Break It Down!: September 2011

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Raising Cain: Don't Bet On It!

It's time to Break It Down!

By now, you know former Chairman and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, and former Chairman of the Board of Directors to the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Herman Cain, won the past weekend’s Florida GOP Straw Poll for Presidential candidates. The fact that he won was surprising; that it was a proverbial landslide must be consider shocking.

Why? Leading up to the contest, the anointed and virtually unanimous front runners expected to battle for, and ultimately clinch the Party’s nomination were either Rick Perry, or Mitt Romney. Conventional wisdom was that one of them would prevail in the Sunshine State’s straw poll…and that the other would almost certainly finish second. But to paraphrase Tina Turner, “What's Conventional Wisdom Got To Do With It?”

People who really watch closely things political will affirm that straw polling is about as far from science as the earth is from the sun. But be that as it may, I have spent s fair amount of time over the past 5 days discussing what Cain’s unexpected win does and/or does not mean. Given the relationship, or lack thereof, between straw polling and science, that I have already suggested, I admit, any time spent on the endeavor was too much. But Labor Day has come and gone; the political season is here in earnest. This is a fall sport.

News commentators, political analysts, and the man and woman on the street have weighed in on Cain’s big win. Many of them are questioning whether this will enliven his campaign, result in bringing in more money, and ultimately catapult him into the top tier of candidates who will vie to be the last man (or woman) standing. And if he is not the last standing, perhaps he can be someone who will be a factor in determining who is; translation, at least discussed as the Nominee’s choice for Vice President.

In the hot white afterglow of what must surely have been a satisfying triumph, anything is possible, or must seem so from the eyes of those who view Mr. Cain as the man they would like to succeed President Obama, or even Vice President Biden. Consider me an unreformed skeptic.

First, it is important to recognize the need to place and keep the Florida Straw Poll in its proper context. I would begin by asking, who won the Iowa Straw Poll? Yes, August 13^th seems like an eternity ago, but that’s when Michele Bachmann bested Ron Paul and Tim Pawlenty, who finished 2^nd, and 3^rd, respectively. That seems like a long time ago, not just because of the real time that has elapsed since then, but because, since that moment of pre-eminence, the trajectory of Bachmann’s Campaign, and 2012 political fortunes have appeared to take on a definite downward spiral from that lofty, albeit, brief zenith . She now is at or near the bottom of most polls, which is exactly where she finished Saturday in Florida, garnering 1.5% of the votes.

Still not convinced? I understand, and of course, I have other factors you might consider more compelling fodder. The Florida Straw Poll was one of 4 GOP Straw Polls during the month of September. Let’s take a look at all of them, and identify the top 3 finishers in each:

Cincinnati Tea Party Straw Poll/September 12^th – Pre-Debate: Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann – Post-Debate: Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain (CNN has not released final figures for the poll)

California GOP Straw Poll/September 17^th – Ron Paul (44.9%), Rick Perry (29.3%), Mitt Romney (8.8%)

Florida GOP Presidency 5 Straw Poll/September 24^th – Herman Cain (37.1), Rick Perry (15.4%), Mitt Romney (14%)

Michigan Republican Party Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference Straw Poll – Mitt Romney (50.8%), Rick Perry (16.74%), Herman Cain (8.5%)

As you can see, Ron Paul won two of the four Polls, but failed to finish in the top 3 in the other two. Governor Romney finished first in one, failed to “show” in one, and finished 3^rd in the other two. Mr. Cain finished first Saturday in Florida, third in Michigan and Post-debate Cincinnati, and did not make the top three in California, or Pre-Debate Cincinnati. All-in-all, considering the 3^rd place finish in Michigan reflected garnering only 8.5% of the votes, and his failure to make the top 3 in California, Florida was a big win; a surprising win, but not necessarily a race altering victory.

