Back Porch Rants

Junk Mail:
When I get junk mail with a return envelope that says "Postage will be paid by Adressee" I just tear up the junk and send it back. Sometimes I send the adressee some junk from other junk mailers as well. My wife thinks it's kind of childish, but hey, why should I fill my trash can with their garbage when I can return it? I have even been known to fill these envelopes to capacity just to raise the postage as high as possible. I haven't glued the envelopes to bricks yet, but...........

Portrayal of Nurses in the Media:
Ever notice how nurses are portrayed in the media? With the exception of "ER", I have yet to see a nurse portrayed in a positive light. The other day I actually saw a book titled Nurses Who Kill. Nurses are usually portrayed as incompetent and uncaring at best, sinister and malicious at worst. Now stuff like that can really make a person uncomfortable when they are laying up in the hospital!
It has been my experience that nobody gets into nursing and stays unless they truly desire to help people. It is a tough job with few tangible rewards. Often the only reward is the personal satisfaction of having made a difference in somebody's life when they needed it most. Nurses work under enormous pressure. While one patient wants his pillow fluffed up, the nurse may be trying to keep a patient alive in the adjoining room long enough to make it to surgery. Nurses deal with irate families, irate patients and even irate physicians, all at the same time. Through it all they try to maintain their professionalism, and control over what happens on their unit.
The next time somebody criticizes a nurse, they should walk an hour in nurse's shoes (preferably on the day shift), and see if they still feel the same way.

Death Row Organ Donation:
Were you aware that condemned prisoners are not allowed to donate organs? Does this make sense? At the risk of sounding goulish, organs of a condemned prisoner could be harvested under optimal conditions if we would just change our laws. The execution procedure could actually consist of anesthesia and the removal of vital organs.
That should satisfy a death warrant. The organs could then be used to save lives. The only logical arguments that I have ever heard against this is whether the death warrant would truly be satisfied, and whether we should give a condemned prisioner this last chance at redemption.
I believe we should. Even a death row inmate should be able to say what will happen with to their body after death. I know for a fact that a person who needs an organ does not care where it comes from. Every organ that is not harvested puts lives in jeopardy, and innocent people often die as a result. Ignorance and lack of concern appear to be the only reason for this. Should we allow this to happen when we could be saving innocent lives?

The Insanity Defense:
Does mental disease, ie., schizophrenia, manic depression, psychosis, absolve a person from the responsibility of his actions? That is the real question.
I do not believe it does. I think that saying such leaves us open to absolving drunk drivers and doped up criminals of responsibility for their actions. They are also impaired, are they not? Often to the point of being out of touch with reality, the very basis of the insanity defense.
The consequences of a criminal act should be based on the act itself, not on mitigating circumstances. In short, I do not believe that mental illness should be used as an excuse for any crime. The victims are just as traumatized, and excuses just don't cut it. Lawyers and juries seem to know to little about mental disease. Expert witnesses are required in every case. For every expert's opinion, there is a contrary expert opinion, so the entire matter remains a debate. It all boils down to who appears to be the most credible.
The fact remains, however, that a crime was commited, and innocent human beings suffered. That alone should be enough to justify punishment, and removal of the criminal from society.

Naval Aviation Wannabe's:
A lesson for talking with Navy Airdales (Naval Aviation people): I can't speak for the Air Force, but with only a few exceptions, don't talk to Navy airdales about aircraft nicknames unless they're the unofficial ones we give them. We did not fly in or work on nicknames. We did not fly in Hornets, Tomcats or Orions. We flew or worked on F-18's, F-14's or P-3's. Even with the few exceptions like Vigilante, Skyhawk or Intruder, we are more likely to say RA-5C, A-4 or A-6.
In most cases, using the nickname marks you as a non-Naval Aviation person. A top-gun driver does not fly a Tomcat, he flys an F-14, just ask him! A Tomcat is only what's on his flight jacket shoulder patch. F-18 personnel will never call their bird an F/A-18. It is a fighter to them. Also, helicopters are not choppers. They are Helos. We have our own language and idioms.
Just two sentences into a conversation we can tell if we're talking to a real Navy airdale or a wannabe. We don't mind talking to those who are interested, but we detest those who would try to be what they are not. A wannabe attempts to fabricate a hard earned accomplishment which he does not deserve, and in so doing, he mocks those he tries to emulate. Many Naval Aviation personnel have paid the ultimate price for the honor he is trying to steal. Mocking them is unacceptable.
One very important note. Marine Corps Aviation and Coast Guard Aviation are very much a part of the Naval Aviation fraternity! We often shared the same schools, training and over-lapping duties.
Thanks to Chief Charlie Joseph for allowing me to paraphrase his material here.

The Bill Of No Rights:
The following was written by State Representative Mitchell Kaye from Cobb County, GA.
We, the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid any more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior and secure the blessings of debt free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional and other liberal, bed-wetters.

We hold these truths to be self-evident: that a whole lot of people were confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim that they require a Bill of No Rights.

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc., but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful, do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes.

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not interested in health care.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII: You don't have the right to demand that our children risk their lives in foreign wars to soothe your aching conscience. We hate oppressive governments and won't lift a finger to stop you from going to fight if you'd like. However, we do not enjoy parenting the entire world and do not want to spend so much of our time battling each and every little tyrant with a military uniform and a funny hat.

ARTICLE IX: You don't have the right to a job. All of us sure want all of you to have one, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

ARTICLE X: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to pursue happiness - which by the way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an overabundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.

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