Who am I to say?

Nothing New Here ...

2009-02-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

Its been so long since I last blogged. I just need to keep this thing alive.

I'm on Facebook and Google Groups and at least two e-mail accounts. Makes for a lot of computer time. Gotta get more comfortable chairs.

I'm sitting here on the first Sunday of February, holding my breath like everyone else. The sun is shining today, its warm for February -- 35 degrees. I'm warm, comfortable, reasonably well fed. Ran 10 miles this morning just to make myself tired and really, really hungry. Where am I going from here?

At my age, I am now starting to think that maybe I've lived through the best it will ever get, and its only going to go downhill from here. But then I think, jeez, its been bad as hell all around my little upper-middle-class bubble -- probably all my life.

I've worked hard all my life, if you can count white-collar 50-hour-workweeks as "hard" work on a global standard. I think I work pretty hard for my money today, too. But sometimes wonder whether I'm really adding value to the world for all of my "hard" work.

So I'm holding my breath. Where do we go from here? Where do I go from here? What can I do to help and protect those around me -- especially those who depend on me for their well being? I'm thinking about that a lot lately; and fervently hoping that we'll all find a way to work together to make a better world to work in, raise families and care for our elders in, to play in ... and so it goes.

I'm confident in the resilience of my children and their generation. I think they already live in that better world; they've made it so for me and mine. I look to them as role models now for leading us into their future.

Hope and fear, joy and shame, peace and anxiety -- all these are playing around with my head to day. On one of my long, uphill climbs running St. Paul's High Bridge yesterday, I came up with a simple motivating mantra. It worked yesterday as I challenged my physical abilities. Maybe it can work for all my remaining tomorrows, trying to live good and useful for the rest of my time on earth.

"You can, if you do."

Gay Marriage Cop Out

2008-09-19T06:35:00.000-07:00

Daughter Amy and I exchanged this rant duet after taking a little quiz posted on ABC News' web site to figure out which candidate you would choose based on quotes on issues.

The only one I "agreed" with McCain on had to do with Gay Marriage.

Don't have time to look up the quotes just now, but thought I'd post the rants. First mine, then Amy's response.

Deb ...

Yeah. I decided that I don't really care if you call a gay couple "married" or if you just make sure that they enjoy all the same legal rights as married couples.

I though both candidates were chicken on this one.

Churches "marry" people -- bless relationships that 'come from God' and stuff like that. If you don't believe two men can be "married" in the eyes of God then don't go to a church that blesses gay guy unions. And make the sign of the cross to protect you from the evil spirits whenever you see a gay guy couple on the street. Tell your kids all those gay guys will be going to hell (the smart ones will figure out that's bull**** eventually). Do whatever you have to do to float your own boat, but don't assume you can sink someone else's.

Because we separate church and state in the U.S. of A., you can be legally married without going to a church. Judges and ship captains or other 'licensed' individuals can witness such a union.
But in this context, 'marriage' is just a neat little package of domestic-union legal rights and obligations that includes having a blood test to disclose presence of sexually transmitted diseases, joining of and continued joint ownership of economic assets and debt obligations, assuming power of attorney for health care decisions, and defining parental rights and obligations (should children be acquired during the marriage by birth or adoption). The 'benefit' of being legally married in this sense is that you don't have pay a lawyer and accountant to set all this up for you. It's pre-built and fairly simple to do.

I see no reason not to extend this legal package to any 2 people, man/man, man/woman or woman/woman right here, right now, for any purpose. Some financial worrywarts think it will create too many situations where businesses have to pay domestic partner benefits for this whole bunch of extra "marriages". But that's a whole other bunch of bull crap to be pondered some other time.

The current 'marriage' package is specifically designed for 2 people forming a domestic unit for the purposes of living together, being 'dependent' on each other (taking care of each other), buying stuff together, paying taxes together, etc. so it makes sense to limit it to 2 under this definition. And if these domestic relationships for 2 don't work out, there's plenty of legal precedent around adoption and divorce to provide tools for dealing with things when these unions dissolve.

But, frankly, I think that anyone should be able to form a legal union of any number of people for domestic alliance purposes and have neat little packages to help define legal rights and obligations that would apply in every state in the union. We'd just have to figure out what that would look like when it's more than 2 people.

Government shouldn't care if sex is or isn't happening among consenting adults. If there are dependent children involved, government should protect kids if sex is happening TO them or among their adult caregivers in ways that would cause them harm. (I assume it is illegal to have sex in front of your kids if you're a hetero-sexual married couple or show them hard core porn?)

