Sunday, May 31, 2020

Just one Second...

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."




This is the second amendment to the Constitution.

As you can see, it is not wordy, nor does it go into in-depth detail.




The details are available, for anyone who cares to look. The Founding Fathers were verbose men, and not only did they use words, they refused to mince those words. They meant what they meant.

There are letters.
There are recorded (on paper) debates.




"A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state"

What is a free state?

What must a state be free of or from?

A free state is one where its citizens makes its laws, makes its decisions, and decides on the details of everyday living.

A free state is NOT a police state.

A free state is not a subject to a nation. It is a part of one, by consent of the citizens.




What is security, in a free state?

Being able to live a life is a good start.

Family, home, job, friends, income, knowledge, and the ability to come and go freely sound as if they may it that description.




I'll leave "well-regulated" alone. That has been, and continues to be the most debated part of the amendment.

Regulated in what ways? By laws? By common practices? By individuals' rights?

Who is to say? Who says who gets to say?

It has always been a contentious point, and I believe that is why those words were deliberately chosen and placed at the front of the amendment.




The last words are "shall not be infringed."

Infringement.

Regulated.
Are these words opposites? Are they synonyms? How? Why?




The heart of the issue, in the center of the amendment is "the right of the people to keep and bear arms."

This is also the heart of the controversy.




I am not a gun person.

I think having guns in every home and every vehicle is (if you will) overkill. I don't think they are necessary in daily life, and I do think they are dangerous to daily life.




I am, however, a believer in the Constitution, and in the intents of the Bill Of Rights.


The times we are living in are proving the wisdom of our Freedom Founding Fathers in creating this amendment, and the clever wording they used.

The right of the people to keep and bear arms, so that no government can overpower them. So that no organized troops may overwhelm them.

The right of the state with its well-regulated militia, so that no national government can overpower them. So that no national troops can overwhelm them.

These are the rights that are not to be infringed upon, both at the local state government level, and also for individuals.




But individuals don't need assault weapons, you may say.

Do police need those? Why?




You can bet, if the city police or the national guard marches down my street shooting at my homes, businesses, neighbors, and children, I want myself or my defenders to be equally if not better armed than they are.

That is the intent of the amendment. That government must not be better armed than the citizenry.

How will you defend yourself against the assault weapons?

How will you defend against the National Guard?

Where the hell are the Constitutional STATE militias meant to defend their neighbors and friends?

Friday, May 22, 2020

no Quit in That Girl : david saved her from herself one more time

From Dave RuhstallerTan is being set up for continuous dialysis she has a been passing any water or fluids for a little bed so they're gonna do A-line and do continuous dialysis as of the CT scan done a bit ago to do the dialysis, it shows that her kidneys have failed. The IVC as been strangled by her lymph nodes. and is and has shut down a few other organs. tam is not going to last the next few days. shes on a ventilator, they cannot dialyze her blood. her time is anything from a few hours to a day or so. they asked to hard ones, and she is now DNR. do not resuscitate. there is nothing that can be, no treatment options. her comfort and not prolonging her suffering is the only thing to do now. + I'm on my way up there to the hospital add that to it and that's where I'll be until until it happens 5/21/2020 approx 1030pm, Tammy passed away. because of the advanced state of her cancer, her lymph nodes cut off circulation to her kidneys by cinching the IVC. which feeds blood to the organs and her lower half. this evening before i made the decision to make her comfortable, and let her pass rather than let her suffer kidney and organ failure while on life support. She went in her sleep, loved and held as tight as i could.


Thursday, May 21, 2020

24 hours later



So.  They will be moving Tam either to Anderson or Christ.   They still have not been able to get any good samples to identify type. But whatever it is,  it's late stage 4.
They want to start treatment but The wrong treatment could be worse than no treatment.  (I could argue that point with one word. How?)

Will know more after David meets with oncologist.  There was,  I think, (but I'm not sure) some mention of her seeing the kids before anything else happens.

To anyone wondering, Tammy told us,  while still competent,  that she IS going to fight this thing.  She has held to that decision even when not mentally composed.
That has been her expressed wish to any and every person it's been discussed with,  so far as I know.

Her family is following her directives,  even if  they haven't been formalized. (again an area where I am an outsider. )

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

SO much B.S.

Yesterday the governor of Ohio made an announcement That they were easing up on restrictions and allowing more places, more businesses to be doing more things and allowing more people.


This in general was met with sighs of relief -- as well as a lot of finger-crossing. People in situations like ours were hopeful but not convinced.

Once again, there was nothing specific or detailed about hospitals and other health care facilities.
But surely, if other, unprepped places are less restricted, those places with precautions and prohibitives already in place as a matter of business would also be doing so.

Wouldn't they?

And then this happened.


This came directly from my daughter's husband, David Ruhstaller, after we both received phone calls at 3 am. He went in response to the phone call. Forgive any spelling or syntax errors -- this was written under/during great duress.
(I stayed with the children.)

