A jury will decide if the airline was negligent, which would make the family eligible for punitive damages.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

But what goes on in this billionaire athlete’s private life and should he be held to account for his action? Not only is Tiger the world’s best golfer, he is one of the best-paid pitchmen for various products. Nike alone pays him some $30 million a year to wear clothing, shoes, and equipment bearing its logo.

Why Tiger did not talk immediately with the authorities is puzzling. Why he continues to refuse to talk to them is an act of defiance. As the old saying goes, something smells rotten in Denmark. Although the press releases say that alcohol was not a factor in the incident, one wonders whether something else was amiss. Could it have been a domestic squabble with his wife over whether he was having an affair, as that bastion of faux news the National Enquirer has been claiming? What was Tiger’s wife doing with a golf club, anyway? Could Tiger have been under the influence of drugs?

Tiger should set the record straight and come clean with exactly what happened. Although he has led a fairy tale life, he is after all only human, like the rest of us. And like the rest of us, he is capable of not exercising the best discretion and judgment at all times. I respect Tiger Woods’ athletic abilities and his work with kids. But he is not above the law. The authorities and investigators should be allowed complete access to Tiger to get at the underlying cause of  Tiger’s bizarre conduct.

What effect will this incident have on Tiger’s career, or perhaps more importantly, on his popularity? When Ted Kennedy left the scene of the accident and disappeared until the following morning after the Chappaquiddick  incident, it nearly ruined his career in the Senate. He had to live under the cloud of suspicion for the rest of his life and that event dashed any realistic chances he had of becoming President, even many years later.

Although Tiger Woods’ actions don’t amount to the seriousness of Ted Kennedy’s, one wonders why he hasn’t be more forthcoming and straightforward with the authorities concerning his accident. Also to be considered is the effect this may have on some of his endorsements. Will some of his endorsements bail out on him, or will Tiger Woods’ almost mythical qualities survive intact?

If nothing else, this incident has turned into a public relations nightmare for Tiger Woods. Will all of his fans forget about this and claim it was a “private affair,” or will they take Tiger down from the pedestal many have put him on? In any event, I believe a thorough investigation should be conducted into the accident – after all, he did damage public and private property – to determine the cause of Tiger’s unusual conduct and whether there are any legal grounds for pressing charges against him.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The judge ruled that the Corps of Engineers had known for more than 40 years that a crucial levee protecting suburban St. Bernard Parish and the Lower 9^th ward neighborhood would be compromised by the deterioration of the channel known as the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet. The shipping channel was dug in the 1960s as a shortcut between the gulf of Mexico and New Orleans. The judge awarded the victims/plaintiffs—six residents and one business owner—a total of $719,000 in a suit that was originally filed in April 2006.

The victims argued that the channel had become a “hurricane highway” that funneled storm surges into the city. Without the channel, they argued, the flooding would have been minimal.

According to Pierce O’Donnell, the lead lawyer for the victims, as a result of the ruling, nearly 100,000 New Orleans-area residents and business owners who have filed flood-damage claims with the Army Corps of Engineers are now potentially eligible for payment. O’Donnell was quoted as saying that the judge agreed that Katrina was not a natural disaster, but rather a man-made disaster caused by the Army Corps of Engineers. O’Donnell also stated that his firm had filed a separate class action suit against the United States on behalf of thousands of victims of the flood.

At the trial, attorneys for the government argued that the Army Corps of Engineers was not liable for the post-hurricane flooding because it was immune from civil lawsuits questioning federal flood policy. But the judge hearing the case found that the Corps of Engineers was guilty of “gross negligence” and that superseded any immunity claim.

It is disturbing to know that the federal authorities knew of the inadequacies of the channel for so many years, yet did nothing to shore it up to prevent the loss of lives and tremendous property damage resulting from the levee’s failure. So many lives could have been saved and so much property damage could have been avoided had the Army Corps of Engineers acted responsibly in designing, digging, and maintaining the channel.

The United States government knew of the inadequacy of the channel for four decades, but chose to do nothing significant about it. Even now, some four and a half years after the tragic flooding, New Orleans is far from recovering from the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. And for those who lost spouses, children, parents, grandparents, and friends as a result of the Army Corps of Engineers “monumental negligence,” no amount of money can take the place of their loved ones.

