Today's Rant by Jenn Geiss

My Happiness Evolution

2011-04-06T22:56:00.004-04:00

Since evolution is a gradual process, exactly when dogs became domesticated is up for much debate. Recent studies using mitochondrial DNA, suggest that wolves split off into a different species between 50,000-100,000 years ago and occurred as a result of a mutually beneficial relationship between the two species. Dogs helped to hunt and with a keen sense of alertness, safeguarded our long-ago ancestors to dangers among them. In return, dogs had an assurance of food, shelter and safety…in theory.

“Who will take care of it?” “Who will walk it and make sure it is feed properly?”

Growing up, my brother made several unsuccessful attempts at caring for goldfish, which just reaffirmed my mother’s stance when we pleaded with her to get a dog. Since both parents worked full-time, the responsibility would fall on my brother and I. With each goldfish we had to flush down the toilet, there went our proof that we could take care of another living creature.

Although my desire to have a dog during my adolescent years seemed feasible at the time, as I became an adult, the excuses to hold off became more abundant. “I’m working all the time, when will I take them out?” “What happens when I need to travel?” “I heard they chew on everything and I can’t afford to buy new shoes every few weeks.” Although I could hold out on the last excuse and just try to enjoy my custom ventilated sneakers, deep down, I just was not sure all the sacrifices would be worth it.

Despite living in Florida, January 2009 had constant frigid temperatures. Bleary-eyed as usual in the morning, I shuffled into work. It was still fairly early but the office was already buzzing, and there was some commotion coming from the adjacent cubes. “They’re so cute!” Disregarding the distraction, I tried to get started on my day, however people were bustling in and out. Additional comments starting with “ooh’s and awe’s” filled the air. Mustering up the energy out of utter curiosity, I headed over to the corner cubicle, which had an office door. People were huddled all around but the door was closed. “What’s going on,” I inquired. “Puppies! Go look at the puppies!” Un-amused, I opened the door and there they were…two pint-size puppies with adorable faces staring at me. For a moment, my heart softened. They were lying on the floor, one, light brown with piercing hazel eyes and the other, its twin, in dark brown fur.

My co-worker Paul was sitting on the floor with them, “where did they come from?” “We’re not sure,” he replied. “When we opened the back door this morning, there they were. We assume someone dropped them off at the Humane Society in the middle of the night.” The Flagler Humane Society is located across a main highway, Route 1, from our offices. Which means, cold and dark, they crossed this busy highway alone.

Paul, a dog-owner, was keen on finding them a home. Asking around in the office, most responded with how sweet they were but either already had a dog, or had the same laundry list I did, why not to take them home. Deflated, he resigned to the fact that when the Humane Society opened at 10am, that he would have to drop them off. “Well…” I began with hesitation. “I always wanted dogs, and always wanted two so they could keep each other company when I wasn’t around. If these two stay this small, it shouldn’t be too bad.” Paul’s face lit-up!

After a few moments, while attempting to reclaim sanity from the admission of adoption I was offering, Paul’s wife walked in with some dog toys and food she had rushed home to get for them. Paul had me reach into the bag of kibble so they could eat out of my hands. Burying their noses into my palms, the two pups nearly inhaled the food. “Oh look, they are bonding so well with their new Mommy,” Paul cooed. ‘Mommy! What?! Where?! Who?!’ When I realized he was referring to me, a shiver ran down my back. ‘What did I just get myself into?’

Ecstatic, Paul rushed out and told everyone that I was going to take our newfound friends. My co-workers actually started cheering…I felt like a quarterback that just threw the winning touchdown pass. “Congratulations!" “Way to go!” A hesitant smile was my response.

“What should I do now?” My cohorts advised to take them to the Humane Society anyway so they could be checked out, given their shots…neutered. Since it would take five days before I could pick them up from all their preparations, I spent that time ‘puppy-proofing’ and preparing for what I was being told, was a life-changing bond.

Everyone kept asking me if I was excited, if nervous counts as excited, than yes…I was VERY excited. Collars, leashes, dog bowls, water bowls, crate, bed, toys…forgetting something…FOOD. Need to get them food, but what do they like? What if they turn their noses up at my choice? Will they even like me? Panic was setting in.

Even though I was trying to exude a façade of confidence, the Humane Society volunteer handed me a DVD on pet adoption and care. I tossed it in my bag with complete disregard. However, when we got home, the DVD went in, and notepad and pen came out, ready to absorb as much insight as I could. About halfway through, I realized, “Where were the puppies?” A quick search revealed they were already making a home in the crate. Crossed ‘crate training’ off my list with a newfound zeal.

The next morning started with real confidence this time. Heading to their crate in the next room, I noticed some white substance all over their bed and they both looked very lethargic. The morning walk turned into a hacking contest between them. Ok, now I was back to panicking.

The vet diagnosed them with kennel cough to which they were just vaccinated. Still upchucking white phlegm all over the apartment carpet was not helping. Since the floor in the minuscule railroad kitchen was linoleum, it seemed to be a more logical location for them to stay, and easier for cleanup. Luckily they loved peanut butter, so I was able to get their antibiotics down without a fight. But on the second day, while dragging them out for a walk, the dark-haired pup put his nose to the grass and out came a flood of green fluid. In turn, I became green and once again, panicking. “Oh it's just some bile, shouldn’t happen again but call us if it does,” the vet concluded. Granted, they deal with this every day, but I don’t…I didn’t know how to be so nonchalant. I felt horrible and scared. I sat on the kitchen floor with them, rubbing their bellies, when I began to sob. Having always doubted whether I could truly be responsible to take care anything other than myself, I looked at them and knew...knew that I needed them as much as they needed me. Sacrificing is not a curse, but a gift.

By the end of the week, they were running all around the apartment, wrestling with one another…tails wagging. Ah, joy!

When I finally made it back to work, my caring friends inquired after them. “Oh and what did you name them?” Grover and Grady! Because that is where we found each other and became a family…at Hargrove Grade.

Some canine experts claim that dogs do not feel happiness, that actions are based more on instincts, conditions and response to stimuli; emotions are not a factor. After two years, when I come from work and Grover and Grady come running over to me, with their entire bodies wagging like they are doing the wave at a sporting event, I know they are happy, and despite what research tells us, that happiness is mutually beneficial.

“Animals are not just the backdrop of our own story, but at the center of the whole drama, and how we treat them is one of the great themes of the human story."
Wayne Pacelle, President/CEO of The Humane Society of the United States and author of The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them.

[1] Dog History: How Were Dogs Domesticated? By K. Kris Hirst, About.com Guide

The Reverse Snow-Bird

2011-03-02T08:01:00.000-05:00

Despite the colder-than-normal winter this year in Florida, many northeasterners still find their oasis on the sunny peninsula. While 49 states are receiving snow fall (yes, even Hawaii gets snow at the top of the volcanoes), Florida allows its residents to go snow-shovel free. No digging yourself out each morning in frigid temperatures; no warming your car up for a good five minutes while you scrap and re-scrap layers of ice off the windows. Yet many ‘now-native’ Floridians, myself included, complain when they have to cover their plants or actually put on a jacket and gloves, we forget how good we have it until…we head back north for the winter.

Though it would be a longer trek to go skiing, I promised myself when I moved to Florida six years ago, that I would try to get back to the mountains at least once a year. Packing for a five-day ski trip felt equivalent to packing for a semester abroad. Ski pants: check. Five sweaters: check. Three pairs of long-underwear: check. Five pairs of wool socks: check. A sense of sanity: left at the ticket counter at the Jacksonville Airport.

Learning from the past plagues of checked-luggage getting “re-routed”, I made sure to carry certain essentials on-board. Heading out into the Vermont tundra without a jacket, is a sure-fire way to become an ice sculpture in less than three minutes. This time, the luggage-gods were smiling. Gathering up bag after bag, I slowly made my way towards the exit. If I were to lean just slightly in the wrong direction, I would surely topple over.

All smiles, my Aunt came rushing towards me, arms stretched to receive a hug, only to be pelted in the face by my ski bag. “We’ll hug later, when it’s safe,” I remarked after making sure she wasn’t hurt. At first, the Burlington air is crisp and refreshing; the exposed skin on my face, tingling. By the time we reached the 3rd level of the parking garage, I was sure my cheeks had frost bite. Wrestling my luggage into her small Saturn, my toes were going numb. Hauling the 50lb suitcase up and into her trunk by arching my back so far a gymnast would be jealous, I was exhausted by the time I was finally defrosting under the car’s heater.

The next day, my Uncle “the human rooster”, awoke me from my cozy slumber at 6am, exclaiming, “Time to hit the slopes!” Climbing out from my four-layer blanket burrito, my feet hit the frigid wood floor and shot me airborne. Time to put on a pair of those wool socks!

The first mountain on our agenda…Stowe! Although technically it is Mt. Mansfield, Stowe is emblazoned on all the signs and gondolas. We hoped on the chair lift, which did move fairly quickly for a chair lift. Towards the summit, you entered into a haze of chilly wind. Looking at my Uncle, I knew the next trip to the top would be in the enclosed gondola, the epitome of ski luxury. At times, the sun attempted to peer through the clouds and luckily that helped warm the atmosphere, slightly.

Took a few runs to get the feel of being on skis again, but much like it is said about bicycling, “you never forget”. The exhilaration of tearing down a mountain returned and although the day flew by, I knew I had two more full days of skiing in front of me… “Pace yourself, Geiss.”

Normally when I visit my Aunt and Uncle, we head to Smuggler’s Notch but we were all feeling adventurous and wanted to try another ‘new’ mountain for the day. Here we come, Jay Peak! Located about twenty miles from the Canadian border, you could tell how far north you must be when hearing most of the skiers speaking French. At least I assume it was French. It had been snowing all day so the sky was a pink-hue, and the powder was in abundance as compared to the normally icy terrain of Vermont. Despite all the snow fall, Jay Peak had this crazy notion that they needed to make…more snow. Snow machines were cranking all over the trails and severely limiting the visibility. Doing my best to avoid their powerful sprays aimed right at any skier taller than three feet, I still had one almost knock me backwards. I must have looked like someone trying to do the limbo, only to hit my chin on the bar. I am sure Jay Peak is a beautiful mountain, if only I could have seen it.

“Oh, I don’t know about this. It is going to be mighty cold!” Coming from Uncle who has lived in Vermont for almost 40 years, for him to say the last day of skiing I have left is going to be “mighty cold”, gave me pause. Huddled over their computer, we studied the weather forecast at Smuggler’s Notch. Minus thirteen in the morning…may warm-up to zero by noon. “But this is it! This is the last day I have of left to ski for a whole year…I have to go!” Seeing my resolve, my Aunt offered to accompany me.

Wearing enough layers to resemble Randy from A Christmas Story, I almost couldn’t put my arms down. Never the ‘snow bunny’ type, I knew at least I would be warm enough to enjoy the day. Greeted by blue skies and still air, it was turning out to be fairly good ski conditions. The low temperatures, or lack of temperature, did result in my toes going numb at one point; perfect opportunity for a hot chocolate break.

We took the last few runs with unexpected zeal. Noting the clock each time we reached the lift, wondering if we made the next run just as fast, could we go once more before the lifts close? When we finally realized this would be our last time down, we took each turn, each corner a little smoother, a little slower. Remarking to myself at the beauty Vermont holds and why I made the resolution to return each year.

Getting off the plane in Florida, I called my brother to see if we were still on for playing tennis. No precipitation, 65 degrees, sun…

Returning to my car, I loaded up my skis and luggage, took off my bulky jacket and tossed it in the back seat. Sunglasses on, windows down…it was good to be home.

Published at ourcitybiz.com

Legislating Love

2008-10-31T07:57:00.010-04:00

Prologue

Surrounded by friends and family in a traditional circle of love, their unremitting smiles warming my heart that sunny day on the beach in Cape May. Two close friends vowed their love and lives together. A culmination of 9 years of happiness, loyalty and love through good times and bad…a perfect example of what a marriage should be.

