I Had A Sleep Study

Every now and then I will do a personal post and this is such one.  Last night I had to do a sleep study and my wife linked me this blog post, and it gave me enough of a chuckle that I wanted to take my own spin on it.

To start the night off right I had Statistics class before my sleep study, nothing quite like Statistics to get you in the proper frame of mind for sleeping.  The sleep center for the hospital I go through used to be right in the hospital itself, but they recently moved it to its own building, one where the doors lock after hours.  We were at the doors that appeared to be the main doors and of course at 8:30pm they were not opening for us, now there was nothing there marking an obvious doorbell and I was not about to start pressing buttons and wind up surrounded by some SWAT team.  So, dug out the cell phone and called them to let them know we were there.  This is where the humorous part starts.

Upon seeing me, the tech did a double take due to my height; yes I am 6’8″ and come to find out they only have one bed for someone my height or taller, so they had to do some juggling with the bed assignments, not a major deal as no one else was there yet.  Now I am in the room, get into my comfy grey sweat pants, man I love these things and my wife wants to see me lay in the bed, which has a foot board.  I lay down and wonder of wonders, I can stretch out fully without being on a diagonal, booyah!  Score one for the home team!.  After some brief paperwork they ask me my usual bedtime and say they will be in about 45 minutes before that to get me hooked up.  Not bad I think as most places tend to tell you when it is time to go to bed–seems better to me to allow the patient to maintain their normal schedule so they are not under additional stress.

Oh, forgot to mention the room.  A nice private room, minus the cameras of course, with its own huge bathroom and TV.  Not that I watch a lot of TV but it is nice for background noise.  About the only downside was that I had to balance my laptop on my lap as they had no standing trays like a traditional hospital room does.  So long story short they get all the wires and belts on me, quite the process I must say and I settled in for the night.  Well, not right away, was still a little early and did some homework and what not.

The worst part of the experience was having to pee during the night.  A lot of it depended on the technician I got when I said I needed to pee, the guy had me use a urinal so I could stay connected (nice enough to aim the cameras at the ceiling tho), however the woman unhooked me and let me use the bathroom, not that it is any easier to pee with all those wires around you.  Not to mention the wires are only around six feet in length so I had to hobble around like a little old man.

Rolling over in bed to get comfortable was a challenge, having to readjust how the wires lay throughout the night.  However, it is over now and hopefully they got all the information they needed so I do not have to repeat it.  I did find it humorous that I had to come home and get some sleep as I was exhausted from my sleep study.

Paranoia At Big Brothers/Big Sisters

So for the last year or so my step-son has been involved with the Big Brother/Big Sister program.  We have been really pleased with the Big that was placed with him–they get along great and share many of the same interests.  The Big has been great for my step-son as he has opened him to new experiences such as learning to play the keyboard, something my step-son has taught himself, yes he is that bright.  However, recent events have created a shadow for me with the BB/BS program that I sincerely hope is limited only to Maine and not reflected nationwide.

One of the activities the Big wanted to do was overnight camping.  My wife and I, once we had gotten to know him, were agreeable to this and saw no problems with it.  When the Big originally signed up with BB/BS he was told this was not a problem and he would be able to do it.  My step-son has been looking forward to the over night camping trips and I think it would be great for him to experience the outdoors in that aspect.  However, with changes made to the program they have said that over night camping is no longer allowed and they will need to stick with day time activities.

Well, after some discussion between my wife and I and the Big we have all decided to part ways with BB/BS.  The major reason being that when we attempted to talk with our liaison she become very paranoid and flat out accused the Big of maybe being a pedophile, the same Big she could not say enough good about to everyone up until there was a disagreement over the rules.  That was the final line for all of us and we have permanently parted ways with BB/BS and will not be allowing the younger boys to be a part of the program.

While I can understand the need for keeping a watchful eye out for children, the persecution of adults that volunteer for these programs is ridiculous.  We have no complaints about the Big, he takes the time to talk with us, does not avoid us and gets along very well with our son.  Granted we can never be to careful and we must be aware of the signs, but sometimes the smoke you see is just plain old dirt in the air and not indicative of a fire.  The same things that people see as signs of a pedophile are a lot of the things a Big needs to employ to be successful in bonding with their little; empathy, ability to relate with them, kindness, etc.

