But Seriously

Political Theater at it's Worst

“We’re not campaigning anymore,” the president told his Republican opponent in the 2008 election. “The election is over.”

But the day did seem to be mostly about campaigning as lawmakers lobbied viewers regarding the best way to move forward in this yearlong debate.

Early on, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, largely silent to this point, interrupted Obama to inform him that Republicans so far had spoken for 24 minutes while Democrats had taken 52 minutes. Obama relented he had forgotten to count himself on the Democratic side because he is the president.

Well, Republicans kept a time track of the entire roughly 7-hour day and here is the final tally:

• Republicans: 110 minutes
• Democrats: 114 minutes
• President Obama: 119 minutes

Obama and Democrats spent their minutes trying to tell America that the two parties really aren’t that far apart when it comes to healthcare. Republicans countered with repeatedly using the phrase “start over” in unsuccessful attempts to get the Democrats to scrap the current bills in favor of a clean sheet of paper. Translation: the two sides really are deeply divided on this issue.

Still, Obama, in his final lecture at the end of the session, warned that Democrats are willing to go at it alone when it comes to healthcare. He said ultimately voters would decide if this is the best course of action.

via online.worldmag.com

If the 6 hour passion(less) play were not bad enough, the president's comments before the health care summit indicate it was just a show. When asked if he has a plan B, the president told a reporter before the event that he "always has a plan." Not that having a plan is bad, but I would have expected something along the lines of, "My plan is to use this summit to make a better health care plan."

I think any objective viewer could see that the real plan was to cast the Republicans as "the party of No" and then shove his bloated healthcare disaster down the throats of Americans who clearly do not want his kind of big-government reform.

All along, both parties have been grasping for power. Most politicians seem to forgotten that they are public servants. The progressive politicians in both parties continue to move America in the direction of European socialism, not because it works so well, but because they will gain power over others. As though spitting in the face of the TEA Party activists, they have forgotten that America was built on the idea of individual liberty and they have abandoned our shared history.

Sadly, this health care initiative is less about providing healthcare to those who need it and more about advancing a political ideology that rewards elitists and enslaves everyone else.  This will herald a loss of power for the Democrats.  Hopefully it will also inspire vigilance on the part of citizens to watch the Republicans and keep them in check too.

The Medical Marijuana Joke

After my recent court date with a fellow who uses marijuana for "medicinal" purposes, I thought I would do a tiny bit of research. What conditions qualify a person for marijuana?  The guy I saw sure didn't have cataracts.

I stumbled across an interview with a pothead.  Although I did not find a list of qualifying conditions, the interview answered my question about the standard for a prescription.  The quotes below are straight from the horse's mouth. The kid who was interviewed is a loadie and he knows he is exploiting the system, but at least he is honest.  Here are my favorite quotes:

Most doctors don't care if you are "sick" or not. Besides, some of the legitimate reasons a person CAN be prescribed Medical Marijuana are as vague as, "Pain". So, the Doctors are trying to help sick people feel better AND they are trying to help healthy people feel better! Its a win, win. I first got my prescription about 7 years ago from a Dr. E##. He was recommended by a friend and was very professional. I had to fill out normal Doctor's Office forms and write about how I needed Cannabis for whatever medical reason I chose (They were listed on the form in case I wanted to choose one on the spot). I chose pain because of my many sk8boarding injuries and proceeded to pay his secretary $250.00 for a one year prescription for Medical Marijuana. . .

. . . I think alcohol should be illegal and weed should be legal for recreational use. As far as other drugs- keep um illegal but don't spend any money enforcing those laws. I don't know, maybe acid should be legal. Maybe acid should be mandatory, like Jury Duty.

via laist.com

Pot-heads will argue that marijuana is healthy and good.  You can almost see the rainbows and butterflies that they see when they talk about it.  Let's suppose they are right.  Listen to Tommy Chong in this interview with Giraldo Rivera:

Sounds "healthy," doesn't he?  No brain damage at all.  Well, at least not that he would notice.

