The Visit To The Neurologist

So, I think I need to give a little bit of a back story here to get everyone caught up.  In 2007 a tumor was found on my pelvis, at the time it was only about two inches in size.  It created pain, swelling and discomfort for me.  Over the last two and a half years various imaging has been done and at the last one the tumor had grown to four inches in size and other neurological symptoms have started to appear.  It was at this time that my new neurologist, thank god the old one left, and my general surgeon decided it was time to remove the tumor.

On May 3 I am going in for surgery to remove the majority of the tumor.  My neurologist told he is going to take out as much as he can without causing any major nerve damage.  The tumor is a schwannoma, basically a tumor that formed around the nerve endings, although from the imaging they are not able to tell exactly which nerve ending it is on.  There is a team coming in from New York that will be monitoring the nerves as he is working to remove the tumor and letting him know when there are bad responses coming through.  He walked me through what the procedure will entail and all the risks involved with it, which all of this I had pretty much known anyway.

I am looking at a 3 to 4 day stay in the hospital, when I meet with the general surgeon I should get a more definitive time frame at that point, along with more details about the surgery.  I am thankful the hospital has WiFi as I would probably go nuts without my laptop for that long a period of time.

Also, as it has been 25 years now, I am going to be using these 3 to 4 days to jump start a serious attempt to quit smoking.  I have already called my normal doctor and had her get me a prescription for the patch to help me out once I am out of the hospital.  It is a good time for me to quit smoking, it is something I have been wanting to do for a while, but it is a really hard habit to kick.

Well, that is today’s update, I will have more information tomorrow after my meeting with the general surgeon tomorrow.  Friday night I will find out what time I have to be at the hospital on Monday morning.

The Rise of Hatred & Fred Phelps

Hatred has been a part of human beings since the beginning, who truly can say why this one emotion lives within us or why it manifests so profoundly at times.  What is it that drives us to hate?  Is it fear, seeing something different or just simply jealousy?  Over the past week I have been introduced to a new, at least to me, hatred.  One so vile and primal in its appearance that it makes even me shudder.  As many of you already know I do not watch TV all that often, the House and Big Brother being about it, nor do I tend to follow the news all that often, so while this name may be familiar to you, it is a new one to me, brought to my attention by a friend of mine in who lives in Kansas where the subject of this blog post resides.

Of course I am speaking of Fred Phelps and his organization The Westboro Baptist Church.  I have seen a lot of hateful people in my life but nothing that measures to this, the only thing I can think of to equate to it is the research I have done in the past related to the KKK.  Most of you are wondering why I did not mention Hitler, well, while the things Hitler did were appalling, what he did was more for political means, a catalyst for him to gain control of the people and his country.  Looking over the website for the WBC, which for me the web address just screams fanatics and does not deserve my full attention by any means, I am wonder just what it is these people are thinking.  Phelps shows exactly what I have always talked about with cherry picking bible verses to fit any situation and it is very clear he does exactly that as you move around his website.

Ironically enough on the one hand WBC hides behind their first amendments rights allowing them to do all this on the other hand they cheer when soldiers die and go to their funerals and make scenes – these same soldiers that died to protect their first amendment rights.  It is simply amazing just how ignorant and savage these people are making themselves out to be.

The Constitution aside people are completely allowed to their own personal feelings and opinions.  What makes it wrong is when you try forcing your own feelings on other people, making them feel they are morally wrong because they think different than you do.  It is fine and good to feel how you want, I really do not care, but when you cross that line, and it is a clearly marked line, then you become free game.  What Phelps and The WBC are doing is evil, plain and simple.  They are hiding behind the symbol of God to spout out their hatred.  The verses they pick and choose from the Bible do not fully illustrate the point and they leave out a lot of important facts from the Bible, for instance;  If homosexuality is so wrong in the eyes of God than why is it that Jesus never talked about it once?

For those that are sick of the one sided debate about homosexuality and the bible, mainly the sewage you see spouted on TV and in the news I offer the link below for you to read.

