December 24, 2006
Greg and Paula wish each and every one of you all the blessings and joy that come with Christmas and the birth of Our Saviour Jesus.
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December 08, 2006
A big guy with a big love of the game and a big heart (the stories I could tell you!) is excelling in his career. IÂ’d love to see this come to pass.
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November 27, 2006
WILL REMAIN AT TOP UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE RECENT POSTS
This Thanksgiving has not been one of turkey and trimmings -- this morning as I prepared "Big Bird" for the oven, my dear wife began vomiting blood. She is now resting somewhat comfortably in ICU with some sort of GI bleed.
I ask the prayers of any and all readers -- friend and foe -- for Paula's complete and speedy recovery. And I ask, too, for a prayer or two of thanksgiving that there are dedicated medical professionals available this day -- one which most of us take for granted as a day off for feasting and football -- to aid in her recovery.
And may God send his richest blessings down on each and every one of you who reads these words and responds to them, as I especially give thanks this day for the greatest worldly blessings he has given me -- my beloved.
UPDATE -- 11/24/06, 7:00 PM: She is resting uncomfortably in ICU, all sorts of tubes going in and out -- but Paula is doing better. They found a couple of GI problems, including the one that was causing the bleeding. They fixed that one, and are going to have to decide what to do with the rest. They are also concerned about another, ongoing medical issue and the medication that may have helped bring on this current situation, so there may be an alternate therapy for it as well. And best of all, she may be in a real room by morning.
Many thanks to you who have sent prayers and well-wishes -- they are truly appreciated.
UPDATE -- 11/25, 1:00 PM: Last night was a bad night, with a decision made to keep Paula in ICU until further notice. Her interesting medical history makes thing a bit complicated, and while we have had some good news there has been enough of concern that they want to supervise her closely for a while longer.
UPDATE -- 11/25, 10:00 PM: And then again, the GI doctor comes along and says that if she has a quiet night she can go to a room tomorrow! Paula seems much stronger and her vital statistics and blood work all look much better than they did even 12 hours ago.
UPDATE -- 11/26, 10:00 PM: Paula is out of ICU, and doing well. Here's hoping that she will be home soon, in much better health than she left here.
UPDATE -- 11/27, 10:00 PM: Paula is home.
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, August 18, 2006
Temperature started to rise about 11:00, and is just shy of 100.
Just popped my third dose of pepto in the last six hours.
I think I'm going to bed -- or maybe I'll just fall asleep in my computer chair.
But the cold medicine just makes... me... so.........
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August 03, 2006
A federal appeals court panel on Thursday refused to let Texas Republicans replace Tom DeLay's name on the November congressional ballot.The finding upheld a July ruling by a federal judge that the ballot must list DeLay, who won a March primary before resigning from Congress on June 9. He now lives in Virginia but is awaiting trial in Texas state court on money laundering and conspiracy charges alleging that illegal corporate cash helped pay for legislative campaigns in 2002.
"This was a victory for fair and ethical elections protecting the integrity of the democratic process. Both parties have nominees for the general election and it's time to move forward," said Cris Feldman, a lawyer for the Texas Democratic Party.
The problem, of course, is that Texas law requires that a candidate be ineligible to be replaced -- and the Constitution only requires eligibility on the day of election. Frankly, I don't thingk the GOP lawyers handled this case well at all. And the real culprit in all f this is DeLay himself, who decided to bail out at the first sign of trouble.
Frankly, I don't see a ruling by the Supreme Court happening in a sufficiently timely fashion as to make a difference, so I hope the party just drops that Hail Mary tactic.
Where does that leave us as a party?
1) DeLay can become an active candidate again. To be honest, I think this district is Republican enough that he could win. But I only want to see that happen if he is serious about serving out the entire term. A post election refusal to serve will simply piss-off too many people to guarantee that the seat will stay out of Democrat hands.
2) DeLay could withdraw from the race, leaving the GOP without a candidate. Local conservative forces could unite behind one write-in candidate. Unfortunately, the method for doing write-in votes on teh eSlate machines is cumbersome and would discorage many voters from doing so. I therefore find this an unsatisfactory option.
3) DeLay could withdraw and the GOP could throw its support to Bob Smither, the Libertarian in the race. While certainly not a Republican, he is preferrable to Nick Lampson.
4) DeLay could withdraw and the GOP could concede the race. This would have teh effect of putting Lampson in office for the foreseeable future, given the difficulty of defeating an incumbent.
