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January 30, 2006
Mikey's Day
Since it was Mrs. Mikey's first day back at work, I went to the hospital to visit with Mikey today and got there at the end of dialysis. His ICP was good, pulse was good, his BP was a little elevated but that's to be expected with the dialysis. His temperature was up and they had ice packs under both arms and an ice blanket covering him from neck to toe.
He opened his eyes a couple times while I was there and squeezed my hand a tiny bit while I talked with him. He also had a couple of weak coughs. All really good signs.
They've taken him completely off the Versed and they're now using only morphine to keep him sedated.
The doctors have given orders to slowly reduce the respiratory rate via the ventilator and he seems to have tolerated that well.
Mrs. Mikey arrived and we spent some time with him together, talking and teasing him, hoping he'd open his eyes more, but he was tired and continued to sleep. The nurse came in to turn him and noticed he'd pooped. Yay! You really have to know how hard that is for a patient to do when they've not eaten for two weeks and everything has been at a standstill.
So, we stepped out of the room to give the nurses a chance to clean him up and get him settled. We went outside for a breath of fresh air. When we came back in we saw Mrs. Smash standing outside the doors to the ICU.
"Where's Smash?" we asked.
"He's inside. The doors opened and he just walked in. I thought I'd wait and go in after it was cleared by the nurses."
We laughed. Smash is so by-the-book most of the time. He must have been really anxious to see Mikey if he chucked the rules.
The double doors opened again and we saw him standing there, waving Mrs. Smash in. As soon as he saw us, he came out and said hello. We talked for a while and then the Smashes went in to see Mikey while Mrs. Mikey and I went to sit down and chat.
The Smashes came out.
"He was sleeping the whole time. He seemed really tired. He's not as yellow, either," they said.
Smash added, "well, his eyes popped open at the end when Mrs. Smash said she'd cooked dinner..."
Trust me when I say that this surprised us all and fully explained Mikey's response. It's not that Mrs. Smash can't cook, it's just that she doesn't do it often unless it's absolutely necessary. I admire that. A lot.
"I'm so blogging that!" I said. And we laughed again.
One can never underestimate the power of laughter when your life has been full of so much tension and concern. It felt good. More than anything, it was wonderful to see Mrs. Mikey laughing and smiling -- and seeing that in her eyes. If we've accomplished nothing else, we've helped to raise her spirits and that means the world to me. She's a wonderful lady and it's totally apparent why Mikey loves her so much.
After all that talking, the Smashes excused themselves and headed home for dinner. Mrs. Mikey and I went back in to see our patient. We each took a side of the bed and held his hands.
At one point, Mikey heard his beloved's voice, opened his eyes, turned his head, and looked at her. Absolute connection there! His brow wrinkled a bit, as if to say "what the hell is going on?" and his mouth started to move. I couldn't tell if he was trying to talk or if he was hoping to kiss her, but he was trying something!
It was beautiful.
The nurses came back in to perform their hourly checks. Respiratory was in to check his cough response and check the vent settings.
The more Respiratory fiddled, the more Mikey raised his hand like he wanted to bat her away.
Then the nurse started with, "Mikey, open your eyes for me." The eyes opened.
"Mikey, blink for me." He blinked.
"Mikey, squeeze my hand." There was a squeeze, a weak squeeze. "Squeeze again, Mikey." Weaker attempt. And again. Still weaker.
"Mikey, squeeze my other hand." A twitch.
"Wiggle your toes for me, Mikey." Nothing.
Even unconscious, Mikey's stubborn. He can do all of it, but he seems to wear out quickly after just a few commands. I could almost imagine him saying "shut the hell up! I'm trying to sleep!"
Mrs. Mikey and I stood at the foot of the bed, hugging each other, smiling, and cheering him on.
That was the first time I'd witnessed with my own two eyes what he was capable of doing. It was overwhelming and wonderful.
Mikey also achieved his goals on the ventilator today! They've reduced the number of respirations via machine and he's maintained adequate perfusion without stressing his system on his own. Each day will be another step toward weaning him off completely.
His jaundice continues to resolve. The swelling has gone down, but isn't gone yet -- they only took off 1.6 kg with the dialysis today. Awareness continues to improve and it will only be a matter of time before he's back among us.
I'm ecstatic about what I saw today and am more hopeful than ever before.
