“First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Friday, January 29, 2010

Are we being Chump by President Obama?

Interesting.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Healthcare headline roundup from around the world...

A lot of these are repeated in numerous papers, I only grabbed one and I tried only to grab stories from this morning or late yesterday... The headlines paint a picture of discord, but remember, they have a way of sitting in dark used-to-be-smoke-filled rooms and figuring out ways to work around set-backs.

Obama wants quick healthcare compromise
As Democrats searched for a way forward after their defeat in the Massachusetts Senate race, the US President, Barack Obama, said ''core elements'' of his healthcare package had broad support and could form the basis of a swift compromise.
''I would advise that we try to move quickly to coalesce around those elements in the package that people agree on,'' Mr Obama said on the US television network ABC.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/obama-wants-quick-healthcare-compromise-20100121-mo85.html

Clyburn: 'Magic number on healthcare reform is 50, not 60'; measure not dead
Healthcare reform legislation is "not dead by any means," Democrats' third-ranking leader in the House emphasized Wednesday. http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/77129-clyburn-magic-number-on-healthcare-reform-is-50-not-60

Barack Obama in health reform risk after shock defeat
Barack Obama yesterday vowed to push on with controversial new laws after a humiliating election defeat which could wreck his healthcare and climate change plans.
America's biggest political upset in years came a year to the day since the President took office.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/01/21/barack-obama-in-health-reform-risk-after-shock-defeat-115875-21983558/

Obamacare in Cloud Cuckoo Land

Examiner Editorial
"If voters are so angry that Republicans can get Ted Kennedy's Senate seat, there isn't a safe Democratic incumbent anywhere in the country."

Obama's thud to earth
AMID the shock at the stunning electoral upset in Massachusetts by the Republican candidate, Scott Brown, and its implications for President Barack Obama's legislative program, something has been overlooked: a hostile or unreliable Congress is a normal part of US presidential politics.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/opinion/editorial/obamas-thud-to-earth-20100121-mo2t.html

Democrats reconsider healthcare possibilities
Having lost their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, President Obama and his allies ponder abandoning the major overhaul and instead making changes incrementally with some Republican support. President Obama and congressional Democrats are rethinking their healthcare strategy in the wake of a Republican victory in the Massachusetts Senate race, giving serious consideration to abandoning the comprehensive approach in favor of incremental steps that might salvage key elements of the package.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-na-congress-dems21-2010jan21,0,7342469.story?track=rss

White House signaling new direction on healthcare reform
President Barack Obama on Wednesday asked lawmakers to focus on the core elements of healthcare reform, with some interpreting his remarks as a call to scale back his top legislative priority. http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/77215-white-house-signaling-new-direction-on-health

Hope but no change
Americans wanted change in 2008, so they voted for Obama. What they got was a Clinton acolyte. No wonder they're mad
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/jan/18/barack-obama-us-politics

President Obama's five desperate options on healthcare reform
Existing state of play: The House of Representatives and the Senate have passed their own versions of President Obama’s signature healthcare reform bill. As is often the case during the passage of American legislation, both versions have been heavily amended during the debates.
Under normal circumstances, the next step for the bill to become legislation would see the Senate and House versions amalgamated in a series of backroom meetings. This final draft of the bill would then need to be passed by both the House and the Senate.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6994955.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=797093

Political Earthquake Rocks Massachusetts
For the moment, millions of Haitians don't matter. For Washington and the West, they never did and don't now. It's pretense, a topic a forthcoming article will explore.
Today, however, the Massachusetts political earthquake takes precedence, and headlines explain it.
http://www.baltimorechronicle.com/2010/012110Lendman.shtml

Investors Eye Healthcare in Wake of G.O.P. Win
Investors and distressed market advisers on Wednesday said the surprise Republican senate win in Massachusetts may present opportunities in healthcare bonds, hospitals and medical companies, Reuters reported.

Frank walks back his health bill compromise is 'dead' comment
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) on Wednesday walked back comments he previously made that the current healthcare reform negotiations are "dead." http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/77163-barney-frank-walks-back-comment-that-health-bill-compromise-is-dead

NHC urges congress to continue work on meaningful healthcare reform
The National Health Council (NHC), an organization providing a united voice for the more than 133 million people with chronic diseases and disabilities and their family caregivers, today sent a letter to Congress urging the House and Senate to "continue working to accomplish the long-sought goal of health care reform."

