Sunday, September 26, 2010
Wow, a real 'Preamble' just like the old days. "...America is an idea..." Really?
An idea with nuclear weapon capacity. I think its more than an idea and "America" is NOT the only country on the face of the planet to practice the principles of LIBERTY, FREEDOM AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.
Let's see. There is Canada, Great Britain, Germany, well let's just say all of Europe. Then there is St. Petersburg which may as well be Europe. There there the southern hemisphere. If South America isn't about keeping the people happy then I don't know what is. And don't forget about Australia and New Zealand. Johannesburg and all those FORMER colonies.
When one really looks at the globe. If there happens to be one on your desk, there is a whole lot of folks that practice democracy and freedom and darn well try to pursue happiness.
The pursuit of happiness really gets muddied up in the USA. It is always attached to 'status' and 'wealth.' In most of the world, including Europe, happiness doesn't come with a price tag. Health doesn't either, but, that is an entirely different subject. Or is it?
At any rate, I am a liitle miffed at the 'idea' that the country I LOVE and the historical documents I ADMIRE are being used as a method of 'political monkey business.'
So, to the content of this mess...
The ADOPTION of the US Constitution occurred on September 17, 1787.
Never once, did the US Constitution ever intend to replace The President, Congress and Courts with sovereign authority of a church of any kind. For God sake they just finished fighting years and years of war to rid themselves of entanglements with royalty that demanded 'the subjects' worship one god in one church. Whatever gives the Right Wing political elements in the USA the idea they can actually 'ride' the rest of the country for the sake of Socail Conservative values and completely disregard the values of others? What the heck? And people are actually voting for these 'icons' of deception? Wow.
The Revolutionary War started in 1775. It started before the Declaration of Independence.
Basically, the colonists weren't extended CIVIL RIGHTS by 'The Crown.'
What started as an argument between the colonies and the King ended as a global war. As a matter of fact, it could be argued it was actually the first world war.
It encompassed the powers of many countries to defeat the English in 'The Americas.' The colonists accumulated allies. The British Isles were very powerful. The war to 'back' the colonists was a way of other sovereign authorities to dilute the power of England. England has wealth and with wealth came power directly from its 'colonial lands.' The 13 colonies of The Americas were providing Britain with great deal of wealth.
So. To disillusion the populous of the USA to believe this 'dreamscape' that exists due to 'Populous Politics' and put the history of the country in a neat little package to provide an impetus to a 'so called' new party based on history is grossly in disrespect of the actual suffering of the people of those times.
The Revolutionary War lasted a long time. It didn't end until 1783. It was a war of blood and bone. People suffered and died. I don't think that is taken seriously by the people that would seek to 'REPRESENT' the past and THE PURITY of our country.
The United States of America was 'won' by a global community, NOT simply a group of colonists determined to 'start a new venture.'
When people say, "The Founding Fathers," in the year 2010 it is almost as though it is a caricature of the past. A contrived truth. There is absolutely no reverences by the Tea Party or the Republicans to the ABSOLUTE truth of our ancestory and absolutely no reverence for the actual suffering of the people 'of the time.'
Then the Year was 1776, and Thomas Jefferson wrote and passed to the congress, and the congress signed it.
That was just the beginning. It was the first act of autonomy for the 13 British colonies.
"Karma Chameleon" by Culture Club
Desert loving in your eyes all the way
If I listen to your lies would you say
I'm a man without conviction
I'm a man who doesn't know
How to sell a contradiction
You come and go, you come and go
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
You come and go, you come and go
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
Didn't hear your wicked words everyday
And you used to be so sweet, I heard you say
That my love was an addiction
When we cling our love is strong
When you go you're gone forever
You string along, you string along
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
You come and go, you come and go
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
Every day is like survival
You're my lover, not my rival
Every day is like survival
You're my lover, not my rival
I'm a man without conviction
I'm a man who doesn't know
How to sell a contradiction
You come and go, you come and go
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
You come and go, you come and go
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
You come and go, you come and go
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
You come and go, you come and go
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
If I listen to your lies would you say
I'm a man without conviction
I'm a man who doesn't know
How to sell a contradiction
You come and go, you come and go
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
You come and go, you come and go
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
Didn't hear your wicked words everyday
And you used to be so sweet, I heard you say
That my love was an addiction
When we cling our love is strong
When you go you're gone forever
You string along, you string along
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
You come and go, you come and go
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
Every day is like survival
You're my lover, not my rival
Every day is like survival
You're my lover, not my rival
I'm a man without conviction
I'm a man who doesn't know
How to sell a contradiction
You come and go, you come and go
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
You come and go, you come and go
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
You come and go, you come and go
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
You come and go, you come and go
Loving would be easy if your colors were like my dream
Red gold and green, red gold and green
Karma karma karma karma, karma chameleon
Saturday, September 25, 2010
"Tomorrow" by Avril Lavigne
\
Tomorrow is more important than today when it comes to young Americans. They live their lives preparing for tomorrow while trusting their family and country with their lives today.
It is a scary concept. Tomorrow is abstract. It is 'tomorrow' that most Democrats abide as important over the 'here and now.' Preparing for tomorrow is more noble then living in 'the here and now.' It is easier to some extent to ask Americans to see beyond the 'fear' of uncertainty by asking for patience to visualize a better tomorrow.
