We are ready now...why weren't we ready then?

I realize this may not be the right time, but it is burning me right now. In the leadup to hurricane Katrina, there was confusion, misdirected orders, last-minute changes, breakdowns in security, communication, and preparedness... the result was that many people died.


Why do we have to wait for deaths to make proper preparations for what most agree is possible and even probable.

Now, as hurricane Irene heads north, we are more prepared than ever AND disaster relief has been pre-positioned, the military has been called up, the mayor is actively,personally informing the people...all of it appreciated, all of it valuable, all of it likely to save thousands of lives, and even mitigate some resultant property damage...but to me, right now, the cost was just....too high.

The New Political Strategies

Lie, Avoid, Deny, Attack the character of the accuser, and Dismiss. These are the key word to Tea Party/Republican’s campaign strategy going into the mid-term elections. In years past, any candidate would give his/her right arm for national presence and the opportunity to present their views on the national stage. How did we arrive at candidates running from cameras and refusing interviews? How did we arrive at bigots coming within a stone’s throw of major state office? How did we arrive at otherwise reasonable people willing to follow certifiably nutty candidates?
The press will tell you that the constituency is angered, incensed, and not going to take it anymore. They are so mad they are willing to cut off their noses to spite their faces…and candidates KNOW IT! So rather than present a level measured view to how to correct the issues of the day using either right or left wing principles, we are instead talking about witchcraft. We are talking about a candidate that wants to wean his own mother off of Social Security and reduce her Medicare benefits. We are considering candidates that would force a woman to have the child of a rapist or an family member in cases of incest. People proclaiming to want to change the fiscal responsibility in Washington, are themselves fiscally irresponsible. People that claim to represent the best in American values are enjoying the company of prostitutes, Brazilian lovers, and rented boys. People who decide how government will spend our taxes don’t pay their own. The press keeps saying people are angry…you ask the man on the street, he says he has heard that people are angry…people are angry, people are angry…if you say it often enough, and repeat it every news cycle, it becomes thee standard. If you tell people to go to a meeting and shout down the opposition-because they are angry…well you see the results. This isn’t political discourse, its Junior High School schoolyard shenanigans… barely worthy of mention. But just as sex sells, so does anger and reporters continue to look for the hottest buttons to draw the reader/viewer without regard for the fallout.
The other emotion about to determine who drives the car is fear. We are trying to scare common folks with exotic tales of madrassas, Kenyans, birth certificates, Black Liberation Theology – which most people can’t even define, death panels, draconian gun control, government collusion in 9/11, government takeover of your very ability to breathe, the death of marriage, international vendettas as cause for war, un-American presidents, and lying presidents. Up until now, the right has had complete control over the fear button… but that’s about to change.
The only chance Democrats will have this mid-season is to take control of the fear button and press it hard until November 2nd. Without debating the merits of using fear to incite the constituency, there simply is no other way. Poll after poll shows that the electorate is not satisfied with the first two years of Obama’s administration…wow, what have we come to when a president that has arguably accomplished more in two years than any other, is summarily dismissed as having done too much, not having done enough, over shot the mark, under shot the mark and done nothing, ALL AT THE SAME TIME!
Some Democrats, and more importantly the Independents that voted for change in 2008, are unaware or apathetic to what is about to happen during the midterms. The sea change of the congress will have one, and only one effect on governance – There will e NO governance. In the past, when one side wanted a program or a tax cut or whatever… they would negotiate the merits of their idea while providing some benefit to the other side, that’s over. The negotiation would continue until most settled on a result acceptable to both parties… I think they call it compromise (haven’t seen any of that since the brother took the reins), that’s over now. Well if it didn’t happen before in the 60 or no Senate, you can bet your last dollar that it will never happen now- THAT is something to be feared. America cannot afford a stalemated government, we can’t afford a purely liberal government and we can’t afford a purely conservative government. What has worked, and what will work best for ALL Americans is a balanced approach…social services AND tax cuts, individual liberty AND freedom of expression, a strong Military AND a solid Education system. I don’t know when this cycle of extremes will end, but until it does, or until politicians learn to act sensibly, rather than appealing to their base in the interest of keeping their jobs, the stalemate will continue and the ONLY people that will suffer, is the American people, the American ideal, and many American Dreams.

...except win the Nobel Peace Prize!

Less than a week after Saturday Night Live satirically spoofed the president's record of accomplishment, painting a laughable picture of a zero sum total, it appears there is one accomplishment no one expected;

45,000 Die Yearly for a lack of health care....

that's one every 12 minutes...

read the following abstract from the Harvard Study:

Objectives. A 1993 study found a 25% higher risk of death among uninsured compared with privately insured adults. We analyzed the relationship between uninsurance and death with more recent data.

