Friday, September 4, 2009

PALIN SPEAKS TO HONG KONG

Ex-Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin's Speech in Hong Kong

(Commentary by William Pesek, Bloomberg.com)

Hello Hong Kong! How ya doin’? You know, I want to thank you Hong Kongians for being such gracious hosts. And I want to thank you for explaining to me how this country is now a part of China again. Wow, who knew? Anyhoo, it’s nice to be here. And I’m lovin’ the food. Had me some of that feng shui stuff for breakfast this morning. Jeez, that was tasty!

Arriving at your superduper airport was a shock for two reasons. The first, it’s really modern for Asia, home to so many developing people. Anyone who’s been to JFK in New York or Dulles near Washington knows what I’m talking about. Good goin’ guys! Second, everyone looked so surprised to see me -- like I wasn’t gonna show up. There they go again, listening to the liberal media back home that I don’t honor my commitments.

Palin in Asia

Now, let me mention why I quit as Alaska governor 18 months early. I believe in putting America first, no offense to my Chinese hosts, and you people in Asia can learn from my patriotic example. I thought the presidential campaign was really, like, not fun. It wasn’t what I expected. OK, so being on “Saturday Night Live” was a hoot. And all those fancy election events were pretty cool. But a maverick like me likes to do more to get in there and mess with the Washington establishment. That goes for the world, too.

A maverick like me could have stayed in Wasilla or Juneau and served out her full term for 700,000 Alaskans -- or I could come here and talk directly to 7 million Hong Kong folks. You do the math!

Vantage Point

You know, Hong Kong and Alaska are a lot alike, really. I mean I don’t see myself grabbing a rifle and hunting up there on Victoria Peak -- though, what a vantage point! Both places have lots of ferry boats. Both were seen as outposts on the way to bigger places. And both places are all about economic freedom.

Because as you good folks well know, economic freedom is under assault. In my country, President Obama wants to turn America into a socialist state with his government-controlled health care, death panels and no more free choice. It’s like he’s trying to turn the greatest economy in history into a communist, uuuhhhhh, I mean, you know -- less of a free-market place. As I have said before, only dead fish go with the flow. I’m no dead fish. And since Hong Kong is surrounded by a big lake, I reckon you’ll see what I’m gettin’ at.

I understand that the business of Hong Kong is business. I love it. Back home, the Washington establishment is waging a war against business -- and the free and unfettered markets that have made my countrypeople so wealthy. What Washington and the media will never understand is that it’s about country first. Which is why I quit Alaska and came abroad.

Whoops, sorry, I got all carried away. I’m supposed to offer something useful to you investment types in Asia to practice your freedom in the markets. Some thought-provocative nuggets about this here Asian decade. Well, luckily, I’m all out of time. Thank you, Hong Kong. You guys rock!


Commentary by William Pesek, Bloomberg.com

Sunday, August 16, 2009

PALIN FOR END-OF-LIFE COUNSELING

By the way, Governor Palin was for end-of life counseling before she was against, a proclamation she signed as Governor back in April 16, 2008 encourages Alaskans to “seek out counseling services for these important decisions.”

I just can't make these things up, look it up,
Ed

DEATH PANEL MUSINGS - PART 3

These excerpts are from the story, "False 'Death Panel' Rumor Has Some Familiar Roots," that
originally appeared in The New York Times.

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The specter of government-sponsored, forced euthanasia was raised as early as Nov. 23, just
weeks after the election and long before any legislation had been drafted, by an outlet
decidedly opposed to Mr. Obama, The Washington Times.

In an editorial, the newspaper reminded its readers of the Aktion T4 program of Nazi Germany
in which “children and adults with disabilities, and anyone anywhere in the Third Reich was
subject to execution who was blind, deaf, senile, retarded, or had any significant
neurological condition.”
Noting the “administrative predilections” of the new team at the White House, it urged
“anyone who sees the current climate as a budding T4 program to win the hearts and minds of
deniers.”


AMERICAN SPECTATOR

In January, the socially conservative George Neumayr wrote for the American Spectator:
“Euthanasia is another shovel ready job for Pelosi to assign to the states. Reducing health
care costs under Obama’s plan, after all, counts as economic stimulus, too — controlling
life, controlling death, controlling costs.”

