A Healthy, Happy Life in Spite of Media Hype

It is sad how we respond to media-generated hype and hysteria.

The 24 x 7 news void demands to be filled, and by golly, they do indeed fill it. 

Why a police chase ending in a rollover blocking the 405 south of Los Angeles is pertinent, we don’t know. But we are compelled to watch the gripping video. Ask a hard question – is the news you watch mostly useful, or is it mostly entertainment? 

Remember that the networks and cable news outlets are driven by a chase for revenue. The news arms of the majors (ABC, CBS, NBC) and the cable networks – CNN, MSNBC, Fox News – all are competing to keep your eyes glued to their particular screen.  The stories they feature are not primarily designed to make you a better citizen, or to keep you safe, but rather to maximize their advertising revenue. 

Take, for example, the stereotypical “stranger-danger” child kidnapping. As a media maven, one would think that these events have gone through the roof. Children are no longer permitted to walk to school or play alone because of such dangers. A child kidnapping in far-off Atlanta or Houston is emblazoned on our screens, not to help recover the child, but as a ploy to keep you watching the commercials.

To the contrary, a recent Department of Justice bulletin reports that such child kidnappings have not increased. The study found that approximately 105 child kidnappings occurred nationwide in 2011, about the same as in 1997. And more importantly, the number of deaths resulting from such events fell dramatically, from 40 percent to 8 percent. (The authors of the study credit technology – cell phones, GPS, security cameras – for making kids easier to recover). Bottom line – kids are safer now than ever.

This one example gives us some guidance – as a citizen, as a voter, as a parent, our best defense is to be well armed with relevant information. Our government does a great job of gathering and publishing statistics, and it is free for you to access.

For instance, here are the leading causes of death in the United States for 2014 from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

A quick glance at the big top four should convince you that diet and exercise and a healthy lifestyle should be your highest priority. 

Next is to take care to avoid accidents (unintentional falls being a significant portion of them).

Not much can be done yet to avoid Alzheimer’s disease although general good health, diet, and exercise are thought to help, along with maintaining strong social interactions.

Numbers seven through nine again speak to health, nutrition, and lifestyle.

Drug overdose and suicide are both very sad causes of death, perhaps interrelated. All we can do there is to support our loved ones and call for increased funding for rehabilitation and mental health programs. 

Finally to the most dangerous form of transportation known to man – our cars. Help is on the horizon with autonomous (self-driving) cars promising to greatly increase safety. In the meantime, you can take care to buckle up and don't drive under the influence (one third of motor vehicle fatalities involve alcohol-impaired drivers).

Not on the list but top of mind recently is homicide. The death rate for all homicides is 5.1 per 100,000 people. (Interestingly, that rate has declined over 50% from a high of 10.4 in 1980). Death by firearm is a fraction of that, 3.5 per 100,000. And unless you live in a drug-infested urban enclave, your odds of meeting this particular fate are exceedingly low.

Here are a few observations that may contribute to the length and quality of your life. First, shut off the cable news – it is not serving your best interests. Read your local newspaper – what is going on around you is far more important. And for goodness sake, put down that cheeseburger and go for a hike once in a while. 

The statistics demand it.

The Reasonable Electorate

Simply based on media coverage, one would conclude that the top Democratic priority is to revoke the Second Amendment while Republican nirvana consists of euthanizing seniors and starving the children of single mothers.

But a recent Pew Research Center poll indicates otherwise, and gives hope that there is considerable room for accord.

In a January survey, Pew found a significant degree of concurrence between the priorities of self-identified Democrats and Republicans. For instance, Republicans agreed with six out of ten of the Democrats’ top priorities:

                                                             Dem.      Rep.

Strengthening the economy                       1            1

Improving the job situation                         2            4

Improving education                                  3            6

Reducing health-care costs                       4            9

Securing Medicare                                    5            7

Helping the poor and needy                       8          10

On other issues, there is some divergence. For instance, Democrats ranked “strengthening the military” as 18^th while Republicans thought it far more important at 8^th. There are few other issues as divisive as this, but one is “reducing the deficit” – 2^nd most important to Republicans but merely 11^th to the Dems.

In a real shocker, the importance of “strengthening gun laws” ranked only 18^th out of 21 issues across the full spectrum of Democrats, Independents, and Republicans. This may account for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s refusal to allow Dianne Feinstein’s assault weapon ban to come to a vote.

But there exists considerable common ground and good reason to engage in constructive dialogue. While we agree on many ends, what separates us still is the means.

For instance, Democrats and Republicans agree that our top priority is to strengthen the economy. But Democrats believe that that should be achieved by increasing the minimum wage, empowering public employee unions, and increasing overall government spending, all fueled by towering tax increases on the rich.

Republicans agree with the goal, but believe that the Democratic approach is like pouring cold water on a hot bed of economic coals.

Who is right? Who knows. But if the debate begins with the common goal in mind, then the mechanisms can be developed. How about we use the crucible of liberty (the fifty states) as a laboratory? We could, for instance, compare the economic success of big government states versus free market states (left as an exercise to the reader).

