Memorial Day 2022

I was unable to bring myself to write a blog about Memorial Dey before yesterday, the actual day on which we recognize the fallen. Those who died while in service to our nation. I am still emotionally upset by the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Texas, and what will once again be an utter failure on the part of our elected leadership to take action to prevent the next such tragedy. But there is a need to honor our fallen. With words and ceremonies on this annual observance and every day by our actions.

On Tuesday morning my thoughts are wandering regarding the fallen. I am remembering Theodore Roosevelt Junior. A man, who like his father, earned the Medal of Honor for his bravery on the field of battle. A man who was described by General George S. Patton as "...one of the bravest men I've ever known." Considering that General Patton was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross twice for his own bravery, that is quite a compliment. A man whose death from a heart attack during his service in World War II is just as worthy of being honored as that of any other military servicemember who dies while serving our nation.

My thoughts turned to Captain Ramon Ortiz, whose death in the crash of an F-4C fighter jet on a routine Air National Guard training mission was worthy of worldwide news covverage only because his plane was piloted by Captain Dean Paul Martin, the son of singer Dean Martin. I've mentioned this crash before in this blog but have not said much more about it until now. I was "on the mike" on the day of that crash, anchoring the news at KNUU-970, all-news radio in Las Vegas. The coverage was so laser-focused on the death of Captain Martin, Captain Ortiz was treated as an after thought. We should have done better by him. I should have done better by him and for that, I'm sorry.
I've thought about the crew of Swan 38. These six brave souls were aboard a WC-130H when they flew into the eye of Typhoon Bess on 12 October 1974. Their bodies were never found. In those days the "penetration" missions flown by the crews of these aircraft were the best way to gather information on these tropical cyclones. Swan 38 was part of the 54th Weather Reconnasaince Squadron. They remain the only crew lost while flying this type of mission in a WC-130 aircraft.

I am thinking about Army Private Kenneth R. Shadrick. He was killed on July 5, 1950. He gained national noteriety when it was reported that he was the first American casualty of the Korean War. Turns out that the report was not correct, but the name of the first American casualty of that war never became known.

This weekend I learned that Chief Warrant Officer David Hillemon was the last American killed in hostile action (thus far) during the Korean War. He was part of a 2-man crew flying a helicopter on 17 December 1994 that accidentally flew into North Korean airspace and was shot down. Fortunately, the other crewmember Chief Warrant Officer David Hall survived and was eventually released by the North Koreans.

I am thinking of 241 U.S. Marines who died in the Beirut Barracks bombing on 23 October 1983 and wondering how many might still be alive if the sentries had been allowed to have magazines in their weapons.

I am thinking of the 8 U.S. military personnel who died at Desert One when the attempt to rescue the hostages being held at our Embassy in Tehran failed. It was a tragedy of errors, civilians trying to tell the military how to do its job; and it helped to create the successful Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) that exists today.

My mind wanders to the 31 American military personnel who were killed during the Berlin Airlift which went on from June of 1948 until May of 1949.

I am remembering six Marine Corps recruits who drowned during an unscheduled training march on 8 April 1956.

I am remembering all who served and died while serving. And honoring their sacrifice.

The failings of the Veterans Administration

For many years I have stated with certainty that the quality of the healthcare provided by the Veterans Administration. Not at the moment. There have been changes at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center and they are not changes for the better. Let's begin with the primary care clinic where my care is supposed to be provided by the "Silver Team 2C". I will not name the attending physician here.

I sent a secure message to that healthcare professional on March 10, 2022. I informed the doctor that I was out of one medication and unable to get a refill on the VA's website. I also reported that I was out of three other medications and they no longer appeared on the list of drugs prescribed for me. I did not get a response.

I went to the Primary Care Clinic a couple of weeks later as a same-day walk-in patient to try to deal with the medication problems. I got some of the meds. I did not get to see the doctor as they were "too busy."

The problems continued and I sent another secure message to the attending physician on April 19, 2022. Here is the text of that message. I have redacted the names of the medications:

As of today, I have yet to receive a response. I sent another message today and asked if I should be contacting someone else.

I got something in the mail from the VA telling me I needed to call and schedule an appointment with the Silver Team 2C for a follow-up visit. I called the VA today. I was offered the choice of a video appointment or an in-person appointment. I asked for an in-person appointment and was told "I'm sorry but there are no openings in that clinic between now and the end of August. The appointment setter told me she would send the clinic a message to contact me to set up an appointment. I will not be holding my breath waiting for a response.

