anotherlook

When a black person tells the truth about white American they are called race-baiters but it is the racist whites who repeatedly give blacks the words of truth to say. This word was used against Rep. Diane Watson as she spoke truth about things being said about Obama by people like Rush Limbaugh and as she spoke about medical coverage in Cuba.

As threats against the President’s life grow, supposedly over policy issues, anyone with any common sense would see that there is much more behind the threats than policy. Yesterday as I watched Rick Sanchez, I heard the harsh, un-Christian words of a pastor as he told his congregation that he would pray for Obama to die and go to hell.

This “pastor” said he would pray for Michelle to be a widow and their kids to be fatherless simply because he believes Obama to be for abortions. Ignorant comments from a “man of God” who is suppose to preach love and forgiveness. Abortions are a personal situation and you have no right to infringe on my rights, in any way, in America supposedly.

You have ignorant people threatening the late term abortion doctor with death or bodily harm in the name of pro-life; you have people threatening the life of the President of the United States of America; you have hate being so thick in the protesters of health care reform that it is visible and tangible enough to cut with a knife yet when a black person speaks out about the madness, they are race-baiters.

You have people showing up to town halls armed and ready to kill if provoked, and yes some were black as well; you have radio and news media willing to stir the pot of hatred and racism with ignorant comments made by people like Rush Limbaugh verbalizing his desire to see Obama fail and keeping the birthers issue alive as had Lou Dobbs.

You have people like Glenn Beck accusing Obama of being a racist, something I find offensive for I have been called that at this site but I would never stoop to the level of white America and become as they are, full of hatred and racism and simply sharing MY experiences or MY perspectives does not make me a racist.

It seems that’s the first thing a white racist says about a black person when a black person shares their individual experiences of living in America. The truth of the matter on that level is that from the start white America had no reason to hate blacks, but they did; white people had no reason to treat blacks as inhumane as they did, but they did; whites had no reason to discriminate, but they did and they do.

For these reasons whites feel blacks should hate them, that there is reason for blacks to hate whites and that is why they are so quick to call a black person a racist or a race-baiter because the guilt of their white forefathers and the guilt of their own racist views are eating them up inside and causing irrational thought processing just in order to justify the irrational, unjustified, hate they feel inside, to replace reality.

Yet you have a Republican gubernatorial hopeful willing to buy “Obama tags” to hunt and murder President Obama, at the Idaho state wolf hunt, as was the “joke” made by Rex Rammell; you have people like Rep. Lynn Jenkins a Republican from Kansas who commented in her speech that “Republicans are struggling right now to find the ‘great white hope’ a phrase that is associated with pre-civil rights era racism and boxing, to possibly lead the Republican party to victory in 2012.

As the “debate” and I use that word lightly, goes on regarding health care/insurance reform so too does the racial rhetoric become more intense as some states are attempting to initiate nullification, which allows individual states to nullify laws passed on the federal level, that states may feel do not serve their states, their people or in some way is “unconstitutional.”

Nullification is an act most recognized during slavery times as South Carolina originally protested tariffs but eventually tariffs, issues of slavery and territorial expansion all became intertwined in the case of nullification.

Calling Democratic Rep. Diane Watson a raise-baiter, a word created by racist white Americans demonstrates to me every time I hear the word the total lack of reality with which racists Americans view the race issue.

Even I have been called a race-baiter but the reality is, if it were not for people like Rush Limbaugh, Beck, KKK, white supremacist groups, militia groups, hate filled whites turning out in droves with signs depicting Obama as Hitler, birthers who are still attempting to press the issue of “citizenship” these truths spoken by blacks such as Diane Watson would not be part of the conversation.

Another reality is that Watson was simply making a comparison to health care in Cuba. Even in Russia all people have health care. In industrialized nations all over the world the people have health care but here in America the issue of covering all under health care is an issue that has become infected with the hatred, lies and brutality that has been just under the surface; that has been demonstrated time and again in the history of America.

