The Daily Scribe

As her father and brother-in-law took turns pumping the 7-foot-long, 750-pound machine she was encased in, Dianne Odell, 61 clung to life.

The Odell’s home, located in Jackson, a small town in Tennessee, which is about 90 miles northeast of Memphis had lost power in a thunderstorm around 3 a.m. The emergency generator did not start, and as both men took turns pumping the iron lung manually, Dianne Odell died.

Dianne had been confined to the iron lung machine from the age of three when she was paralyzed by bulbospinal polio. Doctors had informed the Odell’s that their daughter would not live very long, but she proved them all wrong.

Although encased in the cylindrical metal chamber, with only her head protruding from it, Dianne was able to live a very productive life. Her father, Freeman Odell, who worked for a telephone company, installed an intercom system that connected their home to Jackson Central-Merry High School, so Dianne could participate in classes from her bedroom.

She also took classes from Freed-Hardeman University in Henderson, Tennessee, but debilitating health concerns forced Dianne to quit before earning her degree. She eventually received an honorary degree from the university.

Dianne wrote a children’s book, (with the help of a voice-activated computer), about a tiny star that wanted to be a wishing star. She also helped out with local political campaigns, making phone calls for senators. She even tutored children and spoke at the Rotary Club.

Dianne spent 58 years inside an iron lung … and accomplished so much from that prone position. No more noises are heard from the electric motor that used to power the iron lung, which pumped air in and out of Dianne Odell’s body.

All may be quiet in the Odell’s home … but the memory of a woman, who refused to give in to polio … lives on.

God Bless you Dianne … heaven has just received a very powerful Angel.

 

 

Perhaps it was wishful thinking on the part of Hillary Rodham Clinton that some tragedy would befall Barack Obama——paving the way for her to claim the nomination.

They are some who have argued that it was a slip of the tongue or simply that Hillary misspoke … while others blame the media for taking the point that she attempted to make entirely out of context.

Rather than expound on what I have already written, I provided the links:

http://bbooth.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/what-one-does-speaks-so-loudly/

http://bbooth.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/what-if/

 What I will endeavor to do however is to extrapolate from what is known thus far and leave it up to you to draw your own conclusion.

Where the seed may have been planted:

On January 8^th a retired New Hampshire teacher while introducing Hillary Clinton made this statement:

“If you look back, some people have been comparing one of the other candidates to JFK, and he was a wonderful leader,” said the teacher. “But he was assassinated, and Lyndon Baines Johnson actually did all of his work and got both the Republicans and Democrats to pass those measures.”

The idea begins to germinate:

After the Indiana and North Carolina primaries Mrs. Clinton made the following statement:

“Sometimes you have to calm people down a little bit. But if you look at successful presidential campaigns, my husband did not get the nomination until June of 1992. I remember tragically when Senator Kennedy won California near the end of that process.”

Nurturing the seed…

“Primary contests used to last a lot longer,” Mrs. Clinton told Time magazine on March 6. “We all remember the great tragedy of Bobby Kennedy being assassinated in June in L.A. My husband didn’t wrap up the nomination in 1992 until June. Having a primary contest go through June is nothing particularly unusual.”

The conflicting issue here is that the campaign she’s so fond of alluding to started later than this one and Bill Clinton unofficially had locked up the nomination in March, when the last serious opponent dropped out.

Awaiting the harvest…

Friday afternoon (May 23), she told the editorial board of the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Argus Leader that “My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don’t understand it,” she said.

The Deception…

“The Kennedys have been much on my mind in the last days because of Sen. [Edward] Kennedy, and I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation and particularly for the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that whatsoever,” Clinton added. 

As you have no doubt seen … the statement had been made many times before. Is Hillary trying to make us believe that she uttered this statement because Senator Kennedy was on her mind?

In her letter to the Daily News to allay the outrage that yet another one of her incendiary remarks has caused——Mrs. Clinton claims that she leads in popular votes. What she failed to point out is that her lead includes the tally from the disputed Florida and Michigan primaries.

