Love, Punk

ARF! (And we ALL know what that means)!

Yep. It's me, Punk.
Nice to see you all here.

My "she" is busy elsewhere, and I heard her say something about writing a blog today, so I thought I would beat her to it... (So far so good).
My Casey is still sleeping...

My birthday is tomorrow! I will be 4 whole years old.

Too bad things aren't looking too good for a present.
I already got in trouble this morning. 
I went outside to take care of my business- As I was peeing, I saw something in my mama's old kennel. I finished killing the ungrown grass, and then 'pointed'. 
Shhh... Holy Cow! There was another Sputty there!  I was as still as I could be.
♫  He looked at me.  I looked at him.  He sized up me.  I sized up him... arf ♫


My "she" said 'GO!'
So off I went, running fast after this bum...
And behind me all the while I hear her saying 'go' 'go' 'go'.
Then she uses my middle name. In case ya forgot, my middle name is "Dammit."
I heard that and knew I was in trouble. I stopped just for a second, thinking Uh~Oh. (The other Sputty gets away, -Grrrrr-).

I made a misteak thinking she'd said "GO!" (Turns out 'she' was sayin' "NO" all along).

Now I am mad too.

Bad enough that I haven't had a decent bone in forever.
Bad enough that all those things with feathers are here and I can't catch 'em.

Bad enough that I gotta share everything, (and all the cat shares is his claws).

Then the other day, the little one said Sput could come along for a ride even!

.
.

 
That's NOT fair! And he stole my way back seat!
.
.
Then he came by me- I had to be good. That darn cat even tried stealin' MY pillow!

Worried, and I tried to get my she to look at me.
.
.
 
But 'she' was driving- and my little one had the picture thingie.
.
.
OK.  It wasn't so bad...
.
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I kinda even had fun.
'Cepting when Sput went waaaaay up in the front, (and I can't fit there).

.
.

He's just a dumb ole cat ya know.
.
.
It's been real nice outside on my paws.
One day when we was outside, my she found these.
.
.

She says they are big this year...
.
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And she sez there are LOTS of them too...
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She sez too that she thinks they are 'SO purty"
.
.
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I just sat in the shade and watched her-



She looked like she didn't know what to do with them.  BUT I SURE DID!
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They are kinda tasty too!  Hard yet to get off the wood sticks-
They won't be so hard in a day or so.
.
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My she has a hole that she goes into.
And I hafta stay out and just watch...
.
.
 
I am always happy when she comes back outta that big hole.
There is a big noise down there that I always hear after she goes down there.
It kinda scares me.  I wait anyway. She sez I can't go in because there's too much I can't get into. (Like that big old hole I guess).
She sez she won't hafta be crawlin' down there in a little while cuz someone else is coming to fix it. (Whatever "it" is).
.
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.
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I'd better go.
I hafta go upstairs and wake up the little one now. (I gotta do everything)!

A big old ARF! to all.
May your bowls always be full!
-And may your cat pals try not to run with the big dogs.

Love, Punk

Hypocrisy, Hyperbole, History, and Hatred

How many of us only wish we would have written this?

XOXO
Me

***

An open letter to conservatives

March 22, 2010, 3:16PM
by Russell King

Dear Conservative Americans,

The years have not been kind to you. I grew up in a profoundly Republican home, so I can remember when you wore a very different face than the one we see now.  You've lost me and you've lost most of America.  Because I believe having responsible choices is important to democracy, I'd like to give you some advice and an invitation.

First, the invitation:  Come back to us.

Now the advice.  You're going to have to come up with a platform that isn't built on a foundation of cowardice: fear of people with colors, religions, cultures and sex lives that differ from your own; fear of reform in banking, health care, energy; fantasy fears of America being transformed into an Islamic nation, into social/commun/fasc-ism, into a disarmed populace put in internment camps; and more.  But you have work to do even before you take on that task.

Your party -- the GOP -- and the conservative end of the American political spectrum have become irresponsible and irrational.  Worse, it's tolerating, promoting and celebrating prejudice and hatred.  Let me provide some examples -- by no means an exhaustive list -- of where the Right as gotten itself stuck in a swamp of hypocrisy, hyperbole, historical inaccuracy and hatred.

If you're going to regain your stature as a party of rational, responsible people, you'll have to start by draining this swamp:

Hypocrisy

You can't flip out -- and threaten impeachment - when Dems use a parliamentary procedure (deem and pass) that you used repeatedly (more than 35 times in just one session and more than 100 times in all!), that's centuries old and which the courts have supported. Especially when your leaders admit it all.

You can't vote and scream against the stimulus package and then take credit for the good it's done in your own district (happily handing out enormous checks representing money that you voted against, is especially ugly) --  114 of you (at last count) did just that -- and it's even worse when you secretly beg for more.

You can't fight against your own ideas just because the Dem president endorses your proposal.

You can't call for a pay-as-you-go policy, and then vote against your own ideas.

Are they "unlawful enemy combatants" or are they "prisoners of war" at Gitmo? You can't have it both ways.

