A tourist at a bar in Florida asked an Irishman sitting at the bar,
"Why do SCUBA divers always fall backwards off their boats?"
The Irishman replied, "If they fell forwards they'd still be in the friggin boat!!!!"
BUCKNACKT'S SORDID TAWDRY BLOG We should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive & well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate, bier or wein in hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WHOO-HOO, WHAT A RIDE!!!!!!"
30 August 2011
COMMUNION
"I think the most important thing for me about St. Gregory's is the practice and the theology of open Communion, which says basically that the altar does not belong to the church. The altar is God's, and everybody is welcome. It is not up to the church to say, 'You don't deserve Communion, because you're not baptized or you're gay or you're divorced or you're a child.'"
- Sara Miles
- Sara Miles
TAR SANDS ACTION / KEYSTONE XL PROTEST UPDATE...PLEASE CALL PRES OBAMA 29AUG11
HERE'S an update on the anti keystone xl pipeline protest at the White House. If you can (I did) call the White House and tell Pres Obama DO NOT APPROVE THIS PIPELINE!!! It is a simple thing to do, but every call made can have a big impact on the final decision.
| |||
29 August 2011
Is the Soap Lobby Right That Anti-Bacterials Are Safe? 29AUG11
I kinda believe we have to be exposed to some germs for our bodies to develop immunity to them. And I remember when I was a kid (I was born in 1957) our house was clean, but we didn't have all these anti-bacterial products, Mom wasn't wiping down everything we touched with lysol or clorox wipes, we ate things with dirty hands (we were kids playing outside, not at a keyboard) and we survived! From Mother Jones....
By now, you've probably heard of triclosan, an anti-microbial agent present in all kinds of personal hygiene products, from soap to deodorant to toothpaste. The New York Times recently reported on the raging debate between public health advocates and the soap industry over the product's safety.
If you're waiting for the FDA to weigh in with a final verdict on triclosan, don't hold your breath: The agency has been dragging its feet on the subject for 37 years. In 2010, it finally promised to release the results of its scientific review of triclosan by spring 2011. But spring came and went with no word, and as NRDC attorney Mae Wu noted on her blog, the agency quietly extended its own deadline to winter 2012 on its website, without publicly announcing the delay. When I asked FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess about the silence on the delay, she told me, simply, "FDA doesn't normally make public announcements on the status of its rule-makings." So why'd you promise spring 2011 in the first place?
But far be it from the soap industry to sit idly by while the FDA deliberates. In April, the trade group American Cleaning Institute launched Fight Germs Now, a site that claims to be "the official source on anti-bacterial hygiene products." Fight Germs Now's FAQ assures consumers that despite the rumors they may have heard, triclosan and other anti-bacterial agents are safe, effective, and completely necessary in the fight against germs.
I was curious as to whether the ACI's claims could withstand scientific scrutiny, so I checked in with Wu and her colleague Sarah Janssen, a senior scientist at the NRDC. They handily debunked a few of the major points that Fight Germs Now tries to make:
1. "Sometimes plain soap and water is not good enough."
Actually, says Jannsen, there's plenty of evidence that triclosan is no more effective than soap and water: See this study and this review of several studies for starters. (The one exception is toothpaste; there's some evidence that triclosan helps fight gingivitis.) Fight Germs Now likes to tout a study from 2007 that found that people who washed their hands with triclosan carried less bacteria onto their food than those who used soap and water, but Jannsen points out that before you buy this line, you might want to consider the fact that the study was performed by Henkel, makers of Dial anti-microbial soap.
2. "Triclosan does not accumulate in food chains because it is excreted by animals and man by their metabolism."
While it's true that we do excrete triclosan, that doesn't mean it disappears from the environment. A 2008 study found that earthworms take up triclosan from the soil, showing that organisms "can be contaminated with these chemicals and raising concerns that this will make its way up the food chain," Jannsen says. More worrisome, a 2010 study found that soy beans grown in greenhouses also absorb triclosan from the soil, which, considering the vast amounts of soy that we feed livestock, has major implications for our food supply.
3. "Credible scientific data indicates that triclosan does not disrupt hormonal activity."
Au contraire, say Jannsen and Wu. There's mounting evidence that triclosan and its close relative triclocarban do interfere with our thyroid hormone and sex hormones in both females and males. This 2008 study showed that triclosan disrupted puberty in rats, and this one found that male rats' sex organs got bigger when triclocarban was added to their food. Industry likes to claim that rats and people aren't comparable, but "the hormone systems in lab animals are actually extremely similar to our hormone systems," Jannsen says.
4. "Insufficient evidence exists to demonstrate that the use of antiseptic drug products harms human health."
A number of recent studies have shown that anti-bacterial products might be contributing to antibiotic resistance (here are a few to start with). Then there's the fact that triclosan is known to be completely ineffective against "gram negative" bacteria like pseudomonas and serratia, both of which cause major infections in hospitals. In fact, notes Jannsen, a hospital outbreak of serratia was traced back to anti-bacterial soap dispensers.
