Guns and Nutjobs – NRA Inspired Madness

A Simple Simian

I love weapons.  I love knives, axes, clubs, rolled up newspapers, pencils, nuclear tipped rockets, bows, rocks, beer bottles, and whatever else man can imagine as an implement of death and fear.  And that includes pistols and rifles.

There is nothing more satisfying than dropping a mortar down a tube and watching the puff of smoke with the delayed bang returning from downrange.  And don’t get me started on the Mark 19 automatic grenade launcher.  It will always have a special place in the part of my heart that enjoys destruction.  Would you be surprised to learn that I was an expert with the pistol and rifle?

What you should know about me though, is that I am a creative being.  I prefer to create.

One of my personal mottoes is: “If you want to tear something down, then know what you want to replace or reconstruct it with.”  In other words, “Senseless destruction, is stupid and immoral.”

A Monkey’s Message

I know a little about America’s Constitution, and even a little regarding legislation about militias.   The second amendment to the Constitution reads:

“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.”

So if you can read, and are reasonably sane, then it sure looks like America’s Founders intent is that citizens, as part of a well regulated militia shall maintain the right to keep and bear arms.  So if the “well regulated militia” becomes the U.S. Army National Guard, then there really is no requirement for the average citizen to keep and bear arms.  And do NOT even try to argue to me that the Reserve Militia is “well regulated.”

It is the National Rifle Association, which is the political arm of our ARMS MANUFACTURERS, that continues to perpetuate the mistaken belief that it is the every citizens right to keep and bear arms.

Now take a look at these folks, are they SANE?:

No, folks like these are not sane, and do not deserve the right to keep and bear arms.

What about folks that decide to shoot every member of their families, and then turn the weapon on themselves?  Are they SANE?  No, they should have turned the weapon upon themselves FIRST.

What about folks that decide to shoot women in schools and gyms, and then turn the weapon on themselves?  Are they SANE? No, they too should have turned their weapons upon themselves FIRST.

Am I condoning SUICIDE?  No, but if you are going to do it, do not take anyone else with you.  If you are mentally unbalanced, seek mental health treatment and do not give up until you receive it.  No matter whether your health insurance covers it or not.

What about folks that decide to show up at political events with weapons?  Are they normal?  No, they are simply bullies attempting to influence others through fear.

You should be getting my point about now.  There are a number of citizens in America that simply should not be keeping and bearing arms.

What should America Do?

The NRA is a strong voice.  American politicians will not make any move against it unless there is a strong counterbalance to it.  Create a National Weapons Control Association and grow it.

Then legislate the following restrictions:

• Potential and current owners must prove suitability for weapon ownership/use through psychological testing
• Owner must qualify expert on weapon throughout effective range
• Owner must prove ability to secure and prevent unauthorized weapon use
• The three requirements above should be met every three years, or as deemed appropriate by law

There are valid reasons for keeping and bearing arms (militia is just not one of them):

• subsistence
• self-protection

But if you cannot meet the requirements I have listed above, you should not have one.  Period.  I do not currently own a weapon.  I will probably own one in the future.  I would accept the restrictions recommended above.

Keep Hitting Beck Where It Hurts!

Don’t stop now, keep hitting Glenn Beck where it hurts!

This is from my friends over at CREDO:

Glenn Beck has gone way off the deep end, calling the President a “racist”, but Verizon Wireless continues to support him. Can you help shut him up by getting some friends involved?

If you’re on Twitter, click here to automatically tweet the following message:
Just told Verizon Wireless to drop Glenn Beck and his hate speech: http://bit.ly/9201g Please RT (via @CREDOMobile)

You can also forward the e-mail below. Spreading the word is critical, but please only pass this message along to those who know you — spam hurts our campaign.

Thanks for all you do.

–The CREDO Action Team

Here’s a sample message to send to your friends:

Subject: Tell Verizon Wireless: Stop supporting Glenn Beck’s race-baiting hate speech

Dear Friend,

Even Wal-Mart admits Glenn Beck has gone off the deep end and has withdrawn its sponsorship from his FOX News Channel program. Why then is Verizon Wireless continuing to underwrite Glenn Beck?

Glenn Beck’s race-baiting hate speech promotes untruths that are as dangerous as they are despicable. Here’s a sample:

“This president has exposed himself as a guy over and over and over again who has a deep-seated hatred for white people … this guy is, I believe, a racist.”

ColorofChange.org has run a successful campaign to get corporate sponsors to rethink their support of Glenn Beck. Wal-Mart, Geico and Best Buy have already pulled their advertising dollars from the show. Why hasn’t Verizon Wireless?

I just signed a petition to Lowell McAdam, President and CEO of Verizon Wireless asking him to cease all advertising on Glenn Beck’s show . I hope you will, too. Please have a look and take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/verizon_beck/?r_by=5585-1661281-6ZSIlYx&rc=confemail1

Health Care Reform On The Ropes – Is The President Responsible?

If President Obama were constitutionally allowed to write laws, he would have written this one already.

The Legislature, otherwise known as the House of Representatives and Senate, are responsible for sending him bills to be signed into law.

Period.

The Nut Jobs?

I do not absolve the nut jobs their responsibility in creating the appearance of real discontent.  But they are mere pawns of both the Industry, Lobbyist, and Conservative groups.  One can only hope that they one day learn to think for themselves.  And based on some of the video, some of them are probably medical cases that should be on medication.  I do not hold them responsible, they are but a distraction.

The Media?

