ER visit

I am not one who panics easily. I’m not one of those moms who takes their kids to the Emergency Room without a Darn Good Reason. One of those happened today, IMO.

It was lunch time and I had water heating up on the stove for some pasta. The kids were playing, including some hide & seek in the basement. I happened to be in the basement as well when suddenly Child #2 started screaming. This isn’t necessarily unusual, but the type of screaming was clearly that of a “pain” incident. I looked over to see her sitting down in the process of bringing a blanket over her head to hide under. Her hands were frozen near her head, her neck was semi-contorted, and she continued to scream while her eyes looked frantic.

I got her calmed down just enough to get her to tell me what was hurting. She said it felt like her heart was bursting. I ended up laying her down (no idea if that was a good idea or not) while I sent the other kids upstairs to get their shoes & socks on. I carried Child #2 upstairs. She was no longer screaming, but said her heart still hurt “a lot” and felt like it had flipped over. She had another incident while she was laying on the couch. She had a finger motion and a sound to show the flipping she thought her heart did. After her heart didn’t hurt as much, she said the pain went into her spine.

I had Child #1 watch #2 while I ran #3 & #4 across the street to a neighbor’s house. Children #1, 2, & 5 came with me to the local Emergency Room (ER) where they did a chest X-ray, EKG, blood work, and other monitoring. Her heart rate was okay and they couldn’t find anything that showed what happened. We were sent home with the request that we note any further incidents (date, time, what she was doing at the time) and to follow-up with our pediatrician in a couple of weeks. If she has frequent occurences, we are to follow-up sooner. Depending on how things go, she might get a monitor to try to catch an incident or be referred to a pediatric cardiologist. Or, we just might never know what happened.

I am glad everything checked out okay. I did some praying on the drive to the ER. I didn’t want to be thought of as someone who brings their kids into the ER for small cuts and bruises, but I would never forgive myself if I hadn’t taken her in and something ended up happening that could have been prevented. The nurses & physicians assistant that we saw were professional, very caring, thorough, and gentle with my young child. The physicians assistant called to consult with our non-local pediatrician. It all worked very well.

Thank goodness for our wonderful health system!

H1N1 or the regular flu?

I was listening to the top doctor in the state I live in talk on the radio the other day about the H1N1 flu. She promotes vaccines and is highly respected. I can’t remember her title, but she’s the a medical doctor with a title tied to the state somehow.

Anyway, the guys on the radio were asking her questions and letting her promote the H1N1 vaccine. I wish I could link you to an audio of her interview, but the radio station doesn’t have a podcast up of it. I’ll paraphrase what she said, but I realize that audio of it would be better proof than me typing my remembrance of what she said.

She repeated the mantra that certain target populations should receive the vaccine. She said that even if you thought you had H1N1 already, you should STILL get the vaccine. When questioned on this, she said that you could have had the regular flu or a respiratory infection instead, so you should still get the vaccine.

About five minutes later, when asked about how it has been reported that doctors are being told to report all flu cases as H1N1 – even without testing to determine which one they are, she said it was very simple and easy to tell the difference between H1N1 and the regular flu because of the severity of the illness. (She said something like, “Ask someone who has had H1N1 and they will tell you it is completely different from the regular flu.”) When one of the radio guys asked about a respiratory infection (which she had just used as an example of something that could have been mistaken for H1N1), the doctor said that of course the symptoms were very different.

I thought to myself, “Mrs. Dr. Lady, you can’t have it both ways!”

She said that 90+% of the cases of the flu that they are seeing are H1N1. When asked how she knows this if they are assuming all cases are H1N1, she replied that it isn’t regular flu season yet.

I wish I had the audio to post. It was incredible! And the radio guys on with her just let her get away with it. (The next hour, the next guy on seemed to have caught some of the inconsistencies, but he didn’t dwell on them.) Absolutely amazing.

We are not getting the immunizations. I’m trying to keep us from getting the H1N1 while we have a newborn in the house. At some point, if the house is exposed to it, at least we will have the immunity to this strain of it after we recover. I would just rather we not get it while the baby is so little and vulnerable. So, we wash-wash-wash and we stay away from those who have been sick as much as possible (+ a week that they say you can still be contagious). But our town has been overrun with the flu (H1N1 or regular, I don’t know!).

Keep the change . . .

Seen on a tractor-trailer while driving a mid-Central highway:

I’ll keep my guns, religion, and money. . .
You keep the change!

Another Aesop Fable & Moral

When I read this Aesop Fable to my kids, I was reminded of a scene in an Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I doubt anyone else will see the parallel, but I thought I would share anyway.