Actually, a potentially more telling factoid about the GOP’s September Straw Polls is that, the leader of most National Polls for the last month, Rick Perry did not win any of them. With Mrs. Bachmann flat-lining, perhaps the Tea Party really is conflicted between Perry and Cain. By most media accounts, one factor in the ascendancy of Cain, vis-à-vis Perry, is his relatively strong showing in the Debates, from a Tea Party perspective.

Speaking of keeping the Florida Straw Poll in proper context, keep in mind, GOP 2012 Straw Polling did not begin in Florida; nor did it start in September. No, these contests started all the way back in January. Here is a Top 3 breakdown of the pre-September GOP Straw Polls:

· New Hampshire Straw Poll/January 22^nd – Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty

· Washington, DC Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Straw Poll/February 10^th – Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Gary Johnson

· Phoenix Tea Party Straw Polls/February 27^th – On-Site: Herman Cain, Tim Pawlenty, Ron Paul – Online: Ron Paul, Herman Cain, Sarah Palin – Combined: Ron Paul, Herman Cain, Sarah Palin

· Oregon – Dorchester Conference Straw Poll/March 6^th – Mitch Daniels, Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin

· Washington, DC – National League of Cities (NLC) Straw Poll/March 15^th – Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Mitch Daniels

· Sacramento Republican Liberty Conference/March 20^th – Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin

· York County, SC – South Carolina Straw Poll/April 3^rd – Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann

· Camp Hill, PA (Harrisburg) PA Pennsylvania Leadership Conference Straw Poll/April 9^th – Herman Cain, Michele Bachmann/Tim Pawlenty tied

· Charleston County Republican Party Straw Poll/April 15^th – Haley Barbour, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum

· GA 3^rd Congressional District Convention Straw Poll/April 16^th – Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Mike Huckabee

· Columbia, SC – South Carolina Republican Party Straw Poll/May 5-6^th – Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Herman Cain

· New Orleans, Louisiana Republican Leadership Conference Straw Poll/June 16-18^th – Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman, Michele Bachmann

· Clay County, Iowa Republican Party Straw Poll/June 19^th – Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum

· Ohio Republican Party Straw Poll/July 22^nd – Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann

· Iowa Straw Poll/August 13^th – Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty

· New Hampshire Young Republicans Straw Poll/August 20^th – Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, Thaddeus McCotter

· Georgia State GOP Straw Poll/August 27^th – Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Rick Perry

So, there have been twenty-one Straw Polls to date, more than two per month on average, through September, Governor Romney has won 4 (New Hampshire, Washington, DC – National League of Cities, Ohio, and Michigan), Mr. Cain has won 5 (Phoenix, Pennsylvania, Florida, and 2 in Georgia, and glory be, Dr. Ron Paul has won 7 (Washington, DC – CPAC, Sacramento, New Orleans, Clay County, Iowa, New Hampshire Young Republicans, Cincinnati, and California, fully one-third of the contests to date. Interestingly, I have not heard the Congressman’s name bandied about as a threat to become our next President.

There are two more GOP Straw Polls scheduled; October 7-9, in Washington, DC, - Values Voter Straw Poll, and October 29-November 5^th, the Illinois Republican Straw Poll. If, indeed, Mr. Cain is truly trending, he should make a strong showing in one or both of the two final straw polls. This will enable him to wind down the year with a flourish, and position his Campaign for a strong kick-off of calendar year 2012.

I am no Nostradamus of course, and I definitely have no special insight into the minds of those persons who affiliate strongly with the ideals espoused by the Tea Party Movement. Still, I am compelled to believe that the Florida results were less about “Raising Cain,” than the likely imminent fall of Governor Perry. I find it instructive that of the 21 Straw Polls, one name notably absent from the win column is Rick Perry.

The GOP pack launched a trench warfare campaign against Governors Romney and Perry, the perceived favorites, based upon the odds. Those attacks caused both to dip in the polls, but, Governor Perry’s average-to-poor performance in a series of debates, a format he largely evaded, as Governor, seem to have placed him at a serious disadvantage. The combination of his performance on stage, with a number of not so appealing (to Tea Party members) positions appears to have removed the bloom from the rose, so to speak. Of course, there are still two Straw Polls left…and then Primary Season awaits the candidates who survive.

