Videos

Two videos tonight.

First, this is why Ted Kennedy was the best at what he did.



And this really cracked me up tonight when I watched it. Glenn Beck is an idiot.

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Senator Ted Kennedy: An American Icon

The news of the death of Ted Kennedy has saddened me more than I thought any public figure's death could. In recent weeks, I have been studying the Kennedy Family more and more, and in particular John, Robert, and Ted. These men fasciante me, and Ted's contributions to our nation are astonishing and epic. No man has made as great an impact on this country in the last century as Ted Kennedy. In his 46 years an a Senator, he has initiated an amazing amount of groundbreaking and society-shaping legislation. Many aspects of our society are the way they are thanks to the contributions of this great man. Some of these bills: the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the National Cancer Act of 1971, the Federal Election Campaign Act Amendments of 1974, the COBRA Act of 1985, the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Ryan White AIDS Care Act in 1990, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, the Mental Health Parity Act in 1996 and 2008. Kennedy also was against the war in Iraq from the beginning, calling his vote against the war the best he ever cast in the Senate. He was a big supporter of education reform, and health care reforms, including the current push to get a public plan installed. Many Democrats beleive the debate over health care would be different and more successful if Sen. Kennedy had been there over the last few months, and it is sad he will not be around to see the final outcome of this current debate. Finally, Ted was a driving force behind raising the minimum wage above $7 and lowering the voting age to 18. Senator Ted Kennedy was a great, amazing man, and a true hero to myself. If I can ever make 1/100th of the impact that he made, then I will consider myself a success. American politics will never be the same, because of him and without him.

A Shameful Chapter

I had a very interesting experience yesterday. Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn held a town hall meeting in downtown OKC, and I decided to attend, so I could experience what a town hall meeting was all about. First, a disclaimer: I have a lot of respect for Sen. Coburn, despute his far right beliefs. He does a lot of good work here in the state, and, generally, he stands up for what he beleives in, even if it is not exactly popular here in Oklahoma. He showed an ability to do this several times yesterday, such as when he defended his vote for the stimulus bill, and his personnel friendship with the president. Ok, all that said, I strongly disagree with him about health care. He does not support the public plan, but instead wants to reform insurance companies and continue with what we have. I obviously disagree with him on this, and when I had a chance to meet him afterwards, I told him this.

Anyways, I want to get away from the health care debate for tonight. This week has seen the unveiling of a lot of news concerning national security procedures during the Bush Administration. The revelation last week by former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge that the Bush Administration politicized the terror threat level is not unexpected, but still disgusting nonetheless. The fact that the former leaders of this country would use the threat of terrorism to win elections is absolutely abhorrent. This is something that you expect from totalitarian regimes in other countries that hold fake elections, not from the United States presidency. I wish it were possible to go after the people behind this in a court of law. But I guess we will just have to rely on the other big revelation this week to get Cheney and Rove. The CIA report on interrogation techniques is also disgusting. Prisoners were threatened with guns, electric drills, and threats to their families. Some torture even went so far that detainees were mentally scarred so bad that they can never defend themselves in a court of law, or were even killed. Is that what you want America doing to people? It disgusts me to think our leaders approved these things, and even praised the merits of torture. These things are all prohibited by U.S. law and the Geneva Convention. And what purpose did these methods serve? None at all. CIA interrogators have reported that detainees were more likely to turn over useful info when they were being treated well. Al-Qaeda officer Khalid sheik-Mohammad, who was tortured nearly to death, said in an interview that he often gave false info during torture, and when he was offered chocolate chip cookies, he finally turned over useful intel. KSM also said that Al-Qaeda actively uses U.S. torture to recruit young Arab men, because of the evil image it protects on the U.S. Now that we have proof that the Bush Administration authorized these tactics, it is a no brainer that certain officals should be prosecuted. Attorney General Eric Holder has appointed a prosecuter to try people and hopefully he will have the guts to go after those at the highest levels. All of this reminds me of the Nixon Administration. Richard Nixon once said that anything the president does is legal, and he has been roundly criticized for that statement for three decades. Isn't this basically the prinicple that President Bush and those around him operated on? Do you think anyone in the Bush Administration has actually read the Constitution. I just finished re-reading it for a class, and when I think about what went on in the last eight years, it makes me angry! The utter disregard for what our country truly stands for is absolutely insulting! What right did those people have to do just whatever they wanted while they were in office? We are not a totalitarian country. We are a country based on the rule of law, and nobody is above that law, not even the president, and especially not Bush, Cheney, or Rove. And as for the argument that these people were terrorists, so the treatment was justified is bull. All prisoners have rights. It is a key idea that we are built on. How can you claim to be defending our country when you are tearing down the laws that that country is built on!?! In fact, this is beyond an argument for the respect of our country. This is a moral issue. It is morally wrong to torture anyone, no matter how evil they are. I don't believe the Bible advocates torture. In fact, the Bible says to love your enemies. I didn't read a disclaimer under that that says, "Except for Muslim terrorists." Maybe if we spent less time doing these abominable things, and instead tried to reach out and make friendly relations with others, then we wouldn't have to worry about terrorism.

