General Discussion, Sunday, March 12, 2017

Posted on March 12, 2017 by Stella

kissing-giraffe

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

155 Responses to General Discussion, Sunday, March 12, 2017

  1. czarowniczy says:
    March 12, 2017 at 12:42 am

    I guess there is someone for everyone…

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  2. MaryfromMarin says:
    March 12, 2017 at 1:03 am

    I can’t do the ever-filling pot, but here’s a coffee post while texan’s away:

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply
  3. nyetneetot says:
    March 12, 2017 at 1:13 am

    Happy Girafferday!

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply
  4. patternpuzzler says:
    March 12, 2017 at 3:40 am

    Hi all! Had some personal thrashing about the last couple days so I missed last night on the Days in American History, I do have it for the 12th, and it lacks formatting at this point, but I’ll get it up in the morning. Sorry. I know some of you enjoy it, and normally I’ve enjoyed posting the info. Tomorrow may be a better day. I sure hope so! lol…

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply
  5. Col.(R) Ken says:
    March 12, 2017 at 7:57 am

    I was handed a great book yesterday, a great book!!!!’Reasons to Vote For Democrats…..while drink my coffee, waiting for a slice of blueberry pie, was through chapter 2. After desert and another cup of coffee was done with chapter 10 and making notes in the margins…..in less than 45 minutes, I turned the last page, I was inspired…….the Democrats plan for 2020 and beyond was revealed…………..

    Liked by 7 people

    Reply
  6. amwick says:
    March 12, 2017 at 9:22 am

    Morning Figments!
    Some people are having totally crappy winter weather, we are having plain old yucky weather.. so I can’t complain. Our plan was to head up to the cabin today, but we are on hold…..

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  7. nyetneetot says:
    March 12, 2017 at 9:27 am

