The Supreme Court has found the Affordable Health Care Act to be constitutional. Finally, something for the citizens of the nation. This almost restores my faith. Not quite, Citizens United is still the worst decision by the court in my lifetime. However, for now, I am celebrating living in a nation where people are still important.
As soon as I heard the decision on NBC, I began surfing news channels to see how the decision was being spun. FOX and CNN made it sound like America was about to demand that all citizens dress in brown and goose-step across the nation in Facist revelry. On MSNBC I think Chris Matthews might have wet his pants. He should see a doctor about that.
I decided to see how the market was reacting. Not at all surprising, Big Pharma, Big Insurance and other medical industry related corporations were in negative territory. Simply an indication that people with enough money to invest realized profit margins were going to be smaller in those industries and were jumping ship. That was all I needed to confirm what I already knew. What is good for citizens isn't good for wall street and vice versa.
Insurance was the first industry to sell nothing. Maybe in it's origin the purpose of insurance was noble but, over time, insurance became the Big Brother of our problems. Insure your home, car, property and body. Never worry again. For several thousand dollars a year you are guaranteed coverage unless you are affected by something that insurance won't cover. Or if you are sick too long. Or your illness requires too much treatment. Or if you have a chronic illness, a pre-existing condition or an Act of God befalls you, then you are screwed. By the way, they do not return the money you have paid them after they have denied your claim. That's called profit.
I have known people with great insurance coverage who still had to spend every single dime they could scrape together on pesky kidney failures, liver problems or some tricky cancer. I have known people to become ill with deadly viruses or sudden, painful, chronic illnesses and have their insurance company deny coverage. In every case I know of personally, the person with the illness ultimately had to file for bankruptcy, even with coverage.
What the insurance industry wants is for healthy people to buy their service and never use it. That makes them rich and happy. For people who dare become seriously ill, insurance providers become unreasonable quickly. Experimental treatments and drugs are too expensive. Transplants, too expensive. Chronic illness, too expensive. Drugs with no generic, too expensive. Go see one doctor to be referred to another doctor. Ever had an injury that was healed by the time you got to see the doctor who could actually treat you? I have. It's very frustrating.
So what happens now that Obamacare is constitutional? People who have insurance coverage can keep it. People with children can cover them on their insurance until they are 26. People with no insurance can either buy it at a reasonable cost or pay the penalty for not having coverage. Those who want insurance but still cannot afford it will receive subsidies from the government. Medicaid will be expanded. Insurance must cover pre-existing conditions and there is no annual or lifetime cap. Sounds horrible. For the insurance industry.
As it is now, people without insurance wait until they are very sick or suffer an injury or medical emergency and then rush to a hospital emergency room. Patients do not magically start spewing money out of every orifice when they enter the emergency room so taxpayers in the city and/or county and/or state cover their care. We pay for the uninsured no matter what. Now all patients can be treated early, can receive screenings, receive care early and don't have to worry about being denied coverage.
The humorous point to the healthcare bill is that it's genesis is based on the plan drafted by Massachusetts under Governor Mitt Romney. Now the GOP, including Mitt himself, must try to convince us that this will be the downfall of America. Mittens has to campaign by berating the bill he signed into law in his own state. That would be like Lincoln wanting to repeal the 13th amendment. Or FDR reversing himself on social security. Or W. denouncing the wars in the middle east. So, was Mittens a horrible, facist governor who forced mandated health care on his state or is he a candidate willing to say anything to keep his backers happy? I am guessing the latter.
So, suck it up, citizens. Now we are all equal under the medical law. Now the poor and disenfranchised can receive decent medical care as needed instead of waiting until their condition is an emergency. Insurance companies now have to actaully do their job instead of increasing their profit margins. This is good for the country as a whole.
There is only one more change I would like to see regarding medical care. Stop the advertising of drugs and medical devices. I am sick of hearing about peeing too often, not being able to pee, the dangers of a four hour erection, the best knee replacement, etc. These are conversations to have with a doctor. Big Pharma wouldn't have to charge so much money for their products if their advertising budgets were slashed. And I won't want to vomit during dinner when the Cialis commercials run.
You're Welcome,
Lillybell Blues
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
THINGS I KNOW
I recently mentioned that life is short. It is. Life is also incredibly unfair. I have spent enough hours in hospitals, Alzheimer's wards, and nursing homes to know that death is incredibly unfair too. If you have been spared the pain of waiting days, weeks, or years for someone whose quality of life is completely gone to die, then I know you are blessed.
I first learned that both life and death are unfair when I was 30 years old. My chosen brother, my friend, Scotty, did not reach his 30th birthday. The ravages of diabetes took him from his family, friends and from me. That sucked. It was not natural. He was young and had so much talent, heart and humanity. I had lost all but one grand parent by then. I loved them. They were old. They died. That made perfect sense. But losing my friend, my very young friend was devastating. If you still have all of your chosen friends, the ones you cherish, I know you are blessed.
As a society we have life and living, death and dying all messed up. Somewhere in time we got societal priorities completely out of balance. I know we need to refocus.
Life should not be our focus. Living should be our focus. There is a difference. Life is about statistics, accomplishments, expectations, milestones. Living is about learning, doing, focusing, creating, sharing, being. We have long judged people by where they live, where they were schooled, how much money they have. We are groomed to want the facades of success so we can be judged. We should judge people by their wisdom, talent, kindness, fairness and compassion. Their capacity to give love, receive love, share bounty and ease burdens. I know living is more important than life.
