To err is human, to sue sublime

 

 

 

http://www.propublica.org/article/how-many-die-from-medical-mistakes-in-us-hospitals

There certainly are incompetent and/or shady doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and hospitals - just as there are incompetent, shady people and businesses everywhere else.  But many of the people "killed" by medical errors were circling the drain to begin with and would have died were no medical errors whatsoever committed on them.

A "medical error" can be clinically defined as accidentally giving someone two Tylenol 500mg instead of one.  Unless you're very allergic to Acetaminophen, 1000mg of Tylenol won't kill you; but if you die shortly after getting "overdosed" with 1000mg of Tylenol, for the purpose of this article such a death is counted in the stats.

Interestingly, some deadbeat who never paid a bill in his entire life, unless forced to, is still allowed to sue a hospital that's already eaten tens thousands of dollars in unpaid charges surrounding him for millions.  But lawsuits are great for the lawyers....

Conclusion?  An agitprop piece  written to whip up support for Obamacare.  The article is premised on information gathered by the following group: http://patientsafetyamerica.com/

"Join our national movement for a safer, more affordable healthcare system...." 

I rest my case.


Citizenfitz

Dimonds in the rough

Newspapers of the world are trumpeting the headline: "Pope says atheists can be saved".

Although it's becoming clearer by the day that Pope Francis is another Vatican II chameleon, to be honest he didn't say atheists can be saved he said they can be forgiven - albeit in verbose, but somehow still vague, modern Vatican-speak.

The Dimond Brothers of Most Holy Family Monastery whose articles and videos are well known to traditionalist Catholics usually do excellent work in exposing the rot in Rome; however, here they are guilty of misrepresenting the Pope(?)'s words:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk1EKcj6lfI&feature=em-uploademail

Here is what Francis actually said: http://www.repubblica.it/cultura/2013/09/11/news/the_pope_s_letter-66336961/

To the question raised by Dr. Scalfari, a noted Italian atheist, in his newspaper, La Repubblica: "If a person does not have faith and commits what the Church calls a 'sin', will that person be forgiven by the Christian God?"  Francis replies: "First of all, you ask if the God of the Christians forgives those who do not believe and do not seek faith.  Given that - and this is fundamental - God's mercy has no limits if he who asks for mercy does so in contrition and with a sincere heart. The issue for those who do not believe in God is to obey their own conscience. In fact, listening and obeying [one's conscience], means deciding about what is perceived to be good or to be evil.  The goodness or the wickedness of our behavior depends on this decision."

Latter day Catholics will recognize the style: lots of words meaning ???  One is gratified at least not to hear the Pope(?) bringing up the Age of Aquarius.  But Francis doesn't explicitly state that atheists can be saved, just forgiven; although this too is an error. Mercy and forgiveness are not the same thing and shouldn't be used interchangeably. A judge can show a killer some mercy - yet still sentence him to prison. And God can certainly show atheists mercy, which He does every day by allowing them to live, yet still send them to hell.

A bonafide Catholic pope would have replied: "No.  Logically, how can God forgive people that refuse to believe in Him or ask His forgiveness? And why should He? Today one hears endless talk about God's 'mercy'. We would do better to consider God's justice - which is fierce."

Other questions were raised by Dr. Scalfari in his letter to the Pope(?): "Secondly, whereas the believer accepts revealed truth, the nonbeliever thinks that there is no absolute truth, but only a series of relative, subjective “truths.”  Does the Church consider this way of thinking a sin, or only an unfortunate mistake?"

Francis replies with the following gymnastics: "...Now, the truth is a relationship! This is so true that each of us sees the truth and expresses it, starting from oneself: from one's history and culture, from the situation in which one lives, etc.  This does not mean that the truth is variable and subjective.... I think that today this is absolutely necessary in order to have a serene and constructive dialogue which I hoped for from the beginning."

