LTC Lakin's Lawful Order

The Uniformed Services University (USU) has a worldwide reputation as a center of excellence for military and public health as well as for eduction and research.

When I had the pleasure to work at the Bethesda National Naval Medical Center (2004--2005), I had the opportunity to see the great work at USU staff and students.

A lot of the initial work for advanced kevlar (fiber developed by DuPont) for the purposes of ceramic plates in body armor was conducted at USU.

Military doctors not just save lives -- they go into harm's way, defend themselves and face the enemy when necessary.  They have a tough role.  LTC Lakin was one such doctor who has gone to harm's way (Afghanistan) and performed superbly.

That is why I was very surprised to hear about the refusal of LTC Lakin,  Army doctor (Birther) who refused to deploy.  He definitely wasn't looking out for his wellbeing and his family when he chose to disobey a lawful order.

Whatever the issues and appeals of the Birthers, it wasn't up to a military doctor to bring them up.  There are many people working on this and the case has been appealed to the Supreme Court.

When you sign up, you serve your Country when ordered.  If you have conscientious issues, you bring them up through your chain of command, but that shouldn't stop you from fighting for your Country.

Kudos to Military Medicine, and let's hope LTC Lakin and others learn their lesson.

Fenty Should Run as a Republican

“I think even the mayor will admit that the schools have been so neglected that we're really talking about peanuts in terms of making them look like we want to educate children.”
The primary this week was more a referendum on Fenty's personality that on his performance.

That's why I think he deserves a second chance, as a Republican.

Why not, more than 800 Republicans wrote him in and Fenty has until 4:45 pm today to accept the Republican nomination.

Credit: J Scott Applewhite/AP Photo: Andrew Harrer/Getty Images

Fenty lost the primary by around 10,000 votes.  There are 29,000 registered Republicans in DC.   If you assume that everyone who voted for Fenty on Tuesday will vote for him again in November, then he has two months to apologize and appeal to the masses who turned up against him and significantly close the gap or possibly win.

The Taliban's Big PR Mistake

The horrible execution style murder of 10 medical personnel in a previously-safer area in Northern Afghanistan dealt a big blow to the overall medical mission in Afghanistan. Surely, I can fully understand if civilian humanitarian health care providers now feel unsafe to carry out their mission if they cannot be guaranteed protection from the insurgency.

This tragic murder was the worst assault on foreign Christians since the 2007 kidnapping of 23 South Korean missionaries. Two male hostages were slain before the South Korean government negotiated their release.

Once allowed to operate with a degree of immunity, aid workers now face a very dangerous working environment, a setback for the Obama Administration's call for a civilian surge in southern Afghanistan.

In this assault, the Taliban committed a grave mistake indiscriminately killing humanitarian aid workers from the International Aid Mission, a group that has been working in Afghanistan for over 30 years.

Medical care is one of the basic needs you can provide to people, even more for the indigent.  When you kill the medical people that are generously providing care and you deprive them of that care without an ability to replace it, you will eventually lose public support.  That is the basic law of politics and applies even to to an authoritarian regime.

Perhaps the Taliban should tear a page from the Irish Republic Army lessons learned rulebook (if there's such an animal).  In 1998, the IRA finally gave up on all military means to reach a united Ireland mostly because public opinion (with all the bloodshed and fear) over time had strongly built against them.  As a result they signed the Belfast Agreement in 1998, marking a deescalation of violence.

Just like the British did in Northern Ireland, I am a big believer that victory in Afghanistan can only be gained through both military and political negotiation with the Taliban.  In fact, earlier this year, President Hamid Kazai has expressed desires to negotiate peace with the Taliban.

Thus, ISAF and the Afghan government must receive assurances from the Taliban that they will not murder medical personnel who are exclusively providing care.  If we don't get that assurance, it would not be prudent and safe to continue providing medical care without military protection -- which in the long run could deal a lethal blow to the Taliban in the world of public opinion and support from local Afghans.

If the Taliban lose support, they will not be able to enlist the young fighters that are needed to fuel their growth and many Afghan villagers may decide to revolt against and fight the Taliban.

Medical care is a basic necessity and medical providers' security is their basic necessity.