Rondberg Attacks Logan
Logan Students Beware
of the Great Impersonator!
By
JC Smith
It’s becoming increasingly clear of the negative influence by Evil Vendors in our profession. Unlike other healthcare professions, these vendors run amok with their yellow journalism, financial conflicts of interest, lack of credentials, and unethical commercial behavior by elected officials that permeates this profession on many levels, yet for the most part it goes without comment since it’s been par for the chiro course for too long. Now these insurgents have infiltrated chiro campuses to foment more discord and dissension in their attempt to capture a new market of consumers.
We read their free advertising tabloids posing as “journals” with their slanted editorials and “pay to play” columnists/vendors. We see the historic conflicts of interest among the officials of some chiro organizations like the WCA and ICA where their so-called presidents also act as brokers and practice managers. We see self-anointed gurus like Big $id and Rev. Reggie who act like Pentecostal ministers ordained by themselves as Defenders of ChiropracTIC. We’ve seen charismatic ideologues/vendors become chiro college presidents without any academic credentials whatsoever.
Whether it’s BJ leasing NCMs to HIO practitioners, Jim Parker or Big $id selling merchandise or operating practice management seminars while presidents of their chirovangelist seminaries, or CJ Mertz and Terry Rongberg posing as presidents while openly promoting their wares, the illicit tradition of vendors profiteering in this profession while in elected or academic positions continues today unabated. Indeed, in the chiro world, we’ve been inundated with vendors on many levels whose main goal is to shape this profession to their greatest profit and now they’ve aimed their propaganda guns at the students.
Sadly, most DCs turn a blind eye to this unethical situation since it’s so commonplace, but that doesn’t make it ethical or excusable. While this has become commonplace in the world of Evil Vendors, imagine if the medical profession operated in the same fashion:
- What if the publishers of the NEJM or JAMA sold insurance to subscribers or allowed vendor/columnists to dominate their journals? They would be laughed out of their profession.
- Imagine if Johns Hopkins School of Medicine appointed a charismatic PR vendor without any academic credentials as its president? The uproar would be defining among academia.
- Imagine if the president of the Harvard School of Medicine paid himself a million dollar salary, held revivals, and chanted the Money Hum? He would be chased out of office.
- Imagine if Emory University allowed vendors to swamp their campus in exchange for “research” grant money. Its image would be permanently stained as an objective research institution.
- Imagine if the president of the AMA openly sold products in JAMA and used his position as a bully pulpit with a poisoned pen to foment demagoguery against his financial and political competition? The proponents of ethical journalism would be aghast.
But this nonsense happens routinely in the world of ChiropracTIC and little is said! Any health or legal professional aware of these tabloids would be shocked at the lowbrow journalism as well as these conflicts of interest, only to reaffirm in their minds the complete lack of ethics that abounds in some ChiropracTIC circles. Sadly, we cannot expect these Evil Vendors to see the errors of their ways since they repeatedly turn a deaf ear to any calls for ethical behavior if it interferes with them making money!
More Misinformation by Wrongberg!
Now we see that Terry Rongberg the Evil Vendor is now posing as the chiropracTIC version of al Qaeda to students—the radical insurgent fighting against the mainstream infidels in the name of chirovangelism. He recently appeared off-campus at Logan and solicited the attached flyer proclaiming, “They can stop him from coming to your college. But they can’t stop YOU from going to him.” Obviously, it’s getting knee deep with TR in his self-infatuation.
Obviously TR has no scruples whatsoever, and now has turned his propaganda guns at the naïve students at Logan. In effect, he reminds me of a child molester doling out candy to kids on the playground to lure them to his skewed mindset in order to sow the seeds of trust among future consumers of his goods. Ah, the evil web he spins from his spider hole.
