Category Archives: taxes

More on Gaza and what it’s like to be Palestinian

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DN! has another good piece on life in Gaza….if you can call it that. Existence is more apt a word…

Israel targeted yet another hospital…and yet another playground with children.

I just can’t wrap my brain around anyone justifying this–only a mentally ill person would rationalize killing children and innocent people whom have nothing to do with Hamas.

And the cruel mind games Israel is playing—calling people and telling them to leave because they are about to be bombed…when there is clearly nowhere else to go.  As the piece illustrates–a man who left to go to “safety” was bombed there, too.  Where are they to go?

Another segment the other day said that Israel is also playing mind games by calling people up and telling them they are in their crosshairs.  And there are drones overhead all the time….even when there was supposedly a cease-fire that Israel claimed to uphold.  Who would trust someone like that?

DN also had this up yesterday of a Palestinian’s account of his own personal tragedy.  It’s hard to watch–he clearly is heartbroken over losing so many members of his family.

Again, Israel has a lot of fire power because of the United States giving them billions every single year.  I do not support my tax dollars going towards killing innocent people…innocent children playing on a playground…people in hospitals that have already been greatly harmed…

~~~More of this segment also explores the overreach of the NSA, CIA, et al, and how the Fourth Amendment is ignored.  Brian Ross has stated that he now begins telephone conversations with “I’m an American citizen, are you?”  because he says they are not supposed to be listening in on American citizens’ conversations.  This is a protective measure.  It is incredible how paranoia has become so extreme that journalists now feel like criminals and have to act like they’re mafia or something in order to develop contacts and be able to investigate the very people who are trying to usurp the press’ ability to investigate them.

Meanwhile, the petition for Freedom of the Press and Whistleblowers has now reached over 100,000 like-minded folks who believe in the First Amendment and Fourth Amendment which a healthy democracy needs to survive.

First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. – See more at: http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment1/amendment.html#sthash.8k4V7g5s.dpuf
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Fourth Amendment:
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. – See more at: http://constitution.findlaw.com/amendment4/amendment.html#sthash.Ihw0OGGC.dpuf
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March on Detroit: the right to water

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Story here.

It is outrageous that General Motors and two sports arenas have not paid their bills…and yet, their water has not been turned off.

It is outrageous that children are being taken away from their parents when their water is shut off.

As a response to this–what about drilling for wells?  There are probably laws against that, but I say go for it.  It will be hard, but at least one has access to water.

Meanwhile, General Motors and the city’s two sports arenas, which owe millions in unpaid water bills, have not had their water turned off. – See more at: http://www.progressive.org/news/2014/07/187784/water-rights-march-detroit#sthash.87CJMFVo.dpuf
Meanwhile, General Motors and the city’s two sports arenas, which owe millions in unpaid water bills, have not had their water turned off. – See more at: http://www.progressive.org/news/2014/07/187784/water-rights-march-detroit#sthash.87CJMFVo.dpuf

Not only do hedge fund managers want to profit off of schools…

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…they also want to profit off of the misery they caused by the housing collapse…to rent out single family homes, at astronomical prices, no doubt.

Does anybody else smell a rat??

Did these scumbags create the crisis of credit default swaps so that people would lose their homes, and then the Wall Street banksters could snap up properties at bargain basement prices…?

It certainly looks that way to me.

 

My own Big Pharm stories

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I thought I should tell my own stories related to prescription drug reactions–

In 1991, I took a drug called Seldane for sinus issues.  I was also taking a drug called Synarel for endometriosis.  This stupid drug was developed to put a woman’s body into premature menopause…under the misguided notion that the women’s period was the cause of Endometriosis ( I now believe it is related to gluten intolerance and heavy metal poisoning–since the symptoms began around the same time of coal ash exposure.)

As you can probably guess, there was a reaction…

One night, after taking the Synarel and Seldane, I began to get ready for bed.  I was in the bathroom, brushing my teeth, etc., when I dropped a bottle of rubbing alcohol.  As I reached for it from the cabinet, the bottle just passed through my hand as if I was not gripping it at all.

When I bent over to pick it up, my left arm went numb and began to swing aimlessly–as if I had no control over it.  I knew something was terribly wrong.

My heart was racing at an incredible speed–not even during the most strenuous aerobic exercise did I ever feel it beat that hard and that fast.  My chest felt like an elephant was sitting on it.  There was an incredible burning in the center of my chest. I had all the symptoms of a heart attack.

I could not talk for about five minutes.  My brain was screaming “something’s wrong!” but I could not get my mouth to move to tell my ex something was terribly wrong.