How long do we have to put up with the farce of "medical" marijuana?  Do our legislators really think they are doing a good thing by legitimizing pot?  Are these same legislators on pot when they write laws?

So-called "progressive" liberals view drug use as a minor crime that should not be heavily prosecuted.  When jail populations are bloated, they release drug offenders--failing to recognize that drugs are related to some of our most heinous crimes like home invasions, burglary, assault, and rape.  Putting these addicts back on the street (even worse, legalizing their addictions) does not serve to create a more peaceful and orderly society.

Medical Marijuana is a joke.  The dealers and the addicts are the only ones who find it funny.

Newsmax: Franken Falters

Liberal blogs are buzzing about Al Franken's performance on the U.S. Senate floor, claiming that he "destroyed" Republican Sen. John Thune's contention that the Senate health bill triggers taxes before significant benefits. But the video shows a different story. During Franken's Senate floor speech, the Minnesota Democrat appears to be rambling, confused and shocked when Thune interrupts him to "yield for a question." Franken agrees to Thune's request and seems befuddled about Thune's point: The Democratic plan kicks in significant taxes almost immediately, with MOST of the Democratic healthcare plan "benefits" starting after 2013. Franken's performance was so dismal that the acting president of the Senate had to interrupt his rambling to remind him that he actually held the Senate floor. Other Democratic senators clearly wanted to assist the blustering Franken, with Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown leading the charge. Brown deflected Thune's critical point to discuss Medicare. The Franken performance suggests that "Saturday Night Live" finally has found its way on to the U.S. Senate floor. © Newsmax. All rights reserved.

via newsmax.com

After all the effort Franken spent to cheat his way into the senate, one would think he would have been prepared to answer a simple question.

Real Clear Politics: The Climate Change Travesty

WASHINGTON -- With 20,000 delegates, advocates and journalists jetting to Copenhagen for planet Earth's last chance, the carbon footprint of the global warming summit will be the only impressive consequence of the climate change meeting. Its organizers had hoped it would produce binding caps on emissions, global taxation to redistribute trillions of dollars, and micromanagement of everyone's choices. . . .

. . . Were their science as unassailable as they insist it is, and were the consensus as broad as they say it is, and were they as brave as they claim to be, they would not be "goaded" into intellectual corruption. Nor would they meretriciously bandy the word "deniers" to disparage skepticism that shocks communicants in the faith-based global warming community.

Skeptics about the shrill certitudes concerning catastrophic man made warming are skeptical because climate change is constant: From millennia before the Medieval Warm Period (800 to 1300), through the Little Ice Age (1500 to 1850), and for millennia hence, climate change is always a 100 percent certainty. Skeptics doubt that the scientists' models, which cannot explain the present, infallibly map the distant future.

via www.realclearpolitics.com

I spent years studying natural sciences and I have a degree in biology. From the time Al Gore came out with his inconvenient "documentary" I have been skeptical of his claims because the only thing constant about our climate is change. George Will of Real Clear Politics does a fantastic job of expressing what I, and many other scientifically minded individual, have been thinking. 

On the political front, his article is clear and concise. On the scientific front, one can find an abundance of evidence that global warming is not occurring at an alarming rate to include articles by the New York Times about stable temperatures and evidence that polar bears, the global warming mascot, are increasing in numbers.  One could correctly argue that the New York Times is not politically neutral, but the NYT's political bias is generally in favor of the global warming alarmist, so an NYT article that publish facts that contradict the hysteria of global warming should spur thought even among GW adherents.

Image sourced from ClimateProgress.org

Use Twitter To Oppose Bad Health Care Reform

Tonight the Senate will vote for cloture (which opens the debate for Senator Reid's Health Care Reform).  This is the first step in getting the bill passed.  But if the Senate fails to reach 60 votes, this bloated, closed-door, pocket padding legislation will fail.  Today is the day to send a message to Senators to vote "No for cloture".  

