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In Memoriam of Edith Rodriguez

Jun 14 2007

In Memoriam of Edith Rodriguez

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By Rosemarie Jackowski

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In Memoriam of Edith Rodriguez
By Rosemarie Jackowski

Death is not optional. It will come to all of us sooner or later. The best that can be hoped for is to have a life that is long and a death that is as painless as possible.

Forty-three year old Edith Rodriguez lost on both of those counts. Her life was needlessly brought to a tragic end. She spent her last time on earth writhing in pain. Why? Was Edith in some desolate third world country? No, she was in the United States. Was Edith in an isolated location, far from medical help? No, she was in the Emergency Room of a California hospital. Was this tragedy caused by the fact that she might not have had health insurance? Maybe. Was the problem that she was sick while being Hispanic? Could be.

The news reports have painted a picture that is difficult to think about. Edith writhing in pain in the Emergency Room -falling out of the wheel chair, vomiting blood while lying on the cold Emergency Room floor, excruciating pain, a possible bowel perforation - the janitorial staff cleaning the floor around her limp body, while the medical staff ignored the pleas for help from her family. This is not meant to be a condemnation of all doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel. It is meant to be a condemnation of the system, a system that has lost any hint of humanity.

Why did no one help Edith? What mistake did Edith make that caused this tragedy? Was this death by geography? If Edith had been almost anywhere else in the industrialized world, she probably would still be alive. She died because she was in the United States. Living in the U.S. can be dangerous to your health. This is a nation that puts profits before patients; capitalism before compassion.

Sadly, Edith is not alone. In the United States 18,000 die every year from lack of medical care. That is like having a 9/11 every 60 days. It is worse than 9/11 because these are needless deaths that we are imposing on ourselves. These deaths will continue until there is a strong grassroots movement for a universal, single payer health care system.

Think that the Democrats or the Republicans will change things? Think again. Both political parties have been bought and paid for by the lobbyists. It is the lobbyists for the pharmaceutical companies, the HMOs, and the for-profit medical centers who lurk through the halls of Congress and help write the legislation.

Health care by Wall Street standards does not work. Just ask the family of Edith Rodriguez.

Rosemarie Jackowski is an advocacy journalist living in the USA. She was arrested, tried, and convicted for her participation in a peaceful protest of the war. The conviction was appealed and overturned in the State Supreme Court. The government then announced plans to retry the case. Finally, after years of legal proceedings, all charges were dropped. She can be reached at: dissent[at]sover.net Articles by Rosemarie Jackowski at MWC News http://mwcnews.net/rosemarie-jackowski

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Comments (22)

1. 15-06-2007 11:13

I feel so sorry for Edith, and those others who die needlessly, for want of medical care in the US.
People of the US stand proudly alone among the industrialized nations as not having that horrible socialist universal heath care.
How is it possible to fool (almost) all of the people all of the time.

Mike

http://mozilla

Guest

1ibis2@excite.comNOSPAM! ">mike keenor

2. 15-06-2007 12:34

Mike...Thanks for your comment. You said it better than I did when you said, "How is it possible to fool (almost) all of the people all of the time...".
It seems that the usa is in a "perfect storm" of misinformation and ignorance. In addition, there is a growing and deadly lack of compassion. I call it "Kitty Genovese" syndrome. Anybody out there remember the Kitty Genovese story?

Guest

dissent@sover.netNOSPAM! ">rosemarie jackowski

3. 15-06-2007 18:50

That dump (Hospital) should be closed. Most people would help a dog, something is bad wrong with those people that they would stand around and watch her die.

Guest

Stillwater

4. 15-06-2007 18:52

Your article has more questions than answers. Not enough is known to make a judgment call on it yet. Bad to jump the gun like this.

Guest

Charles

5. 15-06-2007 18:53

"Sadly, Edith is not alone. In the United States 18,000 die every year from lack of medical care. That is like having a 9/11 every 60 days. It is worse than 9/11 because these are needless deaths that we are imposing on ourselves. These deaths will continue until there is a strong grassroots movement for a universal, single payer health care system.

Think that the Democrats or the Republicans will change things? Think again. Both political parties have been bought and paid for by the lobbyists. It is the lobbyists for the pharmaceutical companies, the HMOs, and the for-profit medical centers who lurk through the halls of Congress and help write the legislation."

Read this and think about what it says, and ask yourself who are the real terrorists?

Guest

mayzin

6. 15-06-2007 20:42

Stillwater...thanks for the comment.

Charles...I disagree. When there is a dead body, there is enough evidence to know that the system is NOT working. There are many dead bodies. This is a major national crisis.

Mayzin...Yes, who are the REAL terrorists. We are killing more U.S. citizens here, than the so-called terrorists are killing in Iraq. Is it more dangerous to be a U.S. citizen at home, than to be a U.S. troop in Iraq?
I suggest that we have a National Survivor's Day, complete with parades and celebrations. We could celebrate all who survived the U.S. health care system for one more year.

Guest

dissent@sover.netNOSPAM! ">rosemarie jackowski

7. 15-06-2007 21:53

Bush America killing US Women & kids

Shocking story and dreadful indictment of Bush American priorities of killing Arab, Muslim, Asian, and Non-European Women and Children ABROAD rather than keeping AMERICAN Women and Children alive.

Thus the BODY COUNT abroad is post-invasion excess deaths in the Occupied Palestinina, Iraqi and Afghan territories totalling 0.3 million, 1.0 million and 2.4 million, respectively (mostly Women and Children), these UN- and medical literature-derived estimates being consonant with post-invasion under-5 infant deaths of 0.2 million, 0.5 million and 1.9 million, respectively (largely avoidable and due to Occupier war crimes ; for detailed analysis see the book BODY COUNT. Global avoidable mortality since 1950: http://globalbodycount.blogspot.com/).

However EACH YEAR the avoidable deaths in AMERICA as a result of this evil perversion under Bush (killing Asian Women and Children instead of keeping AMERICAN Women and Children alive) total 20,000 under-5 year old AMERICAN infants (due to Bush\'s evil and warped oriorities), 15,000 deaths from opiate-related causes (due to Bush Administration restoration of the Taliban-destroyed Afghan opium industry to a current 90% of world market share under US occupation) and 30,000 victims of Guns (due to pro-Gun Bush policies).

Do the math and these AVOIDABLE AMERICAN DEATHS under 8 YEARS of Bush will have totalled 8x20,000 = 120,000 AMERICAN infants, 8x15,000=120,000 AMERICANS from opiate drug-related causes and 8x30,000=240,000 AMERICANS from Guns.

How many AMERICANS have to die before the pro-Gun, anti-Woman, anti-Child racists are brought to justice? Small wonder that outstanding Hungarian Jewish American investor and philanthropist George Soros has called for the \"de-Nazification\" of Bush America (see MWC News: http://mwcnews.net/content/view/12714/26/).

http://globalbodycount.blogspot.com/

Guest

gpolya@optusnet.com.auNOSPAM! ">Dr Gideon Polya

8. 15-06-2007 21:58