Yellow Journalism Continues!
Apparently the Great Impersonator, aka, Terry Rongberg, inexplicably now blames Big Jim Edwards, immediate past chairman of the ACA, for the disunity in this profession because he didn’t want to deal with the ICA/WCA ideologues, and for alleged unfounded attacks on poor little TR. This is simply more demagoguery used by TR to incite the passions and prejudices of his WCA sycophants to vilify his opponents, but typical of an evil vendor who will stoop to any journalistic fraud to make his ill-begotten point to sway consumers.
This is an excerpt from TR’s recent article, the entirety can be read below:
“He [Jim Edwards] has repeatedly written articles (appearing most often, of course, in Dynamic Chiropractic) that have made personal attacks on me and my family and spread lies about the WCA, CBS and The Chiropractic Journal. He’s even flown to Washington, DC, in order to tell these lies to legislators and oppose bills the Chiropractic Coalition supported.”
If these “lies” are true, just where’s the evidence, TR, other than your whining?
Where’s the proof that Edwards has said anything about TR that was untrue, although certainly very embarrassing to TR to have his conflicts of interest exposed? Perhaps what irritates TR was the hard truth that he is the Great Impersonator who ethically should not be taken as a “major” voice in this profession as he claims to be. He reeks of conflicts as he cries wolf, hoping no one will notice his charade as a leader when he’s simply an evil vendor exploiting this profession for all he can.
Secondly, why should the ACA even negotiate with evil vendors who impersonate professional association leaders? Should the ACA deal with every group regardless if they’re reputable member-driven orgs or vendor-driven businesses? Shouldn’t ChiroCode or Foot Levelers be at the table too since they have more “members” than either the WCA or ICA? How about the FCA or GCA that have more members than the WCA—shouldn’t they both be included as well as they tiny WCA and dwindling ICA? At least the FCA and GCA are member-driven, democratic orgs that are not operated by Evil Vendors out to make a quick buck off their members.
Indeed, as lord of the Galactic Online Alliance myself with an online “membership” larger than the WCA’s 240 non-voting “members” and, possibly, even larger than the dwindling ICA’s membership, I demand a seat at every table that discusses anything about chiropractic!
The gall for TR to demand anything in terms of equal status with the ACA or WFC is simply preposterous as an evil vendor. For TR to suggest his privately-owned WCA should have an equal voice to the ACA or WFC is laughable, especially considering the fact that he adamantly refused to attend the WFC’s Identity & Image Conference, namely because it’s his own image/ideology that is the source of this problem!
As proof of that, perhaps we should discuss the Joanne Gallagher case here inasmuch as she was a disciple of the “principled, non-diagnostic, non-therapeutic, anti-medicine, chiro cures all” mindset taught by the evil vendors like TR, Mertz, Kent, Riekeman, Rev. Reggie, and Big $id. Indeed, it’s this type of image and identity that is killing us now!
In fact, TR refuses to respond to my many similar allegations against him as the Great Impersonator. If all these allegations by Edwards and me are lies as he contends, he ought to simply prove them false in writing, or better yet, he ought to accept my challenge to the Great Debate at COCSA in front of our apolitical jury of peers.
Let’s bring TR, Kent, Gentempo, Mertz, Riekeman, McCoy et al. to the table to debate and answer questions, if they have the backbone, of course! Bring your phony vendor/philosophers, the phony vendor/researchers, the phony vendor/educators, and the phony vendor/journalists to this table to defend the blatant conflicts of interest.
Indeed, TR remains the target of many reputable DCs including the majority of ethical chiropractic college presidents who understand that the WCA and ICA have been taken over by evil vendors with huge financial conflicts of interest, they spew political demagoguery routinely just as BJ, Parker, Fred Barge, Rev. Reggie, and Big $id (other vendors) taught them, they print yellow journalism in free supermarket-styled advertising tabloids, they view campuses as market places and students as consumers to be exploited as we’ve seen when Riekeman let TR swamp Palmer and now Life (which is still a dumb name for a college) with his SWCA con-job, and they stir the pot of controversy with their demagogic call to chirovangelism just to gather attention.
