Re: Glen Rose Medical Center. No action was taken on the agenda items last night, after moving the public comment section to the beginning

On the one hand, I think "That's Democracy" and applaud getting people to come express themselves about *Saving Ray Reynolds*. I actually love that type of thing happening and it's absolutely better than some despot filing a specious lawsuit full of falsity to try to get his way. The Citizens Center was quite full, and a lot of people went to the microphone during public comments to express their appreciation for Ray Reynolds. Some of those people had the mistaken impression that the hospital was on the agenda to be closed, or that ANYONE on the board wanted to close it (The power of lies, I suppose, to make people believe bullchit without any proof. There is NO board member that wants to close the hospital.) . And a lot of the people were really rude and derogatory towards my husband, as if they thought he called for this meeting instead of Chip Harrison, who actually did. 

I guess Chip didn't want anyone to know it was him, probably easier to have Paul be the scapegoat for all the wrath, including a quite vulgar gesture from Ann *How Classy* Best (she is apparently an office manager for Lakeside Physicians in Granbury. I'm guessing her employers, including CHS-Community Health Systems, have no problem with her representing their little corner of the healthcare industry this way or maybe they would encourage her to show up at Hood County's Lake Granbury Medical Center Hospital Board meetings and flip off those board members as a way to both express herself and represent their services). Update: I heard, anecdotally, that Ann Best no longer works for Lakeside Physicians from 3 different sources. I was appalled that Chip allowed personal attacks repeatedly on Paul, and never once said "Hey, it was ME that called the meeting. Knock it off" which says a lot about his own character. The following clip is edited with the start of Ann Best and her mom Mary Best's introduction, leaves out their comment and jumps, unedited to the end, to her vulgarity. That is her father Darrell Best behind slightly to the right, laughing and beaming, must be so proud of his daughter.  Someone asked me if it was possible that no one knew that she was flipping off the board, but you can easily tell by seeing and hearing that EVERYONE in the room knew what she was doing.

Let me go further. The aura of the meeting was NOT a professional government meeting in which, as a democracy, respect is shown for others even when you don't share the same viewpoint, but rather a church revival meeting. Many are the ones that stepped forward to say they were praying for people on the board, praying for certain one(s) in particular and even one doctor that directed a spiteful sounding scripture at my husband. Although there was a lot of pious talk, I didn't hear ONE person step up as a Christian to say that doing personal attacks on ANYONE were unacceptable. I guess they were raised differently than I was as a southern baptist. So I have to believe that when Ann Best thought it was great to give my husband the finger, with her mom and Darrell Best yucking it up in the background along with the crowd, that these "pious" people were laughing right along. Such a testimony to what kind of religion they belong to, and don't tell me it's the kind that says "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" unless you approve of vulgar motions at ANYONE. If that's what  brand of christianity is advertising, then only bullies and mean spirited people will join up.

And, if Jesus was listening to those prayers, what about the prayer of THIS doctor who was concerned about patient health and safety and Ray Reynolds did NOT listen, nor did at least one board member who was going to be too busy fighting the other board members to help.. Did Jesus say "Oh, I"m only listening to the bullies at this meeting, sorry, you'll have to be a lot more derogatory and target the innocent for me to listen to YOU, doctor". What hypocrisy. 

As always the Glen Rose Medical Center hospital  people and support group continued their disrespect for public meetings by clapping, cheering, yelling out. I guess they mistook that they were at a pep rally. I see this type of thing as not only not showing decorum but being intimidating to anyone who DOESN'T share that view. What, would this crowd have BOOED if someone HAD stood up to say an opinion other than a blanket "We Like Ray" view? If there *were* any hospital employees who didn't agree, reasonable to think they WOULD have spoken up in that environment? Maybe they would have been afraid that they, exposed, would be fired by Ray Reynolds at the first opportunity as retribution? Do none of them consider that acting that way makes some wonder about their own professionalism INSIDE the Glen Rose Medical Center hospital?  It's just really weird to me that these are the ONLY government meetings where the people act like animals, but it's also laid at the feet of Chip Harrison, who can't seem to maintain control and has had 8 months to figure it out. 

Joan Taylor attended and decided this was a good time to insult members of the ELECTED hospital board. Not only did she throw some personal attacks at some of them, but also said people should plan to live here forever. She is another that apparently forgets that we live in America under an election system of government.

