An Americanist
Welcome to An Americanist Daily, your go-to solo podcast for a quick and snarky dive into the current events and politics shaping our nation! As a daily extension of the An Americanist blog, I’m here to break down the headlines that matter—Monday through Friday—without the fluff and filler.
In each bite-sized episode, I tackle the latest political news, dissect current events, and share my unfiltered thoughts, all with a sprinkle of humor and a touch of sass. From legislative shenanigans to social issues stirring the pot, I’ll keep you informed and entertained in just a few minutes each day.
Join me as we explore the stories that impact America and remind ourselves why an engaged citizenry is essential for our democracy. Whether you’re commuting, grabbing coffee, or taking a break, An Americanist Daily is the perfect way to stay in the loop without sacrificing your time or sense of humor.
Subscribe now and let’s navigate the complexities of today’s America—one short episode at a time. The. Go read the blog for a more in depth analysis. AnAmericanist.com
An Americanist
LASIK Tragedies, Army Rangers, and Fighting Loneliness: A Friday Morning Carnival Ride
Life truly is like a box of chocolates—or as I prefer to say, a carnival ride where you should buckle up for the unexpected. Today's journey takes us through some shocking medical revelations that might forever change how you think about "safe" procedures.
The heart of our discussion centers on the disturbing reality behind LASIK eye surgery, where what's marketed as 95-99% safe has reportedly led multiple people to take their own lives after suffering debilitating complications. We explore the heartbreaking cases of a young police officer and a TV meteorologist who couldn't endure the constant pain and vision problems following their procedures. With claims of at least 40 suicides connected to LASIK complications, serious questions emerge about FDA approval processes and whether profit motives outweigh patient safety.
From there, we take a strange detour into a case of Army Rangers suspended for firing blanks during a pirate festival (not nearly as dangerous as headlines suggest) and a bizarre incident involving a fashionable New York woman who stabbed a photographer for accidentally capturing her image. But we end on a hopeful note with New York City's inspiring "anti-loneliness club" for seniors—a beautiful initiative where older adults share remarkable life stories while building community and fighting the isolation that often accompanies aging.
What home remedies did your family swear by growing up? Share your thoughts and join us Sunday for our Brood Awakening podcast. I'd love to hear which traditions you still believe in today!
Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!
Start for FREE
Thanks for listening!
Liberty Line each week on Sunday, look for topics on my X file @americanistblog and submit your 1-3 audio opinions to anamericanistblog@gmail.com and you'll be featured on the podcast.
Buzzsprout - Let's get your podcast launched!
Start for FREE
Tip Jar for coffee $ - Thanks
Music by Alehandro Vodnik from Pixabay
Blog - AnAmericanist.com
X - @americanistblog
Good morning, my little love bunnies. It's Friday, beginning of a three-day weekend, but I am at work, of course. So I have some stories here. Look, some of them are tragic. Some of them I'm going to start off. Look my podcast. I'm going to steal a line from Forrest Gump's mama when she told him life is like a box of chocolates you never know what you're going to get. But I'm going to translate that for you for Carol's term Ride at your own risk, because this carnival ride is unstable. All right, here we go, we're going to go from.
Speaker 1:I get my stories from the New York Post and a lot of them are just horrible, tragic stories that you would not even believe. Some of them I read I'm like no, I cannot even talk about that at all because it's just terrible. But we are going to start off with a couple of not so good stories, but we're going to end with a good one. All right, here we go. Let's see, let me, let me go over to my Twitter, my x file. Sorry, I was not prepared. Usually I'm prepared. Well, sometimes I'm prepared. Okay, here we go.
Speaker 1:I have a couple of stories. This first one is so tragic. Doctors, former patients, warn of lasik eye surgery dangers biggest scam ever put on the American public. Wow, because I remember a few years back when this was like a huge thing everybody was getting it done. I had thought about it I don't even know if I needed it or not and I thought there's no way I'm letting somebody operate on my eyes. No, I'm not having it and I'm glad I didn't. All right, this is terrible. I'm going to warn you up front. This is horrible.
