December 21, 2007
Your Opinion........
I heard something the other day. Pretty serious. And I've been rolling it around in my mind trying to come to terms with what happened.
I decided to put it out to YOU, without the where and who, because...well I *CAN'T* give you all the details. Mainly I want to know what YOU think and what YOU would do......
And yes....this really did happen. I give you my word.
An emergency call went out, asking for medical assistance. When they arrived at the 4th rate motel on the outskirts of town, they didn't find what they were expecting.
They were called out because someone called in stating they were suffering from alcohol poisoning. Well, the room was tidy. This was NOT a tidy room kind of motel. The bed was made, and other than a few empty beer bottles and empty pint bottles, it wasn't out of sorts at all.
The patient was FAR from fall down drunk. In fact, he was very lucid, but insisted on being taken to a very specific emergency room. AND he insisted on taking his guitar. Said he couldn't leave it behind. He showed them the guitar, and they begrudgedly agreed to take it along.
The entire time, the patient was insisting he was Puerto Rican. His name....was Ishmal.
Before he would leave the room, he had to make a call. Now, the person who relayed this story to me speaks Spanish. Well. Ishmal was not speaking Spanish - it sounded more middle eastern. The only English spoken was to tell the other person what hospital they were going to, assure them they were taking the guitar and to say I love you.
During the transport Ishmal informed them that he had called a councilor at the homeless shelter.
Now, warning bells were ringing internally for my friend. Things were not adding up.
Upon arriving at the hospital they did make the patient leave the guitar case in the rig. They then had security check it out.
It was clean.
Oh, and the patients blood alcohol level? .08
This was all put in the run report......and luckily nothing happened.
This didn't happen in a major metropolis, although it was a fairly large city. And like I said, this really did happen.
So.....what do YOU think? Personally, to me it has all the ear marks of a "dry run". And I don't like it. I don't like it at all.
Now, I know that alcohol is not permitted for Muslims, so this threw me a bit, but still.....it just has WARNING signs all over it.
Posted by Tammi at December 21, 2007 05:58 AM | TrackBackThis reeks of a dry run. They always try things out to see how people will react so they can change things if need be.
You should tell that person to at least report it to the FBI hotline or if they won't do that at least report it to the local police so that it is on record.
That is scary, very scary.
Posted by: Quality Weenie at December 21, 2007 08:14 AMI have problems with this story. Having worked emergency services and Law Enforcement I know that if an ambulance is called for an emergency they have to make the transport... but to the nearest hospital. The patient doesn't get to choose in an emergency situation. In fact there have been law suits because the patient wanted to go to hospital A, but hospital B was closer and that is where the ambulance took them.
Dry run? Maybe. But dry run for what? I know we are all alert and punchy about anything suspicious, but this doesn't make sense for a terrorist attack. The target wouldn't have any significant impact other than to enrage the public. They would get more effect hitting a large city or a government building.
This actually smacks more of checking response time of emergency services possibly for other criminal activity. I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't other "suspect" emergency calls to other departments on or about the same time.
Posted by: Contagion at December 21, 2007 09:21 AMActually, where we live - and it wasn't me - the patient can state which hospital they want to be transported to unless it is a trauma, then they go to the nearest trauma center. And, a patient can refuse to be transported unless they have been at any time during the incident, unconscious.
Dry run maybe. Or maybe just someone who is mighty particular and thought they were sick.
Posted by: oddybobo at December 21, 2007 09:42 AMI say report it on the federal authorities. We're supposed to keep eyes open and report anything that is not "normal". So send the information on and let them do what they do.
Either it is or it isn't something. But not reporting it, will eat at everyone more than feeling like it was a wasted call.
Make the call or send the email or however it's done these day. Report it.
Posted by: Lee Ann at December 21, 2007 10:09 AMMuslims aren't the only terrorists these days, IMO make the call.
Posted by: pam at December 21, 2007 10:16 AMVery scary...
Posted by: Richmond at December 21, 2007 12:07 PMWhen you mentioned the guitar, I thought someone was going to make a surprise proposal to a girlfriend who works in the ER.
But then, I was thinking dry run before you said it.
Even so, a guy doesn't need an ambulance to get into a hospital... with or without a guitar case.
Posted by: Roses at December 21, 2007 09:56 PMI think terrorism has all of our panties in a bunch and we will see things where there is nothing.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and nothing more.
Posted by: ktreva at December 21, 2007 11:14 PM