You can't carry on about the evils of government spending when your family has accepted more than a quarter-million dollars in government handouts.

You can't refuse to go to a scheduled meeting, to which you were invited, and then blame the Dems because they didn't meet with you.

You can't rail against using teleprompters while using teleprompters. Repeatedly.

You can't rail against the bank bailouts when you supported them as they were happening.

You can't be for immigration reform, then against it .

You can't enjoy socialized medicine while condemning it.

You can't flip out when the black president puts his feet on the presidential desk when you were silent about white presidents doing the same.  Bush.  Ford.

You can't complain that the president hasn't closed Gitmo yet when you've campaigned to keep Gitmo open.

You can't flip out when the black president bows to foreign dignitaries, as appropriate for their culture, when you were silent when the white presidents did the same. Bush.  Nixon. Ike. You didn't even make a peep when Bush held hands and kissed (on the mouth) leaders of countries that are not on "kissing terms" with the US.

You can't complain that the undies bomber was read his Miranda rights under Obama when the shoe bomber was read his Miranda rights under Bush and you remained silent.  (And, no, Newt -- the shoe bomber was not a US citizen either, so there is no difference.)

You can't attack the Dem president for not personally* publicly condemning a terrorist event for 72 hours when you said nothing about the Rep president waiting 6 days in an eerily similar incident (and, even then, he didn't issue any condemnation).  *Obama administration did the day of the event.

You can't throw a hissy fit, sound alarms and cry that Obama freed Gitmo prisoners who later helped plan the Christmas Day undie bombing, when -- in fact -- only one former Gitmo detainee, released by Dick Cheney and George W. Bush, helped to plan the failed attack.

You can't condemn blaming the Republican president for an attempted terror attack on his watch, then blame the Dem president for an attempted terror attack on his.

You can't mount a boycott against singers who say they're ashamed of the president for starting a war, but remain silent when another singer says he's ashamed of the president and falsely calls him a Maoist who makes him want to throw up and says he ought to be in jail.

You can't cry that the health care bill is too long, then cry that it's too short.

You can't support the individual mandate for health insurance, then call it unconstitutional when Dems propose it and campaign against your own ideas.

You can't demand television coverage, then whine about it when you get it.  Repeatedly.

You can't praise criminal trials in US courts for terror suspects under a Rep president, then call it "treasonous" under a Dem president.

You can't propose ideas to create jobs, and then work against them when the Dems put your ideas in a bill.

You can't be both pro-choice and anti-choice.

You can't damn someone for failing to pay $900 in taxes when you've paid nearly $20,000 in IRS fines.

You can't condemn criticizing the president when US troops are in harms way, then attack the president when US troops are in harms way , the only difference being the president's party affiliation (and, by the way, armed conflict does NOT remove our right and our duty as Americans to speak up).

You can't be both for cap-and-trade policy and against it.

You can't vote to block debate on a bill, then bemoan the lack of  'open debate'.

If you push anti-gay legislation and make anti-gay speeches, you should probably take a pass on having gay sex, regardless of whether it's 2004 or 2010.  This is true, too, if you're taking GOP money and giving anti-gay rants on CNN.  Taking right-wing money and GOP favors to write anti-gay stories for news sites while working as a gay prostitute, doubles down on both the hypocrisy and the prostitution.  This is especially true if you claim your anti-gay stand is God's stand, too.

When you chair the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, you can't send sexy emails to 16-year-old boys (illegal anyway, but you made it hypocritical as well).

You can't criticize Dems for not doing something you didn't do while you held power over the past 16 years, especially when the Dems have done more in one year than you did in 16.

You can't decry "name calling" when you've been the most consistent and outrageous at it. And the most vile.

You can't spend more than 40 years hating, cutting and trying to kill Medicare, and then pretend to be the defenders of Medicare

You can't praise the Congressional Budget Office when it's analysis produces numbers that fit your political agenda, then claim it's unreliable when it comes up with numbers that don't.

You can't vote for X under a Republican president, then vote against X under a Democratic president.  Either you support X or you don't. And it makes it worse when you change your position merely for the sake obstructionism.

You can't call a reconciliation out of bounds when you used it repeatedly.

You can't spend taxpayer money on ads against spending taxpayer money.

You can't condemn individual health insurance mandates in a Dem bill, when the mandates were your idea.

You can't demand everyone listen to the generals when they say what fits your agenda, and then ignore them when they don't.

You can't whine that it's unfair when people accuse you of exploiting racism for political gain, when your party's former leader admits you've been doing it for decades.

You can't portray yourself as fighting terrorists when you openly and passionately support terrorists.

You can't complain about a lack of bipartisanship when you've routinely obstructed for the sake of political gain -- threatening to filibuster at least 100 pieces of legislation in one session, far more than any other since the procedural tactic was invented -- and admitted it.  Some admissions are unintentional, others are made proudly. This is especially true when the bill is the result of decades of compromise between the two parties and is filled with your own ideas.

You can't question the loyalty of Department of Justice lawyers when you didn't object when your own Republican president appointed them.