BETSY McCAUGHEY

She warned that a provision in the stimulus bill would create a bureaucracy to “monitor
treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate
and cost-effective,” was carried in a commentary she wrote for Bloomberg News that gained
resonance throughout the conservative media, most notably with Rush Limbaugh and the Fox
News Channel host Glenn Beck. Ms. McCaughey’s article provided another opportunity for
others to raise the specter of forced euthanasia. “Sometimes for the common good, you just
have to say, ‘Hey, Grandpa, you’ve had a good life,’ ” Mr. Beck said.


TOM DASCHLE

Former Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, an advocate for the health care proposals, said
he was occasionally confronted with the “forced euthanasia” accusation at forums on the
plans, but came to see it as an advantage. “Almost automatically you have most of the
audience on your side,” Mr. Daschle said. “Any rational normal person isn't going to believe
that assertion.”


Mehret Tesfaye posted to the Ethiopian Review | August 16th, 2009 at 12:25 pm this observation :

SARAH PALIN

"Just before midnight, a "note" was posted on Sarah Palin's Facebook page titled,
"Concerning the 'Death Panels.'" Predictably, the media latched onto it and reported her
thoughts. However, there's a problem: there's no way in hell Sarah Palin wrote it.'

"It doesn't even really take a careful examination of the entire note to deduce that it
simply could not have been written by Sarah Palin, which leads one to pretty much dismiss
all of the points it attempts to make. In fact, a cursory glance is more than sufficient to
come to that realization as the note is obviously meticulously researched and footnoted,
appears to be entirely grammatically correct (It even contains semicolons!), presents rather
cogent arguments in a reasoned attempt to persuade, and on the whole is written
articulately. In short, whoever composed this particular note is everything that Sarah Palin
is not: thoughtful, patient, dedicated, thorough, and rational, traits that any casual,
non-delusional observer of Sarah Palin would never, ever associate with her."

( I think I see Billy Kristol in my globe) Ed


That's the truth, you can't make these things up, look it up.
Ed

GLENN BECK LOSING MONEY

A number of U.S. advertisers say they have decided not to run ads on Fox News Channel's "The Glenn Beck Program" after complaints by viewers. The complaints followed a recent incident in which Beck said President Barack Obama is a "racist" who has a "deep-seated hatred for white people." NexisLexis-owned Lawyers.com, Procter & Gamble and Progressive Insurance have agreed not to advertise on the show. S.C. Johnson, which makes such products as Pledge, Ziplock and Off!, said it would not run ads on the show.

THE BIG FIVE AGAINST HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM

The Prominent Organizations against health insurance reform :


FREEDOMWORKS, a Washington-based advocacy group headed by former House majority
leader Richard Armey (R-Tex.) FreedomWorks's major financial backers have included
MetLife, Philip Morris and foundations controlled by the archconservative Scaife
family, according to tax filings and other records. Armey has come under fire from
Democrats for leading FreedomWorks while working at DLA Piper, a firm lobbying on
behalf of New Jersey pharmaceutical company Medicines Co. FreedomWorks features a
quote from Armey on its Web site: "If you are going to go ugly, go ugly early."


CONSERVATIVES FOR PATIENTS' RIGHTS, an anti-reform group, now represented by Brian
Burgess of CRC Public Relations, which coordinated the "Swift Boat" attacks on Sen.
John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004. Brian Burgess confirmed that CPR has been emailing
out "town hall alert" flyers, and schedules of town hall meetings, to its mailing
list. Conservatives for Patients Rights is a front group organized in 2009 by
Richard Scott to fight U.S. president Barack Obama's proposals for health reform.
According to the Politico news site, Scott has raised $20 million to fight health
care reform. Scott previously started the for-profit hospital chain in 1987 that
later became the $23 billion Columbia/HCA. He was ousted from this post in 1997
after an FBI investigation of Columbia/HCA that led to 14 felony convictions and
$1.7 billion in criminal and civil fines for Medicare fraud.


AMERICAN LIBERTY ALLIANCE, lead by Eric Odom, 29, a Chicago Web developer who heads
a fledgling protest group. Now, drawing on more than 40,000 members via e-mail, Odom
tracks hundreds of planned health-care protests by Zip code and uses Facebook and
Twitter to link up activists. Earlier this month, he hosted a conference call with
more than 200 participants.


AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY, an anti-tax and anti-regulation group known for opposing
smoking restrictions and for trying to cast doubt on global warming. The group
launched a project called "Patients First" in June and has been conducting bus tours
around the country to drum up opposition to the health-care legislation.
Public records show that the group is heavily funded by the Koch Family Foundations,
a major contributor to conservative causes headed by two brothers who control Koch
Industries, a Kansas-based oil-and-gas conglomerate. David H. Koch serves as board
chairman of the Americans for Prosperity foundation. Americans for Prosperity
brought a "Patients First" bus emblazoned with a giant red hand and the slogan:
"Hands Off Our Health Care!"

Coming in last but not least, The REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE, (the party of no, we lost, so we are against everything those dirty socialists are doing !)

Friday, August 14, 2009

DEATH PANEL MUSINGS - PART 2

Q: Should the federal government be getting involved with living wills and end-of-life questions — decisions that are highly personal and really difficult?

A: It already is.

The government requires hospitals to ask adult patients if they have a living will, or "advance directive." If the patient doesn't have one, and wants one, the hospital has to provide assistance. The mandate on hospitals was instituted during a Republican administration, in 1992, under then-President George H.W. Bush.

That's the truth, look it up.
Ed

Thursday, August 13, 2009

HEALTHCARE REFORM FACT AND FICTION

Check out this long missive from the White House (Senior Advisor David Axelrod) :
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/The-Return-of-the-Viral-Email/

There are a lot of links to various items about Healthcare reform.

It's the truth, look it up.
Ed

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

GOP SENATOR DOESN'T LIKE PALIN'S LIES

(I love it when the Republican Senator from ALASKA coins a new term when talking about the former Governor of ALASKA. The term : "Deathers". Now we have Birthers and Deathers, all fringe people. Read more here, Ed.)


2:26 pm August 12, 2009, by ctucker

At long last, a few responsible Republicans are chastising their conservative colleagues for the distortions, exaggerations and outright lies they have used to denounce healthcare reform. (It’s too bad that Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson, usually a thoughtful and fairminded man, cannot be counted in that number. But, according to my colleague Jay Bookman, he can’t.)

The Anchorage Daily News reported that Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski spoke at a public policy forum in Anchorage yesterday, where she rebuked the “deathers,” such as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who have insisted that “death panels” would be created to decide whether to euthanize the elderly and the handicapped.

The newspaper quoted Murkowski this way: “It does us no good to incite fear in people by saying that there’s these end-of-life provisions, these death panels. Quite honestly, I’m so offended at that terminology because it absolutely isn’t (in the bill). There is no reason to gin up fear in the American public by saying things that are not included in the bill.”

That's the big truth for today, look it up.

Ed

Monday, August 10, 2009

DEATH PANEL MUSINGS

NO 'DEATH PANEL' IN HOUSE BILL

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR (AP)

"Then what's all the fuss about?"

A: A provision in the House bill written by Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., would allow

Medicare to pay doctors for voluntary counseling sessions that address end-of-life issues.

The conversations between doctor and patient would include living wills, making a close

relative or a trusted friend your health care proxy, learning about hospice as an option for

the terminally ill and information about pain medications for people suffering chronic

discomfort.

The sessions would be covered every five years, more frequently if someone is gravely ill.

Q: Who supports the provision?

A: The American Medical Association, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization

and Consumers Union are among the groups supporting the provision. AARP, the seniors' lobby,

is taking out print advertisements this week that label as false the claim that the

legislation will empower the government to take over life-and-death decisions from

individuals.

Q: Should the federal government be getting involved with living wills and end-of-life

questions — decisions that are highly personal and really difficult?

A: It already is.

The government requires hospitals to ask adult patients if they have a living will, or

"advance directive." If the patient doesn't have one, and wants one, the hospital has to

provide assistance. The mandate on hospitals was instituted during a Republican

administration, in 1992, under then-President George H.W. Bush.

