I turn to Egypt not because the Egyptian people want a new form of government, one that is a democratic in form, but because the people – for the most part – are the young. They want the old guard to go along with their old ways of how to govern. I want the “Old Guard” be it Republican or Democrat to move over. This may be the 21st century but some of our representatives are living in a century that saw women as chattle, to be seen but not heard, to be done with as they, the men, saw fit.

The GOP Unleashes a Horrifying Attack on Women via Alternet.org

“Republicans came to DC and immediately started putting the government in charge of every single pregnancy in America” said Rachel Maddow on Tuesday night”. The article goes on to address a bill that the Republicans want to introduce that would strip Planned Parenthood of all funding. ” Republicans twisted justification for cutting funds is that any money that goes to Planned Parenthood, even for Cancer screenings, frees up the organization funds for abortions.”

via The Peace Team

In their blind ardor to impose a particular sectarian moral code on all citizens of the United States, the new Republican majority in the House is pushing a bill (HR3) that would forbid women from using their OWN money to obtain abortion services, at the risk of invalidating their entire employer’s health plan. This is outrageous and belies the hypocritical Republican mantra of getting government out of people’s lives and their spending choices.

Reject H.R. 3 Action Page

Insurance companies are already trying to define services that are not actually real care, to reach the 80% ratio, and must be watched carefully

Seniors will benefit from the provision in the law that reduces the Medicare Part D “donut hole” in which seniors who used to reach a point in their expenditures when they paid 100% of the cost of prescription drugs will now get a 50% discount on brand name drugs and in ten years will get a 100% discount. They will also now have free annual checkups, screenings and other preventive care.

Some reforms that have already taken effect, such as a ban on discriminating against children with pre-existing conditions and the right to keep children on family plans until the age of 26.

A very long list of other reforms is available on the Kaiser Family Foundation web site, Kff.org or Kaiserhealthnews.org

By PAUL KRUGMAN

Published: October 24, 2010

This is what happens when you need to leap over an economic chasm — but either can’t or won’t jump far enough, so that you only get part of the way across.

If Democrats do as badly as expected in next week’s elections, pundits will rush to interpret the results as a referendum on ideology. President Obama moved too far to the left, most will say, even though his actual program — a health care plan very similar to past Republican proposals, a fiscal stimulus that consisted mainly of tax cuts, help for the unemployed and aid to hard-pressed states — was more conservative than his election platform.

A few commentators will point out, with much more justice, that Mr. Obama never made a full-throated case for progressive policies, that he consistently stepped on his own message, that he was so worried about making bankers nervous that he ended up ceding populist anger to the right.

Read On

I think Paul Krugman summed it up very well with this one sentence: “The tragedy here is that if voters do turn on Democrats, they will in effect be voting to make things even worse.”

The caliber of the candidates on the Republican line across this nation is clearly lacking. It doesn’t take a Nobel Prize to appreciate the craziness of Carl Paladino, the childishness of Christine O’Donnell, or the dangerous mentality of so many congressional candidates across this country. Does America really want to go back to an age of “Know-Nothing” politics? especially at a time of such turmoil?

Sure, the Democratic Party has had missteps in the past two years, but does a few missteps mean that the GOP would have done better? If we implemented any of the Republican’s policies in the past year, our current economic situation would be far worse off than we see today. From healthcare and financial reform to foreign policy, President Obama is bringing America in the right direction, and if any progressive cannot appreciate that, they are stuck in a dreamland. Change takes time, especially with the lackluster support President Obama’s once dedicated supporters back him today.

I have seen first hand the challenges of keeping progressives focused on a common goal while helping direct the focus of this group. It isn’t easy with our 1,000 or so members, so I cannot imagine the difficulty that must be faced on a daily basis by this White House – herding cats is a far to generous analogy for keeping progressives in line.

When it comes down to it, I think these once active activists will see the light and support this President and come out and vote for the Democratic candidates this year. No matter how disappointed someone feels with the results of the Obama Presidency to-date, a Republican/Tea Party controlled Congress will be far, far worse for this nation at this time! I think by the time November 2 roles around, voters across this nation will use their common sense, see through the deceptions and lies, and sanity will reign in America once again.

Here is the other side’s rhetoric. What do you think?

We had eight years of Bush and Cheney. Now you get mad?

You didn’t get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President?

You didn’t get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy?

You didn’t get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed?

You didn’t get mad when the Patriot Act got passed?

You didn’t get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us?

You didn’t get mad when we spent over a trillion dollars (and counting) on said illegal war?

You didn’t get mad when over 10 billion dollars just disappeared in Iraq?

You didn’t get mad when you found out we were torturing people?

You didn’t get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans?

You didn’t get mad when we didn’t catch Bin Laden?

You didn’t get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed?

You didn’t get mad when we let a major US city drown?
You didn’t get mad when we gave a 2.4 trillion tax break to the rich?

You didn’t get mad when Bush’s deficit hit the trillion dollar mark, and our debt hit the thirteen trillion dollar mark?

You finally got mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick?

Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans ?

Oh how soon we forget.

I received this earlier today and, considering that a week or so remains until THE ELECTION, thought it worth sharing.

• Social Security
• Medicare
• Medicaid
• Health care benefits
• Minimum Wage
• Financial Protection
• Unemployment benefits

1. If you want all of the above programs to be eliminated, leave this website now.

2. If you want two or more of the above programs to be eliminated, leave this website now.

3. If you want even one of the above programs to be eliminated, leave this website now.

4. If you consider all of the above programs to be part of the American social and economic fabric and to be essential to the present and future well-being of all Americans, DO SOMETHING.

