Family 1

Family 1
Originally uploaded by Kate Anne

Aunt Betty Murphy, Barbara Pfister Miles, Uncle John Pfister, Pat Coyne in Erie.

Countdown-Dr. Howard Dean: On Healhcare

Dr. Howard Dean says the public should absolutely be allowed to have their choice of a public option, even Single Payer, if that is what the public demands. Single Payer would be based on an expanded improved Medicare. Any public option in the Healthcare bill should be as well -- and not some watered down insurance industry approved destined to fail "choice". (Healthcare should be about healing people, not profit!)

Countdown-Still Bushed!: tortured prisoner Lakhdar Boumediene of Red Crescent speaks

Keith Olbermann reflects on Lakhdar Boumediene statement's to ABC news and asks an important question on who should be imprisoned -- an innocent man or a man who started a war to start a war -- and make money for all those military contractors.

Lakhdar Boumediene statement on Torture to ABC news

An innocent man, Lakhdar Boumediene was held for over seven years in Guantanamo and subjected to various torture methods. Glenn Greenwald on Salon.com writes about how such treatment reflects on the state of our US policies.

Dennis Kucinich: It's Time To End This War! No More Funding!

Rep. Kucinich points out in this short video that the War Funding Supplemental bill does not address the concern of peace activists: withdrawing troops, transparency, and a stated exit plan (these additions to the bill were rebuffed). There is nothing in this funding bill to make it palatable to those who care abut peace. Let's tell our Congressmembers, "No more funding. Bring the troops home now."

American SiCKO Donna Smith and Bill Moyers Give Max Baucus a One-Two Punch

One protestor aptly said to Senator Baucus, "Healthcare should be for Patients, NOT for Profits." We don't need to throw more money into the same broken system. We need Single Payer Healthcare, an expanded and improved Medicare. Thanks to Michael Moore for posting this Bill Moyers' segment. (17:35 min.)

Dr. Marcia Angell: Single Payer is the ONLY Option

WATCH THIS. Dr. Marcia Angell has the high regard of Senator Bernie Sanders, who recently said, "I think we will try to get a hearing in the HELP Committee. I think the importance of the hearing is not that it will change minds but that the American people -- and Congress -- should hear the facts about the enormous waste and bureaucracy and profiteering associated with private health insurance. Not to deal with that is mind-blowing."

Senator Bernie Sanders for Single Payer

Senator Bernie Sanders: "How does it happen that after we spend twice as much per capita on healthcare as any other nation we end up being the only major country in the world that does not guarantee healthcare to every man woman and child in a comprehensive way? ...

"The way that we [should] move is to say:

• Every American is entitled to healthcare
  
• It has got to be comprehensive healthcare
  
• The function of healthcare is not to make money for private health insurance company but to provide cost effective healthcare to all Americans....

"The only conclusion that you reach is that a Single Payer system is where we need to go as a nation....The function of health insurance companies is not to provide healthcare, it is to deny healthcare because every dollar they don't spend on healthcare is another dollar that they are making in profits."

-- [As heard on Ring of Fire Radio, May 30 and 31st, Air America Radio, available by podcast via iTunes, but current show playable here.]

Mancow Waterboarded

"Absolutely Torture" -- and waterboarding is only a part of what has gone on, thanks to the last administration's illegal behavior. This Chicago radio host, Erich Mancow Muller, was shocked to see how it affected him to undergo a "safe" waterboard, when he knows he could holler "uncle" and stop it. Think of the people who cannot get them to stop. They would say anything to make 'em stop. God forgive us.

Rachel Maddow: Indefinite detention? Shame on you... President Obama

Should we give to President Obama an authority we wouldn't trust to a President Bush or future Republican presidents? The policy of "preventive detention' is scary and leads us down a very slippery slope. I didn't vote for President Obama to have him legalize thought crimes or try to read my or anyone's mind. This is an outrage to traditional American values and sounds like something out of a scary science fiction movie. NO to preventive detention. (And how many people of color or liberals would be locked up by certain others following a variant of this policy??) No. No. No.

I have left the above comment on the White House comment form and urge others to do likewise and contact Congress, too. (Thanks, FireDogLake for the Rachel Maddow YouTube clip.) For more info, google and search Twitter, but also check out Glenn Greenwald here and here, especially and listen to his iTunes podcast with ACLU Attorney Ben Wizner on the subject. Also for clarity/focus/comments read Behind Blue Eyes' Obama Proposes Indefinite Preventive Detention without trial.   And remember to check for terms indefinite detention and prolonged detention. Bottom line: This is not peace-keeping, this is democracy erosion. I want my country back not a fascist America or a daddy state. Act, please.