Today, the Supreme Court reversed the Gun Ban Legislation that had been initiated in the City of Chicago. In May, of last year, I wrote an article addressing the very issue of the Right To Bear Arms. I would like to re post the article again and urge comments. I would like to know how all you readers out there feel about this subject. If you wish to review the original graphics of this article, feel free to click on the link in May 2009. I now present, From My Cold Dead Hands.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
From My Cold Dead Hands
On May 20, 2000, then National Rifle Association President Charlton Heston, made a speech in front of a large audience at the 129th NRA Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. The following are the closing remarks from that speech;
For the next six months, [presidential candidate and Vice President of the United States] Al Gore is going to smear you as the enemy. He will slander you as gun-toting, knuckle-dragging, bloodthirsty maniacs who stand in the way of a safer America. Will you remain silent? I will not remain silent. If we are going to stop this, then it is vital to every law-abiding gun owner in America to register to vote and show up at the polls on Election Day.
Heston paused to pick up a replica of a Revolutionary War musket, and continued
As we set out this year to defeat the divisive forces that would take freedom away, I want to say those words again for everyone within the sound of my voice to hear and to heed, and especially for you, Mr. Gore: 'From my cold, dead hands!'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_my_cold,_dead_hands
Charlton Heston, Actor, Political Activist and Four (4) Term President of the National Rifle Association, passed away on April 5, 2007 at the age of 84. So, he was not able to respond when, then Democratic Presidential Primary Candidate Barack Obama was quoted at a fundraiser in San Francisco; 'It's not surprising ... they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them, or anti- immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations,' referring to small town voters in the state of Pennsylvania.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/usa/features/article_1399675.php
Today, in 2009, the topic of Gun Control is once again appearing on the Horizon. The Gun Control Lobby is pushing hard for President Obama, to make significant movement, in the direction of banning Assault Weapons and if they had their way, all weapons. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence was originated to advocate for this cause. On March 30, 1981, James Brady was shot and paralyzed during an assassination attempt against then President Ronald Reagan. The following are the first two (2) paragraphs from the website;
http://www.bradycampaign.org/about/jimandsarahbio.php
James S. Brady achieved a lifelong career goal with his appointment by President Ronald Reagan in January of 1981 to be Assistant to the President and White House Press Secretary. However, his service was interrupted on March 30, 1981, when John Hinckley attempted to assassinate the President, and shot both President Reagan, Mr. Brady, and two law enforcement officers. Although seriously wounded by the gunshot wound to the head, Mr. Brady remained the White House Press Secretary until the end of the Reagan Administration.
Since leaving the White House, Mr. Brady has spent much time lobbying with his wife Sarah, Chair of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (formerly Handgun Control), for stronger gun laws. On November 30, 1993, President Clinton signed the "Brady Bill" - a bill named in Mr. Brady's honor - into law. The Brady law required a five-day waiting period and background check on all handgun purchases through licensed dealers. Mr. Brady also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence (formerly the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence), the Brady Campaign's sister organization, which is a 501 (3)(c) organization working to reduce gun violence through education, research, and legal advocacy. In addition, Mr. Brady serves as Vice Chairman of the National Brain Injury Foundation as well as the Vice Chairman of the National Organization on Disability.
I bring all of these facts to light to show what powerful lobbyists are dueling in this issue. No matter what statistics either side brings to the table, the discussion is about changing one of the very foundations of our nation. The Right to Bear Arms.
The following is from the Cornell University Law School website titled The Constitution; http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html
Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
To me looking at this Amendment, it appears rather vague, allowing significant latitude in its interpretation. Maybe it was written that way for a purpose. The purpose being that this right was and could be needed to keep our Republic safe from all enemies, Foreign and Domestic. But, I do believe our Nations Founding Fathers anticipated and had the foresight to see, that times and Society could change at some point in the future, where this Freedom will still stand strong but, tempered for the good of the Nation. I believe they knew this Basic Right will always hold true, the core beliefs, of what made our Nation the leader in the World today.
I believe in the Right and freedom to Bear Arms, as well as, every right and law in our Constitution. I have not nor has any member of my family been involved with any type of incident where Guns were involved. I hope that life is kind enough to me to keep it that way. But, if it is not, I hope I will remain true to my core beliefs. That is, I do not believe that shredding any of these rights is justified, no matter what statistics or outright facts are proven.
So, I implore President Obama, use wisdom in your quest for Gun Control. I am not as educated as you but if we put tighter Regulation on Gun Manufacturing along with Traceability and more responsible Gun Ownership Laws, I believe we can obtain the means necessary to effectively manage the use of All Weaponry, without sacrificing any rights. Here’s a suggestion for starters. Make all firearms like automobiles. Their Serial numbers go into a Federal Registry along with a print of the Ballistic make up of that weapon. Make altering a weapon to hide its identity a crime. I have many more suggestions but, I think you get the idea.
Gun Control is a Hot Button issue that I believe surpasses Healthcare, Gay Marriage, Abortion Rights or even the Economy. My message to President Obama is this; you will always be remembered for tearing down the Racial Barrier and becoming our Nations first African American President. Please do not let your legacy be tarnished by becoming the only President that stirred a Revolution. You see, I am afraid the Revolution I am referring to, may not necessarily be fought in the Voting Booth.