The Goose With The Golden Eggs

A Farmer went to the nest of his goose to see whether she had laid an egg. To his surprise he found, instead of an ordinary goose egg, an egg of solid gold. Seizing the golden egg, he rushed to the house in great excitement to show it to his wife.

Every day thereafter the goose laid an egg of pure gold. But, as the farmer grew rich, he grew greedy. And thinking that if he killed the goose he could have all her treasure at once, he cut her open only to find – nothing at all.

Moral: “The Greedy Who Want More Loose All.“

Atlas Shrugged (a small portion of Chapter X)

“Looking down, they could see the last convulsions: the lights of the cars were darting through the streets, like animals trapped in a maze, frantically seeking an exit, the bridges were jammed with cars, the approaches to the bridges were veins of massed headlights, glittering bottlenecks stopping all motion, and the desperate screaming of sirens reached faintly to the night of the plane. The news of the continent’s severed artery had now engulfed the city, men were deserting their posts, trying, in panic, to abandon New York, seeking escape where all roads were cut off and escape was no longer possible.

“The plane was above the peaks of the skyscrapers when suddenly, with the abruptness of a shudder, as if the ground had parted to engulf it, the city disappeared from the face of the earth. It took them a moment to realize that the panic had reached the power stations – and that the lights of New York had gone out.”

If you aren’t familiar with Ayn Rand, this one is a hefty tome to start with. However, it has some really profound ideas and possibly prophetic stories. She was more optimistic than I in many ways. In an excerpt from a 1964 interview with Playboy magazine, Rand states “What we have today is not a capitalist society, but a mixed economy – that is, a mixture of freedom and controls, which, by the presently dominant trend, is moving toward dictatorship. The action in Atlas Shrugged takes place at a time when society has reached the stage of dictatorship. When and if this happens, that will be the time to go on strike, but not until then.” [See Wikipedia's Atlas Shrugged Article under "Setting" for this citation.]

But, anyway, this was the scene that came to mind when I read this Aesop Fable. I don’t know if anyone else would make that tie.

The House Dog & The Wolf

I was reading Aesop’s Fables with my kids the past couple weeks. Many of them are really profound when you stop to think about them and their morals. For instance, we read the one I’m copying below. It reminded me of what we have been facing as a nation since 9/11/2001 and what we still face economically.

The House Dog & The Wolf

The moon was shining very bright one night when  lean, half-starved wolf, whose ribs were almost sticking through his skin, chanced to meet a plump, well-fed house dog. After the first compliments had been passed between them, the wolf inquired:

“How is it, cousin dog, that you look so sleek and contented? Try as I may, I can barely find enough food to keep me from starvation.”

“Alas, cousin wolf,” said the house dog, “you lead too irregular a life. Why do you not work steadily as I do?”

“I would gladly work steadily if I could only get a place,” said the wolf.

“That’s easy,” replied the dog. “Come with me to my master’s house and help me keep the thieves away at night.”

“Gladly,” said the wolf, “for as I am living in the woods I have having a sorry time of it. There is nothing like having a roof over one’s head and a bellyful of victuals always at hand.”

“Follow me,” said the dog.

While they were trotting along together the wolf spied a mark on the dog’s neck. Out of curiosity he could not forbear asking what had caused it.

“Oh, that’s nothing much,” replied the dog. “Perhaps my collar was a little tight, the collar to which my chain is fastened – “

“Chain!” cried the wolf in surprise. “You don’t mean to tell me that you are not free to rove where you please?”

“Why, not exactly,” said the dog, somewhat shamefacedly. “You see, my master thinks I am a bit fierce, and ties me up in the daytime. But he lets me run free at night. It really is very convenient for everybody. I get plenty of sleep during the day so that I can watch better at night. I really am a great favorite in the house. The master feeds me off his own plate, and the servants are continually offering me handouts from the kitchen. But wait, where are you going?”

As the wolf started back toward the forest he said: “Good night to you, my poor friend, you are welcome to your dainties – and your chains. As for me, I prefer my freedom to your fat.”

The moral of the story is “Lean freedom is better than fat slavery.“

Inauguration

We covered what an “inauguration” is and what today means for the United States in terms of power change in a peaceful fashion. My oldest wanted to see what the new President looks like and I thought it would be a good experience for the kids to see the swearing in of the new President. Since we don’t have television access at our house, we called a neighbor ahead of time and arranged to watch a few minutes of the coverage on their big screen T.V.

They especially liked to see how Yo-Yo Ma seemed to be having such a good time playing the cello. They were amazed to see all the people there. They didn’t have much else to say, although Child #2 was worried about some of the things she thought President Obama said in his speech. Near the beginning, for example, she thought he said something about sacrificing babies.