The same approach can be used for each of the important issues. If we agree on the end goals, then only the means of achieving them need be debated. And, hopefully, those means can be developed rationally based on experimentation and evidence, not ideology.

In the end, we must convince our elected leaders to represent the desires of their electorate. We seem to be far wiser than they.

Our murderous young sons

James Eagan Holmes

Saturday before last was Gun Appreciation Day. Tens of thousands of gun owners turned out in cities across the country to rally in support of their 2^nd amendment rights. Certainly, you heard of the outbreak of gun attacks perpetrated at these gatherings. (No, we didn’t either). That’s because honest citizens with legally owned guns are not the problem.

But something is definitely going on – our young men are murdering us.

Nehemiah Griego, 15
Dylan Klebold, 17
Eric Harris, 18
Robert Hawkins, 19
Adam Lanza, 20
Tyler Peterson, 20
Jared Loughner, 22
Seung-Hui Cho, 23
James Holmes, 24

This is a partial list of deranged young men who have succumbed to their demons, murdering their fellow humans in a sociopathic rage often punctuated by suicide. In addition to their gender and age, they seem to have another thing in common – photographs reveal them as being disturbingly similar, with pin-point thousand-yard-stare eyes surrounded by stark white scelerae. What is going on here? How do we discover the ultimate cause?

Our culture has changed; that’s a certainty. Closer to the middle of the last century, guns were not vilified as today. A pickup truck with deer rifles in the rear window gun-rack was common, parked on Main Street or even in the high school parking lot. No one was terrified, no one was disturbed. Farmers strode into the Agway or hardware store with their “mouse gun” on their hip and no one called the cops. No need, for these were honest citizens who did not present a threat.

Fast forward fifty years and it’s all different. Now, monsters in human disguise mow down school children. Gang bangers and drug warriors battle with each other and innocent bystanders. The carnage in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington (centers of the strictest gun controls) is enormous. What is going on?

Here are some things that have changed over the last fifty years:

- The breakdown of the traditional family; millions of young men raised without male role models

- Government has become the defacto father of these unhappy young men; handouts stultifying their self-worth; gangs becoming their families

- Extreme gore and violence is endemic in the media, movies, and video games

- The war on drugs has fueled an enormous, lucrative market for drugs which is fiercely defended with deadly violence

- Our mental health system has changed drastically, with long-term hospitalization replaced by socialization, leaving potentially murderous patients living in the community

So when you hear someone decrying “gun violence”, you will know that they are already on the wrong track. The problem is violence, it doesn’t matter what kind. For instance, did you know that more murders are committed by striking implements (clubs, hammers, etc.) than by all kinds of rifles, “assault” or otherwise? We will make no real progress until we begin understanding, and countering, the underlying causes of violence. 

The lost souls sacrificed to our murderous young men demand nothing less.

Fact checking the fact checkers

The “Republican war on women” is a trope. It is a figurative use of language which does not literally mean that helmeted Tea Partiers are lobbing hand grenades into hair salons, pedicure spas, state and federal capitals, and corporate boardrooms. And thank goodness for that.

But the Associated Press, a staunch participant in the “fact checking” movement, has entered the fray in an attempt to sway your opinion.

In an article published widely on Sunday, 10/21/12, the AP claims that abortion “laws [are] more restrictive – even though it’s legal, many states set up new hurdles”.  Then the article describes the circumstances of abortion in South Dakota. The caption of a photo of Rapid City Dr. Marvin Buehner claims that “he can perform pregnancy terminations only when there is a risk to the mother’s life.”

Holy cow! What’s the matter with these South Dakota Republicans? In spite of Roe vs. Wade, have they made it illegal to perform abortions unless the life of the mother is threatened? Is it possible that women in South Dakota cannot obtain an abortion unless their life is threatened by the pregnancy?

It turns out the that AP has earned four Pinocchios… their fact checking is all wet.

The South Dakota legislature has recognized a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy under these conditions:

• In the 1^st through 24^th week, a woman has a right to an abortion following a 72 hour waiting period..
• After the 24^th month, if necessary to preserve the life or health of the mother.

So what is the basis of Dr. Buenher's claim? Certainly, if in his judgment a termination is advisable in the first 24 weeks, he can perform a legal abortion. But the catch is that the state will not pay for it with Medicaid funding. (The federal Hyde Amendment, passed in 1977, prohibits the expenditure of Medicaid funds for abortions unless the life or health of the woman is at risk.)

Does this mean that, because taxpayer funds from Massachusetts and Rhode Island are not to be used for abortions in South Dakota, abortions are not obtainable there? Ridiculous.  Here are the options. 

1. The woman pays for the abortion herself  
2. The woman’s sex partner pays for the abortion (a much fairer outcome)  
3. The woman applies to a foundation (such as Planned Parenthood) for help

But in no case are Tea Partiers militantly prohibiting the abortion.

If you want to know what a real war on women looks like, consider Islamic extremists. The current prime example is the Taliban of Pakistan, who recently boarded a school bus and shot a fifteen year old girl in the head, repeatedly, for the high crime of promoting education for women.

The Pakistanis are our allies. Except that their Taliban hate our values, our women, and their rights. The Republicans look pretty darned fuzzy in comparison.