I Tom Delay stays in the race, I will back him -- not with enthusiasm, but I will back him. After all, I didn't vote for him in the 2002 or 2004 primary, and voted Libertarian for Congress in both of those elections. Those votes were protests against a Congressman that I had (and have) some serious questions about. But the reality is that I believe that holding this seat for the GOP is of vital importance for the United States. I can sum up the reason for this in two words -- Speaker Pelosi. It is why I endorsed Tom DeLay for renomination this past spring, and why I had done so for the general election. Democrat control of either house of Congress would not be good for America.
The party needs to quickly figure out what is going on, and then act accordingly. The leadership has already f*cked this one up enough, and we need every moment we can get to make sure that we hold this seat in trust for future generations of Americans -- even if that means that Delay's butt sits in it for one more term.
But make no mistake. There will be serious primary challenges if he tries to run in 2008, and he will not be the nominee of the GOP in 2008.
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August 02, 2006
Do I have to go back to school, Mommy?
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July 01, 2006
Bronchitis.
I'm drugged up now, so if I don't post much over the next couple of days, know that is the reason.
But I shall return.
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June 19, 2006
federal judge on Monday set a June 26 hearing for a Democratic Party lawsuit that attempts to block Republicans from moving ahead to replace former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay on the November ballot.Judge Sam Sparks left in place a temporary restraining order that expires Thursday, though he did not extend it. Sparks is expected to hear evidence and lawyers' arguments at the hearing.
Democrats went to court earlier this month to prevent the state Republican Party from replacing DeLay on the ballot. A state district judge blocked the process with the temporary order. Attorneys for the Republicans then had the case moved to federal court.
Though Republicans plan to initiate steps to fill the GOP vacancy on the ballot once the temporary order expires, the process wouldn't be complete by the time of the court hearing, said GOP lawyer Jim Bopp.
For example, the Harris County GOP precinct chairs will not meet until the evening of June 26, in order to select two other candidates for offices which have had vacancies occur since the primary. In theory, those of us fromt he Harris County portion of CD22 could select our elector that night -- if there is not a new restraining order in place by that time. But I do not know when the other counties will be able to meet and select electors.
Quite frankly, the Democrats' litigation strategy concerns me, if only because the delay may mean that the State Republican Executive Committee -- rather than the local precinct chairs -- may be the ones who decide the GOP candidate.
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June 17, 2006
Plame can blame her husbandREGARDING the Chronicle's June 15 editorial "Rove unleashed": Now let me be sure I have this right.
Karl Rove is dishonorable because he had a role in the administration's effort to counter the allegations made by Democratic partisan Joe Wilson.
In a time of war, Joe Wilson made charges, ultimately deemed to be false by a bipartisan report of the Senate Intelligence Committee, that the president had nefariously relied on faulty intelligence about Saddam Hussein's efforts to procure uranium from Niger.
The administration made an effort to educate media critics as to both the facts of the case and the questionable credentials of the person making the allegations.
The Chronicle repeats the canard that, in so doing, Rove "ruined the career of a valued expert on nuclear proliferation."
The suggestion here is that Wilson's wife, who got him the gig that led him to challenge the president's statement, was a covert CIA agent, and that the White House blew her cover.
Yet according to Wilson's own book, his wife had been stationed in the United States since 1977.
Since she clearly was no covert operative, it is hard to see the basis for the statement that her career was ruined.
If anyone is responsible for ruining her career, it is her husband.
If you get a job through nepotism and then choose to lie about your findings in order to wage partisan battle against the president in a time of war, it is likely that these facts will eventually come to light.
Ultimately, this editorial weakens the Chronicle's own credibility, as the paper is quick to criticize Rove and the Bush administration for "leaking" factual information that supports the administration's war on terror, but it also is quick to publish the leaks that lead to exposure of real covert efforts that make us all safer in this age of terrorism.
IRA L. WINSTEN Houston
Yep, that sums it all up very nicely.
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April 30, 2006
But I do have one question.
Why do I feel like I have been assimilated?
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April 02, 2006
Just got off the phone with the Darling Democrat -- she was moved to a private room last night, and the staff are commenting how much better her lungs sound. There are still concerns about heart-rate and blood-pressure, but if all they want to do is have her sita nd wait while they figure out what is going on, we are going to suggest that we do that at home rather than in a hospital room.
Besides, the Apolitical Pooch is getting really tired of the excess crate time, and wants her mother home ASAP.
UPDATE: As of 1730 Houston time, my beloved is at home and resting comfortably, under the tender ministrations of the Apolitical Pooch.
