Mosque Hysteria at Ground Zero??!

It seems that after 9/11, America has become more and more conservative and exclusive. The growing number of Americans, specifically white Americans, have become more zenophobic and less tolerant of those who look, act or believe in something that they do not. This includes the “R” word that we’ve been hearing so much since Al Qaeda wreaked havoc in the U.S. 9 years ago. Religion. Yes. The battle between Christian America and Muslim America. Yup, we’re talking about these 2 religions in the same country, co-existing. It seems that a lot of Americans truly believe that the 9/11 attacks by Al Qaeda in the name of Islam, is really from the work of Islam. Hence, the birth of Islamaphobia. As a result of Al Qaeda’s hijack of the religion as their means to kill all non-Muslims, Americans see Muslims as potential risks to their own and the country’s safety and security.

Well, with Al Qaeda preaching crazy shit all over the world, with thousands of followers brainwashed into killing themselves and others who don’t so-called “believe”, there’s an argument to be had why people associate Islam as a religion on terror. However, if we just take a step back, start thinking rationally and look at history as it relates to religion. Religion has always been used as a tool of justification by governments, religious fundamentalists and the clergy for the actions they take. By claiming God as the beholder of their actions, they are able to bring people into submission of their decisions, because in the eyes of the believers, God approves of their religiously sanctioned acts, be it good or bad. Just look at the era of the Crusades. They were battles in the name of God. Period. That was then. But guess what, the same thing is happening now. Throughout the history of mankind, the fundamental thing that could bring humanity to its knees has and will always be, religion. Only religion can create endless wars and destruction. Why? It’s the fear of God. Fear that we’d be punished if we don’t obey God’s orders that are made through our so-called leaders, religious leaders.

On the other hand, religion, if treated positively, can be a tool of love, tolerance, understanding and fellowship of mankind. Unfortunately, this side of the religion “coin”, so to speak, is overshadowed by the negative side – the bad, the hate, the fear, the intolerant. It is up to all of us who believe there’s a higher power than us, which we can call God or energy or whichever, to start becoming aware that we are all inter-connected. We are one. Unity.

So, coming back to the issue of this hysteria caused by some right-wing nutjobs deriving from the likes of Sarah Palin, the GOP, the tea party and Fox News, just because of a mosque, which is NOT even going to be located AT Ground Zero, unlike what those eggheads mentioned here have claimed, they’ve made these ridiculous claims and abused people’s fear and lack of understanding. Hence, they’ve created this mass hysteria and controversy in a structure, a building, which so happens to be a mosque! Ooo, scary, right? Nonsense! The mosque is going to be located 2 blocks away from Ground Zero, for crying out loud! And so what IF it was going to be AT Ground Zero? What’s the big deal??! Have these people forgotten about their own Constitution? Whatever happened to freedom of religion?? Do they think that the U.S. Constitution that their forefathers wrote down and agreed to 200+ years ago, only applies to religion that they approve of, hence, excluding the others? So, in their minds, the term “Freedom of Religion” has an exception, that is, freedom of religion for all EXCEPT if the religion happens to be…Islam?? What IS that?!

Mayor Bloomberg’s speech was spot-on. If America bows down to fear, even fear of a mosque (God forbid!), then the bad guys win. Those bad guys who use Islam as their defence mechanism for all things destructive that they throw onto others. Those are NOT real believers of the Islam faith. Those are “false prophets”, so to speak. Just like the nutjobs who use Christianity as the tool to hate, kill and discriminate against their fellow human beings just because they’re gay or if they support abortion rights. Those, like the Islamic terrorists, are in this instance, Christian terrorists! But to make my point pure and simple, people who terrorise others are terrorists regardless of religion or beliefs. Period. So, aren’t Sarah Palin, the tea party, the GOP and Fox News playing into these terrorists’ hands by instilling fear and hysteria among New Yorkers and Americans who aren’t already feeling jumpy these days?! Are they trying to create a bigger rift between Muslims and non-Muslims in America? Are they indirectly telling America that it’s ok if you’re a Christian or any other religion, so long as it’s not Islam?

