Short column this week—the cold, wet Dallas weather has brought me a lovely fibromyalgia flare for Halloween. More on that later.
The Texas GOP, who supposedly want to keep government out of peoples lives, have weighed in on a custody battle between two Texas parents over their transgendered child. Even though Judge Kim Cooks awarded joint custody (a decision I think she’ll come to regret) both Gov. Greg “Hey” Abbott and Sen. Ted “You Cruz, You Lose” Cruz were suckered by the publicity-seeking antics of father Jeffrey Younger into making fools of themselves. (CNN)
As if there weren’t enough ways for law enforcement to target and deny rights to African Americans, the FBI has created a new label: Black Identity Extremist . The ACLU and Media Justice are trying to determine if Dallas resident Rakem Balogun was targeted by the FBI, ATF, and Dallas Police Department because he was classified as a Black Identity Extremist and therefore “is someone who is likely influenced by a mixture of black nationalist ‘sovereign citizen’ ideology, anti-authoritarianism, and ‘BIE ideology’” making him more likely to “commit premeditated, retaliatory lethal violence against law enforcement, motivated by perceptions of police brutality against African Americans.” Balogun was held for 5 months after his arrest without phone calls, a bond hearing, or bail because the government claimed his social media activity, involvement in protests, and what they called "a history of assaultive behavior" made him a danger and a flight risk. The final outcome? All charges were dropped against Balogun, and he was released. (Dallas Observer)
Thirteen current and former law enforcement officers are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in the execution of Rodney Reed for a very good reason—a significant amount of evidence says he may be innocent. The officers have taken this unusual (especially for law enforcement) action because “they understand “as well as anyone the need for finality in criminal cases…but where, as here, there is a significant risk of executing an innocent man, that need for finality must yield to the needs of justice.” In other states, a case so tainted by bad science, weak facts, and tunnel vision would have already been overturned. But Texas rarely overturns a death penalty conviction and it’s become ever more difficult to do since Randall Dale Adams’ bogus, perjury-fueled conviction was overturned in 1989. (Austin Statesman)
Mini-Rant – Please Don’t Throw Chronic Pain Patients Under the Bus
Having a chronic illness is heartbreaking and exhausting. But when that chronic illness involves pain, in the age of the opioid epidemic, it also involves fear. Lots and lots of fear.
After almost 2 years and thousands of dollars’ worth of medical tests trying to determine the cause of my widespread joint and muscle pain, I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 2002. Over the next 2 years, I tried many different treatments, both medical and holistic, to deal with the pain. Finally, I found a specialist who put me on low, time-released doses of opiates. At the time he started me on this regime, my New-Zealand-trained physician told me something I’ve never forgotten.
“We’re not starting you on these drugs to keep you free from pain. You’ll always have pain. What we’re trying to do is keep you functional, so you can work, go out with friends…live your life.”
He was right—I’m rarely free from pain. But the medications I take have allowed me to work full time, take care of my child, go on date night with my husband, and all of the other daily activities most people take for granted. So you can imagine how terrifying it was for me when the CDC released their new “guidelines” to deal with the opioid crisis. Terrified they were going to be prosecuted for prescribing opiates, doctors began cutting off chronic pain patients with no warning or alternatives to manage their pain. And the worse part? The CDC guidelines and the so-called crack-down on doctors have not made the opioid crisis any better. In fact, it’s gotten worse while chronic pain patients have suffered, become disabled, and committed suicide out of desperation.
I’ve been lucky (so far). I have a long-time pain management doctor who saw the writing on the wall years ago and adjusted his practice (annual drug tests for patients, psychological testing, overabundance of paperwork, etc.) to prevent himself and his patients from being vulnerable to attacks by overzealous law enforcement. It makes sick people like me feel like criminals, but it’s a necessary evil of the times. That’s why I was so glad to see Beto O’Rourke’s “Plan to Address Substance Use Disorders and the Opioid Epidemic.” Item number 3 in his five-point plan reads:
“Ensure that individuals with chronic pain for whom proper usage of opioids are life-sustaining pharmacotherapy are not denied access to these medications.”
Beto is the first candidate I’ve seen who has taken chronic pain patients into account when developing a opioid crisis strategy. I hope he won’t be the last.