INTERESTING TIMES

I knew he'd be hard at work. I had no idea he had such an elegant solution worked out! My favorite clear thinker Congressman Ron Paul has introduced several pieces of legislation in Congress to bring true change to health care. Imagine the impact if congress were to stop legislating as if they worked for big business, and begin legislating as if they actually had the health and best interests of private citizens at heart. The result would be something like what Ron Paul proposes.

H.R. 2629, the Coercion is Not Health Care Act
The intent of this bill is to stop government from railroading us into a scheme that requires us to buy health insurance, or makes the purchase of insurance a precondition for any government benefit or program.

H.R. 1495, the Comprehensive Health Care Reform Act of 2009
Allows us to pay health care bills as we choose. Provides a tax credit for all Americans for 100% of healthcare expenses (refundable against both income and payroll taxes). This bill also lets us roll over unused money in cafeteria plans and Flexible Savings Accounts (FSA), gives tax credits for premiums on high deductible insurance policies connected with Health Savings Accounts (HSA), lets seniors use their HSA moneys to cover the donuthole in medicare coverage, and repeals the 7.5% threshhold for the deduction of medical expenses, making ALL medical expenses tax deductible. This would lighten the burden on regular people, allowing us to seek care when we really need care.
( Several more bills worth supporting )

The explosions are constant now and the sirens are temporarily silenced. The pets are in hiding. The show is amazing, terrific, colorful, people are applauding within a block of here. I am tired, and headed for bed soon. The noise will not keep me up.

I remember hearing about that day--7/4/1776--that the representatives of America's 13 original colonies announced to the world that they were free, and that they would no longer accept outside rule. The gall of them. Just saying HEY man you can't boss me around anymore. Anymore if an American patriot acts with such independence, he finds himself listed as a terrorist on some government watchlist.

Text of old document behind cut.
( we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor )

As of this week, you cannot cross the Mexico-US or Canada-US border without a passport. There are many people who routinely cross the border who do not have passports. As of this week, those people have to choose a country, and stay there. Too bad if their family is on the other side from their job.
( more )

I don't know if you watched this testimony of a young pastor who got harassed and beaten by border patrol. They said a dog alerted on his car, and told him he was under arrest. He refused to get out of the car because they wouldn't tell him what he was being arrested for, and he did not believe that the dog had alerted on his car. For the record, there was nothing illegal in the car. This three minute blip below is some footage he shot from inside the car, and then a big of the border patrol footage shot from over head as they are hauling him out of the vehicle. If you're not already following this story, the original report is more informative. This story illustrates how dearly individuals may pay for demanding to be treated according to law, instead of bowing down to police who are operating out of their scope.

HR 875 was introduced to our 111th congress by Rosa DeLauro, whose husband Stanley Greenburg works for Monsanto. The bill benefits factory farming corporations such as factory farming ops like Monsanto, ADM, Sodexo and Tyson, by stressing small farms with new regulations and potentially putting small food suppliers out of business. My guess is that the bill was written by people from inside that industry.

Monsanto is up to no good. Monsanto has been engineering corn and other crops to be infertile, such that farmers cannot plant next season from this year's seed crop!! And not only does this invention assure that the farmer must purchase seed annually, the genetically engineered corn pollenates other corn and reduces the viability of the crop world wide. Causing starvation and an increased need for people to buy seed corn. Now a Monsanto ally has introduced a bill making it a pain in the ass to grow a little bit of food on your small farm or in your back yard garden. This bill increases the regulation of small food growing operations, while letting the corporate starvation profiteer run free. We can't let this bill pass. Is there anyone out there paying attention? Are you ready to act as a citizen? We the people are up against Goliath, and we'd better pick up some stones!! Please do what you can.
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Monsanto-s-dream-bill-HR-by-Linn-Cohen-Cole-090309-337.html
( the scoop and links )

Karl Rove was scheduled for the 3rd time to appear in front of the House Judiciary Committee and did not show. He is expected to testify about his (alleged) involvement in the firing of US Attorneys and the (alleged) political prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman. (I guess you have to say alleged to avoid accusations of defamation, slander, or libel.) Obviously he does not want to testify. Does he think we're going to forget about him? Or that Congress can't or won't take the next step to bring him to justice? What is the next step? Maybe it's time we take it.

( one more interesting news item )

The Courage Campaign offers this video to put a face to all the couples who would be automatically divorced if the Supreme Court upholds California's anti-gay proposition 8. The Mormon (LDS) Church was far more involved than they'd like to admit in promoting this law, and they were successful; it passed.

At the Courage Campaign website you can sign a letter indicating your support of allowing gay couples to marry--and stay married. I've had my own issues with the word "marriage", even so, it seems foolish to deny this rite and recognition to loving couples based solely on gender. We need to be encouraging stable committed relationships, for the benefit of society. Because an enlightened society values love. A true Christian (like Jesus, for one) values love.

Man of Courage
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, 1918-2008.
The Weekly Standard, 08/25/2008, Volume 013, Issue 46
http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/417wvabo.asp?pg=1
by Harvey Mansfield
( article text )

Last week I read that a man (LaPointe, 430 lbs), was released from jail because they did not have facilities large enough for him to sleep in, or sit at a table. This week I hear that the Canadian supreme court has ruled that obese people are disabled, and airlines have to provide them with two seats for the price of one.... How about, now let's call cigarette addiction a disability and provide the smokers with their own airplane? And incontinence must surely be a disability, so let's set them up with toilets on every aisle? You see how slippery the slope can be.
( rant )