Thank you all for having followed and read my blog during the time that it has been up. I will be allowing the domain and site to expire rather than renew it when the next cycle comes around, owing primarily to not having time to continue blogging, and due to some changes that have happened in my life that require my attention elsewhere. Thankfully none of them are horrible, so no worries on that score!
To all of you, from me, thank you for your following, and God bless, my friends!
All posts by thedoctor122570
A quick PSA from the Ol’ Doctor
With all the hoohah happening over the pandemic, there has been a distinct shortage of blood. I mean, there never seems to be enough blood donated, but it’s been worsening even as the pandemic seems to be slowing down and grinding to a halt. Here’s an article dealing with the issue, put out by the American Red Cross: https://www.redcross.org/about-us/news-and-events/press-release/2019/only-3-percent-of-people-give-this-type-of-blood-donation.html
Please – if you’ve never considered it, consider it now. If you have been told in the past you can’t, check again. Technology has changed, screening has changed and many of the old reasons why people couldn’t donate don’t apply any more.
Someday it could be a loved one who needs that blood. Someday, it could be you.
A reminder for today about doom, gloom, and worry
Friends, this one is going to be short and sweet, but I believe it’s come to me for a reason. There is no shortage of posts, opinions, op-ed pieces and the like predicting everything from imminent nuclear war and the horrors that would follow to the collapse of our country/your country/civilization, to what is commonly abbreviated as TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It). Images abound of pain, suffering, and the never ending tide of mankind’s inhumanity to other members of mankind. It’s little wonder that so many are falling into a seeming never ending spiral of despair, depression and feeling that nothing is going to get better and we’re all doomed.
I ran across this article and it had such an impact on me that I will now post a link to it here. Don’t be misled by the title – it is NOT what you think. Trust me. Read it and see. God grant that, like me, it lifts someone out of that cycle and helps them realize that there IS still beauty in the world, that like “Doctor Google,” constant ingestion of media, social media and internet is NOT good for you, and that we all need to remember to stop, take a breath, and appreciate the bonds of love and joy that we have between our friends, our family and the people around us.
God bless, my friends.
https://mashable.com/article/doomsday-clock-2022-probability-of-nuclear-war
Apologies for the absence! WordPress issues
Just a quick note to let everyone know that my absence this time around was not of my own doing! Apparently it was my turn on the wheel for a known issue with WordPress – namely that of their SMS messages (which I used for 2 step authentication to get into my account) not reaching people. That, combined with the ridiculous hoops I needed to jump through in order to finally reach a live human being in their customer service department just to be able to log into my account again, made it difficult for me to get on and post; more so with other things that have been going on. Needless to say I’m still here, hale and hearty and will be posting again soon!
God bless, my friends!
A heads up for my readers, and an encouraging word at the end.
This one’s a short one, but I’ll begin by saying that to any and all of my readers who celebrate Thanksgiving, I truly pray yours was a relaxing and enjoyable time filled with family, friends, food, and celebration of all the things so many of us have to be thankful for each and every single day. Mine was, and I am grateful for it.
As you can see by the image attached to this post, I am a firm believer in the rational, experiential view that no one is a racist, criminal, or bad “just because.” Sadly, the Salvation Army; a group that has been on a downward slide as far as being anything resembling a “Christian” organization for some years now, has taken the opposite view and is joining the ranks of those who say that you can be racist – or, indeed, you ARE, automatically – JUST because you’re white.
NO. Just NO. There’s only ONE “because” that follows “you’re a racist” and that is ‘because you choose to be.‘ No one on this Earth is born a racist, is born hating others because of their skin, or is born feeling others are inferior. It wasn’t that long ago that all blacks were described in these kinds of terms and it was, rightly, decried and shouted down.
My, how times change.
No matter who you are, no matter your nationality, ethnicity, skin color or any other aspect of who you are, remember that simple fact. Neither you nor anyone else walking the face of God’s Earth is a racist because of their skin color. You, me, or anyone else is, if we are, ONLY because we choose to be.
Oh, and if you’re going to find a group to give to, make it someone else besides the Salvation Army. I think it funny that they’re so willing to put down people because of their skin color but I’d wager they won’t go so far as to turn down their donations.
God bless my friends.
A Time for the Boot of Truth, if ever there was one
As most of you are no doubt aware by now, the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse has ended. He has been, according our justice system, found not guilty on all counts. To no one’s surprise, a great many of the usual suspects are raising cries of “racism,” saying this is “white supremacy” and even that this will “embolden” white men to kill blacks.
