Archive for the ‘Politics’ Category

So today I finally put the consents in the mail to donate our remaining three embryos to scientific research.  I was in tears over it last night when I was sealing the envelope.  We’ve had them in cryo preservation for 2 years now because I didn’t want to give them up.  In April (about 2 weeks after the twins turned 1) I had a D&C and ablation which has rendered me unable to have any more children.  I was in denial about that for several months too.  I think in June the clinic sent a letter saying we had to either move the embryos to a long-term storage facility or choose one of the other options available.  We could have donated them to another couple but I just couldn’t stand the idea of someone else having my babies.  The other option was to drive to Green Bay and they would give them to me in a little paper straw…. sick, right??  So I had to accept that I couldn’t carry them and that left only one option to be had.  So my tiny 5-day old would-be babies are on their way to La Jolla, CA to the The Stem Cell Resource.  I’m sad about it but also kind of glad that the decision is done.  I hope they will help to save a life (or many lives).  It’s funny that when we first started the whole in-vitro process we were so sure that we would donate the remaining eggs, sperm, embryos to science.  We checked that option on the intial paperwork without a moments hesitation.  But after see what those microscopic little guys could become (running around my living room) it was far harder to just let them go.  Don’t get me wrong – I’m still pro-choice, I think a woman should have 100% control over her own body.  But I think it’s safe to say that I would personally not exercise certain options.  This decision was very hard for me and I felt choceless… but I think in the end it was the best possible choice for me.

IN the eleventh chapter of Leviticus, God tells us those animals which we are forbidden from eating as they are an “abomination” to do so…

• Verse 4 – No camels
• Verse 5 – No coneys (a translation of the Hebrew Bible word shaphan, in modern English “rock hyrax”)
• Verse 6 – No hares
• Verse 7 – No swine
• Verse 8 - ”Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.”
• Verse 10 – “all that have not fins and scales… they shall be an abomination unto you” – so basically No shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster, etc)
• Verse 13 – No eagles, ossifrage (a kind of vulture) or ospray
• Verse 14 – No vultures or kites (raptors)
• Verse 15 – No ravens
• Verse 16 – No owls, nighthawks, cuckoos, or hawks
• Verse 17 – No little owls, or great owls or cormorants
• Verse 18 – No swans, pelicans, or gier-eagles
• Verse 19 – No storks, herons, lapwings, or bats
• Verse 20 – “All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.”
• Verse 29 – No weasels, mice or tortoises (I’m guessing turtles would be a no-no as well)
• Verse 30 – No ferrets, chameleons, lizards, snails or moles
• Verse 41 – “And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earthshall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.”
• Verse 42 – “Whatsoever goeth upon the belly. and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat, for they are an abomination.” – So basically no snakes, centipedes, millipedes – pretty much no bugs (except locusts which are deemed okay in verse 22).

It goes into detail in verses 30-40ish about how these “unclean” animals are not only to be avoided as food but that if they come in contact with or if their carcasses come in contact with anything then those things are basically contaminated and we are forbidden from them as well.

So you’re probably wondering… why do I care?  Well doesn’t this seem just a little bit over the top?  I know that I’m not going to give up bacon or shrimp to name a few favorites.  I mean, truthfully, I probably wouldn’t have eaten many of these animals anyway but I fail to see the reasoning for them being banned.  Further…. I point this out because of the hypocrisy.  This is the same book of the Bible that homophobic right-wingers like to quote from when they try to defend their anti-gay propaganda. (See Lev 18:22 or 20:13)

So, here is my question for the masses… why should we vehemently follow the “anti-gay” verses but not the ones about naughty tasty animals?  Or how about the versus dictating that “they shall not make baldness upon their head” (Lev 21:05) boy that would put a dent in some fundamentalist hair-dos (or lack therof).  How about Lev  19:28 which says “Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you” – No tattoos!

I could go on – the entire book of Leviticus is a plethora of hypocrisy and unreasonable rules.  So why oh why??? Why would anyone trying to prove a point use this as ammunition?  I’m bewildered, befuddled… mystified!  (Guess I’m not a)dumb b)gullible c)fundamentalist enough to get it.)

