Any brain insult be it a disease and/or injury is considered brain injury.

The brain is a complicated organ. In the case of this disease there is both an injury followed by a degenerative PROCESS. We have to do everything we can to protect from brain injury and interrupt any degenerative process. 

There are many paths that will have to be engaged to end this terrible tragedy of this disease of football players.

First there will have to be a more intense study of the impacts of football players. Impact is physics. Modern sports medicine should know about the physics of the game and it's impact injuries. The impact injuries now includes brain trauma.

The research into preventing repeated impact is to realize the best way the velocity of a football player can be trained to minimize the result of impact on the brain. 

Velocity is velocity. There can be techniques that can be taught by coaching staff to reduce brain trauma. With research into the mechanics of tackling and falling techniques to dissipate velocity over distance by rolling could reduce the trauma to the brain. Remember, the brain floats in a fluid, it is when the brain is suddenly forced against the bone that brain trauma/injury occurs. This disorder does not occur anywhere expect football, at least that we know. That means gymnasts that twist and turn and jump and land are doing it in such a way they are no sustaining brain injury. Why can't a football player learn to move and fall and land in ways that are not injurious?

I think a strong and lean body also improves any chance of dissipating the velocity of injury because muscle supports the body. Muscles can take impact and bounce back from the impact ABSORBING some of that shock. Bone won't do that. Bone is hard and will TRANSMIT velocity, but, muscles will act as a shock absorber.

Additionally, I think football players have to maintain a healthy diet that supports their brain while in training and during the season of playing. If a player supports brain health from early on will it prevent degeneration even if an injury occurs? My instincts tell me yes. But, they also need to have that brain healthy diet into retirement as well. With the building blocks in the diet can the brain function better and degenerate less? 

We need to take these problems seriously. We are the USA and we can about all our people. We want them to be happy all their years, not just a few years. 

I am hopeful. I sincerely believe we already have this disease on the run and the future will hold more and more promise. This comes at a time when President Obama has set the country on a path to investigate the brain and the disease that beset it. He has asked the scientific community to find treatments. 

Mr. Dorsett was the first player I heard stating he was going to be well again. I think a positive outlook is necessary in treating any disease, but, certainly when it comes to treating the brain all those positive juices are best to meet the day with this level of challenge. '

We know geneticists have already grown nerve tissue in a Petrina dish. Anyone for a transfusion of brain cells? 

Stem cells have proven when placed with mature cells they will grow new tissue. This is tomorrow, but, it has to begin sometime.

There is much to be done and hope has to be a place where we all live to make the dream of recovery and prevention come true. 

I like Mr. Dorsett. I want him to be able to tell stories of his days in football for a long time. I am glad he is a spokesperson to bring about a better outcome for those already ill with this disease and those currently playing and the young folks who love the game. There is no doubt he is a great man and he has capacity to be greater. 

Good luck.

There is such a thing as "Brain Food."

This is an example of brain food from an article on "WebMD". Don't take a simple article for granted that it is the do all or end all for brain health. A worthy medical doctor can make a referral to a nutritionist to discuss the type of foods best for optimal brain activity. A diet that might be able to intervene to diminish protein damage and it's future degeneration.

The brain is tissue. It has building blocks. Proteins are amino acids. There is much to be known about nutrition and how it might stem poor outcomes to brain injury. 

There's no denying that as we age chronologically, (click here) our body ages right along with us. But research is showing that you can increase your chances of maintaining a healthy brain well into your old age if you add these "smart" foods to your daily eating regimen.

Blueberries. "Brainberries" is what Steven Pratt, MD, author of Superfoods Rx: Fourteen Foods Proven to Change Your Life....

Wild salmon. Deep-water fish, such as salmon, are rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids, which are essential for brain function, says Kulze. Both she and Pratt recommend wild salmon for its "cleanliness" and the fact that it is in plentiful supply. Omega-3s also contain anti-inflammatory substances. Other oily fish that provide the benefits of omega-3s are sardines and herring, says Kulze; she recommends a 4-ounce serving, two to three times a week.

Those that aren't sure what kind of Omega-3s to prepare in food can ask for a prescription of Omega-es.

Nuts and seeds. Nuts and seeds are good sources of vitamin E, says Pratt, explaining that higher levels of vitamin E correspond with less cognitive decline as you get older....

Avocados. Avocados are almost as good as blueberries in promoting brain health, says Pratt. "I don't think the avocado gets its due," agrees Kulze....

Here is another one that stresses eating on a schedule to be sure the brain has the nutrition it needs without delay. Again, consult a nutritionist that is used to working with brain injuries.

