Haiku 083109
two burps
as he nears the dock
a bull frog
***************
Recently, we read the following:
The Daily Telegraph: “Barack Obama critics take aim at carbon reforms after health reform success” by Alex Spillius
“Inspired by the success of protests against health care reform, the critics began their fight against the carbon scheme with a rally in Houston, Texas...
“A coalition of 17 business and conservative groups, backed by dozens of local organisations, will stage further events in 19 other states over the next three weeks and has told its millions of members to bombard their representatives in Washington with calls and emails…
“Like the agitators against the president's plans for health reform, the alliance, known as Energy Citizens, plans to influence congressmen and senators visiting their districts and states during the August break….
“Democratic leaders in the Senate have set a deadline of the end of September to finalise a cap-and-trade bill, after the House of Representatives narrowly passed its own version earlier in the summer…
“Mr Obama claims the bill will slow global warming and reduce dependence on foreign sources of fossil fuels but critics have said it would however raise energy costs and lead to substantial job losses….
“Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, a pressure group involved in opposing Mr Obama on both fronts, said: ‘Cap and trade has just come on top of everything else – the massive stimulus, the $1 trillion budget, health care.’
" ‘We are just people who don't want the government to get bigger, too expensive and too intrusive, a government that will tell you what health care you can have at what price and what energy you can have at what price. It's a standard Left-Right choice.’ "
***************
And we thought:
… Is Big Government really the immediate problem? It appears to us – from stark events over the last two years -- that the immediate problem is really Big Business. These are the big financial services companies like AIG, Citibank, Goldman Sachs, and Merrill Lynch. The big health insurance companies like UnitedHealth Group, Aetna, and Wellpoint. The supermajor oil and energy companies like ExxonMobil, British Petroleum, and Royal Dutch Shell.
Big Business, coddled by the Bush administration during the last 8 years, is the albatross on the necks of the American people. It is behind the economic woes that hit the majority of the American people particularly hard over the waning years of the Bush regime.
Apparently, the new administration is now trying to address these economic hardships by way of its proposed reforms in Congress, designed to benefit the American people in the long term. But, true to form, Big Business is the bull frog precisely trying to scare the American people away from these proposed changes...
Monday, August 31, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Haiku 082909
the deer jumps
back into the woods
speeding car
***************
Recently, we read the following:
San Francisco Chronicle: "Drug testing trumped by gender testing" by Gwen Knapp
“Albert Pujols knows that, on every home run, his swing connects with suspicion. So many people want to believe in him, to imagine each homer sweeping baseball's doping scandals further into the past. Pujols can't definitively prove that he is different, that he is clean.
“Usain Bolt crushes the 100-meter world record again. He is dazzling, a showman with rock-star panache who promises to revive track and field. But like Pujols, he is stalked by an ugly history.
“Three of the last eight men (Ben Johnson, Tim Montgomery and Justin Gatlin) to break the 100-meter record have been banned for doping. Montgomery kept the mark for almost three years before federal agents uncovered what the drug tests missed.
“So Bolt and Pujols are stuck answering for the sins of their predecessors. But in this era of profound skepticism, they should be grateful for one thing: Nobody will ever watch them excel and then accuse them of not being real men.
“South African teenager Caster Semenya, the winner of the women's 800-meter race at the world championships, has been undergoing gender-verification testing. She must be examined by, among others, a gynecologist, psychologist and endocrinologist…
“It's not enough for her to undergo the very intrusive drug testing (the sample collector is supposed to watch every second, up close and personal, in the bathroom). Semenya has to endure a fairly medieval practice, a remnant from the days when all female athletes were deemed abnormal...
****************
And we thought:
… Pretty soon you'll have a nut-job stepping up and wondering earnestly: "What if it’s not about drugs or gender re-engineering? What if they’re not really human -- but extra-terrestials?" Things could get sillier...
the deer jumps
back into the woods
speeding car
***************
Recently, we read the following:
San Francisco Chronicle: "Drug testing trumped by gender testing" by Gwen Knapp“Albert Pujols knows that, on every home run, his swing connects with suspicion. So many people want to believe in him, to imagine each homer sweeping baseball's doping scandals further into the past. Pujols can't definitively prove that he is different, that he is clean.
“Usain Bolt crushes the 100-meter world record again. He is dazzling, a showman with rock-star panache who promises to revive track and field. But like Pujols, he is stalked by an ugly history.
“Three of the last eight men (Ben Johnson, Tim Montgomery and Justin Gatlin) to break the 100-meter record have been banned for doping. Montgomery kept the mark for almost three years before federal agents uncovered what the drug tests missed.
“So Bolt and Pujols are stuck answering for the sins of their predecessors. But in this era of profound skepticism, they should be grateful for one thing: Nobody will ever watch them excel and then accuse them of not being real men.
“South African teenager Caster Semenya, the winner of the women's 800-meter race at the world championships, has been undergoing gender-verification testing. She must be examined by, among others, a gynecologist, psychologist and endocrinologist…
“It's not enough for her to undergo the very intrusive drug testing (the sample collector is supposed to watch every second, up close and personal, in the bathroom). Semenya has to endure a fairly medieval practice, a remnant from the days when all female athletes were deemed abnormal...
****************
And we thought:
… Pretty soon you'll have a nut-job stepping up and wondering earnestly: "What if it’s not about drugs or gender re-engineering? What if they’re not really human -- but extra-terrestials?" Things could get sillier...
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Haiku 082709
the old dock
by the lake place
a loon's retreat
***************
Recently, we read the following:
NPR: “Homeless Man Leaves Behind Surprise: $4 Million”
"Every day on NPR, listeners hear funding credits — or, in other words, very short, simple commercials.
"A few weeks ago, a new one made it to air: 'Support for NPR comes from the estate of Richard Leroy Walters, whose life was enriched by NPR, and whose bequest seeks to encourage others to discover public radio.'
"NPR's Robert Siegel wondered who Walters was. So Siegel Googled him.
"An article in the online newsletter of a Catholic mission in Phoenix revealed that Walters died two years ago at the age of 76. He left an estate worth about $4 million. Along with the money he left for NPR, Walters also left money for the mission...
"Walters was a retired engineer from AlliedSignal Corp.; an honors graduate of Purdue with a master's degree; and a Marine. Walters never married, didn't have children and was estranged from his brother. But he wasn't friendless.
"Rita Belle, a registered nurse, met Walters at a senior center 13 years ago…
"Belle and Walters became friends. Belle stayed with Walters when he was ill. She became his nurse and ultimately the executor of his estate — as well as one of the beneficiaries — despite fundamental differences between them.
" 'He was an atheist and I'm a very profound practicing Catholic, and I'd never met an atheist,' Belle says. "And that just blew my mind that somebody could not believe in the Lord."
"Belle knew him as a very well-informed man ... She heard that he slept on the grounds of the senior center. He told her he ate at the hospital and used a telephone there or at the center.
" 'And I'm sure that's when he was making his trades and so on,' Belle says. 'He was involved in investing; we talked investments a lot.' Belle says Walters even did his own income taxes.
"When Walters retired, he evidently retired from the world of material comforts. He didn't have a car.