Posted by Da Goddess at 08:21 PM | Comments (5)
January 29, 2006
Hanging With Mikey
Little Dude and I went down to the hospital yesterday to see Mikey. This is the first time in a week that I'd been able to go and I was anxious to see him since it had been so long.
Mrs. Mikey was running back and forth between hospitals (one of her dearest friends has been hospitalized - at a different facility - with a serious illness) and during a phone call, I let her know we were on our way.
At the hospital, Mikey was undergoing a "procedure". That's code for deep suctioning for secretions by the respiratory therapist/doc to keep the fluid from overwhelming our favorite guy. Since he was otherwise occupied, Little Dude and I headed down to the waiting room. Eventually, the Smashes and Gracie arrived. We sat and talked and began a round of 20 Questions. It's amazing what you'll find to keep busy when you have to be patient. No pun intended.
Finally, Mrs. Mikey and their daughter arrived. She led Gracie and me down the hall and into ICU to see Mikey while the kids occupied themselves under the watchful eye of the Smashes.
Bedside, I held his hand and started talking to him, his heart rate went up, and the monitors started to go off. I had to tease him! I told him I knew he was happy to see me but that he needed to contain his excitement since he's a married man and his wife was standing right there. Everyone laughed and his heart rate went back to normal. He's in there. Definitely. Mikey's fighting hard and I have no doubt that he's going to pull through this.
I also mentioned that I had considered kidnapping Debra Messing (Will and Grace) and bringing her in to see him, to talk him into recovering. However, I had nixed that plan since I didn't think her family nor the police would be real thrilled with the idea. I have no idea what Mikey thinks of her, but she was at the zoo today while Little Dude and I were there. We were all hanging with the pandas.
Mikey's still in a coma, but he has moments of great responsiveness. The medical team was finally able to perform the angiogram. There is no evidence of an aneurysm nor of any abnormal blood vessel anatomy.
He's receiving feedings through a nasojejunal tube, which is placed down the nose, passes through the stomach, and sits in the upper part of the intestines - the jejunum. This prevents the stomach from filling with contents that could potentially be aspirated into the lungs. Naturally, no one wants that to happen. The fact that the doctors have chosen a minimally invasive method for feeds is good. No surgery is required for the tube placement. And better still, the fact that Mikey's being given any sort of feedings at all is FANTASTIC!
The CT and other tests show that the damage from the stroke was confined to a section of the right frontal lobe. Personality should not be drastically altered. He may experience some decreased ability to mentally focus, but that's a better outcome than what might have been. Ultimately, the only real way to determine the extent of the damage will come once Mikey has regained consciousness.
In addition to the feedings, Mikey is moderately jaundiced. Shock, medications, feeds, and many other factors play a role in how the body functions, especially the liver. Apparently, the bilirubin levels have been steadily decreasing, which is more good news. Bilirubin is a product of hemoglobin breakdown. Normally, our liver will help with processing the old blood cells and they will passed from our system via urine and stool. When the amount of heme and globin becomes greater than the amount the liver and gall bladder can process, bilirubin begins to accumulate in the blood stream and thus, the yellowing of skin and sclera (the whites of the eyes). Mikey was yellow, but not a horrible yellow. I've worked with so many icteric patients that I can pretty much gauge what the lab results will be just by looking at them. Mikey has a fight on his hands, but he's on his way.
He's also very edematous (swollen). The nurse said they took off quite a bit of fluid during dialysis yesterday and that's to be expected. 4 kg is significant. It's important to remove the excess fluid to improve blood pressure as well as to keep the lungs from becoming congested.
The ICP remained under 10 the whole time I was there. Yay! The blood pressure was good. Yay! And, Mikey was in a deep "sleep". Friday had been a particularly arduous day for him - the angiogram was done, a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter as opposed to a standard IV) was placed, and he has those extra special suctionings throughout the day. That's a lot stress on the body. He deserved to sleep.
Next week I'll be spending a little more time down at the hospital since his wife has to go back to work (short days for now) and nobody wants him to be alone all the time.
I'll be taking in comments to read to him. I'm taking a new biography that I can read to him as I keep him company. And, we've all teased him that we're going to bring in music that will force him awake, if only to complain.
There's still a long, hard road ahead of Mikey and his family, but we're all confident that current test results are indicating that things are going to be okay.
Don't forget to donate, even if it's only a dollar or two. Every bit helps.
And, keep praying.
