By: Linda Gross

(This op ed piece launches a new series looking at local and national politics. We invite guest columnists and ask readers to weigh in on their thoughts as we head into the Fall. )

The rhetoric of politics will soon take center stage in our lives as we head into mid-term elections. And the question we ask readers this week is when does rhetoric become reactionary?

Remember the Gangsta rap of the 1990′s which was accused of inciting violence against a host of evils including policemen and women? And planting seeds in young people which lead to bad things for society?

Communities of God-fearing folk and the FCC stepped in and censored some of the most onerous speech. Maybe it’s time we look at the consequences of political rhetoric.

Last week a lone gunman in LA was stopped by a CHP offer before he was able to carry out his mission to kill folks at the Tides Foundation; an organization whose mission “is to partner with philanthropists, foundations, activists, and organizations across the country and across the globe to promote economic justice, robust democratic processes, and the opportunity to live in a healthy and sustainable environment where human rights are preserved and protected.”

It is one of those progressive organizations which some on the Right love to hate. Especially Glen Beck, the Fox News talk show host who included Tides in his flow chart of conspiracy theories about the Obama administration. He says they are “pulling the strings of the Obama organization.”

While gansta rap is an expression of anger and frustration over white America, personal injustices, wide scale discrimination and dealin’ with “the man,”  the political rhetoric of  Beck and others find their audience by creating demons out of  “the gov’mt”, an America of Color, and godless folks.

Both make BIG money off their ability to whip up an audience without much thought given to consequences.

However, it is the consequences, which prompt God-Fearing folks to lobby the FCC to put a lid on rap music, citing it “… uses language that actively incites crime, for example encouraging weapons use, spousal abuse or homophobic attacks. Secondly, it glorifies a lifestyle that is rich with imagery of criminality (e.g. gun use and drug dealing) and this sends out a subconscious but consistent message affirming criminality…

This last week, police arrested a man on an LA freeway who admitted he was on his way to kill people at the local ACLU and Tides offices. He repeated many of the “talking points” of the Glen Beck show in which Beck includes these two organizations in his Good-n-Evil flow Chart. Beck, who makes hay whipping up his audience with his conspiracy theories and self-serving vision of truth would make any gansta rapper proud.

That white boy is on steroids when it comes to rappin’ fever.

Consequences of our speech? Nonsense.

We want to hear from you this week. Let us know if you think political speech can cross the line to gangsta rap.

By: Linda Gross

The $500,000 Dog Park Challenge

The news spread rapidly when Purina/Beneful announced a half-million dollar contest for a dream dog park in May. All the lucky winner had to do was to submit a 2 minute video showcasing why they were the most deserving of such largess. The winning entry would get a $500,000 “extreme make over” which would obviously result in one amazing facility for dogs and dog-owners. The contest began in May and this August viewers will vote for the winner.

You won’t find the Globe Park video in this coveted circle. And maybe you will decide after looking at the entries, that we didn’t deserve to be in the final ten. But like the award winning  ALLY BANK commercials which drive home the point about fair play and transparent communication, we found the Beneful contest rife with potholes for contestants trying to play by the rules.

Instead of generating good will and positive branding for the Beneful/Purina name, our experience through this process soured our opinion about the company.  Here’s why.

1: Releases.

One of the contest rules was that if you used any music in your video, it had to be copyright free, and if you used other people in your video you had to have releases from every individual. So, we used a public-domain jingle from Apple which has no copyright issues according to the Apple folks. We also included photos of 3 individuals who we were going to submit releases for, but when we searched on-line for where to provide those releases and had to call the company to get clarification on how to submit the releases,  we were told by the company rep that NO RELEASES were needed with the submittal.

Only “when we won, would they ask us for that documentation.”  What?

There was no avenue in the submittal package itself to provide this information. So how did Beneful know the music was copyright free or that the individuals in the video would approve their images? Based on what the rep told us – Beneful would ask for that information AFTER the video had been selected?

Isn’t that like telling a Miss American contestant that a background check would only be performed if she won?

2: Problems with the Upload. “Others are having problems.”

We attempted 3 times to upload the QuickTime movie clip via a MAC on both Safari and Firefox to no avail.

We called customer service who informed Darin they would look into the problem and get back to him. And at the time confirmed that “we were not the only ones having problems.” No one ever called.

We then tried uploading via a PC and Internet Explorer. This time it went through and we got the message, “Thank you for your submission.”

Yet, after 2 days when we still didn’t see the video posted on Darin’s profile we called again. It would seem that even if the video was not accepted for the public contest, it would still be viewable on the contestants page. Our concern increased when Darin got an email – after this submission – saying his profile had not yet been completed.

3: “We are not responsible for the problems you are having with our contest”

Another call to the company connected us to Mark in Customer Service.  His response to a known problem should become a textbook example of BAD form and what not to do when faced with a problem. Darin carefully outlined our process to date, our problem with submitting release forms, our problems with the upload, our concern that our entry was not even received by the Company’s website and the lack of follow through so far of anyone we’d talked to. His request to have Mark simply check to see if our video had been received met with this canned response.

Mr. Customer Service began to read a prepared script which began “Thank you for your interest in Beneful..” and proceeded to outline that part of the contest rules which said the company wasn’t responsible for anything. It was implied that this covered even problems with the Beneful system which was set up to accept contest entries.

It was a clarifying moment. And one which didn’t put Beneful in a positive light.

