This post is part vlog, part blog. It’s long. Kick back and watch, read, learn and become terrified.

[YOUTUBE= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk4JBDzlI2Q%5D

Ok, that was an odd story. Not so scary, just different. Keith often does odd stories. Usually, though, they are not about political leaders and their witch-hunting pastors. Keith Olbermann picked up on the witch hunter aspect of Palin’s speech, but neglected to cover the most terrifying part of this particular speech. Olbermann’s guest addresses it, but it winds up being glossed over. What is so terrifying? Palin’s reference to Revelations, the Prophecy, Alaksa’s role in the prophecy and the response from the pastor. This deserves much more attention. Much, much more.

By the time you finish this entire post, you will be horrified and terrified that Sarah Palin could ever possibly ascend to the role of Vice President of the U.S. (and very possibly President of the U.S.).

First, let’s watch the entire speech Sarah Palin gave as she spoke to the Assembly of God in Wasilla, a snippet of which was shown in the Countdown clip above. The entire speech is in two parts. What was shown on Countdown is part of the second clip (below).

Palin Speaks at the Wasilla Assembly of God Church – Part 1

I highlight some of the key passages below (along with the appropriate minute marks):

2.00 I can do my part in working hard for the pipeline. Pray for the Alaska pipeline. God’s will has to be done in unifying companies and people – but none of that does any good if the people of Alaska’s hearts aren’t right with God.

3.40 Pray for our military who are doing what is right for the country. National leaders are sending them out on a task that is from God. That’s what we are praying for and that that plan is a plan is God’s plan.

4.58 What comes from this church has great destiny.

5.20 A red-headed Sasquatch (missionary) for Jesus.

6.20 Let us pray god may give to you the spirit of revelation including the spirit of prophesy. God is going to tell you what is going on and what is going to go on. Good, good things in store for the state of Alaska. Let us pray for God’s will to be done here for all of your destinies to be met in this state. We are the head not the tail and I see things in the works that are coming to fruition, percolating, coming along. Praying for the outpouring of God’s spirit for the revival to be here in Alaska

Many of the above words and phrases, whichＩdisplayed in bold, are code words which any believer would be able to quickly identify. They relate to the Book of Revelations, also known as the End of Times and Armageddon.

Palin Speaks at the Wasilla Assembly of God Church – Part 2

Again, key quotes:

0.23 (Pastor from the Master’s Commission) Palin declared some things that were powerful.

1.10 Prophetic declaration that unfolds the kingdom of God. A prophetic call.

1.40 God wants to tap into as a refuge to the lower 48. I believe Alaska is one of the refuge states, come on you guys, in the last days, hundreds of thousands of people will come to Alaska to seek refuge. The church has to be ready to minister to them.

2.15 (Pastor from the Assembly of God) Father we are humble and grateful and pray for your mercy we have come to the kingdom for such a time as this. Pray for Sarah for wisdom strength, for help unity and your presence will be so real that we will say this is a God thing…this is a God thing.

Palin is then presented a diploma from the MC offering a “Big thank you from the Master’s Commission.”

This speech resulted in Palin being placed under the microscope for improperly using state funds. She billed the state for airfare, food and other expenses for this weekend return to her home town so she could deliver the speech to students graduating the Master’s Commission program at her Wasilla Assembly of God church. Both she and the Lt. Governor were publicly blessed during the event.

From Talk2Action:

Saturday, September 7, 2008, McClatchy news service story detailing possibly improper use of state travel funds by Palin for a trip she made to Wasilla, Alaska to attend, on June 8, 2008, both a Wasilla Assembly of God “Masters Commission” graduation ceremony and also a multi-church Wasilla area event known as “One Lord Sunday.” At the latter event, Palin and Alaska LT Governor Scott Parnell were publicly blessed, onstage before an estimated crowd of 6,000, through the “laying on of hands” by Wasilla Assembly of God’s Head Pastor Ed Kalnins whose sermons espouse such theological concepts as the possession of geographic territories by demonic spirits and the inter-generational transmission of family “curses”. Palin has also been blessed, or “anointed,” by an African cleric, prominent in the Third Wave movement, who has repeatedly visited the Wasilla Assembly of God and claims to have effected positive, dramatic social change in a Kenyan town by driving out a “spirit of witchcraft.”

More on that African cleric shortly, but what about this Master’s Commission? Just what is this radical, extremist religious group all about? From the Master’s Commission website:

If you couldn’t watch the above, here are the key pieces:

History:

• The history of the Master’s Commission states, in part: Pastor Steve established a call to his young adults on the foundation of a radical pursuit of Christ and the joining of the generations to accomplish the purposes of God.

Leadership Values:

• Leadership training is accomplished in the Master’s Commission through practicing servant hood and laying down one’s life for their friends.

Vision:

To see young men and women develop and pursue intimate, effective and radical relationships with God, the Father, Jesus His Son, His Holy Spirit, the generations that have gone before them and one another.

To see young men be men who are not afraid to lead and are violent in their pursuit of righteousness.

There are Master’s Comissions throughout the United States. This is information on the Master’s Commission of Wasilla’s website (click on Videos). It is shown below via YouTube.

The long version follows.

The Master’s Commission at Wasilla AoG is an international program that replaces college with religious training grounded in Third Wave ideas. The senior pastor, Ed Kalnins was a graduate of the Original Master’s Commission Phoenix. (Source)

Not only is The Assembly of God associated with The Master’s Commission, it is also associated with Third Wave activities and theology. In fact, three of the four churches, including the The Assembly of God, where Palin was “saved and baptized” at age 12, are affiliated with the Third Wave, a movement declared heretical by the Assemblies of God in 1949.