Introduction

In a 4-3 decision, Connecticut Supreme Court struck down the state's civil union law and ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. Connecticut thus joins Massachusetts and California as the only states to have legalized gay marriages. But these progressive inroads to equality are quickly being challenged. In a few days, Proposition 8 will be voted on in California to overturn the courts ruling by banning same-sex marriage. Similar legislation is being issued in Florida and Arizona.

Religious conservatives note that California sets cultural trends for the rest of the country and even the world. They fear that if same-sex marriage is allowed to become entrenched in California, it will open the floodgates to same-sex marriages everywhere. “This vote on whether to stop the gay-marriage juggernaut in California is Armageddon,” said Charles W. Colson, the founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries. “We lose [Proposition 8], we are going to lose in a lot of other ways, including freedom of religion.” 1

Argument 1

Yes2Marriage.org insists that churches will be forced to perform weddings because churches have a tax-exempt status and that the separation of church and state is a guise by which they hide the approval of these laws. The Massachusetts high court in 2004 held that same-sex marriages were legal. It has been four years since this groundbreaking decision, and there has yet to be a lawsuit against a church not sanctifying a same-sex marriage. Rev. Karen Sapio, the minister of Claremont Presbyterian Church in Southern California, “I have not heard of a single Catholic church forced to marry someone who has been divorced, or a rabbi forced to perform an interfaith marriage or an evangelical church forced to marry a couple who has been living together.” 1

According to the Code of Canon Law 1084, antecedent and perpetual impotence at the time of marriage invalidates the marriage.2 Hedir Antonio de Brito, a paraplegic man, was two weeks away from marrying Elzimar de Lourdes Serafim when he received a shocking letter from the local bishop denying their application for a marriage certificate since his condition rendered him impotent. A requirement for marriage in the Catholic Church is that both parties must be “open to children”. If it is known that one party is unable to produce children, the marriage can be annulled on that basis alone.3 Although this took place in Brazil, the Catholic Church throughout the world, has rules governing who can marry, and despite lack of case law in the United States, the government has never attempted to legislate these church rules.

Argument 2

Glenn Stanton, Director of Social Research and Cultural Affairs for Focus On The Family argues that it “would open the door to polygamy” because the first same-sex marriage that was issued in Massachusetts, the couple commented that they will have an ‘open marriage’. Polygamy was taught and practiced by Joseph Smith, Jr. and formally introduced to the public in 1852. Mr. Smith was the founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, which was the foundation for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.4 Ergo in the name of the church, polygamy was first introduced through Christianity. And although the church officially abandoned the practice in 1890,4 anyone who has opened a newspaper over this past year is aware that polygamy is still being practiced.

Argument 3

“The traditional family, supported by more than 5,000 years of human experience, is still the foundation on which the well-being of future generations depends.”5 Let’s see how this ‘foundation’ has done thus far:

The CDC reported for 2005:

· Marriage rate: 7.5 per 1,000 total population
· Divorce rate: 3.6 per 1,000 population

According to Child Maltreatment 2006, the most recent report of data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, approximately 905,000 children were found to be victims of child abuse or neglect...
…And, one or both parents were responsible for 75.9 percent of child abuse or neglect fatalities. As of September 30, 2005, there were an estimated 513,000 children in foster care in the U.S. alone.6

Justice Barbara A. Madsen wrote in the an opinion upholding the ban on gay marriage in Washington State, “Limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples furthers procreation, essential to the survival of the human race, and furthers the well-being of children by encouraging families where children are reared in homes headed by the children’s biological parents.”7 Despite ignorance rooted in Ms. Madsen’s statement, many people should not be procreating and are in no way fit to raise children. By the way, there are 6.7 billion people on this planet and a current growth trajectory expected to reach nearly 9 billion by the year 2042.8 What we need for the human race to survive is compassion.

Argument 4

“No culture needs same-sex marriage…if it was necessary, it would have been invented earlier.” 9 Let’s see…Women’s Suffrage…1920…Civil Rights Act…1964. It is never too late for progress, and equality is always necessary.

Argument 5

“Interpreting our state constitutional provisions in accordance with firmly established equal protection principles leads inevitably to the conclusion that gay persons are entitled to marry the otherwise qualified same-sex partner of their choice,” Justice Richard N. Palmer declared in the 4-to-3 majority decision for the Connecticut Supreme Court. “To decide otherwise would require us to apply one set of constitutional principles to gay persons and another to all others.”10

But why aren’t Civil Unions sufficient? Civil unions still deny the same financial, social and emotional benefits accorded in a marriage. Therefore producing what the court called a “suspect class”- a group, like blacks or women, that has experienced a history of discrimination and was thus entitled to increased scrutiny and protection by the state in the promulgation of its laws.10

Conclusion

It is not about a bride and a groom, a bride and a bride, or a groom and a groom. It is about two consenting adults vowing their love to one another. Cynics will say that love is not enough to create a future together, but it is the key ingredient that is missing in almost half of the marriages each year. Because love is truly rare, when you find someone to love, hold and cherish him or her, and make sure no law prevents you from sharing your lives the same way that needs be entitled to everyone.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.
-- Corinthians 13:7-8

1 “A Line in the Sand for Same-Sex Marriage Foes,” by Laurie Goodstein, The New York Times, 10/27/2008
2 http://www.sexualhealth.com/article_print.php?Action=read&article_id=65
3 http://atheism.about.com/b/2005/05/22/brazil-paraplegic-denied-wedding-due-to-impotence.htm
4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
5 “Two Mommies Is One Too Many,” by James C. Dobson, Time Magazine, December 18, 2006
6 http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/statistics/childwelfare_foster.cfm
7 “Washington Court Upholds Ban On Gay Marriage,” by Adam Liptak and Timothy Egan, The New York Times, July 17, 2006.
8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population
9 http://www.yes2marriage.org/
10 “Connecticut Ruling Overturns Ban on Same-Sex Marriage,” by Sharon Otterman, The New York Times, October 11, 2008

Congratulations A&J, and M&G! Best wishes to you always!

Paying For Your Life

2008-08-25T11:58:00.004-04:00

“Aren’t you kind of young for this?” inquires the pharmacist at my local Walgreens. “It would seem that way except my mother was just diagnosed with colon cancer two months ago. So I am doing this as a precaution.” The pharmacist eyes widened, “Oh my gosh, I ‘m sorry.” “It’s ok…she is fine now thank god,” both breathing a collective sigh of relief.

My mother, a 59-year old of relative good health, underwent an endoscopy and colonoscopy to try to find out the reason she has always suffered stomachaches. Having dismissed it as something minor, both her and her doctor assumed they would just find some digestive valves not working.

Three days after the procedure, my mother phoned, asking me to come over after work. When I arrived, my father and her were sitting at the table. Composed, she explained that a tumor was removed during the colonoscopy and that the biopsy revealed it was malignant. Located near her appendix, this would require her to undergo surgery to remove a section of her large intestine, blood vessels, and lymph nodes all in the area where the tumor had been located, making sure the cancer did not spread. Cancer? Our family? Unable to hold back the tears, my sobs became uncontrollable. My mother’s once calm demeanor morphed as well.

A tense two weeks followed, but after a successful surgery and a clean biopsy, my mother was given the ‘green light.’ Now it was my turn. Although harboring my own fears of the outcome, I knew that I was doing the best for my health and if something was wrong-catching it early. My parents motto to my brother and I was that our health was most important. With that in mind, I made the arrangements.

Schedule the doctor, the hospital, pick up my ‘enjoyable’ prep-pack, and call the various billing departments to find out how much out-of –pocket I would be responsible for. Having insurance, I was floored by the $873.21 I shelled out for a 20-minute procedure. Maybe I should have had them take a kidney out while they were there so I could try to sell it to pay this medical bill. And this grand total is WITHOUT anesthesia.

When I was thirteen years old, I had a tonsillectomy, and remembered my parents’ shock at the cost of the anesthesiologist bill. With that engrained in my memory, I explained to my doctor that I do not want anesthesia for this. Understanding, it was the nurses that then urged me to ‘go-under’ when they wheeled me in. Explaining once again, it wasn’t necessary. After pressing me further, I told them flatly, “Not unless you want to pay the extra 700 dollars.” With that, silence.

Doctors, nurses, health care professionals…these are the people in our society that should be making the most money. Not actors, or sports figures, but those who choose to save lives, or at least help make lives longer and healthier. I begrudge them nothing, but there needs to be point where their efforts and the institutions they work for and with, do not cause people financial strain, and in many cases, bankruptcy.

The main reason so many people lack health insurance is because of its cost.(1) Currently 47 million Americans are without insurance(2) and increasingly, this is a problem for the middle class, not just the underemployed. Seventy-four percent of people without insurance are part of working families; sometimes they can’t afford their employer’s health plan (employee premiums have skyrocketed 74 percent since 2000) or their job doesn’t provide benefits. Michelle Jones is a single mother of two working as a case manager at a center for brain-injured adults. Grossing $36,000 a year, rent already gobbled half her take-home pay. The medical coverage that was offered with cost her over $200 per pay period and there was still a $500 deductible. Crunching the numbers, she turned down the coverage.(3)

For those looking to gain insurance, they can have doors slammed in their face because the insurance company may suspect that they will not make money off of you. Cheryl Gorham eats right; exercises regularly…can’t even remember the last time she took a sick day from work. Applying for an individual health plan, she was baffled when she was denied. “I’m young, I’m healthy, I don’t smoke,” says the 42-year old. “I never thought I’d have a problem getting insurance.” Turns out, the insurance company cited preexisting conditions, namely uterine fibroids and “infertility with consultation/treatment.” She had experienced bleeding from fibroids while on birth control pills but once she went off the Pill, the bleeding stopped. As for infertility, Cheryl had been trying to get pregnant but with no success. Her doctor sent her for a hormone test, which came back normal but the simple fact that he’d given her a referral, made Cheryl uninsurable. “I had no idea that anything you tell your doctor can wind up hurting you.” (3)

Even with the phony safety net of insurance, you can still be denied treatments and pay outrageous out-of-pocket expenses. In 1999, Sandy Flanigan was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. Her insurance company promptly raised her monthly premiums to more than $2,000. Over the next four years, Sandy received chemotherapy and immunoglobulin treatments to boost her immune system costing $46,000. This expense does not include the doctor bills, body scans, lab charges, medicines, vitamins and special food. Sandy sold her jewelry, car and dining room set. She and her husband cashed in annuities and, as a last resort, their children’s college funds. One illness has shattered her family financially. Sandy had worked all her adult life and always carried health insurance, yet she cannot obtain the care that might keep her alive. An estimated fifty five percent of bankruptcy cases are caused at least in part by medical bills. As Sandy puts it, “you’re one diagnosis from being where I am.” (3)

Even people like my mother who had no symptoms, was lucky enough to find this tumor at the early stages, but even that ran a bill of almost $45,000. Screenings are recommended to start at age 50, but many people refuse because they cannot afford them. Deaths could be cut in half, meaning 26,000 lives a year could be saved, if all those who need screening where to receive it.(4) What costs $2000 for a pre-emptive colonoscopy could cost an insurance company tens of thousands for extended care for letting a condition develop further. Surgery, radiation, chemotherapy…for a tumor that might have been easily cured if it had only been found sooner. And why wouldn’t health insurers want their ‘customers’ to live longer and therefore, pay more premiums? Because with older age, usually concludes more health care expenses that an insurance company would have to pay out. With that, they look for excuses to deny coverage.

At 65-years old, Mary Rose Derks began scrimping together about $100 out of her grocery fund each month to pay for an insurance policy that promised to pay eventually for a room in a assisted living home. Twelve years later, after bouts of hypertension and diabetes had hospitalized her dozens of times, she reluctantly agreed it was time. Moving into Beehive Homes, she filed a claim with her insurer, Conseco. Conseco denied her claim stated that Beehive Homes was not an approved facility despite its state license and that Mrs. Derks was not sufficiently infirm, despite her early-stage dementia and the 37 pills she takes each day. More than four years has passed and she has yet to receive a penny from Conseco while her family has paid about $70,000. “The bottom line is that insurance companies make money when they don’t pay claims,” said Mary Beth Senkewicz, who resigned last year as a senior executive at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. “They’ll do anything to avoid paying, because if they wait long enough, they know the policyholders will die.”(5)

With insurance companies having a stranglehold on our lives, we need each individual to push policymakers to enact regulation to protect Americans from financial devastation due to improper insurance and overwhelming medical bills. So far the cries have not been loud enough…in October 2007, a bill providing health insurance for 10 million children failed to override President Bush’s veto.(6) Administration officials had stated that it should be the states that make better use of the money they already have.(7) This is unacceptable and each representative that did not vote to override the bill, should have their constituents vote them out of office. Health care affects each American and there are representatives that want to help.

