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Is Life After Death Possible?
Commented Dec 30, 2009 at 12:09:50 in Living
“In a sense, Dr. Mendelson, you violate the law of physics you use as a proof. The energy which is experienced as sound, reaches everyone, everywhere, ... it must. It does not "disappear", as you rightly describe. It may reach us at a level too low for us to perceive, but it reaches us nonetheless. Not all perception is even conscious, of course. Changes in barometric pressure, and other natural phenomena, for example, may cause behavioral changes in people for reasons they do not understand, but nonetheless experience.
The moment before my patients died, they were distinctly "living", ... with energy abounding, in the heart and nerves, muscles and tissues. Those energy patterns that we called by name were unique to that person, ... in their looks and voice, smell and feel. Those energy waves exist forever, and radiate outward forever, like ripples on a pond from a stone crossing its surface. Reflect those waves in reverse, as if we were to look at the focus of the ripples, and we see not only where they were, but who, ... as certainly as we could discern the energy distributed by the stone into the water, and where it fell.
That we do not (yet) have that perceptive ability does not negate the possibility, nor annihilate the energy itself, which will exist forever.”
The moment before my patients died, they were distinctly "living", ... with energy abounding, in the heart and nerves, muscles and tissues. Those energy patterns that we called by name were unique to that person, ... in their looks and voice, smell and feel. Those energy waves exist forever, and radiate outward forever, like ripples on a pond from a stone crossing its surface. Reflect those waves in reverse, as if we were to look at the focus of the ripples, and we see not only where they were, but who, ... as certainly as we could discern the energy distributed by the stone into the water, and where it fell.
That we do not (yet) have that perceptive ability does not negate the possibility, nor annihilate the energy itself, which will exist forever.”
Is Life After Death Possible?
Commented Dec 30, 2009 at 11:52:26 in Living
“An amazing lecture is available on TED, by a neurological researcher which recounts her own experience of having a stroke.
http://www
Jill Bolte Taylor describes the behaviors of each hemisphere as they "take turns" at interpreting the experience as it is evolving and the stroke is progressing. It is clear, as you describe, that certain perceptional and mental tasks are assigned to each, by their evolutionary design. Why the right and left evolved distinctly in those positions is a curious consideration for another day.
What Taylor does not mention, but is obvious in her very lecture, ... is that there is a "third" functional entity at play, ... that part of mind which was observing the other two as they went individually about their tasks. It does not reside in the Corpus Colossum, nor distinctly in either hemisphere.
When you can find its location, Dr. Mendelson, I think we could reach conclusions as you seek to do, ... but until then we must admit we do not know very much at all about "mind" , and far less about what we collectively refer to as "spirit".”
http://www
Jill Bolte Taylor describes the behaviors of each hemisphere as they "take turns" at interpreting the experience as it is evolving and the stroke is progressing. It is clear, as you describe, that certain perceptional and mental tasks are assigned to each, by their evolutionary design. Why the right and left evolved distinctly in those positions is a curious consideration for another day.
What Taylor does not mention, but is obvious in her very lecture, ... is that there is a "third" functional entity at play, ... that part of mind which was observing the other two as they went individually about their tasks. It does not reside in the Corpus Colossum, nor distinctly in either hemisphere.
When you can find its location, Dr. Mendelson, I think we could reach conclusions as you seek to do, ... but until then we must admit we do not know very much at all about "mind" , and far less about what we collectively refer to as "spirit".”
kilgore trout replied on Dec 30, 2009 at 12:16:44
“Thanks for the link to the TED lecture. I check the TED website often because the lectures are often fascinating, but I missed this one.”
Move Your Money: A New Year's Resolution
Commented Dec 29, 2009 at 19:27:33 in Business
“Even better, ... to Federal Credit Unions!”
jan4insight replied on Dec 29, 2009 at 19:46:46
“amen.”
A Government Of One
Commented Dec 26, 2009 at 10:19:58 in Living
“Good luck to you both, and your families. Thank you for explaining your situations. Those of us who spent our lives at the bedside have seen the face and cost of illness, ... and there is no "deserving" to any of it. There is no name or face to these issues, until we know a family or a person who has suffered medical loss, ... in the absence of insurance.
You've both given us that. My thanks.”
You've both given us that. My thanks.”