Death is something we should embrace, not fear. Dying should be as short as possible. Not for those left to grieve but for those who must do the dying. We keep people alive who have no cognitive ability. We give them medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease when they can no longer maintain their own most basic needs. We try to avoid death at all costs. Death is coming. It can come in an instant. It can take years. I do not know who will experience death next or who will be the last person on earth. I know not one of us will avoid death.
People keep themselves alive with painful, debilitating poison for as long as possible. They have surgeries and experimental treatments to stay here just a little longer. They postpone the inevitable. I understand this choice. It's best for loved ones. The dying want to be here for those life milestones. However, even if it takes a decade, watching someone die hurts. When they do die there is still pain. All their efforts to live may be worthwhile but it does not take away the unavoidable loss through death. I know death comes whether you are ready or not.
Now I am facing another loss. One of my chosen sisters, my friend is going to die. As I struggle to understand I realize I cannot imagine living without her. Yet I probably will. I will miss her like an addict misses their substance. I want to share more living with her. I need her wisdom, humor, honesty and her love. She is one of my rocks. She doesn't judge yet she doesn't suffer fools. She has every single quality of a chosen sister. She has raised an amazing daughter, shared a marriage with a wonderful man for 30 plus years and makes everyone feel like family. My wish for her family and friends is that we have her forever. My wish for her is that she not suffer and feels how much she is loved. She is cherished by many because her capacity for love is immeasurable. I know her next journey will reflect all the love she has given and received.
Live every day like it is your best friend's last. Try to remove selfishness from all aspects of your living. Try not to judge. Try not to be malicious, hateful or angry. Give of yourself without being taken. Love like it won't hurt. Forgive those who are not perfect. Including yourself.
I know this would make for a better world.
You're welcome,
Lillybellblues
I first learned that both life and death are unfair when I was 30 years old. My chosen brother, my friend, Scotty, did not reach his 30th birthday. The ravages of diabetes took him from his family, friends and from me. That sucked. It was not natural. He was young and had so much talent, heart and humanity. I had lost all but one grand parent by then. I loved them. They were old. They died. That made perfect sense. But losing my friend, my very young friend was devastating. If you still have all of your chosen friends, the ones you cherish, I know you are blessed.
As a society we have life and living, death and dying all messed up. Somewhere in time we got societal priorities completely out of balance. I know we need to refocus.
Life should not be our focus. Living should be our focus. There is a difference. Life is about statistics, accomplishments, expectations, milestones. Living is about learning, doing, focusing, creating, sharing, being. We have long judged people by where they live, where they were schooled, how much money they have. We are groomed to want the facades of success so we can be judged. We should judge people by their wisdom, talent, kindness, fairness and compassion. Their capacity to give love, receive love, share bounty and ease burdens. I know living is more important than life.
Death is something we should embrace, not fear. Dying should be as short as possible. Not for those left to grieve but for those who must do the dying. We keep people alive who have no cognitive ability. We give them medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease when they can no longer maintain their own most basic needs. We try to avoid death at all costs. Death is coming. It can come in an instant. It can take years. I do not know who will experience death next or who will be the last person on earth. I know not one of us will avoid death.
People keep themselves alive with painful, debilitating poison for as long as possible. They have surgeries and experimental treatments to stay here just a little longer. They postpone the inevitable. I understand this choice. It's best for loved ones. The dying want to be here for those life milestones. However, even if it takes a decade, watching someone die hurts. When they do die there is still pain. All their efforts to live may be worthwhile but it does not take away the unavoidable loss through death. I know death comes whether you are ready or not.
Now I am facing another loss. One of my chosen sisters, my friend is going to die. As I struggle to understand I realize I cannot imagine living without her. Yet I probably will. I will miss her like an addict misses their substance. I want to share more living with her. I need her wisdom, humor, honesty and her love. She is one of my rocks. She doesn't judge yet she doesn't suffer fools. She has every single quality of a chosen sister. She has raised an amazing daughter, shared a marriage with a wonderful man for 30 plus years and makes everyone feel like family. My wish for her family and friends is that we have her forever. My wish for her is that she not suffer and feels how much she is loved. She is cherished by many because her capacity for love is immeasurable. I know her next journey will reflect all the love she has given and received.
Live every day like it is your best friend's last. Try to remove selfishness from all aspects of your living. Try not to judge. Try not to be malicious, hateful or angry. Give of yourself without being taken. Love like it won't hurt. Forgive those who are not perfect. Including yourself.
I know this would make for a better world.
You're welcome,
Lillybellblues
Saturday, June 2, 2012
LIFE IS SHORT...
In the past few weeks I have learned much about life and death. The emotional ups and downs are grueling. The peace is beautiful. There is just not enough time on earth to be with people we love. The process of losing a loved one varies from sudden, unexpected death to the long, slow goodbye. The end result is the same. Life changes just a bit in that final moment. The best thing that comes with death is clarity. Nothing matters except the people we love. That's it. One simple fact.
No one should waste time hating or judging any other human. We should all look for the good and the potential in others. We should all help when we can, forgive when we can and lift up those around us. Life is short even when people live to an old age. Help your fellow man. Strengthen the bonds with people in your life because someday you have to say goodbye and then it is too late to show remorse or seek forgiveness.