Visit your governor’s, senators’, and representatives’ websites to see if he or she has prioritized reforming health insurance. You can find their contact information at vote-smart.org. Call, write or send an email outlining your concerns. Also go to the National Conference of State Legislatures (ncsl.org) for up-to-date information on which states have proposed health-insurance legislation. Numerous non-profit organizations are dedicated to health-care reform such as CodeBlueNow! (codebluenow.org) and Health Care for All. The Commonwealth Fund (cmwf.org) has a quarterly online newsletter that outlines state initiatives...sign up and get informed!

How much will you pay for your life?

Sources:
(1)“Health Care as if Costs Didn’t Matter”, David Leonhardt, New York Times, June 7, 2007
(2)“Health Plan Used by U.S Is Debated as a Model”, Reed Abelson, New York Times, October 24, 2007
(3) “How Bad Does the Health-Care Crisis Have to Get”, Fran Smith, Redbook, June 2007
(4) “Cancer Patients, Lost in a Maze of Uneven Care,” Denise Grady, The New York Times, July 30, 2007
(5)“Aged, Frail and Denied Care by Their Insurers,” Charles Duhigg, The New York Times, March 26, 2007
(6)“House Fails to Override Child Health Bill Veto,” David Stout and Robert Pear, The New York Times, October 18, 2007
(7)“Child Health Care Splits White House and States”, Robert Pear, The New York Times, March 1, 2007

Country Music Half Marathon

2008-05-01T11:52:00.003-04:00

Marathon Weekend-Thursday, April 24th to Sunday, April 27th: Despite many people staying in to rest the first night in Nashville, Janine and I closed down the bars. Hitting up numerous spots, we knew Friday night would be early to bed. Setting a 3:30am wake-up call, I awoke to Janine yelling, “Geiss, you gonna get that?” Morning person, I am not. Janine, however, was ready to go! Dragging my feet all the way to the hotel lobby for a group photo, we then packed into the buses and heading out to Centennial Park where the race was to begin at 7am. It was raining at a steady pace and we spent the next two hours finding new ways to stay dry.

Our corral finally started at 7:40am and the rain subsided at that point but it remained overcast. Thousands of spectators cheered throughout the entire course. Nervous about the “rolling hills”, my legs took better to the ups and downs than I thought they would. I was able to stay ‘in the zone’ for the first six miles when I realized I should probably get a little water, though most of it ends up on you rather than in you, my clothes were now wet from the earlier rains, sweat and dribbled water that was meant to be ingested. By mile 12, I hit a wall (no, not literally). Blisters were forming on my feet and sweat was pooled in every orifice. Even the theme from Rocky was not motivating me!

My mind turned to the previous evening…huddled in our TNT chapter after the Pasta Party, one by one; people stood up and told stories of how blood cancers have affected their lives and the ones they love. One young woman burst into tears at the memory of her brother that she lost three years ago. Sobbing, “…he was my best friend”, my eyes welled-up. Why didn’t anyone tell me to bring Kleenex?! As if that wasn’t enough, another woman cried out that her mother just called and told her that her brother’s liver just failed and would not have much longer to live. So at mile 12, I thought about these people and what they were going through. My legs heavy, my whole body aching and wet, I had nothing to complain about. The pain and exhaustion I felt was insignificant compared to what these people were going through. So with the last ounce of energy I had left, I kept running. Crossing the finish line in my personal best time of 2 hours 16 minutes and 39 seconds. But I was not alone. Each one of you, who donated and supported me through my training, was there with me. It might sound ‘hokey’, but it is true.

THANK YOU!

Missing...

2008-04-22T13:54:00.002-04:00

Missing blogging and hope to get some posts up soon but life came out me fast and haven't had time to sit and collect my thoughts. Stick with me...will back in action soon!

I'm Published...Again!

2008-02-19T12:02:00.003-05:00

Titled "The Industrialized Distortion of Our Life Cycles"

Check it out at: http://www.naturalnews.com/022671.html

Thanks!

Who Wants To Be Me?

2008-02-11T17:14:00.004-05:00

That's strange...a Macy’s bill? I cannot remember the last time I was at a Macy’s. Tearing open the envelope and expecting it to display around $30, which is the usual amount I would charge on the card, the account summary read: New balance = $657.68. Minimum payment due on July 9. Eyes widen taking in the numbers once more...$657.68. As I scroll down, the account details list three separate transactions all on June 14, 2006 at the White Plains store in New York. White Plains? I have never even been to White Pla...Oh my god...I’ve been robbed!

Luggage, Lauren bedding, Baby Phat, Girls 2-14 Furnishings…a list of items I have never purchased were now listed on my account. Immediately I contacted customer service at Macy’s to try to get this matter cleared up but instead, another nightmare was still to come.

After speaking to three different account representatives, I had learned that someone had visited the store in White Plains with a Massachusetts Driver’s License with my name on it. I have never lived in Massachusetts so Macy’s does not have a current or previous address for me there. Why was this driver’s license accepted? No response. Ironically, the bill still came to my Florida address. Guess Macy's didn’t update their computers with my "new" Massachusetts one. Not only was this accepted by Macy’s as valid proof of identification, since the person did not have my Macy’s card, but they allowed her to give an incorrect phone number AND year of birth! To add insult to injury, my new birth year was 1970. At least she could have made me younger, not 8 years older. This imposter also added a password on my account..."Chase". Some sense of humor!

Would have been slightly comforting to know that when the thief went back to the store on 6/27 to place a $1170.00 charge, that it wasn't just denied because it was over the credit limit but because I had already called and alerted them to them to the fraud. Not to mention, the perfect opportunity to catch and arrest this person. Instead, she escaped and vanished.

Livid at the complete disregard for my personal information, I was ready to wage war on Macy’s. They agreed after a 90-day investigation that it was their fault and would take the charges off of my account but that had little resolve for me. I wanted to make sure that this did not happen to anyone else, contacting numerous lawyers, my calls went unanswered. No one wanted to take the case, especially since it was under $1000 and Macy’s took the charge off. But this could happen to someone else since Macy’s obviously does not care about their customer’s safety. My rants feel on deaf ears. Even the police shrugged off my calls. Sure they filed a report and when I picked it up, I could see the traces of raspberry-filling smeared on it.

Trying to put aside my anger, I focused on future safeguards:

1. Pay cash at restaurants and any other stores/services where they take your credit card out of sight to run. Special hand-held devices can store all the card information if swiped or the person can simply write down the information.
2. Shred all bills and documents.
3. Do online banking...and shopping. Many credit card companies still list your credit card account number on each bill you receive. If a bill is misplaced or stolen in the mail, someone now has your name, address and credit card number. Not to mention, your credit limit. According to Javelin Strategy & Research, only 12 percent of identity theft occurs online while 63 percent could be traced to traditional retail shopping. The web addresses should start with https. When online, be wary of phishing through pop-ups or asking you to re-login or re-enter information.
4. Opt-out of preapproved credit offers. More information that can get misplaced in the mail. To opt out, call 888-567-8688. Do not let you bank share information about you with other financial institutions. Call your bank to make sure!
5. Make a photocopy (front and back) of all the cards you carry in your wallet and keep in a secure place. If your wallet is stolen, you have all the information you need to start calling the card companies and closing your accounts and if needed, reissuing new ones.
6. Make sure the credit cards you have offer a zero liability for fraud.
7. Never answer unsolicited phone or email messages about your accounts, even if they sound or look legitimate.
8. Do not disclose your social security number nor carry your card in your wallet. Doctor’s offices almost always ask for your social security number...why? THEY DO NOT NEED IT. They have your insurance information and that is all they need to file a claim.
9. Medical ID fraud accounts for 200,000 ID thefts a year. Protect your insurance card as carefully as your credit cards. Be selective about where you get care- avoid clinics that advertise free exams as they may just want to copy your health insurance information.

If you have been a victim of identity theft:

1. Contact the issuing card bureau of the theft. Make sure they open an investigation and close or freeze your account.
2. Go to ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/ to obtain a list of steps and important resource links.
3. File a police report. Not that anything usually comes from it but your creditors will need to see that you have taken this step. Anyone who has filed an identity theft report with a police agency can have a "security alert" placed on his/her credit bureau file for up to seven years.
4. Order a credit report a few times a year. You are even entitled to one annually from each of the three major credit-reporting agencies: Equifax, TransUnion and Experian.
5. File a report with the Federal Trade Commission (877-438-4338).
6. If mail has been stolen, alert your post office.

Approximately 9 million Americans will fall prey to identity thieves this year, and only one in 700 cases will be prosecuted. A risk-reward equation that suggests these kinds of criminals will keep multiplying.("'Tis The Season For ID Theft", Kadlec) Even with safeguards in place, companies that contain sensitive customer financial data can be pilfered by identity thieves. In early 2003, an intruder had gained access to a computer system containing the private records of customers, including credit and debit cards, check’s and driver’s license numbers for The TJX Companies. Unless you have all your money in a shoebox under your bed and pay cash for everything, you are at risk. Best bet is to always keep track of your statements before you find out that someone wants to be your clone!

Other helpful websites:
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse:
www.privacyrights.org
Identity Theft Resource Center:
www.idtheftcenter.org
Internet Crime Complaint Center:
www.ic3.gov

Help Me Race to Save Lives!

2008-01-31T13:35:00.002-05:00

Friends,

I am training to participate in a half marathon (13.1 miles) event as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training. Team In Training raises funds to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma from taking more lives.

Although I have never done a marathon this of this length, I have found inspiration in my friend Terri Lavelle. A former rugby teammate who took on the 2% odds of surviving Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and has now been in remission for four years.

I'm taking part in this event in honor of Terri and all individuals who are battling these cancers and hope that enough research will expand treatments and one day, find a cure!

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance the Society's mission, or get involved by training for an event or volunteering. I believe we can all be heroes, everyday, by showing compassion for one another.

Be sure to check back frequently to see my progress.
Thank you for your support!

http://www.active.com/donate/tntnofl/JennGeiss

Donations are tax-deductible! Tax ID 135644916.

Examining The Laws Surrounding Cyber-Assault

2007-12-19T13:26:00.006-05:00

At 13-years old, Megan Meier had her whole life in front of her. Although she had been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and was on the antidepressant Zoloft since the third grade due to suicidal thoughts, Megan was harassed into an early grave.

Megan had been conversing via Myspace.com with a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans. But as the world-wide-web can be a vehicle for people to create false identities and mislead others, six weeks after Megan’s suicide, her parents learned that Josh Evans was an online pseudo-persona created by Lori Drew, 47, who lived four houses down the street.

In Lori Drew’s final message to Megan, she writes, “The world would be a better place without you.” Claiming to create the profile of 'Josh Evans' to win Megan’s trust and learn how Megan felt about her daughter, to whom she had a 'falling-out' with, no charges have been filed against Ms. Drew. St. Charles County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson, Lt. Craig McGuire, said that what Ms. Drew did “might’ve been rude, it might’ve been immature, but it wasn’t illegal.”

Knowingly harassing and cajoling a minor by an adult via the Internet, is not currently punishable. However, in response to this innocent loss of life, the local Board of Aldermen in Missouri unanimously passed a measure making Internet harassment a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine and 90 days in jail. Questions arise as to how this measure will be enforced. What if Ms. Drew did not live in the same town as Megan? What if Ms. Drew did not even reside in the United States? Would these laws be applicable to her still?