For a good list of which products contain triclosan, check out this fact sheet from Beyond Pesticides.
If you're waiting for the FDA to weigh in with a final verdict on triclosan, don't hold your breath: The agency has been dragging its feet on the subject for 37 years. In 2010, it finally promised to release the results of its scientific review of triclosan by spring 2011. But spring came and went with no word, and as NRDC attorney Mae Wu noted on her blog, the agency quietly extended its own deadline to winter 2012 on its website, without publicly announcing the delay. When I asked FDA spokeswoman Shelly Burgess about the silence on the delay, she told me, simply, "FDA doesn't normally make public announcements on the status of its rule-makings." So why'd you promise spring 2011 in the first place?
But far be it from the soap industry to sit idly by while the FDA deliberates. In April, the trade group American Cleaning Institute launched Fight Germs Now, a site that claims to be "the official source on anti-bacterial hygiene products." Fight Germs Now's FAQ assures consumers that despite the rumors they may have heard, triclosan and other anti-bacterial agents are safe, effective, and completely necessary in the fight against germs.
I was curious as to whether the ACI's claims could withstand scientific scrutiny, so I checked in with Wu and her colleague Sarah Janssen, a senior scientist at the NRDC. They handily debunked a few of the major points that Fight Germs Now tries to make:
1. "Sometimes plain soap and water is not good enough."
Actually, says Jannsen, there's plenty of evidence that triclosan is no more effective than soap and water: See this study and this review of several studies for starters. (The one exception is toothpaste; there's some evidence that triclosan helps fight gingivitis.) Fight Germs Now likes to tout a study from 2007 that found that people who washed their hands with triclosan carried less bacteria onto their food than those who used soap and water, but Jannsen points out that before you buy this line, you might want to consider the fact that the study was performed by Henkel, makers of Dial anti-microbial soap.
2. "Triclosan does not accumulate in food chains because it is excreted by animals and man by their metabolism."
While it's true that we do excrete triclosan, that doesn't mean it disappears from the environment. A 2008 study found that earthworms take up triclosan from the soil, showing that organisms "can be contaminated with these chemicals and raising concerns that this will make its way up the food chain," Jannsen says. More worrisome, a 2010 study found that soy beans grown in greenhouses also absorb triclosan from the soil, which, considering the vast amounts of soy that we feed livestock, has major implications for our food supply.
3. "Credible scientific data indicates that triclosan does not disrupt hormonal activity."
Au contraire, say Jannsen and Wu. There's mounting evidence that triclosan and its close relative triclocarban do interfere with our thyroid hormone and sex hormones in both females and males. This 2008 study showed that triclosan disrupted puberty in rats, and this one found that male rats' sex organs got bigger when triclocarban was added to their food. Industry likes to claim that rats and people aren't comparable, but "the hormone systems in lab animals are actually extremely similar to our hormone systems," Jannsen says.
4. "Insufficient evidence exists to demonstrate that the use of antiseptic drug products harms human health."
A number of recent studies have shown that anti-bacterial products might be contributing to antibiotic resistance (here are a few to start with). Then there's the fact that triclosan is known to be completely ineffective against "gram negative" bacteria like pseudomonas and serratia, both of which cause major infections in hospitals. In fact, notes Jannsen, a hospital outbreak of serratia was traced back to anti-bacterial soap dispensers.
For a good list of which products contain triclosan, check out this fact sheet from Beyond Pesticides.
Tell President Obama: Stop Gun Smuggling to Mexico 29AUG11
THE horrible violence in Mexico is directly linked to guns from the U.S. and the drug market in the U.S. We can do more to address both problems, and one of the most effective actions we can take is to do everything possible to stop the flow of guns into Mexico. President Obama can take action the doesn't require congressional approval, he must decide whether he has the moral courage to stand up to the nra and take these steps to help the Mexican government in their battle against the drug cartels. Please click the links or header to sign the petition calling on Pres Obama to take decisive action....
 | ||||||
 | ||||||
© Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence    | ||||||
You can also mail a check to: Brady Campaign · 1225 Eye Street NW, Suite 1100 · Washington, DC 20005 The Brady Campaign, along with its sister organization, the Brady Center, is the nation's largest, non-partisan grassroots organization leading the fight to protect you, your family and your community from gun violence. | ||||||
Sincerely,
28 August 2011
Sea Shepherd Prevents Pilot Whale Bloodshed in the Faeroe Islands 26AUG11
AN update from Sea Shepherd on their successful campaign to stop grind operations in the Faeroes, check this out and donate to Sea Shepherd if you can.
Photo: Bill RankinSea Shepherd Conservation Society’s Operation Ferocious Isles pilot whale defense campaign is almost over and it looks like our objective has been achieved. Not a single whale or dolphin has been killed on the beaches or in the waters of the Faeroe Islands under our watch this July and August.
Earlier in the summer, the Faeroese police ordered that no grinds (pilot whale drives and slaughter) would be allowed for as long as the Sea Shepherd ships were in Faeroese waters. Thus, our mere watchful presence prevented any killings this summer saving hundreds of whales as a result. Not a dramatic campaign by far, but enormously successful nonetheless.