" 'He just gave up all of the material things that we think we have to have,' Belle says... 'I never heard him complain.' "
*****************
And we thought:
…Goodness from a most unusual source. It looks like, even without religion as a moral center, Richard Leroy Walters nonetheless was a morally-centered man. He saw the good in people and in groups that serve people. And he thought they were worth all the $4 million he had. He wasn't about to leave his $4 million to his trusty backpack in the same manner that that multi-millionaire matron from New York had left her millions to her trusty cat.
We don’t know how Mr. Walters finally decided his last act. But it certainly looks like it was about giving back to those from whom he received. And yet he apparently didn’t take any more from them than he thought he needed to get by. Talk about walking the good talk, even without the prodding of religion.
To paraphrase the late Sen. Ted Kennedy's (1932-2009) words: "The good endures."
the old dock
by the lake place
a loon's retreat
***************
Recently, we read the following:
NPR: “Homeless Man Leaves Behind Surprise: $4 Million”
"Every day on NPR, listeners hear funding credits — or, in other words, very short, simple commercials.
"A few weeks ago, a new one made it to air: 'Support for NPR comes from the estate of Richard Leroy Walters, whose life was enriched by NPR, and whose bequest seeks to encourage others to discover public radio.'
"NPR's Robert Siegel wondered who Walters was. So Siegel Googled him.
"An article in the online newsletter of a Catholic mission in Phoenix revealed that Walters died two years ago at the age of 76. He left an estate worth about $4 million. Along with the money he left for NPR, Walters also left money for the mission...
"Walters was a retired engineer from AlliedSignal Corp.; an honors graduate of Purdue with a master's degree; and a Marine. Walters never married, didn't have children and was estranged from his brother. But he wasn't friendless.
"Rita Belle, a registered nurse, met Walters at a senior center 13 years ago…
"Belle and Walters became friends. Belle stayed with Walters when he was ill. She became his nurse and ultimately the executor of his estate — as well as one of the beneficiaries — despite fundamental differences between them.
" 'He was an atheist and I'm a very profound practicing Catholic, and I'd never met an atheist,' Belle says. "And that just blew my mind that somebody could not believe in the Lord."
"Belle knew him as a very well-informed man ... She heard that he slept on the grounds of the senior center. He told her he ate at the hospital and used a telephone there or at the center.
" 'And I'm sure that's when he was making his trades and so on,' Belle says. 'He was involved in investing; we talked investments a lot.' Belle says Walters even did his own income taxes.
"When Walters retired, he evidently retired from the world of material comforts. He didn't have a car.
" 'He just gave up all of the material things that we think we have to have,' Belle says... 'I never heard him complain.' "
*****************
And we thought:
…Goodness from a most unusual source. It looks like, even without religion as a moral center, Richard Leroy Walters nonetheless was a morally-centered man. He saw the good in people and in groups that serve people. And he thought they were worth all the $4 million he had. He wasn't about to leave his $4 million to his trusty backpack in the same manner that that multi-millionaire matron from New York had left her millions to her trusty cat.
We don’t know how Mr. Walters finally decided his last act. But it certainly looks like it was about giving back to those from whom he received. And yet he apparently didn’t take any more from them than he thought he needed to get by. Talk about walking the good talk, even without the prodding of religion.
To paraphrase the late Sen. Ted Kennedy's (1932-2009) words: "The good endures."
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Haiku 082509
the sign says
no boat wakes please
a pair of loons
***************
Recently, we read the following:
Washington Post: "Cheney uncloaks his frustration with Bush" by Barton Gellman
“Former Vice President Dick Cheney believes his old boss, President George W. Bush, gradually turned away from his advice during their second term in the White House, showing a surprising independence as he started taking more flexible positions on a range of issues, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
"Cheney, often described as the most influential vice president in U.S. history, has been discussing his years in office in informal talks with authors, diplomats, policy experts and past colleagues, the Post said, as he works on a memoir due out in 2011 from Simon & Schuster's Threshold Editions…
" ‘When the president made decisions that I didn't agree with, I still supported him and didn't go out and undercut him,’ Cheney said, according to Stephen Hayes, his authorized biographer. ‘Now we're talking about after we've left office. I have strong feelings about what happened... And I don't have any reason not to forthrightly express those views.’
"According to the author of the Post piece, Barton Gellman, who earlier wrote a book on Cheney called ‘Angler,’ the former vice president believes Bush made concessions to public sentiment, something Cheney views as moral weakness. After years of praising Bush as a man of resolve, Cheney now intimates that the former president turned out to be more like an ordinary politician in the end, Gellman says…”
***************
And we thought:
the sign says
no boat wakes please
a pair of loons
***************
Recently, we read the following:
Washington Post: "Cheney uncloaks his frustration with Bush" by Barton Gellman
“Former Vice President Dick Cheney believes his old boss, President George W. Bush, gradually turned away from his advice during their second term in the White House, showing a surprising independence as he started taking more flexible positions on a range of issues, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
"Cheney, often described as the most influential vice president in U.S. history, has been discussing his years in office in informal talks with authors, diplomats, policy experts and past colleagues, the Post said, as he works on a memoir due out in 2011 from Simon & Schuster's Threshold Editions…
" ‘When the president made decisions that I didn't agree with, I still supported him and didn't go out and undercut him,’ Cheney said, according to Stephen Hayes, his authorized biographer. ‘Now we're talking about after we've left office. I have strong feelings about what happened... And I don't have any reason not to forthrightly express those views.’
"According to the author of the Post piece, Barton Gellman, who earlier wrote a book on Cheney called ‘Angler,’ the former vice president believes Bush made concessions to public sentiment, something Cheney views as moral weakness. After years of praising Bush as a man of resolve, Cheney now intimates that the former president turned out to be more like an ordinary politician in the end, Gellman says…”
***************
And we thought:
…Is Cheney getting back at Bush due to the latter’s refusal to pardon Scooter Libby?
Or is Cheney subtly trying a bit of historical revisionism? Is he trying to portray himself as the de facto man of the house during the first part of the Bush-Cheney reign? Is he trying to exonerate Bush for the bumblings of their first term? Is he trying to portray Bush as being a better President during their second term, one who has become his own man?
But -- why is it that when Cheney says one thing, you actually believe the opposite? Makes you want to take an aspirin.
No doubt the real story will be told. Bush and Cheney will be judged soon enough. Facts are stubborn things and time has a way of surfacing them. The masses of the American people will know at some point for sure what happened during the eight years of the Bush-Cheney household. For now, the majority of the American people appear to just want Cheney to go away. Bush has already accepted his place in the current scheme of things...
Or is Cheney subtly trying a bit of historical revisionism? Is he trying to portray himself as the de facto man of the house during the first part of the Bush-Cheney reign? Is he trying to exonerate Bush for the bumblings of their first term? Is he trying to portray Bush as being a better President during their second term, one who has become his own man?
But -- why is it that when Cheney says one thing, you actually believe the opposite? Makes you want to take an aspirin.
No doubt the real story will be told. Bush and Cheney will be judged soon enough. Facts are stubborn things and time has a way of surfacing them. The masses of the American people will know at some point for sure what happened during the eight years of the Bush-Cheney household. For now, the majority of the American people appear to just want Cheney to go away. Bush has already accepted his place in the current scheme of things...