The first initiative to regulate cyberspace was taken by the federal government in the Communications Decency Act of 1995. The purpose of this bill was to make illegal the circulation of indecent materials through interactive media, placing it under the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission. The act criminalized anything indecent or obscene but it was struck down as unconstitutional for being a violation of the First Amendment.

The Child Online Protection Act passed in 1998 with the purpose of protecting minors from harmful sexual material on the Internet. But once again, the federal courts have ruled that the law violates the constitutional protection of free speech, and therefore have blocked it from taking effect. Another issue plaguing the regulation of online content is that cyberspace is a world that exists without regard for physical location. Web users are free to move from web page to web page and server to server, without obstructions. So how do you regulate and enforce laws in cyberspace? And should there be involvement by a governing body?

Extraterritoriality is when a nation’s legal authority extends past its territorial borders. The Supreme Court’s decision in the Hartford Fire case held that the concerted refusal by London re-insurers to sell certain types of reinsurance to insurers in the United States violated the Sherman Act. The re-insurer’s actions in England were legal under English law. But the Court determined that the re-insurers were nonetheless subject to US regulation because their actions “produced substantial effect[s]” in the United States. U.S. law thus regulated the activities of English companies in England at the expense of the non-application of English law. Similarly, had an English court applied English law to adjudge the re-insurer’s acts to be legal, it would have produced ‘spillover effects’ on consumers in the United States . This makes the enforcement of laws extraterritorial.

In Cyberspace, since information flows simultaneously in all territorial jurisdictions, unilateral regulation of the local effects of cyberspace transmissions become near impossible. Information is like air; we cannot just draw a line in the air and stop it from moving and being used by people elsewhere. In this case, however, Ms. Drew was a ‘supposed’ friend and neighbor, residing within the same jurisdiction as the victim of this appalling hoax.

Assault is an attempt to menace; although not directly threatening her, Ms. Drew assaulted Megan through false impersonation. First Amendments right are the cornerstone of this country, but not all speech is protected under the law and online laws to protect children need to be revisited. Not just against sexual predators but all predators looking to harm a child.

Sources:
Topic 9: Sovereignty, Advisor Mitch Kapor
http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/6805/fall98-topics/topic9-sovereignty.html
Topic 10: Democratic Structures, Advisor Mike Fischer
http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/6805/fall98-topics/topic10-govern.html
Child Protection Act: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_Online_Protection_Act
A Hoax Turned Fatal Draws Anger but No Charges: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/us/28hoax.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

A Taser For Christmas? Marketing Assault With A Deadly Weapon

2007-12-19T13:26:00.005-05:00

"It is light, it’s small, it comes in colors…” beams Lynne Rigberg, the host of a Taser party in Scottsdale, Arizona. Show your loved one's how much you care this holiday season with this 50,000-volt gift of false safety. Taser International is marketing these weapons for everyone after only a brief demonstration of its use. You too can render the slightest harasser immobile - “You cut me in line at the supermarket, now you’re going down!”

Tasers deliver a 50,000-volt shock designed to override the subject’s central nervous system, causing uncontrollable contraction of the muscle tissue and instant collapse. Taser International has stressed that Tasers are not designed to stop a target through infliction of pain but work by causing instant immobilization through muscle contraction. However, even officers subjected to a fraction of the normal Taser discharge during training have reported feelings of acute pain.

There are two types of Taser guns, “touch” stun guns for close range and dart projectile mode that has two fish-hook like darts designed to penetrate up to two inches of the target’s clothing or skin. Many ‘victims’ of Tasers have reported burn marks from the guns. Pointing out an obvious question, what is the sanitation of these hooks? They can penetrate two inches of skin, does the amount of voltage prevent disease transfer?

Considering our bodies are 70% water and transfer electricity through all parts of the nervous system, one might believe that 50,000 volts may have long-term effects, especially brain damage, at the slightest exposure. While a Taser gun would be less damaging to an assailant than a bullet-driven gun, both are supposed to be used with extreme caution and as a "last resort".

However, even law enforcement officers are not using Tasers as a last resort. On October 14th 2007, Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, 40, was traveling to join his mother, who lives in British Columbia, when he ended up spending approximately 10 hours in the airport's arrivals area, The Canadian Press said. Needing an interpreter, 4 Canadian Mounties approached the man, at which time he raised his hands and calmed down. With the absence of any threatening gestures, Mr. Dziekanski was Tasered by one of the mounties within moments. Falling to the floor, screaming, Mr. Dziekanski was tasered once again. Unarmed, confused and frightened were his final moments alive in the Vancouver International Airport.

Touting Tasers as a deterrent and not a weapon, people can and will feel compelled to use tasers whenever they want. With no legal limitations on when a person can and cannot use these deadly weapons, we have opened the floodgates for people to Taser each other at whim.

Sources:

“Excessive and Lethal Force?” Amnesty International, http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr511392004

CNN.com/world,
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/11/15/taser.death/index.html#cnnSTCText

This article is featured at NaturalNews.com: A Taser for Christmas? Marketing Assault With a Deadly Weapon

Beyond Repair: Part 2-Redefining the 8th Amendment

2007-11-27T17:09:00.002-05:00

Nixzmary Brown…Noah, Mary, Luke, Paul and John Yates…Clyde Bondurant…Kira Walden…An ever-growing list of children who have died by the hands of family members.

Today’s Rant will focus on the newest little casualty, 2-year-old Riley Ann Sawyers. Dubbed “Baby Grace” by police, she was a “fun-loving girl…with a big imagination,” explains Riley Ann’s father, Robert Sawyers. She would play “with a water hose…spraying the whole patio soaking wet.”

Relocated to Galveston with her mother, Kimberly Dawn Trenor; the body of the then-unidentified toddler was found by a fisherman on October 29, 2007. Her body was stuffed inside a blue storage container that washed up on an uninhabited island in Galveston’s West Bay.

Police arrested Trenor and her husband, Royce Zeigler after Trenor gave a voluntary statement describing her involvement, with Zeigler, in the physical abuse, death and disposal of the remains of her daughter.

According to her statement, both ‘pieces of garbage’ beat the child with leather belts and held her head under water in the bathtub. Zeigler then picked the girl up by her hair and threw her across the room, slamming her head into the tile floor. After her daughter died, Trenor and Zeigler went to a Wal-Mart and bought a Sterilite container which became Riley’s coffin, hidden in a storage shed for “one to two months” before the two carried it to the Galveston Causeway and tossed it in.

A beautiful toddler with wispy blond curls is gone forever. Though nothing the judicial system can do will bring her back, this is my vote to redefine “cruel and unusual punishment” in the Eighth Amendment.

At the time the Eighth Amendment was written, capital punishment was in common use. There also existed punishments that were generally considered cruel and unusual, such as hanging, burning at the stake, and impalement. But now, even lethal injection is under scrutiny. Debating that the convicted might actually feel pain during the procedure and therefore, certain groups and lawmakers arguing that this method is not humane.

What is humane is to do exactly to Trenor and Zeigler as they did to Riley. That would be justice! Unfortunately, that scenerio will never happen with the laws and enforcment of our current judicial system. I can not even hope that these two ‘sickos’ might be ‘neutured’ so that they can never reproduce again. Instead they will clog our courts, use tax payer money for their stay in jail (whatever ridicilously short sentence they get) for two people obviously beyond repair. My only relief is that this happened in Texas…the state with the Death Penalty Express Lane!

Sources:
Police: Mother describes beating of 2-year-old, hiding her body
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/26/body.found.arrest/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruel_and_unusual_punishment

Necessary Force?

2007-10-08T12:54:00.002-04:00

“What Did I Do?”

What did a University of Florida student do that resulted in him being Tasered and arrested after trying to ask U.S. Senator John Kerry about the 2004 election and other subjects during a campus forum?

“He apparently asked several questions—he went on for quite awhile—then he was asked to stop,” university spokesman Steve Orlando noted. “He has used his allotted time. His microphone was cut off, then he became upset.”

What I saw from the video was a 21-year-old cocky college student asking obnoxious questions of the former Presidential candidate. Holding a book in one hand and the microphone in his other, posing no physical threat to anyone. Still standing in front of his cut off microphone, within moments the officers were grabbing him and moving him towards the aisle. That is the point at which Andrew Meyer became upset, and rightfully so.

I have the utmost respect for any law enforcement officer. Everyday, they put their life on the line; unsure of what ‘evildoer’ they might run into. But when did we start to fear a person asking questions of our leaders?

Many have commented that once the officers attempted to restrain and remove him from the auditorium, any failure to comply was ‘resisting arrest.’ Not true! “An illegal arrest is an assault and battery. The person so attempted to be restrained of his liberty has the same right to use force in defending himself as he would in repelling any other assault and battery.” (Stave v. Robinson, 145 ME. 77, 72 ATL. 260). Not only did Andrew Meyer have the right to resist his unlawful arrest, he also had the right to use force in return. But Andrew Meyer wasn’t there to cause physical harm to anyone…

…Instead he was Tasered while lying on the ground with six officers surrounding him. The United Nations (UN) Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, outline that force should be used as a LAST RESORT and that officers must apply only the minimum amount of force necessary to obtain a lawful objective. Here’s the kicker, they also provide that all use of force must be proportionate to the threat posed as well as designed to avoid unwarranted pain or injury. A 21-year-old, unarmed college student with his arms outstretched, trying to finish his questioning…six officers using a Taser was obviously a proportionate amount of force considering this young man’s capabilities.

Tasers deliver a 50,000-volt shock designed to override the subject’s central nervous system, causing uncontrollable contraction of the muscle tissue and instant collapse. Taser International has stressed that Tasers are not designed to stop a target through infliction of pain but work by causing instant immobilization through muscle contraction. However, even officers subjected to even a fraction of the normal Taser discharge during training have reported feeling acute pain.

There are two types of Taser guns, “touch” stun guns for close range and dart projectile mode that has two fish-hook like darts designed to penetrate up to two inches of the target’s clothing or skin. Many ‘victims’ of Tasers have reported burn marks from the guns. Pointing out an obvious question, what is the sanitation of these hooks? They can penetrate two inches of skin…does the amount of voltage prevent disease transfer?

Considering our bodies are 70% water and transfer electricity through all parts of the nervous system, I can’t help but believe that 50,000 volts may have long-term effects, especially brain damage, at the slightest exposure. While I agree that a Taser gun would be less damaging to an assailant then a bullet-driven gun, both should be used with extreme caution and as a LAST RESORT.

In July 2004, it was announced that eleven police agencies in Orange County, Florida, had agreed to restrict their use of Tasers following a yearlong review, which suggested that some officers were too quick to resort to their weapons. Indianapolis police told Amnesty International that the entry level at which Tasers could be used was “at any point force is needed.” Any person, at anytime, for any reason then can be Tasered. Like 20-year old Dontae Marks, whom was a bystander protesting when the police tried to arrest a friend for being drunk outside a nightclub. Police reportedly pointed a Taser at Marks’ chest when he refused an order to leave, then Tasered him in the back as he walked away shouting an obscenity. Granted, we should show officers respect but under these guidelines, you can therefore be Tasered for hurting an officer’s feelings. We’ve taken the freedom to speak ones mind and put power in the sole hands of 5,000 US law enforcement agencies.

“Why are they arresting me? Can someone do something here?” In a room full of peers, why did everyone just watch? Some cried out but the truth is that this has become a nation living in fear. Terrorized from within! If posing a threat is having a book in one hand and a microphone in another, then it is time we all bore arms.

“Obedience is not enough…there will be no curiosity, no employment of the process of life. All competing pleasures will be destroyed…always there will be the intoxication of power, constantly increasing…Always, at every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the sensation of trampling on an enemy who is helpless. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face-forever.” (1984 by George Orwell, p. 267)

Sources:
“Excessive and Lethal Force?” Amnesty International, http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engamr511392004

“Student Arrested, Tasered at Kerry Event,” AP, 9/18/2007

Jaded Jenny

2007-09-18T23:20:00.002-04:00

Modern dating has become a crazier maze of short interludes than ever before. With technology creating faster ways of interacting and various social outlets, in 29 years I have met a slew of people. My friends are the best I could ask for but it is not without meeting a lot unpleasant people as well. Dating is the same process but can be even more difficult because from dating, a relationship may be born...a relationship that has both a mental and physical aspect to it. Finding a great partner can be a tumultuous and heartbreaking ride.

