enforcing a law that few want to enforce?  More than a few.  But as long as our response to college drinking is to wink and nod, there will be more Brock Turner's and more victims.  How sad.

Pot calling the kettle black

Donald Trump continues to call Hillary Clinton "Crooked Hillary" but an examination of his record shows that's he is the one who has run afoul of the law far more than she.

1983 found Mr. Trump being sued by members of a union who alleged that he and an insurer conspired to cheat the union out of more than $325,000 in pension funds by hiring non-union workers.  Insisting he'd done nothing wrong the case went to trial.  The judge ruled "...the Trump Organization and its partner, Equitable Life Assurance Society, conspired with a former union leader to withhold $325,000 in benefit payments plus interest adding up to about $4 million."  An appeals court ordered the case retried and that is where it was headed until a sealed settlement was reached.

In 1988 Mr. Trump was sued for antitrust violations by the U. S. Department of Justice.  He lost.  He paid a $750,000 penalty.

There's the Trump University lawsuit and according to Bloomberg.com more than 1,300 other lawsuits.  Some in which he was the plaintiff, some in which he was sued.  Contrary to his assertion that he doesn't settle his cases, the Bloomberg analysis showed he settled more than 30% of those lawsuits.

Then there are what some allege are "payoffs" to two different state Attorney Generals where Trump gave them money and they chose not to go after the Trump University to protect its victims.  Florida's Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to a story in the Los Angeles Times, solicited a donation from Trump before dropping the Trump University case.  Worse yet, the Times story claims that the money was funneled to Bondi through a Trump family foundation, a clear violation of IRS regulations involving non profits.

So who is the real crook in this election?

A footnote to the recent Miss USA Pageant

There is a bio of each of the women who competed in last Sunday's Miss USA Pageant.  Each of them was asked a number of questions.  One of those questions posed was, "If you could meet any one celebrity, dead or alive, who would it be?"  Because their answers were so varied, I thought it might be interesting to look at them:

Miss Alabama - Jennifer Lawrence
Miss Alaska - J. K. Rowling
Miss Arizona - Joan Rivers
Miss Arkansas - Joanne Gaines
Miss California - Chrissy Teigen (the Miss USA website spelled it Teigan)
Miss Colorado - Coco Chanel
Miss Connecticut - Bill Gates
Miss Delaware - Olivia Culpo
Miss District of Columbia (no answers on website)
Miss Florida - Ellen De Generes
Miss Georgia - (no answers on website)
Miss Hawaii - Ellen De Generes
Miss Idaho - Jacqueline Kennedy
Miss Illinois - Sophia Amoruso
Miss Indiana - Carrie Underwood
Miss Iowa - Angelina Jolie
Miss Kansas - Angelina Jolie
Miss Kentucky - Dr. Bennet Omalu
Miss Lousiana - Lenny Kravitz
Miss Maine - Kit Harington
Miss Maryland - Elvis Presley
Miss Massachusetts - Maria Menounos
Miss Michigan - Rosa Parks
Miss Minnesota - Adele
Miss Mississippi -
Miss Missouri - Jimmy Fallon
Miss Montana - Tim Tebow
Miss Nebraska - Ellen De Generes
Miss Nevada - Angelina Jolie
Miss New Hampshire - Taylor Swift
Miss New Jersey - Russell James
Miss New Mexico - Rupaul
Miss New York - Joel Osteen
Miss North Carolina - Taylor Swift
Miss North Daokta - Jennifer Lawrence
Miss Ohio - Charles Dickens
Miss Oklahoma - Adam Sandler
Miss Oregon - Coretta Scott King
Miss Pennsylvania - Meryl Streep
Miss Rhode Island - Jessica Alba
Miss South Carolina - Taylor Swift
Miss South Dakota - Kate Middleton
Miss Tennessee - Blake Lively
Miss Texas - Robin Williams
Miss Utah - Lucille Ball
Miss Vermont - Matt Damon
Miss Virginia - Michelle Obama
Miss Washington - Jesus
Miss West Virginia - Kevyn Aucoin
Miss Wisconsin - Carrie Underwood
Miss Wyoming - Nellie Tayloe Ross

Ellen De Generes, Taylor Swift and Angelina Jolie all appear on the list three times.  If I counted right, only 12 of the names were of men.  I'm not even going to attempt to calculate the percentage of names on the list are entertainment industry figures.

What does it mean?  Nothing I can discern.  What do you think?  Is there any meaning here?