The 'impetus of the culture of fear' relies on the 'here and now.' International criminals rely on 'the here and now.' They rely on immediacy of attending to life when uncertainty is as close as the next plane or train. The 'here and now' is an enemy. It taps right into the 'primal' instincts of survival for people. Those instincts create pyschological disorders such as PTSD. Asking citizens to deny those instincts after being bombarded with 'fear' for over nine years is a lot to ask. People in the 'immediate gratification' culture of today, have less patience with their lives and their circumstances.
In 2008, the global economy crashed. The USA was then faced with a different form of terror and their immediate reaction was not 'let them learn their lesson,' it was 'save the economy.' Hence, the Bailout. $700 billion USA. A lot of money. But, what the citizens still don't 'pause' to realize is that the banks DIDN'T save the economy even with a bailout, they diverted those USA monies to international venues. It is why so much of 'the housing bubble' still haunts us today. The bailout allowed those banks to 'be finished' with the USA to make money elsewhere in 'The Third World.' Cheaper, more cooperative governments; disinterested in their citizens or to developing those citizens for a lucritive economy. The citizens of the USA don't stop to realize that the economic collapse was due to abandonment by the banks for other playgrounds. They are still looking for hope from that mistake. Somehow 'if' 'the BEST' approach 'can be found' it will all be okay.
Tomorrow is too long to wait. Citizens have been disappointed not by the current administration, but, by their own simplemindedness. They are living outside of reality when they don't 'grasp' the degree the USA has been in disrepair on all fronts of RECOVERY. We were not only left without a manufacturing sector by decades of Republican abuse, exploitation and abandonment, but, also without an educated work force ready with skills to tool a modern economy. Those 'studies' to know what we were facing didn't even exist at the time of the collapse of 2008. That dynamic of disrepair wasn't even measured or 'thought about' in 2008.
I mean, without the collapse of 2008 the USA was doomed to repeat every economy between 1950 to 2008 without the fortitude of President Obama to blaze a new path for the USA. Realizing that, the electorate of 2010 has fallen into the 'culture of fear' trap that demands 'here and now' priorities rather than fortitude. Any political figure that is willing to promise 'here and now' recovery no matter how misguided and unrealistic that is, sounds good and 'going back in time' has its own comfort. The electorate of the USA is more scared of failing their own understanding of recovery than they are of surrendering to 'old enemies' called Republicans. They believe 'this time' it will be different. This time it won't happen.
There is a lot of reason why that is and has been 'the tone' of the GOP for decades. Even thought the expression "..we aren't going to change..." seems hideous to Democrats when stated by Republicans, it is actually 'emotional comfort' to the electorate. In other words, how do the people that have voted know that the day after the election they will still have what 'they bargained for?'
What the DNC doesn't stop to say to citizens is, "The blockade in the Senate is delaying our recovery." It is the truth. But, fear of any more bills being passed is 'working the culture of fear' than the 'promise of tomorrow.' The message that the Democrats are 'out of control' is being resonated throughout the country.
I am going to cover some ground tomorrow that may bring some insight to this issue. Hopefully it will be simple minded enough to be helpful.
So.
Tomorrow, then.
Tomorrow is more important than today when it comes to young Americans. They live their lives preparing for tomorrow while trusting their family and country with their lives today.
It is a scary concept. Tomorrow is abstract. It is 'tomorrow' that most Democrats abide as important over the 'here and now.' Preparing for tomorrow is more noble then living in 'the here and now.' It is easier to some extent to ask Americans to see beyond the 'fear' of uncertainty by asking for patience to visualize a better tomorrow.
The 'impetus of the culture of fear' relies on the 'here and now.' International criminals rely on 'the here and now.' They rely on immediacy of attending to life when uncertainty is as close as the next plane or train. The 'here and now' is an enemy. It taps right into the 'primal' instincts of survival for people. Those instincts create pyschological disorders such as PTSD. Asking citizens to deny those instincts after being bombarded with 'fear' for over nine years is a lot to ask. People in the 'immediate gratification' culture of today, have less patience with their lives and their circumstances.
In 2008, the global economy crashed. The USA was then faced with a different form of terror and their immediate reaction was not 'let them learn their lesson,' it was 'save the economy.' Hence, the Bailout. $700 billion USA. A lot of money. But, what the citizens still don't 'pause' to realize is that the banks DIDN'T save the economy even with a bailout, they diverted those USA monies to international venues. It is why so much of 'the housing bubble' still haunts us today. The bailout allowed those banks to 'be finished' with the USA to make money elsewhere in 'The Third World.' Cheaper, more cooperative governments; disinterested in their citizens or to developing those citizens for a lucritive economy. The citizens of the USA don't stop to realize that the economic collapse was due to abandonment by the banks for other playgrounds. They are still looking for hope from that mistake. Somehow 'if' 'the BEST' approach 'can be found' it will all be okay.
Tomorrow is too long to wait. Citizens have been disappointed not by the current administration, but, by their own simplemindedness. They are living outside of reality when they don't 'grasp' the degree the USA has been in disrepair on all fronts of RECOVERY. We were not only left without a manufacturing sector by decades of Republican abuse, exploitation and abandonment, but, also without an educated work force ready with skills to tool a modern economy. Those 'studies' to know what we were facing didn't even exist at the time of the collapse of 2008. That dynamic of disrepair wasn't even measured or 'thought about' in 2008.
