George A. Sprecace M.D.,
J.D., F.A.C.P. and Allergy
Associates of New
London,
P.C.
www.asthma.drsprecace.com
RAPID
RESPONSE (Archives)...Daily Commentary on News of the Day
This is a new
section. It will
offer fresh,
quick reactions by myself to news and events of the day, day by day, in
this rapid-fire world of ours. Of course, as in military
campaigns,
a rapid response in one direction may occasionally have to be followed
by a "strategic withdrawal" in another direction. Charge that
to
"the fog of war", and to the necessary flexibility any mental or
military
campaign must maintain to be effective. But the mission will
always
be the same: common sense, based upon facts and "real politick",
supported
by a visceral sense of Justice and a commitment to be
pro-active.
That's all I promise.
GS
Senator John McCain: The symptoms that I suggested a few months ago are developing. Senator McCain either has early Alzhemier's Disease or a terminal case of Swamp Fever. I report. You decide.
AMEN! TO ALL OF THIS. PS.
My wife and I met Mrs. Robinson many years ago at a lecture and book
signing at the Lyman Allyn Museum in New London, Ct. She was gracious
and generous with her time and attention.
YUP, YOU BETCHA. And did you see the banner headline the day after the Presidential election? "TRUMP FORCES BLACK FAMILY FROM HOME."
GS
A
Harley Biker is riding by the zoo in Washington, DC when he sees a
little girl leaning into the lion's cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her
by the collar of her jacket and tries to pull her inside to slaughter
her, under the eyes of her screaming parents. The biker jumps off his
Harley, runs to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with a
powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain the lion jumps back letting go
of the girl, and the biker brings the girl to her terrified parents,
who thank him endlessly. A reporter has watched the whole event.
The
reporter addressing the Harley rider says, “Sir, this was the most
gallant and bravest thing I've seen a man do in my whole life.”
The
Harley rider replies, “Why, it was nothing, really. The lion was behind
bars. I just saw this little kid in danger, and acted as I felt right.”
The
reporter says, “Well, I'll make sure this won't go unnoticed. I'm a
journalist, you know, and tomorrow's paper will have this story on the
front page. So, what do you do for a living, and what political
affiliation do you have?”
The biker replies "I'm a U.S. Marine, a Republican and I’m voting for Trump."
The journalist leaves.
The following morning the biker buys the paper to see if it indeed brings news of his actions, and reads, on the front page:
“U.S. MARINE ASSAULTS AFRICAN IMMIGRANT & STEALS HIS LUNCH”
And THAT pretty much sums up the media's approach to the news these days!
WEDNESDAY,
October 25,
2017
RR#1
"THE VIETNAM WAR", A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick... and
an unmitigated disaster by France, England, our OSS / CIA, the
Vietnamese people, China, Russia, and our deluded and dissembling
leaders. (See also my initial comment in this section dated Oct. 9, 2017).
I
have now viewed and studied the first two of ten "episodes" of this TV
documentary on DVD. I seriously doubt whether I will view any more,
since my memory is very clear and pained about the events that occurred
between 1963 and 1973. The Vietnam War was America's greatest
self-inflicted wound since the Civil War. And it keeps on giving.
The
modern era of Vietnam's troubles dates back to the 1860's when France
invaded and occupied "Indochina" with typical colonial arrogance - in
the face of its peoples' desire for independence. At the end of WWI,
when Woodrow Wilson was expounding about "the end of colonialism" and
when a young Ho Chi Min sent him a letter seeking his help on behalf of
the Vietnamese people, someone made sure that Wilson never received it.
As the French continued their occupation, Min became enamored of
Communism. During WWII, Vietnam was brutally occupied by the Japanese.
After
the war, President Truman was also sent a request from Ho Chi Min for
help. And once again this letter was not delivered to Truman.