Talk2Actoin says:

… Ed Kalnins, and Masters Commission students have traveled to South Carolina to participate in a “prophetic conference” at Morningstar Ministries, one of the major ministries of the Third Wave movement. Becky Fischer was a pastor at Morningstar prior to being featured in the movie “Jesus Camp.” The head of prophecy at Morningstar, Steve Thompson, is currently scheduled to do a prophecy seminar at the Wasilla Assembly of God. Other major leaders in the movement have also traveled to Wasilla to visit and speak at the church.

If you haven’t seen Jesus Camp or are unfamiliar with it, watch the following videos:

Ok, what about this Third Wave?

Rodney Howard-Browne is recognized worldwide as the source of Holy Laughter anointing to revivals around the globe. He has become a central figure in the Third Wave, also known as the New Apostolic Reformation, and is credited with bringing Holy Laughter to the Toronto Airport Blessing and the Lakeland Outpouring. Howard-Browne is also a long time associate of Mike Rose, senior pastor of Juneau Christian Center, formerly the Bethel Assembly of God. Mike Rose has been the Alaska State Legislature Chaplain since 1994 and has espoused Christian nationalist sentiments since that date, when he offered the following prayer, May 5, 1994 on the AK Senate floor:

“Our society’s rejection of Biblical principles and truth has placed our country in spiritual and moral jeopardy. Our need for revival and renewal is great, but you said in Your word, ‘If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land.’ ” (Source)

What is Holy Laughter, you ask?

Ooooo-k.

Everything noted above is associated with Palin’s church. Also associated with this church is the pastor referred to in the Countdown video that started off this post; (now a) Bishop Thomas Muthee, who is returning to the Wasilla Assembly of God in this month.

Thomas Muthee visited Wasilla Assembly of God and gave 10 consecutive sermons at the church, from October 11-16 2005. As both Palin and Wasilla AoG Head Pastor Ed Kalnins have attested, Thomas Muthee ‘prayed over’ Sarah Palin and entreated God to “make a way” prior to Palin’s successful bid for the Alaska governorship. Muthee made a return visit to the Wasilla Assembly of God in late 2008. (Source)

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Bishop Muthee started his church when God spoke to him.

The church begun in 1989 February, in Kiambu town as Word of Faith Church. This was after nine concrete months of prayers and fasting by Bishop Thomas Muthee and his late wife Margaret Muthee. God spoke to them when they were living in Scotland to come and begin ministry work in Kenya.

Also from Muthee’s church site:

Our Vision: Touching lives for total community transformation thereby taking cities and nations.

Projects: Over the years the Word of Faith ministries has endeavored to spread the Gospel of Christ through out Kenya. In order to realize a holistic approach, WOF has embarked on various projects that will affect the generations with the gospel, through disciplining, training and equipping per excellence.

From the Times Online:

The pastor speaks of his offensive against a demonic presence in the town in a trailer for the evangelical video “Transformations”, made by Sentinel Group, a Christian research and information agency.

“We prayed, we fasted, the Lord showed us a spirit of witchcraft resting over the place,” Pastor Muthee says.

Transformations cited four cities they transformed. In reality, many things went into the “transformations” which took place. Here is a detailed analysis. I did check the statistics of Hemet, California and crime is up in almost every category. Here are the crime statistics for 2003 and 2006. Cali, Columbia seems to be following that trend, too. This from a local Columbian discussion group regarding the safety of Cali for women traveling there.

BUT everyone knows that while crime in BOG(ATA)/MED(ELLIN) DECLINE the past several years, CALI took the opposit [sic] trend and crime went UP.

Perhaps the resident witches have been driven out, this is difficult to quantify, but the rest of the claims do not seem to hold water.

Sarah Palin believes that America was founded on Christian principles and that our Founding Fathers used Under God in the Pledge of Allegiance. That phrase was not added to the Pledge until 1954. Here is a video of grade school students reciting the original Pledge of Allegiance.

In fact, it has long been established that America was NOT founded on Christian principles. In fact, it was unanimously agreed upon in a Senate vote in 1797 – one of four such Senate votes.

“The government of the United States is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.” – Treaty of Tripoli, by unanimous Senate vote in 1797

Let us look at what the Founding Fathers said about religion:

Benjamin Franklin:

“The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason.” Benjamin Franklin Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1758

“He (the Rev. Mr. Whitefield) used, indeed, sometimes to pray for my conversion, but never had the satisfaction of believing that his prayers were heard.”

“I have found Christian dogma unintelligible. Early in life, I absenteed myself from Christian assemblies.”

“Religious controversies are always productive of more acrimony and irreconcilable hatreds than those which spring from any other cause. I had hoped that liberal and enlightened thought would have reconciled the Christians so that their [not our?] religious fights would not endanger the peace of Society.” George Washington Letter to Sir Edward Newenham, (Note that Washington wrote “their” instead of “our” above.)

John Adams:

“The divinity of Jesus is made a convenient cover for absurdity.” John Adams

“The government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion.” John Adams, Treaty of Tripoly, article 11

“But how has it happened that millions of fables, tales, legends, have been blended with both Jewish and Christian revelation that have made them the most bloody religion that ever existed.” John Adams, letters to family and other leaders 1735-1826

Thomas Jefferson:

“Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined, and imprisoned, yet we have not advanced one inch toward uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half of the world fools and the other half hypocrites.” Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia

“The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the Supreme Being as His father, in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter.” Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John Adams, April 11, 1823

James Madison:

“In no instance have . . . the churches been guardians of the liberties of the people.”

“Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprise.” James Madison, April 1, 1774

Abraham Lincoln:

“My earlier views of the unsoundness of the Christian scheme of salvation and the human origin of the scriptures have become clearer and stronger with advancing years, and I see no reason for thinking I shall ever change them.” Lincoln in a letter to Judge J.S. Wakefield, after the death of Willie Lincoln

And from a female American hero, Susan B. Anthony:

“The religious persecution of the ages has been done under what was claimed to be the command of God.” Rufus K. Noyes, Views of Religion, quoted from James A. Haught, ed., 2000 Years of Disbelief

“I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires.” Susan B. Anthony, a Biography, 1988

Between End-Times prophecies, witch-hunting bishops who bless Palin unconditionally, without knowing her personally, only her church, to her ignorance of what this nation was and was not founded upon, and her desire to engage in more wars, including Russia, is this the person you want a heartbeat away from becoming the President of the United States of America?