Our Line In The Sand

Just a quick call-to-arms on health care.

This morning on MSNBC, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) essentially drew a line in the sand. Grassley is the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, and until now, has been one of the few GOPers who it was thought could be counted on to help with health care reform. That all changed today. With rumors circulating DC that the public option is not a sure thing anymore, Grassley was asked if he would vote for a bill that didnt include a public option. Not only did he say no, he said that even if the bill was exactly what he wanted, he probably wouldn't vote for it.

Read that last sentence one more time.

Even if we locked Sen. Grassley in a room and let him write a health care bill to his own liking, he still wouldn't vote for it. So why in the hell are Dems trying to craft a bill that Republicans would vote for? This proves it: the GOP isn't going to vote for any health care bill in any form. So a message to Democrats in our nation's capital: FORGET BIPARTISANSHIP.> Republicans have just announced their intention to not cooperate no matter what. We have the White House, a 70 seat majority in the House, and a 60-seat, filibuster proof majority in the Senate. We do not need the Republicans. They are basically quitting. So lets get this done. Put the public option in, along with whatever else we need, and pass the bill.

It feels to me like universal health care is slipping away quickly. When Congress reconvenes in September, they need to get to work and get it done before October. I encourage anyone reading this: contact your Democratic Congresspeople and let them know: if they cant get this done, maybe we need to get some people up there that actually want to do the job we sent them for. This is our big chance: do not squander it!

Good news: You cant yell over my blog!

So I was sitting on the couch, and I realized: I havent written a blog in, like, over a week! What have I been doing?!?!? Anyways, here it is.

The absolute hate and vitriol being displayed by the extreme right at town hall meetings in the last week is, frankly, quite scary to me. What ever happened to a peaceful discourse of ideas? Did right-wingers decide that yelling over anything being said is a way to spread your viewpoint? I think that this tactic is being used because these people have no ideas of their own. Their only plan of action is to oppose anything Democrats propose. They know if Democratic officials are allowed to explain the health care plan to people, then it will be accepted for what it is: a good and reasonable plan. When they are criticized, these people claim that democracy is being repressed. I'm sorry, but angrily yelling down people who disagree with you is not democracy. It's the politics of fear and intimidation, an art the Republicans seem to have mastered over the last decade. And it's not just the actually yelling that is stupid. They are yelling out things that are flat-out lies. First, the supposed "death panels." The claim is that the government is going to tell you when and how to die. First, this is absolutely ridiculous. Use your brains for half a second. The actual provision that this comes from is one that allows for the compensation of doctors who provide end-of-life counciling that their patients ask for. Somehow, this has been twisted into death for old people? What the hell? Did right-wingers even read the provision, or did they just see "end-of-life" and "patients" and just assume something? These are elected officials and educated people, right? Not, like, 5th graders or something? This is conspiracy-mongering at it's best, and God forbid that anyone do some fact-checking and find out what exactly the bill says. The best part about this? Two years ago, Sen. John Isakson (R-GA), who has recently criticzed this very thing, co-sponsored a bill that passed that contained the exact same wording as the new health care bill! Hypicrosy at work again.
Another lie: that the bill will fund abortion initiatives. This one is easy to prove: it is against the law for any federal funds to be allocated for abortion support. Read the Hyde Amendment. The health care bill says nothing about repealing the Hyde Amendment.
Goodness, that was easy to dispel.

