Look at what other countries pay per gallon of unleaded gasoline: London= $6.50 per gallon. Oslo= $7.41 Copenhagen= $6.89  Rome= $6.44  Hong Kong= $6.87,  Seattle= $3.76 and on and on. As much as 75% of the cost of gasoline in countries other than the U.S. is because of taxes, but as you can see it's much lower in the United States.

 The economy of the United States is about to fail-completely-because the U.S. dollar is about to collapse and international price valuations will find another currency as the basis. When that happens, Communist China's Yuan will be the likely winner in the currency game. When, not if, the U.S. Dollar is cast aside it will be worth, ready? NOTHING! 

Right now the U.S. government is playing a dicey game by praying for inflation and a somewhat but not a catastrophic devaluation of its currency. Inflation and debt to other countries is inversely related: The more the inflation, the less the dollar is worth, the less that debt. The U.S. Dollar also has an inverse relationship with the prices of precious metals or industrial metals like copper and aluminum: same thing, the U.S. Dollar falls the price of gold, silver and the industrial metals increase in value Today, copper and aluminum is stolen from communications cables, plumbing fixtures-even breaking in to homes to steal copper plumbing lines. Most of the thefts now are committed by addicts. But as those metals increase in value the ordinary person needing food, shelter and medicines may resort to doing the same.  Right now these metals are a good place to put your money, especially silver, copper, aluminum, platinum, lead and even scrap iron. The last two will increase in value because a collapsing U.S. Dollar means these metals will become increasingly more expensive to mine. That results in a basic economic principle: supply vs. demand. Supply falls because the cost of production soars. That increases demand and the value of that which there is a low supply increases. However, don't count on gold to be a currency. The reason is because a currency is what people agree on to be a medium of exchange. In the case of gold, the current price is more than most folks can afford so that's out as a medium of exchange. Sure it will work for awhile but I think in global economic catastrophe it's worthless.

I’m not a prophet, dooms-dayer or survivalist. I’m not hiding out in the woods of Montana waiting for the “guberment” to pry my “cold dead-hands from my gun. I’m a regular guy who is worried, very worried. Like most of you, I know when I’m standing too close to the railroad tracks so I do what’s necessary to stay safe. Here are the things I’m doing to do, WHEN, the economy crashes; remember, I haven’t said ‘if’:

 Right now, this very minute, the price of food is increasing. The increases are caused by many of the things I discussed above: increased fuel prices, increased demand (always because of decreased supply) and inflation. As I write this, hyper-inflation is rearing its ugly head on the horizon. Remember what happened to the price of bread in some Soviet-Bloc countries right after the collapse of communism? Money was virtuously worthless. Bread in Romania increased a thousand times in value even if a loaf could be found.

 Do this: take a pencil and walk to the nearest grocery store and note the price for these items: bread, milk, butter, peanut butter, flour, sugar and salt. I specifically used peanut butter for a reason I’ll share later.  On the way back see what the price is at the gas station. I want you then check those prices one week later and see what they’ve done. I used the items above because I consider them Index Foods and what I mean by that is they are the basics and they are used in many other foods. I’ll bet the costs of those items have increased during that week. When the U.S. Dollar crashes food prices will soar and I believe this will lead to food riots and break-in at grocery stores.

 As the food shortage grows across the country people will become more lawless because desperation abides no rules or laws. Desperation will spread like a fast moving cancer and police will not be able to control rioters. In fact, they will be right along side because food shortages will hit them too. Here’s the beginning of the really bad part, who will always have money to do anything it wants? Here’s a hint- they own big, big printing presses. Right, the federal government and they will use Martial Law to do quash civil unrest. The folks will be further inflamed and acts of violence will increase exponentially. This however, will pale in comparison to the next phase of the civil unrest.I believe the United States is very close to another civil war and it will happen because of political beliefs. While this piece is not about political parties but catastrophic events soon to come, there is a reason for these events and it is political. The Democratic Party is intentionally driving the country off the cliff and they will do so as long as they stay in power. They don’t care about the economy or the calamity this country faces. I like many am preparing for the worse and this is what I am doing to safe guard my wife and I until things get better, hopefully. Our children have husbands and I know one of them knows what I predict. Before I begin to tell you what I’m doing I want to underscore that RATIONING is the operative word.

Here goes:

I have 100 gallons of drinking water in 10 gallon containers. I cleaned the containers with chlorine then rinsed it. To keep the water clean I use a little chlorine. When I run out I will use purification tablets as well as boiling the water

 I have a two-burner propane stove and two large propane tanks. Cooking is for emergency only because the food I have in cans is quite good cold. Remember again, my preparations are for survival and will be rationed between my wife and I.

Protein is important to the functioning of the human body so I have nearly 20 pounds of peanut butter and enough Saltine crackers to last three months. I also bought strawberry, raspberry a grape jellies and preserves to go with it. It might get tiring eating peanut butter but it’s a great source of protein and it will keep you alive. Since all the food is for a true emergency I’ve included other things that might be considered drastic but it’s easily stored and packed with vitamins and essential minerals and best of all it’s safe. I’m referring to dry dog food. Get past the taste, which when smothered with peanut butter isn’t all that bad. Alright, I haven’t tasted it and I’ll probably puke a couple of times but I have about 100 pounds of it. To put things in a little perspective, read the ingredients. Remember it has been cooked and is mostly cereal.

