Man and Machines
Ever since Man first stood up on his hind legs and opened his eyes - so to speak - and looked around him, and began to realise that the cards were all stacked against him; he began to think, and to reason, first by himself, then with his fellow-man, or fellow-men, about his surroundings and environment. And later, by adding thought to reason, he began to calculate and to work out how to protect himself from the elements and the forces of nature; and the other animals, most of which were constantly trying to kill and eat him; and how to provide himself with shelter, comfort, safety, and the bare necessities of life. He realised that he had to depend only on himself, mostly and only (and on his fellow-man, or men) if they were to survive as a species; and, as a result, he began to invent crude and very simple tools, implements, and weapons; and to forage and hunt, sometimes by himself, but mostly in groups. You watch and scratch my back, I'll watch and scratch yours.
First, he made a thick wooden club, which he used to kill some of the animals for food and skins, and to defend himself. Then he made a long wooden pole, which he later sharpened at one end with a knife made of flint or stone. Then he discovered that by making the pole thinner, and by adding a piece of sharpened flint, or stone, to one end as a head, he could hunt and kill by throwing or hurling it from a distance without the risk or danger of confrontation. Then, somewhat later, he discovered that by inventing a device, the bow, that could propel a shaft, the arrow, he could hunt and kill from a greater distance. He realised that although, compared to the other animals, he was weak and helpless, he could think and reason. In other words, he had a well-developed brain, and he could use his hands. This tipped the scales substantially, if not completely, in his favour. Thus, these ancient or pre-historic, primitive, and crude tools, implements, and weapons, became the first and the most basic class of machines ever made or invented by Man.
Much later on, he discovered fire through the effect of lightning striking dry wood and leaves, and by using his brain, aided by his hands, he multiplied thought by reason, and divided the result by hard work, and invented the wheel, which led to the development of several more useful and effective tools, implements, and weapons.
He had no choice. Picture the first Man. Look at him well with your mind’s eye. No fur to keep him warm, no hooves to protect his feet, and no horns or claws or fangs to hunt or fight or defend himself with; only a better-developed brain and hands, plus the fact that he could stand and walk or run in an upright position. Time would show and tell that these were far better and much more formidable advantages; and that, because of them, he became the lord and master of all life–forms.
Eventually, he began to invent machines, which are devices, each having a unique and specific purpose that augments or replaces human or animal effort for the accomplishment of specific physical tasks; and since then, Man has been able to invent and build bigger, better, and faster machines with awesome powers and incredible precision that can do things, and perform tasks that Man could never do. In fact, today, in almost all the factories, plants, firms, companies, schools, offices, and anywhere and everywhere people live, work, do business, or play, or indulge in any form of activities - or inactivities, for that matter - Man, because of his primordial fears, anxieties, and needs, and through the development of modern science and technology, has been able to create machines that can do the work of thousands of people, faster, better, and much more accurately; or kill thousands of people within minutes, or seconds. In truth, it boggles the mind to think, that this fragile and susceptible coloured marble in space, this smaller-than-the-smallest micro-dot in the awesome universe that took 4.5 billion years to form, could be destroyed completely within weeks, or days, or hours, or even minutes, by Man and his Machines.
Because of these machines, there is more leisure time, more entertainment, amusement, and diversity; much more knowledge; better education; faster transportation; instant information; much more safety, security, and comfort; better food; much more potent medication, and better health; better houses, buildings, and other structures.
Also, there is much more adversity, perversity, pestilence, immorality, strife, disease, wars, poverty, and starvation; more crime, sex, violence, and drug and alchohol abuse; more corruption of values, more eruption of family and society, and more distortion of family ties and social fabrics.
Machines have given Man everything he has ever wanted or needed, but, at the same time they have created more difficult and horrifying problems for him to solve. After hundreds of millions of years, Man realises that he is still in the same race against time, or back to square one, so to speak; but this time against a far more potent, much more formidable, much more powerful, and much more resilient and relentless, and yet the most indispensable enemy: The Machine! Who will win in the end, Man, or Machine?