The choices of what you can do with three weeks remaining until Election Day:

• Vote on Election Day.  (certainly a good thing to do but hardlly enough)
• Get people you know to vote as you will on Election Day. (better)
• Make phone calls to people you do not know and tell them to vote, as you would want them to, on Election Day. (much better)

If this makes sense to you, email  me: mkyankee@gmail.com

YWC!LI is conducting phone-banking efforts on behalf of two representatives, Rep.Carolyn McCarthy and Rep. Tim Bishop.

Together, they represent half the number of Democratic members of Congress on Long Island.

Let’s keep it that way.

Phone-bank for Tim Bishop

Phone-bank for Carolyn McCarthy

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Marvin

We must show the same kind of energy and commitment today for Tim Bishop that we demonstrated then.

One does need not to reside in Bishop’s congressional district (NY-1) to get involved.

One does need to recognize that winning this election is critical to retaining a Democratic majority in the House.

Yes We Can! Long Island  is teaming up with members of Organizing for America and Long Islanders for Change–the grassroots groups that often coalesced to support progressive issues throughout the Obama campaign.  We are jointly hosting a phone-bank for Tim Bishop who remains under orchestrated attack by aggressive, well-funded extremists right here on Long Island. (This is no different from what the media is reporting all around the country).

Republican operatives like Karl Rove have formed front groups that are spending millions to run smear ads against Tim Bishop. His opponent, who outsourced jobs to amass his fortune and moved into the CD from New Jersey for the sole purpose of running for Congress, is spending $5 million of his outsourcing profits to suppress the vote by slandering Tim.

ABC has moved Bishop’s District from “leaning Democratic” to “toss-up.”

Poll after poll shows Tim Bishop is ahead among registered voters but trailing among “likely” voters.

That’s why we need your help to tell Bishop supporters the importance of this election and to make sure they Vote on November 2.

Join us!! GOTV!    GOTV!!    GOTV!!   GOTV!!   GOTV!!   GOTV!!

When: Wednesday, October 20, 6:00-8:30 p.m.

Where: Jon Cooper’s Phonebank  956 Brush Hollow Road  Westbury, NY 11590    (this facility is conveniently located and highly accessible, located immediately adjacent to the Northern State Parkway exit).

Who: You.

Why:  You know why.

How:  By devoting 2 1/2 hours to making phone calls from our call center.

RSVP to: mkyankee@gmail.com.  I will respond to you right away.

Marvin

Perhaps you are not an East-Ender and are unaware of why YWC!LI is so whole-heartedly supporting Tim Bishop for Congress.  We are an issues-based organization.  Few representatives have voting records closer to our members’ hearts and minds than does Congressman Bishop.

He must win this election.  We must help him to win.

Visit his websites to gain an immediate understanding of his outstanding work for progressives, for Long Islanders, for New Yorkers, for all Americans:

Bishop for Congress website

Bishop’s House website

What a relief!

I, for one, am so greatly relieved to realize that there is a new plan that not only addresses all of the problems confronting Americans today, but it actually provides real solutions.

Here’ s a synopsis of The Pledge (although you may have saved video from the Bush years and might as well just replay them).

noto bene: I recommend that before viewing the video, you locate a magnifying lens or, better yet, a crystal ball.  –Marvin

Republicans do some soul-searching and come back with fresh new ideas that sound exactly like their old ones.

The following was posted on the White House blog this afternoon:

This morning we launched a new section of WhiteHouse.gov dedicated to health reform, a key feature of which is the interactive map with 50 stories from 50 states, giving a snapshot of the kinds of working people all across American who are just starting to get benefits from the President health care reform.  A lot of these people, like Gail from New Hampshire whose surprise call from the President was caught in the video below, are benefiting from a series of changes going into full effect this week that have been called the Patient’s Bill of Rights.  These changes include things like ending discrimination based on pre-existing conditions in kids, allowing kids to stay on their parents’ plans until they’re 26, making sure y don’t lose coverage just for being sick, an end to lifetime lifetime limits and much more.

The following video is one of 50 stories on how Health Care Reform has and will continue to benefit Americas from all walks of life:

Be sure to check out the White House’s new website WhiteHouse.gov/HealthReform to stay up-to-date on the reforms and learn the facts about the law so you can sort through all the distortion.

A new documentary being shown out of competition at the Venice Film Festival explores the trauma of three U.S. war veterans who served in Iraq and how the military handled their cases.

“Ward 54,” so named for the psychiatric wing of the U.S. military’s Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, also deals with the rise in military suicides following Iraq duty.

The film opens with the case of Army Sgt. Kristofer Goldsmith, whose job was to photograph Iraqi war victims to identify them. Goldsmith recounts how serving his country had always been his life’s dream, but it turned into a nightmare when told he would be deployed again to Iraq.

“For over a year I knew something inside me wasn’t right. I was drinking close to a gallon of vodka every weekend and starting fights,” Goldsmith recalled Tuesday in Venice, where “Ward 54″ had been screened the previous night.

When told he had to go back to Iraq for duty, Goldsmith recalled: “I said I can’t go back to Iraq. I wasn’t afraid of Iraq, but knew I couldn’t return.”

Continue reading at NPR.com.

Friday’s OpEd by Paul Krugman helps lay out the current state of affairs very well. I suggest you give it a read.

Curbing Your Enthusiasm

By PAUL KRUGMAN

Published: July 29, 2010

Why does the Obama administration keep looking for love in all the wrong places? Why does it go out of its way to alienate its friends, while wooing people who will never waver in their hatred?

Read the full OpEd at The NY Times.