What the Bible Says – And Doesn’t Say – About Homosexuality

That site is written by a Reverend and speaks fairly well for itself so I will comment no further on it.

Hatred is an emotion only known by men, I wonder why that is.  If we are meant to be the dominant species of this planet wouldn’t it stand to reason that we are meant to coexist as one unified species and not one with all of these separate hyphenated names?  I despise hyphenated names, they drive me bat shit crazy to be perfectly honest.  What is so wrong with saying “I live in America, therefore I am an American”?  Seems rather simple to me.  We are so concerned with saving the appearance of the individual, that we have separated this entire world in many races.  Do not get me wrong, I am all for respecting the individual, however it has gotten to the point that if you do not refer to someone by their proper hyphenated name then you are considered a racist, bigot or just plain ignoramus.  If we cannot learn to coexist without the use of labels, bigotry, racism and prejudice then we are doomed to die off before reaching our potential. 

I cannot be the only one that feels that as a species our growth has stagnated, that there are things that we should have been able to achieve but we have not yet.  Why is it we have not been any further than our own moon, in a manned craft that is.  You would think that 40 or so years later we would have moved further out into space with our explorations.  So what is it that has stopped us?  Fear and hatred when you boil it all down.  Wars and petty conflicts all over the world.  The arms race and what not.  All this money being sent in directions that only hurt us as a species instead of being used to better the race as a whole instead of just one nation at a time.  Just think of this, let’s say there is other life out there and they are aware of us and keeping an eye on us, how do you think they refer to us?  Brown, white, red, yellow or black I can guarantee you they call all of us Earthlings, or whatever title it is they refer to our planet by, because come on, seriously, Earth is a stupid name for a planet.

Fred Phelps is a prime example of why the First Amendment needs some work.  When it was first drawn up the purpose of the amendment was to allow for the rights that as colonists Americans were not getting from England.  However, recent history shows us quite clearly how easily it can be abused.  Burning and stomping on the American flag…  that is just being an asshole.  The flag is the most easily recognized symbol of our country, a symbol that many have bled, died and suffered for.  Just thinking about making the action of burning or otherwise abusing the flag legal is asinine on way to many levels.  If you are that unhappy with this country then just leave, please.  There are plenty of us that love our country and everything it entails, you will not be missed. 

Freedom of speech, religion and assembly are all truly great things, provided they are not abused.  Being allowed to have a religion that suits you and being able to legally practice it can be a great comfort to people, however these same people need to realize that this applies to other people and religions as well, even if their beliefs are in conflict to your own.  Protesting is another touchy one, yes we should be allowed to protest, but there needs to be a line, there absolutely has to.  Protesting at a fallen soldier’s funeral is a sick action.  Gathering at an airport and booing, spitting on and name calling returning soldiers is the act of a rabid animal and the best way to take care of a rabid animal is to shoot them on the spot, in the head.

Freedom of speech is and always will be the one topic that harms us as a society the most.  Again, a great idea in principle, but all to often people see it as a chance to say whatever they want without fear of consequence.  This abuse of the freedom is a part of what has led to the downfall of our society.  In my eyes it is quite simple, Freedom of Speech only applies as long as it does not interfere with another persons freedoms.  Freedom of Speech is not an open license to be able to say whatever you want to say, instead it was created with the purpose of allowing the citizens to be heard on proper issues without fear of punishment for speaking against the government.  Advocating hatred and violence are not freedoms of speech, they cannot be, they cause harm to others.  Maybe I am to old fashioned in my thinking, but I think it all boils down to the golden rule we are all taught as children:

Treat others how you want to be treated.

I think if we all followed those eight simple words this nation and this entire world would be an entirely better place.

 

I want to close with two final things, one a statement of my own.  If anyone that reads this supports Fred Phelps, please feel free to remove me from whatever friends lists I am on.  While yes you do have the right to support him, I have the right to not want to be associated with him in any manner.  Finally, a bible quote that was pointed out to me by my good friend Jason, I think it really hits the nail on the head about all of this.

