WHY IS THE NEW YORK TIMES OUTING CIA AGENTS?

Imagine my surprise last week when I heard Joe Scarborough on Morning Joe discussing the New York Times outing a CIA agent!

I know I’ve been wrapped up in the election, Obama, HRC, the DNC, PUMA’s and the like but I didn’t think I was that far removed to have missed this story. Well, better late to the game than never.

Well, it turns out the MSM has no stomach for reporting on this. Apparently, Valeria Plame being outed by Robert (Darth Vader) Novak is one thing, but when the Times exposes an agent it is justified!?! Guess not, right? Wrong! My God, how is this possible? Keith Olbermann missed an opportunity to be synthetically outraged . . . you mean no “Special Comment” on this outing?

Can we state this once and for all, the outing of any CIA agent by any source should be punishable in some fashion. It was wrong to out Valeria Plame and it was wrong of the Times to out Mr. Martinez.

There are many, many, people who view these politically motivated outings (which in my estimation they were) as treason. If a man or woman has the grit to become a CIA agent they should have a reasonable expectation they will not be outed by people in the country they are trying to protect.

Since it is possible an outing could, in fact, happen accidentally, this type of outing should be viewed as a 2nd degree offense punishable by (at the very least) losing one’s top security clearance, a fine or forfeiture of a significant sum of money, demotion, and a police record.

If in fact the outing was not accidental, like the recent Times action, that should be viewed as a felonious act and fines beginning at $250,000.00 and going upwards seem perfectly fine to me. If the lives of agents, their families, and contacts established over the years are placed at risk because of this kind of foolishness, jail time also seems appropriate.

AND, while I’m at it, I’m sick and tired of hearing talking heads and other assorted political hacks making statements like, “they weren’t really undercover!” Oh, really, and just how do you know that? SO to all lame brained media morons and other assorted fools who pretend to know, listen up. The truth is, the only people who know whether an agent is undercover reside at the agency, and that’s not you fella!

I don’t care if you consider yourself a liberal, conservative, moderate, right wing nut, or left wing nut, outing CIA agents is WRONG and Congress (such as it is) should move to end this once and for all!

New York Times Outs CIA Operative

By Mick Wright (Bio | Archive)
June 22, 2008 - 10:12 ET

• 
• 

In an astonishing stroke of irony, the New York Times has outed the name of the CIA operative who interrogated 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, over the objections of CIA Director Michael V. Hayden and a lawyer representing the operative.

Agency officials and legal counsel told the Times that publishing the agent’s name would “invade his privacy and put him at risk of retaliation from terrorists or harassment from critics of the agency.”

In an Editor’s Note linked from the story on KSM’s interrogation, the Times defended its decision by stating that “other government employees” had been “named publicly in books and published articles” or had chosen to go public themselves, by explaining that its policy “is to withhold the name of a news subject only very rarely,” and by arguing the operative’s name “was necessary for the credibility and completeness of the article.”

Times reporter Scott Shane describes his scoop as “the closest look to date beneath the blanket of secrecy that hides the program from terrorists and from critics who accuse the agency of torture.”

The CIA apparently believes that by publishing the operative’s name, the Times put the agent at risk for retaliatory strikes from such “critics” and terrorists, despite his here-described lack of participation in the agency’s “harsh interrogation methods.”

Of course, this is just the latest in a long string of Times articles that have leaked classified and guarded information critical to America’s security and that of its people and public servants. Alert readers have long since stopped expecting any level of consistency from the same liberal media that was obsessed with the naming of Valerie Plame (though they’ve been considerably less obsessed with the actual source of Robert Novak’s column, Richard Armitage).

The Central Intelligence Agency asked The New York Times not to publish the name of Deuce Martinez, an interrogator who questioned Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and other high-level Al Qaeda prisoners, saying that to identify Mr. Martinez would invade his privacy and put him at risk of retaliation from terrorists or harassment from critics of the agency.

After discussion with agency officials and a lawyer for Mr. Martinez, the newspaper declined the request, noting that Mr. Martinez had never worked under cover and that others involved in the campaign against Al Qaeda have been named in news stories and books. The editors judged that the name was necessary for the credibility and completeness of the article.

The Times’s policy is to withhold the name of a news subject only very rarely, most often in the case of victims of sexual assault or intelligence officers operating under cover.

