Freedom Isn't Free

Freedom isn't free.

But it sure comes cheaply for some people.

While in DC I went to Arlington National Cemetery. On a coincidentally dark and drizzly day I meandered all throughout the acres and acres of bleached white, uniform tomb stones. Although I did not feel any particular great emotion at the time -- I am a robot after all -- on my walk back some strong feelings did stir up in me. Being in a city built, in part, on the legacy of Ancient Greece I felt led to prophesy. An oracle a la me.

Four years from now the world will not end. The United States will not become a socialist state. Terrorists will not win. Obama will not reveal his hidden Islamic faith. And real Americans will continue live quite responsible lives, work in their communities, or lie dead in the soil.

I am not often angered, but one thing that angers me is the frequent insinuation, or outright exclamation, that supporting Obama or the current administration in any way suggests a deficiency in love for your country. As if being a Republican makes you more a true-blue American than being a Democrat or nothing at all. The converse was undoubtedly murmured here and there with the prior executive and it certainly came as a surprise to some that the Patriot Act did not in fact lead to fascism, but the sentiment has never been so frequently whispered, from what I can tell, as it is now.

Supposing establishing your conservative credentials did somehow give one a "Genuine Patriot" merit badge, being such an aficionado would not give whatever cause of the day it is one's championing any more credence. Correct my misguided, half-American understandings if they're wrong, but votes are not tallied based on nationalism and the nation's concept of civil discourse was not founded on jingoism. Partisanship is nothing new, and, truly, partisanship masquerading as love for your country itself is likely ageless, but the newest incarnation of it still saddens me. If you want to fight for your country, join the military and fight for your country. If you want to serve your country, join your church or local service organization and serve your country. If you want a better nation for your children, live a responsible, productive, considerate life that will make a better nation for your children. But please, save the rhetoric for your internal monologue. We're Americans; we're better than this.

Besides, I am the greatest patriot. Make me king. George Washington would have wanted it that way.

Plan B in Washington DC

First came Rhode Island, then came Niagara Falls. Or so was planned. Thanks to the quirkiness that is my good friend Anne, however, we failed to communicate, and instead of coming out during her week of vacation I came out out during her first week of wards at GWU. I was bummed. I do not say "bummed" very often, but, truly, I was bummed. My long held dreams of viewing the majestic cataracts and talking Canadian with a bunch of Ontarians were dashed. Thankfully, however, we had a backup scheme. Or I did at least, I only saw Anne for a total of about 30 minutes the whole time, and that was the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Cherry blossoms, though lovely, do not make for very wild and wacky or even very interesting stories. They were located primarily around the Jefferson Memorial, and were mostly whitish pink. I don't think they smelled. I am not entirely sure if these trees subsequently produce cherries from said spent blossoms though I am compelled to think not. I saw the American History Museum, Arlington Cemetery, and the National Botanical Gardens as well, and that, was that.

But to the point. Photos.

From this year, 2009,

and

Last year, 2008, when I was at Andrew's AFB.

Some day I will see Niagara Falls. Some day. And maybe, just maybe, I will actually see my friend Anne as well.

India Trip: Ending Photos and Closing Jiberrish

FROM 2/26/08:

And now the end.

But first some photos!

Here's Dubai...

And Vellore/CMC...

And finally our after trip to Delhi, Jaipur, and Agra.

But back to the ending.

So, what is the sum total of my four weeks, extended traveling, and numerous contributor dollars? Well, a little and a lot. Physically I am much the same. I miraculously lost little weight surviving on a diet of mostly refined starches, and to my knowledge I have brought no guests back with me in my gastrointestinal tract. Financially I am much the same, thanks to the generous scholarships so graciously provided. Emotionally and spiritually? Still the same unmoved faithless guy as before. Mostly, I have changed mentally. Not that my thoughts themselves have changed, as for the most part they have not, but they have certainly become more clear and refined. Medicine and infectious disease have even greater appeal and resonance to me than they did before -- and they appealed to me a lot before. International work has been the direction I have felt pulled in for years and the pull is even stronger now. Humanism -- that conglomeration of reason, ethics, and justice -- has always made sense to me, but its essential value was made apparent to me during my stay.

During the trip and in the ensuing weeks in Washington DC thereafter, these and other thoughts culminated in the coalescing of my beliefs. Up until now my patriotism, love of science, and enjoyment of politics had always been separate and independent issues. Now, however, I feel and see that they are all very connected. The stark contrasts of Delhi, India, and Washington DC, USA, forced many questions, the greatest of which concerning the nature of each nation's differences, pasts, and futures. Although in many ways very modern and daily modernizing even more, my eyes were constantly drawn to the numerous vestiges that keep India in the past. Internecine religious conflict, cultural chauvinism, oppressive gender roles, and a historical legacy of corruption, despotism, and inequality have and still hold India back from the power that is rightfully its own. In Washington, however, the multitude of monuments and museums espousing and celebrating the country's birth as the political incarnation of the Enlightenment highlight most everything that has helped make the United States and the West great. The scientific method, rationalism, liberty, equality, civil society, and democracy are certainly not the only things that have given America its power, but they were and are important foundations for the dramatic rise to prominence that it has experienced. It is also all these which will continue to empower a safer, fairer, and richer not only West but entire world. My trip therefore served as a display of contrasts of what the world frequently is and what the world should be.