Here is the link to the article :
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jrxylOzrAmdb5s_98jqjr6I0zw0QD9A09HO80

Seeing is believing, look it up.
Ed

PALIN TEETERING BACK FROM THE EDGE


After trying to incite riots with her "Obama Death Panels" statement the day before, Palin seems to be wanting to change the subject. She writes in her latest Facebook entry:

"There are many disturbing details in the current bill that Washington is trying to rush through Congress, but we must stick to a discussion of the issues and not get sidetracked by tactics that can be accused of leading to intimidation or harassment. Such tactics diminish our nation's civil discourse which we need now more than ever because the fine print in this outrageous health care proposal must be understood clearly and not get lost in conscientious voters' passion to want to make elected officials hear what we are saying. Let's not give the proponents of nationalized health care any reason to criticize us."

I just get all tingly inside when the Republicans are able to throw in their favorite catchphrases whenever they talk. Those catchy little words such as : Nationalized
healthcare, Socialist healthcare, Hitler inspired, Nazi politics, union Brownshirts, and last but most egregious, Obama Death Panels.

That's the truth, look it up,
Ed

Saturday, August 8, 2009

PALIN OVER THE EDGE

Sarah Palin's statement on her FaceBook page on Friday, Aug. 7th mirrors the absolute ignorance of many of the recent protesters at the Townhall meetings.
From MSNBC :

"The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's 'death panel' so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their 'level of productivity in society,' whether they are worthy of health care," the former Republican vice presidential candidate wrote. "Such a system is downright evil," Palin wrote.

The allegation appears to be based on a provision of the House bill that would require Medicare to PAY for end-of-life counseling sessions, on a VOLUNTARY basis, for beneficiaries who WANT the service. Medicare already covers hospice care. And legislation passed by Congress in 1990 requires that patients be asked if they have a living will.

Read the entire article here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32340009/ns/politics-white_house

Also watch this video to further scare yourself :
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/32337676#32337676

For a complete reading of the counseling provisions in the bill, the infamous page 425, see :
http://urbanlegends.about.com/b/2009/07/27/health-care-bill-page-425-the-truth.htm


My discourse is this :
None of the versions of the Healthcare Reform bills say anything about standing in front of a bureaucratic panel of ANY KIND FOR ANY REASON, let alone an Obama 'DEATH PANEL'.
The absurdity of such a statement is beyond belief and fortifies the sense that Palin has no credibility as a leader of reasonable people. (She is apparently still a leader of unreasonable people). If nothing else, her statement shows that she has not read any of the versions of the bill. If she has, she apparently is unable to understand what she has read. Next thing you know she also will insist that the Government keep their G-D hands off of her parents Medicare.

That's the truth, look it up.
Ed

I LAUGH AT LAFFER

PAUL KRUGMAN SAID
August 7, 2009, 10:19 am

What did Laffer mean?

Digby points to something I’ve heard myself: the claim that when Art Laffer said,

"If you like the Post Office and the Department of Motor Vehicles and you think they’re run well, just wait till you see Medicare, Medicaid, and health care done by the government."

he really meant that Medicare and Medicaid are badly run, and so will the rest of health care be if the government gets its hands on it.

But he didn’t say that — and if he was garbling his words, there was method in his garble. Right now, right-wingers do not, repeat, do not want people to understand that Medicare is the prime example of that dreaded condition, “government-run health care”; because if people understood that, they might think that government-run care is actually pretty good. So we don’t need to worry about what Laffer really meant; what he said was the party line, which is, “don’t let the government get its hands on Medicare.”

Meanwhile, don’t tell Laffer, but 89 percent of Americans have a favorable view of the Post Office.

End of Krugman's piece.

My discourse is this :
I have watched a number of clips on You Tube that show obviously older citizens screaming at Townhall meeting speakers such absurdities as "Keep the G-D government hands off of my Medicare." Then there are clips that show revelations into the mind of the FOX. My personal favorite and most amusing piece is the video of the July 27th Jon Stewart interview with Bill Kristol. The first 11 minutes are basically about Kristol's unrequited puppy love with Sarah Palin, so just skip that. The rest of the clip gives great insight into the deep seated beliefs of the "conservative" bloviators. They actually are able to express their belief that certain classes of Americans are better and therefore more "worthy" than others. As a veteran I certainly believe that our military deserves the finest of medical care, but I wish that for all people.
Follow the link to the video.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-july-27-2009/bill-kristol-extended-interview

