Free Republic

Greetings fellow freepers of all stripes and shades! It's been a long long time since I last posted anything that was not fraught with frustration towards our "representatives" in congress or outright rage towards unelected government officials who have hijacked our constitutional republic. Well, it's time to come up for air. I am taking my oldest son (now 28) on a road trip that we had planned way back in 2009 but couldn't afford to because OBAMA. We are going to be attending the Reno International Air Races from the 12th to the 16th. We'll be driving down tomorrow at...

We patriotic Americans have stood our ground against the onslaught of liberal vitriol and intimidation for eight long and painful years. Now, we are rightly celebrating both the end of that dark era and the beginning of what is hoped to be a resurgence of American exceptionalism and leadership in a world that is destabilized and dangerous- a condition for which the outgoing administration is fully responsible. But in the midst of our exultation, the Left still bares its fangs and unleashes its infantile, feral violence upon Americans who dared to reject the idea of continuing the same destructive policies...

Dear Mr. Trump: I would wager that you are not one who suffers lengthy preambles gladly, so I will get straight to the point: You could have crushed Hillary's "tax returns" ambush with one sentence. Here it is: "The Middle East is in chaos, our allies are endangered, our enemies are emboldened, our reputation among our international neighbors is sullied, and our nation's citizens are robbed of work and imperiled on their own soil by immigrant criminals and islamic terrorists thanks to the foreign policies that YOU executed during your tenure as Secretary of State in the first four years...

Hey, friends. I have a 7-year-old adopted daughter who is medically fragile with a host of health problems. She developed massive bleeding in her gastrointestinal tract earlier today. She's undergone multiple transfusions so far and is in surgery right now to find the source of the bleeding. Jasmine has always been a fighter. And I know that no matter what the outcome is, she has always been safe and secure in the hands of God. Would you all just lift our little Jasmine up in your prayers tonight? I simply ask you to pray that God's perfect will be done-...

I walked home at the end of my second shift deep in thought. If the Weasel’s behavior was any indication, I was in for an arduous three months. The Annoying Little Chihuahua of Discouragement that had stalked me for days began to nip at my ankles. Screw this, I said to myself, shaking off the imaginary dark cloud that hung over me. I’m not going to let that little fink wear me down.I took a deep breath and looked up; it was then that I noticed, for the first time, the genuine black cloud- a very angry and large black...

Anyone ever watch the Dreamworks animated film Monsters vs Aliens? I just watched it, and I had to laugh at how much the tentacled, big-eared, razor-lipped, four-eyed villain looked- and sounded like- Barrack Hoo-sain O-frigging-bama. Even the things the villain said were similar to the Obastard's unilaterally-minded, totalitarian regime-seeking style. Seriously. It was uncanny. Watch the movie and see for yourselves. Or maybe I've just had too many Guinness stouts. I'm going to bed.

My first shift in the Indian Hospital ER was over, and I walked the short distance back to my house with a lot on my mind. I entered the house, walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a Guinness. Tossing my keys on the desk in my room, I changed out of my scrubs and into a ratty old T-shirt and baggy shorts. I opened the bottle, flopped into a chair, put my feet up, and took a drink. The ice-cold stout was like a balm for my dry throat. I opened up the orientation folder and waded through the...

My three-day orientation was over in less than three hours. The mountain of paperwork, through which I had only begun to wade, would have to wait to be filled out on my off time. Within a twenty-minute stretch, our waiting room was packed with patients sent over from the hospital's clinic (because, according to the clinic nurse, the MD was busy planning a rafting trip). To top it all off, we had three ambulances coming with assault victims who had also, according to the medic's radio report, "seemed intoxicated." I had no idea where any equipment was located. I had...

Starting my first shift at the Indian Hospital was an exercise in uncertainty. I did not know what to expect. Having worked for the better part of a decade at my previous hospital, I was pushing myself out of the comfort zone that inevitably forms with staying in one place for a long time. After encountering a bloated carcass and being nearly drowned, struck by lightning, and beaten to death by hailstones, I walked into the Emergency Department of the Indian Hospital with a vague sense of unease. Seeing the layout of the department, it occurred to me that this...

Hey, fellow Freepers. I just wanted to extend my prayers for a blessed and safe Thanksgiving Day to all of you, your families, and especially to our nation's finest men and women in the Armed Forces far from home, defending us so we can celebrate in safety. I know that not all among us celebrate this day in its original Christian context. But I hope such among you will not mind my saying how blessed I feel to be counted among you here. I am thankful for you. We still have much to do. Fill up, and mount up. Love...