The United States government has the duty to act responsibly and when it fails to do so, it should be required to adequately compensate the victims of its wrongful conduct in a reasonably timely manner. Unfortunately, for the successful victims in this case, they will probably not see a dime from the United States, as it is anticipated that the United States will appeal the case, which could take years. These people have suffered enough already. The United States should do right by them and promptly pay them the monetary compensation the judge awarded them. Hurricane Katrina was the worst disaster in American history and we should not compound the injury to the innocent victims by requiring them to spend years in court to recover for their losses.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

U.S. District Court Judge John F. Keenan granted Merck summary judgment in the case stating that the  plaintiff’s physician was unqualified to render an opinion in the matter.  He also indicated that the evidence presented was insufficient to show a causal link between  Fosomax and osteonecrosis of the jaw.

Fosomax has been  approved to treat the thinning of bone tissue and loss of bone density.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

It is obvious that the health care system is in drastic need of an overhaul. Too many people cannot afford health insurance and are relegated to visiting the emergency room when their minor infection festers into a serious, even life-threatening, problem.

The House of Representatives approved its version on the health care bill by a slim 220 for to 215 against. The Senate has narrowly approved the health care bill for debate on the Senate floor, 60 votes for, 39 against. Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla) stated on an ABC program, that: “The important thing for the American people to understand is this bill does not fix what is wrong with health care. We are treating symptoms, not the disease. It is really malpractice what we are doing. The problem with healthcare is it costs too much and there is nothing to address that.”

I could not agree with Senator Coburn more. The cost of healthcare is atrocious. Yes, these men and women who serve our medical needs spent many years in college, medical school, internship, and residency, but I always thought that, rather than the mercenary reasons for becoming a doctor (e.g., big money), the student-doctor chose his or her path out of a burning desire to help the sick. While I will not deny the doctor the right to charge his or her fee, I do think that hospital costs area out of control. Imagine being hospitalized overnight for observation and being charged $6.00 for a single aspirin because you have a headache or pain. I think everyone can agree that that is simply outrageous. And you better not bring your own bottle of aspirin with you to the hospital; that is simply forbidden.

And now with all the expensive machines hospitals and clinics have purchased, e.g., CT scanners, MRIs, and others, there is an incentive for the doctor to send the patient for scanning even though it may not be medically necessary. Of course, the doctor will complain about the number of medical malpractice lawsuits being filed and he or she has to practice “defensive medicine,” meaning more useless tests are performed than are medically necessary.

Be that as it may, it is clear that some sort of national health care program is necessary to ensure that every American has access to quality health care at a reasonable fee. If they disparingly call it the “public option” so be it. But without giving Americans a health program that they can afford and that will cover them regardless of their health condition, including preexisting conditions, our emergency rooms will continue to be flooded with people with no insurance who are severely ill.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Some people are opposed to the public trial of Mohammed and his henchmen in a public court of law on the basis it will give Mohammed a soap box upon which to spew his hateful rhetoric against the United States and promote his belief in “jihad,” or holy war. But that argument is similar to those made during the Nuremberg trials of Nazi officials following World War II for their roles in the Jewish Holocaust. Rules of trial procedure prohibit Mohammed and his colleagues from using the trial as a public forum in which to air their hatred and extremist views. And if he wishes to voice his extremist and hateful speech against the United States, let him—the jury will know what to make of his extremist views and how to deal with him.

9/11 was the worst tragedy ever committed by terrorists against the United States. Thousands of people lost their lives on 9/11, including the hundreds of brave firemen bearing “FDNY” equipment who went into the buildings to save lives, only to lose their own when the buildings collapsed.

Instead of trying the case in a public trial in a civilian court open for all to see, including the survivors and the press, authorities had the option of trying the terrorists in front of a military tribunal. Some people argue that we should not give Mohammed and his gang the kind of rights we apply to American citizens when they are charged with a crime. The answer is that the United States is a civilized country, and giving Mohammed et al. the same rights we give any criminal shows that the United States respects the rule of law. And trying the terrorists in a open civilian court will expose Mohammed and his followers for the extremists and cowards they really are.

Questions will be raised as to the admissibility of some evidence. The CIA has admitted to having used some brutal interrogation methods, including “waterboarding”—a technique that simulates drowning—to get information out of the suspected terrorists. Whether any evidence that was obtained improperly is admissible in court will be an issue for the judge to decide.