These contrasting observations, though obviously exaggerations, can arguably be said to be held by people the world over. No matter what many think of the United States as it now is, the United States as a concept is for many synonymous with Westernism and with all the ideas and values previously listed associated with that. The uniting realization that I have come to is that it is essential that this remain the case. Without imperialism and the technological superiority it once had, the West faces an inevitable decline not necessarily in absolute terms, but certainly relative to the population giants China and India. As America becomes then more and more simply one out of many global powers the unquestioned legitimacy of all that it stood for will be increasingly examined for merit. If the US abandons its foundational principles to further cling to what remaining power it has or if it more quickly crashes into irrelevance through selfishness and conceit the ideas of the Enlightenment will be likely found wanting, and the world will suffer. And so it all comes together. The Scientific Revolution brought about the Enlightenment which birthed the United States, and it is now the United States which represents these in the world today. It is only through their continued union, at least in the short term, that both will be guaranteed survival. Western power will fade, but without Western thought there can never be a lasting peace or prosperity.

So that’s my revelation. Until the rising powers are successfully anchored in the humanistic ideals it is critical that the US be there to preach them. My patriotism which, like most loves was always a bit irrational, now has a clearer base to stand on. In a small way I feel that in as much as I practice a religion this is it. Salvation, at least here on Earth, will only come through a humble, honest philosophy championed by a righteous nation. It is essential then that we return to righteousness. All of this said it should be noted that I do not nor ever would claim that the United States is perfect or without error. Likewise I do not wish to create the impression that my impression of India is only negative; hopefully my previous posts would at least suggest otherwise. All of the troubles I have listed as observing in India can be readily seen in the States just as in any developed or developing nation. Truly no country or peoples is completely free from the ideological chains that have for forever bound them all. Similarly, I believe India to in many ways be a great country with many positive attributes of its own. It is simply that though during these past two months my eyes have been drawn to a great number of things, for the purposes of this discussion my mind has had to focus on but a few. I don’t know if I will be going back to India anytime soon, but I will always be happy I went.

So that’s what I’ve gotten out of India. That and a pleasurable set of memories that I will hopefully not soon forget. And just to prove my philosophical credentials I offer up a photo of me in India, with a very scholarly beard.

Thank you everyone who helped set up and support this elective. Good times.

Eat Peanuts Weekly Unto Death

Although the great majority of children with egg and milk allergies outgrow their ailments by three years of age, an even larger majority of kids with peanut allergies will never escape them. For the 5 - 15% or so who are fortunate enough to have their immune systems calm down long enough to appreciate the vitamin E rich satisfaction of chunky peanut butter many will later have their allergies reemerge. The solution? Continuous dosing with peanuts. Allergists, or at least the allergists I know, recommend weekly peanut ingestion for those lucky enough to have their peanut allergies resolve so as to ensure that the body never again pauses to think whether peanut peptides are foreign and hostile or not. Not having any peanut allergies myself, I gotta say: sounds nutty.

Speaking of nuts, this week I took part in two vasectomies. Turns out they are remarkably simple procedures and, in the Air Force at least, take place while the patient is entirely awake. First they cut you open, then they find the right structures, clean 'em off, and clip, snip, cauterize and you're done. The incision itself is only maybe two or three centimeters long at most and doesn't even need to be sutured or glued close. Moving on...

Senioritis is becoming particularly strong. I can remember fondly the days of third year when I would be embarrassed, guilty, and disappointed with myself if I did not adequately prepare for a part of my medical duties. When asked if I had read for something that I had not read for I would have admitted my error and followed it with a string of sincere apologies and construed excuses. This week when I was asked if I had read about the vasectomy procedure, however, I just replied, "no," and we continued walking down the hall. This is my last rotation before residency starts up in June. Three months of relative idleness sounds edifying.

Most of the residents and staff physicians have been nice I must say. With few exceptions it has been an extremely pleasant experience to work family practice at Andrews. One of those exceptions is an awkward sort of woman who looks at me funny way more often than anyone should ever be looked funny at. Half the time I haven't even the slightest clue what brought on that particular contortion of facial features. I am admittedly not the most openly friendly person when working with senior physicians, so perhaps I just bring the weirdness out of her, but good lord woman at least look goofy when the person you're looking goofy at isn't looking directly at you. Fortunately or unfortunately that is about all I have to say with regards to my clinical experience here.

Completely unrelated to anything I have written about previously. It seems whenever I hear Senator Clinton speak she is emphasizing her resolution and toughness against the endless onslaught of Republican hate and slander. She alone can take on the GOP beast. It appears to be her primary defense against the mesmerizing powers of Senator Obama's inspirationally vague oratory. I fear she isn't being blunt enough, however. Americans need simple phrases like, "yes we can" and "I like Ike"to be brought around. That's why I think her campaign needs to create a poster in the course American style. Have her in one of her many professional yet feminine dress suits standing behind a lectern with both hands in the air waving two middle fingers; a headlining caption reads "F--- Republicans!" and maybe a "2008" at the bottom for good measure. At the very least it'd save us having to hear the same sound bites over and over again.