A Few Thoughts
by Errington C. Thompson, MD
Selma: not the movie
March 7, 2015 marked the 50th anniversary of the March on Selma. The complexity of the civil rights movement is sometimes mind-boggling. The movement was more than Martin Luther King Jr. It was more than the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. It was more than the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee headed by John Lewis. It was hundreds and thousands of people working toward a common goal.
The goal in Alabama was to register black voters. It was really that simple, and that essential. Dallas County (Selma is its major city) had a population of more than 15,000 black residents (over 57% of the population of Dallas County) of whom a little over 100 were registered to vote. Civil rights leaders simply wanted to register more black people to vote.
Multiple roadblocks were thrown in their way. Jim Crow laws prohibited African Americans from any equality in the South, ranging from education to housing to medical care. But the most egregious prohibition was the rules that limited the right to vote.
The purpose of the March 7 march was to carry voter registration cards from Selma to the state capital, Montgomery. In spite of bitterly cold weather, the marchers persevered. Blacks and whites came together for justice, and despite unbelievable obstacles, including deadly violence, justice won.
In my opinion, this is what America is all about. The true history of America’s not getting things perfectly right the first time. Instead it’s about persevering. It is about working hard. It is about working towards getting it right.
Iran and Nuclear Weapons
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke before a joint session of Congress in which he criticized President Barack Obama’s policy of direct negotiations with Iran. Basically, his speech was a lot of political theater with very little substance.
The Republicans were trying to embarrass the president by inviting the Prime Minister to speak in support of the spurious claim that President Obama does not understand the dynamics of the Middle East. But in spite of Netanyahu railing against the president, he offered no new solutions and no convincing evidence that the path that President Obama outlined was in fact the wrong path.
Though many people forget (willfully or not), we have already tried not engaging with Iran. This was President Bush’s policy. When Bush entered office and was urged to negotiate with Iran, the Republic had somewhere around 164 centrifuges. Vice President Cheney convinced Bush not to negotiate; by the time Bush left office in 2009, Iran’s stockpile had grown from 165 to more than 10,000.
Why the worry over centrifuges? They are a critical step in concentrating and separating out highly enriched uranium. Uranium can be used in a partially enriched form for nuclear power—the avowed purpose of Iran’s nuclear program. More highly enriched uranium, and more of it, can be used for nuclear weapons.
President Obama has clearly stated that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon. He could not be any clearer, and he has imposed sanctions against Iran that are far, far tougher than the mild ones proposed—and rejected—during the Bush administration.
Working with Germany, France, and other European nations, Obama has made sure the sanctions are having their desired effect: Iran is hurting financially, and it’s at the negotiating table with the U.S. and our international partners. Those negotiations should soon lead to some sort of verifiable agreement. I simply don’t know how you can argue against this policy.
Mission Hospital
A couple of weeks ago, my former employer, Asheville’s Mission Hospital, was in the national news. National Public Radio had been doing a series on nursing injuries. The first several segments focused on how nurses injure themselves by trying to lift patients.
NPR interviewed several experts whose research showed that there is no “good way” for nurses to lift patients without placing a lot of stress on their backs. The segment suggested that it was only a matter of time before any nurse would develop micro-fractures and herniated discs in his or her back. In fact, the rate of on-the-job injuries in nursing is higher than that among auto workers.
The segment on Mission Hospital focused on a nurse who developed back pain while lifting a patient. Mission “refused to take responsibility” for the nurse’s injuries. This despicable behavior reflected an attitude on the part of an administration that focused more on profits than people.
In reaction to the hospital’s position, physicians revolted against the administration and its response to the nurse, which we saw as counterproductive, overly confrontational, and not reflecting the values of the Asheville community.
I’m happy to say that the administration that existed several years ago was ousted by the board. For the past several years, a new CEO and COO have brought a new attitude, which is most refreshing. The new administration has brought compassion back to Mission Hospital. I think … in fact, I know that Mission is a better place because of this change.
Jobs
New labor statistics revealed that the unemployment rate dropped to 5.5% as the U.S. economy added approximate 295,000 jobs in February. This is the 60th straight month of the private sector adding jobs. There is a lot of reason for celebration.
I would again caution against doing a happy dance. Wages continue to be stagnant. There are still millions of Americans who are out of work. There are millions of Americans who are underemployed and are looking for full-time work.
But we can take a quick turn on the floor. The Obama administration took an $800-billion-dollar stimulus—woefully inadequate but better than nothing—and managed to create an atmosphere for slow but sustained growth—the longest continued growth in our history. This is truly remarkable achievement. It is at least reason to smile.
