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THE POLITICS OF POP CULTUREWho Is Bill Quigley? aka - Merry Christmas from HUD
Posted December 6th, 2007 in Activism, All, Celebrities, Healthcare, Inside New Orleans, Legal and PoliticsUPDATE 12/7/07:
Video of the arrest can be seen here. Local news station WDSU reports on the story.
Quigley stated to local reporters, “We live in a system where if you cheer or chant in city hall, you get arrested. But you can demolish 4,500 people’s apartments, and everyone seems to go along with that.”
Quigley has been charged with disturbing the peace.
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ORIGINAL STORY 12/6/07:
Lawyers in Pakistan protest President Musharraf’s removal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary from the country’s Supreme Court for hearing cases “unpopular with the government.”
Would lawyers in the United States take such risks for justice?
It’s not so much Bill Quigley’s actions, which I consider to be both noble and patriotic, but his profession that may surprise you. Mr. Quigley is an attorney. (Pause for jokes involving lawyers at the bottom of the sea…)
Most of New Orleans’ attorneys can currently be found at the bottom of an enormous pile of paperwork involving real estate lawsuits. Legal firms have literally been built upon the amount of real estate litigation resulting from the destruction of hurricane Katrina. The storm not only devastated the region’s business and agriculture resources, but created a housing shortage that, in the U. S., can only be compared with that of much more highly populated cities such as New York and Los Angeles. Unfortunately, what those cities have, New Orleans lacks; a robust and dynamic economy to support their millions of residents. This is not to say that such cities lack poverty, but if you want to see a recipe for poverty in action, watch as a natural disaster wipes out an entire region’s economic resources (jobs) AND its social supports (homes). Many housing structures, including apartment complexes, public housing, and other group living facilities, were destroyed by the storm and have not been rebuilt. Without the aid of a beneficent government, the result is thousands of people - men, women, and children, who have no home to return to and no job to help them re-establish their lives or even relocate in the hopes of finding other work. Families that were only one medical crisis away from poverty in the first place have seen the scales tip away from their hopes for financial stability, and have plunged head first into a world in which they seem to have become suddenly invisible.
Now, meet Bill Quigley, a civil rights attorney who lives and works right here in the Big Easy. Unlike the majority of his peers, Mr. Quigley still sees the people in his city - whether they can afford his services or not. A professor at Loyola Univesity’s School of Law and Director of the school’s Gillis Long Poverty Law Center, Mr. Quigley is a man on a mission to do more than teach, he is on a mission for social justice in a city where justice has long been bought and sold to the highest bidder; a city that is now experiencing adversity the likes of which are comparable in many ways to life in an undeveloped country. But Mr. Quigley is not to be found beneath a pile of paperwork today. Instead, he can be located in one of the city’s jail cells.
What did he do to merit an arrest? He accompanied a group of people whose last hope for a stable home is being destroyed to make way for far fewer new apartments to a protest at city hall.
On the 12th day before Christmas, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is planning to unleash teams of bulldozers to demolish thousands of low-income apartments in New Orleans. Despite Katrina causing the worst affordable housing crisis since the Civil War, HUD is spending $762 million in taxpayer funds to tear down over 4600 public housing subsidized apartments and replace them with 744 similarly subsidized units – an 82% reduction. HUD is in charge and a one person HUD employee makes all the local housing authority decisions. HUD took over the local housing authority years ago – all decisions are made in Washington DC. HUD plans to build an additional 1000 market rate and tax credit units – which will still result in a net loss of 2700 apartments to New Orleans – the remaining new apartments will cost an average cost of over $400,000 each….
Good work HUD. Even Brangelina has better ideas.
Mr. Quigley accompanied several residents whose homes are slated for demolition to City Hall today, where they intended to protest a hearing in which two of seven council members voted for the demolition, while the other five declined to vote at all. While he was holding a door open - not even engaged in protest activities other than being present - local news reporters caught video of a police officer grabbing Mr. Quigley from behind, throwing him face-first against the wall, handcuffing and finally arresting him. (The video, shown on local news stations, is not yet available on the internet - if it becomes available we will certainly update this post to bring it to you).