Why Trump is Saying the Judge's Ruling is unfair

Donald Trump is unhappy because a judge ruled against him in a lawsuit.  The suit is a class-action lawsuit where former students of Trump University are claiming they were defrauded.  So why is Mr. Trump claiming bias?  Because the judge didn't rule in his favor.  The problem is, there are legal precedents for every facet of the judge's ruling.

You can read that ruling here.  Mr. Trump did not want the "playbooks" used by the sales force at Trump University to be released to the public.  More specifically, the 2009 playbook since the 2010 playbook had been released by Politico.  Let's stop down for a moment and use one of the techniques mentioned in the book to set the mood.

 
That's the music used for Trump's reality show.  The playbook says to use it at events for potential Trump University students.  The playbooks are filled with instructions on how to "hook" the clients.  So why did Trump's attorneys argue that the playbooks shouldn't be released?  Because they supposedly contained "trade secrets."  And even more laughably, that they are proprietary because Trump University may resume operations someday.

Moreover, since the judge who initially reviewed the playbooks earlier on determined that the 2009 playbook is "...largely duplicative" of the 2010 playbook.  Since that's in the public domain already, there's no good reason to keep the earlier version sealed.

What this tells us is that anything that doesn't go the way Trump wants it is unfair to him, in his mind.  Not a mindset suited for any political office, let alone the Oval Office.

News and ponderings

John Oliver, host of the HBO show Last Week Tonight took on the collection industry and as a result over 9,000 people have had a total of nearly $15 million in medical debt forgiven.  Reporter's note:  Most news stories on this item don't mention that it only cost Mr. Oliver a little over $60,000 to purchase this debt before giving it away.  Best news for the people who owed this money is that thanks to an arcane provision of the Internal Revenue Code, they won't owe income tax on the forgiven debt.

* * * 

The Bernie Sanders campaign is complaining that a Los Angeles City Council member blocked their attempt to use the Hollywood Bowl.  They are arguing that they were treated differently because this Council member is a Clinton supporter.  Reporter's note:  The Clinton campaign scheduled their Hollywood Bowl even more than a month ago.  The Sanders campaign made their request to use the bowl last Thursday.  This isn't about one candidate being treated differently, this is about a lack of foresight.

* * *


A former Stanford University student was convicted of sexual assault after he was caught in the act.  The female student was unconscious at the time.  In a sentence that has been widely criticized, the judge sentenced him to six months in county jail and three years probation after his release.  Now his father has written a letter to the judge claiming the incarceration of his son at all is improper.  He suggests probation is the best sentence and makes a disgusting comment about"...20 minutes of action..."  Reporter's note:  Fathers think the best but this man is a rapist.  He deserves much more of a punishment than he received, and to whine that this is too harsh is incredibly offensive.

* * *

If the members of the Uruguay Men's National Soccer Team look a bit nonplussed as the national anthem plays before their game with Mexico, there's a reason.  It's the Chilean national anthem that is being played.  The mistake was blamed on human error.  Reporter's note:  First the incident at San Diego where the San Diego Gay Men's Chorus was the victim of so-called human error and now this?  How hard is it to make sure the right music is cued up in the internet age.  I spent countless hours in the DJ booth on live radio and never played the wrong track.  

* * *



In the wake of several alcohol-related incidents, the commander of U. S. Naval Forces Japan has banned the drinking of alcohol by all navy personnel in Japan, indefinitely.  Rear Admiral  Matthew Carter said, "This measure is not taken lightly."  The ban applies to all military personnel, on and off base.  It does not apply to civilian employees but they are "encouraged to participate."  Reporter's note:  This won't last very long.  In his autobiography My American Journey, Colin Powell wrote about a time when as a battalion commander, he make the Officers Clubs off limits to the men and women under his command.  Business was off so badly, his commander ordered him to lift the ban.  The same thing will happen here.

* * *


The 2016 Miss USA Pageant was held on Sunday, June 5th.  Miss District of Columbia was the winner, and she is the first military officer to win the title.  Deshauna Barber is a Army Reserve officer and works as an IT analyst at the U. S. Department of Commerce.  However social media blew up over a question asked of another one of the finalists in the pageant, Miss Hawaii.

Reporter's note:  If the question had been about the fact that for the first time in history, a woman will be the nominee of  one of the two major political parties, it would have been appropriate.  But asking an individual how they plan to vote and why is out of bounds in this situation.


* * *

So where did that $5.6 million for "veterans" that Trump raised actually go?

