The killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has shocked many, bemused some, angered others, and brought all of us back to the decades old habit of lambasting private health insurance companies. There have been jokes about preexisting conditions and prior authorizations, hypocritical reminders from politicians about violence and politics, and patronizing lectures about how insurance… Continue reading We’re all sort of the bad guys
Tag: people
I am pro-life and so are you
I am pro-life and so are you. It is clear to me from the nuanced and conflicting poll data that nobody thinks these are easy questions with easy answers. Anybody who asks you to call yourself just pro-life or just pro-choice probably has a political agenda. We all know it’s more complicated than that. We all want to make the right choice for ourselves, our families, and our communities. We all know that choice is not the same thing for each person or for each circumstance.
I want freedom too.
The last several months have seen many COVID-19 vaccine milestones. Nationally, we’ve managed to crawl past the 50% vaccinated milestone, even if many rural counties are hovering at or below 40%. On November 2, the CDC recommended the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 5 through 11 . On November 4, the Occupational Health and Safety… Continue reading I want freedom too.
Letting Go
Six months ago, I tried to write something about the Capitol Riot. The simmering fear that I’d been feeling, that I might have to walk away from my understaffed team in an act of civil disobedience if the election results weren’t certified, had boiled over into some concoction of anger, sadness, confusion, and worry about… Continue reading Letting Go
A Time of Thanksgiving
I have sacrificed for you. My body. There is a persistent rash on my right chin, red and rubbed raw from 14 hour days in scratchy masks under fluorescent lights. My nose, and the noses of my colleagues, have been squished, pushed, bent, and infected by the augmented gas masks in which we sometimes fight… Continue reading A Time of Thanksgiving
An Ode to Veterans
Our only national value is not freedom. When our veterans died, they were not just protecting our freedom. They were also protecting justice and fairness and democracy. They were protecting the idea that someday we may live up to our values. The veterans most of us chose to honor this week fought against tangible enemies… Continue reading An Ode to Veterans
Did you know that Florida and New York are different?
I’m so happy that tabloid journalism is hopping back on the COVID-19 complaint train. It’s so refreshing to read what communications majors think about public health and medicine and so comforting to see their opinions widely shared on social media. It makes wearing my N95 for 14 hours a day at work more bearable. I’m… Continue reading Did you know that Florida and New York are different?
A Subject, not an Object
“Litigants and the general public are entitled to impartial justice, which may be something a judge who is heedful of ecclesiastical pronouncements cannot dispense.” From “Catholic Judges in Capital Cases” by Amy Coney Barrett and John H. Garvey Amy Coney Barrett co-authored those words. She is now a nominee for a lifetime appointment on the… Continue reading A Subject, not an Object
A fight to the death
Ruth Bader Ginsburg reportedly died at her home, surrounded by family. But she very well could have died at her desk. She could have been alone, reading a brief, slumped over until a housekeeper found her. She may have died at home but she worked to the death. A very small part of me is… Continue reading A fight to the death
Take a deep breath
Things suck right now. We have this scary new disease rampaging through the world. We don’t have a vaccine or treatment or any of the modern medical marvels on which we’ve all come to rely. We waited so long to respond to this threat that it has now overwhelmed us. And scared us. And inconvenienced… Continue reading Take a deep breath
Nobody asked me... 