FSMTB Survey

If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

If you are in a state that requires a license and an exam and are dissatisified with the NCE and their services, your input into this survey may help with some of the problems you experience.

I received the following from the FSMTB:

Dear Members of the Massage, Bodywork and Somatic Practice Professions:

The Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards wants to hear from you.

The FSMTB is conducting a comprehensive survey of the professions to improve understanding of current practice. The information will be used to establish the content for the entry-level licensure exam that will be introduced in 2007 in an effort to bring uniformity and reciprocity to the licensing process in the United States.

The information that you provide will also form the basis for developing model practice acts and regulations. The career satisfaction component of the survey will provide insights into the state of professional practice and the attitudes and perceptions of the practitioners themselves.

This is a perfect opportunity to tell the regulatory community about you and your profession so that we can make informed decisions – decisions for the profession by the profession. Your input is extremely important and we are eager to listen to you.

Please participate in the online survey by January 15th and pass this invitation along to colleagues that you think would also like the opportunity to be heard. If you've already completed the survey, we thank you for your participation.

We are honored to work with such remarkable people serving such a meaningful role in communities across the country – please help us bring your profession to the next level so that consumers can enjoy the benefits of your work and you can enjoy the professional stature that you deserve. Please go to www.fsmtb.org to take the survey now!

Respectfully, on behalf of the FSMTB regulatory community,
Patty Glenn, President


Following is my response to Ms Glenn:

Dear Ms Glenn,

As much as I would like to participate, I believe my input would only contribute to institutions I believe should not even be in existence.

Specifically, the institutions I oppose are, the Amta spawned NCTMB folk that unleashed an unnecessary exam on the touch professions and state level boards governing massage and imposing unnecessary high requirements for the laying of hands.

The mission of the FSMTB is "supporting the mission of public protection."

Proof the public needs protection has never been proven.

The people who need protection are those willing to provide massage and touch. Protection is needed against those who would impose unnecessary expense via unnecessary exams and ludicrously high numbers of hours of training and expense for folk to be able to do the work.

Fortunately, I am in CA where, to date, we do not have a state board thus do not feel obliged to contribute to this survey.

This would be a golden opportunity for those with the power of the state behind them to remove the NCE and prevent another unnecessary exam from being put into place. I have posted your invitation to my blog (http://iscaaty.blogspot.com/) along with my response to you.

Sincerely,
Robert Flammia
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the time comes, I will again oppose state level governance of massage in CA.

Happy New Year!!!

For what it is worth, for this microscopic speck in the universe 2006 was a good year. Considering how ruthless the world and universe has been, of late, I consider myself blessed. For those who have any doubts about the ruthlessness and/or insanity that seems to be running rampant check out the Harpers Yearly Review . Ya just gotta love the year in bullets, snippets of news stories worth much more than a cursory glance.

Because I am one that believes that in every dark cloud there is a silver lining (somewhere) my top three bullets for black humor reasons are:

(1) "I can drink beer out of my leg," said Matthew Braddock, a 25-year-old National Guardsman who lost his left foot and nine inches of his left leg to a mine in northern Iraq. "How many people can do that?" You can find the whole story here.

I am sure he could win many a bet in bar rooms by making such a statement. May the condition NOT drive him to drink...

(2) The Pentagon classified homosexuality as a mental defect akin to retardation... You can find the whole story here

If you read the article, you will find the finding has no impact on the "don't ask, don't tell" policy of the military toward homosexuality. If a draft is reinstated, perhaps more folk declaring themselves gay would make for a failed draft.

(3) Dick Cheney was retaining fluids. One of many versions of the story can be found here.

My curiousity got the best of me on this one. Googling the sentence took me to some interesting websites. So much info, so little time... I looked a little into Homeland Stupidity , a Harpers Cheney timeline and a group called Mindfully.org. The mindfully Cheney commentary is here. I am not quite sure what the silver lining in this item is.

What is your favorite Harper news item? Post a comment on this site or e-mail me offsite.