What is a Patriot? Well, there is the "Love It or Leave It" view, those with the "my country right or wrong" viewpoint. The folks who believe anyone who speaks out against the President or the Government is a traitor. They equate disagreement with disloyalty. There are no shades of gray; you're either for them or against them.
I call this Pep-Rally Patriotism because it's so similiar to support for one's school or favorite sports team. Go Yankees! Go USA! But politics is not a sporting event; it's about real consequences, real people, real life and death issues. It's a very different ballgame.
Then consider, the other view of a Patriot. The one who takes a stand and speaks out against injustice. Think of Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, Sojurner Truth, Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr.; to name just a few. They rebelled against the status quo. And they are considered American heroes because of their dissent. They took our American ideals to heart and put them into action; and our country and world are better for their courage.
So who is a real Patriot? Unfortunately the Administration and much of Congress seem to prefer the first model. This is particularly alarming as they are pushing for the renewal of certain aspects of the Patriot Act, and even adding new provisionsto help "protect" our country. It's not enough that the government can review your library records and bank accounts without your consent or knowledge; now that want the let the FBI do so without contacting a judge for a warrant.
But terrorist actions were thwarted before 9-11, as well as after. And as Deep Throat showed us, even FBI investigations can be politically influenced or controlled. Those checks and balances, and the Bill of Rights are in our Constitution for very good reasons.
Ask anyone what makes American great, and they likely won't mention our courageous Armed Forces, our cunning technology, or our kick-ass SUV's. They will mention our liberties and opportunities. Our civil rights, and their judicious use by Americans of good conscience, have sustained our nation for over 200 years.
Yet the Bush Administration says that we must compromise on these rights to protect our nation. Nevermind that they have shortchanged our police and fire departments, and underfunded important national security initiatives. Nevermind that their foreign policy agenda has created even more anti-American fervor around the world. The so-called Patriot Act will keep us free.
They tell us America is safer, but they want us to keep living in fear. And they are banking on that fear, as they whittle away at the very rights that make America the greatest nation in world history.
I love this country as dearly as any Patriot, Pep-Rally or otherwise. And it seems to me that if we give in to fear, then the terrorists win.
Yes, we need to take measures to improve national security, as well as intelligence and investigation techniques. But we also need to stand up for country and Constitution. Because if we don't, it won't matter how many soldiers we have in how many different corners of the globe. Without the cornerstones of our democracy, our sacred civil liberties, America is just another place on the map.
So who are the true Patriots? Those who want to cower in fear and whittle away our civil rights. Or those who are using those voices to preserve those precious liberties?
I'm betting on the latter. They have the better track record. Go USA!
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Monday, June 06, 2005
Chances and Choices: Or How Much is Your Life Worth?
The ride home from work proved a bit too exciting today, but not for the usual reasons.
I have a 36 mile one-way trip to and from work every day. And needless to say, some days traffic and/or another driver's impatience make the commute seem like a high-speed adventure ride. But today, it was Nature herself who provided all the drama.
There were rather nasty thunderstorms while I was still at work, and I'd heard the weather reports so I wasn't entirely unprepared. It was pouring, with gusty winds and tiny hailstones. But I grew up at the shore and I'd ridden through such storms before, even a storm with hail the size of marbles, and even the outer edges of a hurricane. Travel was slow and visibility was bad, but ever vigilant I crawled through the wind and rain.
Then I did something I rarely do. The rain became so heavy that I couldn't see anything but the lights on the car ahead of me, so I carefully pulled over the to shoulder to wait out the storm. That was scary, too, though. The shoulder wasn't very wide on that section of the interstate and cars passed by rather closely, as the hailstones grew a bit bigger, the lightining flashed, the thunder rolled, and the wind rocked my car. All I wanted was to be at home. Or more accurately someplace I sometimes think of as home, where I could get a reassuring hug. Staying put was the last thing I wanted to do. But I made it home in one piece, and I'll at least hear some reassuring words sometime very soon.