I have three month’s worth of canned foods between us of canned ravioli in tomato sauce. These foods are good and have carbohydrates and proteins. Check your local dollar store for these or a commercial grocery supplier for the best price. In total I have enough food to last three months and longer if necessary. With the food and survival drinking water secure, I turned to other supplies.

In my survival bag which is a surplus duffle bag, I have a first aid kit containing Band-Aids, panty liners and sanitary napkins, (great compresses) iodine, scissors, elastic bandages a couple of hemostats (medical clamps) an emergency survival blanket and antibiotic ointment I keep these items in Large Ziplock bags and it’s enough to last a long time. it’s important to have an all-purpose tool, a bow saw with extra blades, a machete, heavy duty hammer, galvanized nails, a large knife like the military K-Bar or hunting knife, a pocket knife, a large roll of heavy duty twine, several bags of steel wool and several 9v batteries (for fire building use pieces of the steel wool with kindling. The battery applied to the steel wool will light it. In the bag I also have stick matches and folding matches. The folding matches I got at the local casino and they are available in many places for free. I keep a compass in the bag mostly because I was in the Boy Scouts and we always had one. Along with the above I have candles, a large water-proof tent, two sleeping bags rated to 20 degrees. I doubt we’d need the tent because we have shelter but, again, it’s a Boy Scout habit.

 Here are the signs of the early stages of the collapse in my opinion. It will begin with hyper-inflation because the collapse of the U.S. Dollar. I expect fuel prices to rise to $7 or more dollars per gallon. The basic food items I called INDEX FOODS  will double or triple price in a two-week period. As the catastrophe grows, there will be large groups picketing the government for lower food and gasoline prices. The real security threat will occur if the president decides to draw down the Strategic Petroleum Reserves. As the price for basic food items sky-rockets violence and break-ins will begin.

The sad part to all of this is it doesn’t have to happen and the answer is to get the economy under control. To do that federal entitlements have to be eliminated or be severely restricted. Eliminate making the children of illegal immigrants automatic U.S. citizens. Illegal immigration can be severely restricted or eliminated by having large fines for hiring illegal immigrants. Medicare and Medicaid need to have more stringent eligibility rules. Social Security eligibility needs the same thing. Corporate taxes need to be slashed on both the national and state levels.

 The current tax system needs to eliminated and the IRS with it. In its place there should be a flat tax of 15%. There will no longer be tax deductions of any kind.

 f you buy a house, be sure you can afford it. The government should not be in the car or mortgage business so Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac. General Motors and Chrysler need to go. With the government out of the car business the UAW can fend for itself.

 Federal, state and local government employees unions have to be eliminated. Unions have a strangle-hold on the economy.

 Term limits for congress and the elimination of perks and earmarks

 There are hundreds of things that can be done to put the American economy back on top but it’s going to involve sacrifices. The answer to the salvation of the American economy requires every citizen to understand the economy is in free-fall and to unite in the repair. I may be a loon and friends have given me the 800 'crisis' line number but I'm taking no chances.

Scott Finch-Slater

Dear Al,

It’s been a long time since I’ve written mostly because I took a break from the political scene. Recent events around the world and the lack of response from our government have caused me to burn inside.

If I could reach out to our friends in Japan, the first thing I would say to them is I pray to God they recover from the devastation-no catastrophe. I’d also like to apologize for the insensitivity of the U.S. president who found it more important to make his picks about who would win the college basketball championships. All I can say is he’s an idiot and he doesn’t care about your losses. He decided to go play golf when the earth shook under your feet. Perhaps he wanted the solitude of the 16^th fairway to pray for Godspeed in your recovery.

I remember back to the anguish of the previous president when hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans. His grief was real but the news media called him callous because he didn’t act fast enough according to them. Where are they now and why don’t they expose his shameful behavior? I suppose the best way I can describe the president’s sociopathic behavior is a takeoff on Nero: Obama golfed while the world burned.

As you know, I’ve been highly critical of our national news media for avoiding its responsibility; reporting the news-good or bad. There are some that have lived up to their responsibility and to commend them for continuous coverage. I also have to commend CNN (cable news network) for their coverage as well. I don’t watch it because I want to see the footage of the tsunami rolling across Japanese cities at 500 MPH leaving nothing in its wake. No, I watch it because I want to see that one little miracle of survival. The one small seed that gives the Japanese hope for a future. I saw it the other day when a baby was found alive in all the wreckage. Tears welled up in my eyes because that baby gave me hope too.

It’s unfortunate my country has produced and elected a man who has no compassion for the pain of others. If he did he would speak from the heart and not from tele-prompters. He wouldn’t be so callous as to worry more about basketball than a world on fire.