4: Final wrap up… Thanks for playing

We made two final attempts to confirm that YES our video had been received. We were not angling for anything more than a shot at being IN the contest. This proved to be too much to ask. In talking with Mandy of Consumer Affairs- Darin was assured that if we had gotten the message “thank you…” then it was submitted and would be reviewed before being posted to the website.

She added that if it never showed up on the website then it was likely  disqualified for some reason.

Although, this seemed more of a guess on her part than actual knowledge.

On the final day of the  contest cut off, we again asked another customer service rep if it wasn’t reasonable to expect the video to at least show up on our profile indicating it HAD made it to their servers. This was impossible she said.  She could fill out a report. We reiterated the urgency of the matter.  I asked to speak to her supervisor, to which she informed me that she “was the only one here.”

I pictured a call center meant for 500 with one lone employee manning the Beneful phones during the last day for contest submittals.

One person manning the phones on the final day of a national contest which promised a $500,000 payoff seemed like incredibly lame planning for a big-time corporate brand – or a total disregard for those you have invited to the table to play your game.

5: Another Black Eye

Beneful may have hoped to counter-act the negative press they’ve had recently regarding their dog food by putting up money for a Dream Dog Park, but if our experience with the contest is indicative of how the company deals with it’s audience, then they just succeeded in creating another public relations black eye.

What’s been your experience with Beneful Dog Food? Or the Beneful/Wagworld Dog Park Contest. We’d like to hear from you.

We have seen the enemy, and he is us.

Before the Senate went home for their Independence Day Holiday Weekend, they refused to pass the extension of benefits for jobless Americans. Normally, unemployment benefits last 26 weeks, a little over six months is seen as a good amount of time to find a new job…in normal times.

However, these are not normal times. This country has been in a recession since the last President went back home to clear brush and learns how to eat pretzels. We have the highest unemployment since the Great Depression, with the average unemployment lasting from 9 months to a year. A recession, I remind you, that came to play with a Republican President and a Republican Senate. So technically, they bring us to the brink of collapse, we are narrowly avoiding a Depression and yet they cannot find it in their hearts/brains to help those Americans who are nothing more than victims to their idiocy.

Oh, one more fact. The unemployed are pretty equal as far as party lines, half of them are Democrat, half are Republicans. So the interesting question I have, are those Republicans who are now on the verge of losing their benefits, losing their homes and losing their livelihood still going to vote for their Republican candidates when the time comes? The Republican Senators don’t seem too worried.

Well, keep in mind that the Republican Party also fought against healthcare reform, every last one of them. Providing healthcare to all Americans was called ‘socialism’ and socialism is bad. Of course, these same Americans who shouted ‘Down with Socialism’ are the same ones that say Support our Troops, call our Firefighters and Police Officers heroes and like to pick up their mail each and every day. They also enjoy things like Social Security and Medicare, ALL which are socialist programs. So, they either really don’t like the military, fire department and hate their mail, or, they just didn’t understand what they were mad about.

And when the elections came, those Republican candidates who wanted to win talked about how they FOUGHT AGAINST the Obama Socialism of Healthcare. Funny thing is, of the 36 to 50 million Americans who are in need of healthcare, it is pretty evenly split between Republicans and Democrats. So once again, a group of people were shouting against something that they themselves needed as well.

Republicans also love to shout that they want lower taxes, they want less government involvement and that Americans need to stop expecting handouts and ‘pull themselves up’ by their own bootstraps.

We laughed at you when you said government intervention wouldn’t work and then pointed to the government run Medicare to make your point.  We chuckled when you said socialized healthcare wouldn’t work then refused to acknowledge that our military, which has one of the greatest healthcare systems in America, is actually a socialized healthcare system. We shake our heads when you fight for your gun rights so vehemently, that you give criminals access to things that not only endanger our law enforcement, but your family as well.

What we don’t laugh at is this.

‘…of the 32 states receiving more in federal spending than they pay in federal taxes — 76% are Red States that voted for George Bush in 2000. Indeed, 17 of the 20 (85%) states receiving the most federal spending per dollar of federal taxes paid are Red States.’ ~ Taxprof.com

Yup, that’s right, those people who love to shout that people who want healthcare reform are ‘lazy Americans looking for a handout’, who vote for a party who refuses to help its own citizens who are trying to survive a recession that THAT PARTY is actually responsible for…are the ones who are sucking on the government teat more than anyone.

So here are my questions for Republicans. Why are you shouting against things you obviously need in order to live a better life? Why are you calling the rest of America lazy and socialists when you are taking more than anyone else? Why are you allowing your leaders to make decisions that are hurting you and your kids and in the case of guns, actually endangering your family? What’s the win?

Is it merely to keep President Obama from succeeding during his time in office? Are you so willing to give up the American dream because you don’t agree with a leader who was democratically elected? Are you so afraid of SOCIALISM that you aren’t willing to educate yourself on what it really is and how we are already using it in many ways? Is the constitution really that important to you when it comes to guns and taxes, but not so much when it comes to racial profiling and ‘anchor babies’?

You vote in people who represent your ‘views’, and by allowing them to stay, you become responsible for their actions. So I ask you, when did your political party become more important than your health, your job, your home, your family and your way of life? When did allowing your fellow Americans to lose their jobs, lose their unemployment and possibly lose their lives due to lack of healthcare, become patriotic?