Some people might be shocked to find out that my kids didn’t know what President Obama looked like. But, they didn’t know what President Bush looked like. They didn’t know what any of the candidates for President looked like. We had discussed many of them and their differing political positions over the last couple of years, however.

It was a good school day, a great learning experience, and hopefully something the older two will remember to some extent when they are older.

May God watch over this country and help us with the challenge that lies ahead of us.

A Wasted Vote

Many of you have already seen this, I am sure. However, I just ran into this sentiment again in an email discussion with a former mentor of mine. She felt compelled to remind me that we have a two-party system and I will be wasting my vote if I don’t vote for Sen. McCain or Sen. Obama. So, anyone who votes for the candidate(s) that lose wasted their vote? Anyway, I saw this and thought it was timely!

by Chuck Baldwin

When asked why they will not vote for a third party candidate, many people will respond by saying something like, “He cannot win.” Or, “I don’t want to waste my vote.” It is true: America has not elected a third party candidate since 1860. Does that automatically mean, however, that every vote cast for one of the two major party candidates is not a wasted vote? I don’t think so.

In the first place, a wasted vote is a vote for someone you know does not represent your own beliefs and principles. A wasted vote is a vote for someone you know will not lead the country in the way it should go. A wasted vote is a vote for the “lesser of two evils.” Or, in the case of John McCain and Barack Obama, what we have is a choice between the “evil of two lessers.”

Albert Einstein is credited with saying that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result. For years now, Republicans and Democrats have been leading the country in the same basic direction: toward bigger and bigger government; more and more socialism, globalism, corporatism, and foreign interventionism; and the dismantling of constitutional liberties. Yet, voters continue to think that they are voting for “change” when they vote for a Republican or Democrat. This is truly insane!

Take a look at the recent $700 billion Wall Street bailout: both John McCain and Barack Obama endorsed and lobbied for it. Both McCain and Obama will continue to bail out these international banksters on the backs of the American taxpayers. Both McCain and Obama support giving illegal aliens amnesty and a path to citizenship. In the debate this past Tuesday night, both McCain and Obama expressed support for sending U.S. forces around the world for “peacekeeping” purposes. They also expressed support for sending combat forces against foreign countries even if those countries do not pose a threat to the United States. Neither Obama nor McCain will do anything to stem the tide of a burgeoning police state or a mushrooming New World Order. Both Obama and McCain support NAFTA and similar “free trade” deals. Neither candidate will do anything to rid America of the Federal Reserve, or work to eliminate the personal income tax, or disband the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Both Obama and McCain support the United Nations. So, pray tell, how is a vote for either McCain or Obama not a wasted vote?

But, back to the “he cannot win” argument: to vote for John McCain is to vote for a man who cannot win. Yes, I am saying it here and now: John McCain cannot win this election. The handwriting is on the wall. The Fat Lady is singing. It is all over. Finished. John McCain cannot win.

With only three weeks before the election, Barack Obama is pulling away. McCain has already pulled his campaign out of Michigan. In other key battleground states, McCain is slipping fast. He was ahead in Missouri; now it is a toss-up or leaning to Obama. A couple of weeks ago, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida were all leaning towards McCain, or at least toss-up states. Now, they are all leaning to Obama. Even the longtime GOP bellwether state of Indiana is moving toward Obama. In addition, new voter registrations are at an all-time high, and few of them are registering as Republicans. In fact, the Republican Party now claims only around 25% of the electorate, and Independents are increasingly leaning toward Obama.

Ladies and gentlemen, Barack Obama is headed for an electoral landslide victory over John McCain. John McCain can no more beat Barack Obama than Bob Dole could beat Bill Clinton.

I ask, therefore, Are not conservatives and Christians who vote for John McCain guilty of the same thing that they accuse people who vote for third party candidates of doing? Are they not voting for someone who cannot win? Indeed, they are. In fact, conservatives and Christians who vote for John McCain are not only voting for a man who cannot win, they are voting for a man who does not share their own beliefs and principles. If this is not insanity, nothing is!

So, why not (for once in your life, perhaps) cast a vote purely for principle! Vote for someone who is truly pro-life. Someone who would quickly secure our nation’s borders, and end the invasion of our country by illegal aliens. Someone who would, on his first day in office, release Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean and fire U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton. Someone who would immediately, upon assuming office, begin leading the charge to dismantle the Federal Reserve, overturn the 16th Amendment, expunge the IRS, and return America to sound money principles. Someone who would get the US out of the UN. Someone who would stop spending billions and trillions of dollars for foreign aid. Someone who would prosecute the Wall Street bankers who defrauded the American people out of billions of dollars. Someone who would work to repeal NAFTA, CAFTA, GATT, the WTO, and stop the NAFTA superhighway. Someone who would say a resounding “No” to the New World Order. Someone who would stop using our brave men and women in uniform as global cops for the United Nations. Someone who would stop America’s global adventurism and interventionism. Someone who would steadfastly support and defend the right of the people to keep and bear arms.

