Speakout 3/1

Thursday, March 1, 2007

I just watched the news this morning about churches. Why do some people keep saying, "I'm Afro-American." If you're born here, you're American, period. So who is keeping racism alive?

Don't panic! Acute and chronic pulmonary histoplasmosis. I know you are tempted not to read this article because you never heard of this big, long medical term so there is no way it could be a part of you or your child's life. Wrong! Do you have large numbers of birds roosting every night near your home, in your trees, nasty bird dropping building up in your trees, on the ground, in your yard? If this is close enough that your child is breathing this daily or you work in yards and lawns, the droppings don't have to touch you. The spores, airborne, get into your lungs. This makes you sick. There are several types of histoplasmosis, ranging from mild to life threatening. Some people never develop a sign or symptom, but I have. I started out getting sick real often with all the lung illnesses, bronchitis, pneumonia. Then unexplained severe infections in both knees and legs, with much swelling. Then overnight arthritis, severe in both knees, then spots on my lungs (removed now). It has attached to the lymph nodes in my neck and one between my lungs. I recently had another surgery to remove the swollen lymph node in my neck. I am on a antibiotic for most of my life now, hopefully it will bring it under control. It is treatable, but not curable. So if you have daily contact with an area that is covered with bird droppings, you may want to talk to your doctor about this. Three to 17 days after exposure, throughout your body and lungs.

You read all the time in the paper where different organizations receive money from the federal government to help different ethnic groups; low birth weight babies, car seats, food, fatherhood programs and other needs of our communities. It's easy to beg money from the government, but don't that just teach people how to beg off the government? You can take a person on crack, take her to doctor visits, make sure she is eating healthy, but if she is still abusing crack, how is that helping the problem? I am wondering who watches over the money the federal government (you) give these organizations. I believe there is a lot of money that is not accounted for. I think the government needs to audit these groups and not rely on an independent audit.