Today marks the passing of a legend in American politics. Theodore M. Kennedy, known to everyone as Teddy, was the last surviving member of the Kennedy brothers. Many people have said many wonderful things about the Senator today and we must remember what he gave to this country that he loved so much.
Teddy was an unashamed liberal and instrumental in so many changes in this country that I dare not think about what life would have been like without him. The “liberal lion of the Senate” pushed through many hard fought Senate battles to bring justice and fairness to every American. Kennedy has been instrumental in pushing for health care reform for over 40 years. When asked as of late why he was pushing so hard for health care reform, President Obama answered “I promised Teddy.” The current health care reform is something that he did not live to see come to fruition, but we must do everything in our power to make it happen. He believed that every citizen had a right to health care and has moved our country in that direction as much as possible over his years in the Senate.
During his career, Kennedy pushed for women’s rights, gay rights, and helped to push through Title IX. He championed funding for AIDS research and truly believed that no one was undeserving of equal treatment and protection under the law. He sponsored the Civil Rights Act and The Voting Rights Act. He was instrumental in passing the COBRA act, which allowed health care coverage to move with an individual after changing a job. He pushed through the Mental Health Parity Act, which forces insurance companies to pay for mental health treatment. Kennedy also pushed through the State Children’s Health Insurance program, which used tobacco taxes to fund health care for American children. Teddy also was staunchly opposed to the Iraq War Resolution of 2002.
Teddy Kennedy has given so much to the American public over the years that we cannot express our gratitude to the lion. He will be dearly missed. We must carry on his mission so that when he looks down on us from the heavens, we can see that oh so familiar smile that so many will miss so much.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Poll Results Confirm Polarization of Parties "Facts"
In a recent poll conducted by Research 2000, the differences between what liberals believe and what conservatives do became very clear. When asked if death panels were included in the new health care reform, 57% of self-identified conservatives said yes or not sure, while only 12% of self-identified liberals answered in kind. This means that over half of self-identified conservatives polled believed something as fact that is not.
Where does this come from? When asked where they got their news, 59% of self-identified conservatives answered FOXNews, while only 23% answered with CNN and 8% with MSNBC. Could this have something to do with where they are getting their incorrect data? Let's look at the subsequent questions.
Pollsters also asked respondents if they thought that four common myths were true. Here are the answers. Does the bill provide health care coverage for illegal aliens? 72% of FOX viewers said yes, while 41% of CNN and MSNBC viewers said yes. When asked if they though health care reform was a "government takeover", 79% of FOX viewers said yes, while only 39% of CNN and MSNBC viewers agreed. When asked if they thought that the bill would pay for abortions, 69% of FOX viewers said yes, while only 40% of CNN and MSNBC viewers agreed. When asked if the bill would stop or limit care for the elderly, 75% of FOX viewers agreed and only 30% of CNN and MSNBC viewers did.
We are trying to have a debate on health care between two groups of people that have two different sets of facts. The problem is that while the conservatives do have a different set of facts, they are not facts. They are incorrect misconceptions that they have picked up from sound bites on media outlets. It is one thing to have differing opinions, but you cannot have differing facts.
We have facts and the conservatives have thoughts and ideas that are not true. How do you have a constructive discussion when one party is using facts and the other is arguing with feelings?
The answer is simple. You don't. They don't want a debate, so why are we still trying?
Where does this come from? When asked where they got their news, 59% of self-identified conservatives answered FOXNews, while only 23% answered with CNN and 8% with MSNBC. Could this have something to do with where they are getting their incorrect data? Let's look at the subsequent questions.
Pollsters also asked respondents if they thought that four common myths were true. Here are the answers. Does the bill provide health care coverage for illegal aliens? 72% of FOX viewers said yes, while 41% of CNN and MSNBC viewers said yes. When asked if they though health care reform was a "government takeover", 79% of FOX viewers said yes, while only 39% of CNN and MSNBC viewers agreed. When asked if they thought that the bill would pay for abortions, 69% of FOX viewers said yes, while only 40% of CNN and MSNBC viewers agreed. When asked if the bill would stop or limit care for the elderly, 75% of FOX viewers agreed and only 30% of CNN and MSNBC viewers did.
We are trying to have a debate on health care between two groups of people that have two different sets of facts. The problem is that while the conservatives do have a different set of facts, they are not facts. They are incorrect misconceptions that they have picked up from sound bites on media outlets. It is one thing to have differing opinions, but you cannot have differing facts.
We have facts and the conservatives have thoughts and ideas that are not true. How do you have a constructive discussion when one party is using facts and the other is arguing with feelings?
The answer is simple. You don't. They don't want a debate, so why are we still trying?
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Question of the Day!
I know this will be controversial but I'm curious...
When does the protection of the President and people attending town halls supersede the right for a person to carry a gun to an event?
Discuss...
When does the protection of the President and people attending town halls supersede the right for a person to carry a gun to an event?
Discuss...
Finally!
Progressives are finally stepping up and making our voices heard. As of this week, over 65 house members have made it know to President Obama and Speaker Pelosi that they will not, under any circumstances, vote for a health care reform bill that does not include a public option! Also, the AFL-CIO has also said that they will not support any representative that does not vote for a public option in any upcoming election.
Perhaps now the democrats will do what they have needed to all along and push health care reform through. When I say health care reform, I mean real actual health care reform and not a watered down version that might appease the GOP. At this point, republicans are the person that says OK to Chinese food for dinner but refuses to order anything off the menu. They say they want health care reform but they say no to single payer, no to public option, and no to co-ops. What is left to say yes to?
If the GOP is not going to play any form of ball, why are we continuing to cater to them? Democrats have the presidency, a 70 seat majority in the house and a filibuster proof 60 seat majority in the senate. The people elected the democratic party with a very resounding yes! It is time for them to step up and reform health care. Perhaps this is the fire that they needed to get it done.
Perhaps now the democrats will do what they have needed to all along and push health care reform through. When I say health care reform, I mean real actual health care reform and not a watered down version that might appease the GOP. At this point, republicans are the person that says OK to Chinese food for dinner but refuses to order anything off the menu. They say they want health care reform but they say no to single payer, no to public option, and no to co-ops. What is left to say yes to?
If the GOP is not going to play any form of ball, why are we continuing to cater to them? Democrats have the presidency, a 70 seat majority in the house and a filibuster proof 60 seat majority in the senate. The people elected the democratic party with a very resounding yes! It is time for them to step up and reform health care. Perhaps this is the fire that they needed to get it done.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Iraq's Latest Problem
This is a story that has been seriously under reported in the media. Gay men across Iraq are being rounded up, tortured, and killed by the country's militias, including the Mahdi Army, and the government is doing nothing about it. A report produced by Human Rights Watch was released last week and details some of the atrocities that are happening. The report includes some testimony from survivors of the violence as well as some startling statistics.
The main offenders seem to be Shia militia, some with alleged links to al Qaeda, seem to be conducting a type of cleansing to rid areas of the gay population. The men who are being targeted include openly gay males, but also men who dress with a more feminine flair or who wear their hair longer. Some targets have been found to be heterosexuals that were rumored to be bisexual as well.
Here is some testimony that appears in the report:
Haytham -
A car pulled us over. About six men carrying weapons stepped out and asked for our IDs. They were dressed in black, which is usually the sign of the Mahdi Army. I demanded, “Who are you to ask for our cards?” So they opened the door and pulled us out, humiliating us, calling us “puppies,” saying, “We see you in pervert places all the time.” I tried to argue we were just friends, tried to convince them there was nothing between us. Then they pulled out a list and they started asking us about these names. Most were women’s names, the nicknames of gay men. They weren’t names that either of us knew. At that point, a U.S. [Army] patrol car came by. The men hissed at us: “Your turn is coming next.” They threw us against a wall, jumped in the car, and drove off.
Bilal -
He was very public, everybody knew he was gay. His family said his killers made a CD of how he was killed—they filmed it. They slaughtered him; they cut his throat. His family did not want to talk about it. And now they are killing people right and left in Shaab and al-Thawra. We heard 11 men were burned alive in al-Thawra. Everyone is talking about the numbers of people killed. And they just keep rising.
It is easy for the militias to score points in this region for targeting a group that is already outcast. Like most cultures in the region, men pride themselves on their manliness. This makes the antithesis of the idea an easy target. There have been a few American GLBT activists that have stepped forward to say that Americans need to stand up and support these men, but this has been kept rather quiet in the media this far. Part of the problem is that the militias see the homosexuality as result of increased western influence.