After my experience with this woman at BB/BS over our Big I am tempted to wonder if she treats the Big Sisters the same way she does the Big Brothers.

Something Meaningful To Share

I read this one the Filthy Liberal Scum’s blog and just had to share it –

Doubting Thomas:

This is my story, and I am VERY lucky I did not get pregnant from it:

1979
18 years old
The Army
Germany, sent out to the field for the first time.
The only woman and 1500 men.
I was the Medic, they were Engineers.
Alone, in the dark being watched, only I didn’t know
Vilseck, Germany after two weeks without a shower, we were allowed to go to Tent city for 2 days.
Much Celebrating. Much Drinking. After showers the partying started.
I was invited.
A cute boy
Fun
free drinks
more drinks
Something wrong….
Room spinning
Dizzy
can’t walk
being carried
pass out
wake up
can’t move
tied up
can’t talk
gag in mouth
voices
someone on me
wet between the legs
laughter
another body on me
tears
another body
all night
over and over again
how many?
Don’t know
too many
over and over again
thrusting
sweaty
pawing
pain
tearing
more laughter
in and out of consciousness
how many?
could be twenty
could be a hundred
all ranks
all sizes
all ages
all penises
all thrusting
all sweating
lots of pain
smell of greasy tent
smell of booze
smell of tobacco
smell of man sweat
smell of semen
smell of sex
all thrusting
all groping
all squeezing
all pawing
only one, who when he saw my tears, stopped in his tracks
But he walked out, and another came in to take his place
over and over again
no help
none in sight
all night long
in and out of reality
in and out of dreams
more body’s
more men
more thrusting
how many hours?
finally the sweet release of awareness
awakening
naked
in the showers
bruises and blood everywhere
Pain,
oh my God the pain
all-consuming pain
my clothing in a pile
scrub
scrub
scrub
scrub
scrub
scrub
scrub
scrub
water is cold
scrub some more
scrub
scrub
scrub
scrub
scrub
scrub
scrub
scrub
put on uniform
met at door, by commanding Officer
stern words about MY behavior
told if I talked, it would be MY fault
Threatened with prison for “enticing”
handed orders to be transferred
Told to pack my bags
Transportation waiting
Warned again
If you talk, you die
or worse
watching blindly as the trees roll by
curling up inside of me
hiding the pain
hoping the pain will fade
as the bruises do
can’t walk, can’t sit, can’t take a shit
blaming myself
Others have
so why not me?
Guilt
it weighs on a mind
remembering what was said
silence it is my friend
denial
lock the pain away
never talk they said
never talk I did
The pain it became my friend
To this day, it never ends. 

 

Read the rest of Doubting Thomas’ story here and never forget.

Related articles

• Doubting Thomas – Rape And Forced Pregnancy – proudtobeafilthyliberalscum.com
• Can We Re-Define Rape? – doubtsinwi.blogspot.com

Finally, A Killer Is Off The Streets

Trayvon Martin - Million Hoodies March 2012 020 (Photo credit: calvinfleming)

Notice I used the word killer and not murderer.  Although the two words are considered to be synonymous, they really aren’t.  A murderer, at least to me, is someone who has been convicted of killing someone else–as it stands right now, George Zimmerman has not been convicted, yet.  Oh yes, I really used to word yet, because I do believe he will be convicted and will be spending some time in prison for his actions, as he rightly should.  I won’t rehash my stance on how he stalked Trayvon Martin, but suffice it to say my stance has not changed, in fact I have grown more determined in the fact that he is guilty and should be punished.

Special prosecutor Angela Corey has stated that the public uproar over this incident has had nothing to do with the charges being brought…  I call bullshit.  Until this incident was brought to the national spotlight, and the uproar that happened both online and off happened, the police of Sanford, Florida were doing nothing to investigate the case properly.  It was only with the online activism and real life demonstrations that the outside investigation team was brought in and the chief of police for Sanford stepped down.  Personally I think the prosecutor should have gone for a premeditated charge, but I do understand the difficulties of proving any murder case, it will be enough for me to see him tagged with a murder conviction and not just manslaughter.