You can't preach and try to legislate "Family Values" when you: take nude hot tub dips with teenagers (and pay them hush money); cheat on your wife with a secret lover and lie about it to the world; cheat with a staffer's wife (and pay them off with a new job); pay hookers for sex while wearing a diaper and cheating on your wife; or just enjoying an old fashioned non-kinky cheating on your wife; try to have gay sex in a public toilet; authorize the rape of children in Iraqi prisons to coerce their parents into providing information; seek, look at or have sex with children; replace a guy who cheats on his wife with a guy who cheats on his pregnant wife with his wife's mother;

Hyperbole

You really need to disassociate with those among you who:

• assert that people making a quarter-million dollars a year can barely make ends meet or that $1 million "isn't a lot of money";
• say that "Comrade" Obama is a "Bolshevik" who is "taking cues from Lenin";
• ignore the many times your buddies use a term that offends you and complain only when a Dem says it;
• liken political opponents to murderers, rapists, and "this Muslim guy" that "offed his wife's head" or call then "un-American";
• say Obama "wants his plan to fail...so that he can make the case for bank nationalization and vindicate his dream of a socialist economy";
• equate putting the good of the people ahead of your personal fortunes with terrorism;
• smear an entire major religion with the actions of a few fanatics;
• say that the president wants to "annihilate us";
• compare health care reform with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a Bolshevik plot the attack on 9/11,or reviving the ghosts of communist dictators (update: it's also not Armageddon);
• equate our disease-fighting stem cell research with "what the Nazis did";
• call a bill passed by the majority of both houses of Congress, by members of Congress each elected by a majority in their districts, an unconscionable abuse of power, a violation of the presidential oath or "the end of representative government";
• shout "baby killer" at a member of Congress on the floor of the House, especially one who so fought against abortion rights that he nearly killed health care reform (in fact, a little decorum, a little respect for our national institutions and the people and the values they represent, would be refreshing -- cut out the shouting, the swearing and the obscenities);
• prove your machismo by claiming your going to "crash a party" to which you're officially invited;
• claim that Obama is pushing America's "submission to Shariah";
• question the patriotism of people upholding cherished American values and the rule of law;
• claim the president is making us less safe without a hint of evidence;
• call a majority vote the "tyranny of the minority," even if you meant to call it tyranny of the majority -- it's democracy, not tyranny;
• call the president's support of a criminal trial for a terror suspect "treasonous" (especially when you supported the same thing when the president shared your party);
• call the Pope the anti-Christ;
• assert that the constitutionally mandated census is an attempt to enslave us;
• accuse opponents of being backed by Arab slave-drivers or of being drunk and suicidal;
• equate family planning with eugenics or Nazism;
• accuse the president of changing the missile defense program's logo to match his campaign logo and reflect what you say is his secret Muslim identity;
• accuse political opponents of being totalitarians, socialists, communists, fascists, Marxists;  terrorist sympathizers, McCarthy-like, Nazis or drug pushers; and
• advocate a traitorous act like secession, violent revolution , military coup or civil war (just so we're clear: sedition is a bad thing).
  
  

History

If you're going to use words like socialism, communism and fascism, you must have at least a basic understanding of what those words mean (hint: they're NOT synonymous!)

You can't cut a leading Founding Father out the history books because you've decided you don't like his ideas.

You cant repeatedly assert that the president refuses to say the word "terrorism" or say we're at war with terror when we have an awful lot of videotape showing him repeatedly assailing terrorism and using those exact words.

If you're going to invoke the names of historical figures, it does not serve you well to whitewash them. Especially this one.

You can't just pretend historical events didn't happen in an effort to make a political opponent look dishonest or to make your side look better. Especially these events. (And, no, repeating it doesn't make it better.)

You can't say things that are simply and demonstrably false: health care reform will not push people out of their private insurance and into a government-run program ; health care reform (which contains a good many of your ideas and very few from the Left) is a long way from "socialist utopia"; health care reform is not "reparations"; nor does health care reform create "death panels".

Hatred

You have to condemn those among you who:

• call members of Congress n*gger and f*ggot;
• elected leaders who say "I'm a proud racist";
• state that America has been built by white people;
• say that poor people are poor because they're rotten people, call them "parasitic garbage" or say they shouldn't be allowed to vote;
• call women bitches and prostitutes just because you don't like their politics     ( re - pea -ted - ly );
• assert that the women who are serving our nation in uniform are hookers;
• mock and celebrate the death of a grandmother because you disagree with her son's politics;
• declare that those who disagree with you are shown by that disagreement to be not just "Marxist radicals" but also monsters and a deadly disease killing the nation (this would fit in the hyperbole and history categories, too);
• joke about blindness;
• advocate euthanizing the wife of your political opponent;
• taunt people with incurable, life-threatening diseases -- especially if you do it on a syndicated broadcast;
• equate gay love with bestiality -- involving  horses or dogs or turtles or ducks -- or polygamy, child molestation, pedophilia;
• casually assume that only white males look "like a real American";
• assert presidential power to authorize torture,  torture a child by having his testicles crushed in front of his parents to get them to talk, order the massacre of a civilian village  and launch a nuclear attack without the consent of Congress;
• attack children whose mothers have died;
• call people racists without producing a shred of evidence that they've said or done something that would even smell like racism -- same for invoking racially charged "dog whistle" words (repeatedly);
• condemn the one thing that every major religion agrees on;
• complain that we no longer employ the tactics we once used to disenfranchise millions of Americans because of their race;
• blame the victims of natural disasters and terrorist attacks for their suffering and losses;
• celebrate violence , joke about violence, prepare for violence or use violent imagery, "fun" political violence, hints of violence, threats of violence (this one is rather explicit), suggestions of violence or  actual violence (and, really, suggesting anal rape with a hot piece of metal is beyond the pale); and
• incite insurrection telling people to get their guns ready for a "bloody battle" with the president of the United States.

