LOCKERBIE NUMBERS: 243 16 11

Notes of Concern…

…Jackson Blair

The Lockerbie Numbers: 243 16 11

Wednesday, the 21^st of December 1988, saw the destruction of Pan Am Flight 103 over Scotland. Terrorist bombs brought down the plane.

270 innocent souls lost their lives that day. There were 243 passengers on the plane, 16 crewmembers, and 11 people died on the ground when the plane fell.

It took the wheels of justice thirteen years to bring Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi to account for this crime.

He is a citizen of Libya and he was convicted after a three-year joint investigation run by British/Scottish authorities and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. During the investigation 15, 000 witness statements were taken.

The accused chose not to give evidence in his trial and on January 31, 2001 he was convicted of murder by a three-judge panel and sentenced to serve 27 years in prison.

27 years!

Frankly, 27 years seems a mild sentence to me, as it does not reflect either the barbarity of the crime or the massive loss of innocent lives. I suspect that there must have been a lot of wheeling and dealing between Scotland, England, Libya and the United States before this totally outrageous sentence was applied.

That said, eight years later the British/Scottish authorities shocked the world by releasing Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi.

The reason given for the release was his deteriorating health and a finding that he had three months to live. When they described his condition there was mention of lack of sleep, inability to stand for any sort of lengthy period, lack of appetite, and other equally inappropriate concerns when viewed against the loss of so many lives.

So this poor fellow with three months left to live was taken to the airport, placed on a private airliner sent by the Libyan leader Khadafy, and returned to his homeland.

The guy who was reported to be so sick walked up the steps to the plane and when he emerged in his homeland he was greeted as a hero and met by the son of the Libyan leader. Waving and smiling he was the happiest guy who ever had a 90 day lifespan in front of him.

So the convicted terrorist spent eight years in jail and is now home to receive the laurels of his government and people. What are they celebrating? They are celebrating the fact that a mass murderer can kill 270 people and lose eight years of freedom.

Will he die in three months? Who knows? It will not matter because the “PR COUP,” the newest victory for terrorism, has occurred, handed to the terrorist countries by the leaders of Britain/Scotland.

We will not win a war on terrorism operating in this manner.

With this action the terrorist movements throughout the world have received an enormous boost. Volunteers will be signing up in huge numbers to strap bombs on themselves or hide explosive devices in planes or other modes of transportation.

It is a sad day for the families of the victims of this terrorist and a sad day in the history of Britain.

What were they thinking?

HANDS OFF!

Notes of Concern…
….Jackson Blair


HANDS OFF!

Seems like I have been giving a lot of attention to health care topics lately. I am beginning to think it has something to do with my age. I don’t recall having much concern about health care as a younger man.

In any event, I was discussing this matter with a man who was once Assistant Dean at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University and more recently the Headmaster of a school in North Carolina. He and I worked together forty years ago and have remained friends all the years since. He is older than I am and he has had some experience with the medical coverage available these days.

We both remarked on the current controversy surrounding the Obama plan for health care, not to mention the many versions of that plan currently before the Congress. Our conversation took us back to the controversy that dropped on President George Bush when he wanted to improve Social Security. Even before that, Hillary and Bill got slapped around over attempts to make changes in health care.

My friend and I decided there had to be a common denominator in all of this. So this is the way we see it.

• Social Security is in serious need of remodeling and the people understand
• The way we deliver health care in our country is in serious need of revamping and the people understand
• Presidents see these areas as places where a sense of urgency is required and the people understand

So everyone is comfortable with these ideas till you reach this point. The point is when an actual plan of action is put forward. When that happens, as they used to say: “Katie bar the door!”

As a people we are OK with changes in social security and healthcare as long as we can see that we will benefit and be better off and that we will not lose anything in the process that we already enjoy.

The government knows there can be no changes to these programs unless someone is asked to give something up.

So the government selects the least offensive wording and they, and the opposition, spin the news so that you focus on what you will be getting under a new plan and you hardly notice what you will be losing.

At about that time, some citizen actually reads the plan, which is usually 1000 pages or more, designed to keep you from reading (and understanding) and sounds the alarm.

