The Fat Lady Sings

Please President Obama

I know you have a lot on your plate right now – and that you said your first priorities will be the rescuing of our economy and achieving energy independence.  Laudable undertakings – and necessary…..but please sir – please don’t forget health care reform.  I fear it will get pushed to the bottom of that formidable priorities list – buried under the weight of undoing BushCo depredations.  Our country is indeed in crises – no argument there.  Only a blind person could miss that.  And you are the one responsible for the clean-up.  It is to you we all look, our hopeful hearts in our eyes, praying you’ll be a combination of FDR and Kennedy.  Fix it, we cry; expecting you to pull New Deal rabbits out of invisible hats.  It’s an almost impossible task.  So when you spoke recently of the difficulties we all face – that as Americans we will need to be patient and make sacrifices – I understood.  We should not expect miracles.  Rescuing America might take years.  You have set an ambitious agenda.  Achieving such lofty goals may eat well into your second term.  Gotcha.

 

Well I’m prepared to make those sacrifices, Mr. President – I am.  I’d say we all are.  But if you don’t address health care reform soon (and by that I mean immediately upon assuming office) - I may not be around to take advantage of such reforms when they arrive.  You see - I’m sick.  I’m sick, and I can’t afford the doctor.  Oh – my husband has insurance (for what its worth) – but what used to be considered good insurance has dwindled of late.  What it covers and what we still owe is now so out of whack - doctor visits have to be balanced against grocery bills.  Hell - I am still paying off tests I had done last June – and I cannot afford the further exploration and possible surgery those tests indicated I need.

 

And that’s not the end of it – not by half.  Our insurance has once again been downgraded.  That means out of pocket expenses for next year have risen to six thousand dollars.  I don’t have six thousand dollars, Mr. President.  I don’t even have six hundred.  And if my husband gets laid off (his company recently sent out emails telling everyone that three thousand employees can expect goodbye letters before Thanksgiving) - there will not even be enough to pay for the medication I so desperately need to just get through the day (chronic pain is one of my illness’s consequences).  I spend sleepless nights worrying about that, you know – about that, and about what I’ll do if my husband loses his job.  What if there’s no insurance?  If I cannot afford my medication?  And what happens if, on top of that, we also lose our home?  

 

I’ve been homeless before, you know – 25 years ago.  It was hard enough then: The fear.  Being hungry.  Listening to drunks and crazies tear apart the shelter – wondering if I should take my chances sleeping under the overpass with all the passed-over Vets (Vietnam back then.  I’m sure they’ve been replaced by Iraqi and Afghani Vets now).  The shame of interviewing for work wearing the same stained clothes and worn out shoes as the day before.  I really don’t think I can handle it now - especially sick.  I mean - the pain’s bad enough on its own - but I can hardly walk any more.  Navigating the sea of obstacles betwixt my bedroom and my office is an exodus worthy of Leon Uris’s attention.  So how on earth could I manage living on the streets?  The answer is: I don’t know – I really don’t; but it frightens me half to death thinking about it.  Like many other Americans, my husband and I are balanced on the edge of a financial knife – just one paycheck away from oblivion.  Homelessness is terrifying when you’re healthy.  I cannot even imagine such a circumstance now.  What I do know is – I’m not likely to survive it.

 

So please, President Obama – please give a thought to immediate health care reform.  I believe, as an American citizen, I have a right to adequate medical attention.  It shouldn’t be predicated upon my (or my spouses) ability to pay.  My life is as important as yours, Mr. President.  Grant me access to the same care you enjoy as a servant of the people.  I would really like to be able to vote for you once again, you know.  But without help, I’m afraid any future support I might give may be in spirit only.