All in all, we’re seeing the political meltdown in the U.S. ever since Barack Obama became President. The rise of conservative fundamentalism will continue to a point where we see history repeating itself for the umpteenth time in the U.S. – the era of McCarthyism (every dissident was hailed as a Commy, guilty by association) and civil rights movement. America is now at the crossroads…once again. Americans MUST rise up and protect the U.S. Constitution from these groups who call themselves Americans. Otherwise, guess what, these groups – the fringe right, the religious fundamentalists, the conservative fundamentalists – win.

– written by Netizen, for Chatteringmind

There IS Justice in California After All – Prop 8 Ruled UNCONSTITUTIONAL!

On Aug 4^th 2010, California’s controversial Proposition 8 was ruled unconstitutional by U.S. District Court judge Vaughn Walker. Everyone who had been fighting against Proposition 8 since it was passed on November 4^th 2008 rejoiced. It was a day of reckoning for all who support gay marriage, gay rights, as victory was handed back to them again… well-deservingly.

Gay rights including gay marriage, is a right that can’t be voted on. If rights had to be voted on, then we wouldn’t have civil rights, women’s rights, pay equality, the whole nine yards. Governments are elected not to become the cheerleaders of the majority but to protect ALL of their citizens. As former PM Jean Chretien said when Canada was the 1st country in the Americas to allow gay marriage in 2005 (technically Canada, through Ontario province, was the 1st country in the world to allow gay marriage when it passed in Jan 2001 in Toronto!), “The role of the Government is to protect the minority against the will of the majority.”

Another thing about the debate of same-sex marriage is the separation of church and state. The proponents of Proposition 8 keep bringing up religion as the fundamental factor for discriminating against LGBT and gay marriage. Have they forgotten about the U.S. Constitution? That there’s a separation of church and state?? Are they implying that they want the U.S. to become a religion state? Hmm..that reminds me of…get ready for this…The Islamic Republic of Iran… or The Islamic Republic of Pakistan… or The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan… all of which are in a state of human rights disgrace as a result of the “R” word – RELIGION! Do these American religious crackpots want the country to become a religious state? If so, then I hope the supporters of a secular state strike them down hard so they won’t be able to even think of questioning and fighting to make America the United Christian States of America! God forbid! No pun intended.

So, while country after country regardless of religion (c’mon, Catholic countries like Spain, Portugal, Argentina?!), EVEN a developing country like South Africa, is moving toward societal progress in terms of giving equal rights to LGBT, the U.S. on the other hand, who is supposedly THE model democratic country and leader, is still stuck in the mud of backward, religious fundamentalism that continues to fuel hatred, bigotry and fear!

So, Judge Walker’s duly made ruling in striking down the horrendously discriminatory and bigoted Proposition 8 is a big welcome celebration, not only to Californians but to the rest of the U.S. and the world! California has always been seen as the bedrock of liberalism and open-mindedness in the eyes of the outside world – largely due to the influence of Hollywood. But when Proposition 8 was passed almost 2 years ago, everyone in the world was shocked – shocked that the land of Hollywood which was always seen as championing (or so it seemed!) human rights, progressive thinking and equality, could actually voted for this piece of crap! Then everyone saw the hypocrisy and the schizophrenic nature of Hollywood and its so-called big influence. If Hollywood had wanted to help to destroy this piece of hateful legislation, it could have very easily done so. C’mon, the amount of $$ that the industry has is enough to buy up the entire country for that matter.

But it’s all water under the bridge for everyone who’s been fighting Proposition 8, I guess. Hopefully, the appeal from the Proposition 8 proponents, the religious fundamentalists, will NOT prevail but that this ruling will force the country to face up to this inevitable human right once and for all – all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court…

I’m holding out hope for the U.S. as the next country to allow gay marriage. Until then, BRAVO, CONGRATS to ALL Californians and Americans who’ve been fighting for gay rights and against Proposition 8! This victory is only the beginning. There’s a long way ahead so plough on, supporters of civil rights and gay rights in America!

This victory, in my opinion, is largely credited to 2 legal eagles whom we can easily sum up as the most unlikely partners in bringing this case to the U.S. District Court – former U.S. Solicitor General Theodore B. Olson and David Boies – 2 attorneys who argued on opposite sides of the Bush vs. Gore election case in 2000! A project of the American Foundation for Equal Rights, both gentlemen united to file a lawsuit on behalf of two same-sex couples who were denied marriage licences because of Proposition 8 in the U.S. District Court in California. Olson and Boies are from either side of the political aisle. But kudos to them in presenting clearly right from the get-go that fighting Proposition 8 was neither a conservative nor liberal issue. It was and will always be a civil right issue. And American value issue. In my opinion, these 2 attorneys are the true heroes of the gay rights struggle.

