Doctor In Trouble For Calling Patient Fat

It seems like every day I see a new story that makes me shake my head. As somone who had had family members and friends suffer from weight issues, it's especially upsetting to me

Story

Dr. Terry Bennett, a 66-year old Rochester, New Hampshire physician who graduated from Harvard Medical School is under investigation because one of his patients got offended because he dared (gasp) to tell her she was fat and needed to lose weight.

Bennett regularly warns his clients that obesity can and will very likely lead to such debilitating conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, acid reflux, heart attack and stroke.

He also tells women that they most likely will outlive an obese spouse and will have a difficult time establishing a new relationship because studies show most males are completely negative to obese women.

In this case he told the patient that she need to get in shape and learn to eat right.

He admits that he was, and always is, blunt when it comes to weight issues. But if we can't count on doctors to be straightfoward with us when it comes to our health, what can we count on ?

How Could 50 States Be Wrong ??

Somewhere along the way, the Federal Courts and the Supreme Court have misinterpreted the U.S. Constitution. How could fifty States be wrong?

America's founders did not intend for there to be a separation of God and state, as shown by the fact that all 50 states acknowledge God in their state constitutions:

Alabama 1901, Preamble. We the people of the State of Alabama, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution

Alaska 1956, Preamble. We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land

Arizona 1911, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution...

Arkansas 1874, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Arkansas, grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government...

California 1879, Preamble. We, the People of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom ..

Colorado 1876, Preamble. We, the people of Colorado, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe.

Connecticut 1818, Preamble. The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy ..

Delaware 1897, Preamble. Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their
consciences .

Florida 1885, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Florida, grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty .. establish this Constitution...

Georgia 1777, Preamble. We, the people of Georgia, relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution...

Hawaii 1959, Preamble. We, the people of Hawaii, Grateful for Divine Guidance ... establish this Constitution.

Idaho 1889, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Idaho, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings .

Illinois 1870, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.

Indiana 1851, Preamble. We, the People of the State of Indiana, grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to chose our form of government.

Iowa 1857, Preamble. We, the People of the State of Iowa, grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings establish this Constitution

Kansas 1859, Preamble. We, the people of Kansas, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges ... establish this Constitution.

Kentucky 1891, Preamble. We, the people of the Commonwealth, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties...

Louisiana 1921, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Louisiana, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.

Maine 1820, Preamble. We the People of Maine . acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity ... and imploring His aid and direction.

Maryland 1776, Preamble. We, the people of the state of Maryland, grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty...

Massachusetts 1780, Preamble. We...the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe ... in the course of His Providence, an opportunity .and devoutly imploring His direction

Michigan 1908, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Michigan, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom . establish this Constitution

Minnesota, 1857, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings

Mississippi 1890, Preamble. We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work.

Missouri 1845, Preamble. We, the people of Missouri, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness . establish this Constitution ..

Montana 1889, Preamble. We, the people of Montana, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty. establish this Constitution

Nebraska 1875, Preamble. We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom . establish this Constitution ..

Nevada 1864, Preamble. We the people of the State of Nevada, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom establish this Constitution ...

New Hampshire 1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V. Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.

New Jersey 1844, Preamble. We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors .

New Mexico 1911, Preamble. We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty .

New York 1846, Preamble. We, the people of the State of New York, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.

North Carolina 1868, Preamble. We the people of the State of North Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the
continuance of those

North Dakota 1889, Preamble. We, the people of North Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain...

Ohio 1852, Preamble. We the people of the state of Ohio, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common

Oklahoma 1907, Preamble. Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty . establish this ..

Oregon 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I Section 2. All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences..

Pennsylvania 1776, Preamble. We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance.

Rhode Island 1842, Preamble. We the People of the State of Rhode Island grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing

South Carolina, 1778, Preamble We, the people of he State of South Carolina. grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution.

South Dakota 1889, Preamble. We, the people of South Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for our civil! and religious liberties ... establish this

Tennessee 1796, Art. XI.III. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience...