The episode subsided–that is, the emergency symptoms subsided, and I was able to call my pharmacist, who was at a party and didn’t really want to be bothered.  He said it was just a reaction and that I should continue taking the drugs! No way.

And being a woman, which the medical profession considers “emotional” and “hypochondriac/psychotic”…it was hard to be believed when I told of my symptoms.

A neurologist actually said that I had a complicated migraine…even though I had the classic symptoms of a heart attack. Every afternoon, when I walked up a small hill to the mailbox, I again was hit with numbness down my left arm.

Two years after this episode, the FDA finally banned Seldane because of the side effects.  It had to take a woman dying of heart arrythmias before the drug was removed.  I later learned that they took the ingredient out that caused the arrythmias, and remarketed it under another name.

Then I find out that Synarel, too, causes heart palpitations, dizziness, chest pain, nausea, etc….

Women are not believed when they present with symptoms of a heart attack.  There are those who say that women don’t always have the same symptoms of men for heart attacks.

I remember sitting in the local hospital’s emergency room when a woman walked in, complaining of chest pain.  She was told to sit down in the waiting area.  Had she been a man, she would have been ushered back to the rooms immediately.

I have read of women who thought they had heart attacks but were not believed.  When they did autopsies after death, the woman had, in fact, had several heart attacks.

As you know, I’ve gone on to overcome this episode–resuming aerobic exercise after a period of rest and recovery.  I was scared sh*tless, I tell you, when I first began exercising again.  But I thought that I couldn’t just give up.  Little did I know that was a precursor of things to come…

And here I am, after struggling through one of the darkest periods of my life, finding the answer that no damn doctor ever diagnosed, and now the Big Pharma run FDA, has taken away one of the chelators that helped me get well.

Somebody please explain it to me…because I don’t understand that prescription drugs that did me a great deal of harm were approved by the FDA, but something that was not that helped me get well, is now by prescription only?  Doctors are not knowledgeable about chemistry, according to Dr. Cutler.  They are not required to take more than a couple of classes in chemistry, so they don’t understand the complicated nature of heavy metal chelation…and yet I’m supposed to trust them, after all I’ve been through?

Not a chance.

 

 

Michael Hastings interview

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I found this really interesting interview with Michael Hastings–note how the Gen. Kimmitt, who is now a private defense contractor, is blowing smoke about how “great” Iraq was, post-war—lying through his mossy green teeth about the situation.

I thought this was particularly relevant given the present situation in Iraq and the Middle East:

It shows how Michael was telling the truth as a journalist and how his slamming the lame “journalists” who just accepted whatever was fed to them about the wars. Piers Morgan’s actions here show that.

I agree with Michael’s statement that there were many reasons besides sex that should have forced the general to resign.  I really don’t give a crap if he had an affair–that’s between him and his wife–I care more about him lying to the White House, and the mischaracterization of Iraq before the war (their society was much more diverse than was portrayed).

Gulen Charters, Ohio, Indiana, and politicians lining their pockets

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Diane Ravitch has this up on the apparently greased palms of Republican Cliff Rosenberger and how Gulen schools have flourished in Ohio.  The article states that the investigation includes Indiana, as well….

Meanwhile, I’m reading a press release of Governor Mike Pence taking his family to England…on a “jobs creation trip”.  The release I read noted that he is paying for his children’s portion of the trip…but it left off his wife, whom is also going.  They’ll be gone for two weeks.  Unbelievable.  What a snow job–does anybody actually believe this guy is going to create jobs by this trip?  How many hours do you think he’ll devote to schmoozing for jobs?  I’m betting a day.  Half a day.  An hour.  A few minutes on the elevator down to the pool..

This article states that it is funded by the Indiana Economic Development Foundation through private donations.  I want to know who the donors are and what exactly Pence is doing–I don’t trust the tea partier at all.  They are good about saying one thing and doing the exact opposite–such as government being “too big”–and then, as I noticed yesterday in yet another press release, Pence created four more positions in his office for people who are no doubt cronies of his.  So, how does one “shrink government” by creating more useless positions while eliminating important ones, such as child welfare workers?

So, I’m waiting to see the fallout of this investigation and its connection to Indiana.  Pence and his henchmen are trying to wrest away what little control Glenda Ritz, an official elected by the people of Indiana, has on the Dept of Education.

 

 

Teachers, the wage gap, and the nearly homeless

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Diane Ravitch has a blog up on one of the teachers involved in the Vergara case.  Ms. McLaughlin had replied to the “witch hunt” charges that she was a bad teacher…made by a student who also said there were five bad teachers and only one during her education–the one that wanted revenge apparently for being let go.

