To be honest, I sometimes skip “under God”, since I remember when it was added, and it messes up the meter.

One part of me wishes (sorry, folks) that the shooter were actually dead, as first reported. It’s what he deserves.

On the other hand, perhaps we will be able to learn something useful from him. I mean, the guy is a psychiatrist. If I’m reading the stories right, he got his MD while in the Army, served his internship at Walter Reed, and had never been assigned out of the US. Personally, I have a little trouble with the idea that you can “catch” PTSD from those who have it; besides which, there are thousands of vets with PTSD, and very few of them gun down forty people at a whack.

What really bothers me is this. It has always been my understanding that psychiatrists (who are in a position to have major effects on the minds of their patients) are regularly analyzed by other psychiatrists (or, perhaps, meta-psychiatrists) to make sure that they are “stable”. I could be wrong about this; it’s just what I thought was the case. But if I’m wrong, and this isn’t standard practice, why the hell isn’t it? And if it is, how did the meta-analyst miss the clues of such a derangement?

I’ve never been able to put myself into the headspace of someone who thinks that the correct response to an offense (however nasty the offense may be) is to kill a bunch of uninvolved people. I can sort of understand the guy who decides to shoot the boss who fired him (understand, not condone), and that there may be “collateral damage” (not condoned). But how far out from the normal connection to humanity do you have to be to start out gunning down random people?

aggh. What a waste.

This gave me an idea :

For those who feel up to it, why not send to your congressman a copy of a photo of a relative, family member, friend who died due to the lack of health care. The impact is, I believe, greater with a photo, more difficult to ignore and shred.

Or some type of “wall” of photos could be videoed and youtubed, sent out to the media.

I also recognize that it may be difficult for many to put out to the public view the image of their loved ones.

Any feedback ?

And DON YOUNG hangs out with the folks waving inappropriate Dachau signs. That’ll do it for me. Even if he is a “Corrupt Bastards Club” member, I’ve given him brownie points and extended him respect and courtesy he doesn’t deserve. First, because he married into a Native family; his wife and children are indigenous Alaskans. Second, because I felt sorry for him with her recent death. But that’s it, Don.
WTF are you thinking, publically endorsing this garbage and this behaviour?! I think there should be recall action started on this basis alone. There has to be limits on what public representation will be countenanced by the Alaskan citizenry. This ISN’T about being Republican; this is about representing ALL of us. Don, buddy, you don’t have goodwill to spare.

WASHINGTON – Rep. Don Young doesn’t attend many big public events in Washington, so his presence was notable Thursday afternoon at a Republican rally at that drew thousands of people who oppose the health care legislation scheduled for a vote this weekend in the House of Representatives.
“I’ve been a big supporter of tea parties and public interest in government,” Young said of his attendance at the rally, staged by Republicans and organizations with ties to the conservative Tea Party movement. “I have quite a few Alaskans here that are interested in where we’re going and which way we’re headed.”

Uh, yeah, okay, Don. Good luck with that. I hope your daughters are very very very ashamed of you today.

Some of us have actually been to Dachau, know real history, and cannot articulate the burden and sorrow. It was so overwhelmingly bad that it makes you numb, like your brain can’t manage it, and renders one at a loss for words.

“April 19th 1945: Dachau, 16×16x12″

Bruises grip walls like moss;
white breath holds the air;
fog lulls our feet together.

but God throws his palm down;
storming rain flies ferociously,
our eyes flooding with prayer.

by Zarah Moeggenberg
Aquinas College’s The Sampler XXI (2009), Academy of American Poets Contest for Colleges and Universities (2009)

Many enlisted in the last few years because of the bad economy and few job opportunities, then the military services offered large enlistment bonuses. Young, limited education, and often from a poor background – and we send them off to these wars but don’t have the resources to take care of them when they do make it home.

Regardless of the shooter’s name or religious background, the bottom line is he was a well-educated officer, and his training was in mental health. Reports are that he has been exhibiting anger about repeat tours and the war, yet no one seems to have followed up on the probability of his needing care. As someone else said, he probably just snapped. With security as tight as it is on most posts nowadays, if he had preplanned some sort of terrorist activity, it would seem more logical that he had additional people to go along with him, and that his target would not have been on a post where he knew he would never get away.

Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked Health and Human Service (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to investigate why the Center for Disease Control (CDC) approved the distribution of the H1NI vaccine to Wall Street firms at a time when the vaccine is unavailable to most Americans.

Recent news reports indicate 13 companies, including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Time Warner, have been cleared to receive the vaccine.

The CDC is distributing the much sought-after vaccine to Wall Street firms despite reports of vast shortages. In fact, just yesterday CDC Director Thomas Frieden informed Congress that only 32.3 million doses are available, far less than the 159 million needed to cover those at the highest risk. Given the scarce supply, the CDC has recommended the vaccine be directed only to those at highest risk: pregnant women, infants and children and those up to 24 years, those who care for infants, health and emergency services personnel, and adults with compromised immune systems or other chronic health problems.

Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW said today, “Although CREW has been unable to uncover the demographic makeup of Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, and JP Morgan Chase, it seems safe to assume the vast majority of their employees are not pregnant women, infants and children, young adults up to 24 years old, and healthcare workers.”

http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/43232

Los Angeles County’s three public hospitals ordered 110,000 vaccines, but have received only about 18,000 doses, and UCLA’s two hospitals received 1,000 doses for 10,000 staff and 35,000 patients.

This situation is echoed around the country, leaving most of those seeking the vaccine unable to receive it with no remedy in sight. Frieden admitted, “It is quite likely the current wave of influenza will peak, crest and begin to decline before there are ample supplies of the vaccine.”

Sloan said, “In what world do Wall Street employees deserve to be vaccinated ahead of high-risk children, pregnant women and health care workers? Unfortunately, for the thousands being turned away in clinics across America, the CDC has decided to prioritize the millionaires over the masses. The public has a right to know how and why this has happened and when it will stop.” Sloan continued, “First, the bailout, then the bonuses, now the vaccine. When will Washington start putting the needs of Main Street above those of Wall Street?”

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(Incidentally, LA County is the country’s most populous county.)