I mean, without the collapse of 2008 the USA was doomed to repeat every economy between 1950 to 2008 without the fortitude of President Obama to blaze a new path for the USA. Realizing that, the electorate of 2010 has fallen into the 'culture of fear' trap that demands 'here and now' priorities rather than fortitude. Any political figure that is willing to promise 'here and now' recovery no matter how misguided and unrealistic that is, sounds good and 'going back in time' has its own comfort. The electorate of the USA is more scared of failing their own understanding of recovery than they are of surrendering to 'old enemies' called Republicans. They believe 'this time' it will be different. This time it won't happen.
There is a lot of reason why that is and has been 'the tone' of the GOP for decades. Even thought the expression "..we aren't going to change..." seems hideous to Democrats when stated by Republicans, it is actually 'emotional comfort' to the electorate. In other words, how do the people that have voted know that the day after the election they will still have what 'they bargained for?'
What the DNC doesn't stop to say to citizens is, "The blockade in the Senate is delaying our recovery." It is the truth. But, fear of any more bills being passed is 'working the culture of fear' than the 'promise of tomorrow.' The message that the Democrats are 'out of control' is being resonated throughout the country.
I am going to cover some ground tomorrow that may bring some insight to this issue. Hopefully it will be simple minded enough to be helpful.
So.
Tomorrow, then.
This image is from February 2003. The New Zealand city is still experienceing signficant aftershocks.
Christchurch City (population 320,000) sits at the base of the long arc of Pegasus Bay, (click title to entry - thank you) bounded to the north by the Waimakariri River and to the south by the old crater complex of the Port Hills and Banks Peninsula.The heavily braided rivers of the South Island of New Zealand bring greywacke rock from the Southern Alps to the west, forming the huge alluvial pan (750,000 ha) of the Canterbury Plains. Braided rivers are rare worldwide, found elsewhere only in Alaska, Canada, and the Himalayas. They form a network of ever-changing channels weaving between temporary shingle islands. In some places, the gravel they have transported from the mountains formed by the clash of the Indo-Australian and Pacific Plates is as much as 500 meters deep.
Banks Peninsula, named for explorer Captain Cook’s botanist, consists of two overlapping extinct volcanoes, the Lyttelton Volcano and the Akaroa Volcano. Since the last eruptive activity some six million years ago, the volcanoes have been heavily eroded, dropping them from a peak of 1,500 meters down to around 500 meters....
...At least three aftershocks have hit Christchurch in quick succession this evening. (click here)
According to GeoNet, the latest, at 8.01pm, was a magnitude 4 quake centred within 5km of Christchurch at a depth of 9km.
Three minutes earlier another shock hit, a 4.1 magnitude quake centred within 5km of Christchurch at a depth of 7km.
Twelve minutes before that, there was a 3.8 magnitude shock centred within 5km of Christchurch at a depth of 8km.
These followed a 4.46pm magnitude 4 quake centred 10km southwest of Darfield at a depth of 5km, and a 4.3 shock at 9.22am that was centred 20km southwest of Christchurch at a depth of 15km.
Today's shocks were felt widely in the area but it is not believed they caused any further damage....
...Breaches in the crater walls have produced two long harbors: Lyttelton to the north and Akaroa to the south....
No different than the major instability in China and casualties there experienced quakes for some time, I would expect the same here. The mountains do not provide stability to the eastern coast, they provide instability by their 'mass and weight' alone.
The people of New Zealand's south island have faired well to date. I am sure they are impatient for 'quiet.' The geologists need to explore the role the mountains are playing to determine how long and to what extent the peninsula will continue to receive these quakes.
...At least three aftershocks have hit Christchurch in quick succession this evening. (click here)
According to GeoNet, the latest, at 8.01pm, was a magnitude 4 quake centred within 5km of Christchurch at a depth of 9km.
Three minutes earlier another shock hit, a 4.1 magnitude quake centred within 5km of Christchurch at a depth of 7km.
Twelve minutes before that, there was a 3.8 magnitude shock centred within 5km of Christchurch at a depth of 8km.
These followed a 4.46pm magnitude 4 quake centred 10km southwest of Darfield at a depth of 5km, and a 4.3 shock at 9.22am that was centred 20km southwest of Christchurch at a depth of 15km.
Today's shocks were felt widely in the area but it is not believed they caused any further damage....
From the NASA assessment:
...Breaches in the crater walls have produced two long harbors: Lyttelton to the north and Akaroa to the south....
The land masses on the western side of the south island are significantly larger and denser than that of the east side of the south island.
No different than the major instability in China and casualties there experienced quakes for some time, I would expect the same here. The mountains do not provide stability to the eastern coast, they provide instability by their 'mass and weight' alone.
Friday, September 24, 2010
The weather in Antarctica is (Crystal Ice Chime) freezing across the entire continent.