Oh, and I'm not alone:  One of your most respected and decorated leaders agrees with me.

So, dear conservatives, get to work.  Drain the swamp of the conspiracy nuts, the bald-faced liars undeterred by demonstrable facts, the overt hypocrisy and the hatred.  Then offer us a calm, responsible, grownup agenda based on your values and your vision for America.  We may or may not agree with your values and vision, but we'll certainly welcome you back to the American mainstream with open arms.  We need you.

(Anticipating your initial response:  No there is nothing that even comes close to this level of wingnuttery on the American Left.)

Written by Russell King Update: removed the mouth kissing reference and tried to clean up spelling.

***

Yes, ALL of the links work.
Am wondering how many of us see ourselves more clearly?

Thank you StarfishRed for the link that directed me here.


photo

Please feel free to spread this blog. 
People are already receiving death threats because of our ignorance, and those that have posted lies, nay, ALL of the above, and more.
We have a tendency to just look the other way.
I promise that this girl will no longer do that.

XOXO
me

Annie's Seafood Salad

Description:
Cold Seafood Salad- With just enough crunch in it to please everyone.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups, Wild Caught American Shrimp (I buy them frozen, cleaned and pre~cooked).
• 2 Cups Icicle Brand (USA) cut up Crab Meat
• 5 Boiled Eggs
• 1/2 Cup Celery Sliced very thin, then halved
• 1 Small Onion, yellow or red, salad size pieces
• 1 Small cucumber, fresh, thin slices, then halved
• 1 Cup Frozen Peas
  

• 3 Cups (before cooking) cooked pasta, your choice of shells or swirls, (elbow macaroni can also be used)
  

• 1/3 Cup Plain Yogurt
• 1/3 Cup Real Mayonnaise
• 1/4 Cup Buttermilk Ranch Salad Dressing
• Dash of ReaLemon Juice
  

• Lemon Pepper Fish Seasoning to taste
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons sugar
  
  
  • Add dill weed, fresh chives, (whatever pleases your palate).

 

Directions:

• Boil eggs.
• Boil pasta, al dente. 
  
  • Chill these in ice water if you need the salad right away.

Cut peeled eggs into quarters.

Lightly stir all ingredients together.
If mixture seems dry, add more dressing or yogurt.
* Adding more mayo will bring out overpowering mayo flavor.

Chill for about half an hour.
Stir again, toss into serving dish.
Sprinkle with paprika.
Add a touch of parmesan, romano, or asiago cheese.

Individual servings get sprinkled with homemade garlic croutons.

Mmmmmmmm  
Enjoy!

Mmmmmm! Thank You Polly!

So how does that look?  Pretty darn good!

Good Afternoon;
I have to share my scrumptious treat!

Miss Polly is my friend from Wyoming, and has made and sent some Chokecherry Jelly!
Mom would make that too, and I haven't had it in many many years.
The taste is exquisite!
Polly and Rich (her hubby) lived next door to us right after we bought our home on Jaworski Rd. I miss her. She has been by my side throughout forever, and always with a godsent friendship shoulder. She has listened to me not only cry about my girls, but to laugh with them too- Not to mention everything inbetween.
The world needs more "Polly"s...

Thank you Polly!
(I shall share with Casey- if I have to)!  hehehe

Love you always.

XOXO
Me

PS
Yes, I rushed my bread (you would have too), and it didn't rise right.
But hey, a bit of unleavened bread is good for the soul!

10 THINGS EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HEALTH CARE REFORM

Pic from HERE
A jubilant President Obama signed the health care bill into law today, calling its historic expansion of insurance coverage "reforms that generations of Americans have fought for and marched for and hungered to see."

"Today, after almost a century of trying -- today, after over a year of debate -- today, after all the votes have been tallied, health insurance reform becomes law in the United States of America," Obama said at a White House ceremony packed with ecstatic supporters.  From HERE

WASHINGTON — Americans by 9 percentage points have a favorable view of the health care overhaul that President Obama signed into law Tuesday, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, a notable turnaround from surveys before the vote that showed a plurality against it. From Here

***

Hi All;
People have a LOT of questions following the signed health care bill.
Please take a moment to read the following.
Sent to me by Move On Political Action

***

Even with the bill's flaws, health care reform is the most important piece of progressive legislation in decades.