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March 29, 2006
My Darling Democrat has been moved to ICU for observation due to a test result that concerns the doctors.
Hopefully this is just a precaution. We'll see what happens.
I may post some stuff to burn off nervous energy until I can go into school and set things up for my substitute, but I don't know when you will hear from me after that.
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March 28, 2006
I've been in twice today, for about four hours total, but had to teach today.
She then sent me home at dinner time to take care of the Apolitical Pooch, with directions to scratch her belly and rub her behind her ears (the dog, not my wife).
The prognosis for my beloved spouse is good, but includes more time in the hospital.
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March 19, 2006
And for the thirtieth straight year -- upsets are screwing with my NCAA picks!
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February 23, 2006
Maybe some music would help. Could we get an appropriate chorus?
The Birthday Dirge.
Grunt and pound your fist on the table at each (grunt).Happy birthday. (grunt)
Happy birthday. (grunt)Gloom and doom and dark despair
people dying everywhere
on your birthday. (grunt)
Happy birthday. (grunt)When you reach the age you are
your demise cannot be far
from your birthday. (grunt)
Happy birthday. (grunt)May the cities in your wake
burn like candles on your cake
on your birthday. (grunt)
Happy birthday. (grunt)Perform strange sexual acts
with goats, camels, sheep, and yaks
on your birthday. (grunt)
Happy birthday. (grunt)
Yeah, that sure helped with the depression.
* * *
Maybe a few juicy links to help bring up my Ecosystem rating would help -- Playful Primate would be nice, dont you think? Your participation in this linkfest could help.
You know how it works -- you link to this post and send a trackback, and your post will display here. So link away -- I won't set a maximum number of items you can link with here, but I would hope that you would consider exercising prudent judgement on the matter. No porn, please, and no advertising -- just interesting stuff.
So get with the program, folks -- link away before the Grim Reaper comes a-knockin'!!
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January 22, 2006
That may change now, due to the recent Supreme Court decision on Oregon's assisted suicide law.
Doctors who specialize in pain management and their advocates are hoping that last week's Supreme Court decision upholding Oregon's assisted-suicide law will boost their efforts to defend colleagues accused by the government of illegally prescribing narcotic painkillers to their patients.With dozens of doctors, pharmacists and patients now in jail or awaiting imprisonment after being convicted of drug trafficking, the specialists and their attorneys say the Oregon ruling supports their contention that prosecutors have reached improperly into the state-regulated practice of medicine.
"The prosecutors have been making a policy argument in court against the treatment of chronic pain as it's being practiced, and this Supreme Court decision makes clear that is not their role," said Eli Stutsman, an Oregon attorney who represented a doctor and pharmacist in the assisted-suicide case. He is now arguing appeals for several convicted pain doctors.
"Before I was just a lawyer with a legal analysis before the courts, but now I have a decision of the highest court of the land," he said.
The question is, will that decision be followed, or will doctors continue to be prosecuted for following the best medical practices?
Radley Balko, a policy analyst with the Cato Institute, a conservative Washington think tank, believes the government is being overly aggressive in prosecuting doctors, but he said he does not see the Supreme Court decision as a threat to the government's initiative against what it considers illegal prescribing."The justices carved out this little sphere of individual rights with the Oregon ruling, and I would hope that would migrate into the pain medication sphere," he said. "But I'm not all that optimistic because of other decisions they've made."
In particular, he noted, the court allowed the federal government authority to overrule state laws permitting the use of medical marijuana.
But John Flannery, attorney for a South Carolina doctor convicted in 2004 of illegally writing a handful of pain medication prescriptions after working at a pain center for only three months, said the decision has encouraged him about the prospects of an upcoming Supreme Court appeal of the case.
"The U.S. Supreme Court sent the Justice Department a powerful message, told them to back off, and to stop meddling in medical care in the states -- as it was none of their business," he said. "We can only hope that the courts don't stop with yesterday's decision, as there's more that the department's doing wrong -- terribly wrong."
The regulation of the practice of medicine is a state matter, not a federal one. The current federal proactice of prosecuting doctors for prescribing therapeutic dosages of medication is fundamentally wrong -- and hurts patients like my wife. The time has come for that practice to stop.
And I hope this decuision in the Oregon case brings such abuse of power to a sudden and permanent end.
