Amateurs are pros

Amateur's are the pros
By: C.J. Ellington

 "The departments that we have interfaced with have had positive feedback. We continue to have make our presents known to the hospital." Says Keith Thomas, Chief Radio Officer of the Jerry L Pettis VA amateur raido club.
 Tucked away out of sight on the 2nd floor of the VA Hospital, sits a 20 foot by 10 foot room. That room houses the VA's emergency communications equipment.
 Recently, emergency communications was put to the test when the power went out at the hospital in June. The radio club responded with 7 members that day, to provide important communications between departments.
 The Jerry L Pettis VA Hospital Amateur Radio club was officialy formed in Febuary of 2011. Prior to 2011, the hospital radio room was staffed by employees. Currently most club members are VA volunteer's.
 As of current membership, the club who holds an amateur radio call sign of W6VAH, has approximently 20 members. When the club was formed, they started out with 5 members.
 The W6VAH club runs a net on HF (High Frequency) on 14.255 megahertz. The purpous of the net is to make contact with both vets and non vets.
 On the net, club members talk to operaters from around the country and occationaly the world. The average number of contacts veries by atmospheric conditions.
 Curently, the club participates in 2 yearly drill's, including the great american shake out in October. These drills help prepare the club for the real thing.
 The W6VAH club at the Jerry L Pettis VA Hospital is one of a few VA's involved with amateur radio and emergency communicaitons. They regurly make contact with N5VA, the VA hospital in New Mexico.
 Any licensed amateur radio operater is welcome to check in with them and to visit the radio room. They would love to have you visit and show you around.

Constatution vs Religion

Constatution VS Religious freedom
Everyone has heard of Kim Davis the Kentuky county clerk who refused gay marriage licenses. Dispite the US Supreme court ruling that banning of gay marriage is unconstatutional.
A week ago, Davis was ordered to jail for not following the courts order. She spent a week in jail for contempt.
When Davis was released there was a huge crowd of suporters waiting for her. It amazes me how people can suport someone who broke the law.
Heavy hitters in politics are even getting involved to suport her. GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is one of those.
Her Deputy clerk refuses to break the law even if he is breaking her orders. The law is the law.
Law of the land superseeds religious beliefs or biases. It's one thing to have certain beliefs. However, If your your beliefs effect the job you do then you souldn't be doing that job.
Kim Davis is an elected official. If she refuses to do her job because of her beliefs she needs to resign.
Our founding fathers believed in seperation of church and state. This is one of those cases where religion interfearing with government ruleing is wrong.
I am sure as we speak, the county board of supervisors are discussing her fate.