Losing a loved one is losing part of yourself, your history and your heart. The pain can be unbearable but we all must go on. The world should stop just a little when a loved one dies. It is a remarkable experience to watch common, everyday occurrences around you when your world is upside down. You want to crawl into your bed and stay until the pain and the sadness is gone. However, that is not how life or death works. Life is for the living so we get up and carry on. Death is the peace at the end of life and that peace is for all eternity.
Knowing someone is going to die makes saying goodbye much better. There is an honesty and realization of the love that exists between people. There is such clarity and the person who will die can make their peace, say goodbye and come to grips with the end of their time on this earth. The knowledge does not make losing them easier but being able to say that last goodbye, have those last laughs and sharing joy makes the dying process so loving and kind.
We should all live like this is our last day. Show love, kindness, forgiveness, remorse, forge bonds and alliances. Make someone else happy. Do things for them you may not want to do. It could be the last time you can show your love for them.
Our world and our lives are usually about, "me, me, me". Work hard to make life about those you love. Take nothing for granted. Appreciate every day. Do for and unto others as you would have them do for you. Love is all you need.
You're welcome,
Lillybellblues
No one should waste time hating or judging any other human. We should all look for the good and the potential in others. We should all help when we can, forgive when we can and lift up those around us. Life is short even when people live to an old age. Help your fellow man. Strengthen the bonds with people in your life because someday you have to say goodbye and then it is too late to show remorse or seek forgiveness.
Losing a loved one is losing part of yourself, your history and your heart. The pain can be unbearable but we all must go on. The world should stop just a little when a loved one dies. It is a remarkable experience to watch common, everyday occurrences around you when your world is upside down. You want to crawl into your bed and stay until the pain and the sadness is gone. However, that is not how life or death works. Life is for the living so we get up and carry on. Death is the peace at the end of life and that peace is for all eternity.
Knowing someone is going to die makes saying goodbye much better. There is an honesty and realization of the love that exists between people. There is such clarity and the person who will die can make their peace, say goodbye and come to grips with the end of their time on this earth. The knowledge does not make losing them easier but being able to say that last goodbye, have those last laughs and sharing joy makes the dying process so loving and kind.
We should all live like this is our last day. Show love, kindness, forgiveness, remorse, forge bonds and alliances. Make someone else happy. Do things for them you may not want to do. It could be the last time you can show your love for them.
Our world and our lives are usually about, "me, me, me". Work hard to make life about those you love. Take nothing for granted. Appreciate every day. Do for and unto others as you would have them do for you. Love is all you need.
You're welcome,
Lillybellblues
Thursday, March 1, 2012
HELP US, COMMON SENSE, YOU ARE OUR ONLY HOPE
At any hour of the day or night we can find hate and spewage to support any belief or leaning. Well funded, well developed half truths, falsehoods and propaganda permeate the airwaves. Turn on any form of media and it is right in your face. "Women who use contraceptives are sluts", "Obama keeps raising the price of gas", "your guns are in danger of being confiscated", "America is in danger of losing religious freedom", "if we lose this lizard every species on earth will vanish", "republicans are the spawn of the devil", "democrats are closeted fascists", "the Illuminati secretly runs everything", "aliens are waiting to take over earth", "Elvis is not dead", etc.
If all the hell had rained on us as promised by pundits over the course of my lifetime we would have anarchy and famine from sea to shining sea. Most of the people in our nation are intelligent and able to think for themselves. So why listen to people spread lies? People who opine offer validation, not information. I have heard many different people say the exact same phrases about what is wrong with America. These people have one thing in common. They listen to Rush Limbaugh and watch Fox News. I have not noticed this parroting among other network's viewers. I had a long time friend scream at me in public once about something the Democrats voted for as though I have control over Nancy Pelosi. I have seen people come to physical blows over whether or not Obama is a citizen. I know people who are very afraid that the United Nations is getting ready to round up their guns. I have read posts on social networking sites wishing other posters death, to get raped by Satan and/or get cancer for their political beliefs. This behavior has gone from shocking to funny to pathetic. It's time to take a stand and say enough. Reach way back in time, before we were surrounded by opiners and reach for your common sense.
The founding fathers of this nation were very familiar with tyranny, government unfairness and intrusion. The Constitution is the result of their collective experiences. The purpose of this amazing document is to maintain the balance of power in the nation and to provide all citizens with identical rights and opportunities. No King, no national religion, no defined social classes and a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Authors of the Constitution were forward thinking enough to allow for amending this document as necessary to meet the future needs of the Republic. For more than 200 hundred years their plan has worked quite well. The document has added amendments only by ratification of individual states.
Free speech is a right handed to our citizens. However, free speech does not mean speaking the truth. Free speech is the right to speak your mind even if you are a hate monger or a scam artist. Free will is the ability to believe or not believe what you hear. We are fortunate to live in a country where you don't have to worship the right God in the right way. You don't have to agree with the government or find yourself imprisoned. You don't have to vote for a certain political faction or soldiers come in the middle of the night to kill the men and rape the women.
Our fortune continues by living in a country where we can elect our leaders and not live under those who inherit or are handed power. This nation has prospered and failed under good and bad presidents. It has prospered and failed under good and bad legislators. This nation has survived civil war and civil unrest. We have recognized our failings and tried to rectify them. Our citizens have disagreed on many critical, life changing issues and yet the Republic still stands. That is the point. We are a nation founded on freedoms of the individual citizen. We are a government of the people. We are allowed to vote for the leaders we want and if our candidate loses we are to remain law abiding citizens.
