Monday, July 1, 2013
18 months
I can't believe it has been more than 18 months since I have posted. Look for more to come.
Monday, September 26, 2011
While I am in agreement that illegal immigration must be stopped, I am against the eVerify legislation for the following reasons:
1. Creates a de facto national I.D. System - even for citizens;
2. Violates individual civil liberties such as the right to work and free speech;
3. Mandates a costly job-killing regulatory burden that cripples small business;
4. Requires employers to become enforcement agents of the federal government;
5. Encourages identify theft of law-abiding citizens.
Benjamin Franklin said it best when he said, “Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security”.
For more information, go to: http://www.takebackwashington.org/Clint_s_Open_Letter_html.html
Sincerely,
Melissa Ortiz,
Founder
Able Americans
@ableamericans
@dcbelleonwheels
1. Creates a de facto national I.D. System - even for citizens;
2. Violates individual civil liberties such as the right to work and free speech;
3. Mandates a costly job-killing regulatory burden that cripples small business;
4. Requires employers to become enforcement agents of the federal government;
5. Encourages identify theft of law-abiding citizens.
Benjamin Franklin said it best when he said, “Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security”.
For more information, go to: http://www.takebackwashington.org/Clint_s_Open_Letter_html.html
Sincerely,
Melissa Ortiz,
Founder
Able Americans
@ableamericans
@dcbelleonwheels
Saturday, July 23, 2011
No More Tokens
We used to use them to ride the buses and subways. We still use them to play games in casinos and arcades. But there’s another kind of token. Instead of being metal and round, the tokens often played in life are made of flesh and blood.
Human beings aren’t supposed to be tokens. All too often, especially in politics, we see them used as such. For too long, minorities have been played for fools by liberals who are simply trying to further their own agenda of more government control over the daily lives of private citizens.
Tokenism is a dangerous thing. It creates a mindset that there are two classes of people: the players and those being played. The criteria for these categories vary, but, as discussed in this article, the tokens are people with disabilities and the players are the liberal left.
Too often, liberals will “include” people with disabilities in photo ops, campaign stops, and community outreach events in order to be able to symbolically pat themselves on the back and say, “Look at me. I am friends with everyone. I help everyone.” People with disabilities, especially the wounded heroes returning from the Middle East, are not tokens to be played in politics, but that’s how liberals treat us.
The liberal left has fooled many people with disabilities into thinking that they can’t care for themselves without government intervention. My contention is that I don’t need to be helped by the government. I am perfectly able to take care of myself. When I need help with something, I can reach out to my support system in my community, family, and church. I need a safety net, not a hammock. Unfortunately, well-meaning people promote entitlement programs that create classes of people with little ambition or self esteem. These programs make people with disabilities into hammock dwellers rather than independent citizens who contribute to society and who need a safety net only in the event that they are momentarily unable to care for themselves and have nowhere else to turn.
Quite honestly, conservatives have not really known what to do, so they have done almost nothing in order to avoid treating people as tokens. They want to behave differently from liberals, but often take it to the opposite extreme and completely ignore people with disabilities or place unrealistic expectations on them.
These differences in perspective were all too evident in the election of 2008.
One ticket pandered shamelessly to people with disabilities by saying “We love you. You don’t have to do a thing. We’ll take care of everything for you.”
The other ticket promised an advocate in the White House.
We all know what happened: The latter ticket lost, and the result was the advent of the current administration, which is no friend to people of any age with disabilities, as is evidenced by ObamaCare and other measures.
I have experienced these dynamics first hand. Recently, I was on the Hill when a Democratic congressman marched up to me, patted me on the head and said dismissively, “Aren’t you just the cutest little thing!” I bit back the angry retort on the tip of my tongue, deciding that the best way to respond to his dismissive attitude was to smile, go about my business and go about it well. A conservative I met with later that day wasn’t much better, to be honest. He was obviously uncomfortable talking to me for fear of offending me or embarrassing himself. I had an almost irresistible urge to hug him and assure him that it was okay, to just make the effort and leave my response up to me.
As a woman with a disability, what drew me to the Tea Party movement is that it truly represented a cross-section of loyal, faithful Americans and that no one was put on display simply to make a point. Trust me, I know all about tokenism and the harm it does. The Tea Party stands against tokenism. It promotes the idea that each person is responsible for making the most possible of himself or herself. It focuses on what the individual can do and on what the individual can contribute to our beloved Republic. The Tea Party teaches all citizens, disabled or not, to be their own best advocates by participating in the process as a part of “we the people.”
Every single American has something to offer this country. I am a patriot determined to restore this country to its former glory. I will simply be making that happen on wheels.
Human beings aren’t supposed to be tokens. All too often, especially in politics, we see them used as such. For too long, minorities have been played for fools by liberals who are simply trying to further their own agenda of more government control over the daily lives of private citizens.