Inventions and creations are the offspring of want and need, fostered by anxiety, and boosted by fear. In other words, necessity, anxiety, and fear are the parents of inventions, innovations, and creations! Man invents and innovates and creates because he wants to survive as a species, and, he needs food, clothes, medicines, shelter, transportation, and other essentials; but, most important, he is very much afraid and anxious.
Man’s capacity for good prompts him to invent and create these machines to improve his chances and lot, but simultaneously, it is Man’s inclination to evil that eventually turns these same machines against him. From his earliest beginnings, when he foraged, hunted, fought, and defended himself with a club, then the spear, then the bow and arrow, then on, and on, and on, to the present; each and every tool, implement, and machine that he invents or creates has been used against him. And now he waits for the time, the day, the hour, the minute, or the moment, when his most formidable, most powerful, most important, most dangerous, and most indispensable inventions and/or creations – Machines: The Computer and The Robot – will be used, or will turn, against him.
The spirit of adventure
The spirit of adventure is the motivation, the courage, and the will, to face the unknown. It is the determination, and the perseverance, to push on and find out what is or lies beyond the horizon. It is the powerful and irresistable force that enabled Christopher Columbus to discover America (or so we are told or made to believe), even though it was by accident, none the less; he was trying to find a sea route to India.
Actually, America was named after Amerigo Vespucci, and this exposes a riddle that has never been, or will ever be, solved
It is the same force that enabled the pilgrims to brave the dangers of such a long and tire-some journey, filled with God knows what, to go and settle there. And, later on, it is the same force that enabled the pioneers to move on, and found the several states of the U.S.A. that we know today. It is the same force that enabled Man to protect himself from the elements, to discover the treatment and cure for the many diseases that plague Man- kind, to invent new and highly efficient and precise machines and tools, and to discover new and highly potent drugs and medicines. Man is exploring the seas and the oceans; diving and plunging down into the depths, trying to find out more, if not everything, about this planet, earth. He is even far more curious about the cosmos or universe, and is now exploring space in all its immensity, majesty, and awesomeness, trying to find out if there are other life forms out there, somewhere. So, I think and believe that, the spirit of adventure is the product of great courage, stubbornness, not a little foolishness and fool-hardiness, relentlessness and recklessness, and strong curiousity, because, like my late beloved Mama would say: "Son; they say that curiousity kills the cat, but they seem to forget that sometimes, curiousity fills the cat."
There is always an aura of mystery to the conclaves of medical persons. One may wonder whether the secrecy with which the fraternity surrounds its gatherings is designed to keep the lay-person from discovering how much they know, or how much they do not know.
Among the most mysterious of medical get-togethers in medical history were those held in New York City by a group of eminent doctors calling themselves members of The ‘X’ Club, which, by the way, is short for The ‘X-marks-the-spot' Club. Every three months for more than twenty years, that little band of astounding healers met at the Walton Hotel behind locked doors and engaged in unknown emprise till dawn.
The last dramatic meeting of The ‘X’ Club was held on a dismal, cold, and rainy night. Despite the hostile weather, all fourteen members attended for there was an added lure to that particular gathering. A new member, the fifteenth, was to be inducted into the group.
Dr. Samuel Warner was unusually young for a medical genius; that is, a recognized one, and he had never received a fuller recognition of his medical wizardry than his nomination, or election, as a member of The X Club; for the fourteen older members who had invited him to be one of them were leaders and masters in their various fields.
Indeed, the Club included half of Dr. Warner's then living heroes!
Having exchanged greetings with the eminent members, Dr. Warner sat in a corner and quietly accepted a highball – a cocktail with a slug of brandy. His face was tense, and he sat with his athletic body straight in the chair as if he were poised for a sprint rather than for a meeting.
At 8.00pm sharp, the venerable diagnostician, Dr. William Tick, who was the oldest member of The X Club, declared the meeting in session.
“A murder;” Old Tick remarked.
“Yes,” said the new member.
It was at this point that the other members noticed there was something more than stage fright in the young surgeon's demeanor and tension. Certainty filled the room that Dr. Warner had come to his first session or meeting of The X Club with something boiling within him; something mysterious yet violent.