That's how I see it.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Counting Their Chickens
Early this year, Scott Brown, won the Senate seat vacated by the death of Ted Kennedy. The Republicans touted this as a wave of change to come. The Teabagging movement claimed complete victory to the point where they felt they were the people who made the difference in Mr. Brown’s win. Living here in Massachusetts and witnessing this event, I can tell you that, even though Scott Brown ran a good and effective campaign, his victory can be attributed to the complacency and entitlement attitude of his opponent Martha Coakley, more than the great push from the Teabaggers. A perfect example of this is a quote from Boston Globe columnist Brian McCrory, in one of his articles; Brian McGrory, a columnist at the Coakley-friendly Boston Globe, accused her of being a "diva" who was dodging debates and skipping the flesh-pressing necessary to win. When asked by the Globe why she wasn't out stumping like Brown, she fired back: “As opposed to standing outside Fenway Park? In the cold? Shaking hands?” Reason.com Michael C. Moynihan This past week, the Teabaggers are claiming victory again and the Republican Party is claiming, “a failing influence” of President Obama, by the results of primaries and special elections that have taken place around the country this week. Now, I am not an expert on politics but I feel I am the average Independent Voter. This is how I am seeing what the results mean. Remember, no party can win an election by themselves. It is the support of the Independent Voter that tips the election to either candidate.
Now, let us take a look at two of the races taking place. The defeat of career Senator Arlen Specter to Two terms Congressman Joe Sestak and the special election for the Congressional Seat vacated by the death of Congressman John Murtha. Many have said the loss of Specter was a rebuke to President Obama. Yet, during Mr. Specter’s campaign neither President Obama nor Vice President Joe Biden openly campaigned for him. The Teabaggers fought for Tim Burns but, Democrat Mark Critz made a stunning comeback in the final days to capture the seat.
The following is an article from U.S. News and World report which I think illustrates the true meaning behind the Sestak and Critz victories; http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2010/05/20/specter-critz-results-send-mixed-messages-for-democrats.html
Specter, Critz Results Send Mixed Messages for Democrats
Joe Sestak was able to knock off Specter but Democrats do have one bright spot
By Caitlin Huey-Burns Posted May 20, 2010
Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter is the latest causality at the hands of frustrated voters targeting incumbents. Specter lost to two-term Rep. Joe Sestak in the Democratic primary. Analysts say that Sestak's campaign commercial, showing footage of Specter saying he switched parties to get reelected, drove the candidacy of five-term Republican turned Democrat to the grave. "It was the most brilliant and devastating commercial since 1986," says Terry Madonna, director of the Franklin & Marshall College Poll. "It showed Specter in his own words and the truth of it remained, he said it and that reinforced Sestak's nine month argument." The commercial struck a loud cord with Pennsylvania voters. "Many of the electorate perceived [Specter] as being very evasive of where he stood on a lot of things," says Jerry Shuster, a professor of political communication at the University of Pittsburgh. "His switch appeared to be manipulative of the electorate." Low voter-turnout also contributed to Specter's loss. "It has been clear from the beginning that the lower the turnout, the better Sestak would do," says Madonna. Only 24 percent of Democrats and 27 percent of Republicans showed up to vote Tuesday in their respective primaries. Tuesday's rainy weather also could have affected voter turnout. Pennsylvania voters tend to be older and have difficulty getting to the polls, according to the state's Election Commissioner Chet Harhut. Sestak will face a heated race against Republican Pat Toomey in November, in what will be a "super expensive race that starts today," says Shuster.
Toomey, a former Wall Street trader, small business owner, and congressman lost to Specter in 2004. Madonna says Sestak, a former Admiral with a three decades in the Navy, will have a good chance of beating Toomey in November if he rails against the establishment, congressional spending, and focuses his campaign on creating jobs."[Sestak] has to tell his narrative, his great narrative," says Madonna, referring to Sestak's naval career. "Toomey will have a bit more of a problem with his biography. He will have to defend his stint on Wall Street." There was an important exception to the anti-establishment cloud hovering over this year's races. Democrats were victorious in a special election for the late Rep. John Murtha's seat Tuesday. The southwestern Pennsylvania district supported Sen. John Kerry in 2004 then backed Sen. John McCain in 2008. The region is thought to be strong indication of how voters nationwide will feel come November. Democrat Mark Critz, a former Murtha aid, beat Republican businessman Tim Burns 53 percent to 45 percent in a race originally pegged by pollsters as a dead heat in the days leading up to the election. He will be sworn in Thursday. But Shuster says Critz's win should come as no surprise. "They liked Critz and they liked Murtha," he says. "Because he worked for Murtha and because of the party hierarchy, he'll have a distinct advantage because he's familiar with all the right people."
Though Critz will take office immediately, he won't go long without a fight. He must face Burns again in November. "Historically, in Pennsylvania, the Republicans will vote fairly straight Republican," says Shuster. "But Democrats are more prone to switch." In that case, both candidates will have to target their campaigns at voters on the edge.
As for the race between Senator Blanche Lincoln and LT. Governor Bill Halter, It is a simple case of throw the bum out. I believe Senator Lincoln did not listen to her constituents enough and staying true to the Democratic Party theme. She finds herself in a position where trying to explain her performance has become an agonizing up hill battle.
Now the Teabaggers are opportunists. The overwhelming victory of Rand Paul over the mainstream Republican Candidate Trey Grayson is hailed as a significant step to the power of the Teabagging movement. Senator Jim DeMint, a Republican from South Carolina heralded Mr. Paul’s victory as a defeat of the Washington political establishment. I find that humorous since Mr. DeMint is a part of that very establishment. To me, I believe Mr. Paul’s victory was attributed to name recognition, for one. His father, Congressman Ron Paul, is believed to be the inspiration to the Teabagger movement. I believe the defeat of Tray Grayson is more of a rebuke of the mainstream Republican leadership of the likes of Senator Mitch McConnell and former Vice President Dick Cheney more than it is towards Washington.So, enjoy your fifteen minutes of fame all you Teabaggers. Maybe you can stretch it into twenty minutes. The effect you will have on the mid term elections this year remains to be seen. But, I truly believe, if the backwards thinking of the Teabaggers should gain power, it will be short lived. We have come too far as a nation of rights and freedoms for all to return to the days of racism and bigotry. Those days are gone. That is what makes our country great.
