Huckabee Calls Knee-Jerk GOP Attacks On Obama 'Deplorable' And 'Shameful'

I don't often agree with Mr. Huckabee, but I wholeheartedly agree with him on this one. Thanks Mr. Huckabee for throwing some sincerely needed common sense into our political discourse!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Robert Reich: An Open Letter to Harry Reid on Controlling Health Care Costs

These ideas make a lot of sense to me. And I emphatically support one of Robert Reich's last statements to Harry Reid:

"Your responsibility isn't just to pass whatever will muster 60 votes and that the President and Dems can later call "health care reform." It's to do the right thing by the American people and bring down future health-care costs. Don't cave in to Lieberman or Nelson or the drug companies or the private insurers or the AMA or anyone else. Lead the charge."

But I would add that this is not just Harry Reid's responsibility, it's everyone's. As citizens, call on your elected representatives and demand real reform. Thanks and best wishes!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Hopes and Prayers for Our Soldiers

I got hit in the gut today with one of the scariest feelings.

I heard news that a dear friend had been hit with an IED and there was no word on his condition. I tried to stay hopeful since I didn't have any details, but for a few brief moments, a wave of grief washed over my soul that I just couldn't stop. The thought of that bright light going out just floored me.

I had to let it work its way out for a few minutes and then I started to think clearly again. I got in touch with the right people and within a few minutes learned, (Thank Goodness!) that he was going to be okay and that everyone in his unit made it, too. Whew.

I don't care whether you're for or against the Iraq or Afghanistan wars and the side missions into Pakistan. I don't want to debate whether it's right or wrong for us to be there. What I want is for us to do whatever it takes within legal and moral guidelines to resolve those situations and bring our soldiers home!

That means we need to realistically look at the situations in all war zones as they are today and figure out how to solve them given the CURRENT conditions on the ground, not what they were and not what we wished they'd be. Put those plans into place (and these should be both political and military actions) and do it. We Americans are famous for our ability to adapt and overcome. Please let's live up to that image so we can bring our soldiers home safe and sound as soon as possible.

There are too many friends and family members who already have to live forever with that grief I experienced for a few moments. I hope and pray that I never have to experience that feeling again. But if I do, I'll bravely face it. It's the least I can do for those who risk their lives every day to safeguard me.

Please don't just think of our soldiers on holidays like yesterday and Memorial Day. They deserve to be in our thoughts daily. To quote my new friend Paul Arvay:

"Today and every day, when you see someone that you know is a Veteran, or you see someone in uniform, please thank them in person with a smile, a nod or a hand shake! Let them know that you care about and appreciate all that they have done and will do for all of us."

Thank you Veterans and Soldiers for all you have done and will do.

On Being Alive

So I had quite a shocker today... turns out there's been a rumor of my death floating around somewhere in NC. The way I found out was from a dear friend who just found me and told me he was so glad the rumor wasn't true.

I've always been a firm believer in the do good things and be the best person you can be and those things will come back to you motto. And today, good things came in spades. I didn't know how worried my friend was for me. Ours was a typical story... close friend in high school, I went one direction, he went another and we lost touch. I don't know why this rumor of my untimely death exists. In one way it's a bit disturbing, but in another way, it made me remember that when someone is really your friend, you matter to them no matter how long or how far apart you become.

To hear the sound of relief in my friend's voice... and the bit of disbelief that it was actually me... The experience was profound to say the least... I feel thankful, honored, stunned, happy, and immensely humbled.

I am so thankful for all the love and support and birthday wishes yesterday, but I think I'm most thankful for being able to give the gift of a happy surprise to someone else.

And just so we're all clear... Rumors of my untimely demise are just that. I'm still the spitfire you all know and love and I certainly plan to be around for a long time to come. = )

Happy Day!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and happy day today! If you're not having one yet, take a pause and think for a moment about something you like or love and let that wonderful smile shine through. For me:

May everyone who has pain experience a reprieve,


May all of our soldiers come home safe and sound,

May those who are in need find help or learn to help themselves,

May you find or come closer to your own sense of inner peace, and

May today bring joy, love and happiness to all.

Joseph Cao: Voting For Health Reform Was "A Decision Of Conscience" (VIDEO)

Thank you Representative Joseph Cao for following your conscience and putting the needs of your district before party politics. Here's hoping more people follow your good example!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Successful Flight Through Enceladus Plume

Successful Flight Through Enceladus Plume

Gotta love the amazing things our space exploration is showing us...

Angry at the Wrongs of Our Health Care System

So currently, I and my family are among the supposed lucky ones in our nation to have insurance, an HMO. You'd think that if anything was wrong with us, we'd have at our resources the best people available to solve the problems. And we'd be able to pay for those solutions because we have insurance.
[Big Angry Buzzer] Wrong!!!

So a family member of mine has had two different pain conditions for the longest time. And since I love this person so much, I've tried everything I can to figure out how to fix it or ease it or something.

