This is one of those mornings where I've got to take a deep breath and make myself believe help is on the way.
The key word here is believe. Today, I barely even believe help is on the way. And even if it is, will it be too little, too late?
And who will be the bearer? If you agree with bonddad, you've got to have mixed emotions about the abilities and motives of our saviors.
So if you're interested, I'll give you the reasons for my despair.
But before I do, the rage of the American people is building. Yesterday I spoke to a lifelong Republican, he said, "I'm finished with them!"
Well I say, and you know who this is addressed to, watch out when the levees break and anger floods the land.
- Bonddad's diary. He's right. Have you ever had the pleasure of being in a room with a bunch of politicians?
Not fun Awful, most many some of these people are such imbeciles you wouldn't trust them to make you a bologna sandwich.
- My best friend has COBRA health insurance. It's about to run out. Dear friends, if you're fortunate enough to be able to pay for COBRA, don't wait until the last minute to try and replace it with new
permanent coverage.
My friend is a naturalized American citizen. He grew up in Italy where health care is a right. As a matter of fact, like most civilized nations, if you or I became ill while traveling in Italy, we would be scooped up and our health care would be taken care of by the government health service. We would not be left to die in the street, and we would also not receive a bill for hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
Returning to my friend. Though he is now an American citizen, he is simply incapable of wrapping his mind around our for-profit healthcare system. So in a fit of desperate rage, I screamed, "this is how the game is played here. You want to live in the United states, you play the game our way. Here, you pay or you die." I am knee deep in trying to help him and his family secure very expensive health insurance. As I said, this is not easy, don't wait until the last few days if you're lucky enough to have COBRA.
Moving on to more reasons for depair. Stick with me and I'll give you a reason or two for hope.
- Anita Hill, in a op-ed in the New York Times, wants you to know that we have a liar on the Supreme Court. I'm speaking specifically about Clarence Thomas and the
fluff ball interviews pass he's been receiving from the traditonal media as he goes around promoting his revisionist version of history.
- Skip this horrifying piece from the New York Times, if you too are feeling a bit bleak this morning.. The title is enough to make you go back to bed. Arctic Melt Unnerves the Experts
- Speaking of climate change, a word to the wise. Time to get up-to-speed on another worldwide catastrophe. Neglected Tropical Diseases. I'm learning about this stuff just in the nick of time. Have you all been reading about thebrain-eating ameoba? Is this in our future too? Is there a connection to climate change? Jesus Christ almighty, are neglected tropical diseases on their way to cities and towns across America?
Are diseases which were once relegated to the Third World and the poorest of the poor, now headed to the swimming pools in our back yards?
I don't know, it sounds grim but people heroes like Jeffrey Sachs and Peter Hotez, M.D. are the experts. And the experts are worried.
A Reason for hope:
There are some good people running for office.
Here's a person you should know. His name is Steve Blythe. This is from an email I received. Imagine a Congress filled with humanitarians like Steve Blythe and advocates like John Conyers?
I am a Family Physician and member of Physicians for a National Health Plan. The issues I am most concerned about are access to health care, our constitutional rights (missing in action), environmental protection, and ending the war in Iraq and beginning to deal in a peaceful fashion with other nations.
I have been involved in progressive causes for decades. Most recently I worked with a group of community leaders and our local ACLU chapter to encourage the Brevard County School Board to change from the "abstinence only" sex ed curriculum to the "abstinence-based comprehensive education" program – which, believe it or not, was a huge achievement. Because of my outspokenness I was put on an advisory committee that actually ended up making a recommendation that not one but TWO Christian groups could come into the school to teach kids abstinence (but not Planned Parenthood). Fortunately, by that time there was so much heat from our local paper and community leaders that the Superintendent ignored the recommendations of the committee and pushed for change.
I have visited Central and South America a number of times, and spent several months in Chiapas Mexico working with Guatemalan refugees in 1984. I have made some short medical trips since.
This is Steve's web site. http://www.blythe2008.com/