That’s How I See It.
Websites of Reference:
http://reason.com/archives/2010/01/15/the-incredible-incompetence-of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Brown
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2010/05/20/specter-critz-results-send-mixed-messages-for-democrats.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanche_Lincoln
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/us/politics/19elect.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rand_Paul
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/19/us/politics/19elect.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Paul
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The Missiles Of October
About two months ago, President Barack Obama, took part in a Summit Meeting about the proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Only the future will tell how successful he was, in making all countries involved, understand their individual responsibilities with the control of Nuclear Weapons. As usual, People from the extreme Left said he did not go far enough. While, the extreme Right said he was a total failure. Regardless of which opinion you believe, let me relate a story to you about the day our country and the Soviet Union almost caused Armageddon. This story is being told through the eyes of a seven year old child who, sat in a front row seat, waiting to witness the end of the world.
I really do not recall if it was a weekend or I just stayed home from school that day. But, my mother had the venetian blinds pulled all the way up on the picture window in the dining room. I had all my little cars on the big window frame and along the bench seat below the sill. We had been hearing the Air Raid sirens for the last day or two and my parents were concerned. The Television was on all the time. But, I could not listen to my cartoons because there was some man talking about war. I remember my Mother and Father were glued to the Television set and always holding hands. I had never seen them act this way before. While I was playing with my cars I heard the Air Raid Siren start up again. But, this time, the sound was different. Instead of being a steady wailing sound it was a high pitch then low pitch sound. My parents did not seem to hear it because both of them were in front of the television set praying as the reporter was talking on the screen. As I gazed outside wondering what was going on I saw white smoke coming from the top of the hillside about a mile from our home. This hillside was owned by the United States Air Force. It was the home to a Minute Man Missile Silo.
I remember calling out to my parents, telling them the hill was on fire. But, they were so wrapped up with the Television, they did not hear me. As I watched the smoke, I saw a Rocket slowly rising up to the surface. When it stopped rising, I called out to my parents and said “MA, Dad, come look! The Astronauts are going up!” My Father told me to be quiet. Then he realized the sound of the siren and his face turned white. I said, “Dad, the sirens must be for the Astronauts. Come here, look!” My Father walked over to the window and said “Oh, my God!” My Mother came over and she began to scream. My Father grabbed her and sat her down behind me at the dining room table and held her in his arms. He kept trying to tell my Mom that everything would be alright but, it was not working to well. As I learned when I became older, the rocket was a missile and it was not going to launch Astronauts.
For two days, my parents and I sat there in the dining room watching that missile. Day and night, I slept on the floor in the dining room because my parents said we all needed to be together. Watching the Television, crying, laughing then, and crying again. I really did not know what to make of this but; at least I did not have to go to school. Around the beginning of the third day, the Air Raid Siren started wailing again. This time, it was a steady wail. I looked at the missile and saw the plume of smoke that had been constant for the last few days had stopped. Then suddenly, the missile began to lower back into the hill. I called out to my Dad but, he was already standing behind me watching the same thing. He kissed me on the head and said, “Everything is going to be alright now, son!”
I later learned that we almost came to Nuclear War with the Soviet Union over missiles they had in Cuba and we had in Turkey. All I know is it was the only time I saw real fear in my parents face and that life could have come to an end with only the sight of a flash. It was years later that I realized I had a front row seat to the end of the world. I did not think much about it until a movie came out called “The Day After”. It is a story of a nuclear exchange that occurred between our country and a foreign power. I cried when I saw that movie for the first time because it finally hit me. The horrors of Nuclear War could have happened to me and I could have perished without knowing what life was all about. I thought about Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan. I wondered how many seven year olds lost their lives when the Nuclear age reared its ugly head at them.
So, regardless of what you think of President Obama, let us hope he and all the leaders of the world have struck an agreement where no child of any age, has to wonder what could have been. Oh, and just so you know that seven year old boy was me. But, you probably already figured that out, huh.That’s How I See It.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
A False Sense Of Patriotism
The Healthcare issue has brought our country to a new era in reform. Unfortunately, some very ignorant people have taken Patriotism beyond what our civilized democracy is all about. The Tea baggers, as well as, the Republican Party itself, has instigated and incited a frenzy that is misled and extremely misguided. The war was the culmination of the political American Revolution, whereby many of the colonists rejected the legitimacy of the Parliament of Great Britain to govern them without representation, claiming that this violated the Rights of Englishmen. The First Continental Congress met in 1774 to coordinate relations with Great Britain and the thirteen now self-governing and individual provinces, petitioning George III for intervention with Parliament, organizing a boycott of British goods, while affirming loyalty to the British Crown. Their pleas ignored, and with British combat troops billeted in Boston, Massachusetts, by 1775 the Provincial Congresses formed the Second Continental Congress and authorized a Continental Army. Additional petitions to the king to intervene with Parliament resulted in the following year with Congress being declared traitors and the states to be in rebellion. The Americans responded in 1776 by formally declaring their independence as one new nation — the United States of America — claiming their own sovereignty and rejecting any allegiance to the British monarchy.
The following is an article from Yahoo.com reporting events today; http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100325/ap_on_re_us/us_health_care_threats
Dems deal with threats over health care support
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS, Associated Press Writer Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press Writer – Thu Mar 25, 6:35 am ET
Democratic Congress members are getting lessons from the FBI on how to handle threats such as several directed at their colleagues, including bricks hurled through windows and menacing obscenity-laced phone messages left for those who supported sweeping federal health care legislation.
Windows were shattered at four Democratic offices in New York, Arizona and Kansas and at least 10 members of Congress have reported some sort of threats, leaders said. No arrests had been made as of Wednesday, but the FBI is investigating.
Lawmakers who feel they are at risk will be "getting attention from the proper authorities," said House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., who denounced the threats and vandalism at a news conference. He declined to say whether any are receiving extra security. Normally only those in leadership positions have personal security guards.