Government should care about whether or not people are complying with any and all legal commitments made as a result of becoming a domestic unit. And that people are being granted all of the rights they are due as members of such a unit.

Government also should get involved in making sure that the little legal packages for domestic unions that are set up to reward and promote the concept of people committing to and taking care of each other make good sense for all involved, and that they have well defined 'rules' for dissolving unions when necessary. (Just like it does for business partnerships and contracts).

So I think that saying gay marriage should be legal or not legal is silly. And leaving legal definitions of domestic union, whether you call it marriage or not, for each state to define would be way to confusing and messy in our mobile society.

Amy...

It's a long rant! But, well said. That's pretty much how I feel too. I think it is ridiculous when people say things like, what next, dogs and alligators getting married?

Haha I don't know if people have said that exact thing, but you know what I mean...it's just a way to make gay people seem like even bigger outcasts..as if our government should view the union between two men the same as the union between a person and an animal or two animals. Uhg. I just hate stupid people who feel it necessary to meddle in other people's business for the simple reason that...it is just not "right."

There are a lot of things that are just not "right" And as you said, the government should have a way of controlling those things, treating them as crimes or breaches of contract if you will. But, two homosexual people getting married affects NO ONE! No one. No one.

Long Time No Blog

2008-09-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should update this thing once in awhile. But it's so dang hard to sit in front of the computer on a beautiful summer day, so I waited until now -- a beautiful fall day.

It's been such a full spring and summer. I'll try to catch up, but not today. Instead I'll just pop in a few links to pictures from middle daughter's wedding -- just last weekend.

Wedding:

My Camera (which I did not have control of for most of the evening)

http://picasaweb.google.com/doob53/SarahSWedding?authkey=fcO7gI3IfSI#

Sarah's Camera:

http://picasaweb.google.com/sparker43/WeddingRound1?authkey=H8aLA-LgOSM#

Shower Pics from July:

http://picasaweb.google.com/doob53/ShowerPics?authkey=dVuDOF6f1eI#

So far, its just the reception photos from my camera. Not much coverage of the ceremony yet, which was beautiful despite the fact that the best man FORGOT THE RINGS!!!!

Some quick substitutes were found and it all turned out just fine. Real rings were installed at the reception during the best man's sheepish speech.

I had so much fun dancing -- 3-plus hours worth -- that the evening flew by. I want to do it all over again!

As for my bloggin career, I have a whole pant-load of stuff to throw at republicans so stay tuned.

Meme Tag

2008-03-09T16:03:00.000-07:00

Book: "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time"

And then I looked at the front of the envelope and I saw there was a postmark and there was a date on the postmark and it was quite difficult to read, but it said "London, 16.10.97 NW2.

Which meant that the letter was poasted on the 16th October 1997, which was 18 months after Mother had died.

And then the door of my bedroom opened and Father said, 'What are you doing?'

I tag Laurie, Sarah, Amy, Tom and Justin (but I don't know if they blog, so they can send me theirs by e-mail and I'll publish, if they'd like.

I love living in Minnesota

2008-03-02T12:07:00.000-08:00

Short subject today. We were talking at our running club workout this morning about how we all know so many people who are runners.

We weren't talking about all of our running club friends. We were talking about all the people you meet at work, parties, and other life events who run. As we chatted, we were all surprised that we had all thought the same thing; a lot of people do this -- more than you'd think.

But I'm guessing its a Minnesota thing for there to be so many "surprise" runners in our collective encounters.

I'm also glad to live in Minnesota because there are so many beautiful places to run. This was my first Minnehaha Creek run. It was so pretty and peaceful. So, thanks, all you green-space warriors of days gone by. We're very lucky to have what we have.

Over and out.

I'm tired of this

2008-02-24T11:13:00.000-08:00

I'm tired today. I just completed a 32+ mile training week. First time above 30 miles.

But this isn't what I'm tired of.

I'm tired of the phrase, "Government must live within its means."

And I'm tired of Republican blowhards who talk about taxpayers like we are vulnerable adults being abused by greedy Democrats who want to 'rummage around in our pockets' and steal all our loose change.

Yes, Minnesota families are strapped by high oil prices and all the other high prices that entails. But the Repugnicans have been blathering this phrase for years.

And, yes, we ALL have to do a better job of living within our means; what do we really need and what can we really afford to have?

But in Minnesota, as in most democracies, taxpayers are the government, damn it. We decide what we want and authorize elected officials to pay for it.

