Mother Theresa v. Scrooge by Ken Hughes

Michelle and I have been friends for nearly a decade, I doubt we’ve agreed more than twice in that length of time at least on politics and social services. For me home life ended at the ripe age of 10 when my mother placed me in an orphanage and my father didn’t seem to mind. At 13 I moved on. It was probably fear that kept me out of any serious trouble. Again it was fear that drew me close to anyone who said a kind word or offered any assistance knowing it was only a temporary situation.

I’ve learned over the years that those without fear are often those who have a Pollyanna view of life. They believe with all their hearts that love conquers over all evils. We Scrooges know better, we know that anything we achieve comes from hard work and a keen understanding of the situation. Show me someone who wakes up every morning totally content and I’ll show you a loser. Those persons who are willing to live off the sweat of others are not deserving of any help from anyone. There are very few in this country that can honestly be defined as destitute, if we separate those who are physically and mentally challenged.

If Michelle were old enough she would have been the first in every line at Woodstock, I on the other hand would have been praying for rain. That doesn’t totally define either of us.  

There’s nothing wrong with Michelle’s Pollyanna view of life, it’s sort of religion washed and starched. I don’t think there is anything wrong with my skepticism it puts reality back in focus. Pollyanna like candy it can be a dangerous thing when it is taken in large doses. Skepticism can be a bitter pill without some compassion to wash it down, it takes a lot of both to keep things in balance.  

I would like to think in the past decade Michelle and I have taken something from each other, although I doubt either of us would admit it. This is the truly great thing about America we can agree to disagree and still be friends and family if we work at it. I have been blessed to have been in many parts of the world and there is no place or people who have the rights the American people have.

Let’s all always work to keep freedom of speech and thought alive in America without restrictions.

Ken Hughes

Earthquake rocks Haiti

Yesterday at about 5pm EST a earthquake of magnitude 7.0 rocked Haiti leaving miles of devastation in her wake. Power and water are in short supply, if available at all, which remains uncertain at this time. The hardest and most populated area hit was the capital, Port Au Prince. 

Rescue and relief efforts have been underway all night long and should be arriving anytime. Early reports from the Ambassador from Haiti to the USA is that the airport in Port Au Prince is able to accept aircraft and should be used by all countries coordinating these rescue and relief efforts. The tower is damaged so there is no control available at this time and into the indefinite future.

There was discussion, within the various media, late yesterday and again this morning about the number of aftershocks and the continuance of damage to Haiti. Reports have as many as thirty aftershocks continuing to rock that small island. Some of these aftershocks have been of 5.6 magintude or more which are quite capable of adding to this already badly damaged country. Caution should be exercised by all affiliated with these rescue and relief efforts.

Fears are that the loss of life will be huge, especially in the most densely populated areas. Both MSNBC and CNN have contact numbers for family members residing outside of Haiti to check on the status of family members in country. Please tune to news stations for regular updates as the become available.

As relief and rescue efforts increase and we are able to quantify, to some degree, the devastation that has taken place more critical service providers will be sent to help with the basics: food and water. Digging out from this momentous quake may take quite some time, so patience is asked of all parties involved and concerned.

For those of you who wish to contribute or volunteer to relief efforts please contact the Hatian consulate here in America or your home country or the local/national UN/Red Cross offices who usually host and coordinate such efforts.

What to do about Afghanistan

Increasing our troop levels in Afghanistan is the worst option I can think of for that region. Yes, there has been an uptick in violence in that region, but there are better things we can do than add more troops to the mix. If we want to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people we need to do something for them besides hoping they believe this strategy is combating the Taliban. President Obama hopes that by adding more troops we can contain the violence and the Afghan security forces and police might take over the fight.

Most of the Afghan population has no access to education, clean drinking water, or health care. There are gross human rights violations taking place against women and childrenmacross that war torn country. The general populace is poor, scared, and beaten by decades of war. There are measure we can take to turn those things around, but adding more troops is not one of them.

