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In reading the past few days worth of digest it appears that summer heat is getting to a few people. Folks, we're all in this together. There is no "them" and "us" and "that group over there." For the most part, we all have PD, we all want a cure, we are all frustrated. I'm not gonna' stand up and say, "Can't we all just get along?" Nope, I'm going to sit down to say it because I'm having a hard time standing up right now. I would like to think that we each respect the other person's opinion, that we can share and laugh and even cry together. I would hope that we realize bitter words can do more than hurt, they can leave someone who really needs this list with a feeling that they are not wanted, and that isn't right. We all need this list. This is our home, our sanctuary against the endless ills of our world. To many this is the kitchen table, the bedroom, the only family we have. Sure we have different opinions, and families have fights, but the similarity ends there - at some point the computer is turned off. If we leave those who are hurt by bitter words with a darken monitor and an empty heart, how much good did your "proving a point" really do? And does it really make you feel better about yourself? I can hear someone thinking, "Where the hell does he get off acting like the group psychologist?" If you really feel that way, email me directly. Your anger doesn't do anything positive for the group and the group is, after all, for support. BTW, 88 people in Texas are dead because of this heat spell. I know of one man who lived alone in a trailer in Dallas with a broken AC who died from the heat. Less well known is the fact that he had PD and couldn't get out. A $15 fan might have kept him alive. Fifteen dollars. I last summer visited a little 5 year old girl in Galveston with AIDS who died two days later. I don't think she wanted to die. I spent three years with someone who I considered the most wonderful person in the world, and I watched her die from cancer as I held her hand. She would have liked for the government to fund a cure before she died. I would have like that, too, far more than I would have liked a cure for PD. With a cure for cancer, we would still be together. PD is bad, but so are a lot of other diseases. I hope I never believe that my life is more important than the life of someone else. Complaints about this post can be directed to [log in to unmask] -- The Official PWP Dumpster Gang Hideout http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/ The PWP WebRing http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=parkie;list The Parkinson Alliance http://www.parkinsonalliance.net/