A twitter campaign is underway to send messages to individual Senators, to include key Senators who are straddling the fence.  Please contact your senators by fax, e-mail, or twitter today.

When using twitter, hashtag your tweets with #tweetcongress and #HarryCare

Senate twitter addresses include:

Democrats: Blanche Lincoln, Arlen Specter, Barbara Boxer, and Harry Reid are all vulnerable in 2010 elections.

@blanche4senate

@markudall

@senarlenspecter

@barbara_boxer

@kayhagan

@senatorreid

@senchrisdodd

@dickdurbin

@evanbayh 

@russfeingold

@johnkerry

@senjeffmerkley

@senatormenendez

@clairecmc

@senbillnelson

@senbennelson

@tomudall

@markwarner

If you know a twitter address for Mary Landrieu (D-LA) please leave it in comments.

Republicans: Senator Collins tends to vote liberal.

@senatorcollins

@sensambrownback

@tomcoburn

@senbobcorker

@johncornyn

@jimdemint

@chuckgrassley

@orrinhatch

@jiminhofe

@senatorlugar

@senjohnmccain

@melmartinez

@lisamurkowski

@richardshelby

@johnthune

@davidvitter

Examples of tweets: Many of these were provided by Patriotic Resistance.  

@senatorcollins any vote to move #HarryCare forward is a vote against your re-election. #tweetcongress

A Bill CBO says Won’t Lower Health Care Costs? http://bit.ly/NROHlth TIME TO START OVER – VOTE NO! @barbara_boxer #tweetcongress

A Bill that ENSHRINES ABORTION? http://bit.ly/NOAbort TIME TO START OVER – VOTE NO!
@johnkerry #tweetcongress

We May Not Be Able to Keep Our Current Insurance? http://bit.ly/NROHlth TIME TO START OVER – VOTE NO! @russfeingold #tweetcongress

Nearly Half a Trillion Dollars in NEW Taxes? TIME TO START OVER – VOTE NO! @barbara_boxer #tweetcongress

A Bill that Kills Small Business with New Taxes? http://bit.ly/NROHlth TIME TO START OVER – VOTE NO! @markudall #tweetcongress

Ten Years of Taxes for 5 Years of Coverage? http://bit.ly/NROHlth TIME TO START OVER – VOTE NO! @senbennelson #tweetcongress

DEFEAT OBAMACARE IN DETAIL at DickMorris.com

Harry Reid can pass a bill in the Senate that has no public option or an easy opt-out, shallow subsidies for the uninsured, a low total cost, weak penalties for not having insurance, no coverage for abortion and no general tax increase (except for the premium and medical device taxes).

And Nancy Pelosi can pass a bill in the House (on final passage) that has a public option with no opt-out, steep subsidies for the uninsured, harsh penalties if they don’t buy insurance, a higher cost, full abortion coverage and a surcharge income-tax increase.

The question is: Can either one’s bill pass the other’s chamber?

Probably not.

via www.dickmorris.com

Health Care reform in America should focus on lowing premiums, providing a choice of coverage for all citizens, and reducing health care inflation so that it is more in line with cost of living increases. It would also be nice to see legal fees removed from health care fees by instituting tort reform and reducing "defensive" medicine.

Instead, our inept and unpopular congress is trying to force a two thousand page bloated monstrosity on American citizens. A monstrosity that would include a penalty of jail time for anyone who does not have a qualifying health plan. (Aside: will the justice system provide qualifying health care to all inmates?)

Dick Morris has some ideas on health care reform and what it should be. Click the link above to get his full report and decide if you want to support his opposition to Obamacare.

