The
Election of All Time
by Dogtor J
Now, before my readers get
all crazy (like some did went I sent out a politically-oriented Email recently), let me just say that DogtorJ.com
has always been about more than just medicine. Ever since my personal medical experience about which I write so much, I have
been a seeker of truth. And this search has encompassed many areas, including health, politics and religion.
My main attack has been aimed
at the fast food mentality that has swept this country and overcome so many Americans in nearly all aspects of their lives.
Many have become completely dependent upon the opinions of others when it comes to forming a conclusion or making a decision
about even the most important of events. Granted, it was much harder to dig out facts in the pre-Information
Age. But now that we have the Internet at our fingertips, there is really no excuse for people not researching the all-important
issues that affect us and the fate of this great nation.
Like it or not, there is
a war going on in this country. It is the offspring of the age-old war of good versus evil but if you are one of
those people who don't believe in evil, then you will need to do more research before continuing here. I don't mean that you
have to have the same Biblical perspective that I do but if you have adopted a new-age doctrine that states “evil does
not exist” and that people like Hitler simply did what they were created to do (to be the perfect negative example of how we are not
to be) then you will probably not understand or agree with what follows here.
Now, I will jump right over
the battle for our very souls for a number of reasons and focus on the battle for this country. I started questioning what
was really going on here when I learned about celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and found how "unknown" it was in the USA.
As most of you have read, in 2000 when I was diagnosed, celiac disease was “a rare disorder afflicting less than 1:5000
Americans". But in my first week of research, I found that Italians were being diagnosed at a rate of over 1:100. The incidence
of gluten intolerance was also much higher in the UK and Scandinavia than in America. “How could it be so low in the
United States when we came from all of these people?” was one of my very first questions about this “elusive”
condition.
It did not take long for
the true incidence of celiac disease to skyrocket from “less than 1:5,000” to the new official number (Johns Hopkins/Mayo Clinic) of 1:120. Wow! But, celiac researchers now think that the more accurate
number is 1:30. The new official number in Italy is 1:55 so that new figure here is probably close. That is not all. Those
same researchers are now suggesting that the conclusion I came to three years into my study is correct: Today’s gluten
is not good for anyone; it is simply better tolerated by some than others and that a whopping 1:3 are being affected negatively
by this protein in wheat. Yes, 1:3 are having some manifestations of gluten intolerance, which include a multitude of symptoms,
immune-mediated diseases, and cancers.
Just as amazing to me, my
own veterinary profession has completely stopped talking about gluten intolerance. Yes, I was taught about celiac disease
in the Irish setter 30 years ago in veterinary school. That was in the days when dog and cat foods were corn-based. The only
gluten they got was from a few manufactured treats and from table food. That was also before genetic modification of foods
hit its stride. The health of dogs, cats and their owners was not nearly as abysmal as it is now. Everything that afflicts
man and his pets has skyrocketed in incidence and is happening earlier than it did in the seventies, save a few conditions
for which successful vaccines have been created. But, we are now seeing the important downsides of those modified live vaccines,
both the preservatives used and the nature of man-made viruses. Sadly, we’re just not as smart as we think we are.
So how can something as critically
important- and incredibly common- as gluten intolerance be so poorly understood by the medical communities and virtually unheard
of by the general public? Is it simply a matter of this being a “new condition about which there is ongoing study, the
results of which will be told to you when we get the answers”? I believe it is much more involved than that. Why did
the teaching of gluten intolerance in veterinary schools end about the time of the corn-to-wheat transition in the pet food
industry?
You do not have to be a Christian
to see that the love of money (greed) is the root of all evil just as the Bible states. All we have to do is look around.
And for those who say that they do not believe in evil, all they have to do is
look around. What I want to say to them is that the 70’s are over and that they missed the meaning of “love is
all you need”. And as Pastor Rick Warren is fond of saying, “Some people are so open-minded that their brains
fall out.”
Evil exists and it is rampant
in today’s world. Just turn on the TV at any given moment- and just about on any given station- and it will raise its
ugly head in the form of a headline or prime time murder mystery. (Do we really
need to see another murder portrayed on TV?) The sad fact is that we have become so desensitized to Hollyweird’s portrayal
of crimes against humanity that we are numb to the lies, immorality, disrespect, and downright heinous acts they portray every
night during “prime time”.
Should we really be surprised
when we are spoon-fed lies by the related media and the people who supply those lies to said media? It appears that lying
has become a national pastime. It’s pretty sad when you have to check every single Email against the information supplied
by the self-appointed “keepers of truth” (Snopes and Truth-or-Fiction.com), isn’t it?
So, how do we navigate these
treacherous waters? How do find that needle of truth in the haystack of deception? The easy way would be to burn the haystack.
