Day: September 30, 2009

Newsmax, John Perry, And A Military Coup Against President Obama?

Newsmax, a conservative publication, first published yesterday an article by John Perry, a right wing journalist, predicting a military coup against President Obama, and then quickly withdrew it.

In the article, Perry calls for a military takeover in which Obama would be kept as a ceremonial leader, but the “Marxist” tendencies of the President would be overcome, and the nation would be protected by a military sworn to defend the nation and save the country from a President seen as out of control and dangerous to the future of the nation, possibly destroying it as we know it before the next election in 2012.

This is just further proof of how the far right has gone amuck and endangers the nation and its elected President. Again, we are reaching a stage of “clear and present danger”, and the kind of hate and hysteria being promoted cannot be allowed to continue without a strong reaction by the Secret Service and the FBI.

Instead of the so called danger of a “Marxist” takeover, we are much more endangered by a truly Fascist seizure of power, more so than at any time in my lifetime, and it is truly terrifying!

The H1N1 Flu Virus And Health Care Workers

New York State has mandated that all health care workers MUST have the H1N1 Virus Inoculation when it is available, or lose their jobs.

This has caused an uproar among some health care workers who have threatened to quit their jobs and/or file a lawsuit.

This development seems almost like an illusion. Can we really have health care workers who would be responsible for dealing with any victims of the flu virus, who refuse for their own safety and that of their patients and coworkers, to be inoculated? Do they not realize that such an action would not only endanger others, but also make it more difficult to sell the importance of the general public having the inoculation, if those who would treat them are stubborn enough to refuse to take it themselves?

What is wrong these days with so many people against whatever government does for the welfare of the population? How can it be that health care workers can act so ignorant as to fight scientists who know more about the disease than they do? Why is it they can act so unprofessionally and be so irresponsible?

This distrust of government is so detrimental to the future of this nation, and it borders on anarchism–that everyone should do whatever they want without any sense of social responsibility or real knowledge of the issues at hand. Instead, just strike out against all authority and common sense.

It is clear to me that if some health care workers, hopefully a small moronic minority, choose to defy the edict of New York, then they should be fired and replaced by intelligent, socially responsible individuals. I certainly do not want to be treated by anyone so ridiculous and ignorant were I to become sick. This is a national emergency, and what New York has demanded should become adopted on a national level in all states!

Gun Insanity: Liquor And Guns As Dangerous As Liquor And Driving!

Arizona has just put into effect a law that allows gun owners to bring their concealed guns into bars!

What could be more crazy than that? Liquor and guns are just as dangerous, if not more so, than liquor and driving an automobile.

It is a guarantee that there will be drunks in bars who will lose their temper and pull out their guns and cause mass loss of life.

Arizona has to be insane to allow this! America is already the most violent society in America, and the Supreme Court has already permitted the end of gun control laws in the District of Columbia, and has now agreed to consider the constitutionality of similar state and local laws around the country. On top of this, AMTRAK is about to lose federal funding if it does not permit concealed guns in luggage on its trains in the Northeast Corridor.

It looks likely that there will soon be no gun control laws, and that the National Rifle Association will be controlling a majority of Congress, along with the Supreme Court majority.

This is a terrifying thought, and does not bode well for the future tranquility of the United States, particularly at a time when there is so much stress and so many problems that divide America. At a time of turmoil, this is the absolutely worse message for the long term stability of the American experiment in democracy!

Alan Grayson Vs. Joe Wilson: Who Is Being Disrespectful?

The Republicans are outraged that Florida Democratic Congressman Alan Grayson has the gall to call them out on the fact that they have no real plan for health care reform. Grayson declared yesterday that the GOP plan for someone who is sick is get over it rapidly or die quickly, as there is no concern over the fact that millions of people have no health care, and millions of others have health care coverage that will not cover them when they have a health crisis.

Meanwhile, Joe Wilson of South Carolina yells out at President Obama that “You lie”, but that is alright to most Republicans who refused to back a condemnation of Wilson for an action that has never taken place in the history of Presidential appearances before a joint session of Congress.

Grayson pointed out today that about 44,000 people die annually for lack of health insurance to deal with their health needs, which is eleven times the number killed in Iraq since 2003. This is a “holocaust” for which the Republicans and many well to do Americans seem to have no concern.

The best that the Republicans can react is to say that Grayson has a “pathological pattern of unstable behavior”. I would say instead that Joe Wilson has demonstrated that in his insulting behavior at Obama’s Health Care speech to Congress!

To compare Grayson’s statement with Wilson’s action is unjustifiable. Grayson is speaking the truth, that the Republicans have no concern, while Wilson was totally rude and disrespectful, and also lied when he said Obama had lied.

The Right Time To End “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” In The Military Has Arrived

An official Defense Department journal has just published an article backing the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the military, and therefore to end discrimination against gays, which has led to the dismissal of about 12,500 service men and women who only wanted to serve their country, but were forced out because of their sexual orientation.

Many other countries, including Great Britain, Canada, Israel, and Australia have adopted a policy of non discrimination against gays, and it has not hurt unit morale or cohesion.

The fact that Admiral Mike Mullen, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates did not oppose the publication of this article is a good sign that attitudes are changing.

It is time for President Obama to follow through on his pledge to change public attitudes and policies toward gay men and women, and this is an important step that should be taken rapidly as we near the end of the first year of the administration.

Obama cannot be concerned about opposition from Republicans and some conservatives, as that is predictable. This is a question of fairness and the application of civil rights to another oppressed minority which has suffered for much too long under unreasonable, unjust restrictions that have actually hurt the long term role of the military in fighting enemies around the globe. This is a question of human rights that must not be delayed!

Thomas Friedman Vs. Michael Steele: Who Is The “Nut Job”?

Thomas Friedman, the esteemed columnist of the New York Times, wrote a column yesterday backing up my fear of death threats against President Obama multiplying because of the poisonous rhetoric spewing forth to deny the legitimacy of our President. and promote racist propaganda. He compared it to the atmosphere in Israel in 1995 before the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a right wing whacko.

In response to this respectable columnist, Michael Steele, the African American GOP National Chairman, called Friedman a “nut job”, again displaying what a burden he is on his party and on normal political discussion and discourse.

Besides the extremist talk show hosts and irresponsible members of the Republican Party in Congress, we also have to deal with a person who is truly the “nut job” that he calls Friedman.

Steele seems unwilling to recognize how he promotes an evil that needs to be eradicated, and he should be roundly condemned for his divisive, insulting behavior, which is not unique to this comment on Friedman, but is a common theme that causes any rational human being to feel that he loses all credibility as a political leader to be taken seriously.