There was total silence as the stomach specialist stood up. “I was called this summer – a couple of months ago – to the house of a steam fitter named Horowitz.” He said. “Senator Bell had given a picnic party for some of his poorer constituents and, as a result of the event, the three Horowitz children had food poisoning. The Senator felt responsible and I went to the Horowitz home at his earnest solicitation. I found two of the children, ages 11 and 9, vomiting considerably. I gave them a good dose of castor oil. The third child, age 7, was not quite as ill as the others. He looked pale, had a slight fever, and felt some nausea, but was not vomiting. It seemed that he, too, had been poisoned, but to a lesser degree. To be on the safe side, I prescribed an equal dose of castor oil for him as well.”
He paused, took a goodly sip from his glass, put it on the side table, and continued. “In the middle of the night the father called; alarmed over the condition of the youngest – the other two had much improved. I told him not to worry and that the child had been a little late in developing food poisoning but would unquestionably be better by morning. After I'd hung up, I felt quite pleased with myself for having prescribed castor oil as a prophylactic, but when I called again the next day to check on them I found the two older children had practically recovered. The seven-year-old, however, appeared to be very ill indeed. The child had a hundred and five-degree temperature. He was dehydrated, his eyes were sunken and circled, his expression pinched, his nostrils dilated, his lips cyanotic, and his skin cold and clammy.” He sat down all of a sudden and picked up his glass.
Dr. Wendell Davis nodded.
“What did the autopsy show?” Dr. Sweeny asked.
“Wait a minute; you are supposed to figure that out!” Wood answered.
“Did you take her history?” Dr. Kurtiff asked.
“No; it was an emergency.” Dr. Wood replied.
“Heart;” Dr. Morris answered quickly.
“Did the autopsy report show you'd been wrong?” Dr. Wood asked him.
“Then how do you know you were wrong?” Dr. Hume asked.
“By the simple fact that the patient died instead of being cured; I killed him by a faulty diagnosis and treatment!” Dr. Warner retorted, irritably.
“A logical conclusion,” said Dr. Sweeney.
No one spoke for quite some time. The surgeon's tension and anxiety convinced them there was something missing in the case of the dead poet, so they approached the problem cautiously.
Dr, Warner replied. “Last Wednesday. Why?”
“No. I committed the perfect murder. Even you gentlemen may not be able to disprove my diagnosis and treatment.” Warner said; looking at them all, anxiously.
This brash challenge irritated a goodly number of the members.
“There is a catch to it.” Wood said slowly; his eyes boring into Warner's.
“And to a perforation other than ulcer,” added Davis.
“He was 17, and too old to be swallowing pins.” Kurtiff remarked.
“A fish bone,” Sweeney said.
“Exactly,” Old Tick exclaimed, joyously!
Warner moved fast across the room to the closet where he had hung his hat and coat.
By the time he'd finished what he was saying, he was out through the door.
Two hours and a half later, after Dr. Samuel Warner had made some calls and the necessary arrangements from his office, all the distinguished members of The X Club stood in the main operating theatre of Saint Michael's Hospital; quietly watching as Dr. Warner operated. No one spoke, and the minutes passed by, slowly. The nurses quietly handed instruments and other items to the surgeon. Blood splattered their gloved-hands. The tension was so thick you could hold it between your thumb and fore-finger.
Suddenly, the perspiring surgeon slowly raised something aloft in his gloved fingers.
“Wash this off and show it to the gentlemen.” He said gently to the head nurse; then he took off his mask and walked slowly towards the wash-room.
Moments later, Old Tick stepped forward and took the object from the nurse's hand.
“A fish-bone;” he said, solemnly.
The X Club Members gathered around that small fish-bone; each of them taking it in turns and examining it as if it were a diamond the size of an ostrich's egg. They could, and would, have stood there for hours, or days; taking it in turns, and examining it; but it was Old Tick, again, who jolted them back to reality.