The intelligent argument is not that the big 'G' is shakin' down poor Mister Taxpayer. It's that all of us consenting adult taxpayers don't agree on what we want government to spend money.

Elected officials who are now trying to make decisions about what to spend and how to find the money to do so were, um, elected -- by taxpayers. And I, for one, think its more honest to talk about how to craft tax policy to pay for what we need and want, than to disingenuously promise not to raise taxes today and then put spending on a credit card for tomorrow.

It's pretty easy to see, if you put half a brain cell on the task, that these slick-talking conmen are trying to get us to believe we can get something for nothing.

"Wah, wah, the democrats want to waste your money on afterschool programs for teens. You shouldn't have to pay for that; school budgets are bloated enough as it is, this is a waste of taxpayer money ... blah, blah, blah."

But hey, that 13-year-old who broke into your garage last week? He used to play basketball after school and keep his nose clean. Now he's joined a gang. Too bad you can't afford to risk losing your home owner's insurance to claim that stolen bike. Somebody ought to regulate those companies, why isn't government spending money on that.

Oh wait, those guys who sounded so great when they said they wouldn't rummage in your pocket to get your vote, they rummaged around a few insurance companies too and found some pretty good campaign contributions to go with that free market mantra they're always chanting. Too bad for you and all of us.

Here's a thought. We could let all those districts who elect 'no tax' advocates have their way. They don't pay any taxes, they don't get any services. It will be a bit inconvenient for those of us who have to drive their stretches of highway, or find a clean public restroom in their town (or a clean public restaurant, for that matter).

Maybe it could be an a la carte approach.

Here you go, don't pay for roads or transit. We won't tax you for roads and bridges and we won't fix 'em either. Buses and trains won't come your way. And maybe we'll have to exclude you from using our airports, too.

Or don't pay for public schools -- use the money you save to send your kids to Catholic school (psst, you'll probably pay more in the long run). Hope your town doesn't have kids with special needs. Those kids won't get to go to school in your district. Their parents will have to move away. Other parents will move away, too. So your property values will probably go down. But at least you didn't have to waste your hard-earned money on those bloated, failing public schools.

Ugh; such hyperbole. My message? Please try to pay attention. What do you want from government? Let your legislators and candidates for legislator know.

Do vote for people who say they share your priorities for government spending, and hold them accountable to find pay-as-you-go ways to pay for it.

Don't vote for people who promise you can have your cake and eat it too. They are likely full of shit and want your vote for some dark-side reason of their own; corporate welfare for their cronies or to continue W's war for oil so their industry peeps can sustain their profits.

I'm glad to be sitting in the sun, spouting my bilge into the pipes of the internets, and not still running, at least for today.

Over and out.

People I wish would just shut up

2008-01-26T10:59:00.000-08:00

Jason Lewis.

Here's one of the reasons why I wish he would just shut up.

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/14441271.html

People who learned economc theory 40 years ago in college, from 10-year-old-texts, and haven't learned anything since, should have to publish a warning: Reading this column may be hazardous to your understanding of reality.

I'm not an economics expert and don't claim to be. But neither is Lewis.

His Johnny One Note obsession against taxes and government spending leads him astray, thinking he has useful answers when he applies the big words he learned in school to the problems of the day. Jason, your pseudorationale that blames our teetering consumer economy on the looming threat of expiring tax cuts is just as silly as the stimulus plans you are mocking.

Bear in mind, I don't think we need to send everybody temporary money to spend to "save" us from recession, either. But I also don't think simplistic theories that lowering taxes to stimulate people to invest in making more stuff, or working harder (for less) to produce more stuff will do it either.

There are real, new circumstances at work in the world that are threatening more than just our economic survival. Those real, new things have unfortunately coincided with yet another example why government regulation is good for babies and other living things (i.e., subprime mortgages and lending/investment bubbles) to create a pretty scary one, two punch.

So here's what I think, Jason. Maybe we need to produce less (or at least produce what we make more sustainably) and spend more for what we buy. We should pay more because labor is paid more, not because resources cost less (won't happen anymore) or because CEOs manipulate productivity for inordinate shareholder value. Taxes don't disincent labor in America; low wages and the rapidly shrinking inventory of jobs that can pay a decent middle-class living do.

And then there's this boogeyman -- Government Spending. Oooooo, that's scary kids. Where does Jason think government spending goes? Into a black hole to another universe where it is never seen again? Or does it pay wages to laborers who work hard for their money and spend it on necessities and nice-to-haves. Or pay to buy stuff from businesses that pay people to make stuff -- or at least to pick it out from factories in China and bring it here to the U.S. of A?