Scott Finch-Slater

While the no-hate speech ink hadn’t dried on the New York Times after the massacre in Arizona, the left was already blaming conservative talk show hosts with being accessories to murder. Apparently, the left believes Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Laura Ingram and many others personally sent their requests to the personification of evil, Jared Loughner before hand. While the ‘can’t we get along’ crowed was targeting every conservative they could think of, the grievance mongers took their shot as well. From BSN-Black Star News comes this little piece by Colin Benjamin:

These days besides the lingering hatred for African-Americans, this country has others to hate: Muslims, Arabs, Mexicans, or, any person speaking Spanish. Jared Loughner’ psychosis was, likely, influenced by the political poison and hatred spread in America. Instead of denial, Isn’t it time we denounce hate and those who profit politically from it?

The left has been falling all over themselves condemning the conservatives, not only for the massacre in Arizona but also on the Republican effort to kill the healthcare takeover known as ObamaCare. Here’s what Stephen Cohen, a Democrat from Tennessee, had to say about Republicans reasons for the repeal ObamaCare effort by Republicans:

“a big lie just like Goebbels” and “like blood libel” that led to the holocaust.”

When ABC News questioned him about his statement he said this:

“I didn’t say anything that deserves an apology or requires an apology,” Cohen told ABC News.  “I would never refer to Republican colleagues in an untoward way, I was talking about political propaganda.”

Maybe it’s time for the left to get in the back of the bus. They have done their best to destroy the reputations of people who care about their country and the direction the left has taken us.

To the left I say, we’re out here and most Americans are with us.

Hooray for the first Black Tea Party formation in Houston! Let’s see if Obama tells them to get in the back of the bus.

After writing this piece I discovered these words have been scrubbed from American form of English. Lexicon as it is known:

Murder: it’s now called a PLANNED ABSENSE

Target or targeting: A DIRECTED CONCERN

Knife: A COOKING AID

Gun: AN INSTRUMENT THAT PRODUCES SOUND ABOVE A SAFE

            DECIBLE

Shot: A VERB USED TO DESCRIBE A TRACK AND FIELD EVENT. OR THE

          SMALL BEADS USED IN AN INSTRUMENT USED TO COLLECT BIRDS.

Scott Finch-Slater

Yes, Virgina I have been off-line for several months and purposely staying away from the news. I had to because my optimism for the country was failing. Don’t get me wrong I sill think we’re on the brink of collapse but I’m going to revisit a piece from several months ago called Huh?

Thu original article was about observations of people and events at a local Native casino. I used the term Casino sluts to describe many of the young women who are, obviously, trying to get some company for the night. That has to be the case from the clothes they wear. For example, the fat chicks wear dresses short enough to show thunderous tree stumps holding up an expanse of rear-end that could transplant an entire football stadium of burn victims. Being in my mid-fifties I can, strangely enough, blurt out enough offensive comments that the recipients ignore me. Earlier this evening though a couple of security guys strode along side to check if I was stewed hence the offensive comment.

Anyway the extremely large female was bent over the bar drinking Miller drafts with the dark side of the moon showing on the horizon and a thong holding it in place. I guess a thong doesn’t hold anything in place but I was starring in disbelief that a civilized woman would wear such a thing in public. I, and this is the offensive part, strolled up to her and asked her if she’d ever been to Craters of the Moon State Park in Idaho. She didn’t get it but her friend did and complained to the bartender who then called security. The security guys didn’t do anything, I suspect because they saw the same disgusting thing. They should have thrown her out except she struck up a conversation with a guy wearing wooden plugs in his earlobes and a Mohawk hair cut. It wasn’t the haircut that got me but the giant wart on the tip of his nose. I thought it was fake and in a moment of sanity I didn’t ask. Even though I could be considered senior I don’t think Warty would have cared. I got to thinking about it and maybe it was the wart on the tip of nose that attracted Thunderella to begin with.

I’ve always wondered why people wear football jerseys with someone else’s name on the back.

You know what really freaks me out? Men with manicured fingernails. I mean that’s as creepy as it gets. They’re  Probably child molesters

A little while ago a dirtbag with his pants falling off and his hat turned sideways got in a bit of a row when he tried hitting on an attractive woman. Hard to believe but there are some very beautiful women who visit casinos. Bozo was standing behind Ms. Universe gawking at how wonderfully her skirt fit when the boyfriend walked up. El dirtbag left the place with his hat on correctly.

Just across from where I’m sitting an old woman smoking and toting an oxygen tank moved three slot machines down and the guy who sat at the abandoned one hit the thing for $400. Smoking woman then gets up and claimed the winnings belonged to her. To my surprise the Smoking Woman was the mother of the boyfriend of Ms. Universe. Yep, a family that plays together stays together. Man, that sure sounded creepy.

So why am I here you may wonder. It’s because I’m a cheapskate and I can use the casino’s wireless service and printer for free.

I don’t know why middle-aged smokers still find it cool to blow smoke rings.