Those who spew rhetoric will use God, government, imagination, lies, hate and fear to further an agenda and earn a paycheck. That is their right. It is our right to be smart enough to recognize propaganda and exaggeration. Lately the GOP has chosen to put higher education in a bad light. Universities have been deemed a tool for liberal indoctrination and people with college degrees have been labeled elitist. The men using this rhetoric all have multiple degrees from well known universities. Logically, we should all know that college is great for some people and required for some professions. Common sense says that this issue is political drama being waved in the face of voters to divide them.
Recently, women's reproductive health has been a hot topic. Presidential hopeful, Rick Santorum, is using this issue to rally the religious right. His belief that birth control is a sin is based on his Catholic faith. Sorry, but that is the opposite of religious freedom. No one religion is recognized as the true religion in America. People are free to choose their religious beliefs or to have no faith at all. The GOP insists this women's issue is about unfairly forcing employers to pay for birth control if it is against their moral or religious beliefs. Pundit, Rush Limbaugh has started wagging the dog with absurd comments like, "If we are going to pay for women to have sex we want something in return. We want them to take videos of all this and post them so we can watch". Common sense tells me that Rush Limbaugh can always lower the civility bar, and that employers care about the bottom line more than any moral compass. Insurance that provides contraception is cheaper than maternity costs. This is a red herring flung to the masses to measure the morality of others.
In my lifetime I have known extreme liberals and extreme conservatives. Some of them are the exact same people. They voted for liberals and believed in their cause then took extreme right turns and now rail about what they used to be. And the opposite, I have seen conservatives take the left turn and hate their former selves. I have heard politicians and political operatives say that nothing is as important as their side winning. No, gentlemen and ladies, the most important thing is that the country survives and thrives. That citizens retain the freedoms granted them in our Constitution. That justice must be fair,n that citizens must not be singled out and punished for personal believes and non threatening practices. That citizens should not have to face retribution or humiliation in times of need or want. The survival of the republic is much more important than any side winning. Respecting the intent of the founding fathers and those who fought tyranny for our way of life is more important. Accepting that not every law will fit your personal needs or beliefs but meets those of other citizens is part of being an American. Working to reverse those laws as needed through our representatives is also part of being an American.
This is not the country I imagined as a child. False Gods, false patriotism and false standards are now the law of the land. We have completely lost logic and common sense. We don't need enemies as we are a nation of frenemies. Like junior high with meaner kids. When we refuse to pull together we rip ourselves apart. If we don't stop tearing at the fabric of our nation She will unravel.
Being a believer in free speech, I can't say, "take the spewers off the air". They have every right to say whatever they want. But let's not forget that we always have the power of the OFF button. Remember when there were polite rules of conversation like, "don't discuss religion or politics"? Now we seem to have rules like, "say the most outrageous hateful, things you can to offend the largest number of people anytime, anywhere". Empires are being built on lies and hate. Our biggest enemies are no longer jihadists, they are political think tanks, media outlets and citizens willing to say anything for their own gain.
Always remember these things, no person or political party can make any changes to our Constitution on a whim, international law does not trump the law in America, free markets set the price of commodities and, most importantly, rarely is everything you hear the entire truth.
Ask yourself the following questions when considering any political issue:
"How does this issue effect me personally?"
"Who profits or benefits on this issue?"
"Can I actually do anything except vote my conscience?"
Always exercise your right to vote. It is the only act you perform that makes a difference in our political process. When your affiliated party isn't in power, maintain some dignity. When your affiliated party is in office, swallow your pride.
Every one's mom said it best, "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all".
You're welcome,
Lillybell Blues
Saturday, February 25, 2012
AMERICA?
To the tune: AMERICA, from West Side Story:
INTRO
Founding Fathers
Our Constitution
Created a great institution
Words were so beautifully written
Their countrymen were clearly smitten
With religious freedom
And some room for heathen
Now we are clearly divided
Right, Left and those undecided
Is it our fate in America
Only to hate in America?
Nasty debate in America
Is it too late in America?
Elections now are so enlightening
How they are won is just frightening
Years of campaigning on issues
Give plenty of lies to the news crews
Is it our fate in America
Only to hate in America?
Nasty debate in America
Is it too late for America?
The GOP is out there whining
That Obama keeps on undermining
Everything we should all stand for
Picking on women and the poor
Is it our fate in America
Only to hate in America?
Nasty debate in America
Is it too late for America?
Republicans seem to be up tight
They say that our morals are not right
They speak with a deal of decorum
Til somebody questions Santorum
Is it our fate in America
Only to hate in America?
Nasty debate in America
Is it too late for America?
Mittens and Newtie are hoping
America will soon be voting
Them into office near the mall
Or we could get stuck with that Ron Paul
We're sick of your lies in America
Republican guys in America
You're making us cry in America
Obama is wise for America!
You're welcome,
LBB
INTRO
Founding Fathers
Our Constitution
Created a great institution
Words were so beautifully written
Their countrymen were clearly smitten
With religious freedom
And some room for heathen
Now we are clearly divided
Right, Left and those undecided
Is it our fate in America
Only to hate in America?
Nasty debate in America
Is it too late in America?
Elections now are so enlightening
How they are won is just frightening
Years of campaigning on issues
Give plenty of lies to the news crews
Is it our fate in America
Only to hate in America?
Nasty debate in America
Is it too late for America?