    Mornin’ stella! (Smiter of those that ought to be smote) 😎 🍸 (Long Island Iced Tea)
    Mornin’ WeeWeed! (Master Mixologist Extrodinare) 😎 🍸 (Old Fashioned)
    Mornin’ Menagerie! 😎 |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| (Jack Daniels – Single Barrel )
    Mornin’ Ad rem! (Queen Felis catus) 🐱 🍸 (Flaming Lamborghini)
    Mornin’ Sharon! 😎 🍸 🍸 (earthquake)
    Mornin’ ytz4mee! 😎 🍸 (cosmopolitan)
    Mornin’ waltzingmtilda! 🙂 🍸 (white wine and perrier)
    Mornin’ partyzantski! 🙂 |_| (Tom Collins)
    Mornin’ texan59! 🙂 |_| (Black & Tan)
    Mornin’ ZurichMike! 🙂 🍸 (fuzzy navel)
    Mornin’ Col.(R) Ken! (hand salute) 🙂 |_| (Boilermaker)
    Mornin’ Czarina! 🙂 🍸 (Lynchburg Lemonade)
    Mornin’ czarowniczy! 🙂 |_| (Wild Turkey Rare Breed)
    Mornin’ letjusticeprevail2014! 🙂 |_| (Irish Car Bomb)
    Mornin’ Patriot1783-ctdar! (aka “ctdar”) 🙂 🍸 (grasshopper)
    Mornin’ tessa50! 🙂 🍸 (flaming volcano)
    Mornin’ waltzingmtilda! 🙂 🍸 (sidecar)
    Mornin’ varsityward! 🙂 |_| (Godfather)
    Mornin’ MaryfromMarin! 😀 |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| |_| (Mortlach)
    Mornin’ Wooly Phlox! (aka “taqiyyologist”) 🙂 |_| (Roy Rogers)
    Mornin’ Howie! (aka “doodahdaze”) 🙂 |_| (Classic Daiquiri)
    Mornin’ TwoLaine! 🙂 |_| (Gin & Tonic)
    Mornin’ Sha! 🙂 🍸 (Lemon Drop)
    Mornin’ BigMamaTEA! 🙂 🍸 (Harvey Wallbanger)
    Mornin’ cetera5! (aka “Cetera”) 🙂 |_| (Blackberry wine)
    Mornin’ The Tundra PA! 🙂 🍸 (Baileys Irish Cream on the rocks)
    Mornin’ lovely! 🙂 |_| (Backdraft)
    Mornin’ michellc! 🙂 🍸 (Salty dog)
    Mornin’ auscitizenmom! 🙂 🍸 (Kiss on the Lips)
    Mornin’ Margaret-Ann! 🙂 🍸 (White Russian)
    Mornin’ Auntie Lib! 🙂 🍸 (Tom and Jerry)
    Mornin’ holly100! 🙂 🍸 (Jack & Coke)
    Mornin’ Pam! 🙂 (Not even water)
    Mornin’ Ms.Tee! 🙂 🍸 (Mojito)
    Mornin’ koolkosherkitchen! 🙂 🍸 🍸 (Cuba Libre)
    Mornin’ ImpeachEmAll 🙂 |_| (Flaming Dr. Pepper)
    Mornin’ Monroe! 🙂 |_| (Stinger)
    Mornin’ Les! 🙂 |_| (Rusty Nail)
    Mornin’ shiloh1973! 🙂 |_| (Jack Daniels)
    Mornin’ TexasRanger! 🙂 |_| (Whiskey Smash)
    Mornin’ Ziiggii! 🙂 |_| (B52)
    Mornin’ oldiadguy! 🙂 |_| (Rum & Coke)
    Mornin’ smiley! (“stuck in spambucket”) 🙂 🍸 (Spanish coffee)
    Mornin’ derk! (“Stellars”) 🙂 🍸 (Kamikaze)
    Mornin’ Jacqueline Taylor Robson 🙂 🍸 (Shirley Temple)
    Mornin’ facebkwallflower! 🙂 |_| (Night Train Express)
    Mornin’ Ms. Cindy! (aka “Ms Cynlynn” aka “ms cynlynn”) 🙂 🍸 (1970 ducru beaucaillou)
    Mornin’ sandandsea2015! 🙂 🍸 (1961 Château Montrose)
    Mornin’ amwick! 🙂 🍸 (Blue motorcycle)
    Mornin’ hocuspocus13! 🙂 🍸 (1970 Chateau Latour)
    Mornin’ Sloth1963! 🙂 🍸 (1971 Moulin Touchais)
    Mornin’ MTeresa! (Ex-lurker) 🙂 |_| (Albanian Raki Moskat)
    Mornin’ Rhea Salacia Volans! 🙂 |_| (Hot Buttered Rum)
    Mornin’ joshua! 🙂 |_| (Mudslide)
    Mornin’ John Denney 🙂 |_| (RumChata)
    Mornin’ litenmaus 🙂 |_| (Stolichnaya elit, no ice)
    Mornin’ kinthenorthwest 🙂 🍸 (A Lonely Island Lost in the Middle of a Foggy Sea)
    Mornin’ TwoLaine 🙂 |_| (Smoking Bishop)
    Mornin’ patternpuzzler 🙂 🍸 (Old Lady)
    Mornin’ Senatssekretär FREISTAAT DANZIG 🙂 |_| (Red Russian)
    Mornin’ whiners and complainers! 😛 (No drink for you!)
    Mornin’ to people posting that I missed. 😳
    Mornin’ to all you lurkers! 😕

    Also just in case someday; mornin’ to Elvis Chupacabra, F.D.R. in Hell and sundance! :mrgreen:

    Breakfast!

    NEW and IMPROVED breakfast with extra bacon for ZurichMike!

    Doughnuts and coffee!

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply
  8. WeeWeed says:
    March 12, 2017 at 10:12 am

    Mornin’ kids!

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply
  9. facebkwallflower says:
    March 12, 2017 at 11:30 am

    Amish man being hassled by FDA and faces many, many years in prison. Video is woman who has documented the whole shebang. Interesting and easy to listen to (or can read transcript)
    http://www.healthnutnews.com/amish-grandpa-farmer-found-guilty-charges-involving-homemade-salves-faces-48-years-prison/

    There is some interesting things in the report, like the local sheriff told FDA and federal law enforcements they could not arreat the Amish man in his county because he,the sheriff, would not provide anyone present for the arrest. Video explains why this is important pertaining to the eventual arrest. Nice, easy voice to listen to and woman is really making an effort to help.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
    • joshua says:
      March 12, 2017 at 12:36 pm

      darn Amish gangs of thugs and bootleggers…..AMI-13 graffiti all over their cows….throwing gang signs while milking….women wear gang colors…white…..what a disgrace to a nation of liberal aholes.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
    • czarowniczy says:
      March 12, 2017 at 5:31 pm

