For Lee

Misconceptions & such, via Booman Tribune

I have read/heard quite a few, though well-meaning, mistaken concepts/information about Lee about the blogosphere, and I thought that I'd reprint what I wrote at Booman:

I was so overjoyed and so grateful and so amazed when Blackdog brought your post to my attention, bright and early Tuesday, Steven. Thank you so much and to all of your readers/commenters for all of your help --- the response has been amazing, and we are forever grateful.

There are a couple of misunderstandings floating around the internets at the moment about our mission here, and I'm hoping that the Booman Community will help me dispel them, as y'all travel the blogosphere.

1. Lee is not, nor has she ever been, a resident of New Orleans. She did not move to St. Francisville as an evacuee of Katrina. She had been screwed-over by the state agencies that determine SSI/SSDI/Medicare/Medicaid eligibility long before that hurricane ever hit. She has appealed, she has bent over backwards, but no matter what, she knew that she could still work her skinny little ass off.

Unfortunately, that is no longer completely true.

2. Neurofibromatosis, as has been described, elsewhere, is NOT "Elephant Man's Disease." John Merrick suffered from a variety of at least 6 different diseases, none of which were NF-1, which is what is afflicting Lee.

3. I've hit up Mary Landrieu, Richard Baker, every representative that has access, and it generates nothing but form letters. They don't give a rat's ass about poor people, as y'all ought to damned well know by now. Until it gets them free press, of course. Though I must say, up against that flaming puppet Ray Nagin, Kathleen Blanco looks like a Rhodes Scholar.

4. This isn't just about the decrepit and despicable state of Louisiana's once-proud "charity" hospital system --- which has been systematically murdered, limb by limb, since Reagan took office --- this is about class warfare, folks. If Lee came from money, or at least "enough" money, I wouldn't be writing to y'all now. Healthcare is about profits for the stockholders. We've found neurosurgeons who are willing to help out pro-bono, but what we need the big money for is the hospital/surgical costs, the after-care, the physical therapy, etc. Every time that another republicunt rants that "socialized medicine" is designed to "steal from the working/middle class and give to the welfare queens," remember Lee. There are a billion more just like her, who have been more than marginalized by the republicunts & segregationist/fear-mongering Dixiecrats since way before LBJ attempted the "War On Poverty."

5. Lee does not have any kids. She is 25, free and single, but no, it wouldn't be "that simple" or "that cheap" to move her across the country. I know that those seem like the most logical courses of action, but the logistics for Lee and Susan (her caretaker/guardian angel) are just not that simple. Susan has to work her ass off to provide for her family and Lee, not to mention saving-up the vacation time to go wherever she DOES wind-up going (possibly Shreveport, hopefully closer). Real people's lives just can't up and take off, I'm sorry to say.
6. Lee is completely blind in her left eye and legally blind in her right eye. She can not and would not ever travel, especially cross-country, alone. If I had not just had major spine surgery, I'd volunteer to drive her anywhere on the planet, if we could pull off the gas money. At this point, I can't even drive to Baton Rouge. When Lee goes under the knife, Susan will be the last person she sees, as it should be. I hope that I can be there too, but there's no telling. It's not like I can hire a chauffeur, y'know?

So, in closing, thank you all so much for your help, your links, and your care & concern. Even though I'd never been here before, I feel like y'all have enveloped Lee, Susan and me into your family just like we'd been here all along.

And special love to Blackdog, for bringing me to y'all, and Stinkeye knows the punishment that awaits her royal highness as soon as I find my riding crop...

Much gratitude, love, and peace to you all.

And please, PLEASE, do not stop spreading the good word for Lee.

posted by Anntichrist S. Coulter @ 12:03 AM