Both of Us .org
News and views from two charming fellows in Northeast Minneapolis.
Now with Cancer!
Now with Cancer!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Surgery Success
By JB aka JayBee
Today I had fourteen tumors removed from my skin. My surgeon, Dr. E was very accommodating before my surgery. We went over the list of tumors that JSP and I had located. He found each one and marked it for excision. I had general anesthesia, and the surgery went very smoothly.In the past when experiencing general anesthesia, I awakened after surgery to strange and uncontrollable fits of crying. Luckily, due to the use of an alternative anesthesia, this did not happen today. When I woke up I felt great, like I had had a good nap. Surgery lasted about ninety minutes.
The surgery was much less draining than I thought it would be. I am in no pain. I hope this continues to be the case once I get a good night sleep. I have pain medication should this change.
This procedure likely has no effect on the systemic cancer, but the uncomfortable tumors removed from my skin will no longer bother me.
JSP had to work today, so my parents took me to the hospital for my procedure. They stayed at our home for several hours afterward. My mother and JSP made me a delicious Gerson therapy approved soup with wild rice in it and a serving of delicious fresh ornage/kiwi juice. I have been drinking chamomile tea as well. It was wonderful that my parents could be with me today, but frustrating that JSP could not be with me as well.
As we are a gay couple, JSP is not eligible for the Family Medical Leave Act. This is one of the many rights extended to heterosexual couples that are denied to gay and lesbian couples. This is one concrete example of how the right wing "family values" platform makes my life more difficult.
Another result of right wing "family values" is that I am not allowed to have medical coverage thought JSP's work, even though we are domestic partners. Luckily, I have great insurance through the University of Minnesota. My colleagues there have been very supportive through this process, which I am eternally grateful for.
Labels: hospital, juicing, Melanoma, perspective, Republicans, surgery
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Sunday, April 15, 2007
Our Never Ending National Shame
By JSP
If you read some of the political posts written on our blog, you undoubtedly know that I am not fond of the current President and his administration. In my last post I described another example of deceit and corruption the Bush clan. I do not want America run in this way; I do not want further examples of Bush incompetence or wrong doing plastered over the front pages of newspapers across the world.
Sadly another example has come out late this week. The current scandal involves one of the shining stars of the neo-conservative movement, Paul Wolfowitz. As you may or may not be aware, Mr. Wolfowitz, as deputy to Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentegon (deputy Secretary of Defense), was one of the leading architects of the Iraq war.
In 2005, President Bush nominated Wolfowitz to head the World Bank (an organization which loans money to developing nations). I am not certain if this was an assignment to get Wolfowitz away from a failing war in Iraq, or if it was designed to push the neo-conservative influence beyond the boundaries of the United States. The nomination smacks of Bush cronyism.
Sadly another example has come out late this week. The current scandal involves one of the shining stars of the neo-conservative movement, Paul Wolfowitz. As you may or may not be aware, Mr. Wolfowitz, as deputy to Donald Rumsfeld at the Pentegon (deputy Secretary of Defense), was one of the leading architects of the Iraq war.
In 2005, President Bush nominated Wolfowitz to head the World Bank (an organization which loans money to developing nations). I am not certain if this was an assignment to get Wolfowitz away from a failing war in Iraq, or if it was designed to push the neo-conservative influence beyond the boundaries of the United States. The nomination smacks of Bush cronyism.
The current problem Mr. Wolfowitz is involved with, is a result of the promotion and salary increase that he gave to Ms. Shaha Riza. Ms. Riza turns out to be his girlfriend. This has turned into a fiasco at the World Bank, as members of the organization hissed and cat-called Mr. Wolfowitz at a recent gathering. The news is also another major embarrassment to the Bush Administration witnessed around the Globe. A typical example of the reaction of world press is given by Rupert Cornwall of the Independent.
Does America not realize that we are getting clubbed over the head with all these incidents? Stories involving corruption, incompetence, cronyism, and lies by the Bush Presidency have almost made me numb. Maybe this is exactly their plan. Behave so badly for a long enough time, and with little to no consequence, and eventually everyone in the USA will give up listening or caring about how terrible they are. The plan may be working as it seems there is little hope of impeachment.
Consider the issue of personal accountability, a long time mantra of the Republican party. If everyone was personally accountable for their actions, we could do without "evil" things such as welfare, social security and other so called liberal pillars. However, the very people charged with running this nation have been accountable for none of their failures so far. The list of deeds unpunished or even acknowledged is terribly long (9-11, Katrina, Iraq, Valerie Plame, Florida/Ohio election, conditions at Walter Reed Hospital, Attorney General scandal - to name a few). Those Americans who voted for and support President Bush and his administration have not identified the disconnect between his words and his actions. Where can we find a huge bottle of smelling salts to wake American deep sleepers to this national nightmare?
Does America not realize that we are getting clubbed over the head with all these incidents? Stories involving corruption, incompetence, cronyism, and lies by the Bush Presidency have almost made me numb. Maybe this is exactly their plan. Behave so badly for a long enough time, and with little to no consequence, and eventually everyone in the USA will give up listening or caring about how terrible they are. The plan may be working as it seems there is little hope of impeachment.
Consider the issue of personal accountability, a long time mantra of the Republican party. If everyone was personally accountable for their actions, we could do without "evil" things such as welfare, social security and other so called liberal pillars. However, the very people charged with running this nation have been accountable for none of their failures so far. The list of deeds unpunished or even acknowledged is terribly long (9-11, Katrina, Iraq, Valerie Plame, Florida/Ohio election, conditions at Walter Reed Hospital, Attorney General scandal - to name a few). Those Americans who voted for and support President Bush and his administration have not identified the disconnect between his words and his actions. Where can we find a huge bottle of smelling salts to wake American deep sleepers to this national nightmare?
Labels: Bush, failure, Paul Wolfowitz, politics, Republicans, scandal
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