This may help explain things...

When I was about five years old, our family, my adopted mother and father, and my adopted sister and I took a road trip up the coast from Southern California up into Oregon and Washington.

On that journey we were to discover I could not read in the car without throwing up; that I had an allergy to bee stings; and I had a sudden fear of heights as my mother wanted me to look over a cliff to see some ground squirrels. (Put it on black and white film, add Betty Davis or Joan Crawford, and you'll understand the feeling I had being dangled over a cliff. It took me years of cliff climbing to get over that.)

I digress as usual. When we finally arrived, a bit haggard, in Oregon, we went to the Sequoia groves to see what my parents touted as the "biggest tree in the world."

The signs all around the park had information about how big the tree was. As it was dead, we got to go inside and walk around in the belly of the enormous tree.

Then it happens, my father, in an effort to probably just entertain me, as it's not Disneyland, its a tree, decides to tell me that the tree is bigger than our house.

I looked around the tree, measuring it against my image of the house and ask him, "do you mean taller or wider?"

He gave me a crooked answer, "both."

Then the argument started. I could not accept that it was taller, and really it didn't look wider either.

I'm sure he regretted ever saying that, because I could not let it go and our family vacation shifted into dozens of questions as to why he thought the tree was bigger than the house.

He tried to swat me several times as we made our way from this family outing back to the OC.

When I got home, the first thing I did, was go into the garage and get the tape measure off of my father's work bench.

He saw me do it, and tried to take the thing away from me, but I managed to slip away.

I struggled with the tape measure trying to get it all the way across the house only to find it wouldn't reach.

Possibly exasperation, or maybe a curiosity like mine, forced my father to come out and help me measure the house. We finally got it done, and he asked me if I was satisfied.

Then when we used the measurements to compare and the indeed I was correct, the tree was not as wide, only taller than our house.

I slept good that night.

I taught my father that if you're going to tell me something that doesn't compute, I could ruin your whole vacation.

And my father showed me he could have compassion and admit to being wrong, even with a five year old.

Oh, and yeah, I stopped by the KVHD board meeting for a few minutes to talk to the people regarding the answer to the question below.

Though my voice was garbled as I chewed on my Twizzlers which are helping me cut back on the smoking, I could be heard to have said to Bob Jamison, "If Pam Ott is indicted, will you take her up to your radio station and defend her again like you did three years ago."

I patiently waited for an answer. None came. He glared at me, but appeared to be shocked that I would ask. It's not like I haven't been talking about it.

Then I asked when did you know about what was going on in the skilled nursing facility?

My focus was the three bold faced liars, two who sit on the board probably collecting health insurance and free lunches, Bob Jamison, Brad Armstrong, and CFO, Chet Beedle.

Of all the things, the deceit, arrogance, hubris, all deficiencies of character, it boils down to how people were treated and how it effected their lives.

I briefly spoke with one former employee, sacked in the potato race, and she could hardly speak about it. Her life was shattered. The mere mention of KVHD brought her to tears.

Over and over I hear it, feel it, and I looked at those three in complete consternation of how they could be sitting there after all that has gone on.

Armstrong, the board member with the longest time put in on KVHD, 20 plus years. I put it to him about the millions of dollars, the construction, the utter stupidity.

And, I directly asked him when he knew about the problems in the skilled nursing facility. I said I guess it will take a lawyer to get it out of you.

Those clams were not coming out for the bake. But I didn't care, I just carried a message with me from all who have spoken to me, shared their stories, and it was direct.

I asked Armstrong how Pam Ott's credentials came past the board of directors and HR without a batting of an eye. Or maybe the batting of eyes, I don't know.

While setting some spines into Beedle, CEO, Tim McGlew, corrected me on a matter about the coroner's roll in the death certificate process. I like Tim, I like information.

The dentistry it took to get the documents I currently have was like pulling teeth every time a request was made. This was not just the hospital though. This goes right into the local public health where a familiar name, Linda Wilkinson, and a couple others, have not overtly refused to give me records, but just simply don't do anything about it.

I was supposed to be able to look over the DPH records from KVHD, set up an appointment, in April, a friend with good eyes and a car, and I were scheduled to go down to Bakersfield and get a gander at the records.

Suddenly, Wilkinson was out of town, according to her email. Requests now for even public documents under FOIA have been made unavailable.

I'm sure these people don't have the time or the effort to fulfill the legal requirements regarding "paperwork."

It's been an interesting road at best, watching and learning how the machinations of the government protect themselves. Yes, I said that.

And I've also made some very inflammatory remarks about suing the hospital this week. After one woman, whose father's death was a surprise, a lack of help from the hospital, she decided to go with an attorney. I don't know if she had one already, but I couldn't deny that relying on an attorney, would probably be better than waiting for this reporter with only so much time and access.

That topic could go on and on.

I left the board meeting right after I spoke, no cameras, no recordings.

Still wondering about many things...measure the house.