The warmest reporting station is:
Base Orcadas, Antarctica Lat/Lon: 60.8° S 44.7° W
Local Time: 12:24 PM GST (GMT -02)
Elevation: 20 ft
Temperature: 31 °F
Humidity: 70%
Dew Point: 25 °F
Wind: 25 mph from the NW
Wind Gust: -
Pressure: 28.77 in (Rising)
Visibility: 7.0 miles
The coldest reporting station is:
Amundsen-Scott, Antarctica
Local Time: 2:34 AM NZST on September 25, 2010 (GMT +12)
Lat/Lon: 90.0° S 0.0° E
Elevation :: 9285 feet
Temperature :: -93 Fahrenheit
Conditions :: Snow
Wind :: 8 mph from the SE
Wind gust :: -
Pressure :: in (Falling)
Visibility :: 5.0 miles
Clouds :: Few 11811 ft. (Above Ground Level)
Vostok is not the coldest reporting station either. It is 2000 feet higher in elevation, but, thirty degrees warmer.
Vostok, Antarctica
Local Time: 8:42 PM VOST (GMT +06)
Lat/Lon: 78.4° S 106.9° E
Elevation :: 11220 feet
Temperature :: - 63 Fahrenheit
Conditions :: Partly Cloudy
Humidity :: 39%
Dew Point :: - 70 Fahrenheit
Wind :: 9 mph from the WSW
Wind Gust :: -
Pressure :: in (Falling)
Visibility :: 12.0 miles
UV :: 0 out or 16
Patagonia is in Argentina. It is the largest ice field on Earth before reaching Antarctica. The longitude and latitude and climate of this ancient fossil are very different than the climate today in Antarctica. There really can't be any 'conclusions' drawn from its discovery. It is a rare find. The species is unusual. It is an incredible 'find.' But, sincerely doesn't reflect anything new about the ancient climate. Earth was very different. More biotic in content. No concrete, less humans, no stressful economy to the planet and far more forests and plants than today.
The family that includes daisies, sunflowers and dandelions (click title to entry - thank you) is the most widespread and diverse of all flowering plants, but its fossil record has remained scant. Now a team from Argentina has reported the first discovery of a large fossil that unmistakably hails from this group.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Beck stated on his radio show, "I e-mailed Sarah (Palin) this morning because I believe I am becoming a liability to the movement."
My best assessment of that statement is that Beck rather than 'leading' a disaster in the USA and potentially facing some real jail time similar to Abramoff, wants to disappear from the stage to run to Europe to curl up with a security blanket made with monies from his Swiss bank account. Seriously. After all, every self respecting extremist knows the 'best' advise is to 'stow' the millions and billions outside of the USA.
A few years ago, it was easy to see the transition to radicalization when he was on CNN. He then was recruited by Murdoch and now Beck could be looking at some real trouble. Truly a shame.
"Goldline" (click title to entry - AT YOUR OWN RISK) is selling fear. No surprise there when one considers the exploitive culture of Murdoch which 'pitches' this mess on a daily basis in order to drive the price of Gold up. I mean if there was any commmodity plugged daily withe fear mongering it would be accummulating value. I wonder what is going to happen when there is a Gold Bubble and the government finally lowers the boom on this company and its promoters.
At any rate, Beck has absolutely destroyed anyone in his wake. Even Bill O'Reilly can't stand the 'sad' nature of the Murdoch media. Yes, indeed, "Bill-O" is leaving. He wrote a book and basically plans an exit stage right. He has already quit his radio show. O'Reilly isn't Beck. No matter how his show is scewed from 'the real world' he still isn't the extremist Beck has become. It must be really interesting to be O'Reilly and have to sit across the table from a 'real journalist flunky' in Beck and actually appear to mentor him knowing it is a sincere joke. Well, let's not make him seem like a Saint to Beck, after all his Friday Quiz was 'designed' to character assassinate any ELECTED Democrat and aspects of the Non-Evangelical American culture.
But, to realize these Murdoch shows were actually scamming the people they professed to care about the most is a bit more than anyone should put up with. A 45% 'mark up' on Gold coins is absolutely outrageous.
I believe firmly that the Murdoch tribe is completely unethical and absolutely ruthless.
Goldline Customer Testifies He Lost $60K When Goldline Urged Him To Turn IRA Into Gold Coins
Former Goldline Salesman Told ABC That Sales Reps Were Pushed To Ask For Retirement Funds
By MATTHEW MOSK, JOSEPH RHEE and MARK SCHONE
A doctor from suburban New York told Congress Thursday that a salesman for the precious metals firm Goldline convinced him to convert his entire $140,000 IRA into gold coins, and that he lost almost $60,000 overnight by making the switch.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/goldline-witness-tells-congress-lost-60k-turned-ira/story?id=11710054
Beck is not a liability, he is a criminal. He should try selling snake oil. It certainly isn't below his morality.
THERE IS NOTHING 'MORAL' ABOUT GOLDLINE, MURDOCH ! I think Murdoch was a snake oil saleman at one time, wasn't he?
Amazing the fools Americans can be without even trying.
Senator Coburn, the Republican on the right in this picture had an interesting question on the Senate floor today.
You remember Senator Coburn, is was the 'intermediary' for Ensign to 'enable' his extramarital affair.
What? You didn't know he was an intermediary? Oh, yeah. Here is an article in case anyone wants to 'catch up.'