      It wasn’t the FDA, it was Pharma the Amish went up against, Pharma made the FDA its bitch in 1992 with the passage of the Prescription Drug Users Fee Act.
      The FDA’s being driven by the EU and Pharma to close down America’s access to dietary supplements, including vitamins. They both want them cracked down on for opposite reasons that have self-serving and complimentary ends.
      The FDA allows Pharma to rush new drugs to market, paying docs to prescribe them to patients unaware the drugs are basically being beta tested on them. Instead of long testing programs that the FDA prescribed gor new drugs pre-PDUFA the drugs are tested long enough to make sure they aren’t immedistely fatal and are put out into the field to wee whst falls off or changes color after they’ve been taken for a while. Remember Fen-Phen? Bextra? Meridia? Resulin? Avandia? How ’bout dem statins, a drug once said to be so safe it should be put in the water supply, pulled from the market?
      This Amish gentleman is looking at jail while Pharma execs whose failty products killed thousands face…..what?

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply
      • stella says:
        March 12, 2017 at 5:34 pm

        Yes, but it is the FDA that is harassing, suing and, ultimately, having this man put in jail, regardless of how we got there.

        I would like to help this one man. I’ll leave the fight against big pharma for another day.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply
  10. Rhea Salacia Volans says:
    March 12, 2017 at 3:01 pm

    Cross-posting from Next Door:

    Reminder: The 15th is this week! Be ready to send President Trump a postcard.

    “March 15, everyone mail a post card to Trump that publicly expresses our support to him.

    He’s standing for America while all around him, including, it seems from the leaks, some of the closest insiders are trying to derail him. This is unprecedented, truly unprecedented, in American history. We, in vast numbers from all corners of the world, will overwhelm the President with our support and belief in him. We will show the media and the politicians that we are standing with him!

    Tell him thank you for taking on the job of making America great again. And most importantly, we will bury the White House post office with complete support that even the media cannot deny. All we have to do, every one of us, is write a post card to the President expressing your support in him and his decisions.

    Mail it on MARCH 15, 2017, everyone all on the same day.

    Imagine the impact this will have. Do the math: there will be millions. Post this on your FB account, Twitter, Gab or other social media accounts.

    Here’s how to get them to Trump:

    President Donald J Trump
    1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
    Washington, DC 20500

    POSTCARDS ONLY. NO ENVELOPES. They would have to go through Secret Service for inspection. Remember, March 15. Put it on your calendar and send some post cards on 15 March.

    https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/2017/03/08/send-a-postcard-to-president-trump-on-march-15/

    IMPORTANT!
    IMPORTANT!
    IMPORTANT!

    While I was Googling info on this event, it seems that Libs have decided they want to send Trump pink slips on the 15th, so we all need to be ready with postcards to counteract that. We spoke on election day, and we better keep talking if we don’t want the Left to drown us out.

    If you can’t find a postcard, there’s one on the site that I linked that you can print out and mail.

    Please share this with everyone you know.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply
  11. stella says:
    March 12, 2017 at 3:23 pm

    Why health care policy experts support the GOP Obamacare replacement plan.

    Why health care policy experts support the GOP Obamacare replacement plan.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • stella says:
      March 12, 2017 at 3:26 pm

      To be frank, if you’re just reading this and you’ve never been on the other end of the phone with a woman with Ovarian cancer who’s calling you for help whilst she’s lying in her bed at Northwestern Memorial hospital weeping because she can no longer receive care there, you cannot possibly understand how dire the situation is. The worst part is that for the first time in my 20 year career as a licensed health insurance broker, there was nothing I could do to help this woman. There were literally no other options for her. There were only two other carriers I could offer her and those carriers offer only restrictive HMOs, none of which provide access to her preferred hospital or any of our other teaching hospitals. There are 19 million Americans just like her who are self employed sole proprietors and as such have to purchase their own health insurance in the individual marketplace. Their choices will soon be zero if something is not done now to incentivize health insurance carriers to once again reenter the individual health insurance marketplace. Already nearly 1/3rd of all counties in this nation have only ONE health insurance carrier to choose from. Soon it will be NONE.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
      • Cetera says:
        March 12, 2017 at 3:44 pm

        Their choices will soon be zero if something is not done now to incentivize health insurance carriers to once again reenter the individual health insurance marketplace.

        And why is that? Why does a for-profit enterprise have to be incentivized to make money?

        Because they can’t make any money with Obamacare, and it isn’t insurance. You can’t have guaranteed-issue, no-pre-existing-conditions “insurance,” as it isn’t insurance. It is just a payment plan, and the policy costs exactly what your medical bills are.

        Can’t fix this with RyanCare. Can’t fix it with a repeal of ObamaCare. It can only be fixed by eliminating the medical monopolies, eliminating medicare, eliminating medicaid, and repealing EMTALA, enforcing fixed pricing, implementing tort reform, etc.

