George A. Sprecace M.D.,
J.D., F.A.C.P. and Allergy Associates of New
London,
P.C.
www.asthma-drsprecace.com
RAPID
RESPONSE (Archives)...Daily Commentary on News of the Day
This is a new section. It will
offer fresh,
quick reactions by myself to news and events of the day, day by day, in
this rapid-fire world of ours. Of course, as in military
campaigns,
a rapid response in one direction may occasionally have to be followed
by a "strategic withdrawal" in another direction. Charge that to
"the fog of war", and to the necessary flexibility any mental or
military
campaign must maintain to be effective. But the mission will
always
be the same: common sense, based upon facts and "real politick",
supported
by a visceral sense of Justice and a commitment to be pro-active.
That's all I promise.
GS
|
Click
here
to return to the current Rapid Response list
WEDNESDAY through MONDAY,
November 18 through 30, 2009
THANKSGIVING.
We who are fortunate enough to live in America have a great deal to be
thankful for. All it takes to realize this is to review the
history of the rest of the world. In fact, my recent viewing of
two documentaries ("Commanding Heights", and the retrospective by
Stephen Ambrose published in 2002) as well as a reading of David
Finkel's book entitled "The Good
Soldiers" demonstrates that the history of humanity so far has
been the history of war. And America has had it fairly easy so
far.
But that may be only because we are just a little over 200 years
old. America is now facing a watershed moment in our history that
will set the course for decades to come. We are divided and
weakened internally at precisely the same time that we are facing our
greatest challenges since World War ll.
- A deeply divided electorate over the foundation and course of our
society: based upon individual responsibility, freedom and personal
initiative versus reliance on a smothering central government for our
needs.
- An economy that has received a serious knock-down in the ring of
globalism, where bad judgment , both near and in far-away places, can
act like metastases from both known and unknown cancers.
- Decades-long profligacy in our personal and national approaches
to our own budgets, leading to massive indebtedness to creditors who do
not wish us well.
- A decades-long debasing of our own resources, most notably the
education of our children and grandchildren...their abilities
outstripped by the children...the future...of other
countries.
- Our unwillingness to address the problem of Immigration...which
has historically been this country's strength.
- Our poorly conceived and implemented involvement in regions of
the world about which we have too little understanding: the fourteen
hundred year divide between Shia and Sunni in Iraq; the take-over of a
noble Religion by fundamentalists and fanatics; the tribal - feudal
societal structure in Afghanistan and Pakistan; the visceral animosity
between India and Pakistan; the greed - impelled cooperation with one
nation (China) which is rapidly becoming our "company store", and our
failure to recognize the constant policy of another (Russia) always to
benefit at our expense.
- Our misplaced quest for the approbation of the U. N. and of other
nations (much older, more experienced and more cynical than we)
over the needs of our own national self-interest and
self-defense.
Now is not the time for partisan politics or for demands for compliance
with "non-negotiables" which are actually negotiable. Now is the
time for leadership and compromise in order to restore the unity - and
thus the incomparable strength - of these United States. Must things
get much worse before such real leadership arises?
GS
TUESDAY,
November 17, 2009
MORE ON
OUR NATIONAL
DISGRACE. GS\
Report:
States set low bar for student achievement
By
LIBBY QUAID, AP Education Writer Libby Quaid,
Ap Education Writer –
Thu Oct 29,
3:16 pm ET
WASHINGTON
– Many states declare students to have grade-level mastery of reading
and math when they do not, the Education Department reported Thursday.
The agency compared state achievement
standards to the more challenging standards behind the federally funded
National Assessment of
Educational Progress.
State standards were lower, and there
were big differences in where each state set the bar.
The
Obama administration said the report bolsters its effort to persuade
all states to adopt the same set of tougher standards for what students
should know.
"States are setting the bar too low," Education Secretary Arne Duncan
said. "We're lying to our children when we tell them they're
proficient, but they're not achieving at a level that will prepare them
for success once they graduate."
The federal government can't impose a
set
of standards, because education is largely up to states.
But
Duncan noted he is offering millions of dollars in grants to encourage
states to accept a set of standards being developed by the National
Governors Association and Council
of Chief State School Officers. The grants come from the federal
stimulus law, which set aside $5 billion to push Obama's vision of educational reform.
While the standards are not yet final,
every state but Texas and Alaska already has committed to work toward
adopting them.
