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I'm not sure how the whole internet advertising thing works, but it seems clear to me that the more people that are drawn to a particular website out of curiosity, the more people will see an ad, and the greater the chance that the advertisers will have at increasing revenue (which is the sole purpose for placing the ad in the first place!). How many (besides me) have 'scoped out' a particular news site because of the blurb that was published by 'News Bot' or other RSS feeds? I know that I've been to quite a few of those sites because I wanted to learn as much as I could about the story, or to figure out just where the story was originating from in the first place. Some of these articles only mention counties or 'small out of the way obscure towns'. Each time I check out a story, I'm increasing the chance that the advertiser is going to tempt me into buying something. Because of the increased exposure, isn't that what the companies placing the ads are trying to do? By accomplishing this, how is the publisher of the article actually losing money? I live in southeast Georgia; what lure does Podunk City, IA have that will tempt me to spend money? Hard to say...until I see an ad for some doodad that I found by following a news or article link. Furthermore, if the author is given credit for the article (even if by nothing more than including the 'byline'), just how does that equate 'theft of intellectual property'? From what I've been taught about plagiarism, to take credit away from the original author by claiming that YOU 'wrote' the published work is theft. Just because a poster who is not familiar with MLA (or other styles) of citations forgets to include ALL the information in a works cited page, doesn't mean that they're trying to take credit for the work. By including a link to the story, article or other 'intellectual piece', it gives the reader the location of the publication, date of publication and the original author. Isn’t that the whole purpose of citing the works that the information came from in the first place? Additionally, with the increased traffic to a website, and greater exposure to the advertisers listed there; doesn’t that equate to higher profits for the host publication? If it does, how can they then make the complaint about ‘lost revenue’? This smacks of nothing more than being a ‘revenue generating tool’ through malicious and frivolous use of the court system.

Pedophile priests are not a subset of Catholicism- they are an aberrant group of individuals who engage in a deviant and criminal behavior. As far as I know, they do not unite under a common title, nor do they justify their actions with a biblical passage. They do not claim they are justified in their actions- they are simply sick, twisted, and criminal. Radical Muslims use a bastardized version of Islam, they unite under a common cause, and justify their actions in the name of Allah. I did not understand the reference. You set up a separate issue, attributed it to someone, and then attack it. That is building a strawman. This isn't about PUNISHING anyone, it's about reciprocating the tolerance and understanding we are all supposed to practice in regards to the Muslim religion. We are not supposed to condemn an entire group for the actions of a "small" group among them. Agreed. So, where is this tolerance and understanding from that mosque? Nobody is denying them the right to build this "shrine", just questioning their choice of locations. It's not WHAT they want to do, it's WHERE they want to do it. Is that so unreasonable? Again- comparing pedophile priests to this situation is crazy. I NEVER said it was the government's role to step in and stop this. NEVER. I said just because something is LEGAL, does not make it wise. My opinion, but it makes perfect sense- If this Muslim group is truly concerned about encouraging tolerance, honoring those who died on 9/11, then there is NO way in the world they would be proposing this idea in the shadow of the WTC's. Personally, I don't buy it for a moment. Every religious group- and every nation for that matter- have "sacred" places that denote historic moments in their histories. We have monuments like the USS Arizona, Catholics, Muslims, Catholics, etc all have places they consider vital to their history. They can be places of great joy and triumph, or of great sadness. Why can't this Muslim group respect this? As for the racist flyers- bad analogy. If you commit a crime against a minority, whatever offense you are charged with can be escalated simply because of the hate crime laws. EVERY action has consequences- whether they be tangible or implied. We don't know what may happen, but does it take a psychic to figure out that a whole bunch of people would be majorly PO'd if this mosque/shrine was built. Everything from protests to vandalism, to much worse is entirely possible, and even likely. This isn't about punishment, it's about being sensitive to a country's feelings regarding a pivotal point in their history. Think of the thousands of years of battles being fought over places that one religion feels is their "sacred" grounds, or a vital part of their history. Can you honestly tell me that these folks do not understand objections folks have over this? Another strawman. I NEVER said anything about denying rights. NEVER. I NEVER said they should not build this structure, I questioned the wisdom (and their reasons) for the LOCATION they chose. If we are to believe their stated intentions, then what is the problem with erecting this shrine somewhere else? Why is it so important to build this within the shadow of a place where 3000 people were murdered? The terrorists are winning battles all the time, but not the war. We still do not abide by Sharia law here, Islam is still not the required religion, and women are still not considered property or second class citizens. THAT is their stated goal- to destroy our society and all infidels. The war rages on, and I see no end in sight.

