Transferred

Emily was transferred to UCLA yesterday. She and Kathy left at about 2pm in an ambulance. The trip took about 8 hours and Emily was in a lot of pain. Kathy said it was the worst ride she has ever taken. Once there, the medical team immediately started doing tests on her. Kathy told me that the place is a nightmare and was really scared. Emily is temporarily in an isolation room in the PICU but she will be placed in a bed in the open ward. There will be no privacy (other than a curtain) and it will be very difficult to contact them. The phones don’t work so she has to go down the hall to a pay phone. She is very worried that Emily will not do well in this environment. In addition to all that, Kathy will not be able to stay with her. This morning she will be working with the hospital to find a place to stay that is close (walking distance). Of course, the insurance will not cover the living expenses and these can be quite high (maybe as much as $100 per day for the room). Hopefully, they will be able to help with all the options. We did apply for help with the Nick and Kelly Children’s Heart Fund. They specialize is help people with travel expenses related to medical treatment.

This is all for now. I am just sick about all this. I wish I were there but I can’t be…More later.

CORRECTION: If you would like to help, here is the account information: account name Emily Brightwell at Wells Fargo bank. You should not need an account number to contribute. If for some reason the number is required please send me an email. Do not worry about security as there are only two people authorized to remove money from this account and it must be done in person with ID.

A Quick Update on Emily's Condition

It looks like Emily will be going to UCLA for her transplant evaluation. She will be transferred via ambulance either tomorrow morning or Wednesday morning. Kathy will be traveling with her and staying with her. I will be staying home with Sharleen and Delaney. I have no idea how long the evaluation process takes but I would guess a couple of weeks. If she is a candidate for a transplant then she will be staying there until the surgery (it can take about 3-4 months to find a donor). If she is not a candidate then she will be returning to Phoenix; possibly coming home but maybe returning to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. This is not very likely. It seems to me that they would not be sending her to LA if they were not already 90% sure that transplant is the only option. It looks like more waiting.

Emily has been doing well (as possible) through all of this. She is still in some pain after the pacemaker surgery and the medication does not agree with her. She is very scared but she plays the tough kid very well. She is always more worried about the feelings of the people around her than she is of her own feelings. The only time it is really bad for her is when she is alone. She likes visitors. She will not be getting very many of those is the weeks to come.

I want to take a moment to thank all of our friends and family for all there support. We were really hoping that last week as the light at the end of the tunnel and now we know that there is a LONG way to go. The pressure and the stress have been unbearable. It is so easy to watch something on the Health cannel and think “man that would really suck,” but the truth is some much harder than you can imagine.

Many people have offered to help in anyway possible and for this I am grateful. The truth is we will likely need a lot of help. We have setup a fund at Wells Fargo Bank for help with the medical bills and expenses. It is called the Emily Brightwell Fund (if you need the account number please email me). So far, the insurance company has been great but they will not be covering everything. I don’t know how much all this will cost. The cost issue is something that I can understand and so I find myself thinking about it a lot. It feels so shallow and insensitive to think about money at a time like this, but I am so completely powerless to do anything else.

I will post more as I know more…

Bad News

The news that we were hoping to never hear was delivered today. The doctors have decided that they have exhausted all options for getting her heart to function normally. The pacemaker is working but the heart is not responding properly. They have not been able to find a rhythm medication that works either. Her heart's condition is not getting any better; it is at about 40%. All this means that the transplant option is now the only option (provided nothing changes miraculously).

Sometime early next week Emily will be transferred to either UCLA Medical Center or Loma Linda to begin the transplant evaluation. We won't know any more specific info until Sunday, most likely. We do know that she will be there for 3-4 months before the transplant (all this depends on a donor) and then another 2 months of recovery time.

I am not sure how to take all this but Emily continues to inspire me every day...

More later...maybe even a picture.