This Great Impersonator once again misrepresents himself as the “most dangerous man in chiropractic” after I exposed his many fraudulent activities. Instead of the truth of the evidence I presented, he touts himself not as the subversive vendor that he is, but as one who “refuses to compromise the chiropractic principles.” Okay doctors, stop laughing because the naïve students don’t understand what a fraud he actually is as a publisher, as a dictator of the phony WCA, and as a self-appointed spokesman for the fringe chiropracTIC sect of evil vendors. Nor do they know his nearly 20-year history of obstructionism, convictions, and condemnation by reputable chiro organizations here and around the world. These students, like those at Life and Palmer, simply don’t know the madness behind his methods.
He complains that he’s been kicked off several campuses–those that understand his deceitful ways such as Palmer, National, Western States, LACC, Texas, to name a few of the reputable campuses that won’t tolerate his nonsense.
Instead, he rallies behind issues that have nothing to do with him being dangerous—just more smoke and mirrors to confuse impressionable students. He uses the standard demagoguery to incite prejudices and to rally the troops with him as their great leader. He sounds like Saddam rallying his Republican Guard troops against the UN forces by crying out in the name of Allah allthewhile ignoring his corruption and evil acts against his own people. What a hypocrite, yet a standard practice by demagogues to arouse emotions to defend their evil intentions as they attack their rivals.
Does it come as any surprise that Terry Rongberg has again shown his journalistic fraud in response to my article naming him the “most dangerous man in chiropracTIC”? Either the man is plainly stupid in his ability to understand my reasons why he’s so dangerous or else his response in his flyer proves my point that he is a corrupt publisher printing flagrant distortions of the truth and hides his huge conflict of interest.
Not once did he mention my allegations against his phony WCA or address the Litany of Evidence that proves he is a serious problem for this profession as a loose canon who publishes propaganda to sell his wares as he wraps himself in the banner of chirovangelism. Instead, he misrepresented my accusations by suggesting he’s chiropracTIC’s newest social reformer on par with MLK, Jr., BJ, and DD, among other historical folks. What an ego, what a deception, and what a laugh!
To remind Rondberg and to educate these students of these charges, here is a sampling of issues and unethical events that Rondberg has his greedy hands in:
- As the publisher of a profession-wide free tabloid he has the ability to influence many DCs with his poisoned pen, yet there is no board with oversight control of this rogue publisher/editor of yellow journalism.
- As the owner of the CBS malpractice insurance brokerage and as a cohort with Kent and Gentempo with their Subluxation Station, he has worked endlessly via his TCJ to shape the scope of this profession to embrace their clinical design despite these huge conflicts of interest.
- As the president-for-life of his own non-democratic, vendor-driven “alliance,” he misrepresents himself as an elected political leader to the uninformed who don’t realize his non-voting club represents only 240 out of 60,000 DCs, which equates to 0.004% of this profession.
- His meddling in foreign affairs has drawn criticism from 14 foreign association leaders who call for him to butt out of their legislation.
- His meddling in domestic affairs has drawn the ire of reputable national and state associations. The ACA recently denounced TR and his sham WCA as a scam.
- His operation of a telemarketing patient solicitation scam was deemed unethical.
- He has fought against rising educational standards despite having no expertise whatsoever in higher education, ya folla?
- He has fought against broadening our scope of practice with his dumbed-down version of straight and simple chiropracTIC cures-all.
- He has misrepresented his ChiropracTIC Coalition as a “major” group to the profession, to the Congressmen, VA and Medicare officials when, in fact, this Coalition is smaller than many state ACA associations that are democratically elected.
- From his bully pulpit, he has become the biggest wedge to much needed reform concerning our identity and image. In fact, he is the biggest eyesore we now have since Big $id bit the dust, thanks to CCE.
- And, most of all, he’s NOT accountable to anyone, which is why I labeled him “the most dangerous man in chiropracTIC.” Perhaps we ought to call him Generalissimo Rondberg the Great Impersonator!
War of Words at Logan
His recent visit to Logan College on June 19th clearly illustrated not only his fraudulent and deceptive nature, but also his complete contempt for the Dr. George Goodman’s correct decision to keep Rongberg and his SWCA off campus. This isn’t an issue of academic freedom or freedom of speech, nor is it a “subluxation-based” issue as TR makes believe; it is simply keeping an evil vendor and radical ideologue from proselytizing on campus. In effect, it’s no different than disallowing the Jehovah Witnesses from swamping his campus with their religious cultism and anti-social materials.