It remains possible that whales may be killed after the Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot leave patrol, but June, July, and August are the three most notorious months for the slaughter of the whales as they are peak migration months. Our objective was to prevent the killing of any whales during this period and that objective has been realized, therefore, Operation Ferocious Isles has been extraordinarily successful.
Additionally during the duration of the campaign, the crews of our two Sea Shepherd ships were able to meet and speak to hundreds of Faeroese youth. We were pleasantly surprised to find so many young people in opposition to the grind.
Sea Shepherd had hoped to make a public presentation but unfortunately, our request was denied by the Faeroese government, although our presence generated a great deal of publicity both in the Faeroes and in Denmark.
Significant campaign achievements include increasing international awareness of the whaling that takes place in the Faeroes, provoking controversy and discussion amongst the local people, increasing spending for the Danish Navy and police during the Sea Shepherd’s time in Faeroese waters, and most importantly, preventing a single grind from taking place.
The two Sea Shepherd ships will return to Great Britain to begin to make preparations for a return voyage to the Antarctic waters to once again intervene against illegal Japanese whaling activities in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
The Steve Irwin will host a fundraising event on the Thames (river) in London on September 13th.
Photo: Bill Rankin The crews of the Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot are very happy with the results of this year’s campaign and are anxious to return and once again intercept the Japanese fleet to prevent them killing whales off the coast of Antarctica.
“Over the past few months we saw whales, we deterred whales from approaching the islands, we prevented the killing of whales by just being here. We could not be any more pleased with the results of the campaign. Zero kills translates into a perfect campaign and we are extremely happy with the results of our efforts this summer,” said Captain Paul Watson.
This has been a very busy year for Sea Shepherd beginning with our victory over the Japanese whaling fleet by driving them out of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary a month and a half before their season ended and preventing them from killing 83% of their intended kill quota. Since our victory in the Southern Ocean, we have captured poachers in the Galapagos, confronted tuna poachers off the coast of Libya, protested at the 63rd Annual International Whaling Commission meeting in Jersey, exposed the atrocities of the seal slaughter in Namibia, helped catch the criminals who viciously clubbed seal pups in New Zealand, reduced the number of dolphins killed in Taiji, Japan by half, and now, we can relish in this victory for the pilot whales here in the Faeroes.
Never before has Sea Shepherd been so active and effective on a truly international level.
And the reason for our successes is your continued support. We do the best we can with the resources available to us and increased support translates into increased activism.
Our support base is steadily growing thanks to the momentum of recent documentary films featuring Sea Shepherd including Eco-Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson, Minds in the Water, and Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist. And of course, thanks to Animal Planet’s hit television series Whale Wars now in its fourth season.
“What gives me such satisfaction is knowing that because we have intervened, because our ships have been on the water around the world, that so many marine lives have been saved,” said Captain Watson. “When I think of a mother whale and her calf swimming free in the sea because we silenced the harpoons this year, I feel deeply and warmly satisfied, that all our efforts have been worth the rough seas, the long voyages, the dangerous confrontations, and the political harassment. And to be at sea surrounded by hundreds of pilot whales that we were able to keep away from the killers onshore – that was the highpoint of our summer.”
Read more in Captain Paul Watson’s An Open Letter to the People of the Faeroe Islands.
Operation Ferocious Isles Pilot Whale Defense Campaign is a Success
"Sail forth - steer for the deep waters only,
Reckless O soul, exploring, I with thee and thou with me,
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go,
And we will risk the ship, our selves and all."
- Walt Whitman
Reckless O soul, exploring, I with thee and thou with me,
For we are bound where mariner has not yet dared to go,
And we will risk the ship, our selves and all."
- Walt Whitman
Photo: Bill RankinSea Shepherd Conservation Society’s Operation Ferocious Isles pilot whale defense campaign is almost over and it looks like our objective has been achieved. Not a single whale or dolphin has been killed on the beaches or in the waters of the Faeroe Islands under our watch this July and August.Earlier in the summer, the Faeroese police ordered that no grinds (pilot whale drives and slaughter) would be allowed for as long as the Sea Shepherd ships were in Faeroese waters. Thus, our mere watchful presence prevented any killings this summer saving hundreds of whales as a result. Not a dramatic campaign by far, but enormously successful nonetheless.
It remains possible that whales may be killed after the Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot leave patrol, but June, July, and August are the three most notorious months for the slaughter of the whales as they are peak migration months. Our objective was to prevent the killing of any whales during this period and that objective has been realized, therefore, Operation Ferocious Isles has been extraordinarily successful.
Additionally during the duration of the campaign, the crews of our two Sea Shepherd ships were able to meet and speak to hundreds of Faeroese youth. We were pleasantly surprised to find so many young people in opposition to the grind.
Sea Shepherd had hoped to make a public presentation but unfortunately, our request was denied by the Faeroese government, although our presence generated a great deal of publicity both in the Faeroes and in Denmark.
