December 2007 archive

Dionne Warwick

Walk on By

There’s a horrible phrase that we’ve heard a lot of since the election of 2006 – “impeachable offenses”.

“Impeachable” is probably not even a real word. The word “impeachable” makes me sick. From now on, when I hear someone use that word, I’m going to ask that they don’t use it any more.

“Impeachable” is a word that we should not use if we intend to further the process of impeachment.

The problem is this – the word “impeachable” implies we have two options – to impeach or not to impeach.

I’d like to see a contextual analysis of all the occurrences of the pseudo-word “impeachable”. I have a feeling the opponents of impeachment may be the ones pushing this word into the lexicon by repeating some variation of this excuse – “Yes Bush has committed impeachable offenses, but… [insert unpatriotic rationalization here]”

The fact is, Bush’s grave offenses against the constitution leave us no choice but to impeach, or to lose our freedom.

Bush and Cheney are not merely “impeachable”. They must be impeached. I wish I could think of a new word or phrase which means “impeachment is required or else we lose our freedom”.

I suppose there are offenses which might be accurately described as “impeachable”. That is to say – there are things Bush has done which make us think “perhaps we should impeach” or “maybe it’s a good idea”, but these things are trifles.

Legislation we don’t like is a fine reason to consider maybe impeaching Bush and Cheney.

I think maybe we should impeach just because the opposition party is pissing us off with their bad attitudes.

Maybe we should impeach their president just to see the veins in their ugly heads bulge, and with the hope that we may cause a few strokes or heart attacks among the senior members of the Republican Congress.

These are all fine reasons to impeach, but they’re optional, not required.

The real crimes of the Bush administration require impeachment for the preservation of freedom and democracy in America.

Please answer my poll to help choose new words or phrases which conveys the meaning – “impeachment-requiring” offenses.

It would seem now that the only people who ever supported Joe McCarthy were John Birchers and other rightwing loons far out of touch with sanity.  Somehow Tailgunner Joe not only got elected himself but struck terror in the heart of liberals.  A recent book described the ability of Joe McCarthy to destroy Democratic politicians who opposed him.  Oddly it was a Republican, Eisenhower, who really did Joe in.

I was young and foolish once, instead of old and foolish as I am now.  I believed.  I believed in Joe McCarthy, the virgin birth, heaven and hell, everlasting fire and torment for sinners.  And then I volunteered for Vietnam.

This post is inspired by previous posts regarding anarchism and government services, in particular the fire department.  My thanks once again to all for the interesting and thought provoking responses.

It is among many of us an article of faith that equality is a good thing, and in particular that government services should be granted either equally or with the intention of creating greater general equality.  Yet, this is almost always not the case.  Most of us believe that fire departments serve to offer all citizens equal protection from fire, and that this is a right that should be extended to all citizens equally.  But this is an excellent example of how government services indeed create inequality rather than decreasing it.  

Take the example of New York City.  Ought Bed-Stuy receive the same level of service from the FDNY as the Upper East Side?  The conventional answer is yes, naturally.  But it doesn’t work out that way, does it?  But why?

In case you missed the live stream of the event, Dennis Kucinich spoke along with four other candidates at the Iowa Heartland Forum.  This was a forum where each candidate was allowed to answer questions by themselves, as opposed to the debate format we’re most used to.

In the next week or so I have to renew my PALS, ( pediatric advanced life support) a requirement of my institution along with BLS (basic life support) I also maintain my ACLS (advanced cardiac life support). I think all RNs have to have BLS and then maintaining the other two is a matter of either institutional policy or personal preference. There is a rumor that PALS has changed again so I am a little nervous about renewing.

I thought I would take this opportunity to mention that CPR is a handy skill to have given that many cardiac events happen in the home/community setting. However, unlike on TV CPR alone is often not sufficient. The survival rate for CPR along outside of the hospital is only about six percent but the survival rate improves to about 50 percent when combined with an AED. An AED is an automated external defibrillator. AEDs are very easy to use. Once you place the pad on the victim, the machine analyzes the rhythm to determine if it is “shockable”, and then prepares to do so with clear instructions. I can imagine a time when AEDs come down in price enough and they will be feasible for home use. Many large offices and public buildings have them. If your employer does not have them, encourage them to do so.

Getting certified is relatively easy and many local community organizations offer classes.

I admit I have never done it in an out of hospital setting, so I would be as nervous as you. You are covered by the ” good Samaritan” law if you do administer it and things don’t go well. Only in the United States would somebody actually have to worry about a law suit.

I should caution that surviving a cardiac event does not necessarily mean full recovery. If the brain is deprived of oxygen for too long there can be permanent damage. I work in a pediatric setting and I think our success rate with also owes to the fact that children are less likely to have any prior cardiac or lung damage compared to adults although in our particular population damage to both of those organs is a side effect of treatment in some cases.

Here is a quick guide to impending signs of heart attack or stroke. Note…. Women may not exhibit the classic signs that men do when experiencing a heart attack.