We should provide Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and his fellow henchmen with a fair trial according to established United States court procedures. They are the terrorists, not the United States. We must rise above the guttural hatred we all feel toward the terrorists and give them a fair trial and opportunity to present their defense, if they have any justification for what they did. There is no doubt in my mind that a fair and impartial jury will come to one conclusion: that Mohammed and his colleagues are guilty of masterminding and implementing one of the worst terrorist atrocities in recent history.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

On May 31, 2009, anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder shot and killed in cold-blood Dr. George Tiller in the foyer of the doctor’s church. The reason for the killing: Dr. Tiller provided abortions to women who wanted them, whether it was a matter of pure choice or the pregnancy posed a threat of harm to the woman. Dr. Tiller was a specialist in late-term abortions.

On Monday, November 9, 2009, Roeder confessed to an Associate Press reporter that he killed Dr. Tiller, stating that he killed Tiller “to protect unborn children.” Roeder said he had no regrets because “pre-born children were in imminent danger.” Scott Roeder chose to be a vigilante and take the law into his own hands when he killed Dr. Tiller. Now Roeder is charged with first-degree murder, with his trial set for January 2010. In the jail interview with AP, Roeder said that he didn’t consider his actions murder and that he had no intention of changing his plea of not guilty to guilty. Roeder apparently plans to use a “necessity” defense at his trial, arguing that he killed Dr. Tiller to prevent a greater harm.

Roeder’s confession came on the same day that several fervently opposed anti-abortionists released their  “Defensive Action Statement 3^rd Edition,” that proclaims any force that can be used to defend the life of a “born child is legitimate to defend the life of an unborn child.” The statement was signed by 21 anti-abortionists, and demands that Roeder’s jurors be allowed to consider the question of when life begins in deciding whether lethal force was justified.

We cannot choose which laws we will obey and which laws we will ignore without regard for the consequences. If you want to drive 95 mph on the freeway, fine—but don’t be surprised when you see the flashing red and blue lights in your rear-view mirror. The fact that you’re a professional NASCAR driver used to traveling 200 mph in a group of cars mere feet from each other does not give you the right to ignore the speed limit. Likewise, if you don’t agree with a woman’s right to an abortion, you cannot kill abortion providers and expect to get away Scot-free.

If you do not agree with a law, the proper thing to do is to contact your state and federal representatives and senators and urge them to support a bill to change it. Another method to change a law is to go to court and challenge its constitutionality, irregularities in its enactment, or other reason that negates the law. If you don’t agree with the lower court’s decision, you have the right to appeal the case. But when the United States Supreme Court rules against you and no further appeals are possible, you cannot take the law into your hands, regardless of your beliefs, religious or otherwise.

If people were allowed to pick and choose which laws they feel are reasonable and should be followed, and which laws are repugnant to their beliefs and don’t need to be followed, America would be in a constant state of anarchy.  Even if you don’t agree with a law, you must follow it or be prepared to face the consequences.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Monfort is still hospitalized in serious condition on Sunday after he was shot by detectives in the parking lot of his suburban apartment complex on Friday.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Hasan was trained by the army as a psychiatrist to help soldiers returning from abroad deal with the mental stress of combat. By some reports, however, the horror stories he heard and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) he witnessed first hand ultimately changed him too. Hasan reportedly turned against the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and was becoming a more devout Muslim. In the coming months, Hasan’s life will be dissected, his computers searched to see whether he was the author of posts likening suicide bombers to heroic army soldiers who give their lives to save others.  Prior to being sent to Fort Hood to await deployment to Afghanistan, Hasan had spent six years at Walter Reed Hospital, where he was described as being a quiet, polite, yet lonely man, and he received a poor performance evaluation.

Ironically, the massacre occurred only miles from Kileen, Texas—where  Hasan lived in an apartment—and  which was the scene of one of the most deadly shootings in American history when George Hennard crashed his truck into a Libby’s cafeteria and began randomly shooting people in 1991. In all, Hennard killed 23 people and wounded 20. Also ironic is the report that Hasan spent some time at Virginia Tech, the site of an April, 2007 massacre in which 32 people were killed and many others wounded by senior English major Seung-Hui Cho.

Psychiatrists and other mental health providers who deal with people who have suffered a serious tragedy or been in lengthy highly stressful, even life-or-death, situations are often affected deeply by their clients’ ordeals. Psychiatry as a profession has one of the highest rates of suicide, alcoholism, and substance abuse among its practitioners than most professions.