Here is the list of organizations that the $5.6 million raised by Donald Trump when he blew off the candidate debate on Fox and did his fundraiser instead.  They are accompanied by my notes on the groups after I researched them, including connections to golfing events where Trump may have a connection:

22Kill: $200,000 (Their 501(c) determination ruling was made in 2015 so they haven't had to file a Form 990 yet.  Their stated purpose is to work to prevent veteran suicides, which average 22 per day.)

Achilles International:  $200,000 (The word veteran doesn't appear in their mission statement which reads, "Enable people with disabilities to participate in mainstream athletic activities."  Charity Navigator gives them a rating of only 77 for Accountability and Transparency.  They held a golf fundraiser at Trump's in Boca Raton in 2008.) 

American Hero Adventures: $100,000 (Their 2013 Form 990 makes it clear this is a small nonprofit and it looks totally legitimate.  I'm so impressed by what they're doing, I might even volunteer to do their tax returns in the future.)

Americans for Equal Living: $100,000 (This is an organization that was just granted non-profit status by the IRS in September of 2015)

Americans Vet Dogs, Veteran Kanine Core Inc.: $75,000 (Their 2014 Form 990 showed that over 25% of their total expenses that year went for salaries and benefits for their CEO, CFO and Director of Administration.  The CEO over $300,000 in salary and benefits in a year where the total amount spent by the "charity" was $2.1 million.  They appear to hold an annual golf fundraising event.)

AmVets: $75,000 (AmVets has a long history of service to veterans and the nation at large.  They hold golf tournaments to raise funds.)

Armed Services YMCA: $75,000 (Charity Navigator, one of the best at rating non profits, gives this organization 93.9 out of 100 as a rating and 100% for accounting and transparency.  If only every non profit was run like this one.  They do hold golf tournament fundraisers.)

Bob Woodruff Family Foundation: $75,000 (Not rated by Charity Navigator, but their Form 990s look very "clean" and their expenses are well within the norm for a non profit.)

Central Iowa Shelter and Services: $100,000 (Not rated by Charity Navigator and a clean Form 990.  But it should be noted that this is not a charity dedicated to serving veterans, although one of their four programs is for transitional housing for veterans.  I'd love to know if the funds donated through Trump's fundraising  to this charity were restricted solely to the transitional housing activity.  Oh, and they are going to host their first ever golf fundraiser)

Connected Warriors: $75,000 (a small non profit that provides healing yoga classes to veterans and their families.)

Disabled American Veterans Charitable Service: $115,000 (Rated 92.68 by Charity Navigator and 100% for accountability and transparency.  Disclaimer: I am a member of DAV, the parent organization of this charity.)

Fisher House Foundation: $115,000 (Don't even need to look at their financials or tax returns.  Charity Navigator gives them an overall rating of 96.87.  I see their wonderful work every time I go to the West Los Angeles VA and drive by their facility there to house the families of veterans who are being treated at the West LA VA Medical Center as inpatients.)
 
Folds of Honor Foundation: $200,000 (Another non profit focused on educating the children of fallen veterans.  The founder is a former USAF fighter pilot and PGA member and they hold golf fundraisers)

Foundation of American Vets: $75,000 (Another non profit that Charity Navigator can't rate because it is a 501 (c) (19) rather than a 501 (c) (3).  Their Form 990 for 2014 shows they raised and spent just over $8 million.  But $3.4 million was spent on professional fundraising services and another $1.7 million was spent on "billing/collectors and other fundraising expenses.  If they were eligible for a rating, it would be low.  Another charity watchdog, Charity Watch, gave this one an F rating.)

Freedom Alliance: $75,000 (Charity Navigator rates this organization at 82.88 overall and 77.15 in financial matters.  They also point out that this charity spend less than 60% of its revenues on actual programs and services.  Their mission statement makes it clear they are not strictly engaged in benefiting veterans and it begins, "Our mission is to advance the American heritage of freedom by honoring and encouraging military service, defending the sovereignty of the United States and promoting a strong national defense."  BTW, the organization's founder was Oliver North and they do hold golf fundraisers.)

Green Beret Foundation: $350,000 (Again, not eligible for a Charity Navigator rating.  But the 2014 Form 990 shows that of the $1.66 million spent by the organization that year, only $360,353 or 21.6% was spent on grants/assistance.  They spent nearly that amount on travel and conference expenses for the foundation employees and directors.  And yes, they have golf tournament fundraisers.)