Even when non-deserving people -- those who can't find jobs that pay them to work harder for less -- get welfare checks and food stamps; Hey, they're buying stuff from businesses that make stuff or fly it in from ... you know where I'm going.l

And somehow, in a global economy, where shrinking oil supplies, climate change, increasing competition with third-world countries for the natural resources that we used to steal, cheat, buy at incredibly low prices for ourselves, nations destablized by economic disparity -- etc., etc., -- I just don't think that the world's stock markets are flipping out over the possibility that George Bush II's tax cuts will expire.

If these savvy economics and investment professionals aren't secretly hoping that the US government will start figuring out how to pay for what it consumes with a realistic approach for matching revenue to spending, its likely because they belong to the "get something for nothing" crowd to which Jason belongs. As long as they've got theirs -- whether its a welfare check or the cream skimmed off the economic backs of the poor schmucks who work hard for their money -- that's all that matters. "Don't tax me for the common good, or to pay for my stupid tax-cuttin' president's stupid decisions to take us to war (It's not like it's even helpeding get us access to more oil). I know best how to spend my money, like on three TVs from China via Walmart and my big, gas-guzzling SUV to keep my family safe in my next fender bender by killing yours."

Oops. I just fell off my chair in the throes of self-righteous blather.

Anyway. I just wish Jason Lews would shut the F... up.

Over and out.

Who's got my vote?

2008-01-08T05:22:00.000-08:00

I'm going to vote for the Democratic candidate for president, no matter who that is. And, as a Minnesotan, there won't be much I, with my one-woman, one-vote power, can do to decide.

I could send some money to my favorite, but that's a tough thing. I'm proud of all three candidates and I want what all three have to offer. I want Obama's inspiring rhetoric and vision for the high road. I want John Edwards' fiery domestic agenda. And I want Hillary's passion and skill at the subtle, sleazy, messy, soul-sucking game of politics, which is where the rubber meets the road.

I have to admit that I have a slight preference for Hillary as "my" candidate. I trust her intentions impeccably, even if I don't always like her methods. I think that she, like her husband, knows how to play the game, pit the powerful against the powerful to duke it out for the people, and take their campaign contributions with one hand while the other is busy moving the pieces on the board so that the advantage goes to pragmatism, balance and consensual forward progress.

But I doubt she's "electable" in this campaign. The pundits calling the horserace have decided. The talking points that label her every utterance as "cold and calculated" block the message and sap its energy. She's suffering "front-runner" and "thats-easy-for-you-to-say" syndromes. In primary season, people want archetypes that differentiate one candidate from another. But she's stuck as the consummate policy wonk, answering to pros and cons of issues that sound like waffling but are more about teachable moments and not making promises you can't keep.

Besides, there are the Hillary haters. Those people who still blame her for acting like a policy aide instead of First Lady. Or who have bought into that ball-busting myth. Or who think she should have dumped Bill. Or who can't understand how a woman who says that every abortion is a tragedy -- which it is -- can still support a woman's right to choose the tragic course, because nobody should be able to tell me that I must or must not bring a child into the world I live in.

So, I will vote for whomever becomes the next Democratic candidate for president. And I hope to God (yes I'm still a believer of sorts), that the winning candidate is just as good at the unpretty side of being a politician so that real, not just rhetorical progress is made in our climb out of this pit we're in.

Over and out.

Run, eat, shop in London

2008-01-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

We're back from not-so-sunny London (UK), where we celebrated Laurie and Tom,, The Wedding Trilogy, Episode III.

Although it was a whirlwind trip -- Christmas Day to New Year's Eve -- we managed to pack in some good times; the right mix of local culture, family gatherings and even a 5-mile (how many K is that again?) run in the heart of Hammersmith.

We arrived on Boxing Day (Dec 26) with just enough energy to drink a pint or two and go to bed. Our hotel was a funny mix of American Holiday Inn and Euro-hostelry. We had two twin beds an ensuite bath and shower for roughly 70 pounds per night. I'm told that's cheap for London, thanks to the "American Retired Persons" rate available to Mr. P. There are advantages to being married to a geezer (she said with a loving twinkle in her eye, of course).

We got up just in time to have a fine Indian dinner with Laurie, Tom, his dad and his brother.