The GOP is out there whining
That Obama keeps on undermining
Everything we should all stand for
Picking on women and the poor
Is it our fate in America
Only to hate in America?
Nasty debate in America
Is it too late for America?
Republicans seem to be up tight
They say that our morals are not right
They speak with a deal of decorum
Til somebody questions Santorum
Is it our fate in America
Only to hate in America?
Nasty debate in America
Is it too late for America?
Mittens and Newtie are hoping
America will soon be voting
Them into office near the mall
Or we could get stuck with that Ron Paul
We're sick of your lies in America
Republican guys in America
You're making us cry in America
Obama is wise for America!
You're welcome,
LBB
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
TIME TO STOP THE WAR ON MARIJUANA
DRUG BUST ON TCU CAMPUS! If you live west of Grand Prairie, Texas this is big news. If you are any other city in America, not so much. Seventeen students were arrested this morning after a six month under cover operation conducted by Fort Worth police and TCU campus police. Four of the players arrested are starters for the Horned Frog football team. I guess I should say were starters. Pretty sure they will not be starting in the coming season.
The TCU chancellor had a press conference expressing relief that TCU was able to nip this problem in the bud. Mr. Chancellor, there have been drugs on your campus to my knowledge since the 1960s. My dealer went to school there. Where people smoke marijuana, the only drug mentioned in connection with the arrests so far, someone sells it to them. Why? Because you cannot go to the marijuana store. Why? Because this state, and most other states, would rather waste money trying to stop a practice that cannot be stopped than finally, "just say yes".
People, including teenagers, adults, professionals, rich, poor, old, young, all races, creeds and colors smoke marijuana. This has been a fact since I was in high school. I graduated in 1971. It is now 2012. I know parents who smoke with their children. I know children who procure for their parents. Not homeless bums but tax paying, productive members of society. Marijuana has been demonized since the 1920s. Musicians, BLACK musicians, used marijuana so of course that made it heathen. In the 1960s young people adopted the use of marijuana the same way their grand parents and parents drank during prohibition. The media exploded about marijuana and it's evil. Parents everywhere panicked when they found a bag of herb in their children's rooms. All these lives were going to be ruined. These brains were going to turn to mush. This evil had to be stopped.
It hasn't been. It isn't going to be. There are so many consumers of marijuana in this country it would be like trying to eliminate beer. Grow up, America. Time for law enforcement to throw their hands up in surrender and let states regulate and legislate the use of this cash crop. Not for medical purposes, for social purposes. This nation would be a friendlier place.
As a kid it used to amuse me when some one's drunk parent would lecture us on the use of marijuana. "Itwillruinyourlifeandmakeyou, burp, stupid". Or parents who needed Valium to get through life but were humiliated when their child was arrested for the awful offense of possessing a joint. "How will I be able to hold my head up at church...were are my VALIUM???".
Marijuana is a natural plant that produces a mild high. Not an incomprehensible, drunken, stupid, stumbling high, but a pleasant, "life isn't so bad", feeling. Marijuana does not leave you babbling and angry. Marijuana does not make you want to beat the crap out of someone who looked at you wrong. Marijuana is really rather benign. Marijuana is not the devil of society you have been led to believe.
Let's rethink this entire issue in America. Look around, we are broke. We need jobs, we need revenue. We have lots of farmers and land. We have the potential to introduce to the market place a product that is currently supporting criminal organizations. Our tax dollars are spent trying to stop these people from providing our citizens with a product they want. Not only are we losing out on the revenue of a cash crop, we are spending millions of dollars to save ourselves from it. We are paying to prosecute and incarcerate dealers and consumers of this product. It is a stupid cycle.
We could be creating jobs in so many areas. Agriculture, transportation, processing, package design, retail outlets, etc. A new industry creating jobs, revenue, taxed and regulated much like alcohol but with less harmful side effects. We could stop spending millions of dollars trying to put a band aid on an arterial flow. All the marijuana busts since my childhood have not stopped the practice.
America, time to wake up and smell the weed.
You're welcome,
Lillybell Blues
The TCU chancellor had a press conference expressing relief that TCU was able to nip this problem in the bud. Mr. Chancellor, there have been drugs on your campus to my knowledge since the 1960s. My dealer went to school there. Where people smoke marijuana, the only drug mentioned in connection with the arrests so far, someone sells it to them. Why? Because you cannot go to the marijuana store. Why? Because this state, and most other states, would rather waste money trying to stop a practice that cannot be stopped than finally, "just say yes".
People, including teenagers, adults, professionals, rich, poor, old, young, all races, creeds and colors smoke marijuana. This has been a fact since I was in high school. I graduated in 1971. It is now 2012. I know parents who smoke with their children. I know children who procure for their parents. Not homeless bums but tax paying, productive members of society. Marijuana has been demonized since the 1920s. Musicians, BLACK musicians, used marijuana so of course that made it heathen. In the 1960s young people adopted the use of marijuana the same way their grand parents and parents drank during prohibition. The media exploded about marijuana and it's evil. Parents everywhere panicked when they found a bag of herb in their children's rooms. All these lives were going to be ruined. These brains were going to turn to mush. This evil had to be stopped.
It hasn't been. It isn't going to be. There are so many consumers of marijuana in this country it would be like trying to eliminate beer. Grow up, America. Time for law enforcement to throw their hands up in surrender and let states regulate and legislate the use of this cash crop. Not for medical purposes, for social purposes. This nation would be a friendlier place.
