BO is sleeping on the couch tonight...

I don't know if the President is aware or not, but these fun little ice cream treats are a no no according to Mamma Obama.  The First Lady's diet program, Let's Move, is not a plan for after the election though I can remain hopeful, but is her plan to combat childhood obesity with exercise and nutrition.  While I support the idea of better nutrition and more exercise for children, I guess my attitude is less monolithic than using the federal government to push my plan to help in these areas.

While the First Lady believes, food deserts are the cause of the problem, i.e. communities that don't have access to vitamin reinforced fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, I will note that even my friends at the New York Times don't find a link between obesity and food deserts.  What?  How can this be?

Perhaps it's because some folks prefer something sweet, full of high fructose corn syrup to apples, bananas, and pears.  It's called choice and before you talk about having to pay for their healthcare when they get sick, you guessed it, I'm in favor of paying for what you use.  If I want to pay for someone else's health care I have lots of charitable options open to me like contributing time or money to the ALS Assocation, St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, or Catholic Charities.

That's right.  I am more than willing to be generous, but I dont need you spending my money for me.  Just like I wont tell you not to eat ice cream or what flavor to get.  Fair?

Even The Brits Get It...Why Doesn't O?

In another great article, this one by Dr. Tim Stanley, in London's Telegraph newspaper he discusses the clear similarities between President's Nixon and Obama.  As is usual, whatever went wrong is likely less bad for the Administration than the coverup that ensues.

As is now being recognized, the Justice Department and Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms allowed the same automatic weapons they despise lawful citizens to possess to find their way into the hands of the Mexican drug cartels.  These weapons have now been used to continue the violence in Mexico that you can only call near civil war proportions as the drug cartels wage unparalleled levels of violence against the police and military in that country.

These same weapons have also been linked to the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry who was killed by weapons his government essentially gave to the other side.

With the President asserting Executive Privilege to hide documents associated with Fast and Furious, it would seem that the Oval Office has been involved in keeping important information from the public.  For months now, Obama has claimed to know nothing about Fast and Furious, but the use of Executive Privilege indicates that The White House was involved in decision making of either the operation itself or the stonewalling since then.  Fast and Furious might better be referred to as slow and monotonous as the Obama Administration brings stonewalling to a new art form, but I suspect hindsight being 20/20 will regret this decision later.

Executive Privilege

Wow!  It must be tough for staffers in the Obama Administration trying to constantly determine where their boss will at next on issues.

Just a few years ago, when Obama was a Senator, he was against Executive Privilege...now he is for it.  But for what exactly?

How is it a guy, even a President, who wasn't involved or knowledgeable about Fast and Furious, need to invoke Executive Privilege?  The answer is simple...you either lied to us about knowing and/or approving a disastrous program or you didn't know and are now covering up mistakes of your underlings.  I am just old enough to remember the Iran-Contra hearings and the refrain from Watergate What did the President know and when did he know it?

Barak Obama had issues when he stepped into office, but this one is all his.  His leadership style has been as much like Jimmy Carter as the results, but now Obama finds himself aligning with Nixon too.

Free Speech and Change Are Okay...For Some

In an article in Huffington Post, it is revealed that "progressives" have been "publicly and privately pressing Change.org to draw a line that refuses business from anti-union groups."  I wonder how they would feel if a restaurant refused a same sex couple, blacks, or Jews.


In the wake of the Scott Walker election, it is interesting to see the complaints people have about the other side voicing their opinion.


In this case, the Illinois chapter of Stand for Children authored the following resolution on change.org:

400,000 Chicago students could be locked out of Chicago classrooms because contract negotiations are starting to break down, causing a premature strike-authorization vote to occur before anyone knows what is in the contract proposal. We strongly call for all parties to bargain in good faith to reach a new agreement. Don’t hold our students hostage in a negotiation where they have no voice!

This resolution which came about because of a potential strike vote by the Chicago Teachers' Union is straight forward and it helps parents and the community understand strike votes are occurring before the contract is even being seen.  What is surprising is that progressives think they are entitled to control the debate.  They are the only folks at the table entitled to an opinion.  This of course, being the only way to win the debate, by gagging your opposition.


While change.org states "we believe in open dialogue" it is clearly not the case if a group can cause you to tape shut the mouths of the opposition.  So, the next time you see a petition from change.org ask yourself if you want to help a for profit entity that doesn't need your opinion, they will give it to you whether you like it or not.

Budget Persective

I have to give props to my friend Sara Johns over at

KOLO for posting this video from Tony Robbins.  This is a great perspective on the national debt and how do we pay our national bills.

If you have any questions about the budget process monster or what these numbers mean in perspective - milions, billions, trillions - this is a great video.  Again, for a guy who claims to be independent he sounds awful conservative when you use facts.

I know dreamland is fun, but really, can we continue the path we have set up for ourselves?  While some olks say the debt is no big deal just pass it onto the kids, we are seeing what happens when local and state governments over leverage their budgets and the result is fewer services.  Just like your credit card and home, it is great to have a way to not have to pay for everything all at once, but at some point your credit payments become too high and you can no longer use your income to pay for regular things because all your money goes to credit payments.  Greece and Spain have been there, America isn't far behind.  Think about it.