This story needs to garner more media coverage and the world community needs to stand up and speak out against these hate crimes.
The main offenders seem to be Shia militia, some with alleged links to al Qaeda, seem to be conducting a type of cleansing to rid areas of the gay population. The men who are being targeted include openly gay males, but also men who dress with a more feminine flair or who wear their hair longer. Some targets have been found to be heterosexuals that were rumored to be bisexual as well.
Here is some testimony that appears in the report:
Haytham -
A car pulled us over. About six men carrying weapons stepped out and asked for our IDs. They were dressed in black, which is usually the sign of the Mahdi Army. I demanded, “Who are you to ask for our cards?” So they opened the door and pulled us out, humiliating us, calling us “puppies,” saying, “We see you in pervert places all the time.” I tried to argue we were just friends, tried to convince them there was nothing between us. Then they pulled out a list and they started asking us about these names. Most were women’s names, the nicknames of gay men. They weren’t names that either of us knew. At that point, a U.S. [Army] patrol car came by. The men hissed at us: “Your turn is coming next.” They threw us against a wall, jumped in the car, and drove off.
Bilal -
He was very public, everybody knew he was gay. His family said his killers made a CD of how he was killed—they filmed it. They slaughtered him; they cut his throat. His family did not want to talk about it. And now they are killing people right and left in Shaab and al-Thawra. We heard 11 men were burned alive in al-Thawra. Everyone is talking about the numbers of people killed. And they just keep rising.
It is easy for the militias to score points in this region for targeting a group that is already outcast. Like most cultures in the region, men pride themselves on their manliness. This makes the antithesis of the idea an easy target. There have been a few American GLBT activists that have stepped forward to say that Americans need to stand up and support these men, but this has been kept rather quiet in the media this far. Part of the problem is that the militias see the homosexuality as result of increased western influence.
This story needs to garner more media coverage and the world community needs to stand up and speak out against these hate crimes.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Another Policy We Should Be Repealing...
The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy was implemented in 1996 under President Clinton as a step forward in gay rights. It revamped military law from its previous version, which stated that no homosexuals were legally allowed to serve in the military. DADT prohibits anyone who "demonstrate(s) a propensity or intent to engage in homosexual acts" from serving in the armed forces of the United States, because "it would create an unacceptable risk to the high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability." The act prohibits people from disclosing their sexuality while in the military, but does not make it illegal for them to serve.
This was seen as a compromise with the conservative right at the time to take steps forward in legitimizing the gay community and ensure fair and equal rights. Sadly, this effort has become stagnate under the previous Bush administration. While campaigning, Obama stated that he had every intention of repealing DADT. This has yet to happen.
At this point, over 12,500 men and women that have voluntarily joined the armed forces to fight for and defend their country have been discharged when they were found out to be homosexual or bisexual. These men and women who courageously decided that they had a civic duty to serve in the armed forces have been told that they are not needed or wanted because of their sexual orientation. We are fighting two wars at the moment are currently lacking the man power to effectively defend our country, but this is what people focus on?
This issue was recently brought to light again when LT. Dan Choi appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC to discuss the issue and openly stated that he was a gay man serving in the US Army. Lt. Choi is a West Point Graduate, Iraq war veteran and his specialty is Arabic linguistics. The three words "I am gay" changed his life drastically. One month after he returned home from the taping of the show, he was informed that the Army had started discharge proceedings to remove him from the military. Lt. Choi is one of only eight graduates in his class that has a specialty in Arabic languages, making him invaluable in the field.
When asked why he outed himself, Choi replied that at West Point he learned that he should "choose the harder right rather than the easier wrong." Lt. Choi served for a decade under policy that forced him to lie about himself and his relationships. He decided that this was the time to speak out.
This is deeply concerning for so many reasons. First, we advertise ourselves as a place where everyone is treated equally and that is clearly not the case. We do have citizens in this country that are denied equal access under the law and that is reprehensible. Second, we are in the middle of two armed conflicts and the military is more concerned about Lt. Choi's sexual orientation than his ability to contribute and lead in the field? That is misplaced energy to say the least. Third, the American public would rally around Lt. Choi if he was being discriminated against because he is of Asian descent, but since this is a sexuality issue, people are not being as vocal.
I would like to call on everyone reading this to stand up and speak out on this issue. More than 100 retired general and admirals have already called for the repeal of this legislation. They have said countless times that the military code is unnecessary and should be changed. We need to tell President Obama to repeal this legislation now. Obama has said previously that he wants Congress to repeal DADT. If we wait for that, with the on-going debate on health care, we are going to lose countless more valuable men and women on the front lines and in support positions. The President has the right to repeal this policy with an executive order and should do so immediately. We need to stop this unfair treatment now.
Let's help the gay rights movement take a step forward. Call your congressman and write the White House, or sign the petition (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/279228291) to show support for the repeal of DADT.
This was seen as a compromise with the conservative right at the time to take steps forward in legitimizing the gay community and ensure fair and equal rights. Sadly, this effort has become stagnate under the previous Bush administration. While campaigning, Obama stated that he had every intention of repealing DADT. This has yet to happen.
At this point, over 12,500 men and women that have voluntarily joined the armed forces to fight for and defend their country have been discharged when they were found out to be homosexual or bisexual. These men and women who courageously decided that they had a civic duty to serve in the armed forces have been told that they are not needed or wanted because of their sexual orientation. We are fighting two wars at the moment are currently lacking the man power to effectively defend our country, but this is what people focus on?
This issue was recently brought to light again when LT. Dan Choi appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC to discuss the issue and openly stated that he was a gay man serving in the US Army. Lt. Choi is a West Point Graduate, Iraq war veteran and his specialty is Arabic linguistics. The three words "I am gay" changed his life drastically. One month after he returned home from the taping of the show, he was informed that the Army had started discharge proceedings to remove him from the military. Lt. Choi is one of only eight graduates in his class that has a specialty in Arabic languages, making him invaluable in the field.
When asked why he outed himself, Choi replied that at West Point he learned that he should "choose the harder right rather than the easier wrong." Lt. Choi served for a decade under policy that forced him to lie about himself and his relationships. He decided that this was the time to speak out.
This is deeply concerning for so many reasons. First, we advertise ourselves as a place where everyone is treated equally and that is clearly not the case. We do have citizens in this country that are denied equal access under the law and that is reprehensible. Second, we are in the middle of two armed conflicts and the military is more concerned about Lt. Choi's sexual orientation than his ability to contribute and lead in the field? That is misplaced energy to say the least. Third, the American public would rally around Lt. Choi if he was being discriminated against because he is of Asian descent, but since this is a sexuality issue, people are not being as vocal.
I would like to call on everyone reading this to stand up and speak out on this issue. More than 100 retired general and admirals have already called for the repeal of this legislation. They have said countless times that the military code is unnecessary and should be changed. We need to tell President Obama to repeal this legislation now. Obama has said previously that he wants Congress to repeal DADT. If we wait for that, with the on-going debate on health care, we are going to lose countless more valuable men and women on the front lines and in support positions. The President has the right to repeal this policy with an executive order and should do so immediately. We need to stop this unfair treatment now.
Let's help the gay rights movement take a step forward. Call your congressman and write the White House, or sign the petition (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/279228291) to show support for the repeal of DADT.
One Liner Of The Day!
OK - so OLOTD is a confusing acronym, but here it goes!
Bill Maher on Real Time 8/14/09
"Why is Sarah Palin afraid of death panels? I mean, after all she killed the McCain campaign."
LOL I love it!
Add your great political one liners (OK jokes of any length are acceptable) or send me a tweet @theliberalist !
Bill Maher on Real Time 8/14/09
"Why is Sarah Palin afraid of death panels? I mean, after all she killed the McCain campaign."
LOL I love it!
Add your great political one liners (OK jokes of any length are acceptable) or send me a tweet @theliberalist !
Fear Mongering at It's Best...
Here is an ad that is running currently against health care reform and that touts the evils of socialized medicine.
This spot is paid for by Americans for Prosperity, which, as I noted in an earlier post, "are committed to educating citizens about economic policy and mobilizing those citizens as advocates". Their President is Tim Phillips. He is a professional political strategist. One of their Directors is is James C. Miller, a former Budget Director under President Reagan. This ad is currently running in 11 states and Washington DC and has a production budget of $1.8 million dollars. I could think of such more productive uses for that kind of money... but I digress.
After doing some research, we have discovered that the woman in this ad had a benign brain cyst, not a cancerous tumor. Other medical professionals have concurred that this form of lesion is not life threatening and do not require immediate treatment.