For instance, Afghanistan has many natural resources that can be tapped to replace their opium trade and provide jobs and money to their people which would elevate their standard of living and make them productive players in the world community. 80% of their GDP comes from agriculture, the vast majority of that is opium, but changing that would be a game changer for the Taliban too because it is one of their revenue streams. There is an abundance of coal, zinc, natural gas, petroleum, salt, lead, talc, sulfur, copper and more. Technology is available that can help them cultivate those resources and turn them into capital that can help their people toss off the yokes of the Taliban, as well as, allow them to trade with their world partners.

Instead of spending a trillion dollars on guns and ammo why not invest in things that can produce a return for the people of Afghanistan and us? The natural resource sector is just one viable place to invest. The people of Afghanistan are in desperate need of teachers and educational facilities. We can bring in teachers and help educate their women and children so they can compete with other nations and become productive citizens in their own country. Education is also the backbone toward alleviation of human rights violations and paves a path for new leadership. Rebuilding their war torn villages and cities is another good way to help them get back on their feet and teaches them the trades. Providing them with clean drinking water [sustainable and abundant supplies via increased education, training, and technology] and medical supplies so they can combat illnesses and disease is another way we can help.

Once the people of Afghanistan are educated and productive they will have incentive to stand united against the Taliban and to protect their land from those who wish to opress and kill them. I believe this is the very best gift we can give them. Do your part to help stop the war and provide humanitarian effort to the people of Afghanistan. Push our leaders for a better solution than a troop surge. Give my ideas a chance to bear fruit.

President Obama on Jobs

The most pressing thing to the American public is no longer just the two foreign wars we are fighting nor the bailout funds squandered by Wall Street, but the joblessness of millions of Americans. This week President Obama is supposed to speak about how we can begin to create jobs and get people back to work. He has proposed using some of the left over bailout funds and I think this is a wonderful idea.

There is some $200 Billion dollars sitting on the sidelines and those monies can go a long, long way toward creating long and short term jobs for the millions of unemployed Americans across this country. There has been talk about tax incentives for businesses who can help us along toward this end. Another very good idea in my esteem.

There had been chatter from the right about not being able to spend our way out of this mess, but if we do not invest in our people and help them get back into the worlforce we are doomed to see a longer and deeper recession than we already have in the works and maybe a repeat of the Great Depression. Nobody wants to see things worsen so spending some money to help this dire situation makes good sense, at least to me.

There are tax incentives for the green sector. Spending money to create renewable and sustainable energy sources and resources is money well spent and that is also a very good way to create jobs in the private sector. Monies spent on research, development, and implementation of sustainable resources can move American forward in a technological sense as well as an economic sense. At one time America was the greatest innovator in the world, but little money has been spent toward this end in the past decade and we’ve seen jobs dry up or be outsourced because of this failure. The time to get serious is now. We need to put our collective ideas out on the table and work very hard to see them to fruition.

So listen to what our great President has to say on this topic of job creation and do your part to get America back to work!

Tiger Woods

Much has been made of the alleged affairs of Tiger Woods in the media. At first it was just one woman, then seven, and now perhaps as many as ten. While I do not support his affairs I can see how they can happen. If any of you have ever been to a major sporting event the sports stars are challenged at every moment by women willing to do just about anything to get next to them. Some are able to resist this temptation. Obviously Tiger was not able to do so.

Regardless of what Tiger has or has not done we cannot discount that he is the greatest player in the history of the game of golf. He is a 33 year old legend and the richest golfer ever. He has also done a lot of good for less fortunate children with the Tiger Woods Foundation.

I say we give Tiger and his wife some privacy to work this out or not. Regardless of outcome I hope they have learned and grown a lot from this experience.

Tamiflu, insurance, and doctors

I’ve spoken to, and know a few, people who have contracted the swine flu in the past few months. Some of these people are here in America and some abroad. In Punta Gorda, Florida the cost for Tamiful, one of the most typical drugs prescribed for swine flu, ranges from $75 to $150 per person depending on where one gets their prescritpion filled. Some people have died from swine flu and it should be a prescription that sould be available at a very low cost to all people. However, sadly that is not the case. How can pharmacists, insurers, and doctors be so greedy? And on top of that walk in clinics around here are charging $200 just to walk in the door. At those prices who can afford medical care?

