When Yer Wrong Yer Wrong

Dear Mr. President, I hate to give you this thumbs down because I have been one of your biggest supporters. You missed a perfect opportunity to show the Chinese a life lesson yesterday. When Pres. Hu Jintao was with you at the brief press conference and a documented press representative from the Epoch Times, a New York based newspaper, spoke out,her name is Wang Wenyi and is obviously a chinese national. She was quickly whisked away and you apoligized for the incedent you would of been better served by stating that this is America Mr. President, and we believe in free speech. Sometimes its difficult but in all the world there isn't a finer system. You must not ever let a chance to shine go by.

Brad and Angelina Is Pleased to Announce~~~~~

Thank God that Brad and Angie finally decided where, their as yet unborn son, is to be born.............Nambibia. Finally a movie star of his caliber and I might point out huge resourses, has decided to take all precautions in the birth of his son and cause him to be close to all possible medical resourses in a forward thinking,technically advanced country like Nambibia. I must say that I am a little jealous of Brad and Angies finances. If I lived in Nambibia I wouldn`t need to jump through all these hoops the doctors here in America are making me go through in order to get my gastric - bypass.I would venture to say that it probably wouldn't even be necessary in the first place. Oh and further kudos to the happy couple for making sure that the newborn is taken care of in the future.....He will be given a African name to go along with his Nambibian citizenship. Sometimes the sun surely seems to shine on certain folks.....

OH YEA ? WHAT WOULD you DO?

Well come on.......... Tell me........... Just tell me...................What would YOU do? What would you do if you were President Of The United States Of America? Understand there are tens of thousands of things that more than likely require the attention of POTUS on a daily basis. Bear in mind that each decision could have the potential to cost lives, win or lose large sums of money,and or effect peoples lives in extraordinary ways. What are the top five things you would do, and in what order?Oh BTW don`t allow your personal feelings, or family members,Or friends situations figure into your decisions,determine what five things you would do based totally benefiting the greater number of people,oh did I forget to say that,you being the President ofUnited States, must also consider the world wide ramifications of each seemingly small thing.
On the surface the above seems a daunting task,well it is. But I'm a generous kind of fellow. I will gleefully throw in the patience of Job, the wisdom of Solomon, the determination of Attilla, the strength of Hercules, the foresite of H.G. Wells.Still quite the task isn't it? What would you do? What would you mandate? Please help me tell me ? I wanna know? or maybe I wanna see if you know,or if anyone knows OR are we are as a nation,turned into a bunch of whiners will complain regardless of who is doing the job or even how well he/she is doing that thankless task.

Another follow - up on my road to a thinner, trimmer, movie star type body. Hah like any of that could ever be. I was set back last week due to the med staff neglecting to tell me to quit my meds 48 hours prior to testing time,so it was re-scheduled for this Wed. & Thur. I reported as requested at 7:00 A.M. and was promptly told that I was too debilitated and my breathing was so labored from not being on my meds for two days prior to my test,that they were afraid to do the test because there was a real danger of going into respiratory arrest. I was carted to the Emergency room for further evaluation and the ER doc concurred that I needed admitted and some intesive treatment on my breathing. I spent the next two days getting breathing treatments and huge doses of steroids which, although ultimately bad for you, really work wonders for aches and pains and to restore capabiltys for breathing . I can actually walk without groans and moans now till the seroids wear off, about a week they say.
So much for the news report, but for my impression of the medical arena I am sorely tried to keep from screaming at these people. I was admitted to a nice room on the sixth floor of our local hospital and that is as far as my satisfaction went. I had no hot water to clean my self with or to shower. Their solution is to give me a zip lock bag with about 6 or 8 washcloths soaked in some sort of soapy solution and some water and put in a microwave till steamy. I asked what this was and the told me with some pride..............a bath in a bag. Grrrrrrrrr I want a hot steamy shower and hot water and soap to wash my hands after using the toilet.My bed was a good quality hospital grade bed, BUT it had some sort of sheet material that was horribly uncomfortable. It stuck to your body but wouldn`t stay tucked in, it slipped off the pillows exposing the plastic pillows so a good nights sleep was impossible. I think it is probably a moot point due to the fact that they come in and check on you at least hourly. If all you need is rest I reccomend a four star hotel, you will feel a hell of a lot better and not spend near as much money. So all this means that I must wait another two weeks as per my doc before I can get the stress test and once through that on to the next aspect of the qualifying process for the Gastric By- Pass surgery that I need so badly.Wish me well!!! 