In an August 2007 article in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, the author states that, because of the stress of their work, mental health providers are more likely than others to experience depression and other disorders. The article points out, however, that most depressed psychiatrists would not seek the help of a fellow psychiatrist but are more likely to self-prescribe antidepressants. Studies of depressed persons have unequivocally concluded that a combination of antidepressants and psychotherapy (“talk therapy”) is the best method for treating most depression. However, depressed psychiatrists do not want to seek out mental health care from another psychiatrist for a number of reasons, particularly to keep a clean record for malpractice insurance rates and to avoid the stigma of being labeled as having a mental illness. After all, what mentally-ill patient would want to be treated by a psychiatrist with depression or other mental disorder?

Never was the saying “Physician heal thyself” more appropriate than in this case, especially when considered with the medical profession’s Hippocratic Oath, which admonishes healers, “First, do no harm.” My heart goes out to the families of the killed soldiers and the wounded soldiers who thought that nothing could be safer than being on the biggest military base in the United States.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

I loved America, I loved the political process, and had dreams of one day becoming a Congressman or even a Senator. Since I had been born outside of the United States, I was barred by the Constitution from becoming President.  The mood of campaign headquarters was delirious.  It was a tight race between Bobby Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey, Linden Johnson having pulled out of the race several months earlier..

Four hours after the polls closed, Bobby Kennedy claimed victory in the packed Embassy Room of the Ambassador Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Bobby was supposed to walk through the throng of well-wishers on his way to another gathering of supporters in another room of the Hotel. However, bowing to news reporters facing tight deadlines, a campaign aide convinced Bobby to skip the second speech and instead go through the kitchen and pantry area behind the ballroom to get to the press area. After he finished talking, Bobby started to exit the room when one of his two security guards took him through the kitchen. A gunshot rang out and Bobby fell to the ground, blood gushing from his head where a .22 bullet had penetrated. It was shortly after midnight, June 5, 1968 that he was mortally wounded.

The mood at the local campaign headquarters I was at immediately turned from one of  ebullient joy to one of utter despair. “How could this happen?” we asked each other. Was Bobby dead? Did they catch the assassin?

Kennedy was rushed to Los Angeles’ Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was pronounced dead the following morning. And with his death went many of the dreams of those of us who loved and supported him, who saw good things happening in the next eight years (for we were sure he would be elected President and reelected for a second term).

Who killed Bobby Kennedy? There was speculation that it was a mob-ordered hit because of how hard Bobby had come down on the mafia during his term as Attorney General under his brother John and then under President Johnson. But as hard as the conspiracy-buffs tried to make this into the result of a vast conspiracy, the fact is Robert F. Kennedy was the victim of a single gunshot by a lone gunman, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan, a 24-year-old  Christian Palestinian-American who felt betrayed by Bobby’s support for Israel in the June 1967 Six-Day War a year earlier.

By his murderous act, Sirhan Sirhan changed the course of American history even more than Lee Harvey Oswald did when he shot and killed President John F. Kennedy on that November day in Dallas in 1963. If Sirhan had not been successful, Bobby most likely would have been elected President and the nation would be proud once again. Instead we had to live through the Nixon years, the Watergate scandal, wars in the middle East, and hundreds—no, thousands—of tragedies that never should have occurred. One can only dream of the State of the Union had Bobby Kennedy been President for eight years.

What brings up this Commentary on Sirhan Sirhan is that prison authorities want to move him from the state prison in Corcoran, which houses high-risk prisoners such as Charles Manson, to Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga. Sirhan had been housed for years in the protective unit at Corcoran, one of the most isolated units in the state prison system. Sirhan’s attorney initially opposed the move of Sirhan from Corcoran state prison on the basis that Pleasant Valley State Prison would not be able to guarantee Sirhan’s safety, but a spokesman for the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Sirhan had requested the transfer and wants to go to Pleasant Valley.

I am not generally a vengeful person, but the news of Sirhan’s move brought back some deep-seated feelings I felt the night of June 4^th and 5^th of 1968  If Sirhan is at risk for his safety at Pleasant Valley State Prison, so be it. I have no sympathy for the man. He stole my hopes and dreams for a better America when he killed Bobby Kennedy in cold blood. He stole my innocence and I can never forgive him for that.

But I will always remember Bobby Kennedy’s words: “Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say why not.”

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.