yeah! health care passed!!!!!

and NO, it is not socialized medicine... i wish it were! Next step - the government option!

Health Care

It has been a while, i know....

The health care "debate" has awakened me once again.

Let's talk some facts.

In the current system:

1. People get denied coverage for pre-existing conditions. This is tantamount to a death panel.
2. People's claims get denied, or have limits, that prevent people from getting care... another death panel.
3. Insurance companies do everything they can to NOT pay your claim. .... death panel.
4. Millions cannot afford even the most basic insurance.... death panel.

5. Health care is prohibitively expensive, to those who are uninsured. I was hospitalized recently for a few days. Had i been uninsured I would have been billed $43,000. My insurance company was billed only $9,000. If the health care industry can afford to accept $9,000 from Blue Cross, why do they charge the uninsured $43,000?

6. All health insurance should be non-profit. The profit motive runs counter to providing quality care.

7. PREVENTIVE medicine needs to be covered and encouraged. Prevention is a lot cheaper than hospitalization. Just look at Cuba!

Providing FUNDING for private end of life DISCUSSIONS with doctors is not a death panel. People who are reading the bill any other way are simply ignorant idiots. And one cannot reason with such people, so don't bother trying, just ignore them.

Offering a government OPTION is not socialism. Public schools are government options, is that socialism? the US Postal Service is a government option, is that socialism? Of course the answers to both are no. Likewise, the public option for health care is not going to make us socialists.

Can we please have a reasonable discussion and open debate about this, with people who actually know the facts?

Thank you.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR (or two) MAKES!!!

It is amazing to me that i wrote this two years ago... and it seems the country agreed with me. Hillary fell from grace and Obama became our president, preaching many of the same ideals i spoke of... reconciliation, bringing troops home, etc.

I feel now, for the time being, that Apuuli has become president. I hope, and trust, that Barack Obama does not betray this confidence I, and 85% of the nation, has in him.

IF you are listening, Mr President, here are my priorities...

1. An end to pre-emptive or offensive military strikes, bring ALL troops on foreign soil home, not just those in Iraq

2. Reduced, then eliminated, nuclear stockpile

3. Fully funded and truly equal education for all

4. Fully funded and equal health care for all

5. An end to corporate and all other special interest contributions to political campaigns (i.e. limit to government support and individual contributions ONLY)

6. A living wage

7. Salary caps (does anyone really need, or deserve, to earn more than 500K?) THANK YOU OBAMA FOR BRINGING ATTENTION TO THIS ON WALL STREET!

8. Environmental consciousness, renewable energy, an end to oil use (not just oil dependence) NOW, I CAN SEE THIS REALLY HAPPENING, THANKS OBAMA!

9. Truly equal human rights, with all gender, racial/ethnic, religious and sexual orientation differences removed, equal marriage rights, equal pay for equal time, equal access to all that accessable to others.

10. A foreign political and economic policy that is truly fair to everyone, without subsidies protecting American interests, without robbing Africa of its natural resources, and without meddling in the political affairs of other countries.

11. Fully fund the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

12. Fully fund Debt Forgiveness

13. Fully fund Millennium Development Goals, set up task force to meet these challenges

14. Support ONE, dedicate an additional one percent of our budget for international development

15. End USAID requirement that US products be used in US funded international development projects

16. End restrictions on AIDS funding requiring recipient organizations to specifically denounce sex trade workers and banning those that provide abortions THANK YOU OBAMA!!

17. Ratify the Kyoto Treaty MOVING IN RIGHT DIRECTION, THANKS OBAMA

18. Sign on to the World Court, without special status

19. End embargo of Cuba and allow trade and travel to that island.

20. Close Guantanamo (THANKS OBAMA!!!) and The School of the Americas!

So, for right now, nothing to rant about... President Obama, you still have time!

Thanks!

Is she still #1?

Four years ago I delighted in the idea of Bill's wife Hillary running for president. Now I am not so sure. I am deeply concerned about Hillary's hawkish attitude toward Iraq, Israel, Lebanon and Palestine. I was appalled by her comments supporting Israel's attack on Lebanon, which has left that country in shambles. I have not seen or heard the kind of leadership I am looking for to bring our troops out of Iraq.