I guess I just really don't understand some of the opposition to health care. What really makes people think that government can't do as good a job as big insurance in providing coverage? I mean, the insurance corporations haven't exactly done a great job. I like this story: a conservative think tank recently issued a statement claiming that if we had public plan, like in Britain, then disabled people, such as physicist Stephen Hawking, would just be neglected and put down. Never mind the fact that Mr. Hawking is from Britain, and issued a statement saying that he would not be here without the great care provided by Britain's National Health Service. Once again, fact-checking: a good thing. Another example, as illustrated by Pres. Obama: government postal service has yet to drive public mail carriers like UPS and FedEx out of business. In fact, both companies are thriving due to the increased competition. So what makes you think the government will drive private insurance out of business? The only way this will happen is if the insurance companies refuse to adapt to the new landscape, in which case, good riddance! Adaption is key to survival.

The final point I want to make is about Republican legislators. Their calls that government-run health care cant work ring hollow, considering their own plans. Most Congresspeople are on government-run health care, and it seems to be working well for them. So the next time a Congressman wants to trash government-run health care, maybe that person should give up their own plan, if it sucks so bad. It's hard to kill something when it seems to be working so well.

Well, that's all I got for now. I'll try to get back sooner next time. And if you are reading this, please, leave your comments and ideas! I want to know what you are thinking, so I know what I need to address! Until next time!

Health Care

Great monologue by Keith Olbermann on tonight's Countdown

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the man is a genius

Health Care: Choosing death?

Just a warning: this might be kind of long haha. A lot has been happening this week and I'm gonna try to hit all the big points. I may end up splitting this up, but I'm not sure yet.

First, obviously, health care. I've kind of pounded this subject into the ground, but it really is the key issue right now. The latest word from the capital is that a public plan may be gone, in favor of a co-op. The Senate Finance Committee finally released their bill, which did not include a public option. Democrats need to stand up and demand the public plan. It seems that the Republicans are winning this battle with a minority, just by pushing the Dems around. Liberal Democrats really need to get a spine and push back, and stop worrying about hurting the feelings of the Republicans.
But that's not my big issue with health care. The other big story this week is the idea that the government is going to force senior citizens to choose how they want to die. This is the most ridiculous thing I think I have heard yet concerning the health care bill. Let's not forget, the whole point of this bill is to get people health care so that they can live longer. It seems the main point here is a line in the bill that will divert funding to an ad campaign that encourages people to get living wills. First of all, the government has been doing this for twenty years. Second, what is wrong with a living will? I didn't realize that it was a bad thing. In fact, it seems getting a living will is a very good idea, for your children's sakes. But some conservative whack-job somewhere has started telling senior citizens that this means the government is going to force them to choose a death, so that they can be offed to make room for younger people. Usually, this kind of fear-mongering wouldn't be worrisome (in fact, we have kind of come to expect it from the Limbaugh-Beck-Coutler types.) The problem is, some Republican Congressmen and -women have taken up this ridiculous idea. Representative Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said on the House floor, "Seniors will be put to death by their government." Also on the House floor, Rep. Paul Brown (R-GA) called the health care bill a "secret plan to kill people." An in interviews, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) likened it to "assisted suicide," while Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) said, "It will absolutely kill people," and it will "put them on a list and force them to die early." And finally, during President Obama's town hall meeting Tuesday, a women called in saying that she heard a rumor that the government was going to send officials door-to-door asking people how they would like to die. The President dismissed this, calling it "kind of morbid," and explained the line encouraging living wills. This kind of fear-mongering by conservatives is disgraceful, and clearly shows that Republicans really have no other points that they can legitimately argue, considering the NBC poll released today showing that 94% (no that's not a typo) of the population wants health care reform of some type. 56% support a public plan. If this country is based in majority rules, then why aren't we seeing a public plan happening. Last I checked, 56% is a majority (almost as much as President Obama won the last election by!) My point is, the Republicans really have no options left. Many of them are happy with the status quo, and will do and say anything to make sure it happens.