The brick flung through the window of a county Democratic Party office in Rochester, N.Y., over the weekend had a note attached: "Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice," roughly quoting 1964 Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater.
A New York congresswoman whose office window also was smashed with a brick accused the Republican leadership of failing to denounce attacks against lawmakers. The vandalism happened at Democratic Rep. Louise Slaughter's district office in Niagara Falls early Friday, two days before the House passed the health care overhaul bill.
"It's more disturbing to me that Republican leadership has not condemned these attacks and instead appears to be fanning the flames with coded rhetoric," said Slaughter, a key supporter of the bill.
House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio said in a statement that while many Americans are angry over the bill's passage, "violence and threats are unacceptable."
"That's not the American way," Boehner said. "We need to take that anger and channel it into positive change."
Some of the anger spilled over in a flood of obscenity and threat-filled phone and fax messages to the office of Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich. Stupak vowed to oppose the health care package unless given greater assurance that it would not allow federal funding of elective abortions. He voted in favor after the administration agreed.
Stupak's office released some of the messages, declining further comment.
"I hope you bleed ... (get) cancer and die," one male caller told the congressman between curses.
A fax with the title "Defecating on Stupak" carried a picture of a gallows with "Bart (SS) Stupak" on it and a noose attached. It was captioned, "All Baby Killers come to unseemly ends Either by the hand of man or by the hand of God."
The vandalism and threats surprised a researcher at a think tank that monitors extremist groups.
"I think it is astounding that we are seeing this wave of vigilantism," said Mark Potok of the Alabama-based Southern Poverty Law Center.
Hoyer said people have yelled that Democratic lawmakers should be put on firing lines and posters have appeared with the faces of lawmakers in the cross hairs of a target.
While not directly criticizing Republicans, Hoyer said that "any show of appreciation for such actions encourages such action."
Gun imagery was used in a posting on the Facebook page of Sarah Palin urging people to organize against 20 House Democrats who voted for the health care bill and whose districts went for the John McCain-Palin ticket two years ago. Palin's post featured a U.S. map with circles and cross hairs over the 20 districts.
In Virginia, someone cut a propane line leading to a grill at the Charlottesville home of U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello's brother after the address was posted online by activists angry about the health care overhaul. Perriello also said a threatening letter was sent to his brother's house. The FBI and local authorities were investigating.
Tea party activists had posted the brother's address online thinking it was the congressman's home. The post urged opponents to drop by and "express their thanks" for the Democrat's vote in favor of the sweeping health care reform.
Nigel Coleman, chairman of the Danville Tea Party, said he re-posted the comment that originated on another conservative blog, including the address, Monday on his Facebook page. The posts were taken down after the mistake was discovered.
"We've never been associated with any violence or any vandalism," he said. "We're definitely sorry that we posted the incorrect address."
Lyndsay Stauble, executive director of the Sedgwick County Democratic Party in Wichita, Kan., said a brick was hurled through the party's storefront plate glass window late Friday or early Saturday, landing in her office and gouging her wooden desk.
She said that written in marker on the brick were the slogans, "No to Obama" and "No Obamycare."
"The tone is not surprising, but the aggressiveness is," Stauble said Wednesday. "I'm not shocked that people are not reacting well to a large piece of legislation passed by a president that they don't like."
Associated Press writers David N. Goodman in Detroit, Dena Potter and Bob Lewis in Richmond, Va., Ben Dobbin in Rochester, N.Y., Mark Carlson in Phoenix and Laurie Kellman in Washington contributed to this report.
The events involved with the healthcare issue are no comparison to the formation of our nation. Anybody who compares the two is blatantly ignorant and is looking to be unlawful and an outright troublemaker. To do the things that have been done recently, the threats and intimidation to Lawmakers, is not Patriotic. If anyone reading this article is one of those individuals, do not kid yourself. You are no Patriot! You are a law breaking, ignorant malcontent looking for attention!
As for me, I believe in our Constitution and love my country. Even though I disagreed with the Bush Administration, I stood behind him as our President and would have done anything required to defend our Nation. For those of you, who are causing today’s threats, understand this; there are many more like me out here. We consider people like you a threat from within. So, before you go about trying to cause your second revolution, understand that people like me will stop you in your tracks. But, you better hope the authorities do it first. People like me will not bother to read you your rights. As far as we are concerned, you threaten this country, you have given up your rights. So, make sure you truly understand what it is to be Patriotic and do not be fooled by Tea bagging rhetoric or political conservative ploy. Instead, if you really want to do the Patriotic duty, next election, exercise the right thousands of our Armed Forces have given up their lives for, VOTE! Now THAT is Patriotic.That’s How I See It.
Websites of reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100325/ap_on_re_us/us_health_care_threats
http://www.42explore2.com/revolt.htm
http://www.myrevolutionarywar.com/
http://www.historycentral.com/Revolt/
http://www.ushistory.org/DECLARATION/revwartimeline.htm
http://www.nps.gov/archive/cowp/Timeline.htm
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/mary-kate-cary/2010/03/25/sarah-palin-tea-party-leaders-must-condemn-healthcare-threats.html
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/88955-dem-compares-healthcare-threats-to-fighting-in-iraq-afghanistan
http://cincinnati.com/blogs/politics/2010/03/26/comments-on-health-care-violence/
http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/03/24/congress.threats/index.html
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Unsung Heroes
How Freedom of Speech Is Being Abused
In the coming months, the Supreme Court will be hearing arguments about a court case that should never even needed to be considered. That case is the abuse of Freedom of Speech, by a religious Church from the Topeka Kansas area. This church is the fundamentalist Westboro Baptist Church. The Pastor of this church is Fred Phelps Sr. A man, I feel, is a disgrace to his faith and is the poster boy to why many in today’s society are turning away from religion.
