THE LIFE YOU SAVE may be YOUR OWN

Treating LIFE-THREATENING emergencies

Wouldn't it be great if adults and older children would to learn to perform CPR, the Heimlich Maneuver for choking, and how to stop hemorrhage?  It is expected that those in public service who are ubiquitous in our community, Fire, Police, Teachers, and Medical personnel, not only know how to do these things but  have basic equipment readily available.

The most important life-saving tool an average person has is the cell phone.  In case of emergency, call 911 immediately. Then try to help if you can. 

Automated External Defibrillators (AED), used in the treatment of Cardiac Arrest, are placed in public areas for use by the general public.  Few people are familiar with how to use an AED unless they have recently taken a Basic Life Support course with the Red Cross or American Heart Association. Even if you don’t know how to use one, the directions are very clear, and the machine takes you step by step. It's easier than an iPhone.  CPR is an excellent tool for saving lives but if someone’s heart has stopped, unless defibrillation by electric shock is given, the likelihood of survival rapidly decreases.

The universal “choking” sign indicates someone may need to have their airway cleared so they can breathe.  A simple technique that can be learned by anyone in a few minutes, makes saving a life in these situations much more likely.  We should learn this for ourselves, our family and to render help to a stranger, as we would want them to help us. 

If someone is bleeding profusely from a major artery,  direct and firm pressure on the wound can save a life.  With a little more that a gallon of blood in our bodies, a human being can bleed to death in a few minutes, a shorter time than it takes for the EMTs to arrive.  A simple device that has been around in some form for thousands of years, the tourniquet, when properly used, can stop even the heaviest bleeding from an arm of leg and save a person’s life.  The public should expect tourniquets to be available in public places.  A simple one costs less than $10.  Every police officer should have one on his or her person.  To protect and serve means not only from crime but also from common medical emergencies. A box of band-aids, antiseptic, and ace bandages in the trunk of a patrol car or the company first aid kit is not enough.

There are many other things that would be “nice” to have like epinephrine (adrenaline) for severe allergic reactions, and Narcan spray for drug overdoses.  Making a 911 call,  performing CPR, doing the Heimlich maneuver, and controlling bleeding are the most important and common things that  the average person can do with very little training.

NO RULES

A nation of ISMS

When people are out of intellectual Ammo, they resort to name calling. When liberals disagree with anyone, the words "stupid, racist, and homophobic" are the first arrows to come out of their quiver.  I have  no  intended prejudices against other races, genders, religions, national origins, per se.  I do however have huge disregard for some selected members of every group, male, white, or otherwise.  Some people are just sub-par, not because of their race but rather a lack or talent or they show their personal  provincial prejudices (How's that for alliteration) .  I respect Clarence Thomas, and Ben Carson MD, but not Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.  Does that make me racist?  I don't think so.  I would vote for Michelle Bachman or Kelly Ayotte but never for Debra Wasserman Schultz, or HIllary Clinton.  Does that make me a misogynist?  Not by my definition.  If I were to express my opinion in a public forum, I would be immediately labeled with whatever name would diminish me. LIke in grade school when you couldn't think of anything to support your argument, your opponent became a "poopy head." Anyone who disagrees with Obama is automatically a "racist" in many circles, certainly on MSNBC.  Can you say "intellectual vacuum?"

Every human being is equal to every other human being in the eyes of God, but I do not buy into the Animal Farm axiom..."All pigs are equal but some pigs are more equal than others," which seems to be shoved down our societal throats on an everyday basis.  I abhor the concept of special status for minorities and women (who by the way are a majority) or anyone else. The days when certain groups needed protection are long gone. NO more "laws" are needed. And lose the victimhood whining.  This is the 21st Century.   Why should it be a more serious crime if a white guy punches a black guy than the other way around because it is automatically a "hate crime" in the first instance? (Look it up).  Gays, lesbians, and transexuals have the same rights as I do, no more no less.  Women have equal rights to men and if they are working as hard at the same job they should be paid the same.  If someone wants an abortion, it is none of my business nor that of the government.  However, why should I pay for another's mistake or "choice"? Where are my rights?