The head of the department's Institute of Education Sciences
said the biggest concern should be the wide disparity in standards
among the states. A student who is proficient in one state might not be
proficient in another, the report said.
"Why
are these performance standards so far apart, and why are expectations
set so widely from one place to another?" IES director John Easton said.
House Education Committee chairman
George
Miller said a child's education should not be determined by zip code.
"If
we are serious about rebuilding our economy and restoring our
competitiveness," Miller, D-Calif., said, "then it's time for states to
adopt a common core
of internationally benchmarked standards that can prepare all children
in this country to achieve and succeed in this global economy."
The
report by the department's statistics arm compared state achievement
levels to achievement levels on NAEP. It found that many states deemed
children to be proficient or on grade level when they would rate "below
basic," or lacking even partial mastery, in reading and math under the
NAEP standards.
Among the findings:
•
Thirty-one states deemed fourth-graders proficient in reading when they
would have rated below basic on NAEP. Mississippi's standards were
lowest, and Massachusetts' were highest.
•
Seventeen states deemed eighth-graders proficient at reading when they
would have rated below basic on NAEP. Tennessee's standards were
lowest, and South
Carolina's were highest.
•
Ten states deemed fourth- and eighth-graders proficient at math when
they would have rated below basic on NAEP. Tennessee's standards were
lowest; Massachusetts had the highest fourth-grade math standards, and
South Carolina had the highest eighth-grade standards.
In addition, the report said more
states
lowered standards than raised them from 2005 to 2007.
North Carolina state education official
Lou Fabrizio said states face a dilemma because of No Child Left Behind, the 2002
federal law that prods schools to boost test scores to meet annual improvement
goals.
States can set easier standards that
ensure schools will meet the
federally mandated goals, or they can set more challenging standards
that help kids improve.
His state chose the latter, but
Fabrizio
said it was tough to explain that higher standards meant lower scores.
"That was a really difficult job for us
to do and communicate to
the public that students did not all of a sudden become very ignorant,"
he said.
North Carolina still
has below-basic achievement standards for fourth- and eighth-grade
reading.
MONDAY,
November 16, 2009
A MESSAGE ON HEALTH CARE REFORM FROM THE
ADULTS IN CONGRESS. GS
Republican
bashes Dems over health care proposals
WASHINGTON – House Democrats missed
opportunities to improve the House-passed health care bill
when they rejected Republican ideas to limit lawsuits and give states
more flexibility to enact innovative changes, a GOP lawmaker said
Saturday.
Delivering the Republicans' weekly radio
and Internet address, Rep. Mark Kirk of
Illinois said health
care costs
could be lowered by "reining in lawsuits" and allowing consumers to buy
coverage from across state lines. Kirk promoted several provisions in
the House GOP health care
bill, which was rejected a week ago when the House passed the
Democratic plan.
"Unfortunately,
all of these commonsense Republican reforms were rejected by Speaker
(Nancy) Pelosi," Kirk said in the address. "The Pelosi health care bill
has no significant lawsuit reforms and does not guarantee your medical
rights from government waiting lines or restrictions."
Kirk,
who is in his fifth House term representing the suburbs north of
Chicago, is a candidate for the Republican nomination to run for the
Senate seat that was held by President Barack Obama.
He called the House Democrats' health plan "a new massive spending
program, supported by heavy taxes and cuts to senior health care."
"In sum, the bill opens a new
trillion-dollar entitlement just as our national debt tops $12
trillion," Kirk said.
The
House Democrats' bill would cost $1.2 trillion over 10 years and expand
coverage to an additional 36 million people. The Republican plan would
reduce federal deficits by $68 billion over the 10-year period and push
down premiums for privately insured people but would reduce the number
of uninsured by just 3 million, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office.
The
House Democrats' bill would raise $460 billion over the next decade
from new income taxes on single people making more than $500,000 a year
and couples making more than $1 million. There are also more than $400
billion in cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and a new $20 billion fee on medical device makers.
The
House GOP bill had no new taxes. Republicans would get savings by
capping medical liability awards, stepping up efforts to fight Medicare
and Medicaid fraud, and setting up an approval process for generic
versions of high-tech drugs.