Dem leaders scramble to save healthcare reform after Brown win
Democratic leaders are scrambling to save healthcare reform legislation in the wake of a shocking Republican victory for the Senate seat held by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/76957-dem-leaders-scramble-to-save-healthcare

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Hitler finds our Scott Brown won Mass. election - hilarious

Saw this on my facebook account (thanks Mary), shared it there so if you're seeing this via Facebook feed, sorry, it's a duplicate.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Son of Climategate! Scientist says feds manipulated data

In a one-two series of Climategate aftershocks that assuredly will further rattle the global warming community, a report has been issued by U.S. researchers accusing government agencies of cherry-picking temperature readings used to assess global temperatures, and a series of embarrassing e-mails were released revealing what happened when a blogger dared to point out a mistake by NASA climate scientists.

Read the rest of the story: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=122109

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Could it Backfire on Brown?

Just a few concerns regarding the Brown v Coakley special election in Massachusetts... OK, I have many, but they're not keeping me up at night .

All this national attention could easily backfire on Brown's chances of winning. I know that if the national media started bringing attention to a race in my neighborhood or state, I'd start paying attention. I'd get hyper and engaged. I'd be calling my friends, working hard to get my candidate elected.

It seems to me that the Coakley supporters have been kind of lukewarm at best until recently. Now I'd bet they are awake and hot.

Of course, we're awake and hot, too, but we were already there prior to all the media attention.

There are also a contingency of people who're going to be spit-fire mad because all these outsiders are coming into their state and trying to tell 'em what to do... thus another group will be energized. Given the fact that Coakley is flying to Washington, hobnobbing with the health care folks at wine bars, it's probably pretty even on the who is courting or attracting "outsider" attention.

I wondered when the Democratic poll came out putting Brown in breathing room of a win against Coakley if it was a set-up to stir up the Democratic base. Once that poll popped up all of a sudden the Republican / conservative contingency across the country sent up a huge whoop of joy. They had a chance. The Democrats who were coasting, thinking that it was a shoe-in that a Dem would take the seat, all of sudden had something to be concerned about. I would bet there was a huge collective "huh????", then a bit of head shaking to make sure they were in the real world... then they started moving.

Another thing that passed through my mind when I first heard about the poll shift is the possibility that we on the conservative side are being set up for a crushing disappointment... one that is meant to take the wind out of our proverbial political enthusiastic sails.

I tossed that one fairly quickly. If the election is close we're still going to be thrilled. In a state that is more than predominately Democratic, in a seat that a Republican hasn't held since before most of us were born, we have a shot. That says a lot. It's encouraging. The only way most of us will be depressed about the election is if it's a land-slide for Coakley.

I really, really, really hope Brown wins... fingers and toes crossed, phone lines a burning, blogs a flying and even a few quick prayers as I think this race could be part of the salvation of our country...
However, even if Brown doesn't win, we won. We sent a message to those who are more concerned about their political future than they are about the integrity of their votes. There are some who may see that their chances of being elected again are zip if they vote for health care, cap & tax and continue to support the wacko anti-American agenda as proposed by Obama, Pelosi and soon-to-be-defeated Reid. We've shown that we're on fire and that more people are involved than ever before. We're here. We're worried about our country. More of us are realizing just how morally bankrupt our so-called leaders have become. We see the corruption. We're getting a real good look at politics and seeing just how far we've moved in the wrong direction.
It's going to take more than a few elections to turn things around. It's going to take some huge upheavals to get us back on track. We are in the process of trying to change a system that has developed in stealth for longer than our parents and possibly grand-parents have been on this earth.
I hope that everyone who's involved, engaged, working hard to affect a change stays involved past the 2012 elections, win or lose. We are not going to change the corruption, the power base, the intricate back-slapping system that has evolved by simply voting out a few of the bad apples. We're going to need to work hard for many years. Many, many years.
The recent elections were uplifting. This one is also going to be a good one. I believe we're going to be happy in November also... Keep the momentum going! Good work everyone!!! You are making a huge difference.

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Frank to hold hearings on limiting executive pay

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is mounting a new effort to limit executive compensation as Wall Street prepares this month to pay out huge bonuses.

Read more: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/75709-rep-frank-to-hold-hearings-on-limiting-executive-pay

(Let's mount our own efforts to limit Frank & friend's time left in Congress... and while we're at it, why don't we work to limit their payouts??? Problem being we can't monitor all the ways they leverage their clout... )

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

If Bush...

If Bush issued an executive order to create a council of state governors to work with the feds to expand military involvement in domestic security, the media, the left wingers, the conspiracy nuts would be going bananas.

If Bush wanted to put machines at the airport to screen for weapons by taking body shots the media, the left wingers, the conspiracy nuts would be screaming loud enough to break all the crystal in America.

If Bush talked about a civilian "army" there wouldn't be any other news worthy of discussing.

If Bush wanted to do a fraction, a tiny fraction, of the things Barack Hussein Obama is doing there would be fireworks like we've never seen before from the media, the left wingers, the conspiracy nuts.