Well, I’m off to Walmart for some tight-fitting Lee jeans. Kidding! It’s Wrangler all the way

Scott Finch-Slater

Zero went back on the campaign trail over Labor Day to whine that the opposition party is calling him a dog; well if the bone fits bite. Zero’s the guy who keeps chasing the failing economy with cash around his neck then brings back nothing. Now he proposes spending another $50b to build roads, high-speed rail and the like but we know this three letter word JOBS is another pay-off to his union pals. It seems to me the last trillion was to do the same thing and we can’t forget the $25 million spent on billboards to tell us that.  Back out on the campaign trail have you noticed what he says about the Bush tax cuts? Listen carefully when he says he’s only going to let the tax cuts for the ‘wealth eh’ expire but keep them for the middle-class. Here’s the interesting thing, didn’t he campaign telling his drones that the Bush tax cuts were ONLY for the rich? Yep he did, go check. Hum, so now he’s admitting that those cuts included the middle-class. Listen, I’m no Einstein but when I heard the idiot say that, I screeched loud enough for the Mess’s to come running in the room thinking I was having a stroke.

In a way I want Zero to push the $50b through congress only to see the Hairy Reid squirm after he tried to tell fellow Nevadans over Labor Day he didn’t have anything to do with the collapse of the economy but remember he’s the clown who proclaimed “the war is lost.” If for no other reason, Nevadans should-and will -give him the boot for stupidity. And what was the other completely insane remark he said recently…..oh yea , his nemesis, Sharon Angle reminded Nevadans about his, the “war is lost” crack to goad him into saying something else just as stupid; well it worked. Get this in case you didn’t hear: Reid now claims he made the comment to draw attention for the need to send in more troops. Huh? Oh but right at the end of the “war is lost” he trashed the idea of a surge.. My, my, my; it’s like saying I went doo doo in my skippies (my wife’s term for skivvies) because I wanted new Jockeys

If I don’t have you steaming yet, take a guess how many times Zero has traveled an Air Force One? Since January 2009 he’s traveled at least once a week and sometimes two; so much for his global warming argument. Here’s why I think he travels so much, it’s free, luxurious –in keeping with the Obama style- and since he’s done nothing but be a community rabble-rouser he has no idea what to do behind that big desk. I wonder how he grabs a smoke on Air Force One, It’s a federal offense to smoke in the bathroom of an airliner but AF1 isn’t an airliner you say so I bet he is going in the john to light up. Maybe federal law doesn’t apply to AF1 but if it does and he’s violating It so what? Zero constantly flouts criminal behavior (read : Joe Sestak) so violating federal law is just another day at the park

Scott Finch-Slater

For the first time in my political life and since I came to the conservative side, I volunteered my time to a local congressional campaign. Last night I worked a phone bank for John Koster who’s running against Rep. Rick Larsen in the 2^nd congressional district of Washington State. When I arrived one of the other volunteers, a young man named Matt, gave me a quick orientation and parked me in front of a phone. As he turned to walk away he informed me I’d be covering Whatcom County because it’s a swing vote part of the district. Whatcom County but more specifically Bellingham, is where Western Washington University is located and it’s a conservative’s nightmare. What I mean by that is Bellingham is so far to the left, it’s close to coming around to the right. The picture I want you all to imprint on your mind as I continue, is a place where nose pins, pony tails, Birkenstocks, Volvos, Volkswagen Bus’, organic soy beans and marijuana reign supreme. Actually, knowing this myself made me sweat as I counted the steps necessary to make a run for it. Being a guy of my word, I sucked it up and made the first call; no answer. The next call got me to a woman in a rural part of the county. Rebecca, I’ll call her, was pretty cordial but when she found out Mr. Koster was a Republican she grew irritated and said she didn’t vote for Republicans. I told her it was okay if she didn’t , then I asked her if she was pro-life; believed in the constitution; wanted to keep the money she worked for and wanted government out of her personal business, all of which she answered in the affirmative. “That’s exactly what John Koster wants and why Rick Larsen has let us down. So can we county on your vote?” “I can’t vote,” she said. “Why not, I shot back?” “I just got out of prison for bank robbery.” jeez; well at least she didn’t slam the phone down swearing the whole time. Out of all the calls I made and to people who actually answered I was treated to a lot of entertainment from the left-wing fringe. The following are samples of the many respondents. Caution this is not for anyone less than 25 years of age and having my own ethics I will not spell out the corrosive words but give enough letters for you to figure it out: A note though. When calls from campaigns for Koster are made, his name shows on the recipient’s caller-I.D.

“Hi is this Harvey?”

“Who the f**k wants to know?”

“Hi Marion, my name is Scott and I’m a volunteer for John Koster who’s running for congress here in the 2^nd district….” hang up.

“Good evening Ms. Nosler, my name is….

“I know what your f****ng name is, it’s on my phone. Is this Koster guy a Republican Nazi?”

“No Ma’am he was born after WWII. “ "Uh..what?"

“Hello may I speak to Wendy?”

“Who the f**k is this? Wendy is a c**t and doesn’t live here anymore!”

“Hi Richard, my name is Sc….”

F**k you. Kiss my a**you Bush-loving puke…”

“Hello, Jasmine…..”

“Don’t F****ng call me Jasmine you fringing d**ck-head my name is Jazz Man and you’re an a**hole” click

“Mr. James?” clicks

“Hi there Donna… I’m Sc..yea I know who you are you Republican scumbag.”

“Hel..…” click

"Josh, thi..."

“F**k off “We need to raise taxes you tea-bagging Bushy loser; take my f****ng name of your god-d**n list and don’t ever call my f***ng house again.”

"Hello Buz?.."