Speaker 1:The suicide of a 26-year-old Pennsylvania police officer over the after effects of the popular eye surgery LASIK was not an isolated incident, with others saying it left them with agonizing and life-changing symptoms. Patient and doctors told the Post. Lasik providers say the procedure is 95 to 99% safe, but one LASIK survivor said she had suicidal ideations for two years after her disastrous surgery in 2000. She also claimed to know that at least 40 people 40 people to have taken their own life because they couldn't take constant pain and vision problems developed after the procedure. This is horrible. So the LASIK lobby and the surgeons will tell you only 1% of patients have issues afterwards. That's not true. There are multiple studies that indicate otherwise. Let's see.
Speaker 1:Since LASIK was approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Look, I have a huge problem with the FDA, especially after watching Dope Sick Y'all. Fda is corrupt as hell, just like with any other government agency up in there. So, no, no, all right. Anything that says FDA approved. Nope, no, thank you. Especially, you know, in today's world, with them being paid off by Big Pharma. You know, in today's world, with them being paid off when by big pharma, all right. So, um, let's see.
Speaker 1:This person last name is kofar runs the lasik complication support group on facebook, one of numerous organizations on social media which have sprung up in response to lasik procedures gone wrong. Why, all of a sudden, are we hearing about this? Lasik surgery has been around for years. Why, all of a sudden, are we hearing about it? The procedure, lasik assisted in seto keratomeliosis, reshapes the cornea of the eye. It reshapes the cornea of the eye. It already sounds terrible.
Speaker 1:So Ryan Kingersky he was 26 years old. He was just 26 the cop who died by suicide after taking time off from penn hills police department in allegheny, county pennsylvania, last august. All right, so his grieving parents, the king ryan, began suffering headaches, double vision, seeing dark spots and floaters, tiny spots that appear as streaks or cobwebs, like shapes, across the person's field of vision. And then there's this other woman. Y'all this other one is what I wanted to get to the 35-year-old mother. Let's see Ryan's. Okay, here we go.
Speaker 1:Ryan's parents told a story similar to that of Detroit TV meteorologist Jessica Starr's widower, dan Rose, who said she took her own life after struggling with intense eye pain and vision problems following laser eye surgery. The 35-year-old mother hanged herself on December 12, 2018, just two months after undergoing LASIK to correct her vision. Y'all this is. I mean. Prior to the procedure, jessica was completely normal, very healthy. Rose told WJBK in 2019, there was no depression, no underlying issue. Rose said his wife left behind a 30 page suicide note and videos which made it clear the decision to end her life was because of the elective surgery. What did she keep all of this to herself? Did she not talk to anybody about it? Her husband is acting like there was no sign or anything of her wanting to do this, this. Okay, that's all I'm going to read of that story. Oh my gosh, what do you think? This is terrible? Next, I'm not going to read this whole story either. I'm just going to tell you about it.
Speaker 1:18 army Rangers suspended for allegedly firing blanks at crowded Florida beach after mock sea battle during pirate festival. Is this real? So what happened was they had this festival. There was a pirate ship. They had these army Rangers out there on the water. They had blanks. They were approved to do this shooting up in the air, but then, I guess, they decided to shoot off some extra rounds and that's what people are mad about. It was already pre-approved. It's staged. They knew this was going to happen.
Speaker 1:People are so sensitive nowadays they're blaming it. You know. They're saying you know all these mass shootings that are happening now, this shouldn't, this shouldn't be taking place. Blah, blah, blah. And these rangers are suspended, I believe. Yes, it does say they're suspended, but the headline is misleading. They said they after they shot at the crowded florida beach, they didn't shoot at the crowd of the.