But hay has other purposes (such as feed to horses and cattle, which in turn makes both meat and fertilizer) and it would
be a waste to totally eliminate such a potentially valuable resource. There are
better ways to deal with the tares among the wheat.
The way I see it- after my
eight years of intensive medical research and more recently a concerted effort to find out the truth about the candidates
for President- the main way is though the individual research of the topic at hand,
whether it is medicine, politics or religion. (Again, thank God for the Internet.) It may sound like bad news but you are your own best advocate when it comes to your health, political views, and religious beliefs. There are
too many individuals out there with their own agenda pushing what they believe to be right or what they want to be right. Deception runs rampant in all areas of our lives. Combine that with epidemic lying and our morals
being trampled every time we turn on a TV or walk into a theater and you easily can see why 50% of the country thinks the
other half is totally insane.
Why is that? Why can’t
we have a civil conversation with the opposite party without calling each other horrible names and using the “f”
word? I’m sorry to make reference to the latter but anyone who goes to a movie these days (or gets into an argument
about politics) knows that Hollywood writers are all going for a record in its use in scripts and the word now habitually
flies out of the mouth of people who actually abhor its sound. “But TV and Hollywood violence has nothing to do with
how people act.” Yeah, right. I for one am ready to boycott both cesspools. Even the History and Discovery channels
have an agenda, it appears.
But I do know one thing:
We cannot arrive at the truth by totally avoiding the unpleasant. If you are a Republican, you will never know the truth about
your party until you read about the agenda and actions the far-right. Similarly, if you are a Democrat, you will never know
the truth about your party and Mr. Obama until you dig into the allegations being brought against him and his associations
with suspect individuals. No one can afford to turn a deaf ear to a serious charge being brought against any candidate for
President, Vice President, Congress, or any important office just because you don’t want to hear it or because it goes
against “your guy”.
If I have learned one thing
in my medical research, “Where there’s smoke there’s fire”. I have told many people over the years
that I have become a fireman of sorts: I see the smoke in the distance and go see what the fire is all about. I then take
those burning embers- the ones that produced the real fire- and add them to the bonfire that I have been building. Of course,
you have to have certain guidelines and a base knowledge to be able to discern what’s what.
In medicine, I now have a
very effective framework in which to place my findings. In politics (and religion), I have a similar framework but those guidelines
are certainly not shared by all. I still find it a bit hard to believe that people differ as much as they do about issues
of morality and choices that affect the common good versus the selfish needs of the individual but that’s the way things
are. It gets back to the original battle of good versus evil.
It is obvious to most that
I am a believer in God and that colors my political and religious views. But I have not always been as dedicated to my beliefs
as I am now and I marvel at how lost I was without the rudder that my current beliefs afford me. (I promise that I will not
start preaching here but it is illogical to believe that the universe and all of
its complexity came from a void without help. In fact, researchers have repeatedly proven that nothing comes from nothing.
Where did the protons and neutrons of the atoms of the elements of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen come from?)
The fact is that, inside
all of us, there is something called a conscience. It is the in-depth study of
this element that helped to lead C.S. Lewis out of atheism. It is one of the things that distinguishes us from animals. Where
did that sense of moral goodness come from? The Bible says that every man was given a measure of faith and because I believe
what I do, that is my explanation. Those who don’t believe have to come up with their own explanation. We talk about
people with no conscience (e.g. sociopaths as portrayed on TV every night) as if they are abnormal, which most people believe
they are. Yes, even those who don’t believe in God believe in a conscience.
So, where did everyone’s
conscience go during this election? As I say to veterinary conference attendees when I lecture on the transition from corn
to wheat-based dogs foods in the eighties and point out the severe gastrointestinal signs that immediately developed as a
result, “Where were our heads? Why didn’t we think there could be something wrong with the dog food when these
poor pets developed projectile vomiting and explosive diarrhea when first placed on these newly formulated diets?” I’ll
tell you where our heads were: We were completely deceived by the idea that the
pet food companies knew exactly what they were doing and that they could never make such a major blunder as to feed our beloved
(and carnivorous) pets grains that they would never eat in nature and that had
been changed by man forever through genetic modification. We were deceived! The question is whether the pet food companies
were also deceived or whether they knew exactly what they were doing and were driven by greed. I’ll let the reader decide
that after doing their own research.
That is the key: Do your
own research. Please! In this electoral process, if you hear about something spoken against your guy or your party, don’t
just turn a deaf ear and label it as partisan politics. Take a moment- or twelve- and investigate the allegations. You need
to know! You need to know whether a claim against a presidential candidate has merit. We are talking about the most powerful
position in our government and the “leader of the free world” here, not just some elected official in a local
district office. Even the latter is important enough to spend some time checking out, of course.