Ever the optimist, I began to rationalize as I unpacked my things and settled in to my new, if temporary, abode in IHS housing. So what if my initial impressions of the reservation were not what I expected? What did I expect, anyway- A John Wayne movie? I had yet to really explore the natural beauty of the place, and with the exception of the obnoxious MD with whom I shared the house (as noted previously), the people seemed rather nice. The house itself was clean and had air conditioning. The topographical features were pretty amazing, too. On that front,...

After more than eight years of employment at a busy hospital in the Seattle area, I felt it was time for a change. I had considered travel nursing in the past, but either the timing was not right or the opportunity was not there. I wanted to learn different approaches to emergency nursing and see new sights. And I wanted to make more money doing it. My household was knee-deep in debt and the extra money made by traveling was going to help us reach solvency. Once we got to that point, I would look for a permanent job again....

In the nearly seven decades that have elapsed since the end of the Second Word War, it has sometimes been asserted that America won because “we were on the side of moral right.” In that light, it is entirely appropriate to observe that the righteous fury that Japan ignited in American hearts at Pearl Harbor provided the undergirding for her determination to prosecute what most people at the time were firmly convinced would be a very long (ten years was predicted by some) and costly war. However, while moral convictions might compel a nation to fight a war, they afford...

Wow. It's been over a year since I've last posted anything related to ER nursing. It's been a busy time for me, loaded with change. To spare the gory details, I will cut to the chase. I have changed jobs. After eight years with the same organization, I found that a combination of leadership changes (for the worse) and "hitting the ceiling" as far as my position and pay are concerned have led me to cast my gaze towards the horizon regarding my profession. At the same time, I had been courted rather aggressively by a number of travel nurse...

I'm going to be at Fort Defiance, AZ for three months starting next Friday. Anyone nearby?

0430... It was hard to believe that less than two hours ago our 40-bed Emergency Department was nearly full. We managed to admit or discharge nearly all of our patients in that short time. Only two occupants remained: one was a 17-year-old habitual "cutter" who had gone off her bipolar medication; we had stitched her up and she was just waiting for Daddy to come get her. The other patient was a harmless professional drunk whom we named "Otis." Otis was currently sleeping off his two-bottles-of-Old Crow dinner and getting IV vitamins. Nurses and ER Techs had been busy for...

If y'all will be so kind to indulge me, I humbly submit to my FRiends the following: Begin the Revolution at home. What that means is this: 1) Teach your children what the schools won't: individual responsibility, civics, true American history, the Constitution, the core fundamentals of what it is and what it means to be an American- and the responsibilities that are inseparable from being a citizen of a free Republic. If possible, homeschool. If homeschooling is not possible, then hold your child's teachers accountable. 2) Get involved in local government. Join the PTA. Run for local political office....

Just over a year ago, the media provided just enough information (mostly incorrect) about a "deadly new bacteria" called MRSA to send our nation into a tizzy. But before you panic over the most recent report of a MRSA outbreak in a Tennessee school, let me remind the reader of this immutable truth: THE. MEDIA. ARE. IDIOTS. DO. NOT. TRUST. THEM.(I mean, if you don't trust the media to provide honest coverage about Obama, what on earth makes you think that they are going to give you the truth about MRSA? These dillweeds don't care about you; they care about...

Kingman, Arizona; 0800 (8AM for the rest of you) on day 4: I awoke to the bewitching aroma of coffee, sizzling bacon, and Southwest omelettes. Melanie (ER nurse) and Kevin (ICU nurse)- the married couple who so graciously took this wayward colleague and his wrecked toe into their home for a day- had just arrived home from their shifts and were preparing what was shaping up to be a smashing breakfast. I pulled the blanket from over my eyes and sat up on their couch, squinting against the brilliant sunlight that streamed in from the living room window. With some...

Introduction: I recently wrote an article describing a variety of examples of poor behavior demonstrated by patients in the Triage section of my Emergency Department. While the article was written primarily to introduce the reader to some of the actual (rather than media-generated) challenges encountered by an ER nurse in a humorous vein (which is the modus operandi for all of my writing), my article evoked a tremendous negative response with regard to the readers' personal ER experiences. A majority of responders related their unpleasant experiences when they or a loved one was treated in an ER. The most common...