Do you know why this is the case? Because insurers set the prices for any given procedure and doctors and pharmaceuticals pass those costs on to you and me. And insurers will do just about everything in their power to not have to pay—pushing those cost off to you and me alone. They [the insurers] have collectively inflated this market to its breaking point. No longer can we sustain such outlandish practices without revolt!

This example is just another reason why we need to reform our entire health care system. If we fail to do this one thing during Obama’s time in office we have failed the American people! How do the poor get care? How do people like me who do not have insurance pay for such outlandish care? We go without and take our chances and that is just not fair.

Please call or write your congressional representatives telling them to vote for passage of this cumbersome health care bill!! Failure to do so means more people will claim bankruptcy to overcome their medical expenses. More people will get sick and die because they cannot afford care. Can we sit idly by and watch this scenario over and over again? I say not! The time to act is NOW!!!

Insight into the Ft. Hood masacre

The shooting incident in Ft. Hood should have been a wake up call for ALL Americans. As President Obama so eloquently and sadly said [paraphrase] it is awful to have our brave men and women in uniform killed on foreign soil, but it is unthinkable that the same would/could occur on American soil. Dr. Hasan was a very troubled man who should have been watched more carefully than apparently he was. He showed many of the signs of would be terroriists and nobody did anything to stop him!

According to those close to this story it has been stated that there was an official investigation opened on Dr. Hasan under the terms of President Bush. If someone felt an investigation was necessary then what happened next? That case was closed prior to President Obama taking office due to their [the Bush Administration and the CIA/FBI] decision that he [Hasan] was not a threat! Yea, right. Not a threat? Come on now W!

Typical of President Bush, he was asleep at the helm of this country when this man [Hasan] should have been taken into custody and questioned about his seamy connections prior to allowing him to analyze our men and women coming from and going into war. Dr. Hasan had nefarious and potentially dangerous conversations with people who are known by the FBI/CIA and foreign intel as partners in terror and/or friendly to the actions of Al Qaeda. So why was the investigation dropped? Who is really responsible for this debacle on American soil?

That this occurred when President Obama is in office does not take the responsibility off those in the Bush Administration, nor President Bush himself, who pushed this information under the carpet in their short-sighted conclusion of Dr. Hasan. I hope this tragedy opens the eyes and ears of our intelligence data collectors and alerts them to not sit on information that may help prevent this and other awful and heinous crime from ever occurring on American soil again. The various intelligence gathering personnel need to work together to share what they have such that we protect our people here at home. There is nothing more sacred than saving lives!!!

“Going Rogue” filled with lies

Yesterday was the opening day for the new book by Sarah Palin called “Going Rogue”. It is slated to become a best seller and the publisher better hope it does because Sarah Palin got a $1.2 million dollar advance to have it written. It was actually written by a ghost writer and not Mrs. Palin herself yet there is no mention of this woman any where on the cover or inside this book. Sarah Palin takes credit for something that she contributed to, but did not actually write herself. Why?

The record shows that this book was put together in a scant four months. Why the rush? Could she have an alterior motive? I say of course she does. I’ve been writing seriously for over a decade now and have never had a book written and published in four months! I’ve had the honor and privilege or meeting many authors who tell me the same thing….it just is not possible to produce a quality book in such short period of time.  They [these authors and myself] work on their books sometimes for years before going to press and certainly pass through many editing phases as well. That this book did not take the time to present its best self is typical Sarah Palin.

There were numerous articles out yesterday from people whom had advance reading copies of this book and provided an in-depth fact check about what was written about in it. In one instance there were no fewer than eighteen lies or misinformation given by Sarah Palin. Her lies have been corrected, in the press and not in her book, via e-mails from the actual sources depiciting the true story and facts as they occurred. Mrs. Palin tells so many long tales that it is hard for her to even know what she said last time around. All of this lack of continuity and manipulation of facts goes directly into the type of person she is or is not and provides unvarnished look at her lack of character and judgment.

I will not waste my money on the purchase of this patheric rag of a book, but for those of you who do read it with a tempered eye and it will not be a straight job of conveying anything factual. Even when she has no need to manipulate the facts she does which means she must be a seriel liar at best or just plan ignorant! You be the judge!