As a kid it used to amuse me when some one's drunk parent would lecture us on the use of marijuana. "Itwillruinyourlifeandmakeyou, burp, stupid". Or parents who needed Valium to get through life but were humiliated when their child was arrested for the awful offense of possessing a joint. "How will I be able to hold my head up at church...were are my VALIUM???".
Marijuana is a natural plant that produces a mild high. Not an incomprehensible, drunken, stupid, stumbling high, but a pleasant, "life isn't so bad", feeling. Marijuana does not leave you babbling and angry. Marijuana does not make you want to beat the crap out of someone who looked at you wrong. Marijuana is really rather benign. Marijuana is not the devil of society you have been led to believe.
Let's rethink this entire issue in America. Look around, we are broke. We need jobs, we need revenue. We have lots of farmers and land. We have the potential to introduce to the market place a product that is currently supporting criminal organizations. Our tax dollars are spent trying to stop these people from providing our citizens with a product they want. Not only are we losing out on the revenue of a cash crop, we are spending millions of dollars to save ourselves from it. We are paying to prosecute and incarcerate dealers and consumers of this product. It is a stupid cycle.
We could be creating jobs in so many areas. Agriculture, transportation, processing, package design, retail outlets, etc. A new industry creating jobs, revenue, taxed and regulated much like alcohol but with less harmful side effects. We could stop spending millions of dollars trying to put a band aid on an arterial flow. All the marijuana busts since my childhood have not stopped the practice.
America, time to wake up and smell the weed.
You're welcome,
Lillybell Blues
Monday, February 13, 2012
LIFE IN AMERICA WITH OBAMA, help us
We all know how horrible American life has become. If you have not noticed the decline in America then you obviously have not been listening to the GOP hopefuls and the media. I am not sure how we survive in a country so rife with government oppression and interference.
This all started, of course, when President Obama took office. Immediately the climate of the country changed. That Muslim from Kenya started changing our very basic way of life. First he saved the auto industry. That bastard. How dare he try to restore what was once one of our biggest accomplishments? How dare he return the American auto makers back to the top of the industry? The hand writing was on the wall. This man was putting people to work manufacturing something IN AMERICA! He could have saved more banks or hedge fund owners! What a socialist.
Bin Laden was killed. How dare he? How dare Obama authorize the death of the terrorist who has symbolized evil in our country for decades? Even George W. Bush told us Bin Laden wasn't important any more. Not only that, Obama brought our troops home from Iraq. WHAT? Cut our manpower dedicated to war by more than half? That is un-American. Since the nation was founded we have only had a scant 21 years without military involvement. How can we survive if we are not engaged in conflict? How can we live with ourselves if we are not putting our bravest in harms way? How can we not be beating people into democracy? Obviously we cannot go on much longer without a long term commitment to death and destruction. Any little, oil producing, middle eastern country want a little shock and awe? Just piss us off. OR give us time to create evidence against you.
How many of you women have had the government force birth control pills down your throat? That's what I thought. Only the Catholics. I assume this is part of Obama's plan to reduce the Catholic population. This will be necessary as part of his long term goal to make this a Muslim nation. I don't know about you but I have seen signs everywhere. The mandatory distribution of the Koran in hotels and public buildings. People stopping in the streets to face Mecca five times a day. Women forced to cover their heads in public. The public observance of Ramadan. Why last year I saw a man lose a pound through forced fasting.
Catholics are currently having to take time and money away from planning their defense strategy in several court cases involving pedophile priests. Why? To defend their right to not pay for birth control. Heaven forbid there would not be enough children to molest in the next generation. What would those celibate, holy men do? I do not understand why the Catholic Church will not share their secret for changing homosexuals. It must be too Godly for mere mortals to know. I do, however, understand their moral indignation. They are the one TRUE church. Except for the other one true churches.
That is just part of Obama's war on Christianity. I am sure you have noticed how fearful people are when they go to a worship service. In my neighborhood I can only see two churches from my backyard. I have to drive an entire quarter of a mile to see several more. Poor Christians, so afraid they call in police during services. The police appear to be directing traffic but you can tell it is to protect those still brave enough to publicly display their faith. Obama has set in motion the biggest assault on Christian beliefs since Stalin. I had to walk all the way out my front door to find other Christmas trees besides my own last December. My next door neighborhood flaunted her faith by brazenly displaying a nativity scene in her front yard. So did the family on the other side of her. And approximately 30 other people in my neighborhood. Take that, Obama.
What's worse? A Church in Frisco, Texas had to build a 10 story, 100,000 square foot cathedral, complete with coffee shop and bookstore, under the cover of darkness. The 7,000 seat arena must have been cloaked during the day otherwise this mammoth building would have stopped by clandestine government officials. Yesterday this church opened with very little fanfare. The reporters said that even when the 3 ton pipe organ was lowered from the rafters to the floor of the arena, complete with a 100 voice choir singing, it was done with great stealth.
Now it seems possible that this Kenyan Muslim, born without a certificate, might be reelected. This is part of his plan too. Next he is going to eliminate the second amendment. When he signed the law extending the rights of gun owners to carry in our National Parks he was merely lulling us into a false sense of security. If he gets that second term all guns will be collected and all ammunition will be removed from the store shelves. The NRA knows it, I know it and so do you. I am sure you have noticed how guns are getting hard to find. Almost no place sells them. Except in gun stores, sporting good stores, at gun shows, on the internet, out of car trunks and other rare, hard to find places. This assault, no pun intended, on our freedom must stop. I only hear once or twice a week of an innocent bystander shot and killed these days. Ah, the good old days when the murder of innocent people occurred all the time.