1 John 4:20 – If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.

Politics Leaning So Far They Almost Fall Down

I am asked quite often what my political affiliation is and quite honestly I don’t know.  Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Conservative…  I have looked up all these titles and not one of them applies to me 100%.  I am registered as Independent, which is the wimp way of say “Fuck if I know!”  Politics, like religion is a very touchy area.  You can identify with one title, but when a subject comes up that you believe differently on you are labeled as the opposite.  Now, while I don’t know my political tag, I do know what I believe in and what works right for me.  So, below I am going to list some of the hot button topics that people use in labeling political following and I will allow you my readers to tell me what you think my political label is.

Death Penalty – I am going to start with a relatively easy one here.  Yes, I believe in the death penalty and my only complaint is that it is not used enough or quickly enough from sentencing.  The people that are against the death penalty amuse me because more often than not when you talk with them they also complain about over crowding in the prisons.  As a parent I have learned that punishment must be swift, immediate and deserving of the offense committed.  This should apply to our criminal punishment system as well.  Sentencing deals, early release, appeal after appeal…  all of these things have led to the joke that our criminal justice system is now.  I honestly do not care if it is their first offence or their 50th, there should be a single standard of punishment.  An eye for an eye may very well leave us all blind, but justice always needs to be served.

Abortion – I have sounded off on this topic before, but it is one of the hot button topics so I have to include it in here.  I am against abortion, plain and simple.  The only time I feel it is right is in cases of rape, incest or a risk of death to the mother.  Abortion is not a form of birth control and it sickens me that it is used that way.  What about a woman’s right to choose, you ask.  The right to choose ends the moment you have sex, everyone knows that sex can lead to a child despite any form of birth control and if it is that much of a concern for you there is always the morning after pill.  Honestly I do not even know where this whole “Woman’s right to choose” came from.  We are supposed to be an equal society, but yet when it comes to accidental conceptions the man has no say in it at all, anyone care to explain that one to me?

Gun Control – Now here is a nice little bomb shell.  Now before you all go quoting the Second Amendment at me, actually read it.  It does not guarantee citizens the right to own firearms, it is talking about a state run militia.  Now, having said that, I believe fully that people should be allowed to own guns.  I also believe that any crime committed with a gun should have an extra penalty added to it.  Gun ownership, like a driver’s license, should be, and really is, a privilege not a right.  We as Americans take to much for granted is what we conceive as being our rights, we have this whole national attitude of entitlement and it really pisses me off. 

Education -  Oh boy, another one of my touchy subjects.  Plain and simple our education system sucks.  Teachers need to be paid more and there needs to be a lower ration of teachers to students, honestly we should work towards a 1:10 ratio.  Funding for education is very important and needs to be a priority because honestly we have idiots graduating from High School.  Basic skills are not even being learned like math, spelling proper writing technique and penmanship.  These teachers have no choice but to pass the kids on year after year even though they know they should be held back.  Students should not have to provide items that are used by the entire class, when I was in school we all had our own textbooks and the supplies we needed were provided by the schools.

Healthcare – So, here we go, the biggest topic on everyone’s mind right now.  The current healthcare system is a mess, we all know this and we all know we need a change.  is Obama’s plan perfect?  Shit, no, but it is what is able to be passed at this time.  you have 535 people in Congress that want this and that added or taken out and for the bill to pass all of these concessions have to be made. (Now can you see why our form of government sucks?)  The people in Washington are not worried about looking out for what is best for the nation, they are focused on what they need to do to get reelected and if you think that is false, well brother, think again.  Most of the people in congress are career politicians who would not know what to do with a real job.  When our government was being established the idea was for regular citizens, like you and me, to sacrifice a few years of their time for the betterment of their country.  So yeah, Obama’s plan has my support because it is better than what we have, if there was something better out there I would be for it.  Everyone should be able to get healthcare with no exceptions.  This selective treatment by insurance companies, the insurance companies coming up with excuse after excuse not to pay, the skyrocketing costs of medications…  the list goes on and on and it is time to wake up and fix it America.

