Monday, November 23, 2009
Insurance Reimbursement for Prayers
A Scam by Any Other Name
Watching various scams. including tax breaks that various religious groups get away with, leaders of Church of Christ, Scientist came up with a new one. They want a provision in the proposed health-care reform package to include reimbursement for professional prayer service! The Washington Post reported:
The calls come in at all hours: patients reporting broken bones, violent coughs, deep depression. Prue Lewis listens as they explain their symptoms. Then Lewis -- a thin, frail-looking woman from Columbia Heights -- simply says, "I'll go to work right away." She hangs up, organizes her thoughts and begins treating her clients' ailments the best way she knows how: She prays. This is health care in the world of Christian Science, where the sick eschew conventional medicine and turn to God for healing. Christian Scientists call it "spiritual health care," and it is a practice they are battling to insert into the health-care legislation being hammered out in Congress. Leaders of the Church of Christ, Scientist, are pushing a proposal that would help patients pay someone like Lewis for prayer by having insurers reimburse the $20 to $40 cost. The provision was stripped from the bill the House passed this month, and church leaders are trying to get it inserted into the Senate version. And the church has powerful allies there, including Sens. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who represents the state where the church is based, and Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), who said the provision would "ensure that health-care reform law does not discriminate against any religion." |
Trust the politicians to support such boondoggles. Nothing new about that. One can understand Senator Hatch being a backer, but John Kerry! Let's hope that they don't get away with it.
A friend commented:
A friend commented:
- Hey, why stop at christian healers, bring on the faith healers of all stripes. I see new industries popping up. Call your favorite faith-healer in Bangalore. There is a very large constituency of remote healers in the land of the snake charmers. These guys claim to have magical powers of remote diagnosis and cure. Hook up Pir Sahib or Baba Love to a VOIP and just watch them shake that money tree.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Vive Extremadura
Wonder if Bill Clinton, our retired president, reads The Guardian. If he does then the article about officials of the Spanish region of Extremadura is sure to make him think of his cowardly surrender in 1994 to the Christian Right and other hypocrites, including some Democratic politicians, when he asked for resignation of his surgeon general, Jocelyn Elders, because she talked about the benefits of masturbation.
Guardian Pleasure is in your own hands It is a subject that would make most governments blush, but officials in the Spanish region of Extremadura have launched a major programme to encourage what could be described as a more hands-on approach to sexuality. The region's socialist government has launched a €14,000 (£12,600) campaign aimed at teaching young people how best to set about "sexual self-exploration and the discovery of self-pleasure" – or to put it less delicately: masturbation. "Pleasure is in your own hands" is the slogan of a campaign that has sparked political controversy and challenges traditional Roman Catholic views on people having sex, even on their own, for non-reproductive reasons. "This is an intimate subject that should be dealt with at home," complained local opposition leader Hernández Carrón of the rightwing People's party. "We have become the laughing stock of Spain." "They are interfering with the right of parents to educate their own children about a matter as important as their sexuality," agreed the conservative Confederation of Fathers and Mothers of Schoolchildren. Officials from the neighbouring region of Andalucia have expressed an interest in copying the programme. |
The newly released "2012" doing well at the box office.
The film is about December 21, 2012 -- the day when, according to the Mayan calendar, the world will cease to exists ! It would appear that many Christians believe in the Mayan calendar. Or, perhaps, it is just another item to support their position on Armageddon. Unlike some other scenarios supported by the Bible thumpers in which faithful, born again Christians survive -- ascend to heaven, and all others suffer painful deaths -- the film has a different ending.
From an essay by Dennis Overbye in The NY Times, Dec.17, 2009
In the movie, an alignment between the Sun and the center of the galaxy on Dec. 21, 2012, causes the Sun to go berserk with mighty storms on its surface that pour out huge numbers of the elusive subatomic particles known as neutrinos. Somehow the neutrinos transmute into other particles and heat up the Earth’s core. The Earth’s crust loses its moorings and begins to weaken and slide around. Los Angeles falls into the ocean; Yellowstone blows up, showering the continent with black ash. Tidal waves wash over the Himalayas, where the governments of the planet have secretly built a fleet of arks in which a select 400,000 people can ride out the storm. But this is only one version of apocalypse out there. In other variations, a planet named Nibiru crashes into us or the Earth’s magnetic field flips. There are hundreds of books devoted to 2012, and millions of Web sites, depending on what combination of “2012” and “doomsday” you type into Google. All of it, astronomers say, is bunk. “Most of what’s claimed for 2012 relies on wishful thinking, wild pseudoscientific folly, ignorance of astronomy and a level of paranoia worthy of ‘Night of the Living Dead,’ ” Ed Krupp, director of the Griffith Observatory, in Los Angeles, and an expert on ancient astronomy, wrote in an article in the November issue of Sky & Telescope. |
Many will flock to see the film.....and some of the moviegoers will believe in what they see. The web site December 212012.com lists Mel Gibson and Shirley MacLaine among the believers. Yes, 'usual suspects'. A lot of geegaws on sale -- coffee cups, tee shirts, books, pictures,etc. No doubt the promoters will make some money. But December 21,2012 will come go just like any other day and the hucksters will move on to something else to dupe the gullible.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
On the road to 2010 - Shrinking Coattails of President Obama
Members of God's Own Party licking their chops. Energized by gains (in state houses) in recent elections, they are hoping to re-take some seats in Congress in 2010. There has been no change in their strategy. They continue to do the usual fear-mongering; champion free-market policy; advocate total ban on women's right to choose, and talk about moral values (moral values!) despite the fact that a number of their prominent members got caught in sleazy affairs. Shameless hypocrites with very short, and selective, memory.
But they have some reasons to feel hopeful. Among them, the so called "Blue Dog Democrats" many of whom support the Republican agenda, and President Obama's failure to take a strong position on anything. He talks the talk but the words no longer have the magic because nothing happens. No wonder that a large block of voters who played a major role in his victory is disappointed, feels betrayed.
To some, "Liberal" is a dirty word. A liberal friend emailed:
- better vote liberal -- no not just obama, vote specifically for the liberal agenda, not to be confused with the big-tent dem agenda. better back the likes of frank all the way. and better pally up with the likes of the odious bill moyers and reich and the rest of the faux-wine-swillers.
- yep, its a bitter pill.
A report in WSJ reads "Concerns Rise Around Obama's First Swing Through Asia"
Thought I was reading about G.W. Bush!
The President can continue his policy of appeasement and take a chance on support from enough middle-of-the road voters to carry the Democrats in 2010. A rebound in the economy and improvement in the unemployment numbers would help him and could make a difference. Right now,however, things don't look rosy.
SINGAPORE (Dow Jones)--President Barack Obama headed to Shanghai on Sunday to press China on issues from climate change to economic restructuring, amid rising concerns that his first swing through Asia will yield more disappointment than progress on trade, human rights, national security and environmental concerns. A flurry of actions here this weekend raised more questions than they resolved on a broad sweep of issues confronting both sides of the Pacific. On Sunday, leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum dropped efforts to reach a binding international climate change agreement in Copenhagen next month, settling instead for what they called a political framework for future negotiations. |
Thought I was reading about G.W. Bush!
The President can continue his policy of appeasement and take a chance on support from enough middle-of-the road voters to carry the Democrats in 2010. A rebound in the economy and improvement in the unemployment numbers would help him and could make a difference. Right now,however, things don't look rosy.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Hands Across the Seas, Part III
Despite advancing march of the disease, Sarah continues to remain active in pursuing her projects and making arrangements to move to a hospice from her beloved cottage and the garden in which she takes so much pleasure. In terms of physical distance the hospice is not far. If feasible, Sarah would rather spend her remaining days in the cottage, among familiar scenes, objects, and with her two dogs.
Sarah took this photograph a few days ago.
© Sarah Meyer
In a message, Sarah wrote on November 9th:
Sarah took this photograph a few days ago.
"The falling leaves
fall and pile up: the rain
beats on the rain."
--Gyodai, translated by Harold Henderson
- Stefan has been and cleared ALL the leaves, AND composed the front garden. The earth becomes barer and barer, like me? Lucky to have him. At first, no dialogue. Now he tells lots of stories. Like that. So now, I, too, am spending a lot of time looking out the window, loving either the rain or the blue skies. The owl hoots every night. Love that, too.
Even among her friends, not everyone agrees with her decision. There are those who, for religious or other reasons, make use of all available resources that medical science offers to live longer even when hooked up to tubes. It is not about of being right or wrong. It is a very personal issue -- what being 'alive' means to some people.
But, after all is said, we cannot really feel the depth of emotional pain and suffering of her children.
Hemlock Society, America's oldest right-to-die organization, founded in 1980 in Santa Monica, CA, by Derek Humphrey, has splintered into different groups. Prominent among them is Compassion and Choices. Politics played a role in the demise of the Hemlock Society. A pity. The name was right, and so was its motto: "Good Life, Good Death".
Sarah's account of her illness contains a wealth of data about cancer and mentions an article in The Guardian about "......the ethical fudge which permits the refusal of treatment and terminal sedation, but not assisted dying". And an item from Dignity in Dying.org uk.
- 8 October 2009: New research shows a third of deaths are hastened by doctors
- Clive Seale's research into end of life practice, published this week in Social Science and Medicine, has found that over a third of doctors say they have given drugs to terminally ill patients, or withdrawn treatment, knowing that it would or intending to shorten their life."
This argument is not likely to come to a conclusion anytime soon. But that there are compassionate physicians who quietly play a role in assisting terminally ill patients is no secret.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Obama's Election Victory Redux
Not Much Has Changed * Year of Dwindling Hopes
What now? Nov 3rd election results clearly indicate the president's weakened position. Republican gubernatorial contender Bob McDonnell in Virginia defeated Democrat Craig Deeds by a wide margin despite Obama's efforts on behalf of Deeds. Polls were showing that McDonnell had a double-digit lead, so the result was not a suprise. In New Jersey, Democrat John Corzine (governor since 2006) lost to Republican Chris Christie. in a close race. These victories have energized Republicans.The mid-term elections are a year away. The Obama wave is receding; blacks and young voters stayed away.
The president has three more years in his first term.....a very long time in politics. Think of G.W. Bush and his sky-high popularity which plummeted in the last years of his second term. Obama's numbers could ascend or they could go down below that of Bush.
There are those who say that it is too early to stop hoping that President Obama would live up to at least some of the things he talked about during his campaign, and that he deserves more time.
The president has three more years in his first term.....a very long time in politics. Think of G.W. Bush and his sky-high popularity which plummeted in the last years of his second term. Obama's numbers could ascend or they could go down below that of Bush.
There are those who say that it is too early to stop hoping that President Obama would live up to at least some of the things he talked about during his campaign, and that he deserves more time.
Perhaps they are right. One year is not enough to get a lot done, especially when you think of the mess he inherited. Democrats have majority but not a veto-proof majority, and not all Democratic members of Congress are supportive of the president's goals.
That is not what is disheartening. On a number of issues the president has either gone back on his words or retreated too quickly when he faced opposition. It is almost as if all his decisions are based with an eye on second term; he wants to be all things to all men. He is paying a price but no doubt Obama and his team have considered the cost-benefit factors in pursuing their strategy.
Torture of Prisoners - Extraordinary Rendition Still following Bush administration's practices. FISA Backed away from opposition to retroactive immunity for telecom companies that assisted in warrantless wire tapping within the USA. The Middle-East After a strong statement calling for complete halt of settlement construction by the Israelis, the president quietly retreated. Israel continues to be one of the primary recipients of financial and military aid from the United States. The aid package is 'classified' . And no one talks about Israel's nuclear arsenal! Reform of Wall Street The hands-off policy that allowed giants of Wall Street to come up with creative mortgage finance packages and exotic investment plans which eventually caused the markets to collapse began long before Obama became president. However, it is now quite obvious that it is going to be 'business as usual'. Eventually, when some of the proposed measures to curb abusive practices take shape they will be largely symbolic.....toothless. Prominent members of his staff were involved in creating, and benefiting from the actions that caused the crash. Democratic members of Congress have turned out to be in the pockets of lobbyists just like the Republicans. The Democrats are not blatant about being in bed with special interest groups, but that is the most one can say about them. Barring a few exceptions, our elected representatives are creatures of a corrupt system. Health Care Reform The president quickly retreated from a strong public option provision. Loud reaction from his "liberal" supporters forced him to return to resurrect the issue. But let's not fool ourselves. The much vaunted plans for a health-care plan to cover all Americans are dead. When the final bill emerges it is not going to be anything close to universal health care available in Canada, Britain, and some European countries. And costs will keep going up. Currently, it looks doubtful that a bill would clear Congress and submitted to the president before the end of the year. With the huge deficit that now exists, lack of funding for health care is a major obstacle. As long as we continue to take part in wars and propping up dictators in various parts of the world money for social programs and domestic infrastructure would not be available. Iraq and Afghanistan The mess started under G.W. Bush's presidency. We don't know what kind of presence we shall have in Iraq a year from now but President Obama is maintaining plans for withdrawal. A different story in Afghanistan where NATO's UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is involved. But we have been running the war since 2001. The president is expected to announce his decision about increasing the number of soldiers. The military commander has asked for 40,000 more. The number of attacks by drones has increased. Afghan civilians continue to suffer deaths and injuries. Hamid Karzai, the puppet installed by Bush administration as president of Afghanistan in 2004, won a technical victory in recent election when, after detection of wide-spread fraud and announcement of new election, his opponent decided to withdraw from the race. Corruption is said to be rampant in Karzai's Afghanistan. According to recent reports, President Karzai's brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, is one of the major players in Afghanistan's drug trade, and he enjoys a cozy relationship with the CIA. The CIA has been paying him for years to assist in the war against the Taliban. |
A year ago we believed in his message about 'change'; there was a feeling of excitement that things would be different after eight dark years of Bush and the neocons. Not going to happen. Better than Bush is how I feel but there are days when it is hard to maintain that position.
A friend who contributed $1,000 to Obama's campaign in 2008, reveled in his victory:
- My faith in our country and the belief that education and intelligence and smartness still has value in this country has been restored! at least for now.
- On my next international trip I hope I don't have to fidget to disclose my country or origin anymore.
"Almost a year since your message full of joy and high hopes. You were not the only one to feel good. But how do you feel a year later? "
His response:
"Ha ha.. Wonderfully ripped off."
