Liars, Lies and Stinking Lies... tearing at the fabric of America...

The Supreme Court colluded to steal the election from Al Gore. Barack Obama is a Muslim loving commie who was not born in the US, and thus has no right to be President. George Bush lied to take us into war in Iraq.   Barack Obama hates American and wants to destroy her. The attacks on 9/11 were an inside job, planned by Israel or the Bush Administration. This will be the last free election we will ever have if Barack Obama wins because he is going to impose martial law so he can be dictator. George Bush is happy every day an American soldier dies in the war in Iraq. The recent unemployment numbers are the result of a conspiracy on the part of the Obama Administration to win the argument. And now, if Obama does well in the next debate, it will be because the networks gave him the questions ahead of time. Really? We could laugh this type of stuff off if political leaders on the side of the people making these charges would step up to the plate and refute these crazy charges, but they won’t. For some reason, as a society, we’ve decided to let the inmates run the asylum.  We are letting the idiots get the last word. We have no evidence that any of the above statements are true. SCOTUS awarding the presidency to Bush?  Al Gore lost his home state!  The people that know him best did not want him. The birth certificate issue? You’ve seen everything you asked for and you are still not satisfied. 9/11? Bush happy with dead Americans? Obama hates America? Are the people that believe this stuff idiots? I don’t think so because I personally know some folks that passionately believe these stories. But something has seriously gone wrong with the ethos of our country if we can cavalierly choose to demonize a president or government when things do not go as we wish.  And let’s make no mistake about it.  The people that promote these views are demonizing our government and our presidents with their words and their actions. These are not simple protests against a point of view.  These are not peaceful protests aimed at changing a point of view with an intellectual argument. These are attempts to change a point of view by demonizing the other side.   These are attempts to change a point of view by assigning the most heinous interpretation, reason, or understanding to the other side.  This is school yard bullying taken to nth degree. It is ruining America, and worse, our politicians refuse to step in and take a stand, for fear of alienating their supporters who are making these charges.  Rather than do what’s right and good for America, too often our political “leaders” have instead chosen to not just remain silent, but fan the flames of discord. When the President’s place of birth was questioned, where was one leader of the Republican Party to say he believed President Obama and those that thought otherwise were not just misguided, but wrong?   When Harry Reid called President Bush a liar, why did the Democratic Party allow him to remain as head of the party?  How is that being respectful to a President? Why is the night when Senator John McCain took the microphone away from a woman who was being disrespectful towards candidate Obama about the only profile in courage we can cite from our elected leaders these days? Does our government make mistakes?  Yes they do.  And like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, sometimes our government lies to cover it up.  Like they did in the Vietnam War.  Like they did at Watergate.  Like they did in Iran-Contra. But this is no reason, or excuse to treat every bit of information that does not support your personal world or political point of view as a vast right, or left wing conspiracy. Get some meds, get a life, take a vacation and get some perspective. And then call your Congressman or Senator and tell him or her you are sick of this stuff and want them to stand up and do what’s right this election season, not for themselves, but for America. Once you've done that, resolve yourself to be part of the solution.  If people are saying President Bush was happy to see black people dead after Hurricane Katrina, tell them they are wrong, just as you should when people say President Obama is guilty of treason. Because these views are not only wrong, they tear at the very fabric of the cloth that holds America together. What say you?

Immigration, Health Care and the Supremes... dancing around the real world issues...

I'm not a lawyer. I don't claim to fully understand all the nuances of even a traffic stop, much less the legalese that many are seeming to enjoy parsing after this weeks Supreme Court rulings. I know the US has an enormous deficit and that there are limits to what a society will turn over to a central government in both taxes and control. But I also know that people with no hope in the future get discouraged, give up and can easily be cast aside by a system that fails to take into account the personal side of political and legal decisions. That is part of what Justice Antonin Scalia was saying in his dissent Monday regarding SB 1070, popularly known as the Arizona Immigration Bill. He was trying to speak for the ranchers and farmers in Arizona who are feeling overwhelmed by what they see as rampant illegal immigration into their state. Many of those farmer and ranchers are at ground zero in the immigration wars.  With isolated plots of land, they have been surprised upon many a night to see someone using their out buildings as a camp, or makeshift home. Why they ask, has the federal government, across many administrations seemingly turned a blind eye to their struggle to feel safe and secure in their own homes? It is a good question... but it's not the only question worth pondering as we close out one of the most watched Supreme Court sessions in years. We should also ask if government has a role in making sure all Americans have access, not theoretical, but real access to quality health care in this country. Seemingly, both Presidential contenders agree.  Even though he disagrees with the route President Obama took, Mitt Romney's plan is to repeal and replace.  Clearly that says he too sees some role for the federal government in this area. There are millions of us who would love to buy health insurance.  And I say us because, like many, my family is uninsured. Because of a doctor approved procedure done 25 years ago, my wife is unable to get insurance in the private market.  She has a preexisting condition.  And with that, few, if any companies will offer her insurance at a rate we can afford. The current health care act gives people like us hope.  Hope that we will not have to forever lie awake at night wondering if we are just a little achy, or if something is seriously wrong inside the wonderful bodies that God gave us. We have hope that one day soon, when the entire law takes effect, that we will finally be able to gain real access to some of the best health care in the world.  At a cost that will not bankrupt us. Justice Scalia said the citizens of Arizona were feeling "under seige" against the effects of illegal immigration. Many of us have also felt under siege against the effects of having to live with a health care system that seems built to do everything possible to maximize profits and minimize access to all but the approved. The Supreme Court has given us lots to think about this week.  I hope we can move past the political rhetoric and seek some real solutions that are designed to both protect and serve the all of the American people.