By Mary MacElveen
October 27, 2009
I just love when another’s prose hits you over the head and where you shout out: “YES!” That is exactly the response I gave after reading Paul Craig Robert’s piece: US Joins the Ranks of Failed States. So, much so, I had to spread it far and wide using Twitter and Facebook.com as you will see below. My suggestion to you is, READ IT!
US Joins Ranks Of Failed States: http://tinyurl.com/yh6yfoo Again, Paul Craig Roberts hits another home run! This is a MUST READ!!!
The other day, I wrote a column addressing war vs. healthcare titled: Baghdad bombings: We are a warrior nation instead of a healing nation citing the total amount of money it has cost so far in running these wars in the Middle East. But, thanks and I mean, thanks to Paul Craig Roberts, he breaks those numbers down further and will clearly show why we cannot afford healthcare. Example as cited in his eye-popping article: “According to reports, the US Marines in Afghanistan use 800,000 gallons of gasoline per day. At $400 per gallon, that comes to a $320,000,000 daily fuel bill for the Marines alone. Only a country totally out of control would squander resources in this way.” Exactly, how are these wars in our own national and even economic interests when we are spending money hand over many fists in order to pay for them?
In referencing a past column of mine which is no longer on-line: “You Don’t Defend America with a Lie” written back in May of 2003 I wrote: “A strong country means a country that is economically solvent, instead of insolvent. We have basically allowed a lie to put us in the red.” The lie I speak of is the Iraq War.
In addressing the ‘right war’; Afghanistan if any war is a right war, it too is draining us. First, we are losing our soldiers, innocent Afghanis and yes our fiscal treasure. We simply cannot afford this war.
To the war-hawks of this nation: Exactly how many years do you want to spend fighting this war? One year, two years, five years or a war without end? If you are in support of fighting a perpetual battle, then, hawks, you are fools! And some of you call yourselves fiscal conservatives. To that I add: Hah!
On September 17th, 2009, I came across an article on Truthout.org titled: Afghanistan: Where Empires go to Die. Alone, that title speaks for itself. No further words are needed given any nation’s history fighting a war in Afghanistan. But, according to this article: “The United States Empire is following a long line of empires and conquerors that have met their end in Afghanistan. The Median and Persian Empires, Alexander the Great, the Seleucids, the Indo-Greeks, Turks, Mongols, British and Soviets all met the end of their ambitions in Afghanistan.” I highly recommend to all that they read this insightful piece.
Yet, some want the United States to stay the course in Afghanistan. History is indeed repeating itself even thinking we can win. We are sending our men and women into a meat-grinder as our country’s fiscal reserves are facing the same fate.
Think of this, we are printing dollar-after-dollar to fund these wars, borrowing handily from China and quite frankly handing all of them over to the defense industry. Those blood suckers are draining we the people.
Some will scream of the cost of healthcare; yet say nothing and I mean nothing when it comes to the cost of these endless wars. Do they think that at one point, we can defeat say Al Qaeda and the Taliban where they will throw up their arms and say: “You won!” at some point? Nonsense, this is a major blow-back just waiting to happen. Then again, we are already feeling the financial blow-back by throwing our good money down the drain in supporting these wars.
Again, reverting back to my 2003 column, I wrote: “should a greater threat occur, how will we pay for it?” That threat can come in many ways and perhaps it already has when we as a country cannot even afford basic healthcare for all. What of any new enemy that looms large on the horizon who can attack us given the right set of circumstances? Are they just laying in wait as we spend our selves out of control with these two wars going? Perhaps and more importantly, yes.
What of the millions we displaced in Iraq? Are a good number of them just waiting their turn as we turned their homeland into a hell on Earth? Just something to think about.
What of the devastation we may face should another attack occur within our borders or a series of attacks? A nightmare scenario would be if a nuclear plant was attacked. I have addressed this in the past and where the casualty rate will be higher than the casualty rates of 9/11. But since some would rather focus on the costs: Exactly how would we pay for said nightmare scenario or a series of attacks?
I will end this piece with a quote made by Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson (former Chief of Staff to the former Secretary of State Colin Powell) who once said of the “ineptitude” of the US government: “If something comes along that is truly serious, truly serious. Something like a nuclear weapon going off in a major city or a pandemic, you are going to see the ineptitude of this government in a way that will take you back to the Declaration of Independence.” He opined this as he was interviewed on CNN's "Late Edition" on November 20th, 2005.
This ineptitude of fighting years-upon-years in Afghanistan is driving all of us off the financial cliff. $320,000,000 for a daily fuel bill in Afghanistan: How many uninsured Americans could be seen by a doctor using that figure?
I would like to add an addendum to this piece: In posting my article, I read where we just lost eight U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan today where October has been one of the deadliest months. How many more shall the US gov’t kill should we fight a war without end? Enough!
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Baghdad bombings: We are a warrior nation instead of a healing nation
By Mary MacElveen
October 26, 2009
We say we are a nation at war, but how can we actually say that upon reading that suicide bombers took the lives of 147 Iraqis and where 500 more were wounded? We the United States of America had a causal affect in these lone bombings since we destabilized this sovereign country.
