Stand Up And Be Heard ** UPDATED

Today I sent the following letter to the poltical editor of my local paper.


Ms. Reeve,

I am following up on a voice message I left for you a few weeks ago. I was responding to something I had read in the Pioneer Press following the Super Tuesday election and was given your name by the reader advocate as the appropriate contact.

Following Super Tuesday, your paper printed several articles commenting on the strong showing by Barack Obama. One article in particular caught my attention, not for its content so much as the inflammatory language used to establish the argument.

The article, authored by Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen writing for Politico, outlined a list of reasons why Hillary Clinton should be worried by the Super Tuesday results. The opening paragraph went like this:

“Hillary Clinton survived a Super Tuesday scare. But there are five big reasons the former first lady should be spooked by the current trajectory of the campaign.”

Spooked?!? Seriously?

Needless to say I was shocked that a 21st century newspaper would allow such an obvious racial slur to appear in print. Especially in a so-called news story. Regardless of one’s feelings for Barack Obama and his fitness for the Presidency, one can’t deny the clear implications of such offensive language and the possible hidden agenda of the authors. So, with righteous indignation in hand, I attempted to contact them to share my reaction.

Because your paper didn't provide any contact information for either writer I tracked them down via the internet. Politico.com does not list e-mail addresses but does provide the option to contact its reporters via a comment box on their profile page. For both Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen, I left the following comment.

“I wanted to comment on something I read in your Feb. 6th column regarding the challenges Hillary Clinton is facing from the Barack Obama campaign following the Super Tuesday elections. You wrote:

“Hillary Clinton survived a Super Tuesday scare. But there are five big reasons the former first lady should be spooked by the current trajectory of the campaign.”

Spooked?!? Seriously?

Surely you must be aware of the obvious historical use of that word as a racial epithet. Even assuming that your intentions weren’t to subtly disparage the first African American in the history of the country with a legitimate chance of winning the presidency, it is difficult to understand how you, and your co-author, and your editor, could allow such a racially loaded term to appear in print.

Were there really no other options? The Microsoft Word program I am using to compose this E-mail carries 10 synonyms for scared in its thesaurus. Any one of which would have had said the same thing without setting a discriminatory tone, unless that was your objective. I hope not. Given the tenor of the article, I’ll grant you the benefit of the doubt and presume that you weren’t attempting to bias the readers with prejudicial language but instead fell victim to an unfortunate word choice.

To paraphrase Spiderman, “With great privilege, comes great responsibility.” As white folks, we rarely suffer the micro-aggressions so familiar to people of color. And because of that we must be even more cognizant not to commit them.”

Upon submitting my comment I received an error message indicating that my comment contained “inappropriate language”. Here I am trying to contact national political reporters about their use of racially loaded terms in the most diplomatic way I know how and I’m flagged for being inappropriate. The irony was overwhelming.

After stewing over the issue for several more days I decided that I would try to contact the Pioneer Press, as they too had some responsibility in allowing the article to run. I called the reader advocate and was given your name and number. I left a message over two weeks ago and have not heard anything since. I also tried to guess at what might be an e-mail address (based on the domain name) for Mr. VandeHei and Mr. Allen. I have not received any acknowledge from them either.

It would be easy for me to simply let this issue go. Afterall, these types of micro aggression don’t really hurt me. However, as I reflect further, I’m reminded of the famous poem “First they came…” by Pastor Martin Niemöller, which concludes, “And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up.”

I’m speaking up now.


Sincerely,

Sven
South St. Paul, MN

**********************
I recently received this response from the political editor of my local paper.


Hi Sven,

First, let me apologize for not getting back to you. I did get your voicemail and in the midst of the activity of the past few weeks neglected to call you back.

I appreciate the efforts you have gone to to make us aware of your concern. We have a partnership with Politico and you're right, they aren't our staff writers. I would be happy to forward this on to those writers and their editors.

My guess is there was no intent, but you raise a good point that that word is a bit loaded, especially when used in the context of writing directly or indirectly about a black person.

I appreciate your view, will pass it along to Politico and again I apologize for not getting back to you.
If you want to discuss this further, feel free to call me. I promise to respond.

Singed,
Political Editor of the local paper

P.S. It's interesting. I think we ran another Politico story this week in which the Republicans are trying to figure out how they can talk about/attack Obama should he become the nominee without appearing racist.

Listen To Her Heart

They say the camera adds 10 pounds. In this case I think the camera also added 10 beats per minute.