With the first pain condition, we saw our primary care physician a few times (all at $25 a pop) and then we were referred to a neurologist. No offense to the good neurologists that I'm sure must exist somewhere in Atlanta, but the two different ones we visited for my family member SUCKED. They tried to tell us it was carpel tunnel syndrome (something I've seen first hand and KNEW wasn't it.) But NOOOOOO, the doctor knows everything and was so positive it was carpel tunnel that my already in-pain family member had to go through an extremely painful nerve induction test to find out that guess what??? It's not carpel tunnel.... something I told both doctors during the first visit... Total of primary care and specialist visit copays: over $200.

So basically, we paid these doctors to torture my family member with that damned nerve induction test and then tell us that they had no idea what was causing the problem, go see another specialist. At this point my family member gave up on the system and just learned to deal with the pain and loss of hand dexterity.

So lo and behold, over the last month, the other pain condition flared up, and my family member refused to go to the doctor because they didn't want to get their hopes up and have them shattered again. After it gets too painful, we agree to go to our primary doctor (a different one who happened to graduate from Yale School of Medicine). I thought to myself, okay this time it's going to be different.

As soon as the primary doctor examines my family member, she immediately refers him to a general surgeon because she thinks something is torn inside. $25.00 to find out this possible diagnosis. Two days later when we're able to get in to see the surgeon (and by now the pain is at a 10 on a 1 - 10 scale), and after a ten minute exam at 3:40 yesterday... and without sterile gloves even, the surgeon says sorry I can't help you, it's not the problem your doctor thought it was. So essentially, I paid $25 for this other doctor to hurt my family member even more during the probe of the painful area.

I walk back into the primary doctor's office yesterday around 4pm and demand the doctor find the cause of my family member's pain so they can get some relief. Doctor has no idea what to do other than tell us to go to the emergency room... Yay, we're going to the emergency room in the middle of a flu outbreak.

4:15, we walk into the emergency room door, sign in and after a 20 minute wait, are seen by the triage nurse. She tells us the rooms are all full but we're the next in line. 5:15 rolls around and they finally call us back to a room. And when we get into the room, that's when we have to pay the $50 copay for an ER visit. A doctor comes in and spends ten minutes doing the same kind of exam that surgeon did earlier in the day. Then he decides to order a CT and an ultrasound. Whew, I think. We're finally going to get an answer. But my family member is still in pain and finally around 8pm they come in and give him a shot of something for the pain.

Now keep in mind, my family member hasn't eaten anything since midnight because they thought they were going to have surgery that day. But eating is still not allowed because it might mess with the tests.

IT TAKES 3 1/2 HOURS FOR THEM TO TAKE HIM FOR TWO TESTS THAT LASTED 15 MINUTES A PIECE, INCLUDING TRAVEL TIME TO AND FROM THE TESTING AREA. Total time spent actually doing something: less than an hour.

We then have to wait for over another hour to get the test results back. Guess what?!?!?! Everything looks normal except for a teeny bit of extra fluid somewhere, but that fluid shouldn't be causing the pain because it's seen on both sides of the body and the pain is only on one side.

Bottom line, we paid people to poke and prod my family member, cause more pain, waste lots of time only for them to say we have to go to yet another specialist. We didn't walk out of the emergency room until after 11pm last night.

So for all these people who are screaming and scared about having to wait in lines for the boogeyman of socialized healthcare... WAKE UP PEOPLE, WE ALREADY ARE! And those of us with insurance are actually paying for the privilege of doing so.

$100 personal money spent and over 8 hours of our day wasted. (And that $100 may not seem like much to some people, but when you're laid off and trying to save every penny, that's way too much to have to spend for little to absolutely NO results) Speaking of results... our end result, a prescription for a pain med and a referral to another specialist who I doubt will be able to help us.

And guess what, my family member is so disgusted that if this next specialist can't figure it out, that's the end and they're going to stop trying to get it fixed.

Not only do I feel taken advantage of by the system, but I feel emotionally raped. We get our hopes up time and time again that someone's going to actually find a solution only to hear, Nope, we don't know, and ha ha... you had to pay us to tell you that.

Maybe I should start learning the words to Oh Canada... my Canadian friend tells me this would never have happened there.

My whole life, I've worked hard to tone down emotional reactions and be calm and rational. I don't pass the buck and I try to fix as much as I can and not try and throw blame around, but if I or my family member has caught one of the flu viruses after all the rest of this mess we had to deal with, I am so going to verbally throttle someone.

Last night was finally the straw that broke this long patient camel's back. I've tried to be good and do the right thing, and all I've gotten for it is wasted money and the horrific chance to see my family member clenching teeth through pain. Do you know how much it hurts me to see my loved one hurting—really hurting—and not be able to do a damned thing about it???

So I don't care who has to do what. Mr. President and Members of Congress, get off your collective asses, stop dilly-dallying around with lobbyists and special interests (corporate or otherwise), and actually do something for our substandard American Health Care system instead of talking about it all the time!!!