This morning I devoured my first cup of coffee with the Love Bug on my iPhone. Oh Facetime, how wonderful you are! She kissed me and carried me around with her while she cruised the living room, demonstrating her superior walking technique. I wish they could return to the Blue Ridge this weekend for our next wedding, but the Groom is on call every other night in the MICU. Great Grandma Ada and Great Grandpa Hudson are coming South to see a Big Chill daughter tie the knot in Richmond. Her fiancee was is a Marine, “…once a Marine always a Marine. There are no former Marines”
Who doesn’t love men in white gloves and dress uniforms holding an arch of swords? Unfortunately, we’re not sure if that arch will be there due to the government shutdown. We also had planned to take Hudson, who is a woodcarver and an ex-Baptist minister who officiated in 2010 at the Bride’s wedding, Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
to the National WWII Monument in DC after the wedding. Gpa Hudson is an 86 year old WWII vet and has wanted to see the memorial since it first opened. We may have to storm the barricades next week if the Park Police are still guarding the gate. Listen for my Tweets people, if I’m arrested with Ada and Hudson get us a wheelchair and a lawyer!
It’s bad enough that Ted Cruz and his ideologic idiots have been holding our government hostage over their ever-moving concerns about affordable health care and debt ceilings, but it becomes meteorically worse when they try to claim this memorial as their own and blame our President for its closure…it almost made me sick in fact. It’s not only sightseeing that has been curtailed for 14 days, this shutdown has left “…vital drug trials on hold, which is a matter of life and death for some patients.”
Yes, life and death, real people who cannot participate in life-saving treatments because the NIH has stopped accepting new patients. 75% of their staff are sitting at home while 15% of their patients who cannot start a treatment protocol are children. The GOP can make up fictional scenarios like “death panels,” but they are so much better at creating real tragedies for the 99% of us.
Under normal circumstances, 200 patients at NIH enroll in clinical trials each week, 30 of whom are children. While 12 exceptions have been made for the most critical cases, this still leaves hundreds of sick patients and families stuck waiting until Congress can settle its differences. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-24525913
So that comes out to about 400 people so far, who may not have a month or two to wait…two weeks after giving birth a young mother diagnosed with stage 4 sarcoma had her application for a clinical trial delayed. Michelle Langbehn has started an online petition on Change.org in order to pressure Congress and has over 140,000 signatures: ”I speak for everyone battling cancer when I say we don’t have time to wait.” http://www.change.org/petitions/help-me-fight-cancer-and-stop-the-shutdown
Crossed swords it seems are the least of our problems. We need to vote the old guard out, get money out of politics and organize policy makers who will speak to the wide breadth of our country, with common sense and dignity for all. I can’t wait to see the new documentary “Inequality for All.” http://inequalityforall.com I’m usually pretty optimistic about life, I like to think we can take our country back, from the fringe GOP. Fingers crossed.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