Do you really know the platforms
of the individual parties? Do you really know the person behind the candidacy? Do you really dislike that person and disagree
with what they stand for or are you just reacting in a partisan fashion? Do you have to totally understand economics and world
politics to sense who would be the right person for the job in a world in turmoil? No. But the more knowledge a person has,
the better equipped they are to make an educated decision. (Is it just me or does that sound like the most elementary statement
you have ever heard?)
Have the perceived failures
of a past administration made you so bitter that the facts no longer matter and all you want is something that you suspect
will be different? Are you voting your conscience or your emotions? Which usually works out best in your personal life: Making
a decision on known facts or on transient emotions? Can you trust your emotions?
There are so many vital (and
many unanswered) questions in this election that I am beyond stunned:
· Who has the most experience to lead this country at this most critical time in our history?
· Is experience the most vital issue?
· What will happen to this faltering economy when one candidate is chosen over another?
· How will each candidate’s past affect how they will react to the next major crisis?
· What is in their past? (political and personal)
· Who have they been associated with?
· Does their religious affiliation play a role?
· What is “black liberation theology”, is it a bad thing, and does Mr. Obama hold the views of
Rev. Wright?
· What about William Ayers? Who was he and who is he now? Do you want a candidate who is/was associated with
a known subversive/”terrorist” or one who was not?
· Who was Donald Young and why is he in the news?
· Who is Tony Rezko and why is he in the news?
· Is it important that the next President served in the armed forces?
· Is it important who the last president was when deciding who is next?
· Are the eligibility claims against Mr. Obama totally unfounded? (Why would a growing number of important
media personalities be talking about this now? Why doesn’t Mr. Obama submit a vault copy birth certificate with all
of the necessary information on it and put this controversy to rest?)
· Why is the ACORN thing such a hot topic?
· What is voter fraud and how is it perpetrated?
· Are the claims against each candidate of the same political and moral weight or caliber?
We have our work cut out
for us. I believe deep down in my soul that we can thank the media for having
to cram at the last minute for this graduation exam. But we have to turn that blame back on ourselves for having not done
our due diligence of studying during the past days, months and years. How many are voting because of family ties or peer pressure?
No one wants to talk about race but the issue exists and it is clearly playing a role on both sides.
The election of our President
should be way beyond race, but it’s not. This election should be about the
safety of this country and its moral compass. Is it? Are we headed in the same direction as other doomed civilizations? Are
we victims of the “Peter Principle” and finally reached our level of incompetence? Do we even care about the country
as a whole or are we just voting for what is best for ourselves and our team?
“A house divided against itself cannot stand”. This is a paraphrased
version of Jesus Christ’s words used by Abraham Lincoln in his famous speech in Springfield, Illinois on June 16th,
1858. Even the friends and family of Lincoln thought that he was going too far by giving this speech. But, it contained truth
that ultimately prevailed. He continued:
“I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free.
I do not expect the Union to be dissolved
-- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided.
It will become all one thing or all the other.
Either the opponents of slavery, will
arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate
extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike
lawful in all the States, old
as well as new -- North
as well as South.
Have we no tendency to the latter condition?”
Do we not believe that the
United States has enemies that are patiently waiting for us to implode? Do we think that our
particular divided house is impenetrable by that enemy? Are we so superficial in our political thinking and understanding
of the operations and dealings of this world as to think that we are immortal as a nation without having to try to do what
is right and good? Forget for a moment who is in charge of hoisting the sails or even steering the ship. What is our moral
compass? Where is our rudder? Where are we headed?
Today’s America looks
like Mutiny on the Bounty. How will
we regain control of this ship?
Just as in many of my medical
writings, the all-too-familiar Pogo quote becomes the appropriate anchor sentence. Yes, we have all been deceived by many
elements of this world. Some of them, like greed, are very powerful. But we have the power inside each and every one of us
to turn this boat around. First of all, we have to care. We then have brush back all of the cobwebs placed there by self-indulgent,
self-serving entities such as partisan politics, biased media moguls, monster corporations, and a depraved entertainment industry
and tap into that conscience with which we are all blessed. Finally, we have to use our brain and the resources available
to seek the truth in all things, especially those things that endanger our freedoms and very way of life.
If we don’t, we have
no one to blame but ourselves and once again “We have met the enemy and he is us.”
*
John
John B. Symes, D.V.M. (aka
“DogtorJ”)
www.dogtorj.com
(* This was first published
in Walt Kelly’s Pogo comic strip on Earth Day in 1971. It is a rewording
of a message sent by U.S. Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry in 1813 to Army General William Henry Harrison after The Battle of Lake Erie. The original message stated "We
have met the enemy, and they are ours." I certainly hope we can say that in the
near future.)
