Andrewtx

I see no value in his work. It's not a movie, at least not in the storytelling sense. It's certainly not a documentary. So what, exactly, is it? A waste of my time, I guess. I won't see it.

Steven Katz, M.D., President, National Paramedic Institute From the website of the National Paramedic Institute: "The International Association of Fire Fighters and National Paramedic Institute have partnered to provide cutting edge online EMS Training to our country's heroes." You don't suppose this has clouded his professional opinion, do you?

The pre-existing right to keep and bear arms was premised on the commonplace assumption that individuals would use them for these private purposes, in addition to whatever militia service they would be obligated to perform for the state. The premise that private arms would be used for self-defense accords with Blackstone’s observation, which had influenced thinking in the American colonies, that the people’s right to arms was auxiliary to the natural right of self-preservation. See WILLIAM BLACKSTONE, 1 COMMENTARIES *136, *139; see also Silveira, 328 F.3d at 583-85 (Kleinfeld, J.); Kasler v. Lockyer, 2 P.3d 581, 602 (Cal. 2000) (Brown, J., concurring). The right of self- preservation, in turn, was understood as the right to defend oneself against attacks by lawless individuals, or, if absolutely necessary, to resist and throw off a tyrannical government. See Silveira, 328 F.3d at 583-85 (Kleinfeld, J.); see also id. at 569-70 (Kozinski, J., dissenting from the denial of rehearing en banc); Kasler, 2 P.3d at 605 (Brown, J., concurring).9 When we look at the Bill of Rights as a whole, the setting of the Second Amendment reinforces its individual nature. The Bill of Rights was almost entirely a declaration of individual rights, and the Second Amendment’s inclusion therein strongly indicates that it, too, was intended to protect personal liberty. The collective right advocates ask us to imagine that the First Congress situated a sui generis states’ right among a catalogue of cherished individual liberties without comment. We believe the canon of construction known as noscitur a sociis applies here. Just as we would read an ambiguous statutory term in light of its context, we should read any supposed ambiguities in the Second Amendment in light of its context. Every other provision of the Bill of Rights, excepting the Tenth, which speaks explicitly about the allocation of governmental power, protects rights enjoyed by citizens in their individual capacity. The Second Amendment would be an inexplicable aberration if it were not read to protect individual rights as well. Parker v. District of Columbia http://pacer.cadc.uscourts.gov/docs/common...03/04-7041a.pdf A masterfully written opinion, I recommend you read it in its entirety.

It's not a question of trust. It's much simpler. It's the basic realization that in a free society, the police cannot be everywhere at once, and that the individual should accept foremost responsibility for his or her own security.

:? Icelandic is the proper adjective. He's referring to an earlier poster from Iceland who was relating firearms in his country.

:wink:

Any known allergies? Has he ever experienced anything similar? In addition to what did he eat, what was he doing before he ate, specifically did he handle any unusual substances or materials, and did he wash his hands before eating? How does he describe the numbness in his hands? Did it start in his fingertips and progress proximally? Can he move his toes normally and is there any similar sensation?

Great post. Asys certainly isn't painting a caricature of the Texas I grew up in -- a place whose residents are much friendlier, and also less paranoid, than the sophisticated elites here in DC. In fact, of those I knew growing up who either carried a weapon or owned firearms that weren't merely packed away in a box somewhere, nearly all were intelligent professionals who seemed perfectly competent to responsibly keep and carry a firearm. How they are aiding terrorists I haven't a clue, who I'm sure don't need the protection of the second amendment to attack a civilian target. :roll:

Actually, sir, the terrorists are the ones who will have the blood on their hands.

I have no experience with this software whatsoever, but your question made me wonder why I never looked for this or a similar product before! A well-designed program along these lines could be amazingly helpful, especially if it offers quizzes and so forth that will reinforce your weak areas until you have everything well-learned. Great idea..wish I had thought to look for something like this sooner.

I'm a little bit confused by a couple points in this article. Maybe someone can clarify. I'm not sure exactly what they mean by this. Are they planning on transporting patients in these SUV units in cases where they can sit upright and buckled in? Or did the article just mean to refer to elderly RMAs where someone just needs a hand? If these units are already staffed with a paramedic, then why would they require an additional engine or ladder on scene for an ALS call? Needing an ambulance, obviously, I understand -- or an ALS engine if the hybrid unit is BLS. :?

I said a prayer for you and your family..best wishes for you in this very difficult time.

Exactly.

Comprehensive? How could his piece be considered comprehensive when he put absolutely no perspective on the prevalence of substance abuse in EMS compared to any other population? Clearly he wrote the article with a "mission" in mind to pull EMS providers off the pedestal that he thinks they seek.

I love hockey but only really follow the NHL. By default, though, I'll go with Canada as it's the land of my birth. I couldn't disagree with you more! I love shootouts, I think they're incredibly exciting, showcase great talent, and are a great way to excite new fans. I also love period after period of sudden death OT, but purism will be the death of the NHL and a few other North American leagues if they don't adapt to attract new fans and viewership. Besides, as far as the NHL goes, both teams have 65 minutes to settle the game properly. :wink:

Another decently cheap solution is to get yourself one of the many different electronic handheld games (solitaire, sudoku, battleship, connect four, whatever keeps your attention). They don't cost much and you can choose one that has an illuminated screen. I like sudoku, myself. Keeps your mind going. http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4601215

Googled it because I was bored. http://www.emedmag.com/html/pre/tox/0502.asp

This article about induced hypothermia in cardiac arrest patients was printed on the front page of yesterday's USA Today. I thought the article did a pretty good job of reflecting the value of progressive, high-quality EMS agencies for communities and their residents. Thoughts on this practice and its application in EMS? [web:e06c9a2c9b]http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-12-10-body-cooling-cover_x.htm[/web:e06c9a2c9b]

Great post. Thanks asys.

You don't say? :wink:

I wouldn't be very comfortable with the situation either.

:roll:

Speaking of the gun, I do hope you had that camera on an auto-timer and were prepared to lose both the camera and whatever stood behind it, or else you were breaking the number one rule of firearm safety. :wink: But about the substance of all this, look, knives are perfectly fine and useful tools for a variety of chores, but I don't think they have a place on an ambulance. And I say that not because I think I'm better than you or think poorly of you in any way, but because hundreds if not thousands of EMTs and Paramedics manage just fine without knives on their person or in the ambulances. And while lots of things can be used as weapons, a knife is a particularly obvious and dangerous one that adds much more risk than utility. That's my judgement on your choice, not on you.

I agree with everyone else who has said that this is wrong and reflects the continuing perception of EMS as being an adjunct to, rather than an important part of, the medical profession. The solution, as Scaramedic wrote, is for the state to train its own executioners to establish the IV if they wish to use lethal injections. They don't need to be trained as healthcare providers, as they won't be providing healthcare. I disagree that these are contradictory positions. As I said in another thread, if a person already near death dies during an MCI triage situation because resources are diverted to those with a better chance of survival, than that person's death is a passive consequence of the actions of healthcare providers. That is, that person is dying just as they would had no healthcare provider made it to them at all. The death of someone who was administered a lethal dosage is an active consequence -- if nobody had showed up to kill the person, then that person would have lived.