Book Review - Open Wide And Say Moo

As the poster boy for the average American I try very hard to hang out with and otherwise associate myself with smart people. Take a look at my blog roll and you'll find a lot of very smart folks. One of those who go into the Very Smart list is DrRich at The Covert rationing Blog. If you haven't perused his writings I highly encourage you to spend some time at his place. Like I said, agree with him or not, the man is positively bulging with smartitude and medical badassery. Considering his education, profession and background he's easily in the genius category. Yes, I freely admit that I am a DrRich fanboy.

Over the last bit (in his munificent free time) DrRich has been writing a book on health care. It's about how we got into the mess we're in, who the major players are, what they did to basically screw up the system and how we can actually fix it short of rationing or total collapse. And it's a doozy. He explains his rational for writing a book that is surely not making him any friends in the medical health establishment or among politicians of either party.

The book is available in two places, on his site here (find the header labeled Open Wide and say Moo, click on it and select a chapter) and as an e-book available for the Kindle here. Since I'm a Luddite who doesn't have an e-reader and DrRich is a generous and all around nice guy he sent me a download of the book for my perusal. It's $5.99 on Kindle and worth every cent. Since he didn't take my money and it's available for free on his site Lu and I will be making a donation to the American Heart Association in his name.

It's not a long read but it is chock full of information, much of which I did not know. The best part is it is most emphatically not written as a dry as dust missive full of medico jargon and 5 dollar words. DrRich has a wit that is sharp as a Ginsu knife and dry as a fine Martini. Reading it is a little like passing a spectacular car wreck that you know was caused by massive stupidity. You hate to giggle at the catastrophe but you just can't help yourself. I mean, the title alone bespeaks the wonders hidden inside.

And DrRich takes no prisoners here. He calls out those he views as responsible for soaring costs and plunging rhetoric. No one is safe as the good doc takes a scalpel to modern health care, administration of such and how and why the insurance companies and politicians are playing poker with our dollars and our lives. Eye opening is a vast understatement. But DrRich is among the very few critics of our current health care debacle who has common sense answers, proposals and solutions. You may agree or disagree with him but I at least can find no fault with his logic or reasoning.

I gave the book a quick first read and am now going back over it more slowly. There is a huge amount of information here; the section on fixing the problem alone deserves devoted study. I'll be re-reading this one many times, especially with the election coming and the answers we must have in the new year if we are to preserve American medical care as the best in the world.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I consider it a must read for anyone who is politically aware and needs unbiased information with which to make the monumental decisions facing us all.

And if you get a giggle along the way at the driver who managed to run his car up the telephone pole guy wire you are hereby given a pass. Consider it an additional benefit for doing the necessary research.

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Update On Mom

Borepatch gently reminded me that I haven't updated Mom's status in a while. I suppose I'm still in a bit of denial.


Mom has confirmed lung cancer. Being who she is she has refused any more testing and any treatments except pain meds and an inhaler (though she will be on oxygen very soon). The specialists who viewed her x-rays said she had one large mass and a whole bunch of smaller ones. It's apparently pretty aggressive. She's already started to get worse. We're being told the prognosis is 2 to 4 months. Doctors are frequently wrong about that kind of thing but we all are preparing and thankful we have the time and chance to do so. The DO and the kids were just here and had the opportunity to see her and say their goodbyes, for which I will always be grateful. She only lives 3 hours away so Lu and I get to her house once a week or so. We're trying to prepare as best we can for something I really don't even want to think about much less face but what can we do? Life is what it is and if we're going to live we must also die and face the death of those we love.


I am hardly alone in this. Both Brigid and Borepatch have lost a beloved parent recently. Many, even most, of you have experienced the same. You know very well what I'm going through and, if you'll forgive my presumption here, that knowledge gives me comfort. None of us are truly alone. There are wells of strength in our families and friends just waiting to be tapped in times of need and I'm going to need that strength in the coming months. I'm not going to dwell on what I cannot change nor am I going to wallow in self pity. I am going to carry on as best I can and do what a son is supposed to do. I will love and support my mother for as long as I can and as best I can and then I will grieve and honor her memory. Mom wouldn't have it any other way.