Sometimes you have to see it to believe it,
Ed

Thursday, July 23, 2009

BLANK & BLANK PROPOSE CAP & TRADE

BLANK and BLANK will establish a market-based system to curb greenhouse gas emissions, mobilize innovative technologies, and strengthen the economy. They will work with our international partners to secure our energy future, create opportunities for American industry, and leave a better future for our children.
They have proposed a cap-and-trade system that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions while encouraging the development of low-cost compliance options. A climate cap-and-trade mechanism would set a limit on greenhouse gas emissions and allow entities to buy and sell rights to emit, similar to the successful acid rain trading program of the early 1990s. The key feature of this mechanism is that it allows the market to decide and encourage the lowest-cost compliance options.
A cap-and-trade system harnesses human ingenuity in the pursuit of alternatives to carbon-based fuels. Market participants are allotted total permits equal to the cap on greenhouse gas emissions. If they can invent, improve, or acquire a way to reduce their emissions, they can sell their extra permits for cash. The profit motive will coordinate the efforts of venture capitalists, corporate planners, entrepreneurs, and environmentalists around the common goal of reducing emissions.
To support the cap-and-trade system, the BLANK and BLANK Administration will promote the innovation, development, and deployment of advanced technologies. They will reform federal government research funding and infrastructure to support the cap-and-trade emissions reduction goals and emphasize the commercialization of low-carbon technologies.
BLANK and BLANK believe that an effective and sustainable climate policy must also support rapid economic growth. They will use a portion of auction proceeds to reduce the impact on low-income American families. The BLANK-BLANK plan will accomplish this in part by incorporating measures to mitigate any economic cost of meeting emission targets.

Who are BLANK and BLANK you ask ?
McCain-Palin 2008 in an ad promoting their CAP & TRADE PROGRAM

That's the truth, look it up:
http://www.tdbimg.com/files/2009/07/17/-environment-mccain_12271399362.pdf
ED

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

HEALTH-CARE REFORM 2009

The following is a couple of excerpts from an article written by Dana Milbank of the Washington Post on Tuesday July 21, 2009
( Regarding a speech given by RNC Chairman Michael Steele at the National Press Club )

Led by Steele, the Republicans are making no secret of their aims: kill health reform this
year, leaving the millions of uninsured to wait for another day and another proposal. And one way to do that is to make it appear that the Democrats are heedlessly hurrying. "The
president is rushing this experiment through Congress so fast, so soon," Steele reasoned,
revisiting his "too much, too fast, too soon" formulation four times in his speech.

On its face, the accusation that the Democrats are moving too quickly seems difficult to
maintain. For 16 years they've been laboring to expand health insurance, and proposals have
been grinding their way through five congressional committees. Then there's the small detail
that Obama and the Democrats made health-care reform a central component of last year's
election, which they won resoundingly.

The chairman referred carefully to his text as he delivered his broadsides: "big government
wish list . . . urge to splurge . . . shove this bill through . . . Obama-Pelosi-Reid-Waxman
cabal . . . reckless . . . unprecedented intrusion." After more than 20 minutes of this,
Steele devoted a few minutes to a Republican alternative: online posting of prices and
outcomes for tests and procedures; a single, simplified billing form; paperless health-care
systems; preventive care; portability of health coverage between jobs. He neglected to
mention the awkward detail that all of these are included, in some form, in the Democrats'
health-care legislation -- which he labeled socialist.

Read the whole article here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/20/AR2009072002484.html?hpid%3D

Look it up,
Ed

Thursday, July 16, 2009

SANFORD DISAPPEARS AGAIN

South Carolina Governor Sanford disappeared again yesterday. This time his aides say that his wife is with him. They refused to say where the Governor is. They might be on the Appalachian Trail, but I think they went to Argentina.

Truth is stranger than fiction,
ED

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

PALIN CONFUSES YOU

Gov. Sarah Palin
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Washington Post article

"We have an important choice to make. Do we want to control our energy supply and its environmental impact? Or, do we want to outsource it to China, Russia and Saudi Arabia? Make no mistake: President Obama's plan will result in the latter." Sarah Palin

How exactly does President Obama outsource "our energy supply and its environmental impact."

Palin confuses you !
Ed Nice

Read her entire message here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/13/AR2009071302852.html

Sunday, July 12, 2009

BLOVIATORS - MEDIA & POLITICIAN

To bloviate means "to speak pompously and excessively" or "to expound ridiculously". A colloquial verb coined in the United States, it is commonly used with contempt to describe the behavior of politicians, academics, pundits or media "experts," sometimes called bloviators, who hold forth on subjects in an arrogant, tiresome way.

