Day: July 2, 2011

Potential “First Man” Marcus Bachmann: His Controversial View On Gay Americans!

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Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota is scary enough on her own, based on her past statements and actions, but now we have to deal with potential “First Man” Marcus Bachmann as well, and that is literally terrifying!

Not only is Marcus Bachmann accepting federal funds for his counseling center which works with gays trying to make them “ungay” through Christian “intervention”, but also he had gained funds to help people with drug addiction, chemical dependency, and mental illness diagnoses! A total of at least $137,000 in Medicaid payments has been paid to Bachmann’s counseling center!

Meanwhile, Marcus Bachmann has stated that gay people are “barbarians” who need to be disciplined and educated to understand that just because one has feelings and thoughts does not mean that they have to follow through on such feelings and thoughts.

Marcus Bachmann is trying to say that being gay is simply a choice, when there is much evidence that it is inborn, innate, and that denial of one’s sexuality can cause depression and suicide.

The thought that such an individual could become the “First Man”, rather than Bill Clinton would have been if Hillary Clinton had won the Presidency in 2008, is another reason to oppose Michele Bachmann as a divisive figure who would cause further division in this country, at a time when we have too much division as it is!

First Appeals Court Test Of Obama Health Care Law: It Is Constitutional!

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In the first appeals court test of Barack Obama’s Health Care Reform this week, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati voted 2-1 that the law was constitutional!

There will be two more such judgments by Courts of Appeal in Atlanta and Richmond, before the subject goes to the US Supreme Court for final judgment this coming term.

Interestingly, the two judges voting in favor were a Carter appointee and a George W. Bush selection, while the one judge opposed was a Reagan pick.

The majority upheld the concept that an individual “mandate” to buy health insurance was legitimate, as refusing to insure oneself puts the burden on everyone else when a person not insured ends up having to obtain health care that he has not paid for. The financial burden, therefore, falls on others because a person is irresponsible in obtaining his own health care, but cannot be denied care, nevertheless.

So the majority upheld the Commerce Clause of the Constitution as making mandated health insurance coverage an acceptable use of federal power!

In five District Court judgments, judges have divided directly on partisan limes, with three Democratic appointees backing the law, and two Republican selections opposing the legislation.

So it will be up to the Supreme Court, in what will be one of the most watched and significant cases in the next term of the Court, and just in time for the Presidential Election of 2012!

47th Anniversary Of Lyndon Johnson Signing Civil Rights Act: The Most Important Moment In Our Domestic History In 20th Century!

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Forty seven years ago today, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, arguably the most important moment in our domestic history in the entire 20th century!

It is impossible to imagine what America would be like had not this occurred when it did under a Southern President!

It is highly doubtful that any other President could have accomplished what LBJ did, and one has to wonder if EVER this legislation would have passed into law, had it not occurred when it did!

The sad thing is that a substantial minority of this country would be very satisfied if African Americans, and by implication, other minorities, had continued to be second class citizens!

But it was the right and the moral thing to do, to end the racial discrimination that was a cancer in our society!

Of course, it does not mean that there is no racial hatred and prejudice today, but it is far less, and at least, it is reality law suits can and have been brought to fight remaining vestiges of racism and discrimination!

The battle for civil rights and human rights is a never ending struggle, not only for racial minorities, but also for immigrant groups, women, and gay Americans!

We cannot rest as long as anyone is the victim of discrimination and prejudice, but our history is one of constantly improving conditions fought through court decisions and legislative action, as well as direct involvement by the people under the First Amendment!

This is what makes America a great nation, and a beacon for the world, as the greatest democracy which has existed!

And it is great that we celebrate this event on the same time frame as our national holiday, the Declaration of Independence, the document which most marks our concept of freedom and democracy to the world at large!

Revelation In Georgia: Illegal Immigrants Needed For Agricultural Work Despite Tough Law Passed Against Them!

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More states are passing strict laws on illegal immigration, similar to Arizona’s law, which will be litigated by the Supreme Court in its next term.

Georgia is one of those attempting to crack down on illegal immigration in a tough manner, but it has now been discovered that this is creating a tremendous shortage of available workers for the agricultural crop, including the famous Georgia peaches!

It turns out that it is very hard to find workers to do agricultural work, which is back breaking and low paying and requires dealing with working outside in the hot Georgia sun all day! It is not a job for those who wish to have comfortable and decent paying work! It is also a skill to know how to do the work efficiently and speedily, and these illegal immigrants do it well and without complaint, since they are willing to work harder for lower pay than any of us!

So it means that suddenly we may not see fruits and vegetables get to market, and maybe we will have to pay more for such items by paying higher wages to those Americans who might be willing to subject themselves to the work conditions, but it will not be easy to find such individuals!

We are not about to see a rush to volunteer for such jobs, even in a time of high unemployment, as this is not the kind of work that most people born in America can conceptualize themselves doing day after day for 10-12 hours a day!

So it is a fact, hard for many to accept, that discriminating against illegal immigrants, instead of working to make them legal and contributing citizens of this nation, is really spiting ourselves to get satisfaction that we are going after those “inferior” people who make our lives better by picking our agricultural crops, doing our lawns, cleaning our homes, taking care of our children, and a myriad of other difficult jobs that we take for granted as we go about our lives thinking we are, somehow, better than them!

As Lawrence O’Donnell of MSNBC has said, immigration has been the lifeblood of our nation, and we only hurt ourselves if we strike out against those who are really, what we were through our ancestors generations ago, hated and despised, whether legal or illegal!