        It is a 100% guarantee that life expectancy in the United States will decrease. It is already happening.

        https://www.wsj.com/articles/life-expectancy-for-white-americans-declines-1461124861

        Like

        Reply
        • stella says:
          March 12, 2017 at 3:45 pm

          I’ll make a deal with you. You READ the entire article I posted, and then I will read yours.

          Like

          Reply
          • stella says:
            March 12, 2017 at 3:45 pm

            It’s obvious by the points you made that you didn’t read it.

            Like

            Reply
          • Cetera says:
            March 12, 2017 at 4:48 pm

            I have. It is the very best rah-rah article I’ve read on why we need to pass Ryancare yet to date. It also is completely meaningless, and will not fix nor address any of the real problems and root issues.

            Obamacare allowed anyone who claimed a ‘loss of income’ to game the system throughout the year by jumping on and off health plans which resulted in massive losses to health insurers and their subsequent exit from the marketplace. That conduct MUST stop and the only way to do so is to penalize such bad behavior and no Rand Paul the 30% penalty (which is far too low) is not “another individual mandate”! It is instead proper management of risk.

            This is the biggest load of malarkey in that article. It isn’t a proper management of risk. He is right, the penalty is far too low. The only least possible appropriate penalty for buying “insurance” after the need for it arises is 100% of total medical bills received treating that illness. Period. If the cost is more than a million dollars, the fine should be more than a million dollars. No exceptions.

            Failure to implement the drastic penalty I have described is simply legalized theft. The patient is literally stealing from the “insurance” company who isn’t selling insurance, they are just paying for your medical care, while the federal gov’t acts as your accomplice and holds the gun.

            Nothing else in that article, nor the plan, addresses the root cause of the issue. The entire healtcare establishment in the US is one big ponzi scheme trying to avoid being the last one holding the bag. Everyone is desperately trying to avoid being the ones paying for the people who can’t pay for the treatment they are legally mandated to provide. No one can afford to pay for that treatment, so they keep trying to pass the buck on so they don’t go broke and go out of business.

            The entire mess is exactly the same as the housing bubble and collapse, in that the gov’t mandated loans to people who couldn’t afford the mortgages, so a great big scheme was concocted so the banks that had to make the loans didn’t lose money. A bunch of ignorant folks bought into the “sure thing” of mass securitization, but when it all came tumbling down, every financial institution in the country lost everything, and all would have been out of business.

            We were 72 hours away from no financial transaction taking place in the country. No debit or credit card would work, no EBT card would work. No money in an account would ever be gotten ahold of again. The entire world would have to run on the amount of cash you had in your pocket. It was literally armegeddon of the financial world, which would bring about armegeddon of the rest of the world too. It’s why we had to spend $1 trillion in stimulus for the last 8 years, to fix nothing. We’ve just managed to paper it all over.

            The same thing is going to happen with healthcare, and it is going to happen in your lifetime, unless certain things are done to stop it. This bill isn’t it. Steps 2 and 3 aren’t it either. They may buy us a little time, but not enough. It doesn’t fix anything.

            The fundamental law of nature that applies here is “that which cannot go on, shall not go on.” In this case, that which can’t be paid for, won’t be paid for.

            The only possible fix is to correct the cost structure. The first cause of the cost structure problem we have originated with Medicare and the Medicare reimbursment schedule, followed by monopolies being allowed to fix costs which had to be too high to pay for those who didn’t pay, lawsuits, gov’t regulations restricting development, etc.

            Like

            Reply
            • Cetera says:
              March 12, 2017 at 4:51 pm

              It’s why we had to spend $1 trillion in stimulus for the last 8 years, to fix nothing.*

              *I mean, we spent $1 trillion each year for the last 8 years, a total of $8 trillion, to paper over the bad debt.

              Like

              Reply
            • stella says:
              March 12, 2017 at 4:59 pm

              I’m sorry, but I find your comments increasingly negative, without any real suggestions about what should be done. You make a lot of sweeping pronouncement without any meat on the bones. Sorry. Fixing the reimbursement schedules is one good suggestion, I’ll agree.

              If you have any other suggestions – other than that the sky is falling – I’d be happy to hear them. Otherwise, this isn’t adding much to the conversation. My opinion, of course.