This was not Mr. Quigley’s first dance with political bullying. Following are links of articles that document his fight for justice from within the ranks of lawmakers themselves. We provide this information not to idolize Mr. Quigley himself, but to remind readers that we are all vulnerable to events beyond our own control. Whether an illness, an act of domestic or foreign terrorism, or an act of god, we can all lose what in life we have managed to accumulate. If we do not stand up for each other, for justice, as compatriots in whatever way we can, there will be no one left standing when hard times befall our own homes.
More from Bill Quigley:
“How to destroy an African American city in 33 steps” - a powerpoint presentation narrated by Mr. Quigley
During Katrina - unlike the politicians who fled the city, Mr. Quigley brought attention to the plight of residents who could not evacuate
After Katrina - a thorough description of the obstacles that face residents seeking to return to New Orleans
Publications - list of Mr. Quigley’s professional publications
Conan O’Brien Is Being Stalked, And Not In The Good Way
Posted November 12th, 2007 in Activism, All, Celebrities, Commentary, Entertainment, Entertainment News and Healthcare
Conan O’Brien is being stalked (not by ET, I just think this is an awesome photo).
This word “stalked” gets thrown around a lot these days. Paris Hilton is being stalked by paparazzi. American Scientists are being stalked by intelligent design. Kurt Schilling is being stalked by mortality. Most people can read the word metaphorically without a second thought; the exception that proves the rule, of course, are those who have literally been stalked.
If you’re not sure exactly what the difference is, Conan O’Brien could tell you. Stalking is when someone whom you met incidentally many years ago writes long letters citing your deep and insightful relationship because he can’t get at you through your bodyguards and press staff. Conan, who does everything bigger, has upped the bizarro ante by being stalked by an actual Vatican priest. To be clear, this priest has clearly lost his connection to anything resembling reality as we know it, even more so than any fellow Conan stalkers who may or may not exist. The Reverend David Ajemian of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston was reportedly transferred to Vatican and then placed on leave, after being arrested last week and charged with aggravated stalking (as if there were another kind) and harassment of the talk show host.
O’Brien reportedly took out a restraining order against the priest for menacing letters which state vague, bizarre threats. One letter stated that Ajemian was “tracking [O'Brien] through space and time,” while another read “I’m told by some of those officious little usher people that you’re overbooked. Is this the way you treat your most dangerous fans? You owe me big-time, pal. I want a public confession—and you know what for—before I even consider giving you absolution.â€
The actual relationship between the two is unclear. Ajemian claims to have attended Yale with O’Brien, although to date the claim has been neither confirmed nor denied. Smarmy blogs (like this one) speculate that Ajemian may have been O’Brien’s priest, though there is no hard evidence indicating anything other than an incidental acquaintance between the two. Only one source, celebslam.com, has managed to procure a photo of the two together. The photo shows O’Brien and Ajemian sharing cocktails in a larger crowd at the opening of the Cor Unum Meal Center in Lawrence, MA during September 2006. Reverend Ajemian is assumed to be in attendance at the party as a local parish priest, though this also remains unconfirmed. What is confirmed is that a criminal complaint has been filed against Ajemian, which alleges that Ajemian has been sending bizarre letters, in which he referred to himself as O’Brien’s “stalker priest” and “most dangerous fan,” among other things, over a 14-month period. Ajemian was released into the custody of his parents after the arrest, but was reported missing after he “abruptly took off” last week. He is now being held in Rikers Island, and was deemed fit to stand trial by a New York criminal court judge last Friday, despite a longstanding history of mental illness.
This is where I throw in my two cents, which being in American denomination is admittedly not worth what it once was. If I were Conan O’Brien, I would not be resting easily. The really bad news for O’Brien is that even though his alleged stalker will probably undergo trial, he is unlikely to serve more than a year. When he is released, the U.S. has effectively no meaningful mental health system to treat and contain him. The deinstitutionalization of the mental health system was a good theory backed by an unfortunately short-sighted government and public. Between the 1960’s and 80’s, the mental health system in this country underwent a shift in theory as the economy underwent a shift in financial priorities, and the majority of long-term mental health facilities were shut down and disbanded. The idea was to move patients with significant mental impairments, the majority of whom are not dangerous, into a supportive environment within the community. Half-way houses were created as a result, but an over-abundance of NIMBY mentality and deprioritization by congress insured that these programs have been under-funded at best, completely abandoned at worst. The result is that there is very little that the mental health system can do for Ajemian, and thus for O’Brien. The realistic options are few. Ajemian can voluntarily hospitalize himself if there is space for him in a local psychiatric unit, which he may then leave any time he decides to. Or he can be involuntarily hospitalized, but only for about 72 hours. If, during those 72 hours, he does not behave as either actively suicidal or homicidal, he will almost assuredly be released. No doctor will be able to hold him if he does not present an immediate and significant threat, and no hospital will want to keep him if he doesn’t have pretty unbelievable permanent health insurance. Even if he has Medicare - the most consistent but least financially rewarding insurance for hospitals - he will be able to walk out into the community as soon as he’s back on his medication.