The top MEDIA BLOVIATORS are ( in alphabetical order) :
GLENN BECK, ANN COULTER, SEAN HANNITY, former Gov. BILL HUCKABEE, RUSH LIMBAUGH, MICHELLE MALKIN, BILL O'REILLY and former BUSH sidekick KARL ROVE. All but one of them is a listed contributor to FOX NEWS NETWORK. Surprise, surprise ! There are of course a number of bloviators at other networks, but they have not reached the level of entertainment as those listed.
The top POLITICAL BLOVIATORS are ( in alphabetical order ) :
REPUBLICANS :
Rep. JOHN BOEHNER, Rep. ERIC CANTOR, former V.P. DICK CHENEY, former Gov. BILL HUCKABEE and former BUSH sidekick KARL ROVE.
DEMOCRATS :
There are of course many Democrat bloviators, ( Barney Frank & Chris Dodd for example ), but they have yet to reach the level of in-your-face bloviation as the listed Republicans. Boehner and Cheney in particular have raised bloviation to an art form.

Thats the truth, look it up.
ED

Saturday, July 11, 2009

KARL ROVE AND DOMESTIC POLICY MANIPULATION

"Rove always believed that with the right mix of legislation and presidential leadership, constituencies could be moved from the Democratic to the Republican column, much like pieces on a chessboard. Atlantic reporter Josh Green identifies five policy initiatives that Rove thought would create a Republican majority and that he and George W. Bush decided to pursue: establishing educational standards, pursuing faith-based initiatives, reforming immigration laws, creating health savings accounts and privatizing Social Security. Thus would the Republicans destroy teachers unions, mobilize the moralists and win over Hispanics. Thus would they break the link between the American people and government programs and create a world in which Americans' well-being and security depended almost entirely on the markets."

Washington Post
Harold Meyerson
Wednesday, August 15, 2007

KARL ROVE on "CZARS"

One of the latest buzzwords out of the conservative side is "CZAR". It is amazing to me that they want to make an issue of this since it was George W. Bush and Karl Rove that made the use of Czars a science. The following statement is a concise, well documented snippet from Kyle Schmidt.
Ed

"It is surprising that Rove finds the appointment of czars to be “a giant expansion of presidential power” because he actually served as the “domestic policy czar” in the Bush White House. In fact, President Bush himself appointed numerous czars in order to deal with various public crises and controversies, including a “cybersecurity czar,” “regulatory czar,” “AIDS czar,” “bird-flu czar” and “Katrina czar.” Moreover, Rove’s criticism of Obama is ironic, given his role in an administration that was marked by the expansion of executive power."

Jul. 10, 2009
ThinkProgress.org
– Kyle Schmidt

Thursday, July 9, 2009

LIES & LIARS

1. House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, Ohio said this past weekend on Fox News that the promised stimulus money for road projects has been too slow to materialize. He said no projects are under way in his home state.

But the GAO reported that of $935.7 million in highway infrastructure funding that is supposed to go to Ohio, $384 million has been set aside for various projects and, as of June 25, the state had awarded contracts for 52 projects, totaling $92.1 million.

Johnathon Riskind, The Columbus Dispatch

2. Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska quit her job on July 3rd . Three days later she said "I am not a quitter."

In a speech July 3rd. announcing her resignation, Sarah Palin said she had "spent too much time defending" against legal and media attacks. On July 4th., she threatened to file a defamation lawsuit against Shannyn Moore, an Alaskan blogger.

3. Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina told his staff that he would be somewhere on the Appalachian Trail. He then flew to Argentina to see his mistress.

4. Sen. John Ensign of Nevada said today that his parents had given his former mistress and her husband and two of their children a GIFT of $96,000 "out of concern for the well being of longtime family friends during a difficult time."

5. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the CIA had lied to her about the use of torture. The Republicans called her a liar. Now the CIA comes forward and says they may have not told the truth on occasion. House Minority Leader John Boehner then says Pelosi needs to prove that she is not a liar.

All politicians are skilled at warping the truth.
More snippets as they become available.
Ed

Monday, June 22, 2009

OHIO GOVERNOR TO CUT LIBRARY FUNDING

Governor’s Budget Proposal cuts the Public Library Fund by 50%

The Governor’s proposed state budget is considering a 50% cut to the Public Library Fund. These cuts far exceed the expected 20% reduction in revenue we are currently experiencing at Community Library in Sunbury, Ohio.