Coburn Turns Over Emails To Feds Investigating Ensign Scandal (click title to entry - thank you)
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) -- who acknowledged last year that he acted as an "intermediary" between Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) and Doug Hampton, the man with whose wife the Nevada senator had an affair -- has turned over emails to the feds who are investigating Ensign's affair, Politico reports.
Coburn and Ensign were roommates at a Christian house on C Street at the time of the affair....
Well, today on the Senate floor he asked the question, "Why did it take ten years for the FDA to rule on Eggs?"
Like he is joking, right? That is like a question similar to leaving your fly open without knowing it.
Let's see if I can answer Senator Coburn's question. GEORGE W. BUSH. How's that? Get the picture?
Posted 11/25/2004 5:03 AM
Posted 11/25/2004 5:03 AM
Updated 11/25/2004 9:49 PM
FDA whistleblower claims he'll be forced from post (click here)
By Rita Rubin, USA TODAY
Food and Drug Administration whistleblower David Graham said Wednesday that he expects as soon as next week to be forced from his job in the Office of Drug Safety. "I'm going to be transferred, and I don't want to go," said Graham, who told a Senate committee on Nov. 18 that the FDA is "virtually defenseless" against another "terrible tragedy and a profound regulatory failure" like Vioxx, an arthritis drug pulled off the market over concerns that it increased the risk of heart attack, stroke or sudden cardiac death.
Graham, associate director for science and medicine in the FDA office, went on to name five other drugs — Meridia, Crestor, Accutane, Serevent and Bextra — that he says threaten the public's safety....
So, while Senator Coburn is trying to make 'political hay' with the egg contamination issue, he only has his own CONSERVATIVE tendencies to blame.
For eight very long and stupid years the FDA was obstructed from real action on behalf of the American people due to the hostile relationships fostered with the Executive Branch during the Bush/ Cheney years.
There really isn't anything else to say. The FDA needed a 'impetus' to make a ruling and UNFORTUNATELY the contaminated eggs could have been prevented IF the FDA were allowed to act independently without having to 'bow' to some panel of one kind or another. BUT. Also, IF they were well staffed enough to ENFORCE the laws.
I am proud of the Democratic Health Care Vote and everyone else should be. It is the CONSERVATIVES that have endangered the American people.
Juan Villalobos, of Porterville, gets checked out by Elizza Casim-Cometa, MD, Wednesday at the Porterville Family Health Center. Starting today, millions of children are eligible for the first phase of benefits in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama.
RECORDER PHOTO BY RENEH AGHAAND. The concern about health insurance companies NOT writing children's policies in the future belongs to the Conservatives. They obstructed the ONE mechanism that would have stopped insurance companies from grabbing for profits all along the way and that was 'A TRIGGER' TO SINGLE PAYER.
If health insurance companies don't want to write policies that is just fine with me. It is now the obligation of the President to institute "Single Payer' for any child that cannot obtain health insurance because of corporate obstructionism. He needs to consider an Executive Order for this emergency.
There are many, many states that already have State sponsored health care for children. It is just a matter of extending this coverage to the uninsured children and for the states that do not provide such coverage for children then it needs to be handled through Medicaid or Medicare for parents to subscribe. It is just that simple. Let's get on with it, because, there isn't a Republican or Tea Bagger alive that can do anything different.
If a 'trigger' to Single Payer remained in the legislation there would be NO insurance company that would not write a policy for anyone. It is the CONSERVATIVES that are responsible for any boondoggle that occurs and no one else. Everyone needs to appreciate that FACT.
If health insurance companies don't want to write policies that is just fine with me. It is now the obligation of the President to institute "Single Payer' for any child that cannot obtain health insurance because of corporate obstructionism. He needs to consider an Executive Order for this emergency.
There are many, many states that already have State sponsored health care for children. It is just a matter of extending this coverage to the uninsured children and for the states that do not provide such coverage for children then it needs to be handled through Medicaid or Medicare for parents to subscribe. It is just that simple. Let's get on with it, because, there isn't a Republican or Tea Bagger alive that can do anything different.
If a 'trigger' to Single Payer remained in the legislation there would be NO insurance company that would not write a policy for anyone. It is the CONSERVATIVES that are responsible for any boondoggle that occurs and no one else. Everyone needs to appreciate that FACT.
...Some of the changes effective Thursday are: (click title to entry - thank you)
- Insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to a child without health insurance because he or she has a pre-existing health condition.
- Young adults can begin signing up to stay on their parent’s insurance until age 26.
- Insurance companies will be required to cover preventive care, including immunizations, at no cost to the family.
- Insurance companies won’t be able to drop children when they are sick, or limit the lifetime value of coverage.
- Families will be able to use a website — healthcare.gov or cuidadodesalud.gov — or call a toll-free number (1-877-KIDS-NOW) to learn about health coverage options available to them — whether it is a publicly subsidized program such as Children’s Health Insurance Program (Healthy Families in California), Medicaid, employer coverage, a state’s High Risk Pool, or, after Jan. 1, 2014, the state’s health insurance marketplace called the Exchange.
“After decades of working to achieve this monumental improvement, we must now make sure the Affordable Care Act works well for families, and that starts immediately with children,” said Wendy Lazarus, founder and co-president of The Children’s Partnership, which advocates for improvements in child health care.