Yes, I would love to witness our first Madam President. But she needs to be the right woman for the job. Being a woman is not sufficient, especially when we also have the option of our first African American president. Part of what I think of when I think of a woman president is having being less militaristic and more reconcilliatory, less aggressive and more compassionate. Until I begin to see this side of Hillary, I am afraid my vote will be going elsewhere. I am a progressive, and there are plenty of more progressive candidates running for president. Obama is not much more liberal than Hillary, but his tone of reconcilliation between the Dems and GOP is refreshing. Our country has been divided too long, and it is time that we found some common ground to focus on rather than the divisive issues of abortion and gay marriage.

My recommendation to Hillary, if she wants my vote, is to let it be known that abortion and gay marriage are not political causes, they are religious, and have no place in the political debate of today. And then focus her attention on the things that matter to the future of America: bringing troops home from Iraq, ending dependance on oil (foreign and domestic) by funding alternative fuel research and enacting appropriate legislation, addressing global warming, providing affordable universal health coverage, fixing the No Child Left Behind disaster, fighting terrorism by addressing the causes (global poverty, globalization and capitalist greed) rather than engaging in military muscle flexing that only results in unnecessary civilian casualties - and feeds the military industrial complex. I want to see serious judicial reform so that we are not effectively criminalizing being black, hispanic, or poor. I want to see serious immigration reform - and an attempt to understand why people risk there lives to come to America illegally. When you can do these things, then I will gladly support you for President.

Iraq Accountability

I recently emailed my representatives seeking an accounting of what we have accomplished in Iraq - particularly in terms of rebuilding and traing of troops. From my esteemed senator Barbara Boxer, i received this response, which is at least a nice step in the right direction:

Dear Mr. Ahrens:

Thank you for contacting me about the war in Iraq . I appreciate hearing from you.

On June 6, I introduced a resolution to spur a political solution in Iraq and encourage the people of Iraq to provide for their own security through the redeployment of U.S. military forces by December 31, 2006.

I introduce this resolution with the hope and prayer that we will redeploy U.S. troops from Iraq and end this ill-fated war that has resulted in more than 20,000 U.S. troops killed or wounded.

The text of my resolution follows this message.


S.J. Res. 39 June 6, 2006



To spur a political solution in Iraq and encourage the people of Iraq to provide for their own security through the redeployment of the United States military forces.

Whereas the United States military forces have served bravely in Iraq and deserve the heartfelt support of the United States ;

Whereas more than 2,450 members of the United States military forces have been killed and more than 18,000 wounded in support of military operations in Iraq;

Whereas more than 200 coalition personnel have been killed in support of military operations in Iraq ;

Whereas it is estimated that at least 40,000 people of Iraq have been killed during the military intervention in Iraq ;

Whereas much of the intelligence used by the Bush Administration to justify the use of force in Iraq was either exaggerated or simply wrong;

Whereas President George W. Bush stated that the mission in Iraq was to rid that country of weapons of mass destruction;

Whereas weapons of mass destruction have not been found in Iraq ;

Whereas President George W. Bush then stated that the mission in Iraq was to end the regime of Saddam Hussein and free the people of Iraq ;

Whereas Saddam Hussein is in custody and standing trial for crimes against humanity;

Whereas President George W. Bush then stated that the mission in Iraq was to establish a free, self governing, and democratic Iraq ;

Whereas the people of Iraq elected their first permanent democratically elected government on December 15, 2005, and the cabinet of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has been approved by the Parliament of Iraq, concluding the transition of Iraq to full political sovereignty;

Whereas President George W. Bush then stated that the mission in Iraq was to train the security forces of Iraq so that they can do the fighting in Iraq ;

Whereas the Pentagon reports that more than 240,000 military and police personnel of Iraq are now trained and equipped;

Whereas on May 1, 2003, President George W. Bush stood under a banner proclaiming `Mission Accomplished' and declared that Iraq was an ally of al Qaeda;