Most of the media are biased.  But I cannot ascribe fault to the media if the person watching, listening, or reading, is NOT thinking.

The Legislature?

The Legislature contains ‘paid prostitutes’ owned by the health care industry.  They are not really prostitutes, you might just consider them indentured servants.  The problem is they are not indentured to their respective constituents but to those lobbyists and industries that fattened their campaign coffers.

The prostitutes are in both parties.

The minority party (conservatives aka Republicans) have no interest at either having a civil discourse or of allowing real reform to take place.  They have been the party of strength for decades, and have spent a lot of time creating the conditions we are in.  Every deed of theirs that President Obama undoes infuriates them to their core.

Since the Legislature is ultimately responsible for crafting bills and forwarding them to the President, I hold THEM responsible.

The President?

I think he’s doing the best he can, with what he has been given.

A Bubble of Anger Pops in a Sea of Calm

Is the anger displayed at the Town Halls real or manufactured?  And is the anger directed towards health care reform or towards America’s first black president?

Having observed and followed recent events, I believe the anger is both real AND manufactured.  It is safe to say that conservative and health care industry groups  (notice how they go together like chocolate and peanut butter?)  have manufactured a large portion of the anger.  Some of the citizens have probably been paid to be angry.

So of those that are really angry, what are they angry about?

Some are really angry about perceived negative impacts to their health care.  The conservative and health care industry groups have done a great job so far of spreading lies and fear.

The rest are just plain racist.  For them it boils down to one or both of these points:

• The President is black, they would deny him any positive change though it cost them their money and lives.
• They believe the uninsured group of Americans are minorities and are undeserving.

The funny thing about the second point above, is that largest group of uninsured citizens in the United States of America are ethnic Whites.  Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face.

What I find interesting is that the conservative and health care industry groups are actively using these racists and nut jobs to further their political agenda.  Is it smart, or is it desperate?

It reminds me of the old saying, “Live by the sword, die by the sword.”  Although I fear no conflict, I hope I am no where near these folks when lightning strikes.

Karl Rove Denied Health Insurance For Pre-Existing Mental Illness

That news article has not been written yet, but perhaps one day …

Karl writes an article, “How to Stop Socialized Health Care”.  I will go on record and state that I am not a mental health practitioner.   But it is apparent to even a mental health non-practitioner, that he is not the brightest bulb when it comes to Health Care.   He is in fact a phony, his concern is that he might be able to influence other non-bright bulbs.   He does not care a whit about your quality of life or health.

If you think the last sentence is undeservedly harsh, then I remind you of the Bush Administration’s failed response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.  You can place the ultimate blame on GW,  because the buck does stop there.  But let’s not forget his top advisor and the role he played, Karl.  If he had advised Bush differently, then the area of America which was destroyed would now be fully recovered.  But it is not.

So does Karl truly care about you or America?  Or does he only care about attempting to resurrect an obviously failed ideology?  Karl does not give a damn about you.

For the time being, I will ignore the name-calling and fear mongering aspects of his article.  I’ll provide an opposing view for each of his points.

First, he states that the public option is not necessary for competition, that there is already enough competition in the insurance marketplace.  Competition, as we learned in school, is supposed to improve quality and reduce prices.

So has the quality of health insurance improved?   Does it cover all my needs?  Yes, but then I am healthy and have not had a major health problem.  If you consider how the health insurance companies treat grandmothers with pre-existing conditions, or daughters that need liver transplants, then the answer to the quality question is a resounding NO.

Have health insurance costs to both employers and those covered been reduced?  NO, and NO.  Health insurance costs are significantly growing, and eroding the profits of companies trying to offer benefits to their employees.  And on top of that, the deductibles for those covered constantly rise.

So Karl’s argument that there is enough competition is pure fertilizer.  The real argument, is that we need the RIGHT kind of competition.  And the public option is that type of competition.

Second, he argues that a public option will undercut [the profits] of the private insurers, passing the tab to tax payers and health care providers.  My response to that is two-fold.  First, remind me why shareholder profits and citizen health care needs are a fantastic union?  Can anyone explain how the motivations and needs of one meet the other?  There are plenty of examples that demonstrate that the sick and shareholders (and the companies that serve them) are at odds.  Just search for ‘pre-existing conditions’ to get a feel for this.  Second, the cost of the uninsured is already being passed on to tax payers and health care providers.  All you have to do is take a look in any Emergency Room throughout America to see this.   Bull shit argument Karl.

Third, he argues that the public option would crater the private insurance market.  Neither Medicare nor Medicaid have destroyed the private insurance market, yet both programs compete with it.  Karl, bull shit again.

Fourth, he argues that the public option is too expensive and that Medicare (a similar program) is going to run out of money in the near future. WRONG and WRONG.  He simply cannot back up the claim that the public option is too expensive.  Privatized health insurance is too expensive.  The public option would not be burdened by exorbitant salaries and millions thrown away for lobbying and advertising.  Separately, Ronald Reagan predicted in 1983 that Medicare would be broke by the 1990′s.  So it’s no surprise that Karl is using that argument again.  But like Reagan, Karl is wrong.  Bull shit on both counts Karl.

Fifth, he argues that the public option puts the government  in between the patient and doctor, and that you should imagine how bad that would be.  You don’t have to imagine how bad it is that health insurance companies are between us and our doctors.  There are plenty of examples of how their profit driven decisions have negatively impacted the health of Americans.  But I can imagine that removing profit, exorbitant salaries, and huge lobbying costs from the equation would be best for America.

The public option is the sanest idea when it comes to health care.