Significant campaign achievements include increasing international awareness of the whaling that takes place in the Faeroes, provoking controversy and discussion amongst the local people, increasing spending for the Danish Navy and police during the Sea Shepherd’s time in Faeroese waters, and most importantly, preventing a single grind from taking place.
The two Sea Shepherd ships will return to Great Britain to begin to make preparations for a return voyage to the Antarctic waters to once again intervene against illegal Japanese whaling activities in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
The Steve Irwin will host a fundraising event on the Thames (river) in London on September 13th.
Photo: Bill Rankin The crews of the Steve Irwin and the Brigitte Bardot are very happy with the results of this year’s campaign and are anxious to return and once again intercept the Japanese fleet to prevent them killing whales off the coast of Antarctica. “Over the past few months we saw whales, we deterred whales from approaching the islands, we prevented the killing of whales by just being here. We could not be any more pleased with the results of the campaign. Zero kills translates into a perfect campaign and we are extremely happy with the results of our efforts this summer,” said Captain Paul Watson.
This has been a very busy year for Sea Shepherd beginning with our victory over the Japanese whaling fleet by driving them out of the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary a month and a half before their season ended and preventing them from killing 83% of their intended kill quota. Since our victory in the Southern Ocean, we have captured poachers in the Galapagos, confronted tuna poachers off the coast of Libya, protested at the 63rd Annual International Whaling Commission meeting in Jersey, exposed the atrocities of the seal slaughter in Namibia, helped catch the criminals who viciously clubbed seal pups in New Zealand, reduced the number of dolphins killed in Taiji, Japan by half, and now, we can relish in this victory for the pilot whales here in the Faeroes.
Never before has Sea Shepherd been so active and effective on a truly international level.
And the reason for our successes is your continued support. We do the best we can with the resources available to us and increased support translates into increased activism.
Our support base is steadily growing thanks to the momentum of recent documentary films featuring Sea Shepherd including Eco-Pirate: The Story of Paul Watson, Minds in the Water, and Confessions of an Eco-Terrorist. And of course, thanks to Animal Planet’s hit television series Whale Wars now in its fourth season.
“What gives me such satisfaction is knowing that because we have intervened, because our ships have been on the water around the world, that so many marine lives have been saved,” said Captain Watson. “When I think of a mother whale and her calf swimming free in the sea because we silenced the harpoons this year, I feel deeply and warmly satisfied, that all our efforts have been worth the rough seas, the long voyages, the dangerous confrontations, and the political harassment. And to be at sea surrounded by hundreds of pilot whales that we were able to keep away from the killers onshore – that was the highpoint of our summer.”
Read more in Captain Paul Watson’s An Open Letter to the People of the Faeroe Islands.
Beneath The Fae'roes Sky
The Northern lights were dancing,
On the waves across the sea.
The stars of heaven hovered,
Across our shimmering galaxy.
On the waves across the sea.
The stars of heaven hovered,
Across our shimmering galaxy.
A refrain from down the ages,
So in haunting in its song.
These ancient isles shall tell us,
Our love must make us strong.
So in haunting in its song.
These ancient isles shall tell us,
Our love must make us strong.
The wind it swirled around me,
As we stood there off the shore,
And listened to their song,
Like we never heard before.
As we stood there off the shore,
And listened to their song,
Like we never heard before.
The whalers they may find them,
No choice may ours to be.
Yet we defend life proudly,
For this truth will set us free.
No choice may ours to be.
Yet we defend life proudly,
For this truth will set us free.
Memories recalled across the years,
Of rages and of strife.
Of cetacean misery,
And the horrific waste of life.
We wondered where love was,
In the face of so much pain.
I looked into the sea below,
To find it once again.
We travelled the wide oceans,
Heard many call us names.
With harpoon and gun and hatred,
The insanity of human games.
Of rages and of strife.
Of cetacean misery,
And the horrific waste of life.
We wondered where love was,
In the face of so much pain.
I looked into the sea below,
To find it once again.
We travelled the wide oceans,
Heard many call us names.
With harpoon and gun and hatred,
The insanity of human games.
Some used the whales for glory,
Some use them for their gain.
But Sea Shepherd intervenes,
To cleanse the cruel human stain.
Some use them for their gain.
But Sea Shepherd intervenes,
To cleanse the cruel human stain.
Is it not our place to wonder,
As the sea does weep with tears,
And all the ocean’s creatures,
Look on with mortal fear.
It is ours to hold the trident,
It is ours to hold it long,
It is ours to voyage forward,
Our love must make us strong.
As the sea does weep with tears,
And all the ocean’s creatures,
Look on with mortal fear.
It is ours to hold the trident,
It is ours to hold it long,
It is ours to voyage forward,
Our love must make us strong.
With the trident in one hand,
In the other, the shepherd’s crook,
We try to regain the balance,
To return what man has took.
In the other, the shepherd’s crook,
We try to regain the balance,
To return what man has took.
And as the cold wind carried,
The whale’s song into the night.
