The Pill Pushers

While I write this post, please understand that I speak from experience, with Senior, and my father in law. Are or where under the care of Veterans Administration doctors. Senior was once stationed with another chief, who's wife was in an accident, she was prescribed hydrochodone, went back for more, then she soon learned it had street value and began to traffic it. She was so far gone and over the edge, she was facing jail time for the trafficking  to avoid that fate she chose to take her own life.

What we saw on the news tonight,  we could  most certainly relate too: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50155446n

The rise in over medicating the nations veterans has surged nearly 270 % in the last 12 years.  Whenever you go to the VA for a medical problem, you get all kinds of thing prescribed to you. You walk through the door, tell the doc your problem, get examined, and "poof" you get a prescription of narcotics, with refills. Then begins the abuse. Then you go through your prescription , go back again, and "poof" another refill. Before the patient knows it, they are addicted.
Then it is realized that the first prescription is no longer affective, or the pain has worsened and "poof" you get something else stronger prescribed...Before you know it, you are on as much as 8 different pain killers all at the same time.  Going to the VA is like being a kid in a candy store.

You are depressed,  suicidal, you hallucinate, you can't sleep at night, but once you do fall asleep you will sleep until the late afternoon. Even worse is you are more confrontational and abusive towards family and friends.

Another fellow veteran friend of ours, was recently hospitalized. His wife demanded he go to a civilian hospital, it was learned that the VA had over prescribed his blood pressure medication and he nearly died.
The same was also the story for my father in law, after he did pass from heart failure, we learned just how much medication the VA had prescribed, and was still sending to his home.

Below is a map the dark orange areas are the facilities with the worse cases of abuse :

The VA Hospitals in
Oregon,
Las Vegas, NV
and in Alabama
All have the highest rate of narcotic/prescription drug abuse.

 If you know a Veteran who you believe is being over prescribed pain killers, and are possibly addicted to them then please talk to them. Encourage them to get help, Before they hurt themselves, or some innocent person.....

-JUGM






 

Wednesday...

Fall has certainly made its impression on my area. Windy, cloudy and misty. Temps down in the 50s here. Feels wonderful, and very seasonable. I think I will ask Senior to get my Fall decor down from the attic.
Halloween is around the corner and approaching faster then I hoped it would.
The boys had all kinds of wonderful but scary things they wanted to be for Halloween this year, so we wrote them all down on paper, and put them in a hat, tossed the hat around and Senior picked.
They will be Zombies.
 My sister will cringe, my mother will say "ewww why? "  And I will sit back and smile. 
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A few folks have asked about my brothers girlfriends teenage son. Remember him? My brother picked him up in a walmart parking lot, he had been homeless.
Well, he moved the kid in with him in upstate NY. He escorted him to the nearest Army Recruiter, and he signed up for delayed entry. The Army has a program with one of the local colleges and with that he is getting his GED.  I am happy to report that it does look like the kid is getting himself straightened out, and will soon  be working on what we all hope will be a great Army career.
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Remember my niece is getting married ?  If there is one thing that can cause family arguments, its a wedding ! The shear money they are forking out is mind boggling, and I am perplexed on how my brother in law who is a mail carrier is going to pay for it all.
Most definitely one of those platinum weddings you read about all the time. My brother and I have guesstimated they are dropping at least $25,000 on it. And they have a guest list of over 300 people.
When Senior and I got married, our wedding was $1700.00 and, we paid for it ourselves.  We planned it in 6 weeks. This particular wedding is not until May of next year.

Sorry, my mind is really boggled right now over $25,000 for one day...  It just..."WOWs" Me.  But yet I know, there are people out there who spend more. 
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So now its off here, laundry is calling my name, kids will be out of school soon, and dinner plans await. Have a fun "Hump Day"

-JUGM

Always Be Alert...

This is a true story of events that happened a couple of days ago to an acquaintance who has recently relocated to the north Georgia area. He is a retired police officer, and even served as a detective for a few years, so he has seen it all and knows what to look for.. 

 

While shopping this afternoon, we noticed a black female loitering around the front door acting very suspicious. A few moments later, she followed my wife into the store, waited for her to look away and advanced towards the buggy where her purse was located.  My wife was aware of the girls actions and didn't allow her purse to be stolen. One additional subject appeared pushing an overloaded cart and rammed the door as they ran towards an awaiting vehicle. I called the local SO, gave a description and just a few minutes later the vehicle spotted & stopped.

 

  Results: 4 black females arrested in what appears to be a string of grand thefts, 11 felony arrests, firearms seized, marijuana recovered & vehicle seized. You never fully retire. Eyes always open observing what is going on around you.

