Same Blog... New Blog Name... New Blog Place...

Well, maybe it could be argued that if it has a new name and is in a new place, it is not the same blog... but since in politics, all things are argued over anyway, even if candidates used to agree, then feel free to argue the point...

Be that as it may, this blog has evolved over time to become mainly about politics, and so last night, I renamed it and gave it a new home...  I hope you will come visit.

It has been renamed "politics... chaos in action".
Its new address is:  http://chaospolitics.wordpress.com.

You can either "take the bus" to come visit (copy and paste the new address into your browser)... or you can "beam" directly to the new address (click on the following link):

             politics...chaos in action

Whichever way you choose, I hope to see you there!!

President Obama...

Thanks to The Pragmatic Progressive Page

Floridians... Get Out and Vote!!

If you live in Florida, today is primary voting day... Voting is an important constitutional right and responsibility as a citizen of the United States!!  So get out and vote!!!

the affordable healthcare act... and the poor...

Whether you like politics or not, your life is affected by the decisions that politicians make.  It doesn't matter a person's age or socio-economic background, the politics and the political issues of our times impact all of us.  Sometimes, the people who have no voice in our political system, the ones who other more powerful or influential people would prefer be forgotten and for whom not many speak - the poor, the homeless, those who live on the margins of society - sometimes it is these people whose lives are affected most by the decisions our politicians make.  

One of the biggest debates in politics these days is the Affordable Healthcare Act (there is actually a longer name for this new healthcare law, but most people will recognize it by the name Obama-Care).  This new law has now been ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States, but still there continues to be political resistance to it.  One of its provisions, the expansion of Medicaid coverage, is under state, not federal control.   Some of our state governors (mostly Republican governors) still say they are either hesitant, undecided or will flat out refuse to implement this provision - they will not expand coverage under Medicaid to their state's poorer citizens.  


It is unfortunate that many people think of the poor and marginalized as lazy, shiftless, or "no good"... but these descriptive adjectives could not be farther from the truth.  The truth is, the majority of those living in poverty are hard working individuals, who many times work long hours for low pay, sometimes working two or three jobs just to try to make ends meet.  They usually have jobs that do not provide them with health care benefits, and do not pay them enough so they might buy their own health care policies.  


To make matters worse, while they do not make enough money to be able to afford to buy their own health care policy, many of them make too much money to be eligible for coverage under Medicaid.  Therefore, they are not able to take advantage of regular and preventive health care for themselves or their families, leading to the possibility of more expensive health issues down the road... for which society could end up paying anyway!
The Affordable Care Act (Obama-Care) could change that, if the governors of the individual states would be willing to implement the provision that will expand Medicaid coverage for the citizens in their states.


Most of the governors who oppose this provision do so ostensibly for economic reasons, or so they say.  It is my opinion that in the long run it would be more costly to a state's economy to have to pay for the people who go to the hospital but cannot afford to pay their bill, than it would be to expand Medicaid coverage under the provisions of the Affordable Care Act.  PBS NewsHour Correspondent Betty Ann Bowser takes a look at the arguments made by those governors opposed to expanding Medicaid within their states.   


You may be someone who agrees with Obama-Care or you may not like it... but, please don't forget, as the ideologically driven debates continue, that there are real people whose lives could be touched and dramatically improved by each governor putting into effect and practice the provision that calls for the expansion of Medicaid.  Be an advocate and a voice for the voiceless...

Biggest Waste of Time, Effort and US Tax Dollars...

It is time that the Republican-led congress tries to do something that is constructive!! Wasting time and money to vote on repealing the healthcare law, when it should be obvious that they would be unsuccessful is ridiculous! The House might vote to repeal it, but the Senate will not take it up, and President Obama would veto... It is a known fact that the Republicans do not like the law... they don't have to waste our money and their time to prove it!! Do something to help your constituents.... many of whom are probably already benefiting from parts of the healthcare law... and when it is fully implemented, will benefit more!

hypocrisy in action...

Justice in the USA...

Unfortunately, this seems to happen way too often...  and not only with drug cases...  In my humble opinion, Lady Justice is not as "blind" as she is supposed to be...

The Romney Rabbit Hole...

The HuffPost Religion article, "Obama Birth Control Mandate: Catholic Bishops Divided On Legal Battle" includes the following quote:

"Blaire, a leading spokesman on social justice issues as head of the domestic policy committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, worried that the confrontational approach taken by the bishops was being exploited by political groups 'very far to the right' who are trying to use the conflict with the White House as 'an anti-Obama campaign.'"