STUDENTS: A CHALLENGE FOR YOU

Almost 2 million people have viewed this over at YouTube.  You'd think with all that interest, people would respond favorably.  Not so.  The comments are quite disappointing, as a matter of fact.  Tons of “I don’t give a fuck” and precious little “We shall overcome”. There are protests going on tomorrow – all over the country. People will be marching in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston.  United for Peace and Justice is sponsoring the event.  Please, if you live anywhere near one of the rallying points, go join your fellow Americans and exorcise your constitutional right to stand up and be heard. Bush is joking about WWIII.  Today Putin compared Bush's revitalization of the old Star Wars missile shield as analogous to the Cuban Missile Crises. We are all dancing on the edge of a knife, my friends.  This madness must stop. 

They haven't given up on bombing Iran

The next war would begin with an intense air and naval campaign. Let's say you're planning the conflict as part of the staff of the Joint Chiefs. Your list of targets isn't that long -- only a few dozen nuclear sites -- but you can't risk retaliation from Tehran. So you allow 21 days for the bombardment, to be safe; you'd aim to strike every command-and-control facility, radar site, missile site, storage site, airfield, ship and base in Iran. To prevent world oil prices from soaring, you'd have to try to protect every oil and gas rig, and the big ports and load points. You'd need to use B-2s and lots of missiles up front, plus many small amphibious task forces to take out particularly tough targets along the coast, with manned and unmanned air reconnaissance. And don't forget the Special Forces, to penetrate deep inside Iran, call in airstrikes and drag the evidence of Tehran's nuclear ambitions out into the open for a world that's understandably skeptical of U.S. assertions that yet another Gulf rogue is on the brink of getting the bomb.

But if it's clear how a war with Iran would start, it's far less clear how it would end. How might Iran strike back? Would it unleash Hezbollah cells across Europe and the Middle East, or perhaps even inside the United States? Would Tehran goad Iraq's Shiites to rise up against their U.S. occupiers? And what would we do with Iran after the bombs stopped falling? We certainly could not occupy the nation with the limited ground forces we have left. So what would it be: Iran as a chastened, more tractable government? As a chaotic failed state? Or as a hardened and embittered foe?

Up All Night To Do What's Right

For those of you who don't already know - I'm Kelley Wenzlaff's Media Manager and Personal Advisor.  Kelley is running for the Ohio State House in Delaware County (2nd District).  Tonight from 9 PM to 10 PM she will be participating in the Ohio Democratic Party's 'Up All Night To Do What's Right' candle-light vigil over at Senator Voinovich's Columbus office.  The idea is to 'encourage' his support of the Levin-Reed amendment.  Here's Voinovich's address:

Voinovich Central Office: 37 West Broad Street Columbus, OH 43215

Please feel free to join Kelley there.  If you cannot make it to Columbus, then please join the Ohio Democratic Party in a virtual vigil online.  The festivities start at 10 PM.  Hopefully Senator Voinovich will take time to listen to his constituents.  The Ohio Democratic Party plans to post updates on their blog.  Kelley hopes that other Ohioans will call Senator Voinovich and tell him to support the Levin-Reed amendment.  Here's his DC office number:

Washington, DC Office: (202) 224-3353

This is for our troops, people.  Please show your support.  And don't forget to stop by and say hi to Kelley.  :)  She's really been racking up the miles.  Last Sunday she helped the local LGBT community protect a display on families and diversity.  I don't know where she gets the energy! 

   

Happy 4th of July!

I just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Independence Day.  Above all else - America's architects created a form of government that, left unmolested, has proved to have enduring strength and sense of purpose.  I would like you all to remember just who and what we were intended to be.  That best of us still exists.  It is mired in the filth and detritus of two men’s minds - but it exists.  I suggest you take time over this holiday to reflect on America as was.  Isn't it about time we all stood up and put things right?  Ask Congress to impeach President George Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney.  Insist they do it immediately.  Amen.

How to End the American Empire

I've heard alot lately about how we're now stuck with the govt we've got, rather than the one we want. The Corporations own everything, including our "elected representatives", and are busily buying up all the new ones we've just elected.