I also really hope Zimmerman is denied bail.  Why?  Quite simply to keep other people out of jail.  Everyone knew he had shot Trayvon and he was walking around free for six weeks before the charges were brought.  To put him out on bail would create to much temptation for people that want to take the law into their own hands and confront him and “stand their own ground.”  Zimmerman is far safer behind bars both for himself and everyone else out there.  Despite anything else, he stalked Trayvon, he wanted to confront him and because of his actions Trayvon is now dead.  Whether or not Zimmerman intended to kill him, his own actions led to the youth’s death.

This trial will be well documented and talked about both online and off.  When it is over, we can only hope that justice will be served and Zimmerman will be put behind bars.  I have no sympathy for the man at all, his own actions caused all these events and he has no one to blame but himself and his delusions of wanting to be like John McLane.  Perhaps a decade or two behind bars and shower room love will adjust his mental attitude and allow him to be more tolerant once he is reintroduced into society.

Related articles

• Tough call: What decision will Angela Corey make? (bazaardaily.com)
• [Official] George Zimmerman charged in murder of Trayvon Martin (bazaardaily.com)
• Justice: George Zimmerman to be charged in murder of Trayvon Martin (bazaardaily.com)
• George Zimmerman Charged With Murder (abcnews.go.com)
• George Zimmerman To Be Charged In Trayvon Martin Death (mediaanarchist.wordpress.com)
• In Trayvon Martin Case, Voice Screaming For Help May Decide Case (fidlerten.com)
• George Zimmerman charged in shooting death of Trayvon Martin (theprovince.com)
• George Zimmerman to be charged in Trayvon Martin shooting death: Washington Post (theprovince.com)
• Southlanders React To Arrest In Trayvon Martin Case (losangeles.cbslocal.com)
• Open Season on Bunnies and Black Folk… (darkactsbible.wordpress.com)
• Watch: Zimmerman’s Concerned About Fair Trial: Attorney (abcnews.go.com)
• Zimmerman/martin Case – Murder in the 2nd Degree Definitions and Info (bonjupatten.com)
• Justice in the Trayvon Martin Case? (thebeautifulheresy.com)

News Round-Up–April 9th

I’ve been rather busy with end of semester school work and have not had much time to post recently so what I am going to do here is post some links to some rather interesting news links (at least interesting for me) and leave a little blurb about each one.

Impeach the Supreme Court Justices If They Overturn Health-Care Law – While I do not think we need to go so far as to impeach the justices I do think we all need to understand that these justices comes onto the court with their own political beliefs and while they are supposed to be ruling unbiasedly, they do not.  Perhaps it is time to rethink how Supreme Court justices are appointed and make sure we get people that either do not have political beliefs or are dead in the middle.  They are supposed to be ruling on constitutionality of things, not the party lines.

Down in a Swing-State Poll, Can Mitt Romney Win Women Voters Back? – Sorry to say this but if any woman votes for Romney, or any of the Republican candidates, they are damn fools and deserve whatever happens to them once these idgits are in office, if they manage to pull that one off.

Marines Want Tea Party Soldier Out – As my drill Sergeant said to me, “It is the duty of the soldier to protect democracy, not to practice it.”

Chinese Teen Swaps Organ for iPhone – I have never wanted anything that bad…  well except maybe an omelet.

‘Bully’ Wins PG-13 Rating – The fact that there was a fight to get the rating dropped from R to PG-13 sickens me.  The point of this movie is to discourage kids from bullying, yet we won’t let them watch it…

British Man ‘Fathered’ 600 Children – I do not like the word fathered here.  Fathered implies that he had some part of raising them.  Not sure if there really is a fitting word to describe the action of jerking off into a cup to get money…

Trayvon Martin Case: George Zimmerman Lawyer Cites ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome’ As Defense - Oh really now?  They are just pulling out all the stops aren’t they?

Charles Manson, now 77, gets new chance at parole – Personally I do not think he has a chance in hell of getting paroled, but it still humors me that he is trying.

