Imagine a medical student doing what they do to become a doctor. And not your average M.D. (latin initials for Me Doctor), but an oncologist, a cancer specialist.
There is an incredible amount of time and expense spent to reach the level of expertise required to receive that coveted piece of sheepskin and be able to start practicing medicine.
So how are we doing in the war on cancer?
Survival rates are much better than they used to be. People with even some fairly aggressive forms have a reasonable chance of beating the beast into retreat with early detection and treatment.
But we still lose too many.
In fact, I am so disturbed at our apparent lack of progress, that I propose we pull all the doctors out of oncology and refocus them in medical fields where success seems more likely.
Think you know where I’m going with this?
Anyone in their right mind would say, “What you talkin’ about, Willis Scrap? That’s crazy talk. You’re talking about cancer. If it hasn’t hit close to you yet, it will.”
Let me assure you that cancer has hit very close. My kids are one grandad short of the number they should have thanks to that monster.
But more to the point: The US has spent a lot of money and time training the world’s finest fighting force. They are currently focused like a laser on removing a cancer that hides in the middle of normal, healthy people. The cancer goes under several names, but the general title is terrorism. I don’t question that a portion of what they face in Iraq is sectarian violence that may or may not be a civil war, but even the quitniks generally agree that the current wave was sparked, and is still propogated by, animals whose prime targets are members of the US military. If we are their prime targets, that ain’t war of the civil kind.
I know there has been a push from the left to get out now, and to try to say that they are still supporting the troops as they consider cutting the funding. But consider Jack Murtha’s goal of trying to reinforce old standards regarding length of leave and rotations (which have been disregarded or modified in virtually every conflict) – he would leave a smaller force with fewer provisions and no reinforcements, and had the gall last week to gloat about how this would leave the military in a position where they would be “unable to complete their mission.“
That’s like saying to an oncologist, “Here’s a Boy Scout knife and a handkerchief. Good luck removing the tumor.”
