Dear Leaders of these United States

Dear:

President Obama, Vice President Biden, Speaker Ryan, House Minority Leader Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Reid, RNC, DNC, Secretary Clinton, Mr. Trump

CC:  PBS, NPR, CBS, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, FOX

So, here we are.

I know that you all must be frustrated and tired.  So am I.  The history of how we got here is important, but I do not care right now.  Everyone is at fault.  Instead of pointing fingers at past mistakes, let us move forward.

What I ask may be especially hard for those in the House.  Their districts have been carved in such a manner as to make it difficult for them to appear to be cooperative with the opposing party.  Be assured, no matter your place on the political spectrum, you can speak with a civil tongue.

Words matter.  The words of our leaders have the power to spread division and hate.  They also have the power to spread hope and understanding.  Choose wisely.

I see the abuse you take on social media and on TV.  “Liberal” and “conservative” should not be used as insults and I wish those were the worst labels that people used.

The arms race of rhetoric can only serve to further divide us.  

We are all family.  Siblings can disagree but there must always be that foundation of love for our family.

Please state your views.  Use logic and reasoning to honestly explain why you believe so strongly in your views.  Then stop.  Resist the temptation to blame others for a problem.  Resist the temptation to throw a sarcastic jab.

After you are done speaking, the hardest part of your job begins.

Listen with the intention of understanding

Negotiations between political parties in these United States should NOT be as difficult as negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

I believe this country to be both strong and precious.  I have deep respect for the country and I respect you, the elected leaders.

I ask that that you conduct yourselves as if you respect the elected leaders.

Before you decide to announce that “Democrats are ______” or “Republicans are ______”, please remember that you are about to insult roughly half the citizenry. 

Gentle men and gentle ladies, I ask for your leadership.  

Thank you for your service.

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New CDC Estimates on Lyme

Lyme disease strikes about 300,000 people each year, according to new information released by federal health officials. The new estimates suggest the disease is 10 times more common than previously thought.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57599168/cdc-lyme-disease-rates-10-times-higher-than-previously-reported/

Gun Safety

Can we all agree that keeping a loaded gun on the truck floor with our dog is NOT gun safety?

A Florida man was shot in the leg this week when his dog kicked a loaded gun that was sitting on the floor of his truck.

Apparently, he thought it was an unloaded 38 and not a loaded 9mm.  How did that get there?

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Blood Clots and Subdural Hematomas

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has recently been diagnosed with a blood clot in her head after a fall. (Image Link: CNN)

“Secretary Clinton’s doctors released a statement…, and it said that she had a clot in the vein that is situated in the space between the brain and the skull behind the right ear. Now, the technical name for this is a right transverse sinus venous thrombosis. And what it means is there’s a clot in the vein that drains blood from the head. And this is likely a result of this fall that she had where she bumped her head and had a concussion, and possibly there was a small bleed at that time, which led to this clot.”

This does speak to one of the dangers that I was referring to in a previous post about falls and how to improve balance.

Her fall seems to have been more a result of having the flu as opposed to a lack of balance.  That is why I wish to discuss the need to be vigilant after a fall.

Subdural Hematomas:

Subdural hematomas can be sneaky.  A subdural hematoma is a collection of blood on the surface of the brain.  An acute hematoma presents very quickly after an injury.  The symptoms appear quickly and they can be deadly.  Chronic subdural hematomas are the sneaky ones.  These generally involve a slow bleed from veins between the brain and the skull.  As we age, our brain shrinks and stretches out these veins.  The shrinking also leaves more room for the brain to move around during a fall or car accident or any trauma.  So, the older someone is (especially over 60), the more vigilant they need to be about these slow bleeds.

You fall.  You get up.  You make sure no one saw the graceful move.  You feel a little bruised but fine.  What now?