Before I begin – and especially to those of you out there whose thoughts I can hear and read from way out here – to me, Samir Geagea is out, too. These two did it to us – screwed us – back then in the late 80s and early 90s, and they’ve done it again! I did not like or follow them then, and I still do not like or follow them! Geagea atleast admitted his faults in all the papers and on all the TV Channels - SO LONG AS HE KEEPS AWAY FROM THE PRESIDENCY!
For your information; I follow and support NO Cotton-Picking and Mother-Fucking INDIVIDUAL! Whoever and whatever he is! I AM FOR LEBANON – and with those Lebanese who are for Lebanon – ONLY!
I wouldn’t give a bent buffalo nickel dipped in shit for any individual or any party, sect, or faction, BUT! I am prepared, willing, and ready to give my life for my country!
And now, to begin:
TO ALL THOSE AOUNIS – AND ANYONE AND EVERYONE – WHO ASK WHY WE OPPOSE AOUN; AND WHAT’S WRONG WITH HIS ALLIANCE WITH HEZBALLAH AND AMAL ETC:
1: I knew something was terribly wrong and fishy from the way he returned – arrived at Beirut International Airport – as if nothing had ever happened. The Syrians and Iranians, and their Lebanese footstools, of course – had prepared a file on him so huge and thick it would have required 4 strong and able-bodied men to carry around and about. Then it struck me: If Syria and Iran hadn’t wanted him to return, he wouldn’t have dared to come! All his speeches and actions while he was abroad were Syria’s and Iran’s ruses and gambits to get him back to Lebanon – to serve them! How obvious!
2: Hezballah and Amal Etc, saw and knew him for WHO and WHAT exactly he was and still is: a highly unpredictable (erratic) and unstable psychotic, schizophrenic, and paranoid, senile, and presidency-rabid clown-comedian; and a craven coward, too; a desperate and obsessed madman who is prepared to stop at nothing and to stoop to anything to get to the presidency!
He was useful to them once, then, as a cover – or a blanket – but they have discarded him and tossed him into the used-clothes or second-hand clothes bin!
Either he doesn’t know it, or else he knows it but doesn’t give a damn or care a hoot as long as he gets to the presidency – and to hell with Lebanon and the Lebanese!
3: I call your attention to the fact that no party or sect could possibly have an agreement with any other party or sect unless they agree with them.
Likewise, Aoun and the Aounis and all their allies – you must know them by heart by now – couldn’t possibly have an agreement with Nesrallah and Hezballah and Berri and Amal and their allies, unless HE and THEY agree with HIM and THEM; and 'to agree with’ is 'to connive with’ and ‘condone’ whatever THEY and THEM do. That’s obvious.
4: A madman who could send his thugs and hooligans to BKERKI – back in 1989 – to maltreat, mis-handle, and manhandle the Patriarch – toss him around and up and down like a stuffed doll – and place and paste Aoun’s pictures on the Patriarch’s chair and on the walls, and only-God-knows what other outrages, atrocities, and abominations.
5: A coward who could desert his men – 600 of the best – and leave them behind to die, helpless and leaderless. Those that were blindfolded and lined up against the walls of Donkey-Sty Baabda Palace – if only those accursed walls could speak – and shot down like sitting ducks; and those that were carted off in trucks like so many cattle; to be beaten, tortured, and mutilated to death later; not to mention those that did not survive the trip! Never in the history of Cattle Dealing have cattle ever been carted thus! AND! Let’s not forget his wife and three daughters whom he literally threw to the wolves – so to speak – and fled with his tail tucked between his legs like a jackal in orange pyjamas to the French Embassy, and later to France.
6: An ungrateful wretch who could today deny, accuse, and insult the very country that accepted him and nourished and protected him for 15 years.
7: A betrayer of his own people and a treacherous and treasonous traitor to his country; who could have agreements and form alliances with Hezballah and Amal and their allies and yet could not even be on ‘speaking terms’ with his other fellow-Christians.
8. A Clown-Comedian who never appears in public or on TV until and unless he has two full bags of stale and corny jokes and wisecracks and, especially, below-the-belt insults to hurl at all those that do not agree with him or conform to his whims and quirks.