Meanwhile, the Russians obtained the atomic bomb, the Korean War began,
and the "Domino Theory" flowered. Based on these issues and on
President DeGaulle's and English insistence, the U.S. went along with
continued French occupation...even after their army was routed in 1954
by Min's peoples' army. A few years later, President Diem began an
autocratic leadership of the Vietnamese from Saigon, including
suppression of Buddhism, whose followers made up the majority of
worshipers.
Thus, the battlefield involved Colonialism vs.
Independence, Communism vs. Western values, North Vietnam seeking union
with the South under Communism, the Viet Cong vs. Diem's increasingly
conflicted forces, Diem vs his own citizens and belatedly vs. America.
American "advisors" had increased in numbers from 40 to 600 to 10,000,
etc. And now President Kennedy was beset early in his term by an
ineffectual meeting with N. Kruschev, the Berlin Wall and the Cuba
crisis. He felt that he could not retreat from and possibly lose all of
Southeast Asia as dominoes fell. Strategic errors in the fields of
battle encountered a progressively emboldened Viet Cong. And America
waited too long before removing Diem. So the war took on a distinctly
political aspect as the Civil Rights Movement exploded onto the
American scene, sharing time and space with increasingly disturbing
views and stories of the war in progress. Our leaders began lying to
their citizens. And then President John Kennedy was assassinated. The
next 10 years were progressively worse. And then came the fall-out
during the last 40 years for America and Americans to the present day.
That is the story - and the legacy - of Vietnam. God Help Us.
GS
RR#2
"WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING".
AND DO SOMETHING.
This is obscene. Say something and do something if this is happening in your schools.
THIS IS ALSO ABOUT HEALTH CARE COSTS IN GENERAL: about
patient personal responsibility for life style choices, about
"value-based health care", about "rationing", about negotiating
copy-cat drug development and all drug prices, about a rational process
for medical malpractice (instead of a 400 million dollar "award" for
talcum power cases), about suffocating regulations, about inappropriate
use of electronic health records, about end-of-life decisions by
patients...and above all about allowing the professionals - physicians
and specially trained nurses - to do what they spend their life doing
without incessant interference: taking care of their patients and being
adequately compensated.
This is not "rocket science". What we have now is rank stupidity and duplicity.
THIS IS THE WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN NOW, shamefully touted by the mainstream media. But we will "never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never." Got it?
HOW MUCH DO AMERICANS KNOW ABOUT AMERICA'S CREATION? Not a lot, especially those educated in recent decades. And
now I have to include myself, after having read thoroughly Bill
O'Reilly's book (with Martin Dugard) entitled "KILLING ENGLAND" (Henry
Holt and Co., 2017). Excellent in every way, this is a treasure trove
of information of events and personalities before and during the
American Revolution, both in America and in Europe. I thought I knew a
good bit about those events and persons. Wrong. And one fact stands out
above all else: America would have died aborning were it not for the
Grace and actual intervention of God at several critical moments. There
is no other explanation for the ultimately successful chain of events. This book should be required reading for every student in the nation from middle school through college.
GS
WEDNESDAY and THURSDAY,
October 18 and 19,
2017
BLACK
RACISM, THE INCESSANT DRUMBEAT OF VILE COMMENTS AND ACTIONS AGAINST
NON-BLACK AMERICANS AND PRESIDENT TRUMP, IS DESTROYING DECADES OF GOOD
WILL BY 99% OF OUR POPULATION TOWARD OUR BLACK FELLOW CITIZENS.
The
surprise, disgust and anger that actions like dishonoring our flag and
national anthem, like the repeated violence perpetrated by Antifa and
related Black terrorist groups (as recently defined by the FBI), like
the recurring ignorant rantings of Maxine Watters and other Black
"leaders", like constant demands for special treatment just for being
Black, and like the episode described below, are beginning to produce a
deeply felt negative reaction that can last for many years.
Our
good neighbors, friends, patients and fellow citizens: take heed! Yours
is as important a task - to remove this cancer from your midst - as is
the task of moderate Muslims to remove the crazies from their midst.