It's time to take our govt back from the war mongers, the corporations, big psudo-religion, and all the power mongering politicians. (did you know we have 737 US military enclaves around the world? - neither did I)
The road we're going down is  delivering the US population into the kind of economy that North Korea has been enjoying since the ceasefire, and I don't think We The People are prepared for how our ruling elites think we should be grateful to be living.

The price of gas just went up yesterday to 3.17 in my neighborhood. As far as I know, there's no reason for the increase other than more gouging. The state legislature here in CT is considering rolling back the gas tax. (and thereby giving BigOil leeway so they can jack up the price even more) So, in order to preserve our economy right now, we'll be forgoing tax funds that could have added to our prosperity, 'cause we're sending the money off to fatten up the bottom line of Big Oil.  If we added the price of those 737 military bases, all the infrastructure that goes along with, and the price of Iraq and Afghanistan to the price at the pump, it would be obvious that we cannot afford to run gasoline engines any more.

When you add the price of all the taxes NOT paid by big bidness, and all the depressed wages and lost jobs, the cost of cleaning up after they make a mess of our environment, it becomes obvious that we cannot afford big business and the trade deals they made behind our backs.

When you consider the state of big agriculture, with the degradation that the factory farms inflict upon the land, the pollution of our waterways and oceans, the antibiotic resistant germs that are proliferating, the poisons entering our food supply from out of the country, and the health problems that our diet and factory farming are inflicting on our population, it becomes obvious that we cannot afford "cheap food" any more.

We've been  had, and before it's too late (if it already is not) it's time to act. In a Tomgram book review, Tom Inglehardt details the actions that must be taken - toot sweet - in order to save our republic (and, I would argue, our grandchildren's world).

Read the whole article at  Molly Ivin's Working For Change - Tomgram: Ending the empire: Is imperial liquidation possible for America?

I Heart Dennis Kucinich

Scheer: Now, what about the speaker, because she comes from probably one of the most liberal districts in the country, in San Francisco. She got fiery right before she became the speaker. What’s her responsibility? Why did she tone it down? Why is she compromising with the president?

Kucinich: Speaker Pelosi has her own problem; I’m talking about the entire Democratic caucus here. I’m saying that Democrats should have stood for getting out of Iraq immediately, and we didn’t. And the war is going to go on. The bottom line out of all this is that the president got money to keep the war going. He’ll veto it, and it’ll come back to Congress to come up with a plan that will be even weaker. We should have come out very strong; we knew he was going to veto it anyhow. We should have come out strong and indicated that the Democrats stand for truly getting out of Iraq. We didn’t show that by this bill. You could say, “Well, we reached a timeline”; that doesn’t mean a thing.  People say, well, constitutionally it means everything. If it means everything then why didn’t we set a timeline of 90 days. Why a year, why a year and a half? We just have to put an end to this nonsense. We’ve got to get out of Iraq. This war is destroying the aspirations of people, for housing, healthcare, education. It’s ruining America’s reputation in the world. It’s destabilizing the region. The president’s rattling the sabers against Iran, he can use money in this bill to attack Iran. They took out a provision in this bill that would have caused him to have to come back to Congress. It will privatize the oil of Iraq. They call this a victory? For whom?

The rest of the interview is here with a tip of the hat to Truthdig.