Truth be told, if I were Obama and I could pass the health care reform with the least amount of votes, I would push it through on the strength of the very real possibility that I may not live long enough to continue the “debate” the way the racists are showing their hand.

I am disgusted at American truly, truly disgusted and you can dress it up anyway you want to, in your own mind, but what I see is hatred, fear, racism and ignorance being displayed more than anything regarding health care reform.

And that’s the way I see it!!!!

Dick Cheney is a scary person to me. When I look into his eyes there is something wild, untamed in his look. He keeps insisting that it was as a result of the brutality directed at the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and the activities of the CIA that America was not hit again by al-Qaeda. He says these things with fear on his face and frankly, I believe he really believes these statements.

But how can he be sure. It could be just the opposite that what they created with the terror is stronger hate, more determination that may possibly lead to further terror attacks on U.S. soil. However, I do feel that when you are in a leadership position, the best you can do is to follow the rules otherwise you open the door for deviousness and deceit to take root and grow and it has grown and spread.

He has been in constant opposition of the way Obama is handling everything concerning National Security and while he is entitled to his opinions, to constantly sit in verbalized opposition is not really good for the country. Fear was what motivated the Bush Administration, fear is what the Bush Administration used to persuade the public and fear is what Cheney still uses in his effort to imply that Obama is incompetent and naïve about the way of terrorism.

One thing for sure, I do not believe America should be airing their dirty laundry, dirty deeds to the world. It is one thing to initiate an investigation into the workings of the CIA, but it is another to discuss this, repeatedly, over the news, giving a play by play of all things done and of all things planned. Some things, regarding national security, are best left discussed behind closed doors, on a need to know basis.

Secondly Cheney needs to get behind Obama or keep his mouth shut because his words, to me, have the potential to encourage terrorist. After 8-years of high-level intelligence work for the United States, to hear him constantly saying that America is weaker now that Obama is in office gives one pause to think about an attack – and maybe that’s just what Cheney is hoping for just to prove his point.

At what point are comments made against the President of the United States treasonous or traitorous? When you can hold up a picture depicting the president as Hitler, for me that is over the line and frankly should not be allowable – but it is. When you get on national television and rant about how weak we have become, I feel strongly that you are inviting disaster.

Over 100 lives where lost while in U.S. custody, only about one-fifth were ruled homicide. How did the other 75 die? Is this normal? It seems to me that harsh, murderous things were happening in Guantanamo Bay, illegal, aggressive and harmful things and someone should be held accountable because lines were definitely crossed.

With this information out in the open, it would seem you are putting our troops in danger of the same torture and mistreatment perpetrated and verbalized by those in charge at Guantanamo Bay but it seems like no one has thought of that or they just do not care about the increased danger to our troops in Afghanistan and Iraq as they broadcast and rebroadcast the torture that was allowed.

Americans and their “free speech” fanaticism will eventually prove to be their weakness as they continue to let the world witness the divisions and cruelty, their plans of action and any and all plans for national security to be repeated and debated on national television for all to witness.

What ever happened to the concept of the “poker face” – never let your opponent know what you are thinking, never let them see you sweat. That is exactly what America is showing; the fear, the uncertainty, the division, the weakness, according to Cheney, of the nation. Someone is going to step in and take full advantage of the chaos and you will have no one to blame but yourselves.

And that’s the way I see it!!!!

Tupac Prayer 30×40 Tapestry

Being inundated with more information regarding the health care/insurance reform does not seem to be effective. To be “fair” news stations have a tendency to want to show both sides of the debate. For those who are against the reform, they will always choose the words of those who are against the reform. It’s not like minds will be changed or clarity will be achieved – so what’s the real point.

In an effort to “debunk” the myths surrounding the health care/insurance reform, CNN has, what they call, a “truth squad” which shows the accuracy of some of the lies that have been used to taint the concept of this legislation. Yet, the lies continue because people believe what they want to believe.

Those with the “conspiracy theory” mentality will cling to the words of those with like minds and those with like minds are the ones spreading the conspiracy theory because that works best for their agendas.