As I read the comments, the one by Chi-Town Res made me cry:

Yeah, and just wait until he hits retirement age and realizes that teachers with no union protections like me are exploited terribly. We are very low paid (and often hourly workers), don’t make enough money to get by on, let alone to save, have no pensions and are expected to live on about $900 per month from Social Security when we retire.

I could go live in a ghetto, since I will officially retire next month, because I can’t afford to continue living where I’ve been (renting) for the past 15 years, but I have no money to move. (Yes, homeownership was never an option for me.) Anyway, that’s the kind of income that even poor people in the ghettos can’t survive on in my area.

The reality is that I’m in arrears on my rent due to a further decline in my already low income and a high increase in my rent. I have applied to many places but I’ve been unable to find additional work. SS won’t actually start paying me until mid-September, my job put limits on our income and wouldn’t give me work for July, and I don’t qualify for unemployment compensation. I won’t get paid my measly wage again until the end of August. My landlord will not wait to be paid, and anyway I won’t get paid enough money then to cover back rent. I’ve been fighting becoming homeless for about three years now but, at this point, I have no more resources or anyone to turn to for help, and absolutely no one cares. So I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I will lose everything I own and be put out on the street and homeless before the fall. The only thing that could save my life now would be winning the lottery, but that is an intolerable hope.

The truth is that I could never afford to really stop working either, but SS has a limit on the amount of income I can earn. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. No one fully appreciates the “I’m living on a fixed income” cries, because the elderly are not revered in our society. No wonder the suicide rate for seniors is high.

As problematic as unions can be, not valuing the protections that unions provide workers is extremely short sighted.

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Also noted in the comments was that one of the plaintiff’s lawyers was Ted Olson, who ended the vote recount and handed George W. Bush the presidency, against the American public’s wishes.  Blood is on his hands, as well, for the wars and the economic mess Bush left us in.

Be sure to click on the link for Diane’s original post on Ms. McLaughlin.  Really stunning to see how she is “witch-hunted” by those with their own agendas.  She seems to be an outstanding person with true caring about her students, as a good teacher needs to be.

From the link:

“Indeed, this whole Vergara trial was like something out of Mao’s “Cultural Revolution” in China during the 1960′s. For those not acquainted with this, here’s primer: zealous students, under party leaders’ directions, would persecute their teachers. Kids would get their jollies as they put their teachers on a stage, put dunce caps on them, then screamed at them while forcing their teachers to bow their heads, kneel down, and confess their “crimes” and on and on…

These kids—appointed and empowered as “Red Guards” by Mao’s henchmen— would parade their former teachers through the streets…

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Diane has also put up a link to a short film clip on the red army of children that illustrates the terrible time.

(A side note~I got this weird message that Diane Ravitch’s site was “untrusted”.  Say what??  It’s on a wordpress platform…why would I get that message?  Is someone trying to interfere with the traffic to her site??)

 

IVAW statement on making VA political

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Iraq Veterans Against the War has this up on the republican-wrap-themselves-in-a-flag manipulative political game they’re playing.

When that stunt didn’t work the GOP blocked the passage of a bill that would have opened up 27 new VA health clinics, strengthened one of many health programs like sexual trauma care and gone far in reducing the benefits backlog. These are just a few of the many opportunities to improve the lives of veterans that political gamesmanship squandered.

“Why would Congressional members put Iran sanctions into a bill meant to care for so many veterans? The answer is that in the end members of Congress like Mitch McConnell don’t actually care about healing veterans.” said Matt Howard, Marine veteran and Communications Director of IVAW.

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Sickening, isn’t it?

And from the not-too-distant past, George W. Bush speaking out both sides of his mouth towards Veterans healthcare.

We have never gone to war without taxing the rich to support the war….so one has to ask why they were not taxed?

Dept. of Defense…against Zombies…

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(A side note~ Hello! to my Russian reader. Glad you’re back and apparently able to access the ‘net again.)

…well, here we go again with the “plan” that won’t die. Pun intended.

You might recall this is an old scenario bordering on ridiculous.  I can’t believe the money spent.

 

The report is short on details–who were the sponsors that paid for this?  If the attendees only paid $1,000 to go, who paid for their hotel rooms? Meals? Flight tickets? Rental cars? Lots of questions here, not a lot of answers.

Nor can I believe the concept that one can kill the undead…how does one do that, anyway?

What they really need are un – brain -dead Dept. of Defense employees who quit looking at life as one big disaster waiting to happen.  And that the American public is the enemy–guilty until proven innocent.