Methods. We conducted a survival analysis with data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. We analyzed participants aged 17 to 64 years to determine whether uninsurance at the time of interview predicted death.

Results. Among all participants, 3.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]=2.5%, 3.7%) died. The hazard ratio for mortality among the uninsured compared with the insured, with adjustment for age and gender only, was 1.80 (95% CI=1.44, 2.26). After additional adjustment for race/ethnicity, income, education, self- and physician-rated health status, body mass index, leisure exercise, smoking, and regular alcohol use, the uninsured were more likely to die (hazard ratio=1.40; 95% CI=1.06, 1.84) than those with insurance.

Conclusions. Uninsurance is associated with mortality. The strength of that association appears similar to that from a study that evaluated data from the mid-1980s, despite changes in medical therapeutics and the demography of the uninsured since that time.

Health Insurance and Mortality in US Adults

Andrew P. Wilper 1*, Steffie Woolhandler 2, Karen E. Lasser 2, Danny McCormick 2, David H. Bor 2, David U. Himmelstein 2

1 University of Washington School of Medicine
2 Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School

We are literally locked in a life and death struggle... people without adequate health care cannot afford to live...literally.

These invisible numbers are our neighbors, our former classmates, our friends, and relatives... one day....maybe even ourselves. One every 12 minutes. My question is simple...to the right; not who will pay, not government fear mongering, not anti-Obama rhetoric, not liberal vs. conservative...I am asking a simple question...a human question...and here it is:

Is it okay for people to die in this country simply for a lack of adequate health care?

An Open letter to Congressman Michael McMahon

I would like to begin by thanking you for having the courage to hold the town hall meeting. I’m relatively sure it met your expectations. The purpose of this letter is to let you know where I stand, unlike many of those that attended last night’s town hall, I voted for you. I voted for you as my Congressman, and I voted for you as my councilman. I will be voting for you again in 200, and my vote is NOT conditional, short of a major moral disaster.

I am a Staten Islander. I have lived on the North Shore my entire life. I have personally been on EVERY side of this issue. As the son of a single parent, my mother went on welfare for a short period. When she got work, and joined the union, our health care got better too. When she changed jobs, and went to work with a less powerful union, we were practically no better off than when she was on welfare. I joined the service, and enjoyed the best health care our country has to offer (probably even better than the care you now receive). When I returned from the service, I went without any insurance for a considerable amount of time. Luckily, I was still healthy, and short of a simple bloody nose that wouldn’t stop, I didn’t need emergency health care. I ran my own business for 5 years with 6 employees…providing zero benefits. I worked as a consultant, where there were no benefits, even as I started a family. I now work for a company where I started out in the union, so I have seen that side, with the constant bargaining that ALWAYS results in increased costs, and fewer benefits. I am now a part of management, so I see the other side of the fence. I say all of this to let you know that I am familiar with EVERY SIDE of the issue you now face. I have kept up with most of the issues regarding the proposed health care legislation, and I have come to a conclusion.

I support health care reform. I support reform that includes a public option (knowing that I will help foot that bill). I support future reasonable tort reform. I support a plan that is deficit neutral. I support a plan that does NOT adversely affect the current care our seniors are receiving. I support a plan that may be PURCHASED by illegal aliens, similar to the way it is now. I support a plan that mandates coverage (however, with fines & without the threat of prison). I support a plan that covers every American. I support a plan that removes stipulations regarding pre-existing conditions.

And I hope you do too.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter, I look forward to your affirmative vote for Health Care reform.

She went too far, now she has to pay...

Those of us who are parents have been there. We know the pressure of a long day, and just as you are at your wits end, a fight breaks out between the kids. You say stop 7 or 8 hundred times to no avail. You look for something to throw or you threaten them with severe bodily harm to no avail. You threaten to put them out of the car, and that doesn't work either...but you pull over for added emphasis...still no luck? How about open the door...by now, most kids are quiet. For whatever reason, Madlyn Primoff, 45, a partner in a Manhattan law firm, took it a step further and really put them out. Her daughters aged 12 and 10 were left on the sidewalk 3 miles from home. The 12 year old ran after the car, so the mother let her in. The 10 yr old wasn't fast enough. The mother was arrested when she appeared at the police station to recover her 'lost' child.

This is not the first, nor will it be the last case of a parent losing control, and taking measures so drastic they defy logic. We have to keep things in perspective when dealing with our children, and remember that nothing they do, is worth endangering their lives. This woman learned that lesson the hard way, but it gives us an opportunity to reflect and cool off when we find ourselves approaching the breaking point. Now go hug the little curtain climbers, even if they were bad today!

Prosecution Gone WILD!

see http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/090326_NJ_Teen_Arrested_After_Posting_Nude_Pics for more...

