I STAND WITH SAVING LIVES OF USA POOR AND THE MIDDLE CLASS

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A midnight deadline neared for a government shutdown. "I feel strongly that my Republican colleagues are wrong in trying to move toward deficit reduction solely on the backs of working families and the middle class – cutting education and head start, cutting community health centers, cutting the social security administration, cutting LIHEAP and other important programs," Sen. Bernie Sanders said. "In my view, with the wealthiest people in our country doing extremely well, the people on top should also be asked to contribute toward deficit reduction. Further, the idea that the Republicans are prepared to shut-down the government over the funding of women's health care is totally absurd."

Vermont’s United States Senator Bernie Sanders

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Website: Senator Bernie Sanders

Join the conversation ~

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I received the text in the email pasted below from my US RI Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and found the page to sign the petition unclear. Therefore I sent an email to Senator Whitehouse to this address ~ sheldon_whitehouse@whitehouse.senate.gov ~

Subject Line: I stand with saving lives of poor people and the middle class

I clicked the link to sign the petition sent from your office, but when I went to the page, it was unclear. Unclear because the four blanks meant for us to sign didn't designate what to put in the four blanks. I assume the first two blanks are for our first and last names. Just wanted to let you know it needs to be clear what you want in the four blank spaces to sign the petition.

Sandra Hammel
Use Your Voice to Stop Genocide RI

Genocide will only stop with us demanding it - Our leaders have taught us this

"The most important things belong first, not last or never."

Words of the Earth by Cedric Wright

If you want peace, work for justice
إذا كنت تريد السلام ، أعمل من أجل العدالة

President Obama: 202-456-1111 or 1-800-GENOCIDE


Senator Whitehouse's email message ~

Dear Friend --

This is outrageous. What we are witnessing is a government being held hostage by Tea Party extremists. Extremists so intent on pushing their ideological agenda that they are willing to shut down the Federal Government.

We need to tell them no. Sign the petition to tell the Tea Party that the federal budget is not the place to push their social agenda.

This is no longer about spending. Last night Democrats agreed to $38 billion in budget cuts -- $5 billion more than the original Republican request -- and over three-quarters of the way toward their new request.

Today, Tea Party extremists came back to the table and revealed the real reason they've been holding up the federal budget: Planned Parenthood and Title X funding.

Let me be clear, by law no federal funds go to abortion. None. And they haven't since 1976. The funds in question provide cervical cancer screenings, diabetes testing, breast cancer exams and birth control for over 5 million low-income individuals each year. The Title X program has had such mainstream support that it was even signed into law in 1970 by President Nixon...who said that "no American woman should be denied access to family planning assistance because of her economic condition."

Title X funding has enjoyed such widespread support because Title X provides basic primary and preventive care for low-income women.

And yet this is the reason we haven't reached a budget deal, because Tea Party extremists think they can use the federal budget to shut down Planned Parenthood.

I hope I can count on you to stand with me and sign the petition to defend Title X women's health services.

I'm standing with a group of Senators who can sustain a filibuster to send a strong message: The federal budget will be about the federal deficit -- not about an extremist ideological agenda.

Will you join me? Sign the petition to stand up for women's basic health care.

I will let my fellow senators know that you are standing with us as we stand up for a federal budget that's focused on the deficit --- not extreme ideological agendas.

Best regards,

Sheldon Whitehouse
U.S. Senator

P.S. I voted to give up congressional salary during the shutdown, but the Republican members holding up the budget? They did not pass the congressional salary bill. They want to keep getting paid even though a shutdown forces Americans out of work. So I am giving back my salary to stand in solidarity with all Americans whose salaries are being held hostage by the Tea Party's agenda. Join me in standing up to the Tea Party.

"...WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL" - AND PUBLIC OPTION WITH HEATLH CARE REFORM

Free Speech Comes With Responsibility

What is happening at these Health Care Reform "Shout Outs"
is Crazy-Making

That is a psychological term ~ Crazy-Making

Sheldon Whitehouse (U.S. RI Senator):

Why a public option matters in health reform

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Source: http://www.projo.com/opinion/contributors/content/CT_whitehouse28_07-28-09_1LF4IEP_v22.3f8b6ba.html#

SHELDON WHITEHOUSE

WASHINGTON

FEW THINGS are as important in every family’s life as good health care. Knowing that when you get sick, you can see a doctor; that when your child needs a checkup, she or he can too; that if something goes wrong, you’ll have the very best care; and that the bills won’t force you into bankruptcy or out of your home. All of this is vital, not only to physical health, but to peace of mind.

