Radiation

Several people have inquired about the radiation that I receive for cancer lesions.

I have just started my second round of radiation. The first time was for a spot on my back. This time it is for lesions on a left rib. I receive radiation from the front for one lesion and from the back for the other. The type of radiation I receive isn't/hasn't been painful at all. As a matter of fact, after a few treatments the paid from the lesions begins to ease. Each "shot" takes about 30-40 seconds. It takes me much longer to get my shirt off and get on the table than it does for both "shots" combined.

I am fortunate that the @Kansas City Cancer Center has the type of equipment that I can lie on my back, have x-rays and have both "shots" (front and back) without moving. The machine does all the moving around me to get to the lesions.

During all the treatments that I have had since diagnosis the only thing that has been painful was during the actual stem cell transplants (my own stem cells). Prior to the transplant I received "high dose chemo." It kills all the fast growing cells like hair follicles and the cells in the mouth and esophagus. As a result you lose your hair and develop sores in your mouth and esophagus. The sores are awful! They hurt! They hurt when you breath or swallow. Pain pills only knock you out and you are still aware your mouth and esophagus is hurting. The only thing that helps is gargling salt water about 3 dozen time each day until they go away which takes 3 days to a week (or longer if you don't gargle).

Just thought I would share some of the information with you. Thank each of you for all the prayers you send my way.

Memory of Jean Spencer

When I was a very young child, possibly pre-school, we had a very special neighbor down on north 17th Street in Woodward, Oklahoma. Her name was Jean Spencer and she had four (4) very ornery boys that I kind of tagged behind and observed their activities.

Anyway, this isn't about the four boys it's about their mother. She called me to her porch one day and gave me a small Christmas gift that I think of every year at Christmas time. It was a mouse trap that was decorated in silver. It was trimmed in lace and the entire thing was painted silver. She gave me a little talk of which all I remember is that every Christmas tree must have a mouse trap.

That mouse trap has long since disappeared but the sentiment has remained with me all these years.

This is one of my earliest memories.

My (Re)New(ed) Political Statement

Okay this is my last blog of the day.

For months prior to the election in 2009 I pleaded against voting for incumbents. Well, until the election in November, 2010 you are going to be reading my new and expanded stand.

Not only is it important for this country to not vote for incumbents because all the are interested in is career building instead of doing their job it is CRITICAL that we get some new blood in any office held by incumbents.

That new blood should only be persons who have publicly stated their support of term limits and their lack of desire to become a political term builder. This is the only way we are going to get American back on track from the messes that have been made and allowed by Congress since Obama has taken office.

We can blame Obama all we want but Congress has to pass the bills before Obama can sign them. I am not an Obama supporter but he is not to blame for what is/has been happening... it is CONGRESS. Change will come by getting incumbents, rubber stampers out of office.

This is my new political stand so get prepared for repeats often and the appropriate closing on every blog:

Don't vote for incumbents!

Corrections

There has been a couple of things on my mind lately. I have heard some comments from people that I think, even well intentioned, are incorrect.

First, "Happy July 4th!" I don't hear anyone saying "Happy August 4th," or "Happy January 4th." I understand the intentions of what is being said but I think the correct thing to say is "Happy Independence Day." Isn't that what we are really celebrating... independence from Great Britain? Let's try to get it correct in the future.

Second, we don't live in a democracy. We live in a Republic. "I pledge allegiance to the Republic" not democracy. A democracy is: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them. It requires the participation al all the people not just some or a majority. Although, in today's world democracy and republic are pretty much used interchangeably they are not the same thing. A republic is: a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of citizens entitled to vote and is exercised by representatives chosen directly or indirectly by them. Let's remember that we live in a Republic!

End of today's soapbox!

One more failure for network news

Tonight, I got home in time to watch the ABC News with Charles Gibson and one again they failed to accurately report on at least one story. I can only assume that CBS, NBC, CNN, etc. followed the same reasoning... what ever it was.