I also find it odd that TR will go to a college where he is unwelcomed and belabor his misconceptions, but he won’t debate these issues with his peers in the Great Debate! What a coward this impersonator actually is. He’s willing to talk with youngsters, in essence, who know nothing of his background but not with his peers who are onto his con-job. He avoided the WFC’s Identity & Image conference, he’s avoided my challenge to the Great Debate, he’s a renowned yellow journalist, but he purports to be the Savior of ChiropracTIC.
What a fraud! What a chicken! Come out of your spider hole, TR, and fight like a man. Stop picking up young naïve students and answer to your peers! Enuf sed, ya folla? Instead of blurring the issues and making a phony martyr of himself, may I suggest he simply respond to my charges without his customary distortions?
While Rondberg wields his power of the press to attack his opponents, let’s see if he has the backbone to do the same in a public forum that includes the real leaders in this profession from the ACA, WFC, FCLB, CCE, FCER instead of standing with his usual bunch of vendors and sock puppet cronies like Kent, Gentempo, Fueling, and McCoy.
Rather than accepting my challenge to a Great Debate, TR chooses to slither around on the fringes like a child molester trying to seduce children from the darkness. He’s obviously afraid to meet a panel of peers to answer these allegations just as he and his crony Chris Kent refused to participate at the recent WFC Identity & Image conference. These WCA guys are afraid to come out of their spider hole to discuss these issues with the reputable elements of this profession; instead they only talk with students who are ignorant of the real issues and players in this profession.
Vendors Everywhere!
Not only have Evil Vendors run amok to our chagrin, but so too have Good Vendors had an inordinate influence upon this profession. They routinely sit on panels as we saw at the last NCLC when Kent Greenawalt, Mark Sanna, and Dennis Perman participated on a discussion about the future of chiropractic, allthewhile notable chiropractic leaders like Lou Sportelli, Jerry and George McAndrews, David Chapman-Smith, Duke Short, and the ACA leaders sat quietly listening to these vendors. Sometime I’d like to hear what our real leaders think about our future rather than vendors, ya folla?
Although more politically agreeable to the mainstream, we still see free proprietary newspapers like Dynamic Chiropractic, Chiropractic Economics, and The American Chiropractor shape the mindset of this profession by virtue of their editorials and particular columnists. Regrettably, the few reputable chiro journals like JMPT and JACA are on the borderline of bankruptcy since neither offer quick ways to make a million bucks. Like supermarket tabloids, if it ain’t sensational, bloody, sexy, or controversial, there’s little notice given to the real issues facing our profession in the mainstream press.
Practice gurus also have a huge impact on many field docs and impressionable students with their “see a 1,000 patients daily and make a million bucks” seminars. While some may be more or less ethical than others, they all leave their mark on the way chiropractic is practiced, good or bad. Rather than promoting “best practices,” these gurus promote “best profits.”
The recent conviction of Ron Halstead is just one example of an Evil Vendor/Practice Guru who baited clients with a million dollar MD/DC scam that ended in jail time and a heavy fine for all of them. Sadly, Halstead is just one of many practice gurus today promoting rent-a-docs to increase revenues and we’ve read of the many state attorney generals who have busted these scams using runners to lure prospective PI cases and those that hide chiro services on medical claims.
Other practice gurus teach every unethical trick in the book like NOOPE, TWIP, family plans, free exams, runners, and high-volume, low-quality healthcare based more on numbers than on helping spinal patients achieve stabilization or even help them with their pain and suffering. Recently an online solicitation from Life Seminar appeared hawking its latest practice sideshow, LP3-Principles, Passion and Purpose! These Lifers see nothing wrong with the commercialization of their campus, just as Big $id did for years. Now that he’s gone, it’s an opportunity for younger gurus to cash in on his success. Indeed, the sour fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree of Life (which is still a dumb name for a college).