I am not entitled to "choose" for others, but they likewise should not be entitled to "choose" for me.  I think the Second Amendment is a good example.  Believers in the full extent of the Constitutional right to bear arms don't want to be called  gun-nuts or white supremacists by someone who disagrees with them or told that a gun is only allowed for target shooting or hunting.  "My Amendment is good, yours is...not."  How come your choice is sacred, and my choice is up for debate?  How come when Conservatives and Libertarians  don't like something, like guns for example, they just don't buy one but Liberals (progressives) don't want ANYONE to be able to buy one?  I won't apologize for Evangelists who are committed to eliminating abortion from society, but I do disagree with the expansion of the Federal Government into decisions best left to the states.  Actually, these decisions are BEST left to people and their doctors not government.  But if you are one of those people who think that there is a governmental solution to every problem, then I have no sympathy for you when you decry government interference in a woman's right to choose or whatever you are being oppressed by.  You already decided that Government should have more power, EXCEPT in your chosen issue, which is a sacred cow.  I particularly am addressing those of you who voted to turn over the entire healthcare system of the US to the Federal government through Obamacare, known to Progressives as the Affordable Health Care Act after its abysmal roll out.

How come it is racist if a Caucasian-American votes for a candidate because he looks like him or her, but it's not racist if 98% of African-Americans vote for Obama? It isn't.  It is perfectly OK for people or races to exercise rational self-interest.  Were I a black person, I might have voted for President Obama.  This lack of a level playing field is just plain wrong.  Whether it is man v woman, black v white, or gay v straight, one side has no more or fewer rights than the other.  Maybe Political Correctness and favoritism is falling under its own weight.  The President with his "most transparent, race neutral" rhetoric but actions supporting specific groups has balkanized America.  Next election time, all the whites might only vote for white candidates and no other, all the males will vote only for other males, etc.  Sometimes the unintended consequences of name calling and favoritism can come back and bite one in the ass.  If that happens, the majority will prevail and that means all our politicians will be straight -white-women...majority, upon majority, upon majority. As they say in the Toyota commercials..."You asked for it, you got it."

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CHANGE whether you want it or not

NO, not that kind of change, rather societal and technological change that can shock the system of those of us who are old and fixed in our ways.  The list of things that are different today is endless.  A few that come to mind immediately include the disappearance of land-line telephones and the ubiquity of Cell Phones.  I can barely watch an old movie anymore.  The first time the detective has to pull his car over and drop a dime in a pay phone to call the station house, I lose interest.  His trusty 6-shot revolver is an antique compared to a Glock semi-automatic with an 18 round capacity that most police officers carry today.

Moore's law says that technology doubles every 2 years.  That's why my laptop has 250 GIGAbytes of storage and costs the same as my computer of many years ago that had 64 MEGAbytes...(there are 1000 megabytes in one gigabyte).  My 6 year old grandchildren send me text messages and photos they take on their mother's iPhone.  The iPhone has more computing power than an IBM mainframe of my youth.

If you had stomach ulcers 30 years ago, it would not be uncommon to have surgery for the partial or complete removal of your stomach. Science has since discovered that most ulcers come from a bacteria in the stomach called Helicobacter Pylori, and the treatment is now a brief course of an antibiotic and some acid reducing drugs like the ones you can buy over the counter...Prilosec for example.  When and if cardiac, abdominal, or gynecological surgery is done, it is often done through small puncture holes, or by threading a catheter into an artery.  Doctors are administratively punished for keeping their patients in the hospital too long.

In my youth, pornography was a blurry photo of a naked woman on a wrinkled old postcard from France that someone stole out of their father's night table.  Today it's no-holds-barred, free, and High Definition all over the internet.  Speaking of the internet, We used to have to go to the library and use the card catalog to search for books that help us write a term paper or do research.  Today, even my older friends use the internet search engines like we used to use the library without leaving the comfort of home.