As you know, many of our current U.S. Senators and Congressmen plan to vote on the plan without reading it. Some even admit this in public.

You get the idea. I talk a lot about the “turnip truck” and I must admit that the government continues to think we all just fell off ours.

I am not in any way suggesting that I believe these programs do not need to be changed. Frankly, I believe they have to be changed.

I am suggesting that they will never be changed unless the citizenry is willing to sacrifice something on behalf of improving things for everyone.

In my lifetime, in these areas, I have not found the citizens willing to make that sacrifice.

I am still firmly on top of my “turnip truck” and I know that all the people who advised Bill Clinton, the George Bush boys, both of them, and Obama, should count on short careers in government service.

Senators and Congressmen do watch television. While they probably don’t read their mail, someone counts it for them and tells them how many constituents are for and against an issue.

Lately we have had U.S. Senators in shouting matches at public meetings. We have had the Secretary of Health and Human Services pushed around. I saw in the news today that someone actually took a gun to one of these meetings.

The polls on the issue make it very clear: Americans do not want the president to mess with their social security or their medical coverage unless he intends to fatten them up.

Otherwise: HANDS OFF.

The Senate and the House are getting the message loud and clear. No matter how much some of them love the president, they are not going to lose their comfy day job over that vote, no matter how much he wants it. So some of them will go off the State Dinner list for the next three years. Some of them won’t get invited to the lighting of The White House Christmas Tree. And for others, the president will be too busy to campaign for them when they are up for reelection.

That is just the way things are done down there in DC.

My friend and I concluded that if any bill comes out of this, it will be watered down and lauded as a compromise and passed to allow the president to “save face.” So we are not counting on seeing anything substantial out of Washington on this issue.

So if you have health insurance and are collecting a nice social security payment, life will continue to be grand.

If you do not get enough in social security and you do not have medical coverage, life will continue to be difficult for you even though you are living in one of the grandest societies in history.
In that world only the distributions of our taxes, the generosity of philanthropists, and the efforts of charitable organizations can provide a modicum of relief to the uninsured, the elderly and the poor.

John Edwards- Daddy? Duh!

Notes of Concern…..
…….Jackson Blair


DADDY? DUH!

Recent news reports indicate former United States Senator John Edwards, who is also a former candidate for Vice President of The United States and for the presidential nomination of his party, plans to announce that he is, indeed, the father of Rielle Hunter’s daughter.

DUH!

Did Senator Edwards really think this would come as news?

Let us recap the facts.

He has a wife in stage- four cancer (terminal).
He meets a woman, unknown to him, who simply states “you are so hot!”
He is so lacking in any sort of moral fortitude, and she is so lacking in any sort of real values ,that the two of them move from that introduction straight to the suite he enjoys in a local hotel.

After this first romp, he decides (surprise) he would like to have her around on a more permanent basis. So he arranges to hire her to prepare videos of his appearances around the land.

Following on a continued period of fun and games, during which time he is selling himself to all of us as a great husband and father, and profoundly prepared to be a great president, Ms. Hunter manages to get pregnant. Of course, she does not manage to do this alone.

The Senator, being a smart fellow, now thinks that it would be best if she were no longer around on “a more permanent basis.”

A conundrum for the good Senator from North Carolina.

How do you get the pregnant Ms. Rielle Hunter off the campaign plane without really ticking her off.

The answer, as always, is money.

So you play it straight with a very few of your closest advisors, each of whom has dreams of his own should you become president.

To the guy who works hard for you but has no money, you suggest he say he fathered this child. The little problem of his own wife and children set aside, the loyal aid agrees.

To the guy who has been dumping large sums of money into your campaign, hoping for a return on his investment, you suggest a marvelous house in a really posh neighborhood would be a great hideout for the mother to be.

Surprise! All the BOZOS agree.

So Ms. Hunter repairs to the beautiful home to await the birth of the baby.

The upstanding Senator continues his campaign, with his cancer-ridden wife at his side and his kids smiling for all the pictures.

Fast forward.

Hunter has a baby girl.
Edwards doesn’t get nominated.
The press gets the story.

Mr “standup guy” denies he fathered the baby.

Ms. Hunter makes no comments but refuses a paternity test.