By the time I got home, the storm has subsided quite a bit. I went online to check my emails, and glanced at the online headlines of the New York Times. Today's green button link is a story that really got my Irish up. It's an article about how our nation's hospitals are crawling with germs. People are getting sick, even to the point of needing surgery. People are dying by the thousands. But only a few hospitals across the country are doing anything about it.
The solution is simple, just a few common sense steps. Hospitals in other industrialized countries have taken these steps and eliminated the problem. But not here, because of the hospitals claim they can't "afford" these simple measures to help keep their patients healthy. And the CDC is against the reporting of hospital infection rates. That's right, the people who are supposed to help the US stay healthy want to keep this important information under wraps.
So there's another reason for extra caution on the highway, you might get injuried, go the hospital and catch a deadly disease while they're mending your broken bones.
Another story from the world of medicine was the Supreme Court's decision that Federal laws regarding marijuana supersede state laws permitting medical uses of the drug.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-06-06-medical-marijuana_x.htm
Now, I'm against drug abuse and illegal drug trafficking, and all the ills it brings to our society. But the world is not all black and white, and this issue falls into a very gray shade of gray for me. After all, there are a number of drugs, like morphine, with potential illicit uses, that are prescribed as controlled substances for the patients who need them.
And of course, as the new potent arthritis pain killers are pulled from the pharmacy shelves because of health concerns, one deadly addictive substance remains legal, and readily available to anyone over 18. Tobacco, one of the biggest causes of illness and death; and certainly just as dangerous as marijuana or any other drug, has been studied, debated, and villified for decades. But nobody's pulling it off the shelves, because tobacco is a big money, and a well-taxed industry.
Follow the money.
I've worked in medical insurance and medical billing for almost 15 years. And even though it might put me out on a job, I support the concept of national health care. Oh, I know the horror stories about how the Big Government won't let you choose your own doctor, or how they will ration healthcare. But you know what? Under the current system, for most of us, the Big Insurance companies are making those decisions. And the Big Goverment medical plans, Medicare and Medicaid, are generally less complicated and less frustrating to work with than the commerical health plans.
As for the other horror story about a national health plan, the Taxes that we'd have to pay to support it. Well, those of us who are fortunate enough to have health insurance are already paying a hefty sum in premiums. And the fees charged by medical facilties and doctors are inflated care that doesn't get paid by the uninsured, so we're paying for that too. And we're paying taxes to support Medicare and Medicaid.
A national health plan might cost more in taxes, but many Americans might save money in the long run. Doctors and hospitals could save money too, with less insurance billing hassles. Then maybe they could afford to clean up all those nasty germs.
It's all about choices, my friends. Choices. Do we want hospitals that are cheaper, or cleaner? Who do we want to choose our prescibed medications when we're sick, our doctor or our police department? What kind of healthcare do we want, and how do we want to pay for it? How much do we pay in taxes, and how does that money get spent?
Think about all the times you've thought or said "Somebody oughta do something about that." Well, "that', whether healthcare, poverty, education, crime, or any issue can and should be discussed, researched, and debated. Think about the choices we make as individuals and as a society. Think about what needs changed or fixed, and how we can make it better. And then, we the people, can tell the Congress, or our state legislators, this is what we want. We just have to be willing to work for it, and to pay for it.
And sometimes the best choice, is not your favorite choice; like spending 15 boring, lonely minutes in a purple Saturn at the edge of the interstate, waiting for the hailstones and rain to blow away. But that's also a time when you might get to see a rainbow.
I have a 36 mile one-way trip to and from work every day. And needless to say, some days traffic and/or another driver's impatience make the commute seem like a high-speed adventure ride. But today, it was Nature herself who provided all the drama.
There were rather nasty thunderstorms while I was still at work, and I'd heard the weather reports so I wasn't entirely unprepared. It was pouring, with gusty winds and tiny hailstones. But I grew up at the shore and I'd ridden through such storms before, even a storm with hail the size of marbles, and even the outer edges of a hurricane. Travel was slow and visibility was bad, but ever vigilant I crawled through the wind and rain.