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Haiku 082309
past the channel
the speedboat revs up
Reeboks ahead
***************
Recently, we read the following:
BBC: “Kenyan renews Chelsea goat offer”
“A Kenyan man has told the BBC how happy he is that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has agreed to renew his marriage offer to her daughter.
“In 2000, Godwin Kipkemoi Chepkurgor wrote to Mrs Clinton's husband Bill, then US president, offering 40 goats and 20 cows for Chelsea Clinton's hand.
“In Kenya on the first leg of her African tour, Mrs Clinton was informed by a journalist of the proposal.
" ‘My daughter is her own person. I will convey this very kind offer,’ she said.
“If Ms Clinton, 29, accepted she would become Mr Chepkurgor's second wife, as he has married since his initial proposal.
“Mr Chepkurgor, 40, a councillor in Nakuru in Kenya's Rift Valley, said his first wife knew about the renewal of his affections and ‘did not object’.
“The BBC's Muliro Telewa in Nakuru says the offer of 40 goats and 20 cows for the bride price is very generous in Kenyan terms..."
***************
And we thought:
…We assume Mr. Chepkurgor is serious about his offer and is not simply out to claim his 15 minutes of fame. Nonetheless, it appears unlikely that his proposal will be accepted.
Obviously, some things are done in some manner in Kenya, and they derive from its culture. The same things are done differently in the U.S. More likely than not, these cultural differences would preclude a union, or even a serious consideration of the offer…
past the channel
the speedboat revs up
Reeboks ahead
***************
Recently, we read the following:
BBC: “Kenyan renews Chelsea goat offer”
“A Kenyan man has told the BBC how happy he is that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has agreed to renew his marriage offer to her daughter.
“In 2000, Godwin Kipkemoi Chepkurgor wrote to Mrs Clinton's husband Bill, then US president, offering 40 goats and 20 cows for Chelsea Clinton's hand.
“In Kenya on the first leg of her African tour, Mrs Clinton was informed by a journalist of the proposal.
" ‘My daughter is her own person. I will convey this very kind offer,’ she said.
“If Ms Clinton, 29, accepted she would become Mr Chepkurgor's second wife, as he has married since his initial proposal.
“Mr Chepkurgor, 40, a councillor in Nakuru in Kenya's Rift Valley, said his first wife knew about the renewal of his affections and ‘did not object’.
“The BBC's Muliro Telewa in Nakuru says the offer of 40 goats and 20 cows for the bride price is very generous in Kenyan terms..."
***************
And we thought:
…We assume Mr. Chepkurgor is serious about his offer and is not simply out to claim his 15 minutes of fame. Nonetheless, it appears unlikely that his proposal will be accepted.
Obviously, some things are done in some manner in Kenya, and they derive from its culture. The same things are done differently in the U.S. More likely than not, these cultural differences would preclude a union, or even a serious consideration of the offer…
Friday, August 21, 2009
Haiku 082109
heavy rain
red lights take over
Highway 10
****************
heavy rain
red lights take over
Highway 10
****************
Recently, we read the following piece in an email:
MoveOn.org: “Top Five Health Care Reform Lies—and How to Fight Back”
Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!
The truth: These accusations—of "death panels" and forced euthanasia—are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the Associated Press puts it: "No 'death panel' in health care bill." (4) What's the real deal? Reform legislation includes a provision, supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a professional medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older Americans. (5)
Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!
MoveOn.org: “Top Five Health Care Reform Lies—and How to Fight Back”
Lie #1: President Obama wants to euthanize your grandma!!!
The truth: These accusations—of "death panels" and forced euthanasia—are, of course, flatly untrue. As an article from the Associated Press puts it: "No 'death panel' in health care bill." (4) What's the real deal? Reform legislation includes a provision, supported by the AARP, to offer senior citizens access to a professional medical counselor who will provide them with information on preparing a living will and other issues facing older Americans. (5)
Lie #2: Democrats are going to outlaw private insurance and force you into a government plan!!!
The truth: With reform, choices will increase, not decrease. Obama's reform plans will create a health insurance exchange, a one-stop shopping marketplace for affordable, high-quality insurance options. (6) Included in the exchange is the public health insurance option—a nationwide plan with a broad network of providers—that will operate alongside private insurance companies, injecting competition into the market to drive quality up and costs down. (7)
If you're happy with your coverage and doctors, you can keep them. (8) But the new public plan will expand choices to millions of businesses or individuals who choose to opt into it, including many who simply can't afford health care now.
Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style rationing!!!
The truth: Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage. Right now, big corporations decide whether to give you coverage, what doctors you get to see, and whether a particular procedure or medicine is covered—that is rationed care. And a big part of reform is to stop that.
Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing conditions, insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick, gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage. (9) And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a rationed situation.
Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits!!!
Lie #3: President Obama wants to implement Soviet-style rationing!!!
The truth: Health care reform will expand access to high-quality health insurance, and give individuals, families, and businesses more choices for coverage. Right now, big corporations decide whether to give you coverage, what doctors you get to see, and whether a particular procedure or medicine is covered—that is rationed care. And a big part of reform is to stop that.
Health care reform will do away with some of the most nefarious aspects of this rationing: discrimination for pre-existing conditions, insurers that cancel coverage when you get sick, gender discrimination, and lifetime and yearly limits on coverage. (9) And outside of that, as noted above, reform will increase insurance options, not force anyone into a rationed situation.
Lie #4: Obama is secretly plotting to cut senior citizens' Medicare benefits!!!
The truth: Health care reform plans will not reduce Medicare benefits. (10) Reform includes savings from Medicare that are unrelated to patient care—in fact, the savings comes from cutting billions of dollars in overpayments to insurance companies and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. (11)
Lie #5: Obama's health care plan will bankrupt America!!!
Lie #5: Obama's health care plan will bankrupt America!!!
The truth: We need health care reform now in order to prevent bankruptcy—to control spiraling costs that affect individuals, families, small businesses, and the American economy.
Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care. (12) The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade (13) —and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses. (14) Reform, with an affordable, high-quality public option that can spur competition, is necessary to bring down skyrocketing costs. Also, President Obama's reform plans would be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit. (15)
Sources:
1. "More 'Town Halls Gone Wild': Angry Far Right Protesters Disrupt Events With 'Incomprehensible' Yelling," Think Progress, August 4, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51733&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=2
2. "Fight the smears," Health Care for America NOW, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51729&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=3
3. "Palin Paints Picture of 'Obama Death Panel' Giving Thumbs Down to Trig," ABC News, August 7, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51728&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=4
4. "No 'death panel' in health care bill," The Associated Press, August 10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51747&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=5
5. "Stop Distorting the Truth about End of Life Care," The Huffington Post, July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51730&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=6
6. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 11, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#i1
7. "Why We Need a Public Health-Care Plan," The Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51737&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=7
8. "Obama: 'If You Like Your Doctor, You Can Keep Your Doctor,'" The Wall Street Journal, 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51736&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=8
9. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#r1
10. "Obama: No reduced Medicare benefits in health care reform," CNN, July 28, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51748&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=9
11. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#s1
12. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1
13. "Premiums Run Amok," Center for American Progress, July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51667&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=10
14. "Medical bills prompt more than 60 percent of U.S. bankruptcies," CNN, June 5, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51735&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=11
15. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1
Sources for the Five Lies:
#1: "A euthanasia mandate," The Washington Times, July 29, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51732&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=12
#2: "It's Not An Option," Investor's Business Daily, July 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51743&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=13
#3: "Rationing Health Care," The Washington Times, April 21, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51742&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=14
#4: "60 Plus Ad Is Chock Full Of Misinformation," Media Matters for America, August 8, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51734&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=15
#5: "Obama's 'Public' Health Plan Will Bankrupt the Nation," The National Review, May 13, 2009.