Came across a brief article entitled “Retired From Dating.” At 26-years-old, Nicole Brown was throwing in the towel. She had spent so much time dating and felt that she has gone no where in her quest to find someone that she is compatible with. Exclaiming, “I leave it to fate to unite me and my kindred soulmate...and if it doesn’t, well, then, Fate, you can suck it.” Understanding her plight, I reflect on my own ridiculous experiences. I can laugh looking back at them now, but especially at the time, they were disheartening.

Unlike Nicole, I cannot claim that I had a date pee in his pants, but I can claim one threw-up on only our second date at which time we were at the movies. Little did I know before we got to the movies, exactly how many alcoholic beverages he consumed earlier in the evening. Ah, yes, love! There it is in all its glory. It might be safe to say that was not a “keeper” for me but he might be for someone else in the future.

Finding compatibility is more than answering a few questions on E-Harmony. Even when two people have all the same outlooks and goals, they still might be missing that ‘spark’ and likewise, there could be more of a connection between two people than meets the eye. But this is under the assumption that the feelings are mutual.

Getting past “What is your favorite color?” and developing a relationship can prove to be the most frustrating task of all. A relationship might be moving too fast for one and too slow for the other. The timing might be wrong - one just got a promotion at their job while the other is looking to relocate. Or to quote the revelation made in an episode of Sex In The City, “Maybe he is just not that into you?”

Whatever the scenario, it is important to keep in mind a few important points.

1. Never loss site of yourself and your goals. It is true that a relationship can open your eyes to a different life than you originally planned. Compromise is almost always necessary and in particular, marriage is a full-time job. With that in mind, it also needs to be a two-way street. If you always find yourself giving up activities and wants that make you happy to appease the other, you will resent them...and resent yourself.
2. Always be sure to make yourself happy. While this does not entail at the expense of making another miserable, I have found that you can never make someone else happy or enjoy someone else’s will to make you happy, unless you have found the comfort in yourself, first. Only you can stop yourself from taking the Prozac.
3. Never go into a relationship with the notion that you will change those things that annoy you about the other person. We all have our faults but you must realize that people very rarely change. Many times if they do, it may be for the worse. So if your significant other has a trait that sends you steaming, ask yourself if it is something you can live with. Because if you stay with that person, you will have to do exactly that.
4. The Little Things! Roses, diamonds, various gifts...these are nice but sometimes it is the simply text messages saying they are thinking about you or calling you just to say “hello”, because speaking with you makes them happy. Holding hands or taking a late night bike ride. Maybe it is because I have never been one for material things, but these are the ‘gifts’ that bring a smile to my face.
5. While opposites may attract, it is the belief in one another that bonds. Life can change in an instant and your belief in someone to stick by them and the knowledge that they would do the same for you in the face of adversity, is key. When the going gets tough, the tough should not be walking out the door. Discovery Channel had a show about a man in his forties that was struck quickly with a flesh-eating bacteria which took his entire face. No eyes..a small opening left for his nostrils and mouth. He looked hideous! His wife of twenty-years’, stuck by him every step of the way. Finding it hard to take care of himself, she did everything she could and with tears in her eyes, cried out that she loved him as much today and she ever did. This man had no face! People bolt at the slightest hangnail, and this woman would not budge from her husband’s side. That my friends, is love!

But even with all the love in your heart and the best intentions, the relationship still may not work out. Whatever the reason and however much it hurts, you must brush yourself off and keep going. Take the experience as that. Myself, I have enough “chalked up to experience” but that hasn’t jaded me enough to retire from dating. It is just made me more aware of my wants and desires and traits I find important in myself...and in others.

Dating Faux Pas Part Duex

2007-08-14T14:24:00.003-04:00

11. Do Not Invite Your Friends On The Date To “APPROVE” Of The Date. If you cannot decide for yourself if you like someone then you have deeper issues than finding a date. This also means you do not have any character judgment so inviting a friend, who shouldn’t be a friend then since you do not have the ability to judge someone yourself, is not going to help.

12. Lecturing and Giving Advice! It is great to have viewpoints and opinions, but sometimes people need to learn when keep those points to themselves. For example, criticizing what they order or telling them their diet habits are “awful”, is not the way to ‘win friends and influence people’. In fact, it is the quickest way to end a date. People need to understand that different viewpoints and opinions are what make people unique.

13. Ladies and Gentlemen...May I Have Your Attention! On a date, women should act like ladies and men should act like gentlemen. Sounds easy enough, right?

Gentlemen-Open doors! Chivalry is not dead unless by some chance you are dating Susan B. Anthony.
Ladies-Do not take longer than 5 minutes in the bathroom. Save the text message critiques to your friends for after the date. Even then, make up your own mind about how the date went and what YOU thought.
Gentlemen-Do not order for the Lady. Women do have brains and should be able to decide for themselves what they want to eat. Likewise…
Ladies-do not order through your date. You do not need to look to him for approval as to what you are ordering.
Don’t bash the opposite sex. If you are on a date with someone OF the opposite sex…there might be a slight conflict of interest if you exclaim comments like, “all men are assholes.” Just a guess though.
Don’t feed each other unless you want the people around you to throw up. Pass the plate, pass the fork but this is not the time for a scene from 9 ½ Weeks.
Don’t have a drinking contest (Yes, I need to take heed to this one!) Exclaiming to your date that you can ‘out-drink’ them is not a sure-fire way to a second date.

14. First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage...NO! First comes the first date and don’t blow it by talking about wanting to get married and/or having kids. Maybe not even by the fifth date! Look, getting married and having kids can be a goal but it is not a way to start off a relationship. Why you ask? Because at the get-go people are just getting to know each other. The love and trust that needs to (or at least should) be present when you are considering marriage, you will not find on the first date. You are not the Montague’s and Capulet’s.

15. The X Factor. You’d be surprised how many people start talking about their past relationships right away. Maybe at some point during a long term relationship, two people can briefly discuss their past relationships, as this does help someone to learn about a person and what they have gone through. But leave out all the intimate details! If you explain how Dick cheated on Jane with Jane’s best friend when she was at work trying to support his ‘broke ass’ and then he ran up a $10,000 credit card bill gambling, drinking and going to strip clubs and now Jane’s best friend is pregnant with Dick’s baby…obviously you are still unresolved about the relationship. Relationships, any kind, are still experiences and you should learn from them. The focus should not be on who did what to whom but about what you learned and took away from the experience to try to make yourself a better person and spouse.

16. Be on time!!! Ladies, I know this mostly pertains to you but please do not leave your date waiting more than 5 minutes for you. No, he does not enjoy having your cats crawl over him while he sits uncomfortably on your couch with your parents/roommates/etc. giving him the Spanish Inquisition.

17. Common Places-do not go to a place you are a regular at. Most likely you will run into someone you know and many people then become distracted from their date. Also, do not sit at the bar on a date. Watching the television at a pub ‘n grub is not the environment for getting to know someone.

18. No Flirting With Someone Else! Bar and wait staff are the most accessible but no, they do not want your number. And if they do flirt back, they probably just want a bigger tip.

19. Don’t Talk About Yourself The Whole Date. “I…I…I…” Your date might start to think that is the only vowel you know in the English language. Having a conversation, whether on a date or not, is an exchange of ideas and experiences. Share with one another!

20. Don’t Ask Stupid Questions… “What do you find attractive about me?”… “Do my boobs look even?” Yes, people actually ask these questions. For what reason, I assume to bring attention to a particular feature or for a self-esteem boost. For more examples, see The Ten Date-Killing Questions.

The Ten Date-Killing Questions!
1. How many people have you slept with? As much as you might want to know…don’t ask.
2. Where was the most interesting place you had sex? Again, as much as you might want to know…don’t ask!
3. Do I have something in my teeth? Just go to the bathroom and look for yourself. And if you say this as a ploy to get someone up close to your mouth, than that is just, well, pathetic!
4. Have you ever cheated on someone? “Yes, in fact I am cheating right now by dating you.”
5. Where do you see yourself in five years? This is a question for a job interview…not a date.
6. Are you a member of the mile-high club? And if you live in Denver, you already know the answer to this.
7. What was your last girlfriend/boyfriend like and/or have you ever been in love? These are not questions to ask until much later in the relationship. Bringing up past relationships early on is a “no-no”.
8. What is the craziest thing you have ever done? Don’t ask a question you might not want to know the answer to!
9. What’s your bra size? Real or Fake? This one is pretty self explanatory as to why it is inappropriate. Worse off, if you actually respond to the question…
10. Have you ever thought the Taliban was correct in their actions against the U.S? Avoid riot-inciting questions and commentary.

Bonus question and my personal favorite: Did you vote for Bush?
…the second time?

In an effort to be more “positive”, here is a list of Do’s!!!

1. Do ask questions and be generally interested in their answers.
2. Do have a plan! Decide what you both would like to do ahead of time this way you and your date are not asking each other what you want to do all night. Look to establish at least 3 points of the date ahead of time and don’t let the last one be “your place or mine?”
3. Do wear underwear…I know, I know…I am being cheeky.
4. Intros are essential! If you do end up bumping into someone you know, be sure to introduce your date right away. You want to make the person you are with feel comfortable and appreciated.

So I can only think of 4 Do’s for now…give me time, I might come around with a few more eventually. Now get out there and have some fun!!!

Written In Collaboration With Timothy Price

“Love is stronger than any other emotion. When you do have that feeling, it should be cherished and protected with trust, respect and honesty.” Mike Kales Jr.

Trading Down: “Made In China”

2007-07-18T15:32:00.003-04:00

Our most popular export is our nearly 3 million manufacturing jobs lost since mid-2000, as U.S. companies have moved production overseas to lower-waged nations. Yet the Bush administration is still not heeding the advice from economists warning that the United States cannot sustain its current $800 billion annual trade deficit, which has led to trillions in dollar-denominated reserves being held by China and other Asian countries, and by Saudi Arabia and the other major oil producers. Such large reserves give these countries that possess them undue leverage over the United States, which could lead to a sell-off of dollars that would send the value of the currency skidding. This in turn might force the U.S. to raise interest rates, choking off future economic recovery.

The U.S reported trade deficit with China alone for 2006 is a mind-blowing $232.5 BILLION dollars. Recently closing 180 food plants due to inspectors uncovering more than 23,000 food safety violations, the country’s exports of contaminated vegetable protein earlier this year triggered one of the largest pet food recalls in American history. Industrial chemicals including dyes, mineral oil, paraffin wax and formaldehyde have been found in everything from candy, pickles and biscuits to seafood. One suspected cause is a lack of cold storage and logistics systems but these chemical additions into their products were not by accident.

Cutting corners in manufacturing is not strictly a food industry predicament for China. Four hundred and fifty thousand radial tires are being recalled due to the tires missing a necessary gum strip that prevents tire separation. To add insult to injury, the company importing the tires, Foreign Tire Sales, had originally sought the U.S. federal government’s help with the recall, saying it did not have enough money to recall all the tires itself. This New Jersey company wanted to import inexpensive tires to save a few ‘pennies’ but then wanted the taxpayers to pay for what is readily their product and their responsibility.

In more uplifting new, bargain toothpaste now contains diethylene glycol, a known poison commonly used in antifreeze. It has been profitable to substitute this chemical for its cousin, glycerin, which is usually more expensive. Glycerin is used as a thickening agent in toothpaste and is also commonly found in food, drugs and household products.

