March 4th - Date With The Neurosurgeon

One has to look at the glass as full as I will not settle for half full or half empty.

This is why I have been a bit AWOL from here and will be down the road. This is long overdue and I actually ran out of options well over a year ago but gave it what for just in case I could avoid surgery, sigh.....no such luck.

My last slip on our stairs has resulted in such a dramatic increase in my back, leg pain, numbness, weakness and other 'fun' symptoms that an MRI was approved in less than 12 hours. The MRI had to wait a week until I could get things in order, mostly at work. I had the MRI this past Monday, saw my neurosurgeon Tuesday morning and by late today, spinal fusion surgery had been approved. The doctor wanted to do surgery the 25th but I begged and groveled for one more week and this will now be done March 4th. This is the third spinal fusion for me. There is a peace and calm about it this time that all will be all right. Not easy mind you but the Lord never told our lives would be easy. We just know everything will somehow be OK. These are not pleasant to undergo in any way shape or form.

AJ, bless his awesome love, kind, caring nature, knows something big is up. He has been a true buddy and he is doing well. His latest blood work came back with 'normal' thyroid levels and functions which is really good news but still leaves us in the dark as to what caused his seizure. A bit disconcerting to say the least but all we can do is watch him closely and let him be AJ. He is a really fine 'nurse' and I am 100% sure he will be with me at all times through my next 'adventure'. I would take him to the hospital me if I could. 

I was also FINALLY given adequate pain medication after the surgeon finally understood how badly my 'pain' doctor had treated me not to mention the other doctors involved with my care. What a blessing to get a bit of pain relief, not totally, as that will never happen, but enough to make a difference. My neurosurgeon felt quite bad about it all and had tears in her eyes as we talked. This is a surgery to give me back some stability and perhaps a bit of pain relief. I am not expecting much there as the MRI revealed drastic changes in my entire spine, pretty severe degenerative arthritis with several other vertebrae badly damaged. There is permanent nerve damage and to what extent is anyone's guess. Only time will tell if this will get better, if it does at all. My last day of work is March 1st and I will be off for at least 12 weeks. I may not have a job to return to as I am a temporary state employee with no rights or benefits. As the union is the SEIU, which I loathe, I am all right with this and the Lord will open other doors as this one is probably closing. My wife's job is also coming to an end right about when I get sliced and diced as she is also a temporary employee for the state. Things will be extremely tough on us financially but I am pretty sure the Lord set it up this way, so she can be home with me the first few weeks and kick my a$$ when needed. Historically speaking, I am not a model patient after any surgery.

I will be in the hospital for at least three days, probably four and will be house bound for at least six weeks. One of our very good friends is selling me an older laptop so I will be able to keep on writing, posting, emails etc. He has agreed to let me pay whatever we can swing and he does not need the money. It is a very nice laptop. I will not be allowed to sit for very long for probably six to eight weeks and I have to be REALLY a good patient this time around. Too much is at stake and I am no good to anyone, for anything if I do not take care of me first. This is something I have a 'slight' problem with, and always have struggled with, putting me first. I have received  quite a few 'threats' from friends, family if I misbehave.

So here it is and prayers always are appreciated. I really dislike writing about 'me' but it is very humbling to me and I am honored to know so many folks care.

As always, I am your most obedient and humble servant. PatriotUSA

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NRA Stand and Fight: We Are America

A very timely ad from the NRA and most here know that I am not 100% NRA but this is a great ad. NRA is right in the mix as they should always be.

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George Galloway Runs From a Debate With an Israeli

Gary Fouse, fousesquawk:

Hat tip Dusty and Cherwell.org

George Galloway (in red)

Your friend and mine, British comedian George Galloway, was supposed to engage in a debate on Israel Wednesday night. That is until he (supposedly) learned that his debate opponent was an Israeli. At that point, he got up and left. Cherwell.org has the video.

http://www.cherwell.org/news/uk/2013/02/20/george-galloway-in-antiisrael-storm

I suspect George was afraid his adversary would prove to be more than his match.

