kdirby's blog

A certified professional midwife pleaded guilty today in Indiana to a felony charge of practicing midwifery and medicine without a license. Jennifer Louisa Williams, 55, Bloomington, will not go to prison, but instead agreed to a year’s probation and to not practice midwifery or medicine during that year, according to Shelby County Prosecutor R. Kent Apsley.

Williams said in an e-mail sent to news media, “I have decided to accept the plea deal offered by Shelby County in order to end this prosecution, which has been haunting my life for the last year. By accepting the plea, I can spare my supporters and family and myself the emotional toll and financial expense of a long drawn-out trial, and appeals.”

Today the Associated Press reported out of Norfolk, Virginia, that 146 immigrants serving in the United States military became Americans on Wednesday, in a Flag Day ceremony aboard the USS George Washington aircraft carrier.  Many of the immigrant service members recently returned from the Middle East. 

In 2002, President Bush signed an executive order making immigrants serving in the military since the 9/11 terrorist attacks immediately eligible for naturalization.  Prior to the order, immigrants in the military had to serve three years before they could apply to become citizens.  Since the attacks, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services has naturalized 24,745 military service members.

The purpose of National Therapeutic Recreation Week is to enhance public awareness of therapeutic recreation programs and services, and expand recreation and leisure opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Therapeutic recreation uses treatment, education, and recreation services to help people with illnesses, disabilities, and other conditions to develop and use their leisure in ways that enhance their health, functional abilities, independence, and quality of life.

Theodore Roosevelt’s ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907:

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person’s becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American…There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn’t an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag… We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language… and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Until we recognize there is a national dropout crisis and the tragic effect it has on the lives of teenagers, we will not have meaningful conversations that lead to successful solutions. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 40 percent of those without high school diplomas never appear in wage surveys.  They are either unemployed or part of the invisible economy.  Of those employed, many are engaged in a minimum-wage existence, struggling economically, and starting or continuing the cycle of generational poverty.  Not too surprisingly, high school dropouts make up 80 percent of our prisoners and 50 percent of our adult welfare recipients. 

I read a recent article on the sex offender ban with anger and disgust.  I cannot believe anyone would be opposed to banning convicted child molesters from public parks where large groups of children and families gather. 

Of course, the Indiana chapter of the ACLU is involved in trying to "protect" the rights of these sick and twisted individuals, saying that the city is judging them on a past conviction rather than their current lives.  What about the children's rights to having the freedom to enjoy a park without fearing a sexual predator?  

Hospitals pride themselves on being clean, sanitary environments.  A pet seems out of place, and most are not allowed on the premises.  However, many pet therapy organizations are joining efforts with hospitals nation-wide to help create a better atmosphere for patients.  Research has shown that pets could improve both a person's physical and psychological health. 

Many pet therapy programs include many breeds, and combinations of breeds, but all have one thing in common:  the dogs must have a nice temperament.  The training process for pet therapy dogs include passing a basic obedience training program, and then have further testing done before they are eligible to visit patients.  A thorough evaluation determines how a dog reacts to many situations, including the presence of other dogs or children, jerky handling, food on the floor, loud noises and other distractions. 

As an educated & experienced dog owner, I would like to remind communities that unlike songbirds and squirrels, dogs do not occur naturally in our environment.  People have dogs because they make the conscious choice to buy, adopt or breed them. 

If a person chooses to have a dog, the person is assuming responsibility to care for and properly train their dog.  Problems arise when people choose to get a dog for the wrong reasons resulting in neglect, abuse or abandonment.  It has become commonplace in our society to treat our dogs as accessories or possessions rather than living creatures who, left to their own devices, can behave badly.