Sick Around America

This is a really good Frontline...




Please consider reading Healthcare Fairness (yesterday's post). Please take action! It's important!
Please email any responses you receive to healthcarefairness@gmail.com

Sick Around America

Healthcare Fairness

We the people of the United States of America deserve to be secure in our health and well being. As such, we have the RIGHT to low cost, high efficiency health care. Much like that which our Legislators and other elected officials enjoy.

Many of our elected officials seem to feel that we, the people, do not deserve the RIGHT to our health. As such, I respectfully request that they forfeit theirs.

Any elected official that feels that health care is not a RIGHT of all Americans, feels that our "for profit" health care system is fair, should be willing to live by the same standards as their constituents. They must forfeit their government supplied health care policies.

CALL TO ACTION:

I would like my readers that agree with this idea to meet with/write to their elected officials. Letters to the editor/blog posts, etc.. are also encouraged.
If you do not know who your Senators or Representative is please click here.

It is important to make the letter personal. Make sure to include the fact that you feel they should forfeit their policy if they do not support universal healthcare. Explain your circumstances, why this issue is important to you. Many legislators will tell you that form letters get discarded fairly quickly into the "form letter" pile.

It is important that we convey the absolute necessity of this. We must bring equality into the health care process.

I would like to keep a record of those letters sent out, if you use e-mail, please consider a BCC to healthcarefairness@gmail.com Also, please forward any responses you receive to the same address.

STATISTICS/DETAILS:

• Over 46 million U.S. citizens are uninsured. That number is growing every day with layoffs.
• The average family policy cost exceeded $12,000 this year and continues to increase. Who has $1,000/mo plus the cost of medicine?
• Low wage workers do not CHOOSE to be uninsured, it is not economically feasible.
• The United States spends more on health care than other industrialized nations, and those countries provide health insurance to all their citizens.
• Single payer healthcare would increase the competitiveness of U.S. companies on the global market.

EDIT********** Here's a sample of the letter I wrote to my Senators and Representative.

Senator Brownback,

I am writing to you to express my support for single payer health care. As our economy struggles, more and more of your constituents are joining the ranks of the uninsured.

As you can imagine, being without health insurance is a very scary thing. You wake up every day hoping that today isn't the day that something bad happens. You try every home remedy known to man - all because our healthcare system is broken. Personally, I have been forgoing medication for my chronic asthma for over six months, since losing my job.

It is very frustrating to hear members of your party talk about how health care is not a "right". We spend more money on healthcare than any other nation, yet people die because they can't afford access. There is something very wrong with that.

I have a proposal for you. If you truly believe that government provided healthcare is not the best way to answer our growing healthcare issue (not to mention global competitiveness), I ask that you publicly forfeit your taxpayer funded healthcare plan. Senators and Representatives have access to the best healthcare in the world - their constituents should too. If we can't have it, you shouldn't either.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
Nicki
Wichita, KS

Healthcare Fairness

Health Care: A Call to Action

McClatchy Newspapers has released an article discussing how commercial insurers blacklist applicants based on even trivial health issues. That should be no surprise to any of us that have been or are currently uninsured.

Well this got me thinking....and it's often dangerous when I do that, so bear with me.

A good number of our elected officials seem to be against a single payer, nationalized health care - in fact, most of them are so beholden to big insurers that they refuse to even consider this "socialist" concept.

Since elected officials get to partake in a very nice insurance, tax payer paid plan, for life.
They must give it up.
Senator John McCain is a perfect example...he has been eligible for government sponsored health care for his entire life. Yet, he feels his constituents and the rest of us do not deserve that luxury? Now I realize his trophy wife could pay for whatever they needed...but that's not really the point.

IF WE CAN'T HAVE IT - THEY SHOULDN'T EITHER!

Check back tomorrow for more details.

Health Care: A Call to Action

Response/Thanks from AKMuckraker @ Mudflats

This is a new post on the Mudflats, it looks like AKMuckraker will be continuing her good fight for the state of Alaska.

Thank You, from AKMuckraker.

28 03 2009

As I sit here writing, there is a strange mixture of wind, snow and volcanic ash swirling around outside my windows. It’s tempting to yell, “The sky is falling!” and at times it has felt that way. If you had told me last week that a State Legislator would send me a threatening email telling me he was going to out me, and reveal my real identity on his official legislative newsletter, I’d have thought to myself, “Never in a million years would someone be so foolhardy.” But once again I have overestimated the common sense of Rep. Mike Doogan. And here we are.

I have to admit this has taken a bit of getting used to. I’m not one to crave the spotlight, and I generally enjoy my boring little life. So, I’m needing a little time to regroup. Thank you all for the understanding, and indulging this naturally private and introverted blogger who normally posts pretty frequently. Public figures choose a public life. Private citizens don’t necessarily choose that. The possibility is always there for a pseudonymous blogger to become public, but we’d like to think that this would be at the time and in the manner of that person’s choosing….without the unwanted help of a State Representative, who is, after all, supposed to be working for us.