A Government Of One
Commented Dec 26, 2009 at 10:13:30 in Living
“No one is carrying anyone! Healthy people who return to work, who raise their families, who contribute to society carry THEMSELVES! This miserly concern for the false economy of denying insurance costs this nation billions in lost productivity, time on the job, social services to support families with an illness, and the effects of medical indigency and bankruptcies. Those are dragging our people under, and the mandates for commercial coverage will only make it worse.
Taken into account, ... public healthcare for Americans would be the single most effect economic strategy we could implement to correct America's economic decline. We are missing that opportunity!”
Taken into account, ... public healthcare for Americans would be the single most effect economic strategy we could implement to correct America's economic decline. We are missing that opportunity!”
A Government Of One
Commented Dec 26, 2009 at 09:59:00 in Living
“When you sit in the doctor's waiting room, are the elderly herded like cattle, ... treated differently? Medicare pays the bills, it does not run the practice of medicine, ... and does it at far lower cost than the commercials ever have or ever will.
The only sane thing to do is cut the greedy middlemen out of healthcare altogether, and put the dollars toward preventive and remedial medicine rather than shipping the profits off to corporations instead.”
The only sane thing to do is cut the greedy middlemen out of healthcare altogether, and put the dollars toward preventive and remedial medicine rather than shipping the profits off to corporations instead.”
A Government Of One
Commented Dec 26, 2009 at 09:45:06 in Living
“Good point GNC! Makes me want to reach 65 even sooner!”
Therapeutic Intention In The Doctor's Office
Commented Dec 25, 2009 at 23:01:37 in Living
“A question, Dr. Siegel, ...
In my clinical training I was always told that patients should be addressed formally, ... "Hello Mr. Smith, ... Good Day Miss Jones", and so on.
In my practice I came to adapt my style to what my patients seemed to prefer, ... and in the circumstances in which I cared for them, ... short of breath and fearful, ... they seemed to prefer their first name when I worked with them. As they struggled or suffered, it seemed the music of their given name gave them more comfort than their formal surname.
It always seemed to me the most natural thing in the world to ask a patient's permission to use their first name in stressful moments. The first comforting words they ever learned surrounded that one word, ... their own name. When my purpose was comfort and my objective was for them to heal, it made no sense to keep my distance by addressing them as "Sir" or "Ma'am", ... when I knew his name was John, or hers Sarah.
I have felt guilty for that for my entire career in medicine, but would not acquiesce to that convention when the moment came again to comfort.
My question? Did you speak to your patients by their first names? Was I wrong?”
In my clinical training I was always told that patients should be addressed formally, ... "Hello Mr. Smith, ... Good Day Miss Jones", and so on.
In my practice I came to adapt my style to what my patients seemed to prefer, ... and in the circumstances in which I cared for them, ... short of breath and fearful, ... they seemed to prefer their first name when I worked with them. As they struggled or suffered, it seemed the music of their given name gave them more comfort than their formal surname.
It always seemed to me the most natural thing in the world to ask a patient's permission to use their first name in stressful moments. The first comforting words they ever learned surrounded that one word, ... their own name. When my purpose was comfort and my objective was for them to heal, it made no sense to keep my distance by addressing them as "Sir" or "Ma'am", ... when I knew his name was John, or hers Sarah.
I have felt guilty for that for my entire career in medicine, but would not acquiesce to that convention when the moment came again to comfort.
My question? Did you speak to your patients by their first names? Was I wrong?”
Therapeutic Intention In The Doctor's Office
Commented Dec 25, 2009 at 22:50:46 in Living
“Thanks, Dr. Siegel, ... for your words and your work. I spent nearly forty years in patient care as a respiratory therapist, but also spent a great deal of time in the OR, as our work dovetailed with the Anesthesia department of which we were for so long a part. Early on it became clear that my patients under anesthesia or in coma were far more aware than we assumed, and than we knew.
To this day another immense disservice is that we provide TV to our recovering patients, ... but in very few hospitals do we offer music as an alternative. Cable channels at home almost always include "Music Choice" in their upper ranges, ... but in the hospital these are never available. A patient, whether in pain or simply concerned for their condition, does better eyes closed, with the most comforting music at their fingertips.
Warmth, music, and quiet are both intuitively and objectively, better for physical recovery than cold, fear, visual bombardment and clamor.”