In yet another case of impulsive prosecution, the Passaic County Sherriff has arrested and charged a 14 year old girl with distribution of child pornography. The victim in this case is the same 14 year old girl. Of course they don't publish her name....she is too young. But that leads me to my point, she is too young to have her name and face plastered all over the news, but not too young to go to jail for 17 years and be registered as a sex offender? Let's be clear, what she did was wrong, and I'm relatively sure a bunch of kids ran home to delete some of their pictuires after hearing the story, but thats it. Doesn't intent play into any of this? She is not some 50 year old man in a wife beater trolling the internet, or trying to meet youngsters at the mall. This is a kid doing the stupid, sometimes illegal, things that kids often do. Yes, make a big deal of it...yes scare the pants off..(bad analogoy)...., but to mark this child with a scarlet letter for the rest of her life is unnecessary, and over the top. I was happy to hear later in the day that the charges would not be filed.

I don't get, why they don't get it.

They didn't get it in 2006, they certainly didn't get it in 2008, and they still just don't get it. The American people want more from their leadership than lip service and ideology to a fault. They want plans, alternatives, and in the end; results! Its really not too much to ask for.

For whatever stubborn reason the conservative/republican party continues to this day to offer more of the same. Less than a hour after Obama completed his successfully informative news conference, one of the potential psuedo leaders of the Republican opposition puts out the call to his fellow republicans to oppose Obama if you don't agree.

"We are now in the position of being the loyal opposition," Jindal said at a Republican congressional fundraising dinner that only by coincidence fell on the same night as Obama's news conference. "The right question to ask is not if we want the president to fail or succeed, but whether we want America to succeed."..."the time for talking about the past is over," Jindal said




Well I'm not a politician, but how can you ever get anything done like that? Whatever happened to compromise? Whatever happened to offering alternative plans? It is hard to believe that they still don't get it, and by the way, they wont get it in 2012 either.

footnote: Adding insult to injury, Mr. Jindal, after the media entertained a short-lived debate about Obama's laughing during his 60 minutes interview, made a joking reference to his previous speech, and torture at GITMO...do these guys ever want to win?

Cramer vs Stewart; win, lose, or draw?

Just wrapped up watching the, hopefully, final segment of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart in which he finally got Jim Cramer to come on the show. Jon let loose on Cramer in a no-holds-barred street brawl...and Cramer begged for more. The real winners here are the viewers of both shows. Stewart gains a little more in the respect and accountability department, while viewers of "Mad Money" will likely take Cramer's advice with some extra grains of salt going forward.

Jon Stewart not only lambasted Cramer for allowing the network to portray him as a financial guru, he let loose on the network (CNBC) as well. He called them to task to be more investigative and less schmoozy with the financial world. While he did not specifically blame them for any part of the financiial crisis, he did make it abundantly clear that if there was any network that could be in the position to know what was coming, it should have been CNBC. They either sat on the sidelines, or worse, at times, cheered them on as the powers that be raped and pilaged.

The sad part is that this one show will likely result in little if any changes. But in the meantime, kudos Jon, you represented the 'little guy', and you did it with fortitude and dignity.

Ahh St. Patrick's Day...what does it really mean?

Year after year, generation upon generation we continue to "religiously" (pun intended) celebrate holidays with little if no regard for their purpose or true meaning to our lives. Take the recent St. Patrick's Day festivities... we see the traditional trappings of a parade and "wearin' o' the green", sweaters, corned beef and cabbage specials, and shammrocks everywhere, but do participants really honor the day, or is it a good reason to get plastered and raise a glass (as if some of us even need a holiday for that). First some history...I promise to keep it short. St. Patrick's day is originally a Holy day of obligation for Catholics, usually observed on March 17th, except when it may interfere with Holy week days. The feast/celebration is so important that bishops have been known to lift meat restrictions implemented for Lent in order to allow the feast to occur. The holiday is to honor, of course, St Patrick. The patron saint of Ireland. Sounds like serious stuff so far... So what is with the drunkfest? and the hooliganism? What part of that honors the Saint? As my wife passed around the back of the parade route, she observed NYPD vehicles with coolers in the trunk (emergency water of course), a psot-parade tour of Forest avenue found bars with the majority of the patrons on the sidewalks and standing room only inside. Loud? yes, Drunk? certainly, Celebrating the patron Saint of Ireland? I didn't see it. Well as luck would have it, Staten Island experienced very few incidents as a direct result of this years revelry (past years were not as fortunate). But in Hoboken- well those guys know how to PARTY! Hoboken experienced 80 injures and police issued 376 siummonses, worse than last years numbers...but not as bad as 2006. I write all this just to make a simple request. If you are going to celebrate anything, know what it is you celebrate and why...maybe, just maybe...we'll begin to celebrate just a little bit differently.

The Girl Who SILENCED THE WORLD at the UN for 6 MINUTES

Truly a MUST SEE.

