#Sick Lives Matter

Before there was national Obamacare, there were individual states determining end of life standards and insurance companies screening pre-admission coverage over 20 years ago.  In determining those standards, it was also determined just who would define those standards . . . Nameless, faceless boards and committees, from health care professionals to insurance statisticians.  While the GOP was fear-mongering about death panels with Obamacare, the Grand Old Party was only about 15 years behind.  Death panels have been in existence long before any of us ever heard of Barrack Obama.

This past week, a heart wrenching story came to a conclusion.  I'd been following the reports of Christopher Dunn since late November.  The details of this report are troubling and the source seems to be without political agenda.  According to findlaw, Texas legislated death panels into place in 1999, meaning the Governor of Texas at that time would have signed this bill into law.  The Governor of Texas in 1999 was George W. Bush.  I'm not for a moment, suggesting the G W Bush had nefarious intent in signing this piece of legislation.  I really don't think elected politicians give much consideration to what they are signing.  At any rate, there is documented proof that death panels were in place in at least one state long before we ever heard of Obama.

Back in the early 90s, my husband, at that time, was transferred.  It was a great deal all the way around, same good company, great pay, same great health care benefits; except leaving the large city, there was this new thing called "network."  This was when I was still in mainstream medicine, and finding a primary care physician "in network," who was taking new patients proved to be quite a taxing task.  I couldn't find a GP who was taking new patients.  The kids were too old for a pediatrician, but the girls were too young to have an ob/gyn as their primary care physician.  Our son needed a primary care physician because he was in sports, so . . . we finally found a doctor, taking new patients, but all appointments would need to be pre-approved by insurance, and seemed to require being made about a month in advance, so "urgent" care became the primary care.

We didn't go to the ER every time we turned around, as there was a sort of "prehistoric" urgent care office that served the town for all problems too severe to wait a month and not severe enough for the ER.  They had the insurance situation down pat.  Pre-approval was not needed, but primary care doctor's name was, and . . . the doctors there did not make hospital rounds.  I don't know if they didn't have hospital privilege then or what, but the cracks in health care were apparent in 1992, even with what was considered very "good" insurance coverage.

I completely abandoned faith in mainstream health care about 15 years ago.  I'm so thankful I got out when I did, because sadly, health care has deteriorated even further.  Not only is insurance more expensive and fewer jobs offer benefits, but health care has become a strong arm of a very controlling government with little compassion for "we the people."

Just this past Monday, a Florida woman died as she was being escorted out of the hospital in handcuffs.  Her crime?  She didn't want to be released as she felt she still needed treatment for a breathing issue . . . The immediate evidence seems to indicate she knew what she was talking about.  The hospital administrator sounded very dismissive in her comment.  As I read the article, crossing my mind was the old saying "I wouldn't go there if my life depended upon it . . ." But then, the realization overwhelmed me.  Barbara Dawson's life did depend upon it and she might still be alive if someone had had the compassion to listen to the patient . . . She died Monday night, December 21, 2015.

Now, back to the heart wrenching story I've been following since November.  Christopher Dunn died, Wednesday, December 23, 2015.  He had worked in law enforcement and as an EMT, but was uninsured at the time his illness caused him to be hospitalized.  Of course, I don't have all the details, but we do know it was determined by a medical team and a hospital that his treatment should be suspended.  With HIPAA, we can rest assured, none of us will ever have all the details.  Maybe they couldn't help him, but he was conscious last week and responding to questions.  Even though he was able to respond to questions, and his mother was present,  Methodist Hospital filed for guardianship and Mr. Dunn passed before his attorneys could get a court date for the petition on his behalf.

 The man, his mother, and his lawyers, filed a lawsuit in an attempt to save the man’s life. His attorney, Joe Nixon, told Breitbart Texas at the time, “A criminal on death row in Texas has more rights than a patient in a Texas hospital.” He says a Texas statute denies a patient all due process rights and is unconstitutional.

  Expensive health care, lacking compassion has been going on for a very long time . . .  "Death panels" have been in place for years, and HIPAA laws really don't protect our privacy, HIPAA provides a shield of no accountability for health care.