But the sheeples are willing to look the other way because they love Obama. Whatever he does to them or to their country is fine because... well, because they're oblivious to what they stand to lose.

If George Bush (either of 'em) tried to do the things Obama is doing we on the right might let him get away with a little bit of it... but then we'd be marching in Washington with the left... maybe on the other side of the street... maybe with better looking signs , but we'd be there.

We are truly in the perfect storm of all storms. Our only chance to fight what is happening right now is to hope that our vote still matters in November. If by then the Obama machine has been successful with expanding and perfecting its' ACORN type tactics during the election, we're toast and so is our country.

Folks, we hafta, hafta, hafta get our friends involved. We have to make plans now to get every able bodied, right minded voter to cast their ballot in all elections this year. Then we need to gear up for 2012 immediately.

We have to prepare people to find their local tea party group, the local Republican group, the local Libertarian group and get involved.

In regards to the Republican party: the best way to make changes happen in D.C. and the country is to work within the system to give it an overhaul. Standing on the outside throwing rocks doesn't do anything but make people put up thicker walls, barricade the windows and hunker down. If enough of you get involved and make yourself an integral part of your local and state party, you will change the system.

Go to the meetings, get involved. Ignore the petty bickering (it's always there). Keep the big goal of saving our Constitutional rights, our freedoms, our country in mind. Picture a scale in your head --- on one side is the country, the Constitution, our freedoms, our future. On the other side are your individual beliefs on issues. Weight the importance of each of your beliefs against attaining the overall goals... succeed in saving the country, then go back to work on trying to get everyone to vote 100% of the time on whatever is important to you. I'm not saying to bend on core principles. I think most of us will find that our core principles are those that are written in and protected by the Constitution...

On splitting the vote: Huge concern for me and I'm sure the left is hoping we'll do that. If the Republicans, tea party / 9/12 groups, the Libertarians, the Ron Paul followers, the Independent Party, the Constitution Party, etc. all say "our guy / gal" or no one, then we will split the vote and lose. I don't know how we're going to do it, but somehow we have to be willing to fight for our candidate during the primary and then coalesce behind the one most likely to win (as long as they're truly a principled conservative, of course).

OK, nuff ranting, rambling and running on... here's the article (along with a blog by a friend of mine) that sparked this blog:

http://www.prisonplanet.com/obama-executive-order-stokes-martial-law-fears.html

Niece of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Sen. Reid: "His thinking is sadly outrageous"

Alveda King says that Reid threatens the “Beloved Community” of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Following is a statement from Dr. Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on Senator Harry Reid’s comments, “light skinned with no Negro dialect,” regarding President Barack Obama’s acceptability as a choice for holding the highest seat in the nation.

“This type of thinking by Senator Reid and others is sadly outrageous, no matter what the ethnic or political viewpoint happens to be. We are one human race, and polarizing people because of skin color is horrendous.

“If Michael Steele or any other conservative had said anything like it, the remarks would be labeled racist and plastered over every available news outlet.

"What would my uncle and my father think, to hear such things from one of the most powerful leaders in the country? Their "Beloved Community" is sorely threatened when racism rears its ugly head once again.

“As it stands, only a few brave souls are publicizing the comments while there is a massive push at damage control from those who wish to bury the elitist pattern that is prevalent in our government today. Maafa21.com and bloodmoneyfilm.com are excellent sources of understanding where the kind of thinking espoused by Senator Reid originates.

“Senator Reid’s apology is a good place to start, but what Congress must do next is to rectify such eugenics and genocidal behavior, backed by rich and powerful organizations like Planned Parenthood, and eliminate government funding of abortion from healthcare legislation.”

DR. ALVEDA C. KING: Daughter of the late slain civil rights activist Rev. A. D. King and Niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Founder of King for America, Inc. Mother of six and doting grandmother. Consultant to the Africa Humanitarian Christian Fellowship. Former college professor. MA degree in Business Management. Published author of Sons of Thunder, The King Family Legacy and I Don't Want Your Man, I Want My Own. Doctorate of Laws conferred by Saint Anslem College. Served on the boards and committees of Coalition of African American Pastors, and the Judeo-Christian Coalition for Constitutional Restoration. Served in the Georgia State House of Representatives. Accomplished actress and songwriter. She is a voice for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, speaking about her regret for her abortion. During the years of the Civil Rights Movement, led by her Uncle, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Alveda's family home was bombed in Birmingham, Alabama. "Daddy's house was bombed, then in Louisville, Kentucky his church office was bombed. I was also jailed during the open housing movement," she recalls. Alveda has continued her long-term work as a civil rights activist. Advocate for School Choice as a civil rights issue. Strong advocate for life of the unborn, faith in God not faith in government bureaucracy.