“Step 1 is to shout this news from every pulpit, school, workplace, recreation facility, and anywhere else we can reach parents—and to help parents enroll in the coverage their kids qualify for right now. At least 5 million children will be able to get basic health care as a result....
Congratulations to Mr. Democracy. I mean that sincerely. I wasn't always a fan.
I don't see that plastered all over the media either. It is easier to demonize Michael to benefit Republicans than to sincerely assess 'the man' and 'his work.'
Rhetoric is a very funny thing. It allows faux impressions to exist when they shouldn't and Michael has been a victim of his love of the USA and its people for far to long.
Previous to "Fahrenheit 911" I had heard of Michael Moore and I knew he was a celebrated documentarian, but, I never really thought he was 'all that.' I knew he had a point of view, but, I never considered it to be so poignant that it should 'shake loose' my 'core belief system' about the political process in the USA. I never considered the Republicans a 'profound threat' to the USA, its people and its democracy as I do today. And I never made those decisions lightly.
I began taking Michael's work far more seriously when I was watching "Larry King Live" one evening and it was the time when Disney would not 'distribute' 'Fahrenheit 911." I had read something about that in the news media and was beginning to follow it when Michael decided to take his plight to the national stage. In many ways, when Disney (a profound pundit of Bush and the Republicans) actually censored Mr. Moore it was the absolute worse thing they could do. It propelled the film front and center. There was no NOT seeing Fahrenheit 911 at that point, at least for me, it was no longer an option. It wasn't so much the opposition, as I had already concluded, even before Fahrenheit 911 that the Iraq invasion was completely wrong. I already knew there were 'no' WMD. I had been reading journal articles about the research surrounding WMD that the USA Defense Department was conducting and I knew there was no way biologicals of any kind, chemical or otherwise could survive in the Iraqi desert climate.
So, the film wasn't really the issue for me. I already knew there was something drastically wrong in DC and with the freedoms of democracy in the USA. It was the fact an independent and well established institution, like Disney, was actually censoring a film that was ready to be distributed. The censorship was the issue. I admired Michael for going up against the 'establishment' and I wanted to be among the Americans to support him and demand distribution of the film.
And once I had watched Fahrenheit, then I had to see "Bowling for Columbine," and then "Roger and Me," etc., etc., etc. I today have most, if not all, of his DVDs and books. I have made a bit of a study of Mr. Moore. I love my country. I believe in democracy. I believe in the American way of life, when it isn't being 'worked over' by plutocrats. And for me to 'simply take a stand' for its populous 'moment' isn't what I am all about. The truth matters to my Constitution and it matters to me.
I am not going to get into what I believe about Michael Moore and how history will record his life and work, but, I will say this. I believe he is a moral man of great character, profoundly entrenched in his belief of love of family and country. I am more than pleased he has received this award.
Congratulations, Michael. I don't know of another man that deserved it or better said, "earned it."
There is nothing new with the Republican Contract. It is the same old GOP. Anti-American through and through.
September 16, 2010
Republicans Ready to Get Rid of Boehner and Crew (click title to entry - thank you)
Raleigh, N.C. – John Boehner and Mitch McConnell should not rest easy if their party
trounces Democrats at the polls this fall, for their base is restless and ready to give some new blood a chance to lead potential new Congressional majorities next January. 57% of national voters who usually vote in Republican primaries want to replace the
party’s current leadership in Congress, with only 21% preferring to keep Boehner, McConnell, and company.
Republicans are split over whether Boehner should be elevated to the Speakership, with a third favoring him, a third preferring someone else, and a third unsure. A third also would like someone other than McConnell to become Majority Leader in the less likely event the GOP takes charge of the Senate, but only 27% want McConnell himself....
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Typhoon Fanapi kills 18 in southern China
...At 06:00 UTC on September 17, (click here) the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) reported that Fanapi was centered near 23 degrees North latitude, 128 degrees East longitude, about 640 kilometers (400 miles) east-southeast of Taipei, Taiwan. The category 1 typhoon had sustained winds of 139 kilometers (86 miles) per hour at the time. Wave heights were 22 feet. JTWC forecasters predicted that the storm would make landfall in Taiwan on September 19.
Eighteen people (click title to entry - thank you) have been killed and at least 44 are missing after Typhoon Fanapi caused flooding and landslides in southern China, state media report....
I doubt they will be needing the USA financial help though. That was "B" for billion. $100 billion. This is where Wall Street is. Not the USA. Tax cuts for WHOM?
September 22, 2010 1:20 AM
Taiwan Nets NT$100B Pledge From HP, Others After China Pact (click here)
By Dan Nystedt, IDG News
Hewlett-Packard and other companies have together pledged to invest over NT$100 billion (US$3.2 billion) in Taiwan after the island signed a landmark trade agreement with China, boosting business ties....
...One aspect of the ECFA agreement Taiwan's president has struggled with politically is criticism that the deal may cost jobs at home as Taiwanese companies increase their focus on mainland China. The meetings that led to the NT$100 billion investment pledge were meant to assuage those fears.
The investments will create over 12,900 jobs for Taiwanese workers, the island's economics ministry said in a statement.