So O’Brien’s best hope for now is that the criminal justice system will hold Ajemian as often and as long as possible. Another Mental health patient will be nothing new to any prison; the U.S. Department of Justice states that more than half of the country’s inmates have diagnosable mental health disorders. The problem is that the more prisons fill up with mental health patients, the less effective they are. Prisons are not mental health facilities, they are not designed to diagnose or treat mental conditions. But the ratio of mentally ill patients they hold has been rising exponentially, causing the criminal justice system to be nicknamed the “second” department of mental health. And the truth is that even with a restraining order, there’s not much the criminal justice system can do to contain a mentally ill person unless someone has already been attacked. So O’Brien’s best long term plan should probably involve using the wealth of national exposure he commands to spread awareness of the prevalence of mental illness and effective, humane treatment options. The upside of such a move could be substantial, and there’s not much downside when you consider the alternatives.
Pres. Bush to Veto Healthcare for Poor Children. Still.
Posted October 6th, 2007 in Activism, All, Healthcare, Legal, Politics and Take a look... 
In a follow up to our August 1st post President Bush would like the world to know he still doesn’t think universal healthcare for children is a priority for the wealthiest country in the world (that would be U.S.). This despite the fact that according to a 2006 CNN report the U.S. has the second worst newborn death rate in the developed world, behind only Latvia. That’s small Baltic nation for those of us who also got C’s in Geography.
This is no surprise to anyone who has followed the president’s domestic policy regarding affordable healthcare for middle and low income families. Eight states - NJ, MD, AZ, CA, IL, NH, NY and WA - have already joined together in a coalition that is currently suing the Bush Administration for creating new federal rules that prevent them from even using their own state funds to make up for what the federal government refuses to provide.
The states object to rules issued by the Bush administration in August that make it harder for them to provide coverage to children in middle-income families by limiting the total income of families who participate.
The states suing accuse the administration of overstepping the federal government’s authority to set income limits for participants in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program…
[NJ Governor] Corzine told reporters that health insurance coverage for 10,000 poor children in his state is at stake.“We frankly don’t understand the administration’s position,” he said.
New Jersey’s program, called FamilyCare, provides free and low-cost health care, immunizations, hospitalization, lab tests and X-rays, prescription drugs, dental and mental health services to 122,525 children and 89,050 adults. It costs the state $480 million per year, with $312 million paid for by the federal government.
Other governors expressed similar frustrations with the new policy.
“These barriers imposed by the Bush administration mortgage both the fiscal and health future of our nation,” Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said.
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer said the legal challenge was necessary.
“It sends a powerful and compelling message when the U.S. Congress, states across the nation and the public are so clearly committed to ensuring that families have access to affordable health care for their children.”
While fellow Republican presidential candidates continue to spread the myth that the U.S. has the best medical care system in the world, the World Health Organization actually compared healthcare between the world’s nations in 2000. The U.S. was ranked 37th, and has not improved its standing since. More recently, the Commonwealth Fund, a well-regarded international program dedicated to improving healthcare, reported that in a survey completed in May, the U.S. ranked last in a comparison of the world’s most “advanced” industrialized nations - behind Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The primary difference is that all other industrialized nations provide universal health coverage for all of their citizens.
Meanwhile, the U.S. doesn’t even provide health coverage to all of its children. While American media focuses on atrocities that occur in other parts of the world, one out of every six children right here in the U.S. live in poverty. These are the same children who the President expects to pay for their own health insurance, and who will be denied coverage as a direct result of the presidential veto. Politics as usual means that international organizations devoted to caring for malnourished, undereducated, and impoverished children, such as the Save the Children Coalition, are forced to focus much of their relief efforts on the United States, the wealthiest nation in the world.