9/11 detainees to be tried in NYC

The men who have been detained in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for the past seven years without counsel or formal charges against them may be given their day in court. Instead of using a military tribunal where these men would most likely not get a fair trial it has been reported that they might get tried in New York City. The right does not want them tried in a civillian court of law because they would have rights that a military tribunal does not have to honor. The left feels this is a fitting display for the accused, if indeed they do become accused, masterminds of the tragedy that befell New York on 9/11 of 2001.

 

Many on the right say this situation will create a circus and that security will be impossible. However, this is not the first time that terror suspects have been tried in New York City. The perpetrators of the Cole bombing were tried in New York as well as two other cases over the past couple of decades. Mayor Bloomberg says that he will have New York blanketed with security and he sees no problem in dealing with this controversial situation should it come to fruition.

 

All eyes will be on the judge who will be charged with hearing this controversial and tragic case. According to those in the legal loop some judges might be better suited to this case than others, but time will tell who ultimately gets to hear it. Judge selection is random and a wheel is used to assign them to the cases that come before them. Let us hope that whomever gets this chance does not squander it but listens to the evidence that is presented and can make a valid and unbiased decision as to the logical outcome along with those seated on the jury.

 

Personally, I think this trial is long over due! Something should have been done during the Bush years, but was not. I also believe that a trial by jury is the most fair way to determine their guilt or innocence. It may be more time consuming and costly, but the most equitable way in the long run! I do wonder about finding an unbiased jury in that venue and already there is discussion from the defense about moving the trial to another locale. Those and other things will be ironed out as this case is built from the evidence compiled and charges are levied against these men. 

 

I ask our leadership to do the right thing and show the world we can deal fairly with terror suspects by allowing them their day in court. Doing so means we deserve the same rights and privileges should the shoe be on the other foot and our people were the ones being tried on foreign soil for these heinous crimes. Allow justice to reign supreme!

Health care bill passes house

Despite the grumblings and lack of support from the right, the house version of healthcare passed yesterday. It was a narrow win, but a win all the same. The senate now has to do the same before we can piece them together such that we have a singular version for the people.

The right has been using all of their regular fear tactics to stop this bill from becomming law. I would think that the people would get pretty sick of the right scaring them for the slightest little thing and quit listening to them at all, but that does not appear to be the case.

Come on people recall the reasoning behind the war in Iraq—-it was fear! Fear that the terrorists would come to American and do another 911. I’ve got news for you Americans there are terrorists in our borders at this time and who knows when they may construct another plot. Do we live in this constant fear or do we decide to do something about it? There is a choice here—take control or be controlled! If we had used the monies we’ve spent on our two wars for securing our borders, ports, railways, and air terminals we would have been way ahead of the game. However, we did not, but it is not too late to change that plan and move in the rigth direction. The same can be said about healthcare.

The right is telling people that they will have no choices and that care will be rationed. Those are just plain lies! The current healthcare plan will give us more options and provide us with better and more affordable care than ever before. Health care costs have risen at twice the rate of inflation. This precident has got to stop and passage of this healthcare bill will even the playing field for us ALL. So let’s unite to make a choice in having healthcare for ALL.

The private option is one that needs to stay in the bill because it is the only way we can enforce some modicum of leverage on the insurers and providers to cut or lower costs without sacrificing quality of care. Insurers have been allowed to do as they please. They have been able to deny coverage to anyone they deem as unworthy. They have been able to ration the care that people can recieve unless they want to self pay—in which case why even have insurance? They have ruled the roost for far too long!

Providers of care have also had a hand in this outlandish rising of costs. For some doctor visits there is a $150 to $450 office visit fee. Who can afford such outrageous costs? Many doctors will not see you without a referral or even perform any services without a referral. I know this first hand. We’ve got to cut the red tape and stop this costly path toward treatment and even the playing field for ALL Americans.

Please show your support for this healthcare bill by calling or writing your local and state representatives and telling them that we deserve to have affordable quality care for ALL Americans! Back the public option too!