Right now, we spend more than $2 trillion dollars a year on health care. (12) The average family premium is projected to rise to over $22,000 in the next decade (13) —and each year, nearly a million people face bankruptcy because of medical expenses. (14) Reform, with an affordable, high-quality public option that can spur competition, is necessary to bring down skyrocketing costs. Also, President Obama's reform plans would be fully paid for over 10 years and not add a penny to the deficit. (15)
Sources:
1. "More 'Town Halls Gone Wild': Angry Far Right Protesters Disrupt Events With 'Incomprehensible' Yelling," Think Progress, August 4, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51733&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=2
2. "Fight the smears," Health Care for America NOW, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51729&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=3
3. "Palin Paints Picture of 'Obama Death Panel' Giving Thumbs Down to Trig," ABC News, August 7, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51728&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=4
4. "No 'death panel' in health care bill," The Associated Press, August 10, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51747&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=5
5. "Stop Distorting the Truth about End of Life Care," The Huffington Post, July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51730&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=6
6. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 11, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#i1
7. "Why We Need a Public Health-Care Plan," The Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51737&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=7
8. "Obama: 'If You Like Your Doctor, You Can Keep Your Doctor,'" The Wall Street Journal, 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51736&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=8
9. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#r1
10. "Obama: No reduced Medicare benefits in health care reform," CNN, July 28, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51748&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=9
11. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#s1
12. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1
13. "Premiums Run Amok," Center for American Progress, July 24, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51667&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=10
14. "Medical bills prompt more than 60 percent of U.S. bankruptcies," CNN, June 5, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51735&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=11
15. "Reality Check FAQs," WhiteHouse.gov, accessed August 10, 2009.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/faq#c1
Sources for the Five Lies:
#1: "A euthanasia mandate," The Washington Times, July 29, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51732&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=12
#2: "It's Not An Option," Investor's Business Daily, July 15, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51743&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=13
#3: "Rationing Health Care," The Washington Times, April 21, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51742&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=14
#4: "60 Plus Ad Is Chock Full Of Misinformation," Media Matters for America, August 8, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51734&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=15
#5: "Obama's 'Public' Health Plan Will Bankrupt the Nation," The National Review, May 13, 2009.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=51744&id=16782-10920739-Yo5IDQx&t=16
*****************
*****************
And we thought:
...This is great public service by MoveOn.org. This outline of what’s true and what’s not helps one wade though the flood of objections being raised by opponents of the health care reform bill.
All those alleged red flags -- raised by propagandists of the giant private health insurers -- could be scary. Obviously, these so-called "horror stories" are largely the cause of the reported heated exchanges going on in town hall meetings in some parts of the country. If people only checked the facts...
...This is great public service by MoveOn.org. This outline of what’s true and what’s not helps one wade though the flood of objections being raised by opponents of the health care reform bill.
All those alleged red flags -- raised by propagandists of the giant private health insurers -- could be scary. Obviously, these so-called "horror stories" are largely the cause of the reported heated exchanges going on in town hall meetings in some parts of the country. If people only checked the facts...
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Haiku 081909
the tree carries
the tree carries
Converse rubber shoes
a crescent moon
***************
Recently, we read the following:
Star Tribune: “Obama goes on offensive in support of health care plan, saying critics using 'scare tactics' “ by Philip Elliot (Associated Press)
“Braced for a fight he never got, President Barack Obama went on the offensive in support of his health care plan Tuesday, urging a town hall audience not to listen to those who seek to 'scare and mislead the American people…'
“Braced for a fight he never got, President Barack Obama went on the offensive in support of his health care plan Tuesday, urging a town hall audience not to listen to those who seek to 'scare and mislead the American people…'
“Retooling his message amid sliding support, he addressed some of his remarks to a vital and skeptical audience: the tens of millions of people who already have health insurance and are generally satisfied with the care they get.
“He said the overhaul is essential to them, too, contending it is the way to keep control in their hands. Obama said while government bureaucrats should not meddle with people's care, bureaucrats at insurance companies should not, either...
“He singled out the charge that the Democratic health care legislation would create "death panels" to deny care to frail seniors. Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin has said the Democrats' legislation includes "death panels" that could deny care.
“Obama declared that a provision that he said had caused the uproar would only authorize Medicare to pay doctors for counseling patients about end-of-life care, living wills, hospice care and other issues, if the patients wanted it...
“He also disputed the notion that adding a government-run insurance plan into a menu of options from which people could pick would drive private insurers out of business..."
***************
And we thought:
...This is exactly what President Obama should be doing on a regular basis. He should leverage his credibility to periodically re-assure people. He should help outline the benefits of his proposed health care program to make it easier to digest. He should meet critics’ outright lies and scare tactics head-on.
After all, he did have a 3-million-vote majority that rejected McCain and his fellow doomsayers. And Palin – who has been mislabeling doctor counseling as “death panels” -- she and her ilk are only credible to those who lack critical thinking and can’t debate intelligently -- or at least, coherently -- like herself.
Change is difficult. Positive change is more difficult because of the unknowns. It's difficult to shed the old that one has gotten used to, with its flaws and all. But the worst we can do is to do nothing at all...
a contemporary haiku and current events blog. occasional notes on [and pokes at] nature and society. and some of their maddening stuff…like the economy finance capital mergers energy health care insurers jobs retirement politics government congress courts conflicts united nations human rights lennon peace culture mores education alienation religion erving goffman artifacts history social change twitter scientific method sports travel environment wildlife carbon footprint global warming earth...
Monday, August 17, 2009
Haiku 081709
summer trip
summer trip
i watch the windshield
collect bugs
***************
Recently, we read the following:
Huffington Post: “New Rule: Smart President ≠ Smart Country” Posted by Bill Maher
“New Rule: Just because a country elects a smart president doesn't make it a smart country. A few weeks ago I was asked by Wolf Blitzer if I thought Sarah Palin could get elected president, and I said I hope not, but I wouldn't put anything past this stupid country. It was amazing - in the minute or so between my calling America stupid and the end of the Cialis commercial, CNN was flooded with furious emails and the twits hit the fan... Worst of all, Bill O'Reilly refuted my contention that this is a stupid country by calling me a pinhead, which A) proves my point, and B) is really funny coming from a doody-face like him...