To this day another immense disservice is that we provide TV to our recovering patients, ... but in very few hospitals do we offer music as an alternative. Cable channels at home almost always include "Music Choice" in their upper ranges, ... but in the hospital these are never available. A patient, whether in pain or simply concerned for their condition, does better eyes closed, with the most comforting music at their fingertips.
Warmth, music, and quiet are both intuitively and objectively, better for physical recovery than cold, fear, visual bombardment and clamor.”
The Virtuous Man Named Jesus Christ
Commented Dec 25, 2009 at 02:09:16 in Living
“"the worst thing about christians is they don't have a clue about history"
Broad condemnation, ... with a billion christians out here, ... some of us care and actually know something about ancient history.
Thanks ropeadope for the broad brush approach to the humanities, ...
Next!”
Broad condemnation, ... with a billion christians out here, ... some of us care and actually know something about ancient history.
Thanks ropeadope for the broad brush approach to the humanities, ...
Next!”
The Virtuous Man Named Jesus Christ
Commented Dec 25, 2009 at 02:05:41 in Living
“Thanks for your banalities. You are wrongly informed, ... Why worry about the terms we apply to ourselves when such names are based in foolishness. Christian may hold connotations for you which include "deity" as a pre-requisite for its use. They do not for many who follow his teachings.
Were you raised in a home headed by people who believed in Christ? Do you wish you had been? What did this man, whether real or apocryphal, ... do to you? How was his message "mixed", ... his personal one and not the Scrapple left us by Constantine's meddling and Paul's hallucinations?
The religions who claim a connection to Jesus have abused mankind, particularly women and children, more than any other in the history of the world. Those acts and the beliefs that selectively drove them, are crimes against Humanity. They continue to this day. I do not excuse them and will not ignore them. Christ did not lead them. Nor Buddha, nor Ghandhi, nor Krishna.
Do you believe that if religion were outlawed, that there would not be some other excuse for one person to dominate, control or even murder another? We need no excuse, ... we are humans and we kill at will.”
Were you raised in a home headed by people who believed in Christ? Do you wish you had been? What did this man, whether real or apocryphal, ... do to you? How was his message "mixed", ... his personal one and not the Scrapple left us by Constantine's meddling and Paul's hallucinations?
The religions who claim a connection to Jesus have abused mankind, particularly women and children, more than any other in the history of the world. Those acts and the beliefs that selectively drove them, are crimes against Humanity. They continue to this day. I do not excuse them and will not ignore them. Christ did not lead them. Nor Buddha, nor Ghandhi, nor Krishna.
Do you believe that if religion were outlawed, that there would not be some other excuse for one person to dominate, control or even murder another? We need no excuse, ... we are humans and we kill at will.”
The Virtuous Man Named Jesus Christ
Commented Dec 25, 2009 at 01:52:17 in Living
“Some of the best scholarly proofs in the world begin with Wickipedia, ... and end with Dawkins. Not many, in my view. And many have the earmarks of religion all about them, ... including the castigation of critics, ... the refusal to consider other possibilities, ... or a blatant cynicism about the subject itself. Absolutism, ... "never", ... and "not" appear in most religions, ... and thery seem to in yours as well.
To worship "NoGod" is no different than worshiping some. Dawkins?!!! He worships at his own altar, which is dedicated to trashing those of every religion ever practiced on this earth. He uses the word "presumptuous", but to whom does the desire presume against? What god is offended if humans imagine a life after this? Dawkins himself? Why should we care what Dawkins thinks?
While I, and others who profess a "faith" often doubt our own, ... it is the hallmark of a devout religionist that you experience no doubt in your beliefs whatever. Be careful my friend you do not make a religion out of believing in the very notion that religion is garbage.”
To worship "NoGod" is no different than worshiping some. Dawkins?!!! He worships at his own altar, which is dedicated to trashing those of every religion ever practiced on this earth. He uses the word "presumptuous", but to whom does the desire presume against? What god is offended if humans imagine a life after this? Dawkins himself? Why should we care what Dawkins thinks?
While I, and others who profess a "faith" often doubt our own, ... it is the hallmark of a devout religionist that you experience no doubt in your beliefs whatever. Be careful my friend you do not make a religion out of believing in the very notion that religion is garbage.”