"There is a special significance to this [success] at the first high-level investment meeting in Taiwan after the June 29 signing of ECFA," the ministry said....
Multi-national companies don't want American labor. American workers are the best on the planet, but, it costs, you know?
HP Office locations (click here)
I really don't have much patience for their 'begging for bailouts.' Sorry to hear how so many people died of a Cat 1 Typhoon.
Waiting for miners to come home.
...With efforts to free them (click title to entry - thank you) advancing faster than expected, the 33 men are receiving media training and lessons in how to deal with any financial benefits they may receive....
Woodward certainly knows when to market a book. Just before an election when pundits will be hungry for it.
...Now 67, (click title to entry - thank you) since winning global fame along with Carl Bernstein for breaking the Watergate scandal and forcing Richard Nixon's resignation in the early 1970s, he has written more than a dozen bestsellers, while continuing to report for the Washington Post.
His books are mostly inside stories of governments or institutions. They are painfully thorough, typically involving hundreds of interviews. They are notable for the blow-by-blow, memo-by-memo, meeting-by-meeting account of how momentous decisions were reached. Obama's Wars is his 16th.
The revelations are often telling. Former CIA director George Tenet will always be remembered in part for telling Mr Bush that finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq was a "slam dunk"....
I haven't read the book, but, the gossip about it tells me only one thing. President Obama has surrounded himself with critics. He did that intentionaly. Even his Vice Prsident was is opponent. He takes all opinions seriously and seems to thrive on it.
If I were to purchase the book by Woodward, I would read it to know how folks are thinking and not about how people are 'getting along.' I wouldn't expect to hear a great deal of harmony in this White House.
I trust President Obama, I don't need to know the details. I just need to know he is doing his level best to get the job done.
Not quite a week ago I was listening to a 'toxic radio' station, 90.1FM out of Buies Creek, NC.
Buies Creek North Carolina is the home of a Christian Conservative University called Campbell University, so the Anti-American tilt of this station didn't surprise me. I frequently listen to 'toxic stations' to find out what kind of nonsense they are spewing. But, this was different.
The commentator was criticizing the Hispanic Sports Journalist for the incident in the New York Jets Locker Room.
What I found really odd about his commentary, was the 'idea' that a 'woman's silhouette' was to blame for bad behavior by football players.
Now either this commentator was completely a moron to even 'go there' as everyone knows what comes next after such a comment is a burka, or he was 'sliding one by' on an agenda of hatred.
The longer I listened to him, the more I realized this commentator was about bigotry and hatred and not at all about sexism.
The day I listened to this idiot was the same day President Obama introduced 'The Dream Act" to Congress and the American people.
Dream activists (click title to entry - thank you) are putting the pressure on Sen. John McCain to support the Dream Act – a bill he co-sponsored back in his maverick days. His vote could be key to winning passage, but his new-found dedication to just simply building the dang fence makes him an unlikely supporter....
See, Inez is a Hispanic woman. Do I have to paint the picture for you? Maybe I do have to make the commentary I heard more explicit, because, it is some of the MOST outrageous stuff I ever heard.
What the commentator said, with the help of a female caller, was that due to illegal immigration we were losing our culture. Get the picture now?
The illegals, of which I do not believe Inez has a problem, were 'taking over' the USA in an invasion that would 'undermine' every aspect of 'the white Anglo-Saxon protestant' culture that existed. They went on and on and on and the input was that Hispanic women don't care about morality. They dress to exploit VULNERABLE men at every turn and they were going to be destroying the American landscape with their lack of Christian values.
Poison? Yeah. Bigotry? Yeah. Hatred? Yeah. But, more than that, it was a way of 'triggering hate' on the very day and nearly at the very moment President Obama was making his speech.
Now, if the news media has this LEVEL of 'immediate' toxic agenda for their listening audience they should not be retaining their licenses.
The 'radio air waves' are owned by the people of the USA and if they are chronically barraged by hate and bigotry in a way that definitely spells POLITICS Right Wing Style then it needs to end and it needs to end with immediate intervention by the FCC.
Inez is in a minority. She is a woman in a man's locker room making a career on interviews and commentary. She is also a Hispanic woman. She has the right to dress anyway she wants. She has made it to her pinnacle at this point in her career and no commentator needs to criticize her for 'making it.' She has arrived, has an audience and sells commercial products for that station. End of discussion.
That picture is of a woman with nearly her entire body clad in appropriate sports apparel. I don't want to hear it anymore and the commentator from 90.1 FM should have his license immediately pulled for the hate mongering he conducted.
Will Afghanistan ever 'be safe' for human life?
English.news.cn 2010-09-22 15:49:49
KHOST, Afghanistan, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Afghan and NATO-led troops eliminated 27 Taliban militants in Khost province east of Afghanistan, an Afghan military officer in the province Mohammad Irsar said Wednesday.
"The joint operation conducted in Mirsamar village of Spirai district late Tuesday night which left 27 rebels dead," Israr told Xinhua.
Air power had also been used during the operation, he further said.
Taliban militants who vowed to intensify their activities against Afghan and NATO-led troops have yet to make comment.
Using airpower against Taliban in southern Kandahar province left six militants dead on Tuesday while a helicpter crashed in the neighboring Zabul province left nine NATO soldiers dead on the same day Tuesday, NATO-led troops confirmed in statements.