Meanwhile, for those of you who may not have seen MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann’s impassioned Special Comment that he made right after California passed Proposition 8 at the same time as the U.S. elected Barack Obama as the President on November 4^th 2008, Olbermann appropriately re-aired it on the night when Judge Walker tossed out Proposition 8 on August 4^th 2010. Here is the classic, memorable and unforgettable video clip:

Also, if you haven’t read Judge Walker’s final and full ruling, you simply must. The 136-page ruling is a novel-like page-turner! I guarantee you that you will not regret reading it! Judge Walker truly knocked one out of the ballpark with his clear, concise and articulate points in his ruling. You can download here

— written by Netizen, for Chatteringmind

The “Scarity-Cat, Spineless” Obama Administration is Playing to the Fringe Right..Yet Again!

I’m sure by now most, if not all, of you have heard this hoopla about the USDA official, Shirley Sherrod, all over the news media this week. Shirley Sherrod apparently made a speech at the recent NAACP event in March and some right-wing nutjob blogger recorded her speech on video and published it on the internet with the jaw-dropping, shock-and-awe headline, “CAUGHT ON TAPE: Obama official being racist….” blah-blah-blah. You know how the rest of the wordings go when it comes to the right media! The culprit responsible for causing this big ruckus and inflaming it? None other than FoxNews. Surprise! When this knucklehead of a blogger put this on the internet, FoxNews was quick to get him on the show and played the video in a loop, like they were trying to brainwash the American public or something! Mainstream media, obviously, scrambled to pick up the story and ran with it. Now, if you were a viewer of FoxNews and the mainstream media, obviously you’d be enraged that an “Obama official” (which is a negative connotation in the eyes of the right!) dared to be a racist in front of an organization which was supposedly upholding anti-racism actions in the country, NAACP. Worse, based on the video, Sherrod was seen flaunting her racism against white farmers! How dare she, just right after NAACP was accusing the Tea Party-ers of racism! Right?

Lo and behold, the White House caught wind of this damaging story. They must be screaming, “Oh, shit! Sherrod’s gonna be featured on FoxNews!! Worse, on Glenn Beck! Hurry, get Sherrod on the line and have her resign or we fire her instantly!” Obama’s people must have been running around like a bunch of headless chickens in the West Wing or something! Like a group of hysterical and panic-stricken people, they immediately got Sherrod on the phone and demanded for her resignation – worse, it wasn’t even just 1 phone call! They hassled Sherrod while she was driving back from Georgia and finally demanded that she pulled over on the side of the road so she could resign on the spot!! Oh.My.Fucking.God! What the FUCK???!!! Can you imagine driving for several hours and getting repeated frantic calls from not just anyone but from the WHITE HOUSE, hassling you to do something that could’ve been postponed until at least you’re back in your office?? And the reason for this EMERGENCY resignation? Hah – because the White House found out that Glenn Beck was going to feature Sherrod’s story!! Oooo..the Almighty Glenn Beck that even the LEADER of the world, that is the Obama Administration/White House, has to kowtow to…. Oooooo…..!! If I were Glenn Beck, I’d be so incrediblyl pleased and full of myself now! Man! And as if the White House coming down on ya ain’t enough, the fucking NAACP, seeing the White House’s panic over this, quickly condemned Sherrod’s actions and agreed that she should resign. The Agriculture Secretary, obviously under the direction of the White House, also urged Sherrod to resign publicly.

Now, imagine – all these frantic actions, 24-hour news coverage, talking points about this black woman “caught on tape” for being a racist, that kept replaying on the airwaves – were done…wait for it…. WITHOUT any fact-checking, NO verification with the supposed “perpetrator” herself, to get her side of the story, ZERO investigation into the video clip.. NOTHING. NADA. It’s a classic example of GUILTY by Assumption; by Lies; by Factless Accusations.