More to see, this and this.

Cross posted at TheZoo.

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By request…for Peter G.

How will you fare under John McCain’s healthcare plan? What about Barack Obama’s proposal for healthcare? There are a of questions floating around concerning both McCain and Obama’s respective health plans. Do you have any conditions (such as what he has; history of cancer) that might exclude you from obtaining private healthcare? Can you change jobs and rely on getting your own healthcare insurance should your employer-to-be not offer any company insurance because they will no longer receive any incentives to continue doing so? Will you be forced to use governmental doctors? Will the government stand over the shoulders of the doctors interferring with your doctor’s decisions? Good questions! We’ll get to the answers shortly.

First, you may want to take a look at how your state fares right now, in terms of how many people are uninsured, how many have have insurance with chronic conditions, how many have employer health insurance, and then those insured in that category called “other coverage.” Click on the map and find out.

Click on the Map to See the Status of Healthcare in Your State

Ok, so what does John McCain’s healthcare policy say? How about Obama’s plan? Keep reading to find out. Keep reading for my thoughts on both of their plans.

First, John McCain’s plan:

The key to McCain’s plan is it continues to deal with private healthcare insurance companies. The mission of the private healthcare companies is to maximize profits, as mandated by law for any public company. A public company must do everything it can to ensure profitability for the shareholders.

And McCain believes in the Free Market solving everything, which is impossible when you have two diametrically opposing needs: outlay of money for sick people and maximizing profits for shareholders. The two just do not work in our favor.

He says that they will offer innovative insurance that costs less. Less to whom? If you no longer have a company being subsidized by the government (in corporate tax deductions) they will unlikely continue to offer benefits, especially if it will cost you more. What if you don’t have any income for a period of time? What if you lose your job?

As to portability, insurance companies set what they will cover, not cover, and varying conditions of any coverage.

Health Savings Accounts are great, if you have money to set aside for the possible emergency. With the spiraling costs of food, gasoline, heating, and just about everything else, how much would the average American be able to put into an account? And again, what if you find yourself unemployed?

I see a lot of areas where McCain wants to work with states and legislatures to enact change. Does that mean shifting costs to the states when the private insurers will not cover things or people? What if the Free Market says no to the proposals? We need to remember that McCain does not believe in govermental regulations, which always makes me think about pet food, lead in childrens toys and toothpaste, and tainted Heparin, a injectible drug used to clot blood.

McCain mentions privatizing existing state insurance programs. Right now, people on Medicaid and Medicare have better insurance than I do. That is a regressive step. I want the same healthcare insurance that Senator McCain has.

One approach would establish a nonprofit corporation that would contract with insurers to cover patients who have been denied insurance and could join with other state plans to enlarge pools and lower overhead costs. There would be reasonable limits on premiums, and assistance would be available for Americans below a certain income level.

This tax credit will now come to you, and no longer your employer. This effectively erases any incentive for them to continue to offer healthcare plans to you. Because larger employers get discounts for large-volume buying (many employees = big discounts), those discounts will not be available to individual families.

You will get a tax credit of up to $5000. That is not money in your pocket, it is a credit taken on your tax return. So, you wind up with more costs out-of-pocket and the possibility of a tax credit, depending upon how you file your taxes.

To summarize Senator McCain’s proposal, I see a lot of nice words, with very little specifics – and the ones that I do see, don’t reassure me. I also see a call for more privatization (Medicare).

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But what about Obama’s plan? Ok, let’s address that:

The first thing I see in Obama’s plan is that it covers everyone with insurance similar to what Senator Obama has himself. It guarantees coverage to every single American with no conditions, with affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles. Subsidies will be offered to those who cannot afford to pay. All children will be required to be covered.

Employers that do not offer or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees will be required to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the national plan.

His plan gives the states the flexibility to continue to experiment with varying options and plans as long as they meet the minimum national standards set.

He wants to cover health preventative programs (something sorely lacking in any program now. You have to become ill to get help.) He also spells out how to ensure that everyone has QUALITY healthcare by having QUALITY healthcare providers, including preventable medical error reporting, incentives to the providers to excellence levels, and research, among other things. This means that you continue to use whatever private doctor you choose, they just get paid by the government.

It includes several specifics on how to cut costs; moving to electronic information technology and lowering costs by increasing both competition and drug markets.

Obama will allow Americans to buy their medicines from other developed countries if the drugs are safe and prices are lower outside the U.S. Obama will also repeal the ban that prevents the government from negotiating with drug companies, which could result in savings as high as $30 billion.

Well, if Canada can buy drugs from the US and sell them at a fraction of what we pay, and with the Bush administration refusing to allow drugs be imported to the US from Canada, this makes an awful lot of sense!

Obama’s plan sounds very similar to House Resolution 676, which is already written and ready to go. We just need people to support it, both in Congress and then a president who will sign it into law. Having read HR 676, I can honestly say that I LOVE IT! This is a far cry from “socialized medicine” and it gives everyone access to healthcare, something which should be a right, not an option based on your income.

Take a look at it. It details out how it will be paid for, that you can use any doctor you want who certified, and the biggest plus is that doctors support it! Many doctors think that the current state of healthcare in America is frustrating. From having to hire people specifically to deal with insurance SNAFU’s to not being able to provide care for the patient because the clerk at the insurance company is virtually standing over the doctor’s shoulder with a calculator and a wagging finger saying No, No, No.

Senator McCain said in his presidential acceptance speech last night:

My tax cuts will create jobs. His tax increases will eliminate them. My health care plan will make it easier for more Americans to find and keep good health care insurance. His plan will force small businesses to cut jobs, reduce wages, and force families into a government run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor.