Congrats To My Nursing Colleagues

I learned late last week that two great women who I know and have had a little bit of a chance to work with were elected President Elect and to the Board of Directors of the Emergency Nurses Association respectively.

Deena Brecher and Sally Snow are two outstanding ladies whose leadership in the area of emergency nursing earned them these positions of responsibility, but as importantly, they are nurses whose contributions to EMS is just as significant.

While I can not speak to Ms. Snow's career path, I know that Ms. Brecher has been previously involved with EMS on the street as a practicing provider before she became a nurse.  In Ms. Snow's case, she is just as likely to be recognized for her work as Trauma Director at Cook Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas.

For me the really cool part if getting to work with these two women as part of the EMS for Children National Resource Center Advisory Council helping protect our most precious EMS packages through education of emergency caregivers both in and out of the hospital and working on injury prevention programs that keep these children out of the ER in the first place.  Few things in this world are as cool as watching your friends succeed, but when you see them succeed in areas that you are passionate about - all the better.

This is a great day for emergency medicine and for emergency pediatrics!

Is this really the mentality?

This is perhaps the most frightening example of President Obama's thinking about himself.

The issue with Obama's environmental policy isn't that he picked everything, it's that he has a long history of supporting ideas the market has disregarded while penalizing those ideas the market does like.

The point here is that it doesn't always make sense to be first to the market.  When Acme Car Company decides it wants to build a new car there is a great deal of expense in building the first car.  That car must be designed, engineered, and the parts designed and engineered before the car can be built.

The first car is exceptionally expensive to build and the cost does not go down until a second, and third, and so on is built at which point unit cost becomes more manageable.  Obama of course, does not favor the approach that does work and instead wants to award his friends in green energy with expensive handouts for technology the market does not want.

The amazing electric vehicles that "everyone would want" have a nasty habit of causing fires and once you account for the energy spent charging the vehicles are no more economical, but instead are another pipe dream of the Smoker-In-Chief.

Unfortunately, his supporters are so drunk of their own self importance they seem to think that they can compare themselves to Jesus.  My issue with Obama isn't that he can't turn water into wine, it's that he turns any issue into whine.

Learning is changing one's behavior through information or experience...

...for some reason I don't think former President Clinton gets it.  One day...maybe even before Mrs. Clinton runs for POTUS again.

#BillClinton

A Moo-ving Experience

So you're getting ready for the end of shift when you get dispatched for a tractor trailer on its side.  While you are responding you are told that cattle are involved.  Well, here it is...a mooving experience that I am quite sure will mess someone's day up.

My question for the morning is how do you respond to this one.  Let's face it, you're on the highway.  Dangerous enough until traffic is totally shut down and then there is always so wahoo who wants to drive around the accident like last Saturday when a bystander decided to drive right onto downed power lines that we were trying to block until he got the bright idea to drive onto the sidewalk.

Beyond that there are ninety head of cattle which probably outweigh your crew by a pound or two so if they get goofy, your trauma shears and pocket knife probably aren't helping much.

Just some things to think about this morning as I listen to the morning traffic report and am glad I'm not out there today, though I do get to experience bookends of Memorial Day Weekend.  Yay!  Be safe out there.

Happy EMS Week

Whether you realize it or not, you are likely protected by that other "safety net" known as EMS.  You know, the ambulance drivers?  The people who skip meals so they can take you to the ER because you are experiencing pain in your chest, or your child was injured at their baseball game yesterday, or you had a motor vehicle accident that you didnt think any of, but that caused you to have a cervical fracture you cant feel (yet), but that is going to be a problem sooner rather than later.

These are the same people who also skip sleep during a 24 hour period so they can take your neighbors to the hospital, miss the same baseball games that you attend with ease, and enjoy the experience of being vomited on, assaulted in regular numbers, and make on average less than your local Home Depot cashier.

Yes, I will show up to work when I have a 101F fever on Christmas Day.  (Let's face it, Santa wasn't coming to see me anyway.)  I really don't mind doing this.  Sick is okay.

But, all of this is to say, a thank you might be in order.  No, I don't want cookies or cakes brought to the station, but I would appreciate a gesture of respect.  Those gestures can be best defined as awareness that we have a job to do and you can make it easier on yourself and us.

Part one, on a consistent basis drivers will not even yield to the ambulance as we race to go perform CPR on a two year old.  Please realize we are not using lights and sirens just for fun as they lost their excitement for me about nineteen years ago in what is now a twenty year career.  I actually enjoy fixing that puzzle that is broken for you.

Part two.  Help yourself or at least help us help you.  Two things that the American College of Emergency Physicians are pushing are for citizens to learn CPR and to have a disaster preparedness kit.  These are two easy steps every citizen should take on for themselves.

While for years people have pushed automated defibrillators in the public square and they have worked, we still experience more than eighty percent of sudden cardiac arrest events in private!  This means that if you, the layperson, need to perform CPR, it is likely to be on someone you know and love.  What better reason is there for learning how to push hard and push fast?