Many in America have this kind of health care. But too many don’t.

Rhode Islanders have shared their stories with me about how the health-care system has failed them. They’re going without health insurance because it costs too much, or because they have a pre-existing condition and private insurance is out of reach. They’re fighting to keep the coverage they have, battling claims denials and insurance-company bureaucrats who seem to care more about the company’s bottom line than a customer’s health. They fall ill or are injured, and costs pile up until they become simply too great to bear. They’re taking it day by day, hoping things don’t get worse.

It shouldn’t be this way. That’s why, for the last several weeks, I have been working with my fellow members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, including my senior colleague, Jack Reed, on new legislation to make sure every American has access to affordable, high-quality health care, and to reduce the overwhelming costs of our current system. It’s a big goal, and it won’t be easy to reach. But we’re confident that with the landmark bill our committee has passed, we’re on the right track.

In particular, the bill puts unprecedented focus on improving our quality of care in ways that reduce costs, and on preventing illness so as to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations. This effort, supported by our previous investment in improved health-information technology, positions the health-care system to achieve larger savings that are an ultimate promise of health-care reform.

When President Obama spoke about health-care reform a few weeks ago, he made a very important promise: If you like the health-care coverage you have now, you’ll be able to keep it. But for the many Rhode Islanders who don’t have health insurance, or whose coverage isn’t meeting their needs, we offer a new choice: a clear, straightforward, affordable public-insurance option that will compete with the private plans, helping keep costs down and private insurers honest.

Our public plan, called the Community Health Insurance Option, will be a truly comprehensive benefit package. If you need financial help to buy your coverage, it will be there. If you’re a doctor, choosing to participate in this plan will mean less paperwork, less red tape and fair reimbursement rates. Local advisory councils will work with the plan to make sure states and communities with good ideas are heard.

Our plan will be a new kind of health insurance that works with you and for you, not against you, to make sure you get the very best care. It will invest in prevention, in efficiency, in care management and coordination, and in strategies that improve health-care quality. And it will never deny you a policy based on your health status, or exclude certain coverage because of a pre-existing condition.

Isn’t this the way health insurance should work?

My temporary appointment to the HELP Committee has ended, but I’m going to keep working hard in the Senate to send this plan to President Obama’s desk. I’m so grateful to those of you who have already been in touch with me to share your experiences and your ideas about health-care reform, and I hope you’ll continue to reach out in the days ahead. This is an important fight, and we’re going to give it everything we have.

Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat, is the junior U.S. senator from Rhode Island.

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An email I received today - regarding Heath Care Reform public forums for Rhode Island:

We have a once in a lifetime opportunity in American politics to win universal health care.

The right-wing is doing something about it; whipping up a frenzy around the idea of "socialized" medicine (you know, programs like Medicare and the VA that are great health care programs for the elderly and veterans) and, in the process, the Obama administration is showing signs of weakening on the public option.

You can do something. You must do something.

There are 4 "town hall" meetings with our Congressional delegation. The whole schedule is below.

PLEASE SHOW UP. Bring your friends, your family, your coworkers. This is a ONCE IN A LIFETIME chance to make change. Bring signs. Bring your voice. Ask questions. Demand that our delegation support a public option. Ask this question: "if I lose my job and I am mandated to have insurance under the new reforms, how will I afford to buy it without a public option? Can we really trust the insurance companies to lower their costs after decades of refusing to do so?"

Here's what Sen. Russ Feingold recently said about the public option:

"A public option is a fundamental part of ensuring health care reform brings about real change. Opposing the public plan is an endorsement of the status quo in this country that has left tens of millions of Americans uninsured or underinsured and put massive burdens on employers. I have heard too many horror stories from my constituents about how the so-called competitive marketplace has denied them coverage from the outset, offered a benefit plan that covers everything but what they need or failed them some other way. A strong public option would ensure competition in the industry to provide the best, most affordable insurance for Americans and bring down the skyrocketing health care costs that are the biggest contributor to our long-term budget deficits. I am not interested in passing health care reform in name only. Without a public option, I don't see how we will bring real change to a system that has made good health care a privilege for those who can afford it."

