THE_DITCH_DOCTOR

I don't see why we should reduce Iraq to a smoking crater. They did nothing to us to provoke the US led invasion, and they simply want us out. I agree we should bring our soldiers, sailors and airmen home and hang those responsible for all the atrocities that have occurred as a direct and allegedly direct response to 9-11, on both sides. I do feel that I should perhaps clarify my earlier statement about the pre-voting test, just so that I am not labeled as being unfair. I was thinking of something along the lines of: Who are the two senators from your state? Who is your Representative in Congress? Who is the governor? Name two of your county (or city) council members Who is the mayor of your town? Who is the police chief (or county sheriff)? Name four of the nine Supreme Court Justices Something to prove that you are paying attention to what happens in this nation. Being a troglodytic hermit when it comes to current affairs is an option, but if you chose that route you should be held to your decision and your opinion should not count because it's not an informed decision. This information is not hard to come across if people put a little effort into it. If you don't deem it necessary to be well informed before opening your mouth, then don't expect me to give you any more of my attention than I absolutely have to.

I choose to take the advice my grandfather gave me and not get into an fight with someone who is obviously unarmed when you yourself are well armed. It's just not sporting.

SHP, I didn't realize you had a philosophical side. Nicely put.

Wow....I don't know what else to say but Wow.... Nicely put Dixie/Alco.

Here it's blue/white or blue only for FF's; green/white or green only for EMS only personnel; for FF/EMT's it can be: -Blue only (most common) -Blue/white, -Green only -Green/white -Green/Blue -Green/Blue/White

The only reason I have a lightbar on my truck is for when I am stopped on accident scenes. It does some small part of giving warning to approaching drivers- people here are generally very good about moving over or slowing way down because of how stringently enforced the law about that is. Unless I really, really need to I don't turn the light on while moving.

Don't. Lightbars are a waste of money for the most part. They don't get you there any quicker and only make you look like a Randy Rescue.

If your department says you don't need one, you don't need one. Trust me, they don't get you there any quicker. Besides if you push the issue, you're just likely to piss the officers at your department off (and still not get what you want) and that is the last thing you want to do, especially as a new member. Good luck at your new department.

Yes, I was in the Air Force. So? That doesn't mean I support the invasion of a country that was no direct threat to us. In fact, I used to hold much the same attitude you did until I went in the military (I actually respected Bush a little up until he invaded Iraq). I've been in the service, I've seen how it operates and I must say that because I had the nerve to serve my country, I have far more of a right to say what I believe than does someone who has never worn a military uniform. If you think the US has such great humanitarian programs, look at Guantanamo and what Bush would like to do to his own citizens who disagree with him which can be summed up in two words: Patriot Act. Fair comparisons could be drawn between that document, which I believe did stem from fear of the unknown more than any tangible perceived threat, and the Ermächtigungsgesetz (The Enabling Act) passed by the Nazis after the election of Adolf Hitler as Chancellor. The comparisons to Hitler pretty much end right there (other than the fact that he and Bush could be classified as sociopaths), because Hitler was originally elected in a fair election (unlike Bush's first time around), Hitler became a drug addict AFTER coming to office (unlike Bush who was a cocaine addict and alcoholic with multiple DUIs), Hitler was at least moderately intelligent (although, like Bush, he was totally out of touch with reality), etc. Voting is not a right, it's a privilege- you can lose your ability to vote under certain circumstances. I'm not saying that you should not be allowed to vote because of ethnicity, race, creed, color, etc. I'm suggesting that we require at least a moderate level of awareness to events and some degree of basic education. There's nothing civil rights oriented about this, it is about someone being able to meaningfully participate in our society. Do you see my point? The invasion of Afghanistan was called for- we went after those who attacked us. The action against Iraq was not warranted in the slightest. There was not (and still is not) any concrete evidence that Saddam was a direct threat to us. The Saudis had more to do with 9-11 than probably anyone else but we didn't kick their door in- we went after the man who liked to most openly poke fun at Bush and his father. Yes he did all manner of horrible things to his own people, but they were not willing to rise up against me- and don't feed me the line that they didn't have the ability. Everyone in that country was armed, better than any American. We won our freedom from the most powerful country on the planet because we wanted it. I've seen nothing to show that the average Iraqi wanted us to force them to become a representational democracy. We can't make it work anything beyond barely functioning in this country, so why do we need to make every country on the planet a democracy- which will never happen. It's a pipe dream from a delusional sociopath.

OK, I'll admit the Republican comment was a bit out of line. As for the election being a punishment for crimes- that's like saying that we should let Saddam off the hook now that he's out of office. Personally the last election was a joke because we can't keep the uneducated and easily frightened masses away from the polls. Democracy in action the Republicans called it- fear mongering is all their campaign amounted to. >60% of Americans believe Iraq was behind 9-11....gee, I wonder who planted that idea in their thick heads. Further proof I think that argues for requiring people to take and pass a test of world affairs and other topics before being allowed any where even NEAR a voting booth. And no, the judge threw out England's plea agreement because he felt that she was getting off too easily by claiming that she was just following orders Yes, you punish ALL those who are guilty- from the top all the way to the bottom. It won't happen but it does change the fact that it should. If you're given an unlawful order, you're still guilty if you follow it. I seem to remember that being taught to all of us in basic training. As for America being better than any country out there- yes, it could be much worse, but there are places with a much better track record for the things that count (human rights, etc) than we've had recently. The only thing no one can top American on is being a good source of fodder for comedians and the ability to bomb people of different religious and ethnic backgrounds who have done little to deserve it.

Ah....and I bet you're a card carrying Republican too..... Yeah, he is a scumbag, but we've got more than a few of those ourselves- Bush, Cheney, Lyndie England, Rumsfeld, etc. I don't hear you calling for them to be hung high for their crimes.