Mr. Martinez, a career analyst at the agency until his retirement a few years ago, did not directly participate in waterboarding or other harsh interrogation methods that critics describe as torture and, in fact, turned down an offer to be trained in such tactics.

The newspaper seriously considered the requests from Mr. Martinez and the agency. But in view of the experience of other government employees who have been named publicly in books and published articles or who have themselves chosen to go public, the newspaper made the decision to print the name.

—Mick Wright is a freelance journalist who lives in Memphis, Tennessee. His personal blog is at mickwright.net.

1431 Members and Counting - Join now

1431 Members and Counting - Join now

What am I talking about? How’s this . . . we’ve heard how angry some Obama supporters have become because of all the flip flopping that has become the hallmark of Obumma’s (sorry, I had to do that) campaign.

There’s a new site people should take a look at because its been formed by former Obama supporters. For those of us who never drank the Kool Aid it would be real easy to sit back and smugly say, “I told you so.” Might I recommend that we don’t do that. Imagine how we’d feel if HRC was flip flopping like Barack?

Click on the link above and take a look. While you’re there look at the videos, as well.

Posted using ShareThis

NANCY PELOSI IS A PUTZ

Let me state this up front. I do not admire Bush 43. I voted for Gore in 2000 and for Kerry in 2004. I was against the war long before Obama gave his speech about the war. I am a fierce moderate that is tired of both parties and the foolish games that they have been playing for years.

That having been said Bush’s approval ratings may be stuck around 29% but the Democratic Congress’ ratings are even lower hovering at (ta da) . . . 9%!!!!! I find it fascinating that a woman as incompetent as Nancy Pelosi would chide the President Bush and talk about cleaning up his messes!

Let’s face it, Nancy Pelosi is no Hillary Clinton! Remember her promises about cleaning up Congress? How ’bout taking the impeachment George Bush off the table within days of taking over the House of Representatives? The list goes on & on.

You can ask the same question of Obama, Pelosi, and Reid in the Senate. Name anything they have accomplished . . . Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Hello! Is anyone there?

=crickets=

Under the new Democratic leadership beginning in 2006 we’ve reached an impressive 9,000 plus earmarks while the nation is close to insolvency. And let us not forget, that virtually everything Bush has asked for, whether it was for the Iraq war, the lousy economy, etc. has been granted by this Congress!

If that’s not enough for you, how ’bout this? Unless you caught this on FOX or subscribe to an alternative news source, chances are you didn’t hear this one. Investor’s Business Daily called for Pelosi’s impeachment! As always, the MSM is too busy cheering on Obama to look and see anything else that is news worthy.

A major business publication is calling for the impeachment of the Speaker of House and MSNBC, CNN, and the rest of the media morons are feeding us with more “newsless news” like the Obamas depiction on cover of the New Yorker.

Monica Showalter of Investor’s Business Daily was on to talk about an op-ed in her paper today stating that Nancy Pelosi has gone from “Feckless to Reckless” regarding her recent dumbass plan to partially drain the strategic oil reserves. IBD calls on Pelosi to resign. From the article:

Despite polls showing Americans in favor of drilling more oil from America’s huge untapped supplies, Pelosi won’t allow it. She just wants to empty our Strategic Petroleum Reserve for a short-term fix to get through Election Day.

It’s an irresponsible suggestion, signaling not only an ignorance of how the economy works but also a willingness to place the nation at risk in the case of emergency.

Last Tuesday, Pelosi sent a letter to President Bush urging him to release a “small portion” of the nation’s 706 million barrels of strategic-reserve oil to bring down prices.

OK all you PUMA’S, Democrats for McCain, Christian conservatives, pals of Ann Coulter, past Obama supporters that are finally seeing the light. Remember this . . . a vote for Obama is a vote for Pelosi, Reid, and a government controlled by these ya hoos. If that doesn’t scare you

. . . I’ll bet you can finish the sentence!

WARMING UP TO CINDY MCCAIN

I know, I know, we’re voting for our next president and not First Lady, but we do get a package deal regardless of whom we cast our votes for in November.

Let me state something else; I generally don’t like to compare women and their styles because I think that’s unfair. We, each of us, have a right to “be who we are” unencumbered.  So why even go there?

I still believe that Hillary is the best hope and chance for this country going forward.  Since the DNC’s selection of Barack Obama has made that almost impossible (we still have Denver!) and caused such a splintering of the party, I will be among the many that votes for McCain, not out of anger, but out of the conviction that an Obama presidency would be disastrous for America.  Ergo, it was time to look at Cindy more closely.