I have Lu by my side and she's a rock. A true pillar of love and support. I was truly blessed on the day we met. I'd be a basket case without her.


I'll update as I can and as the time of our parting nears but I'm also going to carry on here as before. We all cope in the way that seems best to each of us and my time here, talking about the mundane as well as the important, is a balm to my soul. Thank you all for all your support over the time I've been here. I consider each of you as friends and always will.


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More Kanani On PTSD

Kanani has an interesting post up here about alternative treatment for PTSD. I love her for pulling no punches where the health and well being of our soldiers is concerned. Kanani has an MD Warrior husband and has herself been intimately involved in the healthcare system for a very long time.

I'm an Army veteran but not a combat vet. However I am also a 24 year veteran police officer who has seen and done...much. As such I have more than a passing familiarity with the effects of stress and Traumatic Events. Medication is often at least an answer but stress relief takes many forms. To discount and discard ANY strikes me as being short sighted and driven by motivations divorced from the needs of the individual. Giving our stricken warriors every tool that could conceivably help them isn't just a good idea it's a moral imperative.

Keep up the good work Kanani. Sooner or later (and let's hope it's sooner) you and the others fighting this battle will win.

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Obesity

DrRich over at The Covert Rationing Blog has a very interesting post up about the War on Obesity. DrRich is a pretty smart guy and his SnarkFu is top notch. If you're like me, a few pounds north of the Mendotta Line, this is well worth the read.

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Kanani Needs Some Assistance (Updated)

Kanani over at The Kitchen Dispatch is one of my favorite people. She's a talented writer and milblogger but more important, she's a Warrior. Her husband is downrange, in very bad places doing very good things as an Army Surgeon saving the lives of our soldiers. Kanani is always looking for ways to help, whether that means contributing to better awareness of the mission through promoting books and movies or bringing the plight of our wounded warriors to the forefront and keeping them there. This time she's asking for help in bringing aid and comfort to our Wounded Warriors. You can read about it here. If there is anything that'll help those men and women deal with their experiences and lessen the impact of PTSD I'm on board. I've seen what long term suffering can mean in a man I love and admire.

I know we all get inundated by requests for donations literally every day, to the point that it's easy to get a bit jaded about them so if you can't you can't. But this one is from one of us. Kanani is a milblogger and an Army Spouse. I love her and support her and her mission. Lu and I dropped her a donation.

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Update. Ed Rasimus has a couple of Wounded Warrior charity links up here. Lu and I sent them a little love. We're not philanthropists but most all of us donate and I'm now firm that our money is only going to help our soldiers and their families and these are folks that Raz can vouch for.

Friendly Fire

The fight goes on and these are just the people I regularly visit.

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New msnbc poll here.

Drew at Ace of Spades has the message to republicans.

Ed weighs in.

The Emporer speaks.

Og is refusing to be silent.

Brigid and Barkley are on board.

I think Gunslinger may run.

Big Dick ain't dicking around.

Nicki pulls no punches.

Wisdom from Borepatch.

David Bellavia and Semperpapa opine.

The Pissed Off Tree Rat has his own take.

My brother Utah blogger TMJUTAH raises his voice.

Laura talks about preparedness.

Anna's voice will be heard.

The Rich Wasp has a thought.

Joan throws down a gauntlet of her own.

Billy Beck as only he can.

Tam shouts to the rooftops.

Lagniappe's Dad isn't taking this sitting down.

Daphne coyly hints at some possible problems.

Update

Stupak has caved. I think that with his sell out the bill will pass.

As I watched stupak's press conference I was again struck with how divorced from the rest of America these politicians are. They're not negotiating anything on behalf of their constituents. they're negotiating only for themselves. What they want as opposed to what's best for the country.

Lord, hear my prayer. Please soften their hearts and give them the knowledge that this path leads to destruction, not salvation.

I'll be watching the news all day.

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1543 hrs. Juan Williams is a tool.

1620 hrs. I am reminded of nothing so much as a slow motion train wreck.

1553 hrs. I can't watch it any more. Back later.

2030 hrs. It's passed. May our grandchildren forgive us.