January 5, 2015

Hurray! Time for the Happy Dance! Take THAT, GOP, Koch brothers, etc.!

Talk about getting money out of politics, this is something that PBO stressed on this deal:

It would increase the net worth of the Koch brothers from $100B to $200B in one year and he knows what they would do with that money!

January 5, 2015

Please do a piece on this story. Every time I read it I feel fear, nausea, anger and I cry:

Arrested at Hospital for Demanding Medical Care, Woman Dies in Jail Cell

by Cara on March 29, 2012



Anna Brown wasn't leaving the emergency room quietly.

She yelled from a wheelchair at St. Mary's Health Center security personnel and Richmond Heights police officers that her legs hurt so badly she couldn't stand...

A police officer arrested Brown for trespassing. He wheeled her out in handcuffs after a doctor said she was healthy enough to be locked up.

Brown was 29. A mother who had lost custody of two children. Homeless. On Medicaid. And, an autopsy later revealed, dying from blood clots that started in her legs, then lodged in her lungs.

She told officers she couldn't get out of the police car, so they dragged her by her arms into the station. They left her lying on the concrete floor of a jail cell, moaning and struggling to breathe. Just 15 minutes later, a jail worker found her cold to the touch...

http://thecurvature.com/2012/03/29/arrested-at-hospital-for-demanding-medical-care-woman-dies-in-jail-cell/

More to be outraged at the first report. Apparently nothing will be done as she wasn't 'worth' much money, although her two children were orphaned:

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/woman-unhappy-with-care-at-st-mary-s-hospital-is/article_ed640f3d-64a0-516c-88ff-fb770b5e9677.html?print=true&cid=print

Sheshe made a post about the high mortality of black people due to discrimination in healthcare alone, annually. I wish I knew where it was.

Anna is just one of the hidden victims, suspected of being a drug addict or whatever. The link says the doctor won't be punished for making the wrong diagnosis. If anyone has a link on the follow up to this crime, let me know.

January 4, 2015

She was unable to do so, too vulnerable and heartbroken to fight back:

Wenjian Liu's widow, Pei Xia Chen, weeps while clutching a photo of her late husband.

Liu's widow, Pei Xia Chen, said she had lost her "soul mate" and a "wonderful husband".

His father broke down at the funeral as he described how his only child would telephone after every shift during his seven years in the force to reassure his parents he was safe.

"You are the best son, you are the best husband," he said. "We are very proud of you, we love you forever."

Combatting NYPD rightwing propaganda is not the role of the widow, even though I can understand your sentiment. It's not noted how many NYPD came over to comfort her and her family while the Teabagger division pulled their stunt:



A lone police officer could be seen facing forward as colleagues turned their backs on Mayor Bill de Blasio's speech in one section of the crowd.

At least there was one man in that picture who understood the funeral was to honor the fallen, and not make it about themselves. The Mayor spoke with respect:

Mayor de Blasio told the funeral service: "All of our city is heartbroken today."

Liu, 32, had lost his life while fighting for "all that is decent and good", he said. He paid tribute to a "young man who came here from China at the age of 12 in search of the American dream".

Look at the pain and sorrow in these faces. The loss of their brother is also a challenge to their own belief in their job. In coming days, how many will feel separate from those who turned their backs on their fellow officer?



It wasn't just De Blasio they were turning their backs on. The Ramos and Liu's deaths were used as props to their mocking authority and to score political points.

January 4, 2015

Such behavior is not the best way to make friends.

7. Honor other people's thoughts, wishes and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal expression.

~ Native American Code of Ethics

January 4, 2015

That is so fricking bizarre. Shame on you! Here's your earworm. You earned it, LOL:

That's the full history of the media machine in motion in Russia, not really the promised earworm.

Okay, not enough punishment. Put this on full volume and loop it and I guarantee you will love Vladimir Putin! Or never sleep again! Maybe both!

Women around the world want to marry Vlad! Reasons are at the end of the first video, comparing him to men available.

Sometimes, it's just that simple. And... 'the world must be peopled!'

But he just announced he's taken!

*sobs inconsolably, dabs eyes with hanky*

January 4, 2015

Love. Gratitude. Loyalty. To one who took care of his parent and probably him when he was helpless.

An attorney told me when we were discussing the hostility toward the disabled, that it is a part of life. Every life, not just some. It is among the phases of life and he said there is:

NOTHING WRONG WITH IT.