This just goes to show that you can bend the truth into whatever scary shape you want to if you try hard enough.
This spot is paid for by Americans for Prosperity, which, as I noted in an earlier post, "are committed to educating citizens about economic policy and mobilizing those citizens as advocates". Their President is Tim Phillips. He is a professional political strategist. One of their Directors is is James C. Miller, a former Budget Director under President Reagan. This ad is currently running in 11 states and Washington DC and has a production budget of $1.8 million dollars. I could think of such more productive uses for that kind of money... but I digress.
After doing some research, we have discovered that the woman in this ad had a benign brain cyst, not a cancerous tumor. Other medical professionals have concurred that this form of lesion is not life threatening and do not require immediate treatment.
This just goes to show that you can bend the truth into whatever scary shape you want to if you try hard enough.
Rachel Maddow's First Appearance on Meet the Press
Rachel, host of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC, was on this morning with host David Gregory, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Ret. Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD), and Ret. Sen. Dick Armey (R-TX). She came prepared with lots of notes most of them about Dick Armey. Check out this video of Rachel taking him to the cleaners over his Chairmanship at FreedomWorks and his idea that Medicare is tyranny.
Definition Day!
Here at TLC, we like to make sure you know what's going on, so we're starting Definition Day! Here are some definitions for commonly used terms in the current health care debate.
Socialism - a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
Communism - a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.
Nazism - The ideology and practice of the Nazis, especially the policy of racist nationalism, national expansion, and state control of the economy.//-->
Marxism - the system of economic and political thought developed by Karl Marx, along with Friedrich Engels, esp. the doctrine that the state throughout history has been a device for the exploitation of the masses by a dominant class, that class struggle has been the main agency of historical change, and that the capitalist system, containing from the first the seeds of its own decay, will inevitably, after the period of the dictatorship of the proletariat, be superseded by a socialist order and a classless society.
Nihilism - the principles of a Russian revolutionary group, active in the latter half of the 19th century, holding that existing social and political institutions must be destroyed in order to clear the way for a new state of society and employing extreme measures, including terrorism and assassination.
Fascism - a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
Perhaps now we can have a discussion without throwing terms around incorrectly.
Socialism - a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.
Communism - a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party.
Nazism - The ideology and practice of the Nazis, especially the policy of racist nationalism, national expansion, and state control of the economy.//-->
Marxism - the system of economic and political thought developed by Karl Marx, along with Friedrich Engels, esp. the doctrine that the state throughout history has been a device for the exploitation of the masses by a dominant class, that class struggle has been the main agency of historical change, and that the capitalist system, containing from the first the seeds of its own decay, will inevitably, after the period of the dictatorship of the proletariat, be superseded by a socialist order and a classless society.
Nihilism - the principles of a Russian revolutionary group, active in the latter half of the 19th century, holding that existing social and political institutions must be destroyed in order to clear the way for a new state of society and employing extreme measures, including terrorism and assassination.
Fascism - a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
Perhaps now we can have a discussion without throwing terms around incorrectly.
Given The Current Health Care Debate...
I thought this could be useful! Perhaps some of our elected officials should take a look at this so that they make sure they have the process down pat.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
When Will This Stop?
Before anyone starts ranting, let me say that I absolutely believe in the first amendment and the rights to the freedom of speech and press. As Voltaire said, "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."
I do, however, believe that there is a fine line where our freedom of speech ends and the protection of the public needs to begin. There is a reason that you cannot yell fire in a crowded theatre. You cannot use your freedom of speech to endanger the lives of others in an imminent fashion.
That is exactly what is going on right now.
I will go on record, and this shouldn't surprise anyone, that I am fiercely opposed to pretty much everything the conservative right stands for. They have every right to disagree with me. They have every right to voice that opinion. They have every right to show biased coverage of events in their media outlets. They have every right to protest.
They do not have a right to purposefully incite violence amongst a group of people. They do not have the right to use terror tactics to quiet the opposition. They do not have the right to push the American people to the breaking point and then back away, as if they are not responsible for this.
Right now, when you turn on the news, you see protesters at town hall meetings screaming and waiving signs. They have every right to be doing so. You see small children holding signs that their parents handed them with Nazi rhetoric on it. I find it disgusting, but they still have the right to whore out their children if they so choose to do so. You see people equating Obama to Hilter and the Democrats to Nazis. I don't understand the logic behind it, but again - it's their right to say these things.
Then you have the lunatic fringe. President Obama held a town hall meeting in New Hampshire on health care reform. Outside, a man, William Kostric, was protesting, as he has every right to. He also happened to have a loaded handgun strapped visibly to his leg, which he is allowed to do per the second amendment, as long as it is not concealed. He was also carrying a sign that said "It's time to water the tree of liberty". This alludes to the Thomas Jefferson quote "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Since he was there protesting, I think it's safe to bet that he wasn't insinuating that it was the blood of patriots that he was after.
Here is the video interview that he gave to Chris Matthews on Hardball on MSNBC.
When Matthews asked if the gun was loaded, Kostric responded by saying "Um, wow, who would be silly enough to carry an unloaded firearm?" Perhaps someone who only intended the visual message but had absolutely no intention of using it? When asked why he brought a gun to a Presidential event, he responded by saying that was not an issue. Not an issue? I can't believe this.
We should also mention the Kostric is a former Arizona resident. In that state, he was involved with and is listed as a member of the Arizona Chapter of the We the People Foundation. WPF has a stated mission of "returning America to its founding principles." On their website, founder Robert Schultz says, Robert Schulz says, "Our recent initiatives have focused largely on questioning the federal government's abuse of its Constitutional powers to incur debt, tax labor, create currency by fiat, conduct war and police the peace." This group has also joined a lawsuit claiming the President Obama is an illegitimate president because he is not a natural born citizen.
This is what is going on right now. Then, after all of this happened, conservatives have stood up, not to condemn the threatening actions of this right wing fringe, but to laud him for exerting his constitutional rights. Maybe I'm being a little touchy, but Americans don't seem to have a good track record when outspoken extremists bring guns to Presidential events.
When will the encouragement of this kind of behavior stop? Someone is going to get hurt. Eventually, someone is going to break and people are going to be injured or, God forbid, killed. Will it be an elected official, a police office, or perhaps an innocent bystander? This needs to stop and it needs to stop now. Stop encouraging people to speak out with hate. Stop encouraging the extreme fringe. Stop giving them the appearance of having supporters. Stop before it is too late.
I do, however, believe that there is a fine line where our freedom of speech ends and the protection of the public needs to begin. There is a reason that you cannot yell fire in a crowded theatre. You cannot use your freedom of speech to endanger the lives of others in an imminent fashion.
That is exactly what is going on right now.
I will go on record, and this shouldn't surprise anyone, that I am fiercely opposed to pretty much everything the conservative right stands for. They have every right to disagree with me. They have every right to voice that opinion. They have every right to show biased coverage of events in their media outlets. They have every right to protest.
They do not have a right to purposefully incite violence amongst a group of people. They do not have the right to use terror tactics to quiet the opposition. They do not have the right to push the American people to the breaking point and then back away, as if they are not responsible for this.
Right now, when you turn on the news, you see protesters at town hall meetings screaming and waiving signs. They have every right to be doing so. You see small children holding signs that their parents handed them with Nazi rhetoric on it. I find it disgusting, but they still have the right to whore out their children if they so choose to do so. You see people equating Obama to Hilter and the Democrats to Nazis. I don't understand the logic behind it, but again - it's their right to say these things.
Then you have the lunatic fringe. President Obama held a town hall meeting in New Hampshire on health care reform. Outside, a man, William Kostric, was protesting, as he has every right to. He also happened to have a loaded handgun strapped visibly to his leg, which he is allowed to do per the second amendment, as long as it is not concealed. He was also carrying a sign that said "It's time to water the tree of liberty". This alludes to the Thomas Jefferson quote "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Since he was there protesting, I think it's safe to bet that he wasn't insinuating that it was the blood of patriots that he was after.
Here is the video interview that he gave to Chris Matthews on Hardball on MSNBC.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
When Matthews asked if the gun was loaded, Kostric responded by saying "Um, wow, who would be silly enough to carry an unloaded firearm?" Perhaps someone who only intended the visual message but had absolutely no intention of using it? When asked why he brought a gun to a Presidential event, he responded by saying that was not an issue. Not an issue? I can't believe this.