The Lid Twisters 1.26.08

Fast As You

The Lid Twisters - 1.26.08

Where Have All The Hours Gone?

How to tell if your kids' hockey is taking over your life:

 You base the next purchase of your new vehicle on whether it will hold six kids, six sticks, and six hockey bags.

 You know the location of every hockey store within a 400 mile radius.

 You relate directions to places by the nearest arena.

 You know every single kid on every single team your child has ever played on... but you don't have a clue who his school mates are.

 You feel lost when you have a free weekend.

 Your spouse waits until you decide where to sit and then chooses a spot on the opposite side of the arena.

 You become a partner in a skate sharpening business to save money.

 You can justify complaining about someone who gives hundreds of hours of volunteer time to coach your son or daughter.

 You ground your kids for a week (except for hockey practice).

 You rationalize spending $159 on a Synergy for a 9 year-old but won't spend $5 on a birthday card for your wife.

 When someone asks how old your children are you respond, "I have a '94 and a '97."

 You have had to use a grandparent to take kid #1 to a tournament because Dad was in a different county with kid #2 at a tournament and Mom had kid #3 two counties away in a 3rd tournament - all in one weekend.

 Practices make up a very large part of your social life.

 You buy gloves according to how loud you can clap in them.

 You find yourself missing the parents of your child's team mates during the off-season.

 You refuse to make any plans with your friends until you check your kids' hockey schedule.

 You take out a home loan to pay for all the equipment and expenses.

 You plan the birth of your next child so he/she has a good "hockey birthday".

 Your new baby's first word is Zamboni.

 All your computer passwords begin with "hockey" or contain your child's jersey number.

 You purchase a new $135.00 stick because the old one "didn't have any goals left in it."

 You knows a few 5 year-olds that are good but "lack focus".

 You’re kids ask if Christmas is "home or away".

 When your have to decide between a game or first communion you ask the church what your options are.


See you at the rink!

Coaching 101

Hockey season begins this week and I will once again be coaching both my son's and daughter's teams. As a public service to parents and players everywhere I offer this testimonial by NHL star Chris Chelios on the important role of youth hockey coaches.

Are You Smarter Than A 4th Grader?

Last week Emma brought home the following extra credit assignment. It was taken from her 4th grade math curriculum. Good luck!

Daniel takes orders at the Marvelous Muffin Bakery. The muffins are packed into boxes that hold 1, 3, 9, 27 muffins. When a customer asks for muffins, Daniel fills out an order slip.
• If a customer orders 5 muffins, Daniel writes code 12 on the order slip.
• If a customer orders 19 muffins, Daniel writes code 201 on the order slip.
• If a customer orders 34 muffins, Daniel writes code 1021 on the order slip.


1) What code would Daniel write on the order slip if a customer asked for 47 muffins? Explain.

2) If the Marvelous Muffin Bakery always packs its muffins into the fewest number of boxes possible, what is a code Daniel would never write on a slip? Explain.

3) The largest box used by the Bakery holds 27 muffins. Daniel thinks the bakery should have a box one size larger. How many muffins would the new box hold? Explain.

Your Health, Your Partner

As some of you may know, my wife FrankenKristin had brain surgery at The Chiari Institute (TCI) in New York two years ago to correct a symptomatic Chiari 1 Malformation. The need for the surgery stemmed from two car accidents that occurred in 2005. To read about that experience, follow the links on the right under the heading “There and Back Again: FrankenKristin’s Tale.” Since then we have been engaged in an ongoing battle with our health insurance company to cover her follow up care as well as a lawsuit against the driver in the first accident. We have yet to address the second.

By all accounts surgery was successful in alleviating nearly all of her Chiari related symptoms. At that time, the doctors indicated that she may also suffer from craniocervical instability given her anatomical structure and the whiplash she experienced. They indicated that this would not be clear until she had made a full recovery from the Chiari surgery.

Two years the Chiari surgery still remains a success However, after countless hours spent expermeinting with various treatment protocols, it is time to determine whether craniocervical instability is the source of her current situation and what we should do about it. Fortunately we had the support of her primary physician as well as the chief of neurosurgery at the flagship hospital in town to return to TCI for assessment. And yet, our insurer denied coverage contending that the diagnostic procedure TCI used is “investigational/experimental” and therefore not covered under our plan. Of course they informed us of our right to appeal. Which we did.

What follows is the statement I wrote last week in response to their decision. Enjoy.