We need you to ACT NOW! Let your legislators know that these cuts will force the closure of many of Ohio's public libraries, including ours.
We cannot afford to lose half of our libraries at a time when people need them most.

Because library funding is a percentage of the state’s general revenue fund, as the economy has faltered, so has library funding. The library is already facing a 20% reduction in funding this year alone. To adjust to this loss in revenue, Community Library has reduced supply expenditures by 27%, reduced contracted services by 3%, implemented time
off without pay for all staff, reduced material purchases, and reduced program offerings.

What can you do to ensure that Community Library in Sunbury will remain open?
Contact your legislators NOW to voice your strong opposition to further cuts to library funding!

The Governor's proposed funding cuts come at a time when Ohio's public libraries are experiencing unprecedented increases in demands for services. In every community throughout the state, Ohioans are turning to their public libraries for free high speed Internet to access information on employment opportunities, children and teens are
beginning summer reading programs, and people of all ages are turning to the library for information and entertainment.

Ohio's public libraries offer critical services to those looking for jobs and operating small businesses. Public libraries are an integral part of education, which Governor Strickland says is critical to the state's economic recovery. But it is unlikely that many of Ohio's public library systems, especially those without local levies, can remain open with these proposed cuts.

On June 30, the Ohio General Assembly will decide whether or not to accept the Governor's proposal. We cannot allow that to happen. We cannot wait. Email or phone the Governor and our state legislators to voice your strong opposition to further cutting public library funding by moving money out of the general revenue fund. There is no time for letters. This is a drastic measure proposed by the Governor and it will
require a dramatic and immediate response from library supporters.
Following is contact information for the governor and our legislators.
The presence of the library in our community can no longer be assumed.
Please call or email our legislators to ensure that Community Library will survive this crisis.

Governor Ted Strickland
614-466-3555
http://governor.ohio.gov/LinkClick.aspx?link=150&tabid=153

Senator Harris
614-466-8086
SD19@senate.state.oh.us

Representative Kris Jordan
614-644-6711
district02@ohr.state.oh.us

Sincerely,
Chauncey G. Montgomery,
MLIS
Director/Fiscal Officer
Community Library
Sunbury, Ohio
740-965-3901
montgoc1@oplin.org


Thursday, May 14, 2009

Roberta McCain VS. Rush Limbaugh ( Just for Laughs )


ROBERTA MCCAIN (on the Tonight Show): "What he thinks about and represents of the Republican Party has nothing to do with my side of it. I don't know what the man means. I don't know what he's talking about. The chairman of the Republican Party, Steele, was exactly right when he defined this man as an entertainer. And, to my horror, the Republican Party made him back up on it. Limbaugh -- it's a compliment when you say the man is an entertainer. I don't know what he is, but he does not represent the Republican Party that I belong to."

RUSH (on his own talk show): "She's right. She's absolutely right. The Republican Party she belongs to get shellacked election after election after election. Man, send McCain's mother out to dump on me? (laughing) No, I love it. I love it. Her son said the same thing. (impersonating McCain) "He's just an entertainer, he's just an entertainer, got it, got it? He's just an entertainer, he-he, he-he, he-he. He's a clown, good clown, circus, that's it. He-he, he-he. You got it?" I don't know what the man means; I don't know what the man means."

Rush Limbaugh : The Professional Polarizer

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

More on Torture

I just found this link to a CNN article that further muddies VP Cheney's comments on "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques".
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/02/cia.tapes.destroyed/index.html

92 tapes were destroyed by the CIA in November 2005 after a report by Inspector General John L. Helgerson’s office determined that they depicted "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, as defined by the international Convention Against Torture".

That is the truth, look it up.

New definition for the act of torture : "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques"

New definition for the act of torture : "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques". This term has become the mantra of all Republicans (and a few Democrats) in the last couple of months. Former Vice-President Dick Cheney tries to use that term in every other paragraph he speaks. He is on a whirlwind tour across the country appearing on every talk show that will have him. His main theme is to defend "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques".