Still not Home

Emily is still in the hospital. We were really hoping that today would be the day but thinks aren’t going as smoothly as the doctor’s hoped. The first day after the surgery she was very nauseous and had some vomiting. This caused her to have trouble with some of her medications. This morning she was feeling “weird” so the doctors hooked her up to the monitoring equipment for her new pacemaker and discovered that she was in atrial flutter again. So they sedated her and used the defibrillator to shock her heart back to a more normal rhythm. It took several hours for her to shake-off the effects of the sedative but she was able to eat some lunch. So we are back waiting…

After the Surgery

Emily had her pacemaker implanted this afternoon. She went into surgery at about 3:30 PM and was back in the room by 6:15 PM. Everything went well with the procedure and the doctor seems very pleased with the results. She was in quite a bit of pain afterwards but the doctor told her that she will get to go home on Wednesday. She has already had an improvement in her rhythm and her blood pressure is better. She said that she can actually feel her heart beating – always a good thing. More updates and picture when she gets home.

This picture was from a couple of days ago - she is not this happy right now!

MRI

Today Emily has an MRI. Yesterday we had a talk with the cardiologist and he explained the details of Emily’s upcoming surgery. He has decided that she needs to have a pacemaker and a defibrillator implanted. This is a very complicated procedure and he went into detail with us about all that will happen and what could happen. It is frightening but Emily is excited to get it done. It means that if everything goes right she will get to come home just a couple of days after the surgery. Within about 10 days of coming home she will be able to return to school.

The cardiologist is very pleased with her recovery and seems optimistic that with the pacemaker and medication she will continue to improve. He has put the idea of a transplant on the back burner but he still says that it may be needed. He also mentioned the possibility that over time she may improve to the point that the pacemaker and the medication are no longer needed. Only time will tell but things are looking better every day.

More later.

An update on Emily’s Condition

It has been a rollercoaster few days but things are looking up. Over the weekend things were looking bleak. It seemed that a heart transplant was not so much an “if” but a “when.” The big problem that she has been having for more than a week is what is known as V-Tach (Ventricle Tachycardia). This is when the lower part of the heart beats rapidly and uncontrollably. This problem can only be treated with the right combination of medications or a transplant (this is greatly simplified but quite frankly I have a very slim grasp on all this). Last week it looked as if the chances of getting this under control were not very good. Then on Tuesday the doctor made another change to the medications (one of dozens so far) and it seems to have helped stop these runs. As of today she has gone more than 48 hours without any V-Tach rhythms. This is excellent news because it means that the likelihood of a transplant is greatly reduced. The other rhythm problems (and there are many) seem to be issues that have more treatment options including a pacemaker. It is still going to be several more days before we will know for sure but this is a very positive development. When I visited her this evening she had 2+ hours of Sinus rhythm!

Keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming!

Emily

I just wanted to share some news of my daughter, Emily, with everyone. If you don't know she is in Phoenix Children's Hospital, being treated for irregular heartbeat. She has been there for a week and things have not improved much. The doctors have already shared with us their fears that if things don’t improve significantly over the next few days she will be transferred to the University Medical Center in Tucson, AZ for a transplant evaluation. She is, naturally, scared but she rarely shows it. She is still smiling and cheerful. The doctors are continuously amazed at how good she looks for someone who is so sick.

Emily and the rest of the Brightwell family thank you for all of your prayers, expressions of support, positive thoughts and positive energy. We will take all of these things we can get.

I will post an update in a few days.

What is an Activist Judge?

There has been a lot of talk in the last several months about “activist judges.” Most of these discussions have been centered around a few high profile cases and with President Bush’s judicial nominations. This article gives us a good example of what is meant by the term “activist judge.” This guy has no business what so ever to criticize the government’s policy concerning detainees at Guantanimo Bay. It has no relevance the case that he was presiding over. In addition, the detainees in GITMO were captured ON THE BATTLEFIELD by US military personnel, not by US Customs agents through the course of there normal law enforcement functions. This puts them in a totally different class of prisoner.