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Here's the schedule of events for Rhode Island:

Wednesday, August 19, 6pm
Warwick City Hall, 3275 Post Rd., Warwick (hosted by Langevin)

Thursday, August 20, 6pm
West Warwick Senior Center, 145 Washington St., West Warwick (hosted by Whitehouse)

Wednesday, August 26, 5pm
Johnston Senior Center, 1291 Hartford Ave., Johnston (hosted by Whitehouse)

Thursday, September 3, 4:30pm
The Bandstand at Wilcox Park, 44 Broad St., Westerly (hosted by Langevin)

There are petitions to sign to support the public option of Health Care Reform:

Here are a few:

http://standwithdrdean.com/

http://citizensforapublicoption.com/

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/publicoption_bo/?rc=tw

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Part 1

U.S. MA Reresentative Barney Frank speaks in front of a raucous crowd at a town hall meeting in Dartmouth regarding health care on Aug. 18, 2009.

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Part 2

Part 1 and 2 uploaded by stvideo

Some typical examples of crazy making

Link: http://ezinearticles.com/?Crazy-Making-and-Living-With-Personality-Disorders&id=1494417

Suppose for a moment that your adult son, who still lives at home, owes you some money. You politely, but firmly ask him for the money, which is past due. This should not be a complicated matter, he borrowed it and promised to pay it back on a certain date.

One favorite tactic is what I call smoke and mirrors. He brings up numerous semi-relevant topics to distract you, all the while appearing like an honest person. He has developed a refined ability to cloud the matter and eventually bring it back on you! Now you might even owe him money!

He might tell you of his hardships, your hardships, your relationship to the other children and how you favor them, and on and on and on. Next thing you know, you actually should have given him this money anyway, somehow he is entitled to it.

The worst thing is that you might fall for it, at least a few times. Eventually though, you begin to realize that you are being manipulated very skillfully. It it when you put your foot down that the sh*t hits the fan.

Another example is when they tell you (and everyone else within earshot) how you think, feel and act. Never mind that it is not true, they are telling you anyway. In fact, they have the uncanny ability to make five hens out of a feather any time, day or night!

Even when such a person is shown to be wrong and they acknowledge this, soon they are back to the original embellished story that protects them from reality. Their show simply must go on, in spite of the facts or feelings of other people.

What can you do to avoid crazy making?

The first thing is to recognize it. If you live with somebody who has a personality disorder, you will see it all the time. It becomes entirely predictable, once you learn the signs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Randy_Hough

THIS BELONGS TO YOU ~ THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

In the United States, the oath of office for the President of the United States is specified in the U.S. Constitution (Article II, Section 1):

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

I am a campaign volunteer for Senator Barack Obama for President. I am committed to Obama for ’08.

At the same time, I am impressed with other democrats who are also running for President. I can’t remember a time in my lifetime when we have had such a good selection of people giving us a choice for electing a leader to lead us. Except, for Hillary Clinton, who I have recently turned against. I no longer trust her.

Senator Dodd said that he would filibuster FISA Bill today (December 17) "as long as I can". www.msnbc

Earlier today when asked whether the Senators running for President ~ Hillary, Obama, Biden ~ would be on hand to support Chris Dodd's planned filibuster of the Senate FISA bill containing telecom immunity. First out of the box with a statement was Obama:

"Senator Obama unequivocally opposes giving retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies and has cosponsored Senator Dodd's efforts to remove that provision from the FISA bill. Granting such immunity undermines the constitutional protections Americans trust the Congress to protect. Senator Obama supports a filibuster of this bill, and strongly urges others to do the same. It's not clear whether he can return for the vote, but under the Senate rules, the side trying to end a filibuster must produce 60 votes to cut off debate. Whether he is present for the vote for not, Senator Obama will not be among those voting to end the filibuster."

Senators Edward Kennedy and Russ Feingold assisted Senator Chris Dodd with his filibustering effort for our U.S. Constitutional rights to be upheld against the Bush administration providing retroactive immunity to Verizon and AT&T.

"My longstanding concerns were over this retroactive immunity" for telecommunications companies, Dodd said after Reid declared the FISA bill would be set aside. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pulled the Senate FISA renewal bill containing telecom immunity off the floor.