Keith Olbermann gives synopsis of the Bush years

8 years in 8 minutes...

Heroes

When I was younger, our sports heroes were 60% athlete, 35% role model, and 5% endorsers...My how things have changed...now its 50% athlete, 45% endorser, and 5% role model (and those are the better ones) What happened to the heroes of yesterday. The ones that played as much for the love of the game as for the money. The ones that were glad to freely sign an autograph or visit a dying child. Those heroes are gone, they onl;y continue to exist in the minds of those that remember what is was like to look up to a sports figure and want to be like them. Todays sports 'stars' are whiney spoiled brats who operate with an air of entitlement and often outside the law. Between drugs, attitude, callousness, and the entire gamut of social ills that one might think they would be immune to, they leave us....well....wanting. I for one am blessed. I was never really into it as much as some of my fellow hunter-gatherers. So it is not a stretch for me to throw my hands up and be done with the whole lot of them. They all need to be reminded in some Christmas carol way that there are young impressionables out there longing to be ...just like them.

Florida Teen Commits Preventable Online Suicide

A young man, in his prime, took his own life with a webcam running as logged on users typed away. NONE called for help till 10 hours later. This is a somber reminder that as we pass each other on the roads to our various destinations, we never really know what is going on in each others life. Take the time to talk to one another. Pass a stranger and smile (not freakishly of course). A kind word can go a long way. I know many of you have seen this story before, but I think this event is a good time to revisit it. Remeber your words have power. The power to hurt AND the power to heal. God Bless you all, God loves you, and so do I. The story...



One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw a kid from my class was walking home from school. His name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a nerd." I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon),so I shrugged my shoulders and went on.

As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible sadness in his eyes. My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw a tear in his eye.

As I handed him his glasses, I said, "Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed real gratitude. I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to private school before now. I would have never hung out with a private school kid before. We talked all the way home, and I carried his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I asked him if he wanted to play football on Saturday with me and my friends. He said yes. We hung all weekend and the more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my friends thought the same of him.

Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said, "Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and handed me half the books. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends. When we were seniors, we began to think about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business on a football scholarship.

Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the time about being nerd. He had to prepare a speech for graduation. I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and speak.

Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He was one of those guys that really found himself during high school. He filled out and actually looked good in glasses. He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him. Boy, sometimes I was jealous. Today was one of those days. I could see that he was nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and smiled. "Thanks," he said.

As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through those tough years. Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I am going to tell you a story."

I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do it later and was carrying his stuff home. He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile. "Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from doing the unspeakable. "I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome, popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw his mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's depth.

Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life. For better or for worse. God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for God in others.

Praise for FOX NEWS Network, not so much for Rev. Jesse Jackson

First the praise- good choice attempting to withhold the full comments by Jesse Jackson during his open mic rant. Still don't know why, but trying to protect his reputation and the true cause of his efforts are admirable.

Jesse Jackson is no longer able to call himself a 'Civil Rights Leader' He has debased his viability, and become impotent to the public at large. Harsh? Of course it is! He knows that as a purported leader he is held to a higher standard. As such his use of racially charged language to describe the people he claims to support is unforgivable. Not by me, and not by God....but by his own message. He can no longer lead a fight against injustice....someone will forever bring this up....and they wont be wrong. He needs to step down immediately to preserve the organizations he founded, if not he is destined to drag them down and make them equally insignificant as he is now.

Rev Jackson RESIGN NOW!
What a difference a few hours makes

New African-American Leadership

The Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton reign of leadership is coming to an end. Not because they are no longer viable or necessary, but because their way of screaming into the camera while making backroom deals is not the way African-Americans need their leadership. We are in a position now to genuinely choose someone to speak for us...on the issues that affect us most. Not only can he speak to them, but he will soon be in a position to introduce some changes. The dynamics of discrimination have changed, it is time that the way we deal with it change as well. The old way has soured and been bastardized into something corporate. It has become more of a function of economics and less of laying bare the pure facts of each case. We're not done with Rev. Al and Rev. Jesse just yet...they still have a case or two left, but their time is certainly at hand.

Just when you think there is progress in race relations...

someone tosses a 1950's curve ball. An african American family was given the runaround and refused a room at a Clarion Hotel in Scranton,PA. Personally, I believe the hotel is liable for the damage and should pay the suit, BUT only as a measure of poor hiring practices. I don't believ it is a policy of the hotel, but rather an employees poor choice. That said it is unfathomable to believe that this still takes place in 2008. How many other families have passed through that lobby when she was on duty? How many may have slept in their cars, or had accidents on their way elsewhere if they were too tired. When will this stop?

http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/07/14/World_s_Second-Largest_Hotel_Chain_Wouldn_t_Rent_To_Black_Family_Man_Says.htm