Nutritional Tips for Head Injuries (click here)

• Eat small meals every three to four hours.
• Keep small baggies of healthy snacks with you during the day to boost your energy, such as nuts, trail mix, apples, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and energy bars. Ask a member of your family or support group to make these for you and put them in a small cooler to take with you when away from home.
• Balance small meals with a combination of protein, healthy fats and oils, and carbohydrates. Proteins include fish, lean meats, nuts, and eggs. Healthy fats and oils can be found in avocados, seeds, and nuts. Carbohydrates are found in vegetables, fresh fruits, and grains. Avoid eating carbohydrates by themselves if you have blood sugar concerns. Many individuals report that sugar and chocolate increase headaches, so eat sweets sparingly.
• Eat moderately. Do not overeat as it can cause you to feel sleepy.
• Eat by the clock. If your brain/body signals are not working well, set a timer, watch alarm or a mobile phone to alert you that it’s time to eat....

I am not a brain doctor. I simply have a sister that marvels me after her multiple surgeries to her brain. So, I studied up.

I don't ever believe in giving up. 

This is from Wikipedia and it says it well. Encephalopathy is degeneration of the brain tissue.

In some contexts it refers to permanent (or degenerative) brain injury, and in others it is reversible. It can be due to direct injury to the brain, or illness remote from the brain. In medical terms it can refer to a wide variety of brain disorders with very different etiologies, prognoses and implications. For example, prion diseases, all of which cause transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, are invariably fatal, but other encephalopathies are reversible and can be caused by nutritional deficiencies, toxins, and several other causes.

I think with such a new diagnosis the medical profession has a clear picture of the potential for reversing any brain damage associated with this disease.

The rule with ANY brain trauma is that no one knows exactly the extent of the injury until a full year after the insult. Why? Because we know for a fact nervous tissue where there is myelin (White Matter) will seek to regenerate within that myelin.

Now, this is a degenerative process, so once it starts it continues. But, I question whether there are ways of supporting the brain tissue that will minimize the deterioration. I think it is very important to completely understand this disease. We owe it to the men who brought excitement into the lives of Americans. They are important and the game they played was important.

There many types of cells in the brain.

Outside the gray and white matter, literally, there are structures that support the brain. The body has very unique ways of protecting the brain. It is these specialty cells that protect and feed the nervous tissue of the brain. The only part of the brain that is unprotected by any tissue is the gray matter. 

Gray matter is nerve tissue without the myelin. It is the myelin that insulates nerve tissue and it is the white matter. Both are important for normal function. 

The most dramatic example of the difference between gray and white matter is in MS. In MS (Multiple Sclerosis), the myelin is missing. It literally short circuits. MS has nothing to do with the brain disorder of the NFL.

Scientists now beginning to probe the long-neglected half of the brain called the white matter are discovering how it specializes in connectivity, with bundles of insulated “wiring” that link neurons within and between gray matter areas into ensembles that may produce the light of conscious mental functioning. A pioneer of research on white matter, Filley proposes a new field of study that would bring “the other half of the brain” into the mainstream of neuroscience.  - See more at: http://www.dana.org/Cerebrum/Default.aspx?id=39152#sthash.yNPIM26X.dpu

Oligodendroglia

Astroglia

- microvasculature

- Blood Brain barrier 

Microglia

I simply want to stress how completely incredible human brains are and how they are perfect before injury. The human body has developed specialized support tissue to keep any type of toxic substance away from the brain tissue. The nourishment reaching the brain is literally strained by the supportive tissues to protect all those nerves that carry our thoughts and memory. 

"Why the White Brain Matters" (click here) This is an article by Dana Farber which speaks to the forgotten part of the brain.

Why bring this up? Because Mr. Dorsett wants to rehabilitate his brain. He doesn't want to accept the fact in the year 2015 the USA has little to no clue on host to stop and reverse the process of DTE. 

Mr. Dorsett's ambition is admirable and I think it is very realistic, however, it is going to take some more research to identify the cells most effected from person to person. I do not believe this type of encephalopathy is exactly the same in every football player. The reason there is difference is because every player has had a different experience in the game. While this phenomena is diagnosable under one set of terms, the path of this disease my manifest worse in some people than others.   

Scientists now beginning to probe the long-neglected half of the brain called the white matter are discovering how it specializes in connectivity, with bundles of insulated “wiring” that link neurons within and between gray matter areas into ensembles that may produce the light of conscious mental functioning. A pioneer of research on white matter, Filley proposes a new field of study that would bring “the other half of the brain” into the mainstream of neuroscience.  - See more at: http://www.dana.org/Cerebrum/Default.aspx?id=39152#sthash.yNPIM26X.dpuf

There are basically four types of tissue in the human body other than organ cells.