~ One More Step ~

As promised another update on my gastric by-pass path. I ask myself sometimes why people get frustrated about things and it is a process like this that brings clarity to me. I was scheduled for the stress test part of the process on Wednesday and was to call in on Tuesday for instructions. As per my directions I did so and was told that I could not take the test because they neglected to inform me at my Doctors office that I was to not take my breathing medications for the two days prior to the test and my diabetic med the day of the test. This translates into another week lost till I can reschedule. OK get over it no big deal. I am rescheduled for this week coming up for that. I had that aspect resolved and could move on to getting a colonoscopy and a endoscopy performed. I show up at this doctors office, and the doctors wife is his secretary and receptionist.....1st warning sign was they called four hours before my scheduled apt. Time and rescheduled me six hours later because the doctor had a emergency. As far as I am concerned those things happen but usually not six hours in advance. 2nd warning sign...... I am the only patient there,hmmmmmmmmm. The receptionist / secretary / wife / concubine,shows me to a exam room where I spend the next hour waiting for the good doctor to show up. Being a observant type I check out the room and it's furnishings and supplies. I notice only one exam glove left in the box. A trash receptacle that is over flowing with the somewhat disgusting traces of prior exams and worst sin of worst sins ,the trash can liner is a simple trash bag like you would use at home as opposed to a red bio - hazard bag as required by law, considering what is contained in this vessel. The exam room in general ,has a palor of a over used,run down ,cheap motel. 3 rd warning sign..........Doc finally shows and wants to know before even even exchanging niceties how do I intend to pay, and was I aware that he only accepts cash for my co-pay.I am beginning to doubt that this physcian and his obvious dedication to upholding the Hippocratic Oath is going to be appropriate for me. He will do I believe, for these testing processes, but I am so glad that the caregiver I have selected to do my surgery, is clearly superior to this poor excuse for a doctor. He may even be the poster boy for malfeasence.

The Beginning Of The Process

As I promised, I would keep everyone updated as to my progress in the ordeal to get the gastric by-pass surgery that hopefully will allow me to get my life back. Next week the testing begins in earnest. I have been on a supervised weight loss program for the last six months, and now that that aspect has been completed next week seems to be filled with the testing process. I have to go to the hospital for two consecutive days to get a stress test. This will be a chemically induced stress situation as my damaged leg will not allow me to actually walk the dreaded treadmill.They will inject me with some sort of stimulant to mimic physical effort on my part and then take x - rays of my heart. I will have to return the next day for another injection and more heart x - rays. They day after that, I must report to a Gastro-Enterologist to get examined for a colonoscopy and a endoscopy. I hope they can do them both in the same day,but needless to say, I trust different scopes.Once these are completed they will decide if moving along is warranted and if so, the next step is a physcological evaluation to see if i'm doing this for all the right reasons. I am sure that they will not mistake me for a annorexic wannabe. I must also get extensive blood work prior to the surgery and then I can finally get on with the process. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.......I will post more as soon as I know more.

BY GONE ERA

It came in one of my decreasing moments of lucidity.......Things that are no more........Soft drinks in bottles made from glass, penny candy, and if you were a frugal child you could sometimes find two for a penny. Drive in movies and barber shops. The one that I visited in my youth was a three chair shop. There was Tony and Joe and that extra chair towards the back of the tonsorial emporium belonged to Tony senior who passed long before I was even born,but they kept his area in a respectful tribute to Tonys father. You would come in and the smells told you you were in the right place. The smell of cigar and cigarette smoke.The sweet smell of tonic water that Tony would sprinkle on you liberally when he was done. You sat in the row of leather upholstered chairs that ran along one wall and took a magazine even if there was no one in the chair. Sooner or later ,when he was ready Tony would give you the nod and you would go and settle into the most comfortable chair imaginable. It had a leg rest and a foot rest and even a head rest.It was made from stainless steel,wood and soft leather. Tony would get out a fresh paper neckband and wrap it around your neck and then he would get the cape from its place on the back of the chair and place it tightly around your neck to protect your clothing from the hair that he cut . He would ask you "what can I do for you today young man?" You told him "a shave and a haircut please Tony" he would gently recline you and take a hot steaming towel from its cabinet and wrap it round and round on your face and let it soften your beard while he stropped his straight razor. He would remove the towel and apply warm shaving cream from the dispenser, and shave you as clean as a new born baby's bottom. He would then set you upright and cut your hair the way he thought it should be cut. Then another hot towel to clean the remnants of the shaving cream off your face. He would then take a little tonic and shake it on your scalp and comb your hair with a fine toothed comb, dry your neck and your ears with another dry clean towel, and spin you around so you could see your haircut in the panoramic mirror as he removed the cape with a theatrical flair like to say........."Here he is folks" That would be $1.75 please. I would always give him two bucks because my Dad said that is what you should do. You would walk out of there looking and smelling like a new man.Those days are I'm afraid, long gone. You are not forgotten Tony....thanks for making me feel like the King of the world so many times.

