Sadly, this is the last post to the Daveological Society.

I am Mrs. Daveologic and am sad to announce Dave’s unexpected passing, on December 13th, 2017.

Although I find a need to celebrate his life, I am also finding myself wanting to tell the story of a life so quickly lost.

Dave was taken to the hospital after a fall at home, and was found to have fractured a vertebrae. We were informed that he would be in the hospital for several days, then he would be. I transfered to a rehabilitation facility for several weeks.

The afternoon of the day of his transfer I spent time with him as he ate a B.L.T. and drank a cup of coffee. He was enjoying the fact that he had a B.L.T., and I didn’t. He teased me as usual, about the sandwich he was having without me.

He was sitting up in bed when the wheelchair arrived for his transport to the rehabilitation facility.  I said I would see him tomorrow, gave him a kiss and said goodbye.

He was being his usual self.

The next day when I went to visit him at the rehab center, his back was to the door. When I went around to see him, I was shocked to the depths of my being. There was very little “Dave” in his face and he looked confused and frightened. He could only say his name, birth date, and my name.(Colleen) When I asked what happened to him, the response was, “He came in this way.”

I got the head nurse, and she said he needed to be taken back to the hospital.

The next time I saw him, he was in the Emergency Room. He was dehydrated, and the staff could not find get a vein to draw blood.

A nurse, Jerry, who had been caring for Dave just before they transported him, saw him and exclaimed, ” What happened to him.?!!”

I told her the staff at the rebab center said he arrived that way.

As the day wore on, and he started to run a fever. They said he may have aspirated something.

I stayed with him that night, and by the time his brother and sister in-law arrived the next day he was on oxygen for life support. There was no Dave there.

Several days later,after a “cat scan’ to reassure us that he was really gone, we made the decision to remove his oxygen. He died less than an hour later, with his brother, son and me, his wife of 41 years, telling him we released with our love, to go onto his next adventure.

I hope we honor his memory and celebrate the “logic” and fun that was Dave.

 

Thanks for all the joy the readers of the Daveological Society gave him, whether you agreed with him or not, he enjoyed it all!

Colleen Loevner,                                                                                                                             Twin Falls, Idaho

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands

I was about to finish this when the Las Vegas massacre occurred so, I shifted gears to the most recent.  This did not diminish my feelings for fellow Americans living on the Islands who still need our thoughts, prayers, and assistance any we can accommodate.

They had prior warning on Hurricane Maria, and its’ strength.

The Feds rushed the ‘greatest recovery effort’ ever to be seen in the United States according to the big, number 1 leader in the White House.

The reaction was not quite as good as Donald Trump thinks it might be as his ego is given a push off the deep end when he heard differently.  

The most important person, place or, thing was Donald Trump.  You needn’t ask him if it’s true because he doesn’t honestly know.  He is a narcissist, and he’s not capable of going further with it. 

With that, Trump accuses the Mayor of San Juan as a playing piece for the Democrats who got to her.  This was politics, and Trump was leading the greatest rescue mission in our history.  To be accused of anything less was a message that the people on the islands had no idea what they were talking about.

But wait!  There is more.  Many of the people on the Islands have a darker skin pigment than Donald Trump.  He must have asked somebody if they were exempt from American citizenship?  By the time he received the answer, his arm was twisted.

Trump had to look the part but, give another wink to his base.

An early request was put out to waive the Jones Act to facilitate faster delivery of supplies regardless where the ship was registered..  That took some time as well.  Longer than it took in Texas or, Florida, anyway.

The Mayor of San Juan was seen on the news pleading for help, explaining that assistance was coming slow due to the lack of organization, and lots of paper work.  Some people are there wanting, and willing to help but somewhat helpless, following protocol for paper work before all else.

They are desperate for survival on the islands, and it seems that even with warning several days before it hit the Islands too few feds were there for immediate assistance.

Trump being Trump with a shot to the ego went on the attack of San Juan’s Mayor  Carmen Yulín Cruz.

As his job would dictate, Trump’s Treasury Secretary was right there on the situation citing the grand job accomplished in Puerto Rico.  Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin was publicly echoing his boss.  Kiss, kiss.

….And when a reluctant appearing Trump did show up, he literally threw rolls of paper towels at a gathering of citizens in need of much more than a paper towel. 

He was trying to appear as the great rescuer, and chief .  These were not first graders looking for needless treats.   It was not Sea World where the trainer throws treats to performing seals.  

“Believe me,” as Trump often says,  Trump acted on the lowest side of condescending that only he could find.  Donald is a sick man. 

 

Las Vegas

Before anything else, thoughts to victims, with the same thoughts, and condolences to family, and friends in the aftermath of domestic terrorism.

This is another sad event in American history.

The sadness will continue long after the news stories fade.

The second amendment enacted in 1791 to the Constitution rules over the freedom of gun posession in the United States, and the same amendment also reasons the possible needs for the same weaponry. 

It does not take in to consideration modern day firearms as no provisions were added in the name of technological advancement of firearms.

The intent to carry and/or own firearms had a specificity.