Of course the far right-wing Republicans are exploiting this move by the Roman Catholic Church!  Is this really a surprise to anyone??  Republican strategists are using every scare tactic possible to try to get people to vote for Mitt Romney... and to be able to suggest that The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act interferes with religious beliefs, as they would say is evidenced by the lawsuit brought by the Catholic Bishops, is just one more ploy in their attempts to trick and maneuver people into casting a vote for Mr. Romney without really looking carefully at his positions on the economy, education, healthcare, or foreign policy, just to name a few of the issues the President of the United States has to deal with as he governs our country.  

Oh, wait a minute… we don't need to look too closely at Mr. Romney’s ideas for governing the United States…  because he has already given us a pretty good idea where he stands… 

On the economy:  He’s going “fix it”!  He knows how to do this based on his years of making money for venture capitalists at Bain…  But I wonder for whom he will be trying to make money as the President of the United States…  Who or what will he try to divide up and sell off?  And to whom will he sell?

On education:  He has stated that he will get rid of the US Department of Education, or at least merge it with other departments in the government…  I mean who really needs a Department of (Public) Education when everyone knows that Charter Schools (privately funded, for profit schools) are the best way to go… right?  Hmmm… privately funded, for profit schools… Does that mean that in the future those people in our country who won’t be able to afford it, will then no longer get an education?  Not even a basic one?  I can just see the US literacy rates plummeting now…  That ought to be really good for the United States…

On healthcare:  He will get rid of “Obama-care” (also known as The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act)!!       The piece of legislation that allows young people to stay on their parents’ health insurance until the age of 26, saving them a great deal of money…       The piece of legislation that will not allow insurance companies to charge more for women's coverage than men's coverage...       The piece of legislation that (now) does not allow insurance companies to limit or refuse children insurance based on pre-existing illnesses, and that (by the year 2014) will benefit all people in the same way…       The piece of legislation that does not allow insurance companies to drop someone from coverage at will…or because they actually needed and used their health coverage…       The piece of legislation that will help more Americans be able to get affordable health coverage  (it is called "The...Affordable Care Act" for a reason)…     And Mr. Romney would get rid of it.  Thousands (millions?) of people in the United States cannot afford health care now.  Does this mean that Mr. Romney does not want Americans (all Americans, not just the more affluent ones) to have access to affordable health care?  Sounds like it to me…

On foreign policy:  Well perhaps we don’t really need to worry too much about Mr. Romney’s knowledge of foreign policy…after all, he is up on all the latest news…  Why, just a couple of weeks back, he reminded us just who the United States’ greatest enemy was…  Did you not catch the news that day?  I’ll fill you in…  according to Mr. Romney, America’s greatest enemy and threat is… Russia…  Well, at least he didn’t say it was the now non-existent USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republic), of which Russia was a part…  But then, for so many years Russia was synonymous with the USSR…  Maybe I do need to be a little concerned about Mr. Romney’s ability to lead the United States in the area of foreign policy after all…maybe we all do…

Ahhh…   I am sorry…  I did get a little off topic.  I started out this post to say that the Roman Catholic Church is being used by the far right wing of the Republican Party to attempt to gain political momentum and scare people into voting for Mr. Romney.

I guess I went down a Romney rabbit hole…  I’m glad I’m back out of it… it is a little scary to consider what the “Romney States of America” might be like in the future.

It is unfortunate that our first reaction to other people is that of fear and distrust....
"A new commandment I give you, that you love one another..."  ~John 13:34

2012 Republican Presidential Candidates...

I heard this today as I was watching "Morning Joe" on MSNBC:


"The Republican primary race has really been a choice between the unlikeable and the insufferable."
     ~ Tina Brown, Editor-in-Chief, Newsweek Magazine


This is a very interesting summation of the Republican candidates for President in 2012.  Who are the individuals who would have been more likable, sufferable or even desirable to the Republican Party as candidates for President?  Do such individuals actually exist?  And why didn't they run???

Maybe the question really needs to be: What is considered likable, sufferable or desirable for a presidential candidate in the Republican Party?  Maybe if that question were answered, then the more preferred presidential candidates could be found...

But I suspect that this close to the presidential election, even if that question were able to be answered and the more preferred candidate found, that it is too late... and Republicans will be stuck with either Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich or Ron Paul... none of whom have been endorsed wholeheartedly and without any type of reservation by leading Republicans, and all of whom are still running for nomination as the Republican candidate for President in the 2012 campaign.