Thursday, I got up and had my London run. I was less than a mile from the Thames and a lovely running trail, but I couldn't find it, so I ran along a nondescript street, dodging dog poo and breathing the quaint exhaust of the double-decker red buses. Kept me on my toes, remembering where to look to avoid being struck down by a bus or a smart car.

Later we met up with Laurie to visit the Tower of London, a prime tourist destination we missed on our last visit. As we traipsed through the turrets, towers, great halls and prison rooms, I couldn't help but wonder if William the Conquerer ever thought a thousand years ahead and wondered what would have been going on in his White Tower. Would he have throught it would still be standing? The bustle of peasantry shuffling through snapping digital pics and having can-you-hear-me-now conversations on cell phones would have been unimaginable.

These lofty thoughts were interrupted when we filed past a laundry line with underpants and Christmas towels hung out to dry. Apparently the place is still home to the "beefeaters" who perform guarding rituals and protect the crown jewels.

Speaking of which, that treasure trove is pretty impressive (I'm a sucker for sparklies), but also a tad on the silly side; I think I've seen too much Monty Python to take seriously the jewel encrusted orbs, swords, mace, wine cistern, cups, saucers and plates "of state" on display.

We were sobered again as we passed through prison rooms with 400-year-old graffiti, carved into the walls by prisonsers, many who spent years in custody and then were "hung, drawn and quartered" as punctuation to the display of power such treatment demonstrated. And by the poigniant glass monument on the lawn where some of the most famous beheadings in Western history took place. It would be nice to think we'd put this all behind us, but Abu Ghraib, Al Qaida, slaughter in Kenya and assassinations in Pakistan are reminders that we haven't lost any of our ability to do harm to each other in the name of tribe, country, faith, or just plain greed. And now we are able to kill each other on scales that would also have been unimaginable to the builder of that first white tower.

Then there was the armory. Swords and guns arranged like the June Taylor dancers in decorative displays. And a huge suit of armor worn by Henry VIII. Most armor I've seen is tiny compared to today's average-size fighters. But Henry was a big guy -- wide and tall. And there was some other guy, John of Gaunt, who was even bigger (taller, at least -- 6-plus feet).

Finally, it was off to the gift shop, to buy big glass "diamonds" to take home to commemorate the trip. I guess that shows what impresses me most: pretty, happy sparklies.

Back in Hammersmith we had cocktails with Tom and his mom, then had dinner in a local pub.

Friday was Party Day. Tom's mom hosted a gathering of the clans in her row-house living room. It was very nice to meet Tom's cousins, aunts, uncles and old family friends. After the formal affair ended, we repaired to a nearby pub. Tom's cousins can rival the Parkers (and Deckers) for crazy, drunken fun.

Saturday we slept in, after drinking for roughly 8 hours the day before. Then we met up with Laurie to go shopping on Portobello Road, a world-reknown flea-market.

We learned a good lesson from that trip; don't bring dads or husbands on shopping trips that involve shoving through state-fair-density crowds. Mr. P certainly had his fill much sooner than Laurie or I did. But he did enjoy overhearing a couple of American, Chicago type husbands and wives in this conversation:

HE: "Let's get out of here and go to Buckingham Palace."

SHE: "It will be just as crowded there."

HE: "Yeah, but we won't be looking at this bunch of crap"

OTHER HE: "... bunch of shit"

Laurie and I managed to make a couple of purchases in time to get Mr. P out of the crowd before he melted down. We escaped to a quiet restaurant for lunch before heading up to north London for more shopping. We were planning to meet Laurie's best friend from Glasgow University at the sandwich shop she and her sisters just opened. If you're ever in London, head to Crouch End for some good shopping. Then gather strength for your return journey at Hot Pepper Jelly. You won't regret it. Laurie got a cute coat for half-price (full-price, American).

Dierdre gave us dinner that evening, and we said good-bye to Laurie and Tom who had to fly back to Chicago next day.

On our last day, we decided to go to Greenwich to visit the Royal Observatory and the Prime Meridian. We had an interesting Light-Rail trip through the Docklands. I remember them from Dickens as dark, dangerous slums. But over the past decade or so there has been much redevelopment. We saw scads of new condos, shopping, hotels and more. Didn't have time to tour the Docklands museum, but would recommend it anyway, because I really wanted to go there.

Once in Greenwhich, we climbed the hill to the observatory, one of the birthplaces of modern astronomy. Its free and fascinating, especially for someone like me who enjoys reading about the history of science. One exhibit featured the clocks made by John Harrington, the country-clock-maker who won a Royal Society prize for helping to solve the "longitude" problem in the 18th century. He invented a clock accurate enough aboard ship to calculate the position of the stars measured against the meridian position back in Greenwhich.