Below is a list of ten of the most important things health care reform will accomplish for everyday Americans—none of which would've been possible without the dogged efforts of grassroots progressives and the support of Representative Steve Kagen.1

Republicans are already unleashing their spin machine to target Democrats who voted for reform, so we've got to show that we've got their backs.
***Big Insurance and right-wing extremists are already ratcheting up their campaign to spread misinformation about the bill, so it's critical that we get the truth out as widely as possible.

Thanks for all you do.



10 THINGS EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HEALTH CARE REFORM


1.  Once reform is fully implemented, over 95% of Americans will have health insurance coverage, including 32 million who are currently uninsured. 2

2.  Health insurance companies will no longer be allowed to deny people coverage because of preexisting conditions—or to drop coverage when people become sick. 3

3.  Just like members of Congress, individuals and small businesses who can't afford to purchase insurance on their own will be able to pool together and choose from a variety of competing plans with lower premiums. 4

4.  Reform will cut the federal budget deficit by $138 billion over the next ten years, and a whopping $1.2 trillion in the following ten years.5

5.  Health care will be more affordable for families and small businesses thanks to new tax credits, subsidies, and other assistance—paid for largely by taxing insurance companies, drug companies, and the very wealthiest Americans.6

6.  Seniors on Medicare will pay less for their prescription drugs because the legislation closes the "donut hole" gap in existing coverage.7

7.  By reducing health care costs for employers, reform will create or save more than 2.5 million jobs over the next decade. 8

8.  Medicaid will be expanded to offer health insurance coverage to an additional 16 million low-income people. 9

9.  Instead of losing coverage after they leave home or graduate from college, young adults will be able to remain on their families' insurance plans until age 26. 10

10.  Community health centers would receive an additional $11 billion, doubling the number of patients who can be treated regardless of their insurance or ability to pay. 11


Sources:

1. Final vote results on motion to concur in Senate amendments to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, March 21, 2010
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2010/roll165.xml

2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11. "Affordable Health Care for America: Summary," House Energy and Commerce Committee, March 18, 2010
http://wwwd.house.gov/akamaidocs/energycommerce/SUMMARY.pdf

4. "Insurance Companies Prosper, Families Suffer: Our Broken Health Insurance System," U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Accessed March 22, 2010
http://healthreform.gov/reports/insuranceprospers/index.html

5. "Affordable Health Care for America: Health Insurance Reform at a Glance: Revenue Provisions," House Energy and Commerce Committee, March 18, 2010
http://wwwd.house.gov/akamaidocs/energycommerce/REVENUE.pdf

8. "New Jobs Through Better Health Care," Center for American Progress, January 8, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=87402&id=19504-17313833-JgVe1tx&t=2

9, 10. "Proposed Changes in the Final Health Care Bill," The New York Times, March 22, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=87403&id=19504-17313833-JgVe1tx&t=3

11. "Affordable Health Care for America: Health Insurance Reform at a Glance: Addressing Health and Health Care Disparities," House Energy and Commerce Committee, March 20, 2010
http://docs.house.gov/energycommerce/DISPARITIES.pdf

***

This is also a moment of history, a culmination of the legacies of Truman and Franklin Roosevelt.

On Nov. 19, 1945, Truman stated facts that are true to this day. "People with low or moderate incomes do not get the same medical attention as those with high incomes," he said. "The poor have more sickness, but they get less medical care. People who live in rural areas do not get the same amount or quality of medical attention as those who live in our cities."

The nation, Truman added, needed to resolve "that financial barriers in the way of attaining health shall be removed" and "that the health of all its citizens deserves the help of all the Nation."
Nearly 65 years later, Truman's wish has come to pass.

It is also worth remembering that when Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act in 1935, he was properly modest. FDR insisted that "we can never insure one hundred percent of the population against one hundred percent of the hazards and vicissitudes of life."

He knew that his bill was more a beginning than an end. The Social Security Act, Roosevelt said, "represents a cornerstone in a structure which is being built but is by no means complete."

That's exactly true of the reform Congress enacted Sunday night. It does not quite cover everyone -- Social Security didn't, either -- and that must be taken care of.

There will be years of wrangling over the system's costs and how it works in practice. Every successful health system in the world confronts such arguments.

This new law will not end all our health-care problems (no law could), but it does a great deal for access, and it makes solving other problems a little easier. Above all, it puts us on a new path." end quote

It should almost go without saying, but I would be remiss not to express my gratitude.

THANK YOU PRESIDENT OBAMA! and the 219 others that cared enough to pass this bill.

XOXO
Me

Debunking Health Care Lies (by Reading the Bill)

August 13, 2009 - by Donny Shaw  (Do the CLICK).

Congress clears historic health care bill

History is made!

"Widely viewed as dead two months ago, the Senate-passed bill cleared the House on a 219-212 vote, with Republicans unanimous in opposition.