I retract my earlier statement about the best possible course of action: The best thing that could have happened in this call to start with would have been for the ambulance to have been delayed by a train or traffic.

Yeah, they require the Hippocratic Oath, but most forget- PRIMUM, NON NOCERE (the first tenet of the Oath in Latin- First, do no harm). I'm sorry but the life expectancy of a Down's patient is about 40-50 years and the quality of life just isn't there. Apparently the family didn't have a problem with withdrawing care in this case and therefore I don't have a problem with it. I'm sorry but I don't look at this as a save. There are just times where the quality of the life you are "saving" is more important than the fact you did.

It's not faux-patriotism, it's realism. We're no better than anyone else, and I realize that- it's partly the "We're Americans and we're always right attitude" that got us in this mess to begin with. I don't fault the soldiers, sailors and airman- I fault the leadership- I tear bumper stickers off cars, I take down any recruiting displays I see, and I spit at anyone at or above of the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The soldiers who do things aren't acting alone or independently- there is a pervasive sense of retribution in the military, always has, always will be and it starts with the monkey in the White House. I didn't say there was one difference between us- there are many differences, but that's not the point. The point is that you seem to believe that the US military is a humanitarian force, only there to spread the good will and cheer that is American style living- sorry, wrong- the first role of any soldier is to kill as many members of the enemy population as possible as effectively as possible so they are no longer a threat. The problem is the press, most people can stomach killing, so long as they don't have to directly see it as the press deems it necessary in this war. I'll bet you might first born that if reporters were reined in during the terrorist action in Iraq, like they had been in previous engagements the US has been involved with, then we wouldn't be handing this conversation. Remember, Al Qaeda is not a government- it's a group: think of it as a group along the lines of the Christian Coalition only with AK-47's and car bombs, instead of Jerry Falwell and bible thumpers. I didn't have a problem with us going after those who attacked us- and I don't have a problem with torturing people who have information but I do have a problem with Americans having a holier than thou attitude because of their nationality, that we're some how purer, more virtuous and less vile than any other invading force that has ever seized territory for our own gain (and I mean Iraq, not Afghanistan- Iraq was purely for profit and Bush's getting his jollies off, whereas going after Afghanistan was because that's where the people who attacked us were). And why not say what you are thinking? What is wrong with saying what you believe?

But then again, we'd "never seen" soldiers act like the people at Abu Ghraib- just because you didn't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Viet Nam vets I know will admit to cutting the ears off of people they suspected of working with the enemy as a way of marking them. So much for the righteous and noble liberators huh? I don't believe that suddenly in this war we've spawned an entire group of mindless, uncaring "evil" soldiers- it's just that the stuff that has ALWAYS happened on every side during war time has been able to be publicized and not suppressed by the powers that be. The Romans engaged in terror (Hell, they practically perfected it), the Visigoths did it, the Huns did it, the French did it (to their own people of course), the English did it on a few occasions, the Catholic Church has done it numerous times, the current elder German generation is notorious for it, so why should be we be viewed as somehow better than every other group that has ever existed? Oh, wait, I know- because we're Americans. :roll:

I don't see anything out of line with the decision that was made. The patient had an incurable disease with neurological complications. Personally I think the best thing they could have done was to limit the resuscitative efforts- yes, it would have been nice to have a "save" but you have to stop and think about what the patient's long term prognosis would have been- even a neurologically normal person has a low chance of survival without gross complications even with short down times, doubly so with head trauma, let alone who started out with the mental capacity of probably no more than a 5 or 6 year old. Sad but true, the best thing that could have probably been done for this patient is for them to be allowed to die.

Vote please

For the 2005 Medic Choice Awards

Richard B., I do believe you've officially revealed yourself as the oldest person on this forum.

Given our latest arrival (LFC) to the world of Chat, and her outlandish stories and proselytizing, what is everyone's opinion? Is she full of it? Is she crazy? Is she telling the truth? Is she crazy and full of it? Remember, it's a private poll. No one will know how you voted. If you don't know who I'm talking about, then I guess you'll have to com hang around in chat and see for yourself. It won't take you long to figure out of whom I am speaking.

I am the sh-t magnet. Where ever I go mass casualty incidents are sure to follow.

S- Slow B- Boring Q- Quiet

Can't speak for Pennsylvania, but for Illiana (eastern Illinois/western Indiana) my first choice for trauma definitive care would be Carle Hospital in Champaign/Urbana, IL. I would not want to go to Wishard Trauma Center in Indianapolis. They suck.

My pack is set up like a SAR medical bag (it's actually in a Kelty hiking pack) so it's very manageable (whole thing might weigh 8 lbs). I don't carry everything in it either, only the stuff I need ASAP. Everything else is in another bag and box (with my turnout gear) in my truck should I need it. The O2 tank (when I have them) are in their own sleeve. Like I said, the "duty units" are an average of 20-25 minutes away (and that's volunteers- no guarantee you're going to get anyone (from my department by the way)) especially during the day time and the ambulance takes an hour to arrive if things are going well. Don't have much choice then do I? I'm treating my patient's in accordance with my department's protocols until backup arrives. Pure and simple.

No, not at all. It's just being well prepared. Remember some of the places where my family lives is 25 minutes from even non-transport BLS and over an hour from an ambulance. I'm also a colossal sh-t magnet when it comes to trauma so I have this desire to not be caught off guard. Oh, and I was told by a friend of mine who works for the state that if I put the right insurance on my vehicle, a Combitube, a suction unit (the two turkey basters I carry now apparently don't meet the standards set forth by the state), an AED, a few other items (traction splint, backboards, KED, etc) and find myself a medical director I can switch my blue lights for red ones because I will have met all the requirements of a Basic EMT level non-transport unit. No, this is not excessive at all.