We also toured the National Maritime Museum. One of the most interesting exhibits showed the British naval uniforms across the centuries. There also was a good exhibit on the history of transatlantic ocean travel. It was kind of funny that the American Revolution scored just one small corner of the exhibit. It did include a hand-written copy of the Declaration of Independence, thought to be the first copy to arrive in England. The story of the slave trade was another sobering reminder of how ruthless "commerce" can be when it comes to devastating the lives of everyday people. We're still doing it, just not as blatantly and crudely these days.

We topped off our trip with a pilgrimmage to Nando's, a "fast-food" chain featuring charcoal grilled peri-peri chicken. We'd eaten there several times ten years ago, and were so happy to find it just as tasty and cheap(ish) as we remembered.

The next day was a travel day and then home again. I've got a traveler's cold, a big sparkly glass gem, a couple of tee-shirts and a healthy chunk of credit card debt to show for it; but it was worth every bit.

No Drugs Update

2007-12-22T04:59:00.000-08:00

Going out to run with the club out in the snow globe this a.m. Perversely looking forward to it. I was born and raised here in MN, so I love winter wonderland mornings. Probably will be wet, though. Then I'll come home and continue trying to get into a holiday mood. It's a NCCH Christmas -- no children coming home -- for the first time since the first was born almost 30 years ago. Feels kindof sad, but that was the most practical thing to do given travel plans for the last week in December. Time passes and even the most familiar rituals evolve. I am excited for apres-xmas in London; and D-2 has said she'll come on a running trip with me in January -- who'd have thunk that a few years ago, before mom got off her fat ass! Life and family -- bring it on.

2007-12-18T05:07:00.001-08:00

Wierd observations department. It appears to be a foods-in-the-news day on Google. Rice has made a surprise visit to Iran, and the US has helped turkey (Turkey) hit rebels in Iraq. Or maybe that was a Jive Turkey, which is not food, but an embarrassment to one's race (pick one).

But how about those Vikes? Still underdog enough that sloppy play is cute, and beating Chicago's dead-horse offense is a plucky come-from-behind victory. What's next from those crazy madcap kids and their pot-smokin', strip-club-frequentin' player-sports-psychologist mentors.

Over and out.

Deb's journal

2007-12-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

Deb's journal

Hah, Nawrocki! Two Posts in One Year

2007-12-16T08:14:00.001-08:00

After taking heat for not keeping up with my blogging from a certain outlaw nephew from Texas, I realize I must reassert my legitimacy as a member of the Internet generation, Boomer division.

So here is a post. And, now that Google has taken over the world, this blog is now part of my Google family of software-as-a-service products. I promise to buy something from a Google advertiser one of the days; I mean it.

Now I just have to resist the urge to apologize to myself for not writing much in this letter. But, the reality is, I don't have much time just now, so I'll only make a quick list of "who am I to say" topics for year-end 2007 ...

Middle management is stunting my growth

I wish my government would put down their fiddles and start putting out the fire

How am I making sure I don't have to take drugs to stay alive

My brilliant offspring and their mission to change the world

See you soon, 2008

DA P

Beginning Anew

2006-01-04T16:46:00.000-08:00

Like many people, I sometimes want to be heard without saying a word. So I'll blog some things out of my head and onto the net.

Today (Jan 4, 2006), I'm writing before leaving work. So I don't know what's gone on in the world.

I only know that a dear member of my extended family has been told she has a large tumor on one of her her adrenal glands that must be surgically removed. We no nothing more than that, and must wait a week to learn more. Is it cancer? What are her prospects. She's just 24.

But its not just the illness. She's 24 and has just recently (I hope) acquired health insurance. I know she's been experiencing symptoms for this condition for many months, but just got to the doctor now. How will she and her family look back on this. Will she die because she couldn't afford to go to the doctor earlier? Or didn't think she could? Looking back, how could she afford not to go, if her life is on the line?

But how do we grapple with weighing our economic choices -- real bills, real debt, real lack of ability to pay -- against all the "maybes" about our health. Choices seem easy in hindsight, but who among us doesn't struggle mightily in the rush of the day-to-day, weighing our risks, sealing our fate.

In a wealthy, civilized country, why isn't basic health care a right! And a right that I don't have to risk bankruptcy to use?

Crap. Nora, I'm praying for you -- that's all the radical righties want to give me.