The other part of that is the mentality that someone is coming to get you.  Whether it be Katrina, Ike, Rita or hurricanes for many years past there has been an idea that I will just ride it out.  After September 11th, this mentality has to go and it is a moral imperative to be prepared to take care of yourself as disaster approaches.  This may mean to indeed "ride it out," but it may mean to be relocate until the event has past you.  Putting together a kit is not as hard as it seems and with a little regular practice you and your family can be ready to help yourself when the time comes.

Yes, I will come rescue you.  I will sacrifice time with my family so that I can put your puzzle back together, but help me help you.  Now go find a responder and say thanks and stay safe out there.

This has to be the best use of Photoshop EVER!

What else is there to say?  Well, it's coming later on the actual article, but to provide a quick amuse-bouche!

Carville does get it...still

James Carville, the bare headed political strategist that brought us Bill Clinton in 1992, is wrong.  He is wrong on abortion, gun rights, how to fix the economy, education, and the environment, BUT....he is right on how to campaign and for all my liberal leaning friends, forget Carville and assume the election is yours.

Carville is right when he says that his party has to fight for this election, but the advice could easily go both ways.  Anyone who takes the coming election for granted is a fool.

Carville is right that every recent election - here and elsewhere - incumbents are being tossed on their head.  Perhaps, they should have been, maybe not, but one thing I do know that I learned from watching Jim Carville is that elections aren't about candidates, but about people.

'No one cares about a politician's troubles, they have their own' hence the public in general gave Clinton a pass on his many personal foibles because the economy was ticking along.  Similarly, George Bush "won" the Iraq War (version 1.0), had amazing foreign policy success, and no outside distractions and lost to a Governor from Arkansas.

Just a suggestion, if you are in politics, you might want to listen to Jim Carville on the basics of his message.

Surprises In Life

"I've been around for a long time, and life still has a whole lot of surprises for me." - Loretta Lynn

Somedays you get off work having gone to bed at 4:30AM wondering did I make a difference, does it matter, am I just plan home yet?  You run to catch the little league game before you miss another of your child's game comfortable with the reality that at least you get to see them for a few minutes before  quiet afternoon, i.e. no more appointments so maybe a quick nap, and then it hits you...SURPRISE!

Something walks into your life that you don't get to walk away from, nor would you want to if you had the opportunity because this is how things happen.  On life's timeline, not yours, and all of a sudden the moron in the middle of the street last night just does not matter anymore because he is last night's news and problem and now you have the "here and now" to worry about so to speak.

From Dictionary.com...

sur·prise

 verb,sur·prised, sur·pris·ing, noun

verb (used with object)

1.

to strike or occur to with a sudden feeling of wonder or astonishment, as through unexpectedness: Her beautysurprised me.

2.

to come upon or discover suddenly and unexpectedly: We surprised the children raiding the cookie jar.

3.

to make an unexpected assault on (an unprepared army,fort, person, etc.).

4.

to elicit or bring out suddenly and without warning: to surprise the facts from the witness.

5.

to lead or bring unawares, as into doing something not intended: to surprise a witness into telling the truth.

I know some people love surprises, but for me, I am always wanting to know what is coming.  Yes, I was the kid who wanted to sneak downstairs and find out what was wrapped in all of those glorious presents before Christmas Day, I was the student who wanted to know what was on the test before we closed the books, and I guess I am the same in emergency services.  I mean, let's face it, emergencies move a whole lot slower for people who are prepared (hence the need to continually train).

In any case, surprises can be good or bad.  They can cause fear and loathing (testing) or they can be pleasant (that new Red Ryder air cooled BB gun) depending on perspective and timing and how the news came to you.  I'll let you know how this one turns out because let's face it, no surprise just happens.  There is always a ripple.

There is a demotivator poster out there that says no raindrop thinks it is responsible for the flood, but it works both ways negative and positive.  Some days good news comes and it feels like rain dropping on your head at first, but then you realize that the rain you are feeling is on a 90 degree day and the rain washes away the heat, the humidity, and your sweat.  Some days the news surprises you and you go wow and then it really hits you how good the news can be.

Enjoy the rain because sometimes the surprise from a cloudless day is as good as it goes.

A Good Guy Gets What He Deserves

No I'm not claiming to "know" Jered Weaver, but I am claiming to have gotten to spend a few minutes with him along with his manager Mike Sciosia and Dallas native, Torii Hunter, who caught the 27th fly out of Weaver's no no last night.

My moment came last September 11 when I was invited to throw out the ceremonial first pitch as one of the responders who did what we do ten years earlier.  The Angels were playing the Yankees and if you were looking for the definition of class act you would look up "Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles" in the dictionary as Tim Mead and his crew were amazing to both me and my family.

It only figures that good things would happen to people in his organization as they are good people.

P.S. If you are watching the standings, don't.  They don't matter today nearly as much as they will at the end of September and the Halos will be where they belong then.

Nice to see the football isn't being spiked...