Tokenism is a dangerous thing. It creates a mindset that there are two classes of people: the players and those being played. The criteria for these categories vary, but, as discussed in this article, the tokens are people with disabilities and the players are the liberal left.
Too often, liberals will “include” people with disabilities in photo ops, campaign stops, and community outreach events in order to be able to symbolically pat themselves on the back and say, “Look at me. I am friends with everyone. I help everyone.” People with disabilities, especially the wounded heroes returning from the Middle East, are not tokens to be played in politics, but that’s how liberals treat us.
The liberal left has fooled many people with disabilities into thinking that they can’t care for themselves without government intervention. My contention is that I don’t need to be helped by the government. I am perfectly able to take care of myself. When I need help with something, I can reach out to my support system in my community, family, and church. I need a safety net, not a hammock. Unfortunately, well-meaning people promote entitlement programs that create classes of people with little ambition or self esteem. These programs make people with disabilities into hammock dwellers rather than independent citizens who contribute to society and who need a safety net only in the event that they are momentarily unable to care for themselves and have nowhere else to turn.
Quite honestly, conservatives have not really known what to do, so they have done almost nothing in order to avoid treating people as tokens. They want to behave differently from liberals, but often take it to the opposite extreme and completely ignore people with disabilities or place unrealistic expectations on them.
These differences in perspective were all too evident in the election of 2008.
One ticket pandered shamelessly to people with disabilities by saying “We love you. You don’t have to do a thing. We’ll take care of everything for you.”
The other ticket promised an advocate in the White House.
We all know what happened: The latter ticket lost, and the result was the advent of the current administration, which is no friend to people of any age with disabilities, as is evidenced by ObamaCare and other measures.
I have experienced these dynamics first hand. Recently, I was on the Hill when a Democratic congressman marched up to me, patted me on the head and said dismissively, “Aren’t you just the cutest little thing!” I bit back the angry retort on the tip of my tongue, deciding that the best way to respond to his dismissive attitude was to smile, go about my business and go about it well. A conservative I met with later that day wasn’t much better, to be honest. He was obviously uncomfortable talking to me for fear of offending me or embarrassing himself. I had an almost irresistible urge to hug him and assure him that it was okay, to just make the effort and leave my response up to me.
As a woman with a disability, what drew me to the Tea Party movement is that it truly represented a cross-section of loyal, faithful Americans and that no one was put on display simply to make a point. Trust me, I know all about tokenism and the harm it does. The Tea Party stands against tokenism. It promotes the idea that each person is responsible for making the most possible of himself or herself. It focuses on what the individual can do and on what the individual can contribute to our beloved Republic. The Tea Party teaches all citizens, disabled or not, to be their own best advocates by participating in the process as a part of “we the people.”
Every single American has something to offer this country. I am a patriot determined to restore this country to its former glory. I will simply be making that happen on wheels.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
My Speech at BGSU's TEA Party
Here it is folks! Enjoy! I had my own heckler and everything. :)
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3kgwu50KSs
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYWz134ks0c
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x15aRTPet84
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3kgwu50KSs
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYWz134ks0c
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x15aRTPet84
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Things from the New Health Law you should know.
I'm sick to death of people telling me that I don't know what I'm talking about when it comes to the new health care laws. For your edification, here is a partial list of what the new law mandates. To download a copy of the new law and see for yourself, go to www.loc.gov, click on the Thomas tab and search for the new health care law.
Those of you who use wheelchairs will be especially interested in what is found on Page 268, Section 1141. Those of you who are considered "special needs" or who have children with special needs, take a look at Page 354, Section 1177.
So, here goes:
This is what's coming.
Partial Extracts from the Health Care Bill.
Page 22 of the bill: Mandates that the Government will audit books of all employers that self-insure!
Page 30 Sec 123 of the bill: There WILL BE a government committee that decides what treatments/benefits you receive. I think some called this the death panel.
Page 29 lines 4-16 in the bill: Your healthcare can be rationed.
Page 42 of bill: The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your healthcare benefits for you. You have no choice, and the criteria by which your healthcare is determined is not mentioned.
Page 50 Section 152 in the bill: Healthcare will be provided to ALL citizens, illegal aliens included.
Page 58 of the bill: Government will have real-time access to the finances of ALL individuals, and a ‘National ID Health card’ will be issued!
Page 59 of the bill, lines 21-24: Government will have direct access to your bank accounts for elective funds transfer.
Page 65 Sec 164of the bill: Is a payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in unions & community organizations: (such as ACORN).
Page 84 Sec 203 of the bill: Government mandates that ALL benefit packages for private healthcare plans in the ‘Exchange.’
Page 85 Line 7 of the bill: Specifications of Benefit Levels for Plans — The government will ration your healthcare!