Allen Sumners was taking around a jar to pay for an ad in the newspaper, before the meeting. Strikes me that a place, even the citizens center, where someone is having a goverment meeting, is an inappropriate place to go hawking for moolah, unless it's outside.Maybe we all should bring jars to all government meetings for our own personal projects-after all, aren't the people who show up to government meetings just sitting ducks waiting to be hit up for money? 

One woman brought up Paul's heart attack. Bad enough that that was used by Andrew Lucas in Darrell Best's civil lawsuit against Harper, because presumably there's nothing that Darrell Best will not do or sink how low,  but, in this case, something personal said by someone that does not even KNOW my husband. I suppose if he had died of another heart attack on the platform after being personally attacked almost continuously for no cause that this mob would have come up and danced on his dead body. (There is a certain irony, here, eh? Health care workers???) Another man thought it was just fine to threaten the board by indicating he had been looking up their assets in preparation to suing them, and he knew all their net worths. Again, the first moment that someone decided to, stalkishly, threaten a board member, Harrison should have gaveled that person down and if he didn't stop, had him removed. A few people griped about the board and how they have issues. DO THEY NOT KNOW that ONE of the board members has repeatedly verbally attacked Paul Harper with slurs, innuendos, etc and at least one board member, MAYBE THE SAME ONE, has said he would be too busy fighting the others to help with patient safety issues? Sheesh. If there's a problem with the board, shouldn't that one at least ATTEMPT to not inflame the issues by acting like a jerk so often?  Incidentally, at least one person seemed to think that an ELECTED board was supposed to be a rubber stamp and Pay No Attention To That Man Behind The Curtain. Not so. Every single person that was on that dais was ELECTED, ALL had people that voted for them, not for necessarily the same reasons, but in the view of the anti-democracy boors that showed up the other night, ONLY THOSE that they agree with should have the right to be on the board, state opinions or be able to vote. Means the others don't have a voice, so why have a hospital district? Is it just to have a neutered rubber stamp board that will vote to raise taxes and not pay ANY attention to how the tax money is spent? One person said her interest in having people move here is for the hospital AND so that people can use the golf course. As we all know, the golf course is subsidized by the taxpayers, and if you aren't a golfer, such as me, you don't benefit. It's like Grifters that have moved on down that want the tap wide open and to take advantage of freebies at other's expense, without accountability. Well, I for one, don't agree, no matter how loud the mob shouts. 

And what about Darrell Best? Appeared to me that he was at least partly behind this effort. I mean, somebody arranged for an ad in the paper, for t-shirts, and to orchestrate people attending. Did he tell those people to please show some respect for the board by not personally attacking anyone, by not clapping and cheering, etc? This man wanted to be Somervell County Commissioner Judge, for gosh sakes, and has been himself an appointed official on a city board. Imagine going to Commissioners Court or City of Glen Rose and seeing a rabid crowd like this at EVERY meeting. Or maybe he would actually maintain control IF it was his position to maintain but it's just fine to act badly for anyone else in government. He sure doesn't seem to like it when someone says something HE views as a personal attack, such as about this exchange about the Palace Theatre between him and Billy Huckaby. He took umbrage and asked Huckaby if he was calling him a liar. He sure also seems to like his daughter's vulgar free speech, but nothing wrong with SUING a government official if he or his wife exercise theirs, as well as making 0 accusations in that lawsuit. Trying to imagine his reaction if Billy Huckaby or a citizen in THAT audience had stood up and given HIM the finger? Much more fun, I'm sure,  to heartily laugh as his daughter, standing with his WIFE (Ann's MOTHER), gives the finger to my husband. Honestly, what the heck does this say about HIS leadership? Not anyone I would EVER want to follow or vote for, but then that shouldn't be a surprise for any readers of this site, who know how I feel about such matters as the $80,000 Land of Dinosaur money given out with NO contract or money going from the 4b to the Chamber. Someone told me he actually got up while  a hospital board executive session was going on to grab the mike and work the crowd-if that is 1, does the man have NO SHAME???  No Political Opportunity Too Small that Can't Be Exploited, eh? 