I know I just wrote about this issue, but it is amazing to me that President Clinton agreed to be the spokesman for this message given he had three opportunities to remove Osama bin Laden from this world before September 11 was ever carried out and didn't execute on actionable intelligence at the time.

If he had carried out his duties as Commander-in-Chief, I think it is arguable that President Bush would never have been re-elected and arguably your Veep could have appeared stronger than he did in the 2000 general election where he lost the Electoral College by an exceptionally few votes.

White House Correspondent's Dinner

Portions of Jimmy Kimmel's speech were above the top, but as Robert Deniro said as Capone in the Untouchables "we laugh because its funny, but we laugh because its true."

Fortunately, it is a great statement that in America we can make fun of our leaders at ten feet.  It is unfortunate that they walk so easily into these jokes and do not better represent those that elected them.

It probably is a challenge defending human rights...

...while President Obama yucks it up at the White House Correspondent's Dinner while Chen Guangcheng, a Chinese dissident, is reportedly being hidden in the American Embassy in Beijing.


As media reports note,  Secretaries of State and Treasury, Hillary Clinton and Tim Geithner, were supposed to be en route next week for talks with the Chinese, but now their fragile relationship might be in trouble.  The question, should be why?


During the Cold War, Ronald Reagan had no trouble bringing human rights up again and again with the Soviet Union, lecturing the Mikhail Gorbachev when they met in Switzerland.  He had no issue bringing human rights up again and again, but what will our current White House occupant do?


Given the history of recent Democratic administrations I would be shocked if they didn't hand Guangcheng over to Chinese authorities like the Clinton administration did with Elian Gonzalez.  Guangcheng is a human rights advocate who has pushed for care of those who are disabled and against forced population control measures including forced abortion.  Given the Obama Administration's love for his healthcare death panels and previous history when a provincial police chief provided information about the murder of a British businessman, it will be no surprise if Obama continues yucking it up at the expense of those who are doing what he only talks about.

A New Babysitter

Let me get this right?

• You can carry a firearm?
• You can carry a firearm on any number of flights that the rest of us can not?
• You can carry credentials that make you an agent, a special agent, of the US federal government?
• You receive a security clearance after an extensive background check and go through more than 27 weeks of specialized training?

...and you need a chaperone?

Mr. Sullivan, is this a joke?  The men and women of the US Secret Service do not need chaperones - as you are apparently directing - for your agents.  They need to remember they are in a profession that is all about honor and maybe your boys and girls need a little lesson in honor and not another babysitter.  Aren't they busy enough babysitting prima donnas to need a babysitter themselves?

I am appalled by the behavior of the gentlemen, and I use the term loosely, in Cartagena and probably in El Salvador and we could go on and on I am sure now that the lid is off.  Using the Bushido Code that followed the samurai, Honor meant you were born and bred to value the duties and privileges of your profession.

A chaperone will not fix that any more than they keep boys and girls from getting together on school band trips.  The right answer is to make sure your employees know their responsibility to not only their mission, but to their profession.

A chaperone is just another embarrassment to an organization that needs to reassert its samurai sensibility.

Abdominal Problems

So according to Time magazine via another post on the breitbart site Obama was not the "guts" of the decision in relation to Osama bin Laden afterall.

As per usual for 44, Obama is not Mr. Guts and Glory, but instead defers timing, control, and operational decisions to Admiral McRaven.  The Ben Shapiro post is totally correct on this one.  Obama claimed all the credit because the op went well, if it had gone bad it would have all over McRaven's doorstep.

It reminds me of Kennedy's response after the Cuban missile crisis when he quoted the Count Galeazzo Ciano who said, "Victory has a hundred fathers, but defeat is an orphan."  Now and then it would be nice if Obama would invoke a little bit of Kennedy and learn some humility.  I am probably asking for too much, but Obama will be out of office in a very few months.  January 20 can not come quick enough!

For those of you interested enough to see it, here is the hand written memo from the DCI (Director of Central Intelligence) Leon Panetta.

So much for reality...

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, one of world's most annoying people, either is exceptionally misinformed or just plain willfully ignorant.  In a recent appearance on Fox News, Congresswoman Schultz argued that the Romney-Ryan budget plan was flawed, but had no specifics of her own on how to make a budget work.

The idea that the US Senate hasn't voted a budget up or down in three years is a joke.  You complain about the Ryan budget, but you know the only way to defeat it is via conference committee between the House and Senate when both Houses pass a bill which are not identical.  However, you haven't even passed a budget in the Senate, so...it's like they seem to teach in law school.  When you don't have the facts, argue process and the law.  When you don't have the process or the law, argue facts.  The whole thing is problematic though as the Social Security and Medicare crisis continues on as does the rest of the bloated federal government.

Yes, bloated, as in have you ever tried to get anything done via the federal government?  It isn't easy to say the least and it is often designed to make life more difficult on the person trying to correct the situation that it needs to be.  Where are the leaders?

As one commenter noted on YouTube, Congresswoman Schultz is just a talking points robot.  She has no ability to think on her own and she clearly has no desire to step up and say here is how we would do it.  She is not interested in substance or solution, just obstruction.

I Hate To Tell You, But...