Posted by Da Goddess at 03:47 AM | Comments (8)
January 27, 2006
Not So Current News...But Still.... News
Sorry for the lack of updates. I was without a voice for several days and couldn't even call to ask what was going on with Mikey.
However, since I hadn't heard anything from Mrs. M, I assumed that no news was good news.
The last call from Mrs. Mikey confirmed that our friend was holding steady and had managed to come through the septic shock, although he still has far to go with the damage from the stroke and surgery.
Now that I'm well again (another damn sinus infection), I can actually go to the hospital to check on Mikey and his family. I'll report back then.
Posted by Da Goddess at 11:05 PM | Comments (1)
January 21, 2006
Septic Shock
With all the excitement over Mikey's thumbs up yesterday, it was especially difficult to hear that he took a turn for the worse today.
Septic shock is the current problem. His poor body just can't fight the infection -- even with the help of antibiotics -- right now.
The "virus" that was reported yesterday wasn't a virus after all. It was MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). You add that to everything else, and our Mikey has a pretty tough battle on his hands.
Despite the septic shock, he was still responding to Mrs. Mikey's touch and voice. He's in there. He's there. Keep praying, keep believing, keep hoping.
Posted by Da Goddess at 07:39 PM | Comments (11)
January 20, 2006
Thumbs Up!
The nurse asked Mikey, who is still sedated, to give her a thumbs up and he did!
This is the best news yet.
He's being moved to a private room due to "something viral", according to Smash.
That's the latest. I'll update when there's more.
Posted by Da Goddess at 04:00 PM | Comments (3)
EEGs, CTs, and the Eyes
The CT was done and showed no new bleeds. A clot was identified but the doctors don't seem worried about it.
The EEG showed that Mikey's not "brain dead", which we all knew. It's just good to hear it officially. Nothing was said about other damage, but that's okay. There's plenty of time for that.
The eyes...Mikey opened his eyes spontaneously. Several times. And he was able to open them in response to Mrs. Mikey. He even opened them for Smash last night!
I have been stuck at home with a child with a belly ache for a couple of days. I'm excited about Mikey's progress, but I really want to see it for myself!
I've had some wonderful input from an ICU (neuro) nurse. She's helped fill in the blanks. I've worked with many patients, but not at this level of care and/or acuity. It's good to have expert input.
Don't forget to leave comments. They're being printed out and read to Mikey. His wife said that he gets "twitchy" when she reads them to him and it's good to think that he's hearing your words of love and encouragement.
If you'd rather send a card and/or donation:
Mad Mikey
c/o SMASH
PO Box 882353
San Diego, CA 92108-2353
Posted by Da Goddess at 11:05 AM | Comments (4)
January 18, 2006
Pneumonia - Mikey Update
Today's news: pneumonia.
The medical team was able to obtain an x-ray and discovered the pneumonia. Chances are, a nurse was assessing him and noticed a change in lung sounds. That's how many pneumonias are found. This particular group of nurses rock! I'm not surprised they caught this so early.
So, the pneumonia's being treated. They caught it early enough that there shouldn't be any major complications.
The EEG is still pending, as are the angiogram and the CT. The EEG will likely be the first test done when the docs give the word.
In other news, Smash has set up a special separate PayPal account just for Mikey. We're going to help take care of some of the family's living expenses since Mikey won't be working for a long time.
To send cards or small packages to Mikey:
Mad Mikey
c/o SMASH
PO Box 882353
San Diego, CA 92108-2353
To donate to the fund (new improved button!):
Posted by Da Goddess at 05:38 PM | Comments (6)
January 17, 2006
Tuesday - Part II
Okay, I've been to see Mikey and his wife. I told Mikey that he's gone too far in trying to empathize with Ariel Sharon. I was hoping for a laugh. Or maybe even a slug in the arm for being so awful. I didn't get either.
The movement I saw Mikey make wasn't exactly purposeful, but it's movement.
His tongue was very purple yesterday and is now a bit pinker. You're thinking, how on earth would you know that? Well, his tongue sticks out just a bit. The tubes that are coming out of his mouth sort of push the tongue to the side.
His labs looked good. He was given blood with his dialysis yesterday and that helped his numbers. They're holding steady. Today's dialysis required no removal of excess fluids. Yes! That's awesome news! But that part can change rapidly.
Blood pressure (BP) was a bit elevated when I saw him. Not terribly high, though. The ICP was lower, just not as low as I was expecting/hoping.