But not everyone is China is profiting from these the high export rate. There is a widening income gap and threats of social unrest. “Under China’s “iron rice bowl” system of the 1950’s and 60’s, all workers were protected by the government or by state-owned companies, which often supplied housing and local health coverage. But by the 1980’s, when the Maoist model had given way to economic restructuring and the beginning of an emphasis on market forces, China began eliminating many of those protections-giving rise to mass layoffs, unemployment, huge gaps in income and pervasive labor abuse.” *

With much of the international spotlight now focusing on these issues, where the Chinese government is not lacking is in the severity and punishment of corrupt executives. Unlike the U.S’ mockery of a judicial system in handling Enron, Tyco, etc., the Supreme People’s Court approved the death sentence against Zheng Xiaoyu, who was convicted of taking bribes worth some 6.5 million yuan ($850,000) from eight companies. He was executed earlier this month. “Zheng Xiaoyu’s grave irresponsibility in pharmaceutical safety inspection and failure to conscientiously carry out his duties seriously damaged the interests of the state and people,” reported Xinhua news agency citing the high court.

Investigators found Zheng and his subordinates abused new rules in renewing drug production licenses to squeeze kickbacks from companies. “We must ensure that those who have power fulfill their duties and responsibilities, and if anyone abuses their power they will be punished,” proclaimed Yan Jiangying, spokeswoman for the State Food and Drug Administration. Perfectly stated…should not those leaders allowing the U.S. economy to be held hostage to foreign nations be held responsible?

Sources:
* “China Drafts Law to Boost Unions and End Labor Abuse”, New York Times, 10/13/2006
“China’s Trade Surplus Surges 73 Percent”, New York Times, 6/11/2007
“Trade Deficit Soars To Record”, Associated Press-The News Journal, 2/11/2006
“In Food Safety Crackdown, China Closes 180 Plants”, New York Times, 6/27/2007
“Chinese Tires Are Ordered Recalled,” New York Times, 6/26/2007
“U.S Trade Deficit Is Called a Threat to Global Growth”, New York Times, 9/5/2006
“Toxic Toothpaste Made in China Is Found in U.S.”, New York Times, 6/2/2007
“China Executes Ex-Drug Chief for Graft”, http://www.cnn.com/world, 7/11/2007

What Are We Doing To Each Other?

2007-07-07T01:31:00.001-04:00

An injured Lebanese boy seeks comfort from his mother in the picture on my wall above my computer. He leans over his mother; both of them covered in blood. Her hands reaching up trying to comfort the boy’s cries. An Israeli rocket hit their van as they fled through the coastal city of Tyre in southern Lebanon.

As a currently childless woman, I can not help but fear ever being in position of fright and helplessness at the actions of other people and their effect on my future children. Should I dare ever bring another human being into this hurtful world?

-A 3-year-old boy died in Chinese hospital after ingesting pesticides and was denied medical care until his grandfather could pay for the treatment. The boy died after the grandfather left to raise money.

-Mukhtar Mai, 4 years ago, was gang-raped by four men in her village in Pakistan to punish her brother for an offense they believed he committed. Her honor destroyed, she was expected by her community and even her own family to kill herself in shame.

-Formerly ChevronTexaco dumped more than 18 billion gallons of toxic waste into the soil and water of a previously pristine section of the Amazon rain forest. Too poor to move, parents have watched their children play and their livestock feed in areas contaminated with these hazard wastes. Rene Arevalo who lived near a separation plant that was once operated by a Texaco subsidiary and lives with his five children drink contaminated water… “What else can we do?”

-Ayaan Hirsi Ali had her genitals cut out when she was 5-years-old. Her clitoris and labia were carved out and the whole area was sewn up so that a thick band of tissue forms a chastity belt made of her own scarred-flesh. “What were we being kept pure from? Somebody owned us. What was between our legs was not mine to give. I was branded.” (Infidel, Ayaan Hirsi Ali)

-Kazakhstan, Sept 2006, a government official confirmed that 55 children had contracted the H.I.V. virus through contaminated blood or used needles at a hospital.

-On an icy February morning 19 years ago on a Bronx street, Alison Dolan was left in a Bud Light box in a filthy alley. The plight of babies who are abandoned in the U.S.-left in dumpsters or gas station bathrooms or vacant lots.

-171 million children throughout the world work in hazardous conditions or with dangerous machinery.

-In less than a decade, an estimated four million people have died in the Congo, mostly of hunger and disease caused by fighting. It has been the deadliest conflict since World War II, with more than 1,000 people still dying each day. (“In Congo, Hunger and Disease Erode Democracy”, New York Times, 6/30/2006)

-88,345 homeless people live in Los Angeles and the surrounding communities. Close your eyes, and they disappear. Better yet, tell them to get a job!

-Rebecca Riley, 4-years-old dies of a drug overdose after being prescribed medication for ADHD and bipolar disorder since age 2 ½. She was 2 ½…yes, it is called ‘terrible twos’ for a reason. Nothing new but hey, pharmaceutical companies can make money and doctors kickbacks from such diagnosis’s.

-After bouts of hypertension and diabetes, Mary Rose Derks, a 65-year-old widow, scrimped money out of her grocery fund for an insurance policy that promised to pay eventually for a room in an assistant living home. After paying for the insurance, now 81, has yet to receive a penny from the Conseco Insurance while her family has paid around $70,000 in care.

All blips in the morning newspaper…if you even get one that covers such events. Wash down that bagel with your Starbucks, put your head back in the game and remember, who makes the most money wins!

Where has our compassion for one another gone?

Sovereign Anatomy

2007-05-31T08:52:00.002-04:00

Who makes decisions about your body? New laws give physicians and hospitals the right to deny the best care…even in emergencies. A recent poll conducted by Self.com resulted in nearly 1 in 20 respondents noting an incident in which their doctor had refused to treat them for moral, ethical, or religious reasons.

“Doctors swear an oath to serve their patients. But instead, they are allowing their religious beliefs to compromise patient care,” says Jamie D. Brooks, a former staff attorney for the National Health Law Program. At the forefront of this controversy is woman’s health care.

Lori Boyer was trembling after being sexually assaulted by an acquaintance. Bruised and shaken, she drove straight to Good Samaritan Hospital in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. After speaking to a rape counselor, she met with Martin Gish, M.D. for a pelvic exam and inquired to the doctor about the morning-after pill, which the counselor had mentioned earlier. She was mid-cycle, putting her in danger of getting pregnant. “No,” replied Dr. Gish. “It’s against my religion.” Emergency contraception is most effective within ideally 72 hours. She now had to look for another doctor who was willing to put religious beliefs aside in order to prevent a forced pregnancy. “I was so vulnerable,” laments Lori. “I felt victimized all over again. First the rape and then the doctor making me feel powerless.” Luckily Boyer was able to find a physician in enough time to prescribe her EC.

“What person who has been raped would really welcome a pregnancy from that?” asks James Trussell, Ph.D., director of the Office of Population Research at Princeton University. “Even if you oppose abortion, what could be better than preventing the pregnancy in the first place?”

In the absence of any local laws, it is up to individual hospitals to decide whether a rape victim will be given – or even told about – emergency contraception. (Glamour, May 2006) In The New England Journal of Medicine survey, 8 percent of physicians said they felt no obligation to present all options to their patients. Eight percent might not seem to be a high percentage but imagine you being one of the numerous patients to a doctor that falls in that 8%. “Especially in a crisis situation, like a rape, you often don’t think to question your care. But unfortunately, now we can’t even trust doctors to tell us what we need to know,” Jill Morrison, senior counsel for health and reproductive rights at the National Women’s Law Center points out.

There have been highly publicized articles and discussions about pharmacists who have refused to dispense birth control and emergency contraception. But more and more incidents like Lori Boyer’s are being noticed.

Cheryl Bray, a single 41-year-old, had decided to adopt a baby from Mexico. Where woman are dying because they are poor and having unsafe abortions since it is illegal. Those that do go through with a pregnancy often cannot afford to raise the child and put he/she up for adoption. Being a well-respected realtor in California, Cheryl decided to open her home and her heart to one of these children. She had already gone through a long and arduous application process along with various inspections, background checks, etc. One of the last requirements was to undergo a routine physical. “So, your husband is in agreement with your decision to adopt?” inquires Fred Salley, M.D. “I’m not married,” Bray told him. “You’re not?” He calmly put down his pen Bray recalls. “Then I’m not comfortable continuing this exam.” He later stated that his “decision to refer Ms. Bray was not because she was unmarried; rather, it was based on my moral belief that a child should have two parental units. Such religious beliefs are a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States.”

So by Dr. Salley’s statement and belief that a child should have two parental units, then widows should never be allowed to raise their own children unless they immediately get remarried. Interesting! As for the second part of his statement about religious rights, Bray has a right to her beliefs just as much as Salley. “Apparently it is ok to discriminate against somebody, as long as it’s for religious reasons,” Bray surmises.

Besides the doctor’s beliefs to content with, nearly one in five hospital beds is in a religiously owned institution, according to the nonprofit group MergerWatch. Often times, mergers take place at hospitals. As a result, the name of the hospital might not change but its philosophy does. Every Catholic hospital is bound by the ethical directives of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which forbid abortion and sterilization (unless they are lifesaving), in vitro fertilization, surrogate motherhood, some prenatal genetic testing, all artificial forms of birth control and the use of condoms for HIV prevention. (“Is Your Doctor Playing Judge?” Self, June 2007)

At just 14 weeks pregnant, Kathleen Hutchins had her water break. Because there wasn’t enough amniotic fluid left and it was too early for the fetus to survive, the pregnancy was hopeless. Hutchins would miscarry in a matter of weeks but in the meanwhile, she stood at risk for serious infection, which could lead to infertility or death. Hutchins chose to go to local Elliot Hospital but Elliot had recently merged with nearby Catholic Medical Center – and as a result, the hospital forbade abortions. “I was told I could not admit her unless there was a risk to her life,” Dr. Goldner remembers. “They said, ‘Why don’t you wait until she has an infection, or she gets a fever?’ They were asking me to do something other than the standard of care. They wanted me to put her health in jeopardy.” (Self, June 2007)

South Dakota Governor Michael Rounds, signed into law the nation’s most sweeping state abortion ban in March 2006. The law makes it a felony to perform any abortion except in a case of a pregnant woman’s life being in jeopardy. (“South Dakota Bans Abortion, Setting Up A Battle”, The New York Times, 3/7/2006) But who decides when a woman’s life is in jeopardy? For Kathleen Hutchins, it was the local hospital. Isn’t it her body? Shouldn’t she ultimately make that decision? Not when doctors and hospitals are given the right to refuse care. They are making your decisions.

Since 2005, 27 states introduced bills to widen refusal clauses. Four states are considering granting carte blanche refusal rights – much like the law adopted by Mississippi in 2004, which allows any health care provider to refuse practically anything on moral grounds. (Self, June 2007) “It’s written so broadly, there’s virtually no protection for patients,” says Adam Sonfield, senior public policy associate for the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-health research group.

The relationship between patient and his/her doctor should be ‘sacrosanct’, and the moral condemnation of a doctor’s faith on a patient has caused patients to retreat from seeing and vocalizing their health in fear of being judged. As upsetting and discouraging as these changes might be, we must always be in control of our own body and health.

In 2002, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, a hereditary autoimmune disease. After years of arguing with doctor’s that I knew something was not right, it was a gastroenterologist that finally looked into it. Blood tests confirmed my assumptions and he referred me to an endocrinologist for further medical attention.

After being under the endocrinologist’s care for a year and taking the prescribed Levoxyl, I still did not feel any better. Being concerned about my health care, I read articles and studies on various medications and treatments. When I confronted my doctor, he responded “You shouldn’t read so much!” Needless to say, that was my last visit with him. I found a new endocrinologist who listened to my concerns and wound up changing the brand of medication. Although the main difference is just the fillers in the medication, sometimes it is even something that small that can make a difference. Luckily I had enough gumption to not accept substandard care but many people do not.

Doctor’s seem to forget that EVERYONE is different. We can all have a different reaction to the same treatment and as a doctor, you should always look to finding what is best for your patient.

Beyond Repair

2007-03-13T11:30:00.002-04:00

Beyond repair...two words you dread hearing from your mechanic. You take it in for an oil change and lo-and-behold; the engine is about to fall out. Everything seemed fine…and yet sometimes the damage was done a long time ago and just grew beyond control. Other times, it was a specific incident that led to its place in the junkyard.