I’ve recently seen stories on Cindy McCain that have altered my initial impressions about her. These impressions weren’t necessarily negative, but I didn’t necessarily warm to (what I perceived as) her cool exterior.

Whereas Michelle has engendered hostility in some corners because of her comments about “only recently being proud of her country”, the flip side with Cindy was a kind of aloofness that left me vaguely dissatisfied.

Come on now, she wears a size one or two (meow); whereas the the average woman in America wears size fourteen! Then there were that the pictures in Vogue where barely a hair was out of place . . . just a little too perfect (meow) for my tastes.

The media has slowly begun to show us another side of Cindy McCain and its a far different picture of the woman originally presented. There’s another possibility, and that is I wasn’t really interested in knowing more. That having been said, here’s the Cindy I am warming to; she apparently grew up rich, beautiful, and privileged.  So did Jackie Kennedy.  No points taken off here.

There is some controversy about how she and John became husband and wife, as her detractors would like to bludgeon her with.  Personally, I don’t think their personal life is anyone’s business any more than I thought Bill Clinton’s indiscretions were, or Newt Gingrich’s, or a host of politicians on both sides of the aisle.

She also had a drug related problem more than 15 years ago, related to pain killers which she has admitted and talks about candidly.  To those who would try to use that as a weapon against her (John) might I remind you that Betty Ford also had a drug problem and that’s why there’s a Betty Ford Treatment Center.

Here’s what counts in my book.  She and John have 4 children, one which was adopted with cleft palate 15 years ago.  This in turn led Cindy into charity work that with Operation Smile. See

Her charity work includes working to rid the world of land mines.  See

Here’s what really counts with me.  Cindy could have chosen to stay at home and go the Town and Country route, instead she chose to get her hands dirty, pitch in and make a difference long before her husband was a candidate for president.  I respect that, and I suspect millions of other people will respect that as well.  There’s a bonus as well, she a genuine NASCAR fan!  Junior is her favorite driver.

And if all that weren’t enough she learned how to drive race cars and fly a plane (as a way of conquering her fears) after 40!!  That makes her OK in my book.  So Cindy, I’ve got one thing to say to you, ” you go girl, you go girl, you go girl!”

BERNIE MAC, BARACK OBAMA, & DON IMUS

Here we go again.

Barack gives us another demonstration of his “situational ethics.” Roughly translated, situational ethics, as practiced by Barack, mean change whatever way the wind blows. Maybe we should call Barack “weather vane” Obama.

Last April Don Imus made a dumb 20 second comment, “nappy headed hos” and Barack declared, “off with his head!” Bernie Mac gives an entire comic routine that diminishes women and intentionally refers to them as hos.And what is Weather Vane’s response?

Surprise, surprise, not a damn thing of import! You were expecting more? Not me, the real surprise would have been Obama had treated Mac the same way he treated Imus. At least Obama could have pretended to mount the same level of synthetic outrage against Mac as Imus.

But no; Mac does an entire routine in front of an audience, and ole Weather Vane doesn’t have the cajones to put a stop to it.

By SusanUnPCcloseAuthor: SusanUnPC Name:
Email: susanunpc@gmail.com
Site: http://noquarterusa.net/
About: See Authors Posts (1130) on July 12, 2008 at 11:06 AM in Barack Obama, Sexism

UPDATE: As Memeorandum.com makes clear, Daily Kos and other “progressive” blogs are ignoring this story. And, although Obama wanted Don Imus fired for referring to a woman as a “ho,” Obama’s prescription for Mac was, “I’m just kidding with you, man.” Obama told the crowd last night:

“… Bernie you got to clean up your act. This is a family affair… I’m just messing with you,” he said.

Original: What is astonishing about this report from Obama’s $2,300-per-person fundraiser in Chicago last night — we know he’s desperate for donations — is not just the crude “ho” joke that comedian Bernie Mac told (described below). It’s not just that, when he took the stage, Obama thanked “my great friend, one of the kings of comedy, Bernie Mac,” later offering only the most tepid, perfunctory criticism. One of the shockers is that the media reported, but failed to point out, the outright sexism in these comments from Mac’s routine:

“Having a black first lady is different: You’re still going have to do the dishes and the laundry and all that . . . you got to pick up the kids,” Mac said. “‘You didn’t pick up the kids?’ ‘I just came from Korea, talking about nuclear weapons.’ ‘You were on Air Force One and you couldn’t stop to pick up the kids?’” The balance of this cam be read at NO QUARTER

I don’t about anyone else, but I’m tiring of hearing what a terrific politician Obama is; he’s not!

