An Uncomfortable Faith

Shirley Pigott MD
TexasPhoenix007.blogspot.com
TexasMedicalBoardWatch.com
December 13, 2009

shirleypigottmd@gmail.com
or
texasphoenix007@gmail.com

Regarding my theories about religion spawning social activism, I will speak now with
some trepidation, partly because my 'theology' has not been sufficiently developed due
to lack of instruction and partly because it offends many. I seek further study in the lives
of our founding fathers, in others who have gone before, and in those rare individuals
who live today as examples of our common faith.

I am an imperfect Christian, saved by God's grace, who occasionally speaks, I believe,

an uncomfortable truth. Although I believe in everyone's right to his own personal faith,
I'm not one of those who thinks it's OK to believe anything. There is an absolute truth; if
you don't believe it, you're wrong. Simple as that...although it's not up to me to
condemn anybody. Philosophy asks the question "Why are we here?" Religion seeks to
answer it.

Consider this question: Who made this watch? Possible answers:

1. Nobody
2. It made itself
3. It took a long time and little parts of it came together randomly; finally the big parts
came together, but I'm not really sure how it ever started keeping time
4. A watchmaker
5. A series of watchmakers, but one of them struck it with lightning and it started
keeping time all of a sudden.
6. A group of watchmakers, but the head guy struck it with lightning and it started
keeping time all of a sudden.

Now my intuition tells me that all of these answers can't be correct. I may not have
thought of the right answer, but surely there is only one right answer.

Possibly the truth is inconvenient and dreadfully uncomfortable, but a great teacher once
said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."

If you seek the truth, you may find an irritating nugget here in my blog, on occasion. If
you don't seek the truth you will likely do no better than be highly offended. So, if you're
in the latter category, please don't bother reading any further; you're unlikely to get
beyond your 'offense'. And I'm not dumb enough to suggest that I'm the only one
around with the inside story.

What I do in fighting Texas government corruption is highly personal. I may be fooling

myself (I don't think so), but I've believed from the beginning, like the Biblical Esther,
"I'm in this time, in this place, for this purpose" (actually, that's a paraphrase). My
former church, which I have left, is offended that I believe God has called me to this
task; they are offended that I quoted the prophet Ezekiel (chapter 33) to them: "So you,
son of man (to Ezekiel), I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you
hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the
wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you to not speak to warn the wicked to
turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require
at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn
from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul."
They are offended that I think they might be 'in sin'; they are seemingly unperturbed
because I say I've been retaliated against because of the state crimes I've exposed.

I "have made serious accusations," they have said. As if they are somehow immune to
being wrong... I find that arrogant.

The truth has never been particularly popular and will likely lead to suffering of those
who proclaim it; it is likely to make one uncomfortable to the extreme. I humbly and
prayerfully, with my many failings, seek the truth and invite correction.

After several years investigating the Texas Medical Board, I have made public some of
its criminal acts of which I am personally aware.

I originally became interested in its activities because I thought it was odd for a medical
board to open a full investigation of a doctor who didn't release a normal lab report to a
single patient in a timely manner. Somehow, my moral lapse just didn't seem all that
important in the great scheme of things. After all, the patient could just as easily have
obtained her results from the laboratory. It has no obligation to practice medicine, but I
do. The interpretation of lab and an explanation of its significance is part of the practice
of medicine. My medical malpractice insurer agreed and wished more doctors felt the
same way.

In response to my grave error, the TMB proposed a disciplinary order which was
excessively burdensome, way out of proportion to the wrong done, and required me to
admit to being a "danger to the public" and make other false statements. I couldn't sign
it. I finally agreed to a disciplinary order which required me to pay a $500 fine, take 10
hours of Continuing Medical Education, and agree to the truth: I took longer than 15
business days to give this woman a lab report and I didn't explain, in writing, my
reasoning: She had agreed to come back for the interpretation.

The priorities of the TMB seemed so misdirected that I thought they might have some
agenda inconsistent with their stated mission "to protect the public". I didn't see how
their efforts to discipline me could possibly be honest. There must be a rat. I continued
my investigation.

I learned that in my particular case, Doug Curran MD, president of the Texas Academy of
Family Physicians, had bribed Keith E Miller MD, chairman of the TMB Disciplinary
Process Review Committee, to suspend and ultimately revoke my medical license. I had
offended Dr. Curran by exposing his conflict of interest, as president of the Texas
Academy of Family Physicians, with Blue Cross Blue Shield, the state's largest health
insurance company.

