MEDICAL ADVISORY: CDC may be studying PTCTS

Posted on February 29, 2012 by Bull Sullivan

In a stunning revelation, this columnist has  found that a new military related disability may be under study.  While not certain of the source of the reported study, it is possible that today’s children may one day pay hundred’s of millions of dollars for treatment for a debilitating illness that may strike UCAV (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles) pilots without warning. These military pilots, most often Commissioned Warrant Officers or Commissioned Officers, are forced to pilot UCAV missions lasting multiple hours, in cramped high-tech “cockpits” located in buildings at Nellis AFB, Las Vegas, NV, and at air bases through the free world. While volunteers, few of these pilots could have imagined the potential illness unique to their missions: PTCTS ( Post Traumatic Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.)  Subjected to the constant stress of combat operations, always with keyboard, monitor and joystick at the ready, these well-trained and highly disciplined warriors face a potential future of unimaginable stress. Unable to shake hands, salute, or even grasp a pen without a need of surgery, they are likely to be medically discharged from service. As a civilian, their odd, left-handed grasp of the proffered right hand of an acquaintance will seem awkward and confusing, and may lead to depression and sequestration and concomitant treatment and hospitalization. The problem that must be studied is where will such treatment occur. Many combat veterans of late twentieth and early twenty-first century police actions and undeclared wars will require prolonged treatment and life-long follow-up for conditions as disparate as missing or truncated limbs, wound management, organ transplants, brain tissue trauma, and neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, cyclothymia, suicidal ideation, mood disorders, domestic violence and PTSD  (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Veterans suffering from PTCTS may find it difficult to avoid guilt and recrimination from associating with fellow service members who actually fought “in” theater, in country, in a combat zone, in a hot war. The problem that must be studied by the CDC,  it is believed, is how to create a warm and pleasant therapeutic environment, one with high-backed heated leather seats and video displays, that will facilitate the treatment of these valiant “remote killers from the sky”  without giving the appearance of trivializing other combat related illnesses.  In a separate study, programs will be evaluated for treatment of pilots of domestic UALERSV’s (Unmanned Aerial Law Enforcement Reconnaissance and Support Vehicles ) whose misdirected fire has claimed CCLOL’s (Collateral Civilian Loss of Life.)  It is thought that such pilots may suffer long term psychological debilitation if Congress approves passage of Obama-care III, RTL (Right to Life) Legislation, which, along with Federal payments to the Decedent’s family, would require such UALERSV pilots to undergo strenuous marksmanship retraining after a mandatory sixty day paid suspension.

-30-

29 Feb 2020

 

Posted in Human Interest, National Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Comment on Richard et al: Richard Eib, This has got to be stopped…

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Bull Sullivan

This Article is a comment on a thread posted in facebook by my friend Richard Eib. His thread begins with a news feed from the NY Times, that venerable, liberal Old Lady of Newsprint, and a newspaper to which I subscribe. The Thread, like many of Richard’s, reflects the growing frustration of the influence of fundraising on the nature and outcome of political campaigns.  I recommend Richard Eib to my readers as a clear distinct voice which should be heard in our internet agora.

The original New York Times blog:  http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/where-did-they-get-the-money-for-that/?nl=opinion&emc=tya1

My Comment on Richard Eib’s Thread, posted below:

Richard et al, I am very sympathetic to your point of view, but please note that Congress can only pass legislation relating to the qualifications for election to each Chamber, and can not pass legislation relating to limits on campaign spending, or anything to do with qualifications or spending limits on Presidential campaigns, not if it is working within its Constitutional limits. Nor can Congress pass legislation relating to election qualifications or campaign spending in any of the 50 sovereign states, except as provided for under the 13th and 14th Amendments. It requires an Amendment to the Constitution to limit, or redefine, in any manner, the political free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment. The Congress of the United States can not “override” any decision of the SCOTUS, it can merely clarify “legislative” intent, and submit and pass a new bill, which when signed by the President  may be legally challenged and submitted, through proper adjudication, for Judicial review and which may be heard, at the discretion of The Supreme Court. The framing fathers intended that all proposed Amendments to the US Constitution be initiated by the people’s representatives, and be submitted to the sovereign states for approval, I might add, in a manner determined by the states through actions of each state’s legislative body.
Let me note that in the opinion of many legal constitutional scholars, Title II of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is unconstitutional under any but the broadest interpretation of Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution, commonly referred to as The Interstate Commerce Clause (TICC). TICC has been used by Congress literally free of constitutional restraint since enactment of The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. Interestingly, PAC’s and Political Campaigns engage in interstate commerce, primarily in the purchase of media time or space, and could properly be regulated under the incredibly broad interpretation Court’s have allowed Congress. After all, if I, a private citizen, who built a business from ground up without a Federal cent given me, can be told to whom I may or may not serve or sell, or with whom I may or may not choose to associate, then surely, Congress may tell PACS and Political Campaigns with whom they may do business, and on what terms, so long as those terms apply equally to all interested parties. However, SCOTUS could well find this an unconstitutional attempt to skirt precedent, again referring to the broad interpretation given the means and nature of political speech as guaranteed under the First Amendment. It is clear Congress simply lacks the ability to regulate campaign spending in Federal Elections, or the will to regulate qualifications of voters in Federal Elections, a task it finds easy to do in State Elections.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 did not prohibit literacy tests, poll taxes, or any other restrictions of qualifications to vote in Federal and State elections, it simply required that they be applied equally to all citizens.  The Voting Right Act of 1965 did not require that all citizens be allowed to vote, it required that the (already constitutionally limited) right to vote not be denied by States enacting…   “Voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure … to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.”  So States could enact legislation that would restrict voting rights to all qualified citizens, and could make a simple qualification rule determined by all citizens passing a test, administered in the same fashion as a driver’s license test, determining the familiarity of the citizen with the Founding Documents, Framing Fathers, US History, and Federal Law. A passing result would allow participation in perhaps three four year electoral cycles. The test could be retaken by any citizen until passed, and a federally approved curriculum could offer a selection of 100 questions from perhaps 10,000 possible questions.

Now Richard, et al, would you pass such a test, would I? Would it be worth becoming acquainted with The Declaration of Independence, The Federalist Papers, The Works of Thomas Paine, The Articles of Confederation, The Constitution of the United States as passed, The Bill of Rights? And of Course my favorites, the Decisions of The Supreme Court of the United States and the complex constitutionally mandated relationship between the three, not at all co-equal, branches of the Federal Government.

Anyone wishing for the privilege, there is no constitutionally provided right, to vote in federal Elections would simply have to read and study for an amount equal to their one month’s dose of Reality TV to become enfranchised for 12 years!

This, Richard et al, is what you should be working to accomplish. Not a restriction of Constitutional Rights, but a refinement of electoral duty, a solemnization of electoral obligation, and the honor of well deserved participation in the body politic.

The thread as it appears:

This has got to be stopped.

campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com

We need to know who is funding super PACs before we cast our votes, not after.

 

· · Share · 5 hours ago ·
  • 5 people like this.
    • It is terrible that our politics have degenerated to a point where we can never really escape from campaign mode. As soon as someone is elected they are consumed with their re-election whether it’s soliciting donations or making a difficult policy decision that may make them unpopular or unelectable. Things need to change, we need both real campaign finance reform and we must revise the election process in a way that allows for actually governing the country. I have never been one for term limits since I actually think that some of the elected officials are good at their job but unless we can get control of the election process including all this PAC spending term limits may be the only reasonable alternative. We have term limits for President maybe it’s time for the rest.

      2 hours ago · · 1
    • This article only mentions Republican candidates. Is the implication that this is solely a Republican problem?

      2 hours ago ·
    • I assisted a candidate for office once and that is all the candidate did, make calls and beg for money…
      The money .. has gotten way-way-way out of kilter and absolutly must be reformed. The US Supreme (arguable ruled wrong) but it is what it is and now it is up the Congress to rewrite the legislation for campaign financing.

      2 hours ago · · 1
    •  This will also apply to Obama during the General Election (very soon)… but right now, the spending is from the PAC’s supporting the GOP candidates …hence the article used the currently available information… we all know it applies across the board.

      2 hours ago · · 1
    •  From what I understand… there are several well funded PAC’s that will roll out positive Obama ads & Negative ads aimed at the GOP candidate… on top of that Obama will have almost a billion in campaign money to wage his re-election campaign…
      the word ridiculous is insufficient to describe how incomprehensible and destructive to everything America is… it is unamerican!

      2 hours ago ·
    • The financial reform is essential, Senator Sanders has introduced a bill that would over ride the Supreme Court opinion in Citizens United that has let to this. But that only solves part of the problem. We need to reform of the actual election process itself. It is too dependent on a candidate having a huge bankroll in order to compete.


 

 

 

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on A Comment on Richard et al: Richard Eib, This has got to be stopped…

On my Profound Sadness on Dean Candler’s Homily at Christmas Eve Communion.

