Despite intense outcry from the medical community and reproductive rights advocates, Texas isn't budging on a proposed rule to require the cremation or burial of fetal remains. Texas Tribune
Texas reminds me of Uncle Bud!
My political hero was my uncle and the Hickey family patriarch after the death of my grandfather - Larry "Bud" Hickey. Bud was the oldest male child of Laurence and Nora Hickey -7535 S, Marshfield, Chicago Zone 20. Bud's six brothers and six sisters were equally as centered as the white haired guy with a permanently ironic look of quizzical sarcasm. Bud was white haired from his teens and when the draft started in 1941 before the war started, an old biddy remarked to Granny Hickey, " thank the Good Lord, your boy Larry is too old." He became a U.S. Army master sergeant (naturally) and fought in the Pacific.
Uncle Bud was the Chief Engineer for Cook County Hospital from the 1950's until the 1980's. He was then made the Chief Engineer of Cook County by George W. Dunne. Uncle Bud and his large family lived in Meyer Hall - the former Cook County Hospital Doctors Residence at Taylor and Wolcott -because Uncle Bud was on duty 24 hours a day. The great surgeon and former Director of Admissions for Loyola Medical School, the late Dr. James H. Kennedy,MD once told me that as young resident at CCH he told, "See the Medical Director, but, above all, pay attention to Larry Hickey."
When Abortion, got its bloody foot in the door of the American soul in the late 1960's, Progressive forces, like the bed bugs now scourging urban Americans, bullied politicians with Policy, False. tickling Policy. In the late 1970's, Cook County purchased an incinerator for the sole purpose of burning aborted fetuses.
Uncle Bud installed the gas operated incinerator and welded its doors shut. No human beings would be burned in Bud's Cook County Hospital. The incinerator - it operated, but absolutely no babies were burned. The children would be buried with human dignity. You see, Uncle Bud was a Catholic, when that meant something, and Catholics, at that time, were prohibited from cremating the human body. All of that was parsed out by clerical Vatican II Cupcakes, don't you know.
News of this got out. The Policy hit the fan. Uncle Bud told Dunne, "Fire Me, but those doors stay welded shut."
George Dunne ended abortions at Cook County Hospital, except to save the life of the mother, because he agreed that Cook County Hospital had become no more than, in the Cook County President's own words, 'an Abortion Mill,*'
Uncle Bud and George Dunne were Democrats. both were 'retired.' New Cook County President Dick Phelan bowed to Planned parenthood as Cook County President and the soul of the Democratic Party was sucked out of the husk of the automaton that knows only dollars and the brute exercise of monolithic political power.
Uncle Bud's story is from the late 1970's. So I am deplorably old fashioned, or so Hillary remarked to Barbra Streisand and six figure ticket holders at recent HRC fund-raiser.
Deplorable ideas? Abortion is evil, not health care. That is a big one for me.
Deplorable taste? I never wore a Nehru jacket, a dickie, a turtle-neck, beret, Greek Fisherman's hat, Peace button, tattoo, ear ring, nose ring, shower ring, Leisure suit, or bell bottom anything. And I dated, married and date exquisite looking women. Honor bright. Don't know what's wrong with them, but I am happy about it.
In fact, I wear pretty much the same style suits, shoes, shirts, sweaters and attitude, that I did in my formative 1960's wonder years and my public life as a teacher, husband, father and citizen.
I don't listen to Techno, Disco, Hip-Hop, Gangsta, Metal, or Adele. I love classical, Celtic (not the PBS crappola), Jazz, Garage band 60's rock, Outlaw Country, Mexican Campesino music, Polkas, Blue-grass and Motown almost as much as Keeley Smith, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Sinatra, Antônio Carlos Jobim, Mel Torme and Marvin Gaye.
I can not stand when people who should know better sneer at working men and women during the very speech they are giving to bully up their votes. Happens every time a progressive Democrat and far too many Republicans un-zipper their teeth.
Principles matter.
I will vote the way Uncle Bud and my Dad would vote.
Texas is Ok and Uncle Bud would approve.
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