SUPREME COURT HELPING POISON OUR WATER

Here is the first paragraph by an article in the New York Times:

Thousands of the nation’s largest water polluters are outside the Clean Water Act’s reach because the Supreme Court has left uncertain which waterways are protected by that law, according to interviews with regulators.

What I call the Corporate Supreme Court, a band of solid right wing unbending five vote coalition who must be on their muscle now knowing they can be as activist as they want and give corporations as much power as possible and we can do nothing about it.

Oh yes, there are Congressmen and Senators who stand up and put forth a bill to correct the Supreme Courts' aggressive undeclared policy to destroy the poor and middle class, but it will never either come to a vote or be passed. The Republicans are dancing a jig over the Court's balance. Letting corporations spend all they want on lobbying or saying it another way, buying legislators; giving corporations suffrage; and now allowing massive pollution of water, degrading the Clean Water Act.

Corporations are saying that the Clean Water Act does not apply to them, going as far as not even complying with reporting, and having the Supreme Court's ruling to shove in the face of America is what is happening all over America.

There is something inherently wrong with a Supreme Court where appointment is made for life. I am in favor of closing it down, and using another method of staffing this high body without it being a political appointment and with some assurances that it is a centrist court.

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

When I was younger, when a school would have a prayer or when a Christian image would be placed in public halls, it was often a Jewish organization or other non Christian religion that was the so-called Plaintiffs being represented by the ACLU asking that the separation concept be strictly enforced.

Today, we have a meeting with the non believers, aka Atheists, doing the work that minority religions use to do. Not sure of the reason but I guess it has to do with government faith based money. Oh, I'm so cynical!

I cringe when ever I read about some clergyman wanting to put the 10 commandments on public property, when I hear the Under God in the Pledge, when some school administrator thinks he or she will go to heaven if they put god in the classroom, when some religious group knocks on my door for any reason, and when I see Mel Gibson's face.

Separation of Church and State should be 100%, not 99%. I'd even vote for taking off In God We Trust off of money even though I believe in God. The government does not belong in a Church, in a Synagogue or in a Mosque, and religions don't belong in Government. Amen.

What irks me is that government, sans George Bush, more or less stayed out of the religious organizations but the converse has not been true. Religions want to creep in with every and any crack in the door.

FEMININE AND MASCULINE ICE SKATERS

Salon Magazine had an article based on an interview with Elvis Stojko who really wants men's figure skating to be more masculine. In a different article for Yahoo, he also says that the Russian, Pleshenko should have won.

Everyone, it seems needs their 15 minutes of fame and Elvis has proven that he will need many decades not minutes to gain more fame. His rather disgusting comments on the need for masculinity in figure skating is just that.

I just think that it does not matter your gender preferences and skaters who dance effeminate can be the most fun to watch. Many gay skaters are downright excellent and Elvis should, but doesn't, know better than to have such a bigoted rant. Many more manly skaters are also excellent and often better. Sexuality should not matter, the skating should! Strjko, time to Grow up!

Just to illustrate the downright prejudice and poor sportsmanship, Strjko's ranting about the loss of the Russian exemplifies the worst in reporting. Pleshenko also showed some of the lousiest sportsmanship.

In fact, one of the best sportsmen was Weir, who skated very flamboyant and many BLGT organization writers thought he was robbed. I think they could voice their disappointment but not say he was robbed.

In contrast, there was not one word of bad sportsmanship from Weir. He loved competing, he admitted some errors, dressed, looked and skated wonderfully. Yes it is a competition, not a show, but I believe showmanship will always be a part of figure skating. Weir's routing was said to be not as difficult but he danced it almost flawlessly, came in sixth, and smiled from ear to ear.

LISTENING TO A CALL WHILE DRIVING

In my in box today was a story by the Science News magazine about the other end of a cell phone conversation while driving. Before this illuminating article, I knew that I needed a hands free device to use with my cell phone (other than legally) as there were just too many accidents while holding the phone and talking while driving. I also know of the insanity of texting while driving and wouldn't think of doing this. OK, I admit, that I don't text anyway so it is a moot question.

This Science article, to boil it down, simply says that when you talk and drive, your memory of what the person says to you will become significantly impaired thus defeating the prior knowledge that using commute time to do some business will help with your overall productivity.