Journalism is supposedly based on facts and truth-checking, investigation, communication and getting stories from all sides just so everything is covered BEFORE the story breaks. Not this one. The sad thing is, the Sherrod story ain’t the 1st time the White House jumped the gun before checking the facts and accusations. Remember Acorn?  The responsible medium that caused its demise? FoxNews. Remember Van Jones, the person whom Obama nominated as the Green Jobs Czar? The responsible medium that caused his demise? FoxNews. Now Sherrod. Responsible medium? FoxNews. You see the pattern here? None of these so-called “breaking” stories and accusations were reported based on any truth at all. There was no investigation. There was only FRAUD. Condemning a person or an organization without any full investigation and factual count is not only irresponsible but a travesty of the most infuriating and embarrassing proportions.Why have the Administration and the Democrats gone so stupid all of a sudden? Well, maybe they’ve always been stupid and blind and dumb and I  just assumed that they were wiser than being duped repeatedly by FoxNews. Every person with a brain knows not to take anyone’s word for it, especially when it comes to accusation. Every person with a brain knows to do some legwork, research, and investigation, before blindly accepting someone else’s word for it, no matter how many times that accusation has been repeated. That’s what we call – plain LOGIC. Being SENSIBLE. Having COMMON SENSE.

I, for one, am not suprised at all that FoxNews had a hand in all these fraudulent reporting. But what I’m most furious about is the fact that the White House, the Obama Administration, the Democrats, who are supposedly in power, who’re in charge, are the ones that come out as a bunch of brainless, scared-stiff, spineless, inferior beings who are NOT FIT to govern the country because they’ve FAILED, time and time again, the public at large. They’ve FAILED to defend democracy. They’ve FAILED to uphold the presumption of innocence principle that is one of the bases of democratic rule. Instead, they’ve allowed FEAR to dictate their politics and policies. They’ve successfully legitimize the “cry wolf” principle, the shock-and-awe, attention-grabbing, tabloid-like news reporting that we’re observing more and more in the country by kowtow-ing to Murdoch & his crazy FoxNews! In short, they’ve managed to put FoxNews or “Fixed News”, which I like to call it (thanks to Keith Olbermann!), up on the “News-To-Believe-In,” “News-You-Can-Count-On” mantlepiece by condoning what Fox News has been doing all this while! The White House and the Democrats are so scared and terrified of pissing off GOP and the increasingly vocal fringe right in the guise of the so-called Tea Party Movement, that they’d do just about anything, thinking that if they listen or follow these nutjobs, they wouldn’t be attacked. Yeah, right.

It’s a forgone conclusion that whatever the Obama Administration does is NOT GOOD ENOUGH! Just look at the recently passed huge, historical Healthcare Reform and Financial Reform bills! The public should be ecstatic and proud of its government’s achievements in protecting it. Instead, the fundamentalist arguments and fear-tactics are ruling and consuming the public. That’s why we see Obama’s ratings go lower by the day! He should be basking in the sun of popularity and heroic status for getting healthcare and financial reforms in place. Instead, he’s continued to be made into this pariah that Americans should fear, so much so that many people are seeing his government as an “outside” force that has occupied the country! I mean, it’s bullshit. But the power of tabloid, headline-grabbing, and factless but attention-grabbing fake news has ruled the media in the country.

How much longer can we put up with the White House and the Democrats’ cowardice crap?! How much more of these fringe-right, wacko ideology and hysteria can we take before our eardrums break from the sheer volume of them?! How much more shit will the Obama Administration along with the spineless Democrats take from the GOP and the Tea Party nutjobs?! How many more times will the Obama Administration and the Democrats bend over?! How much longer, are we, the citizens, let these so-called “leaders” from either side, screw us and embarrass us in public?! During the Bush Administration, we were embarrassed by the hard-line, arrogant approach. Now, during the Obama Administration, we’re embarrassed by their sheer cowardise and spineless approach to everything! I always remember one of the things that Hilary Clinton said, which I totally agreed with before and now more than ever – Barack Obama is NOT ready to govern the country. Wow, this point has never been proven so right than now!!! Why are the Democrats not able to pull away from their paradigm of chronic spinelessness and cowardise? Why is it that the GOP always manages to be united to fight the left whereas the Democrats are always so fractured?! Inferior complexity comes to mind when I think of Democrats. It’s shameful. It’s disheartening. It’s downright WRONG for a party with no spine, no courage, to rule the “most powerful country in the world” that we call America. The “change” that Obama was drumming on during his campaign (and by gosh, he’s STILL campaigning!) is just an illusion. Period.