And in other news I am currently looking for a job, pretty sure the whole school thing is over for me now.  I got one hopeful application in at a job I used to have before all my medical issues started and I am hoping to get that one.  However, whichever job I do get I will probably be limited on my posts here although I will try to do at least three a week.

… And Just What Is So Wrong With Socialism?

The Socialist International logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Socialism:  a theory or system of social organization  that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.

I fully appreciate I am going to draw a lot of hate for this post, I expect it, however I do hope that everyone will at least read through it and do some critical thinking before they start the braying.  The ability to think rationally, and for ones own self, is a very important ability and far to often people are not able to do it.  They fall back on the ideals that they were raised with, the opinions of their peers or what the talking heads on TV tell them to think.  Throughout my life I have always heard the term Socialism being used in a negative connotation and it took me some time to figure out why; and what I realized is that people confuse, and conjoin, the term Socialism and Communism.

Communism: a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.

Now, as one can see, the two are very different concepts, but they both still carry negative connotations.  *shrug*  I do not expect to change anyone’s mind about this issue, just want to shed some light on it.  I am only going to talk about Socialism here, as I understand it, and hey, maybe people will take the time to actually think and say “Wow, he has a point there.”  I am going to start this off with a simple question:  What is so bad about the concept of every individual working towards the betterment of the community that they live in?

Historically, Socialism hasn’t worked for the simple fact that humans are inherently greedy.  Get enough of the greedy types in power (and honestly who else but the greedy and power hungry are put into office?) and you start to have a corrupt system.  There are many examples of the practices of socialism in our society right now:  from libraries to the police departments to public transportation.  However, once the government starts stepping in with something like healthcare people get all in an uproar.  Honestly, I would rather have the government dictating (yes I used that word intentionally) healthcare to me than to have to argue constantly with someone only interested in making themselves richer and coming up with every excuse in the  book as to why whatever problem I am currently having is not covered by my policy.  I will agree that Obamacare is not the best plan, however it is a hell of a lot better than what we currently have.  There is no reason why every citizen in a country cannot have access to medical treatment without having to worry about going bankrupt.

But, I am diverging from my initial topic, Socialism.  For all you Bible beaters out there, even Jesus preached about Socialism; you know all that stuff about sharing wealth with the poor, healing people regardless of pre-existing conditions or social status.  Stepping away from the Bible and looking at regular history there are plenty of instances where the people of an entire village worked together for the benefit of the village as a whole; this happens even today in small towns and “native” peoples in various countries around the world, you know, those specials we see on History Channel and in Nation Geographic.

I am not preaching about trickle down economics, or redistribution of wealth or any of those other buzzwords people just love to use to get everyone off balance.  What I am talking about is simply this:  When is enough, enough?  Where do we draw the line at a good profit, 50%, 400%?  Having so few rich people and so many poor people creates a bad situation, I do not care what your thinking is.  This economic mess that the world is in now is everyone’s fault, there really is no individual blame to be assigned here.  It’s pretty pathetic that the so called 1% spend more to NOT pay taxes than the amount of taxes they would have to pay in the first place.  Think about that statement for a few minutes; these people are dishing out millions to lobbyists and lawyers to avoid paying taxes that would go towards the betterment of the country as a whole.

We are in a real mess here folks.  It is time to turn it around and if that means changing the concepts, than so be it.  Obviously what we are currently doing is not working, it rather reminds me of the famous Einstein quote:

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

Here is a straight up reality for you; there is no such thing as an evil concept, it is all in the application of that concept.  Honestly, what is the point of one single person having a personal worth of billions of dollars?  It is very foolish, in my opinion.  Honestly, do you think Bill Gates would have the wife he does if not for the money he has?

Related articles

• With All This Socialism Going Around… (thegoodhuman.com)
• Profit & Selfishness (involuntaryobservations.wordpress.com)
• Capitalism (involuntaryobservations.wordpress.com)
• One Nation Under Socialism – Jon McNaughton (disclose.tv)
• Our Conscience v. The Constitution (anothernicole.com)
• Politifact lies: Pants on Fire! (trutherator.wordpress.com)
• Obamacare (blogtruth.wordpress.com)