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I have been attempting to follow the controversy over autism and its causes. Studies seem to suggest that autism is growing at a quickening rate. No one seems to know for certain why that is. There have been suggestions that it may be related to the early childhood vaccines children have been receiving for years. If this is true, then why is it growing? When my children were young, vaccinations were given at the prescribed intervals. It was rare to even hear of autism. Have the chemicals in these vaccinations changed may be the question. Whether that is true or not, from what I have read, the CDC says there is no link. Lawsuits, however, are abounding.

A recent report noted that “nearly 4,900 families have filed claims with the U.S. Court of Claims alleging that vaccines caused autism and other neurological problems in their children.” That is a significant number. The CDC, however has rejected that theory, claiming that there is no scientific data. Several concerns arise from this issue.

First, if these families are awarded a speculated amount of $250,000 for pain and suffering, it sets a real precedent. Court dockets will be over-flowing with lawsuits.

Second, if indeed there is no link but parents err on the side of fear, not getting vaccinations for their children, outbreaks in dangerous numbers of childhood disease could occur.

Finally, medical practitioners would need to pass off costs to patients as most certainly their malpractice insurance rates would be affected.

It seems that without concrete evidence of a true link between autism and early childhood vaccinations, the only winners would be the trial lawyers, who always come out ahead. We have truly become a litigious society. Anyone who can file a lawsuit does. Too often innocent members of society must absorb the cost. Let us find the true causes of autism before courts allow frivolous lawsuits and settlements. The data is not yet in.

The ruling army of Myanmar continues to restrict foreign aid to those who are close to death in the aftermath of the horrendous typhoon which decimated that country. With the death toll estimated by the United Nations to be close to 100,000, hundreds or thousands more are dying each hour due to lack of food, shelter, purified water and medical aid. The ruling regime continues to refuse help from foreign countries for fear their power will be diminished. More than 1.5 million lives are at risk if aid is not brought in.

This Junta is in effect causing a genocide of its own people. Further death is assured and the suffering is beyond imagination. Perhaps more disconcerting is that if foreign governments were allowed in, at least some lives could be salvaged from this wreckage. At what price power, one must ask? The army of Myanmar numbers more than half a million. They are more concerned with maintaining their stronghold than with saving lives of their own ravaged people.

Lest we have any doubt, evil exists in many forms. The callous attitude of the rulers of Myanmar are surely an example. Perhaps, in the end, the most the world will be able to offer are prayers for the dying and the incumbent anger such tragedy brings. 

I recently had the privilege of being part of a missions team of eight men who travelled to the country of Panama to do God’s work in thatimpoverished nation. Among other tasks, we had been asked by the local Word of Life missionaries to do some repair work at a local orphanage that was sorely in need of attention.  Before going to the orphanage, we were told that child welfare in Panama is a low priority, and is very poorly funded.  Although the government has sufficient funding to maintain juvenile detention facilities, the funding of orphanages is considered to be much less important.  Ironically, the orphanage in southern Panama City was built right next door to one of the major juvenile detention facilities.  Oftentimes, delinquents who are abandoned by family caregivers are released from the Juvenile Prison and transferred directly to the orphanage.  All children are housed together, regardless of their criminal backgrounds.

The orphanage in South Panama City is comprised to five bungalow-style buildings, three of which were used to house the children; one for boys, one for girls and one for babies and very small children. The compound where the buildings are located is surrounded by high fences topped with razor wire, and the windows and doors on the buildings are secured with a mesh of metal bars.  Within each of the buildings, many of the dormitory-style rooms are also secured with bars and padlocks.  A section at the end of each dormitory contains three secure cells, with floor to ceiling bars and one small, barred window located high on the back wall.  When the missions team arrived, we found almost everything within the compound to be in a horribly dilapidated state of disrepair.  Bathrooms sinks were pulled off the walls, toilets were broken or clogged, screens were missing or torn from all the windows, electrical wires were unprotected and insect infestation was everywhere.

The approximately two hundred children residing in the South Panama orphanage are kept locked within their buildings most of the day due to inadequate staffing, and have absolutely no programs or activities to keep them occupied. There is no furniture in the buildings, other than mattresses that are thrown on the floor each night for bedding. The weak are preyed upon by the strong, and the trouble-makers are  imprisoned in one of the solitary confinement cells when they break a rule.  There are shortages of everything; including food, soap, shampoo, clothes and (in fact) just about every basic necessity.  Although some of the children at South Panama City Orphanage still have the spark of joyful youth in the eyes, many have the blank stare of a child who lives without love,  without nurturing, and without hope.