9. A misled, misguided, and mis-informed Syrian and Iranian Prime Proxy and Major Mole and madman who voluntarily offered himself and his followers and supporters as a blanket to cover and protect Syria’s and Iran’s TENTACLES OF TERROR – Hezballah and Amal and only-God-knows who else – and their other Proxies, Moles, Puppets, and Pawns; and help them to either stop or spike the International Tribunal, and either delete or delay UN Resolutions 1559 and 1701 which are highly important and crucial to Lebanon’s stability and the Lebanese people’s peace of mind.
Aoun and the Aounis – or what’s left of them – underestimated Nesrallah and Hezballah and Berii and Amal and their allies, and took them for fools – or at least, that’s what they thought. Whereas the actual truth is: They had seen and known Aoun and them for the fools and tools they were and manipulated, exploited, and used – or should I say misused – him and them all for their own ends or gains!
An after-thought:
Whatever you do, DON'T SEND HIM TO THE MENTAL HOSPITAL! THE INMATES WILL GO ON STRIKE AND PROTEST! THEY MIGHT EVEN REVOLT AND KILL ALL THE DOCTORS AND NURSES AND WARDENS!
(The day after Aoun has been admitted to The Mental Hospital. All the inmates are outside The Hospital; yelling and screaming – after smashing and breaking everything inside, and beating up the doctors, the nurses, and the wardens)
Policeman: “Who is the spokesman among you?”
Inmates: “We all are!”
Policeman: “Hey! Cool it, guys! I’m only doing my job.”
Inmate Cook: “It’s true; we all are, but you can talk to me, and the rest of you had better shut up otherwise NO FLIES IN YOUR SOUP TONIGHT!”
Inmates: “Oh God, no; anything but that!”
Policeman: “So tell me; why did you bunch of crazy ass-holes behave like madmen?”
Inmate Cook: “That’s because we’re all crazy ass-hole madmen; but bringing in that I’m Mad Michael Aoun and imposing him on us, and making him one of us, was too much. In fact, it was the last straw that broke the camel’s back!”
Policeman: “And where is that … Er … where is he?”
Inmate Cook: “He’s inside, and that’s why we’re all outside. And we’re not going back in there until and unless they get him out of there!”
To the AOUNIS, AOUN is only the Basket-Case Basket in which something is delivered to them regularly so why not humour the rabid and senile ass-hole, so long as there’s something to be had from him. There’ll be time enough to quit, pack up, and leave.
Just you wait and see what happens the first time the Basket-Case Basket arrives empty!
BY GOD!
Emile Le-Hood Lahhoud; the Hermit-Baboon and Jinx:
He STEPPED DOWN after having STEPPED ON, SHAT ON, SPAT, ON, AND PISSED ON the Constitution and The Rule of Law; and Lebanon and the Lebanese, for 6 years running, with 3 more years added to the bargain for good measure!
9 years of Emile Le-Hood Lahhoud! It’s a miracle Lebanon still exists as a country, and the Lebanese are still alive! BY GOD!
And during all those accursed 9 years, he also SHAT and SPAT and PISSED all over Baabda Palace – a Palace built for presidents, but which had been converted to a stable for donkeys – The Palace must be in an even worse state than Tent-City! It is no wonder NO ONE HAS STEPPED UP to fill his place! It’s going to take a long time of hard sweeping, scrubbing, washing, and cleaning; and the burning of a lot of incense to make that Donkey-Sty Palace somewhat livable – fit for occupation.
Something tells me NO MARONITE MORON PRESIDENT WILL OCCUPY THAT DONKEY-STY PALACE FOR A LONG TIME TO COME – IF NOT NEVER EVER! I TOLD YOU! SAMSON in the Temple of DAGON!
However, Emile Le-Hood Lahhoud cannot, and must not, and will not be allowed to, TAKE ALL THE CREDIT FOR THIS MONUMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT because he could never have done it without Michael Aouu Aoun and his entourage, Suleiman Frenzied-Frantic Franjieyeh and his entourage, Michael El Marr-Marr El Murr and his entourage – let us not forget his foreign elements with Lebanese citizenship, and the-dead-brought-to-life – and all the rest of their collaborators; with strong lashes, shoves, and kicks-in-their-asses from their alliances!