Hope springs eternal for Ms. Hunter. After all, the first Mrs. Edwards doesn’t have a long lease on life and Ms. Hunter continues to hope to become the second Mrs. Edwards.

The Senator’s wife goes national. She talks to Oprah and others. She tells her story.

Everyone wonders why she doesn’t throw the bum out.

Think about it.

She is a woman with a death sentence. She has kids. When she is gone only Daddy remains. She isn’t about to blow it all because her husband is a hollow excuse for a human being. She is thinking about her kids. They have to live with him after she is gone. She needs to help him get back whatever stature he can. Another lost cause.

Ms. Hunter, however, realizes she needs to increase the pressure. So as I write she is testifying to a grand jury.

Also, the fellow who agreed to take the fall for “Hot Johnny” has decided he isn’t going to be Chief of Staff in an Edward’s White House so he has to set things right with his wife and kids.

He is writing a book stating that Edwards is the real father of Rielle’s baby. In addition, he is testifying to the grand jury.

What grand jury you might ask.

The one empanelled to determine if the payments from the Edwards for President Campaign to Rielle Hunter were really for film work! RIGHT. Wink wink!

You couldn’t make this stuff up folks!!!!

And the really scary part of all this is how many people in America actually wanted this jerk to be president.

We are reminded to be careful what we wish for.

"CODGERCIDE"

Notes of Concern….
…Jackson Blair

CODGERCIDE???


In a recent column I wrote about need for medical insurance restructuring in our country. Obviously, the administration has a plan currently before Congress. If you haven’t seen the pros and cons of that plan played out in the press, you just aren’t reading newspapers or watching television news.

My concern when I wrote related to the rationing of health care.

Today’s discussion centers on a column written by Michael Valpy and published in The Globe and Mail in Canada. Where I have used his words, rather than mine, I have included quotations.

This article touched on the rationing of health care generally, but specifically how we might see it in the way nations handle the anticipated H1N1 Swine Flu fall arrival.

Valpy sees the flu as “two trucks, or better a train, careening around a corner and coming right at you-if you are of a certain age.”

The 1918 flu pandemic killed between 20-40 million lives and attacked primarily people in their late 30’s.

Based on this thought, the limited resources of vaccine and other prescriptions would need to go to the young. Nations that have planned for a possible pandemic will be producing enough vaccine and other applicable drugs for all. Those that have not been planful, will have to decide who gets the medicine.

For instance, Valpy says Italy has enough stockpiled for only 12% of the population, while Canada has enough for everyone expected to get sick. Do you know where the U.S. stands on this? Perhaps you should find out.

Those countries that have to make choices, if they study past patterns, will need to give these drugs to the young. “A British newspaper columnist uses the word ‘cogercide’ to describe the implications associated with having to exclude people from treatment.

Valpy remarks that “the old have become too numerous. They are starting to cross the age-65 line in mobs.”

“British studies show that breast cancer and stroke sufferers who are over 65 get inferior medical treatment to those younger than 65-less chemotherapy, less radiotherapy, less breast conserving surgery, less lifestyle counseling…”

Reading about this subject after having written a previous column asking that we make certain any plan enacted by our government answer the questions about the rationing of healthcare, elevated my own level of concern.

It may well be that the way our government handles any flu pandemic that might arrive this fall will be a very large signal to all of us as to the direction this conversation is taking.

I cannot imagine in the America in which I was raised that we would cull out any specific group of citizens, based on age, and deny treatment.

That said, I do understand triage and the way it is practiced in wartime on the battlefield and in hospital emergency rooms during major widespread crisis. In those individual instances there is no choice. But as a matter of course, do we want triage every time we go to the hospital or the doctor?

The flu may require a triage approach. That is a one time event and something that reasonable people understand, assuming the government has done everything it can to prepare.

However, a national health plan that incorporates that kind of thinking on an every day basis is way beyond my ability to accept.

Again, the bottom line in my thinking is that we need to watch whether those who are voting on such a plan include themselves in the plan. In the past, they often have exempted themselves for programs they find beneficial for the rest of us.