The Census Bureau had come out with a number for the uninsured in America. In “debunking” the theory that there are 47 million Americans without health care insurance the news media has eliminated illegal aliens as well as those who could afford insurance but do not have insurance and have come up with a drastically reduced number of uninsured.

However with the current rate of unemployment and the fact that illegal aliens are not denied medical care if they go to the emergency room, this does nothing to present clarity to the overall picture of health care costs or numbers of uninsured – again I have to ask, so what’s the point. Confusion in the name of clarity is in the end more confusion – so what’s the point.

In 2006, Governor Mitt Romney signed landmark legislation for the state of Massachusetts which mandates every citizen be covered by health care insurance or be penalized if they do not. Failure to buy health insurance will result in the loss of their state tax refund equal to 50 percent of an affordable health insurance premium. Penalties will be assessed for each month without creditable coverage.

Although, through this Massachusetts reform, there are affordable plans that can be bought on a pre-tax basis, assistance will be available for low-income individuals and employer contributions will be facilitated for both full-time and part-time workers, this mandate does not work towards alleviating the rising costs of health care insurance nor does it take into account the “costs” incurred by “illegal aliens.” One piece of a puzzle does not complete the picture as long as the other pieces are scatter about.

While Massachusetts may not have as many “illegal aliens” as say Texas or California this populations, which is in the millions, has a direct bearing on insurance premiums and costs associated with medical care in America.

To deny medical care to these people would be a gross miscarriage of morality, yet to include those immigrants in the reform would be like rewarding them for not adhering to the law, yet they are included in the overall costs associated with medical care.

As the health care debate continues, it adds nothing more than more confusion. The time for debate is over because through all of the debate, nothing has been accomplished, no “better understanding” has been arrived at, truth does not exist nevertheless everyone agrees that health care reform is crucial.

While people have a right to their “opinions” even when those opinions are based on falsehoods the question needs to be asked if these opinions, based on lies, should be a means to stall or prevent the passage of the legislation on the table.

The attempt has been made to erase the fears people are feeling yet the fears persist. The fears about the deficit we are making for our children and their children can be erased through a joint effort of we the people agreeing to pay our fair share of taxes since it was, in part, our fault for the current financial breakdown but instead we are refusing to do so which shows, to some degree, we all want something for nothing.

And that’s the way I see it!!!!

Star Trek USS Enterprise Limited Edition Replica

The CIA is in the headlines again with the realization that they wasted millions of dollars on a secret assassination plot to kill key al-Qaeda operatives, without Congressional knowledge, using a private security contractor called Blackwater USA. The reality of this mission was that those millions of dollars spent ended up being wasted millions because the program did not capture or kill any terrorist suspects.

The backlash from giving outsiders lethal authority is that it raises deep concerns regarding accountability in covert operations. Even though Blackwater was already under investigation for crimes, which included aggressive tactics, in Iraq, the CIA, in 2004 under the Bush Administration, hired Blackwater as hit men to locate and assassinate al-Qaeda operatives.

Blackwater, backed by Bush, as a necessary part of its war operation in Iraq, has also received millions of dollars in government contracts, which has aided in the growth of the company, during the “Bush years.” Hired to guard American diplomats in Iraq, they were accused of using excessive force and in the killings of 17 civilians in Baghdad in 2007 and have since been denied renewal of its operating license in Iraq.

Excessive force, lies and fear are the three ingredients the Bush Administration seemed to invoke as feasible, means to an end, as it has been revealed by Tom Ridge, former Homeland Security Secretary, how fear is what the Bush Administration attempted to use to ensure Bush’s election to his second term of office. Seeing how well fear worked on the minds of the American public, did the Republicans decided that fear was a good weapon to use in their opposition to the health care/insurance reform currently being “debated?”

In his new book, Ridge claims he felt pressured, by members of the Bush cabinet, to raise the nation’s terror alert level to orange just before the 2004 presidential election. Although the alert was not, in the end, raised, the debate on raising it did occur and Ridge found himself wondering if this was raw politics that would even allow this conversation to take place where there was no clear and present threat that was supported beyond the video received from Osama bin Laden.