During our all-too-brief visit the the orphanage the missions team put in two hundred feet of new screening, fixed numerous plumbing and electrical problems, and made repairs wherever possible. We brought with us new clothes, new shoes and treats for the children; which were all gratefully accepted.  The great challenge that lies before the local missionaries is to witness to the children the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, with its message of hope; a message that many have never heard before. 

In the Gospel of Mathew, Chapter 28, verses 18-20, Jesus says to his followers; “Therefore go forth, and make disciples of all nations; baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age.”  In this “Great Commission” Jesus tells all of us to go forth, to even the poorest and youngest among us, and share His message of hope and of salvation. 

It was late October and at 4:30 in the afternoon, I had one more investigation to do. I was about an hour away from the city and found the lane off the main highway where the residence of the subject was. I had never been on this lane and it curled around in a bucolic setting. Trees were everywhere with leaves mostly gone, having fallen to the ground. The house was an isolated, but lovely restored old Victorian. No cars in the driveway, so there was probably no one home. Oh well, I would leave my card on the door and come back another time.

I parked the car in the driveway, admired the scenery of the woods and walked a stone path to the front door. I opened the screen door and knocked. The front door had a large glass window pane, often seen in these old homes. While I was knocking on the door, from inside a huge animal which looked to be part wolf and part German Shepard lunged at the glass window with brute force. It was bearing its teeth, growling like Cujo and was the biggest damn dog I had ever seen. I was sure it was strong enough to break through that window if it wanted. No one answered the door, so I quickly turned to leave. That’s when I heard a hard thump on the wooden porch. Still holding the screen door open, I saw a pit bull four feet away from me. He was hunched down in a ready-to- pounce mode and was all muscle and teeth. I pulled the screen door against me as tightly as I could. One dog threatening from inside the house and now this one in front of me ready to rumble.

I was working for someone who had strict rules about weapons of any kind, no gun, no mace, just use your wits and you’ll be fine. So here I was trapped between two dogs. I thought about what I had and what I could do. What I had was a clipboard with notes on the subject, my car keys and I was scared witless. I had one desperate thought about throwing the clipboard at the dog in front of me and making a run for it to the car. He was still grrrring and all I focused on was his teeth. I stood absolutely still and stayed frozen in position, barely breathing. The dog inside had stopped growling and I didn’t see him now. What to do about the one in front of me?

Then I thought about my car keys. I pressed the button on the key chain and set off the car alarm, hoping to divert his attention. He turned only his head and barked at the car then turned and barked at me and then at the car. This went on for awhile. I don’t know how long really, but the loud BEEP BEEP BEEP of the alarm started to dim and then went beep beep beep. Oh Lord, I thought, I’m wearing down the battery, so I stopped. The pit bull gave me his full attention. We sized each other up. I was no match for him. It was starting to get dark and this place wasn’t looking so lovely. I stayed in my frozen position and the pit bull stayed in his. What goes through your mind at a time like this? Nothing, absolutely nothing. Fear is a paralyzing instrument.

Finally, nature must have called because the pit bull jumped off the porch and went around the side of the house. This was my chance. I opened the screen door which made a rusty creaking sound and thump! He was back. I kept the door open and resumed being frozen. It was a stand-off. Come on, I know you have to go. I waited. At last he left the porch and I raced to the car. No sooner did I get the car door closed and he jumped up against my door, his face at the window. I didn’t care. I was in the car now. I put it in reverse and peeled out of those woods as fast as I could. My breathing started again and it was heavy. My heart was pounding but I made it. I was never so glad to see a highway and traffic in my life.

As for the dog inside the house, I later learned that in the area where I was investigating they breed “wolf dogs”, a cross between wolf and Shepard. Who knew? Investigating is intense and sometimes exhilarating. I have learned to expect the unexpected no matter how prepared you think you may be. I also learned not to work for someone who does not permit life-saving equipment. Trust me, it’s not the glamorous career may you think it is.

Recently a Florida high school biology teacher was fired, she claims, for working a summer job as a bikini mate on a fishing charter boat. She posed in a bikini to get the job and now, of course, the photos are all over the internet. On the O’Reilly show when this was discussed, Megyn Kelly who is a co-host for America’s Newsroom, told O’Reilly that ‘it is well-known that once these “bikini mates” get out onto the ocean, they take off their tops. That is what these men are paying for.’

The teacher states that she is a divorced mother who needs to earn extra money, blah, blah, blah. Balderdash! Teachers get paid through the summer and they are encouraged to utilize that time to expand their educational prowess. Even though she is a biology teacher, I would not say that she is gaining prowess for teaching by being a bikini mate.

It’s quite simple to me and very kindred to the post I did on police. Teachers have a higher calling when they enter that profession. They have morals clauses in their contracts which are very explicit. She can’t have it both ways. Be a teacher or be a stripper, but don’t teach my kids while you are stripping or conducting lewd behavior. And biology for heaven’s sakes! Like there is not enough testosterone in her male students already, let alone her own distractions.