So, as I review the results of the Florida Straw Poll, my cautionary advisory is this; “Raising Cain: Don’t Bet On It!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_Cain

http://www.hermancain.com/

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/24/herman-cain-wins-florida-straw-poll/

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/09/24/2423241/hermain-cain-wins-florida-straw.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/herman-cain-wins-florida-straw-poll/2011/09/24/gIQABYUYuK_blog.html

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/09/24/perry-says-rivals-made-mistake-by-skipping-florida-test-vote/

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/herman-cains-9-9-9-plan-buy-less-pay-less/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/can-herman-cain-deliver-an-upset/2011/09/27/gIQAcXDz2K_story.html

http://www.hermancain.com/

http://powerwall.msnbc.msn.com/politics/why-herman-cain-is-angry-1702589.story

http://www.hermancain.com/about

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidwhelan/2011/09/22/fact-checking-herman-cain-who-says-he-would-be-dead-under-obamacare/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/25/herman-cain-morgan-freeman_n_980258.html

http://www.answers.com/topic/herman-cain

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/64555.html

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Urban Prep Academies: Go to High School, Go to College!

It's time to Break It Down!

Urban education in

America

is under assault. So much so that in some corners, the devolution has been ravaging to the point the phrase urban education might be considered oxymoronic.

A 2009 article in the NY Times, culling from a report by America’s Promise Alliance, noted that the average high school graduation rate in the nation’s 50 largest cities was then 53%, compared to 71% in the suburbs. The suburban number is disappointing in its own right; the 53% in urban centers, down right depressing.

While the 18-point gap is appalling, those numbers serve to mask the true depth of the problem in the most extreme cases. For example, research found the disparity in select cities to be much greater, ranging from 29% between New York City and its suburbs, 40% between Baltimore and its suburbs, and a most dire 44% between Cleveland and its suburbs. The raw numbers were:

· New York – 54%; Suburbs – 83%

· Baltimore – 41%; Suburbs – 81%

· Cleveland – 38%; Suburbs – 80%

The Alliance observed in its report that nearly a third of

U.S.

high school students fail to graduate; in total, roughly 1.3 million students per year. That’s an average of 7,200 students dropping out each day. Among minority students, outcomes are even more severe, with almost 50% of African American and Hispanic students not completing high school in a four-year period.

Of course it is well known that there is a steady, if not inexorable shift in demographics, which has resulted in urban centers doubling as the resident hub of black life. The same musical chair demographics means significant numbers of whites have joined a steady exodus to suburbia. There are numerous factors, some economic, some social, and some historical, that led to these inward and outward migratory patters.

A cynical summation might attribute the crux of the thrust for change, first to black people, and later to brown people striving to achieve and assimilate; then subsequently, a pattern of white flight, in response to both. There is a level on which that would be fair, but it would also be overly simplistic. For example, it would not account for, or explain, the steady outwardly migratory flow of economically empowered blacks and Hispanics to the burbs. As I alluded to above, the factors are varied, and in a number of instances, coolly rational; not malevolent in any way.

Given the growing inverse relationship characterized by the increasing number of blacks residing in urban areas, and the decreasing percentage of urban students graduating from high school, it is clear we need a new paradigm with which to frame a model delivery system for urban education. During the recent recession, and its aftermath, we have been bombarded, constantly, by a cacophony of voices, all delivering a similar, but different vantaged message: we need more jobs. And we do!

But we also need to ensure that we are generating a class of prospective workers who can read, write, and compute, but who are also capable of exercising the critical thinking skills necessary to solve problems, operate complex equipment, and generally compete effectively in the global marketplace. And we need them now; otherwise, our efforts to “Win the Future” will be compromised severely.