Then I did something I rarely do. The rain became so heavy that I couldn't see anything but the lights on the car ahead of me, so I carefully pulled over the to shoulder to wait out the storm. That was scary, too, though. The shoulder wasn't very wide on that section of the interstate and cars passed by rather closely, as the hailstones grew a bit bigger, the lightining flashed, the thunder rolled, and the wind rocked my car. All I wanted was to be at home. Or more accurately someplace I sometimes think of as home, where I could get a reassuring hug. Staying put was the last thing I wanted to do. But I made it home in one piece, and I'll at least hear some reassuring words sometime very soon.
By the time I got home, the storm has subsided quite a bit. I went online to check my emails, and glanced at the online headlines of the New York Times. Today's green button link is a story that really got my Irish up. It's an article about how our nation's hospitals are crawling with germs. People are getting sick, even to the point of needing surgery. People are dying by the thousands. But only a few hospitals across the country are doing anything about it.
The solution is simple, just a few common sense steps. Hospitals in other industrialized countries have taken these steps and eliminated the problem. But not here, because of the hospitals claim they can't "afford" these simple measures to help keep their patients healthy. And the CDC is against the reporting of hospital infection rates. That's right, the people who are supposed to help the US stay healthy want to keep this important information under wraps.
So there's another reason for extra caution on the highway, you might get injuried, go the hospital and catch a deadly disease while they're mending your broken bones.
Another story from the world of medicine was the Supreme Court's decision that Federal laws regarding marijuana supersede state laws permitting medical uses of the drug.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-06-06-medical-marijuana_x.htm
Now, I'm against drug abuse and illegal drug trafficking, and all the ills it brings to our society. But the world is not all black and white, and this issue falls into a very gray shade of gray for me. After all, there are a number of drugs, like morphine, with potential illicit uses, that are prescribed as controlled substances for the patients who need them.
And of course, as the new potent arthritis pain killers are pulled from the pharmacy shelves because of health concerns, one deadly addictive substance remains legal, and readily available to anyone over 18. Tobacco, one of the biggest causes of illness and death; and certainly just as dangerous as marijuana or any other drug, has been studied, debated, and villified for decades. But nobody's pulling it off the shelves, because tobacco is a big money, and a well-taxed industry.
Follow the money.
I've worked in medical insurance and medical billing for almost 15 years. And even though it might put me out on a job, I support the concept of national health care. Oh, I know the horror stories about how the Big Government won't let you choose your own doctor, or how they will ration healthcare. But you know what? Under the current system, for most of us, the Big Insurance companies are making those decisions. And the Big Goverment medical plans, Medicare and Medicaid, are generally less complicated and less frustrating to work with than the commerical health plans.
As for the other horror story about a national health plan, the Taxes that we'd have to pay to support it. Well, those of us who are fortunate enough to have health insurance are already paying a hefty sum in premiums. And the fees charged by medical facilties and doctors are inflated care that doesn't get paid by the uninsured, so we're paying for that too. And we're paying taxes to support Medicare and Medicaid.
A national health plan might cost more in taxes, but many Americans might save money in the long run. Doctors and hospitals could save money too, with less insurance billing hassles. Then maybe they could afford to clean up all those nasty germs.
It's all about choices, my friends. Choices. Do we want hospitals that are cheaper, or cleaner? Who do we want to choose our prescibed medications when we're sick, our doctor or our police department? What kind of healthcare do we want, and how do we want to pay for it? How much do we pay in taxes, and how does that money get spent?
Think about all the times you've thought or said "Somebody oughta do something about that." Well, "that', whether healthcare, poverty, education, crime, or any issue can and should be discussed, researched, and debated. Think about the choices we make as individuals and as a society. Think about what needs changed or fixed, and how we can make it better. And then, we the people, can tell the Congress, or our state legislators, this is what we want. We just have to be willing to work for it, and to pay for it.
And sometimes the best choice, is not your favorite choice; like spending 15 boring, lonely minutes in a purple Saturn at the edge of the interstate, waiting for the hailstones and rain to blow away. But that's also a time when you might get to see a rainbow.
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