Your future as Americans, accepted by and equal to all the original
"outsiders" like the Irish, Italians, other Europeans, Jews, Latinos,
Asians... depends upon it.
"TRUE, TRUE, AND RELATED".
This article captures the progressive decline of the Medical
Profession over the last 30 years, although the "demise of the Doctors'
Lounge" is a more recent sign which I have myself experienced locally.
The reasons for this decline, dangerous for patients above all, can be
divided into "externalities" and "internalities", the latter brought by
physicians upon themselves.
1) "Externalities": the progressive take-over of Health Care delivery
by State and Federal bureaucracies and by the insurance industry; the
now-crushing increase in "documentation" required of physicians, always
a vital function for continuing medical care, but now much more a means
of feeding the bureaucracy with "data" - often irrelevant and even
distorting - with which to feed their hungry computers and their jobs -
this regularly involving spend half their professional time fighting
with their own computers and ever-changing protocols; the
training of "suits", the administrators who come into a hospital with a
"us vs. them" attitude toward physicians and nurses and with a "win -
lose mentality" - refusing to realize that physicians and nurses ARE
the hospital.
2) "Internalities": what physicians through their "leaders"
have done to themselves and to their profession. Instead of objecting
to and challenging progressive changes since the 1980's that would and
did have a damaging effect on them and on their patients, they "went
along to get along"...and in the hope of "getting a seat at the table"
of decision-making. Instead, they ended up "under the table", except of
course for the national physician organizations like the AMA and the
ACP that are making hundreds of millions of dollars "going along". Then
have come the younger physicians who just want a salary, a 9-5 job, no
hassle, and even in many cases with no "Oath of Hippocrates".
Physicans, you are reaping the whirlwind, in large part of your own
making. Shame on You.
VERY INTERESTING.
Not surprising, but very interesting.
"Nobel in Economics Is Awarded to Richard Thaler",
for "applying Psychology to economic behavior".
Now let's apply these principles to political irrational behavior...
a veritable mother -lode.
THIS IS NOT A MOVIE REVIEW. THIS IS HISTORY.
"THE VIETNAM WAR", A Film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick, PBS.
I have purchased the entire series, approximately 18 hours on 10
discs...but I have viewed none of it yet.
And the battle goes on. I will defer any personal comment until I have
viewed it. But one statistic rings true from my recollection of those
dark years. "Among those surveyed by the Veterans Administration, 92%
agreed with the statement that 'the trouble in Vietnam was that our
troops were asked to fight in a war which our political leaders in
Washington would not let them win'".
More to follow...
GS RR#5
AND WHILE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WASHINGTON SCREWING THINGS
UP...
It was WWII that finally ended the Great Depression.
GS
SUNDAY,
October 8,
2017
MORE ON
INFLAMMATION, A PART OF OUR PROTECTIVE IMMUME SYSTEM...
but too often at the core of many illnesses. A Blunt Instrument.
"SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG"...
AND A GREAT DEAL IS VERY RIGHT. LET'S REMEMBER THAT.
GS
Walton, Florida, Is
presently the largest Military Complex in the world and
encompasses a large contingent of Air Force units, Naval Warfare units,
and the 7th Army Special Forces, and 6th Army Rangers. My home is
exactly
5 miles outside the main gate of Eglin AFB.
Most folks in the USA don't live in a Military Town, with lots of guys
in uniform
walking the streets and jets overhead daily. They go on with
their
lives unaware
of what a Military Town is all about. And that's OK ... But I
want to
share with you
what it's like to live in a Military Town. We see guys in
uniform all
the time, we
have state of the art, high-performance aircraft in the air nearby all
day long.
We hear the SOUND OF FREEDOM when an F-22, or F-35 streaks over the
house
..... and we read in the local paper, some times daily, but at least
weekly, of the loss
of one of our own in combat in the Middle East. And that is
what
brings me to the reason for this email.