For Lee

This is Lee Kinchen.  I first heard about Lee from Anntichrist S. Coulter over at Mark of the Beast.  Take a good long look at that face.  Her eyes speak volumes – do they not? Pain, yes; but there is joy there – a bubbling undercurrent that breaks free with each and every smile. Not that Lee has very much to smile about these days. You see - Lee has Neurofibromatosis-1, often called Elephant Man’s Disease after Joseph Merrick, its most famous patient.  You’d think god would be done with Lee – after all, Neurofibromatosis-1 is a devastating disease, causing great pain and deformation. On top of that – this woman managed to survive Katrina (no small feat for someone so limited); but no – Lee is now facing an almost insurmountable hurdle. A brain tumor is threatening to take away her life. It’s part of the disease – and if not immediately removed Lee will surely die. Now – I know we all have our own crosses to bear – but Lee’s cross is heavier than most - and she really needs help overcoming this burden.  One thing desperately needed is a grant writer – someone with enough expertise to quickly navigate corporate waters and help find necessary funds. Neurosurgeons have volunteered their time and expertise to do whatever it is that will save Lee's life, but the hospital costs are going to be insurmountable - $200 K at last count.  Now - A fund has been set up at the Bank of St. Francisville - so if you can help, please mail or drop off contributions to:

Fund For Leola Kinchen
(c/o) Susan Hammer
Bank Of St. Francisville
P.O. Drawer 818
St. Francisville, LA 70775 USA

We all talk about "helping others" at this time of year - well, here's your chance to SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE.  If you stop on over at Mark of the Beast you will find PayPal information that will make donating even easier. Thank you for listening.  And bless Anntichrist S. Coulter for her tireless efforts on Lee’s behalf. Annti herself is recovering from delicate back surgery – and still she manages to find the energy to help her friend. There are far too few people on this planet willing to reach out beyond their own sphere.  Annti is one of those rare and special individuals. 

Voter Suppression

The Dark Wraith has a very interesting post up about one of his students.  It seems the young man in question is regular Army, stationed here in the states, and lately training in methods of civilian riot control. That’s right – I said civilian riot control.  For the Department of Homeland Security, yet!  Matter of fact – he just had a refresher course this last weekend.  Hmmmm.  Very interesting information, that.  Since when does the Army do the job of the local police or, at worst, the National Guard?  Remember last summer’s evisceration of Posse Comitatus?  Makes one begin to think, doesn’t it?  You know - I had expected the Republican ‘putsch’ to center around the voting machines themselves - an electronic coup, as it were.  You know - like before – misreporting the voting, red states or counties closing polls down early, losing certain machines or completely reprogramming them – that sort of thing.  It didn’t occur to me that they'd revert to sheer muscle - but physical force is one of the most effective ways to stop something.  Will the troops comply, is the question?  What with all the editorializing going on between those retired generals and admirals - you'd think the military would take a leaf from the Reagan play book and just say no.  What’s your view on this?  Do you think that kid (an American citizen) would open fire on a crowd of civilians (also American citizens) if ordered to do so? 

Letter from Iraq

This no holds barred account of life in Iraq was written by a Marine officer and initially sent only to a small group of his family and friends.  It’s honest, frank, and contrasts sharply with the story presented by the Pentagon and Bush acolytes.  Needless to say – It’s really made the rounds on Capital hill.  Frankly - I’m surprised the author hasn’t been court-marshaled or imprisoned for telling the truth.  This copy of the letter was published by Time with a few judicious omissions designed to grant anonymity.  I think what he has to say is important – good and bad; and we all should really take the time to listen.  Just so you know - the emphasis on certain comments and phrases is mine.

All: I haven't written very much from Iraq. There's really not much to write about. More exactly, there's not much I can write about because practically everything I do, read or hear is classified military information or is depressing to the point that I'd rather just forget about it, never mind write about it. The gaps in between all of that are filled with the pure tedium of daily life in an armed camp. So it's a bit of a struggle to think of anything to put into a letter that's worth reading. Worse, this place just consumes you. I work 18-20-hour days, every day. The quest to draw a clear picture of what the insurgents are up to never ends. Problems and frictions crop up faster than solutions. Every challenge demands a response. It's like this every day. Before I know it, I can't see straight, because it's 0400 and I've been at work for 20 hours straight, somehow missing dinner again in the process. And once again I haven't written to anyone. It starts all over again four hours later. It's not really like Ground Hog Day, it's more like a level from Dante's Inferno.