A savvy politician would have understood Mac was out of line. A savvy politician would have attempted to repair the damage immediately. A savvy politician would have understood you don’t charge people $2,300.00 a plate to sit and be insulted and then expect their loyalty and their votes.

Geezse, gimme a break, will ya! And while we’re at it, how long before this clown is off the world stage? Obama, not Mac, that is.

BEFORE OBAMA STARTS PREACHING TO US ABOUT LEARNING A 2ND LANGUAGE . . .

It just seems to me, that if you are going to criticize a group of people, you should make damn sure that some form of the criticism cannot be thrown back at you.

All right all you uncouth barbarians out there, listen up!!!! It’s time for you to learn a second language . . . Spanish. So spaketh Preacher Obama during a campaign stop yesterday.

Barack gave us this sage advise in Powder Springs, Georgia when addressing one of the ways to ease the immigration problem. Yup, that’ll do it, speak Spanish and all our problems will go away. Right!

If Obama had any idea how big a problem illegal immigration is in this state, he wouldn’t have added another “clueless” statement to his repertoire of insulting statements about Americans that include gun clinging and bitter.

This from a man who graduated from Harvard University, a man that insists on peppering his speech with the word, TA! It drives me crazy that he either cannot enunciate the word TO or is too lazy to pronounce it properly.

It’s a good thing he doesn’t have to face my old English teacher, Miss Carlson. I guarantee, not only would she have straightened Barack out on the importance of proper enunciation, she also would have had a discussion with him on what does and does not constitute plagiarism.

BTW, it pains me to say this. If you listen closely, you’ll also hear Bush 43 using TA! I think, however, we have to give George some slack. Ever hear him pronounce nuclear? And,didn’t 43 pose the weighty question, “is our teachers teaching?”

Words that go up there in the Pantheon of Dumb, along with Dan Quayle’s spelling of potatoe!

CHRIS “CHEAP SHOT” MATTHEWS SLANDERS MCCAIN

When is someone going to finally hold MSNBC’s Chris Matthews accountable for the despicable, hateful comments he makes on a daily basis?

This morning, during a discussion on Morning Joe, Iran’s firing of nine missiles was brought up. Cheap Shot noted that if people vote for McCain in November, “you know we’re going to war!” Do we really??? And, just how do we know that, Chris? He didn’t know what Obama would do, but he stated unequivocally we’re war bound with McCain! Outrageous!

Matthews, who once told his audience that he got a “tingle down his leg” when he heard Obama speak, uttered some the nastiest misogynistic comments made about Hillary during the campaign.

One revealing and infamous crack was that (paraphrasing this jerk), “We all know how/why Hillary got here. It’s because Bill was fooling around and people felt sorry for her.” Not that she was an accomplished woman in her own right, a politician who worked very hard to win her campaign in New York, a fighter that America needs . . . no, no, no!

Time to bring back the “Flying A” Award!

BARACK, FORGET THE JFK COMPARISONS!!!!

OK, can we get this straight once and for all? Barack you are nothing like JFK!

Every time your campaign tries to make that comparison it makes you look silly and small; a man of no consequence or style of your own. I’d harken to say at least Michelle understands this, but she’s working on her own best Jackie imitation.

The latest foolishness is you are possibly going to give a speech at the Brandenburg Gate. The pundits are saying that seeing you stand where JFK did will, in turn, remind the boomers of days of glory when JFK gave his speech there . . . AND THAT will cause us all take a sip of the Kool Aid and vote for you! SaY, WHAT? How much Kool Aid do you suppose that would take?

I won’t go into all the reasons why this concept is so asinine, but anyone old enough to remember JFK, that particular speech and the circumstances surrounding it, will find your lack of understanding of the history behind the speech and your desire to capitalize on it, repugnant.

To paraphrase Lloyd Benson’s rebuke when Dan Quayle tried to make a similar JFK comparison, “ I knew JFK, JFK was a friend of mine. Sir, you are no JFK!”

My girl Annabelle gives Barack a raspberry because his campaign insists on a comparison to JFK . . .

