Color Coded

Remember back when Obama gave his now famous "One America" speech at the 2004 Democratic Convention? The one where he caught the attention of many of us. "There is not a black America and a white America..." Remember how we thought here perhaps was a young man who could raise America's racial issues to a higher plain? It hasn't worked out quite the way I had hoped but I find the man who uttered those words an interesting case regarding race and how he uses it.

This is not criticism but curiosity. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal Obama checked "black" on his census form. He had the option to write anything he wanted. Tiger Woods certainly did, claiming to be "Cablinsian"! Caucasian, black, Indian, Asian. What a mouth full!

Why did Obama not claim his true heritage which is Caucasian and black? It only increases my curiosity about just who and what this man really is. His father, the black, abandoned him. He was raised by his white mother and white grandparents. I wonder if Barack Obama would be our President today had he borne the physical characteristics of his mother or would he just be Berry Obama, the kid with the funny last name?

Was he really an exceptional student during his University years or was he a mediocre candidate elevated by affirmative action? If he was truly the exceptional student why has he had all his academic records sealed? He certainly did nothing beyond his graduation to distinguish himself to the extent of being Presidential material except deliver one very good speech!

Then again, he did nothing, before being awarded it, to merit the Nobel Peace Prize! Maybe this is his destiny; playing catch up to high expectations!

Whatever his reasoning, a man who would literally throw half his heritage under the bus is an enigma to me. The half that raised him, housed him, fed and educated him. Or is he strictly being politically expedient? After all, we've found that America is not yet color blind. We're reminded of that in the strangest of ways!

Blogging - What It Is And Isn't - To Me!

I've mulled awhile as to whether or not to write this post. I'm thinking that as a blogger one needs to be thick skined. On the national stage perhaps so, but on the local level, when being used by another person's blog, I think not. So I'm going to get it out of my system.

It used to be fun and for the most part still is. I like to think out loud, express my opinions and vent my frustrations. Sometimes I even try humor. This is not one of those times. What seems perfectly clear to me as the intent of a post, it seems not to be to others. Most of my readers, those who actually come to my blog and read it seem to be with me on this. When they don't agree they either don't comment or express their views in a civil manner without assuming anything they don't know to be true about me.

Perhaps I do need a thicker skin, but when another blog "front pages" my work and that blog's pit bulls shred me on a regular basis it gets a bit tiring. I don't appreciate being used as bait. If they actually knew me, or read my posts on a regular basis, or I knew them it wouldn't bother me nearly as much. To be savaged by strangers who are unknown to me is not fun. My name is on my blog. It is no secret. Between that and Facebook I'm a pretty open book. I'm married, I love my husband, I loved my dog even though many of them couldn't understand my grief when he was so desperately ill because he was "just a dog". I don't write about local politics because I have too many friends involved and I'd not want to do damage, unknowingly as it may be. Been there, done that and it wasn't fun.

I could go on that blog and defend myself? No. I don't think so. I don't want to enter into a fray which is mean spirited and ignorant about what my political philosophy is, what's more what frames it.

I would guess I get my information from far more sources than they are even aware of, what's more the one's of which they would have me be a sycophant. That they cannot tell a rant of frustration, in which there would be no links to sources backing up the information, to one of serious commentary that do have said links tells me they are not themselves worthy of my frustration. However, as I said, it does get tiresome.

Is it not obvious to them in their criticism of my supposedly right wing thinking they are just as guilty of unmovable thinking of the far left? Just a thought.

I'm going to keep doing what I do. You want to discuss it? Fine. If you don't that's fine too. Just don't assume you are all knowing about what and how I think and don't use me as bait for your dog fights.

I don't like Michael Vick and right now I don't like you - whoever you are.

Mr. President, You Are Flat Out Wrong!

Mr. Obama, you have just done more to put our country at risk of a terrorist attack than the tens of thousands of Americans you scrutinize daily as they go through airports. What are you thinking?

I've tried. I have really tried to find something you have done since taking office that makes me proud that I voted for you. I have not. What you have done is scare me. You scare me with your ego. You scare me with the advisers with which you have surrounded yourself and their tactics. You scare me with your lack of commitment to those around the world who are truly working for the betterment of their countries. You scare me with your support of the dictators who oppose those people. You scare me with your efforts to diminish this country to the level of the least common denominator. You scare me.

You have made a pact with the devil in changing our defense policies to leave allies vulnerable and to reduce our stockpile of nuclear weapons. Now you announce to the world we would use nuclear power on such a limited basis that we would be annihilated before we could ramp up to defend ourselves.

Those who accused you of being too naive to hold the Presidency are proving to be correct. Idealism is wonderful but it has no practical place in governing what was, before you took office, the greatest, most respected nation in the world. One that did not have to apologize for itself. What we were stood on it's own as the beacon to which all freedom loving peoples were drawn.