Undeniably, this Chiro Coalition now represents the fading, imploding fringe of cultists who cling to the outdated concepts of yesteryear because it’s good for their businesses! This Chiro Coalition is nothing more than an political front for these evil vendors to gain a platform to promote their business interests—primarily Rongberg’s CBS insurance and CJ Mertz’s Waiting List Practice management. I’m surprised TR hasn’t starting selling multi-level marketing scams like Big $id once tried unsuccessfully (Super Seven) to do at Life among his students and DE Dudes who all got stuck with worthless inventory when it was found to be contaminated.
You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to see the huge conflicts of interests that run amok in the Chiro Coalition. Until both the ICA and WCA address the ethical impropriety of leadership with financial conflicts of interest, neither should be taken seriously by anyone in this profession as credible groups, just as the legislators in Congress have learned to ignore this small group of ideologues and vendors.
What say you, CJ and TR? Do you have the courage to attend the Great Debate or will you continue to cry like Chicken Little with your doomsday philosophy? If your conviction is so great, come to the table in front of our peers to debate your many impersonations? Explain how your financial interests don’t influence your every move as you attempt to mold this profession to suit your financial interests with your yellow journalism and political machinations.
I say they don’t have the mettle to meet their peers to discuss all these issues in an open debate instead of issuing statements like the following from their spider holes. Indeed, these guys aren’t “straights” because they’re bent and yella, ya folla?
Enjoy,
JCS
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May 2004
Who’s really to blame for chiropractic disunity?
by Dr. Terry A. Rondberg
I’ll bet there isn’t a chiropractor alive who remembers a time when chiropractic “disunity” wasn’t an issue. From BJ Palmer’s time, there has been intra professional conflict. [Yes, mostly caused by BJ himself—the first vendor posing as an educator.] Different factions and organizations rose and fell, loyalties shifted, and disagreements flared. [Perhaps he should discuss how Big $id hijacked the ICA with his coup?]
Yet, despite it all, we’ve grown as a profession and managed to maintain a degree of diversity that’s healthy and beneficial to both DCs and patients. [I wonder if Joanne Gallagher’s “balancing the meninges” is what TR calls diversity?]
Some of us might think it would be better if the chiropractic profession consisted ONLY of subluxation based doctors. [Actually, most DCs are patient-based who use CMT. It’s time for TR to stop treating a condition (VSC) and start treating people]Others would like a profession that licensed broad‑scope chiropractic physicians exclusively. [Others would like to see evidence-based chiro care that would exclude the fringe guys like TR and Gallagher.]
Still, most agree that having different types of practices included in the profession provides patients with more choices about their health care, and protects the rights of DCs to practice as their hearts and minds dictate. [Wrong: they should practice as the law permits, not as every looney like TR, Jay Holder, and Gallagher want to do inasmuch as patient safety is not their concern.]
That’s why, regardless of the differences in viewpoints and strategies, most organizations strive to at least maintain lines of communication with the others. [What a lie! Why then did TR NOT attend the WFC’s Image & Identity conference?] They don’t want to merge into a homogenized chiropractic mush and they definitely don’t want to be dominated or controlled by another group.[One way of saying TR doesn’t believe in democratic elections and majority rule.] But their leaders are willing to sit down at the table and discuss ways that they can work together in the best interests of the profession and the public. [Again, TR, why weren’t you or Kent at the WFC conference if you want to “sit down at the table and discuss ways to work together”? What a liar!]
All, that is, except Dr. Jim Edwards, former chairman of the American Chiropractic Association, who is almost solely responsible for ending any hope for a cooperative atmosphere between various chiropractic organizations. [What demagoguery, especially since Edwards has repeatedly written about the commonalities between the ICA and ACA. In his article that TR has misquoted him, Edwards actually said [www.chiroweb.com/aca/archives/12_02/04.html]:
“And what was the ICA’s response to this historic invitation [of unity]? The October 2000 official ICA news release rejected the ACA’s invitation to hold discussions not once…not twice…but seven separate times! In fact, the ICA stated three separate times that merger was “not on the table” as a possible option or even for discussion!