We should also mention the Kostric is a former Arizona resident. In that state, he was involved with and is listed as a member of the Arizona Chapter of the We the People Foundation. WPF has a stated mission of "returning America to its founding principles." On their website, founder Robert Schultz says, Robert Schulz says, "Our recent initiatives have focused largely on questioning the federal government's abuse of its Constitutional powers to incur debt, tax labor, create currency by fiat, conduct war and police the peace." This group has also joined a lawsuit claiming the President Obama is an illegitimate president because he is not a natural born citizen.
This is what is going on right now. Then, after all of this happened, conservatives have stood up, not to condemn the threatening actions of this right wing fringe, but to laud him for exerting his constitutional rights. Maybe I'm being a little touchy, but Americans don't seem to have a good track record when outspoken extremists bring guns to Presidential events.
When will the encouragement of this kind of behavior stop? Someone is going to get hurt. Eventually, someone is going to break and people are going to be injured or, God forbid, killed. Will it be an elected official, a police office, or perhaps an innocent bystander? This needs to stop and it needs to stop now. Stop encouraging people to speak out with hate. Stop encouraging the extreme fringe. Stop giving them the appearance of having supporters. Stop before it is too late.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Oh Really?
OK - so I am stealing a bit from SNL but I think it is perfect here given the nature of the topic at hand. We are going to talk about the vandalism to the office of Georgia Rep. David Scott. Just so you know, the swastika is approximately 4 feet tall and was spray painted on the sign in from of his headquarters.
This vandalism occurred roughly a week after Scott was caught in a debate at a very heated town hall meeting on - wait for it - health care reform. Rep. Scott, a fourth term representative from Georgia's 13th district, is a very influential Congressmen, sitting on both the Financial Services Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as others. He also happens to be an African American. On top of this instance of vandalism, Scott has also been receiving hate mail that includes racial slurs and characterizes President Obama as a Marxist.
Now for the good part. You will not believe this. The murmurings from the right wing fringe is that the swastika was a political ploy and was in fact staged by Scott supporters, not by the opposition. The Weekly Standard's John McCormack gave this lunatic theory some street cred by posing this very question. Then, today, on his radio show, Rush Limbaugh said "I don't buy this. This is too convenient...I think the Democrats are doing this themselves."
Oh really?
Why on earth would the Democrats egg on the violent right wing fringe with which, at the rate we are going, violence is imminent by making them think there is one other person on the face of the earth that agrees with not only their stance but also their solution?
Why would someone like Scott, who has lived through so much and overcome so much put himself through the terror of being subjected to this kind of blind hatred at the hands of comrades? To prove a point? I think not.
Rush also said on his show that President Obama staged a town hall meeting yesterday and Democrats are staging town hall meetings all over the place to make it look like more people support them than really do.
Oh really?
Yes, Democrats are holding town hall meetings, but not with the nefarious intentions of the Republican Party. Has it ever dawned on you that we actually might want a real discussion on heath care reform? Of course, you could take a page from David Vitter's (R-LA) book and hold a perfectly peaceful and serene town hall meeting. It helps when you screen attendees and questions first.
Rush also said that no had equated Obama to Hitler and that the entire Nazi discussion was Nancy Pelosi's fault.
Oh really?
I have posted direct quotes and facts earlier in this blog that speak directly to the contrary. Own up to what you have done, Rush. Own up to inciting a mob - yes, I called them a mob - hell bent on using racial slurs and Nazi imagery to scare people into submission. SOH Pelosi only became involved in the Nazi discussion when asked what she was seeing at town halls. She reported seeing protesters with signs with Nazi imagery on them. How on earth does she garner responsibility for the right wing fringe, your disciples, and their poor choices in speech?
Rush, this is bull and you know it.
Yes, really.
North Carolina Might Want to Allocate a Larger Budget for Education
In a poll from earlier this week, 76% of self-identified conservatives in North Carolina responded no/not sure when questioned about whether or not they believed that President Obama was born in Hawaii and therefore an American citizen.
It gets better. I swear, you will not believe this. The people who conducted this poll deserve a standing ovation for their genius.
The follow up question to those same self-identified conservatives in North Carolina is astounding. Is Hawaii a part of the United States?
12% said no/not sure.
OH MY GOD
I am not making this up and that scares me more that I can express.
It gets better. I swear, you will not believe this. The people who conducted this poll deserve a standing ovation for their genius.
The follow up question to those same self-identified conservatives in North Carolina is astounding. Is Hawaii a part of the United States?
12% said no/not sure.
OH MY GOD
I am not making this up and that scares me more that I can express.
Perhaps This Will Make Them Think Twice...
As of this post, several companies, including Procter and Gamble, Geico, Men's Warehouse, Sargento, Progressive Insurance, and Lawyers.com, have pulled their advertising from the Glenn Beck show on FOXNews due to his comments on President Obama. On July 28, while appearing on "Fox and Friends", Beck stated that he thought President Obama was a racist and had a "deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture".
The group Color Of Change (www.colorofchange.org), a group dedicated to promoting african american involvement in politics, has been contacting advertisers in an effort to get them to pull sponsorship based on his offensive ranting and apparently it is working. You can go to their website, no matter your race (contrary to what some people will tell you - ahem - FOXNews), and sign an electronic letter to send to the CEOs of the businesses that advertise on the Glenn Beck Program. Here is the text of the letter:
To President/CEO & Board:
I want to alert you to the fact that Glenn Beck--whose show you sponsor on FOX--is using his platform to make outlandish accusations about the President and to advance baseless theories that prey on race-based fears.
He is claiming that President Obama is a "racist," that he has a "deep-seated hatred for white people," and that he is attempting to use our government to deliver "Obama-brand reparations." The claims are ludicrous, and the rhetoric is racially divisive and pollutes our public discourse.
I presume your company does not want to enable such rhetoric, nor have your products or services associated with the kind of views and tactics espoused by Beck. I urge you to immediately cease all advertising on the Glenn Beck Program on the FOX News Channel.
I wanted to alert you to the fact that Glenn Beck--whose show you sponsor on FOX--is using his platform to make outlandish accusations about the President and to advance theories that prey on race-based fears.
He is claiming specifically that President Obama is a "racist," that he has a "deep-seated hatred for white people," and that he is attempting to use our government to deliver "Obama-brand reparations." The claims are ludicrous, and the rhetoric is racially divisive and pollutes healthy public discourse. It has no business being aired or supported by advertising dollars.
I presume that your company does not want to enable such rhetoric, nor have your products or services and your company associated with the kind of views and tactics described above. If that is the case, I would request that you immediately cease all advertising on the Glenn Beck Program on the FOX News Channel.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
If you wish to make your voice heard and join this movement, please go to their site and sign up to support them. These current happenings with Beck's sponsors show that if enough people speak out, we can hurt them where it hurts the most - in their wallets. Perhaps if they refuse to listen to reason to reason, they might listen when sponsors pull their money from their show. One can only hope.
The group Color Of Change (www.colorofchange.org), a group dedicated to promoting african american involvement in politics, has been contacting advertisers in an effort to get them to pull sponsorship based on his offensive ranting and apparently it is working. You can go to their website, no matter your race (contrary to what some people will tell you - ahem - FOXNews), and sign an electronic letter to send to the CEOs of the businesses that advertise on the Glenn Beck Program. Here is the text of the letter:
To President/CEO & Board:
I want to alert you to the fact that Glenn Beck--whose show you sponsor on FOX--is using his platform to make outlandish accusations about the President and to advance baseless theories that prey on race-based fears.
He is claiming that President Obama is a "racist," that he has a "deep-seated hatred for white people," and that he is attempting to use our government to deliver "Obama-brand reparations." The claims are ludicrous, and the rhetoric is racially divisive and pollutes our public discourse.
I presume your company does not want to enable such rhetoric, nor have your products or services associated with the kind of views and tactics espoused by Beck. I urge you to immediately cease all advertising on the Glenn Beck Program on the FOX News Channel.
I wanted to alert you to the fact that Glenn Beck--whose show you sponsor on FOX--is using his platform to make outlandish accusations about the President and to advance theories that prey on race-based fears.
He is claiming specifically that President Obama is a "racist," that he has a "deep-seated hatred for white people," and that he is attempting to use our government to deliver "Obama-brand reparations." The claims are ludicrous, and the rhetoric is racially divisive and pollutes healthy public discourse. It has no business being aired or supported by advertising dollars.