I don’t know about you, but right now, I have had some insurance company bureaucrat and the people who, of late, refuse to fill any of my doctors’ prescriptions (the last five prescriptions were turned down by the insurance company). And we’re talking things like specific antibiotics for a wicked sinus infection I had. As it is, I use one prescription nasal spray which has a $50.00 copay, yet while I was in Canada and ran out, the entire cost to me, as a foreign citizen, was $26.00. Now tell me, who is standing in the way of good healthcare?

I think it’s the private insurance companies that Senator McCain wants to bet the farm on.

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Cross posted at TheZoo.

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From John McCain’s official website. Key items are highlighted below:

John McCain’s Vision for Health Care Reform

John McCain Believes The Key To Health Care Reform Is To Restore Control To The Patients Themselves. We want a system of health care in which everyone can afford and acquire the treatment and preventative care they need. Health care should be available to all and not limited by where you work or how much you make. Families should be in charge of their health care dollars and have more control over care.

Making Health Insurance Innovative, Portable and Affordable

John McCain Will Reform Health Care Making It Easier For Individuals And Families To Obtain Insurance. An important part of his plan is to use competition to improve the quality of health insurance with greater variety to match people’s needs, lower prices, and portability. Families should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide, across state lines.

John McCain Will Reform The Tax Code To Offer More Choices Beyond Employer-Based Health Insurance Coverage. While still having the option of employer-based coverage, every family will receive a direct refundable tax credit – effectively cash – of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families to offset the cost of insurance. Families will be able to choose the insurance provider that suits them best and the money would be sent directly to the insurance provider. Those obtaining innovative insurance that costs less than the credit can deposit the remainder in expanded Health Savings Accounts.

John McCain Proposes Making Insurance More Portable. Americans need insurance that follows them from job to job. They want insurance that is still there if they retire early and does not change if they take a few years off to raise the kids.

John McCain Will Encourage And Expand The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) For Families. When families are informed about medical choices, they are more capable of making their own decisions and often decide against unnecessary options. Health Savings Accounts take an important step in the direction of putting families in charge of what they pay for.

A Specific Plan of Action: Ensuring Care for Higher Risk Patients

John McCain’s Plan Cares For The Traditionally Uninsurable. John McCain understands that those without prior group coverage and those with pre-existing conditions have the most difficulty on the individual market, and we need to make sure they get the high-quality coverage they need.

John McCain Will Work With States To Establish A Guaranteed Access Plan. As President, John McCain will work with governors to develop a best practice model that states can follow – a Guaranteed Access Plan or GAP – that would reflect the best experience of the states to ensure these patients have access to health coverage. One approach would establish a nonprofit corporation that would contract with insurers to cover patients who have been denied insurance and could join with other state plans to enlarge pools and lower overhead costs. There would be reasonable limits on premiums, and assistance would be available for Americans below a certain income level.

John McCain Will Promote Proper Incentives. John McCain will work with Congress, the governors, and industry to make sure this approach is funded adequately and has the right incentives to reduce costs such as disease management, individual case management, and health and wellness programs.

A Specific Plan of Action: Lowering Health Care Costs

John McCain Proposes A Number Of Initiatives That Can Lower Health Care Costs. If we act today, we can lower health care costs for families through common-sense initiatives. Within a decade, health spending will comprise twenty percent of our economy. This is taking an increasing toll on America’s families and small businesses. Even Senators Clinton and Obama recognize the pressure skyrocketing health costs place on small business when they exempt small businesses from their employer mandate plans.

CHEAPER DRUGS: Lowering Drug Prices. John McCain will look to bring greater competition to our drug markets through safe re-importation of drugs and faster introduction of generic drugs.

CHRONIC DISEASE: Providing Quality, Cheaper Care For Chronic Disease. Chronic conditions account for three-quarters of the nation’s annual health care bill. By emphasizing prevention, early intervention, healthy habits, new treatment models, new public health infrastructure and the use of information technology, we can reduce health care costs. We should dedicate more federal research to caring and curing chronic disease.

COORDINATED CARE: Promoting Coordinated Care. Coordinated care – with providers collaborating to produce the best health care – offers better outcomes at lower cost. We should pay a single bill for high-quality disease care which will make every single provider accountable and responsive to the patients’ needs.

GREATER ACCESS AND CONVENIENCE: Expanding Access To Health Care. Families place a high value on quickly getting simple care. Government should promote greater access through walk-in clinics in retail outlets.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Greater Use Of Information Technology To Reduce Costs. We should promote the rapid deployment of 21st century information systems and technology that allows doctors to practice across state lines.

MEDICAID AND MEDICARE: Reforming The Payment System To Cut Costs. We must reform the payment systems in Medicaid and Medicare to compensate providers for diagnosis, prevention and care coordination. Medicaid and Medicare should not pay for preventable medical errors or mismanagement.

SMOKING: Promoting The Availability Of Smoking Cessation Programs. Most smokers would love to quit but find it hard to do so. Working with business and insurance companies to promote availability, we can improve lives and reduce chronic disease through smoking cessation programs.

STATE FLEXIBILITY: Encouraging States To Lower Costs. States should have the flexibility to experiment with alternative forms of access, coordinated payments per episode covered under Medicaid, use of private insurance in Medicaid, alternative insurance policies and different licensing schemes for providers.

TORT REFORM: Passing Medical Liability Reform. We must pass medical liability reform that eliminates lawsuits directed at doctors who follow clinical guidelines and adhere to safety protocols. Every patient should have access to legal remedies in cases of bad medical practice but that should not be an invitation to endless, frivolous lawsuits.

TRANSPARENCY: Bringing Transparency To Health Care Costs. We must make public more information on treatment options and doctor records, and require transparency regarding medical outcomes, quality of care, costs and prices. We must also facilitate the development of national standards for measuring and recording treatments and outcomes.