              Like

              Reply
              • Cetera says:
                March 12, 2017 at 5:16 pm

                Stella, believe, I understand your viewpoint. Yes, it sucks. The suggestions I have are real, and concrete, and the only option. Nothing else will work. Anything else results in the same thing, with the only variable being how soon. Failure to address those root causes absolutely will consume 100% of federal and state income revenues, and detonates the gov’t, the country, and the economy.

                The only reason socialized medicine works in the other countries where it is always touted is because of the homogeneity of those countries, and the fact that everyone is still paying for their healthcare. They are just paying for it via taxes and a socialized, inefficient program, rather than paying for it individually. That is an option, and it DOES work, for the most part, for a while. It tends to rather severely restrict quality and development/advancement, particularly over time.

                What does not, and cannot work, is having a certain segment of the population NOT paying for their healthcare. Currently it is all the illegals, the unemployed, the underemployed, and those with exotic diseases that can’t be afforded by anyone, but still must be cared for to the maximum extent possible by technology. It doesn’t matter what kind of stuff you do to try to move the numbers around, if you are trying to pay for healthcare for people who can’t pay for it.

                Deporting all the illegals will help with the healthcare bill. It will. But not enough. And the issue is only going to get worse, as more and more people lose their jobs to increasing automation.

                Combine that with the monopolies, the crony capitalism, the sacred cows, and it all blows up. There is NOTHING that Trump or Ryan or anyone else can do to fix healthcare, until the swamp is drained, and/or it is finally understood that healthcare isn’t a “right.”

                Like

                Reply
                • stella says:
                  March 12, 2017 at 5:23 pm

                  Sometimes things are done in steps. Step one won’t ‘fix’ things, of course. This has been going on for decades. It is not practically, or politically, correct to just let things fail. If that is done, then Trump will fail, and ANY hope of ANY improvement will disappear. Is that what you think should happen?

                  Like

                  Reply
                • stella says:
                  March 12, 2017 at 5:28 pm

                  P.S.: Do you really believe that corrections are linear? In other words, we can only do one thing at a time?

                  Like

                  Reply
                  • Cetera says:
                    March 12, 2017 at 6:26 pm

                    I think you’re misunderstanding where I’m coming from. I know one, two, or three steps aren’t going to fix this. We had better be working on fixing as many things in parallel as we can.

                    My best hope is that no matter what, passage of RyanCare or not, Trump will figure out the root cause based on the budget. It will became more and more apparent as to what is going on, the more personally familiar he becomes with the federal budget. That is where the hope lies, and how we may eventually get resolution on this.

                    What I am vociferously against is lying in the sales pitch of this “plan.” It IS a lie. It is being sold as the great fix. We do step 1, then step 2, and then step 3, and all will be all better. The great conservatives will have saved the country, and healthcare. That isn’t accurate, and it is disingenuous, and it will have a backlash.

                    The folks that are claiming this is a crap plan are RIGHT, and they are being villianized. They may have their own agenda and ulterior motives for telling the truth, but they are telling the truth. The rah-rah folks are either lying, or DON’T UNDERSTAND.

                    The issue is extremely complex and detailed, and has been growing for the last 70 years. I’m not surprised most don’t understand it. It is the same mentality that Sundance talks about with Cruz and anyone younger having never lived under a non-service-economy, and how things are supposed to work. Those same blinders apply here too.

                    I’m not assigning blame, or saying the sky is falling. What I object to is being handed a $#** sandwich and being told that it is a cheeseburger, and furthermore if I don’t eat it and like it, I’m a globalist shill.

                    That has a tendency to get my dander up. Regardless, I’m done talking about it now, out of respect for your previous request. I brought it up here, because I do think it is important, and maybe Sundance might see it. I certainly wasn’t going to undermine what he’s trying to do in public on his blog, ’cause I’m not a globalist shill.

                    Cetera, out.

                    <O

                    (that's a salute, if you don't recognize it)

                    Like

                  • stella says:
                    March 12, 2017 at 6:32 pm

                    And I didn’t stop you from expressing your opinions. If you have something new to say, and can say it in a sentence or two, then I’ll be glad to listen.

                    What I believe is that something can be done, and I don’t think that what most of Paul Ryan’s critics are saying make any more sense than you believe Paul Ryan’s plan is making.

