Category: default || By jt3y

On Friday, with a couple of hundred other people, I went to Mount Alvernia High School's auditorium in Millvale to see the Class of 2004 graduate from the St. Margaret School of Nursing.

Among the graduates was my mom.

I rarely write about my family, but in this case I can't help it. There are many different kinds of courage and bravery --- firefighters who dive into burning buildings; soldiers, sailors and Marines who volunteer to go off to war; people who break down restrictions in the name of civil rights.

Nursing school doesn't have any particular physical dangers, I suppose (you're unlikely to get shot at, although one of my mother's classmates did fall and break an ankle). Nevertheless, it takes a lot of courage to give up your full-time job and mortgage your house to go back to school at (mumblety-mumble) years old, with absolutely no guarantee --- save your own initiative --- that you'll come out the other side with a degree.

And it wasn't easy for her. Nursing, as you might expect, is a demanding field, and the training is designed to weed out all but the most qualified. After all, you literally often have the lives of your patients in your hands while making observations, administering medication and assisting doctors. The lazy, the sloppy and the uncaring need not apply.

But besides the academic rigors, my mom faced a couple of specific challenges that would have derailed someone with less fortitude, including a bout with ill health and a couple of bullies (as far as I could determine, young RNs who resented her) who tried to push her out of the program.

She's not out of the woods yet. She's been hired at one of the local hospitals already, but she still has to pass the state licensing test --- and now, she wants to go on and get her bachelor's degree. I don't know if I'd have that kind of gumption.

Lots of people say their parents are their heroes. I'm sure they're sincere, even if it's become something of a cliche. I've always admired and loved my mom, but it's no knee-jerk reaction for me to say she's my hero --- she's earned that respect. Way to go, mom!

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In a related matter, I did something on Friday I usually try to avoid; I shopped at Wal-Mart. I wanted to find a "gag gift" for mom's graduation party, and thought either a toy nurse's kit or the board game "Operation" would be funny. Where else can you go for cheap toys?

Let me start by saying the toy department at Wal-Mart is frighteningly large. Wal-Mart in and of itself is too damned big, which is one of many reasons (their predatory employment and procurement practices are two others) that I avoid Wal-Mart at all costs. I must have wandered the aisles for a half-hour looking for what I wanted.

Second, is there any toy made today that doesn't come with a licensed character attached? They don't have dress-up costumes for little girls who want to play "princess," they have "The Disney Princesses" and "Barbie" princess outfits. They don't have "Operation," they have "Special Edition Shrek Operation."

Third, toys no longer require any imagination at all. Each toy comes with a specific, scripted function, usually tied to some TV show or movie. You don't buy a mere toy car --- you buy a "Limited Edition Bratz Hummer." You don't get a box of building blocks that you can turn into anything you want --- you get a Lego "Star Wars" Playset that builds one, and one thing only. (You can "Build The Story!" according to the package, and if you deviate from the story, presumably George Lucas comes to your house and takes all of your blocks back from you.)

Finally, Wal-Mart is featuring a disturbing number of role-playing toys designed for low-wage service jobs. Instead of policeman, cowboy, teacher, doctor and firefighter playsets, there were "cashier" and "cook" playsets for several different fast-food chains, including McDonald's (which, of course, usually puts restaurants inside Wal-Marts).

What are the messages that we're sending kids by giving them these toys? Only buy things with approved, licensed brand names from large multinational corporations; and prepare yourself for a career flipping burgers. Good Lord!

I realize I'm sounding like a old fogey, but I long for the days of nice, peaceful toys like plastic machine guns and lawn darts.

I eventually found a toy doctor's kit. God bless the Fisher-Price people; they're still turning out lumpy, hard plastic interpretations of stethoscopes, hypodermic needles and other items, neatly packaged for $13.99.

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From the Tube City Almanac's National Affairs Desk, comes this object lesson: If you can't win honestly, then cheat.

In South Carolina, there's no poll tax any more, but that hasn't stopped more creative miscreants:

A bogus letter circulating in South Carolina, purporting to be from the NAACP, threatens the arrest of voters who have outstanding parking tickets or failed to pay child support. The NAACP said Friday the letter is a scare tactic and called for an investigation. ... The letter also says voters must have a credit check, provide two forms of photo identification, a Social Security card, a voter registration card and a handwriting sample.

Out west in Ohio, anyone registered to vote by the NAACP or liberal groups is ineligible, according to a B.S. letter sent out by some nitwit (apparently, anyone registered by the Republican Party would be OK). (LawGeek via DailyKos).

Down in West Hoopieland, Republican Party officials are calling voters in a heavily Democratic area and telling them them they're not properly registered to vote. A GOP spokeswoman tells the NBC affiliate in Hagerstown that they were just trying "to make sure everyone is registered to vote."

Uh, right. Now tell me about Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny.

At least nothing like that is happening in Western Pennsylvania, right, Mark Wolosik, Allegheny County manager of elections?

County Elections Manager Mark Wolosik said he has sent five fraud complaints to the county police so far, all involving young voters who were re-registered as Republicans through deception. In a letter sent this week, District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. has advised security chiefs at the county's colleges and universities to forward additional complaints of voter-registration fraud to Moffatt. ...

(An) official-looking but thoroughly humorous notice, posted at Ross Park Mall ... suggests Democrats should wait until Nov. 3 to vote. "Due to the immense voter turnout that is expected on Tuesday, Nov. 2, the state of Pennsylvania has requested an extended voting period," states the faux notice, printed on letterhead with the Allegheny County seal.

The notice states that Republicans will vote on Tuesday, while Democrats will vote on Wednesday. (Post-Gazette)

Don't tell me that Democrats are doing the same thing, because as far as I can tell, they aren't. And neither Richard J. Daley stealing votes in Illinois in 1960, nor Lyndon Johnson stealing votes in Texas in 1940, counts. That was then, this is now; you might as well bring up the Peloponnesian Wars.

But you know, Kerry looks French! And his wife talks funny!

...

By the way, if you aren't registered to vote in Pennsylvania, it's too late now. Ha ha on you!

If you are, the polls open tomorrow at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. It's more than a "right," it's a privilege and a responsibility! Don't let a little rain discourage you.

Here's more information for residents of Allegheny County, Westmoreland, and Washington. (Westmoreland and Washington have polling place locations on their Web sites; Allegheny, backwards as always, doesn't.)