"And before I go about demonstrating how, sadly, easy it is to prove the dumbness dragging down our country, let me just say that ignorance has life and death consequences. On the eve of the Iraq War, 69% of Americans thought Saddam Hussein was personally involved in 9/11. Four years later, 34% still did. Or take the health care debate we're presently having: members of Congress have recessed now so they can go home and ‘listen to their constituents.’ An urge they should resist because their constituents don't know anything. At a recent town-hall meeting in South Carolina, a man stood up and told his Congressman to ‘keep your government hands off my Medicare,’ which is kind of like driving cross country to protest highways…
“Until we admit there are things we don't know, we can't even start asking the questions to find out. Until we admit that America can make a mistake, we can't stop the next one. A smart guy named Chesterton once said: ‘My country, right or wrong is a thing no patriot would ever think of saying... It is like saying 'My mother, drunk or sober.'’ To which most Americans would respond: ‘Are you calling my mother a drunk?’ “
***************
And we thought:
…Well, to be fair, we think Maher is only partially right about the “stupid country” part. A large majority of Americans in fact are more evolved than the people Maher describes in his post. Last elections, that greater number did see through McCain-Palin and what they stood for – and rejected them soundly. The bigots lost...
a contemporary haiku and current events blog. occasional notes on [and pokes at] nature and society. and some of their maddening stuff …like the economy finance capital mergers energy health care insurers jobs retirement politics government congress courts conflicts united nations human rights peace culture&society education alienation religion erving goffman artifacts history social change twitter scientific method sports travel environment wildlife carbon footprint global warming earth...
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Haiku 081509
kids peeking
behind tall reeds
a blue heron
****************
Recently, we read the following:
Washington Post: “Consumer protections lost in health care debate” by Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldivar (Associated Press)
“It's one issue in the health care debate that nearly everyone — even the insurance lobby — seems to agree on: Better consumer protections are needed to end the nightmare of not being able to get covered for a treatable, if costly, illness.
“Yet such practical considerations are being overlooked in a debate that's become a passionate argument about the government's reach and role in medical matters.
“Experts say the bills before Congress include significant consumer protections that would end denial or cancellation of coverage for medical reasons, from high cholesterol to cancer.
“Insurers no longer could base premiums on a person's medical history, although they still could charge more to 50-year-olds than to people in their 20s.
“People buying their own policies, and those working for small businesses, would gain many of the advantages employees of Fortune 500 companies now have. That would eliminate 'job lock,' the fear of leaving employment that provides medical benefits…
“The consumer protections are part of what Republican Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming calls the 80 percent of health care fixes that there's consensus for. Enzi is one of six members of the Senate Finance Committee who are trying work out a bipartisan solution — with no guarantee of success…
“The federal consumer protections would set a basic standard for the whole country, changing a situation in which state-level safeguards vary widely…”
***************
And we thought:
… In the increasingly heated debate over the proposed health care reform bill, what’s clearly been obscured over the last several weeks are the numerous "consumer protections" the bill proposes to put into place. The spin and the outright lies -- sponsored by the private health insurers and their alter-egos in Congress -- have been getting more media attention so far.
The proponents of health care reform need to do a better job in outlining and highlighting the benefits of the proposed legislation. They need to talk repeatedly -- and consistently -- about the bill’s consumer protections, especially for the most vulnerable demographic groups. Unfortunately, some members of these vulnerable groups are blindly opposing the changes meant precisely to address their concerns.
The private health insurance companies -- like UnitedHealth and Aetna -- and their unscrupulous allies in Congress have thrown the health care reform bill into a swampy muck. These anti-Americans are hoping to hide the bill's merits and benefits from the group of Americans who most need the reforms.
Remember their names: UnitedHealth's CEO Stephen Hemsley and EVP Simon Stevens, McCain, Palin, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia), Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah), and their ilk. They're the obstructionists and poseurs in our midst. They're the opponents of the long-awaited reforms in the American health care system. They're the real enemies of the American people....
a contemporary haiku and current events blog. occasional notes on [and pokes at] nature and society. and some of their maddening stuff…like the economy finance capital mergers energy health care insurers jobs retirement politics government congress courts conflicts united nations human rights lennon peace culture mores education alienation religion erving goffman artifacts history social change twitter scientific method sports travel environment wildlife carbon footprint global warming earth...
kids peeking
behind tall reeds
a blue heron
****************
Recently, we read the following:
Washington Post: “Consumer protections lost in health care debate” by Ricardo Alonzo-Zaldivar (Associated Press)
“It's one issue in the health care debate that nearly everyone — even the insurance lobby — seems to agree on: Better consumer protections are needed to end the nightmare of not being able to get covered for a treatable, if costly, illness.
“Yet such practical considerations are being overlooked in a debate that's become a passionate argument about the government's reach and role in medical matters.
“Experts say the bills before Congress include significant consumer protections that would end denial or cancellation of coverage for medical reasons, from high cholesterol to cancer.
“Insurers no longer could base premiums on a person's medical history, although they still could charge more to 50-year-olds than to people in their 20s.
“People buying their own policies, and those working for small businesses, would gain many of the advantages employees of Fortune 500 companies now have. That would eliminate 'job lock,' the fear of leaving employment that provides medical benefits…
“The consumer protections are part of what Republican Sen. Mike Enzi of Wyoming calls the 80 percent of health care fixes that there's consensus for. Enzi is one of six members of the Senate Finance Committee who are trying work out a bipartisan solution — with no guarantee of success…
“The federal consumer protections would set a basic standard for the whole country, changing a situation in which state-level safeguards vary widely…”
***************
And we thought:
… In the increasingly heated debate over the proposed health care reform bill, what’s clearly been obscured over the last several weeks are the numerous "consumer protections" the bill proposes to put into place. The spin and the outright lies -- sponsored by the private health insurers and their alter-egos in Congress -- have been getting more media attention so far.
The proponents of health care reform need to do a better job in outlining and highlighting the benefits of the proposed legislation. They need to talk repeatedly -- and consistently -- about the bill’s consumer protections, especially for the most vulnerable demographic groups. Unfortunately, some members of these vulnerable groups are blindly opposing the changes meant precisely to address their concerns.
The private health insurance companies -- like UnitedHealth and Aetna -- and their unscrupulous allies in Congress have thrown the health care reform bill into a swampy muck. These anti-Americans are hoping to hide the bill's merits and benefits from the group of Americans who most need the reforms.
Remember their names: UnitedHealth's CEO Stephen Hemsley and EVP Simon Stevens, McCain, Palin, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia), Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah), and their ilk. They're the obstructionists and poseurs in our midst. They're the opponents of the long-awaited reforms in the American health care system. They're the real enemies of the American people....
a contemporary haiku and current events blog. occasional notes on [and pokes at] nature and society. and some of their maddening stuff…like the economy finance capital mergers energy health care insurers jobs retirement politics government congress courts conflicts united nations human rights lennon peace culture mores education alienation religion erving goffman artifacts history social change twitter scientific method sports travel environment wildlife carbon footprint global warming earth...
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Haiku 081309
diners hover
while he grills ribeyes
lake mosquitos
***************
Recently, we read the following:
Star Tribune: “Health insurers fighting overhaul plan with cash” by Pat Doyle
“As the nation faces a political showdown over health insurance reform, insurers worried that an overhaul could hurt their bottom line are funneling a wave of cash to members of Congress…
“Health and accident insurers and HMOs have spent more than $40 million on current members of Congress over the past 10 years, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which analyzed Federal Election Commission data.
“They've also spent an additional half-billion dollars lobbying during the decade.
“Health insurers worry that a ‘public option’ favored by President Obama and House Democrats could hurt private competitors and even drive some out of business.
“Insurers find themselves ever more isolated in the national health care debate since their former allies -- the pharmaceutical and hospital industries -- have struck their own partial and tentative agreements with the White House and some Democratic members of Congress.