Trayvon Martin and Hermeneutics for Life...

(Originally posted by me on:  dear world... postcards from life... )

I'm guessing that you may be wondering what the word "hermeneutics" means...  in theology, it is a fancy word for how people approach the reading, study and understanding of the Bible...  are we unbelieving or suspicious of Biblical scripture even before we read it ... or do we approach scripture with a mind-set of acceptance and belief before reading it?  You can think of these as ends of the "hermeneutics spectrum" with a whole lot of ways to approach scripture in-between...

Now you are wondering, "So what?"... 

I suspect we all have a hermeneutic for how we approach other people - our family, our friends, our acquaintances, the people we don't know... that this hermeneutic is different and shifting for the various people we encounter and the times we encounter them... that there are other complicating factors we are not even aware of that influence how we approach others... factors that have been ingrained in us through family and/or societal expectations from the time we were infants...

We rarely even think of any of this, as we see another person and evaluate, judge and approach them...

Again, "So what?"

I think we need to be honest with ourselves... to recognize and pay attention to the underlying factors that guide how we approach others...  our "hermeneutics for life", as it were... and I believe that we need to push back against the ones that would have us immediately be suspicious and perhaps fearful of the people we don't know, the people who are dressed differently, or who talk differently, or who (       ) differently (you can fill in the blank)... the people who we think of as "those other people"... 

Maybe Trayvon Martin might still be alive if George Zimmerman had done just that...  

Maybe all the Trayvon's of the world might still be alive...

Memorial Day...

On this solemn day of remembrance, may we be thankful to and be in prayer for all those who have served their country ... In honor and memory of those who have given "the last full measure of devotion" [Abraham Lincoln] that others might be free, I remind us all of the following words, penned by Katherine Lee Bates in 1904:

O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness, and every gain divine.

that "fire in my belly"...

"I think my problem is that I have that fire in my belly... I struggle with it every day."  ~Sarah Palin


Sarah, Sarah, there is no need for you to have to continue struggling with such pain ... there are medications available these days for that type of problem ... even over-the-counter ones.  But if the Rolaids, Tums, Pepto Bismol, or Milk of Magnesia don't help, and you continue to have that sensation of "fire in [your] belly" then I would suggest you seek the help of a Gastroenterologist [a tummy doctor].

He or she can suggest some medical tests ... for example a CT scan with contrast, or a barium swallow [I hear that the stuff doesn't really taste that bad], or a barium enema, or maybe even a colonoscopy, to name only a few possible tests, that might help to determine the cause of the "fire in [your] belly."  Your doctor might even decide that you need some type of surgery to relieve you of the "fire in [your] belly."

Of course, I do realize that these medicines and medical procedures, and the time you would spend in the hospital if you ended up needing surgery for the "fire in [your] belly" could run your medical bills pretty high ... and you might be one of the few thousand people who do not have good health insurance, and therefore struggle to have enough money to be able to pay your medical expenses ... in which case it might be difficult to get the problem of the "fire in [your] belly" quickly diagnosed and properly treated.

Oh, you're that Sarah Palin ... well, I guess you do have enough money and/or insurance to take care of the "fire in [your] belly".  Well, as I said at the outset, don't continue to struggle with such pain day in and day out ... see a doctor.  But please, don't pass the pain on to the American people by running for President of the United States in 2012.  No one in America has enough money or good enough insurance to help with the pain that would cause, in the very remote chance that you might win.  

no... he didn't really say that... did he?

Record flooding of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.  Killer tornadoes through Joplin Missouri, Tuscaloosa Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and numerous other states wreaking havoc and horrendous destruction, death, and financial loss to citizens of the United States.  Always, at least before today, in these situations, the federal government has done what it could to send aid, in the form of experienced disaster personnel and money, in order to augment state and local emergency personnel, secure damaged areas, save lives, and help in the rebuilding of what "Mother Nature" has destroyed.

But maybe, this will no longer be the case...  Eric Cantor, Republican Majority Leader in the United States House of Representatives, announced that emergency funding to help those devastated by the recent tornadoes and storms, should certainly be sent, but only as long as there is an equal corresponding reduction of monetary assets taken away from other federal programs...  in the interest of deficit reduction, of course.

When, oh when, will Republicans quit holding the American people hostage in the guise of deficit reduction?!!  And when will they quit trying to "reduce the deficit" on the backs of those who are least able to bear the burden - the poor, the needy and those who are "powerless" and have little voice in our society?!!