Ridge, who resigned from his post in 2004, found himself wondering if this request to raise the alert level to orange was merely to instill fear in the hearts of the American public in order to win the election. Although politics were never mentioned specifically in this somewhat heated debate, the mere receipt of the tape from Bin Laden did not justify a change in the nation’s security threat level.

According to an article on MSNBC, Ridge states “I wondered, is this about security or politics? Post-election analysis demonstrated a significant increase in the president’s approval rating in the days after the raising of the threat level.”

Lies, fear, violence through torture and war, all seem to be the stronghold of the Bush administration and the CIA, which ironically have been carried over by the opposition to the health care/insurance reform.

Is this the new way to get things done in Washington? Will this be the legacy of the Bush Administration? When the question of the national deficit is raised, will the people look back on the Bush Administration and realize just how much Bush cost the Americans in dollars with the war in Iraq, a war that to this day, I, personally, feel we should not have been in.

As I listen to people saying Obama’s reaction to the release of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the man convicted in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, as being a sign of weakness I can’t help but wonder just what it is you would have Obama do about this release.

Even former Homeland Security Adviser, Frances Townsend, has said that she checked with other White House staff who said they had spoken to Scottish officials regarding the release of al-Megrahi, to no avail. Scottish officials believe they are doing a humanitarian deed since al-Megrahi is dying of cancer.

Just what is Obama suppose to do regarding this matter? Sometimes you just have to accept what is, because it is what it is. However, with all the negativity being spewed regarding the reaction of Obama to the release of al-Megrahi I find myself wondering if the message is really that Obama himself is “too weak” to be the leader of this country – again an attempt at inciting fear and an uncomfortable feeling in the hearts of the American public.

I say after eight years of the “bully mentality” it is time to approach things from a different perspective. It is time to recognize the old saying found in the Serenity Prayer:

“God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference.” Obama demonstrates he has all three.

And that’s the way I see it!!!

Silver & Gold Milk Chocolate Balls: 5LB Box

Sometimes, in this life, living in America, I feel I am living in the Twilight Zone. Time and time again people show they have more concern for animals than they do for people and I wonder about priorities. As the debate as to whether Michael Vicks should be allowed to play football heats up, all I can do is shake my head and wonder WTH is wrong with you people.

Kids are being kidnapped, molested and murdered, teenagers are dying on the streets in the war zones that are taking over our neighborhoods, sons and daughters, mothers and fathers are going off to die, in not one but two wars, in foreign countries.

Your Government, in the form of those you have elected to protect your best interest, with the aid of special interest groups, is lying to you about health care in order to continue to allow others to make money off you. Armed protesters are coming to town hall meetings to discuss health care and you think that is “normal” and “acceptable” with the growing rage associated with the debate on health care.

Americans are living on the streets, service men and women are coming home from war, mentally and physically depleted, ending up homeless, lacking proper care for the injuries received by protecting your freedoms. The use of drugs is rampant and the crimes associated with the “drug war” are intensifying.

While these are just some of the things that are happening in this country, there are worse things happening in the world, suicide bombings, torture, rape, starvation, disease, recruitment of young kids for the mission of murder, ethnic/religious cleansing in some areas, a whole host of madness and despair.

Yet your voices are the loudest about the murder of animals time and time again. Sure these things should not happen. It shows a level of cruelty that is ugly, yet Vicks spent more time in jail than some murderers of people. This shows the lopsidedness of the justice system.

Cock fights, dog fights, people get in the ring and fight, wild animals are kept in cages, as pets or zoo animals to allow people to come and peer at them, elephants being killed for their ivory, hunting of animals, unless you are a vegetarian, you eat animals, dogs roam the streets, with no home, no way of feeding themselves beyond what they can find in garbage cans, experiments are done on animals of all types, yet you want Vicks to spend his life in constant punishment for the horrific crimes he committed against dogs. Do you know how ridiculous you people sound?