“U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday labeled health insurers 'villains,' saying that 'they have been a part of the problem in a major way. They are doing everything in their power to stop a public option from happening….'
“That status is deserved, said Eleanor Kinney, an Indiana University professor who has tracked health care reform and testified before Congress. Kinney said private insurers benefit hugely from tax policies that subsidize employer insurance costs and shield the insurers from often expensive claims by the elderly and poor paid by Medicaid and Medicare…”
***************
And we thought:
…Private health insurers -- especially the giants like UnitedHealth Group, Aetna and Wellpoint -- are getting the best deals. They generally have a captive market. They can virtually dictate premium levels. When forced to pay big claims, they get back at the insureds by simply raising premiums the next time around. They can refuse applications of folks whom they decide to be potentially unprofitable. They can refuse continued coverage. Etc.
Acting in concert and with the resources they’re able to pool, these private health insurers have been able to heavily lobby members of Congress over the years to conveniently see things their way. More insidiously, they have been able to spin issues so well to make themselves appear the Luke Skywalkers, and the health care reformers, the Darth Vaders.
"Death panels"? Isn't that what the private health insurers have right now in their organizations -- groups of reviewers who decide who's going to be approved, or not, for a potentially life-saving procedure or medication regimen? What these private health insurers are doing in their current agitation-propaganda efforts is to impute to the health care reform bill all the bad stuff that they themselves are actually guilty of and have been practicing with impunity all these years.
There must be a way to break up this de facto monopoly, similar to how Ma Bell was once broken up – to allow genuine market competition at this time and hopefully bring about lower premiums and better service. How much longer can they virtually force the government and non-profits to take care of the less profitable demographic groups? How much longer will they be allowed to bleed dry the insureds and, in many cases, their employer-sponsors -- without being accountable for certain levels of service?…
diners hover
while he grills ribeyes
lake mosquitos
***************
Recently, we read the following:
Star Tribune: “Health insurers fighting overhaul plan with cash” by Pat Doyle
“As the nation faces a political showdown over health insurance reform, insurers worried that an overhaul could hurt their bottom line are funneling a wave of cash to members of Congress…
“Health and accident insurers and HMOs have spent more than $40 million on current members of Congress over the past 10 years, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which analyzed Federal Election Commission data.
“They've also spent an additional half-billion dollars lobbying during the decade.
“Health insurers worry that a ‘public option’ favored by President Obama and House Democrats could hurt private competitors and even drive some out of business.
“Insurers find themselves ever more isolated in the national health care debate since their former allies -- the pharmaceutical and hospital industries -- have struck their own partial and tentative agreements with the White House and some Democratic members of Congress.
“U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday labeled health insurers 'villains,' saying that 'they have been a part of the problem in a major way. They are doing everything in their power to stop a public option from happening….'
“That status is deserved, said Eleanor Kinney, an Indiana University professor who has tracked health care reform and testified before Congress. Kinney said private insurers benefit hugely from tax policies that subsidize employer insurance costs and shield the insurers from often expensive claims by the elderly and poor paid by Medicaid and Medicare…”
***************
And we thought:
…Private health insurers -- especially the giants like UnitedHealth Group, Aetna and Wellpoint -- are getting the best deals. They generally have a captive market. They can virtually dictate premium levels. When forced to pay big claims, they get back at the insureds by simply raising premiums the next time around. They can refuse applications of folks whom they decide to be potentially unprofitable. They can refuse continued coverage. Etc.
Acting in concert and with the resources they’re able to pool, these private health insurers have been able to heavily lobby members of Congress over the years to conveniently see things their way. More insidiously, they have been able to spin issues so well to make themselves appear the Luke Skywalkers, and the health care reformers, the Darth Vaders.
"Death panels"? Isn't that what the private health insurers have right now in their organizations -- groups of reviewers who decide who's going to be approved, or not, for a potentially life-saving procedure or medication regimen? What these private health insurers are doing in their current agitation-propaganda efforts is to impute to the health care reform bill all the bad stuff that they themselves are actually guilty of and have been practicing with impunity all these years.
There must be a way to break up this de facto monopoly, similar to how Ma Bell was once broken up – to allow genuine market competition at this time and hopefully bring about lower premiums and better service. How much longer can they virtually force the government and non-profits to take care of the less profitable demographic groups? How much longer will they be allowed to bleed dry the insureds and, in many cases, their employer-sponsors -- without being accountable for certain levels of service?…
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Haiku 081109a third call
as the sun sets
a loon alone
Photo courtesy of Greg Harp @www.pbase.com
***************
Recently, we read the following column:
New Straits Times: "Why Arroyo seeks an Obama audience " by W. Scott Thompson
“WHY is the 14th president of the Philippines, Gloria Arroyo, going to Washington for a 30-minute meeting with the water-walking American president? The easy answer is that she's tried four times so far to meet him, to get some burnish off his shine, to help with her rock-bottom image back home.
“She even all but broke into a prayer breakfast in Washington to which heads of state were not invited (other than the host president), in hopes of a meeting. She flew all the way from Dubai on hearing of the breakfast, got herself attached to a congressional delegation, and then didn't get even a minute with Barack Obama.
“She reportedly chewed out the Philippine ambassador for not being camera-ready to show the folks back home how close she came....
“Everyone in Manila is hoping that's the real reason why Obama is receiving Arroyo. She just refuses to commit to ending her term next June peaceably. Oddly, the American embassy thinks she won't make a fuss (something small like martial law, locking up all the opposition, for example) and they may know things that I don't. Or they are asleep on the job.
“There's good reason for her to want to linger at the palace, where she also spent four teenage years during her reformist father's presidency. Believed to be the most corrupt president in Philippine history, according to popular polls, Arroyo knows she can be slapped with multiple criminal charges the minute she surrenders immunity.
“And not just in Manila but elsewhere, like San Francisco, where she and her husband reportedly own properties, and injunctions can be laid against questions of laundered money.
“Now what does Obama know about all this? The president might only get a 15-minute briefing from an assistant secretary in these circumstances, because the president already has a feel for Southeast Asia. But one thing he's sure to hear about is a CIA report alleging that her husband bagged a vast amount of money in the Middle East, intended for Filipino development, and promptly handed over half of it, for safekeeping, to his brother, a congressman.
“He forgot that his sister-in-law is a Phil-Am Californian, where property is divided 50-50 in case of divorce. So what did the wife do? According to this report, she sued for divorce, leaving the ‘First Gentleman’ with the choice of going after the money and thus revealing its source, or just writing it off. But that's just for starters.
“Obama will know of the report of a highly regarded jurist, Phillip Alston, that the almost 1,000 ‘disappearances’ of non-governmental organisation workers and journalists (‘extra-judicial executions’ is the term he used) in the provinces didn't pass the straight-face test at the palace; that nothing like this could have happened without some blessing from on high.
" ‘Soldiers don't go around killing civilians just for the hell of it,’ an elder statesman in Manila commented -- and he's a retired general at that. ‘They'd only do that if pushed from the top.’
“Obama, of course, is concerned with terrorism, and there's revolution still in the Muslim parts of Mindanao, with long arms reaching into al-Qaeda. And the Philippines is an important and long-time ally of the US. But to argue that this is why Obama is seeing Arroyo doesn't pass the straight-face test either. Not for a 30-minute meeting; not even a ‘working visit’.