"Yea, I can see on my caller I.D. it John Koster's campaign, “I love John Koster and by god I voted for the son-of-a-b**ch.”

“Hi Ralph, my name is Scott and I’m a volunteer for John Koster…”

“Know what pal? You can suck my c**k.”   I’ve always wondered why women don’t say something similar….hum

“May I please speak to Paul?”

(Loud crying in the background) “This is Paul’s granddaughter you stupid f***er, Paul died this morning and you just made my grandmother cry. Take his name of your f***ng list.” 

“I’m very sorry to hear that and I do apologize for calling.”

“ Okay, well thank you and I’m sorry for talking that way to you. Now who are you? oh yea did you say John Koster is running for president?”

I spent a couple of hours listening to these kinds of calls and found it more entertaining than anything else but there was one call that really stood out:

“ Hi Cameron,……”

F**k you, you Bush eating c***k-sucker, I don’t want to hear your f***ng speech, you f****ng Nazi moron..”

Now at this point all Cameron can hear is me laughing hysterically.

“What the f***k are you laughing at you dumb mother F***er?”

“You my friend, I’ve never heard anyone use so many bad words in one sentence.”

“ You’ve got be f****ng kidding me..”

“No sir I’m not.”

“Well f**k me, that’s pretty f****ng weird, you sound like a decent sonofabi***… but you’re still a Republican idiot.”

Nearly everyone I called used profane language so I'm wondering if there's a specialized English class at Western Washington University where language majors can take Alternative English 101.

I was surprised I didn't get miffed at these folks so I'm going to have another go at it tonight and see what happens. By the way, John Koster is pro-life, small government, low taxes, the existence of God and the presidential oath of defending the constitution from all enemies, foreign or domestic.

Scott Finch-Slater

My Dearest wife,

I realize what I’m about to tell you should be done face-to-face but I want it to be a surprise:

As you know, the president has ordered us to share the pain for the economic calamity we are in and face in the future; it is Bush's fault you remember. In fact in a recent interview he said he and the wife are “not that far removed from the American public.” I’ve decided I’m going to be a model of frugality in the same way the president is; feeling our pain and such. So here’s the complete schedule I have in mind for the next year; you’ll be glad to see it encompasses work, vacations, donations to charity and the like; most of the family schedule will be devoted to vacations though. I know you will be a little alarmed at the cost the vacations might generate-and it will be a lot- so I’m not going to include it. Didn’t the president say he would take care of us? I mean he told that plumber guy he was going to ‘share the wealth’ so I’m guessing that means we’ll be getting money from someone. Shucks, even if no one gives us the money we can file for bankruptcy; by god that’s change I can believe in! 

I love the cornucopia of free money this country now affords to the downtrodden. Sometimes I wish I would have gotten addicted to drugs or sold them and maybe have taken a spin on welfare so I know what downtrodden is like. NOOO, I had to work, pay taxes, eliminate vacations then work some more. Why did I have to be encumbered with self-respect?

How great is it the house speaker woman, with the gobbler neck, gets to fly on a big air force plane home to California every weekend? I love this country!!

Gosh, I’m so excited I’m getting off track so here's my plan: I was just thinking, maybe that senator guy with the big boat in Rhode Island, who’s really from Massachusetts but keeps the big boat in Rhode Island so he doesn’t have to pay taxes in Mass….oh sorry getting off track again. Okay here it is, the plan, I mean: I couldn’t help thinking about how great it is that the president’s wife can fly to Spain on “official business” and stay in a big fancy hotel with 30 rooms for her pals paid by you and me. Isn’t it cool we live in a country where the wife of a president can go on vacations, I mean official visits and it’s all paid for by the government; and she wasn’t elected to anything? I’m off track again but you do remember I was diagnosed with ADHD, right?

Let’s see what was it I was writing to you about, oh yea our schedule for the next year. Ok here it is in real life: Before I forget, will you do me a favor and stop by the golf shop on your way to your second job? I need a set of golf clubs because I want to be like my president and play golf as often as I can. I don’t even have to be good because his game sucks too.
 
Jeez! I keep drifting off subject but what the heck is wrong with all those unemployed people; go get a friking job. Listen to your president when he says there isn’t anything wrong with the economy, even when he says it’s recovering. Hum...why would it be recovering if there isn't anything wrong…..  Oh, say and don’t mind those naysayers when they point out the fact that huge portion of the unemployed quit looking. I’m sorry sweetheart, I don’t mean to go on and on but I’m really excited at the thought of how free we will be in the next year.

Man, I forgot that I haven’t even told you why life will be so great in the coming year! Okay here goes: Wait a second; you know what was just on the news? It’s about those darned people down in the Gulf States whining about that oil leak wrecking the economy and all. I think they’re being a little too dramatic when they say tourists don’t want to go there on vacation. Didn’t they listen to the president’s wife when she demanded people go there on vacation? You know, I’ll bet they’re clinging to guns and religion. In case you’re wondering, I do know the presidential family has yet to vacation there but you know they’re sort of like royalty and they should go wherever they like; that's the privilege we give them. Let’s face it the beaches there are really dirty and who wants to eat the seafood. Lord, I’m off subject again. 