Page 91 Lines 4-7 of the bill: Government mandates linguistic appropriate services (translators for illegal aliens and others who won’t speak English)
Page 95 of the bill Lines 8-18: The government will use groups (i.e. ACORN & Americorps) to sign up individuals for government healthcare plan.
Page 85 Line 7 of the bill: Specifications of Benefit Levels for Plans. (AARP members - your healthcare WILL be rationed!)
Page 102 Lines 12-18 of the bill: Medicaid eligible individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. (No choice.)
Page 12 4 lines 24-25 of the bill: No company can sue the government on price fixing. No “judicial review” against Government monopoly.
Page 127 Lines 1-16 of the bill: Doctors/American Medical Association - The Government will tell YOU what salary you can make.
Page 145 Line 15-17 of the bill: An Employer MUST auto-enroll employees into public option plan. (NO choice!)
Page 126 Lines 22-25 of the bill: Employers MUST pay for healthcare for part-time employees AND their families. (Employees shouldn’t get excited about this as employers will be forced to reduce its work force, benefits, and wages/salaries to cover such a huge expense.)
Page 149 Lines 16-24 of the bill: Any employer with payroll 401k & above who does not provide public option will pay 8% tax on all payroll! (See the last comment in parenthesis.)
Page 150 Lines 9-13 of the bill: A business with payroll between $251K & $401K who doesn’t provide public option will pay 2-6% tax on all payroll.
Page 167 Lines 18-23 of the bill: Any individual who doesn’t have acceptable(?) Healthcare according to the government, will be taxed 2.5% of income.
Page 170 Lines 1-3 of the bill: Any non-resident Alien is exempt from individual taxes. (American citizens will pay those taxes.)
Page 195 of the bill: Officers & employees of the government healthcare administration will have access to ALL American’s’ finances and personal records.
Page 203 Line 14-15 of the bill: “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax.” (Yes, it really says that!). It will be called a “fee.”
Page 239 Line 14-24 of the bill: Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid Seniors. (Low-income and the poor are affected.)
Page 241 Line 6-8 of the bill: Doctors: It doesn’t matter what specialty you have trained yourself in — you will all be paid the same!
Page 253 Line 10-18 of the bill: The government sets the value of a doctor’s time, profession, judgment, etc. (Literally– the value of humans.)
Page 265 Sec 1131 of the bill: The government mandates and controls productivity for “private” healthcare industries.
Page 268 Sec 1141 of the bill: The federal government regulates the rental and purchase of power driven wheelchairs.
Page 272 SEC. 1145 of the bill: Treatment of certain cancer hospitals will be regulated by the government. (Rationed cancer treatment)
Page 280 Sec 1151 of the bill: The government will penalize hospitals for whatever the government deems preventable.
Page 298 Lines 9-11 of the bill: Doctors: If you treat a patient during initial admission that results in a re-admission — you are subject to a government penalty.
Page 317 L 13-20 of the bill: Prohibition on ownership/investment. (The government tells doctors what and how much they can own!)
Page 317-318 lines 21-25, 1-3 of the bill: Prohibition on expansion. (The government is mandating that hospitals cannot expand.)
Page 321 2-13 of the bill: Hospitals have the opportunity to apply for exception BUT community input is required.
Page 335 L 16-25 Pg 336-339 of the bill: The government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures.
Page 341 Lines 3-9 of the bill: The government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advance Plans, HMOs, etc. (Forcing people into the government plan)
Page 354 Sec 1177 of the bill: The government will RESTRICT enrollment of ’special needs people.
Page 379 Sec 1191 of the bill: The government creates more bureaucracy via a “Tele-Health Advisory Committee.” (Healthcare by phone?)
Page 425 Lines 4-12 of the bill: The government mandates “Advance-Care Planning Consult.” (Think senior citizens end-of-life nudging)
Page 425 Lines 17-19 of the bill: The government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. (And it’s mandatory!)
Page 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 of the bill: The government provides an “approved” list of end-of-life resources; guiding you in death. (Also called ‘assisted suicide.’)
Page 427 Lines 15-24 of the bill: The government mandates a program for orders on “end-of-life.” (The government has a say in how your life ends!)
Page 429 Lines 1-9 of the bill: An “advanced-care planning consultant” will be used frequently as a patient’s health deteriorates.
Page 429 Lines 10-12 of the bill: An “advanced care consultation” may include an ORDER for end-of-life plans..
Page 429 Lines 13-25 of the bill: The government will specify which doctors can write an end-of-life order..
Page 430 Lines 11-15 of the bill: The government will decide what level of treatment you will have at end-of-life! (Patient has no choice or option)
Page 469 of the bill: Community-Based Home Medical Services = Non-Profit Organizations.