Based on what has transpired … more questions are being raised as to why Mrs. Clinton is still in the race.

By all means … Senator Clinton should continue. How else would the up and coming future women leaders learn what not to do to get elected?

Years from now when historians looked back on the Clinton campaign … despite all of her achievements——she will probably be likened to a cantankerous dinner guest, who you wished would have had the common sense to leave … five minutes before you wanted her to.

 

 

 

 

 

It has been said that one can never go home again——this was never more evident than in the death of Marine Staff Sgt. Travis N. “T-Bo” Twiggs.

Sgt. Twiggs had served his country well. Four tours in Iraq, one in Afghanistan, but when it came time for the debt to be repaid, it seems as if the country, he fought so hard for … let him down.

Last month Staff Sgt. Twiggs and a group of Iraq war veterans (Wounded Warriors Regiment) went to the White House to meet the president.

“Sir, I’ve served over there many times,” Sgt Twiggs said, “and I would serve for you anytime.”

He concluded his statement by grabbing the president and giving him a big hug. Sadly, Sgt. Twiggs loyalty was not returned. When he needed help to combat his affliction with PTSD, the medical treatment he received was gravely inadequate.

Sgt. Twiggs wrote of the ordeal of trying to win the war against PTSD in the January issue of the Marine Corps Gazette. http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/

“Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic events that may trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults, natural or human-caused disasters, accidents, or military combat.” http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml

The symptoms would disappear when Staff Sgt. Twiggs began his tour of duty, but came back stronger each time he returned home.

His wife Kellee Twiggs stated in a telephone interview:

“All this violent behavior, him killing his brother, that was not my husband. If the PTSD would have been handled in a correct manner, none of this would have happened.”

Mrs. Twiggs went on to say that her husband was treated in the psychiatric ward at Bethesda Medical Center and then sent for four months to a Veterans Affairs Department facility.

After so many successful tours of duty … Marine Staff Sgt. Twiggs, perhaps unable to deal with the alienation he felt towards those closest to him——took his and the life of his brother after an 80 miles chase on Interstate 8 in southwestern Arizona.

Perhaps, Sgt. Twiggs is finally at peace. He served his country valiantly——but discovered too late that when he needed help, to win the war that raged within him … there was no place to call home.

 

As the ground, shook beneath her … Wang Xiaoni rushed back to her apartment. Her safety didn’t matter at the moment. On her mind was the well-being of her baby and mother.

Wang Xiaoni worst nightmare gripped her as she saw the apartment building in rubbles. Trapped underneath it all——her 56-year-old mother, as well as her 5-month-old son.

She cried out to anyone who would listen … but it seemed as if her voice echoed into empty space. Perhaps, others did hear her pleas for help, but numb from the earthquake, which accounted for the loss of 15,000 lives in DUJIANGYAN, China so far, were powerless to act.

Finally, help comes … a truck full of soldiers. As they cordoned off the area and try to extricate the ones buried in the rubble——Wang Xiaoni, 26 … silently prays. She hopes against all odds that her baby and mother are fine.

What seems like endless hours slowly pass——no one has been brought out alive.

As she clings to a sliver of hope…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Mother’s Day…

We had some friends visit us today in celebration of Mother’s Day. My usual, well ordered household was being overrun with the inexhaustible energy of young children. To return the house to some semblance of sanity, I suggested that they watch a movie.

They chose one of our family’s favorite … Mary Poppins.

I’ve seen this movie an incalculable number of times. But on this particular day … chosen to honor women, who through their tireless efforts brought children into the world or for others, who adopted them——it was as if I was watching the movie for the very first time.

Glynis Johns … in the role of Mrs. Banks (dauntless crusader for women votes) was singing “Sister Suffragette” and it started me thinking…

What if…?

Hillary Clinton would have understood her role in shaping history?

She could have identified with the young college educated women of this generation——women … who would not allow themselves to be shackled with the rhetoric of yesteryear?

She would have ran her campaign to embrace the diversity of a nation … rather than covertly trying to prey on its fears and prejudices?

