IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU ARE REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT!KEEP IT GOING!!!!2008
Election Issue!!
GET A BILL STARTED TO PLACE ALL POLITICIANS ON SOC. SEC.
This must be an issue in '2008' Please! Keep it going.
SOCIAL SECURITY:
(This is worth reading. It is short and to the point.)
MyHotComments
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years.
Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it.
You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves. So, many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan.
In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan.
For all practica
l purposes their plan works like this:
When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay un til they die.
Except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments..
For example, Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000.00 (that's Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275, 000.00 during the last years of their lives.
This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two Dignitaries.
Younger Dignitaries who retire at an early age, will receive much more during the rest of their lives.
Their cost for this excellent plan is $0.00. NADA..! ZILCH...
This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Funds;
'OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK '!
>From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into, every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer). We can expect to get an average of $1,000 per month after retirement.
Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benef its for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator! Bill Bradley's benefits!
Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made.
That change would be to:
Jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us
Then sit back.....
And see how fast they would fix it.
Letting go of the past
I believe that in every race there is,prejudice, injustice and oppression.
Our country was formed by immigrants,oppressed and prosecuted for their religious belief,prejudice comes from ignorance and a lack of understanding each other.
we all have descendants,that were oppressed.
Indians who's land we now call America land of the free,
once was forced from their land ,
walking on what is called the trail of tears,
where many were killed or died from the hardships.
every nationality has also felt some form of slavery in that history.
Than there are the Jews,that endured the tragedy of the Houlcucost,
Irish.English.middle eastern decent ,women,African American ,many left unmentioned,because there are so many. Throughout history there has been oppression and injustice.
African American the most recent.
To find peace we need to learn to respect people's differences, and their views,race,religion.nationality.
The only way to peace is though respect.
When we hold on to the past injustice,we continue to feed hatred.
we can not find peace.
It's time to leave the past behind,
we are not responsible for our fore father's actions,
The people of the present did not live in the past.
and were not responsible for it,nor have any of us suffered those tragedies.
If we want to remember oppression.
remember all oppression.
and remember to find ways to end it,
by respect.
we are only responsible for the present,
the future of peace is now in our hands.
It's time to move forward,
and leave the past where it belongs.
This is important information for females of ALL ages .
A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:
1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed . They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair . Women with short hair are not common targets.
2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who's clothing is easy to remove quickly . Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.
3) They also look for women on their cell phone , searching through their purse, or doing other activities while walking because they are off-guard and can be easily overpowered.
4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5: 00a.m. and 8:30a.m.
5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots. Number two: is office parking lots/garages. Number three: is public restrooms.
6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.
7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.
8) If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.
9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.
Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.
10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: "I can't believe it is so cold out here," "we're in for a bad winter." Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.
11) If someone is coming toward you , hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK ! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.
12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes) , yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.
13) If someone grabs you , you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upper inner thigh VERY VERY HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches.. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it - it hurts.
14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN . I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble and he's out of there.
15) When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible . The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly..
16) Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!!
You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.
1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!
2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans . If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM . Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.) DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
A.) If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot or parking garage:
A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.
B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.
IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)
7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times. And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zigzag pattern!
8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well-educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door."
The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over.. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it , but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.
He may not look scarey,maybe looking and seeming very normal or even handsome. perhaps even a relative or a family friend.
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6: 00pm , Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE :
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE(Coherently) (I.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their
tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other
that is also an indication of a stroke. If he or she has trouble with
ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately !! and describe the
symptoms to the dispatcher.
This is a poem
written by a teenager with cancer.
She wants to see how many
people get her poem.
It is quite the poem. Please pass it on.
This poem was written by a terminally ill young girl in a
New York Hospital .
It was sent by a medical doctor -
Make sure to read what is in the closing statement
AFTER THE POEM.
SLOW DANCE
Have you ever
watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to
the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a
butterfly's erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading
night?
You better slow down.
Don't dance so
fast.
Time is short.
The music won't
last.
Do you run through each day
On the
fly?
When you ask How are you?
Do you hear the
reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your
bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through
your head?
You'd better slow down
Don't dance so
fast.
Time is short.
The music won't
last.
Ever told your child,
We'll do it
tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see
his
sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good
friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call
and say,"Hi"
You'd better slow down.
Don't dance
so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't
last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere
You
miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry
through your day,
It is like an unopened
gift....
Thrown away.
Life is not a
race.
Do take it slower
Hear the
music
Before the song is over.
;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
Dear All: PLEASE pass this mail on to everyone you know -
even to those you don't know! It is the request of a special girl who will soon
leave this world due to cancer.
This young girl has 6 months left
to live, and as her dying wish, she wanted to send a letter telling everyone to
live their life to the fullest, since she never will.
She'll
never make it to prom, graduate from high school, or get married and have a
family of her own.
By you sending this to as many people as
possible, you can give her and her family a little hope, because with every name
that this is sent to, The American Cancer Society will donate 3 cents per name
to her treatment and recovery plan. One guy sent this to 500 people! So I know
that we can at least send it to 5 or 6. It's
not even your money, just
your time!
PLEASE PASS ON AS A LAST REQUEST.
Dr.