“When rudely rejected like that, most people would just “accept no for an answer” and move on. However, the issue of professional unity transcends and supersedes the self-interest of the ICA. Unity is of paramount importance to the chiropractic profession, and for that reason the ACA will not accept ICA rejections nor quit until that goal is ultimately achieved.”
[Quite different response than the one taken out of context by TR, don’t you think? ]
It was Dr. Edwards, after all, who wrote an article entitled: “Refusing to Take ‘No’ for an Answer,” which stated that the ACA will “forego further joint legislative efforts,” with the ICA, WCA and other chiropractic groups. [Edwards was refusing to take No for an answer against the ICA’s refusal to talk merger, which is completely backwards to what TR implied.]
When asked in an e mail for the official ACA statement on this policy, he said his announcement in the article was the official organization position. As far as anyone can tell, there was no Board vote on this position [This accusation from TR is too funny considering he’s a loose cannon who’s the dictator of the WCA], just Dr. Edwards’ unilateral dictate that he wouldn’t work with other groups. [Just to the contrary, TR. It was Edwards who pushed to merge despite the resistance from the ICA.] Yet, the Board must have gone along with it, since no one ever said or did anything about it.
Dr. Edwards said the policy was put into effect because the ICA and WCA refused to back the ACA’s list of nominees for the VA Committee. He tried to convince everyone that we had “promised” to do so, although no such promise was ever made (why in the world would the ICA and the WCA promise to back the ACA’s handpicked panel?!). [Because the ACA’s 3 members were vastly more qualified than Leona Fishcer, the lapdog WCA rep with only 4 years of practice]
It’s interesting to note that, in the same article, Dr. Edwards stated the ACA would continue to force the issue of merger with the ICA. [Yes, because he understands the need for merger supersedes the financial interests of vendor/leaders in the ICA and WCA]
“The ACA will not accept ICA rejections (of a proposal to merge with the ACA) nor quit until that goal is ultimately achieved,” he wrote. The title of the article referred to the ACA’s refusal to take ‘no’ for an answer, on the merger issue. Dr. Edwards made it clear that the ACA would not allow the ICA to be a free and independent organization. [Wrong again, TR. The point is that merger is more important than the vendor/ideologues who prefer disunity over unity to push their private agendas] It would become part of the ACA whether they liked it or not. That’s Dr. Edwards’ idea of “unity.” One profession ruled and dominated by the ACA. All others eliminated. All in the name of “unity.” [Again, the point TR misses is the concept of democratic election by majority rule as representative government rather than the vendor/dictatorships we’ve seen in the ICA and WCA]
Dr. Edwards’ non cooperation announcement came on the heels of his dismantling of the National Chiropractic Leadership Forum, formed in 1998 by the Congress of Chiropractic State Organizations. [The biggest cause of this dismantling was the group’s frustration with TR’s refusal to cooperate and abide by majority rule. For TR to implied this was caused by Edwards is more lies and sheer demagoguery once again.]
The ACA, ICA, WCA and numerous other organizations were working together on joint projects as part of the NCLF. It was often a tense alliance and arguments erupted, but we sat down and worked things out. Things looked hopeful.
Dr. Edwards even said he would get the ACA to promote the chiropractic postage stamp project that the WCA started ‑‑ if I agreed to donate nearly $10,000 to the ACA’s “Save our Subluxation” campaign. I took the money out of my own pocket and made what was then the single largest personal contribution. Then I waited for him to fulfill his side of the deal. I’m still waiting. [Who cares about stamps compared to opening markets like the VA and military health services?]