Texas 1845, Preamble. We the People of the Republic of Texas, acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God.

Utah 1896, Preamble. Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution

Vermont 1777, Preamble. Whereas all government ought to . enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man .

Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI . Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator . can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other

Washington 1889, Preamble. We the People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution .

West Virginia 1872, Preamble. Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God .

Wisconsin 1848, Preamble. We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility .

Wyoming 1890, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Wyoming, grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties .. establish this Constitution ..

After reviewing acknowledgments of God from all 50 state constitutions, one is faced with the prospect that maybe, just maybe, the ACLU and the out-of-control federal courts are wrong!

A Really Good Idea

Sometimes the government really gets it right.

The US Navy is currently building a new class of ships named the San Antonio class. The San Antonio class vessels are amphibious transport dock ships.

They are designed to support embarking, transporting, and landing elements of a Marine landing force in an assault by helicopters, landing craft, amphibious vehicles, and by a combination of these methods to conduct primary amphibious warfare missions.

One of these ships can transport an entire division of Marines with all of their equipment.

As is tradition, each class of ships has a specific naming pattern. In this case, the ships are all named after major cities.Given it's size and what happened on 9/11, it is hardly surprising that one of the ships will be the USS New York.

But what happened next is really cool.

The shipyard, in conjunction with the Navy, contacted the New York Port Authority. They arranged to have ten tons of wreckage from the World Trade Center site shipped to a foundry in Louisiana.

The steel is being melted down and reformed to make up the bow of the USS New York.

So when this ship goes out in 2007 to fight against terrorism and defend our country, it will be carrying the World Trade Center with it.

Interesting Fact

As I was watching the news today I saw a clip of Clinton (Bill) and President Bush together.

It occured to me that when Bush leaves office we will have had two 2 term Presidents in a row.

I checked it out and this has only happened twice.

And oddly enough, when it did, we actually had three 2-termers in a row.

From 1801-1825 we had Jefferson, Madison and Monroe all serve 2 terms.

From 1933-1961 we had FDR, Truman and Eisenhower serve 2 terms each.

So does this mean the next Prez will also be a 2 termer ?

Just an odd little factoid

Hiroshima

Today is the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and once again the left is out there telling us how evil we were to use the bomb and how if we had just asked real nice that Japan would have surrendered.

Let's look at the facts.

We commonly hear the term war crimes but the fact is that all wars are crimes. Bad and terrible things happen. The fact is that Japan started the war and it was the job of President Truman to end the war as quickly as possible and with as few American losses as possible.

We had troops dying every day. And we also had POW's who were dying in Japanese camps. Further, there were plans in place that as soon as we invaded Japan, all of our POW's would have been executed.

If you doubt how bad Japan was to POW's, consider that in Europe about 90% of our POW's survived, in Japan it was closer to 50/50.

Even if his decision saved just one servicemans life, then it was right.

But beyond that, the other options he faced were far worse, not only for our troops but for the Japanese people.

There were basically 4 alternatives to using the bomb.

1. Continue with the policy of saturation bombing.

In Europe we tried to apply a policy of strategic bombing where we concentrated our air raids on military and industrial targets. This was not an option in Japan because they mixed their residential areas in with the industrial targets.

Every night for most of late 1944 through 1945 we were bombing Japanese cities. Thousands died in every raid. If we had tried to force surrender through bombing we would have had to intensify this program until there wasn't a building left.

Hundreds of thousands, if not millions would have died.

2. Tighten a naval blockade of Japan

This policy would have involved basically starving Japan to death. People would have died of not only lack of food but of the many diseases that would have developed.

This policy also would have risked more US losses from suicide attacks.

3. Combine policy 1 and 2

Needless to say, this would have offered the Japanese the worst of both worlds.

4. Combine 1 and 2 in preparation for an invasion

If Japan did not surrender by October 1945 we would have started an invasion.

Aside from the likelihood of huge US losses, this would have been a virtual suicide for the Japanese people. Plans were in place for massive resistance. In time we would most likely have been forced to use extreme measures such as chemical and biological weapons.