This is utter lunacy, and disgusting in the extreme. I could write a long diatribe, even a rant on the subject but I won’t. I’ll make my point, and apply the Boot of Truth to this increasingly ugly display of real and true racism by using the words of our vice-President, said upon hearing of the verdict:
“Clearly there is a lot more work to do.”
She’s absolutely right. To she and people like her, there is ALWAYS more work to do. Why? Because it’s simple, and it’s something to remember whenever you hear “the elite” in Hollywood or the usual race-baiting pot stirrers rallying people to commit acts of violence and destruction over the next span of time (which these same pot stirrers, coveniently, will neither be held accountable for nor have to have any consequences as a result of). To them it’s this simple:
A black man is convicted of a crime: Racism
A white man is found innocent of a crime involving a black man: Racism
Any time “justice” doesn’t translate into “The verdict WE want” it’s racism. It doesn’t matter what underhanded tactics were used to try and railroad the young man. It doesn’t matter how specious or false the allegations and even testimony were found, eventually, to be. It doesn’t matter that the prosecution actively tried to get one of the witnesses to perjure themselves by changing their testimony because it would be damaging to their case, and the narrative.
It didn’t matter that because of all this, an innocent man would have his life ruined, forever, sacrificed on the altar of mob rule.(Strangely, it wasn’t that long ago that the selfsame thing was done to blacks – yet now it’s seemingly ok because of this man’s skin color – the same argument used against blacks back then. My, how times have changed and how selective is the memory of some. Doctor King would be horrified.)
Nothing matters except that he was found innocent, and so that MUST be racism.
It’s also disgusting and vile.
So are they.
God bless, my friends.
Using the past as an excuse
I ran across an article in our local paper today (https://www.timesunion.com/hudsonvalley/realestate/article/Ashokan-Reservoir-eminent-domain-16527923.php) that described in lurid detail an incident that happened in our area over 100 years ago and yet still caused “generational trauma,” “heartache” and the like to the descendants of those who experienced it – many of whom still cannot drive by the area because of the resentment it causes them (on behalf of those people from a centry ago). What was it, you ask? A mass murder? A horrible tragedy or fire that claimed the lives of hundreds of children or some other massive and unspeakable horror?
No.
It was the fact that NYS exercised its legal right of eminent domain to construct a reservoir that was badly needed to provide water (and still does) to the growing population of New York City. It followed legal procedure, it paid the homeowners for their property (many of whom said they were paid fairly – something that, of course, gets very little press as it isn’t nearly as supportive of the trauma and horror story) and even paid sums to have graves moved.
Friends, whatever you may think of eminent domain or the use of it by any government power, that’s not what this post is about. The Boot of Truth is simply this: if you are, 100 years later, still experiencing “generational trauma” on behalf of people you didn’t know or are a descendant who is still so upset over this issue that you refuse to drive by the reservoir because of the “resentment” it still causes, then you may seriously want to consider two things:
- Get some help. Really. You’re talking about an event that happened 100 years ago. It’s like someone today still walking around cursing the descendents of the owners of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club because of their role in the Johnstown Flood in 1889 that claimed the life of one of your forebears.
- Consider that in most cases unless you have direct knowledge and can prove it, statements like “they were underpaid” and “they were cheated” are about as subjective as they can possibly be. Even the article itself is full of “they believe” and “they think.” Hardly conclusive evidence – and even more reason for you to stop wasting what life you have chewing your own liver over the situation.
WAS it traumatic for the families? I can only imagine it must have been to be told one day you’re going to be paid and need to uproot and move. Does that mean that over a century later we are justified in wringing our hands and bemoaning the horror of it all as though there is something that can be done about it? Well that depends – after all, people are still trying to guilt trip those who not only had zero to do with the damages done to the American Indian or slavery but indeed didn’t even have ancestors who did into somehow paying for it. I suppose that may be one reason behind it, and one that only the people involved know.
What I do know is this – it’s a century later. Time to move on, everyone. Come on. Life’s too short to spend looking backward. Look forward, let the dead past rest, and go on.
God bless, my friends.
Never forget. So many have. Don’t be one of them.
There will be enough platitudes, words and essays written today about the events of September 11 to fill several books, I am sure. I won’t attempt to add to that aside from saying these simple things.
I saw it happen and unfold that day. Had we not moved from NYC a short time before, I’d have been about 2 blocks from The Towers when they were hit, and when they fell. I may even have been killed when they collapsed had God given me the courage to try and get there and help.