And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,  And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse . . . the Gospel according to Mark
The woman in this account has a better ending, however; than Mrs. Dawson or Mr. Dunn

When she had heard of Y'hshuwah, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.  For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.  And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

Where Do Our Constitutional Rights End?

As the conversation continues that the current administration is anti-Constitutional, we should take a look at a number of "items" that have been in place long before anyone outside of Chicago heard of Barack Obama.  I do not agree with his politics and I do find him to be very arrogantly disrespectful of our American freedoms, but there are so many other "Bills of Rights" that we have "gone along with" already in place.  Wikipedia, in my opinion, is not the final authority on these topics, I simply used the site as a common source to verify the existence of a number of declarations.  Technically, the Constitution doesn't protect the rights of citizens.  The Constitution protects the sovereignty of the United States of America.  The Bill of Rights protects the citizens, and we've allowed many other bills of rights to potentially usurp the authority of the Official Bill of Rights.

Thankfully, most of these declarations are not federal law and are presented to benefit those mentioned in the title, but there is a back door of control in some of these that actually rob an individual of their Constitutional Bill of Rights in lieu of these institutional documents.  For example, the "Patients Bill of Rights" has in reality overridden a patient's own decision regarding their health care and more than once has actually taken the rights of a patient "for their own good," or that of a child's regarding their parents rights.  Many facilities present their incoming patients with a "Bill of Rights" only to later usurp that individual's Constitutional Bill of Rights.  One of the best examples I can offer are the recent headlines involving parents of newborns who do not wish to vaccinate or at least not immediately.  More than one young mother has been sent off of a health care campus without her new baby, after child protection services have received reports from various health professionals.  I have for years, unashamedly referred to hospitals and healthcare facilities as "Sanctuaries of Sorcery."

As I read about the "Student Bill of Rights," it becomes painfully obvious that the decision to make this document powerful lies in the hands of those who draft it, but ultimately, government can enforce the document as the "will of the people" involved.  The legal enforceability of the Student Bill of Rights is quite murky, but in statements regarding parental questions and rights, institutions of education have more than once declared that a child does not have Constitutional rights in that facility.

I stumbled across the "Homeless Bill of Rights" which is genuine legislation in some states, with several more giving it consideration.  It seems in many of these cases, if our own government had not passed legislation to deregulate banking, many American citizens would not be homeless.  Being homeless should not require special regulation in America.  Being homeless should not be a reason to be abused by local authority.  There is no reason losing one's home should cause that same individual to lose the right to be treated as an American citizen with the Bill of Rights intact.

The "Consumer Bill of Rights" is law and has been for over 50 years.  The article in Wikipedia states the Consumer Bill of Rights has since been adopted by the UN in 1985 and expanded, with some rather ominous overtones of a controlling takeover of rights.  I included the following from the article.
In 1985, the concept of consumer rights was endorsed by the United Nations through the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection, which expands them to include eight basic rights.

The right to satisfaction of basic needs[edit]
The right to redress[edit]
The right to consumer education[edit]
The right to a healthy environment[edit]

This right demands that people have access to basic, essential goods and services: adequate food, clothing, shelter, health care, education, public utilities, water, and sanitation

The right to redress provides for consumers to receive a fair settlement of just claims, including compensation for misrepresentation, shoddy goods, or unsatisfactory services. For example, a consumer should be able to go to consumer court against mobile phone companies that put hidden charges on the bill that were not previously explained, or activate ringtones without the consumer's permission.

The right to consumer education states that consumers should be able to acquire knowledge and skills needed to make informed, confident choices about goods and services, while being aware of basic consumer rights and responsibilities and how to act on them.

This is the right to live and work in an environment that is non-threatening to the well-being of present and future generations.

We know that members of the military, while serving, do not have the same rights they are protecting.  Since there is presently no draft, a person has a choice as to whether or not they participate, and since I haven't, I can't really offer a perspective.   

