Posts

Pro-choice and Pro-life

I describe myself as both pro-choice and pro-life.  Sometimes I have described myself as anti-legislation, but that doesn‘t encompass the fullness of my position.  I am also anti-demonstrations out side of clinics, anti-shaming of women for the choices they make, anti-ignorance, anti-abstinence only education, and anti-forced birth.  I'm also very pro contraception.

Edward Snowden

This is not intended to be in anyway comprehensive, just quick thoughts: As an American I would like to get Snowden out of Russia.  Both for his sake and ours. I think he needs to do some jail time.  Not hardcore, but some.   For absolutely no logical reason I've decide 3 years, low security is about right. I wish he and Obama had worked out a deal before the election.  I'd rather have him back.

Always Relevant

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https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/free_speech.png

Work hours for Interns

There's a lot of uproar about the fact that the maximum shift for first year residents (interns) has been extended to 24 hours again.  I was an intern twice (don't ask) and worked first under no restrictions and then under the 80 hour work week.  I had a variety of chief residents who fiddled the schedule in various ways. I did a number of 36 hour shifts, they suck.  Unless you are one of those people who is wired that way, they are complete misery.  I found out later that a lot of my fellow residents used adderall to get through. Twenty-four hours, when you were done at morning sign out, was not that bad.  You had a whole day, often during the workweek, to use as you wanted.  I tended to spend the morning in the hospital finishing up paperwork, left at noon as directed and went home, did laundry and went to bed at 7 or 8  pm and slept through to the next morning.  If the night had been horrible, I would go straight home, shower, put on my jam...

Sticking points for most ACA ideas:

Individual Mandate:  Everyone wants to repeal this, but they either don’t understand how insurance works, or they are willfully obstinate. a.        I am a healthy middle-aged woman.  My health care costs me approximately $1000/year.  I pay $4800 in insurance premiums, I have a high deductible, so I get nothing out of it. b.       That $4800 goes to take care folks with cancer, folks who had car accidents, type I diabetics who need kidney transplants, etc. c.        I pay that $4800 in case I ever get cancer, have a car accident, etc. d.       If folks like me opt out, there’s not enough money to take care of the sick folks. 2.        I have a Health Savings Account (HSA): a.        I was able to fully fund it for the past two years so it has the full amount of my deductible in it.  b. ...

Nice to talk to you today, and REALLY?!?!

I called my Congressman's office today, and came home to find he'd voted for HR7. So I began this email to the staffer I talked to. I'm not sending it because I work for the state, and I like eating. But I am so tired of people who make life harder. They're never happy people. The text of the email so far: It was nice to talk to you today and I suspect that for the next couple of years, we're going to get to know each other. HR7 is the kind of dumbass pander to the nasties I expect from my representative. You know what I hate most about you narrow-minded pro-birth proto-fascists?  That if your sixteen year old was pregnant , you'd drive her to the clinic.  Actually, she wouldn't have to go to the clinic, your private OB/GYN would do a D&C for "dysfunctional bleeding". I also hate that you make me support abortion, which I fundamentally don't like. I believe that life begins at first cell division. But I also believe that there...

Dear Lin-Manuel, I've been a very good girl,

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...and for Christmas (or rather, feast of the ten good omens) I would really appreciate a special gift.  This song from the Mixed-Tape keeps speaking to me.  It so richly expresses the quality of my fury with eloquence I do not aspire to: If you were feeling up to it, would you possible re-work it so I could send it politicians when they are ignorantly, belligerently, anti-choice?  I get so tired of having to think up things to say when they pass ridiculous laws that do nothing but cause difficulty and heartbreak? This wonderful post by Dr. Gunter on   what you learn providing 20 week abortions.   This collection of stories of women who have had later abortions. Could some body write a screed against the people?  Then in the future I could save my energy and just send this to the John Kaisch's and the Rick Perry's of the world.  And that awful, AWFUL Blackburn woman from Tenessee.