“What's happened is that, in contrast with Indonesia where high-level prosecution of corruption is moving steadily forward along with the economy, the Philippines is being dragged lower and lower: its place on the world corruption index has fallen precipitously, there's an atmosphere of impunity at the top, and investors are running scared....
“No president has ever had lower popularity ratings. But Arroyo is safe from impeachment by a compliant House of Representatives. Everyone's willing to let her sit out her term, if only because everyone is tired of ‘people power’ in the streets.
“But if she breaks ranks and declares martial law on some trumped-up reason (like the recent bombings, widely believed to have been planted to condition the population) or finds another way to trump the constitution, everyone will once again pour out into the streets -- and this time it will be bloody.”
***************
And we thought:
… Four calls to President Obama, and none returned?! And Ms. Arroyo won't stop calling? It does look like she's desperate for some “Obama magic” to rub off on her. But for what purpose?
Makes one wonder whether it’s to get the U.S. President's blessing for some plan to help extend her term as President beyond 2010. Or his support in arranging some kind of immunity from multiple criminal charges if she does decide to step down next year. Or possibly support for a “safe haven” arrangement in the U.S. as a political exile…
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Haiku 080909
he points out
the low-hanging cloud
a white pine
Photo courtesy of Steven Katovich, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
***************
Recently, we read the following:
Star Tribune: “North Korea: Kim Jong Il orders release of 2 American journalists during Bill Clinton visit” by Jean H. Lee (Associated Press)
“North Korean leader Kim Jong Il issued a "special pardon" freeing two jailed American journalists after talks with former U.S. President Bill Clinton, North Korea's official news agency announced Wednesday…
“State media said Clinton apologized on behalf of the women and relayed President Barack Obama's gratitude. The report said the visit would "contribute to deepening the understanding" between North Korea and the U.S…
“North Korea accused Ling, 32, and Lee, 36, both of former Vice President Al Gore's Current TV media venture, of sneaking into the country illegally in March and engaging in unspecified ‘hostile acts.’ The nation's top court sentenced them in June to 12 years of hard labor…
“Clinton was accorded honors typically reserved for heads of state. Senior officials, led by Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, who also serves as the regime's chief nuclear negotiator, met his private unmarked plane as it arrived Tuesday morning…
“Clinton is relatively well-regarded in North Korea, mostly for a less-bellicose attitude toward the country during his administration…
***************
And we thought:
… As many will acknowledge, diplomacy has its uses. Bill Clinton just showed us one – and picked off a low-hanging fruit. George Bush and his ilk did not understand the concept and its subtleties and, in turn, its various applications. During Bush’s two terms, Kim Jong Il saw Bush as a bully, who even egged others to follow suit. Maybe Kim simply wanted to be treated as a peer, not as a bully’s fool of a target.
Although ostensibly private, the visit of Clinton, a former head of state – not an Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs or some such functionary -- apparently affirmed Kim’s desire to be treated as a head of state. On this matter of the two journalists, Clinton acknowledged the imperative for Kim to be what he needed to be before his own people – a leader who’s not going to lose face.
One wonders whether the same principle of mutual respect could be applied to resolve concerns about North Korea's nuclear program...
Friday, August 7, 2009
Haiku 080709
driftwood lies
past the channel
six lake gulls
***************
Recently, we read the following:
Washington Post: “Aquino mourned at wake by thousands of Filipinos” by Jim Gomez (Associated Press)
"Mourners wept as they paid their respects at the wake of former President Corazon Aquino on Sunday, with some pledging to carry on her legacy by protecting the democracy she helped install 23 years ago.
"Filipinos have been sensitive to any slide back toward autocratic rule since Aquino and Roman Catholic leader Cardinal Jaime Sin led the 1986 "people power" revolt that ousted longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos…
"Aquino, 76, died early Saturday in a Manila hospital after a yearlong battle with colon cancer, reminding many Filipinos of her role in bringing democracy to the country - and of the effort needed to keep it intact...
"A housewife who was reluctantly thrust into power, Aquino struggled in office to meet high public expectations. Her land redistribution program fell short of ending economic domination by the landed elite. Her leadership, especially in social and economic reform, was often indecisive, leaving many of her closest allies disillusioned by the end of her term…
" 'Our lives have not improved that much,' said Olazo, the laborer. 'But if Tita Cory did not restore democracy, I will not even be free to talk this much today.' "
***************
And we thought:
… The late President Cory Aquino of the Philippines deserves to be honored. She unified the then-fractured opposition forces and focused their combined resources against the Marcos dictatorship.
Unfortunately, a number of her supporters -- who replaced Marcos’ cronies in the government and the military, in agriculture and in industry – appropriated for themselves the gains from Marcos’ fall from power. The exploitive and repressive institutions remained intact; only the players among the ruling elite changed.
Nonetheless, there are certainly things Filipinos can be thankful for. When the Marcos dictatorship fell, certain freedoms – albeit imperfect -- were fortunately restored that the Filipinos were denied for nearly 20 years before 1986.
The noble aspects and goals of the 1986 People Power Revolution should not be forgotten. Vigilance should not waver. Unrepentant holdovers from the Marcos regime and their variants over the last 20 years are still lurking. Genuine social change is a protracted process….
driftwood lies
past the channel
six lake gulls
***************
Recently, we read the following:
Washington Post: “Aquino mourned at wake by thousands of Filipinos” by Jim Gomez (Associated Press)
"Mourners wept as they paid their respects at the wake of former President Corazon Aquino on Sunday, with some pledging to carry on her legacy by protecting the democracy she helped install 23 years ago.
"Filipinos have been sensitive to any slide back toward autocratic rule since Aquino and Roman Catholic leader Cardinal Jaime Sin led the 1986 "people power" revolt that ousted longtime dictator Ferdinand Marcos…
"Aquino, 76, died early Saturday in a Manila hospital after a yearlong battle with colon cancer, reminding many Filipinos of her role in bringing democracy to the country - and of the effort needed to keep it intact...
"A housewife who was reluctantly thrust into power, Aquino struggled in office to meet high public expectations. Her land redistribution program fell short of ending economic domination by the landed elite. Her leadership, especially in social and economic reform, was often indecisive, leaving many of her closest allies disillusioned by the end of her term…
" 'Our lives have not improved that much,' said Olazo, the laborer. 'But if Tita Cory did not restore democracy, I will not even be free to talk this much today.' "
***************
And we thought:
… The late President Cory Aquino of the Philippines deserves to be honored. She unified the then-fractured opposition forces and focused their combined resources against the Marcos dictatorship.
Unfortunately, a number of her supporters -- who replaced Marcos’ cronies in the government and the military, in agriculture and in industry – appropriated for themselves the gains from Marcos’ fall from power. The exploitive and repressive institutions remained intact; only the players among the ruling elite changed.
Nonetheless, there are certainly things Filipinos can be thankful for. When the Marcos dictatorship fell, certain freedoms – albeit imperfect -- were fortunately restored that the Filipinos were denied for nearly 20 years before 1986.
The noble aspects and goals of the 1986 People Power Revolution should not be forgotten. Vigilance should not waver. Unrepentant holdovers from the Marcos regime and their variants over the last 20 years are still lurking. Genuine social change is a protracted process….
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Red rose*
1.