Oh my! Where to begin with this gobbledegook? First, the lie is also a "relationship".  More so than the truth.  Truth proceeds from God, not from ourselves... nor from our "consciences". Truth is independent of anyone's opinions, history and culture. And "serene and constructive dialogue...."?  Observant Catholics will notice that as witnessed in Rome today only Catholicism must remain serene and constructive - Christ's enemies are allowed free reign to vent their hatreds.

A real Catholic pope would have replied: "What foolishness! Atheists absolutely believe in 'absolute truth'. When you get shortchanged on a purchase do you shrug your shoulders and say: 'There is no absolute truth; only a series of relative, subjective “truths.'?  No, the mode of thinking you describe is more than a sin, it's stupidity incarnate."

Third, Scalfari recalls Pope Francis’ words during his trip to Brazil for World Youth Day, remarking that our species will perish - like all things which have a beginning and an end.  Scalfari believes that too, but believes that with the disappearance of our species, the thought capable of reflecting on God will disappear, and with it, love will also disappear.

Here Francis actually musters some Catholic thinking - but with the customary verbosity: "God is a reality with a capital "R". Jesus reveals this to us - and He experiences the relationship with Him - as a Father of infinite goodness and mercy. God therefore does not depend on our thoughts. On the other hand, even when the end of life of man on earth should come - and for Christian faith - in any case the world as we know it now is destined to end, but man will not (become extinct) and, in a way that we do not know, neither will the universe created with him. The Scriptures speak of "new skies and a new land" and confirm that, in the end, at the time and place that it is beyond our knowledge, but which we patiently and desirously await...."

This, despite the obsessive wordiness, actually states Catholic belief correctly (though one wonders if Francis actually means a "New World Order" is coming). He then concludes his reverie with the following: "God will be "everything in everyone".... Well, everyone except for those condemned to hell - which according to Jesus and countless saints is going to be most people:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." - Matthew 7:13-14.
 
"Indeed a multitude will be saved. But compared to the multitude that is damned they will seem to be only a few." - St. John Vianney

"I beheld (the souls of the damned) falling into hell as thick as snowflakes in a midwinter blizzard." - St. Theresa of Avila

Catholics have by now learned to expect empty, feel good jabber from popes, prelates and priests. "I'm OK, you're OK!" is the new dogma... errh... mantra.  The Church must apologize for all its sins, but humbly accept that reciprocity isn't warranted or necessary. After decades of confused and confusing babble one does begin to get the uneasy feeling that perhaps the wolves have taken over guarding the sheep.

I'll conclude this by stating that in spite of their usually excellent work the Dimond Brothers need to be read and heard with care. It seems they believe that very few people, apart from themselves, will ever enter that narrow gate. They may be right in claiming that Francis I is an apostate pope; but they're bearing false witness when they claim he said atheists can get to heaven.


Citizenfitz 

The Greek Diet Plan - coming soon to America!

 

 

 

Although the mainstream media has largely downplayed or even ignored the troubling news from Greece: the growing problem of hunger, soup lines, the rising suicide rate, the huge unemployment rate, the descent into poverty rate...  Still, very helpful information can be gleaned from the Internet... and interpreting the signs of the times.

Sadly, Greece is circling the drain. Even sadder, before long it's going to go down the drain. It's inevitable. And this in spite of $400 billion transfused into its dying economy courtesy of German, French and American taxpayers. But all this bailout money has only postponed the day of reckoning for the Greeks - ensuring that when the DOR does finally arrive the impact will be all the more brutal for the delay. The Greek bailouts also ensure that the taxpayers of the world are being made poorer too, in ways they don't see... yet.  In any event, even though we can all kiss those bailout billions goodbye - rest assured the taxman never will.
http://www.businessinsider.com/henry-blodget-guess-whos-paying-for-that-greece-bailout-thats-right-you-2010-5

If nature abhors a vacuum it abhors a bad debt to income ratio even more. Briefly, the Greeks, like so many others, were living larger than their means. They seem to have been especially profligate with their money, with even low income Greeks buying expensive things they couldn't rationally justify. The credit card mindset gone viral!