Hey, do you remember when the neighbor came over and shot the dog in the ba… uh testicles with the BB gun? Well we’re going to have a beer together next week and become friends.

The friking plan, right. Okay here goes: I was thinking how nice it is that the president and the little woman can go on vacation so often. Heck, I’ll be darned if I can remember when we last went? Just so you know, there is no way I can take you to Hawaii or Martha’s Vineyard in our life time so don’t expect it. I was thinking we could go a couple times to your mother’s home and spend a few days. You know, it would be like we were all alone, her being sauced all day; and she does live by a lake. Yes sweetheart, I’ll take down that sign with the skull and cross bones so it won’t scare the kids.

THE PLAN, I’M GETTING TO IT! One last thought, then I’ll do it: I am proud and happy to live in a country where the king and queen (just joking) can have big cocktail parties every week and invite musicians like Stevie Wonder to sing for them. When you read this I know you’re going to start cussing because, as you say, the Moocher-In-Chief is screwing the American public. It makes me crack up when you talk about them living in government housing and being on public assistance, but you're wrong. Sweetie, you need to get your head in the game because IT'S CHANGE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE IN; it just takes a little time. I know you think they are living high on the hog while we struggle from day to day. Well you know what, they deserve it, I mean they worked their way up the ladder without any help; wait a second I’ll be right back I just heard the dog yelp again.

Scott Finch-Slater

 "911, what is your emergency?"

"My husband is very sick, I think he might be dying."

"Where is he now?"

"I dragged him from the bed in a wheelchair.....in the living room...he won't wake up!"

"Does he have a pulse?"

"His eyes are open but he isn't looking at anything....I can't tell...he's.. oh no he slumped over.....stay with me..stay...Oh God!

"Get him out of the chair and on the floor, the medics will be there in three minutes, the station is just around the corner, Is he breathing?"

I can't tell....he's gray and his hands are cold...please don't leave me..I love you very much!"

"Can you hear the sirens?"

All stories have a beginning and an end. Sometimes the end may eventually be the beginning.

The story you are about to read is a testimony to the fragility of life but it is more than that, it’s a story of the dedication of teams of health care professionals working under extreme conditions and with a determination to preserve life. It is a story played out every day in hospitals around the world; many have a tragic ending. This story begins with Harborview Hospital in Seattle Washington on May 18^th 2010 around 2 pm.

The Trauma Department at Harborview Hospital was expecting the arrival of a medi-vac helicopter from Skagit Valley Hospital in Mt. Vernon Washington within the next 40 minutes. Harborview Hospital had been advised by Dr. Matthew Russell of Skagit Valley Hospital that he was airlifting a 55 year-old-man who was extremely ill and near death.

Background

When medics got him to SVH he was barely conscious and his wife had not yet arrived. Medics from the Stanwood/Camano Fire Department, the small town where the man lived put the 55 year-old on forced oxygen prior to arriving at the emergency room. By the time the man reached the ER his brain was receiving enough of the life-saving gas for him to provide a little medical history. Dr. Russell learned that the 55 year-old had just returned from a trip to the Philippines the week before. His first thought was that he might be dealing with a tropical disease, possibly of an unknown origin. Skagit Valley Hospital was not equipped to deal with tropical diseases so he made the decision to medi-vac him to Harborview Hospital, near downtown Seattle where experts in tropical medicine are on staff.There were probably some in the emergency room at Skagit Valley Hospital who read Richard Preston’s, bio thriller, The Hot Zone and thought about Ebola, Marburg or one of the other diseases that struck hard, fast and were generally lethal.

Dr. Russell had ordered a chest x-ray and one look at the film made it clear the 55 year-old male’s right lung was completely missing in the film; a bad, a very bad situation all the way around. By this time whatever made the man sick had moved on to the blood and other vital organs and put the 55 year-old man in a battle for his life.

As the medical evacuation helicopter touched down at Skagit Valley Hospital the 55 year-old man had already been placed on a ventilator because he lost the ability to breath on his own. By now the man’s wife had reached the ER only to see her husband’s neck flexed back and hooked up to every piece of equipment that could be forced down the throat and into the lungs. The wife gasped in horror at the sight and was jolted even further by the sound of the ventilator.

Nurses from the helicopter had the man on the cot and in the helicopter within a few minutes and as the blades came to full speed and the helicopter began to rise, the man’s wife cried heavily as she wondered if that would be the last time she would see her husband alive. She had been told to call family members immediately as her husband was in very critical condition and his life was in the balance

The helicopter, with its nearly dead cargo touched down around 2:40 p.m. at Harborview’s LZ (landing zone) and a team of nurses got the sick man to the trauma unit and feverishly began work to save his life. All medical professionals know that death is a part of life but each death has an impact on them. They are professionals but more importantly each team member is human being and with that comes emotions; right now it was to keep this middle-aged male from leaving his family and friends but also from leaving the doctors, nurses and medical assistants who were trying to save him. At Harborview Hospital there are no statistics, there are lives, souls and families.