But this rant is not going to be about car maintenance rather it is about personal maintenance. You hear it all the time…throughout life you will have your “ups-and-downs”, “good times and bad”. You might have a “bad time” now, but if you keep trying your best, you will move past it and lead into a “good time”. Like most normal human beings, you and I understand this concept. A leak in your roof, your car breaking down or even losing a big client might upset you…you might have a few drinks, smokes, go for a long run…whatever mechanism you have for dealing with negative situations, you allow yourself to move past it. Whether it is a multitude of smaller aspects that fester, a larger incident that breaks them, or being a lemon from the beginning, some people are beyond repair.

A 101-year old woman using a walker was on her way to church, when a man, caught on tape, hit her in the face and then took her purse. He then proceeded to rifle through her pockets, stunned, the victim tried to keep her balance from the hits to the head. The mugger had a clear exit and no threat around him. Purse in hand, this vicious monster then knocked the victim to the floor. Maybe he thought the walker was an act and she would try to run after him. At this point, he allegedly hoped on a pink bike and shortly thereafter, mugged an 84-year old woman who was also using a walker.

I cannot fathom any valid argument or excuse for this individual’s behavior. Maybe his grandmother abused him with her walker, and seeing those steal rods sent years of torture surging through his veins? Maybe an old lady ran over his prized blue bike, now reducing him to the pink one? No matter what trials and tribulations you might have personally gone through, to commit an act such as this, you must not have a soul or any cylinders working for that matter, and are therefore, beyond repair.

Of Taunts and Torture

2007-01-20T23:19:00.002-05:00

It is not often a story in the news makes me chuckle. But just recently I came across a New York Times headline: Iraq To Review Hussein's Execution. Hmm...ok. I read on: "Iraq’s Shiite-led government said Tuesday that it had ordered an investigation into the abusive behavior at the execution of Saddam Hussein, who was subject to a battery of taunts by official Shiite witnesses and guards as he awaited his hanging." (NYT, 1/3/07) Insert giggle here.

It goes on to say, "In an unofficial cell phone video recording that was broadcast around the world and posted on countless Web sites, Mr. Hussein is shown standing on the gallows platform with the noose around his neck at dawn on Saturday, facing a barrage of mockery and derision from unseen tormentors below the gallows." I love the word "tormentors" here because that is certainly one of many horrible nouns to which Mr. Hussein holds.

I couldn't believe what I just read. Are people serious? Have they not read any news on Iraq for the past quarter century? Let’s recap:

Saddam Hussein seized power in 1979. The list of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Saddam Hussein and his regime is a long one. It includes:

• The use of poison gas and other war crimes against Iran and the Iranian people during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. Iraq summarily executed thousands of Iranian prisoners of war as a matter of policy.

• The "Anfal" campaign in the late 1980's against the Iraqi Kurds, including the use of poison gas on cities. In one of the worst single mass killings in recent history, Iraq dropped chemical weapons on the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988, in which as many as 5,000 people -- mostly civilians -- were killed. Another 10,000 were injured. The attack is part of the government's campaign to suppress rebellious Kurds across northern Iraq. The campaign leaves 180,000 Kurds missing and presumed dead.

• Crimes against humanity and war crimes arising out of Iraq's 1990-91 invasion and occupation of Kuwait.

• Crimes against humanity and possibly genocide against Iraqi Kurds in northern Iraq. This includes the destruction of over 3,000 villages. The Iraqi government's campaign of forced deportations of Kurdish and Turkomen families to southern Iraq has created approximately 900,000 internally displaced citizens throughout the country.

• Crimes against humanity and possibly genocide against Marsh Arabs and Shi'a Arabs in southern Iraq. Entire populations of villages have been forcibly expelled. Government forces have burned their houses and fields, demolished houses with bulldozers, and undertaken a deliberate campaign to drain and poison the marshes. Thousands of civilians have been summarily executed.

• Possible crimes against humanity for killings, ostensibly against political opponents, within Iraq.

Even at Hussein's trial, more atrocities were demonstrated. Ahmed Hassan Mohammed detailed the killing of 148 people in the village of Dujail, north of Baghdad, in 1982. The Iraqi forces' torture equipment included a mincing machine sometimes fed with living human bodies, he said. But heck, he could be making it all up! Maybe he watched The Texas Chainsaw Massacre one too many times.

And with that thought, Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases on the grounds that it is a violation of the right to life and the ultimate form of cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment. "Saddam Hussein and his aides should certainly have been held to account for the horrific human rights crimes committed by his government but this should have been through a fair trial process and without recourse to the death penalty. Reports that Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti had his head severed during the hanging only emphasis the brutality of this already cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment," said Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme. Nothing wrong with a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment for cruel, inhuman and degrading men.

Even 'our fearless leader' Bush chimed in on the execution: "It basically says to people, "Look, you conducted a trial and gave Saddam justice that he didn’t give to others." But then when it came to execute him, it looked like it was kind of a revenge killing." No, Mr. Bush, a proper ‘revenge killing’ would be if we could kill him 20,000 times...for starters.

If you still share a similar viewpoint to that of Amnesty International, then let me leave with a little bedtime story…

Once upon a time in 1988, a 12 year-old boy named Taimour was taken prisoner by the big back Iraqi forces that burned down his village of more than 4500 villagers. Separated from his family, he was thrown in jail with other children. Many of who died because they were hungry. After surviving there for 30 days, he was whisked away on a bus with no windows, struggling to breath the entire ride to the majestic border of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. After they arrived, they were allowed to have some of the 'magic' water that turned his body numb. Surrounded with 30 other busloads of people, the Iraqi forces had them climb down in over a hundred holes dug specially for them.

Waiting there till it got dark out, the Iraqi forces then starting shooting at the people. All men, women and children. Goodness, was little Taimour frightened. There was one woman Taimour noticed that was pregnant and about to give birth. They threw into the hole too and shot her so many times her stomach got ripped and the baby fell out. Taimour was then shot multiple times in the back and shoulder but survived and played dead until the soldiers eventually left. And then he woke up! What a horrible nightmare.

Kids certainly have a vivid imagination, wouldn’t you say?!

Note: I would gladly 'pull the trigger', 'secure the noose', 'flip the switch', 'inject the needle'...to kill Saddam Hussein…one less psychopathic scumbag to worry about!

Sources:
-Bush Widens Iraq Criticism Over Handling of Executions
-Saddam Hussein's Iraq

Bah Humbug!

2006-11-22T13:15:00.002-05:00

The holiday season is about giving thanks for the gifts that life has given us. But if you are like most people, that optimistic outlook has disintegrated like a mistletoe on fire. Countless hours huddled up in department stores or worse yet, camping out three days in front of Best Buy for the new PlayStation. And we really wonder why the rest of the world thinks we are materialistic, selfish morons?

It all starts with kids. I was in their position not TOO long ago. Christmas was not about giving but about receiving! A list for Santa 5 pages long...and worse yet, disappointed when I didn’t get everything on the list. I have two amazing parents but looking back, they probably should have taken me to homeless shelters and soup kitchens to see kids my age, and what they would not be getting for the holidays. Not to make me feel bad but to learn to give back and certainly, be more humble. How many different versions of Barbie’s do you really need? It is an essential lesson and one I learned later in life. I understand now how hard my parents struggled to give me everything they could but I didn’t see that back then. I only saw what they couldn’t give me rather than what they could.

Fast forward to 2006. A wiser Geiss emerges. Someone who sees the world with open eyes and has made a concerted effort to give back and help others. But today I sit at my desk with a ‘Toys for Tots’ box stowed by my legs and out of site. A friend had approached me about helping out and collected donations for the United States Marine Corps Program. The Not-for-Profit Charity that distributes donated toys to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted. The primary goal is to “deliver a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders.” WOW! Sounds good to me. Unfortunately, the flyers we put up saying this exact same thing did not warrant a positive reaction from some.

When did “giving” actually start to offend people?

I am sure if the banners were about giving away a cruise or that coveted PlayStation 3, I could have kept them displayed.

Happy Holidays!

Snoozing Through Our Wake Up Call

2006-09-12T17:35:00.001-04:00

Five years ago yesterday, it was another beautiful Tuesday morning. I had just received my promotion and things were going well. Arrived at work in Uniondale, Long Island at 8:30am. The sun was already beaming through the huge windows at my desk. My supervisor was sitting across from me listening to her voicemail. Flicking on my computer to start my day, she hung up her phone and announced to me that a plane hit the World Trade Center.

“What a moron,” I thought to myself. “Probably some stupid, rich asshole who just got his pilot’s license flying his ‘more money then I will probably see in a lifetime’ Cessna.” Shortly thereafter, a co-worker came running around the cubicles saying another plane hit the other tower. The murmuring started and people made their way to the conference room to turn on the television. The vision of the two towers on fire is forever seared in my memory. A moment of disbelief as we all stared at the screen. The minute I could recapture my thoughts, they lead me to my father and sister-in-law who worked in mid-town. By the time I got back to my desk, there was a voicemail from my father. He said that he was meeting up with my sister-in-law and getting out of the city as fast as they could. He ended the call, like any of his calls, and said he loved me but the urgency in his voice made this time so much different.

Our Vice President came out and announced that we could leave. Doing so, I headed straight home and turned on the television. By this time, the news of the Pentagon being hit was also on the news. My mother called…being stuck in a classroom, I told her what was happening. My mother is not one to be easily shocked and takes things in stride more than most. This time, I could hear the utter disbelief.

Taking after my mother in many ways, I was resolute to stay calm but nothing could have prepared me for seeing the towers fall. Just a year earlier, I had stood at the top of the South Tower. My lifelong sense of safety had been shattered. Conflict and terror was something that happened somewhere to other people. Even the previous attack on the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City Bombing did not rattle my foundation.

What happened next was the most amazing part of this story.

The dust settled, and what emerged was a unified and compassionate America. Feeling like I was living in a dream, strangers would say “Hello” as you passed. Customers didn’t cut each other on the checkout line. People really would help ‘little old ladies’ cross the street. Americans proudly sang the National Anthem at events even if they couldn’t carry a tune. Even my hard-nosed company handed out American flags and told us that no one was charged for the time they left on September 11th and even wished us all well.

But like most dreams, it came to an end. Shortly after the year anniversary, people stopped wearing the flag pins on their lapels; flags on cars became scarce and soon everyone was angry again. Even criminals, who seemed to be on holiday, were back in business. Fear once again became the comfort. Who should we fear now?

We were told that Iraq DEFINITELY had weapons of mass destruction, and no doubt, would look to use it on us. Be afraid…be very afraid!!! Just turn on the news or open a newspaper…the fear was all around us. The ‘evildoers’ were coming!

Yesterday marked the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Where I am now…no one said a word. No one seemed to acknowledge that this day held any significance from any other Monday. No one had flag pins on their lapel or seemed to take a moment of silence or reflection that morning. Disheartened at the lack of patriotism…I guess I expected more.

But are we really to blame for our lack of empathy?

A country now shrouded in fear and divided by a war. No clear reason that we can agree upon for being there and knowingly lied to by our government about those reasons. Headlines reading about 40,000 Iraqis being killed…photos of children killed and maimed during this warfare…thousands of fellow Americans, trying to serve this country, but being killed for another. Fueling the flame of discord, the tears in this countries fabric are now visible.

A government for the people by the people…but if our government sets a bad example, is that a valid excuse to follow? Doesn’t it come down to the individual level?

It is easy to blame others for the misfortunes we feel. I am prime example. I write rants about bad government policy but rather than take the 20 minutes to vote at this last primary, I went to spinning class. Rather than join my local community service club, I used the excuse I was too busy. Rather than fetching a homeless woman food, I looked at my feet and kept walking. Being more concerned with saving my money for an I-pod then donating a few bucks to the St. Judes Church who keeps sending me address stickers.

If September 11th has taught me anything, it is that life is short and unpredictable. Making excuses and holding grudges will not make me feel better. Showing compassion is actually easier than hate…for I must be the change I wish to see in the world.

Rise and shine!