Confronting the Long-Term Challenge

John McCain Will Develop A Strategy For Meeting The Challenge Of A Population Needing Greater Long-Term Care. There have been a variety of state-based experiments such as Cash and Counseling or The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) that are pioneering approaches for delivering care to people in a home setting. Seniors are given a monthly stipend which they can use to hire workers and purchase care-related services and goods. They can get help managing their care by designating representatives, such as relatives or friends, to help make decisions. It also offers counseling and bookkeeping services to assist consumers in handling their programmatic responsibilities.

Setting the Record Straight: Covering Those With Pre-Existing Conditions

MYTH: Some Claim That Under John McCain’s Plan, Those With Pre-Existing Conditions Would Be Denied Insurance.

FACT: John McCain Supported The Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act In 1996 That Took The Important Step Of Providing Some Protection Against Exclusion Of Pre-Existing Conditions.

FACT: Nothing In John McCain’s Plan Changes The Fact That If You Are Employed And Insured You Will Build Protection Against The Cost Of Any Pre-Existing Condition.

FACT: As President, John McCain Would Work With Governors To Find The Solutions Necessary To Ensure Those With Pre-Existing Conditions Are Able To Easily Access Care.

Combating Autism in America

John McCain is very concerned about the rising incidence of autism among America’s children and has continually supported research into its causes and treatment.

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And this from Barack Obama’s official website:

Quality, Affordable and Portable Coverage for All

• Obama’s Plan to Cover Uninsured Americans: Obama will make available a new national health plan to all Americans, including the self-employed and small businesses, to buy affordable health coverage that is similar to the plan available to members of Congress. The Obama plan will have the following features:
  1. Guaranteed eligibility. No American will be turned away from any insurance plan because of illness or pre-existing conditions.
  2. Comprehensive benefits. The benefit package will be similar to that offered through Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), the plan members of Congress have. The plan will cover all essential medical services, including preventive, maternity and mental health care.
  3. Affordable premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
  4. Subsidies. Individuals and families who do not qualify for Medicaid or SCHIP but still need financial assistance will receive an income-related federal subsidy to buy into the new public plan or purchase a private health care plan.
  5. Simplified paperwork and reined in health costs.
  6. Easy enrollment. The new public plan will be simple to enroll in and provide ready access to coverage.
  7. Portability and choice. Participants in the new public plan and the National Health Insurance Exchange (see below) will be able to move from job to job without changing or jeopardizing their health care coverage.
  8. Quality and efficiency. Participating insurance companies in the new public program will be required to report data to ensure that standards for quality, health information technology and administration are being met.
• National Health Insurance Exchange: The Obama plan will create a National Health Insurance Exchange to help individuals who wish to purchase a private insurance plan. The Exchange will act as a watchdog group and help reform the private insurance market by creating rules and standards for participating insurance plans to ensure fairness and to make individual coverage more affordable and accessible. Insurers would have to issue every applicant a policy, and charge fair and stable premiums that will not depend upon health status. The Exchange will require that all the plans offered are at least as generous as the new public plan and have the same standards for quality and efficiency. The Exchange would evaluate plans and make the differences among the plans, including cost of services, public.
• Employer Contribution: Employers that do not offer or make a meaningful contribution to the cost of quality health coverage for their employees will be required to contribute a percentage of payroll toward the costs of the national plan. Small businesses will be exempt from this requirement, and will receive a new Small Business Health Tax Credit that helps reduce health care costs for small businesses.
• Support for Small Businesses: Barack Obama will create a Small Business Health Tax Credit to provide small businesses with a refundable tax credit of up to 50 percent on premiums paid by small businesses on behalf of their employees. This new credit will provide a strong incentive to small businesses to offer high quality health care to their workers and help improve the competitiveness of America’s small businesses.
• Mandatory Coverage of Children: Obama will require that all children have health care coverage. Obama will expand the number of options for young adults to get coverage, including allowing young people up to age 25 to continue coverage through their parents’ plans.
• Expansion Of Medicaid and SCHIP: Obama will expand eligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs and ensure that these programs continue to serve their critical safety net function.
• Flexibility for State Plans: Due to federal inaction, some states have taken the lead in health care reform. The Obama plan builds on these efforts and does not replace what states are doing. States can continue to experiment, provided they meet the minimum standards of the national plan.