I presume that your company does not want to enable such rhetoric, nor have your products or services and your company associated with the kind of views and tactics described above. If that is the case, I would request that you immediately cease all advertising on the Glenn Beck Program on the FOX News Channel.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
If you wish to make your voice heard and join this movement, please go to their site and sign up to support them. These current happenings with Beck's sponsors show that if enough people speak out, we can hurt them where it hurts the most - in their wallets. Perhaps if they refuse to listen to reason to reason, they might listen when sponsors pull their money from their show. One can only hope.
Rachel Maddow On Why We Are All In The Wrong Business
Watch the video below for some very interesting statistics on health care and the insurance companies. Hopefully this will make people think twice about speaking out against health care reform.
On The Birther Movement...
I know I am a little late with this video, but I love watching James Carville take any Republican to the woodshed - especially Liz Cheney. Enjoy...
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
More Nazi Speak From The Conservative "Media"
Trust me, I use the term media loosely. Here are two videos for Tuesday's Glenn Beck show on FOXNews in which he again equates heath care reform and those who support it to Nazis and their policies.
They will not let this go. They will not let people have an intelligent debate on health care reform. They would rather throw insults and slurs rather than offer real solutions. They do not want a discussion on the issue. They want the issue to go away.
They try to accomplish that by scaring the unsuspecting, ignorant masses that tune in daily to listen to the Apostles of Rush spew lies and hate. It is appalling that they are allowed to call themselves journalists. Journalists report on fact. Beck and others like him do not. They run lie after unadulterated lie and feel no remorse for doing so and I think that it is morally reprehensible. They should be ashamed of themselves, but I doubt that will ever happen.
They will not let this go. They will not let people have an intelligent debate on health care reform. They would rather throw insults and slurs rather than offer real solutions. They do not want a discussion on the issue. They want the issue to go away.
They try to accomplish that by scaring the unsuspecting, ignorant masses that tune in daily to listen to the Apostles of Rush spew lies and hate. It is appalling that they are allowed to call themselves journalists. Journalists report on fact. Beck and others like him do not. They run lie after unadulterated lie and feel no remorse for doing so and I think that it is morally reprehensible. They should be ashamed of themselves, but I doubt that will ever happen.
Drinking Liberally in Cinci!
I went out tonight for the first time with the folks from Drinking Liberally and had a great time. This is a national movement and we have a great group right here in Cincinnati! Great food, great conversation, great to see liberals getting together! Check out their blog at http://dlcinci.blogspot.com/. You can also follow them on twitter at dlcinci ! We meet every Tuesday for dinner, drinks, and great conversation. Come out and join us next week!
Censorship Update....
The last comment has been removed too. I'm honestly not surprised. Most people do not like being corrected, even when what they say is blatantly wrong. That's really too bad.
Censorship...
Please see my last post for the beginning of this discussion.
After posting on that blog, my comment was deleted for no apparent reason. I find it interesting that this individual felt the need to remove this post on the thread. My original one that provoked the conversation is there and he also left up the comments that agreed with him. Censorship at it's best. The comments section on my blog is open for a reason. I want to see what people have to say. The only reason that I would ever remove a comment is if said comment contained something so incredibly inappropriate that I thought for the better of all that it should come down. Then I would post a comment as to why it was removed. I would never remove a comment simply because I don't agree with them or because the proved statements I made to be false. I happen to believe in the first amendment.
Here is a response to my comment and my last comment to this user. I am posting it here because I am sure it will be promptly removed.
August 11, 2009 4:35 PM
Joe said...
Elisabeth, I hope I didn't offend you with my blog. The house bill isn't finished yet, and the Senet hasn't started theirs yet that I know of. The problem is when both the house and senet finish their respected bill, then they have to work out a comprimize, and thats when the Dem leadership will give a deadline, that will make it impossible for anyone to read. I wouldn' be suprised if those new jets weren't hidden in there, and who knows what else. I don't think there is a health CRISES, Health care coverage isn't a right, Those with out it fall in to 3 basic groups, those who don't want it, usally the young, those who are here illeagly who should be sent back to the country they came from, I'm all for leagel immigration, we are all immigrants. and those who want, and need it,but can't get it.I don't see why they can't give the last group voutures to pay, or help pay for their privit insurance, and make them cover excisting conditions, I wouldn't mind paying for that. I was a single parent of 3 for 11years, I know what it's like to take them to the doctor with out insurance. Insurance isn't a freebee, the idea is that you will take less out of it, then you put into it over the life of the policy, like a credit card for medicen, witch is a life saver for anyone with kids. I don't think the insurance companys are evil for making a profit, someone had to put up the money to secure all those policys, why would you put your money somewhere were you have nothing to gain, and everything to lose.
Elizabeth K Wright said...
Joe - No, you did not offend me. You have every right to believe what you do. I just happen to have a differing opinion, which since my comment was removed, is apparently not welcome here. That's a shame. I was hoping for intellectual discourse, not a censorship exercise.
I find this very interesting... More to come if more of the story unfolds.
After posting on that blog, my comment was deleted for no apparent reason. I find it interesting that this individual felt the need to remove this post on the thread. My original one that provoked the conversation is there and he also left up the comments that agreed with him. Censorship at it's best. The comments section on my blog is open for a reason. I want to see what people have to say. The only reason that I would ever remove a comment is if said comment contained something so incredibly inappropriate that I thought for the better of all that it should come down. Then I would post a comment as to why it was removed. I would never remove a comment simply because I don't agree with them or because the proved statements I made to be false. I happen to believe in the first amendment.
Here is a response to my comment and my last comment to this user. I am posting it here because I am sure it will be promptly removed.
August 11, 2009 4:35 PM
Joe said...
Elisabeth, I hope I didn't offend you with my blog. The house bill isn't finished yet, and the Senet hasn't started theirs yet that I know of. The problem is when both the house and senet finish their respected bill, then they have to work out a comprimize, and thats when the Dem leadership will give a deadline, that will make it impossible for anyone to read. I wouldn' be suprised if those new jets weren't hidden in there, and who knows what else. I don't think there is a health CRISES, Health care coverage isn't a right, Those with out it fall in to 3 basic groups, those who don't want it, usally the young, those who are here illeagly who should be sent back to the country they came from, I'm all for leagel immigration, we are all immigrants. and those who want, and need it,but can't get it.I don't see why they can't give the last group voutures to pay, or help pay for their privit insurance, and make them cover excisting conditions, I wouldn't mind paying for that. I was a single parent of 3 for 11years, I know what it's like to take them to the doctor with out insurance. Insurance isn't a freebee, the idea is that you will take less out of it, then you put into it over the life of the policy, like a credit card for medicen, witch is a life saver for anyone with kids. I don't think the insurance companys are evil for making a profit, someone had to put up the money to secure all those policys, why would you put your money somewhere were you have nothing to gain, and everything to lose.
Elizabeth K Wright said...
Joe - No, you did not offend me. You have every right to believe what you do. I just happen to have a differing opinion, which since my comment was removed, is apparently not welcome here. That's a shame. I was hoping for intellectual discourse, not a censorship exercise.
I find this very interesting... More to come if more of the story unfolds.
Another Example of What We Are Up Against
Here is a post from http://starvingbloggist.blogspot.com/. I stumbled upon this because this person became a follower of mine on Twitter, so I thought I would check his blog out. Here is the most current post on his page, my comment, and the ensuing insanity. This is what we are up against. People who are bent on spreading blatantly wrong information to people who blindly follow their leaders to town hall meetings with pitch forks. They have insults, but no solutions. Sadly, this is very typical.
From The Starving Bloggist
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Petition Against Obamacare
President Obama and Congress are pushing 'reform' that will move America closer to a government run system like Canada and Britain. If they succeed, most Americans will no longer be able to keep the insurance they have. Instead, they will be forced into a government run health insurance market, with most people enrolled into a government run health care plan. - For more information or to sign the petition against Obamacare please go to....www.freeourhealthcarenow.com
5 comments:
Elizabeth K Wright said...
I find so much wrong with this including the fact that a single-payer system is not even on the table. No where in the legislation does it say that people will lose the right to private insurance companies. It is irresponsible to spread incorrect data.
August 10, 2009 10:34 PM
Christine W. said...
Are you saying that you want a single payer system? Are you crazy? Do you know what that would do to our country? All of our doctors will be paid less, which will minimize the amount of doctors that are available, and it will discourage others from going to medical school to become doctors. It will make government the one in control of your health decisions, and will allow them to decide whether or not you should get certain procedures or prescriptions that you need. It's called rationing... Ever heard of it? It is happening right now in Canada and Great Britain. Why do you think so many people from other countries come here to the United States for health care? Because we have the best health care in the world. It is not perfect, it does have its flaws that need to be reformed, but it does NOT need to be totally overhauled... And anybody that says so is just looking for a free handout without even taking into consideration how it would affect our nation as a whole...