Posted on December 25, 2011 by Bull Sullivan

I wrote the article below, with revisions, first immediately after the telecast of the Christmas Eve Service at St Phillip Cathedral, 2011. The telecast has been a Christmas Eve  Tradition for some 40 years, I first attended the service in 1970.  I had not attended or seen the broadcast since 2002, and I confess that after seeing the service, I was angry. I can not abide in the Diocesan  Bishop, I can not believe the Episcopal Church in America is governed by Godly people, but rather I believe it is governed by secularists, humanists and heretics. As I watched the television, I could not believe how inattentive the congregants appeared; how few appeared to be dressed to present themselves before the altar of God, how casual and uninspired was the recitation of prayers. How lacking of reverence, of ritual, of pomp and circumstance was the service itself.  The procession seemed jaded and uneasy, hurried as if to show fear that others would notice the lack of warmth. The lecturers were wooden and seemed without inspiration, the choir subdued and without festive joy.  I would argue, against the sentiments of modern theologians, that this day, Christmas Day, is without a doubt the most festive, joyful and sacred day of the year. Where is the Joy, the celebration today? What imposters gather around the parish seat, what humorless cadaver holds the crozier? This is the Church that shaped the Colonies, the Bible of which, The King James Version, educated, enlightened, and inspired the majority of the framing fathers,  who were not deists, as modern agnostics hold, but Anglicans, and then, proudly, Protestant Episcopalians. This Cathedral of Saint Phillip now, this Clergy, appear to be most comfortable apologizing for the many blessings of God, the gifts of God given to an affluent congregation; rather, they should be apologists proclaiming the blessings of wealth and the good use of it in doing God’s work.  Instead,  I find an unsettling blend of the guilt ridden “noblesse oblige” compulsory good works of Northeastern Puritans blending with elements of the Roman Church’s Liberation Theology. Another American Institution seems fallen to the blight of Europeanization. No longer named The Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America, the Episcopal Church (USA) should now best be styled “The Euro-American Episcopal Church” Go ahead, the name is free to use, I will not copyright it.

The Dean’s Homily:

I just heard the Very Reverend Samuel Candler deliver his homily at the Christmas Eve Communion Service at St. Phillip Cathedral in Atlanta, Georgia.  He spoke from the heart, with little scriptural citation, and wove a narrative that led us from the often un-rehearsed chaos and joy of a children’s Christmas Eve pageant to an understanding of the beauty of imperfections in structures and events that govern our life. He quoted the Canadian Zen Buddhist Leonard Cohen’s observation or prosy that “crack’s in a structure were good, they let the light in,” he did not cite the source material (it is cited in the link to his homily below). Repeatedly, Dean Candler spoke of God’s Love, as if to imply that “God is Love,” the polemic mantra embraced by so many who must surely feel certain they have yet to receive their share of God’s love.  “God is Love” was the “war” cry of my generation, and even older deadbeats, at every demonstration, every rally, every love-in and every “peace march” that I attended, led, supported or planned during the period of  1965 through 1972:  “The Period of the Great Unwashed, Stoned, Blatantly Over-Sexed, and in retrospect, Useless Vietnam Peace Movement.”  Here and now, however, the Dean spoke far more like  a teary-eyed Liberal than a bleary-eyed Leary; he sincerely believes his heresy, as do, unfortunately, most in my church.  His measured speech, drawn cadence, and adolescent vocabulary reflects either an intensely superficial understanding of The Word, or an intensely profound misunderstanding of The Word. To the Dean, there are not just four Gospels, there are millions of gospels; God speaks through the kind acts of all mankind, even, or perhaps especially, through the recent denizens of the “Occupy (Blank) Movement.” Those unkempt, vacuous, illicit thrill seekers who appear in public parks and private property all over America in protest that no one has hired them, no one has educated them, no one cares about their acne or old car or the lack of bike paths in urban areas.  The Dean apparently has great affinity for these social misfits, who blame an economic system(one that I personally think could stand a true “reformation”) for their lack of education, lack of opportunity, lack of material goods, lack of wealth.

You see, Dear Dean Candler, they will tell you, as they told an earlier generation’s soft-hearted compassionate clerics of our church, and indeed the World Council of Churches, that they protest poverty, not a lack of “fairness” in wealth distribution; injustice, not a lack of getting their “fair” share;  and a lack of compassion, not a childish need of attention. I can not find the word “fair” anywhere in the Four Gospels.  Just as the “Anti-War” radicals of the 1960’s, those who claimed to be demonstrating for peace, actually were demonstrating to avoid their or other’s death and dismemberment in the jungles and rice paddies of Viet Nam, these “Occupy Wall Street” radicals of 2011-2012 are actually demonstrating to avoid hard work, commitment, responsibility and success.  About my assertions concerning the anti-war protestors of the Viet Nam War, what have those “pacifist” activists had to say since then about:  Granada, Panama, Kuwait, the Baltic States, Iraq, Afghanistan…?  As to your heartfelt plea that we let Jesus “occupy” ourselves, I assure you that “Jesus,” or any Christian belief,  is not occupying or informing these weak kneed, spineless derelicts and hopelessly romantic adolescents.