Dog fighting, like people getting into the ring and bashing each other to bloody pulps, is a way of life to some. Though it may be illegal, it happens and there are many supporters of it, people who make money on it, people who attend these dog fights or else Vicks would not have been involved in it, nor would anyone else. This happens in many states in this country, probably in a neighborhood near you. Vicks just happened to have been the “public figure” that was caught.

People are saying things from “he should have known better” to “he should not be allowed to pick up his life where he left it two years ago, he should not be allowed to make money in the way that is familiar to him.”

Get a cause that is relevant to the betterment of mankind; get a cause that helps PEOPLE, pick one, for there are many. I did not hear this public outcry when the 45-year old mother harassed a 12-year old girl on the internet and drove that young girl to suicide.

I did not hear this public outcry when she was offered a position working on computers after being found innocent enough to walk free, yet with the aid of the news media, everyone has a voice about Michael Vicks and it is just shear ridiculous to hear these voices so loud and judgmental. I say, I hope he learned his lesson. When will American people learn their lesson, any lesson about what is truly important.

And that’s the way I see it!!!!

License Plate Frame: Brown Bear

Even though Obama seems willing to bend and compromise on issues he believes are relevant to the health care/insurance reform, a testament to who he is, my guess is that this will do nothing in changing the minds of those in opposition of this reform passing.

Over the weekend, Obama spoke out against the public option saying it was a sliver of the entirety of the bill but it has been the most discussed by both Republicans and Democrats – another case of not seeing the forest for the trees.

Taking the lead from Obama, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Sunday the public option was not “the essential element of the overhaul” and has conceded that maybe a better option would be to take this public option out in order to get the backing needed to pass the bill.

What does not make sense to me is that those who are against a public option are for a non-profit “co-op.” Non-profits are generally partially funded by the government as well as public donations so any differences would simply be technical, if anything. Yet, some of those who are in charge of passing the bill have said definitively they would not pass a bill with a public option.

This has been a long standing goal of Obama to give the people a choice, a one-stop shopping marketplace where one could compare the benefits, cost and track records of a variety of plans with a public option to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest allowing one to choose what works best for their particular needs.

However, because this has been a known goal of Obama, this is the main focal point of dissention with those opposing the bill as well as some on the Democratic side who see this option as a reason to deny the bill, giving me pause to wonder if secretly they are not in opposition of the thought of the bill and are using this public option as a distraction from what they really feel about the bill itself.

What is even more amazing to me, all though it should not be, is that because of the comments made by both Obama and Sebelius, many bloggers, news media have jumped on the bandwagon and made the definitive statement that the public option is out.

Some organizations, such as “Health Care for America Now” still believe that a public option, insurance reform, making health care affordable to all, are essential in the effectiveness of the totality of the reform.

In the town hall meeting Obama held in Colorado he said “the public option, whether we have it or we don’t have it, is not the entirety of health care reform. This is just one sliver of it…”

“It’s not over till the fat lady sings” seems to be the saying that applies to the public option and if I were Obama, I would not cut this option just to appease a group of people that refuse to be appeased regardless of what you do because their agenda is to see you fail. Everybody that smiles in your face does not mean they have your best interest at heart or the best interest of the people at heart.

This goes for Democrats and Republicans, if you take this portion of the bill out, leaving the general public hanging and reneging on a promise to the people, you lose support, believability and in the end, this may be the goal of those who are in opposition of the bill where public options are concerned, as well as those pretending to back you on the bill. Some are not going to support you regardless of what you do – just keep that in mind as you are deciding whether to take the public option out.

And that’s the way I see it!!!

Hotel Palace

One grandmother walks the place where her grandchildren were buried alive in a mud slide in Taiwan, calling for them to come back. “Can you hear me” she says. “I’m calling your name. Please come back.”

The grief she must be feeling, as demonstrated by her words, must be so intense as to be unbearable.

