Perspective of Crisis

Recently a very good thing has begun to happen, the little man is being noticed.

#TwitterPhilanthropy is a movement led most notably by @pulte or Bill Pulte. He and his followers assist people who need help with a variety of adverse circumstances. Every day people that have a medical crisis, facing homelessness or need help with housing and utilities are being helped by this movement of charitable giving. As someone that is facing hard times I wanted to take a moment and share my experiences of fundraising and working to overcome my present situation.

I'm a CDL truck driver diagnosed with atherosclerosis. I had triple bypass surgery in 2008 and in 2016 had a endarterectomy and stent to correct stenosis of the left carotid artery. Due to my medical history I must be certified annually to continue driving. Now doctors are focused on my right carotid.

Left carotid surgery 

The tricky part of this situation is that I still have my job so I can't draw unemployment. If ever there was a crack to fall through this is certainly one. I have short term disability that I pay for on my insurance but it doesn't kick in until forty-five days. In the meantime I'm paying copays and other medical expenses on top of basic living expenses.

For thousands like me you're living life on a string. What might be a minor annoyance in your regular life can threaten you with homelessness or worse. Inability to pay a phone bill makes it many times more difficult to get a job or stay in touch with doctors. Maintaining housing and transportation can be giant hurdles. Things we routinely take for granted. It's no surprise that so many have turned to social media and crowd funding as a means of survival.

My day starts early. I check my social media and make a post or two to promote my fundraiser. Then I'm off to doctors or the Atlanta VA Medical Center. Today I received my Family Leave and short term disability insurance paperwork so I'm busy getting that filled out so I can get it in the hands of the doctors for completion. For those in crisis everyday is a challenge and an opportunity.

Note: upon taking the family leave act and disability forms to my private physician I was informed that they charged $35 per form filled out. I mention this to illustrate the ongoing expenses that I face in trying to resolve this problem.

With thousands of people in need, getting noticed and distinguishing yourself from internet panhandlers is both crucial and difficult. At 62 I can assure you that I'm not the most savvy social media person you might encounter. In order to assure people of the validity of my situation I update regularly often with photos of my most recent hospital bracelet or just simply checking in on Facebook when I'm at the hospital.

For thousands of people my situation is their situation. A struggle to avoid catastrophe. Treading the waters of uncertainty. In my darkest moments I worry about homelessness and by extension so do the many thousands of people that are living in crisis. One day at a time I remain focused on resolving the problem. Everyday twenty four seven is about staying positive and maintaining hope.

When some kind soul donates or shares my fundraiser it lifts my spirit away from the dark ponderings about the uncertainty in my life. It's often difficult to express the gratitude I feel but it is real. It restores my faith in God and humanity. It gives me the courage to keep going. It's more than money it's a testament to caring. And to everyone that has cared enough to share in the burdens of another person's struggles I say thank you and may God bless you.

Kirby McCain
My GoFundme Medical Fundraiser

The Democrat Disturbia

Let's admit it the media is in love with The Squad. Anytime one of them opens their disrespectful mouths the cameras are rolling. From the perspective of my sixty-two years on the third rock from the sun, it's very reminiscent of any anti-war movement. It's how the media uses its pervasive power to influence public sentiment.

An illusion is created that these fringe players represent a much larger segment of the population than they do. On several occasions these narratives have destroyed support for a war or military intervention. And now, it seems, the media wishes to promote the BDS movement.

There is no popular support for us to abandon Israel. Going back to the administration of Barack Obama we can see the seeds of this animosity towards the Jewish State. It was no surprise given his warm praise of Islam. He was, after all, the father of the Arab Spring.

Obama infected the Democrat Party with his own anti-Semitism. How this might play with voters I cannot say. I can assure you that the media will spin this as good policy and not the naked anti-Semitism it most certainly is,

Post Protest Afterglow

It warms my heart to see all those ladies out there with their signs listening to the other ladies on the bullhorns. They're not really angry. They try to look angry. Heck, they're just happy to all be together again.

Smile if you're down for the struggle

They've all gotten signage they can keep and cherish. They can dust it off from time to time and show it to friends. Maybe one day they can pass it on to their children, if they decide to adopt.

I'm so happy for them. It's a special time for them to be able to carouse with other women who are also educated and childless. They go out for the big show then retire to a Starbucks to share some talk over a latte and gloss over the handouts to old strains of The Indigo Girls. 

Those guys aren't there for the protest

I can see the girl cave in twenty years with signs on the walls and a pussy hat on the bar.  A Pride banner above the bar in a room full of cats. Yes ladies, the future looks bright because you're making a difference. There's no telling where this movement could go.