Another big story this week has been the recent surge in Obama birther stories. If this isn't the most ridiculous story out there, I don't know what is. It seems that conservatives have this crazy idea that President Obama was born in Mombasa, Kenya, and his mother inexplicably put the birth announcement in two Hawaii newspapers, and also forged a Hawaii birth certificate. You know, on the off chance that her son might run for President 46 years later. The possibility of this story being anywhere near true is zero, which makes it all the more appealing for the Limbaugh crowd. But it's not just fringe-element conservatives following this line of thought. Apparently, some Republican Congressmen don't have the backbone or courage to stand up to people like Ann Coulter and say that Obama is an American citizen, and anyone who says otherwise is insane. They are more concerned with keeping the hard-line base happy, more so than standing up for the truth. Listen, you can disagree with Obama on everything in the world. But there is no doubt he is an American citizen. There are hospital records, a birth certificate, a certificate of live birth, and newspaper announcements that prove he was born in Honolulu on August 4th, 1961. This shouldn't even be an argument. Once again (I'm sensing a pattern here,) it seems that Republicans don't have many things of substance to argue, so they must grasp at air with ideas like this.
Just as a closing note for this story: 2008 Republican Presidential nominee John McCain was actually not born in the United States. He was born in Panama on a U.S. base. Many Constitutional scholars still debate whether or not this would qualify McCain to be president. So chew on that.

The last major story is the Henry Louis Gates arrest. This is the perfect story to spark a national debate on the continued role of racism in America. There is no doubt in my mind that race played a role in this arrest. Despite what some want you to think, racism is still very much alive in America. I personally see it almost daily, living adjacent to a predominately poor, black neighborhood to the south, and a predominantly white, very rich neighborhood to the north. There is also a large Hispanic population in this area. The racism displayed by many has shocked me in the short amount of time I have lived here in downtown Oklahoma City. It just shows me how sheltered I was in terms of race living in Benton, KS for most of my life.
And now, Glenn Beck has decided to drop his two cents on this subject. On the Fox New Channel, he called President Obama a "racist" who "hates white people," and wants to put them at a disadvantage. Now before I comment on this, lets get one thing cleared up: I absolutely hate racism of any form. Nothing in this world angers me more than seeing or hearing someone discriminate against another because of the color of their skin. This is absolutely the most asinine thing I have ever seen. Racism is one thing that drove me away from the Republican party: I couldn't stand listening to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, and Glenn Beck say blatantly racist things on the radio daily, and never hearing any Republicans denounce them. So hearing Mr. Beck's latest comments almost don't even surprise me. I just don't understand why people hate others because of what color skin they have, or what country they are from. We are all people. Everyone has the same rights, whether their skin is black or white, whether they speak English or French, whether they are communist or capitalist, or whether they worship Jesus or Mohammad. I really long for a day when all these things can be accepted by others. But we aren't there. Many extreme conservatives can't seem to accept that a black man is president. These are the same people who attacked John Kerry is 2004 for "looking French." Who cares what he looks like? Why is that even a conversation? I think the basis of the racial argument is this: some white people can't stand the idea that they might not have a monopoly on power anymore. I think some Republicans are in this same boat. The idea of a black or Hispanic majority frightens them because they might not be able to make all the choices anymore. So the base of the Republican party has become the party that stands up for the abused white man. The thing is, in a few years, white people will no longer be the majority. So if Republicans want to continue to alienate minorities, they will soon learn that they can no longer win elections. Racism needs to come to an end, not for political reasons, but for moral ones. And anyone who thinks this argument is arcane, and racism is dead, just come spend a few days with me. I think I can open your eyes.