I have just this minute finished watching the make or break address to Congress by President Obama on Health care Reform in the United States.
First of all I just want to mention what most of us already know - President Obama is one hell of a public orator. The last 5 minutes of the the speech where he quoted the late Senator Ted Kennedy, and applied the example of his progressive liberalism, personal experiences with health care, and the legacy of his ideas of reform with the context of the present, and the future was simply outstanding.
The President has also made it quite clear that a lot of the myths and lies spread not only by certain factions of the media but also by politicians, are counter-productive and wrong. This was a very much needed hypothetical slap in the face to certain idiots.
ILLEGAL immigrants (given my current situation caps were needed there), will NOT be entitled to subsidies by the government for free health care - just one of the lies spread over the last several weeks.
The financial deficit that already loom's over America because of the fiscal irresposibilities by you-know-who (and I'm not talking about Lord Voldemort), will NOT be increased, but the 10- year $900 trillion plan will be financed by fines on the greedy over-expensive health insurance companies that started this problem in the first place.
The ridiculous death panel claims by Sarah Palin are false, and she is a tart.
These are just samples of this wonderfully partisan speech, and if you did not watch it, choose to ignore the politics of what was said, and are naive enough to continue to believe the blatant right-wing lies, I pity you.
I urge you to understand the issues and the politics. The only way health care will reform is with the co-operation not just of left and right politicians, but by an understanding public who understand the value of common sense. If this doesn't happen...what's the point in Democracy? Go to Libya.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Ignorance is bliss?
For the past two weeks I have found myself reviewing and repeating something that was asked to me. This question that has been floating around in my head, and has itself led to other questions like an unwanted spawn of offspring. That question: "Is Osama Bin Laden still alive?..."
This was neither supposed to be comical, nor was it a joke.
Did the question come from a young child who is still learning to tie shoe laces? Did it come from a person with Parkinsons Disease who can't even remember their own name? Did it come from a lonely tribe member in a secluded part of the world where communication dare not reach? No. It actually came from an American.
I found myself at the time dumbfounded and somewhat shocked it was even asked of me. But then after time, I felt quite saddened about it.
Since the events of 9/11 and the campaign to overthrow the Al-Qaeda harboring Taliban government of Afghanistan less than a month later, the search for public enemy number one Osama Bin Laden still continues almost 8 years later. This has also led to 940 deaths of American troops alone in Afghan territory, not to mention the 4000+ in the War on Terror's progeny "War on Iraq: The Second", but that's a conversation for another day.
Now if I was someone who's country had been rattled to the point of breaking by bombarding planes into the World Trade Center (9/11), had his country's troops travel to war (Afghanistan), had his troops die in war (the 940 in Afghanistan), and have the knowledge that the war was set to carry on for a number of years...I would want to know if the person who caused all that death and misery was merely alive or dead.
On a slightly different note, since my arrival in the US back in June I have also been asked by a number of people if I am from;
- Australia
- Sweden
- Ireland
- Germany
- Canada
- probably some others that I tried to erase from my memory out of pure embarrassment for that person.
After being in this situation several times, it somehow doesn't seem so bad. But it's something I'm begrudgingly going to have to live with.
I also got into a conversation with some guy last month, when he asked me where I was from. I replied, "the UK". His reply was, "UK...where's that? Somewhere near Russia?..."
I leave your thoughts about this to accumulate...
This was neither supposed to be comical, nor was it a joke.
Did the question come from a young child who is still learning to tie shoe laces? Did it come from a person with Parkinsons Disease who can't even remember their own name? Did it come from a lonely tribe member in a secluded part of the world where communication dare not reach? No. It actually came from an American.
I found myself at the time dumbfounded and somewhat shocked it was even asked of me. But then after time, I felt quite saddened about it.
Since the events of 9/11 and the campaign to overthrow the Al-Qaeda harboring Taliban government of Afghanistan less than a month later, the search for public enemy number one Osama Bin Laden still continues almost 8 years later. This has also led to 940 deaths of American troops alone in Afghan territory, not to mention the 4000+ in the War on Terror's progeny "War on Iraq: The Second", but that's a conversation for another day.
Now if I was someone who's country had been rattled to the point of breaking by bombarding planes into the World Trade Center (9/11), had his country's troops travel to war (Afghanistan), had his troops die in war (the 940 in Afghanistan), and have the knowledge that the war was set to carry on for a number of years...I would want to know if the person who caused all that death and misery was merely alive or dead.
On a slightly different note, since my arrival in the US back in June I have also been asked by a number of people if I am from;
- Australia
- Sweden
- Ireland
- Germany
- Canada
- probably some others that I tried to erase from my memory out of pure embarrassment for that person.
After being in this situation several times, it somehow doesn't seem so bad. But it's something I'm begrudgingly going to have to live with.
I also got into a conversation with some guy last month, when he asked me where I was from. I replied, "the UK". His reply was, "UK...where's that? Somewhere near Russia?..."
I leave your thoughts about this to accumulate...
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