In 1922, Alpha Phi AlphaFraternity, Inc. established a program called “Go to High School, Go to College.” The program, which still exists, concentrates on the importance of completing high school and college as a vehicle to advancement. Statistics then and now validate the value of successfully navigating high school and college. In 1922 high school completion was the single best predictor of future economic success. Today, the difference in projected income between high school dropouts and high school graduates is still substantial. The difference trends upward more significantly, with each succeeding level of certified educational achievement. For example, according the Alliance for Excellent Education, in 2007, average annual earning figures were stratified accordingly:

· High School Dropouts - $17,299

· High School Graduates - $26,933

· Associate Degree - $36,645

· Bachelors Degree - $52,671

There is no silver bullet that will cure all that ails America, educationally, nor economically. But we are not without examples of potential solutions. Without question, one aspect of the cure is education. Given the inherent dynamics of the way this country works, it is essential to fix education in general, but it is particularly imperative to repair, if not reinvent urban education.

Enter Tim King! Mr. King is many things. He is a black man, born and raised in Chicago, who holds undergraduate and law degrees from Georgetown University; he is an educator, he is the founder of UrbanPrep Academies, an all-male (black) Charter School in Chicago; he is an Alpha man who never forgot what he learned of the Fraternity’s “Go to High School, Go to College” program.

King made three attempts before the City of Chicago’s education hierarchy granted him a Charter for Urban Prep. But he had a vision to which he was committed, and he persevered until the powers that be saw the essential virtue of his proposal. The challenges were significant and they were steep. The high school graduation rate in the City of Chicago is 41%; only 3% of black males graduating in Chicago go to college. In Urban Prep’s freshman class, 90% of students came from low income families, 85% came from homes with single mothers; nearly all of the students were reading below grade level.

The pay off; in the 2010 school year, 100%, or all 107 students in the first graduating class of Urban Prep were accepted by, and went on to attend a 4-year college or university. Tim King and the faculty and staff at Urban Prep Academies had invested their limitless dedication, indefatigable work, and relentless faith in the students, their parents and guardians. They insisted on promoting incredibly high standards, with the inherent expectation that a student body unaccustomed to such lofty benchmarks would adapt and succeed. Their investment returned an amazing yield; their expectations were met in the grandest fashion.

Still, there were naysayers and doubters. Some suggested the success was a mere fluke of luck, and would/could never be repeated; others noted that some of the students left before graduation. What can you do? The students at Urban Prep opted not to get caught up in, or sidetracked by the side bar conversation. Under the leadership and guidance of King and the faculty and staff, they committed themselves to a successful school year. Succeed they did! This past spring the second senior class graduated from Urban Prep. The 2011 Class was comprised of 104 graduates…all of whom were accepted by, and went on to attend 4-year colleges and universities; making it two years in a row the seniors from Urban Prep accomplished this banner achievement.

Now it would be deceptive of me to fail to note, college is not for everyone. That’s just a fact; it's not. But don’t get it twisted! All the chatter aside; the double-talk and questioning whether attending college has merit and value in contemporary society is just a diversion. Pure tricknology; hokum, designed with the intent of knocking would-be achievers off their game. Unless a high school student has a foolproof Plan B, or an imminently available fully endowed Trust Fund (perhaps that is redundant), college is a good deal if you can get it.

Obviously, not everyone lives in Chicago. Urban Prep is not accessible to all who need it, or who desire to attend. With that in mind, it would be wise to seek out Tim King, and see if he will share the key to unlocking what has become increasingly, the mystery of urban education. In the 2010 and 2011 school years, at least, it seems pretty straight-forward. I would say, “Urban Prep Academies: Go to High School, Go to College!”

I’m done; holla back!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/education/22dropout.html

http://www.blackpressusa.com/op-ed/Speaker.asp?NewsID=18678

http://www.americaspromise.org/Our-Work/Dropout-Prevention.aspx

http://www.all4ed.org/files/archive/publications/HighCost.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_King

http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/January-2011/Chicagoans-of-the-Year-2010-Tim-King/

http://www.urbanprep.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=3eclRfL4Tok