Hours passed while the 55 year-old man was in the 'triage unit' at Harborview. During that period his body was receiving IV fluids to combat the effects of what doctors call “third spacing.” It’s a condition where the body expels fluids between the cells and causes swelling. In the case of the 55 year old male his legs, arms, feet and hands were three times their normal size. Blood was drawn to identify the microscopic army that was engaged in a full assault against the man. A new danger descended on the team: a high fever began as his body attempted to fight the invaders. The fever was rising quickly and had to be brought under control or it would kill him as well. Because of his sedation the man was not aware that his body had been packed in ice several times to combat the fevers.

By the time the man’s wife arrived at Harborview her husband had been moved to intensive care. She had not expected him to be alive when she arrived. As she made her way to ICU a very kind nurse named Laurie pointed her to the room or rather curtain of 205 where her 55 year-old husband lay in critical condition. To the man’s wife the numbered curtains looked more like airport boarding gates for flights to unknown destinations.

An important point must be made: the 55 year-old man has only scattered recollections of events until he was successfully removed from the ventilator and feeding tube. The recollection of events is a compilation of the memories of all the parties involved but the description he paints of home before being found by his wife were truly terrifying. They were also verified by the man’s wife and their neighbor.
 
At Harborview Hospital the man’s daughters saw their father on the ventilator and feeding tube and they wept at the thought they may soon be making funeral arrangements. Presently however, doctors needed to obtain as much medical history as possible to win the game of medical Jeopardy. The 55 year-old man's wife was integral to the game

Her part of story begins May 16^th, 2010, and 6,000 miles away. The 55 year-old man and his wife traveled to the Philippines every other year to visit relatives. They hoped to retire there in a few years. The couple always traveled together, never once having been separated. This trip was different. The woman's 55 year-old husband flew home from the Philippines a week earlier while his wife stayed to do some business with her sister. What she didn’t know, couldn’t have known, was by the time she returned her husband had been under full microbial assault and had not gotten out of bed for two days. 

Here is what the 55 year-old man could piece together before the wife’s recollection begins. His work week ended on Friday as usual but having just gotten home the Monday before he was still having jet-lag. That Friday evening while he was having a burrito followed by ice cream, strawberry his favorite, something terrible was happening deep inside his body. As the 55 year-old man was finishing the first DVD of Band of Brothers he began getting sleepy and shut down the DVD and lights and headed to bed feeling fine. If only he knew that within three hours the terrifying monster growing inside him would explode without warning, he would have rushed himself to the nearest hospital. There were no symptoms or warnings of the events that would soon render the man gravely ill.

The monster within struck suddenly and struck hard around 3 a.m.. The 55 year-old man arose to fill his water bottle and as he sat up in the bed the spinning caused him to vomit and fall face forward into the dresser next to the bed; the impact probably knocked him out. At some point, the 55 year-old man managed to crawl back into the soiled bed and made no further attempts to get out. 

The man’s wife was scheduled to arrive at SeaTac Airport, in Seattle Washington on Sunday morning; two days after her husband had grown ill. Having arrived in Tokyo from Manila she checked into the flight home. The man’s wife learned the plane was full and the airline was asking for volunteers to take a flight leaving the next day. The enticement was a free roundtrip ticket from Tokyo to anywhere in the United States, or from the U.S. to Tokyo. Also, part of the deal was an overnight stay at a five star hotel at the airport with complimentary dinner. The kicker was the first class flight the following day. The 55 year old man’s wife signed up because she never passed up airline bumps and the freebies that go along. Feeling like she hit the jackpot, she wandered over to a small eatery near her departure gate to await the announcement. Unease came over her as she tried to finish her noodle soup. As her mildly upset stomach focused her attention, her name was called at the airline desk for her to sign the necessary documents required for the “bump.”

At their home, 6,000 mile away her 55 year-old husband was growing more ill by the minute and by now had no orientation as to whether it was night or day or even what day. His wife, in Tokyo, paced back and forth trying to figure out why something inside her told her to get home immediately. She decided she would not take the deal and returned home on her regularly scheduled flight; something was wrong; very wrong and the dread that consumed her was like nothing she had ever experienced. There was nothing she could do for the next 12 hours as her Delta flight cruised through darkened skies across the North Pacific.

The light grew brighter through the cabin windows of the Airbus A-330 as dawn began to spread across the eastern skies. Two hours from Seattle the final meal service started. Some of passengers were sorting through carry-on baggage putting away books, music players and other items. The 55 year man’s wife could not take her mind off home and what might be happening there. She thought a few times she might be overreacting but she couldn’t rid her mind of that nagging sense of urgency; the next two hours were hell for her as she took a pass on the meal. The 55 year-old man's wife fell into a light sleep and awoke when the pilot placed the A-330 in its landing configuration.

The Airbus landed uneventfully and pulled up to its assigned gate. As the overseas passengers got off the plane they were directed to customs inspections. The 55 year-old man’s wife managed to break line and get near the front, apologizing for the emergent situation she knew existed at home but was unable to explain. Customs does not allow use of cell phones until the passenger has been stamped through. Passing customs the 55 year-old man’s wife frantically dialed home just to be reassured by her husband’s voice and to tell him what time the airport shuttle would drop her. The wife dialed several times with no answer. She prayed her husband just didn’t hear the ring; he’s well known for that.