My public exposure of the crimes (there were many) of TMB Board Member Keith E Miller
MD led to his resignation in August, 2007. Likewise, my protests over the conflicts of
interest of the Dr. Curran led to a policy change for the TAFP: a president could no
longer advertise for a company which had financed his rise to power. My further efforts
contributed to the resignations of the TMB Executive Director, Donald Patrick MD JD, and
the TMB president, Roberta Kalafut DO, several months later. My investigation quickly
implicated several other executive directors of other state agencies: I alleged, with good
evidence, that the Executive Director of the Board of Nursing, Katherine Thomas, and
three Executive Directors of the Texas Department of Public Safety had committed
criminal acts: Colonel Thomas Davis, who resigned under fire in the summer, 2008;
Colonel Stanley Clark, who resigned under allegations of sexual harassment in May,
2009, and his replacement, Colonel Steve McCraw, who continues to be compromised.

I have strong evidence that current DPS Executive Director Colonel Steve McCraw is
guilty of the crime 'misprision of a felony' and other crimes. I have more evidence
(personal knowledge) that current TMB Executive Director Mari Robinson is guilty of half
a dozen felonies. I have a great deal of hearsay and personal knowledge of evidence that
Mari Robinson is a traditional government crook who will stoop to anything to retaliate
against those who speak out against her. She is partly responsible for the suicide of my
husband on January 8, 2008, although I was her intended target. She and her co-
criminals, staff and members of the TMB, suspended my medical license on March 24,
2009 and sent a press release to my hometown newspaper the following day saying they
had found me to be 'mentally impaired' and 'a danger to the public'.

After quickly publishing the TMB's version, Chris Cobbler, an editor of the Victoria
Advocate, would not take even a few moments to examine the evidence presented by
the doctor whose career the TMB had maliciously destroyed.

There have been several complaints against me to the medical board, but nothing
remotely related to the practice of medicine. Their claim that I am a danger to the public
is absurd.

On the other hand, I have made multiple written and verbal complaints to the medical
board about the crimes of their Executive Director, Mari Robinson, without
acknowledgment or response. On February 6, 2009, at a regular meeting of the TMB, for
the 10 minutes allotted to me for personal testimony, I enumerated the crimes of Mari
Robinson for which I have direct personal knowledge. About two weeks later, with no
new information, complaint, or evidence, I received notice that the TMB planned to
suspend my medical license. That occurred in the March 24th hearing. The "evidence"
was a DPS video so highly and unfavorably altered that the malicious intent could not be
missed.

The TMB solicited and received cooperation with the Wharton County District Attorney,
who has prosecuted me maliciously for crimes I did not commit. Officers of the Texas
Department of Public Safety have committed perjury in trial testimony under oath. It has
been suggested that the DA's real motivation is his vulnerability to prosecution himself
for illegal search and seizure of 'contraband' (my car) after DPS troopers stopped me for
what began as a traffic stop. It is a fact that he has tried to bribe me on several
occasions with his offer to reduce felony charges ('fleeing arrest with a deadly weapon'-
my car)to a misdemeanor, if I would just give him my damn car! I didn't 'flee arrest'; I
left after telling him I would stop in the next lighted, populated area and he refused my
reasonable request.

Attorney General Greg Abbott has lied to me while shaking my hand and looking me
squarely in the eyes; he promised me that a particular attorney in his Department of
Criminal Justice would accept my evidence of criminal behavior of state officials.

She has not. Abbott's office refuses to respond to my calls.

Dr. Keith Miller, after he resigned from the medical board in shame, when I exposed
crimes he committed under color of office, has continued to mount vicious attacks
against me with assistance by the TMB. I have seen some of his correspondence with
them. The board, in return, provided Miller with my personal protected medical history
which they denied me, because it was 'confidential' and 'under seal'. This confidential
testimony was in Miller's hands a few days after it's existence was made known. Miller
has used it as an aid to sue me.

In testimony under oath, both Miller and Robinson have perjured themselves. Their
colleagues have lied with intent to harm me.

Is any of this related to my faith? ...only to the extent that my faith compels me to tell
the truth and speak out when public officials abuse their power. I have personal
knowledge of criminal behavior of multiple Texas state employees. Their crimes hurt
Texans.

In Texas, we do not receive the rights guaranteed us in our Constitution...no due

process, no equal justice under the law. We are not protected against unreasonable and
warrantless searches and seizures. Some of us serve our country risking our lives to
'preserve our freedoms'! How can I voluntarily relinquish my freedoms over here to
monsters posing as public officials? What hypocrisy that would be!