The EEG will probably be done tomorrow, but it's not 100%. The angiogram and CT will wait because Mikey's still too unstable to withstand that. He can take the head of the bed moving up and down a bit, but side to side is too much.
The nurse and the respiratory therapist were at bedside when I was able to see Mikey. Both were fantastic! I watched with my nurse's eye as they performed their tasks. They had no idea I was a nurse so there was no special performance for my sake. Not only were they thorough, they were exceptionally attentive to detail, checking everything. It was great to see them in action.
Let's see, what else?
He has a fever. This isn't unexpected. Considering that thermoregulation occurs in the brain, any trauma (like surgery) can cause temps to fluctuate. There is no sign of infection. Blood cultures have been negative thus far. This is good news. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this remains the case.
Little Dude wanted to go in and see him, but we told him he was too young still. He was very upset by the news. Mikey's one of LD's favorite people. Mikey's daughter is another special person in LD's life. They were able to hang out this afternoon and it did them both a world of good.
It's tough to be a kid and faced with so much fear and uncertainty. That's why friends and family are so important.
Which brings me to my next point. Mikey's family. Some of you have emailed asking me why we've talked only about his in-laws. Well, there's a very good reason for that. Mikey's mom is currently battling lung cancer. She's already been through chemo and radiation and they're preparing her for hospice. As you can imagine, his brothers have been pretty busy dealing with that. His sister will come if things take a turn for the worse. His father passed away not long ago. And his step-mother is down in Florida at this time.
All he really has is Mrs. Mikey and his daughter, Mrs. Mikey's family, and us. Friends do a great job picking up where family leaves off many times. And that's what we do. Especially for the good guys like Mikey.
We managed to arrange for a ticket for Mrs. Mikey's mom. If you'd like to contribute to that fund (to reimburse the generous soul who purchased it so we could move forward), or to contribute to any other portion of the bills that need to be paid, head on over to Smash's site. We're going to assemble the list of expenses that need to be covered tomorrow and we'll get that list online as soon as we can. Smash has been chosen to handle the finances because, let's face it, he's honest as hell.
How are we handling the money? After speaking with a CPA/attorney, it was decided that we'd go the PayPal route. Setting up a trust at a bank would subject the funds to taxes. We'd rather have all the money go to Mikey and his family. Details will be over at Smash's.
As well, Smash has generously opened his P.O. Box for Mikey mail.
I think that's about it. I'm tired and having a hard time focusing. Rest assured, any new info will be posted here.
Posted by Da Goddess at 10:10 PM | Comments (7)
Mikey Tuesday
I spoke with Mrs. Mikey a while ago and this is the update I received:
Sedation was lowered and Mikey responded. The nurse was wiping his face with a cloth, he seemed to like it, and turned toward her. She told him to turn his head back the other way but he wouldn't do so. Mrs. Mikey told him to turn his head toward her, and he did!
At one point, Mrs. Mikey was talking to her friend about him and he pulled her arm. She asked him if he wanted her to stop talking about him and he pulled her arm again. She stopped talking about him and he relaxed.
They've reduced his blood pressure medication because his blood pressure has come down. Yay!
His blood pressure and his ICP are lowest when his daughter is by his side.
This is all good news. Very good news. Still, he's not out of the woods yet. The doctor has told Mrs. Mikey that there is brain damage, no doubt about it. How much? They don't know yet. And the stroke occurred in the part of the brain that controls personality and cognitive ability. Mikey may not be the same guy he was before.
There will be more info later. I'm working on the plane ticket front right now and fielding a million phone calls. I'll be back.
Posted by Da Goddess at 02:12 PM | Comments (5)
January 16, 2006
Hospital Report - Mikey
Went to the hospital today to see Mikey and he's holding steady. Sort of.
His intracranial pressure (ICP) was down to 12-14 when I first got there. His blood pressure was 129-130/50s and 60s. As the day progressed, all his pressures were rising.
Just before I left, he was receiving dialysis, along with some blood. The blood was needed because his potassium level was too high and frankly, he's "dry".
He's on a ventilator, has wires coming out of his head and chest, and requires total care. He will remain in the medically induced coma for a while still.
CT scan, EEG (measures brain activity), and angiogram are all on hold because he's too unstable to withstand those tests. They can't lower the head of his bed because of the ICP elevation.
Mikey looks so fragile and frail right now that it's hard to imagine him as the same Mikey we all know and love. But imagine him that way, we must. It's too difficult to imagine anything else.