It seems that the island nation of Palau (remember Survivor: Palau, the same one) has agreed to accept 17 Uighurs, members of a Muslim group in China, that are currently being held at GITMO.

Of course Charlie neglected to report that the US is paying Palau $200,000,000 to take them. Keep in mind the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of Palau in only $170,000,000. So it probably is a good deal for Palau. They probably won't be spending that much on the prisoners and I bet they won't get the "cushy" treatment thy got at GITMO. More than likely when they ask for special meals, laptops, etc. Palua will laugh at them.

Has Obama calculated and included in the national deficit the amounts we are going to have to pay other countries to take these prisoners?

Lies & ignorance in the news 6.10.2009

Tax cheat and Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, is asking Congress to pass laws giving company shareholders more powers. Specifically, power to decide on executive compensation.

In my opinion, shareholders currently have that power through the election of the board of directors. Shareholders must be guarding against "good old boys" boards.

Of course Geinther opinions come via an administration that has absolutely NO business experience.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad is up for re-election this Friday. He is complaining that his competition are spreading rumors about him the way the Nazis and Hitler did.

Go figure! I thought Hitler was his hero. All those claims that the Holocaust never happened I guess just gave me the wrong impression.

Maybe he is scared he is going to lose! May there is some truth to that old adage: What goes around comes around.

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Sarah Palin cleared

During last year's Presidential campaign Sarah Palin had 14 ethics complaints filed against her in the state of Alaska. The main stream ultra liberal media jumped on this story and kept it a story for weeks.

Yesterday, Governor Palin was cleared of all 14 complaints by the ethics board.

Did the liberal main stream media report it? No!

The giant and failing GE through it's media outlet, NBC and affiliates were joined by the other liberal media ABC, CBS and CNN and it's affiliates to conspire to hide this story from the American public. If it weren't for talk radio and Fox News this story would have remained buried.

Stories like this is why Democrats keep talking about the "Fairness Doctrine." They could use the Fairness Doctrine to stop talk radio and outlets like Fox News from reporting to us what the liberal media won't.

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Taxation without Representation

Recently, I have felt that we are being taxed without representation.

When Congress passed the "stimulus bill" none of them bothered to read it before voting for it. They had no idea what was contained in the bill, yet they voted for it. That wasn't representing me. So what are they doing up there other than drawing their breath and their pay?

Next, Congress has stood by and supported Obama in taking over Chrysler and GM. A recent Rasmussen poll shows that only 1 out of 5 Americans support the GM bailout. Yep, that is 4 out of 5 of us are opposed but that doesn't make any difference to Obama or our elected Congressional representatives. Once again, I don't feel represented.

I was driving down a street in Lenexa today and noticed that a sign company was taking down the Countrywide Mortgage sign and replacing it with a Bank of America lending sign. This reminded me that I was opposed to the bank bailout. Sorry, as a former banker I'm still opposed to that bailout.

It seems like Obama's and Congress' method of solving problems is to force another bailout. Who's or what's next?

Health update 5.6.2009

Just went for blood test and they all looked pretty good. Most are going in the right direction. Next week I actually see the oncologist and get his opinion as to how it looks.

Obama press conference

Last nights press conference was another Barry joke. As I see it two
things happened:

1. He took 13 questions, the same as all the other press conferences. True to form he he talked extensively about each question but answered NONE.
2. The media, that was called on, asked NO hard or pertinent questions. They are all Obama-media and should be fired by their liberal employers for not reporting appropriately.

Everyone should have watched the Fox television scheduled program "Lie to Me."

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Health check 4/29/2009

The oncologist check yesterday was a fairly non-event. All the blood
counts are still going in the correct direction. No changes in
medication were necessary.

I was having a spell of light-headedness while there. My blood
pressure was pretty low, for me, so they think that was accounting for
the light-headedness.

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Inside the Revolution by Joel Rosenberg

True to Mr. Rosenberg's form with his fiction works this is a non-fiction work that is as spell binding as any of his fiction work. His previous non-fiction book Epicenter was also spell binding. In all of Mr. Rosenberg's books he has proven to be eerily prophetic. I have no doubt that this work will also prove prophetic.