We know when law enforcement reads the Miranda Warning, one's "rights" have become absolutely minimal, as to remaining silent and calling an attorney.   This brings to mind the rights of travelers now with the TSA.  We all have the right to be offended at "virtual strip searches," groping, and the assumption that we guilty until proven innocent.

Prisoners, of course, lose rights when found guilty of a crime, but the fact that America has the largest prison population in the world does have the attention of the UN, which has it's own "Prisoner Bill of Rights."  There is a degree of overlap between the prison system and the mental health system, in that often the prisoner/patient does have issues that must be addressed by both systems.  Those forced into mental health care, frequently have fewer rights than those in the prison system and forced mental health care does not have a date of completion as does the legal sentencing structure of the prison system. 

Throughout this millennium, we have observed a number of ways both administrations of the 21st Century have found around the 2nd Amendment.  There is no need to confiscate guns, when bullets and ammo can simply be made unavailable.  I remember back in 2005, looking at a gun for home meat processing.  The inventory of guns was vast, the availability of bullets was interestingly in short supply for the more popular models of guns . . . Now, the current administration simply chooses to enforce limits on certain ammunition and some ammunition may just become unavailable for purchase.   

Net Neutrality, the latest form of faux protection we've been handed will certainly not ensure this internet journalist to have the same opportunities as Rupert Murdoch.  Historically speaking, there is little evidence that government legislation levels the playing field, except to lower the level of the "playing field" for the majority.  I'm already discerning the loss of free speech over net neutrality, and probably much more than that before it's all said and done.

I'm seeing a distinct correlation to what is happening with all these so called "Bills of Rights" and the following Torah passage.

But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of YHWH thy G-d, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:  Torah of Holy Scripture

Weighing the Evidence

Kaci Hickox is certainly receiving her 15 minutes of fame, isn't she!  I didn't realize I could have any less respect for America's political health care system, but as it turns out, I do.  In watching her interview, I can honestly say, I wouldn't want her to take care of my dog.  I was completely unimpressed by her statement.  The idea of going to another continent to take care of people sounds like such an heroic humanitarian effort, and for many, I'm sure it is.  I don't understand though, if she's truly the heroic humanitarian that she is presented to be, why would a three week vacation with reading material, wifi, and menu options be so horrible?  I don't place nurses high on my trust list, anyway; but this truly should shake the faith of many.  I know there are many well intentioned caregivers in the system, but I also know there are many in health care for the money and control.

Health care can hold any patient for several reasons, remove children from their parent's custody, and ruin lives based upon subjective whims and unquestioned authority.  There are already in place enough state health care regulation to keep the average John Q. Public against his will, for general observation.  HIPAA laws prevent family and friends from gaining information, so realistically a person could be held and that information not released.  I'd also include a Scriptural reference from Matthew 10, in which some of us may actually face quarantine or being held, and family will jump right in to support the captivity.  Be aware of the facts of your state and whom you trust with your information.  Be it health care worker, law enforcement, or family, we need to know whom we can trust, and whom we cannot.  Most of us won't have the political power Kacy Hickox has enjoyed.  When it comes to the powers that be, whether it's police, health care, or lawyers, "they" do take care of "their own."

I've referred to this nurse as irresponsible, selfish, and agreed with a number of negative comments that have been made regarding her refusal to be quarantined for 21 days after caring for ebola patients.  Through her "press conference" someone mentioned that her roommate in West Africa has been diagnosed with ebola, to which she said that was errant information and she didn't want to take the focus off of her, I mean, "the court's decision."  Even NASA astronauts enter a time of seclusion after reentering and landing.  Obviously there is a vast difference in discipline and integrity between astronauts and health care workers, but I digress . . .

Perhaps this nurse doesn't need quarantine or seclusion.  I truly hope she is not sick.  Perhaps this nurse, as an employee or agent of the CDC, knows she doesn't have ebola because she knows exactly how this deadly disease is contracted.  The cynic in me has surfaced though, and I'm truly wondering if she's really been anywhere taking care of anyone.  This could be a great false flag!

. . . and be sure your sin will find you out.  Torah of Holy Scripture