Category: Commentary

COVID-19 and us

Joe AuBuchon

Well, . . . because of the COVID-19 “pandemic” our governor wants all older people to stay at home. OK, but . . . we have to eat and don’t have several weeks of food stockpiled, as I didn’t go panic shopping last week(end). We have medical tests to take and appointments with several doctors over the next few weeks.

A dentist called and cancelled my wife’s appointment today saying they were closing, except for emergencies, for the next two weeks.

Between us we have more than a dozen prescriptions to pick up each month.

We’ve got TP and paper towels that I bought a week before the panic set in and plenty of cat litter and cat food.

So, I’m going to go grocery shopping, stop at the pharmacy (two that we use), put gas in the car, see the doctor and go for short drives when my wife gets her anxiety attacks. And, yes, I’ll stop at Starbucks for a white hot chocolate with whipped cream that she likes so much.

We had Chinese food delivered last night (Egg Roll King in HB) and finished most of it tonight.

Social distancing?

Being retired and with my wife being unable to walk, we don’t do much socializing but our TVs and my music run up a big electricity bill from Edison. So, “social distancing” won’t be much of a hardship for us.

But I do need to get gas for the car, go grocery shopping, stop at the pharmacy and see the doctors. I can’t just stay at home. That is, unless somebody wants to run all of the errands for me or bring stuph to our house.

Oh, yeah, the IRS hasn’t changed the date our income taxes are due. I have to go out Thursday and see the woman who does our taxes. Hopefully, the home care service has someone to stay with my wife during that time as I cannot leave her home alone for any extended period of time. I have a CT scan scheduled for tomorrow afternoon and have to bring her with me — we’ll probably take a drive after that and stop in for a white hot chocolate, some drugs at the pharmacy and a few groceries at Vons, TJs and/or Smart & Final. Also, Merry Maids is scheduled to come tomorrow.

Our library is closing down for the next month, so I’m out of luck for checking out books and I do not like reading them electronically, but . . . oh well.

Government

We have good doctors, health insurance and Medicare. That, along with good pensions, should ensure that we’ll get through the COVID-19 panic and pandemic with a minimum of problems. I’ll not lay odds on catching the virus as I don’t trust the numbers I see coming from the government. They seem too sparse and not based on any form of reality — just like the figures coming from China. Or, do you trust the numbers coming from China? Why?

The self-serving people who run our government, especially at the national level, are clearly incompetent to deal with this crisis and almost as incompetent in explaining their inability to deal with it. “Not my responsibility,” HA!

Teachers, give your kids a couple of weeks to deal with things. Two weeks of enforced boredom and having parents yelling at them (those who have parents who can stay home with them) ought to see them amenable to, at least, some online instruction.

So, there we are: a few disjointed thoughts on COVID-19. Stay healthy, my friends.

Health Warning!

Joe AuBuchon

Subject: WARNING: Don’t wash your hair in the shower. (Baths are also a problem.)

It’s so good to finally get a health warning that is useful!!!

It involves the shampoo that runs down your body when you shower with it. A warning to us all!

I don’t know WHY I didn’t figure this out sooner! I use shampoo in the shower!

When I wash my hair, the shampoo runs down my whole body, and printed very clearly on the shampoo label is this warning: “FOR EXTRA BODY AND VOLUME.”

No wonder I have been gaining weight!!

Well! I have gotten rid of that shampoo and I am going to start showering with Dawn dish soap instead.

Dawn’s label reads: “DISSOLVES FAT THAT IS OTHERWISE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE.”

Growin’ Old

Joe AuBuchon

A 91-year-old man was requested by his Doctor for a sperm count as part of his physical exam. The doctor gave the man a jar and said, “Take this jar home and bring back a semen sample tomorrow.”

The next day the 91-year-old man reappeared at the doctor’s office and gave him the jar, which was as clean and empty as on the previous day.

The doctor asked what happened and the man explained, “Well, doc, it’s like this — first I tried with my right hand, but nothing. Then I tried with my left hand, but still nothing.”

Then I asked my wife for help. She tried with her right hand, then with her left, still nothing. She tried with her mouth, still nothing.

We even called up Carol, the lady next door and she tried too, first with both hands, and she even tried squeezin’ it between her knees, but still nothing.

The doctor was shocked! “You asked your neighbor?”

The old man replied, “Yep, none of us could get the jar open.”

Sad to grow old . . .

Health Update

Joe AuBuchon

Health, Wealth and Wisdom — Well, one out of three ain’t bad.

Breathing:

Hey, I still can. No breathing problems at all; I still use the Advair inhaler twice a day but haven’t had to use the emergency inhaler at all.

Skin:

Had a melanoma removed from my lower right back in late March; no problems since.

Eyes:

Got new glasses; slight increase in reading magnification.