Speaker 1:In the story it says they shoot, they shot up in the air and then they, I guess they shot, maybe at the pirate ship, which was all part of the. It was all part of the staged mock thing for entertainment purposes. I can't with these people. All right, this next story Scissor. What is wrong with this woman? Scissor-wielding, well-dressed New York City woman stabs man after he accidentally takes photo of her Again from the New York Post. What in the world she is definitely not ready for. Her close-up is how the article begins Ha ha, the stylish woman in heels and a leather jacket used scissors to stab an amateur photographer who accidentally captured an image of her as he took photos in the west village.
Speaker 1:The sunglasses and dress, wearing brunette, flew into a britney spears level. Paparazzi rage. Rage on varick street near west houston street. Around 4 20 pm the 36 year old victim was out shooting images for social media. Pm the 36-year-old victim was out shooting images for social media. First she slugged him in the shoulder before flashing a pair of scissors and stabbing him in the back. The woman then stormed off, heading south on Varick Street and entering the Houston Street subway. The victim refused medical attention for minor injuries on the scene.
Speaker 1:The New York PD on Wednesday night released surveillance footage so they have surveillance of her anyway and she is quite attractive and very well dressed. What in the world was going on there? She must be a mob wife and didn't want her picture taken or something. I don't know. I don't know. All right, so we're going to end with a good story here, all right? Are you ready? Here we go, and I am so behind this. I want to do, do this, I want to be, I want to participate in this Inside. Of course, I can't do it.
Speaker 1:It's in New York City, inside New York City's anti-loneliness club, where seniors share their life stories, including getting told off by Princess Margaret and flirting with Colin Powell. What do a fashion feud with Princess Margaret and rumors of a young love with Colin Powell have in common? They both become legendary tales at the Life Story Club gatherings excuse me for older adults across the city, giving them a space to share their experiences, build community and combat the loneliness that sometimes comes with aging, which can put them at higher risk for health issues like depression, heart disease and dementia. The social club becomes their friends, their family, their lifeline. Stephanie Yanes, a facilitator at both English and Spanish language groups. Early this month, about 30 members and facilitators of the Life Story Club gathered for okay, so these people are gathering together to tell their tales so they won't be lonely anymore.
Speaker 1:I love and look. I wish that I had listened to my grandparents more. I wish I had gotten more stories from them, or even written them down, or something Like. I know nothing about my grandpa on my mother's side. I know he came from St Louis. I have one story of him telling me that you know he played minor league ball at one time or another. He said he met Babe Ruth and Babe Ruth told him look, kid, you don't want to be in this, you don't want to be a professional ball player. This life, this life is hell. It's blah, blah, blah, blah. I don't know if that was true or not, I don't know if he was just pulling my leg, but it would be cool if it was true. So anyway, there's that. I love this idea. I think it's wonderful. All right, so we need to move on to the question of the day, and I do have one. Oh my gosh, I'm 10 minutes over. Oh well, that's the way it is.
Speaker 1:So yesterday, on Pat Gray, hillary's talking about this methylene blue, or whatever it's called, that people take for health reasons, and I was wondering what Mr Shams was going to say about it, and he did say something about it on exit. I'm so glad he came out and said this Uh, there's no way I would take something like that. I'd be too scared if it's. You know, look I, I, I say bad things about the FDA, but I also not sure about this, these home remedies either. But she put this blue dye in this water and it turned like really blue and I'm like how does that not turn your teeth blue? Anyway, where was I going with this? Oh, I think I have.
Speaker 1:My question was do you have any home remedies that you grew up with that you swear by, that you would recommend to people to do? You know, with that onion on your pillowcase, I don't even know what that means. So do you have anything like that? I don't. I don't think. I don't have to think about it, but you know, the apple a day keeps the doctor away. All this stuff. Do you have anything like that that you could, that you really believe in, that you think helps you with whatever that you could tell people about? All right, that's it. I got to go. Thanks for listening. Have a great weekend. The Gent and I will be back on Sunday for our Brood Awakening podcast on Sunday. All right, love y'all. Thanks for listening, bye.