While barely aware his situation was as bad as it was and growing worse, he had lost all bladder and bowel functions. He was now so disabled just moving caused him to vomit. The 55 year-old man had neither food nor water for two days and the dark red water excreting from his bladder proved how desperate the situation was.

The 55 year-old man's breathing was getting more difficult and every move caused him to lose his breath. The 55 year-old man did become aware that his arms, hands and fingers were enormous and it reminded him of the cartoon Popeye. The United States Air Force tattoo from so long ago was now just a large splotch on his right arm and completely unrecognizable.

The airport transport bus pulled into the stop but the woman’s husband was not there. Her fears were confirmed. The wife made another call to her husband’s cell phone but only got voice mail. Terrified she called a taxi and arrived home within 15 minutes.

The door was unlocked and when she threw it open she saw and heard nothing. There was the smell of sickness and a deafening quiet. That alone made her afraid to take the next few steps that would lead her into direct view of their bedroom.In the bedroom she heard her 55 year-old husband say something but not to her; he didn’t know she was there.

No, her 55 year old husband was babbling to someone else he saw in their condo and who’d been staring at him since the night before. The words were gibberish but the tone was serious and with a tinge of fear. The 55 year-old man had his eyes wide open and questioned, to no one in particular, why the bathroom door was just hanging in mid-air; nothing attaching it to the wall or ceiling; suspended in space. According to the 55 year-old man’s recollection the figure he was talking to had been staring at him all night from just outside the bedroom door. It seemed clear the apparition was waiting for him to die. To his wife It became very clear the hallucinations were because of the greatly reduced levels of oxygen reaching his brain. She also wondered if this was what people called a near death experience and whether the figure was an angel here to take her husband away. The fear in her husband's voice as he talked to the figure made it seem demonic though.
 

The 55 year-old man’s wife, herself feeling the effects of jet lag, saw only her husband’s face and could tell he was extremely ill. The bedspread covered the enormous arms, hands and feet. She demanded he go to the emergency room-“NOW!” She knew the answer before asking the question. Her 55 year-old husband managed to say he’d be alright and to let him rest. It was true that he always recovered from illness. The man’s wife fell asleep next to him and would not awake until the wee hours of Tuesday May 18^th. What awoke her from a deep sleep was her 55 year-old husband’s labored breathing; it was much too fast and extremely shallow. The man’s wife believed her husband was in the beginning stages of dying; she’d seen it before.

Had the 55 year-old man not reached Skagit Valley Hospital and then to Harborview Hospital when he did it wouldn’t have mattered, he would have expired.

Once at the five-state trauma center he was heavily sedated and with his hands tied down so he couldn’t pull the lines in his lungs and stomach, the 55 year-old had enough awareness to know charge nurse Laurie was standing nearby.

Dr. Susan Wong was assigned to the 55 year-old soon after the airlift arrived and worked feverishly to stabilize him. She visited him at least twice daily and when she did she spoke to the 55 year-old man in such a soothing voice he stayed completely calm.

Several attempts had been made to remove him from the ventilator but the 55 year-old man couldn’t draw enough air to oxygenate his lungs. When the time finally came, he was taken off the ventilator. It was only then that he learned family members had flown in from different parts of the county the day after being airlifted to Harborview.

“Good morning do you know where you are?” said Katie the morning nurse assigned to the 55 year-old man. "Yes, I'm in a hospital," the 55 year-old said. “You’re very perceptive. What was your first clue?” she said with a laugh. “You’re at Harborview Hospital. You were a very sick guy when you came in and you’ve been with us for a week now.”

More testing would be done that day including a new chest x-ray. Everyone on staff knew how sick the 55 year-old man was when he was rolled in from the airlift and doctors, their students and nurses were excited to see the new chest films once they became available.

The chest x-rays on May 25^th, seven days after the 55 year-old man arrived at Harborview Hospital, showed absolutely no improvement. The right lung was still completely washed out; nothing visible, but that wasn’t the point. Even though the chest film looked the same and the 55 year-old man was still an extremely there was progress. Something about the film told doctors which of the five antibiotics was working. Drs. Wong, Merrill, King, Neff, Hudson and McCarren once again stopped to say hello and said he was looking great. Though emaciated, the man knew the statement was sincere and the immense swelling was gone.

New chest films were ordered on the afternoon of the 26^th. Again excitement was with all who had cared for the 55 year-old man. Shortly after the films were developed the doctors raced to announce Ceftriaxone, a very strong antibiotic had the streptococcal pneumonia in full retreat. The 55 year-old man was winning the battle. He thought back to what Dr. Wong had said early on: "You survived this because you were very strong and healthy; there is no other answer to your survival."  That is the reason the use of the man's age is frequently mentioned.

It may be obvious by now that the 55 year-old man is me but this story is about Harborview Hospital and all of the folks who had anything to do with the life-saving care they provided me. In the final attempt to publically thank the medical staff not previously mentioned there was also Emily, Jane and another night nurse whose name escapes me but her parents have a home in Alaska. If I’ve left out the names of others forgive me but you know who you are and the role you played in saving my life.

The pneumonia and sepsis will take several months of recovery. The ER staff at Skagit Valley Hospital and the team at Harborview Hospital, gave me another chance at life.