In conclusion, I want to mention that I read online the other day that the Congress is already planning to exempt themselves from the new plan. Finding this questionable, I went to the online fact-checking source called SNOPES. Here is some interesting information about the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program as it now operates:

“The FEHBP provides a choice of 10 healthcare plans that provides access to a national network of doctors as well as several HMOs that serve each members home state.”

“Lawmakers get special treatment at Washington’s federal medical facilities, and for a few hundred dollars a month, access to their own pharmacy and doctors, nurses and medical technicians standing by in an office conveniently located between the House and Senate Chambers.”

“Federal employees also enjoy a significant benefit denied the average American: there is no such thing as a preexisting condition, which keeps many sick people from obtaining insurance. Once hired federal workers are eligible for coverage, no matter their health, with no waiting period.”

From one old codger to the next: I don’t need to explain to you what you have just read. You know exactly what it says. I hope you will work to make sure this kind of despicable behavior does not continue. Make some noise. Write your Congressman and Senator.

Enough of this stuff!

A Man in the Arena: Robert N. Harrington

Notes of Concern….
….Jackson Blair


Lt. Colonel Robert N. Harrington
A Man Who is In The Arena

Today I am writing about one of my own “heroes,”

A great many of my readers know this man. He is Robert N. Harrington.

He inspired strong opinions in people. He had more than his share of detractors and more than his share of admirers. In other words, he played to mixed reviews. This is because Bob chose to be active in life. He took hard positions. He fought for his beliefs.

I found him inspiring. I worked with him for over ten years. For much of that time I had breakfast with him every morning Monday through Friday. Some days he drove me crazy with his uncompromising positions on issues of the day. Other days I found his comments so amusing that they brought a smile to my face every time I thought of them. There were also times when he made a pronouncement of serious depth that caused me to revisit some opinions I had on the issue being discussed.

One memorable breakfast discussion dealt with the “rotation of underwear.” Now this was not a momentous issue but it showed how Bob thought.

Bob felt that if a fellow had a drawer of underwear and wore seven pair of shorts each week, but owned 14 pair, the newly laundered pairs should be put back into the drawer underneath those that had not yet been worn.

Rumor was that after Bob suggested this to his wife he began laundering his own underwear!

As a former military officer with command authority, Bob did tend to address people in a more formal manner than one usually finds in a non-military school. Any kid who thought he was somewhere other than at the bottom of the chain of command came to understand pretty quickly that such an attitude would not work with Lt. Colonel Harrington.

Because Bob served in so many foreign locations with the Air Force he took a special interest in the international students. He knew how difficult it would be for them to adapt to our culture, meet our expectations, actually pass courses all of which were being taught in a language different from their own. He knew these students were taught in English, coached in English, required to eat English food, needed to understand rules that were written, and explained, in English, and had to communicate to a huge number of other students who did not speak their native language.

So Bob loved teaching English as a Second Language. He loved teaching Latin. He loved working with foreign students in preparing them for their TOEFL tests or the SATs. He helped them get into colleges and universities. He encouraged people to take international students into their homes and give them a taste of American life.

Bob enjoys the good fortune of having a large and closely-knit family. They all live in this area of Massachusetts or close enough to get together often. Although Bob was separated and later divorced from his first wife, they work together and engage in family activities together and continue to look after one another.

Many of my readers will know Bob’s sons and daughter: Rob, Mike, John, Mary and Ralph.

Others will know his grandchildren: Jonathan,
Sean, James, Megan, Patrick, Bridget, Nicholas, Julie, Thomas and Danny

Late in life Bob fell in love again. He met his current wife Joan and it was pretty clear to everyone that they were a good pair. I had the privilege of attending their wedding just last summer. It was a wonderful and happy occasion.

Unfortunately, fate threw Bob and Joan a curve shortly after their wedding. Heart pains led Bob to bypass surgery.

The good news was that the surgery was quite successful. However, during his normal recover period Bob developed some other problems. It is not my intention to run through the medical conditions that simply “grew like Topsy” other than to say he has never been out of either the hospital or the rehab facility for eight months.

There are steps forward, then steps backward, then more forward steps. While he would certainly not choose to be an example of how important medical care is to “golden agers,” his situation reminds me every day how the doctors that treat Bob, and Bob’s family, never give up hope. They revel in the successes, and they go right back to the textbooks and the research with every setback.