Dennis Shields, Professor
Department of Developmental and Molecular Biology
1300 Morris Park Avenue
Bronx , New York
10461
Pilots for Patients
Pilots for Patients’ makes maiden run with first patient
By Barbara Leader
bleader@thenewsstar.com
On a cold, wet and windy Friday afternoon, a twin engine Beechcraft piloted by Mike Terry gingerly touched down at the Monroe Regional Airport.
On board was Linda Fox, a Rayville resident who was the first patient to take advantage of a new volunteer pilot organization called Pilots for Patients.
Fox was diagnosed with cancer about a month ago and needed treatment in Houston at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. A friend at work told her about the organization that offers free flights for medical treatment or diagnosis.
Pilots for Patients is a newly chartered 501-C3 non-profit organization modeled after Angel Flight, which has been operational in the area for many years.
Pilots for Patients president Philip Thomas said that although the two groups are similar, Pilots for Patients will focus on transporting Louisiana patients, whereas Angel Flights was chartered in Texas.
Pilots participating in the program donate their time, fuel and airplanes for the flight and are not reimbursed for these expenses. Patients who are medically stable fly for free to wherever treatment awaits.
If the location is beyond 1,000 miles from where the flight originates, the flight links up with another volunteer pilot, who transfers the patient to his final destination. The private flights also provide a healthier environment for patients who are immune compromised.
Thomas said that people find it hard to believe that the flight is truly free.
“We tell them we’re going to fly you and we’re going to fly you for free,” he said. “We may charge a few hugs, but that’s it.”
At this point Pilots for Patients has six pilots. Four are from Monroe and there are one each from Baton Rouge and New Orleans who have committed to transport patients. They are hoping to recruit many more pilots from around the state.
“We need pilots, patients and patrons,” said Henry Butler, community representative for the group.
Butler said that he hopes that groups like Kiwanis and Rotary as well as the community will consider donating to the program. All financial contributions go to help fund the scheduling office.
Waiting on the plane to touch down was excruciating for 7-year-old Christian who was eager to see his grandmother, whom he calls “Nana.”
Christian spent his time in the hangar running back and forth asking, “Have they landed yet, Mama?” When the plane finally stopped, he ran to the plane and climbed the wing to get to his Nana.
A bit tired, but glad to be home, Fox hugged Christian and took time to compliment the pilot.
“Smooth as cream,” she said. “He’s a wonderful pilot.”
Fox will need another trip to Houston in a few weeks. Thomas said that’s not a problem.
“We’ll fly them as many times as it takes,” he said. “We will take away the worry and get you there. It’s up to the doctors and a higher power after that.”
For more information on Pilots for Patients, call Henry Butler at 323-6407
God does proform miracles
and men and doctors do make mistakes.
this article touched me because years ago my father died,
when my mother was downstairs I walked into his hospital roon alone,
noone had told me he died.
I was 19,and had never experienced a death in the family,
I saw him move,
and was told it was muscle contracting.
I did not question .
but now I do,and feel guilty that I did not question it,
in my heart I always wonder and question
was my daddy dead at that moment,
and could something have been done?
Now it makes me relook at things.
such as the Terri case.
pulling plugs,pronoucing someone dead,
when miracles do happen
and doctors do make mistakes.
the news story below
an declared dead feels 'pretty good' Mon Mar 24, 10:09 AM ET
OKLAHOMA CITY - Four months after he was declared brain dead and doctors were about to remove his organs for transplant, Zach Dunlap says he feels "pretty good."
Dunlap was pronounced dead Nov. 19 at United Regional Healthcare System in Wichita Falls, Texas, after he was injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident. His family approved having his organs harvested.
As family members were paying their last respects, he moved his foot and hand. He reacted to a pocketknife scraped across his foot and to pressure applied under a fingernail. After 48 days in the hospital, he was allowed to return home, where he continues to work on his recovery.
On Monday, he and his family were in New York, appearing on NBC's "Today."
"I feel pretty good. but it's just hard ... just ain't got the patience," Dunlap told NBC.
Dunlap, 21, of Frederick, said he has no recollection of the crash.
"I remember a little bit that was about an hour before the accident happened. But then about six hours before that, I remember," he said.
Dunlap said one thing he does remember is hearing the doctors pronounce him dead.
"I'm glad I couldn't get up and do what I wanted to do," he said.
Asked if he would have wanted to get up and shake them and say he's alive, Dunlap responded: "Probably would have been a broken window that went out."
His father, Doug, said he saw the results of the brain scan.
"There was no activity at all, no blood flow at all."
Zach's mother, Pam, said that
when she discovered he was still alive, "That was the most miraculous feeling."
"We had gone, like I said, from the lowest possible emotion that a parent could feel to the top of the mountains again," she said.
She said her son is doing "amazingly well," but still has problems with his memory as his brain heals from the traumatic injury.
"It may take a year or more ... before he completely recovers," she said. "But that's OK. It doesn't matter how long it takes. We're just all so thankful and blessed that we have him here."
Dunlap now has the pocketknife that was scraped across his foot, causing the first reaction.
"Just makes me thankful, makes me thankful that they didn't give up," he said. "Only the good die young, so I didn't go."