How many of the known terrorist groups listed below are Muslim? Animal Liberation Front Army of God Black Liberation Army Environmental Life Force/Earth Liberation Front Jewish Defense League Ku Klux Klan Symbionese Liberation Army Weathermen I could list a boatload more groups, but only SOME of them are Islamic in nature.... And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31, King James Bible) Noah died 350 years after the Flood, at the age of 950, the last of the immensely long-lived antediluvian Patriarchs. The maximum human lifespan, as depicted by the Bible, diminishes rapidly thereafter, from as much as 900 years to the 120 years of Moses.

Great post Ruff. I will fill you guys in on what has gone on since I wrote this first post. This whole thing has blown up in my face, and may end up being a much bigger deal then I ever dreamed. I reported to my supervisor about this whole business about taking vitals, and a few days later I was told I had to have a meeting with HR on what they told me was a unrelated issue. Apparently, it was not an unrelated issue. When they had asked my partner about whether or not he took vitals, he told them that I probably only said that because he told me that I was an unsafe driver. He reported to them that He felt unsafe with me driving. This only came out after I reported him for not taking vitals. He never said anything to me about my driving, and I have had no complaints from any of the other people I have worked with, and I have even had compliments from patients. I have had no accidents, haven't hit anything, ran any lights or broken any laws, not even hit a curb. But apparently at this company, driving liability trumps patient care, and I am suspended from the drivers list for 6 months, no questions asked. As far as I know, there has been no disciplinary action towards my partner. I am still shocked by this whole thing. I was told that I can continue to work there, as the attendant, and in 6 months I can petition to have my driving privledges reinstated. I have decided that I can no longer be employed there. Part of this decision because it is a really long commute, and I will no longer be able to be transferred to where they promised. The other part is because I refuse to be associated with a company that will stand for this. As far as I know, they didn't take my claims of my partner not taking vitals nearly as seriously as they took me "being a bad driver". All this happened Friday so I am still processing it all, but I believe I may have to take this issue further. I am really disapointed in how this whole situation is turning out. I apologize for the long drawn out run on sentences, as this whole situation is touchy for me and makes my grammar go out the window.

Did you ever think that maybe there's a reason behind that? Look up unit cohesion. I'm sorry, but I've tried pretty hard here to be patient, consider your age and experience, support you, give you some slack and maybe explain to others where you might be coming from. But this crap just sounds whiney and immature. You do realize that you joined the ARMY, right? Not a fraternity or the golf team. So you had a bay for AIT, big deal! My entire enlistment, that bay at Ft Sam was the nicest quarters I had! Otherwise, I split time between a semi-insulated, unheated, open-rafter barracks built at the start of the Korean war and a cot in the corner of a chopper hanger. Then while deployed in the early days of FOBs, I saw a cot and tent a total of 14 times in 12 months, sleeping in abandoned buildings and in or under my truck. So excuse me if I don't sympathize with your irritation over living in a bay for 18 weeks. And passes? Yeah, those aren't a right, they are earned. And with the sorry excuse for discipline I see in the majority of new recruits... Too many females got raped? I'd say that's a major issue and damn good reason to clamp down on free time! Damn, you used to get passes pulled for not having your boots shined enough or because the DS decided the bay floor needed to be buffed. You don't like mass punishment. Do you understand the reason behind it? It's to get you into the mindset that you are a team - you live, work, and function as a unit. Particularly as a medic or infantry grunt, if you can't grasp that mindset, that concept of unit cohesion, you will fail. You or someone else will die. You might prefer an individual slap on the hand, but it's not preschool, it's the ARMY, and the Army is in the business of WAR, where slaps on the hand and individuals don't mean a damn thing. They are trying to prepare you for the reality of that. Instead of whining about it, maybe you should find the reasons behind it. Someone as "HOOAH" as you seem to be, proud of your uniform and preparing for a first deployment, you should be taking every opportunity to learn from people with experience, from your instructors, what it really takes to be a good soldier and a good medic. Everybody comes out of AIT feeling like they've conquered the world and are now johnny badass - you haven't and you're not. You should feel good, confident in what you have accomplished, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. The reality is that your education starts when you walk into your first unit. God Bless the "new Army." -SGT Boyce edited for formatting