Help celebrate a year of Domestic Partnership Protections in Wisconsin!

Remember folks… it’s not about gay rights — it’s about CIVIL EQUALITY!!

I think I’m gonna go have some bacon-wrapped shrimp while I think about a design for my 6th tattoo…

Current Mood: Aaarrggghhh!!!!! & Doh! & Naughty & On my soapbox

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was introduced in 1994 with the goal of protecting workers from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Now, 16 years later, we are closer than ever to passing this historic legislation, but we need your help to get it done.

This week, May 17-21, is the EMERGENCY ENDA National Week of Action. Fair Wisconsin and other pro-fairness groups from across the country are taking action and urging supporters to contact their members of Congress to ask them to support an inclusive ENDA.

To contact your representative, call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at 202.224.3121, give the operator your zip code and asked to be connected to your Representative. When you are connected, give your name and address so they know you are a constituent. Then, express your support for ENDA, like in this statement:

“Discrimination is a real problem that affects real people and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people need basic job discrimination protections. I support the inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act and urge you to support fairness and the protection of all American citizens, despite sexual orientation or gender identity. Please vote for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act”

For more information, check out endanow.com.

Current Mood: Hey there! & On my soapbox

There are at least 19,000 homeless people in Detroit, by some estimates.

So here’s my question…

Why is this huge building sitting empty since the 1940′s growing moss?

Current Mood: On my soapbox

Michelle and I were heartbroken to learn this morning of the death of our dear friend, Senator Ted Kennedy.

For nearly five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well-being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts.

His ideas and ideals are stamped on scores of laws and reflected in millions of lives — in seniors who know new dignity; in families that know new opportunity;  in children who know education’s promise; and in all who can pursue their dream in an America that is more equal and more just, including me.

In the United States Senate, I can think of no one who engendered greater respect or affection from members of both sides of the aisle. His seriousness of purpose was perpetually matched by humility, warmth and good cheer. He battled passionately on the Senate floor for the causes that he held dear, and yet still maintained warm friendships across party lines. And that’s one reason he became
not only one of the greatest senators of our time, but one of the most accomplished Americans ever to serve our democracy.

I personally valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I’ve benefited as President from his encouragement and wisdom.

His fight gave us the opportunity we were denied when his brothers John and Robert were taken from us: the blessing of time to say thank you and goodbye. The outpouring of love, gratitude and fond memories to which we’ve all borne witness is a testament to the way this singular figure in American history touched so many lives.

For America, he was a defender of a dream. For his family, he was a guardian. Our hearts and prayers go out to them today — to his wonderful wife, Vicki, his children Ted Jr., Patrick and Kara, his grandchildren and his extended family.

Today, our country mourns. We say goodbye to a friend and a true leader who challenged us all to live out our noblest values. And we give thanks for his memory, which inspires us still.

Sincerely,

President Barack Obama

Gen. Colin Powell Remarks on the Death of Senator Ted Kennedy

“I knew Senator Kennedy very, very well. He was a great legislator, marvelous representative of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and I considered him a very close friend.

I have known him for something like 46 years – if I count, properly longer, more like 47 years. And I knew him at the very beginning of his career when he first got out of the Army, and he started to run for office.

He was for the underprivileged. He was for the poor. He was for those who did not have health care. He was for the reduction and elimination of racial barriers.

And so Ted Kennedy was somebody who reached out for all of those who were not yet benefiting from the American dream. And he strongly believed that America had the potential to give all of its citizens an opportunity to lead a good quality, healthy life.”

Current Mood: *Wink* & Amused & On my soapbox

So my pals at the DNC called me today to help pay for their advertising up-tick to promote their health care reform bill and to negate all the evil coming from Emporer Limbaugh, Darth Hannity, Sith Witch Coulter and the rest of the Republic. While I do want to see a health care reform bill get passed this year, I am on the fence as to what it should look like. Why, you ask? Aren’t I a bra-burning liberal?? Well, yes, on most issues, especially social issues. But on this particular issue I have a very close-to-home conflict of interest. I work for one of the biggest insurance companies in the country.* 

So… depending on the bill that actually gets through, I could potentially be out of a job. And with 4 kids to feed I have to step back and really scrutinize what’s trying to be accomplished. That said, I would still like to see a national health care system but I think there should be a private offering as well. How would that work? Well, we have it in place already really. Medicare and Medical Assistance are available to seniors and families with children, respectively, when they don’t have the means to provide for their own health care. Now I think that these offerings would have to be tweaked a bit and made better overall but the base is there to start from. The big change would be opening those programs up to a bigger population with less restrictive requirements (i.e. income, age, family, etc).