It’s time for Americans to stop following the politics of wealth and start asking the obvious questions: Who benefits from denying insurance coverage to poor children? Why do pharmaceutical companies have more than three Washington lobbyists for every Congressperson and Senator? Why does the wealthiest nation in the world fail to provide even the most basic forms of care for its very own citizens?
Universal Healthcare is an idea whose time has come. In fact, it came and went a long time ago in every other industrialized nation in the world. With elections coming up, Americans can no longer afford (literally) to tow the party line. We need to stand up for ourselves, our neighbors, and - most importantly - our children.
Read More:
Drug companies are the top “healthcare” lobbyists - not doctors or patients
NFL - In the Wake of Kevin Everett’s Life-Threatening Injury, Retired Players Will Testify About League’s Failure to Provide Adequate Medical Care
Posted September 10th, 2007 in Activism, All, Commentary, Entertainment, Entertainment News and Healthcare
It’s the sight every football fan, player, coach, and - most importantly - family member dreads; a player lying unresponsive on the field. Often, whole cities breathe a collective sigh of relief when the player is able to indicate that he is all right, or better yet walks off the field under his own power.
Yesterday, Kevin Everett’s family was not so lucky. Everett, tight end for the Buffalo Bills, sustained severe damage to his cervical spine while attempting to tackle the Denver Bronco’s Domenik Hixon in the teams’ season opener. Everett, who dropped to the ground instantly unconscious, was able to communicate with doctors at the local emergency room where he is being treated. He is reported to understand the extent of his injury. Everett’s doctors report that a full recovery is an unlikely scenario; it is more probable that Everett will sustain permanent paralysis to at least some degree, if he survives at all - and doctors have made it clear that he is not out of the woods yet. Everett is being kept in deep sedation and is breathing with the help of respirators for the next few days to prevent him from further injuring the spine or cord, and to allow doctors to asses the extent of the injury.
Though his career is almost certainly over, Everett is lucky in one respect - the injury happened in front of America during a game. This ensures that he will immediately receive the best available medical and rehabilitation care when he awakes.
Not so for thousands of retired NFL players, who have already testified in the United States House of Representatives that the League’s disability program is woefully inadequate to the needs of its retired athletes. The NFL has responded to the push for improved post-career medical care for players by stating that it already provides a generous plan, and silently banking on the fact that average American, who is in debt and relies on a job benefits package to supplement the cost of medical care, will not side with the players in their march for improvements to their own care.
Here’s the thing: The NFL pulls in an estimated $7 billion per year. You read right, that’s billion with a “b”. So why do they not provide the players, whose bodies are systematically destroyed in the interest of the game throughout their careers in the NFL, with adequate medical services upon retirement? According to Harold Henderson, who oversees the NFL retirees’ benefit system, the answer is that they can’t afford it.
“I think [the benefit system] is well-planned and orchestrated,” said Harold Henderson… “People who are hurt during their employment, there’s a very generous package in place to take care for those disabilities. But the fact of the matter is, almost everybody leaves football because they can’t play anymore. If you paid everybody for that, you would be putting everybody on a permanent stipend. There’s no logic for that and no way to afford that.”
The League currently offers “vested” players (who have played full-time for a minimum of three years) high option family insurance for five years after they retire from play. After that time, the players, whose bodies are essentially destroyed from their years in the NFL, are left to find their own insurance. At best they will receive minimal coverage for outrageous and potentially unaffordable premiums, or they and their dependents will be left without insurance altogether. Despite high rates of neurological illness and injuries, depression - both associated with repetitive concussions - and the obvious physical ailments in joints and muscles (the seriousness of which has only begun to become apparent after the five year mark) the League has barely paid lip service to increasing the help offered to retired players by offering them health seminars, as if they could choose whether or not their bodies will feel the effects of the years of pounding. And lately one can find a great deal of chatter about how fatter players are twice as likely to die young, allowing the League to displace blame off of its money-grabbing practices and onto the lifestyles of individual players themselves.
For better or worse, professional athletes are treated like idols in the United States during their careers. Yet it seems that even they are prey to the failures of the American healthcare system. Their fight will return to Capitol Hill on September 18, this time to address the U.S. Senate. If they can’t find a way to receive adequate care with celebrities and collective bargaining agreements leading the way, what chance do the rest of the more than 43 million uninsured Americans have?
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