This lunatic Pastor, along with the throng of his crazies, appears at military funerals and cheers the deaths of fallen soldiers from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In protesting, this lunatic Pastor preaches the deaths of our fallen heroes, is deserved and a punishment from God, while basing this idea solely on their own biases and prejudices towards Homosexuals and other fanatical religious beliefs. A father to a slain Veteran has sued the organization for their protesting at the funeral of his son. Albert Snyder was awarded five million dollars in damages for distress caused by these lunatic protesters. Unfortunately, a higher court overturned this decision and the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case to render a final decision.
The following is an article by the Associated Press providing an outline of the arguments from both sides and what is at stake with this case;
Court to rule in military funeral protest case
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court is getting involved in the legal fight over the anti-gay protesters who show up at military funerals with inflammatory messages like "Thank God for dead soldiers."
The court agreed Monday to consider whether the protesters' message, no matter how provocative and upsetting, is protected by the First Amendment. Members of a Kansas-based church have picketed military funerals to spread their belief that U.S. deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.
The court agreed Monday to consider whether the protesters' message, no matter how provocative and upsetting, is protected by the First Amendment. Members of a Kansas-based church have picketed military funerals to spread their belief that U.S. deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.
The justices will hear an appeal from the father of a Marine killed in Iraq to reinstate a $5 million verdict against the protesters, after they picketed outside his son's funeral in Maryland.
A jury in Baltimore awarded Albert Snyder damages for emotional distress and invasion of privacy, but a federal appeals court threw out the verdict. The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the signs contained "imaginative and hyperbolic rhetoric" protected by the First Amendment.
The funeral for Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder in Westminster, Md., was among many that have been picketed by members of the fundamentalist Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. Westboro pastor Fred Phelps and other members have used the funeral protests to spread their belief that U.S. deaths in the Iraq war are punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality. One of the signs at Snyder's funeral combined the U.S. Marine Corps motto with a slur against gay men.
Other signs carred by members of the Topeka, Kan.-based church said, "America is Doomed," "God Hates the USA/Thank God for 9/11," "Priests Rape Boys" and "Thank God for IEDs," a reference to the roadside bombs that have killed many U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The case will be argued in the fall.
The case is Snyder v. Phelps, 09-751.
Whether you agree with any Military conflict our troops are involved in or not. The death of a soldier is the most heroic sacrifice that can be made by the individual and his or her family. The funeral is a private and personal service that should not be abused for the right of Freedom of Speech. There is nothing political about a funeral nor is their anything commercial about it. A funeral service is the private moment where friends and family say goodbye to a loved one. It is emotional and traumatic. My only hope is that the Supreme Court will see it this way as well.
Freedom of Speech is a Constitutional Right that many have died for. But, death itself, should not be exploited for personal agenda, by using the very service that our society has agreed, is the only solemn rite of passage. I can only hope the Supreme Court will see this in the same light and make the appropriate decision of when Freedom of Speech goes on hold for a more important rite.
That’s How I See It.
The following are websites of reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Phelps
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Phelps
Sunday, March 7, 2010
The Need for Healthcare Not Health Insurance
Why the Insurance Industry should be irrelevant on this Issue
Anyone who has read this blog is familiar with my background. Even though I write articles here, and try to add commentary on various other sites, my profession is in Manufacturing. My background originated within the Maintenance end of the industry. However, through the years, I have moved to the manufacture of finished goods. As a Manufacturing Supervisor, I am directly involved with the day to day operations of our facilities. Through the years I have seen, and been a part of, the changes in the way we build our products.
The other day, I was in a conversation with my counterpart, in the Maintenance Department. His name is Jim. He is a decent guy, down to earth and definitely has his own ways of getting things done. In our conversation, he pointed out to me, how complicated technology or innovation has actually made the way we do things today. For instance, we have a system that is run by a computer. This computer takes the data we feed it, distributes this data to the running parts of the equipment and turns the equipment on. Before the invention of the computer we would just turn a switch on. In other words, we have added another layer of activities to operate a mechanism that a simple “flip of a switch” used to handle. So now, we have an extra layer of troubleshooting, that must take place, along with additional materials and labor when, all we had was one simple switch just a few years ago.
Now I know you are asking yourself what this has to do with Healthcare and Health Insurance. I believe that Health Insurance has become that computer. Years ago, if you needed Healthcare, it was as simple as “flipping a switch” to obtain it. Once the advent of Health Insurance, we added a layer that now controls the Healthcare machine, not you or I as it used to be years ago. Please explain to me why Insurance Companies have to make a profit at the expense of the health of Americans? Oh, I understand they have to pay their bills and such but, what says they have to make a profit to the excesses they do today when their whole inception was to help in the provision of effective Healthcare to the citizenry. Not only do they feel they must make a profit but, sacrificing the lives of the average American to obtain those extra billion dollars for their executives, is now the norm? Then maybe Jim was on to something when he said technology or innovation has not made our lives easier.
I found the following article, from the Firedoglake Blog very enlightening when it comes to what is at stake for the Health Insurance Industry;
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/03/03/health-insurance-industrys-300-billion-victory-over-the-public-option/
Health Insurance Industry’s $300 Billion Victory Over the Public Option
By: Jon Walker Wednesday March 3, 2010 9:27 am
When Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and the entire Republican Senate caucus stepped up to kill the public option in the Senate, it is important to remember that the health insurance industry won a victory—a victory worth $300 billion. As Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) now try to crush attempts to revive the public option inside a reconciliation measure, they are battling to protect that extra $300 billion that will flow to AHIP as a result. The public option was never just a “sliver” as Obama tried to claim. It was about a fundamental moral right and the role of government. But what it was also about was a huge amount of money.