Staff Sergeant Mark DeAlencar was 37 years old, had a family and was a
Green Beret
with the 7th Army Special Forces stationed here in the Fort Walton
area. He was
killed on April 8, 2017, while fighting Islamic State in eastern
Afghanistan. In January
of this year, he was deployed for the second time to
Afghanistan. He
promised his
adopted daughter, Octavia, that he would be home for her High School
Graduation.
He didn't make it.
But she went to graduation anyway. And in the audience were
eighty
(80) US 7th Armed
Special Forces soldiers from her dad’s unit in full Parade Dress
Uniform. Additionally,
they brought THEIR FAMILIES to be with them, as well.
And as Octavia ascended the steps to the stage to receive her diploma
THEY ALL SILENTLY STOOD UP. And when she was presented her
diploma
they ALL CHEERED, CLAPPED , WHISTLED ..... and YES CRIED.
Everyone in attendance then stood up and cried and cheered.
Octavia
had graduated and yes she had lost her Dad ..... but she had 80 other
DADS to stand there with her and take his place.
I just wanted to share this moment with you ..... and remind you that
THIS IS WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LIVE IN A MILITARY TOWN.
This is the real America we all love ..... and I'm proud to be part of
it.
May God bless our men in uniform and their families who give so much.
(Take a second to pass this along to someone you know. It's
the least
we can do for Octavia and SSgt Mark DeAlencar, 7th Special Forces,
United States Army.)
WEDNESDAY,
October 4,
2017
RR#1
HERE'S ONE FOR TWO YANKEE PARENTS WHO RAISED FIVE RED SOX KIDS.
"How about that?", in the immortal words of Mel Allen
That is the title of today's Editorial in The Day (www.theday.com), our very
good - and very liberal - daily newspaper.
This
is not intended to dismiss or ridicule the opinion expressed, since the
Editorial Board has a great deal of company in simplifying the
diagnosis and treatment of this great "wrong".
But this is like seeing a person with Sepsis, diagnosing the problem as
the fever and simply ordering more aspirin.
No,
this is a multi-system illness. What follows is a more complete
diagnosis, including "reasonable gun controls", without serious
attention to which the patient - our nation - will die.
The disillusionment and alienation of a large percentage of
Americans during and following the disastrous Viet Nam War.
The
subsequent coarsening of society, fed by the abomination of abortion
and by the sexualization of everything for a buck by Hollywood.
The disruption and too often the dissolution of family life.
The
failure of our public schools to teach and help to socialize their
students...producing ignorant and undisciplined "graduates" who then go
to "colleges" where they are indoctrinated rather than educated.
Black Racism and violence.
The Swamp of Democrats, Republicrats and Bureaucrats in
Washington.
Failure
by a large group of people to accept and support the result of the 2016
national election, with continued vilification and disruption.
The disappearance of the "mainstream Media" as a
trustworthy source of unbiased information.
The
consequent disillusionment of The People, in a few resulting in hatred
and a desire for vengeance - and in most of the others arming
for
self-defense.
"Guns don't kill people. People kill people."
Yes,
some common sense gun laws are needed as a small part of the treatment
for this Sepsis - so long as they do not result in a
perception
of weakening every citizen's right to bear arms - which would produce
the opposite result.
Indeed, something's very wrong. But all
of the above ills need to be addressed. The vast majority of Americans
are peace-loving but wary. They are waiting, so far patiently, for
effective treatment.
GS
TUESDAY,
October 3,
2017
"THEN YOU
WILL KNOW THE TRUTH, AND THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE."
Jn 8:32
TRAGIC. OUTRAGEOUS.
A
clear reason for good people to "carry", if the wish, especially in
potential target areas. Our police are good...but what we are now
facing is a whole greater order of magnitude. And self-defense is
always a valid defense.
"If you outlaw guns, only the outlaws will have guns."