We tried to tell him that CodePINK heard about his hospitalization and were protesting outside the hospital, but that wasn't enough to rouse him from his current state.
His daughter and wife are both trying hard to hold it together. There's so much to process! His daughter, thankfully, has innocence and youth to bolster her spirits. His wife, well, all the friendship and loving support from others isn't the same as having her husband awake and talking, helping her through this.
Their Costco membership was renewed last night so Mrs. Mikey can continue to get gasoline at a better price. We're going to get cash/gift cards to a local grocery store. And, we're going to determine what their needs are as far as utilities and other living expenses so that there are fewer things to worry about. The list is developing and we'll get it all together in the next couple of days.
One of the big things is that we need to get Mrs. Mikey's mom here to help with keeping the house running. She needs her mom. That's a given. So, anyone with flight vouchers or such should speak up and help us do this. Mrs. Mikey's mom would need to fly out of Colorado Springs into San Diego.
Is this something YOU can help with? If so, let us know.
Mikey may be only 38, but he's been through so much already. We could scream and cry and wail about how this isn't fair (and it isn't - it never is), but that won't help this family. What we have is someone who has always been there, smiling, helping, giving...who needs all that and more from us now.
Posted by Da Goddess at 07:12 PM | Comments (12)
January 15, 2006
Mikey Update
Mikey had surgery tonight. The surgeon went in to remove blood clots and to stop bleeding. There's a lot of swelling in his brain and they couldn't put the bone plate back in.
Right now, things are pretty much at the wait and see stage.
Several of us are going to see what we can do to help Mikey's family tomorrow. Obviously, there will be no income from his job. His wife will need to be off work as well. We'll likely set up a fund to help them get through this and I'll update you as we figure things out.
I'll be posting word on Mikey's condition as it comes in.
Keep praying!
P.S. Comment comment comment! I will print out whatever comments that appear here or on Mikey's site and take them to the hospital. Mrs. Mikey has expressed her gratitude for all who have offered their kind thoughts and prayers. They are much appreciated.
P.P.S. Anyone who can figure out what the hell is wrong with the MT Blacklist on my site should email me at Dagoddess at G(ee)Mail. Com and I'll give you the necessary keys to the thing for you to fix them.
Posted by Da Goddess at 11:11 PM | Comments (20)
Prayers Needed
I just got a call from Mikey's wife.
Mikey had a stroke last night and is currently in ICU. The docs are trying to stop the bleeding into his brain with medication. If that doesn't work, they'll have to go in and surgically stop it.
There is potential for brain damage. There's potential for a lot of bad things. But, there's also potential for a good outcome. And that's why I'm asking for prayers.
Mikey's one of my dearest friends. He's a great guy and someone I truly admire. He's thoroughly devoted to his family, works hard, and still manages to carry a full load at school. Then there's his Protest Warrior activities. And he's done all of this while going to dialysis three times a week.
Every time we get together, we have this bizarre ritual of going through the health checks. Last weekend, and a few days before that, he told me he'd been having some bad headaches. His blood pressure was up, too. This isn't completely uncommon when someone is in renal failure. But, with Mikey, every symptom is a concern for me. I know his wife's been taking good care of him and making sure that he gets in to see the doctor if things get unbearable. I still worry.
My heart hurts for Mikey and his family. This is an incredibly difficult and scary time.
Please say a prayer that Mikey makes it through this. If you don't pray, just think some mighty good thoughts, please.
Posted by Da Goddess at 11:37 AM | Comments (2)
January 09, 2006
Heartachingly Beautiful
Hook's getting a lot of love from Da Goddess again.
I clicked on his link to Flight of the Dragonfly's post about the videos from our troops.
Curious to what else might be found there, I went to the main page while the videos were playing in another tab. I'm listening to the men and women send their holiday greetings, looking at their faces, imagining their families' joy over the greetings. And then I hear Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" playing. It was coming from the front page of Dragonfly. The combination of the song and the videos is heartachingly beautiful.
To soothe my heart, I'm going to encourage all of you to join in Operation: Love Our Troops. It's the least we can do for them.
P.S. I can't seem to add a post to the site right now. Permission errors. I can, however, edit an existing post. I have no idea why. Updates when possible.
Posted by Da Goddess at 06:36 PM | Comments (0)
January 07, 2006
The Two Faces of Filner
Saturday afternoon, several of us attended an “Out of Iraq”* forum at a local church, featuring a keynote address by anti-war Congressman Bob Filner. After his speech, Filner opened up the floor for questions. The first couple of questions were more like pats on the back. Then, he called on Smash. (If you've already read this transcript, scroll down for the rest.)