She would have understood that America was primed and ready to accept a “Woman” as President … but through her questionable statements and actions … has cast a disparaging cloud on whether women can be an influential voting bloc that turns elections?

Never has there been such a grandeur stage … for a woman to achieve immortality——all of it now——slipping from grasp … because of a question of character.

“The circumstances by which you live, determine your reputation … but the truth you believe … determines your character.”

As the Mother’s Day celebration winds down in my household … I can still hear Glynis Johns singing “Sister Suffragette.”

 I’m left to ponder, how different things could have been for Hillary Clinton, had she simply asked…

What if…?

 

After the results of the Indiana primary, three minutes into her victory speech … Hillary Clinton appealed to her supporters that she needed an infusion of money to continue:

“I need your help to continue our journey. This has always been your campaign, and this is your victory because your support has meant the difference between winning and losing.”

What was most perplexing about Senator Clinton’s comments——her use of the words our journey. In a time when most Americans are struggling with the state of the economy, Mrs. Clinton has loaned her campaign $11.4 million.

Perhaps it was at the request of her supporters.

A campaign funded by contributions from the populace has always been a good barometer for candidates to gauge, not only their level of support, but also their constituents desire to see them continue.

What does the following say about Hillary Clinton’s campaign: she contributed $5 million in February, $5 million April 11, $1 million May 1^st and $425,000 on May 5^th.

Seems as if the needs of one … far outweigh the needs of many.

No longer is the rhetoric to see a democrat in the White House——unless of course, it’s Mrs. Clinton. The derisive overtones, incendiary remarks, and questions of electability … all covertly done with one purpose——to cast a disparaging light on her political adversary to secure the nomination for herself.

Is this our journey that she was alluding to?

A house divided will never stand——neither will a campaign that is built on deceit.

One doesn’t have to look too far, to figure out why the money to support Senator Clinton’s campaign has been waning. The issue has never been one of electability—— but more of integrity.

Exit polls have shown….There’s growing sentiment that Hillary Clinton can’t be trusted. Contrary to the public’s perception of her exhuming skeletons from the closet of her political rival … Mrs. Clinton seems willing to provide opponents with a glimpse into her own as well:

·         Her insistence of support for weapons inspections, not war in Iraq. Although her speeches advocated action against Saddam Hussein … and she voted to authorize the use of force.

·         She agreed that Michigan and Florida primaries result shouldn’t be counted because they violated party rules … but has done a complete turnaround to help her campaign.

·         She claimed that her opponent wavers on his stance of NAFTA … but failed to acknowledge that she was in favor of it.

·         Hillary Clinton asserted that she help to broker peace in Northern Ireland … but no one can recall her in a negotiator role. Surely the empty park in Belfast, which was supposed to be filled with the laughter of catholic and protestant children, can attest to that fact.

·         The pregnant woman who lost her baby and subsequently her life because of a lack of medical coverage….Mrs. Clinton had to recant the story because it was told to her and she never corroborated the facts.

·         Senator Clinton claims that she and daughter faced danger on their trip to Bosnia … but later clarified that she misspoke about the incident.

The question in Hillary Clinton’s television ad should never have been … who do you want answering the phone at 3 a.m. But once it’s picked up, who do you trust … to make the right decision?

 

Roger Clemens apologized…

No one seems to know what for.

What was clear however, the mistakes that he was apologizing for … had nothing to do with his professional life as a baseball player.

If this is in fact true——why burden the public with it?

Amidst the improprieties on the field, with alleged use of steroids and HGH, come new revelations of adulterous affairs.

Roger Clemens has no one to blame but himself for his fall from grace. His defamation lawsuit against Brian McNamee is what opened this Pandora’s Box.

Rather than rehash a worn out story, let’s look at this from a different perspective. Baseball fans are divided on whether Roger Clemens is innocence or guilty of allegedly using steroids and HGH. As well they should be … nothing has been proven.

