Just a quick note here for folks who might be involved in treating people with Type 2 Diabetes or Obstructive Sleep Apnea.  The Sleep Wellness Institute in West Allis, Wis., will hold a free webinar on the link between the 2 diseases on Friday, Dec. 5, from noon to 1:00 p.m. CST.

The webinar will be presented by Dr. Don Harden, a Board Certified Sleep Specialist and Co-Medical Director of the Sleep Wellness Institute.

The link between Type 2 Diabetes and Obstructive Sleep Apnea is very real, so this webinar is of real importance.  To register, click here.

Your Friend, Stevedawg

Has President-elect Barack Obama’s overwhelming victory brought upon the end of conservatism, as some pundits are saying?

No, of course not.  Nor should it be.  The election was the end of the era of conservatism that began during Ronald Reagan’s time in the White House.  A new era will begin.

Conservative voices should always be heard within the Republican party.  I believe each party should have strong believers (liberals or staunch conservatives), middle of the roaders (who should make up the core of the party) and the “leaners,” those who lean to the left or right without going over the edge into extremism.

So I, a political independent,  believe conservatism most certainly is not dead, but is being forced to take a hard look at itself so the Republican Party can re-define some of its positions.  That’s good for the party and good for the country.

Your friend, Stevedawg

All right.  Enough of this foolishness.  Since John McCain doesn’t have the good sense to separate himself from Joe “the Plumber,” the media should.

Joe has had his 15 minutes of fame and much more.  Not bad for a plumber without a license, a liar, and campaign “plant” in an audience.  And now, a book and C&W album!  PLEASE.

If this nut job represents the average American, I have to wonder if IQ’s collectively dropped over the past 8 years (entirely possible, considering who has been “in charge”).  Joe is not the “average” American … he’s the American media whore!

Joe the Wingnut has been quick to try to capitalize on his sudden fame.  That’s ok.  What isn’t ok is for the media to follow him around like kittens following their mother.

We can only hope that after Tuesday, Joe goes back to being “Joe the Nobody!”  Like he was when he failed to show for a McCain rally yesterday.  Bye bye, Joe.  Please let the door hit you on the ass on your way out!

Your Friend, Stevedawg

Desperate to save his candidacy in the last few days preceding the Nov. 4 election, John McCain seems to be sinking to a new low.

A McCain advertisement running in Pennsylvania and North Carolina flatly states that Barack Obama “gave” our tax dollars to some of his Chicago  buddies.

“I’m John McCain, and I approved this ad.”  Maybe McCombover should be more careful about what he attaches his name to. Newsweek Magazine’s fact checker calls the ad “false and misleading” and then picks it apart piece by piece.

It’s sad to see a once great politician, in the twilight of his career, stoop to such a level.

Your friend, Stevedawg

I love it when my employer, The Sleep Wellness Institute, develops a new program that not only helps people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) but also another disease.

Armed with solid 2008 research by the International Diabetes Federation and the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort, we have developed a protocol for serving Type 2 Diabetes patients and their doctors.

For good reason.  The research shows that fully 58% of all Type 2 Diabetes patients have sleep disordered breathing … and 40% of all OSA patients have diabetes.  Further, the research states that the most common form of treatment for sleep apnea, CPAP, is also effective in improving glucose sensitivity and reducing the Hemoglobin A1c level (HbA1c).

That’s important, because for every 1% decrease in a diabetic’s HbA1c level, there is a 14-20% decrease in hospitalizations.

Among my colleagues who have OSA (as I do), there are a few who also have diabetes.  They and other diabetes patients we see for OSA are solid in reporting positive responses to CPAP.

Good news!

Your Friend, Stevedawg

Okay, it bothers me somewhat that I’m contributing to “Joe the Plumber’s” 15 minutes of fame, but I’ve got to say that I really enjoyed Sen. Joe Biden’s comment on the Tonight Show last night.  By saying he wanted to help “Joe the Real Plumbers … who have a license,” Sen. Biden nailed him good.

“Joe the Plumber” it turns out isn’t even a plumber.  He doesn’t have a plumber’s license.  He also isn’t buying his employer’s business, and his $40,000 per year income would mean he would receive much more tax relief from Barack Obama than John McCain.

So why is this guy a McCain supporter?

There are probably several possible reasons, and I won’t dwell on them because one of them is particularly distasteful to most Americans.

By the way, does Ohio have a chapter of the KKK?

Maybe “Joe the Plumber” is overcome by Sarah Palin’s winking at him.

Stevedawg

Oh, really?

Today’s newspapers reported two interesting facts:  first, McCain trails in Michigan by 15 points, where he dropped his campaign so he could focus on battle ground states like mine, Wisconsin, where he only trailed by 8 points.

Now, after he and the Wasilla Wacko campaigned here last week, Barack Obama’s lead in Wisconsin has grown to 17 points!  Apparently McCain wants him so far ahead that he can’t even see Obama’s campaign in the distance.

Way to go McCombover and Wing Nut!  You two are a credit to your party and, best of all, riding off into that sunset (can Gov. Wacko see that from her house?).  By the way, did anybody else notice Richard Lewis last night asking if Wasilla was a yeast infection?