In regular terms, being disabled or unable refers to work and being able to do gainful employment only. That is the standard in a society which values money more than people, denying their worth if they can't make money.

But an infant is helpless and 'unable' to care for itself or make money. They are 'unable' and we accept it as we expect the child will develop and be independent one day.

Retirement is based on the fact that most people will not be able to work as hard as they once did. They are 'unable' he said, but accepted, but only if they are loved or can afford to be cared for. There is disrespect for them from some now in our society. What they did that we still benefit from appears forgotten by some.

There are those for whom becoming 'disabled' or 'unable' hits within their working years, or close to that period. They are worth just as much as the others, but get the brunt of society's disdain.

IT IS A NATURAL PART OF LIFE.

All will meet this stage, or have a simple death, for they came from that vulnerable state to begin with. Who dares to judge them, when the same shall be their fate?

I have a friend who used to travel miles to see her sister, whose death was long and prolonged, but was being cared for by her family. Then she came down with Alzheimmers.

She called me after one such long trip of driving hundreds of miles, and her sister did not know her. She was exhausted and doubted if her going to see her did any good.

I recounted to her a story someone emailed me some time before. An elderly man was going to see his own doctor, and then he planned to go and see his wife, who was in a nursing home with Alzheimmers.

'She doesn't remember you, why do you go there?' the doctor said, thinking of his health and the long drive he'd be making.

He replied, 'But I remember her.'

I've met a number of people in nursing homes with Alzheimmers. And they are still searching to be connected in some way to someone.
I won't go into those stories, and of course there are negative ones, too.

I've been a caregiver and it is very hard to be on call 24/7. Lethal at times, and one may have to go for help, which won't be easy to get without giving up everything.

I applaud this young man who still remembers the woman who helped build the life he has now.

JMHO.

January 3, 2015

Not the government's fault: Soaring Generic Drug Prices Draw Senate Scrutiny

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014948358

Check out our favorite fascists for the real source of woe:

Poor Folks in the U.S. Can No Longer Afford Treatment for Pneumonia

Yes, this is a scary headline. Almost sounds sensational. It isn't. It is a cold hard fact. At this moment, if you are counting your pennies, trying to scrape up enough to pay for a $4 drug at Wal-Mart or Target, you can not afford an antibiotic that will treat your walking pneumonia---meaning that you could end up in the hospital saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills.

For years, doxycycline has been a valuable drug for physicians who treat the indigent --- unemployed or underemployed folks without insurance. A staple of $4 drug lists, it can be used to treat everything from bronchitis to "walking" pneumonia to urinary tract infections to skin infections to acne to venereal disease---and it covers some rarer infections like Lyme's and is sometimes used for malaria prevention, too.

For as long as I can remember--and I am pretty damn old---doxycycline, a twice a day form of tetracycline has been widely available and cheap as dirt.

And then, this winter, something surprising and very troubling happened. A patient with a list of medical problems longer than his arm and no income (he was still appealing a Social Security Disability denial) came down with bronchitis, possible early pneumonia--the two can be difficult to differentiate. I wrote him a prescription for doxycycline. He took it to the pharmacy. They wanted over $50 for it. He did not have over $50. He had $4. That was how much the drug used to cost at the same pharmacy.

He is not alone. Here is an LA Times Story about someone who had the same problem last year. Turns out that the difference can depend upon which generic drug manufacturer is making a specific medication at any given time. And apparently, right now, the one making doxycycline charges an arm and a leg for it.

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/mar/07/business/la-fi-lazarus-20130308

A CVS pharmacist in Los Angeles, who asked that his name by withheld because of fear of retaliation by the company, shared with me the average wholesale price of different makers' doxycycline, as made available to pharmacists by the McKesson Connect online ordering system.

The system shows that the average wholesale price of 100 doxycycline pills made by Watson with a strength of 100 milligrams is $328.20. The same number of doxycycline pills at the same strength made by Mylan cost $1,314.83.

Mylan? Where have I heard that name before? Oh, yes. ALEC. As in "The Koch Brothers" and their corporate welfare mentality.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/ALEC_Corporations

Where else have I heard of Mylan? Oh yes, the great lorazepam price fixing scandal.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=117795

The Federal Trade Commission approved a $100 million settlement with Mylan Laboratories, the largest monetary settlement in the commission’s history.

The agency had charged Mylan, of Pittsburgh, Pa., with conspiring to deny four competitors ingredients necessary to manufacture widely prescribed generic versions of anti-anxiety drugs. The practice resulted in a 3,000 percent boost in the price of the drugs, according to the FTC.