The school district stated that she had too many absences during the year. Unless she had an approved FMLA, then they were justified in firing her on that basis alone. Is it any wonder that more and more female teachers are being jailed for having sex with their students. It must be an equal opportunity issue. Male or female, if you are a teacher and your conduct is unbecoming to the profession, you are gone. History. Done. Good riddance.

John McCain admitted once in a Fox interview with Brain Kilmeade that he has anger management issues. He had stated that it’s a problem he’s had to work on for years. McCain told Kilmeade, “I constantly, throughout my career, have had to work on getting angry and frustrated and losing my temper.” True to form, after Wolf Blitzer’s interview today with Senator Obama, McCain lashed out.

On CNN today Wolf Blitzer asked Obama for his reaction to remarks made by McCain that Obama has Hamas in his pocket. Obama responded, “This is offensive and I think it’s disappointing…because John McCain always says ‘I am not going to run that kind of politics,’ and to engage in that kind of smear is unfortunate, particularly because my policy toward Hamas has been no different than his….So for him to toss out comments like that is an example of him losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination. We don’t need name calling in this debate.”

With that, McCain alleged that Obama had made a slur against him because of his age. Huh? I watched the interview and at no time did I discern any type of slur toward McCain. Obama has taken the high ground consistently when issues regarding Hillary have arisen, and he is doing likewise with the McCain attack. It may be that McCain truly does feel threatened by Obama’s chances of defeating him in November, if indeed Obama becomes the nominee.

It is the same old same old. Throw enough mud against the wall and maybe some of it will stick. Politics as usual by McCain. This is exactly what Obama wants to change in Washington. He is a uniter, not a fighter. And he has class, something McCain sorely (excuse the pun) lacks. I did not want to have Hillary in the White House because of her volatility, and I certainly do not want McCain’s unsettled anger management issues at the helm of our country. Hold on; it’s “going to be a bumpy ride.”

My mom passed away eleven years ago. Somehow it doesn’t seem that long ago. When we lose someone we love, it is always too soon. So with Mother’s Day approaching I find myself thinking about her even more. She was a contradiction in terms in many ways. A lovely woman, she was known for the beautiful flowing satin gowns she wore when entertaining. She thrived in social settings and nothing pleased her more than having a diverse group of people gather in her home, engaging them in stimulating conversations and getting the best caterer she could find for even the smallest event. She was petite, but statuesque in her demeanor. And she really worked the room! Her unique laughter could fill a cavern and people sought her out. She could tell a joke better than anyone I have ever known, giving the punch line quickly to see if you would get it. Then she would laugh along with the receiver as though it was the first time she’d heard the joke. She oozed class when you looked at her and watched her Loretta Young-style walk, but she had a salty mouth that could have competed with any truck driver. Though she had a wonderful vocabulary and peppered her talk with eloquent words, very often the salt would pour through and while I would be embarrassed, those around her loved it.

She was a stay-at-home mom until my brother and I went to college. That’s the way it was in those days. While at home, she read incessantly and Sonnets from the Portuguese was her favorite book, dog-earred and usually found on a living room table where she could easily pick it up. She kept an immaculate house, prepared three-course meals each night for dinner and honed her skills as a decorator. On Saturdays she forced me to stand beside her for cooking lessons. As a teenager there were other things I would have much preferred doing, but to her cooking was essential. She said, “If you can learn to make homemade gravy and one or two specialties, everyone will think you can cook. Then hire a caterer!”

Once my brother and I gone off to college, Mom re-entered a workforce she had left many years before. She had been a secretary for the government in Washington D.C. and when she talked about those days, she had a wistful look in her eyes. Now it was her time. She started at the age of forty-two as a secretary once again, but within a few short years she became the Assistant of Human Resources in a prestigious corporation. Her intellect rose to the surface like cream. In many ways she was ahead of her time. To me she was Super Woman and she raised the bar high.

Every evening we talked by phone and more often than not it was about politics. She was well-versed in every aspect and drew her own conclusions based on reading and watching news and political pundits. Often she would call and ask if I heard the outrageous statement this person made on “Meet The Press.” If I hadn’t she would quote almost verbatim what had been said, then launch into a diatribe about it. These nightly conversations usually lasted about an hour. Finally, I would be weary from my own day and say, “Okay, Mom I’ve gotta go. Say goodnight, Gracie.” She would stop abruptly and say, “Goodnight, and don’t forget to look for alligators under your bed.” My childhood fear which she had not forgotten.

These days with all that is going on in the political realm, I miss her even more. Time heals the sorrow but never the sense of loss. In the first year after she passed away, I would still reach for the phone to call her. And then I would catch myself. It was a tribute to the dynamic person she was, I think. Give roses to your mom while you can. Her essence will last for years.