Whereas the report of the 9/11 Commission found no collaborative operational relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda;

Whereas the commander of the Multinational Forces Iraq, General George Casey, testified before the Senate Committee on Armed Services on September 29, 2005, that `[i]ncreased coalition presence feeds the notion of occupation contributes to the dependency of Iraqi security forces on the coalition [and] extends the amount of time that it will take for Iraqi security forces to become self reliant'; and

Whereas, according to a January 2006 poll, 64 percent of Iraqis believe that crime and violent attacks will decrease when the United States redeploys from Iraq, 67 percent of Iraqis believe that their day-to-day security will increase if the United States redeploys from Iraq, and 73 percent of Iraqis believe that there will be greater cooperation among the political factions of Iraq when the United States redeploys from Iraq: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That--

(1) United States military forces in Iraq are to be redeployed from Iraq by December 31, 2006, or earlier if practicable;

(2) nothing in this resolution prohibits the use of United States military forces from training Iraqi security forces in the region outside of Iraq; and

(3) nothing in this resolution prohibits the use of United States military forces based outside of Iraq to--

(A) conduct targeted and specialized counter-terrorism missions in Iraq ; and

(B) protect military and civilian personnel of the United States in Iraq .


Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Common Sense....

(I received this as an email today, i completely agree with this - tho i did edit out one line i had trouble with - and added a small bit of commentary)

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird catches the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it WAS my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.

Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Panadol, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student; but, could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as ... churches became businesses and criminals received better treatment than their victims.-- (there was also something about the ten commandments here - not really relevant, and i am not quite sure what they mean by criminals being treated better than victims)

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault. -- (again, the reference here is unclear, but... sure, why not)

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement -- (that settlement was later overturned, but point taken).

---------

I would venture to add a few items here...

Like, when it was decided that it was better to kill a bunch of people to prevent a bunch of people from getting killed - see the Iraq war (and Hiroshima/Nagasaki, for that matter).

Or, when it was determined that it would be better to let a group 9 judges decide who would be president when it was more than feasible to just recount all the ballots. (happening again in Mexico as we speak).

Or how about when the powers that be decided the best way to save the country money was to give huge no-bid contracts to ineffective corporations, to rebuild (trying not to laugh here... or am i fighting back tears?) Iraq and, coincidentally (?) New Orleans, where 3 years later in Iraq 90% of the infrastructure is still out of service, especially the hospitals, schools, public water supplies... but you can bet those oil rigs are pumping at near full capacity! And in New Orleans, a year later, where today Bush declared that the rebuilding was just getting started! Um.... so what you been doing the past year?

This ended with some cutesie babble, which i cut out... but this, as a whole, speaks volumes about the direction this country is headed.

Oh, alright, here it is... (ugh)

_____

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust his wife, Discretion; his daughter Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

Can Arabs be Anti-Semites?

Sem·ite
n.
1. A member of a group of Semitic-speaking peoples of the Near East and northern Africa, including the Arabs, Arameans, Babylonians, Carthaginians, Ethiopians, Hebrews, and Phoenicians.
2. A Jew.
3. Bible. A descendant of Shem.

Technically speaking, I suppose self-hating Arabs can be called anti-Semitic. But as you can see, Arabs are Semites, so to be an Arab anti-Semite, would require a significant measure of self hatred.

Does being pro-Palestine mean one is anti-Semitic? Again, the answer is no. Supporting a Palestinian state is simply that. Supporting a Palestinian state.

Does opposing Israel, or an Israeli state in Palestine mean one is anti-semite? Well, in this case one can be anti-Semitic and oppose Israel, presuming they are also against all people of northern Africa and middle eastern origin. George Bush might fall into this category as Christian zealots do not fall under the definition of Semite, and he does seem bent on the destruction and domination of the entire middle east. However, being against Israel does not, by itself, imply anti-Semitism because many proud Arabs are against the Israeli state. Being anti-Israel is also called anti-Zionism. Anti-Zionism does not equate to anti-Semitism.

Any questions?