[AGL] Jaxon again

Mon Jun 12 17:18:15 EDT 2006

The tone of this is disturbing to me. With all due respect to the deceased...

The living, doubting the logic of the recently departed and developing a scenario much more acceptable to their own selfish needs, is an ultimate form of disrespect and just plain ignorance. Shame on you. "We need him" is such a clueless, pathetic, unfeeling, self-pitying expression. Need yourself, you are the sufferer. The deceased suffers no more. He is done. It is final.

Coming to conclusions based upon very limited information is another form of the "i" word. Jack had great difficulty drawing for at least 20 years, a gnarled-up stump of an arthritic right hand. He also had a nicotine habit he apparently was devoted to, diabetes, prostate problems (which no doubt reminded him every time he took a pee that he was damaged goods), and who knows what all else. Prescription drugs? Recurring pain? At any rate it was a list known only to him. And I'm quite sure that he assessed it on a regular basis and made his decision based on the odds as he saw them. It sure sounds like he carefully orchestrated a plan and executed it. Good for him. The way to go. I would not doubt for a second that it was his last creative act, and that he had thought it through a thousand times.

For every "success" of chemo and radiation there are untold numbers of failures. Quite often death results from the treatment and not the disease, commonly damaging organs until one fails. It goes into remission, it reappears, it goes away again, comes back, not a cycle some would care to endure, especially the old and lame. Death in a strange bed somewhere, lying there waiting day after day, the pain of the body and the boredom, thinking the same thoughts everyday and knowing that you will never get up again and see a different view, etc. weighs very heavily. Quite often the bowels stop functioning in a familiar manner, adding to the misery of living in a failing body. For some the prospects of such a death do not compare favorably with other options. An end to the suffering. Others stick it out until all medical solutions have failed and die with all the tubes in place in a ward somewhere, bunch of weeping people hanging around for the last breath. Not so dignified in the eyes of many. An end to avoid at all costs for some.

Yes, we miss them and love them as they were in their respective primes, when their juices were flowing and they amazed us with their works. Can't keep up that level forever. For some, anything less is not worth living. At any rate, I have had a number of good buddies go in recent years. In several cases they chose the way out and went about it with great dignity. I will not sit and doubt them. It was the most personal of all decisions, and the last. Let them be.
G

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Clementine Hall 
  To: survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s 
  Sent: Monday, June 12, 2006 1:45 PM
  Subject: RE: [AGL] Jaxon again

  What he said.

  -----Original Message-----
  From: austin-ghetto-list-bounces at pairlist.net [mailto:austin-ghetto-list-bounces at pairlist.net] On Behalf Of Wayne Johnson
  Sent: Friday, June 09, 2006 11:53 AM
  To: survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s
  Subject: Re: [AGL] Jaxon again

  Oh, gee.  What was he thinking?  

  Was his fear about physical stamina or emotional stamina?  

  I still can't believe that he could think, in some fashion, that there were NOT a large number of people who really valued him and his work and would have supported him to the best of their ability.  In other words, helped him through the emotional roller-coaster of treatment.  And perhaps helped him with physical therapy as well.

  Further.

  I don't understand why the blood medical practioners didn't recognize his fear and provide some kind of counseling. Both chemo and radiation have been around for decades and thousands of people survive...in hospices, at home, on golf courses in Florida and California.  

  Naturally, the quasi-religious sanctions by the ultra-moronic FDA and DEA against cannabis for suppression of nausea is a factor for those living and being treated in the US. But I imagine he would have been welcomed elsewhere, even if just temporarily, to recover.

  This is so sad and, I think, so unnecessary.

  Unilateral decisions, made in a state of extreme depression, can have such horrid consequences.  This is one.

  The world was a far better place with "Jaxon" in it.

  wgJ

    ----- Original Message ----- 

    From: Connie Clark 

    To: survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s 

    Sent: Friday, June 09, 2006 11:38 AM

    Subject: Re: [AGL] Jaxon

    Marilyn,

    This is one email received on the ghetto2 list:

     Lynn Howell is a close friend of Jaxon's who sees 
    him regularly, and saw
    > him
    > a few days ago at a party. Lynn said pretty much the 
    same thing that Tele
    > did - that given his serious diabetes he didn't 
    think he had the stamina
    > to
    > undergo chemo for the prostate cancer. 

    Also Moriaty said that he took his own life at his parents' grave in Stockdale.  We don't know much more yet.