Shame!!!  Shame on you, Eric Cantor, for trying to use the sufferings and the hardships of thousands,  sufferings that have resulted from "Mother Nature's" destructive forces... shame on you for trying to use them for political ends!!!  In making a statement, you had a chance to give an encouraging word, to show some compassion for the people who will now be trying to pick up the pieces of their lives after the utter devastation they have been blessed enough to survive...  but no, you had to make it into a political point, at their expense....  Shame on you!!!   I have no doubt that your mother tried to teach you better, but you must not have listened to her lessons very well...  I will say it again... Shame on you!!!

the end of the world...today?

It was only recently that I became aware of a street sign on one of the major roads through my city.  It simply proclaimed, "The Lord is coming.  May 21, 2011".  Also seen on the sign was a website, which I confess that I have not looked up, and will not mention in this post.  I wondered at the sign, but didn't really think much about it until yesterday when my colleague at work mentioned that his pastor friends were posting on facebook that they were going ahead with their sermon preparation for Sunday just in case the world didn't end on Saturday, the 21st of May.

So, last night I watched some of the cable news shows, and was not disappointed to see that each of them had a short piece on this supposed momentous upcoming "end of the world" event...  granted, there were not any who were taking this apocalyptic prophesy seriously, but they covered enough of the story for me to learn what was behind the sign I had seen.

In short, an elderly Christian gentleman, through his study of the Holy Bible, believes that he found passages that enabled him to calculate the exact date that Jesus will return and take the faithful believers to heaven, and at the same time that the judgement of the world will commence... that day being sometime today, Saturday, May 21, 2011.    

A few thoughts about this:

I am Christian and do believe that at some time, Jesus will return, as He promised.  That being said, I do feel it is important to point out a couple of things about this event:

1.  When Jesus' disciples ask when the time will be that He [Jesus] will return, and what will be the sign of His coming, and of the end of the age, Jesus speaks of many events that must happen before His return [see Matthew 24].  He cautions that there will be many who will try to mislead believers [Jesus calls them false prophets], but in answer to His disciples' question of when He would return, He says, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."  [Matthew 24:36]

2.  The Apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Thessalonians, echoes this, as he tells the believers, "... the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night" [1 Thessalonians 5:2]... In other words, suddenly and without warning.

3.  When this event does happen, it won't be in secret... all will know and see it take place.  Jesus tells His disciples, "...they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory." [Matthew 24:30]  We will not need to be told that He has come... when it happens for real, all will know... there will be no questions or doubt in anyone's mind.

I think that there are far too many people who focus on and worry about the exact date and time the Lord will return.  In the past, people have come to my house to tell me that they know when Jesus will return, and to ask if I wanted to know.  My answer to that type of question is, "No."  I would rather do my best to live as a faithful servant of my Lord, Jesus the Christ, so that when He does return, if it happens to be in my lifetime, He will find me living a life that brings honor to His name and doing the things that He has called me to do.

Do I believe that Jesus will return again?  Yes.

Do I think he will return today, May 21, 2011?  I don't know... it is always a possibility.

Am I ready for His return?  I believe this is actually the most important question that each person needs to ask themselves... However, I can only answer that question for myself...  You have to examine your own heart and relationship with the Lord, and answer it for yourself.

a little political humor...

I confess...   A friend sent this to me through email and I could not resist re-posting it to this blog site, although I do not know the original author, in order to give him or her credit...  so here goes with a little bit of political humor... one has to lighten up once in a while, right?  Anyway, here goes...  


A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am." 

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above ground elevation of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude." 

She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be an Obama Democrat." 

"I am,"replied the man. "How did you know?" 

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct. But I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me." 

The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Republican." 

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?" 

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You've risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air.  You made a promise you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it's my fault."

birthers, republicans and political strategy

Last week the 112^th Congress took office…  new members were sworn in…  and the Constitution of the United States of America was read aloud.  That was most likely a good idea, as I am sure that no matter whether they are Republican, Democrat, Tea Party, Independent, or whatever fringe political party our congressional representatives may attach themselves to or consider themselves to be part of, there are not many of them who have the Constitution memorized.