The Virtuous Man Named Jesus Christ
Commented Dec 25, 2009 at 01:38:45 in Living
“Having been with thousands at the moment of death, I can assure you that you are correct, ... the synapses fail, and the earthly identity is lost. The "mind" loses its ability to communicate and the brain begins to die, and then to rot.
All those things can be seen and measured, ... but that is not what is missing when we die. My cells had instructions to keep me intact, ... to replace themselves, year after year, decade after decade, ...until they did not any longer. What failed? What was the master instruction that told my body to shut down in an instant? What was missing after I was declared "dead" that was there prior. My organs are alive, ... and can be used, ... my hair grows, and even my brain can be revived if proper steps are taken. But something else is gone.
Weigh that, ... measure it, and give me its origin and its location, ... and I will discard every belief I hold in something greater than the machine I live in. Until then, I'd like to keep the notion that not all of me is accounted for in this simple bag of bones I call my home.”
All those things can be seen and measured, ... but that is not what is missing when we die. My cells had instructions to keep me intact, ... to replace themselves, year after year, decade after decade, ...until they did not any longer. What failed? What was the master instruction that told my body to shut down in an instant? What was missing after I was declared "dead" that was there prior. My organs are alive, ... and can be used, ... my hair grows, and even my brain can be revived if proper steps are taken. But something else is gone.
Weigh that, ... measure it, and give me its origin and its location, ... and I will discard every belief I hold in something greater than the machine I live in. Until then, I'd like to keep the notion that not all of me is accounted for in this simple bag of bones I call my home.”
The Virtuous Man Named Jesus Christ
Commented Dec 25, 2009 at 01:29:44 in Living
“No, ... meaning that some people, both present and past, find something resonant in the stories that are passed down from one generation to the next.
In terms you might agree to, ... you step from your bed in the morning and have faith your feet will touch the ground. You log on to the internet with faith that you can write a post, ... and with faith that I and others can read it. You have faith you can take your next breath, but no proof of any of those things whatsoever. They could change in an instant, ... but you have "faith" that the world will behave as it did yesterday, and as you were taught.
Are you wrong to believe gravity will keep you attached to the earth, that the sun will rise, that the "facts" you were taught in school are correct, and a foundation for your approach to life? The facts have changed in many instances, ... That does not make you wrong, but simply human.
We take many things on faith alone, and seek experiences to confirm they are true. Religious faith takes longer.”
In terms you might agree to, ... you step from your bed in the morning and have faith your feet will touch the ground. You log on to the internet with faith that you can write a post, ... and with faith that I and others can read it. You have faith you can take your next breath, but no proof of any of those things whatsoever. They could change in an instant, ... but you have "faith" that the world will behave as it did yesterday, and as you were taught.
Are you wrong to believe gravity will keep you attached to the earth, that the sun will rise, that the "facts" you were taught in school are correct, and a foundation for your approach to life? The facts have changed in many instances, ... That does not make you wrong, but simply human.
We take many things on faith alone, and seek experiences to confirm they are true. Religious faith takes longer.”
hp blogger Nelson Montana replied on Dec 25, 2009 at 09:08:08
“Your analogy makes no sense. All the things you mentioned are provable. They've occurred many times before. They are in accord with the laws of science. That is not "faith" in the religious sense, which asks people to trust in a belief based on sorcery.”
The Virtuous Man Named Jesus Christ
Commented Dec 24, 2009 at 21:00:20 in Living
“Close enough for me.”
The Virtuous Man Named Jesus Christ
Commented Dec 24, 2009 at 21:00:02 in Living
“Agreed, ... They are in print. Some of my favorites.”
The Virtuous Man Named Jesus Christ
Commented Dec 24, 2009 at 19:50:10 in Living
“What "hocus pocus", ... what supernaturalism? The words of a man about a man. Nothing special at all, ... observations, which if true, simply act as a news story to Caesar. Either there was a body, lived in by a man, or the whole thing was invented of whole cloth.
Christ lived. The rest can not be proven. That is the nature of every faith.”
Christ lived. The rest can not be proven. That is the nature of every faith.”
swampthing replied on Dec 24, 2009 at 23:12:30
“"Lived in by a man"? There's a very good chance that the body IS the man and that our identities are nothing more than matter firing over synapses.”
hp blogger Nelson Montana replied on Dec 24, 2009 at 21:26:53
“"Faith" meaning what? Believing what some archaic people believed? I never understood what made that a good idea.”
khepri replied on Dec 24, 2009 at 20:14:29
“It cannot be proven that Christ lived. What can be proven is that many BELIEVED he had lived.”