SUNDAY,
November 15, 2009
Today's comment, relating to Eric Holder's decision
to bring the major 9/11 terrorists to trial in New York City
rather than in a Military Court, is a no-brainer: YOU'RE
OUT OF YOUR MIND. And the transparent
effort to provide Barack Obama with "plausable deniability" will not
work.
Every day a new outrage from this administration. That's
"change", alright.
GS
SATURDAY,
November 14, 2009
Subject: Twas the month before Christmas*
<>
Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday !*
Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet during the
holidays a MERRY CHRISTMAS
Christ is The Reason for the Christ-mas Season!
FRIDAY,
November 13, 2009
A few topics come to mind today.
- As always, Abortion is the "elephant in the
room" when any public discussions or legislative efforts take
place, anywhere. The current Health Care Reform debates
are a case in point. This issue has distorted public dialogue for
many decades in this country...and it will continue to do so as long as
abortions are supported and defended anywhere. It will not
go away, just as the issue of Slavery did not go away until it was
abolished and then repudiated by society at large over the following
100 years. If that is what the pro-abortion deviants
want, that is what they will get.
- After spending over 300 million dollars to build a
state-of-the-art global research facility in New London
only eight years ago despite having a fine facility across the
river in Groton, the geniuses on top of the food chain at Pfizer
have decided to close and leave the complex. This is the result
of emphasizing quarterly profits over basic research and innovation -
an epidemic disease in American business. It brings to mind the
truth of two commentaries on the subject. One part of the Peter
Principle states that, in an organization, a person wil rise to his
highest level of incompetence - and then stay there.
Erma Bombeck put it even more pointedly: "an organization is like
a cesspool...the really big pieces float to the top".
As always, New London will survive: a garden spot of the world; a
"hip little city"; a gritty town with a deep sense of identity
and heart. But to survive and make "lemonade from
this lemon", it must re-emphasize what it is and create what it
isn't. It is the cultural center of the region. It is the
health care center of the region. It is the business and
transportation center of the region. It is the urban center of
the region, with a growing attractiveness for urbanites from
everywhere. It must capitalize on these strengths, together with
the great help of its strong volunteer tradition. Wnat it is not
is an education center of excellence in the grammar school and
highschool years, despite having three colleges in the immediate
vicinity. In that regard it has been a disgrace and an
indictment of the "educators" involved. There is hope even
here. It has or will soon have physical plants and schools of
unequaled quality, thanks to the investment of the State and the
City. But it must recreate its human education resources,
including its teaching staff, its supervisory staff and its student
body. No more mediocrity in teachers. No more excuses and
"educator-speak" from supervisors. No more tolerated
irresponsibility of action and inaction from parents and students
alike. And there must be a great elevation in the quest for goals
and achievements...currently abysmally low. To return to an
election motto that I used in running for and serving two terms on the
Board of Education in the late 1960's: EXCELLENCE IN OUR
EDUCATION INDUSTRY. At least I tried. Only
with this ingredient in place will New London be able to attract the
young educated and professional families we need as the life-blood of
our future. Yes, New London has "vision"; it has
"potential". But enough of this...we need Action, and we need it
Now.
GS
THURSDAY,
November 12, 2009
==================================================
ZENIT, The world seen from Rome
News Agency
==================================================
Migrants a Resource, Nothing to Fear, Says Pope
Calls Faithful to Open Their Hearts
VATICAN CITY, NOV. 10, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Migrants
must not be regarded as a problem or people to fear, but rather a
resource to be valued with a spirit of hospitality for the promotion of
genuine development.
Benedict XVI stressed this Monday when he addressed
participants in the 6th Congress for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and
Refugees, which is considering migration in the context of
globalization and the implementation of the instruction "Erga Migrantes
Caritas Christi," five years after its release.
The conference has brought together some 300 people
from 81 countries, among whom are cardinals, bishops, priests and
laypersons, as well as fraternal delegates representing the Orthodox,
Anglicans and Lutherans, and experts, academics and envoys of
international organizations and ecclesial movements.
The Holy Father told the participants that in the
present context, dominated by the world economic crisis and by a
growing economic divide between poor and industrialized countries,
"many migrants leave their country to escape from humanly unacceptable
conditions of life, but without finding in other places the hospitality
they expected."
True development
The Pontiff contended that "genuine development
always has a solidary nature" and globalization "can be a propitious
occasion to promote integral development, but only if cultural
differences are accepted as occasions for meeting and dialogue, and if
the unequal distribution of world resources sparks a new awareness of
the necessary solidarity that must unite the human family."
