Sicko

I thought Sicko was Michael Moore’s best film so far because he covered all his facts with sources, which he did not always do in his other films leaving it up the movie going public to check the facts by reading books on the issues. There are two reasons that I can think of for this, one is the subject matter there are more sources on health care than any other subject and two it would have made his other movies less entertaining it is easer to list sources in books than in films unless you put them in the credits that no one reads.
The big difference between Michael Moore’s Critics and Michael Moore is his backs his facts with sources and his critics don’t. Michael Moore made CNN back down from many of their criticisms. A lot of what the supporters of the American Medical system say about the other systems around the world are either lies, BS, half truths, or true about one system, but not about others and many are also true about the American system sometimes worst in America. The thing that Americans hate most is Taxes which would go up a lot if we went to a one payer system, but that would be made up for in the fact that we or our employers would pay less for Medical Insurance making America more competitive in the world job market. The fact that we are 37th in health care does not mean there are not good things about the American system and the fact that France is number one does not mean that they don’t have problems, but medical care for profit have problems built into it that other systems don’t

Fireworks for the Fourth or the Fourth for Fireworks

Fireworks for the Fourth or the Fourth for Fireworks

The fourth of July 1776, the day John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence (the others signed much later) was the date set a side has the date the United States of America started. Actually independence didn’t come until 1789 when the treaty of London was signed. Since I was a kid the fourth has been celebrated with Fireworks, but I always thought that the important thing was that it is Independence Day not the Fireworks themselves. Fireworks are nice, but they shouldn’t be the important thing. They are not freedom as some have said they are dangerous and should only be in the hands of Professionals

First Democratic Debate

The first Democratic debate on April 26, 2007 in SC in my humble opinion helped me to get to know the positions of some of the candidates.

Former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel; I did not know him before and even if they did treat him like a potted plant, when he did get to talk he was very good and I liked him a lot, but they will probably make him look like a nut. I don’t know what his position on other issues than Iraq like health care and education.

Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich; I like his position on Iraq, but I would have to hear more about his positions on health care and education.

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards; I think he has the most detailed position on health care, education and how he would pay for it. He has to work of his Iraq position a little more other than saying he is sorry for his vote on the war.

New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton; she has a good position on the war in Iraq if she gets elected, she has had a great position on health care since she was first lady. I would like to hear more about education, but her husband was good on education when he was president.

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden; he has the best position on Iraq of any of the candidates, but I need to hear more about health care and education.

Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd; another potted plant they didn’t call on him much, but he sounds like a run of the mill politician. I didn’t hear his position on Iraq, Health care or education.

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama; he said he is against the war, but when asked how he would respond he sounded more pro-war than anti-war and he had very poor response to health care and I am still waiting for his position on education

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson; Poor on Iraq, Gun control, health care and education. He fell more than anyone in my opinion as a result of this debate

Military Lies

Since the first recorded military report thousands of years ago there probably has not been one account of military action that has told the whole truth. Which is why they say that history is written by the victors and today’s military is no different.
The Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch stories illustrate how easily the military lies without even thinking about it. Pat Tillman was said by the military to have been killed the enemy in a firefight with al-Qaida and Taliban troops as he led his unit to assist a group of ambushed soldiers. Actually Tillman was killed by a group of US Soldiers that were itching for a firefight and mistook him for the enemy. The military also said that they took him to a hospital where they continued medical care. Actually his head was half blown off and he was dead on the battlefield. The question for congress is how far up does the cover up go.
Jessica Lynch an Army truck driver who was captured in an ambush during the early days of the Iraq war. The military put out the story of the little girl Rambo from the hills that went down fighting. This was not true she was wounded with broken legs and a cut to her head and she had pasted out. She said that she thought this might not be bad because “it would inspire our troops and rally a nation”. What she wants to inspire our troops to do what is the question is it to take unnecessary risks trying to be another Rambo and endangering their lives and that of their follow troops.
So when you hear stories from a War Zone take them with a lot of salt.