A judge's job does not entail making, shaping or criticizing governement policy. Their job is to determine the legality of an individual's actions. The courts have already upheld the use of military courts for GITMO detainees so this guy needs to stick to the issues at hand in his courtroom. This is what makes people so mad about judges – just shut-up and do your job.

The Rise of the Police State

Well folks, the terrorist have won. No they did not destroy the United States or Great Britain. They did not topple the governments of the Western world. They did not convert us all to Islam or kill all the infidels. They have won none the less. You see, they have succeeded in making us afraid and forcing us to change our core values.

After the July 7 bombings in London I commented that it was sad that London is the most security conscious city in England, and possibly Europe, but the bombers could not be stopped BEFORE the damage had been done. All those security cameras counted for nothing. A couple of days ago it seems that a few more terrorist attempted another attack but were unsuccessful this time. No one is sure why they were unsuccessful. It certainly wasn’t the security cameras. Don’t get me wrong, the cameras do have some use but it is not for crime PREVENTION. Cameras DO NOT make society safer. In London the suspects are on camera and they still haven’t caught them.

Now we have stories in the press calling for more cameras in the US. This is sad and pitiful development in the outlook of the American citizen. It was not too long ago that the thought of watching people in public places would have caused a deafening outcry, now it barely gets any notice or, worse; people are in favor of it. Would you feel better being blown apart by a crazed terrorist knowing that it will be caught on film? Does it make all the deaths worthwhile if we can find the home of the suicide bomber AFTER he has killed innocent people?

This is not the worst example of the police state mentality creeping into everyday life. On Friday London police shot and killed Jean Charles de Menezes when he failed to follow the instructions of and then ran from plainclothes police officers. He was tackled in a subway car and then shot to death by the officers. Five bullets for an unarmed man all in the name of public safety. Then John Gibson of Fox News praises the actions of the London police for putting “five bullets in the noggin.” I like Fox News but this kind of attitude really makes me sick.

I know what you are going to ask – What about the Patriot Act? It was renewed on Friday with a majority of the provisions made permanent. I am not totally against the Patriot Act but I do not believe that any of it should be permanent. But these are the times in which we live. Once a right has been surrendered it is never returned.

So, the terrorist have won. They have changed our attitudes about Liberty and security. We are so afraid that we will allow the police to randomly search us before we get on a subway. We now think it is OK for the government to watch us in public places. It is OK of the FBI to have expanded powers to find “terrorists.” It is OK for the police to use deadly force when there is no EVIDENCE of a threat – just act strange in the wrong place and BANG, your dead. This is all fine with everyone I guess.

What is the next logical step in all this? What happens if London, with all its police state tools continues to be attacked? Will they want to put cameras in businesses with direct feed to the police? Will they want them in private residences? Well, they want them in the Muslim homes but they can’t discriminate so they will need to put them in everyone’s homes.

I recently re-read George Orwell’s 1984. I last read it when I was in high school during the Reagan years. At the time it seemed like a simple telling of Stalinism. After re-reading the book I discovered that it is so much more, it is a warning of a system of thought that is so diabolical we cannot imagine the horrors it will unleash. Now I am beginning to see the same attitudes expressed in the book coming to life around me. All it will take is for someone to gain power who will user all of these new powers and attitudes to their fullest – but then it will be too late to stop it.

I will ask again – Would you rather be free or safe?

A Letter from the Administration

This was sent to me in an email yesterday and I thought it was too funny to pass up. Instead of spamming a bunch of people I am posting it here. Enjoy!

A letter was written to the current administration, complaining about the treatment of a captive taken during the Afghanistan war. Below is a copy of the response.