***
I have again been dealing with a problem with a bacterial infection that began beneath my left thumbnail. In prior years, when this happened I could go to the Primary Care Clinic on a walk-in same-day basis and they had a treatment room. They would have a hand specialist come down and do an IND right then and there. Now, changes have been made. The treatment room has been shut down. I had to go to the Emergency Room to get the problem treated. It took multiple ER visits before the problem was resolved. Instead of my primary care physician following up my care, I saw a different doctor every time. Thankfully the last doctor I saw knew their stuff and fixed the problem.

The final indignity came when I was scheduled to spend Frday, Saturday and Sunday nights as an inpatient to start me on a new medication. I had a video meeting with the physician (a cardiologist) who reminded me several times that I needed to get their early on Friday. "You need to be early so they can give you two doses on Friday to make sure we can get you out on Monday morning. I needed to be at work on Monday.

I got there early. I went to the office to be admitted and get my first dose of this new medication. To my suprise and horror, that same doctor who had reminded me to be early had not yet written the orders to admit me as an inpatient and for my treatment. I sat there twiddlig my thumbs for an hour. Then without being noticed, I walked out and left. 30 minutes later that office called me and asked where I'd gone. I told them I was tired of waiting and I left. They urged me to come back and I declined.

I will call cardiology to reschedule that medication admission AFTER my problem with prescriptions and obtaining care from the Primary Care Clinic is resolved.

I used to think the medical care at the VA was great. I was wrong. It sucks.

Shove your thoughts and prayers where the sun never shines

Heidi & I are fervently lifting up in prayer the children and families in the horrific shooting in Uvalde.

We are in close contact with local officials, but the precise details are still unfolding.

Thank you to heroic law enforcement & first responders for acting so swiftly.

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 24, 2022

Horrified and heartbroken by reports of the disgusting violence directed at innocent schoolkids in Uvalde, Texas. The entire country is praying for the children, families, teachers, and staff and the first responders on the scene.

— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) May 24, 2022

I am sick and tired of mass shootings. Hell, I'm sick and tired of anyone being murdered, but these mass shootings are avoidable tradegies. And all these pusilanimous politicians have to offer are their thoughts and prayers. Which accomplish nothing to prevent the next mass shooting.

What will it take to get elected officials to take real action to prevent these mass shootings? Are the expensive, exclusive private schools that their children attend so well-guarded that it will never happen to their children? The endless blathering about the Second Amendment and how it is sacred does nothing but continue to allow the carnage to continue.

Consider the aftermath of the Route 91 shooting. Bump stocks, which allow assault rifles to be used as machine guns were banned. There is a lawsuit pending to overturn that ban. Here is a list of the states that filed a friend of the court brief in support of the attempt to overturn the ban:

Montana
West Virginia
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansa
Idaho
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Mississippi
Nebraska
New Hampshire
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Carolina
South Dakota
Texas
Utah
Wyoming

Why would these states oppose banning bump stocks? They hae no purpose except to make assault rifles more effective at killing large numbers of people.

There is no good reason for any American who is not serving in the military or employed in law enforceent to own an automatic weapon.

***

Like anything else, the best way to find out what is happening is to follow the money.

NRA Contributions to GOP Senators

Mitt Romney (UT) $13,647,676
Richard Burr (NC) $6,987,380
Roy Blunt (MO) $4,555,722
Thom Tillis (NC) $4,421,333
Cory Gardner (CO) $3,939,199
Marco Rubio (FL)$3,303,355
Joni Ernst (IA) $3,124,773
Rob Portman (OH) $3,063,327

Thread

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— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) May 25, 2022

Over 42 million dollars contributed by the NRA to Republican politicians. The NRA's status as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization should be revoked.

We need action, not useless thoughts and prayers.

I want you to close your eyes for a moment and imagine…wait. Don’t close your eyes. Just imagine. There is a majority of liberal justices on the bench of the United States Supreme Court. They have heard what could be a landmark case that might overturn the ruling in Roe v Wade that legalized abortion. A draft opinion by one of those liberal justices that upholds Roe v Wade. The opinion discusses how it Is wrong to force a woman to carry a fetus until she gives birth to a child. How we cannot simply create a “domestic supply of infants” to satisfy the need of children to deal with a shortage of them to be adopted by people who desire to adopt. To be clear, Justice Amy Coney Barrett did not coin that phrase. Here is that footnote, citing a CDC paper on adoption.