Oops, that’s a lot of questions. Let’s just boil it down to one.

Why are you so willing to vote for someone that is willing to screw you so readily? We’re all curious.

And I shall name him, Pinocchio.

Brewer

Non-elect Governor Brewer has recently stated that most illegal immigrants entering Arizona are being used to transport drugs across the border. The Associated Press has demanded hard facts to substantiate such a claim, others are demanding she apologize for lying to the public, yet again (news.yahoo.com).

You and I both know her apology will be coming soon, and will most likely contain the words ‘I was misunderstood’.

Kyl

Senator Kyl recently stated that Obama said “the problem” with border enforcement measures is that “if we secure the border then [Republicans] won’t have any reason to support comprehensive immigration reform.”  The White House denied any such thing was said. Kyl didn’t budge, at first, but is now saying that his words were taken out of context (dailykos.com).

Sad how often he is misquoted with his exact words.

McCain

Senator McCain is running a Spanish-language ad that says then-Senator Obama tried to kill immigration reform. Just a few years ago, McCain actually thanked then-Senator Obama for his support of comprehensive immigration reform. He states that “Obama…is ready to block immigration reform, but not ready to lead.” Strange that McCain is acting as if he WANTS immigration reform in these Spanish-language ads, but in his English-language ads he’s talking about ‘Securing Our Borders.’ (alternet.org).

Sounds like someone can’t figure out who to pander to.

Arpaio

Sheriff Arpaio’s ‘immigration sweeps’ claim to be taking care of the ‘illegal problem’, but there is no actual data that these sweeps have done anything in combating major crimes and may actually be taking resources away from ‘actually’ combating major crimes.

Arpaio and others claim this new law is not going to ‘racially profile’ Hispanics, yet, dozens of officers are stationed in ‘Hispanic neighborhoods,’ ready to enforce the law and hopefully catch some illegal immigrants in the process. In April, 29 people were detained on ‘suspicion of being illegal’, but were actually legal residents of the U.S. One man, who showed officers his AZ I.D. card, proof of insurance, a passport and a visa, was still booked on ‘suspicion’ and held for 13 days because he could not pay bond. He was a legal resident of the U.S. (azcentral.com).

I wonder how many illegal Norwegians his officers have detained.

Crime

Supporters of 1070 have been screaming about the horrible crime due to these illegal immigrants in Arizona. Non-elect Gov. Brewer said, on Fox, “We’ve been inundated with criminal activity. It’s just – it’s been outrageous.” Unfortunately, the only thing that has been outrageous is the lies she is willing to tell to make a misguided point. FBI and border-town reports have shown that violent crime has actually DECLINED in the last two years. The rancher that was (supposedly) killed by an illegal immigrant has been touted as some sort of proof of this horrible crime wave. If it is proven that he was killed by an illegal immigrant, it will be the first murder by an illegal immigrant in the Tucson sector in at least a decade. Research and FBI statistics also show that those cities with the LARGEST illegal immigrant population have the least amounts of crime.

Seems the more illegal’s in your town, the safer your town (newsweek.com).

Money

Illegals are draining our economy! We’re paying for their healthcare, schools, etc! More screams from the 1070 supporters. According to a Fox Business article, even with the cost of health, education and safety, cities actually PROFIT from the tax revenues of said population (foxbusiness.com).

The New York Times shows that illegal immigrants are putting an estimated $7 BILLION dollars toward Social Security. (Nytimes.com).

Money that they will never see, but you will happily accept.

But the PEOPLE want…

When 1070 first reared its ugly head, supporters claimed that 70% of Arizonan’s wanted this bill. On April 27th, that number had dropped to 55% once people started finding out the truth, not only about the bill, but about the questionable people behind it. On April 28^th polls showed that 57% of Arizonan’s favored an immigration policy that welcomes all immigrants (morrisoninstitute.asu.edu).  Oddly, these ‘facts’ are never brought up by the supporters of 1070; they only cling to the old data that better supports their cause.

Here are some other interesting ‘facts’ both from public records and from the Morrison Institute at ASU (morrisoninstitute.asu.edu). http://morrisoninstitute.asu.edu/publications-reports/2010-illegal-immigration-perceptions-and-realities-1

Most violent crime is committed by undocumented illegals. In fact…between 1999 and 2006, states like Arizona with high numbers of immigrants, witnessed a greater percentage drop in all types of crime than the national average.

Arizona’s prisons are bursting with undocumented immigrants. The Dept. of Corrections states that about 15% of their inmates are ‘criminal aliens.’ National Correction records from a few years ago, show that illegal immigrants make up 4% to 8% of our inmates in America. Of that percentage, 47% are African-American and 36% are Caucasians.

Those ‘lazy’ illegal immigrants are feeding off of good, hard working Americans, taking our jobs and bringing down our way of life. Keep in mind, these are the same people that shouted that healthcare reform was ‘Socialism’ and they didn’t want to have to ‘pay for those who milk the government.’ Studies show the states that receive the MOST federal dollars for the LEAST taxes paid (essentially not doing their part, yet expecting the rest of us to carry their ‘lazy asses’), are Red States. 17 of the top 20 states taking more than they’re giving are Red States. 76% of federal dollars go to states that voted George Bush for president. Seems those who scream the loudest about government handouts, lazy Americans and socializing out country, are the most likely to go home after their tea-party rallies to pick up their unemployment, disability or other type of government-provided assistance (taxprof.typepad.com).