Benedict XVI called for "adequate answers to the
great social changes under way, taking into account that there cannot
be effective development if the meeting between peoples, the dialogue
between cultures and respect for legitimate differences are not
fostered."
"Migrations are an invitation to perceive clearly the
unity of the human family, and the values of acceptance, hospitality
and love of neighbor," he added.
The Pope reminded the faithful of the Church's
invitation to "open their hearts to migrants and their families,
knowing that [...] they constitute a resource that must be valued at
the proper time for humanity's journey and its genuine development."
In his opening address, Archbishop Antonio
Vegliò, president of the pontifical council that organized the
conference, explained that among its objectives is addressing the
reality of departure, transit and arrival, which goes across society
and Christian communities.
"The present movements of peoples make it necessary
to further knowledge," he said, "on topics such as the fundamental
unity of the human race, freedom of religion and worship, universal
fraternity, the universal destiny of the goods of this world, the right
to liberty of movement, the centrality of the human person and the
protection of his fundamental rights everywhere, as well as the
reunification of families, an education that respects the native
culture of migrants and, finally, the responsibility of political
leaders to find stable solutions, in the socioeconomic field, which do
not oblige citizens to emigrate."
WEDNESDAY,
November 11, 2009
Dr.
Krauthammer is on Fox News . He is an M.D. and a lawyer and is
paralyzed from the neck down. A friend went to hear Charles
Krauthammer. He listened with 25 others in a closed room. What he says
here, is NOT 2nd-hand but 1st. The ramifications are staggering for us,
our children and their children.
Last Monday was a profound evening, Dr. Charles
Krauthammer spoke to the Center for the American Experiment. He is a
brilliant intellectual, seasoned & articulate. He is forthright and
careful in his analysis, and never resorts to emotions or personal
insults. He is NOT a fear monger nor an extremist in his comments and
views . He is a fiscal conservative, and has received a Pulitzer Prize
for writing. He is a frequent contributor to Fox News and writes weekly
for the Washington Post.
The entire room was held spellbound during his talk.
I have summarized his comments, as we are living in uncharted waters
economically and internationally. Even 2 Dems at my table agreed
with everything he said! If you feel like forwarding this to those who
are open minded and have not drunk the Kool-Aid, feel free.
Summary of his comments:
1. Mr. Obama is a very intellectual, charming individual. He is not to
be underestimated. He is a cool customer who doesn't show his emotions.
It's very hard to know what's behind the mask.The taking down of the
Clinton
dynasty
was an amazing accomplishment. The Clintons still do not understand
what hit them. Obama was in the perfect place at the perfect time.
2. Obama has political skills comparable to Reagan and Clinton . He has
a way of making you think he's on your side, agreeing with your
position, while doing the opposite. Pay no attention to what he SAYS;
rather, watch what he DOES!
3. Obama has a ruthless quest for power. He did not come to Washington
to make something out of himself, but rather to change everything,
including dismantling capitalism. He can't be straightforward on his
ambitions, as the public would not go along.
He has a heavy hand, and wants to level the playing
field with income redistribution and punishment to the achievers of
society. He would like to model the USA to Great Britain orCanada .
4. His three main goals are to control ENERGY, PUBLIC EDUCATION, and
NATIONAL HEALTHCARE by the Federal government. He doesn't care about
the auto or financial services industries, but got them as an early
bonus. The cap and trade will add costs to everything and stifle
growth. Paying for FREE college education is his goal. Most scary is
his healthcare program, because if you make it FREE and add 46,000,000
people to a Medicare-type single-payer system, the costs will go
through the roof. The only way to control costs is with massive
RATIONING of services, like in Canada . God forbid!
5. He has surrounded himself with mostly far-left academic types. No
one around him has ever even run a candy store. But they are going to
try and run the auto, financial, banking and other industries. This
obviously can't work in the long run. Obama is not a socialist; rather
he's a far-left secular progressive bent on nothing short of
revolution. He ran as a moderate, but will govern from the hard left.
Again, watch what he does, not what he says.
6. Obama doesn't really see himself as President of the United States ,
but more as a ruler over the world. He sees himself above it all,
trying to orchestrate & coordinate various countries and their
agendas. He sees moral equivalency in all cultures. His apology tour in
Germany and England was a prime example of how he sees America , as an
imperialist nation that has been arrogant, rather than a great noble
nation that has at times made errors. This is the first President ever
who has chastised our allies and appeased our enemies!
