NRA - Power for Power's Sake

The NRA came into being as a benign promoter of sportsmen. Things began to change in reaction to a trend seen in the 1960's and 1970's when the people of this country, not the government, began favoring limiting gun ownership to law enforcement and sportsmen sought to protect their ability to hunt and target shoot in earnest. In response the NRA grew and became progressively more political and more right leaning.

Today we must ask -  Is the NRA still a coalition of sportsmen, or has it morphed into a political powerhouse in and of itself,  consumed with power and its own existence? If it is the latter then it has become perverse, no longer serving anyone's best interests other than itself. 

Examining the NRA's modern day record it becomes clear that any common sense gun control measure is seen as an affront to the NRA's power, whether or not it constitutes a real threat to sportsmen. Defeating any common sense gun control legislation then, has become a measure of the NRA's influence and control - the legislation a threat to its very existence that must be defeated, no matter what. 

The NRA's reason for existence is no longer about promoting gun enthusiasts. It is about power and self-survival. As such it is perverse, destructive, anti-society, and therefore must be stopped.

Modern Day Magic Show

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. God.... made the stars also. God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

God created the universe in six days and then he rested.
He? Rested?

Written from earth's perspective, even though its supposed to be gods words, this bible. A tad geocentric in a universe of billions upon billions of suns don't you think? Would be oh so more much believable if reference was made to the true size of this universe, and our insignificance in comparison. Or imagine if general relativity was embedded in these holy words - god had to know how what he had created worked even if the authors of the bible didn't, right?

1,200 billion galaxies each with 200 billions suns in this universe - all created to govern day and night, and to separate light from darkness as experienced by human eyes here on earth? Seems like a lot of trouble to go to for a species that can experience only a tiny fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum. And the visible light from those stars has taken millions of years to reach us - yet all of this supposedly occurred 6000 years ago? Huh?

St Augustine tells us it took six days to create the universe because six is the first perfect number. Because a number's proper positive divisors add up to the number itself - 1 + 2 + 3 = 6 that's why? Whew - just knew there had to be a reason! And here I thought it was because dogs bark at the moon.

The word "day" in Hebrew can mean: a 24-hour day, daytime, today, forever, continually, or an undetermined amount of time. So, the "sixth day" is actually an unknown length of time. There is nothing that requires us to read it as six 24-hour days.

Whew - I mean how can an omnipotent being that can control time take six 24 hour days to do anything? Good thing day has no clear meaning in Hebrew. Or for that matter create, or rest, or he, or years, or night, or bible, or faith, or GOD...

Or this whole made up magic show.

Dump Trump

Donald Trump's response to the Orlando massacre was to use it for his own political advantage within moments of hearing about it. He could of cared less about the people murdered in Orlando, expressing no sorrow at the loss of life or even sympathy for the families. His only interest was to make these tragic deaths serve his own purposes.

To make statements 'like this guy (the shooter) should not of been here (the USA). 'We shouldn't have allowed him to be here' only reveals Trump's ignorance and xenophobia. Never mind that the shooter was born in this country. Apparently his brown skin and religious beliefs disqualify his natural citizenship according to this ignorant, racist, xenophobic, loser.

The Donald really isn't very bright. Narcisistic, spoiled, rich kid, is all he is - all he will ever be. But you don't have to be bright to play the hate and fear cards, just sociopathic, superficial, and insecure.

To his supporters - is there any point where you might be embarrassed by this guy? Do you not realize how he plays you for fools, how he scams you, how he tries to manipulate your fears, trying to morph them into hate? It's much easier to lead fearful people full of blind rage than it is to effectively deal with the complex problems of our modern world. Trump is not capable of the latter.  Ask yourselves - is blind rage, hate and racism all you really want? Has there ever been a moment in this country's history or any country's history where THAT turned out well?

Congress and the NRA - Blood on Their Hands

Yet another mass shooting by cowards using assault weapons. The ultimate response to it maddeningly predictable. After the grief, after the anger, after the politics, there will be no real response at all. Nothing will change - except the NRA will get its way, again, politicians will keep their jobs, again, and more innocent people die, again, and again, and again.