    Connie

    Marilyn Wheless <mwheless at airmail.net> wrote:

      I understand Jack passed away Wed. night. Do you know any details? Is there
      an obit in the paper? If so, can you scan me a copy to this email? I will be
      64 on 14 June,. Am not sure who all on this list remembers me!
      marilyn in menard

      West Texas Headquarters
      ----- Original Message ----- 
      From: "Michael Eisenstadt" 
      To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"

      Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 8:54 AM
      Subject: Re: [AGL] period of consequences

      > Happy Birthday, dear Connie.
      >
      > Mike
      >
      > ----- Original Message ----- 
      > From: "Connie Clark" 
      > To: "BJ's List Ghetto 2" ; "Ghetto List"
      > 
      > Sent: Thursday, June 08, 2006 8:33 AM
      > Subject: [AGL] period of consequences
      >
      >
      > > Yesterday was my 62nd birthday, and fate gifted me, through the kind
      > > gestures of friends and family, tickets to hear Al Gore's multimedia
      talk
      > > about Global Warming. He was brought to speak in Houston by the
      > > Progressive Forum, and every seat in the Hobby Center was filled.
      > >
      > > Noted in the program was:
      > > "This Event's Carbon Footprint is Zero
      > > Associated emissions from the theater's power usage and your
      > > transportation to and from the event have been offset by a generous
      > > donation by DrivingGreen.com which supports agricultural greenhouse gas
      > > reduction projects by AgCert, Dublin, Ireland."
      > >
      > > Basically, this is what we all need to aim for in every thing we do, if
      > > we are going to alter the progress of global warming. Buzzword: carbon
      > > neutral.
      > >
      > > Another message from the lecture/talk was:
      > > We can not wait for change of political will, or politicians, the
      change
      > > in policy needs a grassroots movement asking every politician and every
      > > business now "what are you doing about global warming". That is what
      his
      > > personal appearances, book and movie is trying to encourage.
      > >
      > > My fear is that we are so used to issues-of-the-day, and distracted
      from
      > > one cause to another, that this one will soon be 'last seasons'
      emergency
      > > issue.
      > >
      > > Evidently, Al Gore has spent a lot of time over a number of years
      > > face-to-face with scientists and visiting locations gathering
      information.
      > > He was a delighful speaker last night, going through power-point charts,
      > > graphs, photos - all of which are in the book. You may have read about
      the
      > > Larsen shelf in antartica - the whole of Greenland is showing signs of
      the
      > > same demise. When Greenland goes, so goes major coastal areas of large
      > > human populations. His talk was full of clever asides, joked a lot
      about
      > > himself. One of the funny lines was: "You win a few, lose and few, and
      > > then there is that other category..." This particular Houston audience
      was
      > > very encouraging and appreciative, surpising that so many people in
      > > Houston (oil industry center) would pay to hear his story. We stood in
      > > line for an hour to get our books signed. Made my birthday!
      > >
      > > The Houston Progressive Forum has been bringing some very good speakers
      > > to us since it was formed a couple of years ago. Last year we had Molly
      > > Ivins, Seymour Hersh and Robert Kennedy, next year E. O. Wilson, James
      > > Hansen and Bill Moyers to name just a few. Our own Rangeroo David
      > > Crossley is listed on the board of directors for this 501(c) (3)
      > > oganization. www.houstonprogressiveforum.org
      > >
      > > We were told that Gore's book, "An Inconvenient Truth", launched this
      > > week, will debut #3 on the NYT best seller list. Published by Rodale
      > > Press. Paperback edition only (lots of color photos) $21.95.
      > >
      > > Go see the movie, and turn off your lights, hope for and work for a
      > > strong grassroots movement in this country for joining the Kyoto Treaty,
      > > lifestyle choices, support environmental groups, buy green power, and
      > > anything we can do to reduce greenhouse gasses.
      > >
      > > Oh btw, I am about to conclude from all said, that he is not going to
      run
      > > for president - he is far more interested in what he is doing now,
      > > including Current TV and chairing an investment firm called Generation
      > > Investment Management (sustainable investment). Did you know he is a
      > > board director for Apple, and senior advisor to Google? About US's Iraq
      > > war he stated something like "the single biggest strategic error in the
      > > history of this country."
      > >
      > > Appropriate quotes from the book, lecture, movie:
      > >
      > > Speaking of fascism, Winston Churchil said
      > > "The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling
      > > expedients, of delays, is coming to its close. In its place we are
      > > entering a period of consequences."
      > >
      > > "Denial is a not a river in Egypt" - Dire Straits
      > > "Despair is not the tire in the trunk - Al Gore
      > >
      > > Connie
      > >
      > >
      > >
      > >
      > >
      > > Connie
      > >
      > > http://www.gatherthewomen.org/
      > >
      > > __________________________________________________
      > > Do You Yahoo!?
      > > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
      > > http://mail.yahoo.com
      >
      >
      >

      -- 
      ----------------------------------------
      I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users.
      It has removed 137 spam emails to date.
      Paying users do not have this message in their emails.
      Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len

    __________________________________________________
    Do You Yahoo!?
    Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
    http://mail.yahoo.com 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/austin-ghetto-list/attachments/20060612/dd2016e9/attachment-0001.htm