Epithelial Tissue covers body surfaces (epi, on + thelium, surface).  Epithelial tissue consists of cells attached to one another to form an uninterrupted layer of cells that separates the underlying tissues from the outside world.  The body's epithelium not only covers its obvious surfaces (such as the epidermis of the skin and the linings of respiratory, urinary, and digestive tracts) but also extends into all of the complex invaginations which form lungs, kidneys, sweat glands, digestive glands, liver, etc.  Epithelial tissue provides the essential functions of protection; containment of body fluids; and transport in and out across body surfaces (absorption and secretion).  Embryonically, most epithelial tissues are derived either from ectoderm (e.g., epidermis) or endoderm (e.g., epithelium of trachea and lung).

Organ cells are specialized and do not replicate. In most all instances a person is born with the number of cells they will have in their lifetime. The exception to that are skin cells and bone cells. 

Connective Tissue supports other tissues.  Connective tissue consists of several cell types and extracellular products which, together, provide essential functions of mechanical reinforcement, immune surveillance, transport/diffusion of nutrients and wastes, and energy storage (fat).  Embryonically, connective tissues derive from mesoderm or mesenchyme.

Nervous Tissue is responsible for rapid long-distance signalling, coordination, and "thinking".  Nervous tissue consists of highly specialized nerve cells and support cells which are derived from embryonic neuroectoderm and neural crest. 

Muscle Tissue is specialized for gross movement by means of cellular contraction.  Embryonically, muscle derives from mesoderm or mesenchyme.

Brain tissue has a great many blood vessels. Remember? Microtubules.

Central nervous tissue is highly vascular, so blood vessels should be a significant feature in any histological specimen of CNS.  Large vessels generally remain on the surface of the brain or spinal cord, so only smaller vessels penetrate into gray and white matter.  

Such small vessels may not be immediately recognizable as such.  As in other regions of the body, capillaries may be quite inconspicuous due to small size.  Even venules and arterioles may be small enough that the layers in their walls are not clearly visible.  Blood cells may be washed out during preparation.  Nevertheless, such vessels should be noticed, since they play a crucial role in brain function and pathology. 

Blood vessels are generally the largest structural elements in neuropil and in white matter (i.e., even capillaries are larger in diameter than most CNS axons and dendrites). The thumbnails below link to several spinal cord specimens in which blood vessels may be observed.  Blood vessels appear similar in any region of the brain.

We all know blood vessels are vital to the survival of tissue anywhere in the body. We have witnessed the "compartment syndrome' of a famous journalist in all places an airplane receive an injury that cut off the blood circulation to his lower arm. Blood circulation is vital.

If injury occurs and tau proteins released, the brain tissues microtubules can no long function to circulate vital fluids containing oxygen and cellular food.

So, I think we are getting a fairly good picture to what is occurring with concussion injuries in the NFL. The injury insults the blood circulation and the tau proteins are released from the damaged micro blood vessel and the deterioration begins.

It is understandable, isn't it? It all makes sense to me. I hope it makes sense ot others. I don't think there is a mysterious anything happening with the brain so much as understandable processes or deterioration. In that one can also understand why one player may or may not have the same symptoms as other peers.

This is from Boston University. They have isolated a "tau protein" in these players.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) (click here) is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes (and others) with a history of repetitive brain trauma, including symptomatic concussions as well as asymptomatic subconcussive hits to the head. CTE has been known to affect boxers since the 1920s. However, recent reports have been published of neuropathologically confirmed CTE in retired professional football players and other athletes who have a history of repetitive brain trauma. This trauma triggers progressive degeneration of the brain tissue, including the build-up of an abnormal protein called tau.  These changes in the brain can begin months, years, or even decades after the last brain trauma or end of active athletic involvement.  The brain degeneration is associated with memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and, eventually, progressive dementia....

Tau proteins  are proteins that stabilize microtubules. They are abundant in neurons of the central nervous system and are less common elsewhere, but are also expressed at very low levels in CNS astrocytes and oligodendrocytes.

Microtubules support cellular processes. The tau proteins are found, in my opinion, in higher numbers in the brains of former football players because the tissue has been damaged. These proteins are probably at first released outside of the cells due to damage and then continue to function, but, now function inappropriately causing greater damage. That is pure theory, but, it seems to me to be realistic. 

So, the question arises as to how to 'turn off' these dysfunctional proteins without turning them off while they function properly. Research. We need to understand what happens to 'advance' the deterioration after the initial injury. 