SMASH: Congressman, I’d first like to express appreciation and gratitude, as a veteran of the Iraq War, and on behalf of all veterans, for all the important work you’ve done on Capitol Hill in support of veterans’ issues.
(applause)
SMASH: But I do have a question…
We all want the war to end, and the troops to come home safely -- especially those of us who have been there. But, putting aside for the moment your differences, and the differences of most of those here, with the current administration on the policies that got us to where we are today:
Are you committed to the success of our military in Iraq, or are you resigned to failure?
(groans)
WOMAN: Well, it depends on the definition of “success.”
SMASH: I heard a question on the definition of “success,” so: a stable, representative government that is capable of protecting itself against threats, without outside assistance.
FILNER: Well, I mean, first of all, let me say I don’t, I don’t want to be seen as a defender of the previous regime, but that was, I think, the previous regime.
(nervous laughter)
FILNER: Why did we go in? You know, that’s what Saddam claimed to have, right? You’ve got to add some human rights to that, so…
SMASH: Sure, yeah, representative –
FILNER: No, see, you, what you have done, is what I just talked about. That, how the President has gotten away with framing the issue. You framed the issue as “success or failure.” And obviously, if you’re “failure,” you’re a -- you’re a jerk, right?
…Look, we – First of all, things can’t get much worse than they are now, by the way. They are pretty bad, no matter what Cheney says, no matter what Rumsfeld says. I mean, when you have 200 people killed, you know, in a day –
SMASH: Sir, I’ve been there –
FILNER: And you know, your brothers and sisters killed, something is wrong. …And, you know, if we shouldn’t have been in there to begin with, then it should not be incumbent on me to try to define getting out.
But I would say, that an international police force, which could keep the peace, uh, it would -- that if we should put that in place at least –
SMASH: Led by whom, sir?
FILNER: The United Nations.
(applause)
SMASH: But, who provides the troops, sir? Every international peace force that’s ever been of any substantial size, has been led by the United States. There is no other –
FILNER: Well, you know, it doesn’t have to be, because it was in the past. But, the British have shown that they want to put troops in, we’ve got all kinds of –
SMASH: They’re already there, sir.
MAN: One question! C’mon, one question, sit down…
FILNER: No, I say, if they could be part of the United Nations. But, I will tell you, even if U.S. troops were part of a U.N. force, and under -- not under -- that would be a Hell of a lot better than we are now. Because we -- because our presence there, has become part of the problem, probably the major part of the problem. So, until we remove our presence, there is going to be an insurgency.
So, as long as we’re there, we’re failing, in my opinion.
(applause)
…Look, if you define success as “democracy,” you know, why – why would you choose Iraq to go anywhere, anyway? I mean, why are we supporting Saudi Arabia, or whatever? So, success can’t be “democracy.” Success can’t be “lack of autocracy,” because we support autocrats other places.
Success, it seems to me for these guys, is control of, not only the – the strategic positioning, but the oil. So, success for me would say, “we don’t need your lousy oil”. We could start – we could put – we can run this whole country off renewable energy, right this minute.
(applause)
And, we – we wouldn’t even care what happened in Iraq. Like we don’t care what’s going on in Africa, and we don’t care what’s going on in Saudi Arabia, we don’t care what’s going on in all these other nations…
(applause)
Why do we care what happens in this little nation? One reason –
SEVERAL PEOPLE: Oil!
FILNER: And, so, let’s get off oil, and let’s care about human rights in their real form, everywhere.
-----------
Except that, for Filner, human rights stop short of protecting those who have been subjected to ethnic cleansing, or for that matter, those who face exploitation by anyone owning land with agriculture here in the U.S. Take that to mean the plight of the migrant worker, legal or illegal.
I had the opportunity to ask Filner a couple of questions myself. I had asked what his thoughts were on the migrant workers that are the backbone of the agricultural industry in California. I asked, "what of their desire to get here, by any means necessary, to take low-paying jobs doing back-breaking work?"
Filner looked like I'd just asked him to suck a rancid lemon.
"If we can get out of Iraq, if we can eliminate our dependence on oil, if we can get rid of Bush, that won't be an issue," he said. "That's just a diversion from the real problems this country faces at this time."