Hire Heroes USA: $75,000 (Charity Navigator rating of 97.44. This charity helps veterans and their spouses find employment after military service.  They are a great charity.  They have used golf fundraisers in the past.)

Homes for Our Troops: $50,000 (Charity Navigator rating of 94.64.  Great charity that provides homes to the most severely wounded veterans and then continues to support them once they are in those homes.)

Honoring America’s Warriors: $100,000 (Until this donation this charity did not have to file a Form 990 because its income was below $50,000)

Hope for the Warriors: $65,000 (Charity Navigator rating of 95.35.  They have a golf tournament.)

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund: $175,000 (While they don't have a rating from Charity Navigator due to "...a nontraditional business model" I see nothing untoward in their financials.)

K9s for Warriors: $50,000 (No Charity Navigator rating.  I looked at several Form 990s and while salaries and non-program expenses aren't egregious, something seems off.  They received grants of more than $5 million over the past two years, most of it in the most recent year.  But they spent only 40% or so of what they raised.  Maybe they are building up a surplus for a big project?)

Liberty House: $100,000 (No Charity Navigator rating but their financials make it clear this is a small charity truly dedicated to housing homeless veterans.  I'd donate to them myself.)

Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation: $100,000 + $1 million from Trump (Charity Navigator doesn't rate this charity because of what it calls "nontrivial expenses."  Their Form 990s for 2014 and 2013 show that they engaged in fundraising events where nearly 50% of the money raised went for direct expenses.  Seems high.  They hold a number of golf fundraisers.

Navy Seal Foundation: $465,000 (Charity Navigator gives them a 100 rating.  Good enough for me.)

Navy Marine Corps Relief Society: $75,000 (Charity Navigator rating of 96.38.  I'm very familiar with this charity and they are a great resource for military personnel.)

New England Wounded Vets: $75,000 (a new charity and too small to be rated by Charity Navigator.  But their one Form 990 looks very clean.)

Operation Homefront: $65,000 (Charity Navigator rating of 97.17 and very clean financials.)

Partners for Patriots: $100,000 (No Charity Navigator rating as they indicate the non profit isn't required to file the 990.  They last filed a 990-EZ in 2012.)


Puppy Jake Foundation: $100,000 (too small for Charity Navigator to rate, seems to have a worthwhile purpose, but they spent only 1/3 of their 2014 revenues on program expenses.)

Racing for Heroes: $200,000 (too small for Charity Navigator to rate, has a worthwhile purpose and they spent almost everything they raise on their programs)

Support Souixland Soldiers: $100,000 (very small charity with clean financials)

Taskforce Dagger: $50,000 (No Charity Navigator rating because they haven't filed seven years of Form 990s yet.  Their 2014 Form 990 shows almost all money raised was spent on their non profit programs.)

The Mission Continues: $75,000 (Charity Navigator rating of 94. But their 2014 Form 990 shows a $3.9 million surplus which seems very strange.)

The National Military Family Association: $75,000 (Charity Navigator rating of 90.81.  2014 Form 990 shows almost all of the revenue raised went to program expenses.)

Veterans Airlift Command: $100,000 (Not yet rated by Charity Navigator but based on a review of their 2014 and 2013 Form 990s, I suspect the rating would be very high.)

Veterans Count: $25,000 (This is not a National Easter Seals project, it's unique to Easter Seals of New Hampshire.  It looks like the president of this non profit received a salary of more than $300,000 in 2014 and in addition received both a performance incentive bonus of more than $50,000 and a contribution of $57,500 to his retirement plan paid by the non profit.  Seems excessive.

Veterans In Command: $150,000 (No Charity Navigator rating, no Form 990.  Can't evaluate.)

Vietnam Veterans Workshop: $75,000 (Charity Navigator rating of 91.49.  2014 Form 990 looks good.)

Warriors for Freedom Foundation: $50,000 (Too small to be rated by Charity Navigator, 2014 Form 990 shows 86% of revenues went to program expenses.  That's a good ratio.)

So what is the takeaway?  Some of these are very worthwhile charities and some seem to be less about veterans and more about other things.  Most are run well and some not so well.  But there's more to this than meets the eye.  Mr. Trump claims he didn't want publicity for this and yet he complained he didn't get a pat on the back for his "good job."  There are a number of golf connections but I don't have the resources to check if there are connections to the fundraising events of these organizations and the Trump owned golf courses.  Like anything and everything else about Mr. Trump's campaign, there are distortions and contradictions.