Obama care will kill us all. I haven't actually seen a death panel but I am sure they are coming. How on earth could we survive with affordable health care? We can't, of course. It makes much more sense for us to have outrageous medical, pharmaceutical and hospital expenses. Why? Because otherwise the doctors, drug companies and hospitals would not be able to advertise 24/7. AND we would have no idea what drugs we need to talk to our doctors about during our next visit. I think we should all pay a little more for medical care so we can be even more informed on what will cure that disease we didn't know we had until we heard a commercial.
I have some friends who happened to be in Canada when their first child was born. There were some complications with the birth so mom and child had to stay in the hospital longer than the two days sufficient here in America. What did THAT cost? Nothing. Thank heaven their second child was born in America. You can certainly tell the difference. That free child is so...smart and adorable. The expensive child is so...smart and adorable, but he just has that little something extra. A price tag!
OH, and that's isn't all.
People who have children in college can continue to keep those children on their insurance. How crappy. I think those kids should have to pay for their own medical care in addition to school loans. With free medical care those kids may only be 80 or 90 thousand dollars in debt when they graduate. That isn't near enough pressure on a college graduate who has contracted some illness while in school. Let them carry the burden of illness into their young lives. As Rick Santorum says, "you will gladly pay $900 for an iPad but complain about $900 for medication that keeps you alive". Who could complain about having to pay less than $11,000 a year for a medicine to stay alive? Hell, get another job in between those chemo treatments. Wussy.
The main stream, elite media NEVER mentions all the deaths of people waiting for health care in other countries. Socialized medicine has them dropping like flies in, um, well, somewhere. I bet there used to be many more Brits, Canadians, Swedes, Finns and natives of countries who dare treat every citizen the same medically. Without insurance how could anyone expect to live with good medical care. That is so selfish.
Thank God we have people smarter and better equipped to tell us what is wrong and what to do. I am not sure how I would survive if every conservative and Christian man wasn't explaining to me that I am too simple to understand reproduction. That I really shouldn't worry my pretty little head about my uterus. Or other complicated things like voting and government. I am certainly incapable of understanding why I am not paying more in taxes. I am not rich or poor enough to pay no taxes so obviously I am not doing my fair share. I need my president to make my tax burden bigger. After all if I can't pay more than the 30% I pay now I am not American enough. What would happen if those giant corporations had to pay taxes because I wasn't paying enough? They couldn't create jobs over seas.
We need a government that will continue to point out the error of our ways in following science. We went to the moon on Angel wings, everyone knows that. We have created vaccines that have wiped out deadly diseases because God whispered the formula to someone wearing a white coat. We mapped the genetic code, which was a total waste of time because it is too sciencey. We could conduct stem cell research but that is WAY too sciencey. You saw what happened when they cloned that sheep. Hello Dolly, Dolly, Dolly, Dolly. We have created inventions that have improved lives everywhere, even those of people we don't like. This has to stop.
We need a President who can save us from this mad man. This Obama. These last three years have been tumultuous. Unemployment has dropped, the auto industry has rebounded, Bin Laden is no longer a threat. We are out of a 10 year war that accomplished...we don't know what yet but rest assured some day some one will tell us. Maybe.
Our children are lagging behind other nations over the world academically. Thank heaven those school budgets keep getting slashed in all 50 states. If we get too much education, reality television might die.
What the hell would we do then?
You're Welcome,
Lillybell Blues
This all started, of course, when President Obama took office. Immediately the climate of the country changed. That Muslim from Kenya started changing our very basic way of life. First he saved the auto industry. That bastard. How dare he try to restore what was once one of our biggest accomplishments? How dare he return the American auto makers back to the top of the industry? The hand writing was on the wall. This man was putting people to work manufacturing something IN AMERICA! He could have saved more banks or hedge fund owners! What a socialist.
Bin Laden was killed. How dare he? How dare Obama authorize the death of the terrorist who has symbolized evil in our country for decades? Even George W. Bush told us Bin Laden wasn't important any more. Not only that, Obama brought our troops home from Iraq. WHAT? Cut our manpower dedicated to war by more than half? That is un-American. Since the nation was founded we have only had a scant 21 years without military involvement. How can we survive if we are not engaged in conflict? How can we live with ourselves if we are not putting our bravest in harms way? How can we not be beating people into democracy? Obviously we cannot go on much longer without a long term commitment to death and destruction. Any little, oil producing, middle eastern country want a little shock and awe? Just piss us off. OR give us time to create evidence against you.
How many of you women have had the government force birth control pills down your throat? That's what I thought. Only the Catholics. I assume this is part of Obama's plan to reduce the Catholic population. This will be necessary as part of his long term goal to make this a Muslim nation. I don't know about you but I have seen signs everywhere. The mandatory distribution of the Koran in hotels and public buildings. People stopping in the streets to face Mecca five times a day. Women forced to cover their heads in public. The public observance of Ramadan. Why last year I saw a man lose a pound through forced fasting.
Catholics are currently having to take time and money away from planning their defense strategy in several court cases involving pedophile priests. Why? To defend their right to not pay for birth control. Heaven forbid there would not be enough children to molest in the next generation. What would those celibate, holy men do? I do not understand why the Catholic Church will not share their secret for changing homosexuals. It must be too Godly for mere mortals to know. I do, however, understand their moral indignation. They are the one TRUE church. Except for the other one true churches.