A man, appearing to be in his 40’s, Liu Jin-fung, has lost his parents, brothers, uncles, in total 40 members of his family, all died in the floods and mudslides that took the lives of so many in the devastation left behind by the typhoon which dumped more than 80 inches of rain on the area in a matter of days.

While rescuers were able to ferry nearly 22 thousand people to safety they are still working to save others as washed out roads have made rescue efforts difficult to impossible to achieve.

The worst typhoon to hit Taiwan in 50 years created landslides that flattened entire villages as tons of earth, in the form of mud, came crashing down the mountains surrounding the area, destroying buildings and burying alive those who had no place to run; those who where left behind, only able to cry out in grief and mourn the loss of loved ones.

Foreign aid is flowing into the area to help rebuild however some things are irreplaceable and my heart goes out to the losses suffered by the people of Taiwan.

And that’s the way I see it!!

FTD Eternal Solace Arrangement

When I look at the crowds protesting the legislation on health care reform, which are primarily older white Americans sprinkled with younger white Americans – but generally speaking the crowds are full of white Americans, and I hear the phrase “death squads” I have to wonder why this phrase has been the mantra for the protesters, how this can be so believable to so many older white Americans.

While it has been said that these protesters are the voice of America, I have consistently said they do not represent my voice nor are they a balanced voice of the diversity of people that live in America. This morning, I woke up with what I feel is a comparative answer to this question. There are three components to this madness, of why the “death squad” mantra and why these protesters are so afraid, that is becoming clearer with each day.

Guilt, fear and racism are the guiding factors that are responsible for these demonstrations. Guilt of all the racist acts perpetrated by older white Americans in a time when they were young and racism was allowable.

Fear that because the President is black the ugly deeds done in the past will come back to haunt them in the form of “death squads” orchestrated by the man in charge of a country they attempted to keep under “white rule.”

Racism, that is still alive and well and constantly raising its ugly head, is growing stronger and stronger during this presidency. This guilt and fear is being stoked by the current racists, in America who hate to see a black man in the office of President of the United States of America.

If this were not so comical, I would be mad as hell. This is so clearly the fear in white American, especially those who are old enough to have been part of the ugliness that took place in America, not so long ago, when racism was “in your face” blatantly expressed and practiced.

Those with a vested interest in the cessation of this health care/insurance reform bill are exploiting the guilt and fear of white America while pushing these people into a frenzy of hate in their efforts to keep the money flowing into their personal pockets.

MSNBC recently posted an article in which they discussed the very real fact that because of the election of a black president, a poor economy and what is being called too much government involvement in big business, white supremacy and militia groups are regrouping and growing at a rapid pace.

A special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Bart McEntire, has confirmed that this is the most growth he has seen in more than a decade. He goes on to say that all that is lacking is a spark.

This spark could be the fear and anger building over the health care/insurance reform as older, white Americans are manipulated into believing the “chickens have come home to roost” and the death squads are waiting to get retribution for past sins committed.

They believe the hype that it is time for them to face the consequences of their “mistakes and bad deeds” in the form of these death squads that are lurking in the words of this legislation. Irrational fears, hate and guilt are taking over logical thought processes.

Even as I am writing this, I am LMAO with the thought, but the reality of this is that someone is going to end up getting hurt or more to the point, someone is going to end up losing their life as things become more and more out of control based on the lies and manipulations, the paranoia and the fear that is being stoked not only by entities not seen but by the news media as well who use “legitimacy in news reporting” as their means to disseminate more hate in the under cover, biased way they do.

While this is not just a black white issue anymore, although it does involve the black white issue that has always existed in America, there is a growing “conspiracy theory” regarding a secret Mexican plan to reclaim the Southwest, as the debate on illegal immigration gathers strength.

Recruiting videos and other outreach programs are springing up on the internet fueled by white supremacists, militia groups and others encouraging people to arm themselves while they can and before the gun ban “goes into effect” for the inevitability of the violence to come.

