[lit-ideas] lit-ideas public apology

Hi, Brian,
 
I'll try to explain a tiny bit of what tipped me over the edge--though I DO  
apologize for causing you to feel affronted (esp as it no doubt did keep you  
from seeing my thoughts on some of the issues...)
 
Let's see...you have called people 'silly and pathetic', have suggested  that 
someone enjoy living in a 'welfare state' (not, in my mind far from what  
they are doing in Houston, though, so maybe that was what you meant...seems 
that  
our pres and his Congress recently gave Texas about a billion dollars to  
subsidize the health care system there in light of the use of the hospital use  
of illegal immigrants [the number I have heard here was that illegal immigrants 
 costs each taxpayer in Houston about $981 per person...  So it seems that  
subsidized health care is 'okay' if the people we are taking care of are not  
'our own'.  But, I suppose that is because people seem here to be  convinced 
[as our president does] that Texas/Houston's economy would fall apart  if there 
was not illegal immigration...Not sure I see how that would happen [it  does 
not seem to fall apart elsewhere in the country.  Though the issue of  illegal 
immigration has been fascinating and one which all the different circles  I've 
been seeing/talking to seem to have interesting thoughts on, actually...the  
funniest one was the crossness that the US needs to open its southern border 
but  Mexico won't open its border and let the Hondurans in who are trying to do 
 so...)
 
Oh, and about the daughter of the friend of yours...I do publicly apologize  
if I misunderstood you...my sense was that you had major problems with how our 
 government does subsidize people in need esp in regards to health care--it  
sounded, to me, like you would have wanted to have your friend's child tossed  
out in the street rather than being glad that all that could possibly be done 
 was done... [but maybe it was because you thought the little one would be  
dead shortly or would have a horrible quality of life?] 
 
"  The daughter of a friend of mine is without
insurance and just  had her second child and she hasn't paid anything
for either births (from the  doctor visits all the way up to the
hospital bills.  Her daughter just  born is badly deformed and they
only expect her to live days, not weeks, all  paid for by the American
public)."
 
I remembered talking to a tow truck driver whose child had the  same 
condition that my child had--and his wife got to stay home and I  didn't...and 
we had 
begged borrowed [and would have stolen had we not been able  to do the other, 
probably <wry look>] in order to provide care to my  child as we *were* told 
that they would not care for him and would let him  die/have a horrible quality 
of life if we didn't come up with the  money.  Somehow this other family had 
figured out the whole jumping  through hoops [though I think we may have made 
too much money to qualify  and that was why we were not offered that 
alternative--we *could* borrow  money...even though it later cause such 
significant 
stress that I am convinced  it also caused a cracking to occur in terms of my 
child's parents'  ability to cope with life)    But, I do not begrudge that 
that  
man's child was able to be taken care of and that the mom got her dream come  
true of staying home to take care of him.  But, on the one hand, we are  
supposed to care about the 'breakdown of the American family' and yet, do not  
realize what stressors there are on it and try to remove them.  
 
and I think I wondered if your friend knew that you begrudged the medical  
care for his/her child...and I apologize if I misunderstood you.  I was  merely 
trying to express how I would feel if someone had felt that about my  
child...esp in the beginning when things were so horribly questionable in  
terms of 
ever figuring out what to do.  I cannot imagine how awful it would  be to know 
that the chance of doing something for your baby might be so slim  that people 
would think it ridiculous and a waste of taxpayer money to  try.  But, I can 
understand your friend's desire to try...and if that  little one has died, I 
ache for her/him and if not, then wish I could make it  easier to walk through 
the hard times...and I do NOT mean that in any sort of  patronizing way.  There 
was an 'underground' movement of moms who spread  the word about me/my child 
and I got cards and letters from people I did not  know whose little ones had 
been in awful situations.  It helped me walk  through those hardest of 
times...and I do what I can when I hear of Others...and  even if I do not know 
if my 
electrical thoughts sent in the air will ever  connect and provide assistance, 
I still send them out...
 
As far as my version of Christianity <wry look>, please feel free to  take 
the whole of Christianity and be the 'model'.  I do not go there at  this point 
in time, though I have been there much in the past, and have done  much 
thinking of the 3000 Scriptures towards the poor (Ron Sider, I think it was  
[?], 
was one of the people who listed them all ... though there have been many  
others...including my former retired library director who was the one most  
recently to talk about the Church in the Book of Acts.  He and his wife are  
simply 
incredible people--and he lives his life so that anyone who DID have  problems 
with the concept of Christianity would at least 'pause' and know that  there 
are a few out there who live not just bits and pieces but continue to do  the 
'going through the loop' [to borrow from Dr Deming' and go deeper and  
deeper...)
 
I do, indeed, publically apologize to you, Brian, that I come across  as 
'patronizing' to you.  That is not my intent...so I will try to figure  out a 
way 
to communicate my thoughts in a manner which does not do so.
 
 
Hoping everyone has a day filled with at least one happy moment,
Marlena (usually in Missouri)

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