"I don't think the workers would say that, Mr. Filner," I replied.
He looked at me, glanced around to see who else was listening, and said, "this isn't an issue that requires us to do anything. We need to change what's happening with the war before we can start worrying about whether or not migrant workers are draining our resources. We need to get rid of Bush before we start worrying if your child is denied entrance to a college because some immigrant took his place. We have to focus on what's important. And this issue isn't..."
"I would argue that it is important. It's part of the Southern California culture. All of us see these men and women standing on corners in the mornings, waiting to be picked up for work. Work that will pay them a pittance..."
"But they are! If they're illegal, they shouldn't be here. But you can't punish them. You have to go after whoever hired them. And nobody will do that. Of course, the first white man you imprison for hiring illegal workers will send a message to all the others. It's still not a problem that requires our attention. It's nothing compared to Iraq and Bush."
Okay, so let me get this straight. Every problem under the sun is insignificant when compared to the war in Iraq and who the president is? They're not really problems? They'll just cease to exist if we can impeach Bush? (Impeachment was part of the mantra for the day.)
This from a man who called our own government, of which he is a part, the American Taliban? Filner also stated that he finds it deplorable that our troops are fighting overseas without adequate armor. A few minutes later, he mentions that he has repeatedly voted to cut funding for the war. Is it just me or does that strike you as odd? He blames Bush and his administration for sending our troops into battle without protective gear, but he takes no responsibility for his unwillingness to provide the means for it. To quote Sgt. Hook:
I’ve got news for America, and maybe it is bad news for some, but the military is YOUR military. If the Army isn’t meeting recruiting goals, then YOU aren’t meeting recruiting goals. If the soldiers don’t have the best equipment, then YOUR soldiers don’t have the best equipment. The military is YOUR military, take ownership of it and for the love of Pete, be gottdamned proud of it.
The comment regarding the American Taliban was outrageous. Outrageous in that Bob Filner said that the Bush administration is imposing their religious might on the country and the rest of the world. Filner said this while he was speaking in...a church. It would be amusing if it weren't so sad. Bob Filner and his followers use religion (or the appearance of such) to push their agenda on an unsuspecting public. If Bush were to give a speech while standing in a church, he would be condemned for it. Filner? He's merely reaching out to his fellow man.
My bullshit detector was flashing lobster red the entire time.
After I walked out of the church, I grabbed a handwipe and scrubbed my palms clean. I didn't want any of the Filner film lingering. No thanks.
There were many other moments in Filner's speech that left me feeling horribly uneasy. When Smash has finished transcribing the video and the rest of the audio, I will be more than happy to share those points and my thoughts with you. It won't be pretty either. Much of it involves Filner and friends perpetuation rumors/lies (that have long been proven as untrue) about the Patriot Act, the war, the nonexistent draft (they really want you to believe otherwise), among other topics. It's enough to make your head spin.
* You have to scroll about halfway down the page for the info.
Posted by Da Goddess at 11:37 PM | Comments (6)
January 02, 2006
New Year, New Antibiotics
For the last two weeks, I have battled pneumonia, sinusitis, and influenza. I have yet to celebrate Christmas. I haven't even really seen anyone in that time. Well, besides doctors, that is.
Oddly, I've had more calls from doctors than I have friends and family. That's okay. As long as they're not letting me languish.
I have managed to construct 5 gooey tissue Christmas trees. I topped them with empty antibiotic and cough syrup bottles. They're quite stunning. Technicolor.
My sister dropped off soup, soda, cookies, and cough syrup several times for me. She left it at the door and called me from her cell phone. Yikes! I don't blame her.
At one point, I had ingested so much soup and tea and water, as well as phlegm, that I sloshed when I walked. I also clenched my buttocks as tightly as possible when I coughed for fear of...well, you know.
The death rattle seems to be abating. My nose is FINALLY starting to clear on occasion. And those pesky fevers are beginning to show signs of coming down to a tolerable level.
It's been quiet here, if you don't count the paroxysmal coughing and frequent honking as I blow my nose. Now that I'm not hacking up a lung every two seconds, my back is starting to relax as well. I'm actually looking forward to heading back out into the world again in a day or two.
I'm going to consider this a sign of better things to come in 2006.
I hope you had a great kick off for the new year. Here's to good health, great friends, and much love!
Posted by Da Goddess at 02:01 AM | Comments (17)
Beautiful
Posted by Da Goddess at 01:19 AM | Comments (9)