Don Imus and Free Speech

What Don Imus said was not covered under the first amendment because he stepped on other people’s rights mainly the Girls on the Rutgers Basketball team and he has a history of using his radio program to do just that to others. The right wing media has tried to marginalize the issue by pointing out how many people were on Don Imus’s show, or how many people had to apologize publicly giving them another excuse to play the file film of President Clinton which has nothing to do with making racial and sexist statements on the air. Speech has never been free actually the ink was not dry on the first amendment when the Government made it against the law to say anything against the president (John Adams) and his administration. Eventually that law was repealed I’ll bet some in the Bush Administration wishes it hadn’t been. No one should have a right that hurts other people that is why Don Imus was and should have been fired.

Cho's Message

Cho’s Message to NBC


Seung-Hui Cho sent a package to NBC containing Photos, Videos and his writings mostly a lot of double talk about the fact he came from a poor family and had to work hard for what he got. When other students seem to have everything they wanted for little or no work. Now they say that Cho was mentally ill and some people knew about him being dangerous for months if not years a judge even said he was dangerous to himself and others. The question here is was he ignored because he was Korean or what? Why was he still able to buy handguns when he had a history of being mental ill? Another question is if his family had stayed in Korea would he have been set off by better off Koreans? You don’t hear of Massacres in other Countries unless there is a war going on. So maybe it was a combination of things. He is poor while other students seem like spoiled brats with everything, but not looking at the fact he had a lot more than other people. He might have felled like an outsider, but there were students from all races and one of his victims was Korean herself. He might have been caught up in the American culture of violence that made the other pressures come to a boiling point that otherwise wouldn’t have happened.

Virginia Tech Massacre

Virginia Tech Massacre

The first report about the Virginia Tech Massacre I heard from CNN was that it set a new record for school massacres, that’s what we need to set new goals for our young people. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine said he didn’t think anyone should use the Virginia Tech massacre for a political hobby horse while he flew back as fast as he could from Japan to gave a news conference on something he knew nothing about so he could get his Photo-op. Everyone from University officials, Campus police and Doctors patted themselves on the back at how well they did and no one should look back on their actions (Monday morning quarterbacking, 20/20 hind site etc), but the only way we learn from our mistakes is to review our work or we will repeat our mistakes over and over again. The only way to change the culture of Violence is to educate future generations that violence only begets more violence and to give peace a chance.

Wild West America

We all watched as the Pro-Gun people were trying to explain away Cho Sung-Hui with such statements as “there were too few guns on campus”, “It is irresponsibly dangerous to tell citizens that they may not have guns at schools.” This is just some examples of the thinking of the Pro-Gun Culture in America and that keeps the United States of America near the top of Murder by firearms Number eight behind South Africa, Colombia, Thailand, Zimbabwe, Mexico, Belarus, and Costa Rica. It is interesting to note that Countries with Gun Control have low murder rates per-capita than countries that don’t. See the Web site below:
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/cri_mur_wit_fir_percap-crime-murders-firearms-per-capita

Gun control measures might have made it hard for Cho Sung-Hui to get a gun, but not impossible, what is need is a change in the Pro-Gun Culture which is one of the reasons that Virginia Tech Campus Police did not shut down the campus after the first shooting and a gunman which still loose on campus. It was too normal for someone to shoot his girlfriend in Virginia; if they had thought different they might have saved 31 lives.

A True Planetary Emergency

Al Gore took his case to save us from ourselves to Congress and I for one thought he made a good case. Judging from the reaction of the Senators some seem to think of Global Warming another way Liberals are tiring to keep them from making money. This is not an issue like evolution that can and probably will be debated until the end of time. Changes that Al Gore and Scientist (Scientist not in the employ of Corporations or Government) says must be made now or the end of time will be sooner than we think. We all may have to pay a little more now, but our children and our children’s children will receive a world worth living in.