Page 489 Sec 1308 of the bill: The government will cover marriage and family therapy. (The government WILL insert itself into your marriage.)
Page 494-498 of the bill: The government will cover Mental Health Services including defining, creating, and rationing those services.
NOW DO YOU GET IT?!
Those of you who use wheelchairs will be especially interested in what is found on Page 268, Section 1141. Those of you who are considered "special needs" or who have children with special needs, take a look at Page 354, Section 1177.
So, here goes:
This is what's coming.
Partial Extracts from the Health Care Bill.
Page 22 of the bill: Mandates that the Government will audit books of all employers that self-insure!
Page 30 Sec 123 of the bill: There WILL BE a government committee that decides what treatments/benefits you receive. I think some called this the death panel.
Page 29 lines 4-16 in the bill: Your healthcare can be rationed.
Page 42 of bill: The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your healthcare benefits for you. You have no choice, and the criteria by which your healthcare is determined is not mentioned.
Page 50 Section 152 in the bill: Healthcare will be provided to ALL citizens, illegal aliens included.
Page 58 of the bill: Government will have real-time access to the finances of ALL individuals, and a ‘National ID Health card’ will be issued!
Page 59 of the bill, lines 21-24: Government will have direct access to your bank accounts for elective funds transfer.
Page 65 Sec 164of the bill: Is a payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in unions & community organizations: (such as ACORN).
Page 84 Sec 203 of the bill: Government mandates that ALL benefit packages for private healthcare plans in the ‘Exchange.’
Page 85 Line 7 of the bill: Specifications of Benefit Levels for Plans — The government will ration your healthcare!
Page 91 Lines 4-7 of the bill: Government mandates linguistic appropriate services (translators for illegal aliens and others who won’t speak English)
Page 95 of the bill Lines 8-18: The government will use groups (i.e. ACORN & Americorps) to sign up individuals for government healthcare plan.
Page 85 Line 7 of the bill: Specifications of Benefit Levels for Plans. (AARP members - your healthcare WILL be rationed!)
Page 102 Lines 12-18 of the bill: Medicaid eligible individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. (No choice.)
Page 12 4 lines 24-25 of the bill: No company can sue the government on price fixing. No “judicial review” against Government monopoly.
Page 127 Lines 1-16 of the bill: Doctors/American Medical Association - The Government will tell YOU what salary you can make.
Page 145 Line 15-17 of the bill: An Employer MUST auto-enroll employees into public option plan. (NO choice!)
Page 126 Lines 22-25 of the bill: Employers MUST pay for healthcare for part-time employees AND their families. (Employees shouldn’t get excited about this as employers will be forced to reduce its work force, benefits, and wages/salaries to cover such a huge expense.)
Page 149 Lines 16-24 of the bill: Any employer with payroll 401k & above who does not provide public option will pay 8% tax on all payroll! (See the last comment in parenthesis.)
Page 150 Lines 9-13 of the bill: A business with payroll between $251K & $401K who doesn’t provide public option will pay 2-6% tax on all payroll.
Page 167 Lines 18-23 of the bill: Any individual who doesn’t have acceptable(?) Healthcare according to the government, will be taxed 2.5% of income.
Page 170 Lines 1-3 of the bill: Any non-resident Alien is exempt from individual taxes. (American citizens will pay those taxes.)
Page 195 of the bill: Officers & employees of the government healthcare administration will have access to ALL American’s’ finances and personal records.
Page 203 Line 14-15 of the bill: “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax.” (Yes, it really says that!). It will be called a “fee.”
Page 239 Line 14-24 of the bill: Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid Seniors. (Low-income and the poor are affected.)
Page 241 Line 6-8 of the bill: Doctors: It doesn’t matter what specialty you have trained yourself in — you will all be paid the same!
Page 253 Line 10-18 of the bill: The government sets the value of a doctor’s time, profession, judgment, etc. (Literally– the value of humans.)
Page 265 Sec 1131 of the bill: The government mandates and controls productivity for “private” healthcare industries.
Page 268 Sec 1141 of the bill: The federal government regulates the rental and purchase of power driven wheelchairs.
Page 272 SEC. 1145 of the bill: Treatment of certain cancer hospitals will be regulated by the government. (Rationed cancer treatment)
Page 280 Sec 1151 of the bill: The government will penalize hospitals for whatever the government deems preventable.
Page 298 Lines 9-11 of the bill: Doctors: If you treat a patient during initial admission that results in a re-admission — you are subject to a government penalty.
Page 317 L 13-20 of the bill: Prohibition on ownership/investment. (The government tells doctors what and how much they can own!)
Page 317-318 lines 21-25, 1-3 of the bill: Prohibition on expansion. (The government is mandating that hospitals cannot expand.)
Page 321 2-13 of the bill: Hospitals have the opportunity to apply for exception BUT community input is required.