Afghanistan: Electoral Institutions in a crucial phase (click title to entry - thank you)
Published on 2010-09-22 9:27:11
French. News. Cn
KABUL, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) - The Afghan electoral institutions are now entering a crucial phase of their mission after the parliamentary elections held September 18 and they must be able to work independently, said Tuesday Special Representative of UN Secretary General for Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura.
"The Independent Electoral Commission has shown considerable strength and determinan in his decision before election day. The post-election days are just as critical: transporting ballots and other sensitive materials to the main center for counting votes, organize the process to ensure that irregularities are detected and that voting ballots are counted carefully, "said Mr. de Mistura said in a statement.
The Special Representative said that the Election Commission had significantly improved the organization of these elections compared to last year, in a context marked by insecurity and logistical difficulties.
The Head of Mission United Nations Assistance in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that the Electoral Complaints Commission was an equally important role to play. "Anyone who has evidence of election violations should complain to the Commission," he said.
According to him, "the electoral institutions of Afghanistan are now entering a critical phase of their mandate enshrined in the law to finalize the election. They "must be able to act completely independently, free from any interference. The independence of these institutions is crucial for the credibility of the finalization of the electoral process, "he has said.
On Saturday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hailed the courage and determination of men and women of Afghanistan who went to vote in parliamentary elections. More than 2,500 people, including about 400 women, vying for 249 seats in the Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of Parliament of Afghanistan.
In a report released Tuesday, Ban Ki-Moon returns to the developments in Afghanistan since June He said the International Conference held in Kabul in July demonstrated the commitment of the Afghan government to exercise greater control over its future. "It should congratulate the Afghan government, including national security forces, for this historic achievement, which also required extensive logistical preparations and organization," he writes.
The Conference resulted in commitments by mutual agreement, including on the establishment of a framework, timetables and benchmarks for the new national priority programs, progress towards the empowerment of the Security Afghans, improving governance and the fight against corruption.
"The rapid implementation of these commitments will be essential to maintain the positive momentum of the process of Kabul and urge the international community to provide all necessary assistance to support the process, taking more account of Afghan priorities," said Ban said in its report to the Security Council and UN General Assembly.
In general, the Secretary-General believes that much progress in Afghanistan are fragile and continues to be threatened by the deteriorating security situation.
"The pursuit of electoral reform in the long term remains an important priority. We need the debate on this reform begins at the earliest, "he writes. "A key part of the activities of UNAMA since the elections of September 18 will focus on the electoral reform agenda with the government, electoral institutions and all relevant international and Afghan partners.
See also:
Disappearance of two election officials and thousands of petitions filed in the Afghan election
Ghazni (Afghanistan), Sept. 21 (Xinhua) - Two election officials of the Afghan Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) have disappeared from the parliamentary election on Saturday as nearly 3,000 formal complaints have been filed so far by individuals in the country plagued by militancy.
Hostages are the new currency for extremists.
PARIS, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) - The organization AQIM has released Tuesday September 21 Message on the Al-Jazeera, claiming the kidnapping of five French in Niger last Thursday.
In an audio message from his spokesman issued Tuesday evening by the television channel Al-Jazeera in Qatar, the organization of Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) claimed responsibility for the operation of the kidnapping of seven people including five of the French company Areva and Satom, informing the French government that "the Mujahedeen will subsequently submit their legitimate demands."
"We also warn (the French government) against any other stupidity," said the spokesman, referring to a military operation.
The track al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb had been raised as early last week by French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on the antenna of the radio station Europe 1. "At present, based on clues, we are able to say that the group that carried out the kidnapping is unacceptable to a group affiliated to the group of Abu Zeid is itself related to the nebula Al-Qaeda ", said a little rain early in the Nigerian government.
Areva said on Tuesday authorities had received a Nigerian letter dated 1 September, which drew threats of kidnappings in the region of Arlit.
Five French, four employees of the French nuclear group Areva and a Togolese and a Madagascan, were kidnapped Sept. 16 on the site of Arlit (northern Niger) before being transferred to Mali.
After the kidnapping, France sent military planes to fly reconnaissance Sahelian countries and try to find the hostages.
"We will not communicate on any measures taken by France to free the hostages, but there is obviously not idle .. "Said the spokesman of the General Staff of Armed Forces (EMA), Col. Thierry Burkhard Several special forces commandos under the Special Operations Command (SOC) s were preparing to 'fly to the region, according Sources close to the Defense Ministry, the Quai d'Orsay, however, asserted that "no French troops were engaged on the ground" and therefore not involved in the current Mauritanian army offensive against fighters of Al-Qaeda
In Paris, French President Nicolas Sarkozy met Tuesday evening a small board of defense and security at the Elysee Palace on issues of terrorism and hostages.
The government and police have reported in recent days of major terrorist threats to France.
Founded in 2007 in Algeria, AQIM had about 300-400 people, according to terrorism experts. Armed and knowledgeable, funded by the trafficking and hostage taking, members of the group travel across the Sahel.
Running a French hostage Michel Germaneau, held in the Malian desert since last April 19 and killed on July 25 last, was claimed by AQIM "in retaliation for a raid by French and Mauritanian forces .
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