The CBO projects that the relatively weak public option–the one limited just to the exchange in the House health care bill–would secure roughly one-fifth of that market, equal to around 6 million people (PDF). The CBO concluded that, as a result of those 6 million customers, the public option will take in $298 billion (PDF) in direct premiums, exchange subsidies, and risk adjustment payments from 2013-2019. However, with the public option removed, but the individual mandate remaining, that $300 billion will instead go straight to the private insurance corporations’ books. If, like I personally suspect, the CBO slightly underestimated the popularity of the public option, and it manages to secure instead roughly a third of the customers on the exchange, that would be roughly $500 billion that the public option would take from the private insurance companies.
I often hear the argument that the public option was not important because only 2% of Americans would be using it. That’s true, but it is important to remember that roughly a third are currently insured by public programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare. Of course, of the roughly half of Americans with private insurance, the bulk of them get there coverage through employer-provided, self-funded plans. Plans in which the employer bears the risk and holds the premiums. The insurance companies are only subcontracted to provide administrative functions. That 6 million people the public option was projected to cover would be a significant share of the potential market for private insurance companies to actually cover and noticeably expand the amount of money they would have earning float revenue.
It is important to remember the sheer scope of the private insurance companies victory if they stop health care reform from having even a relatively weak public option. It will be a victory that will provide them with an extra $300 billion of our money. No doubt some of that same money will be used in the future to fight efforts to enact real health care reform.
All of us here in the United States of America need access to affordable and comprehensive Healthcare. Not Healthcare Insurance. The Health Insurance Industry started as a level that helped to enhance the healthcare access but, now is hindering it. Sadly, the political system that is admired around the world is being used and abused as a tool to obstruct, thwart and prevent the very device we are envied of.
Personally, I believe a Public Option, Single Payer or outright Medicare for all, is the only way, we as a nation, can ensure our citizenry will have the best Healthcare access in the world. Relieving American businesses, of the burden of Healthcare provision, for its employees would make our labor work force second to none in quantity, quality and affordability when competing with the Global Markets. By having one giant pool that business and the public alike, pay into, would help control costs while providing Healthcare for every American citizen. I fail to understand why American Businesses do not stand up against the Heath Insurance Industry and their Lobbyists to demand this competitive edge. But, I guess so many people are in bed together, for nothing more than the almighty dollar and political gain that caring about a human life comes second. Unless, of course, you rant about wanting your country back from a black president, (no racial intention there, right?) you cheat on your spouse while waving your Bible proclaiming pro-life as you support the death sentence. Life in the womb must be more important than outside, huh? WOW! I think I just came up with the topic for a future article. Hhmm…
That’s How I See It.
Anyone who has read this blog is familiar with my background. Even though I write articles here, and try to add commentary on various other sites, my profession is in Manufacturing. My background originated within the Maintenance end of the industry. However, through the years, I have moved to the manufacture of finished goods. As a Manufacturing Supervisor, I am directly involved with the day to day operations of our facilities. Through the years I have seen, and been a part of, the changes in the way we build our products.
The other day, I was in a conversation with my counterpart, in the Maintenance Department. His name is Jim. He is a decent guy, down to earth and definitely has his own ways of getting things done. In our conversation, he pointed out to me, how complicated technology or innovation has actually made the way we do things today. For instance, we have a system that is run by a computer. This computer takes the data we feed it, distributes this data to the running parts of the equipment and turns the equipment on. Before the invention of the computer we would just turn a switch on. In other words, we have added another layer of activities to operate a mechanism that a simple “flip of a switch” used to handle. So now, we have an extra layer of troubleshooting, that must take place, along with additional materials and labor when, all we had was one simple switch just a few years ago.
Now I know you are asking yourself what this has to do with Healthcare and Health Insurance. I believe that Health Insurance has become that computer. Years ago, if you needed Healthcare, it was as simple as “flipping a switch” to obtain it. Once the advent of Health Insurance, we added a layer that now controls the Healthcare machine, not you or I as it used to be years ago. Please explain to me why Insurance Companies have to make a profit at the expense of the health of Americans? Oh, I understand they have to pay their bills and such but, what says they have to make a profit to the excesses they do today when their whole inception was to help in the provision of effective Healthcare to the citizenry. Not only do they feel they must make a profit but, sacrificing the lives of the average American to obtain those extra billion dollars for their executives, is now the norm? Then maybe Jim was on to something when he said technology or innovation has not made our lives easier.
I found the following article, from the Firedoglake Blog very enlightening when it comes to what is at stake for the Health Insurance Industry;
http://fdlaction.firedoglake.com/2010/03/03/health-insurance-industrys-300-billion-victory-over-the-public-option/
Health Insurance Industry’s $300 Billion Victory Over the Public Option
By: Jon Walker Wednesday March 3, 2010 9:27 am
When Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and the entire Republican Senate caucus stepped up to kill the public option in the Senate, it is important to remember that the health insurance industry won a victory—a victory worth $300 billion. As Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) now try to crush attempts to revive the public option inside a reconciliation measure, they are battling to protect that extra $300 billion that will flow to AHIP as a result. The public option was never just a “sliver” as Obama tried to claim. It was about a fundamental moral right and the role of government. But what it was also about was a huge amount of money.
The CBO projects that the relatively weak public option–the one limited just to the exchange in the House health care bill–would secure roughly one-fifth of that market, equal to around 6 million people (PDF). The CBO concluded that, as a result of those 6 million customers, the public option will take in $298 billion (PDF) in direct premiums, exchange subsidies, and risk adjustment payments from 2013-2019. However, with the public option removed, but the individual mandate remaining, that $300 billion will instead go straight to the private insurance corporations’ books. If, like I personally suspect, the CBO slightly underestimated the popularity of the public option, and it manages to secure instead roughly a third of the customers on the exchange, that would be roughly $500 billion that the public option would take from the private insurance companies.