August 10, 2009 10:58 PM
The Starving Bloggist said...
Elizabeth you are 100% wrong. President Obama's plan does not allow you to keep your private insurance after five years. Get your facts straight tutz.
August 11, 2009 6:30 AM
Joe said...
My Rep. cosponsored the adminment that would require everyone to be on medicare. I've haven't heard if it was voted down or just stuck somewhere we can't find it until it's to late. Witch is the problem, like the Bailout, Stimulus, and Cap&trade, we will not know what's really in it until it's to late. That's why everyone is so upset at these town meetings. I do believe we can, and should help those with out heath insurance who want it to get it. But to make us all suffer or redo the system is a wast of time, money.
August 11, 2009 9:07 AM
Elizabeth K Wright said...
In response...
Christine W.-
No where in my comment did I say that I wanted a single-payer system and no I am not crazy. Yes, I do know what health care reform will do for America - it will help to insure the 45 million Americans that do not have access to regular health care. The statement that lowering the cost of health care will decrease the numbers of doctors, which has not proven to be true in any other country that has attempted health care reform. What it will do is decrease the enormous profit that insurance companies are making off of sick people.Let's talk about rationing for a moment. It is happening here, in America, at this very moment. It is happening because decisions are NOT being made by you and your doctor. They ARE being made by insurance companies that dictate what tests and procedures can be done and what they will pay for. Yes, that is rationing and the new plan will help to eliminate this current problem.I also feel the need to correct you when you say that people come here from all over the world because we have the best health care system. They come here for many reasons, but that is surely not in the top 10. America is ranked 37th in the world in health care and we pay the highest cost. France (God forbid) happens to be ranked number one and they have a public/private hybrid system in place that seems to be working very well.People who are against health care reform also seem to forget that we have 2 very socialistic, widely successful health care programs in this country. - Medicare and VA Health/TriCare. If you loathe the idea of socialized medicine so much, should we repeal those programs as well?I take offense when you state that I am looking for a free handout because I believe the system needs to be overhauled. I work for a small business and we pay extremely high premiums for our health care. Under this plan, our small business would benefit but I would like you to know that I am a hard working individual and am, under no uncertain terms, not looking for a hand out of any kind.
The Starving Bloggist -
If you can point out to me chapter and verse where that is listed in the proposed bill, I will eat my hat. Linda Douglass, the White House Office of Health Reform, has a video at this link - http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/3 - in which shows President Obama specifically states that if you have insurance and doctors that you like, you will not be required to change them. We are not trying to fix what is working in the system - only what is broken.Also, just for your information, it is rather in appropriate to use a derogatory term in referring to someone who simply disagrees with you.
Joe -
I will agree with you that the bill is complicated, but it is also available to be read in its entirety. The people that you see at town hall meetings are not just angry citizens. They have been lied to and given incorrect information by people who have something significant to gain by maintaining the status quot. When someone makes an outrageous claim, like Sarah Palin and her "death panel" comment, people should question the legitimacy of it and not just blindly follow the false thinking.I happen to think that we can insure the people that are not insured and reform the system to take some of the burden off of everyone.
Feel free to read my blog and comment there as well. I am open to alternatives and other ideas. I want an open discussion based on facts, not on misconceptions that have been propagated by people that have far too much to gain in this discussion, or lack thereof as the case may be.
August 11, 2009 3:32 PM
From The Starving Bloggist
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Petition Against Obamacare
President Obama and Congress are pushing 'reform' that will move America closer to a government run system like Canada and Britain. If they succeed, most Americans will no longer be able to keep the insurance they have. Instead, they will be forced into a government run health insurance market, with most people enrolled into a government run health care plan. - For more information or to sign the petition against Obamacare please go to....www.freeourhealthcarenow.com
5 comments:
Elizabeth K Wright said...
I find so much wrong with this including the fact that a single-payer system is not even on the table. No where in the legislation does it say that people will lose the right to private insurance companies. It is irresponsible to spread incorrect data.
August 10, 2009 10:34 PM
Christine W. said...
Are you saying that you want a single payer system? Are you crazy? Do you know what that would do to our country? All of our doctors will be paid less, which will minimize the amount of doctors that are available, and it will discourage others from going to medical school to become doctors. It will make government the one in control of your health decisions, and will allow them to decide whether or not you should get certain procedures or prescriptions that you need. It's called rationing... Ever heard of it? It is happening right now in Canada and Great Britain. Why do you think so many people from other countries come here to the United States for health care? Because we have the best health care in the world. It is not perfect, it does have its flaws that need to be reformed, but it does NOT need to be totally overhauled... And anybody that says so is just looking for a free handout without even taking into consideration how it would affect our nation as a whole...
August 10, 2009 10:58 PM
The Starving Bloggist said...
Elizabeth you are 100% wrong. President Obama's plan does not allow you to keep your private insurance after five years. Get your facts straight tutz.
August 11, 2009 6:30 AM
Joe said...
My Rep. cosponsored the adminment that would require everyone to be on medicare. I've haven't heard if it was voted down or just stuck somewhere we can't find it until it's to late. Witch is the problem, like the Bailout, Stimulus, and Cap&trade, we will not know what's really in it until it's to late. That's why everyone is so upset at these town meetings. I do believe we can, and should help those with out heath insurance who want it to get it. But to make us all suffer or redo the system is a wast of time, money.
August 11, 2009 9:07 AM
Elizabeth K Wright said...
In response...
Christine W.-
No where in my comment did I say that I wanted a single-payer system and no I am not crazy. Yes, I do know what health care reform will do for America - it will help to insure the 45 million Americans that do not have access to regular health care. The statement that lowering the cost of health care will decrease the numbers of doctors, which has not proven to be true in any other country that has attempted health care reform. What it will do is decrease the enormous profit that insurance companies are making off of sick people.Let's talk about rationing for a moment. It is happening here, in America, at this very moment. It is happening because decisions are NOT being made by you and your doctor. They ARE being made by insurance companies that dictate what tests and procedures can be done and what they will pay for. Yes, that is rationing and the new plan will help to eliminate this current problem.I also feel the need to correct you when you say that people come here from all over the world because we have the best health care system. They come here for many reasons, but that is surely not in the top 10. America is ranked 37th in the world in health care and we pay the highest cost. France (God forbid) happens to be ranked number one and they have a public/private hybrid system in place that seems to be working very well.People who are against health care reform also seem to forget that we have 2 very socialistic, widely successful health care programs in this country. - Medicare and VA Health/TriCare. If you loathe the idea of socialized medicine so much, should we repeal those programs as well?I take offense when you state that I am looking for a free handout because I believe the system needs to be overhauled. I work for a small business and we pay extremely high premiums for our health care. Under this plan, our small business would benefit but I would like you to know that I am a hard working individual and am, under no uncertain terms, not looking for a hand out of any kind.
The Starving Bloggist -
If you can point out to me chapter and verse where that is listed in the proposed bill, I will eat my hat. Linda Douglass, the White House Office of Health Reform, has a video at this link - http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/3 - in which shows President Obama specifically states that if you have insurance and doctors that you like, you will not be required to change them. We are not trying to fix what is working in the system - only what is broken.Also, just for your information, it is rather in appropriate to use a derogatory term in referring to someone who simply disagrees with you.
Joe -
I will agree with you that the bill is complicated, but it is also available to be read in its entirety. The people that you see at town hall meetings are not just angry citizens. They have been lied to and given incorrect information by people who have something significant to gain by maintaining the status quot. When someone makes an outrageous claim, like Sarah Palin and her "death panel" comment, people should question the legitimacy of it and not just blindly follow the false thinking.I happen to think that we can insure the people that are not insured and reform the system to take some of the burden off of everyone.
Feel free to read my blog and comment there as well. I am open to alternatives and other ideas. I want an open discussion based on facts, not on misconceptions that have been propagated by people that have far too much to gain in this discussion, or lack thereof as the case may be.
August 11, 2009 3:32 PM
Monday, August 10, 2009
You know you're a conservative if...
- You can call yourself pro-life but have no problem denying health care to actual people that are actually living.
- You are pro-life but support the death penalty.
- You believe that "all men were created equal" - as long as they aren't gay.
- You think that only women are pro-choice.
- You think that those women also only support choice for selfish reasons.
- You have ever compared Obama to Hitler.
- You listen to Beck or Limbaugh and think they actually make sense.