© PEI 2008

HILLARY’S COURAGE . . . LESSONS the MEDIA & a HOST of DEMOCRATS COULD TAKE FROM HRC’S CAMPAIGN

Courage takes on many forms, sadly, it is rarely used in conjunction with women, their sacrifice and hard work.

Like many, I’ve been watching the terrific HBO series John Adams, fascinated & quite taken back with both John and Abigail Adams.

John was a complicated man. Tenacious and honest, he was blessed with great intellect. He also had genuine affection and deep love for his wife and family. He was conflicted with the many absences he and his family had to withstand while he was on this country’s business. John Adams was also bullheaded, (some said) vain and occasionally tone deaf both in his personal and political life; a complicated man to be sure.

Abigail was a wonderful woman, John’s equal in every way . . . his rock, lover, friend. John was absent 7 of the first 14 years they were married, leaving Abigail alone to singlehandedly school and care for their children, plant the crops to feed them, make their clothes, survive illness, etc. etc. These selfless acts of necessity took courage, the kind of courage that is often overlooked or dismissed.

This country is most fortunate that John, Abigail, and their contemporaries were willing to sacrifice so much so that we might benefit from their vision of a political system where all men and women are created equal. How can one not ask if the hand of the Divine didn’t play some part in the birth of United States of America . . . particularly since both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both died 50 years to the day the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1826.

And what does this have to do with Hillary’s courage? I’ve been thinking about the onslaught and barrage of negativism Hillary faced on a daily basis because she was a woman and because she was Bill’s wife.

For the misogynistic morons (that’s most of the media, both male and female, especially MSNBC, Keith Olbermann, and Chris “cheap shot” Matthews) who want to jump ugly, suck it in. Hillary didn’t lose because she was a woman, however, the constant drum beat of hate filled speech didn’t help her candidacy or the country.

It was shameful demonstration of how far we still have to travel when it comes to respecting women and their points of view. BTW, just because there were woman jumped on the “Bash Hillary bandwagon” that doesn’t mean their comments were any less hateful, hurtful, or misogynistic. Yup, women can be “suck ups” and jerks too!

I don’t know how Hillary had the strength and fortitude to get up every day facing this negativism before she uttered one word on the campaign trail. She did, and this country owes her a debt of gratitude.

While she was fighting against incredible odds, against “conventional wisdom”, against the backdrop of a Obama biased media, shouts for her to get out, the machinations of Howard Dean and the DNC, the following took place:

• more people registered to vote than ever before

• more people cast votes in primaries than ever before

• 18,000,000 people cast votes just for Hillary

• this contest went down to the wire and States like South Dakota, Colorado, etc. had a voice in the outcome for the first time in my memory

• her candidacy took this country to a place it had never gone before and in the process this democracy is stronger, more voters young and old are participating . . . and that’s a very good thing!

If Hillary’s critics had had their way, Obama’s selection would have taken place months earlier and the voices of millions of voters across this country would never have been heard.

Since we’re talking about courage and tenacity have you ever wondered why:

• Gore didn’t have more of tenacity in 2000? Yes, his case went to the Supreme Court, but he still had options that he refused to consider. What if he’d fought on? Where would this country’s energy policy be today? Think we’d be facing a recession and gas at $4 a gallon? Would there have been a 9-11 or war in Iraq? We’ll never know.

• While talking about courage and tenacity, why didn’t Kerry contest the voting in Ohio in 2004? There were so many irregularities that it remains incomprehensible to me why he didn’t fight. How much courage and tenacity would that have taken? In my book, not much. Even a cursory look shows massive voting irregularities and fraud. This is a mystery that Stephen Marks brings up in his book Confessions of a Political Hitman.

• Question: Mr. Dean while one of your party’s female candidates was taking a brutal sexist beating in the press by the MSM how much courage would it have taken to go on record with the media, putting them “on notice” and saying, “enough!” Answer: More courage than you had, given the fact you made no secret of the fact you were really supporting Obama.

Mr. Obama we already know you’ll do and say anything to get elected so we don’t have to ask why YOU didn’t say something about the reprehensible sexist behavior of the MSM when they were “reporting” on Hillary.

Your only acknowledgment of Hillary’s fight was made during the “unity” appearance when you were looking for votes from her supporters! What a joke. Seems to me that a real man would have stopped his campaign and delivered a speech to the media, his supporters, and the world that he didn’t want to win in such a scurrilous manner.

What sir, will you tell your daughters if they suffer the residual effects of sexism because you were silent????