I didn't care one way or the other what happened to Ray Reynolds, although I have never understood why ANYONE thinks his attitude about not following written and signed contracts is a-okay. (Could you do that with your mortgage contract? Whee! Maybe one of those real estate people who stood up to defend Ray would be fine with the person buying a property ignoring a signed contract-hey, why not!) When you have an employee that is supposed to serve by the will of the board, AND where that one has no employment contract, it's difficult to imagine any circumstance that would guarantee that one a job no matter what. Heck, Dallas rotates through school board administrators on a regular basis. I personally am not impressed with Ray Reynolds, but my main issue with him has been that he believes it isn't important to follow contracts as written. I also disgusted with him gutting the taxpayer accountability parts of the 501a contract for a vote the board took in November OR that the board voted for that 6-0. Shows poor judgement on their part. He also wasn't following the law with the way the budget was prepared, which Paul pointed out and later Reynolds acknowledged AND FIXED. And, I'm a little appalled over the  fact that he knew on November 5th, 2014 that my husband's PIF-2 letter had been approved and sat on that information for another month, all the while lying about receiving it.(Part of the Civil case where Darrell Best is suing Paul Harper)

10/20/2014 - Hearing is held, court orders Mr. Harper to fill out the Medicaid PIF-2 form within 10 days. Mr. Harper is suspended from hospital board until ruling is received from Medicaid. Board can operate with 6 people. Judge Kit Cooke. 

How was that not thwarting the judge's order? That seems quite dishonest to me, and I am of course entitled to my opinion.Otherwise, he seems like a pleasant man. Pleasant isn't the same thing as accountable, competent or honest. 

Anyway, Politics Ain't Beanball, and if I had something I wanted to make sure didn't pass or take place, I'd do exactly the same thing as those people (except I wouldn't act like I escaped from the zoo, and I would have maintained respect and decorum while expressing my opinion). It's their right as citizens, and part of democracy. Just wish they all didn't collectively act like buffoons

Incidentally, this ought to lay to rest about the un1, obnoxious *Paul Harper CONTROLS EVERYBODY* baloney. That includes Ron Hankins 0 accusation against Paul Harper last week where Hankins said he KNEW what the outcome of this vote was going to be. Seems like maybe Hankins needs to wash his magic swami hat since it's giving his brain bad signals. 

P.S. Here's another example of public conduct and decorum from Caldwell County Commissioners Court

It is not the intention of the Caldwell County Commissioners Court to provide a public forum for the demeaning of any individual, group, County employee or member of the Court. Neither is it the intention of the Court to allow a Citizen speaker to insult the honesty and/or integrity of any county employee, other member of the public in attendance, nor any member of the Court, individually or collectively. Accordingly, profane, insulting, demeaning or threatening language directed towards the Court and/or any person in the Court's presence and/or racial/ethnic, or gender slurs or epithets will not be tolerated... Extensive clapping, shouting, or any other disruptive behaviour will not be tolerated in the Court. . 

P.P.S.  Was reading the other day about religions that *shun* members of their organization who do not blindly follow the rules set down and it occurred to me that the Hate Fest, above, is a classic example of societal shunning in a small town. Here you have a group that believes so strongly in thier own collective opinion that they willing, despite being entirely wrong (nobody wants to close the hospital and the meeting was NOT about closing the hospital) , and based on lies from some individuals, to publicly excoriate democraticaly elected members of a board whom some misguided people had targeted. These people so bereft of common sense and decency were following a pattern used by some cultish religions to publicly shame and then attempt to shun anyone that didn't exactly follow in line with the crowd. I think of it also as sort of "the Head On the Pike" tactic; ie, we'll go kill somebody, stick his head on a pike as a warning to anyone else. It's the same tactic that the wife of one of the board members used when she delivered a threat letter she said she had found. She said, according to the Red Barn 

She proceeded to comment on how 'nasty' things were getting.  She asked John if "fighting Ray" was worth it?

That falls in line with what I have been told, privately, by a lot of people who are my friends; people that agree with me about how badly and undemocratically some board members and some in the crowd behave. Many are kin to others in town, through living here for years, intermarriage, etc, or have a business here and just do not want to speak out and rock the boat. Perhaps it's also that they don't want this technique of *shunning* to be publicly directed towards them. At any rate, it explains the weird, vitriolic behaviour of the crowd. 

It also reminds me of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", the version with Donald Sutherland