The government too caught the bug: public spending nearly tripled between 2000 and 2008. Taxes went up greatly too, this caused widespread tax evasion. When the financial fart hit the world in 2008 Greece was in closest proximity. Today Greece's debt to gross domestic product ratio is about 155%.  In other words for every dollar they have, they owe $1.55!  And this in spite of the enormous bailouts - and the fact that many of their lenders have agreed to drop their interest rates.
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/greece/government-debt-to-gdp

Although Greece has as of this writing received over 320,000,000,000 Euros in bailout money the average Greek is getting poorer, and hungrier, with each passing day. Their bad credit rating has come home with a vengeance and it now costs the government 29% to borrow against their ten year bonds. Because European suppliers are nervous about extending credit to Greek buyers, essentials like food, medicines and the raw materials with which to sustain the infrastructure are in short(er) supply. This will only get worse over time.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/world/europe/more-children-in-greece-start-to-go-hungry.html?hp&_r=2&

Greek leaders have pledged to slash their budget deficit through a programme of various austerity measures, spending cuts, tax reforms and selling off public assets. Here I don't think it's necessary to point out that these "leaders" are today, as they were yesterday, the handpicked puppets of the very banksters who lured Greeks into their current morass.
http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/18195-the-tragedy-of-greek-austerity-continues

Logically one cannot borrow his way out of debt any more than he can fight his way out of a battle. So ultimately things are going to have to go into crisis mode. And when they do, the banksters will be there with a solution. One that was in the plans all along....
http://ethics.wikia.com/wiki/Problem_Reaction_Solution
http://www.propagandamatrix.com/diocletian.html

There's been some chatter about Greece exiting the Euro and returning to the drachma but I don't think the banksters will allow that, although they're probably sick and tired of the headache Greece has become for them. It essentially involves Greece defaulting on its debts - something the banksters would not find amusing. Furthermore, the  banksters have invested an enormous amount of time and capital in creating the Euro and getting it up and running.  Allowing its repudiation at this point would fuel an unwelcome precedent in the minds of others harboring their own doubts about the Euro's viability.

It wouldn't work for Greece to exit the Euro either, at least in the short run.  A return to the drachma would cause serious problems: namely it would soon begin to depreciate. This along with the  inability to borrow would make it difficult for Greece to get the money it needs to function.  The government would then be forced to print more drachmas in order to pay its bills - leading into an inflationary spiral. Coupled to a stagnating economy this would almost certainly cause a run on the banks as people try to withdraw whatever's left of their life savings to buy food.
http://blog.findtheflaw.com/topics/if-greece-goes-back-to-the-drachma/

Insightful readers of Citizenfitz recognize the futility of borrowing to stave off foreclosure. So, what's really going on? Well, in my opinion, what's really going on is the banksters are busy preparing a world wide domino event. Of course, in a domino event the dominoes must be toppled at the *proper* time - and only after all the pieces are carefully laid in place. However, the banksters got greedy in Greece and things have gotten a little dicier than they'd have liked. Greece is a swaying domino threatening to fall before it's appointed time and ruin the bankster's carefully laid plans. So, at all costs Greece must be kept from toppling over into others... for now....

Those of us who live elsewhere should be taking a good look at what's going on in Greece - because it's the small start of a huge avalanche that's coming the world's way: unemployment, cold, hunger, disease, anger, brown outs, political extremism... wars. Here in the US things will definitely be worse than in Greece. We won't have American taxpayers helping to bail us out! 

It's going to get ugly.  There are lots of idiots here with guns. Not to mention the countless millions of Americans who depend on gubment handouts in order to stay afloat; and this when times are good!

Imagine all that would happen if things go bad.  You'll probably be right on the money....
  

Citizenfitz