On your watch we have become the mockery of two bit dictators. Chavez, Kim Jong Il, Ahmadidejad, Karzai. How many others? Hamas, Hezbollah and those who support them. Al Qaeda and the Taliban and those who support them. Do you think for one minute they would hesitate to use nuclear weapons against us? Good God, man! They hate us!

Oh, they might not start with us. On American soil. No, it's most likely to start in their own territory. Take Israel and Iran for instance. What if the unthinkable should happen? How would we respond to rogue states who out weapon us?

It's strange. You seem intent upon nationalizing our country. You are giving unprecedented power to government agencies, allowing them more and more control over our lives and our institutions while you wave a white flag in the face of our adversaries! You are making us more and more vulnerable with every action you take.

This is about the last straw. I will not threaten to leave my country if you are re-elected along with your like minded followers. I will promise you this, however, I will do whatever I can to see that does not happen. You see this is not the government's country. It belongs to the people. To have our President put us in the greatest peril we've ever been in was beyond imagining!

Sadly, now it is a reality. What have you done? And why?

The Enemy Within

If anyone still thinks the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban is winnable, think again. At least that part of it being fought within the borders of Afghanistan.

President Hamid Karzai seems to be making a career of bashing the West in it's efforts to save his sorry excuse of an administration. He's at it again, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal, with a threat that is particularly mind boggling. First he's running around telling the tribal leaders of Kandahar, where a major offensive is planned, that there won't be an operation unless they are happy about it. Happy about it? Kandahar is the birthplace and spiritual center of the Taliban! They're going to welcome a full fledged offensive with open arms?

Then there is the usual whining about the number of civilian deaths and the outrage he feels about the West objecting to his attempt to take over the elections commission. What a sweetheart of a guy. And to think he had an opponent we could have backed that would actually have supported us! Oh well, it's the Obama way to back the wrong party. It's happening here. It happened in Iran. It happened in Honduras. Is there a pattern forming?

This is all pretty much business as usual for Karzai. He must realize his rantings are beginning to be greeted with a, "ho hum, there he goes again" attitude. He's added a new wrinkle. He's said if the efforts by the West to "undermine" him aren't stopped "he, himself, would be compelled to join the other side", the Taliban, if his Parliament didn't back his actions.

You know, Obama wants to cut our nuclear arms supply to reach his goal of a nuclear free world. Never mind the rush to have nucs is escalating like topsy in the Middle East, beginning with Iran. Never-the-less, here's another politically incorrect Dogwalk solution. Drop the surplus Obama thinks he has on Afghanistan and put the whole bloody region out of it's - and our - misery!

It makes no less sense than the rest of his foreign policy. If you can call it that.

It's Only Freedom Of Thought, Not Ethical Malpractice!

Ethics. The fine line between abiding by them and crossing over the line seems to be at issue with a urologist, a staunch Republican, who posted a sign on his practice suggesting you go elsewhere for your urological needs if you voted for Obama. If he were in any other profession than medical it would probably have gone unnoticed. But because he's a doctor who is upset with the health care reform, he's opened his situation to great scrutiny.

He is being accused of pushing the limit. Why? He hasn't turned anyone needing attention away nor does he question anyone about their politics. He's making a point. He's angry and frustrated and is letting it be known. I don't see that as being ethically challenged. I see him as a man as frustrated with the legislation as many of the rest of us.

According to the story, civil rights protections prevent patient discrimination. Well. Let's have a look at patient discrimination. Just last week I wrote of a conversation telling how local doctors will not see patients suffering chronic pain. Is that not unethical?

A subject that is near and dear to my heart is the number of doctors who will not take Medicare or Medicaid patients. Or only "some insurances". I understand the need for decent reimbursements for services in order to keep a practice up and running. I also understand that many patients have no choice as to what insurance, if any, they have.

I have always thought if one is to be a doctor there is an ethical obligation to treat a person in need no matter what. That's why doctors used to take chickens or eggs as payment when no cash was at hand.

In my own situation I've returned to a doctor who takes no insurance what-so-ever. I have to pay for his services out of my own pocket even though I have Medicare. Why did I take this step? Because he spends whatever time is necessary to talk through an issue before I leave his office. It doesn't matter if it takes five minutes or an hour.

The Medicare provider I had previously gave my 15 minutes tops and one topic. We never, in four years, spent time investigating the issue of my back. Oh sure, I was sent to specialist on occasion, but without thought as to which might best address the situation because the situation wasn't known! I couldn't get beyond high blood pressure and cholesterol. I can tell you where the high blood pressure came from!

With the millions of dollars slated to be cut from Medicare reimbursements, along with chunks of the program targeted for elimination, the government and ethicists should be looking at themselves rather than the doctors who will have their livings and, along with it, our care, slashed.

To me a sign on the doctor's door is a pretty sane method of expressing displeasure. If they think this is "pushing the limit" they have yet to talk to me!