I often hear the argument that the public option was not important because only 2% of Americans would be using it. That’s true, but it is important to remember that roughly a third are currently insured by public programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare. Of course, of the roughly half of Americans with private insurance, the bulk of them get there coverage through employer-provided, self-funded plans. Plans in which the employer bears the risk and holds the premiums. The insurance companies are only subcontracted to provide administrative functions. That 6 million people the public option was projected to cover would be a significant share of the potential market for private insurance companies to actually cover and noticeably expand the amount of money they would have earning float revenue.
It is important to remember the sheer scope of the private insurance companies victory if they stop health care reform from having even a relatively weak public option. It will be a victory that will provide them with an extra $300 billion of our money. No doubt some of that same money will be used in the future to fight efforts to enact real health care reform.
All of us here in the United States of America need access to affordable and comprehensive Healthcare. Not Healthcare Insurance. The Health Insurance Industry started as a level that helped to enhance the healthcare access but, now is hindering it. Sadly, the political system that is admired around the world is being used and abused as a tool to obstruct, thwart and prevent the very device we are envied of.
Personally, I believe a Public Option, Single Payer or outright Medicare for all, is the only way, we as a nation, can ensure our citizenry will have the best Healthcare access in the world. Relieving American businesses, of the burden of Healthcare provision, for its employees would make our labor work force second to none in quantity, quality and affordability when competing with the Global Markets. By having one giant pool that business and the public alike, pay into, would help control costs while providing Healthcare for every American citizen. I fail to understand why American Businesses do not stand up against the Heath Insurance Industry and their Lobbyists to demand this competitive edge. But, I guess so many people are in bed together, for nothing more than the almighty dollar and political gain that caring about a human life comes second. Unless, of course, you rant about wanting your country back from a black president, (no racial intention there, right?) you cheat on your spouse while waving your Bible proclaiming pro-life as you support the death sentence. Life in the womb must be more important than outside, huh? WOW! I think I just came up with the topic for a future article. Hhmm…
That’s How I See It.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
An Evangelical Rant
The Decline of Pat RobertsonTwo weeks ago, we all, once again, witnessed the devastation of Mother Nature at her worst. From a few years ago in New Orleans, to the Christmas Day Tsunami nothing has torn more at our hearts than watching the effects of the devastating Earthquake in Haiti. We have seen, the best in humanity, show its face with aid pouring in to that Island Home from all corners of the globe. However, among the good, ignorance and outright stupidity has also shown itself.
Being raised as a Roman Catholic and attending an Episcopal Church, I along with others, pray for the well being of the Haitian people. However, ignorant and despicable comments by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and even more shocking Pat Robertson can only leave a person to shake their head and wonder how these individuals can justify the breath they consume everyday. Mr. Robertson made statements that Haiti was being punished by God because of the pact they made with the devil to rid themselves of French Colonial Rule. Is this really what all of you evangelicals believe. Are any of you who follow Mr. Robertson so ignorant and outright heartless that you could believe that a God, who receives worship from the very creatures he finds precious, would want to “punish” them for freeing themselves? If you do then, you are the biggest reason why, many of the generation coming up, are turning away from religious beliefs.
The following is an editorial from the Star-Ledger that pretty well states my opinion on Mr. Robertson and all of his followers; http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2010/01/pat_robertson_and_haiti_dement.html
The Star-Ledger Editorial Page
NJ Voices: Opinions from New Jersey
International »
Pat Robertson and Haiti: Demented demonology
By Star-Ledger Editorial Board/The Star-Led...
January 16, 2010, 5:41AM
Bottom of Form
Televangelist Pat Robertson sounded like a demented old fool when he said the devastating earthquake in Haiti is God’s wrath for a "pact" Haitians made with the devil to gain independence from the French.
"They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon the third, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil," Robertson said Wednesday on the Christian Broadcasting Network’s 700 Club.
Insensitive and stupid as it was, this is hardly the first time Robertson has spewed such ridiculous apocalyptic revelations.
He told the Pennsylvania town of Dover in 2005 that disaster might strike there because its citizens voted out school board members who favored teaching intelligent design over the theory of evolution. That same year, he said Hurricane Katrina was sent by God as a punishment for America’s legalization of abortion.
Robertson’s babble is not to be confused with real religious philosophy. He’s nothing more than a nut job peddling an extreme right-wing world view.
The Star-Ledger Editorial Page
NJ Voices: Opinions from New Jersey
International »
Pat Robertson and Haiti: Demented demonology
By Star-Ledger Editorial Board/The Star-Led...
January 16, 2010, 5:41AM
Bottom of Form
Televangelist Pat Robertson sounded like a demented old fool when he said the devastating earthquake in Haiti is God’s wrath for a "pact" Haitians made with the devil to gain independence from the French.
"They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon the third, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil," Robertson said Wednesday on the Christian Broadcasting Network’s 700 Club.
Insensitive and stupid as it was, this is hardly the first time Robertson has spewed such ridiculous apocalyptic revelations.
He told the Pennsylvania town of Dover in 2005 that disaster might strike there because its citizens voted out school board members who favored teaching intelligent design over the theory of evolution. That same year, he said Hurricane Katrina was sent by God as a punishment for America’s legalization of abortion.
Robertson’s babble is not to be confused with real religious philosophy. He’s nothing more than a nut job peddling an extreme right-wing world view.
Catholicism and religion in general, are finding themselves on the decline in today’s society. The younger generations coming up are being turned off by the outrageous racism and bigotry that is promoted by many religious figures of today. I believe that even the Pope realizes to make the Catholic Church numbers grow, open mindedness and a better teaching of God’s love will gain more than preaching a fire and brimstone attitude.