True to our nature as a country, and as people, we have largely forgotten and gone back to fighting amongst ourselves, name calling and the constant political garbage that separates us one from another. We’ve turned a blind eye to the terrorist, evil forces that still wait and bide their time to unleash another horror like this on our country or others because they know what we’ll do when we lose interest.
If you lost someone in that tragedy, may God grant you peace such as only He can give.
If you have forgotten, now’s your chance to go back and remember not only those who lost their lives that day because they had NO choice but those who lost their lives because they did – the ones who ran into the horrors to try and save and help others while others were running away. Remember them when some of their number are decried and slandered. Remember them. Every one of them.
If you haven’t forgotten, don’t.
To we, the living, I pray that we never forget those we lost, and more so we never forget those who did it – and remember that they are not our friends, and never will be. To believe they are is to feed the crocodile – hoping only that it will eat you last. Don’t give up hope, no matter what happens. Stay strong, and pass the story down because it’s worth remembering.
God bless, my friends.
The Courage of your Convictions
First of all, thank you to all those who continue to visit The Takedown and who keep track whenever new posts are put up. I am forever thankful to see that from time to time, new people come along and find my posts here worthwhile to them. If anything I have said, posted or written has been a blessing to someone, then I thank God because it wasn’t my wisdom, believe me.
As many of you may know, I have been furloughed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even with the lessening of so many of the regulations and “suggestions” put into place it has been an uphill battle for me to get back to work. I work in the medical field in several areas and many of those fields still require you (or want you) to wear a face mask. Despite the fact that I have a medical exemption, many still will not hire me because they either (a) feel it is not safe, (b) say it is not safe or (c) some combination of the two. However, that’s not what I’m talking about, today. That’s something I cannot help; an exemption that exists because of my own medical condition. Today I’m touching on something else – namely what any one of us will do in order to work and, by extension, where any of us will draw the line when it comes to standing for what we know is right, i.e., having the courage of your convictions.
Let’s face it, this is not a concept that is in vogue. Oh, it sounds good during election time, or when someone is trying to garner support, but we’d have to look long and hard to find anyone who, when the chips were down and it truly came down to having to count the cost of standing for what they believed in were actually willing to do it. I, myself, was in such a position not too long ago, as was a friend of mine, and in both of our cases, it cost us a job.
My friend, who I will not name here as I do not have his permission to but who I am proud to know, turned down a job he was offered because one of the conditions of the job was that he had to be vaccinated. He, like me, believes that there are a myriad of very good reasons to not take the still experimental Covid-19 medication (which is not a “vaccine,” despite the attempts to retroactively change the definition to make it one) and so he has not accepted it. He was faced with a clear choice in which he could have hedged, dodged or even outright lied to the person in order to secure the work. Instead, he realized (in his own words) that to say you stand for something and then not do it is worthless, and it wasn’t worth his integrity. He didn’t rant, he didn’t lecture, and he allowed the person to set the limits on the job offered. However, he politely refused the job and told the person why. He stood for what he knew was right, even though it cost him and could, conceivably cost him more in the future. It wasn’t worth sacrificing who he was.
In my case, I was offered what I thought would be a marvelous position as a medical assistant. I would be working in a school setting alongside a provider, using both my skills as a CCMA and also my skills as an EMT should an emergent situation arise. I would be working to build rapport with parents and students as well as ensuring that all students, whatever their background or social/economic status were treated equitably and with respect and kindness. Then I found out that part of my work would involve something called “Plan B.” The person I was speaking to about the position was firing off information slightly faster than an auctioneer and so I paused them and asked them to clarify what “Plan B” was. I pretty well knew, but wanted it said aloud. “Plan B” is a colloquialism for what is commonly called the “morning after” pill. It’s an abortive medicine, according to the person I was speaking to. Now, in point of fact I realize there is a hot debate about the differences between the morning after pill, abortive medicines and the like, but this person explained that yes, I would be handing out a medication designed to prevent or terminate a pregnancy after a person has knowingly had unprotected sex. I also had no need (or right, it was implied) to notify the parents as the students “had the right to ask on their own.” I was then asked if this would be a challenge. I didn’t even have to think before answering that yes, that definitely would. It would violate both my own moral standard as a professing follower of Christ, and my own ethical standard as an EMT to provide that medication and, in essence, be asked to hide the information from parents. The tone of the phone interview changed and I was told they needed to do some checking (they also asked if I was vaccinated, which I am not) but they would “get back to me.” As of this writing I haven’t heard anything.