St. Patrick's Day 2007

When the Irish Catholics came to America they to a Man and Women were of the Working Class many in the 1840’s were escaping Starvation in Ireland when Countries like Britain and America would only help non-Catholic Irish. When the Irish got to America they found they were hated as much here as in their homeland except in America they had food. So you would think they would have empathy with other minorities that are suffering the same way their ancestors did and some do, but a lot seem to think the best way to be accepted by Society is to become the haters instead of the hated. They have turned Irish originations into hate groups and have excluded some minorities from the New York City St. Patrick’s Day Parade. I am picking on the Irish, but other ethic groups have followed this path as well. The world would be a lot better place for all people if you just would remember where you came from!
Happy St. Patrick's Day

Democrats take over Congress

Yes it is a good thing that the Democrats have taken over the house by a good margin and the Senate barely because it put some progressives the head of some committees. There are more progressives in the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. The question is there enough progressives to get anything done for the working class in America, it seems that so far Congress has been tried up with Iraq and sending more working class people to died, than social programs to help them. Now they are starting the 2008 Presidential race ahead of time. So it seem like the good news is the Republicans are not in control of Congress and the bad news is that the Democrats are.

I return at last

You might have noticed (but probably not) that I have not posted since October 2006. I have some excuses like I was busy with putting videos on YouTube, digitizing old photos, a trip to Ireland and a little thing called prostate cancer.
The videos I put on YouTube are mostly of the trips my wife and I have taken over the years. Some are Slideshows other videos (one from 1977 was on super 8 film) I put music to a lot of the slideshows and videos and have gotten a good response from the YouTube viewers.
It’s going to take me a long time to digitize the entire old photo collection especially since when I find a new and better way to do it I go over what I already did, but it keeps me alive.
Our trip to Ireland was great and you can see videos of it on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=bellrich . we went to Dublin for a week then to Kerry on the west coast of Ireland.
The Doctor gave me the options of doing nothing about my prostate cancer in the hopes that something else would kill me before the cancer could. Implanting radio active seeds in my prostate or removing my prostate. There are side effects to all the options, so I took the middle one and had seed implants.
There have been a few big news events since I last posted and I will try to catch up.

What Military option?

North Korea, Bush’s Military option?


In his Rose Garden News Conference Bush laid out what he thought were his options.
One; bilateral talks with North Korea by the Bush administration which Bush says will not work because Kim Jong-Il has told “Lies” before.
Two; get other nations in the area that are in harms way like South Korea, Japan, Russia and especially China to pressure North Korea to give up their Nuclear Arms.
Three; The Military Option bomb and invade North Korea.
Now Bush being a wise man says he chooses option two, but he says option three is still on the table. The reporters let him get away with this and some seem to want him the bomb North Korea.
Well I am just a common old working man, but it seems to me that we couldn’t handle North Korea in the 1950’s when that was the only war we were fighting and we had the drift. Now with an Army of only people we can fool into joining and fighting two and a half wars it seems to me that Bush has no military option and in fact has only the option he so wisely chose.

Anne Greenwood Hunter dies at home in Scotland

BIOGRAPHY OF ANNE HUNTER


Anne was born in Alva in 1944, daughter of Mary Greenwood sister of Jeanette.

Post war Scotland had little to offer but, Anne spent a lot of her childhood holidays with her Uncle Peter and Aunt Jes, along with her cousin Sheena. On leaving school
Anne worked in the Mills at Alva along with most of her friends.

In the year of 1960 love was found under the Ochil Hills, when a skinny young man moved in over the road from Anne. She soon became the wife of Donald Stuart McLean Hunter. Their love grew to the sounds of Cilla Black and Cliff Richards.

Anne and Stuart lived in Alva for the next 10 years where they had their first two children, Dorothy and Vivien

They left in the year of 1970 with another daughter in their arms, Valerie, and moved to Grangemouth as Stuart had a new job in the BP.

Anne looked after her three daughters and then along came her long awaited and adored son Stuart.

For Anne and Stuart their family was complete and they were over the moon with their four children, well for most of the time!!

Over the next years Anne worked as a cleaner and then moved to a small company making blinds, she made a few good friends during these years.

They stayed in Moray Place and they have indeed been living there for the last 36 years.

She made more good friends there, the Quinny’s and the Shaw’s to name but a few. The neighbours all had children and there were always groups of kids coming and going into all the neighbouring houses.

Every Sunday without fail Anne would attend Church with these neighbours and in the early years the children were ‘dragged along’ also, she was always trying to save their souls. She was also a Sunday School teacher for a number of years at the Dundas Church.