I haven’t been so angry with the Democrats as I have with the Obama Administration. For these people who’re “advising” Obama, those who’re around him, these people should be so ashamed of themselves for screwing the Clintons, bashing them for their politics, and what not, by going behind their backs and snatching support away, without once thinking, that Obama is inexperienced and absolutely ill-prepared to take the Presidential rein. But no, nobody, not even seasoned, influential politicans like Ted Kennedy and the rest of his Kennedy clan, or Schumer or the other senior figures, wanted to handle that handicap that Obama possessed and still does. They were so busy attacking the Clintons, making them the “bad guy,” that they forgot the big picture! Governing on the basis of popularity NEVER WORKS!! Haven’t these people learned from their school and college years??!! America needs, before and all the more NOW, a President and an Administration that perform, get their hands dirty in order to do the right thing – not the popular thing, but the RIGHT thing, and doing it WISELY, without ever kowtow-ing to the fringe right, least of all FoxNews and Rupert Murdoch! Aaaaarghhhh!!

The rising popularity of stupid, ignorant, bigoted so-called conservative public figures and/or politicians like Sharron Angle, Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann, everyone on FoxNews, Marco Rubio is uncontested even when these people are spreading lies and shouting nonsense. I want to believe that the majority of us in the country are not believing in a word these bigots disguised as politicians are preadching. However, for some reason, there’s this debilitating silence among us. So many lies have been aired on national TV. Still we keep our mouths shut. We keep our silence. This is letting those wackjobs wanting to lead the country get what they want. I’m afraid that if logic, wisdom, and rationale don’t offset the crazy, come November, the country is going to be governed by fundamentalists. What’s happening to our politics today reminds me of another country that we’ve been battling with – Iran. The tea party-ers, the fringe right, the Palins, Bachmanns, Becks, Angles and their ignorant followers are reminiscent of the hard-liners that are suffocating the people in Iran – the Ahmadinejads, Khameneis, Larijanis, and their ignorant followers. Like the majority of us in America, the majority of Iranians, for some reason, are keeping silent. Are we hoping and praying for the crazy to fizzle out by itself? Well, if we’re thinking that, then we’d better wish ourselves good luck….

Back to Shirley Sherrod’s REAL story – everyone in the mainstream is touting her story as heroic, brave, courageous, commendable woman who helped the white farmers. Well, yes, I agree she did that. But her testament wasn’t about her being black who helped white folks. Her testament, as she rightly put it at the NAACP event, was about human nature. We, human beings, have the propensity to have preconceived ideas, prejudice, just about anything, most of all, when we’re faced with something or someone that we know nothing or very little about. It’s human nature. We ALL do that. Most often than not, our preconception changes as we get to know about that thing or person we previously knew nothing about. That’s the essence of Sherrod’s testatment. That we as human beings should really make the best efforts possible to avoid having preconceived notions about stuff. It’s a difficult exercise but as responsible citizens who want to fight for justice, human rights and promote equality, tolerance and peace, we should all learn not to be prejudiced based on our preconceived notions. It’s a live lesson that we all face every day. The only thing we can do is to do our best. And THAT, people, in my humble opinion, should be reported by the media so people are aware of it. Not just making Sherrod, now that the truth has come out, into yet another hero. Why are we so obsessed with hero worshipping?

Anyway, tha’ts my long 2 cents about this matter….

— written by Netizen, for Chatteringmind

Lewis Black Does Glenn Beck – Classic Satirical Rant That Deserves Multiple Replays

I have to say, every time the talking heads mention the name, Glenn Beck, I cringe; I avert my eyes; I pretend I’m deaf; I basically shut down. But, thanks to Lewis Black, one of the funniest satirical comedians in town, who’s a regular on THE BEST 1/2-hour “news” segment, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” I will look at Beck in a whole new set of mind from now on – no longer do I have to dodge the name or his face pasted on the TV screen without my permission. From now on, whenever I see Beck on the screen, I shall immediately replay Lewis Black’s own rendition of arguably, the worst bigot ever existed on the planet that is Glenn! That way, all I do is to laugh out loud repeatedly until Beck disappears from my TV screen! Anyway, for those of you who missed Lewis Black‘s classic, no-holds-barred satirical take on the Man of Fixed News himself, Glenn Beck, here’s a dose of it for your keeping…. Thanks, Keith Olbermann! You never disappoint when it comes to alerting us to all the bigots, wackjobs out there who claim to be “serious” journalists or newscasters!