 

I wanted to share this with you all because the holidays are fast approaching, there will be more crowds in the stores,  times are tough for a lot of people. They will go to  extreme measures to take something that is not theirs.   OPSEC is always important, know your surroundings, know who is around you ,and their proximity to you..

Always stay vigilante...

 

-JUGM

Broken Eagle

As I dusted the table tops this morning, my blog post for today became apparent. Our American Eagle's wing was broken. Not sure how it happened, or when. But as soon as I moved it to dust, the thing just fell off.
It Made me think of the countries current situation. Like that ceramic wing, America is broken. Much of the government is shut down, and we are about to extend our debt ceiling once again. We have no money, and owe China our backsides.
 I feel we are so far gone that the only thing to turn us around is a total economic collapse. Maybe some folks need that. Perhaps suddenly being launched  100-200 years into the past is what is needed.

Those who voted for this, Those who even did it twice. I compare them to the loyalist who sided with King George during the Revolutionary War. The loyalist were promised gold, and land if they took up arms against their own countrymen and fought for the crown.
Today it is the voice of a benevolent dictator, and the promise of free cell phones, free health care, free housing, and free money that keeps his loyalist loyal. If he asked them to take up arms against those who oppose him, I have no doubt they would.

With a little super glue I fixed the eagles wing. Aw if it were all only that simple...
She looks like nothing happend, she looks better, but underneath she is left more fragile then before. Her wing forever compromised. Another drop, or being mishandled, and she will once again be broken........

-JUGM

Day 3

It is Day 3 of the "Shutdown"...  the only issue with me on that subject, is that they closed the military commissaries.
  : (  
Senior and I might be making a road  trip out to the country butcher soon and filling up our freezer.

The other issue is Mitch McConnell asked for a Veterans Package to be put to a vote, and Harry Reid is "NO"  Okay Harry, who was it that fought and died to help  secure the freedoms of this country so that you can even become a Senator?  Oh that;s right..  Veterans and Active Duty.

All this because Washington claims we have no money. But ,we are still sending money around the world : 

500,000.000 in aid to the Palestinians
1.3 billion in tanks and F-16's to Egypt
Millions to Syrian Rebels

laying off 800,000 federal employees because we are broke...is PRICELESS

The local welfare recipients in my area are about to scream their heads off. One good thing about the shutdown is they have stopped the "head start" programs. It is like a freebie from the government that kids in low income areas can take advantage of after school.. Basically it s a glorified baby sitter funded by tax payers. Their fee lunch program has also been cut. That means Baby Mama actually has to get up, and fix her 8 kids by different daddies lunch. -- Funny!


-JUGM

Despite Popular Belief...

The sky DID NOT fall this morning. ( as predicted by the Liberals )

The sun still rose.
The kids still got up for school.
I still stumbled my way to the kitchen to start coffee and let the dogs out.
The puppy is still chasing the cat around the house, and barking at every leaf that falls from a tree.
Traffic was still out on the roads.
People were still going to work.
The tire store opened sharply at 0800 and actually waited on me.
Senior is out mowing grass
And, there is still a baseball game scheduled for tonight.. 
Heck! We might even order some concession stand food to celebrate!

And the one thing that was predicted has actually happend:  The obamacare website has crashed.

Its a wonderful feeling knowing that it is the working class people of this country that keeps America running and not politicians.

. Amazing isn't it? 

-JUGM

PS: I will add one more thing : I am happy that the Republicans have seemingly stood their ground and not caved in. (yet)

A Chance to Take a Breath

Is it just me or did the past week just fly by? I got so busy with things around the house. Now it is Sunday early afternoon, just finished the last cup of coffee for the day, and we will soon be off to a make up baseball practice for NW. It was rained out last week. Being a Sunday afternoon, I wonder how many kids will actually show up. Due to his age, ND is back on a little Tee-Ball team again. The other tee-ball parents make me drop my mouth, they make me sigh and shake my head and that is all I have to say about them right now.

Yes, fall baseball is in full swing for us, I am happy to have kids who love to play outside and not sit inside on a game console all day. While our boys do have kindles,  I really limit the usage.
Some times  they get upset with me because they want to take them to school.
"But all our friends do".  I remind them, that school is for learning, and not playing on games all day-and they are not their friends nor I the friends parents.
 And all so, it was their uncle who purchased the expensive item for them, and if anything happened to it, it will be he to whom they answer to.

I love listening to them chat about their baseball future, right now they really do love the game, and have high aspirations.. One tells me he promises to be in the major leagues and buy mommy and daddy a big house on stilts overlooking a river. The other tells me he will make a One hundred thousand million dollars, and have the fastest pitch ever.
ND also asked what the world will be like when he is a man,and I just don't have the heart to answer him...
I smile, and tell them that with hard work, they can one day become that professional player they are dreaming about... 

-JUGM