Lower Costs by Modernizing The U.S. Health Care System

• Reducing Costs of Catastrophic Illnesses for Employers and Their Employees: Catastrophic health expenditures account for a high percentage of medical expenses for private insurers. The Obama plan would reimburse employer health plans for a portion of the catastrophic costs they incur above a threshold if they guarantee such savings are used to reduce the cost of workers’ premiums.
• Helping Patients:
  1. Support disease management programs. Seventy five percent of total health care dollars are spent on patients with one or more chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Obama will require that providers that participate in the new public plan, Medicare or the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) utilize proven disease management programs. This will improve quality of care, give doctors better information and lower costs.
  2. Coordinate and integrate care. Over 133 million Americans have at least one chronic disease and these chronic conditions cost a staggering $1.7 trillion yearly. Obama will support implementation of programs and encourage team care that will improve coordination and integration of care of those with chronic conditions.
  3. Require full transparency about quality and costs. Obama will require hospitals and providers to collect and publicly report measures of health care costs and quality, including data on preventable medical errors, nurse staffing ratios, hospital-acquired infections, and disparities in care. Health plans will also be required to disclose the percentage of premiums that go to patient care as opposed to administrative costs.
• Ensuring Providers Deliver Quality Care:
  1. Promote patient safety. Obama will require providers to report preventable medical errors and support hospital and physician practice improvement to prevent future occurrences.
  2. Align incentives for excellence. Both public and private insurers tend to pay providers based on the volume of services provided, rather than the quality or effectiveness of care. Providers who see patients enrolled in the new public plan, the National Health Insurance Exchange, Medicare and FEHBP will be rewarded for achieving performance thresholds on outcome measures.
  3. Comparative effectiveness research. Obama will establish an independent institute to guide reviews and research on comparative effectiveness, so that Americans and their doctors will have the accurate and objective information they need to make the best decisions for their health and well-being.
  4. Tackle disparities in health care. Obama will tackle the root causes of health disparities by addressing differences in access to health coverage and promoting prevention and public health, both of which play a major role in addressing disparities. He will also challenge the medical system to eliminate inequities in health care through quality measurement and reporting, implementation of effective interventions such as patient navigation programs, and diversification of the health workforce.
  5. Insurance reform. Obama will strengthen antitrust laws to prevent insurers from overcharging physicians for their malpractice insurance and will promote new models for addressing errors that improve patient safety, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship and reduce the need for malpractice suits.
• Lowering Costs Through Investment in Electronic Health Information Technology Systems: Most medical records are still stored on paper, which makes it hard to coordinate care, measure quality or reduce medical errors and which costs twice as much as electronic claims. Obama will invest $10 billion a year over the next five years to move the U.S. health care system to broad adoption of standards-based electronic health information systems, including electronic health records, and will phase in requirements for full implementation of health IT. Obama will ensure that patients’ privacy is protected.
• Lowering Costs by Increasing Competition in the Insurance and Drug Markets: The insurance business today is dominated by a small group of large companies that has been gobbling up their rivals. There have been over 400 health care mergers in the last 10 years, and just two companies dominate a full third of the national market. These changes were supposed to make the industry more efficient, but instead premiums have skyrocketed by over 87 percent.
  1. Barack Obama will prevent companies from abusing their monopoly power through unjustified price increases. His plan will force insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care instead of keeping exorbitant amounts for profits and administration. His new National Health Exchange will help increase competition by insurers.
  2. Lower prescription drug costs. The second-fastest growing type of health expenses is prescription drugs. Pharmaceutical companies are selling the exact same drugs in Europe and Canada but charging Americans more than double the price. Obama will allow Americans to buy their medicines from other developed countries if the drugs are safe and prices are lower outside the U.S. Obama will also repeal the ban that prevents the government from negotiating with drug companies, which could result in savings as high as $30 billion. Finally, Obama will work to increase the use of generic drugs in Medicare, Medicaid, and FEHBP and prohibit big name drug companies from keeping generics out of markets.

Fight for New Initiatives

• Advance the Biomedical Research Field: As a result of biomedical research the prevention, early detection and treatment of diseases such as cancer and heart disease is better today than any other time in history. Barack Obama has consistently supported funding for the national institutes of health and the national science foundation. Obama strongly supports investments in biomedical research, as well as medical education and training in health-related fields, because it provides the foundation for new therapies and diagnostics. Obama has been a champion of research in cancer, mental health, health disparities, global health, women and children’s health, and veterans’ health. As president, Obama will strengthen funding for biomedical research, and better improve the efficiency of that research by improving coordination both within government and across government/private/non-profit partnerships. An Obama administration will ensure that we translate scientific progress into improved approaches to disease prevention, early detection and therapy that is available for all Americans.
• Fight AIDS Worldwide. There are 33 million people across the planet infected with HIV/AIDS. As president, Obama will continue to be a global leader in the fight against AIDS. Obama believes in working across party lines to combat this epidemic and recently joined Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) at a large California evangelical church to promote greater investment in the global AIDS battle.
• Support Americans with Disabilities: As a former civil rights lawyer, Barack Obama knows firsthand the importance of strong protections for minority communities in our society. Obama is committed to strengthening and better enforcing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) so that future generations of Americans with disabilities have equal rights and opportunities. Obama believes we must restore the original legislative intent of the ADA in the wake of court decisions that have restricted the interpretation of this landmark legislation.Barack Obama is also committed to ensuring that disabled Americans receive Medicaid and Medicare benefits in a low-cost, effective and timely manner. Recognizing that many individuals with disabilities rely on Medicare, Obama worked with Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) to urge the department of health and human services to provide clear and reliable information on the Medicare prescription drug benefit and to ensure that the Medicare recipients were protected from fraudulent claims by marketers and drug plan agents.
• Improve Mental Health Care. Mental illness affects approximately one in five American families. The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that untreated mental illnesses cost the U.S. more than $100 billion per year. As president, Obama will support mental health parity so that coverage for serious mental illnesses are provided on the same terms and conditions as other illnesses and diseases.
• Protect Our Children from Lead Poisoning. More than 430,000 American children have dangerously high levels of lead in their blood. Lead can cause irreversible brain damage, learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and, at very high levels, seizures, coma and death. As president, Obama will protect children from lead poisoning by requiring that child care facilities be lead-safe within five years.
• Reduce Risks of Mercury Pollution. More than five million women of childbearing age have high levels of toxic mercury in their blood, and approximately 630,000 newborns are born at risk every year. Barack Obama has a plan to significantly reduce the amount of mercury that is deposited in oceans, lakes, and rivers, which in turn would reduce the amount of mercury in fish.
• Support Americans with Autism. More than one million Americans have autism, a complex neurobiological condition that has a range of impacts on thinking, feeling, language, and the ability to relate to others. As diagnostic criteria broaden and awareness increases, more cases of autism have been recognized across the country. Barack Obama believes that we can do more to help autistic Americans and their families understand and live with autism. He has been a strong supporter of more than $1 billion in federal funding for autism research on the root causes and treatments, and he believes that we should increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to truly ensure that no child is left behind.More than anything, autism remains a profound mystery with a broad spectrum of effects on autistic individuals, their families, loved ones, the community, and education and health care systems. Obama believes that the government and our communities should work together to provide a helping hand to autistic individuals and their families.