Now, our Constitution is not worded exactly the same now, in 2011, as it was when it was originally written and adopted.  That is because there have been amendments made to it…  and rightfully so.  Our Founding Fathers were far-sighted enough to agree upon a constitution that would be able to be amended as time passed.  They knew that things would change within our country, and that our Constitution would need to change with it…  but so that the values upon which our country was founded, and which were embodied within the Constitution could not just be swept away arbitrarily by any individual or group in power on a whim or fancy, changing our Constitution, making amendments to it, was made a difficult process to achieve.  I give kudos to our Founding Fathers for this protection.

Now, one of the things included in our Constitution are the requirements that one must meet in order to serve as the President of the United States of America…  and among them is the requirement that any individual who serves as President must be a natural born citizen.  The man or woman who is President must have been born in the United States of America…  and of course most people know, I think, that this would include anyone who was born within any of the states that are considered to be part of the United States of America.

This is a simple enough concept, but apparently there are still those who do not understand it.  I say this because as I understand it, when our congressional leaders were reading the Constitution aloud last week, as they got to the part that mentioned the requirements to be the President, there was a woman who shouted out, “Except Obama!”

Now she did this for one of two reasons…  either she does not know that the State of Hawaii is a part of the United States of America… or she does not believe that President Obama was actually born in the State of Hawaii, as public records indicate.  While I know that it is not always wise to “assume” something, I will give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that she does indeed know that Hawaii is one of the states that make up our fair country…   so that must mean that she still does not believe that President Obama was actually born in the State of Hawaii…  and I suspect that she is not alone…  they are called “the birthers”…

It has now been two years since President Obama took office, after winning the 2008 presidential election.  This notion, that he is not a natural born citizen, started sometime while he was running for president, and during the campaign, was used as political fodder for those who were campaigning for his opponents.  Official public records show this idea for the ridiculous lie that it is.

In my humble opinion, it is time that this lie be laid to rest, in favor of the truth, that President Obama is indeed a natural born citizen, and whether or not one likes the man or even agrees with him, he should have the respect that any President of the United States deserves, simply because he is the President.  I also believe that it would go a long way to help end this lie, if Republicans, and even Tea Party-ers, would refute it definitely, openly and publicly.

Do I think that Republicans or Tea Party-ers will do this?  No.  And the reason has nothing to do with their beliefs about President Obama’s citizenship status, but rather more to do with political strategy…  It is simply more politically expedient for Republicans and Tea Party-ers to have a fringe of society constantly stirring this idea up at any opportune moment… as it keeps people divided at a time when we really need to be working together to find solutions for the pressing economic problems that we, as a nation continue to face.  C’mon Republicans…  C’mon Tea Party-ers…  help take out one more thing that is used to divide citizens of the United States… help put to death this lie that continues to be believed and spread by “the birthers”…

Christmas...

may you each travel to the manger and worship the King this night...  for this is truly what Christmas is about...


[video link]

Robin Hood, Where are You??

I heard on the news this morning that Congress has chosen not to extend the unemployment benefits to millions of Americans who desperately need them...  citing "fiscal responsibility" they cannot see their way clear to help those who lost their jobs as a result of our tanking economy.  Ok, I get it...   they want people to work for their money, not just have it handed to them....   so then Congress, WHERE ARE THE JOBS???

If you don't want to be fiscally irresponsible and add 56 billion dollars to the deficit, in order to help your less fortunate brothers and sisters here in America, who by the way, did nothing to deserve the economic difficulties that they are experiencing, and try as they might cannot find a job, then at least you could work on creating incentives so that the economy will pick up and they will be able to get back to work and earn their pay...

Of course, there are always those Bush era tax cuts...   those can be extended to everyone, as Republicans would like...  now that would be real "fiscal responsibility" wouldn't it?  Especially extending the tax cuts to the wealthiest 2% of our nation...   I have heard from news sources that economists say that doing this would add somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 billion dollars to the deficit...

Yeah, that's the ticket to fiscal responsibility and economic growth...  give those wealthy people tax cuts that they don't really need so they can save the money, not spend it on expanding business and creating job growth....  as opposed to giving the ordinary folks money they need to survive, who will then spend it on necessities and put it back into our economy.

After hearing how "fiscally responsible" Congress wants to be now, I just have so much more confidence in my elected officials...  those people who are supposed to put the good of the American People ahead of their own agendas...

But I must admit that I don't have a lot of confidence in their basic knowledge of Arithmetic...  I mean, the last time I checked, 700 billion dollars was a lot greater than 56 billion dollars  [700 billion>56 billion]... so where is the fiscal responsibility in denying the needy and pandering to the rich?

Taking from the poor and giving to the rich....   Robin Hood, where are you when we need you????