Bush Tells 1500 Cuban MDs To Stay Home

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Just like Venezuela any help anyone offers should be seriously considered. But apparently, Bush can't see past his round table of Rove warriors to get all the help possible to the hundreds of thousands of American victims that need it.

--------------------------------------------------
Cuban doctors say politics block Katrina aid offer
By Anthony Boadle 23 minutes ago

HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuban doctors put on stand-by a week ago by President
Fidel Castro to fly to the aid of the victims of Hurricane Katrina said on Friday they hoped the United States would put politics aside and accept their help.

So far, the word from Washington has been thanks, but no thanks. The White House snubbed Cuba's offer and said Castro would do better "freeing" his Communist-run country.

Meanwhile, the 1,500 doctors are taking English language classes and brushing up on their epidemiological skills.

"We are sad about the position the American government has taken. All of us have been waiting here for eight days," said Dr. Juan Carlos Dupuy, a general practitioner and chemical lab specialist.

"This is a humanitarian problem. We have to put aside politics. We are ready to go," he said.

Castro, calling a truce in Cuba's four-decade-old ideological war with the United States, offered on September 2 to fly the doctors to treat people in the New Orleans disaster.

The Cuban leader said it was no bluff.

He gathered 1,586 physicians at Havana's convention center for a pep talk, each clad in white overalls and equipped with green satchels of medical supplies.

Millions of people were displaced when Katrina hit the U.S. Gulf coast last week, with many of them sick and injured. New Orleans city officials first said they believed the death toll could be as high as 10,000, but a U.S.
Homeland Security relief officer said on Friday the number may not be that high.

Some 100 countries -- rich and poor, friend and foe -- ranging from Honduras and Sri Lanka to Germany offered to help U.S. relief efforts.

Venezuela's leftist government, a close Cuban ally with tense ties to Washington, offered at least $1 million to the Red Cross and said it would send an extra one million barrels of gasoline to the U.S. market.

The U.S. State Department said all offers would be considered based on needs rather than political grounds.

But the Bush administration's message to Havana was clear.

"When it comes to Cuba, we have one message for Fidel Castro: He needs to offer the people of Cuba their freedom," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said at a press briefing on Thursday.

Cuba regularly sends medical assistance to other countries hit by natural disasters. Cuban doctors serve in dozens of developing nations.

The contingent on stand-by at an international medical school in Havana includes doctors who worked in Sri Lanka after the tsunami disaster.

"We are waiting for a final decision. We want to help because we saw on television how difficult things are in New Orleans," said Dr. Marcia Consuegra, a cardiologist who served in Ethiopia and currently works in poor hillside slums outside Caracas.

"If they rejects us, it is their loss, because we have no political interest in this," she said. "My English is not good, but my heart is big," she added in broken English.
http://tinyurl.com/c6xum

[bronco_diesel]

all you do is complain....about everything bush does, or does not do.

[bendog]

It's pr, but it reminds me in a way of the hurricane that hit galveston in 1900, which may have been the worst ever. The cubans had been studying them for years, and sent some warning but we dissed it off culturally and said the millibar readings couldn't possibly be that low.

btw, I heard the gop congress was pushing ahead to cut medicaid and foodstamps in next year's budget.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050909/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/katrina_budget_2

so are the states gonna be left with the bills for taking in the evacuees?

[DBruleU]

all you do is complain....about everything bush does, or does not do.

Honestly, these threads about Bush this, and Bush that, are getting quite old. Dont you guys see your own trend here, all you freaking do is complain.

[Hogan11]

I would've let them come in and help.

I think we should take every offer up that comes down the pike......we've done so very much for the world, past and present, now we need the help and if the world wants to settle up and send that help.....that's more than fine with me.

[bronco_diesel]

I would've let them come in and help.

