Something is burning in Mississippi

During kindergarten, both of my parents worked at the university. My brother and I went to a day care center held in the basement of one of the buildings. There was another child there with a skin tone darker than mine. There was sometype of incident that I don't recall in the fullest, except my father pulled me aside and asked if I had a problem with him being "Black". I didn't.

Watched "Mississippi Burning" tonight.

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue. American history is so interesting.

Once the Native Americans were pushed to the west for the time being, the white anglo saxon men sailed over to africa and introduced "people of color" to the "new land" as slaves to help pick the cotton.

The population reproduces, the Native American's were pushed to lands. Slavery remains a way of life.....

Flash forward to the civil war-a country divided because one group beLIEves that "all MEN" are created equal, whereas others beLIEve" that slavery is o.k.

Flash forward to the 1960's. Racism is alive and well, grown men wear white bedsheets to try to the "negro's" out of the south. White sheet covered men, call the rest of America comunists, uneducated, blah blah blah.... First you bring them over to work in the fields, then you fight in a war because you don't want them to have any rights, and then you decide to kill them because you dont' want them around......

Make up your mind. The thinking and rationale of some of the far-right groups is quite interesting to pull apart and examine.

And I don't know where I was going with this. I am going to sleep!

Of Death and Dying

Although a fraction of this has been posted in cynical_nurse, I rather explore my rational in my own words....

A pt has been on our floor for at least week, with the family up in arms weather or not he should be made comfort care (i.e. all support withdrawn and let nature take its course). Tonight there were at least 20 people in the room, hovering over the pt. The ages ranged from 8-mid 60's (rough estimate). Finally I opened up my trap, and said something to the nurse caring for this pt.

20 people in one room, is 20 too many in my book. Not only was the room full, they were starting to congregate in the hallway, near the nurses station. The conversations they were having could be heard by anyone at the desk, and since I was charting on the computer, I heard EVERYTHING.

Not only were the said family members in the hallway, they were in the family lounge and the nearby hallway. SO much, that when a cart with a pt on it came down, it was hard to get the pt down because there were family members all over. As the night progressed, they started to cry, and was filling the hallway with tears and more bodies.

I have some issues with this situation:

1) If the family is going to discuss care measures, its not appropriate to discuss the issues right over the pt, when hearing is the last sense to go.

2) Children under the age of 8, are not legally bound to make decisions concerning care of pt family member (in this case, there parents were, and the other 20 adults. Do the children want to remember grandpa hooked up to tubes, or spending hours in the hospital...

The care decisions can be made outside the room. The children (the 11 y.o. ) can stay at home. Having 20 peole in the room is 20 too many. what about a rotation sched. What about taking shifts....

It bothers me....