Well, at least George didn't call him a liar like he did me at UC Irvine in 2009. (That's the night he was taking up a collection for Hamas.)

http://garyfouse.blogspot.com/2009/05/george-galloway-meets-liar-himself.html

George Galloway is a despicable apologist for Muslim extremists and Palestinian terrorists, such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Galloway receiving his honorary Gazan diplomatic passport from Hamas leader Ismael Haniyeh


He was a friend and supporter of Saddam Hussein and his murderous sons.

He has been a supporter of the murderous regime in Syria and has heaped praise on Bashar Assad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMWJlDo2wn4

In May of 2009, he demonstrated to me that he is the very thing he called me-a liar. This week, he demonstrated that he is a coward.

Columbine Student Survivor to Obama: "Whose Side Are You On?"

Via Jim Campbell at DancingCzars - Columbine Survivor Pens Bold Open Letter to Obama Rejecting Gun Control: ‘Whose Side Are You On?

Mr. President,

As a student who was shot and wounded during the Columbine massacre, I have a few thoughts on the current gun debate. In regards to your gun control initiatives:

Universal Background Checks

First, a universal background check will have many devastating effects. It will arguably have the opposite impact of what you propose. If adopted, criminals will know that they can not pass a background check legally, so they will resort to other avenues. With the conditions being set by this initiative, it will create a large black market for weapons and will support more criminal activity and funnel additional money into the hands of thugs, criminals, and people who will do harm to American citizens.

Second, universal background checks will create a huge bureaucracy that will cost an enormous amount of tax payers dollars and will straddle us with more debt. We cannot afford it now, let alone create another function of government that will have a huge monthly bill attached to it.

Third, is a universal background check system possible without universal gun registration? If so, please define it for us. Universal registration can easily be used for universal confiscation. I am not at all implying that you, sir, would try such a measure, but we do need to think about our actions through the lens of time.

It is not impossible to think that a tyrant, to the likes of Mao, Castro, Che, Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and others, could possibly rise to power in America. It could be five, ten, twenty, or one hundred years from now — but future generations have the natural right to protect themselves from tyrannical government just as much as we currently do. It is safe to assume that this liberty that our forefathers secured has been a thorn in the side of would-be tyrants ever since the Second Amendment was adopted.

Ban on Military-Style Assault Weapons

The evidence is very clear pertaining to the inadequacies of the assault weapons ban. It had little to no effect when it was in place from 1994 until 2004. It was during this time that I personally witnessed two fellow students murder twelve of my classmates and one teacher. The assault weapons ban did not deter these two murderers, nor did the other thirty-something laws that they broke.

Gun ownership is at an all time high. And although tragedies like Columbine and Newtown are exploited by ideologues and special-interest lobbying groups, crime is at an all time low. The people have spoken. Gun store shelves have been emptied. Gun shows are breaking attendance records. Gun manufacturers are sold out and back ordered. Shortages on ammo and firearms are countrywide. The American people have spoken and are telling you that our Second Amendment shall not be infringed.

10-Round Limit for Magazines

Virginia Tech was the site of the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. Seung-Hui Cho used two of the smallest caliber hand guns manufactured and a handful of ten round magazines. There are no substantial facts that prove that limited magazines would make any difference at all.

Second, this is just another law that endangers law-abiding citizens. I’ve heard you ask, “why does someone need 30 bullets to kill a deer?”

Let me ask you this: Why would you prefer criminals to have the ability to out-gun law-abiding citizens? Under this policy, criminals will still have their 30-round magazines, but the average American will not. Whose side are you on?

Lastly, when did they government get into the business of regulating “needs?” This is yet another example of government overreaching and straying from its intended purpose.

Selling to Criminals

Mr. President, these are your words: “And finally, Congress needs to help, rather than hinder, law enforcement as it does its job. We should get tougher on people who buy guns with the express purpose of turning around and selling them to criminals. And we should severely punish anybody who helps them do this.”

Why don’t we start with Eric Holder and thoroughly investigate the Fast and Furious program?

Furthermore, the vast majority of these mass murderers bought their weapons legally and jumped through all the hoops —  because they were determined to murder. Adding more hoops and red tape will not stop these types of people. It doesn’t now — so what makes you think it will in the future? Criminals who cannot buy guns legally just resort to the black market.

Criminals and murderers will always find a way.

Critical Examination

Mr. President, in theory, your initiatives and proposals sound warm and fuzzy — but in reality they are far from what we need. Your initiatives seem to punish law-abiding American citizens and enable the murderers, thugs, and other lowlifes who wish to do harm to others.

Let me be clear: These ideas are the worst possible initiatives if you seriously care about saving lives and also upholding your oath of office. There is no dictate, law, or regulation that will stop bad things from happening — and you know that. Yet you continue to push the rhetoric. Why?

You said, “If we can save just one person it is worth it.” Well here are a few ideas that will save more that one individual:

First, forget all of your current initiatives and 23 purposed executive orders. They will do nothing more than impede law-abiding citizens and breach the intent of the Constitution. Each initiative steals freedom, grants more power to an already-overreaching government, and empowers and enables criminals to run amok.

Second, press Congress to repeal the “Gun Free Zone Act.” Don’t allow America’s teachers and students to be endangered one-day more. These parents and teachers have the natural right to defend themselves and not be looked at as criminals. There is no reason teachers must disarm themselves to perform their jobs. There is also no reason a parent or volunteer should be disarmed when they cross the school line.

This is your chance to correct history and restore liberty. This simple act of restoring freedom will deter would-be murderers and for those who try, they will be met with resistance.

Mr. President, do the right thing, restore freedom, and save lives. Show the American people that you stand with them and not with thugs and criminals.

Respectfully,
Severely Concerned Citizen, Evan M. Todd

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Tags: Columbine Student Survivor, War On America; 2nd Amendment; Let's Roll America! To share or post to your site, click on "Post Link". Please mention / link to the Patriot's Corner. Thanks!

Muslim Accused of Beheading 2 Christians in U.S.

by Bob Unruh, WND: Authorities in New Jersey allege a Muslim man beheaded two Coptic Christians, burying their bodies and heads and hands in separate graves near Philadelphia, bringing the horror of the persecution of Christians in Islamic nations to the United States.

According to New York’s WABC-TV, the Muslim was identified as Yusuf Ibrahim, 28. He was taken into custody after the bodies were found.

The report said investigators alleged Ibrahim killed the victims then severed their heads and hands, and buried the remains in the back yard of a home in Buena Vista, N.J.

The report said the victims were from the Coptic Christian community in the area. One of the victims had come from Egypt not many years ago.

While the report said police did not indicate a motive, friends of the victims wondered if it was something to do with religion.
WABC reporter Jeff Pegues wrote: “To members of the close knit Coptic Orthodox church the pain is real.”

“It’s a shock, something like this doesn’t happen to people like that,” one resident told him.

The report said police described the suspect as “ruthless” and “calculating” and said he belongs behind bars.

Pamela Geller, who blogs about Islam at Atlas Shrugs, said it “appear have been a ritual killing, religious in nature.”

“The victims were Coptic Christians and the murderer was Muslim (and we are painfully aware of the status and treatment of Coptic Christians under Muslim rule in Egypt),” she wrote.

“The killing evokes this passage in the Quran: ‘When thy Lord was revealing to the angels, ‘I am with you; so confirm the believers. I shall cast into the unbelievers’ hearts terror; so smite above the necks, and smite every finger of them!” – Quran 8:12.”

Samy Hohareb, a friend of the victims, said, “I leave it for the police and the investigation.”

The New York Daily News reported Ibrahim was nabbed by detectives on Sunday after the bodies were found.

Authorities said the suspect was found driving a white Mercedes Benz that belonged to one of the victims.

Ibrahim was being held at the Atlantic County jail on charges of murder and desecration of human remains. ... Read Rest of Story

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Mooch Goes Skiing at Aspen

Thanks to iOWNTHEWORLD:

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Maher Hathout in 2012 and 2000

Gary Fouse, fousesquawk:

Hat tip to Joe

Maher Hathout of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)  is a figure celebrated as a moderate man who is engaged in bridge-building:. He speaks at many inter-faith meetings, where he wins the hearts of gullible Christians and Jews. I have spoken with him on a couple of occasions and asked him specific questions, such as why he will not sign the Freedom Pledge letter from Former Muslims United asking 200 of the top Muslim leaders in America to sign a simple statement that apostates in America should not be harmed. On July 13, 2012, I personally gave him his copy of the letter, which he stated he had never received.

On December 15, 2012, Hathout was featured at the MPAC annual convention held at All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California, where I had a chance to speak to him as did a local KTLA reporter. The below video, which has been provided to me by the producer, shows Hathout being interviewed by KTLA about his past associations with the Muslim Brotherhood as a young man in Egypt. Hathout denies any recent association since he left Egypt many decades ago. On this day, he also explained to me why he has not signed the Freedom Letter.

The below video then switches to October 28, 2000, when an event was held in Washington DC called "Al Quds" Day-an anti-Israel day of speeches by various Muslim figures. Hathout also spoke that day-as did Abdur Rahman Alamoudi, now in prison on terror charges, who led the crowd in chants of "I support Hamas-I support Hezbollah".(Hat tip Discover the Networks) In addition, Muzammil Siddiqi, another celebrated "bridge-builder" in Southern California, spoke that day and warned the US not to incur the wrath of God by continuing to support Israel. (Hat tip Investigative Project on Terrorism) In subsequent explanation, Siddiqi says that by the time Alamoudi spoke, he (Siddiqi) was on a plane back to Los Angeles. Yet, the notorious radical, Abdul Alim Musa (see below), can be clearly seen standing behind Siddiqi as he (Siddiqi) spoke.

In the below video, CAIR CEO Nihad Awad can be seen on the stage behind Hathout as he speaks. Most troubling, however, is the presence on stage of Abdul Alim Musa, one of the vilest, most anti-American, antisemitic, pro-Iranian figures in the country. That day, he spoke of how the "martyrs" go to Paradise when they die, while the Zionists just die (Hat tip Investigative Project on Terrorism).



Here is the problem: So many leaders like Hathout present themselves as moderates. Yet, when you look at their associations, it is alarming. I will submit that a moderate Muslim has no business sharing  a stage with people like Abdul Alim Musa-anywhere, anytime.

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Build the Keystone Pipeline and here is why

The Keystone Pipeline is in the BEST NATIONAL interest of the United States.
Few energy projects have inspired the level of vitriol surrounding the Keystone XL Pipeline, that would run 1,700 miles from Alberta, Canada through the United States to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico.

The oil sands of Alberta are estimated to hold 170 million barrels of petroleum, the largest reservoir of black gold outside of Saudi Arabia.

Because the pipeline crosses an international boundary, President Barack Obama has the final say over whether to give the project a green light.

Here are three reasons to build the pipeline:

1. The oil isn't going to stay buried.

American environmentalists oppose the pipeline partly because they oppose the burning of fossil fuels -- especially those extracted from relatively dirty "oil sands." But if America doesn't build the pipeline, that oil is still going to be processed and enter the environment. It'll just get bought by China and other countries looking for cheap and plentiful energy. And TransCanada, the company behind the pipeline, is already working on contingency plans to do just that.

2. The pipeline isn't a disaster waiting to happen.

Opponents say that the proposed route dangerously strays over part of the Ogallala Aquifer in Nebraska, which supplies water for 20 million people. The governor of nebraska has urged president obama to start building. TransCanada, has already agreed to redirect the pipeline to minimize hazards. It's also agreed to encase the pipeline in cement and post a $100 million bond to cover any possible cleanups.

3. It will help the economy.

Estimates for jobs related to the pipepline run everywhere from 6,000 to a quarter of a million, with TransCanada saying it will hire 15,000 workers to build the thing. The exact figures are unknowable, but once it's up and running, Keystone XL will adds billions of dollars in ongoing economic activity and tax revenues.

President Obama has the authority to stop the pipeline if he determines that it's not "in the national interest." Given the potential upsides of the project, the relative ease with which environmental concerns can be addressed, and the president's own commitment to what he calls "an all of the above energy strategy," it's hard to conjure up a strong case against building the Keystone XL pipeline.

YouTube Video courtesy of Reason TV

Produced by Meredith Bragg. Written and hosted by Nick Gillespie.

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Quick update on AJ and yes, PatriotUSA-8 pin! UPDATED

UPDATED: AJ had his second blood draw yesterday for specific thyroid levels and functions. He was a super patient and extended his front leg paw to the vet so she could do blood draw. He is doing pretty well and there was an 'event' at the vet which I may write about. Involves stupid, stupid people and some bunnies.


AJ is doing well and will be getting the next specific blood work done for his thyroid functions. He is almost back to being himself and his appointment is for later this week with our vet.

Ever felt like an 8 pin on a perfect pocket hit? Yep, that is where I am at.

PatriotUSA really dinged himself with this last slip on our stairs and my absence from here is strictly due to this last slip and I was being so darn careful but as I am reminded all the time now, not careful enough. I see the neurosurgeon this coming Monday and it is time to toss all my chips in and get the next  round of fusion surgery set up, the process started, sigh.....horrible timing but when is the right time or best time?

Not sure if it will be one, two levels fused or perhaps all four of the remaining lower ones to just get it done and try to buy me another 10-15 years of better stability. A decrease in pain would be great but I have learned that surgery seldom does much for pain relief and I have way too much permanent nerve damage.

Will try to do some posts but no promises and everyone is on me case and seriously nagging me. My family is just watching out for me as I am obviously my own worst enemy. AJ is my constant companion and was with me when I slipped. He tried to block me from slipping but I was able to push him out of the way as I did not want to land on him. Our connection just grows deeper and closer.

Yes, AJ is watching me too. A damn fine dog!

I have to get off the computer as my absence is sure to noticed upstairs. I have been threatened with a lock up!  I am  so sorry for my absence and this just makes me even more grumpy, if you can imagine that. Not a pretty picture at all and trust me on this one.PatriotUSA

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UPDATED:Knocked back on the sidelines again, darn it but can you help these Cats?

 Update from Jan and YEAH, Cats have a new home!!!!!

 Updated: Mocha and Moonlight have been adopted as a bonded pair of brothers to a very sweet lady, who lives in a condo, has a huge window for bird/squirrel watching, and visiting grandkids to liven things up during the week.

This is what I was holding out for, for these guys, who became homeless when left in an apartment complex to survive while starving.

"Nice" if you can do that. 

My situation

I have MRI tomorrow, appt. with neurosurgeon Tuesday AM. Will know much more after this. Prayers appreciated! PatriotUSA

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Lest anyone get too worried, I am alive, doing all right but not so well if that makes any sense.

I slipped on our stairs this past Thursday morning and landed on the left side of my lower back. I did not give it much thought till Sunday. Whatever I tweaked in my spine is not good at all and I will be calling neurosurgeon first thing Monday morning. Not sure what the result of this will be but I am rapidly reaching the point of more spinal fusion surgery, I am really out of options and well, it can always be worse. I am unable to sit for long,and walking, all else is just a major pain. So I have made a deal to be here for one hour a night and that includes checking emails and trying to post up here. I have a timer and the entire family is on me case. My time is just about up so I want6ed to get this up for today.

Not to change the subject but I am posting this link to help these Cats find a new, forever home. 

This is to help a very kind person with a heart of love who helped us out with AJ. The cats are in the Salem, Oregon area. AJ is not real fond of cats but if he could talk he would want to help these cats out. I am keeping the name of the person out of the post. 

Thank you! PatriotUSA

Help these Kittens out!!!

I will ask this favor of you, if you know anyone who would like to adopt these two rescue cats, a GOOD and loving home, please let me know... we will drive them there.. they are in my garage, heaters, free, but restless, after 3 weeks there.. I rescued them from an apt. complex in Salem.

http://salem.craigslist.org/pet/3575087864.html

and they are the most loving .. brothers, I am told, who would like to be adopted together.Maybe you know someone who would want them for part of their family.

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