Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Don't mess with my TRICARE! Ok, we won't.
Ok, I haven blogged in over a year so I could focus on having a happy healthy baby. Now that baby is four months old and I feel I can once again put in the effort to do the research needed to write this blog. Welcome back readers!
I was particularly inspired to dive back into my work at F.U.M.E. by a family members concern about The Affordable Care Act and it's affects on TRICARE and VA benefits. One particular concern was that something was passed at the last minute that would adversely affect benefits for widows of veterans. I have found that this concern seems to have stemmed from a last minute press release from Republicans on the House Armed Services and Veterans Affairs Committee and the group Veterans of Foreign Wars, claiming that unless a Republican amendment was added, TRICARE and survivor health benefits would fail to meet the bill minimum essential coverage standard. The VFW's statement claimed that "the President and Democratic leadership are betraying veterans" by failing to adapt the Republican amendment that would explicitly list TRICARE and VA survivor health benefits as meeting the health reform bills minimum essential coverage. In the hours before the House vote on the reform bill, Republicans Howard "Buck" McKeon(Calif.) and Steve Buyer(Ind.) argued that these beneficiaries and even some veterans' children with spina bifida could be forced to pay a penalty or buy extra health insurance. Democrats at the time countered that the chances of such a thing occurring were actually nil to infinitesimal. However, a day before the critical vote on the reform bill, in an effort to ease the fears and concerns of veterans and their families, the House unanimously passed a bill put forth by Ike Skelton(D-MO), Chairmen of the Armed Forces Committee. The Skelton Bill amended the tax code so that all TRICARE plans and health plans for Defense non-appropriated fund employees would meet the minimum essential coverage. That wasn't enough for Buyer, who said in interviews that this amendment failed to protect all veterans' widows and orphans. However, the Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman, Bob Filner(D-Calif) countered that Buyer had relied on a "false interpretation" of health reform legislation. Filner said progress on health reform had been watched carefully and legislators had been in contact with groups regarding veterans affairs. John Rowan of the Vietnam Veterans of America said in a press release at the time "it is unfortunate that some continue to raise what now is even more clearly a false alarm that is apparently meant to frighten veterans and their families in order to prompt them to oppose the pending legislation." In the end the VFW National Commander Thomas J. Tradewell weighed in saying their concerns had been relieved and confirmed that the VFW wasn't opposed to the national healthcare reform.
Recently Tom Philpott of military.com said, "The threat [to TRICARE] was never more than a notion." Today that's the general consensus among most military associations and veteran groups, as reinforced by statements from Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs, as well as the White House and Chairmen of key congressional committees. The fact is that TRICARE and VA survivor health benefits will remain under the sole authority of the Defense Department. According to the Assistant Secretary of Defense "eligibility, covered benefits, copaymets and all other features of our TRICARE program will remain in place. TRICARE was deemed a "qualifying coverage", meaning that if you have TRICARE you will not be subject to the law's financial penalty." TRICARE for Life is also considered qualifying coverage. Nothing in the legislation will change any TRICARE fees.
Though there has been recent movement to allow TRICARE to be included in one of the benefits of the Affordable Care Act. The ACA requires civilian health plans that provide medical coverage to children to extend that till the child turns 26 years of age. The act did not give the Department of Defense the authority to offer the benefit thru TRICARE. There's currently provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2011 that now extends that coverage up to age 26 via a premium-based program. The Department of Defense has promised to implement the provisions as soon as possible.
While time will tell how the Affordable Care Act will affect civilian Americans as it goes into affect, it is patently clear that the reform has no authority over TRICARE and therefore TRICARE will not be directly affected by it. Thank you to those that took the time to read this and I welcome y'all to continue your own research at the following sites:
www.military.com
www.tricare.mil
www.healthcare.gov
Also I welcome any questions and ideas for future topics for Facts for the Un-informed, Mis-informed, and Everyone else!
Friday, May 27, 2011
My argument against ignorance
"an argument in support of planned parenthood is not an argument for abortion but an argument against ignorance"
-Phyllis Grant, Dallas Voice
I recently read this quote in an article in the Dallas Voice and the autor sums up my feelings perfectly. For the past few months I've watched my primary source of healthcare be attacked and taken away from thousands of men, women, and children like myself. I've even been personally attacked by my own family for my support of planned parenthood. While I try to use facts and research when arguing for funding for PPH, I'm tired of the lies and insults hurled at me in replace of good ol' fashion debate. My fatherinlaw recently told me the "women wouldn't need planned parenthood if they kept their legs shut""play with fire and they get burned" This is the kind of prehistoric, barbaric thinking that's behind this recent Ttack on women's rights. I usually hear this or some version of it from older gentlemen. They never stop to think how idiodic and sexist that sounds. I never hear them say the just as true argument "Well if men would just keep their dicks in their pants..." The irrational arguments aren't limited to laymen like my fatherinlaw. Legislaters, entrusted by the voters, have taken to just making things up to support their beliefs. On April 8 Arizona republican Jon Kyle declared on the senate floor of the senate that abortions comprised "well over 90% of what planned parenthood does." In reality, abortions are only 3% of what they do. Kyle later asserted that "he did not intend for that to be a factual statment." And what do facts matter when the public trusts you? On April 20 Texas senator John Cornyn told Emily Ramshaw of the Texas Tribune that "he's been told 98% of the services Planned Parenthood offers is abortion related" Perhaps he should have done a little fact checking and talked to the Planned Parenthood in his own state. In 2010 PPH of north Texas provided 6,000 abortions, 43,000 pap smears and many more thousands of life saving lowcost cancer screenings. According to they're website they also offer birth control, body image counsaling, self-esteem education, counsaling for victims of rape and incest, health relationship education, cholestoral screening, diabetes screening, physical exams, flu-vaccines, help with quoting smoking, mens health exams, erectile dysfuntion education and treatment( ;) they got stuff for you older gentlemen)jock itch exams, infertility screening, testing for sexually transmitted deseases, family planning education, abstinance education, and my personal favorite bags and bags of condoms to prevent the abortions!
Ok seriously, let's clear up some othis ignorance. First of all there is indeed an attack womens health, as well as the right to choose what we do with our own bodies. In fact 56% of state bills being considered regarding reproductive health seeks to restrict access to abortion. Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennisee, and Texas have all passed bans on abortions past 20wks, many neglected to include health exceptions. Alabama and Indiana have pathed the way on banning insurance companies from covering abortions, those that do will not be allowed to participate in the new healthcare exchanges, or drop the coverage and force women to pay the full cost(which can be 10,000) outta pocket dispite risks to health. This is similar to a federal bil puposed by rep. Chris Smith(R-NJ). The Smith Bill(HR3) will alter the tax code so that individuals and small business owners will no longer recieve the tax credits garunteed by recent healthcare recorem if they buy a policy that covers abortions. This is unfair to the average citizen. It punishes small businesses that are trying to do the righ thing and provide for their employees with good healthcare. Many will be unexpectedly hit by this because insurance companies rarely just come out and say "we coer abortion" Its often covered under things like "reproductive health" Ultimatly many businesses will unknowingly loose their deductions and pay higher taxes just for trying to provide for their employees. Many states are going eve further to reduce abortions, South Dakota requires women to go thru "crisis counsaling" at an anti-abortion pregnancy crisis center before an abortion to "assure that the woman is not being coerced into having an abortion". Ohio has banned all abortions at the first sign of a heartbeat. Florida has enacted a 72hr waiting period for those needing abortions, putting the health of the women second to their religous agenda.
My own state of Texas has jumped ass first onto the "women can't make their own choices" bandwagon. Representative John Zerwas(R) helped get an amendment added onto a medicaide bill that says hospitals and clinics that provide "abortion related" services will face a funding freeze on public healthcare funds. $40 million is slated to be cut from this program tha provides contraceptions and health screenings for low-income women. Rep. Zerwas admits the terms used in this bill are "problamatic", "broad", and left "open to interpetation". Since Planned Parenthood is already banned from this funding they will not be affected. The victims will be the patients of lowcost clinics that exclusivly treat women. Many that only provide the morning after pill(and no real abortions) could be targeted by this unthoughtout amendment. Far worse is Rick Perry's pet project, the sonogram bill. For some reason Perry declared it an emergancy at the begining of the session. It requires that women have a sonogram 24hrs prior to the abortion, dispite risks to the womens health. It also requires the doctor to describe what's on the screen. While it requires vistims of rape and incest or women with health defects to go thru this it says they do not have to listen to the description, However I'm not sure how they will "not listen" while they are trapped in the same room as the doctor and their uterus. Now I've argued that this is government sanctioned rape and been told (by my oh so smart dadinlaw) that I don't know what a sonogram is and perhaps I should ask someone. Well, I have had 2 kids, 3 pregnancies and 5 sonograms. Some were the standard jelly on the belly kind. However, for sonograms done early in the pregnancy(the only time abortions are allowed) and on obese women must be done by vaginal probe. They call it Transvaginal sonography. This is the biggest piece of information left out of most reports about this bill. I've read the same simple description in many articles on the subject, "a sonogram is an imaging technique using high frequency soundwaves to produce images of a developing baby in a womens uterus" How quaint! While accurate it leaves out the reality of what women really have to go thru during these sonograms. Here's the reality. They take you into some dark, cold room. They then have you remove your pants and underwear then lay you down on your back on a table. They then spread your legs apart and strap your feet into stirups about a foot above the edge of the table. This is scary enough for any women, let alone a rape victim. Your private parts are exposed and leaves you feeling so vunerable! Then they pull out a large, grey, plastics vaginal probe. They throw one some cold jelly the commence to shove it up the vagina towards the uterus. After some uncomfertable manuvering they have a picture. Ok, I know some men that would kill anyone who tried this on them. But for women republicans have decided this is what we deserve. It's awful! It hurts cause it's unwanted and degrading cause it's government ordered. And even tramatizing for those who've already been violated in the past. This is what happens for those who can afford it. However, many will not. According to The Austin Statesman 25% of Texas women live with out insurance. Many more are underinsured. In Dallas a sonogram can cost $300. Since the goal is to cut women from at assistance, that will have to be paid on top of the $10,000 an abortion can cost if there's complications. So women are left with the choice of having a life-saving procedure or bankruptcy. Thanks Rick Perry! Way to protect the rights of the women of your state!
I see a scary future for the women of this country. As it is imprrperly done abortions result in 70,000 deaths and 5 million injuries a year. After this latest round of legislative blitz I fear it's gonna get worse. In 1996 when South African legalized abortions the World Health Organization cited that abortion related deaths dropped by 90%. The opposite is happening in our country and I don't see anyone talking about the consequances of removing funding for all these clinics and limiting abortions. First think about the well-bein of children already in this world. Former first lady Laura Bush recognizes there's a problem. On April 7 she joined the Texas attorney general to call for new volunteers for the Texas Vourt Appointed Special Advocates(CASA). It's and urgent plea because Texas currently has 42,000 children in it's foster care system. Those 42,000 kids were all unwanted at birth or been abussed and abandoned since. As I said last year PPH performed 6,000 abortions. The system is broke enough without adding another 6,000(or more) kids a year to the Texan foster care system. The what about the men, women, and children that currently depends on clinics like planned parenthood? While voluteering at the PPH office in Fort Worth I learned that the North Texas chapter helped 87,000 different people in 2010. The coordinated that told me that fears they won't be able to help nearly as many in the coming years. So I ask those that cheer all these cuts and bans to think about the unwanted children and the thousands tha will be turned away from the clinics that previously saved their lives.... Where will they all go?
-Phyllis Grant, Dallas Voice
I recently read this quote in an article in the Dallas Voice and the autor sums up my feelings perfectly. For the past few months I've watched my primary source of healthcare be attacked and taken away from thousands of men, women, and children like myself. I've even been personally attacked by my own family for my support of planned parenthood. While I try to use facts and research when arguing for funding for PPH, I'm tired of the lies and insults hurled at me in replace of good ol' fashion debate. My fatherinlaw recently told me the "women wouldn't need planned parenthood if they kept their legs shut""play with fire and they get burned" This is the kind of prehistoric, barbaric thinking that's behind this recent Ttack on women's rights. I usually hear this or some version of it from older gentlemen. They never stop to think how idiodic and sexist that sounds. I never hear them say the just as true argument "Well if men would just keep their dicks in their pants..." The irrational arguments aren't limited to laymen like my fatherinlaw. Legislaters, entrusted by the voters, have taken to just making things up to support their beliefs. On April 8 Arizona republican Jon Kyle declared on the senate floor of the senate that abortions comprised "well over 90% of what planned parenthood does." In reality, abortions are only 3% of what they do. Kyle later asserted that "he did not intend for that to be a factual statment." And what do facts matter when the public trusts you? On April 20 Texas senator John Cornyn told Emily Ramshaw of the Texas Tribune that "he's been told 98% of the services Planned Parenthood offers is abortion related" Perhaps he should have done a little fact checking and talked to the Planned Parenthood in his own state. In 2010 PPH of north Texas provided 6,000 abortions, 43,000 pap smears and many more thousands of life saving lowcost cancer screenings. According to they're website they also offer birth control, body image counsaling, self-esteem education, counsaling for victims of rape and incest, health relationship education, cholestoral screening, diabetes screening, physical exams, flu-vaccines, help with quoting smoking, mens health exams, erectile dysfuntion education and treatment( ;) they got stuff for you older gentlemen)jock itch exams, infertility screening, testing for sexually transmitted deseases, family planning education, abstinance education, and my personal favorite bags and bags of condoms to prevent the abortions!
Ok seriously, let's clear up some othis ignorance. First of all there is indeed an attack womens health, as well as the right to choose what we do with our own bodies. In fact 56% of state bills being considered regarding reproductive health seeks to restrict access to abortion. Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennisee, and Texas have all passed bans on abortions past 20wks, many neglected to include health exceptions. Alabama and Indiana have pathed the way on banning insurance companies from covering abortions, those that do will not be allowed to participate in the new healthcare exchanges, or drop the coverage and force women to pay the full cost(which can be 10,000) outta pocket dispite risks to health. This is similar to a federal bil puposed by rep. Chris Smith(R-NJ). The Smith Bill(HR3) will alter the tax code so that individuals and small business owners will no longer recieve the tax credits garunteed by recent healthcare recorem if they buy a policy that covers abortions. This is unfair to the average citizen. It punishes small businesses that are trying to do the righ thing and provide for their employees with good healthcare. Many will be unexpectedly hit by this because insurance companies rarely just come out and say "we coer abortion" Its often covered under things like "reproductive health" Ultimatly many businesses will unknowingly loose their deductions and pay higher taxes just for trying to provide for their employees. Many states are going eve further to reduce abortions, South Dakota requires women to go thru "crisis counsaling" at an anti-abortion pregnancy crisis center before an abortion to "assure that the woman is not being coerced into having an abortion". Ohio has banned all abortions at the first sign of a heartbeat. Florida has enacted a 72hr waiting period for those needing abortions, putting the health of the women second to their religous agenda.
My own state of Texas has jumped ass first onto the "women can't make their own choices" bandwagon. Representative John Zerwas(R) helped get an amendment added onto a medicaide bill that says hospitals and clinics that provide "abortion related" services will face a funding freeze on public healthcare funds. $40 million is slated to be cut from this program tha provides contraceptions and health screenings for low-income women. Rep. Zerwas admits the terms used in this bill are "problamatic", "broad", and left "open to interpetation". Since Planned Parenthood is already banned from this funding they will not be affected. The victims will be the patients of lowcost clinics that exclusivly treat women. Many that only provide the morning after pill(and no real abortions) could be targeted by this unthoughtout amendment. Far worse is Rick Perry's pet project, the sonogram bill. For some reason Perry declared it an emergancy at the begining of the session. It requires that women have a sonogram 24hrs prior to the abortion, dispite risks to the womens health. It also requires the doctor to describe what's on the screen. While it requires vistims of rape and incest or women with health defects to go thru this it says they do not have to listen to the description, However I'm not sure how they will "not listen" while they are trapped in the same room as the doctor and their uterus. Now I've argued that this is government sanctioned rape and been told (by my oh so smart dadinlaw) that I don't know what a sonogram is and perhaps I should ask someone. Well, I have had 2 kids, 3 pregnancies and 5 sonograms. Some were the standard jelly on the belly kind. However, for sonograms done early in the pregnancy(the only time abortions are allowed) and on obese women must be done by vaginal probe. They call it Transvaginal sonography. This is the biggest piece of information left out of most reports about this bill. I've read the same simple description in many articles on the subject, "a sonogram is an imaging technique using high frequency soundwaves to produce images of a developing baby in a womens uterus" How quaint! While accurate it leaves out the reality of what women really have to go thru during these sonograms. Here's the reality. They take you into some dark, cold room. They then have you remove your pants and underwear then lay you down on your back on a table. They then spread your legs apart and strap your feet into stirups about a foot above the edge of the table. This is scary enough for any women, let alone a rape victim. Your private parts are exposed and leaves you feeling so vunerable! Then they pull out a large, grey, plastics vaginal probe. They throw one some cold jelly the commence to shove it up the vagina towards the uterus. After some uncomfertable manuvering they have a picture. Ok, I know some men that would kill anyone who tried this on them. But for women republicans have decided this is what we deserve. It's awful! It hurts cause it's unwanted and degrading cause it's government ordered. And even tramatizing for those who've already been violated in the past. This is what happens for those who can afford it. However, many will not. According to The Austin Statesman 25% of Texas women live with out insurance. Many more are underinsured. In Dallas a sonogram can cost $300. Since the goal is to cut women from at assistance, that will have to be paid on top of the $10,000 an abortion can cost if there's complications. So women are left with the choice of having a life-saving procedure or bankruptcy. Thanks Rick Perry! Way to protect the rights of the women of your state!
I see a scary future for the women of this country. As it is imprrperly done abortions result in 70,000 deaths and 5 million injuries a year. After this latest round of legislative blitz I fear it's gonna get worse. In 1996 when South African legalized abortions the World Health Organization cited that abortion related deaths dropped by 90%. The opposite is happening in our country and I don't see anyone talking about the consequances of removing funding for all these clinics and limiting abortions. First think about the well-bein of children already in this world. Former first lady Laura Bush recognizes there's a problem. On April 7 she joined the Texas attorney general to call for new volunteers for the Texas Vourt Appointed Special Advocates(CASA). It's and urgent plea because Texas currently has 42,000 children in it's foster care system. Those 42,000 kids were all unwanted at birth or been abussed and abandoned since. As I said last year PPH performed 6,000 abortions. The system is broke enough without adding another 6,000(or more) kids a year to the Texan foster care system. The what about the men, women, and children that currently depends on clinics like planned parenthood? While voluteering at the PPH office in Fort Worth I learned that the North Texas chapter helped 87,000 different people in 2010. The coordinated that told me that fears they won't be able to help nearly as many in the coming years. So I ask those that cheer all these cuts and bans to think about the unwanted children and the thousands tha will be turned away from the clinics that previously saved their lives.... Where will they all go?
Friday, May 6, 2011
"why I am the way I am" part 2
Ok, I left off graduating highschool. That July I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He saved my life in so many ways. My little miracle. But I still had depression to deal with and struggles ahead. I stayed with my baby's father cause I thought I belonged nowhere else. We were awful for eachother but i loved his family. I thought I owed it to them to stay. Being told how worethless you are your whole life kinda sticks to the soul and leaves you filled with doubt. My ex never could get it together very long. He had a drinking problem that took over his life. But I stayed. Four years later I had another baby boy. My two boys are my greatest loves. After the birth of my second I finally got some help. I went thru a goverment program that payed for me to get job training while getting my depression treated. Thanks to this program I could finally get the therapy and antidepressents I needed. And I finally had a skill that could get me on my own two feet. I had gone to grooming school. But I still had a few more years of depression to work thru. After the program ended I could nolonger afford the meds but I had been given the tools I needed. I had been given a foundation to recovery. I had begun to break the cycle.
But then life hit me hard again. In early 2008 I was pregnant with my third child. Every pregnancy I am hit with super sickness. My body rejects all food and water. During my first pregnancy I was had to ride the bus to school with a barf bag. I was seen running from classes routinly. My poor friends who drove me around learned quickly I ment it when I said "pull over!!" Then it lasted 4 months or so. I lost thirty pounds that December before I finally went to the ER. I needed IVs and a very expensive medicine. Luckily my docter had a large supply for free samples. It was the same meds prescribed to patients undergoing chemotherapy. A full script could cost up $800! I was so lucky that doctor had samples. I still had toxemia in the end. We both nearly died when I first went into labor with a 106 temp! But we made it. My second pregnancy was worse. I lost insurance a few months into the pregnancy cause my ex had drunk himself outta yet another job. My dr was a saint and kept me on probono and her office even gave me $100 to make it a goo Christmas for my son. I needed daily IVs thru my sixth month this time. But I successfully gave birth to my second boy. But the third pregnant hit me hard. Only six weeks into it and I was already feeling the dehydration setting in. This was the fastest I had ever been hit with it. The next week or so I was there, full on dehydration. My body was drying up. Constantly I'll and unable to stand up long enough to take care of my kids. And no insurance. I would just rinse my mouth out with water sometime cause I needed the coolness but my throat was so cracked an bleeding I didn't dare swallow. I finally went to the ER while my mom and her partner stepped in to help with the kids. I was so happy to finally be in the hands of doctors. But after a couple hours I heard whispering outside my curtain..."I've got a lady coming in with a cough" "we're outta rooms, where we gonna put her?" " she's got insurance right?" "yea" "this one doesn't, move thi on to the hall and put the lady in here" That hit me like a slap in the face. I didn't deserve the room with the best care, I deserved the hall. After a couple hours in the hall they sent me home. I begged them to give me a prescription, something to stop the vomiting. I knew a couple IVs weren't gonna cure me. I went home to listen to my children cry cause mommy was scary weak. I went back to the ER a few days later. One doctor asked why didn't I come in sooner. I was shocked! "I did! Y'all sent me home!""you have insurance?""no" "oh" then that look. I hate that look! Where the cut themselves off, give up hope of curing you and settle for "not dying" that look makes me feel less than human. They admitted me and pumped me full of IVs and and most god-awful stuff called finnergan. It's an immediate antinausia but it was never gonna help in th long run. I realize now they only ever planned on stabalizing me. Not truely helping me. The finnergan burned my veins. They became blue ropes of fire on my arms. I still hurt from that treatment. Heard they're no longer allowed to do that to anyone. Good. After 3 days my doctor came to me with sobering news. I had reached the limit of care for the uninsured. The had to discharge me. He said I would not survive long enough to get insurance. He said "in my medical opinion you need to terminate this pregnancy as soon as possible. You need to think of your other two little boys and how much they need you." "an abortion?" I asked "yes, this pregnancy will kill you. Even if you can get insurance I do not believe you will make it to full term. But we cannot do it here. You'll need to find a clinic. Good luck to ya." and then I was discharged and sent on the grim task of finding somewhere that can help me. In an awful sort of trance I called planned parenthood. And for the first tine I was told, "it doesn't matter if you can't pay, we'll help you. Don't worry" They were so kind suing this horrible time. Family had stepped in and were taking care of the boys. On the day of the appointment my father and his girlfriend took me. We pulled past a line of angry people with signs shouting at me. I'm so grateful for the wall built around the parking lot and th sympathetic looking guard keeping them out. But I could hear them and see them surging towards the gates as I walked to the door. On the hardest day of my life I was attacked and called all kinds of names. It started nice, "we'll help you! God loves you!" I wanted to shout "really?! You got an insurance company that'll cover me? Cover this!? Who will pay to save my life!" As I walked on they turned vicious, spitting and damning me to hell. I held my head high, checked in with the guard at the door and walked in. Thanks to conservative laws they weren't allowed to put me to sleep or help with any pain. All they can give you I something they said would relax me and help me forget. It didn't work. My muscles seized and I hyperventalated. I heard it all, I felt it all, I remember everything. After 11wks my third baby was an angel again. I was heartbroken and I still had to walk past all those people again. I learned not to judge. I learned you never know what someone is going thru and why they make the decisions they do. I learned how much harsh anger driven words can hurt.
I spent the next few months depressed, but my pain led me to confide in a longtime friend. He was hurting in his own way and we consoled eachother. I realized he'd always been my friend. Taught me how to catch crawdaddies in fith grade. He had helped me out years layer when I burned the skin off all my fingers, he wa so patient with my mickey mouse hands. We grew closer, then spent everyday that summer just chatting and playing. It healing. He gave my confidence with his attentions. I started taking care of myself and making possitive steps towards my future. And he had faith in me. We married last October and I'm so grateful for him. I learned to love myself with his encouragment. I started working again and have rekindled my love for writing and community.
I've seen to many people like myself to go unheard anylonger. So I've become out spoken lately. Writing to my representatives over and over. I feel if I tell my story enough it'll stick somewhere. I joined the Obama2012 campaign cause I'm still without healthcare. I work and pay my taxes but still not worthy enough to cover. All my past health issues tend to turn insurers off. I'm fighting for equal rights. Equals rights amongst the classes and for equal rights for all. My mother is still treated as a second class citizen cause of who she loves. I was treated like a second class citizen cause I was poor. My baby was one "little American" that didn't matter cause it's mommy was poor. I'm tired of all the misleading information causeing nothing but strife. When we don't learn about what's different, we don't create any kind of understanding. Our socioty blames that which is different and sees no fault in ourselves. No one is perfect and everyone has a story we could learn from. That's why I started this blog. To share my stories and hope hear your stories. Please fell free to share your stories so I can learn from you and visa versa. We can all learn from eachother. Im also needing some topics to cover or questions y'all want me to research. I'm currently reasearching my next blog but need more ideas! Thanks! Love y'all!
But then life hit me hard again. In early 2008 I was pregnant with my third child. Every pregnancy I am hit with super sickness. My body rejects all food and water. During my first pregnancy I was had to ride the bus to school with a barf bag. I was seen running from classes routinly. My poor friends who drove me around learned quickly I ment it when I said "pull over!!" Then it lasted 4 months or so. I lost thirty pounds that December before I finally went to the ER. I needed IVs and a very expensive medicine. Luckily my docter had a large supply for free samples. It was the same meds prescribed to patients undergoing chemotherapy. A full script could cost up $800! I was so lucky that doctor had samples. I still had toxemia in the end. We both nearly died when I first went into labor with a 106 temp! But we made it. My second pregnancy was worse. I lost insurance a few months into the pregnancy cause my ex had drunk himself outta yet another job. My dr was a saint and kept me on probono and her office even gave me $100 to make it a goo Christmas for my son. I needed daily IVs thru my sixth month this time. But I successfully gave birth to my second boy. But the third pregnant hit me hard. Only six weeks into it and I was already feeling the dehydration setting in. This was the fastest I had ever been hit with it. The next week or so I was there, full on dehydration. My body was drying up. Constantly I'll and unable to stand up long enough to take care of my kids. And no insurance. I would just rinse my mouth out with water sometime cause I needed the coolness but my throat was so cracked an bleeding I didn't dare swallow. I finally went to the ER while my mom and her partner stepped in to help with the kids. I was so happy to finally be in the hands of doctors. But after a couple hours I heard whispering outside my curtain..."I've got a lady coming in with a cough" "we're outta rooms, where we gonna put her?" " she's got insurance right?" "yea" "this one doesn't, move thi on to the hall and put the lady in here" That hit me like a slap in the face. I didn't deserve the room with the best care, I deserved the hall. After a couple hours in the hall they sent me home. I begged them to give me a prescription, something to stop the vomiting. I knew a couple IVs weren't gonna cure me. I went home to listen to my children cry cause mommy was scary weak. I went back to the ER a few days later. One doctor asked why didn't I come in sooner. I was shocked! "I did! Y'all sent me home!""you have insurance?""no" "oh" then that look. I hate that look! Where the cut themselves off, give up hope of curing you and settle for "not dying" that look makes me feel less than human. They admitted me and pumped me full of IVs and and most god-awful stuff called finnergan. It's an immediate antinausia but it was never gonna help in th long run. I realize now they only ever planned on stabalizing me. Not truely helping me. The finnergan burned my veins. They became blue ropes of fire on my arms. I still hurt from that treatment. Heard they're no longer allowed to do that to anyone. Good. After 3 days my doctor came to me with sobering news. I had reached the limit of care for the uninsured. The had to discharge me. He said I would not survive long enough to get insurance. He said "in my medical opinion you need to terminate this pregnancy as soon as possible. You need to think of your other two little boys and how much they need you." "an abortion?" I asked "yes, this pregnancy will kill you. Even if you can get insurance I do not believe you will make it to full term. But we cannot do it here. You'll need to find a clinic. Good luck to ya." and then I was discharged and sent on the grim task of finding somewhere that can help me. In an awful sort of trance I called planned parenthood. And for the first tine I was told, "it doesn't matter if you can't pay, we'll help you. Don't worry" They were so kind suing this horrible time. Family had stepped in and were taking care of the boys. On the day of the appointment my father and his girlfriend took me. We pulled past a line of angry people with signs shouting at me. I'm so grateful for the wall built around the parking lot and th sympathetic looking guard keeping them out. But I could hear them and see them surging towards the gates as I walked to the door. On the hardest day of my life I was attacked and called all kinds of names. It started nice, "we'll help you! God loves you!" I wanted to shout "really?! You got an insurance company that'll cover me? Cover this!? Who will pay to save my life!" As I walked on they turned vicious, spitting and damning me to hell. I held my head high, checked in with the guard at the door and walked in. Thanks to conservative laws they weren't allowed to put me to sleep or help with any pain. All they can give you I something they said would relax me and help me forget. It didn't work. My muscles seized and I hyperventalated. I heard it all, I felt it all, I remember everything. After 11wks my third baby was an angel again. I was heartbroken and I still had to walk past all those people again. I learned not to judge. I learned you never know what someone is going thru and why they make the decisions they do. I learned how much harsh anger driven words can hurt.
I spent the next few months depressed, but my pain led me to confide in a longtime friend. He was hurting in his own way and we consoled eachother. I realized he'd always been my friend. Taught me how to catch crawdaddies in fith grade. He had helped me out years layer when I burned the skin off all my fingers, he wa so patient with my mickey mouse hands. We grew closer, then spent everyday that summer just chatting and playing. It healing. He gave my confidence with his attentions. I started taking care of myself and making possitive steps towards my future. And he had faith in me. We married last October and I'm so grateful for him. I learned to love myself with his encouragment. I started working again and have rekindled my love for writing and community.
I've seen to many people like myself to go unheard anylonger. So I've become out spoken lately. Writing to my representatives over and over. I feel if I tell my story enough it'll stick somewhere. I joined the Obama2012 campaign cause I'm still without healthcare. I work and pay my taxes but still not worthy enough to cover. All my past health issues tend to turn insurers off. I'm fighting for equal rights. Equals rights amongst the classes and for equal rights for all. My mother is still treated as a second class citizen cause of who she loves. I was treated like a second class citizen cause I was poor. My baby was one "little American" that didn't matter cause it's mommy was poor. I'm tired of all the misleading information causeing nothing but strife. When we don't learn about what's different, we don't create any kind of understanding. Our socioty blames that which is different and sees no fault in ourselves. No one is perfect and everyone has a story we could learn from. That's why I started this blog. To share my stories and hope hear your stories. Please fell free to share your stories so I can learn from you and visa versa. We can all learn from eachother. Im also needing some topics to cover or questions y'all want me to research. I'm currently reasearching my next blog but need more ideas! Thanks! Love y'all!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
"why I am the way I am" part 1
Ok, I promised to tell y'all about myself. I don't need to go into details but I feel that if your gonna read my interpetations of life events then you need to know where I'm coming from.
I grew up in a trailor park in southern Dallas county. My father was a gas man and volunteer park ranger. My mom was an artist. Spent most of those first years camping and being wild. With my dad as a ranger I practically lived at the statepark. And I was lucky enough to get to travel all over the country with my grandpa and his RV. That was my dads father. I get my political streak from his family. My great uncle was William F. Buckley, leader of the conservative movement and had a show on PBS. I never met him or anyone else from that family. My grandma said we're the black sheep cause he marrie and divorced a Mexican then divorced her. But that was from the exwife so who knows? Grandpa was something else. Searved his country in the air force and I loved his stories. My country love of country came from him. He showed me this land, telling me all his stories. But he fell on hard times, fought with his sons, and dissapeared from my life for 7yrs. The we got a call from Washington state saying he had cancer and was dying. I shouldve visited him when I had the chance but I didn't wanna miss the first day of school. Grandpa passed 2wks before I could go. I learned then about priorities and not leaving for tomorrow what u can do today.
My mother was an artist and free spirit. My early life with her was filled with laughter and line dancing. Her and her friends on our street created a support system and raised their kids together. They helped eachother and were always together. My mom was volunteer coordinator. She was my girlscout troop leader. Then sometime around fith my life changed. I'll always remember helping my mother clean the living room, with her new favorite singer blaring in the background. Melissa Ethridge. When the song "Maggie May" came on my mother paused. She asked "do you know why she's singing to another girl?" I was young, of course I had no idea! That's when I first heard the word lesbian. My mommy was a lesbian and my parents were getting divorced. I look back and am so proud of her for coming out. I learned about bravery and strength to be yourself. But at the time it was confusing and devastating. My mother had discovered her lesbianism with my best friends mom. And while I was proud of her, people can be so cruel.
My grandmother still referee to her as the "white devil who stole her son", bless her fiesty little latina heart! But others were worse. The husband of my mothers lover was crazy and abusive. He'd hunt my friend and I down and torment us with all the things our mothers did and how that's why they don't love us anymore. They ended up moving away. My best friend was gone and that loving network of moms who had loved as supported my sister and I our whole lives? Shattered. We were nolonger welcome in their homes. They treated us like we had a communicable disease. Soon they all moved out. My mother couldn't afford to move out right away and they weren't waiting. But soon she was gone too. She had no foundation of her own so she had to leave my sister and I behind. My poor father was never prepared to raise two girls on his own. He was rarely around. Always either working or volunteering at the park. And all the women we considered our second moms had left. Even the girlscout troop disbanded. Intolerence isolated us. When school started it got worse. I never told anyone but they all knew. I still remember the hisses behind me everywhere I went, "don't get to close!""her mom will turn u gay!!""don't be her friend! Her mom will get ya!" I got more isolated. I learned intolerence can destroy a persons spirit. It tears lives apart.
It got worse. My first purse was flushed down a toilet during a choir concert. That nearly broke me. It was a birthday present. But luckily I had a wonderful school counseler and teachers. When they pulled me aside to show me my poor sogging purse they saw me on the edge. They listened to my story. Ms. Emmett let me eat lunches with her and took me on walks during recess. She had my teachers rally aroud me. They took me to my first trip to the salon and showed me how to blowdry my hair. They took me shopping and bought me my first bra. I learned to pay attention to the hurt of those around u. To make a difference.
Then I moved on to JR high and my support system was gone again. I started drinking and partying. All the while a bitter divorce was playing out at home. My sister and I felt like pawns in the middle of a psycological war. We learned the art of lies and manipulation in those years. But I was finding my own family. Misfits who needed eachother to get thru highschool. They became my lifeline. I had been depressed and suicidal for years but I made it thanks to them. They depended on me to be there for them and visa versa. I learned about friendship and loyalty.
It was during those years I got exposed to so many different world views. I split time between catholic and babtist church with my fathers family. I followed my mother in her quest for spirituality and acceptance. He went to a gay and lesbian church for awhile. It was called "The course of miricles" While the chatholic and babtist church all I heard was "it's my way or hell", the course of miricles reminded us that we are all made from god and are loved and accepted my him. I learned that people so differet from ourselves are still people. I also learned about Buddism and respect for all life. I learned about Wicca and how were are all connected thru the flowing energies of our lifeforce. I learned live your life as you will but "harm ye none".
In highschool I threw myself into everything I could. I was miserable at home and while my parents war continued my sister and I were lost. But I loved school! It was my escape. I joined theater, debate, student council, and Latin club. They kept me busy and distracted. I became more involed. I competed in theater, Latin and debate. In student council I became secretary and chaired the energy and enviroment commitee. I learned the value of teamwork and community service. About the value of discovering the lessons of the past. My friends and I were always trying to make a movie. And we did get one filmed! It's not Oscar winner, but we woulda kicked ass at the razzies! Lol! The point was we made that movie. I learned about dependability, hard work and never giving up on a dream.
But it still wasn't enough. I was still searching for love and attention in all the wrong places. What started as a quest for a date to homecomeing became my first pregnancy. It was just after 9/11 and nothing seemed to matter. It was the begining of my senior year. That possitive test was a big smack in the face. But I immediatley knew I would have this baby. My mother pushed for an abortion, she knew I was looking at a hard life and she didn't want that for me. My father pushes for adoption. I refused. My mother became supportive. My father, not so much. The family of my babies daddy took me in. I worked my ass off to make sure I graduated on time. It was hard work and I faced discrimination. I dropped debate and theater cause the new teachers talked down to me about being pregnant. My Latin teacher would send memos about me to my other teachers. I loved latin and wouldn't leave the class, but I was no longer welcome at competitions. Student council rallied around me. The teacher advisors were like my extra moms and championed me against other teachers. The school nurses took me under their wing and bullied my dad into getting me medical attention when my tooth was infected. I learned how much small kindnesses can mean to a person and can change their life. I graduated seven months pregnant but I did it! The administration didn't want me to walk across the stage for my diploma but I insisted. There were seventeen other girls that were pregnant at my school and I always advocated that they could still graduate. I earned it an I was gonna show them that they could too. I showed everyone pregnant teens aren't stupid sluts. We're beautiful and hurt young women that are just as capable as everyone else.
I'm gonna take a break an type the rest in the morning. Bear with me, I'm on my phone and my thumbs are tired! But feel free to share your thoughts so far or share your own stories! Be back soon! Love y'all!
I grew up in a trailor park in southern Dallas county. My father was a gas man and volunteer park ranger. My mom was an artist. Spent most of those first years camping and being wild. With my dad as a ranger I practically lived at the statepark. And I was lucky enough to get to travel all over the country with my grandpa and his RV. That was my dads father. I get my political streak from his family. My great uncle was William F. Buckley, leader of the conservative movement and had a show on PBS. I never met him or anyone else from that family. My grandma said we're the black sheep cause he marrie and divorced a Mexican then divorced her. But that was from the exwife so who knows? Grandpa was something else. Searved his country in the air force and I loved his stories. My country love of country came from him. He showed me this land, telling me all his stories. But he fell on hard times, fought with his sons, and dissapeared from my life for 7yrs. The we got a call from Washington state saying he had cancer and was dying. I shouldve visited him when I had the chance but I didn't wanna miss the first day of school. Grandpa passed 2wks before I could go. I learned then about priorities and not leaving for tomorrow what u can do today.
My mother was an artist and free spirit. My early life with her was filled with laughter and line dancing. Her and her friends on our street created a support system and raised their kids together. They helped eachother and were always together. My mom was volunteer coordinator. She was my girlscout troop leader. Then sometime around fith my life changed. I'll always remember helping my mother clean the living room, with her new favorite singer blaring in the background. Melissa Ethridge. When the song "Maggie May" came on my mother paused. She asked "do you know why she's singing to another girl?" I was young, of course I had no idea! That's when I first heard the word lesbian. My mommy was a lesbian and my parents were getting divorced. I look back and am so proud of her for coming out. I learned about bravery and strength to be yourself. But at the time it was confusing and devastating. My mother had discovered her lesbianism with my best friends mom. And while I was proud of her, people can be so cruel.
My grandmother still referee to her as the "white devil who stole her son", bless her fiesty little latina heart! But others were worse. The husband of my mothers lover was crazy and abusive. He'd hunt my friend and I down and torment us with all the things our mothers did and how that's why they don't love us anymore. They ended up moving away. My best friend was gone and that loving network of moms who had loved as supported my sister and I our whole lives? Shattered. We were nolonger welcome in their homes. They treated us like we had a communicable disease. Soon they all moved out. My mother couldn't afford to move out right away and they weren't waiting. But soon she was gone too. She had no foundation of her own so she had to leave my sister and I behind. My poor father was never prepared to raise two girls on his own. He was rarely around. Always either working or volunteering at the park. And all the women we considered our second moms had left. Even the girlscout troop disbanded. Intolerence isolated us. When school started it got worse. I never told anyone but they all knew. I still remember the hisses behind me everywhere I went, "don't get to close!""her mom will turn u gay!!""don't be her friend! Her mom will get ya!" I got more isolated. I learned intolerence can destroy a persons spirit. It tears lives apart.
It got worse. My first purse was flushed down a toilet during a choir concert. That nearly broke me. It was a birthday present. But luckily I had a wonderful school counseler and teachers. When they pulled me aside to show me my poor sogging purse they saw me on the edge. They listened to my story. Ms. Emmett let me eat lunches with her and took me on walks during recess. She had my teachers rally aroud me. They took me to my first trip to the salon and showed me how to blowdry my hair. They took me shopping and bought me my first bra. I learned to pay attention to the hurt of those around u. To make a difference.
Then I moved on to JR high and my support system was gone again. I started drinking and partying. All the while a bitter divorce was playing out at home. My sister and I felt like pawns in the middle of a psycological war. We learned the art of lies and manipulation in those years. But I was finding my own family. Misfits who needed eachother to get thru highschool. They became my lifeline. I had been depressed and suicidal for years but I made it thanks to them. They depended on me to be there for them and visa versa. I learned about friendship and loyalty.
It was during those years I got exposed to so many different world views. I split time between catholic and babtist church with my fathers family. I followed my mother in her quest for spirituality and acceptance. He went to a gay and lesbian church for awhile. It was called "The course of miricles" While the chatholic and babtist church all I heard was "it's my way or hell", the course of miricles reminded us that we are all made from god and are loved and accepted my him. I learned that people so differet from ourselves are still people. I also learned about Buddism and respect for all life. I learned about Wicca and how were are all connected thru the flowing energies of our lifeforce. I learned live your life as you will but "harm ye none".
In highschool I threw myself into everything I could. I was miserable at home and while my parents war continued my sister and I were lost. But I loved school! It was my escape. I joined theater, debate, student council, and Latin club. They kept me busy and distracted. I became more involed. I competed in theater, Latin and debate. In student council I became secretary and chaired the energy and enviroment commitee. I learned the value of teamwork and community service. About the value of discovering the lessons of the past. My friends and I were always trying to make a movie. And we did get one filmed! It's not Oscar winner, but we woulda kicked ass at the razzies! Lol! The point was we made that movie. I learned about dependability, hard work and never giving up on a dream.
But it still wasn't enough. I was still searching for love and attention in all the wrong places. What started as a quest for a date to homecomeing became my first pregnancy. It was just after 9/11 and nothing seemed to matter. It was the begining of my senior year. That possitive test was a big smack in the face. But I immediatley knew I would have this baby. My mother pushed for an abortion, she knew I was looking at a hard life and she didn't want that for me. My father pushes for adoption. I refused. My mother became supportive. My father, not so much. The family of my babies daddy took me in. I worked my ass off to make sure I graduated on time. It was hard work and I faced discrimination. I dropped debate and theater cause the new teachers talked down to me about being pregnant. My Latin teacher would send memos about me to my other teachers. I loved latin and wouldn't leave the class, but I was no longer welcome at competitions. Student council rallied around me. The teacher advisors were like my extra moms and championed me against other teachers. The school nurses took me under their wing and bullied my dad into getting me medical attention when my tooth was infected. I learned how much small kindnesses can mean to a person and can change their life. I graduated seven months pregnant but I did it! The administration didn't want me to walk across the stage for my diploma but I insisted. There were seventeen other girls that were pregnant at my school and I always advocated that they could still graduate. I earned it an I was gonna show them that they could too. I showed everyone pregnant teens aren't stupid sluts. We're beautiful and hurt young women that are just as capable as everyone else.
I'm gonna take a break an type the rest in the morning. Bear with me, I'm on my phone and my thumbs are tired! But feel free to share your thoughts so far or share your own stories! Be back soon! Love y'all!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Welcome to my first blog! F.U.M.E. stands for Facts for the Uninformed, Misinformed, and Everybody else! Bear with me and I apologize in advance for any typos and mistakes, I only have my phone for online access. Truth is my mom came up with the name and suggested I start a blog. Thanks, mom! I do feel like I spend alot of time correcting misleading information or just plain filling people in on what's going on the world. And I love doing so! I feel it's very important to stay abreast of the current events. I also feel very strongly it's important to learn all you can about people who are different from yourself. Knowledge creates understanding and empathy. We live in an ever evolving planet, that's increasingly connected. Every day it's more apparent that we all need to pay attention, at least a little bit, to what's going on around us. That's why I'm blogging, to spread info and awareness. Why is it so important?
Remember the chaos theory? Butterfly flaps it's wings, causes a hurricane across the world? That's what's happening everyday! Think of what's happened since one angry young man got fed up and lit himself on fire? If I lost ya I'll explain. That was the event that sparked protests in Tunisia. This young man was well educated but due to rampent corruption in his country and weak economy he could not get a job and lived with his parents. When the food crisis began he decided to give up trying to get a well paying job and decided to open a fruit stand. Corrupt oficials would not give him a permit without paying outragous fines. Years of no hope lead to this moment. In an act of desparation and protest he set himselfan his fruit cart on fire. His act woke People up to say enough is enough! He sparke protests, that lead to a revolution, that sparked more protests, more revolutions, and thank you chaos, your country is put in a position where it must assist in another hostile situation. My point is alot of things are happening that have consequences all over the world.
Droughts, fires, sever weather outbreaks, earthquakes, elitest rule, dictators, scars of colonial rule, increasing population and wealth disparity are all having an effect on our everyday lives. Most immediatley gas prices, then food, then overall cost of living. Here's why it matters, hard times are always made worse when the masses are caught unawares. The wealthy are paying attention. They are making the moves and they can hire full time accountants and lawyers to to keep them unscathed by the consequences of their actions. What do we have? We the underpayed, middle and lower income majority? We have ourselves and eachother! Yay! Good news! It was getting kinda gloomy in here! But there is hope and I see it everyday, all around me. Humans and our socioty are always evolving, growing, and we must learn from what's around us and our past mistakes.
Ok! That's enough knowledge for now! Lol! See why my mom says I should blog? I have lots to say and I'm passionate about it all! I mainly just wanna do what I can to draw attention to things affecting my life and the lives of those around me. I think I'll tell you a little about myself on my next blog. So you'll a little of where my point of view is coming from. Cause ultimately this is my blog. My space to say what I need to say. I'd love comments and conversation to be started. But I do ask all to stay positive and open. And tolerant of eachother. We all don't agree but we must share! Thru the exchange of ideas, life expirienced, and lessons learned we can all make our lives better. Shouting "no!" and spreading malicious content is not productive. It only leads to hurt and discourse. None of us are perfect, so we gotta have tolerance, forgivness, and understanding. And how do you get all that!? By learning! By informing ourselves about the world and people around you! So go! Read something from an opposite point of view, go talk to someone on the other side of the world! Easy on Twitter or Facebook :) bring back what you learned and share it here. I'm curious as to what you learned! I learned yesterday a little about Islam. I'll share, a muslim pointed out to me that in order to be Muslim one must accept Jesus and the bible. That's why there wasn't alot of bible burning after that awful preacher burned the Koran. Hmm! Did not know that and will be looking into it somemore! Ok now your turn!
Remember the chaos theory? Butterfly flaps it's wings, causes a hurricane across the world? That's what's happening everyday! Think of what's happened since one angry young man got fed up and lit himself on fire? If I lost ya I'll explain. That was the event that sparked protests in Tunisia. This young man was well educated but due to rampent corruption in his country and weak economy he could not get a job and lived with his parents. When the food crisis began he decided to give up trying to get a well paying job and decided to open a fruit stand. Corrupt oficials would not give him a permit without paying outragous fines. Years of no hope lead to this moment. In an act of desparation and protest he set himselfan his fruit cart on fire. His act woke People up to say enough is enough! He sparke protests, that lead to a revolution, that sparked more protests, more revolutions, and thank you chaos, your country is put in a position where it must assist in another hostile situation. My point is alot of things are happening that have consequences all over the world.
Droughts, fires, sever weather outbreaks, earthquakes, elitest rule, dictators, scars of colonial rule, increasing population and wealth disparity are all having an effect on our everyday lives. Most immediatley gas prices, then food, then overall cost of living. Here's why it matters, hard times are always made worse when the masses are caught unawares. The wealthy are paying attention. They are making the moves and they can hire full time accountants and lawyers to to keep them unscathed by the consequences of their actions. What do we have? We the underpayed, middle and lower income majority? We have ourselves and eachother! Yay! Good news! It was getting kinda gloomy in here! But there is hope and I see it everyday, all around me. Humans and our socioty are always evolving, growing, and we must learn from what's around us and our past mistakes.
Ok! That's enough knowledge for now! Lol! See why my mom says I should blog? I have lots to say and I'm passionate about it all! I mainly just wanna do what I can to draw attention to things affecting my life and the lives of those around me. I think I'll tell you a little about myself on my next blog. So you'll a little of where my point of view is coming from. Cause ultimately this is my blog. My space to say what I need to say. I'd love comments and conversation to be started. But I do ask all to stay positive and open. And tolerant of eachother. We all don't agree but we must share! Thru the exchange of ideas, life expirienced, and lessons learned we can all make our lives better. Shouting "no!" and spreading malicious content is not productive. It only leads to hurt and discourse. None of us are perfect, so we gotta have tolerance, forgivness, and understanding. And how do you get all that!? By learning! By informing ourselves about the world and people around you! So go! Read something from an opposite point of view, go talk to someone on the other side of the world! Easy on Twitter or Facebook :) bring back what you learned and share it here. I'm curious as to what you learned! I learned yesterday a little about Islam. I'll share, a muslim pointed out to me that in order to be Muslim one must accept Jesus and the bible. That's why there wasn't alot of bible burning after that awful preacher burned the Koran. Hmm! Did not know that and will be looking into it somemore! Ok now your turn!
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