I hate to be the one to tell you, but the government's subsidy of school loans is why school has doubled in cost during their lifetime.  Can I get an Amen Mr. President?

As in every other commodity out there, the price we pay for any good (or service) is determined by supply and demand.  When people say Alex Rodriguez gets paid too much money I agree with them because he cheated by taking steroids, but in general I say no, they aren't.  They are paid as the market will bear because there are a limited number of players who can consistently his Major League pitching.


All things being equal, the greater the supply of some product with a given demand, the lower the price the supplier will ask and obtain for that product. Conversely, when there is a given supply and there is a rising demand, prices increase.


Don't believe me?

If a music album downloads for $10, there will be a given number of people willing to purchase them at that price.  What happens if a third party decides to subsidize the cost of downloads and pays everyone $5 to help defray the cost of purchasing that music?  More people will now decide they can afford to purchase the latest and greatest by Justin Beiber or Coldplay or whoever. After all, these $10 downloads only cost them $5.  They will now buy the downloads even though they value them less than those willing to pay the full $10 price.  Again, don't believe me?  Check my iTunes with the ridiculous number of free downloads I have for bands I would never pay for but am more than happy to clutter my music library with because they are free.

This subsidy will of course cause sales to increase.  How long will it then take for the music producer to then raise the price to $12, $15, or even $20?  The consumer isn't feeling the pinch, so why not?

This is the basic problem with government subsidy...you alter the normal market pattern and usually not in a positive way.  This is Economics 101 and for some reason Obama doesn't seem to get it.

P.S. It is offensive Mr. President, for you to ask for an "amen" like you are a preacher when all you have done for your entire Presidency is work to further remove our country from God.  Instead of using catchy phrases, maybe a little honest prayer is in order and no, I don't mean the vile from the Rev. Wright either.

Attention To Detail

In August 2011, I was invited to the Arkansas EMT Association's annual conference in Hot Springs, Arkansas to present an all day session on leadership.  During this time, I used a lesson I learned from General Colin Powell which was about attention to your people.

The crux of his comments were that you had to pay attention to your people.  In a brain based economy, the most important thing you have is not tools or technology, but your people and their critical thinking ability.  This reminds me of a former boss I had when i was doing natural resources policy in Virginia who said our most important natural resources are our human resources.  I don't know General Powell, but in the latter case, she meant it and it was clear every day that her focus was on her people.  Not just a handshake, cup of coffee, or a hello, but a genuine, "what is going on?"

It brings me to the other point General Powell was making about leadership and people which was when folks don't bring their problems to you it is usually for two reasons.

1. Your people think you are incompetent and can't fix them, or
2. Your people don't think you care...and you can't fix them.

Both are problematic for the leader who needs his or her team to function well in an increasingly competitive environment because at that point the team doesn't think you can lead.

It seems appropriate to remember that the guy with the most cool toys or technology is only the guy with the most cool toys and technology, but if his staff isn't buying into the message otherwise or not "getting it" there should be a siren going off.  Especially when you are in public safety.

Stay safe!

American direction...

A great video from Free Market America about the environment...if there are familiar themes here, don't be surprised.  However, you should skip it if you aren't ready to watch with an open mind.

Give Me Time To Give Away The Store...

Another example of why President Obama does not deserve re-election comes via ABC News as our President tells Russian President Dmitri Medvedev he needs room to operate as he prepares to sell ournation short - once again.


Star Wars, our nation's missile defense system, has come about because we wanted a deterrent to be able to say to the Russians 'we will not fear your nuclear stockpile.  We will shoot them down from the sky before the wreak havoc upon us.'


Now, Obama in another Jimmy Carter impression wants to give away the protection technology that helps protects us against not only the threat of an increasingly belligerent Vladimir Putin, but that of China, another nation who has had no issue rattling sabers and doing business with those that mean us harm.  Forgive me for thinking our leaders were meant to protect us against the threats that the Strategic Defense Initiative provides.


225 days until the Election...and counting...

Bill Of Rights Can Be Terminated

So Chicago Police officers have stated that your First Amendment rights can be terminated.  This is another example of people who just don't get it.

Instead of focusing on the thugs who are causing ninety-four murders thus far this year when there were sixty-six last year, they are trying to stop the bad message about Chicago, i.e. the city is not safe.  The city is either not investing in enough officers or allowing citizens to be armed to protect themselves.  Regardless of the policy differences people may have on funding cops or whatnot, you have to take exception to the police use of force in moving reporters away from a hospital where they are reporting on the news.

The Godfather should perhaps think about a way to control the thugs who he has otherwise coddled.  Chicago has been a mess for months and as the new Mayor, he has done little to help the situation.  Time to step up.

Is The Fifth Amendment A Suggestion?

So recently Attorney General Eric Holder told us that "The U.S. government has the right to order the killing of American citizens overseas if they are senior al-Qaeda leaders who pose an imminent terrorist threat and cannot reasonably be captured."  This can happen without the benefit of trial, conviction, or any due process.