When the WCA, ICA and FSCO gathered in Washington, DC, to discuss the possibility of putting together a joint legislative group, the ACA was invited. But they refused to join us. Dr. Edwards’ “policy” of refusing to work with other groups gave them the perfect excuse to walk away from a sincere effort at unity. The three groups went on to form the Chiropractic Coalition, which has become a model for cooperation between independent and autonomous organizations. [Why throw good money and time after bad knowing full well those 3 minor groups have conflicts of interest and agendas that the majority of DCs won’t support—such as their non-diagnostic, non-therapeutic, anti-medicine, detect and correct VSC only, Subluxation Station, stance that is ridiculous?]
Dr. Edwards’ unwillingness to work with other chiropractors and chiropractic organizations no doubt played a role in the disaster with the Veterans Affairs department. [There was no “disaster” except for TR’s group asking for the absurd to allow non-diagnostic DCs to be PCPs in the VA system] Although not a member of the VA Chiropractic Advisory Committee, he nominated Dr. Cindy Vaughn, his business partner and now his wife. He attended every VA meeting and had frequent whispered conversations with her. [Husband and wives do that a lot, TR]
In the end, Dr. Vaughn (who, with the other ACA members on the Committee had just finished pledging each other their support for the direct access recommendation) walked into the meeting and voted against direct access ‑‑ the recommendation supported by the ICA and WCA Committee members. [Again, it was a majority vote from a rational process that clearly showed DCs were not PCPs and like other NMS specialists would be secondary-level practitioners]
I don’t know what he whispered in his wife’s ear during the meeting, but I’m sure it wasn’t encouragement to work cooperatively with the WCA and ICA members. [The cooperation came for all except from the ICA-WCA vendor-driven orgs that were clueless about how integrated medical care occurs. For TR to harp on this issue simply shows how blind or naïve he is.]
The fact is, when Dr. Edwards talks about “unity,” he’s really talking about domination.[No, he’s talking about majority rule in a democratic vote—something the ICA and WCA renounced long ago] It isn’t just that he wants the ACA to be the dominant ‑‑ better yet, the ONLY ‑‑ organization in chiropractic, [that would be nice and probably inevitable if vendors with agendas didn’t write yellow journalism like this article] he lets his personal animosities rule not only his own actions but those of the ACA. He has repeatedly written articles (appearing most often, of course, in Dynamic Chiropractic) that have made personal attacks on me and my family and spread lies about the WCA, CBS and The Chiropractic Journal. He’s even flown to Washington, DC, in order to tell these lies to legislators and oppose bills the Chiropractic Coalition supported. [So, TR, just show us the proof of his lies, please!]
If this is Dr. Edwards’ idea of “unity,” no wonder the chiropractic profession has rejected it for more than a century. [No, the real reason is that vendor/demagogues starting with BJ, then Rev. Reggie, Big $id, and now CJ Mertz and TR have stymied unity for their own profit and power] Thank goodness the WCA, ICA, FSCO and more than a dozen other affiliate groups know that true unity of purpose doesn’t mean following the dictates of one person or one organization. It means the respectful exchange of ideas and assistance and a firm dedication to the shared ideal of advancing the chiropractic profession. [Wrong again, unity means abiding by democratic elections, not following the selfish dictates of vendors like TR]
This article is a good example of yellow journalism at its worse when a publisher can slant and twist the truth to distort and demean his opponents—which again is defined as demagoguery, a method commonly used by TR. As you have read, nearly every single sentence in his article was deceptive, misleading or just a blatant lie. TR has proven again that he cannot be trusted to write the truth about any subject since he’s tainted by his personal greed as a vendor to mold this profession to suit his financial and ideological agendas.
Instead of name-calling and yellow journalism from his spider hole at the TCJ, again I urge TR and his cronies to the Great Debate to openly discuss these issues and more in front of the COCSA. Of course, this would take courage and honesty, qualities that no one would ever accuse TR of having with his print-and-run style of journalism.
In the meantime, I urge all to reject his yellow journalism as corrupt, his WCA as phony, his NGO status as absurd, his TCJ as scandalous, and his many conflicts of interest should show all that he’s covering up his ulterior motive to wreck this profession as long as he profits and controls our collective destiny.
C’mon TR, come out of your hole and debate these issues like a man, not a mouse who’d rather hide than fight!