To date, (click here) the only established function of Tau is the promotion of assembly of tubulin into microtubules and stabilization of their structure. The protein occurs mainly in the axons of the CNS and consists largely of six isoforms generated by alternative splicing; the longest of them has 441 amino acids....

The brain disease found in former NFL players can be diagnosed with scans now. The diagnosis is definative.

January 22, 2013
By Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru Wada

Brain scans performed on five former NFL players (click here) revealed images of the protein that causes football-related brain damage — the first time researchers have identified signs of the crippling disease in living players.

Researchers who conducted the pilot study at UCLA described the findings as a significant step toward being able to diagnose the disease known as Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, or CTE, in living patients.

“I’ve been saying that identifying CTE in a living person is the Holy Grail for this disease and for us to be able make advances in treatment,” said Dr. Julian Bailes, co-director of NorthShore Neurological Institute in Evanston, Ill., and one of the study’s co-authors. “It’s not definitive and there’s a lot we still need to discover to help these people, but it’s very compelling. It’s a new discovery.”
Dozens of former players — including 34 who played in the NFL — have been diagnosed with CTE, a neurodegenerative disease linked to dementia, memory loss and depression. The disease, which researchers say is triggered by repeated head trauma, can be confirmed only by examining the brain after death. CTE was discovered earlier this month in the brain of former Chargers linebacker Junior Seau, who committed suicide last May by shooting himself in the chest.

The UCLA researchers used a patented brain-imaging tool to examine Fred McNeill, a 59-year-old former Vikings linebacker; Wayne Clark, a 64-year-old former back-up quarterback; and three other unidentified players: a 73-year-old former guard; a 50-year-old former defensive lineman; and a 45-year-old former center. Each had sustained at least one concussion; the center sustained 10....

He was born April 7, 1954. He is sixty years old, turning 61 this year. His disability has nothing to do with his age.

November 7, 2013

By Eur Publisher 02

...The 1976 Heisman Trophy (click here) winner and eighth all-time leading NFL rusher said he has trouble controlling his emotions and is prone to outbursts at his wife and daughters.

“It’s painful, man, for my daughters to say they’re scared of me.” After a long pause, he tearfully reiterated, “It’s painful.”
Dorsett said doctors have told him he is clinically depressed.
“I’ve thought about crazy stuff, sort of like, ‘Why do I need to continue going through this?'” he said. “I’m too smart of a person, I like to think, to take my life, but it’s crossed my mind.”
CTE is a disease with no known cure, but Dorsett said he was seeking answers to explain his cognitive and emotional difficulties.
“I want to know if this is something that has come about because of playing football,” he said.
Dorsett’s 12-year playing career ended a quarter-century ago. He said he doesn’t know how many concussions he suffered, but that they were numerous and he believes their consequences are, too.
“My quality of living has changed drastically and it deteriorates every day,” he said.
Dorsett, Marshall and DeLamielleure are among the 4,500-plus plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit filed against the NFL that is in the midst of being settled for $765 million. The plaintiffs argued that for years the NFL had concealed a link between playing football and brain damage. As part of the settlement reached in August, the NFL did not admit to wrongdoing....

Tony Dorsett had an incredible career. (click here)

From the Heisman Trophy to the Hall of Fame. It is safe to say he gave the game his all.

February 13, 2015
By Ron Cook

The words came slowly, haltingly. (click here) It was as if a very old man were speaking. At times, he was hard to understand. It was heartbreaking to hear, especially if you know the man, know what he was.
“I’m in a battle, obviously,” Tony Dorsett said.
This was during an interview this week with Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket in Dallas. Dorsett, a star tailback at Hopewell High School, a Heisman Trophy winner at Pitt and a Hall of Famer and Super Bowl champion with the Dallas Cowboys, has symptoms of CTE — chronic traumatic encephalopathy — a progressive degenerative brain disease that he believes is linked to his playing days. He talked of getting in his car and forgetting where he is going or how to get there. He has mood swings. He has periods of paranoia and depression.
“Some days are good. Some days are bad,” Dorsett said. “I signed up for this when, I guess, I started playing football so many years ago …
“But, obviously, not knowing that the end was going to be like this.”...

The unthinkable has happened.

3 high school football players die in a week (click here)

A New York school district is investigating the death of a 16-year-old football player who died after an on-field collision. It was the third death involving a high school football player in the last week. ESPNW Columnist Kate Fagan joins to examine...