Door-to-Door Soul Service

2006-07-14T15:16:00.005-04:00

Trying to close my eyes before takeoff, a man sitting behind is shouting into his cell phone. Impossible to drown out his overbearing voice, I soon gather from the conversation that he is a religious man and speaking to a police officer somewhere about missionaries for his church. Praying a flight attendant would insist he turn his phone off, he continued arguing about their rights to solicit religious information and pamphlets door-to-door in this particular neighborhood. “It is part of our first amendment right,” he demanded. I wish there was a right to peace and quiet!

In 2002, the United States Supreme Court ruled for a local congregation of Jehovah’s Witness and the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, a nonprofit publisher of church literature, in striking down the ordinance regulating uninvited peddling and solicitation. The ordinance had required Jehovah’s Witnesses or other door-to-door advocates for religious or political causes to get a permit. The Jehovah’s Witnesses countered that the ordinance restricts an array of First Amendment freedoms, including of freedom of speech, press, association and religion.

The court had granted certiorari to decide the question: “Does a municipal ordinance that requires one to obtain a permit prior to engaging in the door-to-door advocacy of a political cause and to display upon demand, the permit, which contains one’s name, violate the First Amendment protection accorded to anonymous pamphleteering or discourse?”

Ruling in an 8-1 decision, the court looked to pass precedent in Murdock v Pennsylvania when then Court noted that “hand distribution of religious tracts is an age-old form of missionary evangelism-as old as the history of printing presses. This form of religious activity occupies the same high estate under the First Amendment as do worship in the churches and preaching from the pulpits.” First, just because it is “age-old” does not make it right. Second, printing presses and therefore, newspapers, are optional. You CHOOSE to have a newspaper delivered to your door. Third, going to someone’s door and basically putting that person in a position of discourse is completely different from that person choosing to go to a church and engage in the discussion. Plus, this ordinance does not restrict public areas like stores, street corners, restaurants and parks.

Although the petitioners (Watchtower Bible, et al) did not challenge the procedure by which a resident my prohibit solicitation, it still puts the burden on the resident. In order to bar people from door-to-your-door canvassing, you must file a “No Solicitation Registration Form” with the mayor AND post a “No Solicitation” sign on your property. Not to mention, having to do this defaces their property. Although not a permanent structure, an unsightly one at best. And what is the solicitor is blind? Does the “No Solicitation” still apply to them? After all, the law states “and” which means a property owner needs to do both.

The lone high court dissenter was Chief Justice Rehnquist. I always knew I liked this guy! In the decision, he affirmed, “The town had little reason to suspect that the negligible burden of having to obtain a permit runs afoul of the First Amendment. For over 60 years, we have categorically stated that a permit requirement for door-to-door canvassers, which gives no discretion to the issuing authority, is constitutional. The District Court and Court of Appeals, relying on our cases, upheld the ordinance. The Court today, however, abruptly changes course and invalidates the ordinance. It is not clear what test the Court is applying, or under which part of that indeterminate test the ordinance fails. Under a straightforward application of the applicable First Amendment framework, however, the ordinance easily passes muster.”

The ordinance does not bar people from canvassing but simply allows a bit more security and accountability. Rehnquist also looked to this point, “More than half a century ago we recognized that canvassers, “whether selling pots or distributing leaflets, may lessen the peaceful enjoyment of a home,” and that “burglars frequently pose as canvassers, either in order that they may have a pretense to discover whether a house is empty and hence ripe for burglary, or for the purpose of spying out the premises in order that they may return later.” Martin v. City of Struthers.”

In striking the Struthers ordinance down, Justice Hugo Black wrote: “While door to door distributors of literature may be either a nuisance or a blind for criminal activities, they may also be useful members of society engaged in the dissemination of ideas in accordance with the best tradition of free discussion.” And what if you do not want to be a part of the discussion? I know you can just not answer your door but what if you were outside in your front yard when a canvasser stopped in? Are you forced to go into your house in order to not be bothered? The question arises of were does private domain start?

An interesting side note: In Justice Stevens opinion, he notes that “Although Jehovah’s Witnesses do not consider themselves to be “solicitors” because they make no charge for their literature or their teaching…They also explained at trial that they did not apply for a permit because they derive their authority to preach from Scripture. “For us to seek a permit from a municipality to preach we feel would almost be an insult to God…””

When you need an answer, just say it in the name of “God”.

Immigration: Part IV-Final Thought

2006-07-03T15:32:00.002-04:00

The International Monetary Fund estimated that Mexicans in the United States sent $20 billion to Mexico last year, the country’s second largest source of foreign income after oil. The majority of people are coming to the U.S. for money! People do not want to leave their homes and families, but when their governments do not support worker rights for fair pay and fair treatment, there are very few options. Those that do come here for American values and ideals, can get caught up in a decade long process.

Entering a country illegally just because you come from an unjust nation does not give you a right to break the law. “If someone wants to be a citizen of this country then let them enter our borders with our permission. Those without permission are illegal and should be arrested and imprisoned.” (Paul Geiss) There are approximately 590,000 immigrants in the country who have blatantly ignored orders to leave. (New York Times, 4/21/06) “Imagine turning more than 11 million people into criminals, and anyone who helps them,” said Angela Sanbrano, executive director of Central American Resource Center of Los Angeles. “To be treated as criminals after all the work they did isn’t fair,” commented Fabricio Fierros, an American-born son of mushroom-pickers who came to the United States illegally from Mexico. Breaking the law does make you a criminal! America does not owe illegal aliens any rights. If you truly want to be an American, then abiding by American laws is the first necessary step.

Unfortunately, I firmly believe the American government has made the legal line seem like an endless gantlet of bureaucracy. To think we have non-US citizens fighting and dying for this country every day. Those people truly love America and yet we do not even bother to put in an express lane for them.

Currently, a standard path to citizenship can seem endless. On top of that, naturalized citizens then wait again to get their family members to become naturalized. So many look to anchor babies in order to solidify an American citizenship. In California and Arizona, greater than one in five babies are born to undocumented mothers and nationwide, about one in ten babies are born to illegal alien parents. At birth these babies automatically become legitimate U.S. citizens and have full rights and protection under our laws. Plus, they have the ability to sponsor their parents as citizens once they reach age 21. (Fusion Magazine, Jan/Feb 2006) “…Any baby born in this country to any illegal alien, should not be an American citizen. So many of these criminals come to the U.S. just to have babies (which of course the American taxpayer pays for) just so it will make their babies Americans and harder for us to deport their parents.” (Paul Geiss) Officials in Los Angeles…estimate that these babies account for at least thirty percent of all Aid to Families with Dependent Children cases. (Fusion Magazine, Jan/Feb 2006) The largest group of illegal immigrant patients is pregnant women... under a 2002 amendment to federal regulations, the births are covered by federal taxes through Medicaid because their children automatically become American citizens. (New York Times, 7/18/06) Guest worker provisions suggested by the Bush Administration would expand the number of foreign-born citizens by tens of thousands.

For public hospitals and maternity wards in border states, "their care has swelled costs for struggling hospitals and increased the health care bills that fall to states and counties." (New York Times, 7/18/06) Why it must be hard to deny someone care, there are far too many American citizens, that work hard, pay taxes and still do not get the coverage and help they need and deserve because monies alloted for them, have been used on illegals. "A study ordered by commissioners in Harris County, which includes Houston, found that about one-fifth of the patients in its health system last year were immigrants without documents, most of them from Mexico. Their numbers had increased 44 percent in three years, the study found, and their care had cost the county $97.3 million, about 14 percent of the health system’s total operating costs." (New York Times, 7/18/06)

A side argument to this might be that health care costs too much to begin with, health care professionals deserve to make higher salaries. These people (for the most part...I know there are exceptions), work hard, study hard and save lives. I do not believe we should lower the cost of what health care professionals get paid but rather look to companies to pay for it. Until our government puts their foot down and insists that companies pay accordingly for their employees health insurance, these people then have to look to the state and/or federal government for help. And too many get turned away.

I sympathize with the plight befallen on those that live under corrupt and dehumanizing governments but all too often we ignore our responsibilty and coware from the horrors we see. I implore people to become involved in their government or at least, their community. For example, Mexican citizens need to start standing up for their rights IN MEXICO. If people put as much effort into the recent protests and demonstrations in America for 'Illegal Immigrant Rights' as they did in Mexico, then the current Presidential election would not be on the fence but would have outright elected Anders Manual Lopez Obrador…a Presidential candidate fighting for worker’s rights and the poor. You must be the change you wish to see in the world. - Mahatma Gandi

Immigration: Part III-The Road Not Taken

2006-06-22T15:36:00.002-04:00

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there,
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence;
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

On May 25th, the Senate approved a wide-ranging overhaul of immigration laws to bolster security at the Mexican border and to grant many illegal immigrants a path toward citizenship. With approximately 11 million illegal immigrants currently residing in the United States, action has been long overdue, but is this the best path?

On the legalization part of the bill provisions divides the currently illegal immigrant populace into three groups:

1. Illegal immigrants here for more than five years could gain their citizenship after working for six years, learning English and paying a penalty and back taxes? How much in penalties? Most immigrants’ work for less than minimum wage (minimum wage being a whole other rant), and once on a “path”, you MUST learn English. How? Are we setting up a free program to teach the English to the different languages that are spoken in America? Or do we leave that to the immigrant to figure out?
2. Illegal immigrants here from two to five years would have to return to an entry point and apply for a guest-worker program. And what if they don’t? And if they do, how much will it cost? How long will it take?
3. Workers here less than two years would have to return to their countries of origin. And how are you planning to enforce this? How many taxpayers’ dollars will this cost? Even President Bush said in his address to the nation that the Catch and Release program who initiated because the government did not have enough space for detainees. Bush asserted that this program will end and asking Funding from Congress. (No! You are asking the taxpayers to pay and not just pocket change but $1.9 BILLION. Why not tax the businesses that have been found to hire illegal immigrants? These are not just small construction businesses, but multi-million dollar corporations like Target and Walmart. The new plan will punish employers who hire illegal immigrants with a fine up to $20,000 and three years in prison after an electronic verification system is established. Ummm…who from Walmart is going to prison? The door greeter?

Security! The bill provisions also authorize enhanced border security measures, including the addition of 370-mile, triple-layer fence along the border. Authorizes President Bush’s plan to send 6,000 National Guardsman to the U.S.-Mexican border. To do what? Oh, provide intelligence and surveillance support to U.S. Border Patrol agents for they cannot catch and detain illegal immigrants (CNN.com, 5/17/06). "Border State Governors expressed concern that diverting troops to the border would exhaust Guard members already drained by war deployments…and would not have troops available to deal with forest fires or other natural diseases.” (New York Times, 5/17/06) How fast can you say Hurricane Katrina? Shouldn’t a change in border security have been top priority immediately following 9/11? Oh, I am sorry…too many photo ops, too little time.

Using a bulldozer to create a new path and then leaving all the broken trees and shrubs to navigate through is not a better way to get to our destination. For the sake of diverting issues President Bush speaks to the American people like Rameses in The Ten Commandments… "So let it be written, so let it be done," with no guidance or forethought.

This President took a hard line against Iraq. A country thousands of miles and an ocean away-waged war against this country, overthrew its government…killing its people who opposed these outside forces and putting our Americans in danger and yet continues soft policy against the corrupt government right next to us. “The rich are richer and the poor, we are poorer,” said Arturo Sierra, 38, an electrician in Mexico. “The government has taken it upon itself to deliver the country to foreign governments and to the rich Mexicans, who continue exploiting workers with miserable salaries.”

Sending the National Guard “will not stop the flow of migrants. To the contrary, it will probably go up,” as people try to get into the U.S. with hopes of applying for a possible amnesty program, said Julieta Nunez Gonzalez, the local representative of Mexico’s National Immigration Institute. Immigrant support groups estimate 500 people died trying to cross the border in 2005. (CNN.com, 5/17/06) One Mexican migrant commented, “Even with a lot of guards and soldiers in place, we have to jump that puddle. My family is hungry and there is no work in my land. I have to risk it.”

This new path is sure to take more lives needlessly for the sake of salvaging corrupt relationships in the maze of money.