Barack Obama’s Record

• Health Insurance: In 2003, Barack Obama sponsored and passed legislation that expanded health care coverage to 70,000 kids and 84,000 adults. In the U.S. Senate, Obama cosponsored the Healthy Kids Act of 2007 and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization Act of 2007 to ensure that more American children have affordable health care coverage.
• Women’s Health: Obama worked to pass a number of laws in Illinois and Washington to improve the health of women. His accomplishments include creating a task force on cervical cancer, providing greater access to breast and cervical cancer screenings, and helping improve prenatal and premature birth services.

Ok, ok…it’s Photoshopped…but I still think it’s hysterical. Sorry, my inner adolescent popped out. What does your inner adolescent have to say?

h/t: Uncle Joe Mccarthy at Crooks and Liars.

An Alaskan Celebrity

What do we know about Sarah Palin, the presumptive Republican Vice Presidential nominee?

Palin is vehemently anti-abortion (including cases of rape and incest). She thinks the earth is 6000 years old and is all for Intelligent Design education. She doesn’t believe in modern science.

She believes that man-made global warming is a hoax; polar bears are on their own. She believes in wildlife population control, including shooting wolves from the air.

Palin was an ardent supporter of Pat Buchanan in 2000.

She has a degree in Journalism from the University of Idaho, was a member of the Wasilla, AK (population ~9000) City Council before becoming their two-term Mayor. Palin has been the Governor of Alaska (population ~670,000) for just over a year and a half. She was also commissioner of a state oil and gas commission and is a stalwart supporter of drilling in ANWR.

Her only business experience was running a fishing boat with her husband. And she was a television sports reporter. Oh, wait…she was a runner-up for Miss Alaska.

Not too long ago, she said that she didn’t know what the vice president does. (Note to the Obama campaign: Video loop of that statement, please!) And her foreign policy experience consists of her proximity to Russia. （Yes, Fox actually said that!) National Security experience? Non-existent.

Palin has five children, including a near five-month old with Down-Syndrome.

And the oddest part of it all? It’s been reported that McCain has met with Palin, exactly: once before yesterday.

Grand resume for the next Veep, don’t you think? Why do I feel she will be all the Cheney without the dick, Harriet Miers with an updo, and the first trophy Vice President?

Aside from the email problem Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has, ThinkProgress reports that she is already under an ethics investigation for influence peddling in the firing of her ex-brother-in-law (heavy emphasis on the ex part). Talking Points Memo is also on the story, and it appears there is a tape of the pressure her office put on those who be to fire the ex-brother-in-law state trooper. Worse yet, she appointed a man who had a bit of a sexual harassment problem, who had to resign a in short order after being appointed by Palin. And then there was the possibly illegal activity by her office to interfere with a clean water bill. It seems she is already on the right track for Republican more-of-the-same, ethically challenged politics. She’s a maverick alright;is there an industry she doesn’t love?

Apparently, she was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it – but she wasn’t against keeping those funds. And Alaska receives more earmarks than any other state.

Arizona, the second fastest growing state in the nation, will receive just $18.70 per capita in federal earmarks this fiscal year. By comparison, Alaska — with roughly a tenth of Arizona’s population — is set to receive $506.34 per capita, the highest in the nation, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group which tracks earmarks.

The state of Alaska receives about three times as much as Arizona receives in actual dollars, $346 million to $119 million.

Steve Benen at Washington Monthly was confounded by her selection as Veep.

Can anyone, anywhere, explain why Sarah Palin would make a good president? Given that McCain is a 72-year-old man with a history of health trouble, isn’t this a rather important question right now?

Damned good question.

Mark Kleiman has several good articles about Palin, go read them (and don’t forget Digby. She has some doozies, too!) But this one, from Kleiman, struck me the most regarding her stances on issues – they are almost non-existent (information below the fold). Be sure to watch the bonus video below the fold, as well.

On the issues:

OnTheIssues.org is a website that catalogues politicians’ issue stances.

Here’s the complete listing for Sarah Palin:

*******
Sarah Palin on Budget & Economy
Aim to reduce general fund spending by $150 million. (Jan 2007)

Sarah Palin on Civil Rights
Marriage only be between and man and a woman. (Nov 2006)

Sarah Palin on Corporations
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Crime
If legislature passed death penalty law, I would sign it. (Nov 2006)

Sarah Palin on Drugs
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Education
Fully fund K-12 and support early funding of education. (Jan 2007)

Sarah Palin on Energy & Oil
Stranded Gas Development Act no longer applies. (Nov 2006)
Get ANWR open. (Nov 2006)

Sarah Palin on Environment
Provide stability in regulations for developers. (Jan 2007)
Convince the rest of the nation to open ANWR. (Jan 2007)

Sarah Palin on Families & Children
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Foreign Policy
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Free Trade
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Government Reform
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Gun Control
Supports Constitutional right to bear arms. (Nov 2006)

Sarah Palin on Health Care
Flexibility in government regulations to allow competition. (Nov 2006)

Sarah Palin on Homeland Security
Promote from within, in Alaska’s National Guard. (Nov 2006)

Sarah Palin on Immigration
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Jobs
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Local Issues
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Principles & Values
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Social Security
Fund the Seniors Longevity Bonus Program. (Nov 2006)

Sarah Palin on Tax Reform
Repeal “nuisance taxes” including the tire tax. (Jan 2007)

Sarah Palin on Technology
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on War & Peace
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

Sarah Palin on Welfare & Poverty
No issue stance yet recorded by OnTheIssues.org.

John McCain is 72 years old. Should he be elected, he will be the oldest first time president in history, which makes the very real possibility that Ms. Palin could very well become the President of the United States of America. I am glad to see that McCain is taking this whole POTUS thing seriously.

As an added bonus:

Why do I feel that this is some grand joke? Only, the joke is on US.

More on Palin:

From Time.
From Yahoo News.
From HuffPo.
From UsMagazine.
And don’t you know, it’s already here? The VPILTF.

