Thanks Jan

"Vixen" album cover - via Wikipedia user Weatherman90 (here)

In 2012, the original members of Vixen, Jan Kuehnemund, Janet Gardner, Roxy Petrucci, and Share Pedersen (now Ross), were in the final stages of a planned band reunion. Then, in January 2013 just days before they were going to make an official announcement, Jan, the band's founder, was diagnosed with cancer. She fought the disease for nearly a year, but unfortunately passed away October 10, 2013, 4 years ago tomorrow, and the band's and its fans dreams of a complete reunion of it's original lineup never came to fruition.

Today's Music Monday is in memory of Jan and the great music she left us with. Told that an all-female heavy metal band would never make it, she and her bandmates were determined to prove the naysayers wrong, and man, did they ever.

Both of today's music videos are of songs from the bands debut self-titled album, Vixen, released in 1988. They both feature Jan's guitar playing and provide some great memories for her fans, including me, of her doing what she loved - playing her guitar. She was a talented guitarist.

Video #1 is of "Love Made Me" (embedded below or can be enjoyed here). Video #2 is of "Cryin' " which was filmed live at MTV's 1989 New Years Eve special (embedded below or enjoy it here).

Delaware Outlaws Discrimination In Organ Transplantation

Recently, Delaware Governor John Carney signed into law a bill banning discrimination in organ transplantation based upon a person's disability. Thanks to Gov. Carney and the Delaware legislature, the state is now the 6th in the U.S. to outlaw such practices.

English: A collection of pictograms. Three of them used by the United States National Park Service. A package containing those three and all NPS symbols is available at the Open Icon Library (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I know from experience that there are a number of criteria by which a patient is evaluated in order to determine if a person is a suitable organ transplant candidate. This bill specifically prohibits a person's disability from being the reason they are denied transplant services and / or considered for transplant.

Rep. Debra Heffernan, the legislation's sponsor, said, "With this bill in place, families will have peace of mind and know that their loved one with a disability has the right to be treated fairly when they are undergoing the extremely taxing process of pursuing a life-saving transplant."

Governor Carney added, "A true measure of the commitment of government to the people is how well it addresses the needs of those who are living with disabilities. By signing this legislation into law, we are taking action to ensure individuals with disabilities have access to organ transplant procedures."

I agree with both of them wholeheartedly, and I implore Congress and President Trump to keep this non-discrimination theme in mind as they continue to work on the repeal and replace of ObamaCare.  The pre-existing conditions protection MUST be kept in place in whatever piece of legislation they ultimately agree on. Any discrimination to healthcare access is immoral and must be banned, because it ultimately leads to lives being needlessly lost.

I have 1 question in regards to Delaware's new legislation. Why do ONLY 6 states have such a law in place? Shame on the other 44 of you. Every state should have such a law on the books. I call upon the governors and legislators in the 44 states who have no such law to get to work and get it done.

Read More: DelawarePublic.org article - "Gov. Carney Signs Bill Banning Organ Transplant Discrimination"