I think we should take every offer up that comes down the pike......we've done so very much for the world, past and present, now we need the help and if the world wants to settle up and send that help.....that's more than fine with me.

i would agree with that...but we may be in a situation where the extra resources are not needed. sometimes you can over do it and end up being counter productive. i don't know if that is the case now or not...we are not in the situation to make the call, but rather a bunch of arm chair qb's.

[bendog]

Think of the mess if some of em wanted to stay.

[Ratboy]

I love it.

I said every post ends up being bush's fault. No matter what he does, LABF and Beerthug will be there to bash him.

LABF and Beerthug are what we call "Debbie Downers".

[Bronco_Beerslug]

all you do is complain....about everything bush does, or does not do.
Find the ignore button, address the topic or shutup.

Honestly, these threads about Bush this, and Bush that, are getting quite old. Dont you guys see your own trend here, all you freaking do is complain.
See above.


I love it.

I said every post ends up being bush's fault. No matter what he does, LABF and Beerthug will be there to bash him.

LABF and Beerthug are what we call "Debbie Downers".
See above

[bronco_diesel]

Find the ignore button, address the topic or shutup.


See above.



See above

see post #6 for my addressing the topic.

so i can't call you out for a behavior like you do?

this is exactly the reponse i expected of you - very typical..and predictable.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

see post #6 for my addressing the topic.

so i can't call you out for a behavior like you do?

this is exactly the reponse i expected of you - very typical..and predictable.
See post #2 for your whining nonresponse to the topic. Do you need some help on how to use the ignore option?

[bronco_diesel]

See post #2 for your whining nonresponse to the topic. Do you need some help on how to use the ignore option?

i don't want to ignore you...i'd just like to see if it is at all possible for you to have any other tone than negative?

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

all you do is complain....about everything bush does, or does not do.

Whereas all people like you and your little buddy RatDroppings do is cover Bush's flank and make excuses for his ineptness and corruption - no matter how serious and costly Bush's screw-ups are in terms of human lives and dollars and cents.

If you want to go on living in a bubble where facts and political criticism don't intrude, then perhaps you should steer clear of forums with names like "War, Religion, and Politics."

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Just like Venezuela any help anyone offers should be seriously considered. But apparently, Bush can't see past his round table of Rove warriors to get all the help possible to the hundreds of thousands of American victims that need it.


This is reminiscent of the Little Prince's handling of Iraq:

Do everything humanly possible to squelch a legitimate coalition so my cronies and I don't have to "share the spoils" associated with the "reconstruction."

And, rule #2: Privatize, privatize, privatize.

[GonzoLays]

Whereas all people like you and your little buddy RatDroppings do is cover Bush's flank and make excuses for his ineptness and corruption - no matter how serious and costly Bush's screw-ups are in terms of human lives and dollars and cents.

If you want to go on living in a bubble where facts and political criticism don't intrude, then perhaps you should steer clear of forums with names like "War, Religion, and Politics."

Finally, someone with some common sense. I never understood why people fell in love with politicians. All they do is take our money and waste it on ventures that make them money. Why in the world do people defend them? I don't understand. Thousands of people died during Hurricane Katrina and you could swear that all Bush supporters cared about was not playing the "blame game" and the casualties were just an insignifigant part of the whole ordeal. All they care about is that no one blame Bush. How stupid can you be?

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Think of the mess if some of em wanted to stay.

Yeah, having 1500 Cuban medical doctor defectors as compared to the boatloads of Cuban criminals that arrive almost daily.

[Ratboy]

This is unfair.

I'm the victim.

It's all Bush's fault!

It would be funnier if it wasn't true.

[Ratboy]

Yeah, having 1500 Cuban medical doctor defectors as compared to the boatloads of Cuban criminals that arrive almost daily.

No Thanks, We have our own doctors.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

No Thanks, We have our own doctors.
Really, where are they at? We have thousands of Americans couped up like chickens in areas across the nation that all require medical help.
Would you post your link showing that we have the medical part of this disaster covered?

[Trouble]

I can't figure out why everyone is playing the blame game...Bush, the mayor, etc.