You have probably heard of the “Fighting Harrigans” of song and dance. Well this family of Harringtons deserves the same fame!

I chuckle occasionally knowing that Bob would be about the worst patient I could imagine. Asking him to stay in bed, or stay in one room, for one week would be a challenge. For eight months simply beyond imagination.

The Colonel can swear with the best of them and I expect the fine doctors and nurses down at the Cape have been on the receiving end of some pretty blue language, not to mention commands and demands.

There is an old saying: “out of sight out of mind.” There is a lot of truth to this.

My friend Bob has been out of sight now for eight months. He may have received a lot of emails or cards at the outset but I am betting the nice lady that pushes the cart around the hospital delivering mail isn’t making many stops at Bob’s room in intensive care after so much time. Our busy lives unfortunately get in the way of staying on top of things like this.

Bob has been looking at the same four walls for some time now. He has an intimate relationship with the clock on his wall. I expect his heart flutters a bit with each Red Sox game. That said, I would like to see a smile on his face more often.

If you are a fan of Bob Harrington, drop him a line and let him know. Remind him of some good times. Send him a joke. Put him on your calendar for once a week or two-week notes or cards.

If you have had your own “run ins” with the Colonel, write him and give him hell again. He will really appreciate it. He likes nothing better than a good fight, or the memories of an old fight. And believe me, you cannot insult him!

Just take a minute to imagine yourself in this situation. That should send you to the Hallmark store!

I have included an address to which you can send a card or a note at the bottom of this column.

In addition to sending cards to Bob, I should tell you that I am sending them to the people who have to interface with him each day. I have a strong suspicion they are not storing his underwear properly, with a proper rotation, and he won’t like that at all.

Cards can be sent to this address:

Bob Harrington
PO Box 146
Winchendon, MA 01475

H1N1 SWINE FLU-Return Visit?

Notes of Concern…
…Jackson Blair


ARE YOU READY?


Today I was reading a very complete discussion in the Canadian newspaper, The Guardian, about the potential return of H1N1 Swine Flu in the fall.

All of us have probably seen reports of the possibility of the flu returning but this one was instructive. It was directed primarily at Canadian businesses, pointing out that an epidemic would most likely affect services and product deliveries and worker illness.

The thrust of the article was to recommend that business plan for the worst and hope for the best. It encouraged being ready to handle any possible problem while being willing to have spent some time and money unnecessarily if such an epidemic did not strike.

We all could benefit from this advice.

A flu pandemic could result in very few people wanting to venture out of their homes or be anywhere in groups (take notice restaurants, concert sponsors, movie theaters).

It could result in employee absences that would affect operating hours (take notice grocers and pharmacies).

It could affect where your children are during the day (take notice working mothers and fathers as your child might not be in school but rather at home).

It could affect schools in that fewer children may be attending and fewer teachers may be available to handle the classes.

It can affect public safety if police and fire ranks are decimated by sick employees.

Anticipating the possibility that you may be confined to your home for a week or two, would it not make sense to have extra basic supplies in the home?

There are many sites on line that suggest what those supplies should be but basic ones would be: medications in adequate supplies, basic first aid kit, drinking water, food with a long shelf life, paper products, pet food, fire extinguishers, candles and matches.

What I read about H1N1 suggests it is a rather mild strain. That said, the death toll mounts with each day. The key to facing a crisis like this is preparation and prevention.

Prevention will be to take the flu shot once it is developed and available. Whether you took them in the past or not, this is the year to give it serious consideration.

The next best source of prevention is to stay away from other people and out of public places if flu hits your town. And finally, starting now, wash those hands as many times as you can each day!

The affects of this strain of flu seem to lessen with the prescription drug Tamiflu. So it is important if you think you have the symptoms of this flu that you speak with your family doctor. A call to a physician’s office describing your symptoms should be sufficient for him to decide whether you need to visit. If you think you are symptomatic you want to take every precaution not to infect others.

Bottom line: this fall we may be watching the leaves change color from inside our homes!

Top line: let us hope not!