As I have said from day one when we launched “Shock and Awe”, the Iraqi people have undergone a 9/11 event on a daily basis for six years without any end in sight. Through our own actions at the hands the previous Bush administration, we became the terrorists of an innocent people. When will it stop? We who voted for President Obama were hoping and praying for a real change, yet, the killings go on. They are not only felt in Iraq, but are consistently being felt in Afghanistan and as reports are filed; Pakistan.
How can we exactly say we are a nation at war when we are not suffering from daily attacks? Yes, our military and their families do, but not we the people. We would rather focus on the ‘Balloon Boy’, Michael Jackson, Paris Hilton and the list goes on. We cannot even imagine the life of an Iraqi citizen or an Afghani citizen. Their lives are a daily hell on Earth.
While I am not a subscriber online to “The New Yorker” I was able to pick out key points in Jane Mayer’s article “The Predator War”. In it, Mayer writes: “reports of fatal air strikes in Pakistan emerge every few days. According to a new study by the New America Foundation, the number of drone strikes has gone up dramatically since Obama became President. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the defense contractor that manufactures the Predator and its more heavily armed sibling, the Reaper, can barely keep up with the government’s demand. With public disenchantment mounting over the U.S. troop deployment in Afghanistan, many in Washington support an even greater reliance on Predator strikes.”
Just think about it: You are an innocent Pakistani family who had no part in 9/11 and a bomb comes crashing through your home through a predator bomb delivered by a drone. You are not Al Qaeda, but a family trying to get by in this arduous world filled with war and violence.
I wrote exactly the same way after the launch of “Shock and Awe” as it affected the Iraqi people.
Yes, ‘Tenthers’ you are paying for wars without end, yet gripe when it comes to healthcare. You cite where providing healthcare for all is unconstitutional: What of perpetual wars?
In reading my Sunday edition of Newsday, I came upon a photo where a group of protesters were holding a sign stating: “Our “10” Amendment Means NO!! To Gov’t Healthcare!!” I would love to pose the question to these protestors: What of warfare since we have been at war in the Middle East since 2001? Oops, I forgot about the Iraqi War during the first Bush administration and the sanctions during the Clinton administration. When exactly will we exit this region and put a stop to our footprint in this region? After all, we the taxpayers are paying for these perpetual wars without any end in sight.
In a tweet on Twitter.com, I posed this question yesterday: “GOP say Dems health care plans too costly: http://tinyurl.com/ygzutqx What price war?: http://www.costofwar.com/ $924 billion!” Tenthers, where is your angst at that amount of money being spent on wars? You gripe at the amount to be spent on healthcare, what of war?
Just before the previous Bush administration launched “Shock and Awe” those of us who protested this ongoing war in Iraq were not listened to, yet, ‘tea-baggers’ who oppose real reform in healthcare are? Our morals are skewed if we can see merit in being a warrior nation as opposed to a healing nation.
October 26, 2009
We say we are a nation at war, but how can we actually say that upon reading that suicide bombers took the lives of 147 Iraqis and where 500 more were wounded? We the United States of America had a causal affect in these lone bombings since we destabilized this sovereign country.
As I have said from day one when we launched “Shock and Awe”, the Iraqi people have undergone a 9/11 event on a daily basis for six years without any end in sight. Through our own actions at the hands the previous Bush administration, we became the terrorists of an innocent people. When will it stop? We who voted for President Obama were hoping and praying for a real change, yet, the killings go on. They are not only felt in Iraq, but are consistently being felt in Afghanistan and as reports are filed; Pakistan.
How can we exactly say we are a nation at war when we are not suffering from daily attacks? Yes, our military and their families do, but not we the people. We would rather focus on the ‘Balloon Boy’, Michael Jackson, Paris Hilton and the list goes on. We cannot even imagine the life of an Iraqi citizen or an Afghani citizen. Their lives are a daily hell on Earth.
While I am not a subscriber online to “The New Yorker” I was able to pick out key points in Jane Mayer’s article “The Predator War”. In it, Mayer writes: “reports of fatal air strikes in Pakistan emerge every few days. According to a new study by the New America Foundation, the number of drone strikes has gone up dramatically since Obama became President. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, the defense contractor that manufactures the Predator and its more heavily armed sibling, the Reaper, can barely keep up with the government’s demand. With public disenchantment mounting over the U.S. troop deployment in Afghanistan, many in Washington support an even greater reliance on Predator strikes.”
Just think about it: You are an innocent Pakistani family who had no part in 9/11 and a bomb comes crashing through your home through a predator bomb delivered by a drone. You are not Al Qaeda, but a family trying to get by in this arduous world filled with war and violence.
I wrote exactly the same way after the launch of “Shock and Awe” as it affected the Iraqi people.
Yes, ‘Tenthers’ you are paying for wars without end, yet gripe when it comes to healthcare. You cite where providing healthcare for all is unconstitutional: What of perpetual wars?