Now it is the racist card....

Does it ever end?

Why can't we just bull doze the city down, start over, and play the blame game later?

Are we still fighting in Iraq? It is so hard to tell with all the Katrina B.S. going around....

[W*GS]

I say we accept 'em on the condition that if they choose to return to Cuba, they're allowed participation in free and fair elections.

Two can play the propaganda game - Castro just ain't that clever.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

I say we accept 'em on the condition that if they choose to return to Cuba, they're allowed participation in free and fair elections.

Two can play the propaganda game - Castro just ain't that clever.
As compared to Bush? C'mon, that's like comparing a blue amoeba with a green amoeba.

Why don't we just count the 1500 MDs against the monthy release of Cuban criminals Castro unleahes on us?

[Ratboy]

Really, where are they at? We have thousands of Americans couped up like chickens in areas across the nation that all require medical help.
Would you post your link showing that we have the medical part of this disaster covered?

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18618

"In Louisiana, there are 30 Disaster Medical Teams (DMAT); 2 Veterinary Assistance Teams (VMAT); 1 Mental Health Team; and 4 Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT)

In Mississippi, there are 11 DMATs; 1 Mental Health Team; 2 VMATs; and 4 DMORTS"

[Hogan11]

http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18618

"In Louisiana, there are 30 Disaster Medical Teams (DMAT); 2 Veterinary Assistance Teams (VMAT); 1 Mental Health Team; and 4 Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Teams (DMORT)

In Mississippi, there are 11 DMATs; 1 Mental Health Team; 2 VMATs; and 4 DMORTS"


It's not enough. Time for the countries we aided for years to come through and settle up......we should never be above accepting aid when it's needed (and it is) from anyone....especially from those we've bent over backwards for in the past or the present.

Castro wants to send Dr's over here to help? Fine by me....we should take the oil offer from Venez. as well.....we should take everything we can get IMO. till the crisis is over, period.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

All they care about is that no one blame Bush.

Out of one side of their mouths, they're saying "let's not get into a blame game" and "there will be plenty of time to point fingers later."

Out of the other side of their mouths, they're spinning and working the usual RNC talking points like crazy in a desperate attempt to blame the Governor and the Mayor.

The magnitude of right-wing hypocrisy seems to know no bounds.

How stupid can you be?

Good question.

Just when you think they can't possibly get any dumber, they somehow manage to lower the bar even more.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

It's not enough. Time for the countries we aided for years to come through and settle up......we should never be above accepting aid when it's needed (and it is) from anyone....especially from those we've bent over backwards for in the past or the present.

Castro wants to send Dr's over here to help? Fine by me....we should take the oil offer from Venez. as well.....we should take everything we can get IMO. till the crisis is over, period.

Why would we do anything else? Any aid, every dime anyone offers should be accepted or at least seriously considered, not dismissed out of hand.

[bronco_diesel]

Finally, someone with some common sense. I never understood why people fell in love with politicians. All they do is take our money and waste it on ventures that make them money. Why in the world do people defend them? I don't understand. Thousands of people died during Hurricane Katrina and you could swear that all Bush supporters cared about was not playing the "blame game" and the casualties were just an insignifigant part of the whole ordeal. All they care about is that no one blame Bush. How stupid can you be?


your freakin hilarious. the people playing the blame game here is everyone - and from what i see, it's the libs crying the loudest! i do not swear my allegience to bush or the republican party for that matter...but i'll be damned if i am going to sit here and pin the blame for every problem this country has on bush- and that is the creed of many here. the problem does not lie between one party or another, or one mans beliefs or another...the problems with our society lie with every day citizens and the entire system we have sold out to. if we could actually unite we could change the system...but that, my friend, will never happen.

people who don't share eachother's opinions are either an elitist, or a redneck...

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Cuba has 1 doctor for every 100 people. Part of their education requires them to return to work in their own country in underprivilidged areas. Bush better think about this offer if people are suffering because they couldn't be given proper and or timely medical care.