Original Video – More videos at TinyPic

~ written by Netizen, for Chatteringmind

Honestly, What’s the REAL “Threat” of Passing Healthcare Reform?

Since this past Sunday’s historic congressional vote on the House to pass the the so-called “controversial” Healthcare Reform which is legally called the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” and President Obama’s subsequent signing of it into law a day later, there has been a slew of nutjobs coming out of the woodwork, making insane, maniacal threats to bring down the Congress (and subsequently the government, I guess!)! WTF?! Frankly, what is so threatening about the passage of a bill?!! Don’t know about you, but my theory is that, it’s not about the healthcare bill or any bill for that matter. It’s all about the negatively connotated term used by the anti-healthcare reform groups, specifically the fringe right, who have eptly crafted into their daily talking points about the “evil” of the healthcare reform effort…. “OBAMACARE” It’s a psychological game that has garnered a lot of support from certain groups of Americans who never liked the fact that Barack Obama was elected as President in the first place.

Just look at how they call President Obama – somehow, it’s crucial for them to spell out the President’s middle name – Barack HUSSEIN Obama – in an offensive, disrespectful manner. I have to say, sadly, that this tactic has been very successful in inciting and augmenting the fear, hatred and ignorance among some Americans who already have a deeply rooted misconception and ill-informed understanding or opinion about Islam and terrorism. So, spelling out Obama’s middle name in front of these people, over and over again, thus psychologically create this illusion that Obama is a Muslim, a terrorist, an enemy of the state. So, hey, whatever he does or says, will never be right, hence has to be stopped. So, linking the healthcare reform effort to Obama’s name – “ObamaCare” – automatically gives these already fearful people a very bad reaction. So, however many benefits and advantages the healthcare reform would bring to the nation, it’s all gone Pete Tong simply because of this bonkus “oh-my-fucking-God-it’s-the-American-hating-Muslim-Communist-Socialist-President-who-is-secretly-not-American” hyperventilating hysteria that’s generated successfully by the right, the anti-healthare reform groups, including the likes of celebrity clowns, i.e. Sarah Palin and Glen Beck. Hmm…why is this so familiar? Could it be that during the Civil Rights Movement era, the same hateful, unscrupulous tactics were used to incite fear, hate, intolerance and violence among people who didn’t know better? Welcome to the 21st century AKA the 1950s and 1960s in America! Wow, against the world’s goal to move forward, America has incidentally moved…BACKWARDS… Great. Fucking Great.

So, how do the proponents of healthcare reform resolve this absolutely nonsensically erratic influx of fear and hysteria that has so far turned into verbal and physical threats and violence in just a few days before someone gets hurt, shot, or worse, killed? The politicians of both parties and independents should take this potential threat very seriously instead of keeping silent, hoping that it’d go away quietly. In a country where owning and carrying guns is a constitutional right, politicans should wake the hell up NOW. Proponents of healthcare – yes, the majority of people who support healthcare reform in any form, should stand up and be counted now instead of letting the fringe crazies dictate the state of the country! Start mobilizing groups to spread the benefits of healthcare reform. Yes, this Healthcare Reform bill is flawed. But we have to start somewhere. Politicians who oppose this version of the HCR bill should work aggressively to pass amendments to improve it instead of bitching and complaining about it in the media.

To do my part, however minuscule it is, I’m going to list down some of the HCR bill benefits here. These facts have also been reported by some media outlets and talking heads like Rachel Maddow and Keith Olberman.