In this stressful time, I have been absolutely overwhelmedby your messages of love and support. I have read every single comment on the blog, and at times I laughed, at times I was brought to tears of joy and grief, and at times I was stunned by the insight and clarity of your thinking and assessment of the situation. And I loved it all. Truly, you all gave me a soft cushion on which to ride this rocky road after being dragged out of my cave. For those of you who have sent emails, or messages on Facebook, I have not yet had the opportunity to read all of them, but I will.

I have not only appreciated the personal support for me and my family (and Brian the moose), but I appreciate that you all getthe big picture, and the most important issue, which is not me. The big picture, the thing that should outrage all of us, despite political party or affiliation, is this: an elected official in a position of power and authority utilized state resources to deliberately and with malice, knowing there would be negative consequences, impinged on the free speech and privacy rights of a private citizen.

Heartening as well, have been the emails and comments of support I have received from conservatives who love and respect the right to free speech as much as those further left on the political spectrum, and who also recognize the big picture. There have been messages of support from the conservative community that have made me hopeful for finding common ground, even with those with whom we thought it would be impossible. This is a good thing for all of us.

I am working on a new post. It was difficult to know quite where to begin. As a friend said, it’s a bit like losing your favorite instrument, and having to learn how to play a new one. But I’ve enjoyed some down time with family, and the challenge of learning to play this new and strange instrument and seeing what I can do with it. Because there’s no doubt, things are different. The next post will be one of my favorite kinds - a good story. We haven’t had one of those in a while. The ending is uncertain, but it’s one that should resonate with all of us.

Thank you, thank you again for your love and support. Even though I’m a “word person” I know I will never fully be able to express to you my deep and abiding gratitude for this community.

**************

*I’ll be putting up open threads as they are needed when the comments get clogged.

*The site will be down for a couple hours tonight, while ServerGuy outfits us with a brand new server! Thanks ServerGuy!

And yes, I’ll always be AKMuckraker.

Response/Thanks from AKMuckraker @ Mudflats

Torture Investigation Finally!

Well, if we won't do it, I guess the Spaniards will!

Spanish judge accuses six top Bush officials of torture

Legal moves may force Obama's government into starting a new inquiry into abuses at Guantánamo Bay and Abu Ghraib

• Julian Borger and Dale Fuchs in Madrid
• The Observer, Sunday 29 March 2009
• Article history

Criminal proceedings have begun in Spain against six senior officials in the Bush administration for the use of torture against detainees in Guantánamo Bay. Baltasar Garzón, the counter-terrorism judge whose prosecution of General Augusto Pinochet led to his arrest in Britain in 1998, has referred the case to the chief prosecutor before deciding whether to proceed.

The case is bound to threaten Spain's relations with the new administration in Washington, but Gonzalo Boyé, one of the four lawyers who wrote the lawsuit, said the prosecutor would have little choice under Spanish law but to approve the prosecution.

"The only route of escape the prosecutor might have is to ask whether there is ongoing process in the US against these people," Boyé told the Observer. "This case will go ahead. It will be against the law not to go ahead."

The officials named in the case include the most senior legal minds in the Bush administration. They are: Alberto Gonzales, a former White House counsel and attorney general; David Addington, former vice-president Dick Cheney's chief of staff; Douglas Feith, who was under-secretary of defence; William Haynes, formerly the Pentagon's general counsel; and John Yoo and Jay Bybee, who were both senior justice department legal advisers.

Court documents say that, without their legal advice in a series of internal administration memos, "it would have been impossible to structure a legal framework that supported what happened [in Guantánamo]".

When Nancy Pelosi took impeachment off the table, I knew the idea of holding the Bush administration accountable for their crimes was probably a lost cause. The current administration doesn't seem very gung ho to investigate either.

Why?

Torture is wrong. Period. There is no evidence that I can find of a "24" like instance where the world was saved by beating or waterboarding someone. In fact, Huff Post is linking to a Washington Post article regarding the "harsh treatment" of Abu Zubaida. No plots were foiled, time was wasted and we undermined our principals. Pretty sure that = EPIC FAIL!

Torture Investigation Finally!

Supporting AK Muckraker & the Mudflats

This is a copy of an e-mail I received directly from the Mudflats. Since my last post discussed the situation - I felt my readers might want this information.

Date: Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:37:12
To: 
Subject: AKMuckraker "outed" by Alaskan Politician


Hi everyone,

You may recall that some time ago Rep Mike Doogan was sending some crazy emails to people who emailed him and AKMuckraker was one of the bloggers involved in exposing his craziness.

Apparently this did not sit well with Rep Doogan. He has been trying to find out who AKMuckraker was for several months now and he has finally managed to do it. He then sent out a message to people on his mailing list via his official legislative newsletter, advising them of the real name of AKMuckraker.