If Clemens wants to apologize to his family for personal mistakes, so be it. But baseball fans who have idolized him——should take a page from his book and apologize to their families as well.

If you admired Roger Clemens for his ability on the baseball field, spoke to your child about emulating his work ethics and stopped right there … you should be commended.

But for others——blind admiration for Clemens, led him to take their rightful place, as a role model in their children’s lives … a burden that should never be placed on any athlete.

The demands of playing requires a baseball player to be away from home more times than not. If they cannot be home to be a role model to their own children…

What makes them capable of being one for yours?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The life of Katherin Shuffield has been irrevocably changed forever.

She pleaded for someone to help her.

Katherin laid helpless in a pool of blood … shot in the abdomen by a mask bandit, while he robbed the Huntington Bank Branch located on 2030 N. Post Road, in Indianapolis.

The thought that consumed her wasn’t about herself, but the safety of her babies.

Katherin at the time of the shooting was five months pregnant.

Her assailant, if caught—won’t be tried for murder.

Under Indiana Law, the fetus has to be seven months old. So as Katherin weeps for the lost of her twins, lawmakers debate what charges should be brought against the suspect, who remains at large.

As prayers and sentiments from well-wishers cascade upon Katherin and her husband Jason … a disturbing thought comes to mind.

Throughout out this ordeal, there has been no mention of the perpetrator lurking in the shadows.

The entity that has decided to remain quiet …

Offering no words of comfort to the Shuffields, why after three robberies … in a span of a year——nothing has been done.

In this case their silence speaks volumes…

A bank is where one goes to ensure the safety of their hard earned money. It’s taken for granted that the bank will make certain to safeguard the capital you’ve entrusted them with.

In the case of the Huntington Branch Bank ——one has to think long and hard, if they want to deposit their money with a bank…

Who put a woman and her unborn children … in harm’s way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Republican Party is beside itself with bliss over the disparaging state of affairs that has assailed the democratic presidential nomination process.

The constituents and the concerns of how to right this ship——embroiled in anarchy, innuendos, and racial rhetoric … are no longer the cornerstone of the democratic party.

What seems to be of significant importance … how to smear and discredit our political adversary, so that our candidacy can be seen in a better light?

The verbiage that the Democratic Party uses—— if it weren’t for the economic turmoil, the loss of American soldiers, and how the United States is viewed around the world, would be almost comical. Some members have intimated that this petulant and derisive struggle to elect a democratic presidential nominee only serves to strengthen the party.

Worse, is the political fodder propagated by the media:

Their coverage of Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.’s sermons … tends to lend credibility to the conjecture, that the congregation was reduced to the level of pigs, which he led on a ring, attached to a chain, embedded in their snouts.

If the predilection of the superdelegates and the constituents they serve ——prohibits them from voting for a candidate because of the hue of their skin or their gender … they should stop this farce and cast their votes now.

Otherwise, no need for an election——hand the White House’s keys … to John McCain now.

What’s eight more years?

 

 

It was as if a million souls cried out in unison. The verdict had been handed down in the shooting death of Sean Bell. The three officers had been acquitted. I didn’t realize what was going on, until I happened to overhear several phone conversations.

The rancor with which the men spoke—— clearly depicted that they thought this was 1999 all over again.

Different victim … same results.

They didn’t question how could this happen. They simply stated the obvious … at least, the way they saw it.

New York City was hell-bent on annihilating Black Men.

This view can be interpreted in so many ways … but nothing to the extent of a racial killing. Two of the officers involved in the shooting of Mr. Bell were also African-American.

The truth concerning the events of that ill-fated night, perhaps will never be truly known. The different accounts by both sides, makes it increasingly difficult to understand what really happened.

The defense chose to paint the men has drunken thugs … while prosecutors portrayed the officers as a frightened and disorganized group.

Was it a bachelor party gone wrong?

Was it an overreaction by police, which led to the use of excessive and deadly force?

Neither of which delves into the disturbing trend that threatens to sever the already contentious and frayed relationship … between NYC’s finest—— and the citizens, they have sworn to protect…