To: Appeal Review Committee
From: Sven
Re: Appeal for coverage on behalf of FrankenKristin

It is on behalf on my wife FrankenKristin that I am writing this letter. Because of her current symptoms she finds it difficult to sit at a desk for any length of time. Since we’ve had insurance coverage through providers other than HealthPartners during the last two and a half years, her medical chart may not provide a complete representation of her current situation. Because of this, I am submitting the following statement in an effort to introduce additional information that should prove useful.

As you know, we are seeking coverage for care that is to be provided by The Chiari Institute in New York. The initial decision to deny coverage was based on the argument that invasive cervical traction is an experimental/investigational procedure. However, it is not solely for the purpose of invasive cervical traction that she is returning to The Chiari Institute, but rather to establish or rule out the presence of craniocervical instability and to determine the possible need for craniocervical fusion.

She had initially scheduled only the invasive cervical traction, due to time constraints and with the hope that she would assess the next steps in conjunction with her primary physician once we returned home - including the possibility of working within the network. However, given her current symptomology, the complexity of her surgical case and the recommendation made by the Chief of Neurosurgery at Regions Hospital it has been determined that The Chiari Institute is the only facility capable of providing care. Her intent to return to The Chiari Institute is based the following factors:

 The Chiari Institute is widely accepted within the neurosurgical community as the leading multidisciplinary center for the management and treatment of Chiari Malformation, syringomyelia, and other related disorders including basilar invagination, craniocervical instability, and spinal cord tethering. Dr. Thomas Milhorat and the team at The Chiari Institute are generally regarded as the foremost experts in the care and treatment of Chiari Malformation and related disorders. Their research and clinical practice represent the leading edge of care and treatment of these disorders and sets the industry standard.

 In 2005 FrankenKristin was diagnosed at The Chiari Institute as having a symptomatic Chiari I Malformation. She underwent posterior fossa decompression and C1/ partial C2 laminectomy the same year to correct this malformation and has found relief from many of the Chiari-related symptoms. Surgery was performed by Dr. Milhorat, Founder of The Chiari Institute and Chief of Neurosurgery at North Shore University Hospital, and Dr. Paulo Bolognese, Assistant Director of The Chiari Institute. Dr. Milhorat prepared a detailed operative report which described the nature of the surgery in the following terms:

“Posterior fossa decompression under color Doppler ultrasonography guidance consisting of a suboccipital craniotomy, C1 and partial C2 laminectomy, dural opening, microlysis of arachnoidal adhesions, bipolar shrinkage of the cerebral tonsils, expansile duraplasty implying autogeneous pericranium, and remodeling of the posterior cranial fossa with a titanium mesh/acrylic cranioplasty.”

 The pre-operative report noted the presence of retroflexed odontoid with pannus formation, Eagle’s syndrome, dilated central canal and possible craniocervical instability. It is for the signs and symptoms consistent with craniocervical instability, which she is currently experiencing, that she intends to return to the Chiari Institute for further evaluation. Craniocervical instability is defined as hyper mobility of the craniocervical junction where the head joins the neck. It is not uncommon to see this complication in patients, post-Chiari decompression, who have also experienced traumatic whiplash - which is the case for FrankenKristin. If the evaluation confirms the presence of craniocervical instability, the indicated surgical treatment is craniocervical fusion.

 Following the direction of her primary care physician, Dr. David Caccamo, she has attempted a series of non-invasive treatments for these symptoms, within the Health Partners network, as well the network offered by our previous insurance provider, in an attempt to achieve adequate and lasting relief. To date none of the prescribed treatments has proved anything other than temporary.

 In an effort to explore additional treatment and possible surgical options, Dr. Caccamo contacted the Health Partners Assistant Medical Director, who consulted with Dr. Mark Larkins, Chief of Neurosurgery at Regions Hospital. Regarding the consultation, Kristin’s medical chart indicates per Dr. Larkins, that she should return to The Chiari Institute for follow up care. Dr. Larkins went on to say that Dr. Milhorat, is a world expert in Chiari Malformations and that there may be nuances in her surgical case that they would be best able to address. Dr. Larkins also felt that to see him or any other Twin Cities neurosurgeon would not be worth her time.

 Earlier this year a preliminary indication of craniocervical instability was made by Dr. Paulo Bolognese of The Chiari Institute through the review of various self-assessment tools as well as results from cervical extraction tests. Based upon these finding he recommended that Kristin return for a complete evaluation to establish or rule out the presence of craniocervical instability and the possible need for craniocervical fusion.