Whether or not people support AKMuckrakers opinions, it seems most people support her right to remain anonymous. We feel it is a right that everyone on the internet is entitled to - people make the decision for their own reasons, some because they have been cyber stalked in the past, some to prevent being cyber-stalked in the future.

This may be the first known case of an anonymous blogger being cyber-stalked by a politician determined to find out their real identity and out them, though!

http://www.themudflats.net/2009/03/27/in-exposing-the-identity-of-mudflats-rep-mike-doogan-exposes-himself/

We are not certain at this stage but it is possible that Rep Doogan has broken the law, and there may be legal action that AKMuckraker can take. Whether or not AKMuckraker chooses to do that is another question and one I am sure she will consider this carefully over the coming days.

You can read posts from bloggers on this subject via the following links -
http://progressivealaska.blogspot.com/2009/03/mike-doogan-outs-mudflats.html
http://shannynmoore.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/my-friend-mudflats/
http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2009/03/you-know-difference-between-rep-mike.html
http://mamadance.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/a-sad-day-mudflats-is-changed-forever/
http://palingates.blogspot.com/2009/03/doogan-broke-federal-law-by-outing.html
http://www.thinkalaska.com/2009/03/rep-mike-doogans-missuse-of-legislative.html
http://werenotthatstupid.blogspot.com/2009/03/epic-failmike-doogan-plays-god.html

We also have a thread on this on the forums, where you can feel free to add your comments.

http://www.themudflats.net/forum/index.php/topic,6675.0.html

Updates and possible calls for action will be posted in that thread, so make sure to check it regularly.. We will also try and keep up with links to posts on the subject - and possibly media stories.

You may find it difficult to access the mudflats blog and forums over the next few days - especially if the mainstream media pick up this story - until we move them to a server with a larger capacity. This will cost us around $200 a month but we feel that the demand for accessing the sites over the next few weeks will make it difficult for the usual mudflats readers to keep up to date, so we are biting the bullet and hoping that people will assist with donations.

You can donate to AKMuckraker via the paypal buttons found on both the blog and the forums.

You can also email messages of support to AKMuckraker at akmuckraker@yahoo.com - be aware that a lot of people are doing so at the moment so you may not get a reply but we feel it is important to let AKMuckraker know that she is supported.

Regards,
Snoskred
On behalf of The Mudflats Team.

http://www.themudflats.net/forum/index.php

This email is being sent to all members of The Mudflats forums, even if you have chosen not to receive announcements. We apologise if you did not wish to receive it. We felt this was important news that all would want to be alerted to.

Supporting AK Muckraker & the Mudflats

Freedom to Blog?

Have you noticed the blogger backlash?


(h/t to agingdiscodiva.com for the picture)

Amanda Terkel from Think Progress was harassed by a producer from the O'Reilly Factor after Terkel reported her differences with O'Reilly. The fact that she dared to disagree with the "mighty" Falafel Bill meant that she deserved to be followed two hours from her home and accosted (on camera, mind you).

Well now, somewhat more disturbing news comes out of Alaska (I expect crap like that out of Bill O'Reilly). A blogger who rose to prominence during the first days of the nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket, has been outed by a Democratic State Representative.
Rep. Mike Doogan apparently became somewhat obsessed by the opinions and popularity of the blogger who went by AK Muckracker and the blog The Mudflats.


Rep. Mike Doogan, courtesy of AKDemocrats.org

AKM's sin was posting a criticism of Rep. Doogan for being dismissive and snarky in e-mail responses to constituents. AKM had wanted to remain anonymous because Alaska is apparently like a giant Peyton Place with oil. We all know that Palin has been accused of punishing poltical foes - so it does not go against reason that it might be a good idea to keep your identity private. Especially, if you are getting 64,000 hits (increasing throughout the campaign) a day talking about her. This blogger has decided to take a bit of time to decide what the future holds for the Mudflats. (Warning - the server has been a bit flaky, lots of concerned people).
****Edit: This is a bit of the background on the "investigation" and personality of Rep. Mike Doogan, courtesty of Progressive Alaska.

Honestly, isn't this why most of us choose to blog? The idea of passing on a bit of knowledge or perspective to someone else? AKM was in the right place at the right time to shed some much needed light on the Palin situation. The information AKM has provided on the Mt. Redoubt eruptions and the Chevron tank farm was something I wasn't hearing anywhere else.

I'm sure there are a lot of us that might be a bit concerned if what could have been just a flame in the comments, ends up as a knock at the door. I think the fact, that in this case, it was an elected official makes this even worse.

How do you feel? Do Bloggers have a right to anonymity? Or are bloggers Neo-Journalists and should have to disclose who they are?

If you care to voice your displeasure with Rep. Doogan:
Ph: (907) 465-4998
Or (800) 689-4998
Fax: (907) 465-4419
AK State Capitol
Room #112
Juneau, AK 99801
doogan@akdemocrats.org

Freedom to Blog?