Inside the Revolution is divided into three sections. The first section pertains to The Followers of Jihad. Although is has some history prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, it basically begin with the revolution and the return of the Ayatollah Khomeini to Iran and his declaration of the jihad. It provides much insight as to the position of the US toward the Shah and the Ayatollah and how the US was caught unprepared for the revolution. It gives background regarding former President Carter's wavering attitudes as well as many of those in his administration.

The second section of the book, The Followers of Jefferson, pertains to the attitudes of many of the leaders in several of the Middle Eastern countries. Surprisingly, there are many leaders in Muslim countries steering their countries to more democratic forms of government. It provides background information of many of the leaders that has not readily been provided to the American public. It includes the leaders of Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Morocco, Egypt and others. Some of these leaders have been making changes for years but because of Muslim pressure have gone very slowly to keep from drawing attention to the changes.

The third section, The Followers of Jesus, documents many Christian believers and preachers in the middle east region. There are substantially more than what the American public is lead to believe. It details the "Revival" happening from northern African to Pakistan. It also makes clear what should be done by Christians to encourage the revival and Muslims who are looking for more that jihad and the killing of innocents.

If you have any interest in the middle east or its effects on the U.S. this is a must read book. I was extremely surprised at the corroborated information provided and the number of one-on-one interviews Mr. Rosenberg conducted. It certainly gave me a new perspective regarding Muslims.

Clueless Media

After watching the morning news programs I can officially confirm that the main stream media... ABC, NBC, etc. Still doesn't get the Tea Party concept. Either the management is stupid or they refuse to acknowledge that they were "scooped" by other media in covering this story. I tend to believe it is both.

They continue to proclaim the conservatives and republicans instigated the entire Tea Party idea. This is absolutely ludicrous! But, maybe if they continue to "cry wolf" long enough someone will believe them.

The main stream media ha forgotten how to report the news. They now think their opinions are the news and all should follow their opinions and believe everything they proclaim. This is the main reason main stream news is losing money and viewers and cable outlets are taking over the news reporting industry. Cable outlets understand their job is to report only.

Viewers, contrary to main stream outlets opinions, are capable of interpreting the facts and that is what we viewers want... To be allowed to hear the facts and put our own spin on them.

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Tea Party update

Wow! the Kansas City Tea Party in Overland Park in front of Johnson County Community College is definitely a BIG HIT!

At 5:30, 30 minutes before it was scheduled to start, there were probably close to 200 people already there with their signs and lining the streets of College and Quivera. At just after 6:00, I would estimate close to 500 with more people walking the streets, with their signs, to get to the location.

Traffic was unbelievable... worse than rush hour. The only thing I can compare it to is July 4 fireworks traffic at the center of the action. Traffic was literally bumper to bumper in two and three lanes in all four direction of the intersection. There was multiple cars honking support and each honk got the crown yelling, waving and holding the signs higher.

One of the other Tea Parties was shown on the 5 o'clock local news. It was at the National WWI Memorial (the only National WWI Memorial). At that time I would estimate 1,000 attendees.

Unfortunately, the main stream media, including CNN, still don't get it! They have reported that most of the Tea Parties have 100-300 attendees. Wrong! That is why CNN and other main stream media outlets are losing viewers. They have lost the ability to identify a real story that Americans are interested in. They are used to telling us what the main stories are and telling us what to think and whom to vote for.

Americans are getting their bellies full of this type of reporting. What ever happened to old time honest reporting of the stories and the anchors keeping their personal opinions to themselves during the reporting? If anchors want to give personal opinions it used to be done via editorials... do they not understand that?

tax day TEA PARTY

The Washington politicians don't get it! Today's Tea Parties are all about Taxed Enough Already. Non of the Washington politicians that we elected and are currently in office are working for US, the people who elected them.

Americans want to go back to the beginning... No taxation without representation!