Kassandra replied on Dec 24, 2009 at 20:11:52
“"Christ lived"...t
The Merriest Christmas Ever
Commented Dec 24, 2009 at 19:40:24 in Living
“Be well, Trey! I wish you and yours, Dan and his, ... a wonderful Holiday season. We'll follow the gift of your words as you both recover and share with each other this gift, which is at its heart, so much more than a kidney after all. No blessing is a solo event, ... this more than most.
Merry Christmas!”
Merry Christmas!”
How Progressives Can Move Obama to the Left
Commented Dec 24, 2009 at 17:12:09 in Politics
“Parker Griffith has no home now in politics. Do you believe the Republicans will welcome him? Hardly!
The people in this country spoke loud and clear on healthcare. The numbers were staggeringly in favor of a public option to compete with insurance corporations. Politicians chose not to listen, and will pay at the polls.
There is no "pandering to the center" for the center has slid so far right in this country that the ship of state lists perilously starboard! If progressives and liberals desert the Democratic Party it will literally capsize, and the blue dogs will find themselves dog-paddling in a sea of confusion.
This Democratic Party won't even take credit for what it already has done for healthcare in America, namely Medicare and Medicaid! It was too much to imagine it might have the ability to take that concept one step further, and assure every American of the availability of care.”
The people in this country spoke loud and clear on healthcare. The numbers were staggeringly in favor of a public option to compete with insurance corporations. Politicians chose not to listen, and will pay at the polls.
There is no "pandering to the center" for the center has slid so far right in this country that the ship of state lists perilously starboard! If progressives and liberals desert the Democratic Party it will literally capsize, and the blue dogs will find themselves dog-paddling in a sea of confusion.
This Democratic Party won't even take credit for what it already has done for healthcare in America, namely Medicare and Medicaid! It was too much to imagine it might have the ability to take that concept one step further, and assure every American of the availability of care.”
How Progressives Can Move Obama to the Left
Commented Dec 24, 2009 at 17:05:04 in Politics
“Without a public option of some kind, we are simply feeding the insurance companies greater and greater profits, to no purpose whatever. We left 23 million uninsured with this bill, and no prospects for a lifetime that they will be covered ever. He was good at standing quietly in the wings while letting the blue thugs in his party, and Lieberman outside it, to get special favors, curry favor with their lobbyist patrons, and pillage the coffers for use by their states.
There is nothing to take pride in today, not for anyone who believed in health care reform. Everyone who truly knows what is required has called this bill what it is, useless, or worse.”
There is nothing to take pride in today, not for anyone who believed in health care reform. Everyone who truly knows what is required has called this bill what it is, useless, or worse.”
Beatriz09 replied on Dec 24, 2009 at 17:29:56
“To me, the only real health care system that is really adapted to what can be minimally expected from a developed country is a single payer system. But in a country like the US, the current Senate bill is a hugh step into that direction (besides, the GOP is fully aware of this, that's why they're doing EVERYTHING to try to stop it). It's a pity that for the US a small step is hugh while all the other developed countries since long have universal health care. But that doesn't make this accomplishment less historic. And there is no reason whatsoever to believe Obama will stop here.”
Beatriz09 replied on Dec 24, 2009 at 17:29:41
“I don't understand how you can say this.
YES, this bill has many flaws. 20 million uninsured is 20 million too much. But how can you NOT celebrate the fact that 30 million will be insured ... ? How can you call yourself a progressive or a Dem and say that that means nothing to you ... ?
To get those 30 million insured NOW, you HAVE to work within the system. So of course, that means working with private insurance companies. That itself is unacceptable, I totally agree. Obama himself said it repeatedly: in the end, basic rights must be assured by a democratically elected government, not by the private industry. And the day we get just some Senators replaced by less conservative ones, we will immediately have a public option.
But that is NOT the situation we are working in today. Today we have to start with a senate who without the constant pressure of Obama (on Reid, not on individual Senators, which was crucial to his strategy) would NEVER have gotten those 30 million insured and pre-existing conditions banned. Just to save hundreds of thousands of lives WITHIN the current system, Congress has had to have a debate it hasn't had since 1917. Only entering World War One was more difficult to obtain from the Senate than this bill. That's why it's so extraordinary.”