Congressional officials said they expected Obama to sign the bill as early as Tuesday.

A second measure — making changes in the first — was lined up for passage later in the evening. That measure would go to the Senate, where Democratic leaders said they had the votes to pass it."


AMEN!

XOXO
Me

Dogs. Berries. Toes. And Springtime!

My blog today would not be complete without this reference.

Good Sunday Morning All;
Let's see where I left off before whining about my pages disappearing yesterday here on Multiply? Hope they come back soon...

Oh yes!  My big toe...
That appointment went well enough, except the doctor I had seemed to be a bit hard of hearing. I was seated in what appeared to be much like a dentists chair but with a footrest, and he began speaking...  Somewhere in his litany of sentences, I gleaned the word "infected".
I tried to get the point across that I would stand on my head in the corner, run naked through town, or drink bleach, -that I would do anything but take an antibiotic.
Seems he didn't hear me say that, and I have been taking Cephalexin ever since (500mg, 4 times/day). I swear it makes me dizzy!
Know I am writing this in a dizzy frame of mind and body... hehehe

My water is an on again, off again sort of thing- But since I know where the short is, I know how to "rig" it in a flash. (That, and I don't have to crawl down there since I found an old broomstick). One day soon when I can get down there with my back I will fix it; if indeed it is fixable.

Temps were a bit chilly these past few days-
But after our frosty mornings, they still climb into the 50's later in the day.

This brings out the dogs- (And Miss Kelli too)! hehehe
She walks them to the woods,- OK, she walks, and the dogs get to run wide open! It is SO good to see after such a long time of the field being snow~covered and completely inaccessible!

The river is running high and fast so they don't go that far.
When they get back those pups are mighty thirsty...
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Pity that Kelli had to bring her own water. (Pic was taken before I found the short).
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Once the thirsts were quenched, CocoBean had to show off her new trick...
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Look Closer...

That toy looks to be balancing on her nose!

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Not to be outdone, Punk did her 'bored' trick... hehehe
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Mr Miller really thought she was bored and brought her a toy too.
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This excited her to no end!
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Then she had to show off her "walk-and-chew-gum-at-the-same-time" trick.
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ARF!
So what if it's a "scratch-my-toe-in-my-ear-and-stick-out-my-tongue" trick? hehehe
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Mr Miller was just happy to be out and about.
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He is always smiling!
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So how warm does it have to be for you...   
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... before you would enjoy this?
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(Keep in mind that this is Suamico, Wisconsin after a LONG cold winter).
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As we picked up a prescription for her, Casey was a bit "boosegumply" that day.
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Yet was still feeling the warm sunshine!
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At least she didn't need to air condition her keister...
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The obvious question is "why"?
(Picture taken AFTER he'd pulled them up)!
Sad. True.
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Highway 172 now-  Again kids, this is wood! (And it even looks to be plywood at that)!
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I know you have told me already this is normal, but methinks its creepy to build a bridge with wood!
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Back home from a little shopping, Casey was all smiles!
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Cute as a bugs rear!  hehehehehehehehehehehehe
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Stopping over the other day gave her plenty to smile about too-

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Baby strawberry plants! (Her favorite)!
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I'd better close for now and get on with my day-
Sputty is screaming to have his box changed...
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He can be such a cat sometimes...

Have a 'wunnaful' Sunday!
Love to all

XOXO
Me

PS
About those potatoes and chives I'd promised...
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Mmmmmmmm!
I'd almost eaten them all before I'd taken the picture! hehehe
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Sum Ting Wong

Grrr...
Where the heck am I?
At least I got this to open.

I have tried to post a blog since about midnight and could not even get on at Multiply til now-
NOW, I can only see a few updates- and those are all taken by one person who posts every little thought as a new post.
(I show no page two or three or ten or whatever)
So sorry that I can get nowhere- Maybe one of you could report this for me?
I had very little sleep last night- About an hour and a half. Am thinking to take a nap now.
Maybe later my entire inbox at Multiply will be here.

Love to all.  Have a 'wunnaful' weekend.
Later-

XOXO
Me

I love tests!

Good Morning Everyone!
Everyone should take this (short, 15 question) quiz. I took it just to see if I could distinguish stuff from the 1930's, or the 1960's, or the 2000's...

Since I ♥LOVE♥ taking tests, I decided to push the little "begin" button. (Hindsight being what it is, perhaps I should not have been so blithe about it all). This is what popped up when I was finished with it:

"You got 45% correct, which is an F for FAILURE, (which was luckily the fate of the Republicans in 1935 and again in 1965 when they tried to scare the country into doing nothing" {re: Medicare and Social Security}).

