The perfect metaphor

During the last week of this past August my Dad found out he had Colorectal cancer. But as he awaited treatment details in the subsequent month and a bit since being diagnosed, the less dire everything seemed to be. His doctor’s weren’t rushing back to him with any news. And when they finally did, they were pretty confident their prescribed treatment — being major surgery — while still very serious, would eradicate the issue. I gathered he just wanted it over with. Dare I say it, we all did?

Then along came the day prior to Hallowe’en, the day of his surgery. While it ran long, it was successful. However his initial recovery was slow. And the following Tuesday morning, while involved in his “physio,” if I may label it as such, he had what his doctor labelled a “cardiac event.”

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not looking to place blame on anyone. But everyone involved in his care after this occurring wasn’t entirely clear on what had happened. Or what was continuing to unfold. His doctor being chief among “everyone.” Point being, “why” is no longer a question I’m particularly interested in asking anymore. I’d much rather focus on the way in which my Dad handled things which he was dealt. Whether it was how he immediately put his entire life on hold when I needed an advocate, or how he passed from this world.

Continue reading The perfect metaphor

Really think about it

So we’re well into another federal election campaign here in Canada. Exact same shit, exact same pile. I’m so very tired of electoral politics. Voting for things that don’t really matter, all at the expense of everything that does. It’s all so very maddening. If there wasn’t so much at stake, I assure you, it would be virtually impossible for me to pay attention. Not that what I do pay the political process, in my country at least, could qualify as attention. Even in the loosest definition of the word.

As such what follows will not be an endorsement of any particular candidate. Casting my vote May 2nd will be much more an effort in futility than realistically should be in a so called democracy, right? Is this really the state of the country I live in?

Continue reading Really think about it

Things Could Be Worse

What’s with people? In what would be the supreme height of laughable — that is if the facts on the ground facing regular working American’s and the tragic implementation of their health care wasn’t so ridiculously deadly — ”conservative Maryland physician,” Andy Harris, “elected to Congress on an anti-Obamacare platform” demanded “to know why his government-subsidized health care plan takes a month to kick in.” And continued to ask “what he would do without 28 days of health care.” Irony, eh?

Realistically what I find much more ironic is the fact that as much as Republican’s and the Tea Baggers talk their shit about Obamacare, and how much they hate him — err, I mean it — those newly elected officials have absolutely no intention of repealing that legislation (watch today’s interview of Wendell Potter on Democracy Now!). Health care reform benefits business. That’s precisely where all that Republican money came from. People expecting change by voting for an industry funded solution have been had. Nothing will change. Or be repealed. But I digress.

So in a sorry attempt to cover his sloppy ass, Andy Harris, or I should say his spokeswoman, claimed — I’m assuming after the fact — ”he was just pointing out the inefficiency of government-run health care.” Believe it or not — which I don’t — that concern is fair…

Continue reading Things Could Be Worse