Month: August 2009

British physicist Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant living scientists,  was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom today in a White House ceremony,  along with fifteen others, including Bishop Desmond Tutu, Senator Ted Kennedy,  Justice Sandra Day O’Connor,  and actor Sidney Poitier.

Stephen Hawking has for decades had to live in a paralyzed state in a wheelchair because he is a victim of ALS,  Lou Gehrig’s Disease,  but he has managed, nevertheless,  to make major theoretical contributions, despite his handicap.  The fact that he is alive, so many years after the original diagnosis, and has lived to see himself honored by President Obama,  is an inspiring story.   But he pointed out today that were it not for the British National Health System,  he would not be alive today, but he has been fortunate to receive excellent care under a system that has been regularly denounced in this country by right wing conservatives.

The claim that the national health care systems of Canada,  Great Britain, France,  Germany, and Australia do not work is pure bull, and this case is just further proof of the positive nature of these countries’s  health care programs.  This propaganda is all part of the health insurance industry’s determination to do anything necessary to prevent any health care reform.  They do not care for the health of anyone, only their own profit,  and the sad thing is that so many people are involved in promoting lies and deceit, hysteria and panic,  and even the promotion by whackos of death threats.  This is a serious crisis for America, worrisome that it could lead to violence.  Hopefully, that will not happen!

Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has denounced the Obama Administration plans to expand Americorp,  a volunteer organization that encourages young people to offer themselves for service to their country.

She claims that the purpose of Americorp is to promote internment camps that control young people’s  minds, that it is an evil plot by President Obama to control the future and create “Communist re-education camps”.

Somehow, however,  one of her sons, Harrison Bachmann,  sees things differently,  and is  joining  Americorp as a teacher.   My gosh, how disrespectful young people are, refusing to listen to the rants and craziness of their moms!  LOL  🙂

Apparently,  her son knows his mother better than us and yes, we  can agree:  She is a right wing whacko nut, who offers nothing positive to the US Congress,  and it is hoped somehow that she will be retired to private  life!

Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa,  until now one  of the more respectable conservative Republicans,  has just shot himself in the foot, as far as his reputation is concerned.    At a Town Hall meeting today in his home state,  he perpetuated the myth that the health care bill includes the concept of “death panels”,  therefore helping to promote more hysteria and manipulation of the public,  in order to promote the interests of the health care insurance industry.

When a talk show host acts irresponsibly,  that is despicable,  but for a United States Senator to promote a myth so destructive as the one initiated by Sarah Palin,  is much worse.

In a moment of great upset at Grassley’s  irresponsibility,  it is therefore refreshing that Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski,  certainly one of a small band of Republican senators that one can have some respect for,  spoke up later today and denounced anyone spreading myths and lies about “death panels”  when  it is not in the health care legislation being considered by Congress.   In so doing,  she was obviously being critical of  her own former Governor, Sarah Palin,  Senator Grassley, but also John Boehner,  Newt Gingrich and other GOP leaders who have been exploiting this issue in a disgraceful way.

I say Kudos to Senator Murkowski!  Keep up the good work of spreading the TRUTH,  rather than lies and deception!

We often hear from Republicans and conservatives that Hollywood personalities are irresponsible and disruptive when they express their viewpoints and get involved in politics,  referring to such figures as Barbra Streisand,  Alec Baldwin,  Susan Sarandon,  Matt Damon,  Michael J. Fox, Ben Affleck and many others.

Less time is paid to the fact that there are a substantial number of right wing Hollywood personalities who seem to have no limits to their irresponsibility in spreading propaganda and lies.  Among these are Chuck Norris,  Jon Voight, and Pat Boone.   When I was young, I loved Pat Boone, but have lost all respect for him,  as he now advocates lies similar to Sarah Palin,  Newt Gingrich,  John Boehner and other irresponsible GOP leaders,  who talk about so called “death panels” affecting the elderly,  a totally false and outrageous accusation.   Boone is head of a 60 plus group promoting manipulation of senior citizens with an active series of commercials on radio, television and cable.   He is no different than the whacko right wing talk show hosts present on radio and Fox News Channel with their promotion of hysteria, mob action,  and fear.  This will not add to his legacy of once being a great entertainer in the 1950s and 1960s,  who has now allowed his reputation to be destroyed by promotion of what he has to know is a bunch of lies and deceit.