We closed our eyes and dreamt,
Until the morning light.
We saw the pilots swimming,
They did swim into our lee,
It was in this magic moment,
Came this song from mother sea.
The whale’s song into the night.
We closed our eyes and dreamt,
Until the morning light.
We saw the pilots swimming,
They did swim into our lee,
It was in this magic moment,
Came this song from mother sea.
Our hearts were all a dancing,
On the waves, out on the sea.
The whales turned from the shore,
And from the islands they did flee.
A host of ghosts on the beaches,
So haunting in their song,
These ancient isles have shown us,
That our love has made us strong.
On the waves, out on the sea.
The whales turned from the shore,
And from the islands they did flee.
A host of ghosts on the beaches,
So haunting in their song,
These ancient isles have shown us,
That our love has made us strong.
-By Captain Paul Watson, inspired by and with lines borrowed from “Beneath a Phrygian Sky” by Loreena McKennitt
 Photo: Bill Rankin |  Photo: Bill Rankin |
26 August 2011
VIDEO: September execution date for Troy Davis? from AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL 26AUG11
I have always been against the death penalty. Yes, some people commit heinous, brutal crimes taking the life of another person. But I have always believed that when it comes to the death penalty the convicted person should be sentenced to life without parole, and when they die God will decide if they are to be punished. I am not without sin and so can never judge a person and sentence them to death. IT would seem the state of Georgia is going to execute a possibly innocent man. Troy Davis' trial and conviction and death sentence seem to be based on poor evidence, coerced witnesses and a biased trial, and the state of Georgia Pardons and Parole Board needs to stop the execution of Troy Davis and grant him a new jury trial if there is enough credible evidence to justify it, and if not then set him free and find the real killer of Officer Mark MacPhail. Even the widow of Officer MacPhail doubts Troy Davis' guilt. Watch these videos from Amnesty International, and share with family, friends, everyone....Go to http://www.justicefortroy.org for more information and please e mail Pres Obama and ask him to pardon Troy Davis before Georgia executes him here http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
 | |||||
"This person could die for something they didn't do." - Human rights attorney | |||||
As early as September, we're bracing ourselves for the worst - another execution date for Troy Davis. In March of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court, despite having ordered a special hearing, flat-out refused to hear Davis' appeal! That decision has led us to this very moment when we wait for Georgia authorities to set an execution date. Make no mistake about it - we're in the calm before the storm. Over the years, the case of Troy Davis has inspired so many of us to take action. It is a painfully clear example of the many flaws of the death penalty. Serious doubts about guilt have persisted, yet many people have still not heard about this incredible case more fit for a legal thriller than reality: A flawed investigation, alleged witness coercion, police "tunnel vision", flimsy evidence, and a clumsy legal system that cannot seem to do the right thing. Before an execution date is announced, please help us educate more people about the doubts that plague the Troy Davis case. The more people who learn about this injustice, the more who will join us in fighting it. 1) Watch and share this video with everyone you know 2) Sign up to help educate others about Troy Davis:
Remember: An execution date may be inevitable, but execution is not. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles will soon hold Troy Davis' life in their hands - quite literally. The have said that they will not allow an execution to proceed unless there is “no doubt” about guilt. We will hold them to this statement. There is just too much doubt in this case, and too many questions that have not been answered. Things may move quickly in September, and we'll keep you posted as events unfold. Stand ready to act! In Hope and Solidarity, Laura Moye Director, Death Penalty Abolition Campaign Amnesty International USA Share this action:
| |||||
 | |||||
© 2011 Amnesty International USA | 5 Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10001 | 212.807.840 | |||||
25 August 2011
UPDATE: ANTI KEYSTONE XL PROTEST AT WHITE HOUSE 25AUG11
322+ ARRESTED so far in the nonviolent civil disobedience against the keystone xl tar sands pipeline at the White House.
| |||
| |||
Rick Perry says Texas added 21,000 doctors because of tort reform from POLITIFACT 25AUG11
CHRISTIAN rick perry finds it necessary to lie about the effect tort reform had in Texas. No big surprise there, his campaign is based on lies, distortions, manipulations and propaganda because without all the smoke and mirrors people will see him for what he is, a political whore being pimped by corporate America and tea-baggers...
The doctor-patient ratio in Texas rose faster prior to tort reform.
The Truth-O-Meter Says:
Says Texas gained 21,000 doctors due to tort reform.
Rick Perry on Wednesday, August 17th, 2011 in a speech at "Politics and Eggs" in Bedford, N.H.Rick Perry says Texas added 21,000 doctors because of tort reform
Share this story:
The doctor-patient ratio in Texas rose faster prior to tort reform.Ask any Republican candidate about reducing the cost of health care and part of the answer is likely to include rewriting the rules for medical malpractice. In 2003, Texas lawmakers passed a package of changes to malpractice law, plus the state added a few more through a referendum known as Proposition 12.
These turned the state into a beacon of hope among tort reformers and Texas Gov. Rick Perry talks proudly of the good the changes have done.