That is just part of Obama's war on Christianity. I am sure you have noticed how fearful people are when they go to a worship service. In my neighborhood I can only see two churches from my backyard. I have to drive an entire quarter of a mile to see several more. Poor Christians, so afraid they call in police during services. The police appear to be directing traffic but you can tell it is to protect those still brave enough to publicly display their faith. Obama has set in motion the biggest assault on Christian beliefs since Stalin. I had to walk all the way out my front door to find other Christmas trees besides my own last December. My next door neighborhood flaunted her faith by brazenly displaying a nativity scene in her front yard. So did the family on the other side of her. And approximately 30 other people in my neighborhood. Take that, Obama.
What's worse? A Church in Frisco, Texas had to build a 10 story, 100,000 square foot cathedral, complete with coffee shop and bookstore, under the cover of darkness. The 7,000 seat arena must have been cloaked during the day otherwise this mammoth building would have stopped by clandestine government officials. Yesterday this church opened with very little fanfare. The reporters said that even when the 3 ton pipe organ was lowered from the rafters to the floor of the arena, complete with a 100 voice choir singing, it was done with great stealth.
Now it seems possible that this Kenyan Muslim, born without a certificate, might be reelected. This is part of his plan too. Next he is going to eliminate the second amendment. When he signed the law extending the rights of gun owners to carry in our National Parks he was merely lulling us into a false sense of security. If he gets that second term all guns will be collected and all ammunition will be removed from the store shelves. The NRA knows it, I know it and so do you. I am sure you have noticed how guns are getting hard to find. Almost no place sells them. Except in gun stores, sporting good stores, at gun shows, on the internet, out of car trunks and other rare, hard to find places. This assault, no pun intended, on our freedom must stop. I only hear once or twice a week of an innocent bystander shot and killed these days. Ah, the good old days when the murder of innocent people occurred all the time.
Obama care will kill us all. I haven't actually seen a death panel but I am sure they are coming. How on earth could we survive with affordable health care? We can't, of course. It makes much more sense for us to have outrageous medical, pharmaceutical and hospital expenses. Why? Because otherwise the doctors, drug companies and hospitals would not be able to advertise 24/7. AND we would have no idea what drugs we need to talk to our doctors about during our next visit. I think we should all pay a little more for medical care so we can be even more informed on what will cure that disease we didn't know we had until we heard a commercial.
I have some friends who happened to be in Canada when their first child was born. There were some complications with the birth so mom and child had to stay in the hospital longer than the two days sufficient here in America. What did THAT cost? Nothing. Thank heaven their second child was born in America. You can certainly tell the difference. That free child is so...smart and adorable. The expensive child is so...smart and adorable, but he just has that little something extra. A price tag!
OH, and that's isn't all.
People who have children in college can continue to keep those children on their insurance. How crappy. I think those kids should have to pay for their own medical care in addition to school loans. With free medical care those kids may only be 80 or 90 thousand dollars in debt when they graduate. That isn't near enough pressure on a college graduate who has contracted some illness while in school. Let them carry the burden of illness into their young lives. As Rick Santorum says, "you will gladly pay $900 for an iPad but complain about $900 for medication that keeps you alive". Who could complain about having to pay less than $11,000 a year for a medicine to stay alive? Hell, get another job in between those chemo treatments. Wussy.
The main stream, elite media NEVER mentions all the deaths of people waiting for health care in other countries. Socialized medicine has them dropping like flies in, um, well, somewhere. I bet there used to be many more Brits, Canadians, Swedes, Finns and natives of countries who dare treat every citizen the same medically. Without insurance how could anyone expect to live with good medical care. That is so selfish.
Thank God we have people smarter and better equipped to tell us what is wrong and what to do. I am not sure how I would survive if every conservative and Christian man wasn't explaining to me that I am too simple to understand reproduction. That I really shouldn't worry my pretty little head about my uterus. Or other complicated things like voting and government. I am certainly incapable of understanding why I am not paying more in taxes. I am not rich or poor enough to pay no taxes so obviously I am not doing my fair share. I need my president to make my tax burden bigger. After all if I can't pay more than the 30% I pay now I am not American enough. What would happen if those giant corporations had to pay taxes because I wasn't paying enough? They couldn't create jobs over seas.
We need a government that will continue to point out the error of our ways in following science. We went to the moon on Angel wings, everyone knows that. We have created vaccines that have wiped out deadly diseases because God whispered the formula to someone wearing a white coat. We mapped the genetic code, which was a total waste of time because it is too sciencey. We could conduct stem cell research but that is WAY too sciencey. You saw what happened when they cloned that sheep. Hello Dolly, Dolly, Dolly, Dolly. We have created inventions that have improved lives everywhere, even those of people we don't like. This has to stop.
We need a President who can save us from this mad man. This Obama. These last three years have been tumultuous. Unemployment has dropped, the auto industry has rebounded, Bin Laden is no longer a threat. We are out of a 10 year war that accomplished...we don't know what yet but rest assured some day some one will tell us. Maybe.
Our children are lagging behind other nations over the world academically. Thank heaven those school budgets keep getting slashed in all 50 states. If we get too much education, reality television might die.
What the hell would we do then?
You're Welcome,
Lillybell Blues
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