I understand that an hour of time has a large opportunity cost to most working Americans. I will post the full special comment in the increments and I will ask, as an American, that you take the time throughout your day to watch each one. At times, Olbermann goes a bit too dramatic, in my opinion - BUT - you will walk away with significantly more knowledge than you started with. Please, watch.
Without further comment:
*Please note you can visit www.msnbc.com for the full video as well*
I don't think he was too dramatic. Olbermann ask the right question. "What do we do about that system?" A system that exploits at the cost of human lives. The system he was referring to was, of course, the Heath Care System.
What do we do? We burn it to the ground, and out of compassion that we are not shown ourselves let the criminal pimps off the hook. Because the alternative only means more death. We afford the compassion that we are so seldom shown, and then put a system in place that actually works for the people and not for a selected few.
We are at war. Judging by the body count that is not hyperbole. It is the cold hard truth.
No tragicmagic, YOUR post is moving. What tragedy! I am glad you found the compassion a mother and her child deserve. Every hospital has rogue docs, and at MDA there are some who view a death as a personal failure, so will ignore DNR's. Watched that several times, and it was truly inhumane. We treat animals much better.
wilma your post is moving and resonates with me. today michael had a really bad day. there are good days, bad days and every kind of days in between. hospital chaplains and counselors have been very comforting to me over the last years, you are both two of the good guys! sounds like you both are painfully aware of this fact. sometimes i feel as if this really sets me apart not only from reality, but from "town hall americans" i watched on tv over the summer. i had no opportunity for a town hall meeting, seems in texas if you're not a tea party person lawmakers don't care what you need, want, or have to say. but be careful what you say or write about md anderson, they have a lot of conservative anti- reform doctors there. when we were waiting on the SSI hearing and the pediatric clinic had my son on charity care, one in the GI clinic refused the 6month scan or any further diagnostic testing to gauge 12 liver growths found on the prior cat scan. despite a report reading "further clinical correlation warranted"! said neocon doc said we should "stay the course" and when pressed, told me bluntly it was a "waste" of limited resources. funny thing is, the pain clinic doctor said pain medicine was "addictive" and should be avoided because my son is so young! so the wellness center offers the yoga, there is the painting, but pain that courses through the human body that doctors tell you to "suck up" is not acceptable. my son's life expectancy was 19, so he's already outlived their expert opinion for several years and i don't give a rats ass what doctors think when they say stupid things. i had to get a patient advocate and get rid of dr neocon, and he was the dept head! the next doc had no problem moving forward with treatment options and disclosed to me that part of the treatment was covered by an NIH grant. we were also quiet referred to an outside private pain doctor who has no trouble treating pain that keeps you in bed. just wanted to let you know that we've been there since 2003, been through several remissions and relapses, not much left to do. but finding out how some of the doctors despise the poor and what schills they can be for big pharma has been hard to swallow.
I've always been a big Olbermann fan. It goes back to the Sportscenter days, but even then I knew he just wasn't another mindless sportscaster. There was too much wit. In this case he held back just enough on the wit that normally surrounds every issue. He talked plain. The only place it entered in was in the comparisons with Dicken's England. I also liked the fact that he didn't reference either party that much directly until the end when he asked for free clinics. At that moment he targeted Democrats.
Thanks Miemaw...
Bob and I just watched this... thank you, Kelly. As a Hospice Chaplain, Bob heard the talk about the fear of death and of BILLS, and of decisions about aggressive treatment vs comfort care (hospice) as resonating with many of the discussions he has had with patients and families over the past 17 years.
He personalized what both of us have seen over and over, for my part, as a visitation counselor with an AIDS agency for 9 years and a chaplaincy intern at MD Anderson for another. He talked openly, candidly, and without soft-peddling language like "passed away". In our opinion it wasn't dramatic or overdone... we both said FINALLY! Finally someone is openly talking about the real issues of fear and death.
I never watched any hospital shows like ER or House. They aren't real. They don't have episodes about paperwork and finances and bills. Hospitals aren't places full of people with exotic and rare cases to be solved. They ARE places full of pain though. I was really glad he spoke highly of doctors and nurses and pharmacists. They ARE caring people for the most part... and as frustrated as everyone else.
Where do we sign up to donate to have the free clinics in those cities?
Just for the record.
I just completed my donation (very modest compared to Keith Olbermann's contribution of $50,000) to the National Association of Free Clinics -- on their website.
Google will get you there in no time at all.
Some times, you just have to put money, where your heart and mind is.
compelling!
Excellent and considering I'm wallowing at home there wasn't much opportunity cost
Might I add this special comment is excellent conversational currency?
The world's biggest baseball fan, watched Keith Olbermann, not once --- but twice, last night.
This morning, I have also read the transcript, which can be found at www.commondreams.org
Additionally, I have checked his web page -- with special attention paid to the "take action" information.
His passionate plea, on behalf of people who don't have the financial resources, to care for an ill parent, that are available to him.... was worth every minute.
If he is able to get the National Association of Free Clinics to do what he wants them to do: to hold free clinics in: Lincoln's Arkansas, Baucus' Montana, Reid's Nevada, Landreiu's Louisiana, and other places, to put pressure on these "I got mine sucker, get yours the best way you can" Senators. More power to him. I'll donate. And, so should you.
We saw the guns, the signs, and the screams at town hall meetings. What we didn't hear was the stories of the people who are suffering, and dying, because of lack of insurance, and they do not get any health care.
Use the google machine, and look up Natalie Sarkisyan. She died, at age 17, because Cigna denied her a liver transplant --- until it was much, much, too late to save her life. Her parents thought they had INSURANCE. Wrong.
Mr. Olbermann spoke from first hand knowledge, and some experience, on this issue.
It was one of the finest hours in journalism, in my recent memory.
This is what "journalists" used to do. In depth reporting ...... of facts.
Thanks for posting it.
yes i agree olbermann can be taxing to watch when he gets serious and gives a long speech. honestly the first time i even noticed him was when i was channel surfing years ago and happened to catch keith's long speech on why we should not invade iraq. countdown to me is unusual, probably because olbermann has the background in sports, which i like and keeps both my sons interested at times. fox puts on beck who runs around with a can of gas and says "light me on fire" and goes around squirting liquid tear eye drops before camera close ups. there is no comparison, period. keith olbermann is a real journalist. i found his speech very moving and personally resonated with some things he said about his parents. i hope everyone takes the time to watch this, it's no sound byte.
I DVR'd this since I couldn't watch last night but I plan on watching it in full this evening!
Call me shallow, but I'll watch the Olbermann piece simply because you sexed it up by using the term "opportunity cost". Throw in "Pareto optimum" and I'll bear all your future children.
Rowwwrrr.