If a child in America is hungry tonight , it is not because of Wall Street. If someone in America lies sick and untreated, unmedicated in bed tonight, it is not because of Wall Street. If any man or woman claims they can’t go to college because they can’t afford it, it’s not because of Wall Street.

The child will be hungry tonight because the parents were unwilling to work hard enough to provide food, or were unwilling to ask for help to meet their and their children’s needs. The child will be hungry tonight because its single mom never considered the consequences  of the act that led to her pregnancy or  gave a thought as to how to she would provide for her child, and the child’s selfish irresponsible father cares less about the child than the mother. If you are sick and lie in pain, your illness untreated, it is because you are unwilling to walk, drive, take a bus to the nearest ER and seek care, and because you reap in your health what you have sown in your diet and lifestyle. If you can’t afford college, it is because you have not prepared yourself, have not demonstrated scholarship, of have not applied at a college you can afford and for which you are willing to work forty hours a week to pay to go to school. Wall Street nabob’s, their greed, their groping avarice, have nothing to do with 99% of the failures and disappointments in anyone’s life.

In point of fact, I would submit that reckless,  secular  homilies, filled with condescendingly sympathetic  and collectively heretical pronouncements, so often heard from the pulpit, as in Dean Candler’s homily, do more to discourage discipline and determination than all the subversive actions of our perverted capitalists, many of whom attend our denominations churches and cathedrals. There is no message of hope, no call for faith in a sermon that shrilly criticizes the sins of man without an exhortation to earnestly repent, be heartily sorry, seek God’s mercy and serve and please God in newness of life. There are infinite ways of saying this, infinite paths to understanding our obligation, certainly for the Dean as many ways as days spent praying and writing the next day’s  homily, but I heard no message of penance or remorse, no message of Joy that God became Incarnate, that God became man. Where are the  exhortations of thanks that God is in the world, the well versed entreaty to believe upon The Word, to have faith in Jesus Christ and through the Grace of God, to act to as His disciple, changing the world to please God and serve His people.  I might as well have heard a Christmas homily from the lips of a Unitarian Universalist.

When, my dear Dean, did you last tell your congregants  what a sinner you are? When did you last exhort them to read The Word, The Bible,  and take it to heart as, at the least, a primer for God’s work in this world. When did you last speak of sin, the corrupting nature of materialism, consumerism, narcissism? I remember the Reverend Charlie Winter giving a sermon at St. Luke’s, Sewanee,  paraphrasing Finley Dunn, that the Church’s mission was to “Afflict the Comfortable.”  I remember my Bishop, The Right Reverend James A. Pike, seeking Jesus far away from the demands of time and treasure of his Cathedral, one from which he was driven, in part, by the actions of the Georgia Clergy, actions for which I am sure he is now eternally grateful.

It can only be that you consider the Four Gospels something less than the perfect Word of God, something other than a perfect vessel to carry us to Him. When you spoke,  it seemed to me that you held the Four Gospels, our Canon, our Magisterium, as no more perfect, and thus no less venal than you or I. That to me is heresy, either arrogant or ignorant.  I implore you to consider this: Where are you leading your sheep? The great proof of God’s love is our free will, yet that free will leads inevitably to sin, and to the need of our Redeemer, and the gift of God of Incarnation, the birth of Jesus Christ, which we celebrate today. God did not come “down” to our station, God came to show us what He meant us to be, so very long ago, in the Garden of Eden. He became human to complete the lessons started with Abraham and Issac,  to teach us how to live as He would have us live. When we do good, it is not God speaking through us, or to us,  a “Gospel;”  it is us speaking to God, a “Prayer” of Praise and Worship.

Please know one other thing about the writer of this article, were it not for the Grace of God,  the Birth of my Redeemer, and His death on the Cross, I would have no hope of salvation. I would be as savage as any Roman, as cynical as any Sadducee, I would await a messiah to conquer my enemies with sword.  Praise God, we now live with hope, have faith in Jesus Christ,  and offer charity toward all of the Father’s children.  Still,  I am a sinner to the core, that is why I know the sound of temptation so well.  If you can not hear temptation in your words, forgive me my words. I am a sheep, not a Shepherd; a prodigal, not a prophet. May the Blessing of the Creator,  Redeemer and Sustainer suffuse you with grace and light, and guide you safely through the darkness.

Selah

Dean Candler’s Homily:

http://www.stphilipscathedral.org/Sermons/newsView.asp?NewsId=40968586&CategoryID=1

Posted in Human Interest | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments