No Rationing, No Death Panels in the Private Sector: Yeah, Right.

September 15, 2009 in Crime, Economy & Business, Healthcare

by jhwygirl

This one comes via problembear’s goddamnedindependents – who I might add had this news up a full 24 hours or more before the regular media even whispered it.

And whisper it they did – I mean, how many of you have heard this story, even now?

Crystal Lee Sutton, 68 – the woman who inspired the movie Norma Rae – passed away September 11th from brain cancer.

Sutton had been diagnosed with meniginoma, which is typically a slow-growing cancer that is coupled with benign tumors. That was not the case, unfortunately, for Sutton, as she was denied possible life-saving treatment for two months.

Sutton had been a union organizer and woman right’s activist in the 70’s, who was harassed and jailed for her humanitarian efforts. Sadly, she ended up also having to fight to expose the abuses of the health insurance industries when she was denied coverage.

“How in the world can it take so long to find out (whether they would cover the medicine or not) when it could be a matter of life or death,” she said. “It is almost like, in a way, committing murder.”

This is no isolated incident – and one might even deduce that the only reason Ms. Sutton got her medication because the AFL-CIO brought attention to her plight.

One of the harder things, I think, that this health insurance reform issue faces is bringing these stories forward. All the crazy racist vile teabaggers make it even worse – it’s hard enough to lay open your vulnerabilities, yet alone to have to face situations like this. Or this.

Norma Rae fought the good fight. God Rest Her Beautiful Soul.

There’s So Much Wrong with This….

September 15, 2009 in Crime, Economy & Business

by jhwygirl

The list gets really long when I think about it.

CNN has some video showing the beach-front Malibu Colony home that a Wells Fargo executive was apparently squatting in once the bank foreclosed on it.

The exec has been fired.

I always say follow-the-money. It’s much more easier said than done, I know – but someone might think about seeing whether there is a degree or few of separation between the exec or Wells Fargo and Bernie Madoff.

I’m just sayin’.

Which is Worse: Racism? Or Unveiling Racism?

September 15, 2009 in Montana, Racism

by JC

Now that the silly season is over–as August has come to be called in political circles–with Obama giving yet another speech, and the 9/12 tea bagger march on D.C. is over, we can look back and begin to reflect on what is happening in America.

The examples are too numerous too list here today. But everywhere you look, the debate has taken on an underlying tone of racism: is it, or isn’t it? Did he/she, or didn’t he/she? I expect that much of the national attention will be riveted to those who cloak their political activism/racism in patriotism, and those who would point out that their ideology is clouded in xenophobia, paranoia, and racism.

I don’t expect this debate to be well received here or anywhere else. But it is a discussion that needs to happen, if we are to move on and put this ugly period in history behind us.