Old Soldiers

One of the hardest aspects about retiring, I still hope to volunteer and hope to do mission work, is accepting the fact that I am increasingly becoming professionally less relevant. In some ways, this has crossed over into my personal life. Last Mother’s Day my granddaughter and I approached the maitre d at The River Club for a brunch appointment before the rest of the family had arrived. Lilly is eight years old and when I was addressed as “doctor” she immediately intervened and said, “he is NOT a doctor, he is RETIRED”. There you go. No longer relevant! Being a “PAPA’ is much better.

As Douglas MacArthur famously said, “Old soldiers never die, they just fade away” Jim Jones, the former Idaho Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice, the Viet Nam Veteran, and cancer survivor—all credentials that he reminds us of ad nauseum in his writings, needs to “just fade away”. He overestimates his relevance and that is sad. Watching an athlete try to perform when his skills and abilities are deteriorating or watching a surgeon, or a Supreme Court Justice continue to practice their craft too long is sad. In my own case I noticed that as my expectations and my perceptions of my talents never altered, simple tasks became more difficult, and I became less patient with myself and those working around me. It was time to quit. The same thing happened with my golf game. I loved competing, but when playing became only participating—It was time to quit. When Jim Jones “competed”, he was a force to be reckoned with and a man to be respected. He is now barely participating. A willing press has allowed his ill-informed views on Covid mitigation and treatment and Dr. Ryan Cole to be credible. In an article authored in The Idaho Capital Sun on August 3^rd Mr. (Dr.) Jones— Why does he in fact still have a medical license?

https://idahocapitalsun.com/2022/08/03/why-does-this-guy-still-have-an-idaho-medical-license/

Dr. David Pate (ESQ) the former CEO at St. Luke’s who made $18million his last two years on the job Tweeted similar feelings a few hours after (Dr.) Jones Esq. posted his article. I have in past articles compared the Public Health “experts” of today, with the Inquisition of Galileo in 1632 by Pope Urban VIII and 10 Cardinals who called numerous “experts” —all who were wrong, to testify in favor of an “earth centric view” of our solar system. The Copernican heliocentric view of the solar system, supported by findings that Galileo reported utilizing his new telescope was felt to be heresy. In 1992 The Catholic Church apologized for their mistake! The great lesson of science is that there is no “settled science”. My teacher, the great Robert Zollinger informed all his residents and medical students upon their graduation that “remember everything I taught you is only 50% right your job in your careers is to prove what is wrong and make it right”.

I have agreed with 90% of what Dr. Cole has published and lectured about. My family and I are all vaxed. Like Dr. Cole I have always believed that natural immunity is best. Today, August 4^th, Dr. Robert Malone an inventor of mRNA technology opined in a CROSSROADS program about the phenomena of “immune imprinting” and why natural immunity is better.

https://www.theepochtimes.com/covid-19-vaccines-hinder-the-immune-system-lead-to-more-severe-illness-dr-robert-malone_4627115.html

One of the issues that The Idaho Medical Association (IMA) noted in their complaint regarding Dr. Cole to the State Board of Medicine(SBOM) was his opinions about natural immunity. Guess who was correct?

Only N-95 masks worked. Closing schools for elementary students did nothing to stop the spread of the disease. Social distancing except in the acute stage of the disease had no impact on mitigation. 70% of people who died from Covid were over the age of 70. 70% of the rest of the patients who died had at least 2 comorbid conditions one of which was obesity. Type 3 mitigation strategies proved more efficacious than type 2 strategies. Covid patients benefited from treatments like mono-clonal antibodies.

Dr. Cole like Galileo was right far more often than the “experts”. Far more than the people who have authored the complaints against him. Legal counsel for the (SBOM) noted the need to respect differences in scientific opinions. Issues of “process and practice” will not be addressed in this article except to say that the law regarding TELEMEDICINE needs to be reviewed and updated by our legislature.

I have only met Dr. Cole three times. His writings are based on data that is irrefutable. He is probably the best credentialed person in the State of Idaho to have a scientific opinion about Covid mitigation and treatment strategies. Mayo clinic trained with a certificate in virology and immunology. Compare those credentials with Dr. (ESQ)’s Pape and Jones—or me!

Here is a challenge I have for the four of us—Dr. Cole, Dr. Livingston, Dr.(ESQ) Pape and ESQ(Dr.) Jones. Let’s agree to take a 100-question test on virology and immunology administered by a Prof. at UW in the Dept of Immunology. CME credits could be offered for study time and time taking the test. The scores can be posted in The Gem State Patriot and The Idaho Capital Sun. The two “experts” that score lowest on the test will agree not to opine anymore about issues relating to Covid. They can go back and serve on Governor Little’s Covid Advisory Board or run political campaigns. The process would be analogous to qualifying a witness. In the case of Mr. (Dr.) Jones I believe he would prove to be an “unqualified witness”. In that case the “fake news” in Idaho could agree to not give a forum to him where he could offer his unqualified opinions.

One last thought about Dr. Pate—fondly referred to by the medical and nursing staffs at St. Luke’s as the $18million man—do you Sir have an Idaho license to practice medicine? Do you have a license to practice law? Should I stop calling you Dr./.ESQ)?

I would like to cordially invite the Esquire Doctors to join me as we continue our shared journeys into the land of “irrelevancy”. Before we all embarrass ourselves. Let’s leave the science to the “experts” and allow the citizens of Idaho to determine for themselves and their families how they should “mitigate” life’s many risks.

To the Idaho “Fake News”: Ask the right questions of the right people. QUALIFY YOUR EXPERTS. Your readers deserve that courtesy. Don’t be lazy. “Old Soldiers……”