I have a LOT to say!

I have a LOT to say!

Well, I *was* doing a good job with the blog, but then life occurred and I haven’t really felt verbose.

Now that I’ve had a few days weeks to pause and reflect, I guess I’m ready now. Here is my mega-blog post……


How to double your debt in just two days

Being self-employed and healthy as a horse, I didn’t get too wound up over losing Tenncare. Prior to the last couple of months, I have been to the doctor or a hospital maybe 5 times in ten years. I have felt pretty run down since around the start of last winter (was that really a winter, but I digress).

So, I bit the bullet, and went to the doc. Best thing I’ve done for myself in a LONG time. Feel much better now. What’s that got to do with my debt load? I got food poisoning. I think. I felt ok. I ate lunch, then I felt nauseous. I have gotten sick eating once or twice, it passes. A little upset stomach, some diarrhea, good to go.

After I had lain in the bathroom floor, frozen and sweating, afraid to move lest liquids spew forth from both ends of the gullet, the idea that maybe it was time for a hospital trip germinated. Picture this: I limped into the ER waiting area in a pair of shorts and I honestly can’t remember what or if I had a shirt on. It’s almost snowing outside.

Did I mention this is where my girlfriend works? Here I am, somewhere in the hospital, with one hand holding a bucket and the other covering my eyes (I was truly afraid that my puking was going to bust an eye blood vessel and I couldn’t figure out how to keep them from popping out of my head) in a hospital gown. I’m puking and trying to say hi to the girlfriends’ coworkers. I made a great impression.

So, they decide to keep me. I am too weak to say no. 8 bags of fluid, a half a dozen doses of phenegran and something they give chemo patients to keep them from being sick, I was well enough to start telling them I needed to go home.

8 bags of IV fluid, the aforementioned drugs, a non-ER room for a night and a day, and seeing a couple of doctors – FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS. That ain’t a typo. They are giving me a discount because I’m uninsured. So, three thousand dollars. I don’t have three thousand dollars.

So, here’s what I’ve learned: Phenergan will take away your ability to vomit, but not your urges. You can spend two grand a day on a room somewhere and not see the first boob. It’s hard to poop wired to an infusion pump. I appreciate all the help I got, but hell far, you know what I could do with three grand?

WTF happened to Larry Hunter?

I was on the election campaign staff to elect Larry Hunter Knox County (TN) Sheriff. I am still not totally sure. I know things were going well; staff meetings were upbeat. We had gotten a LOT of verbal support. People were waiting with the money until we filed. We were waiting to file, because we were concerned someone might counterfile. Waiting to the last minute was a good tactic to prevent this. It is true that his wife Janie has been ill. But, being a retired Detective herself, she not only NOT let it stop her, she was a prime motivator the whole campaign.

I don’t know now, and probably never will, why Larry chose the day he did to throw in the towel. I do know that he has felt very down about it ever since. Janie, especially, for obvious reasons.

I want it known that Janie had no influence on Larry’s decision. That’s a step a husband made to protect his wife.

I also know a few other things, too – Larry is not a shill for Tim Hutchison. I have been quietly approached several times and asked; “Was he a plant for hutch, so that noone else would run?” NO. Did he quit because Tyree announced? No. That’s a strange one. We all knew the former Mayor was ineligible when he went public. Prior to going public, he had told Hunter he was square behind his run for Sheriff.

Was Larry threatened / run off? Not sure, but I don’t think so.

I did then, and still do now, think that Hunter would have been out next Sheriff. We will never know now, but he stands by his decision, and, so do I.



Shawn’s endorsements for the elections

Stealing the line from Batman; “this region needs an enema”. I publicly stand behind the following people:

Roane County Sheriff – Gene McClure  ( www.mcclureforsheriff.com )
Loudon County Sheriff – Steve Cook ( www.stevecookforsheriff.com )
Knox County Sheriff – anybody but Tim Hutchison

I base my endorsements on carefully analyzing the incumbents and their challengers. These picks are the best choice based on their past track record, their political platform, and who they are politically tied to (as best as I can tell). These people also have the backing of a LOT of the Officers in their jurisdictions, too. You won’t see many active duty Police Officers publicly state this though – we are an at-will state, and retribution is very, very common. It is time to take these departments in a new direction. People need to get tough on meth labs. It’s time to let the Patrolmen loose to increase patrols in the more rural areas and zap DUI’s. It’s time to quit going after the little fish, and start taking out the big ones. It’s time to weed out the few bad employee apples in the majority of the good ones.

Do you think the incumbents are doing the better job? Have you looked around with a critical eye lately? You most likely know the victim of a recent crime. Do you feel like everything was done to help? When is the last time you’ve read of a major crime ring busted around here? Or a drug ring? Or an anything ring? Has organized crime just dropped off the face of the Earth?

It is time to make some changes.

Remember that the primary elections are going to be the decisive factor in many races. YOU can make a difference. Elections have had poor turnouts, and several were decided by a small margin (last Knox Sheriff’s elections, the winner was only around 1200 votes ahead of the challenger. The department has 1100 members, to give you an idea of the population base).

GET OUT AND VOTE!