Medicynic

“We don’t have the faintest idea what is going to happen because it doesn’t seem the U.S. actually knows,” said Tomas Valasek, director of Carnegie Europe and a former Slovak envoy to NATO. “Trump doesn’t seem to know what he wants.””

“By week’s end, the president who repeatedly criticized the Obama administration for “telegraphing” its military intentions was openly trying to dial back tensions, saying he hopes there isn’t a conflict and repeating his interest in having direct talks with the leaders in Tehran. White House officials briefing reporters on Friday say they ’re “sitting by the phone” waiting for Iranian officials to call.

Patients tell their stories as Washington state orders ‘sham’ health-care sharing ministries to halt

Medicynical note: Where there money to be made, scammers abound. The U.S. has more quackery and fraud in healthcare than any other place in the world. Why? Desperate people are……..well…….desperate and…….yes……..the money.

Obvious correlation

Medicynical note: It was about a year ago that the CO2 level crossed the 410 ppm level.

The relationship between warming and human activity is apparent and rational people accept it as fact. Even the deniers have evolved and now agree warming is happening. They, however, dispute the cause and deny the possibility of catastrophic effects from human activity despite the clear correlation between such activity, hydrocarbon use as fuel, and atmospheric warming. Yes, in the distant past (a past ironically denied by many religious fundamentalist deniers) CO2 was as high or higher. But that was likely from volcanic activity and prior to man’s existence.

But absolute belief in bible stories doesn’t fully explain the lack of response by the US to this clear and present danger. In the past 30 or so years climate change has become a political litmus test. Decisions are filtered through short term financial special interests; the fear of change, religious shibboleths, and simple denial of reality because of political animosity.

It appears that only a massive tragedy along with similarly massive financial losses has any chance of getting a response. And next year or sooner there will be another chart showing the CO2 crossing the 420 ppm level.

Seemingly a mass shooting or two every day.

Medicynical note: is this really what our august, once thoughtful Supreme Court had in mind? Is this the NRA/Libertarians idea of freedom?

Along with our denial of obvious scientific truths, Citizens United and our grotesque healthcare non-system we seem to slowly descending into ungovernable hell.

The price of the drug, (H.P. Acthar Gel) best known for treating a rare infant seizure disorder, has increased almost 97,000%, from $40 a vial in 2000 to nearly $39,000 today.

And

The bombshell allegations lay bare what the whistleblowers say was a culture designed to sell the drug at all costs, from lying to the Food and Drug Administration to offering bribes to doctors.

Medicynical Note: this is what passes as acceptable practice by Big Pharma in the U.S. today.

Denial of what’s obvious is the basis of this presidency whether we’re talking about global warming, the racist white supremacy movement or the Mueller report.

Consider the Trump view as noted in this Washington Post editorial

“Unfortunately, the first family remains in denial about this. President Trump, who benefited from the interference, says the investigation was a “witch hunt” and a “hoax.” His son-in-law, Jared Kushner, dismissed it as a “distraction” at a panel sponsored by Time magazine on Tuesday. He said, “You look at what Russia did — you know, buying some Facebook ads to try to sow dissent and do it — and it’s a terrible thing. But I think the investigations, and all of the speculation that’s happened for the last two years, has had a much harsher impact on our democracy than a couple of Facebook ads.” He added, “Quite frankly, the whole thing is just a big distraction for the country.””

And contrast The Kushner/Trump spin with Rosenstein’s recent comments from the AP:

“He also made clear that the Mueller investigation had exposed a sophisticated Russian operation to meddle in American politics, something Trump has been slow to acknowledge.”

“There was overwhelming evidence that Russian operatives hacked American computers and defrauded American citizens, and that is only the tip of the iceberg of a comprehensive Russian strategy to influence elections, promote social discord, and undermine America, just like they do in many other countries,” Rosenstein said.”

“Janet Porter is a woman who believes life begins at conception and homosexuality is a choice. She has said gay marriage caused Noah’s floods, and was the architect of a 1990s gay conversion campaign. She implied US supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a Jewish woman, is a racist. Like Donald Trump, she was a proponent of the Barack Obama “birther” conspiracy theory.”

“The Southern Poverty Law Center, a leading civil rights organization, designates her non-profit Faith 2 Action, as a hate group for its work against LGBT rights. She lost a slot on a Christian radio network when, the station said, an event she held veered into a form of Christian supremacy.””

Medicynical note: This sad woman opposes separation of church and state, gay rights, and abortion. As a biblical literalist she denies reality and accepts biblical stories as her reality. She denies the humanity of those of us who disagree with her ill informed religious fundamentalism.