What’s the Boot of Truth? It’s simply this, best expressed in the stanzas taken from the poem The Present Crisis, written by James Russell Lowell and perhaps better known from the hymn Once to Every man and Nation. Written to oppose the debate over slavery as well as an impending war with Mexico, the words resonate today as much as they did then. I close with them and say simply this – when the time comes to stand on what YOU believe in, what choice will you make? God grant that you have the courage of your convictions, and stand firm for what you know is right.
Once to every man and nation
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth with falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
Some great cause, God’s new Messiah,
Offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever
Twixt that darkness and that light.
Then to side with truth is noble,
When we share her wretched crust,
Ere her cause bring fame and profit,
And ’tis prosperous to be just;
Then it is the brave man chooses
While the coward stands aside,
Till the multitude make virtue
Of the faith they had denied.
May God bless you all richly today, my friends.
On graduations, changes, and life in general
“One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.” – William Hartnell, as the First Doctor, 1965
Here I am again, and that quote seemed appropriate. It’s been some time since I have posted, and I hope that I have not lost too many followers in the interim. I see from time to time that someone new joins or follows, and that always makes me happy. When I started The Takedown, I promised myself and my readers that I would not post unless it was something I felt was worth posting about, i.e., this would not be another blog of “Today I had X for breakfast” or “Isn’t this cute! My puppy learned to fetch.” I have nothing against those things, mind you, but I think the Internet has enough of those types of sites and I wanted this to be different. I hope that it has been. My prayer, today, is that anyone reading this has begun to get back to a life that has a semblance of normalcy now that the insanity surrounding the Covid-19 situation seems to, finally, be coming to an end.
Today marks a special day for me as I am preparing to watch my youngest son graduate from high school and officially begin his life as an adult. I told him this morning in some private father and son time that he has been a man for some time, but this is different. This is his day, and should rightly be proud of who he is and where he has come from to get there. It marks the change from a boy in school to a young man taking his steps into adulthood. It’s a tradition that I believe has mainly been lost in our world, but it was one I wanted to impress upon him and have him take with him; the importance of what is about to happen. He’s worked hard to overcome his own medical and learning challenges, and needs to know how proud I am of him, and how proud his mother and family are. Most of all, he needs to know that it’s all right to be proud of himself. There’s nothing wrong with being proud of accomplishment, despite what our society tries to teach, and he has been taught that. I hope he carries it with him, today.
Many people have, upon finding out that he is about to graduate, come forth with the standard “Oh it must be so hard to see your last child grow up and graduate.” It’s not for me, not really. My dad didn’t see me graduate, having died suddenly just after my senior year started. My sister’s only child never got the chance to grow up and, in my work in the medical field, I’ve seen far too many people who never had the privilege of growing up, seeing their own children grow up, or being here, themselves, to see their own children get older and graduate. I’ve seen friends and family members go through acrimonious and painful divorces and separations that have forever marred any happy occasions their families may have had. For myself, I have been blessed beyond measure in that God has granted a request of mine that my sons would not go through what I did. I’ve done my part to take care of myself, and today I will see that prayer answered, and for that I am grateful. My wife and are together after almost 25 years and now will be seeing our second son graduate and move on with his life. I could not ask for more. Far from this being a melancholy or bittersweet occasion for me, it’s an incredibly happy one. He’s doing exactly what I, as a dad and what my wife, as his mother, have wanted and worked and raised him to do – graduate and move on with his life as an individual that is as prepared and well-rounded as we can make him.
“What’s the Boot of Truth here?” you may be asking. It’s this. None of us know what life will hold. None of us can tell what will happen in the next breath. All we can do is live life as it happens and make the choice every day, every moment if need be, as to whether or not we let life beat us or we stand up, no matter how bruised and battered, wipe the blood and sweat off and, like Steve Rogers, say “I can do this all day.” All any of us can do is our best, and keep working with the changes that life gives us. I can honestly say I never expected to be the father of two developmentally disabled sons. I also never expected to see them walk across the stage and graduate, having overcome their challenges and persevered – but I have with one and I’m about to with the other.
Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Keep fighting. Don’t listen to the voices that keep crying about how this “is just so terrible” or “life will never be the same.” Keep looking up, and keep fighting.
God bless you all richly, my friends.
The Belgian Takedown 