Page 335 L 16-25 Pg 336-339 of the bill: The government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures.
Page 341 Lines 3-9 of the bill: The government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advance Plans, HMOs, etc. (Forcing people into the government plan)
Page 354 Sec 1177 of the bill: The government will RESTRICT enrollment of ’special needs people.
Page 379 Sec 1191 of the bill: The government creates more bureaucracy via a “Tele-Health Advisory Committee.” (Healthcare by phone?)
Page 425 Lines 4-12 of the bill: The government mandates “Advance-Care Planning Consult.” (Think senior citizens end-of-life nudging)
Page 425 Lines 17-19 of the bill: The government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. (And it’s mandatory!)
Page 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 of the bill: The government provides an “approved” list of end-of-life resources; guiding you in death. (Also called ‘assisted suicide.’)
Page 427 Lines 15-24 of the bill: The government mandates a program for orders on “end-of-life.” (The government has a say in how your life ends!)
Page 429 Lines 1-9 of the bill: An “advanced-care planning consultant” will be used frequently as a patient’s health deteriorates.
Page 429 Lines 10-12 of the bill: An “advanced care consultation” may include an ORDER for end-of-life plans..
Page 429 Lines 13-25 of the bill: The government will specify which doctors can write an end-of-life order..
Page 430 Lines 11-15 of the bill: The government will decide what level of treatment you will have at end-of-life! (Patient has no choice or option)
Page 469 of the bill: Community-Based Home Medical Services = Non-Profit Organizations.
Page 489 Sec 1308 of the bill: The government will cover marriage and family therapy. (The government WILL insert itself into your marriage.)
Page 494-498 of the bill: The government will cover Mental Health Services including defining, creating, and rationing those services.
NOW DO YOU GET IT?!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Old Glory on her head.
Facebook is both a blessing and a bane. I love it, though. I've reconnected with friends from all sorts of places and times in my life. I've also met people of both like mind and diametrically opposing view points. That's good. Both sorts strengthen me. I've got strong opinions and I can support them, so I welcome discourse. A recent change I made to my FB page, though, has created far more discussion than I ever anticipated.
Before I disclose the change and its aftermath, let me set the stage for you:
One of the excuses...er, reasons...I've not kept this blog current is my intense involvement in blocking the passage of the monstrosity known as Obamacare. Obviously, it is now law and I'm working to repeal it. I had hoped this time in our Nation's life wouldn't come, but it has. We are in distress.
On the weekend of the final vote in the House, thousands of citizens converged on the Hill here in DC to speak to their Congressmen and make known their opposition to this legislation. I felt like I was everywhere at once making sure people understood the facts of the legislation, helping people find the offices of their Congressmen, explaining the lobbying process, having civil discussions with the press and other interested parties and comforting people who were hurt by the treatment they received in those offices upon exercising their right to be heard and their duty to hold their leadership accountable. Some of it wasn't pretty.
Throughout the day, I met many dedicated Patriots and two gorgeous Newfoundland dogs, much to Lucy Doxie (my service dog)'s discomfiture.She tends to think she is the only dog that has permission to be anywhere near me. Besides being great at detecting petit mal seizures and alerting me to their impending onset, she's a great ice breaker with people who might not ordinarily talk to me even if she is a little possessive.
Lucy led me that day into an encounter I will never forget. She was walking beside me and suddenly went running up to an older gentleman proudly wearing his military medals and a VFW hat while sitting in the hot sun in his wheelchair. It turns out that he loves dachshunds and as Lucy was receiving what she deemed to be her justly deserved adoration, the man and I began to talk. He was a veteran of World War 2. He'd been in combat and he'd been in the group of soldiers who liberated the death camps in Europe. At the direction of his superior, Ike, he took pictures of the scenes and faces that greeted his unit. When he wasn't taking pictures or helping other soldiers with their photographs, he was busy tending to the people who had managed to survive in those horrific places. He told me it changed him forever by making him more passionate than he ever thought possible about liberty and this nation that espouses it. At the end of our conversation, he looked at me with tears in his eyes and pleaded with me to not let the freedom and liberty for which he had fought so hard, and for which his friends had died, end with my generation. I am tearing up even now as I recall it. One thing he said was along the lines of "Old Glory will be turned on her head at my house until this is stopped." That thought stayed with me all day.
That night when I finally sat down at my computer to check email and play on Facebook, an idea struck me. Our nation was in distress. In military terms, the symbol of distress was to fly the flag upside down. In other words, to "turn Old Glory on her head." So, I changed my profile picture to an image of our beloved flag flying upside down. Interestingly enough, I was not the only person to do so and I'm wondering if the other people who did so on FB and who are flying the flag upside down at their homes and businesses have received as many interesting comments as I have.