When he was asked about medical malpractice at the Politics and Eggs Breakfast in Bedford, N.H., on Aug. 17, 2011, he had some precise numbers at his fingertips. "I’ll tell you what one of the results was," he said. "This last year, 21,000 more physicians practicing medicine in Texas because they know they can do what they love and not be sued. Some 30 counties that didn’t have an emergency room doc have one today. Counties along the Rio Grande, where women were having to travel for miles and miles outside of the county to see an ob-gyn, for prenatal care and now they have that care."
For this fact-check, we're examining his claim that that the state gained 21,000 doctors because of tort reform.
First, we found the number is wrong.
Perry’s campaign relies on data from the Texas Medical Association, a physician trade group, which counts the number of medical licenses issued in Texas. The problem is, not everyone with such a license practices in Texas.
The Texas Medical Board issues licenses and tracks whether those doctors actually work in the state. According to their numbers, between 2003 and 2011, the accurate increase is 12,788. That’s about 8,000 doctors fewer than the governor’s claim.
Still, thousands of additional physicians is nothing to sneeze at, and the next question is, can credit be put at the feet of tort reform?
Not much. By far, the biggest driver is population growth. From 2002 to 2010, the population of Texas grew by 20 percent. At the same time, the number of doctors went up 24 percent.
Jon Opelt, executive director of Texas Alliance for Patient Access, a group that supports tort reform and is funded by health care providers, sent us some analysis he had done that filtered out the population effect. Opelt said the higher rate for doctors -- 24 percent -- translates into an additional 1,608 physicians thanks to tort reform.
At least, that’s what he said when we first spoke to him. Later, after we showed him that the growth of doctors increased at a faster rate in the pre-reform years, Opelt sent us new numbers, saying tort reform brought 5,000 more doctors to the state and the ratio of doctors to residents has never been better. (We found those numbers to be a stretch: The upward revision comes from including administrators, teachers and other licensed doctors who don’t actually treat patients.)
In any event, from the pro-reform vantage point, the most accurate figure is 5,000 -- a far cry from 21,000.
But the case for Perry’s statement gets even shakier when you review numbers prior to the new malpractice rules. It turns out that in the nine years before tort reform, the number of doctors grew twice as fast as the population. So Texas did a pretty good job attracting doctors before the law changed.
Tom Banning, chief executive officer of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, said that back in the early 1990’s the state began passing laws that made it physician-friendly. Among them, a prompt-pay rule to "to ensure that insurers pay physicians promptly and correctly," Banning said, "which creates a very good environment for practices."
Banning said tort reform was more good news for doctors, a sentiment borne out by opinion surveys from the state’s medical association. But he acknowledges that population growth is the biggest force behind the growing ranks of doctors. "It’s like the Willie Sutton rule," Banning said, referring to the famous bank robber. "Go where the money is. From a doctor’s standpoint, you go where the patients are."
Especially patients who can pay. Banning and other observers in Texas note that most of the new doctors are clustered in the affluent, fast growing suburbs around the state’s biggest cities.
This puts a damper on one of Perry’s additional points, that tort reform opens the doors for physicians to practice in the state’s most rural counties. The results here are mixed. The governor is right about emergency room doctors. The state has 60 percent more of them then it did in 2003 and tort reform likely played a major role, experts told us. ER doctors got more protections from tort reform than just about any other medical specialty.
But Perry also boasted that rural counties were getting specialists in obstetrics and gynecology that they never had before. The reality here is murkier. A report from the Texas Alliance for Patient Access says 14 counties (of 254 total) gained an ob-gyn. We looked at one community along the Rio Grande River, Starr County, and found that yes, four years after tort reform, they got one. But the situation has flipped back and forth, and as of May 2011, Starr County had no ob-gyn specialist.
Our ruling
There is no question that tort reform drove down medical malpractice insurance premiums and reduced the number of malpractice suits. And there is no question that most health care providers like the change and say it’s a factor that leads them to practice in the state. But the wholesale transformation that Perry describes is not backed up by the numbers.
Perry said Texas has 21,000 more doctors thanks to tort reform. That’s flat out wrong. Texas has only about 13,000 more doctors in the state and the historic trends suggest that population growth was the driving factor. We rate his statement False.
Published: Thursday, August 25th, 2011 at 4:35 p.m.