In reading my Sunday edition of Newsday, I came upon a photo where a group of protesters were holding a sign stating: “Our “10” Amendment Means NO!! To Gov’t Healthcare!!” I would love to pose the question to these protestors: What of warfare since we have been at war in the Middle East since 2001? Oops, I forgot about the Iraqi War during the first Bush administration and the sanctions during the Clinton administration. When exactly will we exit this region and put a stop to our footprint in this region? After all, we the taxpayers are paying for these perpetual wars without any end in sight.
In a tweet on Twitter.com, I posed this question yesterday: “GOP say Dems health care plans too costly: http://tinyurl.com/ygzutqx What price war?: http://www.costofwar.com/ $924 billion!” Tenthers, where is your angst at that amount of money being spent on wars? You gripe at the amount to be spent on healthcare, what of war?
Just before the previous Bush administration launched “Shock and Awe” those of us who protested this ongoing war in Iraq were not listened to, yet, ‘tea-baggers’ who oppose real reform in healthcare are? Our morals are skewed if we can see merit in being a warrior nation as opposed to a healing nation.
Author’s email address is xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author.
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author.
Friday, October 23, 2009
A change of heart: Sex offenders who kill deserve the death penalty
By Mary MacElveen
October 24, 2009
This will be one of my shortest op-ed pieces within nine years of writing them, but I must come clean. In as much as I say that I am pro-life where I have stated I am pro-life from cradle-to-grave, I must, I must take back that mantle especially when it comes to child sexual predators. These monsters will at times take the lives of innocent victims, namely children. Our precious children gone before the promise of their lives not realized to all of us.
If a writer is to be honest with their readers, then they must be honest with themselves first and foremost. Over the years I have read up on pedophilia and have written of it. There are no words to adequately describe my feelings towards these predators. If I had to choose one word, it would be ‘hate’. That word at times seems tame.
In delving into the heinous world of pedophilia, one cannot take enough hot showers to clean themselves from reading story-upon-story of children raped and murdered by demons. I want these demons dead. I cannot stomach their apologists or those who try, try to explain away their deviant behavior. How dare they?! Let them face a child who has survived a predator or a parent whose child was taken by one.
I do not want these demons out within our neighborhoods being told to register under Megan’s Law, I want them locked up. Is that so much to ask of our stupid politicians who think this is the best way of dealing with sexual offenders? In doing so, it is their abdication of judicial responsibility to deal with these predators. They expect us to deal with them instead of them. I have stated that from the get-go, yet, yet no one listens.
Tonight, I had to put out a tweet on Twitter.com and my Facebook.com page this entry: “My tears and anguish go out to Diena Thompson whose daughter Somer was killed by a child predator: http://tinyurl.com/yzw7g4a. Fry him!”
It is my sincere hope that you sit and listen to Diena Thompson openly grieve fully knowing that her beloved Somer will not come back to her again and murdered at the hands of a predator. Whose rights should we as a society be protecting? The rights of the victim(s) or the rights of the predator(s)?
Somer Thompson and children just like her namely Jessica Lunsford will not be coming back to their loved ones or to us and it is time we stand up for them. We as a society must demand of our politicos that if you sexually harm a child and are declared a level three sex offender, you are never getting out of prison. If you kill a child in the act of any sexual act, you will face the death penalty. It is the least we can do for those most innocent amongst us; our children.
So, I guess I am not pro-life from cradle-to-grave; but justice for the most innocent amongst us rings louder in my ears. I hope that you hear them too.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author.
October 24, 2009
This will be one of my shortest op-ed pieces within nine years of writing them, but I must come clean. In as much as I say that I am pro-life where I have stated I am pro-life from cradle-to-grave, I must, I must take back that mantle especially when it comes to child sexual predators. These monsters will at times take the lives of innocent victims, namely children. Our precious children gone before the promise of their lives not realized to all of us.
If a writer is to be honest with their readers, then they must be honest with themselves first and foremost. Over the years I have read up on pedophilia and have written of it. There are no words to adequately describe my feelings towards these predators. If I had to choose one word, it would be ‘hate’. That word at times seems tame.
In delving into the heinous world of pedophilia, one cannot take enough hot showers to clean themselves from reading story-upon-story of children raped and murdered by demons. I want these demons dead. I cannot stomach their apologists or those who try, try to explain away their deviant behavior. How dare they?! Let them face a child who has survived a predator or a parent whose child was taken by one.
I do not want these demons out within our neighborhoods being told to register under Megan’s Law, I want them locked up. Is that so much to ask of our stupid politicians who think this is the best way of dealing with sexual offenders? In doing so, it is their abdication of judicial responsibility to deal with these predators. They expect us to deal with them instead of them. I have stated that from the get-go, yet, yet no one listens.
Tonight, I had to put out a tweet on Twitter.com and my Facebook.com page this entry: “My tears and anguish go out to Diena Thompson whose daughter Somer was killed by a child predator: http://tinyurl.com/yzw7g4a. Fry him!”
It is my sincere hope that you sit and listen to Diena Thompson openly grieve fully knowing that her beloved Somer will not come back to her again and murdered at the hands of a predator. Whose rights should we as a society be protecting? The rights of the victim(s) or the rights of the predator(s)?