The NRA owns the majority of congress. A vote against the NRA imperils too many political careers - no way that's going to happen. The majority of politicians then willing to sacrifice innocent human life - children, men, women, rather than risk their careers voting for simple common sense gun control that may just save life but is opposed by the NRA - cowards that they are. Children murdered at their desks in school are less important than representatives keeping their jobs, and certainly less important than the NRA.

The arguments by the NRA against simple common sense gun law reform are as ridiculous as they are morally bankrupt. Laws as simple as don't sell assault weapons without a background check at gun shows. Don't sell weapons that have no other purpose than to kill human beings in large numbers, to suspected terrorists, people on the no fly list, or the mentally ill. The argument against passing these laws is that doing so establishes a slippery slope to the government taking away everyone's guns. It is an argument as ludicrous as not passing speeding laws as they are a first step to taking away everyone's cars.

The NRA has become an organization of socially irresponsible extremists - and they do us real harm - over and over again. It is time to reign in these nut jobs and to replace the career politicians who do their bidding, with those with a social conscience. It is time to enact common sense gun laws. It is time - well past time - to DO SOMETHING.

The Physiologic Approach to Shock

The arrogant ass from Harvard argues against a physiologic approach in resuscitating shock while harboring bias for relying heavily on large artery pressure - never mind he holds a patent on a device that measures blood pressure.

An argument against the physiologic!

The reason this so deeply disturbs me centers on an alarmingly poor understanding of cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology by most physicians - even many academics - and the arrogance of our 'leaders' who think the answer is not better education but instead to dumb it down for the 'not as gifted average doc'.

CVP, urine output, blood pressure, and LACTATE < 4 - the best we can do?

Without realizing it many docs have this bizarre idea that CVP drives output. That lactate is a branch point for ICU admission. That blood pressure and lactate reveal all one needs to know after drowning your patient in fluid.

Unfortunately we currently have no direct therapeutic interventions as regards maintaining capillary perfusion, maintenance of oxidative energy production, and overall cellular health - the ultimate aims of resuscitation. Yet. So perhaps then it makes no real difference if, for the time being, we use a physiologic approach vs. give them some fluid and norepinephrine, wave crystals and sprinkle goats blood on them as per our 'leaders' current guidelines.

But that does not mean our opinion leaders should get away with recommending the latter because ' it's easier and simpler' or serves their patents and purposes.

It is never a bad idea to understand true pathophysiology and to always approach the patient from the physiologic. Even if all we can do in response is blood let - that understanding and approach eventually leads to innovation and better ways of doing things.

Donald Trump - Deeply Insecure and Weak

Hilary Clinton eviscerated Donald Trump the other day - using his own words and actions to do so. Donald Trump's response? Seething with rage - and I mean rage - as any true narcissist would be - he promised to abuse power when he becomes president and jail her. Jail her for hurting his feelings.

Now imagine once he is in office and a foreign leader does worse? Instead of angry tweets he now has a nuclear arsenal to respond with. Exaggerated fear? Nonsense? Take another look. The rage in his eyes - not anger - rage - in response to Clinton's words was real folks. Trump is a narcissist. Not in the name calling you have a big ego sense. I mean in the strictest clinical sense. He is made of the same stuff as any tyrant in history. He is deeply insecure and mentally ill and this particular flavor of kooky will wreak havoc on the world if he is given the chance.

Sexism - Alive and Well and Hurtful

Why does the media refer to Clinton as Hilary and all of her opponents by their last names?
Trump is Trump, Sanders is Sanders, occasionally Bernie Sanders?

Why is it women are paid less for the same work than men?

Why is it 'traditional' female professions are traditionally underpaid - teachers, nurses, etc.
An experienced ICU nurse makes less than a roofer, an electrician, a plumber. Literally holding life in hand, ICU nurses not only administer drugs but recognize trouble, guide care, save life. An electrician puts in recessed lighting and doesn't go to college to learn how. Teachers mold our most precious resource, our children, our future, and are grossly underpaid for their trouble.

Why? Sexism. Just that simple.

Sexism only weakens us. It serves absolutely no useful purpose. And as a father of a kick ass, capable of anything, 8 year old girl - it is hurtful. Why then can we not seem to discard it once and for all?