Subjects: Health Care, Legal Issues, New Hampshire 2012
Sources:
New Hampshire Public Radio, Perry claims doctor boom thanks to tort reform, Aug, 17, 2011
Texas Medical Board, Physician Demographics Data, accessed Aug. 19, 2011
Texas Department of State Health Services, Direct Patient Care Physicians, accessed Aug. 19, 2011
HB 4, Texas Tort Reform Bill, 2003, accessed Aug. 19, 2011
American Medical Association, HB 4 Summary, accessed Aug. 19, 2011
American Tort Reform Association, "How Tort Reform Works",accessed Aug. 19, 2011
Texas Medical Association, "Proposition 12 Produces Healthy Benefits", accessed Aug. 22, 2011
Interview and email correspondence with Jon Opelt, Executive Director, Texas Alliance for Patient Access, Aug. 19-24, 2011
Texas Alliance for Patient Access, "14 Texas Counties Add Obstetricians", accessed Aug. 19, 2011
Texas Alliance for Patient Access, "Losers Turned Gainers in Primary Care", accessed Aug. 19, 2011
Texas Alliance for Patient Access, "86 Texas Counties See Gains in ER Docs", accessed Aug. 24, 2011
Interview with Leigh Hopper, Public Information Officer, Texas Medical Board, Aug. 19, 2011
Interview with Tom Banning, CEO, Texas Academy of Family Physicians, Aug. 24, 2011
Interview with Rebecca Conditt, Executive Director, Texas Rural Health Association, Aug. 24, 2011
Statewide Health Coordinating Council, 2011-2016 State Health Plan, accessed Aug. 24, 2011
Journal of the American Academy of Surgeons, "Malpractice risk and cost are significantly reduced after tort reform", accessed Aug. 22, 2011
Interview with Alex Winsow, Texas Watch, Aug. 22, 2011
These turned the state into a beacon of hope among tort reformers and Texas Gov. Rick Perry talks proudly of the good the changes have done.
When he was asked about medical malpractice at the Politics and Eggs Breakfast in Bedford, N.H., on Aug. 17, 2011, he had some precise numbers at his fingertips. "I’ll tell you what one of the results was," he said. "This last year, 21,000 more physicians practicing medicine in Texas because they know they can do what they love and not be sued. Some 30 counties that didn’t have an emergency room doc have one today. Counties along the Rio Grande, where women were having to travel for miles and miles outside of the county to see an ob-gyn, for prenatal care and now they have that care."
For this fact-check, we're examining his claim that that the state gained 21,000 doctors because of tort reform.
First, we found the number is wrong.
Perry’s campaign relies on data from the Texas Medical Association, a physician trade group, which counts the number of medical licenses issued in Texas. The problem is, not everyone with such a license practices in Texas.
The Texas Medical Board issues licenses and tracks whether those doctors actually work in the state. According to their numbers, between 2003 and 2011, the accurate increase is 12,788. That’s about 8,000 doctors fewer than the governor’s claim.
Still, thousands of additional physicians is nothing to sneeze at, and the next question is, can credit be put at the feet of tort reform?
Not much. By far, the biggest driver is population growth. From 2002 to 2010, the population of Texas grew by 20 percent. At the same time, the number of doctors went up 24 percent.
Jon Opelt, executive director of Texas Alliance for Patient Access, a group that supports tort reform and is funded by health care providers, sent us some analysis he had done that filtered out the population effect. Opelt said the higher rate for doctors -- 24 percent -- translates into an additional 1,608 physicians thanks to tort reform.
At least, that’s what he said when we first spoke to him. Later, after we showed him that the growth of doctors increased at a faster rate in the pre-reform years, Opelt sent us new numbers, saying tort reform brought 5,000 more doctors to the state and the ratio of doctors to residents has never been better. (We found those numbers to be a stretch: The upward revision comes from including administrators, teachers and other licensed doctors who don’t actually treat patients.)
In any event, from the pro-reform vantage point, the most accurate figure is 5,000 -- a far cry from 21,000.
But the case for Perry’s statement gets even shakier when you review numbers prior to the new malpractice rules. It turns out that in the nine years before tort reform, the number of doctors grew twice as fast as the population. So Texas did a pretty good job attracting doctors before the law changed.
Tom Banning, chief executive officer of the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, said that back in the early 1990’s the state began passing laws that made it physician-friendly. Among them, a prompt-pay rule to "to ensure that insurers pay physicians promptly and correctly," Banning said, "which creates a very good environment for practices."
Banning said tort reform was more good news for doctors, a sentiment borne out by opinion surveys from the state’s medical association. But he acknowledges that population growth is the biggest force behind the growing ranks of doctors. "It’s like the Willie Sutton rule," Banning said, referring to the famous bank robber. "Go where the money is. From a doctor’s standpoint, you go where the patients are."
Especially patients who can pay. Banning and other observers in Texas note that most of the new doctors are clustered in the affluent, fast growing suburbs around the state’s biggest cities.
This puts a damper on one of Perry’s additional points, that tort reform opens the doors for physicians to practice in the state’s most rural counties. The results here are mixed. The governor is right about emergency room doctors. The state has 60 percent more of them then it did in 2003 and tort reform likely played a major role, experts told us. ER doctors got more protections from tort reform than just about any other medical specialty.
But Perry also boasted that rural counties were getting specialists in obstetrics and gynecology that they never had before. The reality here is murkier. A report from the Texas Alliance for Patient Access says 14 counties (of 254 total) gained an ob-gyn. We looked at one community along the Rio Grande River, Starr County, and found that yes, four years after tort reform, they got one. But the situation has flipped back and forth, and as of May 2011, Starr County had no ob-gyn specialist.