Over the next years Dorothy, Vivien, Valerie and Stuart grew up, married and of course along came the grandchildren, Scott, Steven, Kathyrn, Alasdair, Emma and finally little Millie.

Anne loved and adored all her grandchildren from the oldest to the youngest, her years were spend looking after them whilst their parents worked, helping them with their homework, playing games with them and of course wiping away their tears when they were ill or had hurt themselves.

When she got time off from the grand children, Anne loved her TV, loved to watch morning television seeing what other people were up to in their lives. And of course when the summer came Big Brother took up all of her time, when visitors came during this time they knew they would have a fight to get any other conversation from Anne other than what had been happening on Big Brother.

Anne never stopped worrying about all her children and grand children over the years, always making sure they were okay, and, of course, was always ‘praying for their souls’ every Sunday at Church. She was a very caring person and was there whenever she was needed.

Anne and Stuart had an amazing marriage and their love was solid for the full 45 years they had together.

This love was a great foundation for their family, who never strayed very far from the nest, and Stuart and the children have drawn great strength from it in the last week since Anne has passed away.

Anne was taken suddenly from the family and there is a now a huge hole in all of their lives. This will never be filled but it will slowly shrink with the love of family and friends.


One breath here, the next you were gone,
A saving grace is your pain was not long,
We hoped to have you for a good while yet,
The things we never said fill us with regret.

You taught us to love with perseverance,
Let us live our lives without interference,
We’re better people for having known you,
We have each other to pull us through.

You’ve earned your rest and a place above,
All things must die but never love,
We’ll only think of the happy times together,
Knowing you’ll be part of us forever.

Don't let the Media tell you what to think

Media News or Inductions?

This week we have seen the Television News both Network and Cable Demonize international leaders Mahmoud Ahmadinjad, Hugo Chavez and our own Bill Clinton.
The Media has been doing a job on Mahmoud for a while trying to picture him as a nutty leader of Iran who refuses to give in to western pressure to give up Iran’s Nuclear program. This week at the UN in New York he made a great speech in which he came out against the Western Powers control of the UN though the Veto. Usually the American people can not hear full speeches, but are only told what is said though the Media the way they want you to hear it. So they had to demonize him in some way and they came up with an old speech of his where he is said (by the Media) to have denied the Holocaust, but really said that more than Jews died in World War two and that the Arabs had nothing to do with the Holocaust, but are being punished for it.
Now Hugo Chavez also made a speech to the UN in New York this week in which he started out with a joke about Bush being the devil, but the rest of the speech was about the corporations exploration of the People of South America and now he is trying to improve the lives of his people. Hugo also made a speech in a church in Harlem where he increased the Fuel discount three times to poor Americans. The only thing the American people would hear from the Media was the first few minutes of his UN Speech in which he made his joke about Bush unless they turned to C-span and heard the full speech. Some politicians really said only American citizens can criticize the president confusing President with King we do not have Royal Citizens in this country.
Bill Clinton made the big mistake of giving the Foxy news network an interview. It was to be about his Global Program to give billions of dollars help feed the people of the world, stop Global Warming, give Medical care to areas that need it and more that I can’t remember. The Foxy Newsman sandbagged him with a fake question asking him why he let 9/11 happen, he of course got mad, but kept his cool and give it right back to the Foxy “News” reporter. The only News that reported it right that I saw was NBC News.
People should not let someone on television or newspaper form your opinion about world leaders hear them out then form your opinion.

Freedom of Religion


The first Amendment to the Bill of Rights to the Constitution of the United States of America states:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibition 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.”
Later counts have used this for the establishment of the wall of separation between church and state this was never meant to protect the state from religion, but religion from itself. The framers of the constitution had seen what happens when one religion becomes dominate in both the Puritans in Massachusetts and the Anglicans in Virginia (Jamestown). Especially the Puritans who burned people at the stake if the didn’t believe the same as they did. The main ones who fought for freedom of religion were James Madison and Thomas Jefferson along with John Adams and Ben Franklin, Madison wrote “Whilst we assert for ourselves a freedom to embrace, to profess and observe the religion which we believe to be divine origin, we cannot deny an equal freedom to those whose minds have not yet yielded to the evidence which has convinced you.”
They saw the use of the word God by the Government as a “Public God” which could mean a divine God in heaven or just the human spirit that moves humankind forward whatever your personal believes are it was meant to mean all things to all people. They did not live in the fancy world that school history books put them in, but the real world in which they knew there would always be those that would try to make their religion the dominate one in the nation that is why the first amendment.
There are those today that are trying to make this a Christian America, put their prays in public schools, to make all student learn Science the way their Bible says there by making their religion the dominate one. Thank God there are groups like the ACLU that fights for our freedom of religion and other right given to us by the Constitution.
Note: some idea and saying from the American Gospel by Jon Meacham. You can find out a lot more on this subject by reading this book.