 In 2005 Dr. Mihorat presented research at the annual conference of the American Syringomyelia Alliance Project (1) where he highlighted the frequent occurrence of craniocervical instability in Chiari I Malformation patients and identified the proper course of diagnosis and treatment - before and after decompression. In that presentation he explains that craniocervical instability, which can occur post-decompression, is generally not provable by radiographic studies and that the only definitive diagnosis is through invasive cervical traction.

 According to The Chiari Institute, invasive cervical traction is a definitive test for establishing the diagnosis of craniocervical instability with functional cranial settling. The goals of invasive cervical traction are 1) to establish or rule out the diagnosis of craniocervical instability with functional cranial settling; (2) to identify patients who do not require craniocervical fusion, thereby avoiding an unnecessary surgical step; (3) to identify patients who are potential candidates for craniocervical fusion - in extraction and (4) to acquire precise radiographic and extraction weight measurements that can be reproduced at the time of the craniocervical fusion to maximize the likelihood of optimal outcome. It is policy at The Chiari Institute that all patients with clinical suspicion of craniocervical instability with functional cranial settling undergo invasive cervical traction prior to surgery.

 In determining the diagnosis of craniocervical instability, the presence of retroflexed odontoid with pannus formation combined with the previous posterior fossa decompression and C1/partial C2 laminectomy, complicate the surgical case to the degree that only someone with an expert level of experience with these conditions as well as intimate knowledge of her anatomical structure and previous surgical history should be considered. While it has been argued, albeit incorrectly, that invasive cervical traction is an investigation/experimental procedure, craniocervical fusion is not. Performing a fusion to address craniocervical instability is commonly accepted across the neurosurgical community. The use of invasive cervical traction by The Chiari Institute is an essential tool in establishing not only the need for surgery but also in acquiring precise indicators that can be reproduced at the time of surgery to maximize the likelihood of optimal outcome.

 Given the factors surrounding her previous posterior fossa decompression and C1/partial C2 laminectomy, the level of expertise and clinical success rate at The Chiari Institute, the nuances of her surgical case including the presence of a retroflexed odontoid with pannus formation, as well as the endorsement and referral of the Chief of Neurosurgery at Regions Hospital, it is clear that her current situation indicates that The Chiari Institute is the only facility capable of offering the proper diagnosis and treatment.

As you can imagine, each day is more difficult than the last. Up until the last few years, FrankenKristin has always enjoyed a physically active lifestyle and has been a role model for our children by actively engaging with them and promoting their enjoyment of physical health. Her current symptoms have left her unable to pursue most physical activity with our children. She experiences severe, sometimes debilitating pain almost daily which affects not only our family, but her work as well. She has been a Social Worker at Regions Hospital for almost 9 years, a career she truly loves. Although the job is challenging, and rewarding it is increasingly more difficult to make it through each day as her pain becomes more and more unbearable. Even though she is an on-call employee she very rarely accept extra shifts, as the pain at the end of each work day is prohibitive.

She has pursued and made a good faith effort to follow a course of pain management and physical rehabilitative treatments within the network, and now believes, with the support of nearly every medical professional she has seen, that it is appropriate to return to The Chiari Institute for further assessment and treatment. We acknowledge that insurance providers do not make these decisions lightly and yet we remain hopeful that she may secure the coverage necessary to restore her health. The prospect of traveling across the country for yet another surgical procedure is not easy for us, as it will require once again disrupting our lives and leaving our children behind. However, the potential for improved functioning and reduced pain will offset any short-term inconvenience. We pray that HealthPartners will provide the approval and coverage necessary for her treatment and future healing.

We appreciate your attention in this matter. Please contact me if you require additional information.

Sincerely,

Sven

(1) A video of the presentation can be found on The Chiari Institute website: Click on Ehlers-Danlos Conference.

Voyage To The Bottom Of The Tub

My son is now old enough to take a bath on his own. Sort of. He still requires some supervision and, since we prefer to keep the bathroom floor dry, assistance reaching the removable spout when washing his hair.

Typically, when it is his turn to take a bath, we let him get in and play for a while before washing his hair and helping him finish up. After all, he may be a big mature 8 year-old at school but he’s not above a few bath toys and some time to goof around in the safe confines of his own home.

Last night FrankenKristin drew his bath and left him to his own devices while I finished cleaning up the kitchen and helping his sister with her homework. After a time, I went to check on him and noticed that he only had one item with him in the tub. However, instead of the typical, action figure, squirt gun, floating dinosaur, or boat made of Legos, he had what looked like a large plastic cylindrically-shaped test tube type thing. Where it came from and how it got in the bath tub I have no idea.