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC

Dear Concerned Citizen:

Thank you for your recent letter criticizing our treatment of the Taliban and Al Qaeda detainees currently held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The administration takes these matters seriously, and your opinion was heard loud and clear here in Washington. You'll be pleased to learn that, thanks to the concerns of citizens like you, we are creating the Terrorist Retraining Program, to be called the "Liberals Accept Responsibility for Killers" program, or LARK for short.

In accordance with the guidelines of this new program, we have decided to place one terrorist under your personal care. Your detainee has been selected and scheduled for transportation to your residence next Monday. Ali Mohammed Ahmed bin Mahmud is to be cared for pursuant to the standards you personally demanded in your letter of admonishment.

We will conduct weekly inspections to ensure that your standards of care for Ahmed are commensurate with those you so strongly recommended in your letter. Although Ahmed is sociopathic and extremely violent, we hope that your sensitivity to what you described as his "attitudinal problem" will help him overcome this character flaw. Perhaps you are correct in describing these problems as mere cultural differences.

Your adopted terrorist is extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or nail clippers. He is also expert at making a wide variety of explosive devices from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, unless you feel that this might offend him.

Ahmed will not wish to interact with your wife or daughters since he views females as a subhuman form of property. This is a particularly sensitive subject for him. He has been known to show violent tendencies around women who fail to comply with the dress code that he considers appropriate, but I'm sure that over time they will come to enjoy the anonymity offered by the bhurka. Just remind them that it is all part of respecting his culture and his religious beliefs.

Thanks again for your letter. We truly appreciate it when folks like you inform us of the proper way to do our job. Take good care of Ahmed and good luck!

Cordially,
Don Rumsfeld

What's happening today?

London attacked again! Muslims in Great Britain had better watch out. The British people are not the most tolerant in the world, no matter what the media would like you to think. It is only a matter of time before we see tanks on the streets of Leeds. Expect a few “good kicking’s” as well.

Chinese no longer peg the Yuan to the US Dollar. This may be one of the most important stories in months but no one really understands how important this move is. It is not only good for the US economy but, in the long run, it is a good move for China. It signals a change in attitude on the part of the Chinese government towards normal trade relations with the rest of the world.

It’s hot where I live! What I think is strange about the stories of heat in Phoenix is the fact that the national news is reporting it. It is ALWAYS hot here! This isn’t even the hottest it has ever been. It is not the first time that homeless people have died. Strangely, the impact on the illegal aliens crossing the desert seems to be much lower than one would expect with “record breaking” heat. I think the reason this is getting so much attention is two fold. The first reason is that despite an 8 year drought and “Global Warming” (dunt dunt da!) the last several summers have not been too bad. During that time a few hundred thousand people have moved here who have not been through an above average summer; they are still unprepared and they complain to friends and family back home. This, in turn, inspires the media to look into something they would otherwise ignore. The Second reason this is news is because, in this age of “Global Warming” (dunt dunt da!) hysteria anything to do with hot temperatures is going to get media time. This is the same issue as transients freezing to death in New York City in the winter.

This story just freaks me out! That is one HUGE shark!

China is mad about Pentagon’s report about the Chinese military. Look, the threat from China to any nation in the world is about as big as the US threat to any nation in the world. China is a huge country with a growing economy. They have strong economic interests with many nations around the world. They are dependant on the importation of key goods and they have a huge export system. Unlike booming Japanese and German economies of the past, the Chinese do not have the luxury of having the US government subsidize, or outright pay for, their national defense. They have a right and an obligation to defend themselves and their national interests. This does not mean they desire a military confrontation with the US or anyone else. The reality is that Taiwan will rejoin China and it will be a bloodless re-unification.

The House takes the first step in protecting US citizens from direct UN taxes. This is great news! The UN has been trying for years to put a direct tax system in place with the primary aim of collecting tax revenue directly from the US people, thereby bypassing the US Congress. All American should support and celebrate this move.

How American are you?

You Are 73% American

Most times you are proud to be an American. Though sometimes the good ole US of A makes you cringe Still, you know there's no place better suited to be your home. You love your freedom and no one's going to take it away from you!