So what’s my point? Lying, that’s my point.

Dr. Spock says that children will lie when they wish something is so. Dr. Quek, a psychotherapist and counselor in Toronto, states that there are four reasons for lying: fear, habit, modeling and over-prediction (Dr. Quek).

So when it comes to Illegal Immigration and all the lies that are floating around in Arizona in order to create a sense of fear, hate or panic, you must wonder why? Why, if your cause is just and your reasons valid, must you lie in order to win?

Is it fear? Are you afraid to lose an election? Are you afraid of those people who don’t look like you or are afraid that people that DO look like you are becoming the minority in this country?

Is it habit? Technically, Brewer, Pearce, McCain, Kyl and Arpaio are politicians, and thus, lying is nothing new (though, I’m sure they call it ‘looking at things a different way’), which is funny that it usually happens around election time.

Is it modeling? Were your mom and dad liars and you just continued this way of living?

Or, is it over-prediction? That is when a child ‘assumes’ an adult will say “NO”, so they lie to change the outcome. Is this what is happening? If any of these politicians (the child) were to just, plain and simply state, ‘We realize undocumented immigrants don’t cause more crime, they don’t cost more money and they aren’t taking jobs from Americans …but we just want them gone anyway.’ Are you afraid that the voting public (the adult) will say “NO”, so instead you lie, in hopes the public won’t educate themselves on what is really happening?

I think it’s the last one, and Kudos to them for doing whatever they feel is necessary to get a win. I mean come on, they ARE politicians after all, duh! The real shame is on those of us that don’t educate ourselves enough to find the facts, to ask the questions and who will, lock-and-step, choose party rhetoric, fear or hate over true morality, values and honesty.

Dishonesty, regardless of outcome, lowers us all as a society. Ignorance keeps us there.

Russell Pearce, the force behind SB1070 (which allows racial profiling in Arizona), and also SB1108 (which would end educational programs that he deemed were ‘indoctrinating’ kids with progressive ideologies, like Mexican-American studies and African-American Business Groups), is spreading his love once again.

No, I don’t mean he is planning on tampering with state driving records, which is why he was discharged as the Director of the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division (Arizona Republic/via wiki). And, no, I don’t mean he has gone back to spousal abuse, which is why his wife filed a dissolution of marriage which states she was ‘grabbed by the throat…and thrown down’ due to his ‘violent temper’ (New Times/via wiki).  Nor do I mean he is back to forwarding emails from the leader of the White Separatist group (Arizona Central/via wiki), later claiming he hadn’t actually read the entire email before forwarding it.

What I’m talking about is his new piece of legislation that will not allow the children of illegal immigrants, who are BORN ON AMERICAN SOIL, to be automatic citizens. Pearce says they have ‘hijacked’ the 14 Amendment. The argument is over the line ‘subject to the jurisdiction thereof’. They are stating that, since an illegal immigrant is not ‘subject to our jurisdiction’, their children do not have to be accepted as a legal citizen.

This amendment was the final say in dealing with the children of American slaves. Pearce and his supporters rail that it was written for a certain time in American history and cannot be hijacked by the illegal immigrants as a means to stay in our country with their ‘anchor babies’.

Fair enough. A Constitutional Amendment that was written for a VERY SPECIFIC TIME in history should not be HIJACKED decades later to allow others to GET THEIR WAY. Awesome!

The 2^nd Amendment was adopted in 1791. At that time in history we did not have a significant federal force or a national guard and America was still expanding into the unknown West. It recognized that the states, townships and cities all needed a regulated militia in order to defend it from unknown foes. It states ‘a well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.’

Now, we have the U.S. Military and each state has their own National Guard. We also have state troopers, sheriff departments, city police and rent-a-cops. We are no longer people who are part of a ‘regulated militia’ needing to worry about our ‘security’. We are in a different time then we were back in 1791, just as we are in a different time then when we had slaves in America.

So, wouldn’t you say that the 2^nd Amendment is an Amendment that was written at a certain time in American history, specifically to deal with a specific issue and is now being HIJACKED by those who want to GET THEIR WAY? Sure, it isn’t an illegal couple with their ‘anchor baby’, but instead, it’s someone that only feels safe in Wal-Mart with a pistol shoved down their pants.

What’s good for the goose, right? Or is this where you start talking about prying stuff from cold, dead hands?

The Constitution GUARANTEES the right to bear arms, right? The Constitution also GUARANTEES that ANYONE BORN ON AMERICAN SOIL is a citizen. It isn’t a pick-and-choose sort of thing. This isn’t like the bible, where you get to shop for the quotes that fit your ideals and ignore the ones that don’t. This is the Constitution of the United States. This is the law of the land. This is something that EVERYONE in this country abides by, honors and dies to defend if called upon, right? Or is it ‘different’ this time around?

Do you really want someone with a past as questionable, dishonest and (frankly) embarrassing as Russell Pearce making decisions that are not even pretending to be about ‘enforcing laws’, but are instead, sad power-trips by a modern-day racist?

I heard them argue that the children of Ambassadors aren’t automatic citizens (that is because there is a specific clause, being that they are a ‘satellite’ of their nation state), and some have stated as a ‘fact’ that tourists babies aren’t automatic citizens (actually, they are, until they renounce their baby’s citizenship for their home country). Actually, babies born within 12 nautical miles OR over American airspace are also considered citizens, nice try.