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December 20, 2005
The first strikes too close to home. As I've said many times, my darling wife has several health problems. Late this afternoon we got a call from our family doctor, who discussed hospitalizing her immediately because of some test results. The decision was to keep her home for a couple of days on absolute bed rest, with the tests to be run again on Thursday. Pray for a quick recovery and good results.
The second involves a friend. At the start of last year, I got a new colleague in the room across the hall, fresh out of college. I've watched her grow personally and professionally since then. I also heard a lot about a certain young man. They married this afternoon in Utah, surounded by loved ones. May God bless them today and in all their days and years together.
UPDATE -- 12/24/05: My darling wife was not hospitalized, but the test results do indicate some additional problems. Some of them may have to do with how medications interact with each other, but one may require some longer term lifestyle adjustments. More tests next week.
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September 30, 2005
Let’s go back to last Wednesday, September 21. At 5:00 PM we got a reminder call from the city of Seabrook, telling us that our evacuation time was 6:00 PM. Well, we were ready to be on the road by 6:45, and so left our home to catch the evacuation rout to the area we planned to stay – Beltway 8 to Hardy Toll Road to I-45, and thence through Dallas-Fort Worth to Ardmore, Oklahoma. At 7:00 we got on the Beltway at Fairmont Parkway in Pasadena. It was then that Hell began.
By 10:30, we had traveled along the Beltway to I-10 – a grand total of 11 miles that would usually take about 12 minutes to drive. It didn’t get much better, as we spent the night talking about how we would rebuild our house (10 feet above sea level, 4 blocks from Galveston Bay) after the Category 5 storm sent a 25 foot storm surge into our neighborhood. I know that I cried as we talked about rebuilding our lives, and I think I saw a couple of tears in Paula’s eyes as well.
By 7:00 the next morning, we had only been able to creep a total of 45 miles to I-45 and Rayford Road, which is usually less than a 1 hour trip. We were sucking fumes, and there was not an open gas station in sight. When road service dispatched a tow truck to bring me gas, they had none – but the owner of the garage was kind enough to tell the driver to bring us in to the shop, where they had gas in storage tanks to use in generators. Those two gallons of gas that Paula and I were given were heaven-sent, and I would like to thank the wonderful folks from Milstead Automotive in Spring, TX for their kindness and generosity, especially since they would not even take money for the gas. That was the first act of true kindness and compassion that I encountered in what was shaping up to be a really lousy day.
Back on the road by 8:00 AM on Thursday, it seemed to me that we might get lucky and find gas – but my hopes were pretty dim. But around 11:00, having traveled about another 10 miles, we happened upon a Sam’s Club with full gas tanks, so we were set.
And then the unthinkable happened. At 2:10 PM, just past the Outlet Mall in Conroe, TX (about 65 miles from where we got on the Beltway 19 hours before) we felt a jolt from behind. A Dodge Ram pickup had hit my new car (a Suzuki Forenza) from behind. The driver not only did not stop, but he and his girlfriend/wife smiled and waved at us as they pulled around us into an open spot in the next lane and drove off. Paula, with her medical history, was transported to the hospital in Conroe for treatment in the ER, and was released about 4:45 PM. At that point, aching and exhausted, I called one of my colleagues who lives in Conroe and asked for a place to stay the night. Ann, her husband Doug, and her daughters treated us so very kindly that evening, and sent us on the way the next morning with directions that got us away from I-45 and over to Highway 6, through Bryan-College Station, and on to I-35 at Waco.
The rest of the trip was relatively easy. We met some great folks at the volunteer fire department in Marlin, TX, where the Red Cross and the fire department had set up a rest stop for evacuees. When we left, they were trying to find shelter for an extended family of about 40 who were traveling together, as well as helping them get some medication that had run out.
At last we reached the Super 8 in Ardmore, which was the closest place we could find that would let us bring our dog, Carmie, with us. Upon arrival, we found that the manager had not only held our room for us, but had moved us into a room that would be better for Paula after the accident. We watched the storm make landfall, and were happy to see coverage from Nassau Bay (Fox News) and Baytown (MSNBC) that confirmed that the storm would not do great damage to our home.
We stayed through the weekend and drove home Monday. We had to do a lot of “on the fly” navigation to make sure that we were not caught in traffic, and made it home in about 9 or 10 hours.
Would I evacuate again? Yeah, I would. I’d prefer to take the back roads rather than follow the recommended evacuation routes, but I know I cannot stay in my house when the big one is expected to come blowing. I might even be willing to go as far as Oklahoma again – but I will probably want to make my reservations sooner so that I don’t have to.