~ BLACK HISTORY MONTH ~

Our local newspaper is celebrating "Black History Month" by having a open forum on famous black people in history. The newspapers invitation was "Area students are being asked to take a journey through the history of the world we live in and choose a famous Black American leader that has made a impact on all of our lives".
Our youth came up with influential people of color who made significant impacts on our lives. These people ranged from Brianna Scurry, who is currently a goal keeper for the Olympic soccer teams. To the old standard of George Washington Carver, who was a accomplished horticulturist.
There were 13 outstanding students who entered this competition, and in actuality it taught me things I didn't know. What puzzeled me was that of all the people who entered this contest NONE were black. ZERO ~ZED ~ZILCH ~NOT NARY A ONE. Is black history month only to be celebrated by white people or do none of the blacks in this area care about their fore fathers 

~ LOSS ~

Loss. It comes in hundreds, no, thousands of varieties. Some are insignificant like your team losing the big game or perhaps losing a few bucks on the lottery. Some are very important ones like you just lost your job, or perhaps you lost your temper with someone who means a lot to you.The worst kinds of losses are ones that can never be made right again. This is the kind of loss that unfortunately paid me a visit yesterday. One of my friends passed to the other side. He had been sick but everyone expected him to recover. There will be times that I will think of him and perhaps a tear will come or even a smile but there will never be a time when I won't feel the loss of this good man. Friends like him don't come often but when they do they leave a impression. He has left a impression even bigger than he was. May God rest his weary soul.

~ Hate Crimes ~

It has come to this feeble little brain after reading a story about nearly 600 prisoners in the Los Angeles County jail system wanting to transfer all of these prisoners into the state system to prevent further fighting and rioting amongst the reported 600 inmates. I was appalled,but not surprised to hear that the ACLU was called in and is attempting to turn all these situations into "HATE CRIMES".
First off I never saw a crime that was committed against someone you "LIKED" . They were particularly concerned when rioting broke out between two Hispanics and four Blacks who by the way were all locked in the same cell. Who were they gonna fight...The Chinese down on the next cell block>? Damn people gimmie a break.......When people are locked up in cages they do not have a tendency to settle disputes with diplomatic efforts. Whoever is stronger has their way in all things.......A good incentive to stay out of jail,or prison, or any other sort of incarceration. At least that is the way I see it here on Arrathorns Alley.

~ NATURAL DISASTERS ~

Michael Brown is expected to give sworn testimony today regarding the federal governments less than timely response to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. First off, I think that what they are looking for is a whipping boy,someone to point at and say hey it wasn't me it was HIS fault.
I have some experience in flood matters, some years ago we were flood victims right here in my little town. The rains came and wouldn't stop it rained for nearly a week steadily.At times heavily. We live along the banks of a lovely and usually benign river, but after these ceaseless rains, the banks were swollen with flood water. There is a large dam and another river at the headwaters of the river I live on. Some one at this dam, decided to open the wickets a little and let off some of the water pressure because they were afraid that the dam would burst. They did and debrie from that river clogged the wickets and they couldn't`t close them. On our river we have a series of locks and dams to control the water level and promote navigation. They held back as much water as they could to protect Pittsburgh which is downstream from us. Now the interesting part is Pittsburgh is at the bottom of the glass and simple physics dictates that the glass will fill from the bottom up unless the dams intentionally hold back the water.So in light of that we filed a class action suit to recover our damages. It went through the court system and they found the power company and the operators of the upstream dam were guilty of malfeasance BUT they could not be held culpable. This, very simply , means yeah they did it but they don't have to pay . Thank you very much so instead of the help we thought we would get, we were permitted to borrow money from the federal government and repair our homes. Lesson learned? If you live in a area that is lower than the water level..Expect a flood. If you get flooded ..Shut up about it cause it will not matter how vociferous you are no one is going to give you anything for nothing and the truth of it is, you deserve nothing . Fema or any other group is not responsible for your mis- fortune. If you qualify and get a loan take it and repair your homes or move out of the flood zone and start over like so many of us have. They took us out of our home by boat and as soon as the water went down we shoveled our way back in and started the re-build it was hard ,brutal work that often times was heart breaking when somewhere in the mud and debri you found a treasure you held dear and it was destroyed. A trinket your children made in school gone. Human nature says you suck it up and move on. That in and of its self is what New Orleans needs to do. They want to be a first class American city then act like first class Americans and get the job done. At least that is the way I see it on here Arrathorns alley.

