Vids: DADT and The Killer Weiner on Healthcare

First, Rachel on DADT.. excellent:



Second, if you haven't seen Rep. Weiner (NY9) kick butt in the House Energy and Commerce Committee on health care, my friend, you have missed a beautiful thing:



And of course Weiner makes me wonder WHY I live here and not in NY9.

Please Do This For Me, I Need Your Help

Please read my story and understand why the issue of health care is so important to me. Please.

If you have not seen Moore's film, Sicko, about the health care debacle that is American insurance, you must.

You can go HERE and watch the entire film. This is a funny and powerful film that touches on every aspect of American health insurance (or not).

Then, go HERE and watch an insurance industry exec, Cigna's self-retired former Vice President of Corporate Communications, Wendell Potter, say that Moore's film was right on in an interview with Bill Moyers.

Moyers exposes the insurance companys' campaign to discredit Moore and keep me and tens and tens of millions of people like me untreated, or under-insured. And to cancel people like YOU that have insurance, at least until you need it.

Between the two of the above, I was sobbing. Still am.

Between the two films above, it explains how and why we are in the position we are in and WHY you are not safe: Even if you ARE INSURED. And Moyers discusses the politics of it all.

*****

My Story

What you may not know is that my brother--my ONLY brother and my ONLY sibling, my mother's only son, my sister-in-law's only husband, my niece and and nephews only father--died because his insurance company was "considering" whether he could have a medical test.

During that "consideration" period, my fun, hard-working, creative and wonderful brother climbed into bed, said he did not feel well, and was dead three minutes later.

Had an insurance company not been invovled, my brother would have gone for the test, they would have easily found the problem, and he would have been immediately admitted to a hospital. He wasn't. He's dead.

I had cancer. I am a cancer survivor. I am uninsurable. I have no insurance.

When I get sick or injured, I go to the emergency room. I do my best not to and should have gone more times than I have ever gone. The terrible reality for me is that I am embarassed to ask for help at a hospital. I feel inadequate.

When I broke my arm falling from a wall onto the street, I went to the hospital. They x-rayed my arm, confirmed the break, put it in a sling, and gave me a few names of doctors to go to.

The next day, I called the doctors. They didn't take payments. I ended up calling EVERY orthopedist in Orange County and every clinic. Not one would take payments.

I left my arm in a sling. It took me almost two years to get my left arm to heal on its own and get mobility back.

When I had severe chest pains, I drove myself to the hospital. They confirmed I had had a a heart event but didn't understand exactly what had happened. They wanted me to stay in the hospital at least overnight for more tests, but because I was uninsured (I was working full time for a small company who did not offer it and I did not make enough to pay for ANY insurance that a company would offer given my cancer history), I ended up being sent home with a prescription for nitroglycerin and a warning that given where I live, if I had a serious event then or in the future, I would die.

I remain undiagnosed, and untreated. I was in the hospital for perhaps four hours. The bill was $5K. I could not pay the bill.

Those of you with insurance paid for me. That's the rip. You are ALREADY paying for health care for the uninsured, but at the highest rate possible.

Who knows how long my feet will walk this beautiful earth. I love this place. I have spent the majority of my adult life defending this beautiful place, paid, and mostly not. I have no interest in being dead. None. I am only 55. My brother died at 52. My mom is 95 and on Medicare and gets wonderful care. I know--I am with her at every appointment.

This post IS about me. This post is to ask for your help.

When you understand what is possible, and what is involved with an American health care option (or best, and cheapest) single payer health care, you will not be so afraid. And if YOU have health care insurance, you will understand YOU are not safe under the current system.

Please, for me, your friend, will you help? Will you watch the Moore film and listen to Potter talk about the insurance industry and admit that his very company, Cigna, targeted Moore's film out of fear of the truth?