Millions would have died.

Personally none of these options seem better than 2 bombs.

Of course the revisionists would suggest that Japan would have surrendered quickly, in a matter of weeks, even without these options. This concept is accomplished by applying todays Japan to 1945.

In 1945 the Japanese people believed, quite literally, that the Emperor was a God and that they were the chosen people to rule the world. They would have fought to the death.

Remember that on Okinawa, when it was clear the US had won, THOUSANDS of Japanese civilians committed suicide to avoid capture. Many mothers jumped to their deaths with their children in their arms.

Remember that even after TWO atomic bombs and a Soviet declaration of war, it took the intervention of the emperor to get a surrender. And even then, there was an attempt at a military coup.

Even if Japan had surrendered in a few months, any of the options, or even just continuing normal war policy would have resulted in hundreds of thousands of Japanese deaths.

The best solution would have been for Japan to have never started the war, but given the options in Summer 1945, Truman was RIGHT.

Inspiring Story

In today's society, the media seems to heap all of it's attention on the rich and famous. Celebrities are honored as great heroes and idols.

From time to time we are reminded that those who the media deems 'common' are far more extraordinary than any Hollywood star.

Case in point, Specialist Peter Sprenger, one of the newest Army Rangers.

When he recited the words of the Ranger Creed during a recent graduation ceremony, brigade leaders figured no one deserved the honor more than him.

Sprenger completed the difficult Ranger training after losing the use of one eye in an explosion in Iraq.

Sprenger was stationed in Talafar, Iraq, on December 9th, 2003, when a suicide bomber slammed into his unit's headquarters. No soldiers were killed, but the 21-year-old was one of about 60 casualties. He suffered shrapnel wounds to his mouth, back, legs and shoulder and his right eye was severely damaged.

Sprenger rehabilitated his injuries, and re-enlisted to active duty in the fall of 2004. He convinced Army officials to let him enter the demanding Ranger training at Fort Benning, despite the fact that no one with less than 100-percent vision had ever passed the training.

In fact, only 52 percent of all soldiers who start the 61-day course finish it. But Sprenger did, even with a black patch over his right eye, which can sense light and colors.

Ranger leaders call Sprenger an inspiration. He says he merely is finishing the job he started, and jokes that he shoots with his left eye anyway.

Dean Does It AGAIN

Just as liberals wait to see if they kind find President Bush in a verbal blooper, we conservatives enjoy waiting Howard Dean to say something else idiotic.

In his latest effort to attack President Bush, Dean has gone after Supreme Court nominee John Roberts.

He stated ""The president and his right-wing Supreme Court think it is 'okay' to have the government take your house if they feel like putting a hotel where your house is."

This was in reference to an awful Supreme Court ruling in the case of Kelo v. The City of New London.

As Dean indicated, this horrible decision does state that the government can take your property for pretty much any reason it deems fit. Up until now the rule of eminent domain only applied to case where they took the land for a government purpose, such as a road or police station.

But now they can do it if they think someone else can use the property to generate more taxes.

So I agree with Dean that the ruling is bad.

But one small problem with his right wing analogy. Generally speaking most observers divide the court into three groups

The conservative group is Rehnquist, Scalia and Thomas.

The swing group is Kennedy and O'Connor.

The liberal group is Ginsberg, Souter, Stevens and Breyer.

So if Dean was right, the conservatives supported the ruling, the liberals opposed it and the swing voters swung.... right ??

Well not exactly....

The three most conservative members of the court, Rehnquist, Scalia and Thomas all DISSENTED in the case. That is they disagreed with the decision. They were joined by swing voter O'Connor.

The majority in this decision consisted of the courts four liberals (Ginsberg, Souter, Stevens and Breyer). They were joined by swing vote Justice Kennedy.

So basically the swing votes, as might be expected, split 50/50, the LIBERALS voted to allow the government to take land and the CONSERVATIVES voted against it.

So once again, Dean doesn't let the facts get in the way of a good story.