Several of my friends have taken it upon themselves to educate me about proper flag etiquette. A side note: it just kills me how the rules of etiquette are trotted out to suit someone's purposes and ignored the rest of the time. Amazing. At any rate, what every single one of those people failed to acknowledge is that our Nation is in CRISIS and my flag was therefore appropriately displayed. We are in DISTRESS, folks. One of my friends even thought flying the flag upside down was a sign of surrender and she asked me for what reason and to what cause I was surrendering. She said she was treading lightly since she couldn't remember if I'd been in the military or not. For someone who knew me in college and lived down the hall from me for a while, her memory sure is short.
This is part of what I said to her:
About the flag, it is absolutely NOT a sign of surrender, but it IS a sign of distress, even as the code says. Our nation is in distress because of the financial and governmental crisis in which we find ourselves.
My childhood dream was to be a West Point cadet who went on to become a General. However, having been born with a mobility impairment that dream was not to be realized (remember that I rode around our college campus in a yellow golf cart because I couldn't walk well?). It is in honor of those who are giving their lives in service and who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country that I fly Old Glory upside down. Many of the veterans and currently serving soldiers that I know are doing the same for all the same reasons. These are serious times and, as such, demand serious measures.
I, too, am a trained and experienced journalist who had her own radio show at one point. I have looked at all sides of the issues we are dealing with as a Nation today. We are not only in a point of national crisis, but also in a point of individual crisis. We've forgotten that actions and choices have consequences, both good and bad. We've forgotten that everything we do as individuals impacts someone else. We've forfeited control over too much of our individual lives to a government that does not have our best interests at heart. We have forgotten how to live appropriately in community - caring for one another in times of need out of true compassion: the desire of our hearts to make things go more smoothly for them as they were finding and making their own way NOT as a government mandate to "spread the wealth" or put us all on "equal footing". Sadly, we've stopped being a meritocracy and become a people of entitlement. We should be able to enjoy the fruits of our own labors and share with others as we see fit, not work like dogs only to have it given to those who refuse to care for themselves. It is not the government's job to take care of me, but to provide a safe environment by securing and defending our borders so that I can make my own way to success and living the American dream within the means I am able to achieve.
A very great man once said that liberty is never more than one generation away from being just a memory. I refuse to let it be my generation or the one coming after me who gives away our liberty because they were too comfortable & lazy to defend it both from a power hungry government and their own sense of entitlement and refusal to work to both care for themselves as well as to contribute to the greater good of our Nation.
My friend is a journalist and feels that she is completely objective. Apparently not, though, as she berated me for being dramatic and for overreacting. If she were truly objective, she would see ALL the facts and compare them to history and listen to those who have come before us and made those same mistakes. She wouldn't pick and choose who to listen to and who to reference in writing her stories, thus creating unnecessary bias. The neat thing about a free society is that all sorts of opinions can not only be formulated but expressed, supposedly without fear and with the understanding that differences are both welcome and accepted.
Her mindset is all too prevalent in our country. We've chosen to substitute flash for substance, recklessness for responsibility, and selective tolerance for true respect. We've chosen to turn a blind eye to character flaws of those with whom we agree or like and to put the microscope on the flaws of those we don't agree with or dislike for whatever reason. We got into a mess nationally because we are in personal messes. The call for using the mops & buckets given to us in the Constitution and the Bible is in the air. Until the call is answered and the crisis ended, Old Glory will fly on her head at my house and on my profile.
Before I disclose the change and its aftermath, let me set the stage for you:
One of the excuses...er, reasons...I've not kept this blog current is my intense involvement in blocking the passage of the monstrosity known as Obamacare. Obviously, it is now law and I'm working to repeal it. I had hoped this time in our Nation's life wouldn't come, but it has. We are in distress.
On the weekend of the final vote in the House, thousands of citizens converged on the Hill here in DC to speak to their Congressmen and make known their opposition to this legislation. I felt like I was everywhere at once making sure people understood the facts of the legislation, helping people find the offices of their Congressmen, explaining the lobbying process, having civil discussions with the press and other interested parties and comforting people who were hurt by the treatment they received in those offices upon exercising their right to be heard and their duty to hold their leadership accountable. Some of it wasn't pretty.
Throughout the day, I met many dedicated Patriots and two gorgeous Newfoundland dogs, much to Lucy Doxie (my service dog)'s discomfiture.She tends to think she is the only dog that has permission to be anywhere near me. Besides being great at detecting petit mal seizures and alerting me to their impending onset, she's a great ice breaker with people who might not ordinarily talk to me even if she is a little possessive.