Every few days I post a call list for particular states and for all states to influence politicians who are receiving obscene amounts of money to stop any form of national health care. These are calls to politicians who hold MY LIFE in their hands, and yours as well. Will you please help me--and yourselves--by making these calls?

Don't be shy. Remember, our Congress members have the best insurance in the land and we foot the tab. Shouldn't we have the same option?

I am, literally, one of the least of these. As uncomfortable for me it is to ask for help, I am asking--begging, really--for your help.

Will you help me? And if you are not willing, will you at least tell me why you won't help me, Cany?

I can take the hits.

I cannot take not knowing why people are unwilling to help. And I cannot understand why anyone would feel that calling your elected officials is, somehow, "someone else's" job.

Sunday News for Monday ACTION on HCare

Hope you had a great 4th!

Two words about Palin and Michael Jackson. Palin. Jackson. There. I'm done.

*****

Now, go find your phone. Fire up the computer. This is a work day and we have a lot of calls to make and e-mails to send on healthcare!

Look for your state below in blue.

Headline: Insurance companies are spending $1.4 million dollars A DAY lobbying against healthcare reform. Click on the word 'headline' to read the piece. Good God, folks. If this doesn't explain part of the problem, nothing will.

Healthcare Fact of The Day: In almost 3/4 of medical bankruptcy cases, families HAD health insurance. If you are a person with health insurance and think you are immune, think again.

*****

Connecticut: I love these short 40 second vids produced by Lee Stranahan (LeeStranahan.com). They are brilliant and produced by a Connecticut guy that's just ON IT! You Connecticut folks are a fun bunch.

So... WHY NOT call Joe toll free: 1-866-338-1015... ask for Senator Joe Lieberman. Tell him you want the same coverage he has, no triggers, no co-ops, no bull! And send the link to this post to your Connecticut friends and family!

Also, you there up in the beautiful state of Connecticut, call The White House at 202-456-1111 and E-MAIL THEM!

Message to the White House: On healthcare: No co-ops, no (time-kick-in) triggers. We need a Medicare-like plan. And no, Mr. President, I will NOT back off on moderate or Blue Dog dems that are not solidly supporting a good public option. They need to be held accountable.

*****

New York: Chuck Schumer. The man looks like wheat blowing in the wind today on good healthcare.

1. E-mail NY Senator Chuck Schumer (link to his e-mail)
2. Call Schumer's DC office. Use this toll-free number: 1-866-338-1015

Message: Do not under any circumstances support a co-op for the public option. We need a broad, medicare-like option with no triggers, affordable and available on day one to everyone that chooses to enter.

Also, New Yorkers, call The White House at 202-456-1111 and E-MAIL THEM!

Message to the White House: On healthcare: No co-ops, no (time, kick-in) triggers. We need a Medicare-like plan. And no, Mr. President, I will NOT back off on moderate or Blue Dog dems that are not solidly supporting a good public option. They need to be held accountable.

*****

If you live in ANY of the following states, listen up!

The Senate Finance Committee is preparing a co-op healthcare plan. This means somehow, some way, someone somewhere will form a non-profit co-op (or not) that would be the vehicle (or not) we all hop on (state x state, or county x county or???? so no benefit in economy of size when negotiating for drug or care benefits, for instance) to insure ourselves. Bad idea, bad plan.

In four words: Co-ops are a MESS!

Use this toll free number to contact your Senator, regardless of state: 1-866-338-1015, ask for your senator by name.

Click on the name next to the state to take you to each e-mail and state contact info page.

Arkansas: Blanche Lincoln
Delaware: Thomas Carper
Florida: Bill Nelson
Maine: Olympia Snowe (when you get there, click on the contact button)
Massachusetts: John Kerry
Michigan: Debbie Stabenow
Montana: Max Baucus
New Jersey: Robert Menendez
New Mexico: Jeff Bingaman
North Dakota: Kent Conrad
Oregon: Ron Wyden
Washington: Maria Cantwell
West Virginia: John Rockefeller

Call AND e-mail your senator in the above states.
Message: NO on the Conrad Co-Op Compromise, adding...