It's Sunday Night

"Boys of Fall" by Kenny Chesney (click here)

When I feel that chill, smell that fresh cut grass
I'm back in my helmet, cleats, and shoulder pads
Standing in the huddle, listening to the call
Fans going crazy for the boys of fall

They didn't let just anybody in that club
Took every ounce of heart and sweat and blood
To get to wear those game-day jerseys down the hall
The kings of the school, man, we're the boys of fall

Well it's turn to face the stars and stripes
It's fighting back them butterflies
It's call it in the air, alright
Yes sir, we want the ball
And it's knocking heads and talking trash
It's slinging mud and dirt and grass
It's I got your number, I got your back
When your back's against the wall
You mess with one man, you got us all
The boys of fall

In little towns like mine, that's all they've got
Newspaper clippings fill the coffee shops
The old men will always think they know it all
Young girls will dream about the boys of fall

Well it's turn and face the stars and stripes
It's fighting back them butterflies
It's call it in the air, alright
Yes sir, we want the ball
And it's knocking heads and talking trash
It's slinging mud and dirt and grass
It's I got your number, I got your back
When your back's against the wall
You mess with one man, you got us all
The boys of fall

Well it's turn and face the stars and stripes
It's fighting back them butterflies
It's call it in the air, alright
Yes sir, we want the ball
And it's knocking heads and talking trash
It's slinging mud and dirt and grass
It's I got your number, I got your back
When your back's against the wall
You mess with one man, you got us all
The boys of fall

We're the boys of fall
We're the boys of fall

We all made the mistake in believing Hollywood was at least civilized when the emails were released.

But, when will it return to a tone that doesn't send Americans into the streets with guns? I think you all should be ashamed of yourselves.

CLINT Eastwood’s latest movie (click here) American Sniper may be a hot Oscar contender and a US box office hit but it has divided Hollywood....

...But some stars have taken issue with its tone, which they say glorifies war.
Seth Rogen was one of the first to attack the film, tweeting: “American Sniper kind of reminds me of the movie that’s showing in the third act of Inglorious Basterds.”

Rogen’s reference is to a Nazi propaganda film in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds where a German sniper kills Allied soldiers from a clock tower....

You are acting like children in a sandbox. Real threats have occurred to others because movie stars are trying to build the number of followers they have on Twitter. 

Rob Lowe? I suppose the subscribers will increase to "Direct TV?" Right? Direct TV is expensive and quite frankly I find their commercials insulting and hideous. The Macho Man Rob Lowe is a jackass. 

...Documentary-maker Michael Moore tweeted that snipers were “cowards” and that invaders were “worse”. Moore, who was famously booed by Oscar attendees in his 2003 acceptance speech for denouncing the Iraq War, later tried to claim he hadn’t been referring to the subject of Eastwood’s film.
Even so, he got an angry response from fans of the film, including actor Rob Lowe and former Republican presidential nominee Newt Gingrich....

So, kicking Michael Moore in the ass is becoming a real popular statement. He has had innumerable threats and it was not about kicking ass. Every one of you should be ashamed and need to put the smartphones down for at least a month. Google should suspend the lot of you for at least that long. 

This film was produced by Clint Eastwood, not Kid Rock, and Eastwood had nothing but kindness for Moore and Bill Maher. I guess it takes a real man to realize the dangers that lie in the real world when Hollywood is out of control with desperate words for Twitter followers.

Honestly. It isn't embarrassing enough to actually realize there are adults in the real world in America that would actually tweet a death threat to someone. They should all be facing legal action. 

There is a very high level of hate in the country to have so many people sparked into action by negative comments by celebrities. The only reason the right wing is immune to such hate and outspoken in 'kick ass' attitudes is because the left are adverse to guns, war and killing. It isn't because they are cowards, it is because the Left Political Wing believes in defense of the USA and not the illegal invasion of other countries.

Every celebrity should take themselves very seriously as they are the people that contributed to the hate leveled at their peers.  Part of what is contributing to all this in the twitter-verse is desperate political attitudes. Death threats aren't going to solve the politics of the USA, but, will only make it worse.

Michael Moore and Bill Maher speak for a lot of people on the Left in American politics. They didn't come out and threaten to kick ass or speak a scenario that leads to death threats. They speak about the politics of people that value life and the quality of life for all Americans. Both these men also help with the very expensive stage of politics since Citizens United. 

The Left believes in freedom far more than the right does. The people that gravitate to Left Wing politics see the world without violence, without guns and without death threats. They love their families and they love the values their children adhere to because of their upbringing in a left sphere world of peace. 

The word sniper is a very loaded word. It brings up all connotations, but, the least of those connotations is about the role of a sniper at war with the USA. One might pay attention to the fact Mr. Chris Kyle was killed by a man known to have profound PTSD. (click here) 

It is not unusual for soldiers afflicted with that disorder to want to be at war then return to a 'normal' life with their families. The repeated deployments became a preferred destiny to some. If there was anything I wish, it is to erase all those haunting memories of our soldiers and prevent their own demise at their own hand. The causalities of the wayward war into Iraq is continuing within our homeland. Twenty-two deaths per day due to the lousy war that lasted longer than any other war in American history.