7. He is now handing out goodies. He hopes that the bill (and pain)
will not come due until after he is reelected in 2012. He would like to
blame all problems on Bush from the past, and hopefully his successor
in the future. He has a huge ego, and Dr. Krauthammer believes he is a
narcissist.
8.. Republicans are in the wilderness for a while, but will emerge
strong.. Republicans are pining for another Reagan, but there will
never be another like him. Krauthammer believes Mitt Romney, Tim
Pawlenty & Bobby Jindahl (except for his terrible speech in
February) are the future of the party. Newt Gingrich is brilliant, but
has baggage. Sarah Palin is sincere and intelligent, but needs to
really be seriously boning up on facts and info if she is to be a
serious candidate in the future. We need to return to the party of
lower taxes, smaller government, personal responsibility, strong
national defense, and state's rights.
9. The current level of spending is irresponsible and outrageous. We
are spending trillions that we don't have. This could lead to
hyperinflation, depression or worse. No country has ever spent
themselves into prosperity. The media is giving Obama, Reid and Pelosi
a pass because they love their agenda. But eventually the bill will
come due and people will realize the huge bailouts didn't work, nor
will the stimulus package.These were trillion-dollar payoffs to Obama's
allies, unions and the Congress to placate the left, so he can get
support for #4 above.
10. The election was over in mid-September when Lehman brothers failed,
fear and panic swept in, we had an unpopular President, and the war was
grinding on indefinitely without a clear outcome. The people are in
pain, and the mantra of change caused people to act emotionally. Any
Dem would have won this election; it was surprising it was as close as
it was.
11. In 2012, if the unemployment rate is over 10%, Republicans will be
swept back into power. If it's under 8%, the Dems continue to roll. If
it's between 8-10%, it will be a dogfight. It will all be about the
economy. I hope this gets you really thinking about what's
happening in Washington and Congress. There is a
left-wing revolution going on, according to Krauthammer, and he
encourages us to keep the faith and join the loyal resistance. The work
will be hard, but we're right on most issues and can reclaim our
country, before it's far too late.
Do yourself a long term favor, send this to all who will listen to an
intelligent assessment of the big picture. All our futures and
children's futures depend on our good understanding of what is really
going on in DC, and our action pursuant to that understanding!! It
really IS up to each of us to take individual action!! Start with
educating your friends and neighbors!!!
TUESDAY,
November 10, 2009
The original comment being replied to is
way beyond "STUPID", the word that increasingly comes to my mind
when observing my fellow citizens. Maybe we should re-impose
a literacy test before allowing the right to vote! GS
This Cindy Williams is
NOT the "Laverne & Shirley" Cindy Williams. She is a Assistant Director for
national Security in the Congressional Budget Office...
Military Pay
This is an Airman's
response to Cindy Williams' editorial piece in the Washington
Times about MILITARY PAY, it should be printed in all newspapers
across America
Ms. Cindy Williams wrote a
piece for the Washington Times, denouncing the pay raise(s)
coming service members' way this year citing that she stated 13%
wage increase was more than they deserve.
A young airman from
Hill AFB responds to her article below. He ought to get a
bonus for this.
"Ms Williams: I just
had the pleasure of reading your column, "Our GIs earn enough" and
I am a bit confused. Frankly, I'm wondering where this vaunted
overpayment is going, because as far as I can tell, it disappears
every month between DFAS (The Defense Finance and Accounting
Service) and my bank account. Checking my latest earnings
statement I see that I make $1,117.80 before taxes per month.
After taxes, I take home $874.20. When I run that through the
calculator, I come up with an annual salary of $13,413.60 before
taxes, and $10,490.40, after.
I work in the Air Force
Network Control Center where I am part of the team responsible
for a 5,000 host computer network I am involved with
infrastructure segments, specifically with Cisco Systems
equipment. A quick check under jobs For Network Technicians in
the Washington , D.C. Area reveals a position in my career
field, requiring three years experience with my job. Amazingly,
this job does NOT pay $13,413.60 a year. No, this job is being
offered at $70,000 to $80,000 per annum........... I'm sure you
can draw the obvious conclusions.