IMMEDIATE EFFECT (within 6 months of healthcare bill coming into law post-signature of the President):
1. Children under 19 years of age shall not be excluded due to pre-existing conditions
2. FREE preventive care for ALL
3. The “donut hole” closes shut for Medicare patients – what it means is that prescription medications will be more affordable for seniors
4. Adult children may stay on their parents’ health policy until they their 27th birthday
5. Tax credits for small businesses for 2009 and 2010 – up to 50% of what they pay for their employees’ health insurance
6. The end of annual and lifetime caps on coverage
7. 80% of premiums paid to insurers must be used to pay for medical coverage, not overhead or administrative costs. Otherwise, insurers are required to credit back to their insured clients
8. Community health centers in all 50 states will receive early funding – this means, these centers who’re now providing primary, dental and vision services in the community will get more sufficient funding for continuous provision of care
9. Effective IMMEDIATELY, insurers shall not terminate your health coverage because you’re sick!
10. Currently uninsured adults with pre-existing conditions can buy into a national high-risk pool until the national exchanges come online in 2014. Albeit not cheap, at least these individuals will have healthcare coverage of some sort instead of total exclusion by the insurers

These are just the immediate benefits within the 1st year of the healthcare reform enactment. Every American who cares about the country should read about the “Patient Protection and Affordable Act” (PPAA) to get familiarized so we know if we’re being lied to in the media by certain individuals or groups. Information is POWER. Get educated NOW! You can read all about the PPAA on Wikipedia…

—written by Netizen, for Chatteringmind

Will the SCOTUS Decision Mark the END of Democracy in America?

Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision to lift corporations’ campaign fund limits with the reason of upholding the Constitution’s 1st Amendment has created a lot of noise in the media and on the internet. My gosh, the tweets about it flooded Twitter (yes, I had a hard time accessing Twitter since the SCOTUS decision!). Huffington Post even did a LIVE debate on Twitter, collecting the best tweets about SCOTUS! My question is, will this 5-4 Supreme Court decision, which I have to say, was blatantly a political ruling (5 conservative judges ruling for the corporations and 4 liberal judges ruling against), mark the end of democracy in the land that champions as the LEADER of the Democratic world?

True, it’s infuriating to hear that corporations have a blank check now to throw their money around to influence any political decision in the gov’t. But wait a minute, if we think about it, haven’t they been doing this the whole time? Hasn’t Washington, Republicans and Democrats alike, all throughout the years, been heavily influenced by corporations aka the special interest groups or Washington lobbyists? Just look at the healthcare industry, the pharmaceutical companies, the oil companies, the list goes on – these groups have been shaping Washington politics for God knows how long. So, what’s the difference then and in the wake of this SCOTUS ruling yesterday? Nothing EXCEPT….. now corporate America can do it OPENLY without any restrictions or limitations AND most importantly, their actions are SANCTIONED by the Supreme Court… for crying out loud!! We might as well put up a banner that screams, “WASHINGTON FOR SALE,” or “BRIBERY IS KEY TO POWER” everywhere – on TV, on billboards, on bumber stickers, on politicians’ foreheads…! Hey, why not? It’s ALLOWED and LEGAL now!

So, do we, as individuals, who always thought that we could make a difference in how the country is governed by our individual, independent campaign contribution, have to forego the fundamental principle of “America, of the people, by the people, for the people” and re-shape that into “America, of the people, by the corporations, for the corporations“?? Do we, then, have to form a corporation ourselves in order for our voices to be heard??

Freedom of Speech. That’s the argument by the Supreme Court justices who ruled FOR the plaintiff; that their ruling was to uphold the Freedom of Speech, the 1st Amendment of the Constitution. It’s all well except…. be careful what you wish for. When common sense, good-faith, good-intent, beliefs are abused inappropriately to garner lopsided power, that’s when countries become oppressive, suppressive, subversive. Do we want to see America become a totalitarian state, governed and controlled by big oil, pharma corporations and Wall Street without any regulations, restrictions and limitations, where their interests come before the well-being of the country and its people? Do we want to see democracy die in America while we’re busy trying to spread democracy around the world?

Keith Olbermann from “Countdown” on MSNBC stated it best in his quick comment last night about what the SCOTUS decision will do to the country…

— written by Netizen, for Chatteringmind

At Last! Justice for U.S. Citizens in Defeating Prop 8

Last week, Rachel Maddow reported on the status of the recent appeal of Prop 8 in California and the big surprise about the plaintiffs’ attorneys – yup, none other than the famous pair in the Bush v Gore case in 2000, Ted Olson & David Boies. Wow, I was particularly surprised to find out that Olson was the one who sought out Boies to partner with him in helping the 2 gay and lesbian couples defeat Prop 8. Good job, Olson! And kudos to you, Boies!! Now, the defenders of Prop 8 are very nervous, to a point where they’re calling themselves the “underdogs” after hearing Olson and Boies attached to the case! Yyess!! But shame on the defenders for their cowardice in fighting Olson/Boies’ request for media cameras to be in the courtroom! If they’ve the audacity to deprive a group from exercising their basic human rights to marry under the U.S. constitution, then have the guts to let the public know who they are! Bah, humbug!

