Remember What's Really Important...

For a change, this week anyway, I’m going to step away from all the stupid political fighting. Besides, does it really matter who’s running the government? Hell, both party’s have been screwing this country over for as long as I can remember. And to tell you the truth, right now, I have more important things to worry about.

I’ve never really talked about it here, but because of my job I travel a lot. In the last three weeks my travels have taken me to Western Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, and South Dakota. I don’t worry too much about things when I’m gone. My wife’s brutally independent and does a good job of taking care of things while I’m gone. My kids are all grown and doing their own thing. And I suppose like most of people, I take it for granted that everything’s always going to be okay.

Well, I got a phone call the other day that reminded of just how stupid that way of thinking is and how in a blink of an eye everything can change forever. I’m not going to get into details but the call had to do with one of my kids and it scared the hell out of me. For now anyway, everything’s okay but the whole thing reminded me of another time about three years ago when I received one of those life changing phone calls.

So if you don’t mind, I’d like to share that story with you today. It’s a story about my young grand daughter, Emily. It just happened to be the first story I wrote for “The Topeka Metro News” and it helps explain where the title of this blog, “Room 235” came from in the first place. I call the story, “The numbers.”


The Numbers:

Numbers, do you ever think about them? Personally, I've never given them much thought one way or the other. But over the course of the last 23 days I've learned numbers can literally mean the difference between life and death.

Numbers like 17, 235, 15,12, 160, 87, 65/45, and 23 all became to mean everything in my granddaughter's world. Emily was born 17 weeks premature on November 12th. and was transferred to “Room 235” of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Stormont-Vail Regional Medical Center. This was the day my journey through her world of numbers began.

Good morning Emily, I'm your grandpa. I know, I'm probably a little scary looking but you'll get used to me. Hey, look at those numbers on the ventilator. The nurses tell me 15 is excellent for your oxygen level. And that the vent setting doesn't get much better than a 12. I know it's been a pretty rough first day for you, so I'm not going to stay too long. You be a good girl and mind the nurses, I'll see you in the morning. And remember that grandpa loves you.

And so our daily routine began. We talked about the adventures we were going to have once she got to come home. First and foremost I explained she was going to have to put on some weight. At 1lb., 4oz., it was going to be hard for her to ride a bike. I offered to start bringing her chocolate chip cookies and pop. Emily and I both thought it was a good idea, but the nurses had other plans. We talked about her first day of school, about the fishing trips we were going to take, and about going 4-wheeling in the mountains when we go to Colorado in August.

I told her how lucky she was to have two grandmothers, Linda and Debbie that loved her so much. We talked about her aunts, uncles, and a few of her cousins. I warned her about the stupid cats and dogs she'd meet. I even warned her about staying away from boys. I'm not sure, but I think I saw her blushing after this conversation. But mostly, she liked hearing about her mommy and daddy.

Over the course of the next few days I learned about the other numbers on the monitor above her bed. The top one was her heart rate. I learned that 160 was a very good number indeed. And that 87 indicated how much oxygen was in her blood. The 65/45 was the blood pressure.
All day and night long the doctors and nurses watched these numbers. They made adjustments to the machines and medications according to what the numbers told them. They were very up front with us from the beginning. Some days were pretty good. Others were pretty bad, it all depended on the numbers. The nurses referred to this as the roller coaster ride.

Monday December 4th was an exceptionally good day. Her numbers were even better than they had been the previous weekend. She was finally able to open her eyes for the first time. They were the biggest, most beautiful, brown eyes I had ever seen. We talked a little about riding the train at Gage Park. I blew her a kiss, told her grandpa loved her, and promised I'd see her in the morning.

Sometime around 9:00 o clock that night the hospital called. Emily had taken a turn for the worse and we needed to get there as soon as we could. It was the numbers, the 15 and 12 had turned into 101 and 40. The 160 was now a 50. The 87 was somewhere around 35 now, and the blood pressure that once read a steady 65/45 wasn't even registering anymore. They told us her system was shutting down, she was dying, and they didn't think she'd be able to hang on for much more than 3 or 4 more hours.

Ultimately the numbers did get the best of Emily, but she did beat the 3 and the 4. She hung on another 24 hours, and in doing so we were all able to say our goodbyes. I'm not sure what the others said to her. For me though, I just held her tiny little hand, kissed her on the forehead and told her I understood if she had to go. I told her to remember that grandpa loved her, and that no matter what, I’d never forget her.

We had Emily with us for 23 days, 4 hours, and 42 minutes. And for that I'll always be grateful.

Kevin McGinty

www.rm235.blogspot.com

Welfare State...

Obama just can’t help but being his usual arrogant, condescending self, can he? Did you hear what he said the other day at a Democrat fund raising dinner? He mocked the American people at the Tea Party rallies all across the country and said instead of protesting his tax policies, these people should be thanking him. Thank him for what?

Maybe he expects us to thank him for turning America into the latest in a long line of welfare states? Maybe we’re supposed to thank him for borrowing hundreds of billions more dollars from China and using that money to dole out (buy votes) so many tax breaks to so many people, that for the first time in our history 47% of all Americans don’t have to pay a single dime in federal income taxes. Yeah, thanks, Obama!

They say it’s our patriotic duty to pay taxes and for the most part, I agree. And I don’t mind paying my fair share. But I resent the hell out of being forced to pay so many other people’s fair share as well. I understand that we as a society need to do what we can to help those who can’t help themselves. But there’s a big difference between those who can’t and those who won’t. Besides, they keep raising the bar for what it means to be poor in Obama‘s America.. Evidently, a family of two adults with two kids can make as much as $50,000 a year and still be considered poor. That’s a bunch of crap and you know it.

I know you Obama supporters hate it when anyone has the unheard of nerve to criticize your guy. But hang on to your backsides, boys and girls, his next step is going to be another European style tax. The VAT (Value Added Tax) is coming. It’s coming to pay for the massive entitlements he’s handing out like candy and I can’t wait. Because it’s a tax that everyone, rich and poor alike get to participate in. The funny thing about the VAT tax is that most people won’t even know they’re paying it. All you’ll see is that the price of EVERYTHING has suddenly gone up. It won’t matter though, like everything else, your president will just blame it on Bush and like always, you’ll buy into it. You just can’t bring yourself to admit that the more entitlements he hands out, the more it’s going to cost us. But like it or not, finally we’ll all be participating equally.

And now for our very own Governor, Mark Parkinson and the Kansas lawmakers. Why don’t you quit playing it politically safe for a change by singling out smokers and fast food restaurants (sin tax) to balance your stinking budget? You know as well as any of us this sin tax crap isn’t going raise enough revenue to get the job done. Why don’t you quit your talking and grandstanding, show some guts for a change, and pass another sales tax increase or whatever other ways you can think of to swindle us out of more of our paychecks and spread the pain around evenly. Oh yeah, I forgot. The polls indicate that would hurt you chances come reelection time, and at the end of the day, that’s the only thing that really matters to any of you.

Like I said. I don’t mind paying my fair share. But more and more of us are getting sick and tired of paying everyone else’s fair share too…

Kevin McGinty

Hate-Mongers and Extremists...

The thin-skinned, left-wingers never cease to amaze me. Last week I posted a picture of Obama with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth and just like I expected, all hell broke loose. The predictable, worn out, cries of racism were immediate and like always, pointless. First off, there’s nothing racist about smoking a cigarette, and whether you like it or not, your Obama admits he still enjoys a smoke every once in a while. Hell, we all know that, so I’m not sure why you were so offended by it in the first place. And if you want to know the truth, I really don’t care.

Their selective memory is just as amazing too. They twist and turn Sarah Palin’s comment about re-loading into a call for violence. They’d have you believe all those, flag waving old people they love to ridicule from the Tea Party rallies all across the country are all nothing but a bunch of ignorant racists and violent extremists. They act like this is the first time they’ve ever heard of anyone opposing an American President.

So today, just for shits and giggles, let’s talk about the crap this country had to endure from the left during the eight years of the Bush administration.

They constantly whine and cry about Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck for being hate-mongers and inciting violence. Where was that outrage when Air America host, Randi Rhodes recommended doing what Michael Corleone did in the movie, Godfather Part Two, to his brother. She said somebody needs to take Bush fishing and then, with a giggle in her voice, imitated the sound of a gun shot. Just fun and games, right.

How about when British columnist, Charlie Brooker wrote: “John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinkley Jr. where are you when we really need you?” Nothing extreme or violent there.

There were a few novels written like the one by Nicholson Baker’s “Checkpoint” who talked about the wisdom of shooting Bush. At an art exhibit at Chicago’s Columbia University, one exhibit was a giant sheet of postage stamps depicting pictures of Bush on them with a gun pointed at his head. There were even “Kill Bush” T-shirts available from CafePress.com, an online retailer. Ah, those loving left-wing loons.

There were countless examples of anti-Bush protests at Universities all across the country in which Bush was set on fire and hung in effigy. At these protests were signs comparing Bush to every vile dictator in the world. There were signs calling for him to be killed. There were even signs calling for the destruction of his family. Remember those? We do.

The crown jewel of the Bush hatred had to be the movie “Death of a President” by British filmmaker, Gabriel Range. Remember that lovely movie? It was about Bush being shot by a sniper as he left a Chicago hotel. Yeah, nothing like a really good “kill the president movie” to take the kids to.

Let’s see now, how many arrests have been made all across the country during the last year at the Tea Party rallies? Oh yeah, none. How many signs have you seen calling for Obama to be killed? None. How many times have you seen a likeness of Obama being hung or burned to death? None. How many fires been set or how many cars have over turned in the streets during a Tea Party rally? None. You see, this is because that’s how adults do things. And that’s the difference.

So you want to talk about hate-mongers and extremists? Good. But when we have this conversation, do me a favor and leave your selective memory and hypocrisy at home. Thanks…

Kevin McGinty

You're Looking At Your Future...

My God. You Obama lover’s just put on what might end up being the biggest whine-fest this town has ever seen. Yeah, I’m talking about your (over) reaction to the story at www.cjonline.com about the Tea Party Bus coming to town today. And I’d like to be the first to thank you for the entertainment. It was priceless.

It amazes me that you left-wing lunatics have the audacity to call people on the right, racists and hate-mongers. Just go back and re-read some of the vile, racist, hateful things you fools were spewing. All because someone is coming to town you disagree with.

You just don’t get it, do you. You’ve constantly attacked Fox News, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and every conservative that comes along. And bar none, they all continue to get bigger and bigger. You’d think you’d be smart enough to try a little different strategy.

I guess I can’t blame you for being upset though. Obama promised to take care of your every need. And now someone comes along that you think threatens that utopian dream and like a bunch of spoiled little kids you over-react. I know, you just can’t help yourselves.

Here’s the deal, libs. The Tea Party is coming. It’s coming whether you continue to spit-up on yourselves or not. And you might as well attend the rally, maybe even try to pay attention to what they have to say. You might even try to embrace it. After all, you will be looking at your future…

Kevin McGinty


www.rm235.blogspot.com