I have one more question. Where are those (since Obama took office) who have screamed, held up misspelled signs and cried that their ‘Constitution is being trampled on’? Here you go, an actual Amendment being trampled on, and not one peep from the Tea Party. It makes one wonder, when the ‘real’ Americans scream, ‘I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK’…what do they mean by ‘BACK’? How far back? When you didn’t allow blacks to be educated? When you didn’t allow women to vote? When you blacklisted thousands because you were afraid they were ‘secret communist’? How far back is far enough? When will you feel safe again? Once the landscape appears ‘lighter’? Are you mad I implied you may have racist tendencies? Good, show me I’m wrong, stand against racists laws and start defending your Constitution. ALL OF IT.

By: Jim Moss

God Bless British Petroleum.

Cheerleaders for the oil industry, for deep off-shore oil exploration, and for unregulated capitalism adopted the slogan, ‘Drill, Baby, Drill!’ at the 2008 Republican Convention.  This cool-sounding slogan is macho & sexy.  When partisans chant ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’, they are proudly giving a kosher finger to environmentalists, climatologists, and, of course, ‘socialists’.

Do you suppose the BP Gulf Gusher has quelled their voracious appetite for deep water off-shore exploration?  Hardly.  These folks are true-believers in unfettered fossil fuel capitalism.  ‘Spill, Baby, Spill’ just hardens their shell.  Like  Governor Rick Perry of Texas, they double-down on their diatribe.   Governor Perry declared during a press conference a few weeks back — that the BP Spill is basically ‘An Act of God’.  That’s right, this horrific environmental nightmare is just like a volcano, a tsunami, a hurricane, a blizzard, a tornado, a flood — a powerful, mysterious Act of God.

Perry’s assertion does illustrate one important thing  — greed mixed with religious paranoia enables God’s children to concoct the biggest, baddest rationalization imaginable!  Just think about some of the terrible ‘Acts of God’ from times past…. The Plague.  The Titanic.  Pompeii.  Gettysburg.  The Dust Bowl.  Cherynobl.  Mt. St. Helens.  Hiroshima.  Katrina.  Space Shuttle Challenger.  Haiti.  9/11.   The BP Gulf Gusher.  Just mix together a string of horrific historic events — some natural disasters, others man-made.  That’s right, just mix ‘em up real good — because lots of folks will swallow the concoction.

In order to validate their allegiance to ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’, devotees will cling to the irrational belief that a human caused accident is just another ‘Act of God’.  Truly a testament to the power of blind faith!

But, can Governor Perry and his Drill, Baby, Drill disciples answer this simple question —  How can one claim to believe in the bedrock ‘conservative’ principle of Personal Responsibility, while also claiming that natural disaster = man-made disaster?

Personal Responsibility.  Taking responsibility for one’s own actions — remember, this popular ‘family value’ espoused by ‘conservative’ Republicans.  Oh yes, so-called ‘conservatives’ say they are real big on the idea of Personal Responsibility….EXCEPT when powerful, greedy, business interests are at stake.   Does Personal Responsibility to these folks mean that one of the biggest  human-caused environmental disasters in World History should be blamed on God?

To the ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ crowd — Personal Responsibility has more to do with sex & welfare.  It means that citizens suffering from economic hardship should feel guilty for accepting government-provided assistance.  And, of course, Personal Responsibility means rejecting birth control, and avoiding STDs.  That’s RIGHT.  ‘Spill, Baby, Spill’ has ZERO to do with Personal Responsibility.  This BP mishap is simply a an unfortunate and unintentional corporate incident that occurred in the line of patriotic, capitalistic, divine duty.

OK.  I am beginning to see the light.  The BP Gulf Gusher does not violate conservative principles of Personal Responsibility.  How could it?  This planetary disaster was not man-made.  No, this Big Corporate BP Gusher is actually an Act of God  — another ‘Sign of the Times’ revealed in the Book of Revelation.  Look hard, drill deep, drop some acid — you will find a Biblical explanation for BP’s benign, noble role as God’s Agent in the grand scheme of apocalyptic theology.  Perhaps this Gusher in the Gulf represents nothing more than a divine exclamation point put upon the sinful culture of New Orleans.  After all, these folks have the audacity to try and rebuild after Katrina!  God must be trying to show the Gulf who is Boss.

So, rest easy.  As long as one upholds & defends ‘conservative Christian’ values by steadfastly working to kill government-sponsored assistance programs, and keeps his/her sexual urges in check— nothing to fear.  Anyhow, we Americans will need every dime saved from public assistance waste to subsidize the clean-up of the Almighty’s retribution.

Finally,  we have moved Beyond Petroleum.

Enter the Age of Benevolent Preordination.

BP’s Big Gusher in the Gulf has nothing whatsoever to do with Personal Responsibility or Corporate Accountability.  BP is merely playing it’s pre-destined role as a submissive instrument in the ‘Hands of an Angry God’.

God Damn Bless bp.

LA Times photographers have provided these hi-res images of BPs Oil Spill

Although we’re not used to that much snow, what really became a problem and even had Walmart shut down, was lack of electricity. The snow and ice had knocked out all electricity in the area; which meant gas pumps didn’t work, heat pumps in homes were inoperable etc. You get the picture.  Not only did this strand alot of people, stretch emergency units to the brink and force us all to be creative in finding heat, food etc, it served as a wake up call to just what could constitute an emergency.