Whether I have the same license as my partner or nor isn't really material. If I drive and my partner (Basic for the sake of argument) techs, and on the way to the hospital he performs a thoracotomy, that's on him. Many people drive trucks that they can't even see their partners in during transport- not that they should be taking their eyes off the road/mirrors anyway. But since we're talking about paperwork- everybody's name goes onto ours a matter of record, EMT numbers on the bubble side that goes to the state, but mine's the only signature, or my partner's, or whoever (if we happen to be running with a 3rd that day). If I teched and my partner drove, there's probably 2-3 sets of vitals and whatever treatments I provide to document, that my partner had zero to do with. And vice versa if the roles were reversed. If I ignore protocol and throw the patient a nitro with a BP of 80, my driver/partner is no more responsible for that than the hospital janitor.

I'll probably get in some kind of hot water for saying some of the things I'm about to say, but I just gotta... I'm fully with +medic on this one. If I see an accident, either happen right in front of me or on the side of the road with no EMS/response vehicles present, and it is safe for me to do so, I will stop. I always have a first aid kit, with several pairs of gloves, bandaging for open wounds, face mask for CPR, etc... in my car. I also have a road safety kit in my trunk (has flares, blankets, water bottles, etc. in it). Here at least, if you are certified in any form of EMS, you immediately have a duty to act if someone else has not yet done so. This duty can be taken care of by calling 911, or stopping to help, but I always stop to help. I've had one-too-many stops that ended up being a positive outcome to not continue stopping. Good Sam laws protect caregivers as long as their care was given within their scope-of-practice. So, as an EMT-B, if I have O2 in my car, I can administer it. If the person has been stung by bees and has a current Rx Epi-pen, I can administer it. I have to have already called for on-duty EMS, but I am covered as long as I am not providing care outside my training level. I'm hearing a lot of the "well, without my ambulance, I can't do anything...." mentality, but I think that's baloney. If you were only trained to provide care within the safe, controlled realm of an ambulance, what good are you to EMS? (This is the part that I figured would get me in some trouble...) I'm not pointing fingers, but if your skills are no good without an ambulance to perform them in, are your skills any good at all? I'm thinking no. I got into EMS because all my life -- literally since I was 13 -- accidents and trauma incidents have found their way to me, and I figured if this is going to continue happening, a little more training will at least prepare me for the inevitable. My boyfriend calls me the "PVR" (personal vacation ruiner) but I stop because if I don't, I will think about what would have happened. And when I apply it to the past incidents when I did stop, and reverse the outcome, I can't just drive by.

I'm not going to say i'd never stop to help, but it would have to be a very specific situation, and the circumstances would have to be 'perfect' in order for me to willing put myself into a potentially dangerous situation. A short while ago i arrived about 40 minutes early for an afternoon shift so i decided to go drive around the block to go to a Tim Horton's for a coffee and a sandwich to eat at base. Right at the intersection where the TH was, i saw a couple of cops in the intersection and a woman lying on the road a couple metres from a stopped car. She probably got hit. But I didn't know for certain, it was raining heavily so there was a good chance that she was hit. I weighed the options in my head and ultimately decided to drive by and forgo the coffee. Was it the right choice? For me yeah. Would it have looked bad if someone saw me drive by while in uniform? Probably, but i don't care about optics and luckily my car has a good tint job . I could also see one of our trucks coming up the road behind me, literally only about 60 seconds away from patient contact. My presence wouldn't have really done anything other than get me soaking wet and potentially late for work. It did cost me my coffee and sandwich though. A couple weeks ago I was Niagara Falls NY doing some crossborder shopping and we stumbled upon a fresh MVC, only ones on scene were PD. It looked relatively minor, but either way I didn't want to put myself into that particularly situation. So i drove on.

LOL i get -2 rep for talking about how the 232 medical battalion is, LOL. But yeah too many females got raped so they took our overnight passes and whatnot. Did you know 68w(medic) and 11B(Infantry) are the only people living in bays for AIT? Every other MOS gets 2 to 4 man rooms for AIT. Lol.