Somer Thompson and children just like her namely Jessica Lunsford will not be coming back to their loved ones or to us and it is time we stand up for them. We as a society must demand of our politicos that if you sexually harm a child and are declared a level three sex offender, you are never getting out of prison. If you kill a child in the act of any sexual act, you will face the death penalty. It is the least we can do for those most innocent amongst us; our children.
So, I guess I am not pro-life from cradle-to-grave; but justice for the most innocent amongst us rings louder in my ears. I hope that you hear them too.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Email sent to Suffolk Cty., NY politicians regarding mass transportation
To My Elected Officials, October 22, 2009
At the bottom of this email to all of you, I will name all of you whom I elected to serve the people. I fully believe that transportation within Suffolk County, NY is key to getting people where they need to go. I am not speaking of cars or other forms of personal transportation, but mass transportation. First due to the economy, many cannot afford to own a vehicle, fill its tanks and pay for the insurance. How are they supposed to get from point A to point B? By bus? I invite all of you to look over the Suffolk County bus schedule and see if there are buses for you to take to your work or those who work for you.
As you will see, NO buses run on Sundays or after dark and people do work on Sundays and after 6 PM throughout the week. So, how are they supposed to get to and from work or shopping for that matter? This is where I wish that politicians would place themselves in our shoes for at least a week to see the burdens we face.
I can attest to the fact that being an epileptic who does not drive for medical reasons, being without personal transportation is akin to being a prisoner in one’s home. I am at the mercy of cabs for the most part and let me tell you as a cashier at Stop and Shop who makes $7.50 per hour the fare to my job costs $8 dollars per fare. Thankfully there is a bus that I can take, but it is not frequent enough and only costs me $1.50 to get there. However, it does take me ten-to-fifteen minutes to walk to my bus-stop and after being on my feet for hours, walking is the last thing I want to do.
If I am scheduled to work on a Sunday or at nights, I am out of luck and I am then at the mercy of Lindy’s Cab Company. How would you like a life like that? I have had friends and family say to me: “Call me if you need a ride” and while I am grateful, it is NOT their responsibility to get me to and from work. It is mine.
Do you finally get it now of the hardships we who do not drive for medical or economic reasons face? This is our world and welcome to it.
As a former political activist who routinely receives emails asking exorbitant amounts of moneys to donate to this campaign or that, it sickens me when I have to plead to all of you to help me get from point A to point B by bus. At times, I feel as if no one is listening to my pleas by only wish money sent to all of you in order to help you get elected or re-elected. Well my wallet is closed shut!
All I am asking or rather pleading for all of you to do is to help me and others like me get to work or shopping and liberate us from our prisons when we have no way of getting to where we want to go. That is what we elected all of you to do. It is time you serve we the people and not the other way around!
Sincerely,
Mary MacElveen
Email sent to:
Congressman, Tim Bishop
County Executive, Steve Levy
County Legislator, Dan Lasquadro
Councilwoman, Jane Bonner
Assemblyman, Marc Alessi
State Senator, Ken LaValle
At the bottom of this email to all of you, I will name all of you whom I elected to serve the people. I fully believe that transportation within Suffolk County, NY is key to getting people where they need to go. I am not speaking of cars or other forms of personal transportation, but mass transportation. First due to the economy, many cannot afford to own a vehicle, fill its tanks and pay for the insurance. How are they supposed to get from point A to point B? By bus? I invite all of you to look over the Suffolk County bus schedule and see if there are buses for you to take to your work or those who work for you.
As you will see, NO buses run on Sundays or after dark and people do work on Sundays and after 6 PM throughout the week. So, how are they supposed to get to and from work or shopping for that matter? This is where I wish that politicians would place themselves in our shoes for at least a week to see the burdens we face.
I can attest to the fact that being an epileptic who does not drive for medical reasons, being without personal transportation is akin to being a prisoner in one’s home. I am at the mercy of cabs for the most part and let me tell you as a cashier at Stop and Shop who makes $7.50 per hour the fare to my job costs $8 dollars per fare. Thankfully there is a bus that I can take, but it is not frequent enough and only costs me $1.50 to get there. However, it does take me ten-to-fifteen minutes to walk to my bus-stop and after being on my feet for hours, walking is the last thing I want to do.
If I am scheduled to work on a Sunday or at nights, I am out of luck and I am then at the mercy of Lindy’s Cab Company. How would you like a life like that? I have had friends and family say to me: “Call me if you need a ride” and while I am grateful, it is NOT their responsibility to get me to and from work. It is mine.
Do you finally get it now of the hardships we who do not drive for medical or economic reasons face? This is our world and welcome to it.
As a former political activist who routinely receives emails asking exorbitant amounts of moneys to donate to this campaign or that, it sickens me when I have to plead to all of you to help me get from point A to point B by bus. At times, I feel as if no one is listening to my pleas by only wish money sent to all of you in order to help you get elected or re-elected. Well my wallet is closed shut!
All I am asking or rather pleading for all of you to do is to help me and others like me get to work or shopping and liberate us from our prisons when we have no way of getting to where we want to go. That is what we elected all of you to do. It is time you serve we the people and not the other way around!