So Mr. Robertson, here is some advice. SIT DOWN AND SHUTUP! If you are truly a man of the cloth, then preach of God’s love, healing and wanting of worship. Stop acting like you are running for office. You tried that once already and received a humbling experience. Give the rest of us a break.
That’s How I See It.
Websites of reference; http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2010/01/pat_robertson_and_haiti_dement.html
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/01/senator-jabs-robertson-over-haiti
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Robertson
http://www.patrobertson.com/
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/13/haiti.pat.robertson/index.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/01/15/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry6101136.shtml
So Mr. Robertson, here is some advice. SIT DOWN AND SHUTUP! If you are truly a man of the cloth, then preach of God’s love, healing and wanting of worship. Stop acting like you are running for office. You tried that once already and received a humbling experience. Give the rest of us a break.
That’s How I See It.
Websites of reference; http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2010/01/pat_robertson_and_haiti_dement.html
http://hamptonroads.com/2010/01/senator-jabs-robertson-over-haiti
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Robertson
http://www.patrobertson.com/
http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/13/haiti.pat.robertson/index.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2010/01/15/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry6101136.shtml
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Rush Limbaugh, BSA
Bull Shit ArtistIs it possible for Rush Limbaugh to stage a fake illness just to provide him a platform to bluster his narcissistic buffoonery? Let us give this some thought for a moment. President Obama takes his family to Honolulu on a vacation. It just so happens, that Rush Limbaugh is vacationing there as well. Gee, what a coincidence. Now, the Healthcare Bill has passed a historic hurdle just prior to the Christmas break. Mr. Limbaugh, along with all the members of the NO PARTY Republicans, is dismayed to put it extremely lightly. Suddenly, Mr. Limbaugh has chest pains and needs immediate medical attention. When all is said and done, the doctors can not find anything wrong with Mr. Limbaugh, in particular, with his heart. That revelation was no surprise to me considering the way he poked fun at Michael J. Fox. I figured he did not have a heart to begin with. So, now the blustery buffoon touts about our nation having the finest healthcare on the planet and there is no need for healthcare reform. What the narcissistic idiot does not realize, or maybe it is by design, no one is criticizing the healthcare. It is the availability of healthcare that is in question. All of this availability being manipulated by Insurance companies who will favor profits over the health of the people they are supposed to serve.
But, of course, the multi-million dollar per year ignoramus, bolstered by the weak minded malcontents who listen or even follow him, does everything he can to mislead and misguide a populace for ratings and status. Who knows, he is supposedly losing weight and trying to get in shape. Personally, I think he is just trying to get laid by Sarah Palin. Be careful Rush, Todd is still around. The following was featured on Hawaii News Now and appears to be the norm for how this scenario is being viewed by all; http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=11757107
Rush Limbaugh says tests clear him of health problems
Posted: Jan 01, 2010 3:34 PM EST Updated: Jan 02, 2010 6:37 PM EST
By Duane Shimogawa bio email
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - After suffering chest pains this past Wednesday, conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh was discharged from The Queen's Medical Center Friday.
Limbaugh and his doctor spoke to the media for the first time since the incident happened. He says doctors found nothing wrong with his heart after numerous tests.
He says he most likely suffered a spasm in an artery leading to his heart.
A crowded room of national media switched gears Friday morning. Instead of covering the vacationing President Obama, the tiresome group rushed to Queen's for a Rush Limbaugh announcement.
The first thing Limbaugh addressed wasn't his health. Instead, he thanked the Kahala Hotel and Resort and Queen's.
"Their security staff reacted like that to my distress call at 2:30 on Wednesday afternoon," Limbaugh said. "The people at Queens Hospital could not have been better, I feel very, very fortunate, I've been treated to the best healthcare the world has to offer."
This past Wednesday afternoon, Limbaugh says he felt pain coming from his upper left chest. A pain like he's never experienced before.
It sparked questions about his controversial past with painkillers.
"Are you taking painkillers for your back pain?" A reporter asked. "No, Prednisone," Rush said.
Limbaugh then sat down and tried to walk it off, but the pain was still there. That's when he called security and just 20 minutes later he was at The Queen's Medical Center, undergoing extensive tests. He says the pain went away a half hour later.
"The pain was real and they don't know what caused it and I think for everybody out there, I'm 58, will be 59 in couple of weeks, and you start thinking about these kinds of things, don't mess with it," he said.
The doctor who treated him agrees.
"If you think you're having a heart problem, call for help, call 911, get to the hospital and get to a tor's attention because time is very important," The Queen's Medical Center's chief of cardiovascular disease Dr. Joana Magno said.
And for extra pre-caution, Limbaugh got an angiogram. But nothing turned up, no arterial disease, no coronary disease. His best guess is an artery spasm.
"Turn it over to professionals right off the bat, don't tough it out, don't try to make it go away on your own, it's not worth the risk," he said.
Limbaugh says he got no special treatment from hospital staff. He says his time there felt like a hotel stay.
"Takes things like this to prepare you in life for the eventuality that you are getting older, not as young as you were and not as invincible as you once thought you were," he said.
He says he'll return to work on Wednesday.
doc
As you can tell, I am not a fan of Rush Limbaugh. However, I do wish him good health and hope he is able to recover fully. I would like to believe he has had a change in heart with regard to his personal and political beliefs. However, that would mean he has a heart. A man who spews the filth and fervor, along with the likes of all conservative hate mongers which abuse our freedom of speech, will probably never change until they finally have to face their maker.
That’s How I See It.
Websites of reference;
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=9464645
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/today.guest.html
http://news.scotsman.com/world/US-radio-host-Rush-Limbaugh.5952086.jp
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=11757107
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail??blogid=95&entry_id=54456
http://thecelebritycafe.com/feature/doctors-find-nothing-wrong-rush-limbaugh-01-02-2010
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-01-01/rush-limbaugh-says-doctors-found-no-evidence-of-heart-disease.html
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