Ironically, it appears the HMO medical model of high-volume, low-quality care has taken hold among our chirovangelist brethren. These Evil Vendors rationalize their tacky practice methods like $10 office visits and free exams with their chirovangelism and phrases like ADIO and Lasting Purpose. Indeed, their LP has become our lasting image problem, but they don’t care as long as they’re chanting their Money Hum all the way to the bank while leaving a wake of bad imagery for the rest of us. And we then wonder why many workers’ comp companies avoid DCs or why the public is still skeptical?
Many insurance companies also act as Evil Vendors whose goal is to limit services to patients and payments to providers. As I was recently told by one ASHN vendor, of the 100% of services rendered, I can expect to be paid 30-40% of that sum after panel discounts, fees for the administrators, and denied services are finished. I wonder if the same company can survive on 40% of its services, but this impact definitely shapes how any healthcare profession is practiced. Both patients and providers are merely pawns being manipulated by these insurance vendors.
Technique guru/vendors also shape this profession selling their “ideal” spinal care altho many have not been validated in RCT studies. When reviewed in the Gatterman, Perle, Lantz, Schneider et al. study comparing efficacy on LBP, many methods ranked poorly in both literature reviews and clinical appraisals, but that didn’t stop these technique vendors from denouncing this evaluation as we saw from the Activator group. “The lack of evidence doesn’t mean the lack of effectiveness” was their response altho this study showed a lack of both!
Technique gurus also foment discord among the rank and file by belittling other clinical methods as we see constantly with CBP’s self-proclaimed superiority of spinal remodeling and with Activator Method’s claim to be “gentle chiropractic” implying normal CMT is dangerous and hurtful. Ironically, both of these vendor-driven methods have suggested that they are “straight” when, in fact, neither would be deemed traditional chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy. Strange bedfellows, indeed.
Vendors selling everywhere, all kinds of vested interests abound fomenting discord and dissension, and yet little is said as they wreak havoc among our rank and file!
No Room to Talk
The bottom line is clear: our profession has been taken over by the vendors who shape this profession’s image and identity to sell their wares. These vendors disseminate their skewed ideology in their free tabloids, they attack the reputable leaders of this profession who are defenseless without any ability to respond equally, they sway field docs and students with visions of sugar plums, they mold students to become naïve ideologues and future consumers of their products, and they shape our politics when these vendors pose as officers as we’ve seen in the shameful ICA or in the bogus WCA.
This situation of commercial interests defining our profession’s identity and image reminds me of Hollywood left wing producers like Mike Moore who feels no consternation over their TV programs or movies that slant the truth, character-assassinate their rivals, or debase human nature to gratuitous sex and violence. They stir emotions with sensationalism but refuse to accept the responsibility that this may lead to criminal behavior later in life, they promote as theatrical the squalid street values of drug dealers/rappers, and they mock those reputable leaders who object to their smut as denying their freedom of speech. In effect, they believe they should be able to say or show anything without retribution and, if one complains, then it’s your problem, not their smut that’s the issue.
In the chiropractic world, when TR poses to legislators as the head of his WCA and the insipid Chiro Coalition, it’s never revealed he actually is the dictator-for-life of a vendor-driven “alliance” impersonating a member-driven association. If Riekeman poses as a college president although he has no liberal arts degree or PhD in higher education, he’s still praised by free tabloids as the Savior of ChiropracTIC education without anyone questioning why Palmer was so happy to see him leave. If the WCA poses as an NGO of the UN although it refuses to attend an international conference held by the WFC, nothing is said in the chiro press that such egregious behavior violates the basic UN mandate of cooperation. If CJ Mertz hawks his WLP while prez of the ICA, the “straight” chiro press says nothing. When practice gurus teach methods that are deemed unethical or lead to the death of a patient, they are off the hook when punishment is dolled out. Just where are the ethical considerations in these situations?
Students beware of the Evil Vendors! Don’t swallow their raps hook, line, and sinker as some DCs in the fringe have done. Talk with rational association leaders and college administrators who understand these devious commercial interests that mold this profession with their propaganda.