• I do NOT want any trigger--7 year or otherwise--for the public option, take it off the table.
• Don't tax our employer health benefits to pay for this.
• We need a strong, affordable Medicare-like public option open to everyone ON DAY ONE.

Remember, you are in the driver's seat. This is YOUR senator.

For those of you that do not have a senator on the above list, these are ALL committee members and, as such, on committee business, they represent YOU, TOO. Pick a name or two or 13, call them and write them.

We have an opportunity this year to do what FDR wanted to do decades ago: Provide a means for everyone to see a doctor and get needed medical care. If we let this chance go, it may not return for decades and many of your friends and family may, like me (a cancer survivor with no insurance), not live to see that day.

• A public option would allow for people to keep their insurance, if they like it, and bail if they don't.
  
• A public option will help curtail medical bankruptcy.
• A public option is the sane way to shut down an insurance industry which is designed not to protect you, but to make money--A lot of money.

Healthcare: Will You Help The Least Of Us?

This is the question being asked right now by the 45 million uninsured in this country. I am one. I am an uninsured cancer survivor. You can imagine the cost of insurance for me, which I cannot possibly pay. I am not alone. I did nothing to get cancer. Nothing. I was just unlucky.

Others--for instance the nearly 20% unemployed in parts of Michigan and Ohio--are wondering asking for help, too.

72 percent of Americans support a public plan for health care including 50% of republicans. These people are your neighbors, your co-workers, your waitress, those pew-sitting beside you, your car mechanic, the family now living in their car down the street, and the families of your childrens' friends.

This is about you, me and 72% of everyone we come across. For every 10 people you meet, 7.2 of them support a public option for health care.

Think about that for a minute.

Now, be honest. What have YOU done about it?

Have you made calls over and over and over and over to your senators and house reps?

Have you sent e-mails?

Do you even KNOW where your senators and rep stand on the issue?

72% of this country should be melting the phone lines. 72% of this country should be causing servers to fail. Are they?

We Christians talk a lot about caring but we don't really focus much on action. I am asking you to change that and to change that today. Right now! 45 million of us need your help, and so does 72 percent of everyone else.

So here's what you need to do:

1. Call your senators and reps:

• Ask them if they support single payer or a medicare-like like plan without triggers (a date when things click in), and without co-ops.
• If the answer is no, tell them you do and that 72% of others and 45 million uninsured also do and that they had better support such an option. Ask them to defend their position against the 72% of the public that wants them to do something and wants it done NOW. Call them EVERY DAY until they say they support single payer. And if they never do, find someone else to vote for next time. Opponents should NOT be reelected regardless of party.
  
• If the answer is yes, thank them and tell them you expect them to do everything in their power to get this done AND SOON.

2. E-mail your senators and reps EVERY DAY... You can use the same e-mail every day. Tell them you want a yes or no answer and you are TIRED of waiting. If they say yes or no in writing, see above for your response.

It's time to put our actions to work. Consider Matthew 25:31-46:

The Sheep and the Goats

³¹"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

³⁷"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

⁴⁰"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

⁴¹"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

⁴⁴"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

⁴⁵"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

⁴⁶"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

I have a feeling that if Jesus was preaching today, he's be asking you to make calls and send e-mails to help those in need. It's a presumption, but surely a plausible one. This is the way, today, we CAN--all of us--help the sick.

Now, will you PLEASE GO and make those calls and send those e-mails?

Health Care, Health Care, Health Care!

Now, to get started, let's watch some really FUNNY stuff, shall we?




Funny! Well, sort of! Well, not really. The sad part is, as you saw, these excuses are actually being used in press conferences, on news shows, and on entertainment news (read Glen Beck etc.).

In fact, it's really not funny at all... the whole point of the two vids, AND, importantly, these things are also not true.