Other Articles

Newsletter 1993

Unpublished, January 5, 2011

Christmas Newsletter 1993

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When Whistle-blowers Silenced, Many Hurt

Austin American-Statesman, January 4, 2011

In a medically underserved county, what do you get when a vindictive sheriff combines with a hospital board hoping to turn red ink to black […]

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Where Hallmark leaves off and our own half-baked sentiments must do

Austin American-Statesman, December 25, 2010

Reconnecting with those we care about is part of getting into the holiday spirit. We want to hear how family and friends are doing and […]

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Shards of a crummy summer ushered away through a memory left ajar

Austin American-Statesman, August 12, 2010

It’s been a terrible summer. Wars. Millions of gallons of oil spewing into our beloved Gulf of Mexico. The United States getting knocked out of […]

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Nurses win but still bear burdens of trial (Part 3)

Austin American-Statesman, February 15, 2010

You and I are a little bit safer today because a West Texas jury acquitted a nurse of felony charges filed after she reported a doctor’s suspicious conduct to the state medical board. Had the jury in Andrews found Anne Mitchell guilty, the message for nurses and other health care professionals would have been: “Report a doctor and risk losing your job and going to jail.”

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Are West Texas nurses criminals or health advocates? (Part 2)

Austin American-Statesman, February 1, 2010

Remember the two West Texas nurses who were not only fired from their jobs but also indicted on third-degree felony charges for doing what they thought was right?

To me, there appears to be so much wrong here — arrogance, vindictiveness, downright good-ol’-boy idiocy — that it’s hard to know where to begin.

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Make-believe is a special place we all should visit

Austin American-Statesman, December 24, 2009

A few weeks ago, the American-Statesman ran my column on the widespread, irrational fear of vaccinations among parents. Soon afterward, I heard from my friend Martha Williams. “Bravo, Toni,” she wrote in an e-mail. “Vaccines did not cause my son’s autism!”

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Retaliation against West Texas nurses is unacceptable (Part 1)

Austin American-Statesman, August 3, 2009

In a stunning display of good ol’ boy idiocy and abuse of prosecutorial discretion, two West Texas nurses have been fired from their jobs and indicted with a third-degree felony carrying potential penalties of two-to-ten years’ imprisonment and a maximum fine of $10,000.

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Jake Pickle’s greatest gift to all of us

Austin American-Statesman, June 25, 2005

One of my fondest childhood memories was of Congressman J.J. “Jake” Pickle lighting up the First Methodist Church downtown when he’d enter, bigger than life, […]

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“I Promised Myself That It Would Happen” What happens when a will the size of Texas faces off with the great state itself.

American Journal of Nursing [Vol. 102, No. 10, pp. 106-7], October 1, 2002

It would be difficult to say where Sister Angela Murdaugh, MSN, RN, CNM, FACNM, has made a more profound difference: advancing the profession of nurse […]

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