“Who is this person?” you ask. Go here to find out:

http://www.baldwin08.com/.

Grim Thoughts / Musings on Kids

I responded to a friend’s email about politics the other night with a hugely negative overtone. As I went on and on about how neither major presidential candidate will be able to get the US out of the mess we are in, I realized how depressing it would be to read. So, I ended up by attaching some smiling pictures of my kids – including one of my youngest sitting in a pile of spices that he had emptied out of an almost full container of parsley (or was it oregano?). I listed a few things about each kid and finished with some thoughts on what keeps me going.

So, first some required reading:
- How did we get into this mess?
- One person’s opinion on what is coming.

Now, what I ended on, my kid notes – edited slightly for privacy.
Child #4 says only, “DaDa,” but understands quite a bit of what is said around him. He is a climber and has a habit of climbing chairs and other furniture to get at things he shouldn’t be into.

Child #3 continues to be quite verbose and is showing a memory just as impressive as Child #1′s at the same age. Her mind works at levels I had not imagined a two year old’s could.

Child #2 continues to be my artistic, imaginative, and soulful child. She is a girly-girl (always wearing a dress) but also the one who searches out every bug/worm/insect and animal within sight.

Child #1 is a leader (although not always a good one) and a great helper. She loves to go for bike rides with her dad and play with the oodles of children on our block.

They are all very different from one another and challenge me to be a better person and mom every day. It is amazing to be there when your child first grasps that _all by herself_, she can figure out that certain letters strung together tell a story that is fun to read! It is rewarding to see the smile on another’s face when she ‘beats the clock’ in her oral arithmetic practice. The little impish grin on a smudged face when you find her making mud pies with your cooking utensils is priceless. And everyone should see the backward “I know I’m not supposed to do this, but I’m going to do it anyway” look that my small boy gives me when he heads towards some forbidden object or destination.

Chuck Norris only trusts Ron Paul

Chuck Norris was a huge supporter of Mike Huckabee in the Republican Presidential primary. He seems to have learned a bit since then and commented in a recent interview on the Alex Jones Show that he doesn’t know who to trust [in Congress]. Then, he says he wishes Ron Paul would go down the line of Congress-people with him and tell him who is corrupt so he could “choke them unconscious. And stick them into a pile.”

I wasn’t a Mike Huckabee supporter, but Chuck Norris did some incredibly funny YouTube ads for him. I wish Norris would have wised up sooner. For more of the interview, click here.

Perhaps the Constitution Party could talk to him about doing some YouTube ads for Chuck Baldwin, for whom Ron Paul is voting.

Tax Cuts for the Wealthy

Again, not sure who to credit this one to. A different take on tax cuts for the wealthy:

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Every night, ten men met at a restaurant for dinner. At the end of the meal, the bill would arrive. They owed $100 for food that they shared. Every night, they lined up in the same order at the cash register. The first four men paid nothing at all. The fifth, grumbling about the unfairness of the situation, paid $1. The sixth man, feeling very generous, paid $3. The next three men paid $7, $12, and $18, respectively. The last man was required to pay the remaining balance, $59. He realized that he was forced to pay for not only his own meal, but also the unpaid balance left by the first five men.

The ten men were quite settled into their routine when the restaurant threw them into chaos by announcing that it was cutting its prices. Now, dinner for the ten men would only cost $80. This clearly would not affect the first four men. They still ate for free. The fifth and sixth men both claimed their piece of the $20 right away: the fifth decided to forgot his $1 and the sixth only paid $2. The seventh man deducted $2 from his usual payment. The eighth paid $9 and the ninth man paid $12. The last man was left with a bill of $52.

Outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings, and angry outbursts began to erupt.

The sixth man yelled, “I only got $1 out of the $20 and he got $7!” pointing at the last man.

The fifth man joined in. “Yeah! I only got $1, too! It is unfair that he got seven times more than me.”

The seventh man cried, “Why should he get $7 back when I only got $2?”

The first four men followed the lead of the others: “We didn’t get any of the $20. Where is our share?”

The nine angry men formed an outraged mob, surrounding the 10^th man. They carried the tenth to the top of the hill and lynched him.

The next night, the nine remaining men met at the restaurant for dinner. But when the bill came, there was no one to pay it.