Even as he removed his cursed carcass from that Donkey-Sty Palace, his last words – or parting shots – were poisoned arrows driven into the Constitution, and poisoned daggers plunged into the backs and hearts of Lebanon and the Lebanese!
And to think there are those that still say and maintain that there is god, or a god!
How could anyone – with a little sense, at least – believe in god when there are creatures like THESE who could do and get away with things like THOSE! BY GOD AGAIN!
Ever since our supposed so-called Independence in 1943 – A FARCE AND A HOAX – each President has been worse than the one before, with the exception of Bashir Gemaeyel and Renée Mouawad, who did not live long enough to either preside or do anything – right or wrong.
In other words; each successor has been worse than his predecessor, but Emile LeHood was the worst of them all so far! In fact, Lebanon and the Lebanese cannot tolerate and THEY WILL NOT SURVIVE an even worse President than Emile Lahhoud, unless by the worst possible whims or quirks of fate Michael Aouu Aoun became the next president!
He would make Emile Le-Hood Lahhoud seem like Gandhi!
Le-Hood left office, leaving his and the Opposition’s Squalid Eye-sore, Nose-sore, Nerve-sore, and Income-Sore Tent-City there; right smack in the heart of Beirut, bleeding her and the rest of the country to death!
He left office knowing fully well that, after he and The Speaker and their gang of Dingy Deserters and Treacherous and Treasonous Traitors – the Opposition – had taken us, the government and the Lebanese people, for too many long, tedious, tiresome, cumbersome, nerve-wracking, highly damaging and costly run-around, ring-around-the-roses and rigmarole rides over the past several months, they – the rides – will continue unabated!
HOWEVER, AND BUT! THE $100,000,000 QUESTION NOW IS: WHAT ARE HIS FUTURE PLANS after removing his carcass from Baabda Palace – a Palace built for Presidents, but which has been converted to a stable for donkeys (I know I said this before; so what?) – OR WHAT ARE HIS ORDERS AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE FUTURE? IN OTHER WORDS; HOW, AND IN WHAT WAY, IS HE GOING TO CONTINUE TO (hopefully, gladly, cunningly and willingly) SERVE HIS MASTERS: SYRIA AND IRAN?
Surely he and the rest of you out there do not expect us – the average, decent, and sensible Lebanese citizens – to believe that THEY are just going to simply LET HIM GO to live the rest of his life in peace and comfort after having DONE so much for him and after having USED him for so long – in other words; PUT HIM OUT TO PASTURE?
Not all of us are such blind bats, banal baboons, craven cowards, deaf and dumb ducks, fumbling fools, gullible gulls, idiotic imbeciles, moron monkeys, or obtuse ostriches as THEY – and YOU, if YOU, too – would simply love to think and believe!
BY GOD; ONE LAST TIME!
Emile Le-Hood Lahhoud; The Hermit-Baboon and Jinx again (he sure looks and stares and bares his fangs and barks and FARTS like A BABOON)
His very presence at Baabda Palace was an insult and an affront to The Constitution and the Rule of Law; and an insult to the intelligence and honour of the Lebanese people and an affront to their faculties – actually, he's an insult and an affront to the whole IC! He was literally imposed on Lebanon and forced down the throats of the Lebanese people by Syria (and Iran) and their Moukhabarat!
Emile Le-Hood Lahhoud was the lowest and the worst of Syria's and Iran's MOLES ever to reside at Baabda Palace - a Palace built for Presidents but which had been converted to a stable for donkeys (don't tell me; I know) and the worst and most treacherous and treasonous traitor to his country and his people. He was an adamant arrogant asinine ass-hole fool; a champion jackass; a number one naïve moron; a cruel, vain, vicious, vindictive, selfish, greedy MOLE; and one of Syria’s and Iran’s Top-Five Proxies – one of The UNHOLY and UNGODLY QUINTET – full of self-conceit; with no scruples or morals or patriotism; and with no regard or respect for human life; an arrogant impudent idiot, with total scorn and contempt for the Lebanese people!
