Comments on: Further Border Adventures

By: Today I Am … | approximately 8,000 words - Kit O'Connell's Homepage

Today I Am … | approximately 8,000 words - Kit O'Connell's Homepage — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 01:19:02 +0000

[...] glad my punalua survived his Mexican adventure Share this:FacebookDiggRedditStumbleUponEmailPrint Categories: Life, [...]

By: Gailmom

Gailmom — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 23:04:39 +0000

Tom Kater: I can’t speak for reesa’s comments, but I will speak to you taking them so personally. Just because you felt you were the “only naysayer” on these lists does not mean you weren’t the only one who lifted an eyebrow and said in a worried tone “Mexico? for surgery? really? but….is that even legal?” in other venues. There was, I think, extra concern expressed by more than one person that it was Mexico and not Canada or the US of A in which his surgery would be performed. As I don’t know of a word that means the same thing as “racism” but applies to a place, I think Reesa’s comments were probably intended to reassure those people, and not specifically to “call you out”. I highly doubt most Mexican people can afford to have surgery at that center, and I, like you, think it caters to Americans. On the other hand many Americans can’t afford surgery here…so there you go. I was frankly relieved to hear the facility was as nice as it was. I would have been just as happy to hear that a facility in, say, Houston, was that nice. Either way I think we all wish Steve well and both Steve and Reesa safely returned to us. Please don’t take her comment, probably intended to reassure all of us who instantly conjured up back alley kidney trade at the thought of Mexican surgery (the media and fearmonger-rumour-starters do their job well, don’t they?), as a personal attack. I feel quite sure, knowing Reesa for as long as I have, that if she felt the need to call you out personally, she would use your name to do so.

By: Tom Kater

Tom Kater — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:36:05 +0000

I’ve been called out. I can’t take that sitting down. Though I am sitting at the moment. But never mind.
Pardon me, reesa, but Mexico is a place. Places do not have race. If I do not like a place (which in this case, I clearly do not) that is not to say I don’t admire its people for enduring such a place. It would be like saying that criticizing the Hanoi Hilton was somehow a slam at John McCain simply because he was forced by cruel fate to reside in that hellhole. In other words, I don’t appreciate being convicted of thoughtcrime for my “racist tone” (as opposed to racist content, which I would be forced to immediately apologize for if AT ALL true)–and I was the only naysayer, so let’s drop the pretense of the naysayers existing in the plural. Let me add that it’s hardly shattering illusions about Mexico with your glowing reports of a medical facility that so specificially caters to American clientele that they pick you up at the border. Is anyone reading this shallow enough to believe that the average Mexican gets the benefits of such a place, with its office-y smell and one set of gloves to go around? The average Mexican has it much, much worse than what you’re (happily for Steven’s sake) experiencing. And I think poverty and racism are BAD THINGS, for those who get confused about tone. I now give you the last word to tell me what a bigoted fool I am after a final bleat of renewed well-wishing for Mr. Brust (I wouldn’t have even added this post, but you have to admit you kind of called me out, reesa. Delete it if you’d like, I just wanted to set the record straight. Now both of you please get home safe.)

P.S. If anyone else wishes to take parting shots, send them directly to me at tkater@gmail.com, I’m not afraid to hear dissenting views (hence my real name above, as opposed to calling myself Hwdf’rjaanci, though that is quite a cool name and a good second choice). This should be a place to cheer up a soon-to-be-recovering Steven, not bring him down with internecine fan bickering about whether or not the country of Mexico is a shining beacon of personal freedom and democracy by the sea. Peace out.

By: Bawrence

Bawrence — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:08:07 +0000

Unfortunately, in the US bad doctors enjoy protection on par with pedophile priests. When their oath is discovered bent they’re in many cases shuffled to a new position in another locality to continue practicing.

By: Pizzicato

Pizzicato — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:06:35 +0000

Just finished Jhegaala and wanted to leave a post with some kind of thanks for a highly enjoyable read. Now i find out about your border adventures, so i guess i rather leave some lines of get well (and writing again) soon.

By: Lewis Himelhoch

Lewis Himelhoch — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:50:34 +0000

Not sure why people would object to what is
your personal choice in medical care. As in finding a good doctor in the US, it’s about
doing the research first. If you’ve checked into this and you have recommendations that your
surgeon knows that he’s doing and has a successful record, it doesn’t matter what country
it is. We’ve got good and bad doctors in the US and I’m sure they’ve got good and bad doctors
in Mexico. Hopefully, you did your homework
and get one of the good ones.

By: Karen

Karen — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:36:31 +0000

Thanks for the update, Kit. If things had gone poorly we’d expect to have heard, so we were thinking it was all fine, but it’s nice to get some facts.

By: kit

kit — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:39:02 +0000

Just spoke to Reesa on the phone. There don’t seem to have been any complications in Steve’s surgery, but he was sore enough afterwards that they kept him in the hospital overnight rather than releasing him to drive home. Reesa expects that they’ll be taken back to El Paso within the next few hours.

By: BigUglyManDoll

BigUglyManDoll — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:17:50 +0000

We’re all sending good healing vibes Steve’s way! Glad to hear the hospital is comfortable; I’ve been in some here (Northern Virginia) that are much less so than what you describe. Hope that helps to speed the recovery!

By: Slickriptide

Slickriptide — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:45:01 +0000

I mentioned this under Steve’s last entry, but I’ll emphasize it – When the doctors say no lifting, they really mean it. After the second day, it’s easy to start thinking that you’re stronger than you really are.

Also, if Steve has any illusions about sharing the driving back home before, say, Monday, then I’d disabuse him of them.

Anyway, glad to hear that the hospital was a good one and, hopefully, that things went well. It’s one of those operations where you can feel them pulling and prodding you over and over, even if you can’t really feel what it is that they’re doing. A weird experience, especially the suturing up.

I imagine that the experience will give him some material for a novel down the road. Ha ha!