“Anti-competitive acts in the pharmaceutical industry potentially cost consumers millions of dollars in higher prescription prices,” says Richard Parker, director of the commissions’ bureau of competition.

Mylan is now the third largest generic drug manufacturer in the world since it acquired an Indian generic drug manufacturer--meaning that it is in great shape to corner the market on these all important key ingredients needed for drug manufacturing.

http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/business/s_582510.html#axzz2vVDPxdWb

Not so long ago, the nation watched as patent drug manufacturers paid generic drug makers NOT to produce their product---keeping drug prices high. Keep that in mind as you ask yourself why a drug as popular as doxycycline is in short supply. This is not one of those orphan drugs that no one wants to make because almost no one needs it. This stuff sells itself. The more that is made, the more we will see it used. Why isn't supply attempting to keep up with demand? Where is the bottleneck in the so called "free market economy"?

If this were a fictional mystery, I would now tell you why doxycycline has gotten so expensive that poor folks can no longer afford it. Since this is real life, I don't know. If someone out there knows the answer, please tell me. Meanwhile, when a patient without money and without prescription drug coverage comes in which bronchitis/and or pneumonia, I am going to be hard pressed to get him treated with what is currently available on most $4 lists.

to McCamy Taylor:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024635542



And their philosophy has been accepted by the majority of the American people:

Why We Allow Big Pharma to Rip Us Off

http://billmoyers.com/2014/10/06/allow-big-pharma-rip-us/

Ronald Reagan laughs in his grave everytime the American people blame the government of, by and for the people. He did his best to destroy it and the media has taught people to say it as if it some kind of religious chant. S.S.D.D. Second verse, same as the first...

January 3, 2015

LOL at the Top Secret files on the website...

Maybe it's not dumbed down enough for Foxheads to read it. Besides, this guy had a much bigger media persona:



The head of the criminal organization SPECTRE, Ernst Stavro Blofeld is perhaps the quintessential movie villain. In his first few appearances he was only seen from behind with his cat, which became an enduring image of the character. While he has been portrayed by a number of actors and as having different appearances, he is perhaps best remembered from his appearance in You Only Live Twice where he is portrayed as bald with a distinctive scar over his eye. This image has become the stereotypical image of the criminal mastermind, directly influencing characters from Austin Powers’ nemesis Dr. Evil to Doctor Claw, Inspector Gadget’s arch-enemy.

http://popwrapped.com/news/73191/bond-24-oscar-winner-returning-villain/

Insert EVIL OBAMA pic here ______.

January 2, 2015

'If anyone on DU has a problem with that you know what to do.'

You're doing yourself more harm than good with that.

I did not call you a racist, and specifically said I do not alert. I will not alert this thread, nor the people posting on it.

Overall I agreed with you and not the grifter imam. And his immature followers who are so easily seduced by his manner, I have no sympathy for, either.

There is an abhorrence at DU at the thought of taking the claptrap this guy and others like him as seriously as some do. Many DUers are familiar with the theme that one-percenters encourage this to divide people and make money from wars.

There is also the political use:

Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West is a 2005 documentary film about the perceived threat of radical Islam to Western civilization. The film makes use of extensive Arab television footage depicting Islamic radicals preaching hate speech and seeking to incite global jihad. It also draws parallels between World War II's Nazi movement and Islamism and the West's response to those threats.[1]

Wayne Kopping of South Africa co-wrote and directed the film. Raphael Shore, a Canadian-Israeli, co-wrote and produced the film, and is the founder of The Clarion Fund, the film's distributor. The movie has received praise from some personalities in the media such as Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity,[2] but others criticized it as Islamophobic with a political agenda, and for its association with pro-Israeli groups.

Segments of the movie were broadcast on CNN Headline News and in several specials on Fox News. The movie was also screened on 30 college campuses and Capitol Hill. The unusual distribution of 28 million free Obsession DVDs as an insert in over 70 newspapers predominantly in swing states before the United States 2008 presidential election, garnered much attention, with 5 newspapers refusing to distribute the DVD. National Public Radio reported that it was unclear as to who funded Clarion's distribution of the DVD...[3]

The film was initially distributed to college campuses in 2007 and in September 2008, the Clarion Fund, in cooperation with the Endowment for Middle East Truth,[22] distributed 28 million DVDs of the film by mail,[23] and in newspaper advertising supplements, predominantly in swing states...