Those 22 daily deaths is why President Obama stated everyone needs to be aware of the psychological haunts our soldiers and their potential to harm themselves. Hopefully, the recent legislation will help and soon. 

But, this mess Hollywood creates for attention to draw in more fans is completely disrespectful of the soldiers that have died and are still dying for this country.

But, the word sniper is loaded with all kinds of problems. Would Americans call the snipers in Libya that killed so many in Benghazi heroes? The world doesn't see a sniper in the same light of those that hail Eastwood's film as a tribute to greatness within our military. The idea a single man can make or break a military operation is rather unsettling actually. Quite frankly, the American snipers were mostly invisible and this film has brought them into focus now. And the only things the actors and filmmakers have to worry about is a golden statue for their efforts and the added receipts that might bring. The impact of the film reaches far beyond that.

Before I get preachy and take over the task of the holy men of the right wing, I'll leave this thought. "How is it the political right wing feels their first amendment rights include death threats, which are oppression, while they deny freedom of speech to the political left wing?"

The Supreme Court is entertaining the idea habeous corpus is an invalid right?

The current Supreme Court is turning individual decisions into decisions by the state. Individuals are making individual decisions to join an exchange. There is no enforcement except for the tax to encourage health care insurance choice. The ACA is supported by taxes. There is no cost to any state. The state holds no interest in this law beyond it's own exchange. The federal exchange removes all obligation by the states to support human health and pays for it without penalizing any state. 

The ACA successfully recognizes states rights in providing a vehicle to insure all it's citizens through a state exchange supported entirely by the federal law for at least two years. It also recognizes states rights by providing an alternative to a state exchange without imposing any obligation for the state to participate with their own exchanges. The citizen's right to life without disease is fulfilled without compromising state's rights. 

There already exists federal mandates of entire classes of people in regard to health care.

Know Your Rights: (click here) Medical, Dental and Mental Health Care (2012 resource): Prison officials are obligated under the Eighth Amendment to provide prisoners with adequate medical care. This principle applies regardless of whether the medical care is provided by governmental employees or by private medical staff under contract with the government.

Most of the people in the exchanges are the needy? They were unable to afford or get insurance otherwise?

This is an entire class of people. The Supreme Court needs to be careful in exposing an entire class of people to danger for their health. If the federal government can mandate health care to prisoners, it can mandate health care among citizens. The individual choice by citizens otherwise unable to afford or find health care insurance is equivalent to a prison population unable to find health care otherwise.

States and localities (click here) have a constitutional obligation to provide adequate health care to prisoners, and they must pay for it out of their own budgets. However, a 1997 ruling says that care provided to inmates beyond the walls of the prison qualifies for Medicaid reimbursement if the prisoner is Medicaid eligible. The federal government then pays 50 percent to 84 percent of Medicaid costs.

This is hatred. It better not be tolerated. 

It's more dangerous to give birth in the United States (click here) than in 49 other countries. African-American women are at almost four times greater risk than Caucasian women. A safe pregnancy is a human right for every woman regardless of race or income....

There is no other measure to insure pregnant women in the USA. 

Full Title (click here)
To amend title V of the Social Security Act to provide grants to States to establish State maternal mortality review committees on pregnancy-related deaths occurring within such States; to develop definitions of severe maternal morbidity and data collection protocols; and to eliminate disparities in maternal health outcomes.

Introduced:

Mar 3, 2011
112^th Congress, 2011–2013

Status:

Died in a previous Congress

This bill was introduced on March 3, 2011, in a previous session of Congress, but was not enacted.

"Deadly Delivery" (click here)
The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA 

It is very possible to turn the maternal death rate in the USA around. Health insurance. 

This IS the responsibility of government. It is the OBLIGATION of government to study and end deaths to citizens.  If government wants to OFFER private enterprise a place in that obligation then so be it, but, that does not dissolve the underlying responsibility of a democracy.

This is NOT a state's rights issue.This is not a budgetary problem for states. There is no morality problem here as it is saving lives and improving the outcomes to the lives it touches, both in physical health and fiscal health. We knew the ACA would add economic opportunity and wealth to Americans as it was being written. This is a fact and the government has an obligation to restore equality to all Americans.