One absolutely brilliant point that Olson made was that marriage is a CONSERVATIVE value! Yes! Why would people object to others getting married?! Olson continued to stress that not only is marriage a conservative value, it’s fundamentally an American value, a family value, goddamnit! Well said, Olson!

Anyway, thanks to Rachel for highlighting this case on her show. Looking forward to more updates about it. We, as a country, regardless of race, class, sex, color, religion and sexual orientation, should be allowed to enjoy the freedom and the right as protected by the U.S. Constitution as U.S. citizens. There should never be any exceptions. Here’s hoping Olson and Boies win this case and close this bigoted Prop 8 debacle once and for all!

Check out the clip from “TRMS” where Rachel interviewed the 2 “heroes” of the gay/lesbian community in the U.S….

— written by Netizen, for Chatteringmind

Death, A Pre-Existing Condition?

For those of you who watch “Better Off Ted” (Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. EST/8:30 p.m. Central, on ABC), did any of you let out a chuckle when Veronica (Portia de Rossi) mentioned that Corporate made a claim that death, could actually be a pre-existing condition, when Jenkins died suddenly, in last week’s episode? HILARIOUS!! It’s a very facetious and funny poke at the ridiculous actions of corporate America in listing just about anything as a so-called “pre-existing condition” in their continuous ploy not to cover people. Hey, I wouldn’t put it past them to include “death” on the list if we keep capitulating to corporate bullying in the healthcare industry! Thank God, it’s fiction…at least for now..! (snigger! snigger!) Meanwhile, an encore to Veronica’s hilarious comment as presented in this clip below….

— written by TVGeek, for Chatteringmind

Terror! Terror! Terror!

This past week had been a week of the now trend word, “Terror,” which the Republicans and conservatives had practically used it to replace just about anything political. Peter King‘s now famous but utterly dubious and irreponsible comment to literally all media outlets last week that Obama‘s lack of using the “T” word had something to do with the terror plot on X’mas day! Huh??! Wow, so had Obama uttered the “T” word, say, once every 10 words in his statements, then the war on terrorism would be taken more seriously than it already has been?! That out of some miracle, it’d deter our enemies from plotting attacks against us? It just doesn’t make any sense! Besides, was King deaf or something when Obama mentioned the “T” word in all its glorious types throughout his 1st year in office? I absolutely loved the quick comment that Keith Olbermann stated on his show last week about the “T” word. To utter or not to utter. That is the question…or is it a statement? Well, you be the judge… very funny comment… Thumbs up, Olbermann!

— written by Netizen, for Chatteringmind

Healthcare Reform Worse Than Terrorism??! WTF??!

What’s wrong with the Republicans nowadays? Are they so desperate that their only strategy is to solely court the lunatic fringe with their trumped up, bogus, total deceptive lies and absolute nutjob remarks that no one in the right mind would believe, let alone listen to?! As we all know by now, the Right has been banging on their drums about the absolute dangers of Obama’s Healthcare Reform, how it’d pull the plug on grandma, how there would be death panels and other crap that’s been churned out since last August by way of the now infamous town hall meetings. But this week, some of them have gone so far as to equate Healthcare Reform to suicide bombing and stating that Healthcare Reform is actually worse than a successful terrorist attack??! I mean, my goodness! The cuckooness of some of these folks is turning American politics into a total circus! Can you imagine what the rest of the world sees our politicians? Eggheads, nincompoops, are 2 of the many terms that come to mind! Idiocy is indeed a dangerous spreadable virus, if not contained by even just a garden variety common sense… How irresponsible are these idiots and those who actually choose to believe such farce?!

Listen to Keith Olbermann‘s comment this past Wednesday about these idiotic remarks made and echoed by people who spread ignorance, fear, hatred in America…

— written by Netizen, for Chatteringmind