Bush "they just don't listen"

Bush’s News Conference

George W said people are not listening to him, but the real trouble is that he or anyone else in his gang is listening to themselves. When George W was asked about why America got into the Iraq War he said that first was the Weapons of Mass Destruction which we found out that he didn’t have any, but he thought in would be nice to have some. Bush being a religious man and thinking about sinning is just the same as doing it. Then came the classic Bush he said after all we have to remember the attack on the World Trade Center that killed 3,000 then the reporter ask what Saddam Hussein had to do with 9/11? Bush answered nothing! No one ever said they did which of course he just did and has done many time in the past three years as well as his VP as done also. So it seems that they don’t listen to themselves.

Terrorist Bomb Plot?

Terrorist Bomb Plot?

The world is in a panic over a Allege Bomb Plot to blow up from one to ten planes going from London to the USA or a least American’s and Brittan’s fear of terrorist is reinforced. This even if Scotland Yard or FBI have yet to find any Explosive of any type, the people arrested didn’t even have passports or tickets, what were they waiting for, but ho one of them called his brother in Pakistan how unusually. A couple of the arrested people made videos watch out all you U-Tube fans. I am sure the governments of UK and USA will come up with more which of course they can’t tell us about like Islamic Charities sending them money. How much money do you need for this plan it seem to be a low cost plan to me and why did so many people know about it? It seems like part of the plan was to be found out.
Public opinions in both America and Brittan is increasingly turning against the Middle East wars they needed something to reinforce public fear the British wanted to wait, but the American Government wanted the plot to break before the November election.

Terror Alert there must be an Election coming.

Election = Orange Alert

Now I am just a common old working lad, but has anyone besides me noticed that when elections come nearer the terrorist alerts come more often. The last time we heard these color alerts was in 2004 about six months before the Presidential Election. The closer the election came the more often the Alerts they were coming weekly by the end of October. They even came up the film clip of Osama bin Laden just before the election. Osama bin Laden of course was in the employ of the CIA to fight against the Soviets in the 1980’s that is how he got his start. The art of fear Politics is hardly new, but Bush and his gang have brought it to a new level.
Using fear as to control the Masses is as old as the human race. It was use by many people though out history to gain and keep their hold on power. When America geared up for World War two Capitalist found that a lot of money was to be made in the defense industry if they just keep the public in fear of something. First it was Nazism, then Communism and now the best one of all Terrorism which they can keep on going forever if we let them. The next alert will be at the end of October

What is a life worth?

When we listen to Israeli officials talk about the Lebanon’s civilian deaths they don’t seem to think Arab lives are worth much, certainly not as much as Israeli lives. The Israeli’s seem to think to destroy Hezbollah is to kill as many Arabs as possible. But it is human nature to value your national Citizens more than whose of other nations. What about the Arabs themselves the Hezbollah and other much groups came up with the suicide bomber that targets civilians, kills a loyal supporter of the Group and usually turns public opinion against them. The Hezbollah rockets seem to be more like World War two rockets that you just fire in the general direction of your target. When it runs out of fuel it comes down usually killing civilians.
It seems to me that both sides should have figured out by now that they can’t wipe out the other side and there for must come to some kind of an agreement. I am just a common old working lad, but I seems to me that they could come to that agreement before they started killing civilians most of who are children.
Then there are the young people that risk and sometimes give up their lives willingly sometimes for a lies told by their leaders. Just because these young people want to be heroes does not mean governments or any leader has a right to take their lives unless they tried everything else and there is no other way.