Upon seeing this object in his hand my first thought was, “I hope he doesn’t put that thing on his penis.” The thought had not even completely formed in my head before he proudly exclaimed, “Look Dad, my winkie has a submarine!” At which time proceeded to join the two objects, submerging them both underwater. All the while making one of those “VRRRSSHHRRROOM!!” sounds that is apparently customary for large underwater vessels.

The dictatorial father in me would have scolded him for such lewd behavior. Or I could have left him filled with embarrassment by informing him that his is hardly large enough to be called a submarine. I might have even reminded him the more accurate euphemism is torpedo. Instead I simply looked at him and said, “Be careful, you don’t want to get that thing stuck in there.”

I turned to walk away and resisted, with every fiber of my being, the desire to burst out in laughter.

Life, Liberty And The Pursuit Of Smoke

Beginning today, a new law takes effect in MN requiring bars and restaurants across the state to ban smoking inside their establishments. Now all Minnesotans are free to destroy their livers without the additional fear of poisoning their lungs as well. As someone who makes the occasional attempt to sing his way through an evening at said smoke-filled bars, I for one, am relieved. Hopefully, I will no longer be forced to spend my post-gig days on a steady diet of lemon tea and cough drops.

Not surprisingly the “smoker’s rights” crowd is heralding this as an affront to the basic civil liberties upon which this country was founded. Never mind that smoking itself has not been outlawed just the privilege (not the right) of doing so inside a building. Nonetheless the Chickens Little’s are predicting dire consequences for the hospitality industry. To hear them tell it, the fate our entire economy hangs in the balance. How New York City managed to survive after similar restrictions were implemented in that city apparently remains a mystery.

However, in the spirit of congeniality I offer this short story written by Steve Martin which first appeared in the book Cruel Shoes. May it soothe the savage lungs.

The Smokers

He lit the cigarette and smoked it down to the filter in one breath. He silently thanked the Winston Company for being thoughtful enough about his health to include a filter to protect him. So he lit up another. This time he didn’t exhale the squeaky-clean filtered smoke, but just let it nestle in his lungs, filling his body with that good menthol flavor. Some more smokers knocked on his door and they came in and all started smoking along with him.

“How wonderful it is that we are all smoking”, he thought.

Everybody smoked and smoked and after they smoked they all talked about smoking and how nice it was that they were all smokers and then they smoked some more.

Smoke, smoke, smoke. They all sang “Smoke That Cigarette” and Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.” Then the smokers smoked one more cigarette and left him alone in his easy chair, about to relax and enjoy a nice quiet smoke. And then his lips fell off.

P.S. On Saturday we will bury FrankenKristin’ uncle. He died last week of lung cancer after 60+ years of smoking.

Lucky In Love

Today is Sven and FrankenKristin’s 13th wedding anniversary. I know, 13 is supposed to be an unlucky number but given everything we’ve been through the last two years it seems that our luck has got to improve sometime. Besides, FrankenKristin was born on the 13th so if she was doomed I would have known a long time ago. I think.

In thinking about what to get her as a gift I found that the traditional gift for a 13th anniversary is lace. Sure, I get her a Teddy, stocking or some other fancy lingerie but what difference would that make? It all looks the same lying on the floor next to the bed. And frankly, a table cloth or handkerchief is just not that romantic.

The modern alternative is fur. Right. Like she would wear fur. I suppose I could have saved all of the hair they cut off before her brain surgery and made a nice muffler or stole but I guess I wasn’t thinking that far ahead. And no matter how much she and the kids beg we’re not getting another animal,.

Flowers are out. hollyhocks, the traditional 13th-year flower are out of season and roses are just to…predictable.

I also checked a few websites advertising “creative” and “unique” ideas for showing your wife how much you love her. I’m sorry but making her dinner, helping the kids with their homework, washing her car and telling her that I love her, is neither creative nor unique. They are the things one should be doing anyway. You can’t take credit for stuff you should be doing anyway.

I also thought about re-posting last year’s anniversary message or my Valentine’s Day post from a couple of years ago but frankly, that’s just lazy.

So here I am, 13 years married, two beautiful kids, a wonderful home and job, and great in-laws. I have just about everything I guy could ask for (well there is one more thing, but that can wait until the kids go to bed) and yet I can’t think of a “creative” or “unique” way of saying it. And yet I couldn’t be happier. Maybe that’s why too many couples get divorced. They grow disillusioned and fail to see beauty when things become ordinary.

Happy Anniversary, FrankenKristin. I love you. What time are we putting the kids to bed?