How American Are You?

Web site update!

No not this site! I have made an update to my main web site. In case you are not aware, I am an avid miniature painter, model builder and wargamer. My main web site is devoted to this hobby. Miniature painting - what's that? you ask. Well, it's like this:


Better yet, go to my home on the web and have a look! Maybe I should post a picture here every now and then...

Are you reading?

One good hate crime begets another – I wonder if the Guardian blamed the Tube bombings on Christainophobia? I doubt it. I wonder if they think the terrorists were hate criminals? I doubt it.

Boycott Exxon – I don’t think so. If you thought the move by environmental groups to boycott Exxon was about actually protecting the environment you need to read this. This is a political move not a move to protect nature. These groups want POWER not environmental protection. That is just a ruse to get the dull-witted among us to support their political ambitions. These people hate business and they hate progress. They hate this country and will stop at no lie or distortion to gain power. Some will even stoop to the level of the terrorist.

Here is an example of how science – when properly focused – can solve just about any problem mankind faces. If we could just get the scientists to stop trying to set policies and get them to work on real solutions to real problems, everything would be fine.

If you are in Missouri – get back to work – after you read this article.

London Bombings

I don’t have much to say about this. It is a terrible thing but I think we all knew something like this was going to happen sooner or later. The part I find the most interesting is that London is one of the most security conscious places in the Western world. The place is literally covered in security cameras but it didn’t stop the attacks. If all these security cameras cannot stop terrorist why to the people of London allow them? What are they actually for? They DO NOT make them safer. Would you rather be safe or free? I choose freedom - especially when policies that are designed for safety don’t work.

Been really busy lately…

Work has been going good but the new noon to 9 pm thing takes some adjustment. Sorry I haven’t post much lately but I actually have to work at my new job so my research time is limited. Here are a few things that have gotten my attention lately.

For Independence Day, Supreme Court Slams Founders is a good article about the real meaning of the latest sets of Supreme Court decisions. The sad fact is that most people in this country have no idea what the Constitution actually says, and it is not taught in schools, so they will not understand the real impact of these decisions. Read and understand – a new darker day is dawning. The Kelo v. City of New London case is particularly important because if the government can take private property for public good then the door is now wide open for the government to nationalize businesses – Socialism here we come!

Justice O’Conner resigns! Well, after that last session maybe more should resign. Seriously, this was not the first justice I would have guessed to be leaving but I am not too sad about it. Perhaps we can get someone in there that can over-turn the decisions noted above. I think there will be two appointments to the court this year and MAYBE one more before President Bush leaves office.

If you thought the Kelo v. City of New London ruling was harsh take a look at what Congress may be doing with the Endangered Species Act (ESA). I don’t understand why we keep kidding ourselves about being free – we haven’t been free for a very long time.

I REALLY love it when different environmental groups clash. Here we have the consequences of ‘green’ electric generation (windmills) and their impact on wildlife. The only answer is for all humans to die, and then there wouldn’t be any pollution or dead animals, right?

I hate the UN! It is THE force of socialism and technophobia in the world. This article talks about how the UN has been blocking new technologies that could save millions of lives. Why? Who knows – probably because they like the power and needy people are always willing to give people power in hopes that their lives might be spared. Creeps.

Since we are talking (sort of) about technophobia, socialism and such I have a new book recommendation. Fallen Angels by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle and Michael Flynn, is a story that gives us a glimpse of what the world might be like if the environmentalist get their way (there is also a strange hint of a union between the environmentalists and religious groups). The book was written in 1991 and it is scary how much this book could have been written today. Thanks for the recommendation Dad.

New Job

I started a new job on Wednesday! I am a LAN Analyst, sounds cool eh? As a friend if mine says, "no longer a phone bitch!"

