What's Happening . . .

. . .To Religion These Days?
. . . And Other Stuff

I read just this morning a couple disturbing items that suggest to me that this government of ours has gone too far again - something like what happened back in the early 1930s that led up to such furor in Europe.

Young'uns won't remember what I'm talking about and probably won't have absorbed what they may or should have read in history of events of the last century which eliminated religion (and lives) for a lot of folks in Europe.

I have only these two items to cite at this time but there are numerous other incidents in the past where government, big and little, is getting too much involved in religion.

But here's what's happening:

In San Diego, a pastor and his wife were holding the traditional Wednesday evening Bible study with a few friends in their own home when a city official visited and announced they were holding an illegal religious ceremony against the law.

A citation was issued that required the pastor to cease and desist in the prayer meetings or apply for a permit for a "major religious event", a permit which would cost thousands of dollars.

In Phoenix, a church official was served with a notice that the church bells which rang every hour for 12 hours a day were in violation of that city's noise ordinance, would have to be toned down and rung only on Sundays and spiritual holidays.

No fair! This is a contradiction of our constitional right of freedom to practice religion, no matter which kind, in my mind.

Government regulation of religion led to many abuses in Europe and elsewhere and yes, even to the Holocaust which some governments are now denying ever happened.

When government begins to talk such regulation in my city, your city or town, or your state, it wil be time THEN to protest and halt any movement to control religion.

There - that's off my chest for now - I need the chest room for my new Pacemaker.

Other stuff:

THE HOSPITAL DOOR

Ya'll know I spent a few days in the hospital last week and early this week so here's a bit of humor from Room 316:

Nurses, the doctors, blood drawers, the food servers, the EKG people and the X-ray technicians with their big machines, all had trouble keeping the wide door from swinging shut on them as they tried to drag their equipment into my room.

There was no stop device to keep the door open or any electrical device to handle the situation. We, CT and I and others, asked everybody we saw what was the secret to keeping the door ajar. Nobody knew.

Came Delia one afternoon to empty wastebaskets and mop the floor. As she was entering we quickly asked the secret and simultaneously learned the secret as she held the door, reached for a small vanity-like table, and saying "this," rolled the table a few inches against the door.

Secret revealed. She should have been the hospital engineer.

A SECOND FLOOR? NO !

The Heart Hospital in Lubbock spreads all over the place, a one story facility. But Ricardo, my discharge nurse, says there's plans to expand the hospital, building a second floor. He and I and Delia are of the same opinion - don't build a second floor~build more rooms on all this land but just one floor. (Attention doctor-owned hospital officials).

Why? Cost for one thing. Have to have elevators. Elevators are expernsive, don't always work right, cost a lot to service . "Engineer" Delia would say visitors would get lost, nurses and attendants would have to waste time giving directions, food servers would have to take elevators which don't always work or are full of visitors and some visitors get sick riding elevators and can't climb stairs either.

Two floors doctors? No way!

HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY BASH

This is a joke in a way. For many years I have been inviting my friends far and near to my 100th birthday bash, place to be announced. It's only a few years down the line now ya know.

Of course, there's always the chance I might not be there for the bash and as a joke sometime ago I wrote a newspaper ad for use if something did happen before the bash date. (That would be on a Flag Day).

Last week things did get a bit scary and it sounded like the ad could be used any day but after that treatment in The Heart Hospital, I forgot about the ad - until the day after I got home and discovered it laying on my desk in full view. It reads (and remember this was to be a joke):

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

I regret to inform all those whom I have invited to my 100th birthday bash that I have reluctantly cancelled the event due to an unforeseen circumstance - my passing on ___(date)_____. Signed, Charlie Hoye

AND NOW TO OTHER CHORES

I plan now to write brief postcard notes to several folks at the aforementioned hospital to thank them for their services, tender loving care, etc.

There's Cindy, the admitting nurse, Henry, who made me comfortable the first night and then in succession, Carla, Vanessa, Susan, LaTeisha, Christiana, Laura, Jane, Thomas, Nadine and those who came in the dark but whose names I did not get. And of course, Delia, Dr. Walter ("Chuck")Brogan, his sidekick, Jim Jenkins, and the guys in the cath lab who tended to me while I was unaware.

Betcha didn't think I could remember all those names, eh?

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