Sincerely,
Mary MacElveen
Email sent to:
Congressman, Tim Bishop
County Executive, Steve Levy
County Legislator, Dan Lasquadro
Councilwoman, Jane Bonner
Assemblyman, Marc Alessi
State Senator, Ken LaValle
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
An idea how to help the Clinton Global Initiative
By Mary MacElveen
September 23, 2009
Tonight, I watched former President Bill Clinton on the Dave Letterman Show and he asked if anyone has an idea to help those most needy not only in our country, but the world. I was personally touched when he reached out to the audience not only in the studio, but those viewing the broadcast.
As a writer, I am going to let you into my personal life somewhat. A few weeks ago for very personal reasons, I found myself not able to provide food for my two children ages 19 and 17. I will not go into those reasons why, but tell you that a dear friend of mine who works for my local church availed me of their food pantry as well as ways of gaining employment. I was extremely thankful to her and the church as well. The food we ate that came from that pantry tasted like manna from Heaven.
Since then, I have gained employment at my local grocery store and I have come up with an idea to help the Clinton Global Initiative. Each time you go food shopping, pick up items that you can donate to your local food shelters and pantries instead of the junk food one can purchase while shopping.
With obesity being one of the main killers in our society, my suggestion would be is to pick up canned fruit, or fresh vegetables to donate to one’s food pantries or shelters. It does not have to be costly, but merely a substitute for the high-fat and high-calorie foods the poor of our society have been forced to purchase due to the low-price of fast food. Let us all help steer them towards a food pantry instead of McDonalds or Burger King.
Many within our United States congress have been obstructionists towards healthcare for all and simply by purchasing food items that are healthier for the poor to eat, we can change the healthcare system. Instead of the poor in our society having to eat a burger from one of these burger chains, they can gain sustenance from a box of pasta with the sauce that goes with it. Please make sure that the sauce is low in sodium content.
In working for a local grocery chain, there are many weeks we do have healthy food items on sale. All it takes is for you, the consumer to look in your flyers to help your fellow citizens. Instead of that bottle of soda, you can purchase a staple item that will fill the bellies of children within your neighborhood. As they eat it, they will be grateful to you even if they do not know who you are. I can personally attest to this.
I am truly thankful that David Letterman had on as his guest our former president, Bill Clinton to spread ideas of how we can help our fellow citizens as well as people all around the world. Now let us go out shopping to help those most needy around us.
Author’s email address is xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, no permission is needed, simply spread the word.
September 23, 2009
Tonight, I watched former President Bill Clinton on the Dave Letterman Show and he asked if anyone has an idea to help those most needy not only in our country, but the world. I was personally touched when he reached out to the audience not only in the studio, but those viewing the broadcast.
As a writer, I am going to let you into my personal life somewhat. A few weeks ago for very personal reasons, I found myself not able to provide food for my two children ages 19 and 17. I will not go into those reasons why, but tell you that a dear friend of mine who works for my local church availed me of their food pantry as well as ways of gaining employment. I was extremely thankful to her and the church as well. The food we ate that came from that pantry tasted like manna from Heaven.
Since then, I have gained employment at my local grocery store and I have come up with an idea to help the Clinton Global Initiative. Each time you go food shopping, pick up items that you can donate to your local food shelters and pantries instead of the junk food one can purchase while shopping.
With obesity being one of the main killers in our society, my suggestion would be is to pick up canned fruit, or fresh vegetables to donate to one’s food pantries or shelters. It does not have to be costly, but merely a substitute for the high-fat and high-calorie foods the poor of our society have been forced to purchase due to the low-price of fast food. Let us all help steer them towards a food pantry instead of McDonalds or Burger King.
Many within our United States congress have been obstructionists towards healthcare for all and simply by purchasing food items that are healthier for the poor to eat, we can change the healthcare system. Instead of the poor in our society having to eat a burger from one of these burger chains, they can gain sustenance from a box of pasta with the sauce that goes with it. Please make sure that the sauce is low in sodium content.
In working for a local grocery chain, there are many weeks we do have healthy food items on sale. All it takes is for you, the consumer to look in your flyers to help your fellow citizens. Instead of that bottle of soda, you can purchase a staple item that will fill the bellies of children within your neighborhood. As they eat it, they will be grateful to you even if they do not know who you are. I can personally attest to this.
I am truly thankful that David Letterman had on as his guest our former president, Bill Clinton to spread ideas of how we can help our fellow citizens as well as people all around the world. Now let us go out shopping to help those most needy around us.
Author’s email address is xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, no permission is needed, simply spread the word.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
September 11th anniversary: We must realize wars without end is not the answer
By Mary MacElveen
September 11, 2009
On both my Twitter page and my Facebook.com page, I wrote this entry concerning the of eighth-year anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 attacks upon this country: “With reverence to the victims who died on September 11, 2001, we must realize a war without end is not the answer!”
At this point, hearing or reading upon death upon death, I do not care what your belief of how so many died on that day. All I care of is how many took place because a government dropped the ball and how many lives were lost due to those circumstances. Each life lost on that day was precious and most importantly we must realize that fact.