Basically, I am doing user account migrations, creations and modifications for a LARGE financial institution that shall remain nameless. It is a 6 month contract position but when I get done I will be a Microsoft Active directory god! That means it will be a perfect time to take the test.

The pay is excellent and the commute is long, both are good things (I really like driving). With any luck I will be able to use this as a foot in the door for a permanent position or possibly another contract job when this is over.

Yesterday was a good day!

Yesterday was one of the best days I have had a long time (mostly). I had a job interview in South Chandler (which is like 45 miles from my house) for an Active Directory/Exchange Administrator job that I really want. It is a contract job but it is an excellent opportunity to get into a good company. The interview was outstanding and I left feeling great!

Once I got home I decided it was time to clean-up my car so I spent the next hour or so scrubbing and cleaning. Man, it was freakin' hot! Then I got a call from a friend to have lunch so it was off to North Phoenix (about a 20 mile drive). While we were eating our lunch on the patio of a nice Mexican restaurant another of our friends stopped by with his wife and talked for a few minutes.

After lunch, I stopped by another friend's house to pick-up my daughter, who had spent the night (his kids are in town for the summer). After a short talk my daughter and I headed home. I hadn't been home for more than an hour when I got a call about the job! I got it! Wo-Ho! Things are now moving very fast as they want me to start on Tuesday.

To celebrate, I took the family to an early dinner at our local Chinese restaurant (the wife had to work last night so dinner had to be early). After dinner, I finished painting an English Civil War unit for Warhammer ECW 9one I have been working on for months and never seems to be motivated to paint) and then played Codename: Panzers for about an hour. Good fun!

Later in the evening I went to play poker (in South Tempe only 37 miles from home) with some friends from my previous job. It was great to see everyone and catch-up with happening for the last couple of weeks.

A very good day!

(All that driving and I never left the metro area - people wonder why Americans drive so much. The place is huge! The Phoenix Metro area is about 90 miles across! It is at least 40 miles North to South. I am sure glad my car gets good mileage.)

Never Stop Thinking…

I wonder if all the people who accused Michael Shiavo of abusing his wife and being an evil, vile person will now apologize. From the sound of the autopsy report he was advocating the correct action and Terry was finally humanely treated. I love it when people pass judgment without knowing the facts.

Several years ago I read George Orwell’s 1984; in this book there is a character whose job is the destruction of words. You see, it is much easier for a totalitarian society to censor the people if you destroy words that can be used in a subversive manner. The only difference between this book and real life if that in the book the government were the ones who destroyed the words and censored people, in real life the government just gets the big corporations to do the dirty work. I especially like how the corporate mouth-piece refers to authoritarianism as a “regulatory environment.” If a company were to enter into this type of agreement with the government of the United States what would the press say? The share-holders? The political parties? Would we all be keeping so quiet about it? So why do we think it is OK for a company to do this in another country?

I wonder why no one has ever made a movie that contends that Mohamed never existed. Oh yeah, because the people who believe in him won’t roll over like the Christians do! People will show this as an example of the true glory of the Freedom of Speech, and it is, but they will never question why these things are always about tearing down Christian beliefs. When will we get the movie about Moses being a legend? How about the Great Buddha, any movies in the works denying him? Christianity is the safest religion to attack because Christians do not have a RECENT history of killing people who don’t believe what they believe.

Just when you begin to think that good sense and honesty are things of the past in the academic world you find a story like this! What is truly sad is that a story about a professor writing an honest textbook is even news-worthy, but such are the times in which we live!

As many of you already know I am a huge fan of Ayn Rand and her Objectivist ideology. In her writings one of the strongest recurring themes is the destructive nature of Altruism and the welfare state. She contends that Altruistic tendencies on the part of society and government actually harm society, in the long-run, by destroying individuals and making them dependant on the state. I found an excellent article about the Swedish welfare system that seems to prove the point. Read it and understand that there are people in this country who believe that this is a model that the United States should follow.