The politicians, including Obama and all or Congress, is underestimating the Tea Parties and are chalking them up to one political party or the other. It has nothing to do with political parties. The liberal media is chalking it all up to FOX News or, like a CNN correspondent taking credit for it. Other CNN commentators are calling it a "hate CNN" day. Wrong!

My poster that I intend to carry says: "Next time Read It First". Yes, tonight I intend to attend the Tea Party in Overland Park. There are numerous Tea Parties all over the Kansas City metro area.

Where ever you are find a Tea Party and attend, with or without a poster!

Arthur Blessitt

I have occasionally written about a specific person and/or church. Normally, that has been Pastor Steven Furtick and Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC. Elevation Church is one that I listen to via iTunes podcast.

Another church that I listen to (via iTunes podcast) is Westside Family Church in Lenexa, KS. Two weeks ago they had a guest preacher, Arthur Blessitt. Pastor Blessitt carries a full life sized cross where ever he goes and he has been to every country on earth. He has been arrested and thrown in jail in multiple countries and, yet, he continues to preach the word of God and the love of Jesus Christ.

I encourage you to click on the link below and listen to his message from April 5, 2009. While at Westside he preached nine (9) services and it is my understanding that only the first 2 minutes and the last 2 minutes were the same.

http://www.westsidefamilychurch.com/recentmessages.html

This man is amazing!

Health update 4/1/2009

Had the usual blood tests yesterday, CBC and COAG, and then saw the nurse practitioner. The CBC was all good. The COAG, blood thickness, was at the bottom of where they want it so we adjusted the coumadin again.

Next week I have the full range of blood tests in preparation of seeing the oncologist the following week.

President of Corruption

Once again President Barry has nominated a tax evader to his cabinet. According to Associated Press the abortionist and Health and Human Services Secretary-designate, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, recently filed amended tax return and paid in excess of $7,000 in additional taxes. She admitted in a letter to Senators that she and her husband paid the taxes in preparation for the Senate confirmation hearing.

Does this President know or associate with anyone that pays their taxes? We always told our son to be careful about who he ran around with because it would reflect on him. All these associates that didn't pay their taxes makes me question Barry's honesty even more.

Invest in the Market?

Remember a couple of weeks ago when President Barry said we should all be investing in the stock market? He said he felt that now was the time.

Excuse me! Apparently the market didn't think today was a good day to start investing. It appears to me that the "market" did not like Barry making corporate decisions for Board of Directors and stock holders. His move in firing the CEO of GM was stepping over the boundary. What investor wants to put their hard earned money into any company that Barry, Harry, Nancy, Barney or Chris is going to step in and run? None of them have any experience in the real world. None have actually run a private corporations and, obviously, they are inept at the current government job.

In addition, the Democrats have put limits on compensation and bonuses for the companies that have taken "bailouts." I a business that did not take bailout funds does business with one that did take bailout then the compensation limits apply to the non-bailout company. In addition, the bailout company is responsible for making sure the non-bailout company complies.

Tax evader and Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, wants more power to take over financial and non-financial companies. The government doesn't need anymore power! The Treasury, Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve Banks and FDIC have all the power and authority they need. They should just have the "balls" to use that authority. President Barry and Timmy shouldn't be running financial institutions of any kind.

We went through "bank" closings in the early 1990s with the savings and loans. Other than the waste and corruption of RTC (Resolution Trust Corporation) those S&Ls were sold and their assets were sold. I lived and worked through that crisis. I actually worked for an FDIC owned S&L and it was a joke. The paperwork shuffle and waste was unbelievable. The government was so on top of the crisis that RTC actually came in and closed the FDIC owned S&L. That didn't resolve the issue; instead we had two government agencies fighting over who was running the business.

Sounds like a nightmare... it was, but I still think it is better than more power to Barry and Timmy. Neither of them is capable of running a business!

President Barry, stick your nose into private enterprise again tomorrow and see what the market place does!

That's my opinion!

health update 3/25/2009

It was a quick check at the oncologist's this week. The only blood
test was a COAG to check the thickness of the blood. It was back to
the level they want it.

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