Our ruling
There is no question that tort reform drove down medical malpractice insurance premiums and reduced the number of malpractice suits. And there is no question that most health care providers like the change and say it’s a factor that leads them to practice in the state. But the wholesale transformation that Perry describes is not backed up by the numbers.
Perry said Texas has 21,000 more doctors thanks to tort reform. That’s flat out wrong. Texas has only about 13,000 more doctors in the state and the historic trends suggest that population growth was the driving factor. We rate his statement False.
Published: Thursday, August 25th, 2011 at 4:35 p.m.
Subjects: Health Care, Legal Issues, New Hampshire 2012
Sources:
New Hampshire Public Radio, Perry claims doctor boom thanks to tort reform, Aug, 17, 2011
Texas Medical Board, Physician Demographics Data, accessed Aug. 19, 2011
Texas Department of State Health Services, Direct Patient Care Physicians, accessed Aug. 19, 2011
HB 4, Texas Tort Reform Bill, 2003, accessed Aug. 19, 2011
American Medical Association, HB 4 Summary, accessed Aug. 19, 2011
American Tort Reform Association, "How Tort Reform Works",accessed Aug. 19, 2011
Texas Medical Association, "Proposition 12 Produces Healthy Benefits", accessed Aug. 22, 2011
Interview and email correspondence with Jon Opelt, Executive Director, Texas Alliance for Patient Access, Aug. 19-24, 2011
Texas Alliance for Patient Access, "14 Texas Counties Add Obstetricians", accessed Aug. 19, 2011
Texas Alliance for Patient Access, "Losers Turned Gainers in Primary Care", accessed Aug. 19, 2011
Texas Alliance for Patient Access, "86 Texas Counties See Gains in ER Docs", accessed Aug. 24, 2011
Interview with Leigh Hopper, Public Information Officer, Texas Medical Board, Aug. 19, 2011
Interview with Tom Banning, CEO, Texas Academy of Family Physicians, Aug. 24, 2011
Interview with Rebecca Conditt, Executive Director, Texas Rural Health Association, Aug. 24, 2011
Statewide Health Coordinating Council, 2011-2016 State Health Plan, accessed Aug. 24, 2011
Journal of the American Academy of Surgeons, "Malpractice risk and cost are significantly reduced after tort reform", accessed Aug. 22, 2011
Interview with Alex Winsow, Texas Watch, Aug. 22, 2011
Elizabeth Warren Receives Major Union Endorsement Before Launching Senate Candidacy 25AUG11
RUN MS WARREN, PLEASE!!!!!
WASHINGTON -- Even before formally entering the Massachusetts Senate race, consumer advocate and Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren has picked up a major union endorsement.
The former Obama administration official who spearheaded the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, received the unsolicited backing of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) on Tuesday. The endorsement came before Warren, a Democrat, has said whether or not she will actually challenge Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) for his seat. (Her announcement will come after Labor Day, advisers say, though it's widely expected that she will decide to run.) Announced just minutes after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck the east coast, the MNA's decision was barely noticed by the political press.
And yet, the union's endorsement could have ripple effects on the Democratic primary in that critical Senate race. The union has 23,000 members, making it the largest association of registered nurses in the state. By coming out in favor of Warren before she announces her decision, a union official explained, members are "hoping it will show her up front what kind of support she has and encourage her to jump in."
It also signals to the rest of the primary field, which includes Newton Mayor Setti Warren, social entrepreneur Alan Khazei and State Representative Thomas Conroy, that the consumer advocate -- despite her political inexperience -- could present a formidable opponent.
The MNA's board decided to endorse Warren last Thursday, the official said, after a meeting in which attendees discussed her prospective candidacy at length. (Warren had launched an exploratory committee earlier that day.)
"We had no conversation with her prior to then," the official said. "The only contact we had with her was after the fact."
WASHINGTON -- Even before formally entering the Massachusetts Senate race, consumer advocate and Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren has picked up a major union endorsement.
The former Obama administration official who spearheaded the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, received the unsolicited backing of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) on Tuesday. The endorsement came before Warren, a Democrat, has said whether or not she will actually challenge Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) for his seat. (Her announcement will come after Labor Day, advisers say, though it's widely expected that she will decide to run.) Announced just minutes after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck the east coast, the MNA's decision was barely noticed by the political press.
And yet, the union's endorsement could have ripple effects on the Democratic primary in that critical Senate race. The union has 23,000 members, making it the largest association of registered nurses in the state. By coming out in favor of Warren before she announces her decision, a union official explained, members are "hoping it will show her up front what kind of support she has and encourage her to jump in."
It also signals to the rest of the primary field, which includes Newton Mayor Setti Warren, social entrepreneur Alan Khazei and State Representative Thomas Conroy, that the consumer advocate -- despite her political inexperience -- could present a formidable opponent.
The MNA's board decided to endorse Warren last Thursday, the official said, after a meeting in which attendees discussed her prospective candidacy at length. (Warren had launched an exploratory committee earlier that day.)
"We had no conversation with her prior to then," the official said. "The only contact we had with her was after the fact."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)