Why does the madness continue?  Simply because, it can.  Simply because there are enough representatives representing whomever has the deepest pockets for a political campaign.

Bill O’Reilly has it figured out, and it’s simple!  A few children at Sandy Hook, a few older lives in Las Vegas, and more later, “It’s the price we pay for freedom.”  Whose freedom, exactly?

If it’s the price Bill O’Reilly is willing to pay for his freedom that would be one thing but,  there are currently thousands of families not so willing as the living victims.  It becomes a little easier for O’Reilly to say until he becomes one of the living victims.

The victims probably feel more like their Lives, and Liberties, were stolen from them as well as, The Pursuit of Happiness in the name of, ‘freedom.’

I grieve for each of them, and all of us collectively.

Florida

This is without question another sad situation with Hurricane Irma on the attack.

It is a little more personal for me as I have a friend in Florida, and have not had contact for awhile.

The video is revealed up to the minute on tv but, it is hard to watch as nature wreaks havoc upon many of nature’s children.  

It is the helpless feeling you get when watching as the Keys are the first recipients of this murderous storm.  All of this from the safety of my own home far removed from Florida with the recent memory of Texas as they continue to recover from Harvey.

Why can’t I get to help some of these people?  

They are millions of people just like us. They’re adults, some with children, and beloved pets.  

Their entire lives are totally interrupted in the wake of these storms.  

Some will have to start all over, from the beginning.  They’ll have nothing but, hopefully at least, they’ll have each other.  That somehow sounds somewhat poetic but, forget poetic, and try to imagine maybe having your family but, with nowhere to go.

Nowhere to call home.  That isn’t poetic, that’s anchored in reality.  Short of loss of life, that is the potential reality for many families.

This is another situation that, at minimum allows you to help in some small way with a donation to the American Red Cross.

Texas

The narcissistic President of the United States doesn’t get the headlines from ‘real news outlets’, and it gnaws at his insides.

Texas comes before Trump no matter what is going on but, you can be sure he is far from the heart, and spirit of Texans in distress.  

He probably doesn’t understand people helping people regardless of whether or not their backgrounds appeal to the Trump palette.

Trump is a passing headline; Texas is not.  Texans do not have the heart to look in to backgrounds during this crisis.  What they do know is, ‘we are people, and we will help other people in a crisis.’

Trump’s arrival in Texas was another one of Trump’s cancerous ‘hey look at how many people turned out to see me!’ campaign stops.  It was a congratulatory stop as he did tell the Texas governor that they could congratulate each other in the near future.

It was all about how well Trump would be handling the Texas crisis.  ‘Better than any other similar crisis has ever been handled in U.S. history.’  This would be epic.

He did lead a pep rally attesting to the strength of Texans.  

He wore a “USA” hat that is for sale on the Trump web site.  As far as the President was concerned, Texas was a photo-op for him, and his wife.  While we’re at it, why not a little business with pleasure? 

Texans are people, and at times like this, still need a ‘presidential President’ surpassing a pep rally.

Did the President reassure the nation of anything?  Did the President show any empathy?  Did he get wet?  Did he meet with any evacuees?  Did he show up at any shelters?  What about Police Officer, Sgt. Steven Perez who  insisted on getting to work to help those in need but, drowned en route?  Nothing from this fake President.

Nothing, until it’s too late, and the educated Trump tries to read from a teleprompter.

What the heck was he doing there except to admire the ‘big’ crowd showing up to see him, and looking for some admiration without doing anything for anybody in Texas.

Again, he was not Presidential but, what else is new?  If nothing else, Donald Trump was in the way.  Get the hell out of Texas!

Trump plans to return to Texas, and will appear to be Presidential because someone like John Kelly will inform him of his miscues.  

You’ll still see the same, ‘I don’t really care because I honestly do not know how to care. ‘  The President acting like a ‘fake President for ‘real’ News which will find the President, a day late, and too many dollars short.

There is no lawless sheriff checking identification.  Only people rescuing their neighbors.

Just like the first, and subsequent responders, I don’t care if you’re Black, White, Asian, Latino, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist or anything else because nobody’s asking questions.  They’re just doing what good people do for others in  this kind of situation.  This is what explains American Community to people like the President.

The President has no idea how to identify with an empathetic community.  It is hard to understand but, narcissism is an illness.  This is the illness that seems to plague the President.

The  responsible real public press is doing their very best at keeping us  up to date with the moment to moment coverage of the ‘real news.’

On to Missouri, the President made another campaign stop with Texas as just a memory, Trump made no mention of Texas continuing in a suffering mode. Not an ounce of empathy for these people because it just isn’t there.

Hurricane Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm moving off land but, trailed right back to land mass over Texas, and Louisiana dropping more rain. 

We must let these people know that we care.  This whole country is concerned for those enduring through this event, and so very sorry for their losses.  

This is even harder to write as I continue watching the live video unveiled on TV as the crisis is far from over.

Trump continues to treat this crisis as if it was merely a reality tv show ‘series’ no different from the one he used to host.

I’ve done my very small part to the best of my ability with a contribution to the American Red Cross.

Another read on Harvey.