Planned Parenthood Director's Conversion Draws National Attention

The day Abby Johnson witnessed an abortion with an ultrasound was the day her life changed.  Johnson spent 8 years of her life working for Planned Parenthood--an organization that provides family planning services as well as abortions.  She says she thought she was helping women, but when she saw through an ultrasound how a baby in utero reacted to the abortion, she could not be a part of it anymore.  PP was not a family planning organization that occasionally did abortions, it was an organization that survived on the slaughter of the unborn.  An article on lifesitenews.com (linked below) reveals that Planned Parenthood's abortion profits carry the weight of the companies other endeavors:

The latest financial report Planned Parenthood, for the year 2006-2007, shows that the abortion behemoth increased the number of abortions it committed from 264,943 in 2005 to 289,650 in 2006.  Total revenue amounted to over $1 billion dollars, with the organization's profit margin - "excess of revenue over expenses" - soaring from $55.7 million in 2005 to $112 million in 2006. The organization typically receives over $300 million in taxpayer funds every year.

Johnson said she became involved with the clinic "to help women and ... [do] the right thing."  The idea of increasing abortion numbers to increase revenue was repugnant to her. She said that ideally the facility's director would provide "so much family planning and so much education that there is not a demand for abortion."

But this ideal was not shared by the rest of Planned Parenthood, she said, because "abortion is the most lucrative part of Planned Parenthood's operations."

"With the family planning corporation really suffering," Johnson said, "they depend on the abortion corporation to balance their budget, help get them out of the hole and help make income for the company."

She continued, "They really wanted to increase the number of abortions so that they could increase their income."

via www.lifesitenews.com

Having now spoken out against the abortion giant, Johnson is under attack. Planned Parenthood has obtained a court order to keep her from talking. At the same time, leftist websites like Salon.com claim to have inside information from unnamed "confidential informants" who claim Johnson did not really have a conversion, and that she quit her job for the money. (Really!?!) That does not sound like such a good plan to me--but even if it is true, does it matter?  If she is speaking out against the abortion giant for money, does that discredit her witness?  Does it make her worse than the company that aborts babies for money?

Swine Flu - An Ounce of Prevention . . .

Bacillus coagulans boosts key immune marker upon exposure to cold and flu viruses CLEVELAND, March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- A promising new study in the March issue of Postgraduate Medicine suggests that a strain of probiotic bacteria, GanedenBC30 (Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, PTA-6086), increases the body's immune response to viruses that cause common viral respiratory tract infections such as colds and flu. Study data showed significant increases in T-cell production of TNF-alpha, a key immune marker, versus control upon exposure to adenovirus and influenza A in healthy adults who consumed a daily capsule of GanedenBC30 for 30 days.

via www.reuters.com

About a month ago, my wife heard that a good way to prevent Swine Flu (and other influenza viruses) is to take probiotics daily. Probiotics are healthy bacteria that have long been known to work with the body and facilitate digestion. Recent studies like the one cited above show that some strains of probiotics also increase immune system response.

That being said, not all probiotics are equal. Only certain strains have been proven in studies to help the body fight off flu viruses. Supplement manufacturers have to be careful with their claims regarding probiotics as flu-fighters and false claims could result in sanctions by the FDA.

I was able to find two articles describing studies of probiotics that help fight the flu one from Reuters (quoted above) and the other from Natural News (referencing the Journal of Postgraduate Medicine).

When I searched GanedenBC30 on Nextag to get an idea about it's price, I found it was relatively inexpensive and available in a variety of forms to include pills and even granola bars.  

In addition to flu-preventive hygiene practices, it appears we have another all-natural inexpensive way to fight the flu without untested vaccines.

Prevent Swine Flu - Dr. Vinay Goyal

I recently received an e-mail with advice (supposedly) from Dr. Vinay Goyal MBBS, MD, DM on the prevention of  H1N1 "swine flu."  The advice seems simple and practical.  As India is a country with a very large population, I would imagine the doctors there know a thing or two about virus transmission.