Here’s something else, a savvy politician would have seen the benefits of doing this. You made a speech about racism and you should have made one on sexism. Had you done so, many in us in Hillary’s army would hold a different opinion of you now.

Now all we’re left with is the question I have been asking for months, “how much courage does it take to cast a vote?” Until someone presents facts to the contrary, you are the only politician I am aware of who has placed 130 present votes, not yes or no . . . present!

Like I said, courage takes many forms!

DEADLY YELLOW JACKET STINGS

What do yellow jacket stings have to do with politics, HRC, Obama, Imus, etc.?

Not a darn thing, but I was severely stung by them on Friday and I feel compelled to relay the experience to anyone that can hear me. Every once in a while, there is something that happens in life that is more important than politics and the Election.

Passing on this information that could save a life . . . yours, or someone you know OR LOVE.

Now that I’ve got your attention, here goes . . .

Friday evening I was stung twice by yellow jackets and suffered a very severe reaction. The paramedics had to called. Luckily someone was with me when this happened because I was incapable of calling 911 myself. When I collapsed , I thought it was “curtains” for a time there.

One way I have been coping with the enormity of this was thinking about those old Columbo TV shows (Agatha Christie novels or Poirot mystery stories) where people meet their demise in odd ways. You see the bee enter the room and you already know someone’s going to be a goner.

There is nothing funny about yellow jacket stings. According to info on the Web, 100 people will die from insect stings this year and you only need to stung once to suffer ill effects! Each sting should be taken seriously. That doesn’t mean panicking every time. It does mean, staying calm and knowing how to respond to the situation.

People need to know how serious bee/yellow jacket stings can be. Once a person has been stung these critters have a tendency to sting you again . I can attest to that, having been stung 10 or 12 times over the years. Each time my reaction to the stings has become more severe.

BTW, bees and yellow jackets are not the same. Bees will generally not attack first. Also, the earth is losing its bee population and that’s important to know because without bees growing food becomes tenuous. We need helpful bees to pollinate our crops etc.

Ten days ago I stung one evening. I thought it was a fluke, but when I was attacked, again, on Friday night I knew something was dreadfully wrong.

Turns out there was a nest of the suckers in my back yard, and as I found out these guys are very aggressive . . . and aggressive just for the hell of it. They will attack for no reason. Apparently, I was too near their nest. BTW, yellow jackets make their nests in the ground near tree roots, which I didn’t know until the exterminator told me . They can also build their nests in lawns, under pine straw, etc.

Stings can be deadly if people don’t know how to react after being stung. For starters, many people get stung and never suffer any consequences, but for those who do, its important to remember to call 911 if there is any indication of a bad reaction. Don’t even consider driving to the hospital there may not be enough time. This cannot be emphasized enough.

From the time I was stung until the first wave of dizziness, nausea, loss of control of my body functions (yes loss of bodily functions, I won’t go into detail) was probably less than 5 or 6 minutes. I completely collapsed. Some people go into shock, suffer rapid pulse, and cannot breathe. The paramedics were great. When 911 knew they were responding to a bee sting and my condition, they were here FAST!

The reason I’m going into such detail is because I feel like this is an urgent message I have get out to other people and quickly. It’s like the Universe is telling me to, “move on this pronto! Somebody out there needs to know this.” And, so I am.

It bears repeating, if stung, get ice on the affected area right away to try to control the swelling, put Caladryl or other antiseptic on the sting. It wouldn’t hurt to have Benadryl in the house or liquid dye-free allergy medication in the house at all times. This can be purchased at CVS etc. and is faster acting than the pills. Both are antihistamines that will help with the after effects of the sting . . . burning, itching, etc.

If the person stung starts to get hives or begins to have difficulty breathing, stay calm, and call 911.

PLEASE FELL FREE TO SEND THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW . . . IT MAY SAVE SOMEONE’S LIFE.

There’s PS on this. Swelling, itching, etc. can get really bad for some people. Soaking the affected area (s) in Epsom salts will help. It may require a visit to your physician who may prescribe steroids and other meds to help make your life bearable.

Because my reaction was so severe, I will need to keep an EpiPen with me at all times when there is a chance of being stung . . . like all summer! The EpiPen is a pre-measured shot of epinephrine that is used to prevent a person from going into anaphylactic shock. This needs a prescription from a doctor.

If you want to read more about yellow jackets, there’s a good article by the Ohio State University. It can be found at http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2076.html.