My evaluation of the state and local response is mixed. I think the plan worked well on the drawing board, but had several flaws, many of which have been commented upon since the evacuation. I do, however, want to comment on them to make it part of the public record here on the blogosphere.
First, I believe the contraflow lanes should have been opened at the same time the evacuation began – and certainly no later than Wednesday night, when the evacuation was in full swing. Had this been done at 8:00 PM on Wednesday rather than noon on Thursday, much of the congestion would have cleared up during the overnight hours.
Second, there needed to be more gas available readily available. One of the most infuriating things I heard on the radio was Governor Perry’s comment that “some people obviously did not follow my directions” to make sure their gas tank was full. I head this some 16 hours into my trip, having traveled no further than 50 miles and having burned a full tank of gas in the process. I had left home with gas enough to reach any of the state designated evacuation states, and even to make it to the site of my choice in Oklahoma. What I could not plan for was the gridlock.
Third, I believe that there needed to be more professional behavior from some members of law enforcement. We passed one constable on the Hardy Toll Road (I believe a Harris County Precinct 4 officer, but I could be wrong) playing solitaire on his in-vehicle computer. We honked the horn, but he would not even acknowledge us. When he did, about 30 minutes later, respond to a group of vehicles that were stalled on the side of the road next to us, we shouted a question to ask about gasoline availability. He simply laughed at us and shouted “good luck”. I suggest this pot-bellied, white-haired constable with a mustache (if this isn't him, then his twin also works for Precinct 4) probably needs to be retired by his boss, Constable Ron Hickman – and if action isn’t taken, perhaps Hickman needs to be retired by the voters for poor management of his officers during the crisis.
Lastly, I think there needs to be consideration of the use of other highways besides those suggested for evacuation. State officials knew that I-35 was running freely – but never put up suggestions that we could find better traffic if we went only 30 minutes west on a smaller highway. What’s more, most of the towns along those roads had gasoline, which would have solved a second problem. The problem was that none of those roads began in Harris County, so the planners didn’t think about directing people to them. That needs to be reconsidered, with additional state involvement and coordination to make the plan truly regional.
Ultimately, I have to say that we were very lucky in the Houston area. The storm turned in a manner that we never expected. The area was saved, at a high cost to others in the region. The people of Houston were generous with those harmed by Katrina, and I fully expect that generosity to continue with those whose lives were disrupted by Rita.
And let me say “Thank you” to all who offered up prayers or kind thoughts, during this time, when we needed them desperately – and also to my guest blogger, Rhodey, to the lurker from Bryan who out of the blue offered my family shelter (you don’t know how touched we were by the offer, but I didn’t get the message until we had reached Ardmore), and to all who just looked in to see how we were doing.
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September 27, 2005
What I will say -- for now -- is that we have virtually no damage (if it totals up to $500 I'll be surprised). Paula and I are well, though she is very sore after a miserable trip. Carmie has found her favorite spot to curl up under foot is still there, safe and dry. I go back to school tomorrow.
Many thanks to my guest blogger, Rhodey, for his keeping ths site alive while I was gone.
I will simply say that I now know that I have been blessed in many ways.
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September 24, 2005
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At any rate, he wanted me to forward this info to y'all since he will be without an Internet connection for the time being. Keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
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September 20, 2005
Hotel reservations are made and confirmed.
Evacuation route is printed and placed where it cannot be forgotten.
We are supposed to evacuate within 30 hourse of this post.
I don't know when I will post next, or where I will be.
Pray for Paula, Carmie, and I -- and for the rest of us in Rita's path.
I just hope I will have a home to come home to -- and that it will be fit to live in.
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September 13, 2005
If Roe v. Wade were a tree, what kind of tree would it be?In your best judgment, did Brad and Jen really just grow apart, or was it Angelina's fault?
From your analysis of constitutional history, would you classify James Madison as a dog person or a cat person?
Suppose you'd been in Solomon's place when he proposed cutting the baby in two. And suppose neither woman objected. Would you have cut the baby? Flipped a coin? Or opted for foster care?
Would Thomas Jefferson have preferred the Beatles or the Stones?
When you were a clerk at the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Warren Burger was disliked for his pretentiousness. What nickname did the clerks have for him? Burger King?
The rest are equally amusing, though my favorite has to be this one.
Ashley or Mary-Kate?
Enjoy!
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August 04, 2005
Two events that made my life complete.
You coming into the world.
You promising me forever.
Thank you.
And may I somehow be worthy, my darling one.
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