I immediately searched Dr. Goyal's name to verify that it is real advice and to see if he had it posted on the internet. On the one hand, I did find Dr. Goyal's bio page, but I could not find the swine flu advice published directly by him.  Also, his credentials on his bio page are different from the credentials on the e-mail (and dozens of blog reproductions of the e-mail).  I did try to e-mail Dr. Goyal, but the e-mail address on his bio page is not active.  When I figured out the misspelling in the e-mail address, I attempted to contact Dr. Goyal again.  He replied:

Dear
Thanks for writing to me
First of all, this article is not written by me, and probably written by some one with same name
I think this article has no authenticity.  Kindly protest article written for public without proper autherization
regards

Dr Vinay Goyal 

One of the pages I found included comments from readers who suggested the advice matched closely with folk remedies passed on for generations.  It is my opinion that someone published their family folk remedies and attributed them to a doctor far away who would never know the difference.  

The e-mail read:

Dr. Vinay Goyal is an MBBS,DRM,DNB (Intensivist and Thyroid specialist) having clinical experience of over 20 years. He has worked in institutions like Hinduja Hospital, Bombay Hospital, Saifee Hospital, Tata Memorial etc. 
 
Presently, he is heading our Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid clinic at Riddhivinayak Cardiac and Critical Centre, Malad (W). 
 
The following message given by him, I feel makes a lot of sense and is important for all of you to know: 
 
The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1 in spite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is. 
 
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, aggravation of symptoms and development of secondary infections, some very simple steps, not fully highlighted in most official communications, can be practiced (instead of focusing on how to stock N95 or Tamiflu): 
 
1. Frequent hand-washing (well highlighted in all official communications). 
 
2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face. 
 
3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (or listerine). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method. 
 
4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Not everybody may be good at Jala Neti or Sutra Neti, but blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population. 
 
5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C. If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption. 
 
6. Drink as much of warm liquids as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Items 1 and 2 are standard advice for flu prevention.  Hand washing is widely recognized as the first line of defense against spreading germs.  I found the following CDC recommendation on WebMD.  It describes a practical way for parents to teach flu prevention to their kids (and it works for adults too):

The CDC recommends teaching kids to sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice while washing their hands with soap and water, so that they wash their hands for 20 seconds. Another CDC suggestion: Tell kids to stay at least 6 feet away from people who are sick.

Likewise, keeping germy hands away from the face is a good practice that has been advised for years.

Items 3 and 6, Gargle with warm salt water and drink hot liquids, may sooth a sore throat, but I can not find proof that they kill the influenza virus in the nose or throat.  At least this advice (if it has not prophylactic effect) is harmless--just don't swallow the salt water.  YUCK.

Item 4, cleaning the sinuses with salt water, is another example that can help relieve symptoms, but I have not found research to directly support prevention of the flu.  I get sinus infections and I know that the neti pot (used for nasal irrigation) works wonders for my symptoms.  Interestingly enough, I did see where saline (salt water) drops can remove virus and bacteria from the nose so this tip sounds like a good one; however, I did not find anything to support swabbing the nostrils with salt water.

Item 5, Vitamin C, is proven to fight cold viruses but I could not find any evidence that it effects flu viruses.  As with other supplements, the body will metabolize it better in it's natural state (directly from fruits or vegetables) than from a pill.

WebMD offers more insight on home remedies for viruses through articles on Natural Remedies and Mom's Cold and Flu Advice.

Additionally, a number of herbs are supposed to help fight the flu, but users should show caution: some herbs can increase or decrease the effectiveness of prescription medicines.  If you use a prescription medication, check with your doctor before using herbal remedies.

Mississippi Tort Reform Works | Black & Right

Since passing tort reform in 2004, Mississippi has seen the number of medical malpractice claims plummet by 91 percent from its peak. The state’s largest medical liability insurer dropped its premiums by 42 percent, and has offered an additional 20 percent rebate each year since tort reform went into effect.

via www.black-and-right.com

Why aren't more people talking about the success of Mississippi's Tort Reform legislation? I listened to MS Governor Haley Barbour today on the radio and Tort Reform has made a dramatic impact on his state. This is a part of healthcare reform upon which we should be able to build a consensus---unless trial lawyers (who have the most to lose from this legislation) have government officials in their pockets.

Here are some other links that give information on Tort Reform:

The Wall Street Journal

ATRA--How Tort Reform Works