The Attorney General continued in his speech to students at Northwestern University that “the American people can be — and deserve to be — assured that actions taken in their defense are consistent with their values and their laws.”  Well, our values are encumbered in a document many of us like to call the Constitution.  While this may be a difficult idea for the nation's top lawyer, it is one the rest of us get.

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

I realize that the time of fiat has returned when Presidential administrations see themselves as kings (or potentially queens) who can rule without the consent of the people, the Congress, and so forth, but once again Mr. Holder, you are out of line with the document you swore to protect.  It did take a while, but isn't it your administration that is gloating over the successful capture of Osama bin Laden?  If you want to score political points with that story you should not then steal away the rights of citizens born in this country because the question has to be asked: what is terrorism?  Is it planting bombs in a cafe?  Is is it talk of sex change operations and who should pay for them or contraception?  The problem with a policy that allows an unelected, unaccountable bureaucrat to take on the murder of an American citizen is where does it stop?


As a Catholic it is clear that the death penalty serves very few needs and that is a process by which a trial occurs, a verdict of guilty occurs, then a judge signs a death warrant.  You do not see that in this process and makes me wonder if the Fifth Amendment is simply a suggestion?

Paperwork And Meaningless Comments

Grrr....nothing makes me madder than organizations that self inflict paperwork on themselves for unimportant reasons, but don't communicate on the important stuff except for meaningless comments about how much someone "means to an organization." Again and again, I hear "thank you for being here. We're excited to have you," but again and again it just aint so.

To the first part, why do organizations go out of there way to make sure you document things that have zero to do with anything? It isn't billing, it isn't patient care, it isn't anything. Meanwhile you have to constantly guess whether or not you even know your current protocols because major changes occur without anyone informing anybody. Excuse me,when didthis drug get added and why didn't we get a basic e-mail? Is our communication really that bad?

On the other, I hate to be needy, but when you say I will get back to you, gosh darn it, I expect you to. This is not complicated, nor should it be. I know you expect me to get back with you, but really is it a two way street or not because I am a little offended. Pick up the phone or type out an e-mail. You know how to do it when you need a shift covered.

I remember a lecture on Critical Incident Stress Management by Vickey Taylor who was talking about this business and how we wanted big incidents and they may be the cause of significant stress, but how the day to day grind and the goofiness would get to you every time if you let it. I guess it is getting to me. Grrr...

This is thuggery. not sports

Why are we blaming the refs for miussing this call? Granted they should have caught it, but this is Albert Haynesworth all over and for the same reason. Love is a knucklehead. I don't want to hear about how Kevin Love was frustrated when he stomps on another man's head while playing a game. That isn't frustration. Just thuggery and it is why our kids play it out in their class rooms.

I am so sick of all the coddling of athletes. This is a joke and the fact that he got only a two game suspension demonstrates the lack of seriousness that David Stern has for expectations of normal human behavior. I have no idea why anyone who is trying to cozy up to big business would want to allow that type of behavior at their own workplace, but clearly David Stern is accepting of this type of outburst. I can't wait until players find their way into the stands again...

Are we playing poker...or why all the cards?

When President Obama was elected, the media promised a post racial life. We were told that we had arrived at the promised land that Martin Luther King Jr. had promised. One where your actions would be judged by their content, or lack thereof. One where everyone could be criticized for their judgment, or lack thereof.

Unfortunately, this is not the case because consistently when someone has complained about President Obama, the charge has come back, this is just old fashioned racism. Worse though, it is filtering down within the elite of Washington DC.

Now when Chief Ellerbe's actions as head of DC Rescue and Fire are protested by his own employees, his PIO decided he needs to drop the race card. I have no idea about what is going on with Ellerbe's administration: the fact that they have changed "official" uniforms multiple times has infuriated many members. The fact that Ellerbe has not made EMS a priority in a department that runs 2/3 of its calls has infuriated me and many DC residents who may one day depend on their "service." However, whatever the protest is about there is one thing that is sure. As an anti-Obama placard shows only losers play the race card.

Color Me Impressed

So some days your family just amazes you. My wife and I were talking about a dental issue my sister had eight years ago. She remembers the situation I guess because our oldest was only a few weeks old. She started rattling off details from something that apparently did not remotely faze me at the time, so...I had to test her. How is it she remembers details that I would allow, and apparently have, to slip from my mind and she can't remember important things like Seinfeld episodes or lines from Star Wars? The test...well when we first met, my Orioles were awesome. They were in the playoffs and I was sure headed to the World Series...alas, it was not to be, and even though they had been great, the team has kind of suffered since she and I have been dating and/or married. That being the case I had to ask...what was Brady Anderson's uniform number. Without hesitation or opportunity to use the googler, she came up with it. Wow...now that is impressive.

For those of you playing at home...the correct answer is number nine!

Chili Cook Offs and First Date

I love chili. Granted there are multiple definitions of what is and isn't "chili" as I was told by another parishioner at my church tonight. He believes (incorrectly in my opinion) that chili does not have beans or anything other than meat and spice, but we agree to disagree. I did do a quick search last night and can find no encyclical on chili yet. Personally, I wonder if Pope Benedict XVI will wade into something so controversial, but given the passions of chili eaters everywhere, somehow I doubt it.