My friends, it’s time to recognize, my friends, that McCain and Wackjob are, my friends, the Republican Party’s worst nightmare, my friends, and my dream come true, my friends.

Your friend, Stevedawg

If there’s one place in this country John McCain and the Wasilla Wacko, Sarah Palin, don’t need to drum up support it’s Waukesha County, Wis.  Arguably the most conservative (read “sickening”) county in the entire U.S., Waukesha will host McCain and the Wacko this Thursday.

WHY?

Shouldn’t McCain and the Wacko be trying to find new places and new voters?  Of course they should.  But it’s obvious that they can’t, so it’s time to take cover with other Wackos.

I happen to have been raised in Waukesha County and have lived there for the past 31 years.  I remember when my Dad ran for the local school board and was suddenly subjected to an attack by the Wing Nut group, the John Birch Society, who called him a “leftist liberal professor.”  Interesting choice of terms for a professor of medicine who had voted for Richard Nixon in 1960.  Our house was attacked by spray paint vandals, my dog was pelted with stones, and I was called a commie by other 11 year olds.  I didn’t even know what the word meant … and they probably didn’t either.  But their mommies and daddies did.

What a freaking world!

So, I’ll sit here in amazement later this week and watch all the idiots and jerkweeds gathering at the altar of lies and dirty politics … laughing inside as I realize McCombover and the Wacko have wasted another day when they could have done some actual campaigning.

Stevedawg

As if her total lack of preparedness isn’t enough reason to keep her as far away as possible from any important office, now it turns out that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is a supporter of the unethical murder of animals.

Evidence has now been found and reported on major networks nationwide that Palin is on the record advocating the brutal and unethical hunting of wolves from airplanes.  And she proposed a $150 bounty be awarded to anyone who brings in the severed forelegs of a wolf as proof of their kill.

If there’s anybody I find more disgusting than a politican who lies, it’s a person who advocates brutal treatment of animals.  Turns out, with Sarah Palin we get both!

Stevedawg

Enough!  If Gov. Sarah Palin winks at me one more time I’m going to punch her right in the eye.  Cutesy doesn’t make a person qualified to be “a heartbeat away from the Presidency.”  Neither does the fear of answering questions from a moderator.

While I agree that Gov. Palin seemed to do better than most people thought in last night’s Vice Presidential debate, she also scared the living daylights out of me.  Her lack of understanding of the issues and even of the role of Vice President were astounding.  She wants the VP to have more authority in the Legislative Branch???  Perhaps she should read the Constitution where it clearly states the VP’s role (and she didn’t hesitate to use the term last night “our founding fathers,” so one would hope she actually knows where to find their words).

Some people say her performance means she is no longer a drag on the McCain campaign.  I don’t agree.  Perhaps the only bigger drag is John “I Never Met a Bush I Didn’t Love” McCain!

Stevedawg

Now it gets ugly.  Knowing they’re facing defeat, Republican John McCain and Wacko Sarah Palin are resorting to the sort of smarmy, dirty, mudslinging campaigning that has served the G.O.P. so well for so long.

“So long” is a good use of terms, since it’s less than a month away from the time when we bid these two so long and kick them out the door … and for God’s sake, please DO let the door hit you on the ass on your way out.

This country is in a horrible mess … and all McCain/Palin can offer up is an attack on Barack Obama’s character.  Wow, that’s really Presidential of you, isn’t it?  Wah, it isn’t fair … Obama’s going to win.  Wah, it isn’t fair, I’m so cute that people should ignore my total incompetence.  Wah, time to get dirty and nasty … it’s the Republic way!

McCain/Palin … the truly pathetic ticket.

Stevedawg

Seems Gov. Sarah Palin has forgotten all about the truth.  What the hell, let’s just toss it out the window.

When the Wacko from Wasilla claimed that Barack Obama is “palling around with terrorists,” she was outright lying.  Or outright stupid.  Either of which is easy to believe.

Looks like John McCain is palling around with an idiot!

Stevedawg

And this one says it all: 

Your friend, Stevedawg

Thank God I work in Milwaukee County, not Waukesha County, where I live.  Otherwise I might have run into the “straight talk” express this morning.  Yes, both Republican John McCombover and his VP nominee, Gov. Wacko, stopped by to visit with all their friends.

It won’t make any difference.  They can preach to the choir all they want, but it won’t bring them any new voters … especially when you consider the reaction to the Wasilla Wing Nut’s unbelievably inflammatory oratory of this week.  Note to Gov. Palin:  When your words draw audience responses such as “Kill Him,” it’s time to back off.  Or are you planning to offer a bounty on Sen. Obama’s severed forelegs like you did on wolves?

“Cindy McCain on the Attack” read the headline of an online story this morning.  Really!  What is that like … attack of the washed up Supermodels?  I think she is basically a nice woman, but she’s out of her league.

In an earlier posting I said that if Gov. Wackjob winks at me one more time, I’m gonna punch her right in the eye.  Well, my friends, I can tell you, my friends, that if John McCain calls me his friend again, I’m gonna punch him in the mouth, my friends.

Your Friend, Stevedawg