Home of Today's Common Sense

Published Brownsville Herald August 24, 2008

I am beginning to look at political issues as right or wrong rather than “left” or “right”.

An election season that began as historic with the first black person and the first woman as nominees for President began the process. We now seem to be returning to the cold war era with Russia bursting at its seams with a little drooling at its neighbors. The first target was Georgia a tiny nation on the southern Russian border. Using pretenses of defending Russians in Ossetia, a provincial area in northern Georgia, Russian troops and armor entered many of the commercial areas and damaged substantial amounts of infrastructure. This was done, according to news reports, because Georgia had chosen to align with Western countries. As the days wear on, even though there is a cease fire agreement in place and the Russian President has pledged withdrawals, Russian Troops remain in key positions in the center of the Country and short range missiles have been installed. Further, the Russian leaders have threatened Poland with worse for allowing the U.S set up missile defense positions there. Other little countries that were part of the Soviet Empire have been threatened and harassed as well, with economic sanctions for successfully developing their free economies and political policies. Prime Minister Putin envisions a new Russian Empire with an economy supported by the billions in oil dollars currently flowing in.

We already are involved in conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan that threatens the stability of oil supplies to us as well as the rest of the world. More »

Published Brownsville Herald August 11, 2008

Over the last year I have written about personal experiences in medical care and two hospitals that I was treated by. I can now share experiences of Valley Baptist and critical care hospital, Solara.

Over the past few months I have had to deal with a rare skin disease and a crop of slow healing wounds that followed an earlier serious illness.

I pointed out a number of exceptional circumstances and some great health professionals. I met folks like Martine a wound care and physical therapy technician who recently was name as Valley Regional’s best trooper, and I can attest to that.

Due to some issues arising in the care after the hospitalization I was referred to the Valley Baptist Hospital Wound Center where I encountered Dr. Lorenzo Pelly, an icon in Brownsville Health. He emigrated from Cuba and subsequently came to Brownsville in 1982. Many can thank him for guiding their recoveries.

He found some problems that needed a more intense program and referred me to Solara Hospital that provides more in the way of critical care. There I met more great health care folks like Jamie, a charge nurse and Fred, a former military medic, who were not only skilled professionals but nice folks as well. The staff as a whole was well practiced and knowledgeable about their duties. My treatments were accomplished when needed, which on occasion found Dr. Pelly performing wound care in the early hours of the morning supported by the staff. Over the weeks, I became impressed with the doctor’s study of my medical problems and the implications of the unusual skin issues. We are progressing, even though slowly. More »