So, I found myself reading the entire article and taking a look at her website; www.thesurvivalmom.com. It’s interesting. And has some valuable advice.  I thought I’d pass it along in case you want to be prepared. I especially liked her, “Lists of Lists” which have such catchy headlines as:

7 Reasons to Start Preparing Today

9 Excuses Why I Haven’t Started Prepping

10 Essential Skills Necessary for Survival

10 Non-Edibles for your Emergency Stash

By: Jim Moss

Several months ago, as the fight over health insurance reform began to heat up, Republican Senator, Jim DeMint of  South Carolina, prophesied that health care reform would prove to be “Obama’s Waterloo”.  DeMint’s confident declaration set the stage for a high-profile showdown between Democrats and Republicans — between President Obama and the Republican Party Leadership who vowed to defeat, obstruct, kill — any legislative proposal endorsed by President Obama.

This ‘Waterloo — Line In The Sand’ served to fire up folks across America, resulting in the raucous, uncivil town hall meetings (spectacles) during the Congressional Summer Recess.  DeMint’s provocative prediction (coupled with $$ millions of corporate lobbyist dollars) facilitated a political dog fight that ultimately would require a Winner and a Loser.  The South Carolina Senator  apparently believed that if his Party could stop health care reform legislation — such a decisive victory would damage Obama’s prestige, derail the Obama Agenda, and thus destroy Obama’s Presidency.

‘Obama’s Waterloo’ — this hard-line partisan strategy — high-jacked any opportunity for a bi-partisan, Win-Win outcome.

Former speech writer for President George W. Bush, David Frum, offered an insightful analysis of the ‘Waterloo Strategy’ during an interview Sunday, March 21, on MSNBC.  Frum credits the ‘Waterloo Strategy’ to a handful of extreme political leaders and media personalities who call themselves ‘conservatives’, and are hell-bent on destroying Obama’s Presidency.  Frum acknowledged that many provisions within the Democrat’s Health Care Reform Bill have been supported by Republicans for decades.  Frum suggested that Republican Leaders could have decided early in this debate to find common ground, pursue a Win-Win result, and work with President Obama and their Democrat colleagues.  Instead, the Limbaugh/Beck/Fox noise megaphone led the charge against a bipartisan approach — and opted for a Napoleonic showdown with Obama.

The ‘Waterloo Strategy’ succeeded in creating a political atmosphere that most citizens find repulsive.  The battle has been sullied with lies, deception, fear-mongering, and hypocracy.  And, most important — the ‘Waterloo Strategy’ has FAILED.

Obama’s Agenda, his prestige, and his Presidency will benefit immensely in the wake of signing into law, historic health care reform.  The victory could have been shared.  By now, most Americans realize that President Obama made repeated, good-faith efforts to reach out for a bipartisan victory.

Rather than ‘meeting his Waterloo’ — Obama’s victory will boost his political capital, and will empower the President to charge forward boldly, to tackle the big issues of our day —

Sort of like ‘storming the beaches of Normandy’ to secure an even bigger victory for America!

Related articles by Zemanta

• DeMint’s Waterloo? (techdailydose.nationaljournal.com)
• Jim DeMint completely contradictory on Social Security (trueslant.com)
• Waterloo for Republicans (politicalwire.com)
• Health-Care Reform, the Morning After (theatlantic.com)

By: Jim Moss

It appears that the U.S. Congress is on the verge of passing ‘historic’ health care & insurance reform legislation.
The year-long debate about health care reform has brought America to the brink of big CHANGE, Obama-style.   Now is the time for all good citizens to ask a simple, yet sobering question —

Would JESUS support ObamaCare?

Whenever the name of Jesus Christ is invoked for the purpose of making a political point, Jesus always wins.  In other words, IF it is obvious what Jesus would do — then, any public policy that is clearly contrary to the teachings of Jesus simply can not stand.
So, to be fair, it is important to probe the true meaning of ObamaCare, and to uncover what it will really do to America.
President Obama has embraced the health care legislation that has passed both houses of Congress. Although the U.S. House and Senate bills are somewhat different, they are similar enough to soon be reconciled into one piece of major legislation that Obama is eager to sign into law.  Therefore, the big policy components of health care reform detailed in the 2000+ pages of proposed legislation — on the verge of being reconciled by the House & Senate — can now be accurately described as ‘ObamaCare’.
In a 1-2-3 health care nutshell, here is what Obama wants to codify into law.
First — citizens and small businesses shall have the same choice of private health care insurance that members of Congress enjoy.   And, tax credits, based upon income will make certain that health insurance is affordable for all Americans.
Second — all citizens shall be protected from the worst practices of insurance companies. Policies can not be unjustly revoked, premiums can not be arbitrarily raised, and a pre-existing condition can not exclude any citizen from access to quality care.
Third — as a result of these reforms, Obama claims (and the Congressional Office of Management & Budget substantiates) that the U.S. economy will benefit by reducing the Federal deficit by as much as $1 trillion over the next two decades.  The current crisis of sky-rocketing, out-of-control health care costs, will begin to reverse course due to savings realized from comprehensive health care reform.
Now — let us reverently apply some brutal scrutiny to ‘ObamaCare’ through the eyes of JESUS.