We had multiple great versions represented and I am honestly unclear on how the judge's were able to make their decisions. While we got a number of compliments, there is clearly a presentation award that we were not aware of when we made the chili...next year we have this though as I am pretty confident we can impress upon the judges that we are serious.

During all of the hubbub was a nice treat though. A friend - a female friend even - of my oldest child showed up. He is traditionally ridiculously shy about the fairer gender so it was nice to see him act normal around a girl who he clearly has a bit of a crush on and vice versa. It nice to see him act so intelligently around a girl - no pushing or shoving - treating this young lady like he would his mama. Moreover, he helped me dice my toppings so strong marks all the way around tonight for my big man. Given that he is eight, hopefully he doesn't leave us in the dust too quickly.

Toothache

I do a lecture called MiniMe about assessing and treating the little adults, who aren't, known as pediatric patients. Near the beginning I always ask participants, what is it about children that you do not care for that EMS responders have become known as allergic to children and I usually get the varied responses of too little, they don't communicate the same way as adults, different equipment needs which we often are not familiar with, and so on.

My response, who cares? I have yet to run a three year old for being too drunk to find his bed and I have yet to be called because the kid's stomach has bothered him for three weeks and he decides to call at 2 A.M., or even a toothache at 3 A.M.

I don't want to be rude, but if your tooth hurts, why would you wait until 3 A.M. to call 9-1-1? I don't want to be rude and I won't be, but consistently when people call for the goofy stuff I wonder where their priorities are for themselves and their families. You stayed up all day having a good time, but you wouldn't take care of your responsibilities or basic needs until you decided someone else could do this for you. Nice, thanks for the call. You are now spending $1000 on an EMS transport because you wouldn't take care of yourself.

Don't get me wrong. It is always nice to be busy and even have the numbers to make your numbers at the end of the month, but this was pretty high on the 'you have to be kidding me scale'. Thanks for letting me vent and I hope you feel better buddy!

Whistleblower In Trouble While The Guilty Sleep On The Job

How is sleeping on the job acceptable...whether it be at a school, hospital, or anywhere else? I ask this question with the news story about a child who photographed his teacher sleeping on the job, but was then punished for using his cellular phone during school hours.

There is something significantly wrong when the world blames the whistleblower for announcing the problem so clearly, but will not declare the issue otherwise. I do get it that students may be prohibited from using their cellular telephones during school hours, but if that is the case, prohibit them altogether. There are reasonable expectations that students will use them otherwise they would be prohibited altogether.

Moreover, the phone wasn't being used to cheat on a test. It wasn't being used to text another student about who loves who on campus. It wasn't even being used to check the weater - instead it was being used to document the lack of accountability the school's leadership had over its employees and there is something grossly wrong with punishing the person who brings a problem to your attention and you punish them for it.

Pic Of Sleeping Sub Nets Student Suspension - Oklahoma City News Story - KOCO Oklahoma City

In many ways it demonstrates a leadership that isn't. A leadership that is leading and is working to educate the children knows that this is the type of thing where we remind everyone not to use your cellular phones during school hours, but you thank the whistleblower. If there had been an emergency what would the sleeping teacher have done? What was going on in the classroom while the teacher slept - most likely not education. This is the real problem, not a teenager reporting a sleeping teacher.

Not That Interested In The State of the Union?

Once again, wow! Is there any indignation from progressive feminist women as to how the President treated an elected woman by walking away while she was speaking? Is anyone surprised that he wanted nothing to do with Governor Brewer when he refuses to secure her border, has trashed her economy with his regulation, and she calls him on it?

If this is the State of the Union, where the President does not work with the chief executives of the states, we are in real trouble. I think he actually does believe he knows best for the country and his command-and-control communist style system of government is best.

I was given five rules to follow when I worked for a Governor myself. One of which that has stuck with me is that problems are best solved at the local level. Whether you are talking the politics, government, the military, or anything else really, how many times does this not apply? The 'shooters' - the people closest to the problem - should be the ones making immediate decisions, not the white tower 'experts' who are so far away from the problem they never experience it themselves. I don't think BO picked this up during his Ivy League education. Too bad he didn't pick up manners either for how we treat ladies.

Integrity

There is no question what the roll of honor in America is. The roll of honor consists of the names of men who have squared their conduct by ideals of duty. – President Woodrow T. Wilson

Grrr. There is nothing worse in politics than the near guarantee that someone who you respect will make an endorsement of someone whose motives and morals you question. The move by Marco Rubio to attempt to be 2012's Lloyd Bentsen and remind voters that Mitt Romney is no Charlie Crist is just a joke. Mitt Romney is Charlie Crist, except he hasn't let the GOP as he uses his family's money to try to buy himself a place in history.

I get it, I get it...Romney came down and campaigned with you a few years ago and you are trying to both play nice and say thank you in a substantive way, but this is the wrong way. As far as I know Senator Rubio is not endorsing anyone for the nomination this year. (A smart move given he is on the short list for everyone for VP and this topsy turvy year will turn out who knows how.) However, there is a tacit endorsement when you say to conservatives who supported you, "hey, this guy is not all bad" and you also do not endorse any of the other three.