Then leave the private insurance in place — they will have to become competitive financially and where benefits are concerned to keep the cash flowing. So, someone like me, with 4 kids, now has an option. I can stick with my private, employer-based insurance or I can opt-out and go with the federal insurance plan. Or maybe I can stay with my company’s insurance and just get pharmacy bennies from the fed since mine suck. Or any number of combinations of the two options that work fiscally and are best for the health of my family. I think that people in general want better health care, I think they also want choices. I think that our government can do both. So, as I told the nice gentleman from the DNC today… I won’t be donating until I see a better defined and what I think is a helpful plan put out to the public for review. So if they want my donation they will need to step it up a notch.

Interestingly enough, right after that phone call I saw the following message from Herb Kohl (D-WI):

Over the past several months, people in Washington have been working to carefully craft a health care reform package. Though progress has been steady, there are still several proposals in flux. Please be aware that neither the House nor the Senate has formulated one bill, and that no final decisions have been made about what will be included in health reform.

Most of us agree that reforming and improving our health care system is necessary, and we cannot afford to wait another 10 or 20 years until health care costs consume an even greater percentage of the economy and the budgets of American families.

Consider this: The United States spends $7,290 on health care per person, per year – while the average spent by the 30 most developed countries is $2,960. It is unacceptable that we have so much more of our money tied up in health care, yet we are not delivering demonstrably better health care than many of these countries. Studies show that the U.S. ranks below average on major health indicators, including infant mortality and life expectancy, when compared with the rest of the world.

We currently rank 44th in infant mortality and 30th in life expectancy, with the average American living to 78 years of age. By comparison, Japan spends $2,550 on health care per person each year – just over a third of what the U.S. spends – and boasts a life expectancy of 83 years.

There is no doubt that American health care is breaking the bank and making us less competitive in the world economy. Money that should be going to wage increases and helping to make our businesses more competitive is instead going to pay for increases in health care costs. This will not change until we get a handle on those costs.

Controlling costs is a goal we can all support in principle, especially when other countries have demonstrated that quality health care can be delivered at a much lower cost. We can start controlling costs by paying for value of care, not volume, and eliminating duplicative testing and over-treatment. If we can do that, then our health care system – and America’s patients – will be in better shape. We need to ensure that all health care systems provide better care in a more efficient way, and reward those systems that already do so, such as the ones we have in several locations in Wisconsin.

America’s health systems should expand the use of health information technology, which has been shown to save lives by reducing medical errors and save money by promoting efficiency in testing and communication. We can support the use of generic drugs and get generic equivalents on the market faster. And we can encourage Americans to engage in preventive care and healthy lifestyles.

Many of these money-saving ideas are not controversial. The fact is that there is a lot that we can all agree on. We agree that we need to expand coverage to most, if not all, Americans. We also agree that people should not be denied insurance because of pre-existing conditions. The principles we agree on far outnumber those on which we differ.

In addition to saving costs, health reform can do so much good for the average American. We want to limit your out-of-pocket expenses and co-pays. We want to make sure your coverage is not dropped just when you get sick and need it most. We want to eliminate caps on coverage, offer free preventive care and protect small businesses from the crushing costs of health care.

Despite all these positive changes that will benefit individual Americans, the debate surrounding health care threatens to get out of hand. False reports about what will be included in health care reform have taken on a life of their own. We need to strip away the rhetoric and dispel some of these rumors, many of which are meant to scare older Americans.

The most important thing for seniors to know is that health care reform will not diminish Medicare, the health care program those 65 and older have come to value. As we all know, Medicare provides older Americans with quality health care at a cost that is affordable.