According to Anti-War.com, they have listed every single name of one of OUR soldiers who have died since May 1st, 2003 in Iraq without bringing those who lost their lives in Afghanistan. As we concentrate on beefing up the forces in that country, many more will die as we have seen with increased military deaths in the past few months. We must NOT forget of the civilian deaths in both Afghanistan and Iraq. What crime did they commit to die by the hands of our country? Nothing!
As many have concentrated solely on military deaths, I have taken important notice of the civilian deaths, especially babies. I have seen their photos and it sickens me to death. I have seen the photos of our soldiers whose faces and bodies have been ripped to shreds realizing there is NO purpose to these endless wars. Oh God, stop these wars!
Last night as our President, Barack Obama was discussing healthcare before a joint congressional message to both houses of congress, a South Carolina congressman, Joe Wilson called him a liar when it came to the question of coverage for undocumented immigrants of this country. According to the AP, he shouted out with finger pointed: “You liar”. At that point, I wanted to smack him across the face! I still do as he was forced by the Republican leadership to apologize to the president.
It galls me that if someone had done the same thing and directed it at former President, George W. Bush, he or she would have been scorned for a life-time and thrown out of either the senate or congress. Most likely, he or she would have been branded un-patriotic and thrown into GITMO.
Here we have a president who is trying to save lives through better healthcare as opposed to a former president who lied through his teeth to end lives. I would call that unforgiveable.
Looking back and remembering that bright-sunny day where over 3,000 lives were lost: one of the most memorable visual imageries I will take away from that day is of how many leapt to their deaths from the Twin Towers or the first-responders who climbed their own stair ways to Heaven in order to save lives. We must not forget their selfless sacrifice to our country and their fellow human beings.
I fully believe that we who cherish life must own this day forever more instead of those who seek to destroy lives. The victims of that day would be screaming from the Heavens above for us to do so. After all, they know what it is like to lose their lives where we do not.
As many of our fellow citizens scream out for healthcare not only for themselves, but for others, we must remember how much money is being spent on wars without end. While some estimates say this new healthcare package will cost $900 billion over ten years, the wars without end have so far cost you and me, a little over $908 billion dollars and still climbing by the second.
Do we say to the victims of September 11, 2001: We do not care how you died, we only care of war, or do we say to them we for once will get this right? What is right after all? Till we blow each other to smithereens or till we finally get it that life is worth preserving?
Attacks to our country come in many forms and one of them is nature. Nature has taught us that if man does not strike, oh she will. These lessons can be learned from the hurricanes that struck us in Katrina, Rita and Gustav to the firestorms that have hit California lately. All of these events bring about terror to their victims and let us not forget about the costs of helping these victims.
In these events, we do not have any body or any group to target, but the lives lost are as equally important to those who died on September 11th, 2001. Perhaps, that is our lesson after all.
To those who lost loved ones on September 11th, my heart breaks for you. All who died on that horrific day are forever in my prayers as I oppose these wars without end. We have had enough people dying and it is time to say enough and to change the course of this country.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: To use portions of this column, please email the author.
September 11, 2009
On both my Twitter page and my Facebook.com page, I wrote this entry concerning the of eighth-year anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 attacks upon this country: “With reverence to the victims who died on September 11, 2001, we must realize a war without end is not the answer!”
At this point, hearing or reading upon death upon death, I do not care what your belief of how so many died on that day. All I care of is how many took place because a government dropped the ball and how many lives were lost due to those circumstances. Each life lost on that day was precious and most importantly we must realize that fact.
According to Anti-War.com, they have listed every single name of one of OUR soldiers who have died since May 1st, 2003 in Iraq without bringing those who lost their lives in Afghanistan. As we concentrate on beefing up the forces in that country, many more will die as we have seen with increased military deaths in the past few months. We must NOT forget of the civilian deaths in both Afghanistan and Iraq. What crime did they commit to die by the hands of our country? Nothing!
As many have concentrated solely on military deaths, I have taken important notice of the civilian deaths, especially babies. I have seen their photos and it sickens me to death. I have seen the photos of our soldiers whose faces and bodies have been ripped to shreds realizing there is NO purpose to these endless wars. Oh God, stop these wars!
Last night as our President, Barack Obama was discussing healthcare before a joint congressional message to both houses of congress, a South Carolina congressman, Joe Wilson called him a liar when it came to the question of coverage for undocumented immigrants of this country. According to the AP, he shouted out with finger pointed: “You liar”. At that point, I wanted to smack him across the face! I still do as he was forced by the Republican leadership to apologize to the president.
It galls me that if someone had done the same thing and directed it at former President, George W. Bush, he or she would have been scorned for a life-time and thrown out of either the senate or congress. Most likely, he or she would have been branded un-patriotic and thrown into GITMO.
Here we have a president who is trying to save lives through better healthcare as opposed to a former president who lied through his teeth to end lives. I would call that unforgiveable.