Lucy led me that day into an encounter I will never forget. She was walking beside me and suddenly went running up to an older gentleman proudly wearing his military medals and a VFW hat while sitting in the hot sun in his wheelchair. It turns out that he loves dachshunds and as Lucy was receiving what she deemed to be her justly deserved adoration, the man and I began to talk. He was a veteran of World War 2. He'd been in combat and he'd been in the group of soldiers who liberated the death camps in Europe. At the direction of his superior, Ike, he took pictures of the scenes and faces that greeted his unit. When he wasn't taking pictures or helping other soldiers with their photographs, he was busy tending to the people who had managed to survive in those horrific places. He told me it changed him forever by making him more passionate than he ever thought possible about liberty and this nation that espouses it. At the end of our conversation, he looked at me with tears in his eyes and pleaded with me to not let the freedom and liberty for which he had fought so hard, and for which his friends had died, end with my generation. I am tearing up even now as I recall it. One thing he said was along the lines of "Old Glory will be turned on her head at my house until this is stopped." That thought stayed with me all day.
That night when I finally sat down at my computer to check email and play on Facebook, an idea struck me. Our nation was in distress. In military terms, the symbol of distress was to fly the flag upside down. In other words, to "turn Old Glory on her head." So, I changed my profile picture to an image of our beloved flag flying upside down. Interestingly enough, I was not the only person to do so and I'm wondering if the other people who did so on FB and who are flying the flag upside down at their homes and businesses have received as many interesting comments as I have.
Several of my friends have taken it upon themselves to educate me about proper flag etiquette. A side note: it just kills me how the rules of etiquette are trotted out to suit someone's purposes and ignored the rest of the time. Amazing. At any rate, what every single one of those people failed to acknowledge is that our Nation is in CRISIS and my flag was therefore appropriately displayed. We are in DISTRESS, folks. One of my friends even thought flying the flag upside down was a sign of surrender and she asked me for what reason and to what cause I was surrendering. She said she was treading lightly since she couldn't remember if I'd been in the military or not. For someone who knew me in college and lived down the hall from me for a while, her memory sure is short.
This is part of what I said to her:
About the flag, it is absolutely NOT a sign of surrender, but it IS a sign of distress, even as the code says. Our nation is in distress because of the financial and governmental crisis in which we find ourselves.
My childhood dream was to be a West Point cadet who went on to become a General. However, having been born with a mobility impairment that dream was not to be realized (remember that I rode around our college campus in a yellow golf cart because I couldn't walk well?). It is in honor of those who are giving their lives in service and who have sacrificed their lives in service to our country that I fly Old Glory upside down. Many of the veterans and currently serving soldiers that I know are doing the same for all the same reasons. These are serious times and, as such, demand serious measures.
I, too, am a trained and experienced journalist who had her own radio show at one point. I have looked at all sides of the issues we are dealing with as a Nation today. We are not only in a point of national crisis, but also in a point of individual crisis. We've forgotten that actions and choices have consequences, both good and bad. We've forgotten that everything we do as individuals impacts someone else. We've forfeited control over too much of our individual lives to a government that does not have our best interests at heart. We have forgotten how to live appropriately in community - caring for one another in times of need out of true compassion: the desire of our hearts to make things go more smoothly for them as they were finding and making their own way NOT as a government mandate to "spread the wealth" or put us all on "equal footing". Sadly, we've stopped being a meritocracy and become a people of entitlement. We should be able to enjoy the fruits of our own labors and share with others as we see fit, not work like dogs only to have it given to those who refuse to care for themselves. It is not the government's job to take care of me, but to provide a safe environment by securing and defending our borders so that I can make my own way to success and living the American dream within the means I am able to achieve.
A very great man once said that liberty is never more than one generation away from being just a memory. I refuse to let it be my generation or the one coming after me who gives away our liberty because they were too comfortable & lazy to defend it both from a power hungry government and their own sense of entitlement and refusal to work to both care for themselves as well as to contribute to the greater good of our Nation.
My friend is a journalist and feels that she is completely objective. Apparently not, though, as she berated me for being dramatic and for overreacting. If she were truly objective, she would see ALL the facts and compare them to history and listen to those who have come before us and made those same mistakes. She wouldn't pick and choose who to listen to and who to reference in writing her stories, thus creating unnecessary bias. The neat thing about a free society is that all sorts of opinions can not only be formulated but expressed, supposedly without fear and with the understanding that differences are both welcome and accepted.
Her mindset is all too prevalent in our country. We've chosen to substitute flash for substance, recklessness for responsibility, and selective tolerance for true respect. We've chosen to turn a blind eye to character flaws of those with whom we agree or like and to put the microscope on the flaws of those we don't agree with or dislike for whatever reason. We got into a mess nationally because we are in personal messes. The call for using the mops & buckets given to us in the Constitution and the Bible is in the air. Until the call is answered and the crisis ended, Old Glory will fly on her head at my house and on my profile.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
From My Friend Wally, a WW2 Vet
I received this today from my friend, Wally, in the NW who is an 83 year old veteran of World War Two. He has seen history unfold first hand. Please read and then consider the action you must take to save our Nation. We must derail this health care train wreck.
