KBTV

KBTV::Very Sticky

It’s 5 a.m. and I’m very, very sticky. The top sheet is stuck to my face, and I forgot to take off my make up again. There’s mascara all over my stuffed Panda Bear. My sliding glass door to the master bedroom balcony is cloudy with steam.

I hit the remote to turn on the Weather Channel. It’s already 82 degrees in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Storms expected in the afternoon.

Hmmm. Weird. It’s hotter in my house, I think.

I stumble out of bed over to the thermostat, and, yes, my air conditioner is not purring and humming as it should. It’s official; my AC is on the fritz. I slump down onto the floor like a damp dishrag.

Help. I have to shoot three, back-to-back pieces today in the real heat outside. Oh no. This could get really, really sweaty and sticky and smelly and…hello Rasta-hair!

I plop down at the computer to tweak my script.

I’m Kate Bohner for KBTVonline. Thanks for joining. Amid all the controversy last week swirling around President George Bush’s nomination of Dr. James W. Holsinger to become US Surgeon General … I was thinking back on how that position … surgeon general … was described to me by my father was I was a little kid. OK. Jimmy Carter was president … I’m dating myself … Carter had just tapped Dr. Julius Richmond to become the next surgeon general … I said … dad, what is that job? What’s he going to do? Well … My father said hey Kate … you know Dr. Thomas? My pediatrician … he’s our family physician. The surgeon general is the family physician but not just for us … but for the whole country. Ok. I understood that.

I call the service tech to get the scoop on the frozen air conditioner unit. Apparently, I don’t have something called a “service contract.” What’s that? I don’t have the patience to even listen to “Denise” on the other line. Dammit! Ha, I’ll take it out on Holsinger!

Today families come in all different shapes and sizes … I don’t know exactly who Dr. Holsinger represents … but I know who he doesn’t!! … Holsinger, as a lay leader at his church, has repeatedly demonstrated narrow-mindedness, prejudice – bordering on fanaticism – toward gays and lesbians.

Denise from Simple Air calls back. They’re going to send out a technician anyway – I’m still under warranty. Ok, that’s good. Now I’m in a better mood. Hmmm … Maybe I’ll be a little nicer to Dr. Holsinger. I’ll throw him a bone.

I must say, professionally, Dr. Holsinger is no slouch – he’s a cardiologist who served as administrator of the Kentucky state health system. In 1992, he was named undersecretary for health in the US Department of Veterans Affairs. But it is not his professional record that has raised the concern of several senators -- including Edward M. Kennedy, chairman of the Senate health committee that will hold confirmation hearings on Holsinger in the coming weeks.

Denise calls back. The tech from Simple Air won’t be at KBTVonline HQ until 3 p.m. Dammit! Now I’m pissed again! Screw Holsinger!

Honestly, I really don’t know where Bush FINDS these people. But … here goes! In 1991, Dr. Holsinger wrote a paper titled “The Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality” … by even non-partisan accounts … this paper uses “at best” very questionable research to condemn homosexuality and portrays gay men as these petrie dishes of sexually transmitted disease. But listen to his methods of quote on quote research. For instance, Holsinger’s study purposefully excludes lesbians, a population with the lowest rates of STDs. It also uses percentages of gay men visiting an STD clinic to extrapolate STD rates for the entire population of gay men. This is akin to determining rates of obesity at a weight loss support group.

Barry arrives. “Did you break the air conditioner?”

“Why do you say that – immediately – like it’s my fault or something?” I whine and pout.

“I don’t know Kate … but let’s just say I feel sorry for the poor soul on the other side of that script …”

To be continued …

posted by rjoyner @ 6:30 AM