The Affordable Care Act (click here) is working in terms of affordability, access, and quality for African American families, seniors, businesses, and taxpayers. This includes African Americans who were previously uninsured and African Americans who had insurance that didn't provide them with adequate coverage and financial security. African American families have more security, and many of those who already had insurance now have better coverage. Fewer Americans are uninsured. At the same time, as a country, we're spending our health care dollars more wisely and we're starting to receive higher quality care....

This is another mess.

The Russian economic alliance rages forward in the face of death of former colleagues. There is no conscience in Moscow or any other former Soviet state that have aligned economically with Russia. 

Fighting raged in Ukraine (click here) on Friday (Feb 13), throwing doubts on a ceasefire deal due to take effect over the weekend, as the US said Russia was still deploying heavy arms and Kiev warned that shelling of civilians had intensified....

 Where is the voice of reason in any Russia affiliations? 

...Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the continuing bombardment of civilians in eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian separatist rebels was already undermining the peace plan reached in Minsk on Thursday. At least 28 civilians and soldiers were reported killed in the latest upsurge in fighting.... 

The so called Pro-Russia rebels have no conscience. They continue to kill innocent people for what purpose? This is hatred. 

There is no going back to the Soviet Union. Russia hasn't gone anywhere. The economic sanctions by The West were leveraged when the treaty protecting the lives of Ukrainians fell into question. Russia did this to itself.

Russia was accepted as an important member of the international community among many levels of economic opportunity. Russia had power internationally through influence, not just military arsenals. Russia needs to prove they have influence with the rebels to come to a peaceful end. If Russia cannot rein in the rebels it only proves this is about a regime intent on killing because of hate. 

If Russia has no influence and a ceasefire doesn't occur, other countries have to make decisions about how to continue to protect Ukrainian lives in the face of rebels of anarchy.

January 29, 2015
The AP 

MINSK, Belarus - New cracks emerged (click here) Thursday in a Russia-led economic alliance, with the president of Belarus warning that his nation may opt out of it.

Alexander Lukashenko also sternly warned Moscow Thursday that his nation of 10 million will never be part of the "Russian world," a term coined by the Kremlin that reflects its hopes to pull ex-Soviet nations closer into its orbit.
"Those who think that the Belarusian land is part as what they call the Russian world, almost part of Russia, forget about it!" Lukashenko said. "Belaru=s is a modern and independent state."

Lukashenko, who has been at the helm since 1994, has relied on Russia's economic subsidies and political support but bristled at Moscow's attempts to expand its control over Belarusian assets....

If Russia is unable to stop the rebels in Ukraine, there is no guarantee such forces in neighboring states will manifest to destabilize them as well. Moscow has to stop this. It's reputation as a valid leader to economic opportunity is dissolving. I do not believe any First World leaders wants to dissolve Russia into nothing but a war profile. Russia has to come back into the fold. It is a safe place for citizens of all nations.

Any ethnic hatred anywhere in the world is a crime. Every ethnic nation has a right to exist. Any human rights violation has to be brought out of the shadows to stop it. No major country should look the other way in the face of ethnic cleansing even if it is not globally known. Transparency in the reporting of such heinous acts is heroic.

Destroying an ethnic group cannot be tolerated and should never be viewed as victory in war.

From the Moscow Times:

January 19, 2015
By Yulia Zhuchova

...By contrast, (click here) the CSTO was established as a voluntary organization with seemingly clear objectives. But what result do we see now?

Over the last 10 years, the organization conducted more than 15 large-scale joint military exercises aimed at combatting terrorism and extremism, but where was the organization when, for example, Kyrgyzstan came to the brink of a full-scale civil war in 2010? 

Did a contingent of CSTO troops deploy to Osh to prevent the massacre of civilians? No. Did the CSTO member states at least formulate and agree on  a common position regarding the Kyrgyz problem? Again, no. 

In recent years Russia twice deployed its troops to the territory of neighboring states — in 2008 to South Ossetia, then a part of Georgia, and in 2014 to Crimea, then a part of Ukraine. Borders changed, but did any of Russia's allies officially recognize those changes? Not one.... 

Beat ISIS?

The only way to beat ISIS is genocide. This is not new. The only thing new about this tragedy in Syria is that it is Syria instead of Iraq.

Since the Iraq invasion the region has been destabilized. There is a reason why The Green Zone in Baghdad has multiple rings of blast walls.

The vast charismatic movement is new and it can possibly be attributed to the hatred spewed by Glen Beck and his caliphate scenarios. It probably teased out an opportunity for the Ba'athist they hadn't entertained before. 

This level of killing and ? culture ? has existed a long time and I am not talking biblical. The Taliban has been a roll model of ISIS.

Why this was different? Because it occurred after the USA left and was a complete surprise. I don't know why, those supplying weapons to so called rebels provided to be sadly mistaken. 