Given the tenor of your
column, I would assume that you NEVER had the pleasure of serving
your country in her armed forces. Before you take it upon
yourself to once more castigate congressional and DOD leadership
for attempting to get the families in the military's lowest pay
brackets off of WIC and food stamps, I suggest that you join a
group of deploying soldiers headed for AFGHANISTAN ; I leave the
choice of service branch up to you. Whatever choice you make,
though, opt for the SIX month rotation: it will guarantee you the
longest possible time away from your family and friends, thus
giving you full "deployment experience."
As your group prepares to
board the plane, make sure to note the spouses and children who
are saying good-bye to their loved ones. Also take care to note
that several families are still unsure of how they'll be able to
make ends meet while the primary breadwinner is gone obviously
they've been squandering the "vast" piles of cash the government
has been giving them.
Try to deploy over a major
holiday; Christmas and Thanksgiving are perennial favorites.. And
when you're actually over there, sitting in a foxhole, shivering
against the cold desert night; and the flight sergeant tells you
that there aren't enough people on shift to relieve you for chow,
remember this: trade whatever MRE (meal-ready- to-eat) you manage
to get for the tuna noodle casserole or cheese tortellini, and
add Tabasco to everything. This gives some flavor.
Talk to your loved ones as
often as you are permitted; it won't nearly be long enough or
often enough, but take what you can get and be thankful for it.
You may have picked up on the fact that I disagree with most of
the points you present in your opened piece.
But, tomorrow from KABUL ,
I will defend to the death your right to say it.
You see, I am an American
fighting man, a guarantor of your First Amendment rights and
every other right you cherish. On a daily basis, my brother and
sister soldiers worldwide ensure that you and people like you can
thumb your collective nose at us, all on a salary that is nothing
short of pitiful and under conditions that would make most people
cringe We hemorrhage our best and brightest into the private
sector because we can't offer the stability and pay of civilian
companies.
And you, Ms. Williams,
have the gall to say that we make more than we deserve? You can
kiss my royal red a**!!!
A1C Michael Bragg Hill AFB
AFNCC
MONDAY,
November 9, 2009
Could this be the "smoking
gun"? GS
Whether the Obama
Birthers are right or not, all the President has to do is answer one
Question
ONE SIMPLE
QUESTION. PASS IT ON AND ON AND ON.
While I've little interest in
getting in the middle of the Obama birth issue,
Paul Hollrah over at UTFSM did
so yesterday and believes the issue can
be resolved by Obama answering
one simple question:
What passport did he use when
he was shuttling between New York ,
Jakarta, and Karachi ?
So how did a young man who
arrived in New York in early June 1981,
without the price of a hotel
room in his pocket, suddenly come up with
the price of a round-the-world
trip just a month later?
And once he was on a plane,
shuttling between New York , Jakarta ,
and Karachi , what passport was
he offering when he passed through
Customs and Immigration?
<>The American
people not only
deserve to have answers to these questions,
they must have answers. It
makes the debate over Obama's citizenship a
rather short and simple one.
Q: Did he travel to Pakistan in 1981, at age 20?
A :Yes, by his own admission.
Q: What passport did he travel
under?
A: There are only three
possibilities.
1) He traveled with a U.S.
Passport,
2) He traveled with a British
passport, or
3) He traveled with an
Indonesian passport.
Q: Is it possible that Obama
traveled with a U.S. Passport in 1981?
A: No. It is not possible.
Pakistan was on the U.S. State Department's
"no travel"
list in 1981.
Conclusion:
When Obama went to Pakistan in
1981 he was traveling either with a
British passport or an
Indonesian passport.
If he were traveling with a
British passport that would provide proof
he was born in Kenya on August
4, 1961, not in Hawaii as he claims.
And if he were traveling with
an Indonesian passport that would tend
to prove he relinquished
whatever previous citizenship he held, British
or American, prior to being
adopted by his Indonesian step-father in 1967.
Whatever the truth of the
matter, the American people need to know
how he managed to become a
"natural born" American citizen between
1981 and 2008..
Given the destructive nature of
his plans for America, as illustrated by
his speech before Congress and
the disastrous spending plan he has
presented to Congress, the
sooner we learn the truth of all this, the better.