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Prep_Academies

http://www.urbanprep.org/englewood/index.asp

http://www.urbanprep.org/contact/

http://www.urbanprep.org/careers/

http://www.urbanprep.org/admissions/

http://www.urbanprep.org/about/

http://www.urbanprep.org/egp/index.asp

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-03-05/news/ct-met-urban-prep-college-20100305_1_metal-detectors-college-school-leaders

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&gs_upl=0l0l3l25377l0l0l0l0l0l0l0l0ll0l0&rlz=1R2ADFA_enUS382&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.&biw=1116&bih=535&wrapid=tlif131656221639610&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=urban+prep&fb=1&gl=us&hq=urban+prep&cid=17911149963392612929

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/28/urban-prep-100-percent-of_n_627429.html

http://practicaltheory.org/serendipity/index.php?/archives/1232-Urban-Prep-and-The-Whole-Story.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZnvFNBgFNA

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/tim-king-students-urban-prep-charter-academy-persons/story?id=10088324

http://www.alpha-phi-alpha.com/Page.php?id=164

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_Phi_Alpha#Go-To-High_School.2C_Go-To-College

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Medical Experimentation: Ethics Optional

It's time to Break It Down!

Americans frequently assert the

United States

is a paragon of virtuous behavior. Despite examples to the contrary, politicians especially, rush to belittle those who do not toe the line on the flammable, nationalistic notion that

America

leads a uniquely charmed existence, popularly known in the vernacular as American Exceptionalism.

For many neo-con thinkers, this status implicitly ascribes to the United States a state of being akin to the biblical ”shining city on a hill;” exempt from an array of historical forces that have affected other countries. For half a century or more, this romanticized view has been rejected by liberal scholars. Still, related debate roils contemporary political dialogue.

Occasionally, the ideal, and at least in some corners, the patently oversold notion that we are a uniquely stationed, righteously-oriented, global colossus, runs headlong into direct conflict with unmistakable, unalterable, and undeniable countervailing facts. Such was the case nearly a year ago when on Friday, September 30, 2010; Secretaryof State Hillary Clinton and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius apologized to

Guatemala

for actions taken by the U.S. PublicHealth Service.

This discovery and admission was just the most recent case of medical experimentation and exploitation that the

United States

government foisted upon unsuspecting pawns. “Very clearly unethical” was how the two Secretaries described the study, which was conducted between 1946 and 1948, in Guatemala. According to the jointly worded statement, the United States maintained:

Although these events occurred more than 64 years ago, we are outraged that such reprehensible research could have occurred under the guise of public health. We deeply regret that it happened, and we apologize to all the individuals who were affected by such abhorrent research practices."

In addition to the statement referenced above, in a separate, President Obama also spoke with Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom Caballeros, expressing his deep regret for the study. In that conversation, President Obama reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering commitment that all present day studies meet U.S. and international legal and ethical standards.

Of course this is an example of the kind of thing a number of President Obama’s critics constantly pan him for; apologizing to other usually small, and in their opinions, lesser countries. Interestingly, in their views, these kinds of transgressions, apparently, do not warrant acknowledging, or an apology. Perhaps, as they see it, American Exceptionalism means never having to say you’re sorry!

In August 2011, the

U.S.

released the grisly details of how the Guatemalan study was conducted. Included in the minutia was the fine distinction that in a similar study conducted on Indiana prisoners in 1943-44, U.S. government researchers sought volunteers, and told them they would be infected. Disclosure was not so full in Guatemala.

There, according to the Washington Post, doctors brought infected prostitutes to unwitting inmates, or opened wounds in victim’s penises, faces, and arm with needles, then poured bacteria inside. In some cases, infectious material was poured into victims’ spines. In one case, researchers poured gonorrhea-infected pus into the eyes and other orifices of a woman already dying of syphilis, and then injected her with more syphilis.

Given the disparate treatment of the Guatemalan inmates versus the prisoners in Indiana (who were studied earlier), the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues reviewing the Guatemalan study concluded researchers knew their experiments were unethical. Investigators reviewed over 125,000 documents. The Guatemalan government is conducting a separate investigation. The experiments were approved by some Guatemalan officials.