No one is going to say Assad was a saint, but, he was also no different than any of the other dictators. It was the way it was. It was all too easy to be an enemy of the state in the Middle East, that is what triggered so much of the intense unrest among the people of the region and north Africa.  

The region has to come to conclusions about the influence of ISIS and the potential to violence and death of their citizens. This is as much a culture war as a war of forces. The clerics in the region, even Nasrallah, realize the threat of the faux faith of IS.

Every American has to feel badly for these people. Their faiths are under attack and the war zealots of the Ba'athists have cleverly mastered a message that rings loudly among average citizens. There is even international penetration to the IS message.

I don't know why the people of these countries have turned against their faith. It is somewhat surprising. Mecca is a permanent icon to the Muslim faith, yet the people have allowed their imaginations to entertained by radicals that have no affiliation to the practice of any faith, they are heretics. That is the part of this that makes no sense to me. 

It has to be the fact IS reaches back in time to violent movements after the death of Mohammad. There is nothing concrete in the real world to dispute that. I doubt the language of the modern day Muslim includes teachings and discussions of any caliphate. It isn't necessarily a proud time to the life of the faith over centuries. The caliphates became very violent. One can even discuss the fact the caliphates lost their faith and it's innate generosity.

The Muslim people already have a modern day caliphate. They go on pilgramages without interruption. They travel the entire region in praise of their religious leaders. What do they need am imagined caliphate by people that want to kill them? It is strange. By every measure this potential should never have existed. IS should have been laughed at for it's violent message. No citizens within the influence of IS is guaranteed their life. If they trip up over a rule that is obscure to them, they are killed in a public methodology to terrify everyone else in the population. That is not the mind of Allah.

The Muslim faith is not alone in it's history of violence, most faiths in the world have had their dark times. IS does not practice faith, it practices human rights violations and a lot of them. There is constant threat of death within the reach of IS. That is not a benevolent god, it is the god of heretics.

Stop blaming the woman as if Kitzhaber was under a spell,.

It would have been more prudent to have the FBI investigate before his resignation. Amazing. As long as there is a woman that goes along with a political scandal a career is over.

February 14, 2015

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (click here) announced his resignation Friday over a deepening influence-peddling scandal surrounding his fiancée and on the same day the U.S. Attorney's Office issued a subpoena demanding records and electronic communications pertaining to the pair....

Does she own a broom? Calderon maybe? No. Just Al Gore and an effort to address the climate crisis. 

Oregon's Lady McBeth (click here)

...On Thursday, outrage over Hayes’ multiple scandals reached its conclusion. Her fiancé, Gov. John Kitzhaber, resigned, putting an end to his more than three-decades-long career in Oregon politics, 20 years of which were spent in the governor’s office.
“I am in love,” Kitzhaber said when asked about Hayes’ alleged wrongdoings at a press conference on Jan. 30. “I have no regrets over my personal relationship with Cylvia Hayes. She is a wonderful lady.”...

...her National Governor’s Association profile, that she was “a policy advisor to Governor John Kitzhaber on the issues of clean energy and economic development.”
All of this was made more complicated by the fact that Hayes’ consulting firm was doing work for the state....

I am still looking for 'the big sin.' It would be a real scandal if she hadn't been involved in her consulting business before she became involved with the governor. She was involved in politics and climate work since the early 2000s.

...In October 2014, while Kitzhaber was in the midst of his reelection campaign, the Willamette Week uncovered a curious detail about Hayes’ third failed marriage, which took place in 1997, to an 18-year-old Ethiopian immigrant. “Public records raise questions about whether the marriage was legitimate or whether it was a way to help the young man with his immigration status.”
The marriage ended after 4 years and 3 months....

OMG, she was a cougar. When 18 seemed to young, the older man was more her taste.

...Worse, still: Governor Kitzhaber had no idea the green-card marriage had ever happened before it was reported by the press....

Poor man. He must have been attracted by her youth and the love was a lie. That is really radical.

The only thing the story misses is the chance there is a love child.

...“There was somewhat of a leader/follower there, and she was leading and the gentleman was following,” Patrick Siemion, who sold the property to Hayes and the man, told KOIN 6 News. Not long after the purchase, according to Siemion, Hayes and the man stopped making payments on the property, and by 1998 they “gave up their interest” in it, reported KOIN 6 News....

I've got to hand it to her; men went out on a limb to get her attention. Infatuation was her specialty. She needs a good girlfriend to tell her she should become "Permanent marriage curious." A friend who would challenger her to make it to the tenth anniversary. She had no problem making a commitment, only her commitment was short lived.

I like her. Teach me what you know, darlin'.