Would JESUS support the kind of choice & tax credit assistance that Obama is advocating — that would actually permit all citizens to select a health insurance plan comparable to what their elected representatives enjoy?  Or, do you suppose that JESUS would align Himself philosophically with the brand of  capitalism that believes a free-enterprise system, unfettered by government interference is sacrosanct?  Is it possible that individual and corporate freedoms — including the right to profit from society’s health care misery index, would raise the ire of JESUS?

The Bible story about JESUS righteously upending the ‘money-changers’ doing profitable business in the synagogue paints a vivid picture of how JESUS might act in the executive suites of big health insurance companies.  Might JESUS be enraged at how the ‘high priests’ of the insurance industry are desecrating the ‘temple of God’ as represented in the bodies & souls of individual citizens trying to cope with a health care system driven by profit motive, and built upon a foundation of greed?
Might JESUS admonish, “Verily I say unto you, High Priests of health insurance, and your powerful & affluent defenders — you have the best health care money can buy.  Surely, you have not forgotten my counsel — that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.  Go, Ye therefore, share society’s wealth and minister to all those in need of a healthy, secure life.”
And, what would JESUS say about Obama’s plan to protect all American citizens from the cruel practices of health insurance companies?  Would JESUS dare to endorse a ban on the practice of unjustly revoking a health insurance policy, or an arbitrary premium hike, or an exclusion based upon a pre-existing condition?
It is hard to imagine that JESUS would flip-flop like a Washington politician, to cast aside the Good Samaritan for whom He pronounced praise & blessing. Might JESUS instead respond, “What you have done to the least of your Brethren, you have done unto me.”  Thus, when the humble, hardworking citizen is royally screwed by the insurance High Priests, that immoral treatment is also directed at JESUS, Himself.
Finally, would JESUS have the audacity to render an opinion about the effects of health insurance reform on the U.S. economy?  Would JESUS give a damn about debt, deficit, or bankruptcy?
This part of the debate is surely the most controversial.  This is where beliefs about BIG government, tax policy, fiscal discipline, and economic philosophy create fireworks in a diverse democracy.  But, did JESUS ever shrink from controversy?   Was not JESUS a provacateur — an ideological revolutionary — the Master of ‘Change We Can Believe In’?

“Render unto Ceasar, that which is Caesar’s…” leads one to recognize that JESUS was not anti-government. One of His disciples was a tax collector!  The Good News about personal salvation profoundly changed the world by offering each & every individual the hope and promise of eternal life. So, JESUS preached individual liberty within the context of a secular societal government structure. JESUS’ teachings, as exemplified by the Sermon On The Mount, breathes life into every cause of social justice for the past two thousand years.  And, think of the parables JESUS spoke that illustrate the importance of good works, high ethics, and personal responsibility.  This rich mosaic of JESUS reflects the beliefs, hopes, fears, and aspirations of individuals in America’s (largely) Judeo-Christian culture.

Given the seemingly impossible challenges surrounding America’s failed health care/insurance system — JESUS might be tempted to turn and quietly walk away.  But, of course, He would not.  Rather, would JESUS not empower individuals to demand that their democratically elected government get its act together, and put its fiscal house in order?   The Federal Government represents the sum of all 300+ million parts — personal responsibility translates into a collective responsibility.
A desperately broken health care delivery system is both irresponsible and immoral.  Would not JESUS expect those created in His image to solve the problem in a way that preserved individual liberty, yet also promoted the interests of society — collectively?  Freedom of choice… balanced with principles of social justice.

Would JESUS support ObamaCare?

Is America ready, finally,  for comprehensive health care/insurance reform? If American Citizens, through their elected representatives, walk away again — and fail to enact meaningful health care & insurance reform — would it not be appropriate for JESUS to lament once more,

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Introducing our newest contributor, V. Yanez who is both outspoken on those issues he champions, as well as a “local son.” Yanez grew up in Globe and after many years of travel and work experience on the national level, has returned home…to Globe. He writes here about the issue of national Health Care. We hope you’ll weigh in with your opinions!  LCGross/publisher

A commentary on the US Healthcare System…

by: V. Yanez

The Story of Children…and Cancer

Little Billy is six years old. The picture of him is sad and sweet. He’s smiling and wearing a blue flannel shirt. He’s also bald from the chemo he’s had to endure for the past few weeks. His photo is all over town. Every restaurant has a jar to with his picture by the cash register. Every store has a box on their counter, Little Billy staring at you, asking you if you’d like to buy a bracelet of support.

You see, Little Billy has health insurance, because in America we know that children should not be without health insurance. It’s a basic child’s right to be taken care of regardless of their parents income or status in life. Unfortunately, Little Billy’s insurance only pays 80% of his medical costs, and with the cost of health care in America; doctor visits, treatments and his parents taking time off of work, Little Billy’s family owes hundreds of thousands of dollars, is near bankruptcy and is not sure when or even if he will go into remission this time around.

It’s ok though. Little Billy is somewhat of a celebrity in town. Besides the jars collecting money and the bracelets selling by the handful, Little Billy’s family lives in America, and we like to look after our own. So far, for Little Billy, we’ve had a car wash to help raise money. His church has had a bake sale and a dinner/dance. The motorcycle club has held a ride and rally that ended in a barbeque, all in Little Billy’s name. The local fire department has had two marathons, each time bringing together hundreds of people and displaying the largest American flag any of us had ever seen. There have been vigils for God to provide Little Billy with a miracle, but just in case, later this month, there is also a benefit concert being planned at the city hall to help raise money.