March 4, 2010
Dear concerned friends & family members,
It was necessary to see my family physician because of a re-occurring intestinal infection and was politely informed that the Doctor would no longer accept Medicare or Medicaid patients. She regretted the action saying she will see only those who pay cash up front considering the suspected Health Care Bill likely to be passed further restricting her practice. We have heard more Doctors are now following the same path because Medicare and Medicaid have drastically delayed payments to these Physicians. And people think this Tyrannical plan will reduce costs? NO it will help reduce the senior population that in itself could lessen the demands on all insurances. This is WWII Genocide folks, only the young and fit should survive, the elders must go. I for one do not have the cash therefore I should, for the Patriotic good of the country, commit suicide suggested by none other than VP Joe Biden in a speech a time ago. And here folks is the kicker, Those of you who remember history know that Hitler followed this exact same path to Dictatorship by shoving plan after plan onto the German citizens enough to begin country wide unrest, the exact excuse Hitler wanted to declare Marshall Law thereby installing himself as the supreme ruler. Mr. O is deliberately foisting this Bill on us so he can claim Marshall Law because of the most assuredly unrest (Tea Party people) and many other groups will bring to fore. Ask yourself this question, why is the Congressional Democrats so blatantly supporting this bill knowing full well they would be kicked out of office in the fall elections? They do so because they must know something and that has to be the declaration of Marshall Law that would stop all elections for as long as Mr. O chooses. I hope I am dead wrong in this analysis but, having seen it in Germany and the USSR, it can happen here... Beware Folks!! Freedom is on the brink of being lost for ever.
Come Lord Jesus!
Wally
Wally is a trusted friend of mine. He is a hero. You can take his word to the bank. This email also resonated with me because I am in the same situation. I am on Medicare right now until I find a job. We had to drop our COBRA because we could not afford it. Tony is eligible for student insurance at the seminary, but being on Medicare was the only way I could get insurance. I am, too, am having problems finding and keeping doctors because of the Medicare situation. There is a possibility that I will not be able to have the surgery I am due to have on Wednesday of next week because of the billing issue. I will find out on Monday when I go have my pre-op exam.
Please, please please contact your elected officials and ask them to please block this legislation. To be honest, I fear for Wally's life...and my own... if it passes into law and is unable to be repealed quickly enough, if at all. I want to continue to roll along.
Melissa
March 4, 2010
Dear concerned friends & family members,
It was necessary to see my family physician because of a re-occurring intestinal infection and was politely informed that the Doctor would no longer accept Medicare or Medicaid patients. She regretted the action saying she will see only those who pay cash up front considering the suspected Health Care Bill likely to be passed further restricting her practice. We have heard more Doctors are now following the same path because Medicare and Medicaid have drastically delayed payments to these Physicians. And people think this Tyrannical plan will reduce costs? NO it will help reduce the senior population that in itself could lessen the demands on all insurances. This is WWII Genocide folks, only the young and fit should survive, the elders must go. I for one do not have the cash therefore I should, for the Patriotic good of the country, commit suicide suggested by none other than VP Joe Biden in a speech a time ago. And here folks is the kicker, Those of you who remember history know that Hitler followed this exact same path to Dictatorship by shoving plan after plan onto the German citizens enough to begin country wide unrest, the exact excuse Hitler wanted to declare Marshall Law thereby installing himself as the supreme ruler. Mr. O is deliberately foisting this Bill on us so he can claim Marshall Law because of the most assuredly unrest (Tea Party people) and many other groups will bring to fore. Ask yourself this question, why is the Congressional Democrats so blatantly supporting this bill knowing full well they would be kicked out of office in the fall elections? They do so because they must know something and that has to be the declaration of Marshall Law that would stop all elections for as long as Mr. O chooses. I hope I am dead wrong in this analysis but, having seen it in Germany and the USSR, it can happen here... Beware Folks!! Freedom is on the brink of being lost for ever.
Come Lord Jesus!
Wally
Wally is a trusted friend of mine. He is a hero. You can take his word to the bank. This email also resonated with me because I am in the same situation. I am on Medicare right now until I find a job. We had to drop our COBRA because we could not afford it. Tony is eligible for student insurance at the seminary, but being on Medicare was the only way I could get insurance. I am, too, am having problems finding and keeping doctors because of the Medicare situation. There is a possibility that I will not be able to have the surgery I am due to have on Wednesday of next week because of the billing issue. I will find out on Monday when I go have my pre-op exam.
Please, please please contact your elected officials and ask them to please block this legislation. To be honest, I fear for Wally's life...and my own... if it passes into law and is unable to be repealed quickly enough, if at all. I want to continue to roll along.
Melissa
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