YES, this bill has many flaws. 20 million uninsured is 20 million too much. But how can you NOT celebrate the fact that 30 million will be insured ... ? How can you call yourself a progressive or a Dem and say that that means nothing to you ... ?
To get those 30 million insured NOW, you HAVE to work within the system. So of course, that means working with private insurance companies. That itself is unacceptable, I totally agree. Obama himself said it repeatedly: in the end, basic rights must be assured by a democratically elected government, not by the private industry. And the day we get just some Senators replaced by less conservative ones, we will immediately have a public option.
But that is NOT the situation we are working in today. Today we have to start with a senate who without the constant pressure of Obama (on Reid, not on individual Senators, which was crucial to his strategy) would NEVER have gotten those 30 million insured and pre-existing conditions banned. Just to save hundreds of thousands of lives WITHIN the current system, Congress has had to have a debate it hasn't had since 1917. Only entering World War One was more difficult to obtain from the Senate than this bill. That's why it's so extraordinary.”
How Progressives Can Move Obama to the Left
Commented Dec 24, 2009 at 16:59:33 in Politics
“For many Democrats, they are so enamored of this president, and afraid that if they do not blindly support him on every decision he makes, that somehow that disloyalty will bring him down, or cause him to lose office in 2012.
To that I would simply remind them that they did not bring him to office alone. Progressives and independents supported him, ... We campaigned for him, and we donated to his campaign. While Rahm seems to have forgotten that, the Democratic Party should not, and neither should the President.
Cenk's suggestions are excellent, ... and as he describes them, "self-evident". We who call ourselves liberals, and independent progressive voters did not give Bush a free pass, and we will not give one to Obama on those critical issues we face as a nation.
We move now to financial reform. This should be easier for the President, for he is dealing with interests who, while powerful as Big Insureco, ... committed even more egregious crimes and nearly brought our nation down.
We are keeping score on this president and his actions. We do on all presidents, as we always should.”
To that I would simply remind them that they did not bring him to office alone. Progressives and independents supported him, ... We campaigned for him, and we donated to his campaign. While Rahm seems to have forgotten that, the Democratic Party should not, and neither should the President.
Cenk's suggestions are excellent, ... and as he describes them, "self-evident". We who call ourselves liberals, and independent progressive voters did not give Bush a free pass, and we will not give one to Obama on those critical issues we face as a nation.
We move now to financial reform. This should be easier for the President, for he is dealing with interests who, while powerful as Big Insureco, ... committed even more egregious crimes and nearly brought our nation down.
We are keeping score on this president and his actions. We do on all presidents, as we always should.”
How To Shift Your State Of Mind This Holiday Season
Commented Dec 23, 2009 at 22:30:02 in Living
“In the short and otherwise uneventful walk to my bedroom last evening, ... I broke a bone in my foot. Beyond the toss and turn of a fitful night's sleep, I relearned that I am not in control over my life, no matter how I wish or try. No special turn or twist, ... no stumble. The Universe simply told me it had other things in mind for me than a jogging regime, I do get it, ... There are gentler ways for me to spend this winter, ... even more healthful ones to explore in a single place.
I reflect now upon a newfound friend from a party last week, who wants to write her book about the child she lost in childbirth decades ago. She asked if I could review her writing along the way.
I reflect upon Tara Stiles here on HP, whose Yoga techniques don't preclude a broken foot such as mine, ... or not so much. I'll glean her teachings, ... and do what I might.
I reflect upon my favorite metaphysical teachers that we need do nothing, ... though we feel compelled so often that we should.
We lose what we lose, and keep what we need. The hard drives I have scrapped far outweigh the ones I keep. And yet I have every word and thought I ever needed, right where it was meant to stay. Good time to tidy up, ... toss some things aside, share with others, ... learn to be”
I reflect now upon a newfound friend from a party last week, who wants to write her book about the child she lost in childbirth decades ago. She asked if I could review her writing along the way.
I reflect upon Tara Stiles here on HP, whose Yoga techniques don't preclude a broken foot such as mine, ... or not so much. I'll glean her teachings, ... and do what I might.
I reflect upon my favorite metaphysical teachers that we need do nothing, ... though we feel compelled so often that we should.