---------------------------------------------------------
Fitzhugh Mullan, M.D
Affirmative Action, Cuban Style, New England Journal of Medicine Volume 351:2680-2682 December 23, 2004 Number 26

What an irony that poor Cuba is training doctors for rich America, engaging in affirmative action on our behalf, and - while blockaded by U.S. ships and sanctions - spending its meager treasure to improve the health of U.S. citizens.

"I feel as if I'm standing on the backs of all my ancestors. This is a huge opportunity for me," Teresa Glover, a 27-year-old medical student, told me during a recent visit to her medical school. "Nobody in my family has ever had the chance to be a doctor." Glover's mother is a teacher, and her father a dispatcher for the New York subway system. Her background is a mix of African American, Barbadian, and Cherokee. She graduated from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh. "I wanted to be a doctor, but I wasn't sure how to get into medicine. I had decent grades, but I didn't have any money, and even applying to medical school cost a lot."

This young woman from the Bronx may be helping to rectify the long-standing problem of insufficient diversity in the medical profession in the United States. Twenty-five percent of the U.S. population is black, Hispanic, or Native American, whereas only 6.1 percent of the nation's physicians come from these backgrounds.

1 Students from these minority groups simply don't get into medical school as often as their majority peers, which results in a scarcity of minority physicians. This inequity translates into suffering and death, as documented by the Institute of Medicine.

2 Poorer health outcomes in minority populations have been linked to lack of access to care, lower rates of therapeutic procedures, and language barriers. Since physicians from minority groups practice disproportionately in minority communities, they are an important part of the solution to the health-disparities quandary.

In her third year, Glover is negotiating the classic passage from the laboratory to the clinic. But her school isn't in the United States. She is enrolled at the Latin American School of Medicine (ELAM, which is its Spanish acronym) in Havana - a school sponsored by the Cuban government and dedicated to training doctors to treat the poor of the Western hemisphere and Africa. Twenty-seven countries and 60 ethnic groups are represented among ELAM's 8000 students.

Glover's mother heard about ELAM from her congressman, Representative José Serrano (D-N.Y.). "Mom calls me. 'I have news. There's a chance for you to go to medical school.' She waits for it to sink in. 'You'd get a full scholarship.' She waits again. 'But it's in Cuba.' That didn't faze me a bit. What an opportunity!"

The genesis of Glover's opportunity dates to June 2000, when a group from the Congressional Black Caucus visited Cuban president Fidel Castro. Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) described huge areas in his district where there were no doctors, and Castro responded with an offer of full scholarships for U.S. citizens to study at ELAM. Later that year, Castro spoke at the Riverside Church in New York, reiterating the offer and committing 500 slots to U.S. students who would pledge to practice in poor U.S. communities.

That day, 26-year-old Eduardo Medina was at his parents' house in New York, listening to Castro's speech on the radio. "Castro announces that Cuba has started a new medical school and has invited students from all over Latin America to come, train, and return to treat the poor in their countries. Then he starts quoting figures about poor communities in the U.S. 'We'll be more than happy to educate American medical students,' he says, 'if they'll commit to going home to take care of the poor.' The place went nuts. I'm standing in my basement saying, 'Yes! Yes! Yes!'"

(CONTINUED)
http://tinyurl.com/byp7q

[Rigs11]

your freakin hilarious. the people playing the blame game here is everyone - and from what i see, it's the libs crying the loudest! i do not swear my allegience to bush or the republican party for that matter...but i'll be damned if i am going to sit here and pin the blame for every problem this country has on bush- and that is the creed of many here. the problem does not lie between one party or another, or one mans beliefs or another...the problems with our society lie with every day citizens and the entire system we have sold out to. if we could actually unite we could change the system...but that, my friend, will never happen.

people who don't share eachother's opinions are either an elitist, or a redneck...

God forbid that we blame the current president for the problems that America faces. Event though the moron keeps making them. :hitself: