Best line of the day.  In the comments.

AmericanThinker.com is my favorite political website. I was surprised and pleased to read there a completely apolitical article on Stress and Marital Intimacy.  Here is the link.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/12/stress_and_marital_happiness.html

Read the article if you like, it is good, but that is not what I wanted to write this post about.  The comments are interesting but there are two comments that you HAVE to read.  They will both make you cry but for different reasons.  I copy and paste them here now.

Posted by: FulghumInk
At the risk of sounding high-minded-and I certainly don’t mean to be, my precious wife and I had been together since the seventh grade. When she walked into our homeroom class, we made eye contact. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. We were with each other almost every day. I could easily write a book about her-about us. Obviously, having been together since the seventh grade, we have been through a lot.

We went through junior high school, and senior high. I went into the service after I graduated from high school and served in the SE Asian “conflict.” My precious wife to be went to college. We wrote almost every day. Sometimes I could call her, and talk to her. Through it all, our hearts grew stronger in our resolve to be together.

When I came home, my heart went into unbelievable orbit as we ran to each other at the airport. She came with my parents who loved her as her own daughter. She loved them as if they were her own parents.

My precious wife had graduated from college when I started after having served 4 years in the Air Force.

We were married after I had two years of college behind me and she was a school teacher. Being a school teacher was a passion with her from the time she was in elementary school according to her, and her mom and dad. She would line her younger brothers and sister up to “teach” them, God only knows what!!!

I graduated from college, went into marketing, and built my own company. Along the way we had two private little miracles who are now grown, happy, and very successful.

After 29 years of marriage to the love of my life, my precious wife found out that she had a rare form of leukemia. After an 18 month brutal fight under the wonderful care of Duke University Medical Center she won the race, and crossed the finish line. She is now with our Lord and Saviour who loves her even more than I do. “In His Loving Care” is what is written on her marker.

WE now have two beautiful granddaughters. When I went to see my first granddaughter after she was born, my son and iI just looked at each other without saying word. We held each other tight in each other’s arms. With eyes full, he said, Dad, she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I told him, “I know, son.” I hadn’t even seen her yet, and she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It was a bittersweet moment for both of us.

Why all this? Well, I have some simple advice for couples of all ages. I hope you don’t mind. When you get up in the morning tell each other that you love him/her. Before you go to bed at night, tell each other that you love him/her. When you are sitting at the table to have dinner, take a look at each other, tell each other that you love him/her. Why? Because all that matters is love. True love. One true love.

One day one of you will not walk in the door. It doesn’t matter what your schedule is.

In some of the oddest moments, the empty chair across from you will be a testimony to the blessings in life that are really important.

Posted by: ferdinand
I have never shared this with anyone outside of a professional environment. I do not know why I am doing so now except this is such a weight, I cry out in silence most days. This article speaks the truth.

My son is six. He represents the product of the last time my wife and I were intimate.

We have been married 19 years. I can count, on my hands, the number of times we have been physically intimate. I am not a handsome man. My wife is no longer a comely bride. There is no physical or emotional bond left between us. I live in a prison of duty, where age and disuse have overcome youth and exuberance.

Without going into the details, this is a crushing, devastating, debilitating, depressing, and staggeringly destructive fact of my life. There is no passion. There is no touching. There is no emotion save private desperation. It reaches from inside my marriage and has starved every personal and social connection I ever had. The personal isolation is complete.

Help from faith-based corners exascerbated the problems. We have been left even further separated and impoverished by our experience with godly professionals. The money is the least of the harm. The additional guilt and shame have remained long after the invoice was paid.

We no longer attempt a cure. We do not speak of it. We do not address it. We have faded into a silent partnership of communal domestic life without any personal communication beyond that necessary to navigate through another day.

I fear and expect this is a life sentence.

Dear Friends and Family,

Many of you have asked for an update since I sent a request for prayer regarding my father’s condition and a tentative diagnosis of ALS last November.  (Scroll down below to read a copy of that original email.)

Before I discuss more recent events, I wanted to inform you of what has been going on the last several months.  I had asked for prayer that my father would respond to the treatment for Myasthenia Gravis despite the fact the antibody tests came back negative.  As it turned out, Dad did not respond to the medication and he does not have MG.

Each negative diagnosis, in a sense, leads closer to a diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease because there is no definitive test to confirm ALS.  A final diagnosis of ALS is confirmed only after eliminating all other possibilities.

Despite the elimination of MG as a possibility, my father’s has some symptoms that do not seem consistent with ALS.  For example, Dr. Washington in Atlanta noted that he had weakened motor response in some of his facial muscles that would not be consistent with ALS.  She suggested that Dad might have an extremely rare disease called Lambert-Eaton.  This was a good news/bad news scenario.

Good news first:

1. Pretty much anything is better than ALS
2. It can be definitively diagnosed with a blood test.

Bad news:

1. Lambert Eaton is exceedingly rare so there is very little data associated with treatment options.
2. LE is always associated with a number of usually fatal cancers such as small cell lung cancers.

So now Dad was confronted with the possibility of have a terminal cancer instead of ALS.  The Mayo in Rochester MN is the only place that can test for the Lambert-Eaton antibodies so, after much drama related to having the blood work drawn and waiting for over a month to get the results, the tests came back positive (supposedly).

As a family, we were grateful for a likely diagnosis but concerned that my father had an undiagnosed terminal cancer.  And the doctor’s remained puzzled for two primary reasons:

1. All of Dad’s cancer screens came back negative.
2. He still had symptoms that were not consistent with LE but were consistent with ALS. Most notably, muscle fasciculations (twitches).

One of Dad’s doctors suggested that he was perhaps the unluckiest man in the world and had both ALS and LE!

Through all of this, I think it is fair to say, that the most difficult thing for my father has been not knowing what is happening to him.  He had steeled himself and girded the loins of his mind that he had ALS, and then maybe MG, and then maybe LE but maybe still ALS.  The not knowing has been extremely difficult for him.  I think, too, that the idea of a terminal cancer has been very difficult for him.  He had seen his own grandfather die an agonizing death more than 50 years ago of small cell lung cancer and he feared the pain that he had observed those many years ago.  And against it all is the overwhelming fear of ALS which is so debilitating and can be such a burden on families and caregivers.  My father has worked hard to trust in the Lord and lean not on his own understanding.  But the anxiety and fear of not knowing and what might come with the knowing has been extremely trying at times.

Last week, Mom and Dad and I were able to see an MD at Duke in Durham NC, Dr. Vern Juel, who is one of the few specialists in the world on Lambert-Eaton.  Originally, Dad was scheduled to see Dr. Juel in mid-July which was a problem because my mother is having a knee replacement at the end of June and she would have been in therapy and unable to accompany my dad then.  In addition, if Dad has an undiagnosed malignancy, we thought there was some urgency to getting a firm diagnosis.  Through the persistence of Dad’s primary care physician, he was able to arrange an earlier consultation which happened last Thursday, June 18th.

Here are our thoughts about that visit:

• Dad was very thoroughly attended too at Duke.  He was there for seven hours and was seen the whole time by three physicians who are doing a fellowship in Neurology at Duke.
• He had what was, by far, the most thorough testing and examinations he has had to date.  They completed the same Nerve Conduction studies and EMG studies that had been done by Dad’s local neurologist and by Dr. Washington in Atlanta and in some cases they repeated the tests to be assured of accurate results.
• Near the end of the visit, we met with Dr. Juel to discuss the results of the testing and his review of Dad’s medical records.  WE WERE EXTREMELY IMPRESSED WITH DR. JUEL. He is extremely thorough.  He is extremely methodical.  He listens.  He has a wonderful bedside manner.  He knows what he is doing.  And he seems to be the guy that can give us answers.

This is a summary of his findings:

• Dad does not have Lambert-Eaton syndrome.  (I was amused when Dr. Juel expressed his disappointment at this.  It is such a rare disorder I think he relishes every patient he can find!)  In fact, despite everything we had heard previously, his tests apparently came back negative from the Mayo but were somehow misread along the way.
• ALS is also sometimes called Motor-Neuron Disease (MND). Dad clearly has compromised motor neuron function which would cause the symptoms that he has experienced such as loss of muscle strength, muscle wasting and fasciculations.
• The testing, examinations and review of his medical record indicate that he also has compromised sensory neuron function leading to a loss of sensation in his extremities, especially his feet.
• ALS/MND cannot explain the loss of his sensory neuron function.  ALS only and always affects the Motor Neuron function.
• Dr. Juel seems to think that Dad may have ALS and another disease causing his sensory neuron loss (the unluckiest man in the world theory).  This seems unlikely to Dr. Juel but he can’t rule it out.
• Dr. Juel believes that the more “elegant” and likely answer is that Dad has a disease that is causing both his motor neuron and sensory neuron problems.
• Specifically, (and for the technically minded only) he is looking for a multi-focal, asymetric, demyelinating neuropathy as the likely diagnosis.
• Though rare, such diseases exist and they usually respond well to treatment.  They are also usually not terminal.
• The treatments are not “benign” which I assume means that they can cause significant side effects.
• One example of such a disorder is Lewis Sumner Syndrome.

At the end of his visit at Duke last week, they took spinal fluid and blood samples, in order to run some lab tests that will help them hone in on a diagnosis.  A follow-up visit was scheduled for this Friday, June 26th at 4:00 PM.

Please pray for the following:

• That his medical team would be able to hone in on a final diagnosis soon.
• That Dad would not be anxious and that he would trust in the goodness, mercy and sovereignty of the Lord.
• That his conduct would be Christ-like and a testimony and example of to all those that the Lord brings into his path.
• Please pray for mom’s upcoming knee replacement surgery and for a speedy recovery.
• Dad, above all, still longs to make Christ look beautiful and to see him glorified in his life or in his death.

Previous Update (Originally sent out on November 13, 2008

Dear Praying Friends,

As many of you are aware a couple of months ago, my father, Norville received a tentative diagnosis from a neurologist of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.  ALS is a degenerative neurosmuscular disorder that results in a gradual loss of muscle use throughout the body and is usually fatal within 3 to 5 years.

Several weeks ago, my dad visited a neurologist in Atlanta who specializes in the diagnosis of Neuromuscular disorders and was given hope that he may have another disorder called Myasthenia Gravis which is treatable and not life threatening.  Myasthenia Gravis can usually be diagnosed with a blood test.  This past Tuesday, mom and dad and I returned to the specialist in Atlanta and were told that the blood tests came back normal which means that the anti-bodies we were hoping to find in the blood were not present which makes a diagnosis of ALS more likely.  The doctor noted though that he still has a couple of symptoms that are more consistent with Myasthenia Gravis. In about 10% of the cases, Myasthenia can be caused by anti-bodies that are not detected in available blood tests.  This gives the neurologist and us some hope that he does have Myasthenia rather than ALS.  However, the most likely diagnosis at this point is ALS.

Under the circumstances, my father is doing remarkably well.  Of course, we are saddened but we are trusting.  My father firmly believes that God is good, that he is sovereign, that He orders our days and that He loves us with an incomprehensible, everlasting love.  Dad wants to see Jesus Christ glorified in whatever God has before him.  Of course, we are praying that God would choose to glorify Himself through some other means such as healing.  We believe that God can do this, so we pray.

What you can specifically pray for now:

• That over the next few weeks that Dad would respond well to the medication he is now on.  This would be an indication that he has Myasthenia.
• Pray specifically that Dad has Myasthenia Gravis.
• Pray for healing.
• That God’s strength would be manifested in Dad’s weakness.
• Pray for the joy that surpasses understanding.
• Pray that the body of Christ would respond with compassion, love and service providing a testimony to the reality of the gospel and our faith.
• Pray, above all else, that God would be supremely glorified.

Thank you for your love and support. We covet your prayers.

Steve

Seth

LINK

LINK

Even more so under the current administration.

Seth

GREAT article from American Thinker.

Seth

This not according to me but moderate-liberal editorialist for the WaPo David Broder.

LINK

Seth

LINK

The referenced article is the most powerful and passionate piece I have read on the website to date. It is a long article but it is worth the read. I may write a response post that highlights my favorites points. But here is a taste…

Soon, however, those who come to power, even with good intentions, discover that for all men to be made equal, some men must be made poor, and most men will not agree to be made poor in the absence of force. So force must be applied, assets must be seized, censorship must be imposed, dissidents must be jailed, enemies must be destroyed. Men must be made equal by any means necessary, and soon enough those means include intimidation, imprisonment, and execution.

Again and again, the handsome smile of the reformer is twisted into the callous sneer of the tyrant. Those who present themselves as saviors are always the most dangerous, for unlike the one true savior, who rendered unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, they must work their will on the things of this world, and one cannot remake the world without the application of force.

At the heart of the ideal of fairness, in the peculiar ideological sense in which the term has come to be used, is the fundamental mistake that all workers — not just all workers, but all human beings, including those who simply choose not to work — should be equally rewarded, regardless of effort and ability. It is a problem that was noted as early as the mid-18th century, even before the French Revolution transformed that unfortunate nation into a bloody shrine to godless egalitarianism. As Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot wrote: “To permit a large number of men to live free of charge is to encourage laziness and all the disorders that follow; it is to render the condition of the idler preferable to that of the man who works….” (qtd. by G. Himmelfarb, Roads to Modernity 179).

Under socialism, those who are lazy and unproductive, or not productive at all, or even blatantly destructive, get a free ride; those who are skillful and enterprising are punished. When ambitious workers attempt to get ahead on the basis of their abilities, as inevitably they do, they are harassed, beaten, imprisoned, and executed. The longer that ambition is repressed, the less productive the overall economy becomes. At that point, the wrath of the state is unleashed on all workers, not just on the more able.

Seth

Here is a related article on what Geithner is facing and why it is a political/financially difficult thing to overcome.

Seth

LINK.

The article is laced with some sarcasm but makes good points.

I am particularly agreeing with the idea that what we will have is perpetual campaigning.  So here is the pattern.  For every problem Obama will blame Bush.  For every piece of good news, Obama will take credit.  And to fix this in the public’s mind and to influence the outcomes he wants, Obama will be in perpetual campaign mode.

This is the opposite from Bush.  Agree or disagree, he operated on principle.  And he hardly ever defended himself.

I hope that Lincoln’s Law is true.  You can fool some of the people some of the time…but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.

Seth

It is sort of ridiculous…but I first blogged about this over three years ago.  And since then there have been a lot of mis-steps and mis-starts etc.  And, ironically, the products is STILL not ready.

Back then I didn’t reveal the nature of this enterprise.  Today, I reveal it.  If anyone would be interested in learning about this dream of mine visit http://www.meeting-minutes.org.

The production version of the software probably won’t be ready for 1 - 2 more months.  Although if you want to download a working prototype that has a few limitations one is available.  Just register on the site HERE and click on the Download Meeting Manager page.  (You must register with the sight before this page becomes visible.  If you want to check it out but you just don’t want to register on the site let me know and I will get you a copy.)

I would love to hear from you and get feedback on what you think of the IDEA if you are not interested in trying it out.  To read about it just click http://www.meeting-minutes.org.  And please leave a comment here (fattriplets) or there (meeting-minutes.org) to give me some feedback.  What do you think?

Seth

LINK

I wonder if Obama will veto it for that reason alone.  I might start to believe in change we can believe in.

What are the chances…null, nada, nyet, non, zero, zilch, zip.

Seth

LINK

Seth

HT to huffpost

LINK

Seth

It is well known that Warren Buffett has been an outspoken supporter of the president. But in a recent CNBC call-in show he had a few things to say to him. The entire transcripts are here and here.  For the record, he is not dissing Obama and he does have some valid things to say to Republicans in this conversation.  But I am now detecting a pattern of the emerging disaffection with what Obama has done so far.  These moderates are saying, “we agree with what you want to do but you can’t do all of it right now…there are more urgent matters than doing your entire domestic agenda in the first 100 days.”  Buffett is particularly bothered by the common idea among the left and this administration that a crisis is something that you have to exploit for the sake of your agenda.

Here are some money quotes:

…I think that the Republicans have an obligation to regard this as an economic war and to realize you need one leader and, in general, support of that. But I think that the–I think that the Democrats–and I voted for Obama and I strongly support him, and I think he’s the right guy–but I think they should not use this–when they’re calling for unity on a question this important, they should not use it to roll the Republicans all.

AND

…job one is to win … the economic war, job two is to win the economic war, and job three. And you can’t expect people to unite behind you if you’re trying to jam a whole bunch of things down their throat. So I would absolutely say for the–for the interim, till we get this one solved, I would not be pushing a lot of things that are–… are contentious, and I also–I also would do no finger-pointing whatsoever. I … `George’–`the previous administration got us into this.’ Forget it. I mean, you know, the Navy made a mistake at Pearl Harbor and had too many ships there. But the idea that we’d spend our time after that, … pointing fingers at the Navy, we needed the Navy. So I would … no finger-pointing, no vengeance, none of that stuff. Just look forward.

AND

Well, I was going to mention to Joe that you’ve heard this comment recently from some Democrats recently that a `crisis is a terrible thing to waste.’…it’s an economic war, and–I don’t think anybody on December 7th would have said a `war is a terrible thing to waste, and therefore we’re going to try and ram through a whole bunch of things and–but we expect to–expect the other party to unite behind us on the–on the big problem.’ It’s just a mistake, I think, when you’ve got one overriding objective, to try and muddle it up with a bunch of other things.

I have expunged words  from the text to make it more readable.  Wherever I did that I replaced with three dots.

Seth

HT to AmericanThinker

END NOTE - Obama doesn’t get it…MSNBC said…”But he argued that a far-reaching overhaul of the nation’s education system is an economic imperative that can’t wait, despite the urgency of the financial crisis and other pressing issues.”