If Emile Le-Hood Lahhoud (a scumbag shit-head schmuck) in all his sneaky and slimy life, ever had any dignity, self-respect, or honour, he would have resigned long ago, BUT! And HOWEVER! These qualities are not to be found among the lowest of the low! Syria and Iran stripped him of all of these in exchange for the chair.
CONVENTIONAL AND NON-CONVENTIONAL MEDICAL TREATMENTS
TO DIE FOR OTHERS' BELIEFS; AND TO DIE VERY YOUNG, TOO!
This is the story of an incident that took place in 1986. The story of Amy Hermanson, who suffered horribly and died at the tender age of seven because her parents were Christian Scientists who believed in non-conventional treatments and utterly refused conventional treatments – praying for the stricken patients instead of taking them to see a doctor or to a hospital!
There are not a few contradictions in the whole story. For example, the very name of the organization is composed of two contradictory words: Christian, which pertains to Religion; and Science, which relates to knowledge.
In other words; Religion is a belief in the abstract, but Science is exact knowledge; and even if not exact, can and will be made exact, eventually, by perseverance in further observations and studies, backed by Science and Technology. All the diseases that plague Mankind have been, or can be, conquered by observation and study on the one hand, and Science and Technology on the other.
Amy Hermanson was only seven years old when she had Diabetes and did not know anything about Conventional or Non-conventional medical treatments – or the difference between them – and could not decide or choose between them, either; and her parents had no right to decide or choose for her. If she had been old enough to know and decide and choose for herself, that would have been different.
According to a background report: Christian Scientist does not stop or prevent its members from seeing a doctor; it leaves the choice to the individual, and permits conventional medical treatments for broken bones – and obviously other severe injuries – and dental cavities – this, of course, includes toothache and gum disease.
I wonder why! If Amy’s parents could staunchly and stubborn abide by, or adhere to, their beliefs to the point of denying their daughter the attention and care of qualified doctors – specialists in their fields – and qualified medical nurses, why did they send her to school? Why didn’t they pray for that, too, and other too many things to mention here?
It’s like sending retarded or handicapped – blind, deaf, and dumb – children to the same schools or camps as other normal children. It’s neither right nor fair to both!
Also, we should bear in mind that all conventional medical treatments always include spiritual healing; the patients’ parents, families, relatives, and friends pray for them while they are being treated – correctly and properly – in the best and only place they could or should be; and by qualified doctors and nurses.
Humans are made up of Body: Physical; and Soul: Spiritual; so let the physicians see to the physical side of the disease while the spiritualists see to the spiritual.
If Man – ever since he first stood up on his hind legs and looked around him, and saw how all the cards were stacked against him: the elements and the forces of nature; and the other animals; most of which were constantly trying to kill and eat him – had depended on his beliefs and/or disbeliefs for survival alone, we all wouldn’t be here today.
The crux of the whole matter lies in a simple fact: alternative medical care or spiritual healing may do for patients with terminal illnesses or conditions but not for diseases that can be controlled and/or cured; and in the answers to four simple questions:
Amy had the right to live; did her parents give her that right? / Did her parents think of her or how she felt? / Did her parents know what she went through or care about how she suffered? / Was she given a choice or a chance?
The answer to all four questions is: NO!
In my opinion, what Amy’s parents did to her was tantamount to first degree murder – intentional, and with malice afore-thought. They knew well what the end result would be, but they were too vain and mule-headed to admit it and veer off it.
But; the most annoying thing about the whole story was: their sentence was overturned by The Supreme Court – most probably due to the slightest and silliest technicalities; if I know anything about courts, judges, and lawyers!
NB This was as short as I could make it since to delve and probe into all the aspects and intricacies of such a subject – or tragedy – would take too much space and time!
Dr. Maria Weyermann of The German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg and her colleagues found that a child's likelihood of being overweight by age 2 rose with the amount of adiponectin in his or her mother's milk.
