The Errington Thompson Show 10-10-09
This is an outstanding show. I opened the show by talking about Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize. There is some that are angered on the right and left. Some on the right say that Barack Obama hasn’t done enough. Those on the left point to the fact that Guantánamo Bay still hasn’t been closed. Those that allowed torture to occur in the name of the United States have not been brought to justice. Both sides mentioning that Barack Obama has sent more troops to Afghanistan. I agree with all of these but President Barack Obama has also done an enormous amount to change the tone of America. He is also changed our relationship with many nations and the Muslim world. There is still a lot to do. I’m not sure if I was on the committee how would’ve voted for Barack Obama but I congratulate him and the United States for having the vision to choose him as our president.
Again I reminded my listeners that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month. I continue to encourage those that have the means to give generously.
There was some sort of attack on the Pakistani military base early Saturday morning. At the time of my show there weren’t many details. Several of the attackers and Pakistani soldiers were killed. It is critical to our national interest to have a stable and prosperous Pakistan. Former Texas Representative Charlie Wilson, the man who is credited with funding the mujahedin in Afghanistan to help topple the Russians, said we need to get out of Afghanistan now. To be honest, I’m still studying the issue and reading whatever I can on it. Words like quagmire and goals keep popping into my head.
A recent poll showed only 38% of parents were likely to vaccinate their children against the swine flu (H1N1). This sets up an extremely dangerous scenario. If 38% of children do not get vaccinated this leaves an enormous amount of children and adults vulnerable. I talk with Greg Dworkin (physician and Daily Kos contributor) about this virus and where we are. We discuss health care reform and the fact that we are closer now than ever to getting something passed in both the House and the Senate.
I also talk with Doctor Eddie Cornwell who is the chief of surgery at Howard University. Ever since Representative Alan Grayson (Democrat — Florida) mentioned a study which clearly showed that health insurance status affects your ability to survive illness, many in the media have been reporting this like it was new. Doctor Cornwell published a nice paper in the surgery literature which clearly showed that race affects outcome and insurance status. Surprisingly, insurance status was a stronger predictor of survival than race.
All of this an more! Enjoy this podcast.