Say goodnight, Gracie.

In an attempt to understand the process of the DNC regarding Florida and Michigan violations in staging their primaries at unapproved times, I read the DNC Delegate Selection Rules. I assure you this is not an easy read. What I gleaned from this can be somewhat simplified. The DNC devised rules for the timing of primaries, in part due to the 1968 process which went awry when affirmative action was not proportional. Regulations were put in place stating the following: “No meetings, caucuses, conventions or primaries which constitute the first determining stage in the presidential nomination process (the date of the primary in primary states, and the date of first tier caucus in caucus states) may be held prior to the first Tuesday in February or after the second Tuesday in June in the calendar year of the national convention.” It goes on to discuss Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina and the designated date parameters for their primaries. It further lists sanctions and penalties for states which do not abide by these regulations.

The issue seems clear to me. The DNC approved these rules; Florida and Michigan violated them. Period. The hoopla about voters being disenfranchised should have been considered before ratification. They can vote in the general election and make their choices then. Florida and Michigan can also hold the feet of those politicians to the fire in state elections. This one-ups-manship by party politicos who wanted their states ahead of the game has consequences. It is like parenting. A parent sets down rules for their children, in part to avoid chaos. One of the first things one learns as a parent is do not make a rule with consequences for which you will not follow through.

Where, then, is Howard Dean? As the chairman of the DNC his role is not to cajole, but to maintain order by following ratified regulations agreed to by his party. If he is intimidated by individual candidates or other heavy-weights in his party to make changes at this stage, his leadership abilities must be called into question. Someone has to reign in this chaos and speculation. Man up, Howard Dean. It is your job to do this.

In the midst of all the political turmoil lately, we seem to have lost sight of one of the most important issues to be decided in the general election. That issue is health care. The study of John McCain’s health care proposal is kindred to reading Cliff Notes on voodoo economics. The plan indicates that an open market will provide affordable health care for all.

 McCain’s plan ostensibly would cost $3.6 trillion over ten years. The plan states this would be paid for by eliminating tax breaks that employers get for offering insurance. In addition there would be tax credits of $2500 per individual and $5000 for families. Let’s look at this. The Kaiser Family Foundation’s statistics show that the average cost of providing health care annually to a family of four is more than $12,000 per year. McCain’s plan could not touch this in affordability with what he is offering in tax credits.

One looming concern is what will happen to those with pre-existing conditions. The costs to them could be much higher and not necessarily through finances. McCain wants to initiate GAP, or Guaranteed Access Plan. Essentially what he is doing is throwing health care into the laps of the individual states. Under GAP, “a nonprofit corporation would contract with insurers to cover patients who have been denied insurance and could join with other state plans to enlarge pools and lower overhead costs. There would be reasonable limits on premiums and assistance would be available for Americans below a certain income level.”

This sounds strangely like Welfare Reform and much of that was left to individual states. Welfare Reform was designed when the economy was on an upswing and for a time it worked. Now, however, there are huge flaws given increasing unemployment and soaring federal, state and local budget deficits. Implementing health care reform on individual state levels would cause disparity of care and unfortunately many would be denied access to necessary tests in favor of “proper health maintenance.”

On another note, while McCain is offering a free market approach to health care, he has proposed privatization of the VA. This is a system which has, in fact, taken responsibility for client health care over the long term. It has delivered high quality care combined with information technology. This has reduced medical errors and lowered costs. The logic of this proposal is elusive.

As voters we must take responsibility for studying each candidate’s health care proposal with due diligence. Catching sound bites from the evening news will not suffice. We will all be impacted by this critical issue. Once one of these programs is actually implemented, it will be like a tax. We will never get rid of it.

Reality is harsh. This list: inevitable. Still, it gives one pause to know that in a pandemic or natural disaster, a list has now been compiled with guidelines as to who will not get lifesaving care. The task force of individuals who devised this recommendation include physicians, members of the military, Homeland Security, the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services. The logic of the list is due to concerns regarding scarce resources such as ventilators, meds and health care personnel should a pandemic flu or disaster strike. The report appears in May’s edition of Chest, a medical journal of the American College of Chest Physicians. The intent of the report is to have a kind of blueprint for hospitals, so that everyone will be on the same page.

This is the list of those who will not get lifesaving care:

• People older than 85
• Those with severe trauma, which could include critical injuries from car crashes and shootings
• Severely burned patients older than 60
• Those with severe mental impairment, which could include Alzheimer’s disease
• Those with a severe chronic disease, such as advanced heart failure, lung disease or poorly controlled diabetes

How many of us or our loved ones would be on this list? Live each moment. Savor it. Tomorrow is not promised.