From Dave Ruhstaller:
I got a call a little bit ago from monarch meadows saying that Tam has been sent to Adam's regional medical center for low blood oxygen levels and basically being incoherent and borderline unresponsive at times Upon arrival I was given the run around about seeing your wife they had me do the normal thing of putting her information in signing for her and had me wait and lobby for 25 minutes or so before I even talked to a nurse and before I talk to that nurse to Japanese word called in to see if I was going to be a problem because while I was doing Tams information they said we can't let you back there so I don't know what we can do I said like funk I'm not going to see my wife apparently that stared them enough to have through deputies come out while I was standing at the door waiting to be led back to see Tam After a few minutes of talking with them I was led back to see Tam for maybe 10 minutes at most before they pulled me out and put me outside so they can put the said drawing in her hack she basically can't speak she's incoherent I don't even know what she's saying. After going outside a deputy tells me that I should sit in my course so I'm at least close by and that if they were to requested he would have to eject me from the property because me being back there can cost someone their job to which I responded I'm sorry their job is more important than being with my wife before she goes
Now I'm sitting up here in the parking lot and every 20 or so minutes a deputy comes role in through here to make sure I'm still in my car

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Who's Ruling the Hospitals?

There is a distinct divide in policy and opinion over who is running what and how during this pandemic.
There is an immense schism in communication.

If you ask the hospital (or nursing home, or rehab center, etc) if they are allowing visitors, they say No. Not Yet.

If you ask when they will be, they say that that is up to the government.

If you ask the government offices, they say that that is up to the discretion of the institutions. They are, to some degree, making their own decisions.

If you tell the gov people that the health office people say its not up to them, but to the government, the gov people say, "Oh, they've just misunderstood."

Well, whose job is it to make them understand?
Whose responsibility is it to clear up communication problems?
Who (else) do I have to call to get an answer other than "somebody else"?

I don't mind, really, that there are rules.
I don't even mind that the rules, by necessity, are rather loose as far as dates and times and such.

I do mind that the government offices are uniformly giving one type of answer, and the health institutes are giving a completely opposite answer.

I have talked to different levels of government.
I have called toll-free ask-a-question numbers.
I have called automated numbers, left an automated message and received an automated response.

I have called, just to see, different types of medical establishments.
Just to see what differences different types of places with different goals and priorities were doing differently.

I got the same types of answers from the two categories.

Who do I have to talk to to be able to see my daughter before she (probably) dies?

I'm NOT the only one wondering.

I am asking for all of us.

Does anyone have an answer?

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Do It NOW

Don't wait.

This was going to be the summer things got right for Tammy and her family.
This was going to be the summer we'd be able to do day trips and weekend getaways. There would be time (carefully arranged) and money (little, but enough)

And then the world shut down.

But before the world shut down, my daughter, 32 years old, mother of two, went to the hospital because she could no longer stand the pain in her back and the swelling in her leg.


She was admitted on March 29, her son's 7th birthday.

Her last day home.
We have not seen her since.

We will probably not see her again. Ever.
Barring a miracle, which could happen but by its nature is unlikely.

She has no diagnosis, no treatment, no prognosis of her disease.

The labs are backed up and all their efforts are fighting this coronavirus. EVERY other ailment, illness, or disorder has been shoved aside.

Now, I understand that it is a "good of the many" situation, and the many are, and should be the priority in an impersonal way, but I'm having a hard time understanding why everything else is being shoved into a corner, swept under the carpet, etc.



THERE WILL BE NO DAY TRIPS as a Family.
No weekend getaways.

Not with her; not for her.

If you have a healthy child, hug her.
I can't.

If you have a beautiful daughter, fill your eyes with her.
I can't.

If she's talking and driving you nuts, going on and on -- listen to her.
I can't.
My daughter can no longer speak.

It's been six weeks, barely, and my girl has vanished from my life.

From her husband's life. (But not really. He still has the burden of decisions when they will need to be made.)

From her children's lives.
Need I say more?




So, if you can, follow up on those plans. Do IT. Go THERE.
You may not get another chance.

Sunday, May 10, 2020

From Tammy's Husband.



For those who are not in the know. i am getting a lot of questions that i keep getting wound up answering over and over again.


Tammy is in hospital, and has been for a bit over a month.

initially because of her leg swelling and anomalous blood work.

that was determined to be a set of lymph nodes swelling. at first things didn't seem too outta place. but to be sure further testing was done...
a few biopsies, a battery of tests, then moved a few times.
Its determined that Tam has a cancer that developed in her lung/s, liver, thyroid, pelvis, and to an extent, lower spine. As well as the lymph nodes in those areas. it has been very aggressive, and her oncologist is not optimistic.
put simply, Shes dying.
Its progressed so fast that it's outpacing the tests and the results. It went from swelling in her leg and anomalous blood work, to her current condition inside of a month. And they still don't know what kind it is. so treatment is not happening right now. On top of being alone the whole time and results delayed from labs due to this sars2 horse shit. so the process is slowed down and the odds are stacked against her.
she is at Cleremont mercy in the efforts to fight it. but is awaiting diagnosis from DNA testing on the biopsy from her liver.
then her treatment can start.
she needs her rest and is medicated. so she doesn't want to be blown up. and calling isn't really an option as her ability to speak and be heard is seriously hindered.


I'm putting this up here because there is a lot of questions and a lot who want to be kept in the loop. updates will come as they are available.


Saturday, May 9, 2020

my Tammy

Tammy has cancer. Everywhere. She has only been ill since March 29. Today we discussed -- over the phone because quarantine -- how to treat her final days. They have not been able to identify the type of cancer, and the way it is running through her, IF they do get the chance, it will most likely be too late for any effective treatment. Practically, it probably already is too late. She has cancer in her spine, her pelvis, her thyroid -- she can no longer swallow --and in her lungs and her liver. She is starting a pneumonia which is probably from aspirating something. She is hallucinating and not always all there mentally. She is currently in Clermont hospital for the pneumonia. The plan is once that is taken care of, she will come home. I can only hope it happens, because they are still allowing no visitors and oh my god we dont want her to die alone.