My faith requires me to make public what I know to be true, at considerable personal

risk. It is sad that so few are compelled to serve with me to protect our freedoms.

Regarding my faith, would I change anything I've done over these last several years?
Well, I would have behaved in a more godly manner; I wouldn't have hated the people
who, because I have spoken out against their corruption, have retaliated against me
maliciously. I would have thanked God more for the 'angels' he keeps sending my way to
encourage me. I would have prayed more fervently for our precious US Constitution to
'work'. I would have grieved more for so many of my fellow Christians who look the
other way, deluding themselves, believing their faith lets them remain silent, not
discerning between good and evil, not choosing to become involved, thinking that true
faith doesn't cause one to take a position against evil.

Posted by TexasPhoenix007

Comments

Storkman said...
The US has a corrupt component. It's hard to get past the numbers on the crooked side,
but with a little luck, and divine intervention, you will.

Chris Kuhne, M.D.

December 9, 2009 2:04 PM

Cyndee Malowitz said...

I too have exposed corruption and suffered the consequences. I'm just as amazed as
you are that so many people are willing to turn their backs on corruption and accept it
by doing nothing. As long as it doesn't affect them, they don't want to get involved.
Well, if it wasn't for people like us, a black man wouldn't be in the White House and
there wouldn't be any Jews left in the world! Yes, it takes a truly brave person to stand
up for what's right...it sure is lonely up here.

I truly believe that in the end, whether in this life or the next, we're all going to get what
we deserve. Your time will come.

December 9, 2009 2:56 PM

Anonymous said...
God Bless you and keep you. We have far too many religious people and not enough
Christians. Religion has been used to tame and bind us up. Christ came to liberate and
set us free. He was wild at heart. He did not tolerate evil, neither should we. Our
purpose is to seek truth and promote justice. The state did not give us our rights, it can
never be allow to take them away. Seculars have perverted scripture to tame us. Render
unto Ceasar that which is Ceasars I agree. Problem is Ceasar has nothing! Creates
nothing, is nothing without consent. If we refuse consent Ceasar doesn't even have that.
Ceasar is naked!

Raymond Madden
Seeker of Truth, Intolerate of Evil

December 9, 2009 6:33 PM

TheLastInspector said...
I found your last sentence powerful.

True, many Christians behave in very un-Christian-like ways, placing their own perceived
personal interests as more important than their faith.

I think most corrupt powerful people are not true Christians, or Christians at all. That is
why they are so corrupt and break so many legal and moral codes.

I think they are right, however. There is no God. But Christian ideals are still very good
moral rules. It is imperative that corrupt officials be held to account while alive, for in all
likelihood, in death they will escape all accountability, and their relatives get their ill-
gotten gains.

Both Christians and agnostics like me should both push for corrupt officials be held
accountable for their crimes/corruption.

December 10, 2009 12:21 AM

curious said...
I do not disagree with your premise about a "truth", clear and certain, existing. I am
unsure if I possess the clarity to recognize it, crystalline, when it, THE TRUTH, presents
itself, but I do my best and that is all that can be expected of any of us.

It is all too easy to go through one's life with pre-conceived notions of right and wrong
inculcated by our culture, peers, theology, government, etc, but it is through experience
that we come to see other "truths"; a life unchallenged is provided no opportunities for
growth.

Still, after a point, there are ills and falsehoods so great that even the blind observe
them and when self-professed "good men" do nothing, it is even more imperative to
disassociate one's self from them for they corrupt the very concept of good prevailing
against evil, reason against chaos.

Edmund Burke is notable for many, oft-quoted sentiments, so here is one; "When bad
men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall one by one, an unpitied
sacrifice in a contemptible struggle."

We, the people, realize that there are shared concepts of good v evil, right v wrong and
have established rules that we all may live by irrespective of our particular religious
beliefs or lack thereof; it is the very premise of our country's existence.

If you had not had this opportunity for growth, you might still count yourself amongst
those who gather the cloak of righteousness for themselves at the expense of their
fellow man; would you have ever looked beyond the illusory veil and seen reality? Maybe
the old cliche, "The good guys don't always wear white hats" makes a bit more sense
now.
December 10, 2009 9:32 AM

3D said...
Ahh, I found it put much better than I managed..
"your allies need not be saints, nor do they even need to like you. A dangerous common
enemy is enough to form alliances-if need be, even with unsavory characters."

From a comment at this site;

thejewishstar.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/editorial-losing-the-right-to-be-right/
#comments