Looking back and remembering that bright-sunny day where over 3,000 lives were lost: one of the most memorable visual imageries I will take away from that day is of how many leapt to their deaths from the Twin Towers or the first-responders who climbed their own stair ways to Heaven in order to save lives. We must not forget their selfless sacrifice to our country and their fellow human beings.
I fully believe that we who cherish life must own this day forever more instead of those who seek to destroy lives. The victims of that day would be screaming from the Heavens above for us to do so. After all, they know what it is like to lose their lives where we do not.
As many of our fellow citizens scream out for healthcare not only for themselves, but for others, we must remember how much money is being spent on wars without end. While some estimates say this new healthcare package will cost $900 billion over ten years, the wars without end have so far cost you and me, a little over $908 billion dollars and still climbing by the second.
Do we say to the victims of September 11, 2001: We do not care how you died, we only care of war, or do we say to them we for once will get this right? What is right after all? Till we blow each other to smithereens or till we finally get it that life is worth preserving?
Attacks to our country come in many forms and one of them is nature. Nature has taught us that if man does not strike, oh she will. These lessons can be learned from the hurricanes that struck us in Katrina, Rita and Gustav to the firestorms that have hit California lately. All of these events bring about terror to their victims and let us not forget about the costs of helping these victims.
In these events, we do not have any body or any group to target, but the lives lost are as equally important to those who died on September 11th, 2001. Perhaps, that is our lesson after all.
To those who lost loved ones on September 11th, my heart breaks for you. All who died on that horrific day are forever in my prayers as I oppose these wars without end. We have had enough people dying and it is time to say enough and to change the course of this country.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: To use portions of this column, please email the author.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Is protecting health insurance companies truly healthcare reform?
By Mary MacElveen
September 9, 2009
We have all seen commercial ads for prescription drugs one can take for any number of ailments: such as taking Lipitor for one’s cholesterol and if I were an uninsured citizen of this country who suffers from high cholesterol, I would quite frankly see that ad as a tease. Oh sure, you can take this drug, but it is going to cost you. But before being prescribed this drug, one must see a doctor. Wait, without being covered and being able to see a doctor, one cannot get this drug.
Here is the latest Lipitor ad that is currently running on most stations? Is he simply an actor or someone that does suffer from high cholesterol? Regardless of who he is, still to produce that ad and air it costs money and more likely than not the cost of producing it trickles down to the price of the drug.
How many of us have gone to the doctor if we can afford it and say, “I want to be placed on this drug” instead of letting the doctor diagnose your ailment and prescribe the best course of treatment. Drug companies bank on you doing just that.
Just recently, Brookhaven Memorial Hospital began running ads on cable networks hoping that YOU will choose it should you need healthcare. It begs the question: If you do not have health insurance, just how are you going to afford to become their patient? If I were an uninsured person, it would be akin to a child looking through the window of a toy store knowing his or her parents could not afford said toy.
Ad-buys for drugs or hospitals cost money, so it should not be a total surprise to any of us why healthcare for all Americans is out of reach for the 47 million who presently are uninsured.
Here is an ad for Anthem-Blue Cross and I would love to know how much they spent in the making of that commercial which likely uses actors. How much did it cost them to buy ad-space on the television networks that carried it? Let us not forget the actors, since they are paid to appear in commercials. Do these ad-buys contribute to high premiums one must pay? You actually think the executives of these companies would eat the cost of making these commercials? Like any business, the cost is born by the customer.
Those politicos who are presently railing against the ‘public option’ or dare I say single-payer health care foresee competition between these health insurance companies as our best bet. Wait a gosh darn minute. In order to compete: Wouldn’t these companies need to advertise their rates and services by using commercial ad-buys?
In reading this article published today: How Much Do Television Ads Cost?, please take note of this passage: “It has been estimated that the average cost of producing a 30-second national TV commercial is nearly $350,000. But before you panic, understand that like any other form of advertising, a television commercial can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Not surprisingly, the cost to produce the commercial goes up as the quality and complexity of the commercial increases.”
We have all heard of how much ads cost to run during the Super Bowl and will these health insurance companies run ads during them all in the name of competition? Instead of $350,000 going towards patient care and coverage, competition between health insurance companies will bring about an explosion in ad-buys.
I can almost hear the salivating of advertising agencies just ready to exploit this fraud perpetrated upon the people called, “Health insurance company based health reform”
One does have to wonder if cable and broadcast networks are almost banking on the competition between insurance companies as being their best bet to make money. Should this be the reform that will be shoved down our throats: How much will cable networks such as Fox, CNN, MSNBC and others like it make? How much will broadcast networks like ABC, CBS and NBC make as well? I can almost hear the CFOs of all just waiting for the big-bucks to roll on in.
The AFL-CIO just recently reported of claims being denied out in California and where they opined that these companies are the truth ‘death panels’. These health insurance companies are first and foremost businesses who rely on people buying their product. Your dollars are their life’s blood. Instead of paying a claim: How many of them have been advertising and please keep that $350,000 ad-buy rate in mind.
Named in their report was PacifiCare which: “denied 40 percent of all California claims.” Interestingly enough, I found this PacifiCare ad on YouTube.com. How many will purchase their healthcare product not knowing they have denied claims to Californians? More importantly: What chunk of the claims benefits denied went into the making of this ad?