As we fight the Taliban/al-Qaeda in foreign countries, terrorist, in the form of “concerned citizens, exercising their right to freedom of speech” in the name of democracy, while drowning out the voices of anyone who does not think and feel as they do, are becoming more and more aggressive and openly carrying their weapons to town hall meetings.

While white supremacists and militia groups, trading in white sheets for army gear with their faces covered in coordinating netting similar to the way the Taliban hides behind cloth showing only their eyes, who are growing in numbers and arming themselves with their “fundamental rights to bear arms;” some even being permitted on to police forces across America, given guns and badges to legitimize their violence against ordinary citizens (I know that statement was a little dramatic but it felt right and in light of things happening and being said by some officers it is not too far off the mark) we are condoning and encouraging this behavior through the news coverage that is being given to them.

I say again that society gets the crimes they perpetuate and what is being perpetuated here in America is going to end up ugly, violent and irreversible with each of us carrying some responsibility in the outcome – the media, the internet, big business, racist, all doing their part to incite, in one way or the other, the ugliness that is brewing and threatening to become much more that words.

And that’s the way I see it!!!!

FTD Blessings of the Earth Easel (IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO REAP THE BLESSINGS)

From lies, exaggerations, misinformation, fear and hate to coded messages, mob mentality and chaos. Is the next step murder? If murder is the next irrational step of the crazies, who should be held responsible for inciting the chaos, that created the mood and atmosphere for murder?

Radio talk show hosts, right wingers, news media, insurance companies, Republicans all have taken their turns at stirring the pot of division and dissention. Can they/will they be held accountable for the violence that is threatening to come to a head in the name of “free speech” and “democracy?”

It’s not like this country has not been there before with back to back to back assassinations leaving those who survived to live with the horror, the sadness and many unanswered questions as to how this could happen in this “great nation.”

Is freedom of speech in question here? Is control and manipulation, in the disguise of freedom of speech, the real game of the day? Does freedom of speech justify lies and deceit? How far are you willing to take this to accomplish a goal and maintain control?

I am disgusted by what I am seeing, the lack of respect, the refusal to accept or read what is in the insurance reform bill but instead listen and believe what those who have an interest in the outcome, disseminate to you with “love and concern” leading you to believe they have your best interest at heart when in reality they have only their greed and desire to continue to get rich at your expense.

Conspiracy theories, euthanasia, abortions for all, desperation so thick you can cut it from the air and fondle it with care. What is becoming of America today? I’m not going to lie I remember one town hall meeting where the question was put to Obama regarding the care of the elderly where the options would be medication or a hip replacement and flippantly Obama replied maybe pain medication would be a better option.

I don’t see him being right in having the power to initiate the outcome of these types of decisions that are personal and meaningful to the quality of life I live, at any age. I know that baby boomers are coming of age, at a rate of 60 each day in 2006/330 every hour. Baby boomers will be those people who, by the shear numbers, cause a great deal of stress on the current medical expenses and I have to wonder if in the final analysis, this bill is geared to address this issue in ways that can and will give an out rather than linger with incurable illnesses. If this is the case, is that so wrong?

The consultation clause, for older Americans, as to their living will which includes things such as “do not resuscitate” gives you an opportunity to release those who love you from making decisions that are often hard to make when it comes to letting you linger on machines that are keeping you alive.

Everyone should have a living will because you never know what can befall you at any given moment in time that would put your family in an unbearable mode of making a decision that seems, at the time, impossible to make based on love.

Situations like these have been known to create medical expenses that can and have created financial burdens on those same family members who would have to live with the guilt of “pulling the plug” if the situation arose and there was no stipulation on how you wanted to handle these relevant medical questions. Does this constitute euthanasia?

Fear is guiding the hearts and the minds of individuals; that fear is turning to hate and rage. Hate seems to be a comfortable place for some Americans and rage takes you to a level of uncontrollable, irrational violence all things we have witnessed in these town hall meetings.