- You love the second amendment, but the first and fourth are negotiable.
- You tell kids to say no to drugs, unless that drug is tobacco.
- You think that everyone on public assistance is lazy and doesn't work.
- You think that people should pull themselves up by their bootstraps - even when they don't have boots.
- You think that America has nothing to apologize for - never mind the extermination of Native Americans, slavery, or World War II interment camps.
- You think that cutting education spending is better for our children.
- You think Clarence Thomas was more qualified for the Supreme Court than Sonia Sotomayor.
- You think that you shouldn't have to step down after being caught with your Argentinian mistress, even though you believed the President Clinton should. Thanks Mark!
- You think that the "liberal media" is out to get your family, even when you are parading them around like show ponies.
- You honestly think that things were better under Reagan and Bush.
- You believe in "Don't ask - Don't tell".
- You believe that Sarah Palin has actually done something good for women in politics.
- You honestly believe that liberals are tree hugging, homo-lovin', baby killers.
- You try to convince people that God was a capitalist and Jesus was a Republican.
- You love using free speech to promote Christianity, but not any other religion.
- You ignore the clause about separation of church and state.
- You complain about violence on television but have no problem plastering pictures of aborted fetuses all over.
- You think that liberals automatically hate soldiers because we do not approve of the war they have been tasked to fight.
- You actually believe that there is no sexism and no racism in this country.
- You want to ban sex education, even when your daughter is an unwed teenage mother that received "abstinence only" education.
- You think that everyone should stand of their own two feet - unless they have a rich, well connected daddy.
- You think everyone should stand on their own two feet - unless that involves workers unionizing.
- You are the governor of a state that has the worst heath care system in the country and the most uninsured people and you are threatening to secede from the union if Obama's health care plan gets passed because health care is a states rights issue and you can fix it better than the federal government even though you have been the governor for 9 YEARS ALREADY! (Thanks Texas!)
- You didn't make it this far because you can't stand someone pointing out your faults.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Rush Limbaugh's Comments Are Disgusting... More So Than Usual
I have been trying to decide how to address this and every time I think about it, my blood pressure raises to dangerously high levels.
This week, Rush made it comparisons between modern day Democrats and the Nazis. I will go on record right now and say that I find him to be absolutely disgusting. Nazism is not a political persuasion to be thrown around lightly. When people do or say something that you do not believe in or agree with, it is not acceptable to compare them to Nazis. It is not acceptable to compare President Obama to Adolf Hitler under any circumstances for any reason.
There are a few people alive today that barely survived the Holocaust. There many people alive today that lost most, if not all, of their family in the Holocaust. I find it to be sick and disgusting that Rush is getting some perverse joy out of exploiting the horror of that time in world history for a gain in ratings.
He said on his radio show Friday, "Isn't it fascinating how no one can have an honest disagreement with statists? How no one can have an honest disagreement with Barack Obama or Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi? Because if you disagree, you're a Nazi." He then went on to say that President Obama was a Nazi because he was pushing for people to get out to local town hall meetings and talk to their representatives about health care reform. He equated the mobilization of these supporters to sending the "brown shirts" out to quash opposition.
Wait. Back up one minute. Your argument is actually that you can't disagree without being called a Nazi and we disagree with you, therefore we are Nazis??????? How does that make any sense????? I cannot believe that people actually listen to this man spew hate and continue to follow him like the Messiah - the term he so lovingly uses for Obama. Have the Republicans never mobilized their supporters to gain leverage on the issue? See my previous post about Recess Rally. In this same rant, he accuses Obama and Democrats of “astroturfing”, which he obviously doesn’t understand the meaning of. Mobilizing actual voting citizens to speak out if they do not agree is not “astroturfing”. “Astroturfing” is the practice of businesses and other corporately interested parties in packing meetings and events with people that are specifically there to act as non-interested parties who are outraged with whatever the meeting is about. The Republicans who endorse the Recess Rally movement are the ones that are “astroturfing”!
In the same interview, he equates Democrats to Nazis again by noting that the Nazi Party were vehement environmentalists. Listening to him actually makes my brain hurt. He cited laws enacted by Hitler on how to humanely cook lobster and then posed the question 'Have you ever heard of a conservative posing legislation like that?' No, frankly I haven't, but then again I have never heard a liberal do it either! Hitler was a vegetarian. Are all vegetarians evil? Hitler was an artist. Are all artists Nazis? This is the most ridiculous argument that I have ever heard.
Earlier in the week, Rush also drew the same connections from Nazi iconography to the new heath care logo. "Obama's health care logo looks damn like the Nazi logo! I'm sorry, but it does! I didn't create either logo, but I have two eyes and I can see!" Then, on his website, he actually posted the two of them next to one another to prove his point. Rush, perhaps this is what you see because this is what you want to see.
People follow this egomaniacal maniac with a fervor that cannot be described in words. His ignorance is unfathomable. The fact that he continues to spew unadulterated hate is amazing to me. People listen to him and actually believe what he has to say. People listen to him and genuinely believe in this garbage. It is a very sad time when the only argument that they can come up with is that the logo looks like the Nazi’s and Obama has “brown shirts” working for him.
I wonder why more and more people are leaving the Republican Party every day? Could it be the fact that they champion people like Rush Limbaugh as a leader? Could it be that people want to hear actual intellectual discussion instead of ignorant, belligerent ranting? Could it be that people are actually starting to pay attention to what is going on in the media and are putting their foot down?
I sincerely hope so.
OK... I just have to comment on this...
"The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil." - Sarah Palin via Facebook - Friday @ 4:26pm.
Seriously? This is what you bring to the debate on health care? She is referring to a part of the bill in which it states that the program will fund efforts to talk to people and educate them about living wills and end of life decisions once they reach the age of medicare eligibility- something that the government has been advocating for over 20 years!
How is this constructive? How is this relevant? How did she ever get elected to public office? This lying and fear mongering must stop! This is a blatant attempt to scare the uninformed public into thinking that Obama's health care plan is a secret plot to kill old people and special needs children. This is ridiculous. This is offensive and it is our duty to bring this ignorance to light.
This is what we are up against. Let's stand together and tell the conservative right that we will not stand for this.
Seriously? This is what you bring to the debate on health care? She is referring to a part of the bill in which it states that the program will fund efforts to talk to people and educate them about living wills and end of life decisions once they reach the age of medicare eligibility- something that the government has been advocating for over 20 years!
How is this constructive? How is this relevant? How did she ever get elected to public office? This lying and fear mongering must stop! This is a blatant attempt to scare the uninformed public into thinking that Obama's health care plan is a secret plot to kill old people and special needs children. This is ridiculous. This is offensive and it is our duty to bring this ignorance to light.
This is what we are up against. Let's stand together and tell the conservative right that we will not stand for this.
Just Another Hot, Steamy August Sunday...
This morning, well I suppose it was technically this afternoon as I slept in, I took a short drive to downtown Cincinnati to go shopping at Findley Market. For those of you that don't know, it is the oldest farmers market in Ohio. I love it because you get to hear the sounds of the city and the people while you support local growers and artisans.
While I was wondering through the market in the 90 plus degree heat, I couldn't help but look around at the people surrounding me. This market is in the Over-The-Rhine district of the city, a socioeconomically depressed area on the edge of the worst part of the city for violence. Looking around, I loosely categorized people into locals and non-locals. The locals we out in force, buying groceries for the week. This is one of the few places in downtown that people have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and quality meats and cheeses.
The non-locals, myself included, like to shop there for a couple of reasons. First, I prefer to support local growers and craftspeople rather than large chains (and I consider myself lucky that I have an option). Secondly, I love the atmosphere of the market. The crowds, artists, music, and people of the city have a certain liveliness in them the I love.
Now, why am I writing about this in my political blog? The reason is simple. The people I were surrounded by today, for the most part, are the reason that I am doing this. I was busy picking out locally grown organic honey while the person next to me was trying to figure out how much food she could afford to buy for her two small children. I have no issue paying a couple of bucks extra for something that I really enjoy. She was buying the bruised fruit because the vendor gave it to her at half cost. This would let her buy more food, although not as high quality food, for her family. She is the epitome of the average American that is struggling to support her family. She is the average American that somehow gets lost in the noise that is so often focused on in Washington.
Now, I do not know this woman personally and will not make assumptions about her as an individual, but while the debate on health care is raging on, she is bartering for lower prices on bruised fruit. Let's assume that she lives in the area, probably within walking distance to the market. Let's assume that if she does, she is most likely undereducated, as is a large majority of the population in this part of the city. On that assumption, let's say that she works a menial job to support herself and her children, again very indicative of this area. Do you think if she can't pay full price for fresh fruit (which is significantly cheaper than most supermarkets) that she can afford ridiculously high insurance premiums?