                    Liked by 1 person

                • joshua says:
                  March 12, 2017 at 7:54 pm

                  I don’t like the message, but as an economist…I know you are correct…same as Student Loans merely resulted in Colleges increasing tuition and dorm costs….because the money was free to them from more students borrowing than would be able to pay back the loans…now it is over a trillion dollars…and they will not repay…and the taxpayers will pay the colleges, not the education value at all. Insurance is merely a risk management tool…it is NOT healthcare any more than auto insurance is a repair service or homeowners is a theft protection device….they are COMPENSATION for resulting incidents that cost money, and the insurance SPREADS the risk vs payment plan over a huge population of premium payers….expecting NOT to pay out more than is paid in. The so called Healthcare Insurance Systems cannot actually work if the RISK is absolute to the insurance carrier….as with previous conditions guarantees or wait until you are sick to take out “insurance” coverage.

                  I hate the message…but it is NOT negative…it is sadly true.

                  Like

                  Reply
                  • stella says:
                    March 12, 2017 at 8:04 pm

                    The message that there is nothing that can be done is negative, and one that I will not accept. Have we all turned into a bunch of negative Nellies, and wimps?

                    Liked by 1 person

          • Cetera says:
            March 12, 2017 at 5:07 pm

            For further reading on these issues, I hesitantly recommend Karl Denninger. I do so hesitantly, for a number of reasons you can email me about. There’s no point in me bashing him here publicly, particularly when he’s not here to defend himself. All of my issues with him stem from his personality and his mindset, not about his accuracy. He’s not wrong on the stuff he writes about.

            https://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=231561
            https://www.market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=231295
            https://www.market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=231191
            https://www.market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=230151

            Like

            Reply
      • czarowniczy says:
        March 12, 2017 at 5:49 pm

        I can remember being on the other end of the phone with a fsther whose young son was being treated for cancer and the doc and hospital refused to treat him, even though they’d been treating him and getting paid for over six months, as they couldn’t prove his insurance. Dad was retiring, was on the Fed’s 30-day free insurance extension, and was waiting for proof from hid COBRA carrier he was covered. We gave him official forms showing docs and hospitals he was covered without a break, he was just waiting for his insurance carrier to pick him up under his new plan. Docs docs/hospital wouldn’t take our word, they wanted to see a fax from the insurance company or they’d toss Dad and son out into the snow.
        There’s plenty enough blame to go around, only group that gets screwed is the patients.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply
        • stella says:
          March 12, 2017 at 5:52 pm

          That’s correct. I would like to try to save people like this, if possible. I realize it might not be, but that isn’t a reason not to try, and it certainly isn’t okay to just, “let it fail”, in my opinion.

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
          • czarowniczy says:
            March 12, 2017 at 9:19 pm

            As I had 24/7 contacts with over 240 insurance companies across the US I could call my POC and they could call the folks at the hospital cash register and sooth their bottom lines. Interesting days, I had teo psgers, one for insurance people and one for customers and a cell with hundreds of insurance numbers plugged in.
            Luckily my other jobs didn’t mind my taking the infrequent call on their time, ain’t no one who don’t have insurance problems and can’t sympathize with others who do.

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply
  13. jeans2nd says:
    March 12, 2017 at 5:17 pm

    Haven’t seen Tundra so will briefly interrupt.
    Couple-three dogs down at Id’rod, PETA is whining. Meanwhile, the teams are mooshing.

    Seavey first out of Kaltag. Norske guy in 5th as of 0650 a.m. lvng Kaltag. Never dreamed following this wld be so interesting.
    https://apnews.com/abcbd55cb77542929b4cba12969f40cf/Father,-son-battle-for-lead-in-Iditarod-race-across-Alaska

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
    • The Tundra PA says:
      March 12, 2017 at 6:55 pm

      Thanks jeans! I didn’t have time to comment this morning before leaving for church, after losing an hour to daylight saving time last night. And truthfully, I wasn’t sure anybody besides me had much interest. Sundance had a dedicated post up the first 2 days of the race, but not since; so not much interest over there.

      IDITAROD is now shifting into the final third, which is significantly different from the previous 700 miles. As the teams approach the Bering Sea coast, the land is flat, treeless, and usually hammered by wind. Gone are the big trees and rolling hills of the Yukon River valley. Wind is a relentless enemy here, and there is no way to get away from it. It often blows so hard that the entire team is blown sideways off course. It takes a special lead dog to confront harsh wind.