Imagine the hue and outcry from conservatives who were convinced they would finally achieve their long-held goal of overturning the landmark decision that Roe v Wade represents.

Now let’s take this one step further. Change the scenario to the current justices on the bench of the Supreme Court being who they are today. The draft opinion that is leaked upholds Roe v Wade and it appears from the vote that Justice Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh did as they said they would during their confirmation hearings before the U. S. Senate. Referring to Roe v Wade, Kavanaugh said: ““It is settled as a precedent of the Supreme Court, entitled the respect under principles of stare decisis,”

Would the protests outside the homes of the justices who voted in favor of the leaked opinion be as peaceful as the ones we are seeing now? I don’t think they would.

***

The real problem here is we as a nation cannot agree on when a fetus should be endowed with the rights that Americans take for granted. The right to life being first and foremost among them. Is it at conception” At the point of viability outside of the mother’s womb? Or at birth? There is no consensus on this.

My belief is that no one has the right to tell a woman she must continue to carry a fetus in her womb if she has decided to end her pregnancy. It is her decision and no one else’s. That I my opinion. Opinions are neither right or wrong. They are simply opinions, based on our own beliefs and experiences.
***

There is a federal statute (18 U.S.C., Section 1507) that reads as follows:

Whoever, with the intent of interfering with, obstructing, or impeding the administration of justice, or with the intent of influencing any judge, juror, witness, or court officer, in the discharge of his duty, pickets or parades in or near a building housing a court of the United States, or in or near a building or residence occupied or used by such judge, juror, witness, or court officer, or with such intent uses any sound-truck or similar device or resorts to any other demonstration in or near any such building or residence, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

The question is intent. It would be difficult to prove that someone simply picketing in support of abortion rights had the intent of influencing a justice on an issue they have apparently already voted on.

Whatever is determined by the Supreme Court in the case where the draft opinion was leaked, this will not be a settled issue. Not unless the Democrat-controlled Senate can find a way to suspend the filibuster to pass a law codifying a woman’s right to choose.

Wanna bet?

If you live in California, you have almost certainly seen this commercial; or one like it.



Until this week, there was only one ballot initiative on the November ballot and it isn't the one being criticized in that ad. But that changed this week when the initiative sponsored by DraftKings and FanDuel qualified for the ballot. There were two other initiatives that were trying to get on the ballot, but it looks like those two failed to get enough signatures.

Let's unpack this.

The initiative opposed by the commercial abovve would, according to its petition summary:

"Legalizes online and mobile sports wagering, which currently is prohibited, for persons 21 years and older. Such wagering may be offered only by federally recognized Indian tribes and eligible businesses that contract with them. Individuals placing bets must be in California and not located on Indian lands. Imposes 10% tax on sports-wagering revenues and licensing fees. Directs tax and licensing revenues first to regulatory costs, then remainder to: 85% to homelessness programs; 15% to nonparticipating tribes. Specifies licensing, regulatory, consumer-protection, and betting-integrity standards for sports wagering."

Meanwhile, the initiative sponsored by the Indian tribes already operating casinos on their tribal lands in CA would, according to its petition summary:"

"Allows federally recognized Native American tribes to operate roulette, dice games, and sports wagering on tribal lands, subject to compacts negotiated by the Governor and ratified by the Legislature. Beginning in 2022, allows on-site sports wagering at only privately operated horse-racing tracks in four specified counties for persons 21 years or older. Imposes 10% tax on sports-wagering profits at horse-racing tracks; directs portion of revenues to enforcement and problem-gambling programs. Prohibits marketing of sports wagering to persons under 21. Authorizes private lawsuits to enforce other gambling laws."

The latest attack ad opposing the online betting iniative point out that "90% of the profits would go to out-of-state corporations. Funny how the iniative being pushed by CA Indian Casino operators calls for those casinos to retain 90% of the profits themselves. A 2006 study analyzed the impact of gambling in CA from 1998 forward. Here is an excerpt from that study:

The amount paid by the Indian casinos during that period represented 3.2% of their revenues. For comparison, Nevada casinos are taxed at the rate of 3.5% on the first $50,000 in gaming revenue per month and 6.75% on gaming revenue of more than $134,000 per month.

The Indian casinos also give themselves the ability to offer additional casino games in their initiative. Roulette and dice games are not permitted under current law.

In the end, these two initiatives are very similar.