While none of the candidates are perfect, there is a clear idealogical difference between Mitt and the other three. Romney may actually be the only candidate who has held the positions of all the other candidates at one time or another which is why Rubio's statement is so much more far fetched. I can not hide the disappointment and have to just say I knew Senator Rubio liked breakfast, I just didn't realize he liked flapjacks that much.

Responding To Our Own

Once again the picture is worth a thousand words. Paul Combs' comment on Facebook to his friend and mentor is poignant and reminds me of the series of responders I have seen take their own lives over the years.

One guy who suffered from manic-depressive behavior was one of the reasons I wrote one of my lectures, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, as a way to show other responders about various psychiatric conditions through movies we watch everyday. Everyone loved this guy when he was manic as he would show up well before the 7:00 shift start time and have every truck checked and was well on his way on station assignments as the rest of us were pulling up. He of course suffered through the darkness too yelling at a BLS ambulance who warned us our lightbar was out on the way to a call to assist them on a seizure patient. The other ambulance of course didn't get on the county radio to embarrass him about the lightbar; indeed his lightbar was engaged per the switch, but it had an electrical short, but this was some of the fear in him that he responded as he did.

Similarly, his outburst when a nurse questioned his use of a non rebreather on a patient who was not oxygenating well instead of a nasal cannula was to hit himself in the head with a oxygen D cylinder. Some of us call that crazy when we respond to these calls on the street, but it isn't crazy, it's pain and he felt it every time a hint existed that he wasn't accepted.

In similar ways, a smart, young, and beautiful girl headed to medical school who worked as an ER tech at a Level I Trauma Center committed suicide by starting an IV and giving herself Etomidate and Succinylcholine.

These examples and many others exist for responders who take their own life. The question is how do we respond to our own, how do we better ensure our partner is there next shift and the one after that and so forth? I think some of it has to do with turning down the volume of some of our conversations. I think some of it probably means we drop some of the sarcasm which is like a thousand little daggers - each comment just another slice into the skin.

I don't know for who Paul Combs grieves, but I understand it and offer a hand of friendship and support to him.

Thirty-nine years and counting...

On the anniversary of the legalization of genocide, Roe v. Wade, our dear President chooses to not make an argument about the morality of the subject, an argument that would surely fail under the weight of its implications, but instead attempts to argue the economic value of killing children before they are born.

Once again I am embarrassed for a man who says one thing and then does another. He talks about everyone having a right to healthcare, but then argues for the economic incentives of allowing children to be killed in utero rather than being healthy, responsible citizens who contribute to society. While 50,000,000 children have been killed since Roe v. Wade we wonder aloud about why we have a society that doesn't support public education or that teaches humanities. Perhaps the lessons have been taught and the lessons are that life is an economic question of what each person is worth and unfortunately many of those with the right to make and interpret laws have judged life to be inconsequential, that there are too many about and we should do with fewer children.

These kinds of statements from the President always make me wonder where his heart and head really are because he clearly isn't in this for the kids.

Willie Horton Returns...

President Obama has made his road harder on both his re-election and those who support immigration to the United States.

In what is sure to be the 2012 election's Willie Horton ad of the fall, Mr. Obama apparently chose to not deport a Haitian immigrant that then went on to murder three. While this news may not be specific to immigrants from Haiti or Mr. Obama it is the type of thing that plays directly into the hands of those who do not support immigration as a fundamental part of our American fabric.

The topic always amazes me as a conservative because people who come to this country are looking for what conservatives are looking for...opportunity. Conservatives are supposed to believe in people; people who want to make their own life, have the chance to start a business, get their children educated, and be parts of society, but unfortunately there are, like in every immigrant cohort before, those who also seek opportunity also in the form of victims. Rather than work for success, they are happy to prey on those who try to make their lives better. This is not unique to immigrants whether they be from Haiti, Mexico, or England. There are plenty of good old boys born and bred right here in Texas and New York and even your state who are willing to be bad participants of society, but immigration being a hot button expect to hear more of the name Kesler come October because it is popular to beat up on a class of people for political points because of actions of the one percent.

Life, Death, and Everything Else...

Somedays this job gets to me. I just saw the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, which has its own set of wonderful memories for me from 9-11, but the day starts with the 0001 call where a seventeen year old commits suicide.

We see people in such awkward situations in their life....good and bad, but I never understand the suicide issue. The specifics of what I know of this young person I will leave for another day as I suspect this is quickly headed to court for a number of reasons, but again and again I wonder what brings people to the situations they end up in whether it be suicide, unintentional attempted suicide via racing along the highway at 104 MPH in a 65 limit zone, or not caring for yourself by checking your blood sugar to make sure you are in range.

It is a dark world out there sometimes and I am thankful I have my faith and my church to help me through some of the situations we see everyday.

For my colleagues out there, be safe and stay strong. Clearly there are lots of people who need a helping hand and EMS may be their only opportunity to see some rays of light.