      My prediction at this point is that it is going to come down to a head-to-head brawl between Mitch Seavey and his son Dallas for this year’s championship. Mitch has maintained the lead for the last 350 miles, including while he took his 8 hour rest on the Yukon back at Kaltag. He pulled the hook leaving Kaltag 5 minutes ahead of Dallas. When Dallas left Kaltag he had switched sleds to a light fast racing model, leaving his behemoth with built-in dog boxes behind. All his dogs are on the line now, and the weight they are pulling is a fraction of what it was. In addition, Dallas is often wearing running shoes instead of heavy boots, and he hops off the sled and runs beside it for miles, further lightening his team’s work. Dallas runs marathons in the summer. He is an incredibly fit athlete himself. He works hard and is a skilled musher; it would be easy to pull for him if he weren’t such a jerk. But he is. I so hope his dad beats him. Mitch is a really nice guy.

      At this point it looks like Aliy Zirkle is working for a top-10 finish. She is currently in about 7th position (lot of leapfrogging going on as teams run and rest). She is about 4 hours behind Mitch and Dallas, and barring a huge weather event or some catastrophe to teams in front of her, is unlikely to make up that much time with less than 300 miles to go.

      My young friend Pete Kaiser is 15 miles behind Aliy, in about 13th position. He could still move into the top 10. Pete is a dedicated and hard-working musher, and I have no doubt that he will win Iditarod one day. He is only 28, he has time.

      Fortunately for dog teams and drivers, the (literally) breath-taking cold of several days ago is gone and relatively balmy temps above zero have settled in. That makes everyone’s job easier. And more fun.

      Liked by 7 people

      Reply
  14. stella says:
    March 12, 2017 at 5:35 pm

    Just read this on Facebook. It is the testimony of a woman named Susan, written to Ann McElhinney, who is one of the producers of the Gosnell Movie and Gosnell book. I think it is very moving, so I decided to share it with all of you.

    Today our founding pastor, Dr. Richard Lee, held your book up in church and told us all about it. He also said he would be interviewing Mr. McAleer right after church. I was able to hear part of this interview. I’m so thrilled that this happened today and I have been reading the book this week and will finish it today. I was part of the crowd funding for the movie and look forward to seeing it. But, I just want to tell you, if you don’t mind, why this story is so personal for me. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read my testimony that I recently posted and to know what a difference you are making in our culture. Our current pastor, Jeff Jackson, spoke today on Difference Makers. You are both Difference Makers. Thank you for your tenacity. My testimony:

    ~ I’ve known I was going to do this for quite a while, but I just didn’t know when. It’s now. Today over half a million people from all walks of life met in Washington DC to march peacefully and declare that life is precious. You probably notice that I post a lot of articles about abortion and am very firmly pro-life. It hasn’t always been so. I remember the first time I ever heard the word abortion. It was during a summer visit to Pennsylvania at my grandmother’s house. Always an avid reader, I found a Reader’s Digest and I was set for the day, until, I came across an article about abortion. I didn’t even know how to pronounce it and had to ask my mother what it meant. She told me the truth. This was around 1966 and I was 11, or maybe 12 , depending on the month. The shock just jolted through me, I don’t know if I thought or said it but my mind was reeling with, “Why would anybody do that?” Later in the day, I asked my cousin if she knew what it meant. She did. It seemed that the world looked a little more dark that day. But, never underestimate the power of culture. Fast forward 7 or 8 years and I had embraced the rebellion of the 60’s and 70’s in a big way. Hippie, feminist, and radical is what I wanted to be. I married right out of high school (not quite radical enough to tell my parents I was going to live with my boyfriend) just months after Roe V Wade supposedly gave women freedom over their bodies. By the next year, or maybe the next , I became pregnant. Some folks remember every detail of their abortions but others bury the details so deep that some of them never surface again. I told my husband that I was pregnant but that I wasn’t going to have the child. I remember the looks on his face. He went from happy to shut down within that one sentence. But, he never tried to stop me and I don’t remember ever talking about it after the fact. On one hand I was proud of my decision and felt I was taking a step for women in the fight for reproductive freedom. Reproductive freedom, what a stupid term. On the other hand I felt I needed an excuse to give people when I told them what I was doing. My lost Copper 7 IUD fit the bill. There were plenty of articles at the time about their being found in children at birth or causing miscarriages and so I told everyone that was the reason that I would have an abortion. Now I am fully aware that the real reason is because I just didn’t want the responsibility. I wanted to have fun. I didn’t really think the marriage was working and didn’t want to have to raise a child alone. All selfish, sinful reasons. So I did it. My mother-in-law took me to Atlanta from Macon and it was done. Within a couple of years, that marriage was over. That happens very often when a couple has that experience. A few years later I was remarried and not in a good situation. This was another bad marriage and I’d just had a baby when I learned I was pregnant again. Because I had trouble coming to terms that I might be pregnant I was further along when I decided that I was going to make the trip to Atlanta again. It would prove to be a completely different, more traumatic, experience than the first time. Now I had two children, I was working toward trying to get out of the marriage I was in and it grieved me to do it, but I had my second abortion. I thought I was doing it so that my living children could have a better life but again the decision was rooted in sin, selfishness and fear. I was soon out of that marriage and at work getting my life together, or so it seemed. What no one was talking about, though, was that you can’t be a mother, have an abortion, and come away unscathed. And make no mistake, the moment you become pregnant, you are already a mother. Even after years of healing and help, it’s hard to pinpoint all the damage that was done to myself. But, the damage done to my unborn children is undeniable. Decades passed and very few people ever knew about that part of my life. Even as I still claimed the feminist mantle, I didn’t talk about my abortions. But, I was sad. I drank too much. I raged. I hurt the ones I love the most. Then, about 4 years ago, Kermit Gosnell entered my range of vision. Even though I had walked down the aisle at 10 or 11 and accepted the Lord, I never began to chase him until I was in my fifties. Finally, I began to seek Him! I didn’t know that there would be times that he would admonish, correct and convict. Even though my opinion about abortion had changed and I realized what a sin it was, I hadn’t dealt with the damage it had done. But Gosnell brought the reality of that sin to the forefront of my consciousness and brought me to my knees in a mighty way. The realization of what I had done to my children was a pain I didn’t think I would be able to bear. But, our Lord and Savior, being who He is could even use that for His good. He has healed me and led me to people and organizations that are loving and kind and do great work for His kingdom in the mess that abortion brings. I can tell you that the mothers, and fathers, of nearly 60,000,000 aborted children since Roe V Wade in the US alone are not untouched by their actions and experiences. The stories are as varied as the number of people there are, but the devastation comes for everyone. I’ve met some women who had regret before it was finished and many who hide that regret for decades, but, it’s always exposed. As I watched part of Gloria Steinem’s speech last week, I saw a broken, trapped woman. If she’s made it all these years with no regret, which I doubt, there is always the chance that it will break through and she’ll have to deal with her decision as well as the fact that she has led so many into darkness. There are some like her but there are millions like me, who are just waiting for a Savior to help them. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me. So, why am I telling everyone this? Light chases away darkness. Truth conquers fear. (And this is scary) So in the context of #shoutyourabortion, I’m shouting mine, just not for the reason liberals would have it done. I’m telling you that the March For Life is a salve to the brokenness of events like the so called women’s march. I’m telling you that abortion kills children and hurts men and women. I’m telling you that if you are a Christian and you vote for pro-choice candidates, it’s time to take a look at yourself. I’m telling you that there is healing and hope for all of us. Today, one out of three to four women have had an abortion. Someone reading this may need help with coming to terms with theirs. Feel free to private message me. There is help. ~

    Today some of my post abortive friends and I have begun a small ministry hoping to provide healing Bible studies and fellowship to other women who have been where we have. Maybe we can be Difference Makers, too. Thank you so much.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  15. auscitizenmom says:
    March 12, 2017 at 9:01 pm

    lilbirdee12’s prayer:

    Our Heavenly Father, Your children come to you tonight to ask for healing and peace throughout our country so that we may return to being One Nation Under God. Guide us to be leaders in Your Kingdom, spreading Your Love and Salvation to all. Forgive us our sins and deliver us from evil.

    Lord, we ask for a blanket of protection over all our troops and law enforcement who serve to defend and protect us. Bless our representatives with the strength and wisdom they need to achieve the path You have chosen for us.

    Please place Your Guardian Angels of Protection around Donald Trump and Mike Pence and their families as they seek to lead America back to You.

    Grant us patience, Lord, as the evil ones try to anger us and cause us to fall.
    Spread blessings over Israel and Netanyahu.

    We humbly ask that You please comfort those who are grieving and in pain.
    Thank you Father, for Your Love and the gift of Life.

    In Jesus name, we pray. Amen

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  16. stella says:
    March 12, 2017 at 9:23 pm

    Another puppy pic. This is just the males. There are seven. I get to choose 4th, and I prefer an orange and white, so we will see. The breeder seems to think I should be able to get an orange and white as long as nobody ahead of me changes their mind.

    Liked by 6 people

    Reply
  17. lovely says:
    March 12, 2017 at 10:01 pm

    Prayers for Sean and all of President Trump’s people and their safety. These people are ignorant, dangerous morons.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.