The first thing this tells me is that I should monitor my calls received while driving and not make calls where my memory has to be top notch. The latter is obvious, but monitoring calls on my phone means that I have to pick up the phone to see who is calling to decide to receive it or let it go to message. Of course I will not be able to monitor private calls under today's technology.

Perhaps a good idea is to have a repetitive voice tell you who is calling rather than a phone ringing and your answer activates the call rather than have to push a button or open the phone's flap. Or you tell your phone, verbally, to go to message. This is a state that can be set before driving and reset after diving is finished. As well, when the before driving stage is set, a private call should have an operator tell the caller to announce themselves so you can decide to take it or not. This too, resets when not in driving mode. The benefit of the above is to reduce the use of hands as well as aid in monitoring while driving.

Cell phone companies, are you listening?

TIGER'S I'M SORRY SPEECH

All day long Tiger Wood's apology speech was revisited on TV dwarfing the BalLoon Boy, and several other recent monumental news stories that, in my opinion, should be relegated to page 76 on a busy-body rag found at supermarket check-out stands.

I hark back to a previous blog where I'm saying that, as a people, we really have to stop gawking at roadside accidents, stop buzzing about elected officials, athletes, ministers, and what have you, when they have enjoyed some saucy indiscretions.

From the news reporters, to the talk show hosts, to those who add fire by calling in, I want to say that Tiger's sex life belongs to him an his family, and not the grossly disgusting airing of his private laundry.

So, In this brief blog, I say to all of you, GET A LIFE. Get some perspective and talk about rapes, mayhem, murder in the Congo, health care, and other important newsworthy stories.

BACK TO A SINGLE PAYER HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

I have often voiced for a single payer system that covers same as Medicare Part A and B. that is mandatory and a matter of deductions as in Social Security. Then there are optional additional coverage by getting rid of the insurance companies and adding Medigap, say, plan "F" at a cost based on age. Lastly have the option of adding Prescription Drug and eliminating it from the insurance companies. There is no reason why insurance companies have to make a profit on our lives and health.

Then, add a food sin tax on all products that are bad for health, not just soda. It will be a smaller tax but would make sure Medicare runs at a profit. This includes candy, cake, processed foods, and so forth. It would encourage processors to get into the saving people's lives instead of making them diabetics.

This last step will help include the poor without killing the budget. Any excess savings can go to the social security pool.

And, doctors, hospitals, and pharmaceuticals must give Medicare level services and not refuse a patient. This plan can pay better fees because of the sin tax but not outrageous fees. Pharmaceuticals that sell in the U.S. must pay taxes in the U.S. and prices must be in line with what they sell for in other countries but not as low.

FIGHTING THE PARTY OF "NO"

Author and Professor Mike Signes wrote an intellectual article calling for President Obama to start fighting as a contrast to being a scholar, a gentleman, and thoughtful statesman. I know I'm doing his Huffington Post essay a disservice by boiling it down to one sentence yet, that is the core of what I want to discuss in this blog.

I set out write this with the thought that while I'm in total lockstep with Professor Signes, I do not want to loose having an honest and brilliant law professor as our President. I do not want to loose having a President who appeals what our founding fathers had in mind of a government that works together, notwithstanding a loyal opposition. This is, to me, a polar opposite of the Bush/Cheney fiasco. While Signes does not suggest this, I need to reiterate clearly.

What I'd like to see in support of Signes' posting is our President get in the ring and fight like a cornered tiger in addition to keeping his intellectual and moral authority. It is allot to ask as the Presidency adds years to anyone's life, and I'd like to see my President stay young, vital and be fun for himself and his lovely family.

He faces an opposition with a lust for power. A lust that disregards the needs of the people and the reason why they were elected. They employ a systematic use of lies continually being hammered to shape a public opinion that is strained owing to the economy, to loss of jobs, to the eight year attack on our middle class. To this end a cornered tiger is too mild for my thinking. I wish he were an African Honey Badger who snapped off their testicles and let them bleed to death. Ah metaphor!


I sense that the elected Democrat officials and Independents in State Legislatures, in the House of Representatives and in the Senate are not entering the ring, are not getting bloodied and scarred to help the President with as much fierceness as the opposition puts forth. At least, not like the Republican concerted orchestration to bring this President down. They need to stand up and be counted and help sway the public and make our government work again. They also need an internal discipline to punish errant congressmen who want to use blackmail for their votes.