Oh crap! I haven't gotten an "F" in anything since 1st grade when I spelled "perpul" wrong!
(Her name was "Miss Berg" -and I have been mad at her ever since)! hehehe

Hmmm... Must rethink my title now-

Have a great day!  And have fun with this quiz. Challenge your mates and your children to see what they know too!
Of course you don't have to report back here- But I sure would like to hear that you did better than I did! hehehe


XOXO
Me

From HERE
"Republican Attacks on Health Reform: Dèjá Vu All Over Again"

Republicans say heath reform will cause an economic disaster and create a socialist society that would take away our freedom and end America as we know it.
But didn't they say the exact same thing in the 30s and 60s in protest of Social Security and Medicare? And hasn't history proven them wrong?
Those programs have made our nation stronger and now enjoy widespread bipartisan support.

Dèjá vu all over again: can you distinguish GOP attacks from decade to decade?
Take the challenge:

Cong. Steny H. Hoyer
House Democratic Majority Leader
H-107, The Capitol
Washington D.C. 20515

Official Site of the US House of Representatives

Thank You Jesse Lee!

Voices of Reform

There’s no issue that touches people more directly than health care, so there’s good reason for people to want as much reassurance as they can get before the country goes ahead with reform. 
That’s why those who work in our health care system day in and day out have a unique role in weighing in on the merits of any reform effort.  

In that field, one could hardly find a better voice than Marla J. Weston, PhD, RN, head of the American Nurses Association, who spoke out today loudly and clearly: “If ever there was a time to trust a nurse—that time is now. Please trust me when I tell you that we can’t afford to put off reform for one more administration—one more political season—or even one more day… This legislation will enact very real and much-needed insurance reforms; it will place a new focus on wellness and prevention, improving access to primary care and expanding coverage to over 30 million people.”

It would only make sense that Americans listen to groups dedicated to advocating for the sick and disabled, for our kids and our nation’s seniors, and for the American consumer.  And for women, communities of color, and people of faith, it is more than understandable that they would want to hear from groups that have studied the proposals closely to see how it impacts them and their communities.  Organizations representing 59,000 Catholic nuns, for example, joined together today to passionately urge Congress to act:  “In this Lenten time, we have launched nationwide prayer vigils for health care reform. We are praying for those who currently lack health care. We are praying for the nearly 45,000 who will lose their lives this year if Congress fails to act. We are also praying for you and your fellow Members of Congress as you complete your work in the coming days. For us, this health care reform is a faith mandate for life and dignity of all of our people.”

Small businesses, fighting through a still-tough economy, also rightly want to know what this would mean for them, and the Small Business Majority makes the case (click), on the benefits, adding that “Two-thirds or more of small business owners we polled in 17 states agree that healthcare reform is needed now to get the US economy back on track.”

But those groups are just the tip of the iceberg -- in an unprecedented show of diverse, even sweeping support, a virtual army of organizations came out in support of the President’s health reform proposal this morning as Congress prepares to make its final decisions.  The astounding list of 244 organizations provided Families USA, which led the way in coordinating the coalition, is below:

Physicians' and nurses' organizations

• American Academy of Family Physicians
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• American Academy of Physician Assistants
• American College of Nurse Midwives
• American College of Physicians
• American Nurses Association
• American Psychiatric Nurses Association
• Doctors for America
• National Medical Association
• National Physicians Alliance
• Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office
• Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health
• Ryan White Medical Providers Coalition

Consumer organizations: 

• American Library Association
• Americans for Democratic Action
• Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs
• Center for Adolescent Health & the Law
• Center for Rural Affairs
• Center for the Study of the American Electorate
• CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers
• Change That Works
• Coalition on Human Needs
• Common Cause
• CommonHealth ACTION
• Community Action Partnership
• Community Catalyst
• Community Transportation Association of America
• Consumer Action
• Consumer Federation of America
• Consumers' CHECKBOOK/Center for the Study of Services
• Consumers Union
• Corporation for Supportive Housing
• Families USA
• Family Equality Council
• Health Care For All
• Health Care for America Now
• National Association of Human Rights Workers
• National Association of Neighborhoods
• National Center on Caregiving, Family Caregiver Alliance
• National Coalition for LGBT Health
• National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs
• National Coalition on Health Care Action Fund
• National Consumers League
• National Family Caregivers Association
• National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
• National Health Law Program
• National Legal Aid and Defender Association
• National Patient Advocate Foundation
• National Policy and Advocacy Council on Homelessness
• National Public Sector HealthCare Roundtable
• National Respite Coalition
• Opinion Leaders Advocacy Network
• Partnership for Prevention
• Prescription Policy Choices
• Progressive States Network
• Project Inform
• RESULTS
• Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
• Small Business Majority
• SparkLight Communications
• State Legislators for Health Care Reform
• Summit Health Institute for Research and Education, Inc.
• The Center for Health Care Policy Research and Analysis
• The Main Street Alliance
• U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group)
• United Neighborhood Centers of America
• Universal Health Care Action Network (UHCAN)
• USAction
• VetsFirst