Even more alarming is the danger that right wing militia groups are being fueled to rapid growth because of the irresponsible actions and statements of these Hollywood personalities and the GOP leadership.   The point that sticks out is that both groups are extremely wealthy,  have great health care, and really don’t seem to give a damn that so many Americans either do  not have health care,  or are  in danger of losing health care, or are in danger of going bankrupt because of a medical crisis which could occur at any time.

If the mob mentality being promoted by both Hollywood right wingers and the GOP leadership leads to bloodshed and violence by right wing militia groups or nutty individuals, such as the old man who killed someone at the National Holocaust Museum a couple of months ago over his hatred of our government,   we will know who is responsible for this.  There is such a thing as behaving  properly as a public figure,  and these two groups  have been disgraceful in their manipulation of the American people for their own selfish ends.   They should be ashamed of themselves!

The death of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of President John Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, and Senator Ted Kennedy,  and wife of Peace Corps and War on Poverty Director Sargeant Shriver,  is a moment to stop and reflect on her great role in American history, despite the fact that she never ran for office.

She not only had a great effect on her children, including Maria Shriver, wife of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger,  but she is most important for initiating the Special Olympics in 1968, giving people who were disabled  the opportunity to shine and excel in competitions of all kinds.

Shriver opened up our eyes to the contributions that disabled people can make, and helped to promote a sense of dignity and self worth in people who,  through no fault of their own, were denied equality of conditions as a result of their birth or life circumstances.

We need more Eunice Kennedy Shrivers in American life–that is, people who are selfless in their desire to make life better for others, and spend their lifetime promoting equality of opportunity.  She will be much missed, and is in death, very much appreciated and loved!

In a surprise move,   Florida GOP Senator Mel Martinez announced his resignation last week,  effective as soon as Governor Charlie Crist appoints a replacement for the last 16 months of the term.

Why Martinez resigned is not known, but Crist made clear that he would not appoint himself to the seat,  despite the fact that he is seeking to replace Martinez in the Senate via the 2010 election.

Instead, speculation has centered on  former GOP one term Governor Bob Martinez  (no relation)  who served from 1986-1990, and has been out of politics since.  It is evident that he has no ambition for political office again, and therefore is an excellent choice to fill out the unexpired term.

Some speculation has centered around another former Governor,  Jeb Bush,  but it is doubtful he would even consider such a temporary position, although a school of thought is that even serving for a short time in the Senate would polish up Bush’s resume,  were he to wish to seek the Presidency.  Within a few weeks, we shall see what transpires.

It is a great moment of celebration  that on Saturday, Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts to be the 111th member of the Supreme Court, its third woman and its first Hispanic.

Sotomayor is eminently qualified to serve on the Court, and yet only 9 Republicans  joined all the Democrats  (minus Ted Kennedy, who was home ill in Massachusetts),  to confirm her 69-31.

It turned out three New Englanders  joined three Southerners and three Midwesterners to back Sotomayor.    Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine were  joined by Judd Gregg,  who had considered being Secretary of Commerce under President Obama.   Lindsey Graham, Lamar Alexander and  Mel Martinez all saw Obama as having the right,  as the winner of the White House,  to choose who he wanted, even if they did not agree on many issues with her,  an attitude that should have been accepted by many other Republicans in the Senate.   Richard Lugar and George Voinovich were surprisingly joined by Christopher Bond, who also said that Obama was entitled to his choice as the winner of the election.

The big disappointment, of course,  was John McCain’s refusal to back Sotomayor,  which many had thought was possible.  But the fact that 31 Republicans refused to back Sotomayor will hurt them politically in future elections, as it leaves the impression that they do not care about gaining Hispanic support.   Regrettable action,  but nothing new regarding the Republican party.

Today, I have begun a new blog,  a successor to the one I began on August 11, 2008.

I have arranged for my 382 entries from that date to yesterday, August 4, 2009 to be transferred to this new blog.

I plan to blog on a regular basis, but not necessarily every day.  Some days I will add multiple entries,  while some days I will be silent!  🙂

I welcome all who read this blog to feel free to contribute,  whether in agreement or disagreement.  The goal is to promote dialogue and discussion on the important issues and controversies of our time.

Having begun this blog with this message,  I now am taking a hiatus while I visit my son David in Washington, DC,  from tomorrow,  August 6 to Tuesday August 11.

On the anniversary of the old blog  (August 11),  I will catch up on events that take place over the next few days by contributing new entries, and will celebrate a new beginning as “The Progressive Professor”!  🙂