We lose what we lose, and keep what we need. The hard drives I have scrapped far outweigh the ones I keep. And yet I have every word and thought I ever needed, right where it was meant to stay. Good time to tidy up, ... toss some things aside, share with others, ... learn to be”
hp blogger Dr. Cara Barker replied on Dec 24, 2009 at 00:08:39
“I'm 'right there with you,' Independent Party! I've had a few 'stress fractures' myself in my foot over the past few years, one about six months ago. Funny though, my 'take' on it was identical to your own. Maybe that should not be surprising: I always find myself nodding in pleasure with what you've expressed so generously. By the way, speaking of alignment, every chance I've gotten over the past 48 hours, I've been sorting through the old, letting go, and passing it along to someone else who has need for what it no longer current here.
As for your footsie, I am sending it, and you, a great deal of love and gratitude, with wishes for sweet moments, gentle rest. Godspeed,
Cara”
As for your footsie, I am sending it, and you, a great deal of love and gratitude, with wishes for sweet moments, gentle rest. Godspeed,
Cara”
Leadership, Obama Style, and the Looming Losses in 2010: Pretty Speeches, Compromised Values, and the Quest for the Lowest Common Denominator
Commented Dec 22, 2009 at 13:41:10 in Politics
“No president in my lifetime went to the White House with a stronger mandate than Obama.
No president has lost it in so short a time as he has, either.
He has the opportunity to correct course, but time is running out.
The only candidates I will support are those who still have the courage to insist upon a public option. Period. I have my insurance and my drug coverage, but many do not. This president might have been able to get that for those who need it, but sat out the fight altogether, and sent Rahm in his place. There is no "secret WH strategy" no game plan other than what you see, which is compromise to the extent of capitulation!”
No president has lost it in so short a time as he has, either.
He has the opportunity to correct course, but time is running out.
The only candidates I will support are those who still have the courage to insist upon a public option. Period. I have my insurance and my drug coverage, but many do not. This president might have been able to get that for those who need it, but sat out the fight altogether, and sent Rahm in his place. There is no "secret WH strategy" no game plan other than what you see, which is compromise to the extent of capitulation!”
Leadership, Obama Style, and the Looming Losses in 2010: Pretty Speeches, Compromised Values, and the Quest for the Lowest Common Denominator
Commented Dec 22, 2009 at 13:34:18 in Politics
“Thank you, Ralf. I am seldom at a loss for words, but this article requires no additional comment on my part. It captures my every thought about where we are in America today.”
Are Progressives Just Whiners? Saving Lives Is What Matters
Commented Dec 21, 2009 at 11:18:28 in Politics
“What this law does is take people without insurance due to economic hardship, and make them law-breakers because they can not afford the cost of commercial health insurance.
What this law does is to hand billions of new premium dollars to those same companies, to use in future lobbying efforts to buy even MORE influence than they already have.
AS for calling progressives :whiners", ... I would say instead that we progressives are the only voices for those without insurance for whatever reason. For most of the uninsured, the provisions will come too late to save their lives! To attempt to shame us into silence with such pretentious insults makes a mockery of the disaster these unfortunates face, and which this law does nothing to correct!”
What this law does is to hand billions of new premium dollars to those same companies, to use in future lobbying efforts to buy even MORE influence than they already have.
AS for calling progressives :whiners", ... I would say instead that we progressives are the only voices for those without insurance for whatever reason. For most of the uninsured, the provisions will come too late to save their lives! To attempt to shame us into silence with such pretentious insults makes a mockery of the disaster these unfortunates face, and which this law does nothing to correct!”
NER replied on Dec 21, 2009 at 12:13:17
“Your first point, about making "law-breakers" of those who cannot pay for insurance, is simply false. The legislation provides subsidies for those with incomes up to 400% of the federal poverty level who can't afford premiums, and it doesn't impose any fines until 2014. At that point, the fine will be $95, and it will gradually increase over time. Part of the thinking here is that by then, the economic outlook will be less dire than it is now. Plus, subsidies for small businesses to offer insurance-- plus their access to newly-established health insurance exchanges-- will make insurance more accessible for lower-income wage-earners. Those subsidies to businesses would take effect in 2010, and they would work this way: "Employers with 25 or fewer workers and average wages of $50,000 or less would qualify for tax credits for up to six years. The amount, up to 50 percent of premium costs, phases out as firm size and average wages increase." http://www
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