The goal of the research in was to determine whether taking penicillin after sex would protect against syphilis, gonorrhea, and chancroid. The question was a medical priority at the time, especially in the military. About 700 Guatemalans were treated for sexually transmitted diseases, but it remains unclear whether they were adequately treated, or what became of them.

Susan Reverby, a historian at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, discovered the Guatemalan experiments while doing research for a book on the infamous Tuskegee studies in Alabama. She found papers from John C. Cutler, a doctor with the federal government’s Public Health Service. Dr. Cutler had participated in the Tuskegee Experiment, in which hundreds of African American men with late-stage syphilis were left untreated to study the disease between 1932 and 1972; that’s right, forty years! Dr. Cutler died in 2003.

After sending President Obama a report in September, 2011, the Commission will meet again in November to discuss whether current protections are adequate for research subjects, both in the United States, and internationally. The Commission will then issue a final report in December.

Dr. Reverby’s incidental discovery was facilitated by her interest in the Mother of All lack of informed consent studies, The Tuskegee Experiment. Originally intended to last six months, the study, a travesty in virtually every regard devolved into a 40-year exploitive invasion of the lives of 600 black men (and their families) from Tuskegee, Alabama.

The men, 201 of whom did not have the disease as the outset, were never given adequate treatment. Even after penicillin became the acknowledged drug of choice for syphilis in 1947, researchers did not offer it to the subjects. There is no evidence that the subjects were ever given the option to quit the study, even after penicillin was determined to be highly effective and widely used.

The timeline for the saga of the Tuskegee Experiment, which began in 1932, now spans 79 years. The egregious treatment of the subjects of this heinous study is a classic example of why regulation, review, and oversight are important tools in ensuring the health, safety and welfare of the public; all segments of the public. The sequence of events runs as follows:

1932 – Public Health Service began the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male”

July 1972 – The Associated Press ran a story about the Tuskegee study that caused a public outcry that led the Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs to appoint an Ad Hoc Advisory Panel to review the study

The panel found the (600) men had agreed freely to be examined and treated, but…saw no evidence the men had been informed of the study, or its purpose, and they determined the men had been misled, and not given all the facts required for informed consent

October 1972 – The panel concluded the study was ethically unjustified; advised stopping the study at once

November 1972 – The Assistant Secretary for Health and Scientific Affairs announced the end of the Tuskegee Study

Summer 1973 – A class–action lawsuit was filed on behalf of the study participants and their families

1974 – A $10 million out of court settlement was reached, and provided lifetime medical benefits and burial services to all living participants, via the Tuskegee Health Benefit Program (THBP)

1975 – Wives and widows, and offspring were added to the program

1995 – The program was expanded to health as well as medical benefits

The last participant died in January 2004

The last widow receiving THBP benefits died in January 2009

There are 15 offspring currently receiving medical and health benefits

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was given responsibility for the program, where it remains today in the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention.

The Guatemala and Tuskegee studies are two sad commentaries. They demonstrate that intellect, science, and medicine in a vacuum, do not automatically result in reasoned, responsible behavior. In Guatemala and Tuskegee, what we had were cases of, “Medical Experimentation: Ethics Optional!” One vestige of the Tuskegee Experiment is that even today, many African Americans, especially men, are reluctant to trust doctors. It is my sincere hope that in the future, in

America

at least, such a situational ethics model will not be an option.

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/5042808712/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81lvaro_Colom

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/us-scientists-knew-1940s-guatemalan-std-studies-were-unethical-panel-finds/2011/08/26/gIQA2CxLoJ_story.html

http://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/2011/09/01/bureau-recommends-us-scientists-std-experiments-unethical/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unethical_human_experimentation_in_the_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_subject_research

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syphilis_experiments_in_Guatemala

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39456324/ns/health-sexual_health/t/us-apologizes-guatemala-std-experiments/

http://www.newser.com/story/127268/us-airs-horrific-details-of-guatemalan-std-studies.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_syphilis_experiment

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee,_Alabama

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Public_Health_Service