You could be forgiven for having a difficult time following all the players in the continuing saga that has engulfed Congressional committees, the president, the FBI, the NSA, Russia, the Clintons, former FBI Director Comey, WikiLeaks, the media, and who know how many others. The old baseball adage fits: “You can’t tell the players without a scorecard.”
Continuing the baseball metaphor, part of the problem is that it’s not entirely clear who is on whose team. Or for that matter, it’s not clear how many teams there are.
When one sits down to write a piece about this turmoil, one question that comes to mind is how much do potential readers already know, and how much time should be spent rehearsing information in an attempt to help clarify things rather than to obfuscate — something our politicians do well enough anyway.
So when we begin a piece with the assertion that Special Counsel Mueller might be accused of doing the very thing former FBI Director Comey accused President Trump of doing, do your eyes just glaze over, or is this all crystal clear to you?
We’ll try to straighten this out and clarify things for you, as well as hopefully explaining why this is important on page two.
Fire him and his group
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin has removed two top officials at New Hampshire’s only veterans hospital and has ordered a review of the facility starting Monday amid allegations of “dangerously substandard care.”
The Boston Globe reported that 11 physicians and medical employees alleged the Manchester VA Medical Center was endangering patients. They described a fly-infested operating room; surgical instruments that weren’t always sterilized; and patients whose conditions were ignored or weren’t treated properly.
The Office of the Special Counsel, a federal whistle-blower agency, found “substantial likelihood” the allegations were true and ordered an investigation, which began in January. Shulkin also said the VA Office of the Medical Inspector and the VA Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection were starting a “top-to-bottom review” of the hospital, beginning Monday. Military Times: VA medical center leaders removed after reports of unsafe condition. Following the newspaper report, Shulkin removed hospital Director Danielle Ocker and Chief of Staff James Schlosser. A VA spokesman told the newspaper the two would be assigned other duties. Rep.. Annie Kuster, a member of the U.S. House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee , both Democrats, met with VA doctors last year about their allegations and brought the concerns to the VA’s Office of Special Counsel and the Office of the Inspector General for further investigation. There are reports that Ocker and Schlosser acknowledged significant cuts in services, such as the elimination of cataract surgery, and administrative problems, such as ordering a $1 million nuclear medicine camera but never installing it because it was too big for the examination room. As a result, the hospital stopped offering nuclear stress tests for heart disease risk and bone scans that can detect tumors this year. But Ocker and Schlosser said they were surprised that so many medical staff members reported the problems to federal investigators. They said the hospital was addressing the shortcomings and patient safety hasn’t been compromised. There are reports that focused on accounts from Dr. William “Ed” Kois, head of Manchester VA’s spinal cord clinic, who compiled a list of at least 80 patients at the hospital over five years suffering from advanced and potentially crippling nerve compression in the neck, and using canes, wheelchairs and walkers, instead of getting surgery. He said the condition is easy to diagnose and treat with surgery before it progresses too far. New Hampshire is one of a few states without a full-service VA hospital. The Manchester center provides urgent care, primary care, ambulatory surgery, mental health treatment and other services, but it contracts with Concord Hospital and others for more elaborate surgery and inpatient care. Members of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation have lobbied for the hospital to become full-service going back at least a decade. Dave Kenney, chairman of the State Veterans Advisory Committee, which brings together numerous veterans organizations to advise New Hampshire’s Legislature about veterans affairs, said he hopes the investigation results in significant change. “They need to put their money where their mouth is,” “They need to put the resources in to get it done and fix it.”
Christopher Shocklee, this is only one of the problems….also…I did not vote for Trump or the mega corrupt Clinton. Trump is our President. If you and others cant handle that. Then you are living in the wrong country. Do some research. Most Liberals open their mouths and show their stupidity. Get a life Sir.
This guy is part of the Clinton Obama team, he needs to be fired now !
This guy is making a fortune for nothing . And he knows it . The democrats witch hunt .
Shockley you must live in la la land…the last 8 years of Obama…. have led America to this impasse…with so many haters not even considering giving Trump a chance…
He’s just another in a long line of new world order political hacks….the reincarnation of Kenneth Starr…
Too late
She did it all by herself?…..check the facts.
Hey stupid…Trump just took office…go crawl back under your rock at the d.n.c.. Hopefully YOU won’t have to testify anywhere soon…you’re not feeling suicidal or have any heart issues like others ready to testify?