I cannot understand how protecting insurance companies is our best bet when this news report on PacifiCare told how they dropped a man’s coverage, which cost him $60,000. He had to have a kidney removed which had a cancerous tumor on it.
I know free-market thinkers and believers just hate the term regulation, but we saw the damage done by banks who went for years unregulated. If this is the health reform package shoved down America’s throat that solely supports health insurance companies, then they need to be regulated.
As we watch the President’s speech on healthcare reform tonight, look out amongst the sea of faces who would rather protect insurance companies than providing healthcare for all Americans. There are 47 million Americans who are in dire need of healthcare who have been shut out of our present system.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author.
September 9, 2009
We have all seen commercial ads for prescription drugs one can take for any number of ailments: such as taking Lipitor for one’s cholesterol and if I were an uninsured citizen of this country who suffers from high cholesterol, I would quite frankly see that ad as a tease. Oh sure, you can take this drug, but it is going to cost you. But before being prescribed this drug, one must see a doctor. Wait, without being covered and being able to see a doctor, one cannot get this drug.
Here is the latest Lipitor ad that is currently running on most stations? Is he simply an actor or someone that does suffer from high cholesterol? Regardless of who he is, still to produce that ad and air it costs money and more likely than not the cost of producing it trickles down to the price of the drug.
How many of us have gone to the doctor if we can afford it and say, “I want to be placed on this drug” instead of letting the doctor diagnose your ailment and prescribe the best course of treatment. Drug companies bank on you doing just that.
Just recently, Brookhaven Memorial Hospital began running ads on cable networks hoping that YOU will choose it should you need healthcare. It begs the question: If you do not have health insurance, just how are you going to afford to become their patient? If I were an uninsured person, it would be akin to a child looking through the window of a toy store knowing his or her parents could not afford said toy.
Ad-buys for drugs or hospitals cost money, so it should not be a total surprise to any of us why healthcare for all Americans is out of reach for the 47 million who presently are uninsured.
Here is an ad for Anthem-Blue Cross and I would love to know how much they spent in the making of that commercial which likely uses actors. How much did it cost them to buy ad-space on the television networks that carried it? Let us not forget the actors, since they are paid to appear in commercials. Do these ad-buys contribute to high premiums one must pay? You actually think the executives of these companies would eat the cost of making these commercials? Like any business, the cost is born by the customer.
Those politicos who are presently railing against the ‘public option’ or dare I say single-payer health care foresee competition between these health insurance companies as our best bet. Wait a gosh darn minute. In order to compete: Wouldn’t these companies need to advertise their rates and services by using commercial ad-buys?
In reading this article published today: How Much Do Television Ads Cost?, please take note of this passage: “It has been estimated that the average cost of producing a 30-second national TV commercial is nearly $350,000. But before you panic, understand that like any other form of advertising, a television commercial can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it. Not surprisingly, the cost to produce the commercial goes up as the quality and complexity of the commercial increases.”
We have all heard of how much ads cost to run during the Super Bowl and will these health insurance companies run ads during them all in the name of competition? Instead of $350,000 going towards patient care and coverage, competition between health insurance companies will bring about an explosion in ad-buys.
I can almost hear the salivating of advertising agencies just ready to exploit this fraud perpetrated upon the people called, “Health insurance company based health reform”
One does have to wonder if cable and broadcast networks are almost banking on the competition between insurance companies as being their best bet to make money. Should this be the reform that will be shoved down our throats: How much will cable networks such as Fox, CNN, MSNBC and others like it make? How much will broadcast networks like ABC, CBS and NBC make as well? I can almost hear the CFOs of all just waiting for the big-bucks to roll on in.
The AFL-CIO just recently reported of claims being denied out in California and where they opined that these companies are the truth ‘death panels’. These health insurance companies are first and foremost businesses who rely on people buying their product. Your dollars are their life’s blood. Instead of paying a claim: How many of them have been advertising and please keep that $350,000 ad-buy rate in mind.
Named in their report was PacifiCare which: “denied 40 percent of all California claims.” Interestingly enough, I found this PacifiCare ad on YouTube.com. How many will purchase their healthcare product not knowing they have denied claims to Californians? More importantly: What chunk of the claims benefits denied went into the making of this ad?
I cannot understand how protecting insurance companies is our best bet when this news report on PacifiCare told how they dropped a man’s coverage, which cost him $60,000. He had to have a kidney removed which had a cancerous tumor on it.
I know free-market thinkers and believers just hate the term regulation, but we saw the damage done by banks who went for years unregulated. If this is the health reform package shoved down America’s throat that solely supports health insurance companies, then they need to be regulated.
As we watch the President’s speech on healthcare reform tonight, look out amongst the sea of faces who would rather protect insurance companies than providing healthcare for all Americans. There are 47 million Americans who are in dire need of healthcare who have been shut out of our present system.
Author’s email address is, xmjmac@optonline.net
Copyrighted material: Should you wish to use any portion of this column, please email the author.
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