The All-American Attitude

It makes you proud to be an American. We all know the bikers don’t really know Little Billy, neither do the fire men and women, nor do a majority of the people in his church, or that put money in the jars or that buy the bracelet. What they do know is that a little boy needs help, a little boys family is facing one of the most trying times in their entire life and not only do we wish them a happy ending in these trying times, but we also thank God that is not us, our circumstance, that it’s not our sweet child that is smiling and bald asking for your help. And we hug our children a little tighter and thank God for our ‘luck’.

Actually, those stories weren’t all about Little Billy. It was actually different forms of fundraising I’ve seen in three different cities I’ve lived in. In Portland her name was Susie, she was three years old with adorable blonde curls. She had leukemia. In New Jersey it was a little girl named Lynn. She was a cute Asian girl. She was five and was losing her sight. In Phoenix his name was actually Billy, his cancer was back, and he was bald in his photos asking for your help. The one thing all these children had in common, they were born in a country where neighbors, churches, city groups and even strangers all got together to do what they could, help whatever way they can and give as much as they could.

This is America. We’re the most giving people in the world. We look out for our own.

Growing Up…

Little Susie will live. She will grow up and like to be called Susan. She will own her own business, and though she is doing well, she will not be able to afford health insurance. You see, she has a pre-existing condition. She had cancer as a child. Little Lynn survives as well. She has health insurance, but with constant health issues, eventually the 20% she’s responsible for will still run into enough to force her into bankruptcy. Little Billy lived as well. He likes to be called William now. He has a full-time job, but they don’t provide health insurance, nor does he make enough to afford the high cost of insurance for himself or his wife. He’s very careful though. He exercises and tries to eat right. William is a Christian and every week, in church, thanks God for his health.

When Little Billy and Little Susie smiled their cute smiles and told their sad stories, we all gathered. We prayed, we cried, we supported each other and we did what we could. We told ourselves that is what neighbors do, what Christians do and what Americans do for each other. For some reason, when Little Billy becomes William and Little Susie becomes Susan, things change. Suddenly, who is this William guy? We don’t know him. What does he do for a living? Is he lazy? Is he even a legal American? Who’s this Susan lady? Did she cause her own health problems? What church does she go to? Why isn’t she working at a job that pays her health insurance? Who did she vote for?

If we filled a room full of Little Billy’s and Little Susan’s we would want to hug each one of them. We would vow to do whatever we could to help them. We do it now, with Children’s hospitals and cancer wards. We send them toys, clowns and therapy dogs. We send them to Disneyland. We want to see them smile, for them to be happy, for them to just get through this time in life and know the beauty of growing up and falling in love and living their lives worry free.

But do we really? Once they stop being kids, they stop being cute and they stop seeming ‘helpless’ to us, what changes? Did they change, or did we change?

Just the Facts, Ma’am…

50 million Americans don’t have insurance. Sure, we can say that people are lazy and many work the system. We can say that we work hard for what we have and so should they. Let’s make it easier. Let’s say that HALF of those 50 million are lazy and just want a free handout. That leaves 25 million people who are not. 25 million people who are hard working Americans, who send their sons or daughters or husbands to war, who work full times jobs, who go to church (or not) and who don’t have insurance because maybe their company went bankrupt, or their boss won’t pay for it or they don’t make enough even with their side job or the million other stories you can read every day. Maybe they have insurance. Maybe they are hard-working and pay their way, but the insurance decides they had a pre-existing condition and dropped them when they needed it most.

25 million people can fill Sun Devil Stadium 14 times. 50 million fills the stadium 28 times. That is how many people don’t have insurance in America, 28 football stadiums full.

What I remember most was going to the motorcycle rally for Little Billy. The family was all their, as was Billy. Strangers came up and hugged them, they hugged Billy and they gave from their hearts and laughed and cried. The family was overwhelmed. They didn’t have this many friends. They didn’t know 90% of the people that showed up to support this little boy and his fight for life. There was nothing forcing these people to do what they did but a sense of community, a sense of honor, pride and empathy. We were all proud to be Americans that day.

When your child gets sick I hope you live in my town. You hope you find strangers who are so proud to call themselves neighbors, Christians or just good people. When your child becomes sick, and your medical bills go into the hundreds of thousands, I hope people will come forward, strangers, to offer their prayers, their support and their money during these trying times. They will expect nothing in return, because that is what we do for each other. And you will cry. You will cry and smile and thank them for caring for a little boy or girl they don’t even know. You will thank God for the sympathy and empathy of others. You will be proud of your fellow Americans.
But my question to you is: will you thank God it happened to your child when they were young?

A prayer for youth…

Will you thank God that your little boy or girl almost died as a child? Because as a child their healthcare was seen as a basic, human right, and as a child they had sympathy and empathy from strangers. And when they become an adult, a good portion of these ‘neighbors’ and ‘Christians’ and ‘good people’ not only will be less empathetic to their problems, but may even call their fight to just have basic health insurance in America, Socialism.

Somewhere along the way, Little Billy became a Socialist, and instead of gathering to help him get through this trying time, some people will actually march, carry signs and shout that Little Billy is not their problem, not America’s problem…and not their pocketbooks problem. Should we perhaps think about the way we do things in this country, or would it be easier for us to just pray our children get their near-death illnesses early in life, so people will actually give a shit?

By the way, that was 28 football stadiums.
——————–

Tell us YOUR experience with Healthcare in America! We are interested.