Groups representing communities of color

• Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
• Asian American Justice Center
• Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations
• Association of Hispanic Healthcare Executives
• Black Women's Health Imperative
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
• Healthcare Access Project
• Hispanic Dental Association
• Japanese American Citizens League
• NAACP
• National Association of Hispanic Nurses
• National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer III, Community Networks Program
• National Congress of American Indians
• National Congress of Black Women, Inc.
• National Council of Asian & Pacific Islander Physicians
• National Council of Negro Women, Inc.
• National Council of Urban Indian Health
• National Forum for Latino Healthcare Executives
• National Health Equity Coalition
• National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
• National Hispanic Council on Aging
• National Hispanic Medical Association
• National Indian Health Board
• National Native American AIDS Prevention Center
• National Resource Center for Hispanic Mental Health
• OCA
• Out of Many, One
• Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Coalition
• Self-Governance Communication and Education Tribal Consortium
• The Access Project
• The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCR)

Disease and disability organizations

• AIDS Action Council
• Alzheimer's Foundation of America
• American Association for Cancer Research
• American Association of People with Disabilities
• American Association on Health and Disability
• American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
• American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)
• American Diabetes Association
• American Heart Association
• American Network of Community Options and Resources
• Anxiety Disorders Association of America
• Association of University Centers on Disabilities
• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
• Autism Society of America
• Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
• Brain Injury Association of America
• Colon Cancer Alliance
• Communities Advocating Emergency AIDS Relief Coalition
• Defeat Diabetes Foundation
• Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
• Easter Seals
• Eating Disorders Coalition
• Epilepsy Foundation
• HealthHIV
• HIV Medicine Association
• LIVESTRONG
• Malecare Prostate Cancer Support
• Mental Health America
• National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors
• National Alliance on Mental Illness
• National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors
• National Association of Mental Health Planning and Advisory Councils
• National Association of State Head Injury Administrators
• National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
• National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
• National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations
• National Disability Rights Network
• National Down Syndrome Congress
• National Foundation for Mental Health
• National Lung Cancer Partnership
• National Multiple Sclerosis Society
• National Spinal Cord Injury Association
• Paralyzed Veterans of America
• The AIDS Institute
• The Arc of the United States
• The LGBT Cancer Project - Out With Cancer
• Tourette Syndrome Association
• United Cerebral Palsy
• United Spinal Association
• Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education & Support Network

Organizations representing hospitals and health providers

• American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
• American Counseling Association
• American Group Psychotherapy Association
• American Hospice Foundation
• American Mental Health Counselors Association
• American Music Therapy Association
• American Psychological Association
• American Public Health Association
• American Social Health Association
• Association for Ambulatory Behavioral Healthcare
• Association for the Advancement of Psychology
• Association of Community Affiliated Plans
• Clinical Social Work Association
• Federation of American Hospitals
• National Academies of Practice
• National Alliance for Caregiving
• National Association of Community Health Centers
• National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems
• National Association of Social Workers
• National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare
• PHI - Health Care for Health Care Workers
• Therapeutic Communities of America

Labor organizations

• American Federation of Government Employees
• American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
• American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
• California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS)
• International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW)
• National Education Association
• Service Employees International Union
• United Food and Commercial Workers International Union

Religious organizations

• American Association of Pastoral Counselors
• American Friends Service Committee
• Association for Clinical Pastoral Education
• Association of Professional Chaplains
• B'nai B'rith International
• Catholic Health Association of the United States
• Clergy Strategic Alliances, LLC
• Disciples Justice Action Network
• Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church
• Evangelicals for Social Action
• Faithful America
• Faithful Reform in Health Care
• Friends Committee on National Legislation
• Friends Fiduciary Corporation
• Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
• Jewish Reconstructionist Federation
• National Association of Jewish Chaplains
• National Council of Churches, USA Health Task Force
• NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
• Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Institute Justice Team
• The Healing of the Nations Foundation
• The Shomer Shalom Network for Jewish Nonviolence
• Union for Reform Judaism
• Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
• United Methodist Church - General Board of Church and Society
• Witness Justice
• Women of Reform Judaism

Seniors and children’s organizations

• Alliance for Children and Families
• Alliance for Retired Americans
• Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc.
• Child Welfare League of America
• Children's Defense Fund
• Every Child Matters Education Fund
• Family Voices
• First Focus Campaign for Children
• Generations United
• Medicare Rights Center
• National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health
• National Association of Area Agencies on Aging
• National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare
• National Council on Aging
• National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health
• National Senior Citizens Law Center
• NCCNHR: The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care
• Society for Adolescent Medicine
• The Children's Partnership
• Voices for America's Children
• Volunteers of America

Women’s organizations

• Breast Cancer Network of Strength
• Family Violence Prevention Fund
• League of Women Voters of the United States
• Legal Momentum
• MomsRising
• National Breast Cancer Coalition
• National Cervical Cancer Coalition
• National Partnership for Women & Families
• National Research Center for Women & Families
• National Women's Law Center
• Our Bodies Ourselves
• OWL - The Voice of Midlife and Older Women
• U.S. Positive Women's Network
• Wider Opportunities for Women
• Women Together for Change
  Posted by Jesse Lee on March 17, 2010 at 03:30 PM EDT

See and read more about Health Care  (Clicking there will redirect to The White House, not to anyone who does not have the position to talk about these matters).

XOXO
Me