~ WHAT DO THEY KNOW ~

Don't eat bacon.....It has carcinogens that can potentially cause cancer. Don`t drink coffee it may be harmful to your health. Don't eat butter .....use margarine .............Don't use margarine use butter it is better for you. Don't ever drink milk when you are dieting it has way too many fats in it. .....Oh wait you need four glasses of milk per day when your dieting it helps you shed the pounds faster.
It turns out that the government has just spent about fifty bajillion bucks to find out that a fat free diet is not at all good for you. you must have some fats in your diet.
It seems to me that our government should be in the business of repairing our infrastructure, supplying our military with what they need to wage this war in Iraq. Providing the necessary police and fire departments the training and finance needed to protect our citizenry and staying the Hell out of the pork barrel funding of all these unnecessary and ultimately mis-begotten studies. As far as I know not one of them has ever proven out to be factual and the recommendations they made to be in vogue for more than a few months,before another study, equally inaccurate, divulges what the previous study stated as absolute gospel truth. At least that is the way I see it here at Arrathorns Alley

~ EXCUSE ME? ~

What on earth was this Dimocrat thinking at Mrs. Coretta Kings funeral? Her funeral was attended by no less than four presidents and by any standards it was a impressive tribute to this womans ceaseless efforts to bring racial equality to America. She worked tirelessly untill she had a National holiday named for her husband. This is a honor that has only been afforded two other men in history ,George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, mighty fine company if you ask me.
Former President Carter went on to say that racism still exists in America and to prove that all one has to do is look at the color of the faces of those who were victims of Hurricane Katrina. Is he going to sit there with a straight face and say that this hurricane only affected people of color?This this giant rainstorm somehow only fell on areas where people of color lived?"
It is a good damn thing that the only thing he is allowed to touch now a days is a hammer and nails. When I think of it ,in all of the many pictures of Jimmy in a habitat for humainty setting, I have never seen a saw in his hand, perhaps they knew all along he couldn't be trusted with anything sharp. It is people like him that give Southerners and Democrats a bad name. At least that is the way I see it here on Arrathorns Alley.
 

A RELIGION OF PEACE

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I suppose that a picture is worth a thousand words and it appears as though this one has said even more.The Muslim religion is purported to be a religion of love and peace. I must ask myself who it is that these Muslims love and wish to live in peace with. They kill their own in the name of a Jihad,and this helps how? They send children wearing explosives in the midst of a crowd and then blow them to smithereens in order to make some sort of convoluted point that no one but themselves understands. They kidnap and kill in a most detestable way (beheading) the much hated westerners in their country to ensure that we will leave them as soon as humanly possible.I wish someone would tell these booger eating morons the reason we are there is to bring them a bit of peace and tranquility and to improve their standard of living. We are actually building hospitals,bridges,highways,schools,ensuring electricity, water,and fresh potable water is availabe throughout their country.We do not seek to have a presence there,instead we are trying to help them establish their own governing body in free and unbiased elections.
Now one more thing for these sorry excuse`s for humanity is doing is committing violence on another nations soil (Danish Embassy ) in Beirut,Lebanon.Demonstrators attacked police withstones and even went so far as to destroy life saving equipment that belonged to their own nation,several firetrucks.
Security officials claimed that at least 18 people were injured and at least ten transported by ambulance to area hospitals took to the streets in Afghanistan,Iraq,the West Bank,and even New Zealand.
You may ask what horrible thing was committed against the Muslims to warrant such a wide spread reaction? Well believe it or not someone actually poked fun at Mohammed. I know no one ever made fun of Jesus,or that chubby little fella Buddha, but come on Muslims show a little tolerance. If you folks didn`t want people to use you as the brunt of jokes quit acting so freakin stupid. Quit telling the story that if you go into the midst of that crowd of Christians and blow your self up and kill a number of them in the name of Allah then there will be many virgins waiting for you in heaven. In my opinion the surest way straight to Hell with a first class ticket non- stop is to take another human life and you are going to try to say yer gonna get virgins for it........Hahahahaha you guys ARE funny.......Well at least that is the way I see it here at Arrathorns Alley.