Colon:

Cologuard result was positive so I had a colonoscopy. Made an appointment with the doctor I was referred to on April 11 for June 19 (earliest opening). The office called on April 29 and said there was an opening on May 3 two hours after I was scheduled for an untrasound/electrocardiogram; I took it. Saw the doctor and scheduled the procedure for May 7 @ 8:45 am.

Charlie called the home care service and got a carer for the morning; Mike took me over and brought me back and later brought us to Charlie’s afternoon medical appointment. No problems either with the prep or with the procedure itself which took 22 minutes and 49 seconds, according to the printout I received — with color pictures (none of which I shall enlarge and frame).

A few polyps were found and removed. I received a phone call from the office this morning and was told that all were benign. Next procedure in three years.

Heart:

The ultrasound showed that my heart is still beating, although some of my former students might find that hard to believe as they didn’t think I had a heart, at least one that wasn’t made of stone. There’s a bit of leakage, but nothing serious and the aneurysm isn’t large enough for surgery (yet). The doctor has thought about prescribing a beta-blocker but that could compromise my breathing.

Also, beta-blockers lower the heart rate. As my heart rate is usually in the 50s — 60s he didn’t want to lower it any further as that could increase the leakage. I’ll see him again in late September and must schedule another CT scan the week before. (Vitals were taken when I arrived for my appointment — BP: 119/69 and HR: 54.) And, of course, he wants me to monitor and record my BP at home so I need to get a blood pressure monitor.

Teeth:

Had three below-the-gum-line cavities filled.

911:

Received a notice from the HB Paramedics on Saturday; they want verification of insurance. The bill was for $1,300+ and my being in the HB Fire Med program with insurance will pay for it. If I didn’t have insurance I’d only get a 20% discount on the bill. Filled out the form and sent requested copies of my insurance and Medicare (with my new, non-SS, number) card.

Hmmmmm . . . March 1st 911 call — May 11 request for info, ahhh ain’t efficiency grand.

Meow:

Meow
Meow

The Mueller Report – A Few Thoughts on Volume II of II

Joe AuBuchon

As I began my previous post: The long-awaited, or dreaded, Mueller Report: Volume II is out.

This work concentrates not on Russian interference in the 2016 election and any connections with the Trump campaign, but on whether or not Trump (et al) obstructed or attempted to obstruct the government’s investigation of that interference. As such, it was more difficult reading and there was a great deal of legalize with which to deal.

Impressions

  • Mr. Trump and, many, if not most, of the people around him have no respect for the truth. In fact, I have my doubts that some of them even have a concept of “truth.” If the statement helped Mr. Trump it was good; if the statement harmed Mr. Trump it was bad. Whether the statement was true or not had/has no place in the discussion.
  • It is interesting that some of the people surrounding Mr. Trump (whether in government positions or not) refused to follow his instructions, sometimes repeatedly.
  • Questions of (Constitutional) law are complicated — especially, involving the separation of powers.
  • We are lucky in that we have a system of checks and balances which limits both the powers of Congress and the President.

A charge of Obstruction of Justice needs three elements:

  1. An obstructive act —

    Obstruction-of-justice law “reaches all corrupt conduct capable of producing an effect that prevents justice from being duly administered, regardless of the means employed.”

  2. Nexus (a connection) to a pending or contemplated official proceeding;

  3. Corruptly (intent) —

    The word “corruptly” provides the intent element for obstruction of justice and means acting “knowingly and dishonestly” or “with an improper motive.”

In other words: Did Mr. Trump (or others at his direction) corruptly obstruct, or attempt to obstruct, the investigations by the FBI or Special Counsel.

The Mueller Report goes into a great deal of detail to explain the above, the conduct of Mr. Trump and his associates in regards to it and the constitutional ramifications of various actions and charges.

I found the Report to be damning.

I also found the lack of people willing to come forward and honestly tell their stories disturbing. There are no real “good guys” connected with the White House. Everyone, even those who refused to carry out Mr. Trump’s instructions, seemed/seems to be concerned with only themselves — no one puts America first.

It took me two days to read through Volume II. While the language was no more difficult than Volume I, the content density of the material was greater and frequently required re-reading of sections.

Following the investigative material and its conclusions is the Appendix:

AAAAAA. The order establishing the Special Counsel;

AAAAAB. A Glossary of names and brief descriptions of individuals and entities referenced in the two volumes of the report;

AAAAAC. Questions submitted to Mr. Trump for written replies (and the reasoning behind this) and Mr. Trump’s replies;

AAAAAD. The matters transferred or referred by the Special Counsel’s Office, as well as cases prosecuted by the Office that are now completed.

 

To get the full impact of the Mueller Report you must actually read it. No media summary and commentary is sufficient. However, the following may give you a hint of its effect.

Because we determined not to make a traditional prosecutorial judgment, we did not draw ultimate conclusions about the President’s conduct. The evidence we obtained about the President’s actions and intent presents difficult issues that would need to be resolved if we were making a traditional prosecutorial judgment. At the same time, if we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the President clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment. Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”