Seniors are happy with Medicare. In fact, Medicare, a government-run program, boasts a satisfaction rate even higher than private insurance. The reform proposals to date are intended to strengthen Medicare, and will not make any significant changes to the way seniors receive their health care services.

As for the rumors out there about how health care will be drastically changed for the worse, you can rest assured: Health care reform will not limit choices, take away treatment options, ration care, eliminate private insurance, or tell you how or when to die. These things are not going to happen.

In the meantime, we hear you. We hear your needs and we hear your concerns. Your perspectives are invaluable, and we will continue to keep American families in mind as we work to complete a health reform package that starts to get costs under control, continues to provide high quality care, and begins to expand coverage to include most, if not all, Americans.

I tend to agree (he says it much better than I).  I especially like the part about the cost-benefit between America and other countries.  Really opens an eye.   The fact is, we are not going to lose choices, have reduced care or increased waits for care.  And while I don’t necessarily promote Michael Moore, Sicko made a few valid points; though I obviously don’t agree with him that all insurance companies should be abolished*.  If I can choose between putting $400+ per month into my company’s insurance plan or in taxes to a federal plan that probably has better benefits… well it seems like a no brainer, doesn’t it??

Anyhoo… that’s my two-cents. Thanks for listening, we now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Current Mood: On my soapbox & Thinking!

I’m pretty sure that the powers that be would have disallowed him from even attemping a presidential run if they thought there was even a shred of truth to any of these ridiculous allegations.

Read this

article at factcheck.org

Then sign this petition!

 

Subject: CNN spreading Obama conspiracy theories

Hi,

CNN host Lou Dobbs is promoting debunked “birther” conspiracy theories by asserting that Obama needs to “produce a birth certificate”–even though he already has.

I signed a petition with MoveOn and Media Matters calling on CNN to address their Lou Dobbs problem. Can you join me at the link below?

http://civ.moveon.org/stopdobbs/?r_by=16683-3927560-wBF.tmx&rc=paste

Thanks!

Current Mood: On my soapbox

Today, July 23, the full U.S. House of Representatives will take up its FY10 funding bill for Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.

 

Please urge your representative now to support H.R. 3288.

 

H.R. 3288 would:

• Fully fund voucher and project-based contract renewals
• Increase public housing operating and capital funds
• Increase homeless assistance grants
• Increase programs for housing for seniors, people with disabilities and people with AIDS.

 

Urge your representative to:

 

Oppose any amendment that would reduce the bill’s funding levels. Four are expected:

1) A 5% across-the-board cut to the entire bill from Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN).

2) A $20 billion cut in spending, reducing it to FY08 level, from Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH).

3) A $13.5 billion cut in spending, from Rep. Randy Neugebauer (R-TX)

4) A 25% cut for any unauthorized program, from Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL)

More on this from the National Low Income Housing Coalition

Current Mood: On my soapbox

Sammy,

Okay, if I carry a negative balance in my checkbook the bank does not let me write more checks…let alone buy a couple billion dollars worth of obsolete jets! I mean, c’mon Uncle, when’s the last time we engaged in real ariel combat (which these jets were designed for)?  Seriously, I don’t think the Chinese are going to dare us to a dogfight over the huge sums of money we owe them!  (They’ll just pwn us in business.)

How about this… how about NO.   We don’t have the cash, so no planes for US!  You already [over]spent your allowance! 

How about lifting the export restrictions and selling these things to our allies?  That would save the jobs at Lockheed and generate some cash for US (in the form of tariffs).  

How about put some cash into R&D and come up with something that doesn’t run $40G an hour to operate?!?

Hugs & Kisses,

A Taxpaying Citizen

Visit the Congress.org home page to see stories and documents from around the Web about the jet program.

Obama Repeats Threat to Veto Bill Over F-22 Jet
By CHRISTOPHER DREW
Published: July 14, 2009
The president pressed his campaign against spending $1.75 billion for seven F-22 jets as Democratic support for the plane increased.

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The Outstanding Public Debt as of 21 Jul 2009 at 03:47:02 AM GMT is: $11,613,259,299,265.79
The estimated population of the United States is 306,585,943
so each citizen’s share of this debt is $37,879.29.

Current Mood: Aaarrggghhh!!!!! & Noooooooo & On my soapbox