Homosexuality – What is wrong with us?  Seriously, what is wrong with all of us as a nation?  It is 2010 and we still discriminate against people, I am really starting to doubt what Darwin said about evolution.  It is entirely ridiculous that we have to institute laws to protect against discrimination in the work place based on sexual preference and equally ludicrous that we have this over a decade long fight now to get legal acceptance of gay marriages.  These are common sense things people, wake the fuck up.   We have real issues to deal with, not all this “You have offended my burning bush bullshit.”  Homosexuals should be able to marry and have that marriage recognized not only by their state, but by every other state in the country.  I don’t honestly care if homosexuality is a choice or ingrained into our DNA or whatever, these are our fellow citizens we are shutting out, Jesus Christ y’all flipped a nut when Saddam Hussein did it and we still talk about Hitler.  A person’s color, age, gender, sexual preference or anything else should never be a factor, as long as they are proper American citizens they are entitled to every other right and privilege that all Americans have.

Religion – Where to start here…  religion is fine for the people that want/need it, but it needs to keep it’s nose out of society.  The first amendment among other things, grants freedom of religion.  Well, to me, this applies to people who do not have, do not believe in, or are not sure about a religion.  Churches should not be able to have any input whatsoever in laws that are passed.  Churches want government to stay out of their doings and they need to do the same unless of course they want to drop that status quo.  Religion has a different meaning to everyone, not everyone believes the same and it is just wrong to allow what amounts to 30% of the population to say what everyone else should do, that is not even a majority!  I am not discounting religion at all, I am not even sure what my own beliefs are, that is something I have been putting off for a while now, trying to figure out just what I do believe, but in this day and age we do not need to be ruled by religion.  Look at current events and wars and conflicts through history, religion has always been at the base of it and that is a rather scary thought.  Having the phrase “One nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance is not a bag thing and neither is “In God We Trust” on our money.  Our country was founded by religious people, fine and good.  However, a lot of our founding fathers were not Christians, they were in fact Deists.  Click HERE for some information about that.  What it all boils down to is that we all need to respect each other as citizens and drop all the labels already.  We are in the 21st Century for crying out loud, let’s at least start acting like we have moved on from the Dark Ages.

Parental Responsibility – So, I think I am going to close off with this topic and I plan to cover a few different areas.  Parents need to actually start being parents, stop letting the electronic devices take care of your kids.  Force them to go outside or read.  It is your job to guide them and instill in them the core values and social skills they will need to be a worthwhile adult.  Talk with your kids, show an interest in what they like to do and please, keep an eye on their education throughout the school year and not just when the report cards come out.  Stop allowing your kids to have a feeling of entitlement, do not be afraid to say no to them or god forbid, ground them and take away the electronic devices.  I don’t know exactly when it happened, but making it a bad thing to spank your child has had disastrous affects on the children.  I understand it was all in an effort to stop child abuse, but it went way to far.  I was raised in a household where you got spanked when you did wrong and I grew to become someone that shows proper respect for people and understands how society works.  These kids I see nowadays coming into adulthood have the whole sense that the world owes them everything.  And the teens and pre-teens I see make me shiver in horror.  Kids swearing at their parents?  Threatening to call DHHS if they don’t get their way?  Teens being granted emancipation because they don’t want to take out the trash?  Give me a break, we are creating a generation of selfish, spoiled people.  These are the people that are going to be controlling the country in a decade or so, that is a scary thought for me.  Time outs, talking with your children, yes they have their place and they do work, but sometimes a kid just needs a good old fashioned seat on the ass to get their attention.

 

So, there you go, there are my thoughts on some of the bigger topics nowadays.  If you have questions about other topics feel free to ask and I will answer them.  As I said at the beginning I am just trying to get an idea of where my political standings are and appreciate any input I get.  The only thing I ask is that if you do chose to respond please be an adult about it.  Be respectful of what I have put here, I don’t care if you disagree but be an adult about how you respond to me and how others may respond.