Blonde moment

And the silver spoon.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Obama and Socialized Health Care

Wanna kick your military in the pants? Let it leak that you think they should pay for their own combat wounds out of pocket . (Those who are predisposed to accusing others of following in the footsteps of Oedipus while also reminding them that they and their good works are nothing but filthy rags should refrain from reading that link.)

So, here’s how various insurances work in the National Guard. My husband is covered under my Blue Cross insurance policy at work unless he is deployed and they do not pay for deployment related injuries or illnesses. He cannot buy private sector life insurance if he is going to be deployed soon or during deployment. Further, the only private sector life insurance we do buy for him does not have an act of war clause. Oh, and we can’t take out a disability policy on him period until he is done with the military. Insuring a soldier in a combat zone is an expensive risk, and policies like this rip off soldiers and their families. Since I doubt I’d be able to secure private sector insurance for Josh should he go into combat again, we’d have to pay out of pocket.

What this could be is a slick way of discouraging military service. However, there are other ways of reducing the number of troops. At any rate, people who believe in socialized health care and think that TRIcare is a good model had better think twice. Under Obama's philosophy, once you become too risky, you are on your own.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Bonding over food…

You know, I never thought about how important food is to our bonding experience until Monday. Mallory had an allergic reaction to, of all things, Mac and Cheese. As this is not her first allergic reaction, I took her in so we could get it documented and so I could get some guidance on how to treat it. Then I had to remind everyone not to feed her anything that Josh and I didn’t OK, not even a lick off of a finger (something Josh and I are very guilty of) because it is even small amounts that are triggering these bad reactions. It feels awful to know that something you have innocently done could have killed a kid. We have a variety of foods we won’t be giving to her right away because they are common allergens. And I won’t get into them here. But, I realized that Mallory won’t, probably for a few years, as kids often grow out of these things, be able to bond with people over food.

“So, have you given Mallory (fill in the blank)?” That’s a common question. I know deep in my heart that everyone means well. But, it makes me question the nutrition plan that our doctor suggested while she’s still nursing. And it makes me question my own judgment. I don’t think the question is asked to be the judgmental statement that I react to, rather an indirect expression of “I’d like to bond with Mallory over good food.”

I started thinking about how I bonded with my parents, grandparents, and sisters. My dad would take us agate hunting and to Bridgman’s. However, the taste of Chocolate Malts and Chocolate Sodas is dim. I think I could probably replicate it, but I don’t remember it well. I just remember the big agate I found, how exciting it was to brag about it, and the great times we had. My mom and I would do dishes together. In high school and college, my mom, sisters, and I would hang out in the kitchen around dinner time and talk. I could probably list off the top 15 meals I grew up with. But, I only have one or two foods where the mere mention of them brings the taste to my mouth (beef stroganoff and my mom’s marinated flank steak). The neat food at Josh’s mom’s is Bill’s homemade wine, but I remember the board game and rummy more than I remember what his wine tastes like. The last family meal we shared with my maternal grandfather… I can’t tell you what we ate, but I can tell you about his prayer.

It’s the activities, the games, the Christian fellowship, and the conversation that I remember more than the food and drink. And, if Mallory’s allergies are the worst case, we’ll all have to be constantly reminded that it is not food nor drink that matter, rather it is the company that matters.

(Before commenting, don’t provide food advice in the comment section unless you know how we’re nursing and the various situations. If you must share, and you know my e-mail or are my Facebook friend, that’s the venue to leave such things.)

Saturday, March 07, 2009

Even if I wrestled, I would not be a threat.

Josh has a couple of cousins who wrestle. They are 19 and 17, my height, and they could take me, hands down, even if I was in peak physical condition. This is why I disagree with this letter to the editor in the Star Tribune .

Yes, women, there are bad guys out there. And self-defense is a good thing. However, there are a variety of ways to defend oneself, and I would argue that most women should not enter into street fights with potential attackers. Why? Men are stronger.

Now, let’s say you were truly concerned about your safety (for whatever reason). I’d recommend owning and learning to operate a firearm above a self-defense class. And I’m not talking about taking one little gun safety class, either. I am talking about learning to operate a firearm under high-stress conditions, going to the range on a regular basis, practicing shooting your gun, etc.

We’re talking efficiency here. In theory, a woman who is serious about her defense can learn to operate a firearm in a productive manner in less time than she can become an elite fighter. Plus, it is more likely a woman who is serious about her defense will learn to operate a firearm in a productive manner than she will become an elite fighter.

And one way or the other, the ability to operate a firearm or pummel a bad guy means the willingness to use extreme violence. If you aren’t willing to defend yourself properly, ability doesn’t mean anything.

Sunday, March 01, 2009

And now you know the rest of the story...

My prayers are with the family of Paul Harvey who has died this weekend .