Our people are different too.  There was a time when someone who graduated from Medical school, for example, would find a town he or she liked, move there and open a practice.  Doctors put in 100 hour weeks, made house calls, and did everything from colds to delivering babies.  Today, doctors join big groups so they don't have to manage the business side of a practice, and specialize in things like Geriatric-neuro-radiology or after 5 years of residency and fellowship, something like Hand surgery or Glaucoma rather than ophthmology.  If you call a doctor's office after 5 pm the phone is not answered by an answering service but rather you hear "If this is an emergency, please hang up and call 911."  Now we have Obamacare and many people will not be able to choose anything about their medical care, from the Doctor to the Hospital or pharmacy, therapist, x-ray facility, and... your doctor will have to use the artificial hip or knee joint that the government says he must use, or only certain drugs, and the "panel" decides whether a patient is too old to get the surgery or care the doctor and patient would like.

The societal changes are a whole other topic.  It was unimaginable that millions of people would be complacent enough to be on unemployment insurance for 99 weeks, food stamps, get free medical care and housing, and get a free cell phone.  Even if they are not even citizens of this country and are here illegally there is no end to freebies.  Most people got married before they had children.  Kids played outdoors.   More about this on another day.

BREAK the HABIT

I watch Bill O'Reilly on FOX News most weekday nights. He is in my opinion, the best commentator on TV.  That is however akin to saying "He is the tallest of the 7 dwarves."  TV commentators are habit forming and if not a TOTAL waste of time, are close. It's not like my opinion will change America one way or the other about this or anything political.  I am not being socially irresponsible by turning off these news shows.  You can get all the news you need in about 15 minutes a day from any number of sources.  I can't recommend any specific one, just try not to believe everything you hear. They all have an agenda.   Last night, Mr. O'Reilly announced that he was going on Christmas hiatus and would not be back "On" until 2 January, 2014.  This means two things: I won't be able to watch his show for 2 weeks, and I won't have to watch his show for 2 weeks.  I appreciate the fact that I am somewhat accustomed to watching these shows. I am not a news "junkie" but my name is Islandoracle and I have a habit.

I plan to begin the 12 step program to break the O'Reilly habit over the holidays.  The fact that he is not being broadcast will make it easier.  Hopefully I will have kicked the habit by the time he returns. He would then have one fewer viewer.  There are plenty of more active things I can do during that hour rather than passively sitting on the sofa in a state of osmosis.  I am not planning anything dreadful like an hour on the treadmill, for example, but I am thinking that playing the piano or guitar would be pretty cool.  I know how and I just don't play much.  I think this will also help me practice the Serenity Prayer more meaningfully.

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
Courage to change the things I can
And wisdom to know the difference










 

WE NEVER LEARN

I heard a very interesting discussion on TV last night concerning the Syria decision to "go in" or not go into a conflict of any kind with this country, SYRIA.  It seems that the President plans to choose one of these options but hopefully Congress (that's the Senate and House of Representative for you public schoolers) will be deeply involved.  Joe Biden, the current Vice President said in the past that if Bush, when he was President, went into a similar conflict without Congressional approval he, then Senator Joe Biden would push for impeachment.  So, it would be a good thing to get consensus not only in our own elected government but also at the U.N.  And also, not to be a bunch of Hypocrites in which you shoot your mouth off as a Senator threatening Impeachment, and then as Vice President you clam up when an identical situation arrises and your President acts without Congressional approval. Hypocrisy is not cool.  Hip Hop is not either.      

The point brought up by the two retired military officers whose careers were in "intelligence" is that it is impossible to pick sides in Syria.  The government is an amoral bunch lead by a man who has no problem using poison gas on his own people, including women and children, the most innocent of citizens (possibly believing that those kids will grow up to be the next generation of Jihadists since they are uneducated and hungry).  The rebels are, more of less, the same people who attacked us on 9-11, Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, Hamas, you know the folks who hate us and want us all to die a horrible death.  So these military men suggested that we not take sides at all and let the two sides kill one another.  They likened it to having Japan attack Germany in the 1940s and then we jump in one the side of one of them when it would be best to let them duke it out while we watch. For those of you educated in America's high schools in recent times, I am referring to World war 2.  It happened a very long time ago, way before the birth of Beyonce' and Miley Cyrus.