At the former seminarian’s funeral march
along the route of red flags and angry banners
the dictator’s black-garbed enforcers stood.
Peering through helmet slits, their eyes betrayed
a sense of disbelief, and maybe respect --
Loyola Heights was a white area after all.
The eyes of Bill’s comrades reflected clenched fists
raised, and tempered resolve.
The grief of the mourning marchers was morphing
into courage, burning the fog of their fears.
Loyola Heights was a white area -- but not then.
2.
On his casket a single red rose Bill’s brother laid.
Stepping back, he saluted crisply and mourners noticed
his uniform with U.S. Air Force patches.
Bill had chosen the road less taken.
As the casket sought the moist earth
Bill’s comrades burst into the Internasyonal
pumping their arms to its pulsing tempo.
As more mourners joined the chorus
the strokes of fists rose higher, punching the heavens
invoking justice as their human right.
Bill’s comrades and the mourners became one.
The hammer loomed larger back then.
3.
The pretenders in the palace would have wanted
the mourners to see and hear
none of the truths
that were freed back then.
But that day
the hammer did loom larger.
*Chapter 6, Fractured Memories
[In memory of William (Bill) Begg, killed by the Marcos dictatorship’s soldiers in 1975 in the Philippines.]
At the former seminarian’s funeral march
along the route of red flags and angry banners
the dictator’s black-garbed enforcers stood.
Peering through helmet slits, their eyes betrayed
a sense of disbelief, and maybe respect --
Loyola Heights was a white area after all.
The eyes of Bill’s comrades reflected clenched fists
raised, and tempered resolve.
The grief of the mourning marchers was morphing
into courage, burning the fog of their fears.
Loyola Heights was a white area -- but not then.
2.
On his casket a single red rose Bill’s brother laid.
Stepping back, he saluted crisply and mourners noticed
his uniform with U.S. Air Force patches.
Bill had chosen the road less taken.
As the casket sought the moist earth
Bill’s comrades burst into the Internasyonal
pumping their arms to its pulsing tempo.
As more mourners joined the chorus
the strokes of fists rose higher, punching the heavens
invoking justice as their human right.
Bill’s comrades and the mourners became one.
The hammer loomed larger back then.
3.
The pretenders in the palace would have wanted
the mourners to see and hear
none of the truths
that were freed back then.
But that day
the hammer did loom larger.
*Chapter 6, Fractured Memories
[In memory of William (Bill) Begg, killed by the Marcos dictatorship’s soldiers in 1975 in the Philippines.]
Monday, August 3, 2009
Haiku 080309
cars run over
shadows on the road
passing clouds
***************
cars run over
shadows on the road
passing clouds
***************
Recently, we read the following:
Los Angeles Times: “Trials start for 100 reformists, moderate politicians in Iran” By Borzou Daragahi
“Iran's hard-line judiciary today began trials of 100 prominent, moderate politicians and others, accusing the country's main reformist and moderate political groups of working with foreigners trying to foment a popular uprising against the government.
"The opposition immediately decried the charges as groundless and said the mass indictment was filled with errors that shows that it was hastily made up, perhaps by the editors of a the vociferously right-wing newspaper Kayhan…
"Analysts say the confessions read at the trials are meant to lift the morale of hard-liners bombarded by reformist media and Persian-language news channels abroad as well as to frighten opponents and take the wind out of the sails of the protest movement. But as night fell, the capital erupted in angry cries of "Allahu Akbar," or God is great, in what has become a daily ritual of rooftop protest....
Los Angeles Times: “Trials start for 100 reformists, moderate politicians in Iran” By Borzou Daragahi
“Iran's hard-line judiciary today began trials of 100 prominent, moderate politicians and others, accusing the country's main reformist and moderate political groups of working with foreigners trying to foment a popular uprising against the government.
"The opposition immediately decried the charges as groundless and said the mass indictment was filled with errors that shows that it was hastily made up, perhaps by the editors of a the vociferously right-wing newspaper Kayhan…
"Analysts say the confessions read at the trials are meant to lift the morale of hard-liners bombarded by reformist media and Persian-language news channels abroad as well as to frighten opponents and take the wind out of the sails of the protest movement. But as night fell, the capital erupted in angry cries of "Allahu Akbar," or God is great, in what has become a daily ritual of rooftop protest....
***************
And we thought:
… The Iranian government runs roughshod over the opposition, apparently thinking that after a number are put in jail, the rest will be silenced eventually.
What if the persistent cries heard on Iran's streets have gone beyond election fraud concerns? Given the passion of the crowds continuing to march on Iran’s streets, it seems more likely than not that we're really seeing signs of an emerging social reform movement with wider-ranging aspirations. There may be heavier storm clouds approaching…
… The Iranian government runs roughshod over the opposition, apparently thinking that after a number are put in jail, the rest will be silenced eventually.
What if the persistent cries heard on Iran's streets have gone beyond election fraud concerns? Given the passion of the crowds continuing to march on Iran’s streets, it seems more likely than not that we're really seeing signs of an emerging social reform movement with wider-ranging aspirations. There may be heavier storm clouds approaching…
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Haiku 080109
the hikers
walk into pine scent
the hikers
walk into pine scent
summer refuge
***************
Recently, we read the following:
San Francisco Chronicle: “U.S. citizens wrongly detained, deported by ICE” by Tyche Hendricks
***************
Recently, we read the following:
San Francisco Chronicle: “U.S. citizens wrongly detained, deported by ICE” by Tyche Hendricks
"The son of a decorated Vietnam veteran, Hector Veloz is a U.S. citizen, but in 2007 immigration officials mistook him for an illegal immigrant and locked him in an Arizona prison for 13 months.
"People charged in the criminal justice system have a range of constitutional rights, including the right to a speedy and public trial before an impartial jury and the right to legal counsel even if they can't afford to hire a lawyer...
“Immigration matters, however, are civil, not criminal, so those protections do not apply. Still, the U.S. Constitution is designed to protect citizens from detention without due process. But citizens in immigration detention are not being afforded that due process, advocates say...
“A bill introduced earlier this year by Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Los Angeles, seeks to ensure fair and humane treatment of people in immigration detention...
“It would codify the policies governing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention standards and would encourage the agency to make wider use of alternatives to detention, such as releasing a person on bond or with an electronic ankle bracelet to track his movements...."
***************
And we thought:
… Laws and regulations are not always fair, or vetted well. We often walk into a familiar place and find ourselves pleasantly recalling wonderful times with family and friends. And we feel safe and secure and contented. On occasion, even in a free society like the U. S., some walk into a nightmare due to quirky, Catch 22-type laws and regulations.
With respect to certain laws, some groups are "more equal than others."
Thanks to the likes of Rep. Roybal-Allard for trying to find ways for the ICE to do its job better, relative to citizens who find themselves in immigration detention....
… Laws and regulations are not always fair, or vetted well. We often walk into a familiar place and find ourselves pleasantly recalling wonderful times with family and friends. And we feel safe and secure and contented. On occasion, even in a free society like the U. S., some walk into a nightmare due to quirky, Catch 22-type laws and regulations.
With respect to certain laws, some groups are "more equal than others."
Thanks to the likes of Rep. Roybal-Allard for trying to find ways for the ICE to do its job better, relative to citizens who find themselves in immigration detention....
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