~ GIVE IT A REST ~

I had hoped that we had heard the last of this moonbat that has quit supporting her son's cause,and went so far as to join the the very terrorists that were responsible for her sons untimely demise. She has attempted all sorts of actions to disrupt the general publics impression of what is going on in Iraq. She has stooped to calling the President of our great nation such things as..." A lying Bastard,Evil Maniac,Fucking hypocrite,and the worlds biggest terrorist." She went on to even greater heights and out and out lied by stating that President Bush is committing blatant genocide and is waging a nuclear war.
Well last night she reached new heights by attempting a lame protest at the State Of The Union Address . She was invited by a dimocratic congresswoman and as soon as she got in the chamber she revealed her real reason for being there....To further disrupt the workings of our country and to attempt to embarrass the President of these United States. If her son could, I know he would be screaming from his grave to "shut the fuck up and quit dishonoring our sacrifice here in Iraq and Afghanistan. This fine young man V-O-L-U-N-T-E-E-R-E-D for this service. It is because of her sons sacrifice and many others that Saddam Hussein ,and his two out of control sons, are no longer raping school girls, feeding people to the lions, pulling the tongues out of peoples mouths and even attacking his own people (Kurds) and killing 5,000 or more of those with poison gas.
Her family has turned against her, even her husband has filed for divorce. Even worse than anything else she has done is attempting to have her sons sacrifice mean nothing at all by trying to have us leave Iraq prematurely and there by allowing Iraq to fall back into the wrong hands. In my opinion this woman wants to act like a terroist let her go live with them.

~ WHAT IS YOUR POINT ~

News Flash........ Some time through the night ABC anchorman Bob Woodruff and camera man Doug Vogt and a unamed Iraqi soldier were grievously wounded by what has become known as a IED (improvised explosive device). Their wounds were called serious and they have been already medi-vaced out of the war zone and transported to Landstull Germany. There they will recieve further treatment and when they are asolutely stable, they will be airlifted to probably Walter Reed Hospital out side our nations capitol. This major news story took up the greater portion of the first hour of "Good Morning America" today. The anchor people were all dutifully serious in light of the situation
Here is the rub............ those people were there by choice it is their job. They chose to do it. In exchange for their services they are compensated, at least, richly. I am positive that a network anchor earns as much in a year as I had earned in my mispent life.That is in no way to say they are overpaid just thatI was not much of a achiever.There has been quite the hooplah over these people being injured,the hooplah has been forthcoming in direct porportion to the "importance" of the person. Lots of conversation about the "news anchor" Bob Woodruff....... some about the camera man...... only called Doug for most of the show............ and a unamed Iraqi soldier.
What about the American or allied soldier who is there because they believe in the cause? They will probably earn upwards of $900.00 bucks a month. It is highly recomended that if they are not married, to not get married because there will not be enough money to live on. Why isn`t the first hour of "Good Morning America"dedicated to these brave men and women? Just because the folks at ABC know these people it is a big deal but in reality thier sacrifice is no greater than any one who has been wounded or killed trying to bring freedom to Iraq.The news team was there by choice and were riding in a Iraqi army convoy to further the networks position to belittle the efforts of our troops. Well sometimes irony kicks in and it happens like this. Perhaps there will be a "breaking story" as to how good the medical treatment is that our troops recieve. You can be sure they will never point out our militarys sacrifices so they can present the news story in whatever skewed fashion they choose. 

NEWS FLASH.......BAHRAIN

Date Line Bahrain 1/252006 Pop star Micheal Jackson now vilified as a child abuser was spotted roaming the mean streets of Bahrain. He was dressed as a woman and wearing a Burka.It is unknown at this time if he was secretly trolling for young Bahrainian boys or scouting the area for what his supporters are calling "NEVERLAND ~EAST.. More on this breaking story as soon as a translator is made available to translate from Towel To Jive to English . This may take some time being what the study of linguistics has morphed to today. 

~ How bout DEM STEELERS ~

Pittsburghs going to the Superbowl !!!! Wooooo Hooooo. I was pleased to not have to eat a previous posting when Pittsburgh soundly beat the Denver Broncos. This man had a lot to do with it, not just his personel efforts but his leadership on the team inspired the rest of the team to new heights. This very well may be Jeromes last year on the team but he will remain a valued community member,and a integral member of the future of Pittsburgh.
WAY TO GO STEELERS!!!  

 

~ IN MEMORY ~

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Willson Pickett. He was a inovater in early soul music and influenced many of todays younger artists. He will be sadly missed by many.