SUNDAY,
November 8, 2009
Without knowing what the Senate and a
Conference Committee will do, this bill as passed by the House seems
desireable...exepet for the unintended and predictable consequences of
inplementation: much greater Federal deficit; generally higher cost,
lower quality and less access. But doesn't it feel really
good? GS
House
health care bill has nowhere to go in Senate
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press Writer Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, Associated Press Writer
–
17 mins ago
WASHINGTON – The glow from a health care
triumph faded quickly for President Barack Obama
on Sunday as Democrats realized the bill they fought so hard to pass in
the House has nowhere to go in the Senate.
Speaking
from the Rose Garden about 14 hours after the late Saturday vote, Obama
urged senators to be like runners on a relay team and "take the baton
and bring this effort to the finish line on behalf of the American
people."
The problem is that the Senate won't run
with it. The government
health insurance plan included in the House bill is unacceptable
to a few Democratic moderates who hold the balance of power in the
Senate.
If a government plan is part of the deal,
"as a matter of conscience, I will not allow this bill to come to a
final vote," said Sen.
Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut independent whose vote Democrats
need to overcome GOP filibusters.
"The House bill is dead on arrival in the
Senate," Sen. Lindsey
Graham, R-S.C., said dismissively.
Democrats did not line up to challenge
him. Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid, D-Nev., has yet to schedule floor debate and hinted last
week that senators may not be able to finish health care this year.
Nonetheless,
the House vote provided an important lesson in how to succeed with
less-than-perfect party unity, and one that Senate Democrats may be
able to adapt. House Democrats overcame their own divisions and broke
an impasse that threatened the bill after liberals grudgingly accepted
tougher restrictions on abortion funding, as abortion opponents
demanded.
In Senate, the stumbling block is the
idea of the government competing with private insurers. Liberals may
have to swallow hard and accept a deal without a public plan in order
to keep the legislation alive. As in the House, the compromise appears
to be to the right of the political
spectrum.
Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe
of Maine, who voted for a version of the Senate bill in committee, has
given the Democrats a possible way out. She's proposing to allow a
government plan as a last resort, if after a few years premiums keep
escalating and local health insurance markets remain in the grip of a
few big companies. This is the "trigger" option.
That approach appeals to moderates such
as Sen. Mary Landrieu,
D-La. "If the private market fails to reform, there would be a fallback
position," Landrieu said last week. "It should be triggered by choice
and affordability, not by political whim."
Lieberman said he opposes the public plan
because it could become a huge and costly entitlement program.
"I believe the debt can break America and send us into a recession
that's worse than the one we're fighting our way out of today," he said.
For now, Reid is trying to find the votes
for a different approach: a government plan that states could opt out
of.
The Senate
is not likely to jump ahead this week on health care. Reid will keep
meeting with senators to see if he can work out a political formula
that will give him not only the 60 votes needed to begin debate, but
the 60 needed to shut off discussion and bring the bill to a final vote.
Toward the end of the week, the Congressional Budget Office
may report back with a costs and coverage estimate on Reid's bill,
which he assembled from legislation passed by the Finance Committee and
the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. The Finance
Committee version does not include a government plan.
Reid
has pledged to Obama that he will get the bill done by the end of the
year and remains committed to doing that, according to a Senate
leadership aide.
Both the House and Senate bills gradually
would extend coverage to nearly all Americans by providing government subsidies
to help pay premiums. The measures would bar insurers' practices such
as charging more to those in poor health or denying them coverage
altogether.
All Americans would be required to
carry health insurance, either through an employer, a government plan
or by purchasing it on their own.
To keep down
costs, the government subsidies and consumer protections don't take
effect until 2013. During the three-year transition, both bills would
provide $5 billion in federal dollars to help get coverage for people
with medical problems who are turned down by private insurers.
Both House and Senate would expand
significantly the federal-state Medicaid health program for low-income
people.
The majority of people with
employer-provided health insurance
would not see changes. The main beneficiaries would be some 30 million
people who have no coverage at work or have to buy it on their own. The
legislation would create a federally regulated marketplace where they
could shop for coverage.
The are several major differences between
the bills.
_The House would require employers to
provide coverage; the Senate does not.
_The House would pay for the coverage
expansion by raising taxes
on upper-income earners; the Senate uses a variety of taxes and fees,
including a levy on high-cost insurance plans.
_The House plan costs about $1.2 trillion over
10 years; the Senate version is under $900 billion.