Cross posted at TheZoo.

This group of Republicans have decided to put country first.

Pass this along to any of your friends who might think about voting for McCain. It doesn’t have to be about party. It has to, for once, be about US. (And don’t forget to watch this terrifying McCain video – and pass it along, too.)

If you know Republicans who are voting for McCain, get this information to them. If they don’t like Obama, FINE!

• Persuade them to vote for Barr.
• Persuade them to vote for McKinney.
• Persuade them to vote for Nader.
• Persuade them to write in Ron Paul.

Any vote not cast for McCain is a win for our country.

And remember that every one of us knows someone who is voting for, or leaning towards McCain. Every one of us has to do our part.

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Cross posted at TheZoo.

The WSJ states that the FDA has listed its ban on the tainted vegetable, while the CDC says that there still may be more cases not yet reported which resulted from tomatoes. More than 1200 people were sickened in this latest produce disaster.

Congress has scheduled several hearings next week concerning the salmonella outbreak and why thee was such a lengthy delay in determining the cause.

The sought-after amount is based on an estimate from Florida growers and includes crops abandoned in the field, products thrown out by retailers and tomatoes forced to be sold as low as $5 a box, compared with as much as $20 in a normal market, said Reggie Brown, executive vice president of the Florida Tomato Growers Exchange, a cooperative of tomato farmers. The Agriculture Department hasn’t released a firm estimate of the cost to farmers or distributors.

Call me crazy, but shouldn’t we try to figure out exactly what happened first, before we opt to shovel $100 million dollars to any industry? Especially one which may be at fault?

Consumer advocates oppose the bill. Sarah Klein, a staff attorney at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said the food-industry lobby over the years has weakened federal food-safety oversight, and consumers shouldn’t foot the bill now. “We’d like to see the industry focusing on how to prevent these outbreaks for the future to protect consumers and their bottom line,” she said.

Gee, you don’t say?

Oh, and watch those Jalepeno peppers. They’re still hot. The FDA and CDC found a single pepper tainted with the Saintpaul strain of salmonella in Texas.

It’s time we rethink how we eat. Much of our food is shipped from China, Thailand and other parts unknown. This is a waste of energy and the food we get no longer tastes as it once did. This is done so Big Agra can make tons-o-money and control the food we eat. The costs to the consumer are skyrocketing.

What can you do? Several thing. Buy local! Go to local farmer’s markets. most communities have them weekly throughout the growing season. Support those people who grow food near you. Find a local co-op or grower. Consider doing the same with your meat. Find a local rancher and buy in bulk. No more downer cow issues when you can personally inspect how the animals are raised.

For more information go to Eat Wild. Remind your taste buds what real food tastes like! And feel more secure in the foods that you do eat.

Bon Apetit!

Cross Posted at TheZoo.

As MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann reported, “CBS curiously, to say the least, left it on the edit room floor. It aired Katie Couric’s question, but in response, it inserted part of McCain’s answer to another question instead.”

What CBS did was to change McCain’s response from one which showed his lack of understanding of his signature subject of Foreign Policy and turned it into an attack on Obama saying Barack Obama “cares more about winning the election than winning a war.” Watch the side-by-side below

Now, CBS has done it again. This time, they scrubbed McCain saying “The fact is we had four years of failed policy. We were losing. We were losing the war in Iraq. The consequences of failure and defeat of the United States of America in the first major conflict since 9/11 would have had devastating impacts throughout the region and the world.”

Apparently, the Senator forgot about Afghanistan.

In case you need a refresher, here is the timeline:

• September 11, 2001, attack on the twin towers
• October 7, 2001, US begins war with Afghanistan
• March 19, 2003, US begins war with Iraq
• May 1, 2003, Bush announces Mission Accomplished

If you want an extended timeline, from 2003 to present, click here.

Should you be as outraged as I am, feel free to express yourself to the CBS ombudsman at publiceye@cbs.com (more contact information below).

It’s time we take back our media. Keep reading to find out how.

Oregon Activist over at TPMM had a good comment about media activism. I am reposting it here:

Media Activism 101

1: Know your key message and be able to include it in every response and every opportunity. Sure, you might get lampooned by Jon Stewart, but even in the lampoon your message is repeated 20 times.

2: Speak in terms of values and beliefs, not with facts and figures. If people are not moved by your values argument, they will not believe your facts and figures anyway.

3: Project a unified worldview. Believe it or not, the Right has condensed every issue to three main ideas:

a) the rugged individual, bootstraps, go it alone American;

b) government interferes with people, not a solution, gets in the way, limited role;

c) the market is the solution for all problems. Doesn’t matter whether it’s education, health care or the environment, they can trot those three ideas out and they do, constantly reinforcing a unified worldview. We don’t do that!

We could project a unified worldview that

a) we are all in this together, that we are a community with a shared responsibility to help each other thrive;

b) government is best suited to address social problems when people have the power to hold it accountable; and….the problem is that we have not defined a good counter-worldview that we all agree on.

4: Write letters, call in complaints. One time years ago I called the editor of the Oregonian and after he said “Why should I care what your think?” and I countered because you don’t want to look unethical, he looked into my complaint and even wrote an perfect editorial addressing my complaint. Track objective info about your local media and then meet with them to discuss your concerns – with stats on #’s of stories, etc.

5: Read Talking the Walk by Makani Themba-Nixon

6. Go to Grassroots Policy Project and download and read everything. Toss Don’t Think of an Elephant in the trash.

If you want to read more about how we might take the media back, read this, this and this. Be sure to read all the comments, too. Many are quite good. Raider99 and Ripper McCord, at TPMM, started the ball. It’s time for us to pick it up and run with it.

Here is a list of contact information for many media outlets across the country.

Psssst…do something! To start, distribute this post far and wide.

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Cross posted at TheZoo.