Here's my take on this subject. In my twenty years in the military the terms used in training were interrogation and torture. All military personnel are taught that if captured, you need state only, name, rank and service number. That is all that is required by the Geneva Convention of which the United States is a signatory. The Army Field Manual is the military authority on interrogation. Unless that manual has been changed the term "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" is not recognized. It is a made up term that means "State Approved Torture".

That is the truth, look it up. Oh wait, I'll do it for you.

ARMY FM 34-52, Intelligence, Chapter 1. Para. 6

PROHIBITION AGAINST USE OF FORCE

The use of force, mental torture, threats, insults, or exposure to unpleasant and inhumane treatment of any kind is prohibited by law and is neither authorized nor. condoned by the US Government. Experience indicates that the use of force is not necessary to gain the cooperation of sources for interrogation. Therefore, the use of force is a poor technique, as it yields unreliable results, may damage subsequent collection efforts, and can induce the source to say whatever he thinks the interrogator wants to hear. However, the use of force is not to be confused with psychological ploys, verbal trickery, or other nonviolent and noncoercive ruses used by the interrogator in questioning hesitant or uncooperative sources.

The psychological techniques and principles outlined should neither be confused with, nor construed to be synonymous with, unauthorized techniques such as brainwashing, mental torture, or any other form of mental coercion to include drugs. These techniques and principles are intended to serve as guides in obtaining the willing cooperation of a source. The absence of threats in interrogation is intentional, as their enforcement and use normally constitute violations of international law and may result in prosecution under the UCMJ.

Additionally, the inability to carry out a threat of violence or force renders an interrogator ineffective should the source challenge the threat. Consequently, from both legal and moral viewpoints, the restrictions established by international law, agreements, and customs render threats of force, violence, and deprivation useless as interrogation techniques.

Now you have it.

Social Security and Medicare hit by recession

From the Associated Press, May 12, 2009
Social Security and Medicare hit by recession
A portion of the article:

"Trustees of the programs said Tuesday that Social Security will start paying out more in benefits than it collects in taxes in 2016, one year sooner than projected last year, and the giant trust fund will be depleted by 2037, four years sooner.

"Medicare is in even worse shape. The trustees said the program for hospital expenses will pay out more in benefits than it collects this year and will be insolvent by 2017, two years earlier than the date projected in last year's report.

"The trust funds — which exist in paper form in a filing cabinet in Parkersburg, W.Va. — are bonds that are backed by the government's "full faith and credit" but not by any actual assets. That money has been spent over the years to fund other parts of government. To redeem the trust fund bonds, the government would have to borrow in public debt markets or raise taxes. "

(End of portion of the article) My words follow:

The last paragraph points out the helplessness of the public. "That money has been spent over the years to fund other parts of government." So this is what the government has done with most of the money that we all have "contributed" over the years. Now you may say that we are not "helpless" because we have the power of the vote. The trouble with that argument is that all three breeds on the hill ( Democrats, Republicans and Independents ) have spent this money recklessly.

That's the truth, look it up.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Mother's Day

So today is Mother's Day. The winners for best mothers of the year are :
Mary Havens Nice, Rhonda Etterling Nice and the late Eleanor Havens.
Honestly, look it up.
Ed

I changed the name of my blog today

I changed the name of my blog today. The former two-day old name was " The Truth As I See It ".
Yesterday I Googled the name on the false wish to see my blog listed ( ego maybe, not sure ). Guess what, a blog by that name had been published since 2005. I have no idea why the Google blog engine didn't catch the duplication. I apologize to the other blogger. So now the new name (after an extensive search) is "An Honest Discourse". It seems that everybody wants one. Look it up.
Ed

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Do Not Forget Your Mom

Tomorrow ( May 10th ) is Mothers Day. My mother has long ago left my life. For many years she raised my brother and me as a single mother. She worked long hours, saw to it that we always were taken care of, and tried to provide us with a normal life. She even sent us away to a boarding home for a year so that she could work extra hours to save up some money. She called every day and visited on weekends.
All around the world mothers are making sacrifices for their children. Whether you have a great relationship with your mother or not, you should spend a couple of minutes tomorrow showing respect for the one who brought you to where you are today.
That's The Truth As I See It,
Ed

Friday, May 8, 2009

Today is May 8, 2009.
That is the truth for my first post.
I don't know what comes next, but it will be the truth as I see it.