News & Record president and publisher Robin Saul said: "It didn't meet our advertising standards. We were told its purpose was educational. We didn't see it as educational at all. It was fear-mongering and divisive."[40][41] The editor John Robinson wrote: "As a journalist, my default position is to provide people with more knowledge, however troubling, rather than less. Were this truly an issue of the freedom of information, I would have argued to publish. But this was a paid advertisement presenting one side of an inflammatory issue..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Obsession:_Radical_Islam%27s_War_Against_the_West&printable=yes

We've also heard the 'Obama is a secret Muslim planning to institute Sharia' slur applied. And that the Democratic Party's belief system of allowing for all religions or lack thereof, to be protected by the Constitution, is wrong so it is condemned by the far right.

It's made DU very suspect of anything that sounds the least anti-Islamic, even if the ideas expressed by this imam and others are hateful. In order to protect our own belief sytem, we have had to tolerate theirs.

Not to mention the belief at DU that interference in Muslim nations caused 9/11; that the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars were unjust and have set us on the path to religious warfare, which is something the Founders tried hard to avoid; that we should leave them alone; more so, some believe that we 'had it coming,' unfortunately.

I am not naming names as it is not proper here, nor calling out DU. There are simply echoes of such in posts, at times more direct, at times not so direct as stated. I do not agree or disagree with what I've stated in a B&W fashion; those are not my thoughts.

I hope from that list you will understand where the feelings of some at DU come from on this issue. No one here is willing to let this happen here. And Europe is much different from us, having invited so many to move there for cheap labor. They claim they are not being accepted, thus they have withdraw into fanaticism. Some never had intentions to 'assimilate' into European culture and follow the laws of the host countries. This is not new.

I expect to see more conflict with climate change, larger population and desire for more land and resources pushing mass migrations. Then there are some with ideas of a world caliphate. From all signs, it would be hideous thing as ISIS is proposing and enacting where they can. It's going to be a challenge for the West, as we don't know what to do with it, or don't have the will or knowledge to stop it. At every turn when the West opposes ISIS, the call of hypocrisy or even profit taking is leveled.

What is your solution, since these hateful groups are now interwoven into the society of those nations, have married, had children, and are citizens?

January 1, 2015

They do say Motherland, don't they? Better than Fatherland or Homeland, I guess:

And despite the hysteria about 'plans for nuclear war with Russia' earlier this year, that didn't happen, either:

President Obama Brilliantly Take Down a Heckler Who THINKS He’s Going to BLOW UP RUSSIA



During his speech at the DNC, President Obama was interrupted by a heckler who claimed that he is planning a nuclear war with Russia. The president’s reaction was priceless.

Transcript:

AUDIENCE MEMBER:

Mr. Obama!

THE PRESIDENT: — I consider Republicans patriots who love this country just as much as we do.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Tell us about your plans for nuclear war with Russia!

THE PRESIDENT: I’m sorry, who’s that back there? (Laughter.) What the heck are you talking about? (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Obama! Obama! Obama!

THE PRESIDENT: No, no, don’t worry about it. We’re okay. Have a seat. I don’t know anything about that plan. (Laughter.) I don’t know what you’ve been reading. (Laughter.) Let me return to what I was talking about. (Applause.) See, he thought happy hour started earlier. (Laughter and applause.)
The look on President Obama’s face was priceless. If that wasn’t the ultimate WTF look, I don’t know what is. When protesters have an issue that they care about, this president has been very generous in letting them speak. However, this particular heckler was a crackpot. President Obama doesn’t want to go to war with Russia. He most definitely has no interest in starting a nuclear war. This isn’t the Cold War. Obama isn’t going to nuke Russia over the events in Ukraine. It’s silly to think that is a possibility.

It is even less likely to happen because the president made a statement today that emphasised that the consequences for Russia’s actions in Ukraine will come from the international community. For the millionth time, Barack Obama is not George W. Bush. Even George W. Bush wasn’t cowboy enough to threaten to drop a nuke on somebody. This heckler was a bit of a paranoid freak, and the president handled this individual’s rude interruption incredibly well.

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/02/28/president-obama-brilliantly-heckler-thinks-blow-russia.html

to Segami:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024582939

The video was shorter than this one, but a great time was had by all. Was at it for days!

From your thread in May:

http://metamorphosis.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1017&pid=193323#

The first video is LOL but the second is ROFLMAO funny. Good for a laugh and a nice way to remember what's been as the New Year begins.

Happy New Year, uhnope!