This is not about this one, specific woman with two adorable little boys. This is about the 500 other people shopping in the market today. This is about people that live in impoverished areas, not only in Cincinnati, but all over the country. This is about all of the people who work hard every day. They show up on time, do their job, and go home without enough money in their pockets to make ends meet. They have to choose between school clothes for their kids or fixing their car so that they can get to work and keep that job. These are the people that are struggling and hurting. These are the people that do not have access to medical care on a regular basis. These are the people that we are trying to help.
Now, let's look at the opposition to health care reform. For those of you interested, check out www.recessrally.com . This website lists town hall meetings all across the country that are going to take place while the Congress is on their August recess. Their tag line is "We the people say NO to socialized health care". Perhaps we should be focusing our energies on education and not health care reform because apparently there is a large population that have no idea what the word 'socialized' means. We'll get to that in a second.
This is the site that people have been referring to in order to get information and are showing up en mass to town hall meetings on health care. Their website says "The Nationwide Recess Rally takes place on Saturday, August 22nd, 2009. If you believe your liberty, your hard earned money and your way of life is under attack through dangerous health care legislation currently being proposed, get to your local Representative office on August 22nd and make sure he/she knows." They are pushing people to show up and accost their representatives to make their voices heard. They "will not stand for socialized, government controlled health care". Fantastic! Everyone can stay home and watch their favorite FOX News program because there is no need to protest since this is not at all what is being proposed!
Speaking of FOX News, their anchors have been encouraging people to go to this website to get the specific locations for their representatives and to go "give them a piece of your mind". I won't even touch that one. Let's look at who is sponsoring the Recess Rally site.
While I was wondering through the market in the 90 plus degree heat, I couldn't help but look around at the people surrounding me. This market is in the Over-The-Rhine district of the city, a socioeconomically depressed area on the edge of the worst part of the city for violence. Looking around, I loosely categorized people into locals and non-locals. The locals we out in force, buying groceries for the week. This is one of the few places in downtown that people have access to fresh fruits and vegetables and quality meats and cheeses.
The non-locals, myself included, like to shop there for a couple of reasons. First, I prefer to support local growers and craftspeople rather than large chains (and I consider myself lucky that I have an option). Secondly, I love the atmosphere of the market. The crowds, artists, music, and people of the city have a certain liveliness in them the I love.
Now, why am I writing about this in my political blog? The reason is simple. The people I were surrounded by today, for the most part, are the reason that I am doing this. I was busy picking out locally grown organic honey while the person next to me was trying to figure out how much food she could afford to buy for her two small children. I have no issue paying a couple of bucks extra for something that I really enjoy. She was buying the bruised fruit because the vendor gave it to her at half cost. This would let her buy more food, although not as high quality food, for her family. She is the epitome of the average American that is struggling to support her family. She is the average American that somehow gets lost in the noise that is so often focused on in Washington.
Now, I do not know this woman personally and will not make assumptions about her as an individual, but while the debate on health care is raging on, she is bartering for lower prices on bruised fruit. Let's assume that she lives in the area, probably within walking distance to the market. Let's assume that if she does, she is most likely undereducated, as is a large majority of the population in this part of the city. On that assumption, let's say that she works a menial job to support herself and her children, again very indicative of this area. Do you think if she can't pay full price for fresh fruit (which is significantly cheaper than most supermarkets) that she can afford ridiculously high insurance premiums?
This is not about this one, specific woman with two adorable little boys. This is about the 500 other people shopping in the market today. This is about people that live in impoverished areas, not only in Cincinnati, but all over the country. This is about all of the people who work hard every day. They show up on time, do their job, and go home without enough money in their pockets to make ends meet. They have to choose between school clothes for their kids or fixing their car so that they can get to work and keep that job. These are the people that are struggling and hurting. These are the people that do not have access to medical care on a regular basis. These are the people that we are trying to help.
Now, let's look at the opposition to health care reform. For those of you interested, check out www.recessrally.com . This website lists town hall meetings all across the country that are going to take place while the Congress is on their August recess. Their tag line is "We the people say NO to socialized health care". Perhaps we should be focusing our energies on education and not health care reform because apparently there is a large population that have no idea what the word 'socialized' means. We'll get to that in a second.
This is the site that people have been referring to in order to get information and are showing up en mass to town hall meetings on health care. Their website says "The Nationwide Recess Rally takes place on Saturday, August 22nd, 2009. If you believe your liberty, your hard earned money and your way of life is under attack through dangerous health care legislation currently being proposed, get to your local Representative office on August 22nd and make sure he/she knows." They are pushing people to show up and accost their representatives to make their voices heard. They "will not stand for socialized, government controlled health care". Fantastic! Everyone can stay home and watch their favorite FOX News program because there is no need to protest since this is not at all what is being proposed!
Speaking of FOX News, their anchors have been encouraging people to go to this website to get the specific locations for their representatives and to go "give them a piece of your mind". I won't even touch that one. Let's look at who is sponsoring the Recess Rally site.
- Michelle Malkin - contributor for FOX News and author of "Culture of Corruption" (a book on Obama that was released before he had 200 days under his belt)
- American Majority - They call themselves a "non-profit, non-partisan political training institute". Their President is Ned Ryun - a former Bush speech writer.
- Sam Adams Alliance - They are "leading a new revolution for liberty." Their President is John Tsarpalas, who was most recently the Executive Director of the Illinois Republican Party.
- Patients First - They are a project of American for Prosperity.
- American for Prosperity - They are "are committed to educating citizens about economic policy and mobilizing those citizens as advocates". Their President is Tim Phillips. He is a professional political strategist. One of their Directors is is James C. Miller, a former Budget Director under President Reagan.
This list goes on and on. These people profess to be average, angry Americans, just like you and me, who are fed up with the corruption of the Obama administration and want to let their voices be heard. In all reality, this is a corporately funded group of very savvy political professionals that are using the ignorance of the American people to implant ludicrous ideas into their heads and giving them the ammunition, hopefully only metaphorically, to show up and disrupt any attempt at an open and informed discussion about the policy at hand.
This is the strategy at the moment and it will get progressively worse through August. They are pushing people to show up at events and cause such a disruption nothing gets accomplished. They do not want an informed debate; they want the debate to stop all together. We cannot allow this to happen. We cannot allow the corporate influences to overrun the democratic process. We cannot allow the status quot to remain. We must, as an educated, reform seeking public, stand up and speak out against this blatant attempt at influencing the discussion. If we don't, who will?
Saturday, August 8, 2009
The Beginning
Here it is... My very first post on The Liberalist Center. Some people blog because they love sharing their thoughts with total strangers. Some people blog because they have a lot of spare time. Some people blog because they are frustrated. I am the latter. I am a 26 year old, college educated female and I am disgusted by what is going on in American Politics at the moment. We live in a country in which over 45 million people are living without health care, but the discussion that we are having is about socialism, Nazism, and forced euthanasia. What on earth is wrong with our country?
We consider ourselves to be a civilized nation but we cannot have an intellectual discussion about health care reform. The conservative right is twisting and manipulating the information available to people in order to strike fear in the uneducated population. They are not offering solutions. They are happy with the status quot. They are content to accept campaign financing from insurance companies and, in return, they will do their best to keep the American people right where they want them - dependent on large insurance companies for mediocre, incredibly expensive medical care. If you oppose the current proposal for health care reform, offer a solution. We live in a country where medicine is a for profit business that the government has allowed to grow into a monster and it is killing the average American - if not literally, then financially. Please, offer a solution, or sit down, shut up, and let the Democratic party step up and help the average person get the health care coverage that they so desperately need.
We consider ourselves to be a civilized nation but we cannot have an intellectual discussion about health care reform. The conservative right is twisting and manipulating the information available to people in order to strike fear in the uneducated population. They are not offering solutions. They are happy with the status quot. They are content to accept campaign financing from insurance companies and, in return, they will do their best to keep the American people right where they want them - dependent on large insurance companies for mediocre, incredibly expensive medical care. If you oppose the current proposal for health care reform, offer a solution. We live in a country where medicine is a for profit business that the government has allowed to grow into a monster and it is killing the average American - if not literally, then financially. Please, offer a solution, or sit down, shut up, and let the Democratic party step up and help the average person get the health care coverage that they so desperately need.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)