By defusing the abortion issue — at least
for now — the House
may have helped the long-term prospects for the bill. Catholic bishops
also eager to expand society's safety net may yet endorse the final
legislation.
Lieberman appeared on "Fox News Sunday,"
while Graham was CBS' "Face the Nation."
WEDNESDAY through SATURDAY,
November 4 through 7, 2009
Well, the elections are over...and the election
campaigns are over for about a month before the next round. I was
travelling this week, thinking and reading a lot.
So, what are the messages:?
- Locally, My son Adam won re-election to the New
London, Ct. City Council on a Republican ticket that ousted the
majority Democrats for the first time in 20 years - the prior time
being about 20 years before that. And he was one of the two top
vote-getters, together with a six-time veteran who both out-distanced
all the other candidates by about 20%. He deserved it. The
New London Republicans deserved it. AND THE DEMOCRATS DESERVED
IT.
- In this region of Connecticut, a State
that has in the last 30 years sadly become predominantly Democratic,
Republicans keep winning more than their share of local
elections. Does that mean that "all politics is local"?
- This Democratic State is poorly run by the Democratic
legislature, and by a nominally Republican Governor who has ;delegated
altogether too much, with too little follow-through.
- The Republican victories in New Jersey and in
Virginia are telling...they are not flukes. President Obama, are
you listening? Your only chance for a second term, or even an
effective first term, has been to distance yourself from the crazies on
your left - led by Pelosi and Reid. So far, you're not getting
the message. Is passing a divisive and ultimately destructive
"Health Care Reform" bill so important to you that you sacrifice
everything else while this nation gets weaker and weaker both at
home and abroad? What's the matter with you? Or are you
really "The Manchurian Candidate"?
- Having noted the above, I am certainly not embracing the so-called
"Republican Party". What a mess.
Theocrats on one side; Rhinos on the other side. Folks, you will
still lose by default if you do not unite and bring something to the
table that the strong majority of Americans are thirsting for.
That will require compromise...not because you want it, but because you
absolutely need it to survive. To the Theocrats:
America is a Christian nation...but it is not a theocracy nor
a born-again Christian nation. Stow the bible thumping - except
for the total non-negotiable stance against abortion (except to save
the life of the mother). Recognize that Homosexuality
should now be recognized as a biologic and not as a religious - moral
issue, the same as Heterosexuality...in both cases in the absence of
sexual irresponsibility and promiscuity. Re-learn a lesson from
grammar school: this is a nation of immigrants, with special
protections for aliens written into the U.S. Constitution. Unite
to come up with a comprehensive Immigration policy that
deals with the current realities on the ground and not the biases on
your wish list. To the RINOs: SHAPE UP OR SHIP
OUT. You can't be a Republican and be pro-abortion; understand
that. You can't give in to every demand of the most
loud advocates of homosexuality - and usually the most irresponsible at
that. Civil union - Yes; responsible and stable partner adoption
- Yes; Marriage - No. You can't embrace - or allow your efforts
at Immigration reform to be fairly called "Amnesty". And remember
that being a Republican does mean embracing some bed-rock
principles...even if the Republicans in national office in recent years
forgot them: smaller Federal government; deference to State and local
governance...as the Constitution provides; lower taxes; individual
initiative and entrepreneurship; individual responsibility; an
identifiable level of morality, in keeping with Natural Law; and belief
in a Supreme Being.
One basic message: this country is in big trouble...not
because it is in a Great Recession, and not because the Democrats are
in control, and not because we have our people fighting outside this
country...but because we are badly divided. This occurred twice
before here: between the Revolutionaries and the Loyalists in the
1770's; and regarding Slavery for too much of our history, leading to
the most tragic war we ever fought...and having
resolved little for another 100 years afterwards. Must
we go through that again?
GS
TUESDAY, November 3, 2009
CMS ANNOUNCES A 21% PAY CUT FOR PHYSICIANS IN 2010.
And once again the American Medical Association,
representing less than 20% of this nation's doctors, and always doing
whatever is necessary to be "at the table", finds itself under
the table. You've been duped, you dopes.
GS
SUNDAY and MONDAY, November 1 and 2, 2009
The following is another statement on the current Health
Care "Reform" debacle that simply cannot be improved on nor
added to.
See: "THE WORST BILL EVER", Wall Street Journal, Review
and Outlook, November 1, 2009.
GS
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