Through the angry yells, the aggression and chaos, a shot rings out; angry yells become screams of disbelief, horror, as the speaker falls to the floor and blood seeps from the open wound in her/his head. The crowd panics and begins to run from the room; in the stampede, two or three people fall to the floor, and are trampled to death by the crowd.

Is this the scene you envision in your mind as you exercise your right to freedom of speech to spread these lies and deceit? Is this the end result you crave as you send these Americans out with the words you gave, in an effort to cave health care reform but instead you succeeded in sending someone to an early grave?

Although I spoke of the possibilities in an earlier post, today I viewed a video expressing these same feelings I have been having – code word nazi

Just a final thought – Sarah Palin put so much energy into knocking the news media for involving her children in dialogue yet she has placed her Down syndrome child in the middle of the health care debate. Shrouded in the lies and exaggerations she is, in my mind, famous for. Is this a rational act?

Who is really “right” in this on going debate and is “right” what we should be focused on or should we be focused on what is “good for the nation” “good for we the people” as opposed to the “good for a few” that are making money on the masses.

And that’s the way I see it!!!!

Simple Red Dress

Despite security gains and American pull out, symbolic of the ending of the war, people continue to die in Iraq. Yesterday was one of the deadliest days in Iraq since the June 30th pull out of American troops, as fifty (50) people lost their lives and approximately 140 were injured, in a string of bombings across Baghdad. These acts of violence made obvious the fact that insurgents continue to wield chaos in the region.

The largest number of people who died yesterday occurred outside of a Shiite mosque where a funeral was in progress and Friday prayers were starting. The driver of a truck, rigged to explode, managed to get through the checkpoint by lying to the guards by saying he was there to attend the funeral.

While U.S. officials claim they expected an increase in attacks after the U.S. troop pull out, the number of attacks has been lower than expected however Sunni insurgents have promised to continue these sporadic attacks as long as U.S. troops remain in Iraq.

Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, the U.S. and Britain are expected to infuse the Afghan farmers with millions of dollars, over the next two months, before the October planting season with the hope that the farmers will choose crops other than poppy to cultivate.

Poppy has aided in the funding of the Taliban/al-Qaeda and while the Bush Administration spent millions of dollars on eradication of the poppy crop, these attempts to eradicate the crop failed. Looking back to areas such as Asia, Latin America and Colombia, many U.S. funded crop substitution programs have similarly failed.

The poppy trade is Afghanistan’s most profitable cash crop with many Afghan farmers surviving the harsh winter months with loans made to them by drug traffickers in anticipation of the spring harvest of the poppy crops.

Money is the difference between living well and existing, all over the world. Why the U.S. and Britain feels Afghans are willing to give up their multi-million dollar poppy enterprise to grow wheat and fruit is, for me, unrealistic. To invest millions into this unrealistic belief gives me pause to reflect on the “mission” and wasted money in the Afghanistan drug trade. Is this a case of do nothing and the problem continues, donate money and the problem increases?

Over the years and through all the “just say no” campaigns, the “war on drug” campaigns, nothing has worked, as more and more people are turning to drugs as a means to cope as well as for recreation. Why then, is so much money being spent in these useless campaigns?

Just across the border from the U.S., in Mexico, is the most aggressive and violent, drug cartel that shows no sign of defeat. Do you throw up your hands in defeat yourself or do you keep pouring more and more money into a useless campaign that is ultimately caused by the demand for the drug itself.

It seems more cost effective to devise a means to alleviate the demand, if that is possible however with the potential to make as much money through the sell of drugs there will always be those who will prey on the “need” of the people. It would seem as though “we the people” would recognize just where our drug filled desires are leading the world and make a change in our habits – but that does not seem to be happening either so we end up looking like that dog, chasing his tail and around and around we go.

Accepting the violence with our need for the drugs and condemning the violence that the “war on drugs” creates. Does anybody else see the paradox of the situation or is my thought process being compromised by truth – a rhetorical question, my reality shows me, it is what it is and nothing will change on the drug front until the “need” diminishes.

And that’s the way I see it!!!!

License Plate Frame: Chameleon