Senator Whitehouse is in the blue shirt and red tie. This is May 28, 2007 in his Providence, Rhode Island office for a Darfur lobby meeting.
I am in the green t-shirt that reads
INSTEAD OF MOURNING A GENOCIDE ~ STOP ONE

I am, also, impressed with freshman Senator Sheldon Whitehouse from my state of Rhode Island, who replaced Senator Lincoln Chafee January 2007. Senator Whitehouse has not only voted well on behalf of the people of Darfur, but he has been outspoken at times when others have not. Senator Whitehouse asked appropriate and pointed questions of the former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and asked the right question of the then nomination candidate Michael Mukasey for Attorney General:

SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D), Rhode Island: So is waterboarding constitutional?

MICHAEL MUKASEY: I don't know what's involved in the technique. If waterboarding is torture, torture is not constitutional.

SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE: If it's torture? That's a massive hedge. I mean, it either is or it isn't. Do you have an opinion on whether waterboarding, which is the practice of putting somebody in a reclining position, strapping them down, putting cloth over their faces, and pouring water over the cloth to simulate the feeling of drowning, is that constitutional?

MICHAEL MUKASEY: If it amounts to torture, it is not constitutional.

SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE: I'm very disappointed in that answer. I think it is purely semantic.
Source: mukasey

Today, a Press Release of Senator Whitehouse on FISA was released.
Senator Whitehouse Fights for Court Oversight for Americans Traveling Abroad
Monday, December 17, 2007
At whitehouse.senate you can hear his speech (Surveillance Bill Must Protect Americans' Civil Liberties "Latest News" ~ "Watch the Video")and at whitehouse you can read the speech. This is vitally important to the United States keeping its freedoms.

This Belongs To You
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youtube
This Belongs To You
Music is John Dunbar’s theme from Dances With Wolves

>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>:>

Call 1~800~GENOCIDE
and urge
your U.S. Representative and Senators
to pass the funding fully
for the UN Peacekeepers for Darfur

President Bush's Comment Phone Line
202-456-1111
He needs a push to do something right

savedarfur
genocideintervention
darfurgenocide

GENOCIDE STOPS WITH US
Pictures from Darfur Walk in Newport, Rhode Island, USA
April 28, 2007
Organized by Sandra Hammel

OUTRAGED. HOW THE SENATORS VOTED ON MUKASEY

11-8 VOTE OF SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE RUBBERSTAMPS TORTURE AS OK



BETRAYED BY SCHUMER & FEINSTEIN…

THAT is the nice way of putting their votes to pass Mukasey onto us, as U.S. Attorney General. They are stooges of the lame President who is a criminal in any just arena.

BIG SHAME ON YOU SCHUMER & FEINSTEIN…while Bush undermines the US Constitution. You just helped him out in that regard.

Mukasey nomination goes forward A US Senate committee has approved Michael Mukasey as attorney general despite his refusal to denounce simulated drowning as unlawful torture.

The Judiciary Committee voted to advance Mr Mukasey's nomination by 11 votes against 8. All of the Republicans on the Committee voted in favour of Mr Mukasey, while all but two of the Democrats on the panel opposed the nomination.

The support of the two Democrats - Senators Charles Schumer and Dianne Feinstein - was crucial in allowing Mr Mukasey's nomination to go forward…” From the BBC link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7081443.stm

Judiciary Panel OK's Waterboarding, Er, Mukasey
The Nation http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20071106/cm_thenation/15249153 The

Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing on the nomination of Michael B. Mukasey to be Attorney General of the United States with PDF links to each member’s follow-up questions and the full C-Span video footage. http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=3001#AGQuestions

I called my U.S. Senator who sits on the Judiciary Committee that voted today at 11:45 a.m. to send the vote to the full senate next week on Mukasey being confirmed to be OUR United States Attorney General, following Alberto Gonzales. I asked for the Mukasey voting record of each Senate Judiciary Committee member and they couldn’t provide it.

But I have listed it here after compiling the list and coordinating it with the BBC’s article information.

THE VOTE of the Senate Judiciary Committee for Mukasey as United States Attorney General November 6, 2007:

8 Vote AGAINST MUKASEY for Attorney General

Patrick J. Leahy CHAIRMAN, D-VERMONT

Edward M. Kennedy D-MASSACHUSETTS

Joseph R. Biden, Jr. D-DELAWARE

Herb Kohl D-WISCONSIN

Russell D. Feingold D-WISCONSIN

Richard J. Durbin D-ILLINOIS

Sheldon Whitehouse D-RHODE ISLAND, My Senator

Benjamin L. Cardin D-MARYLAND

11 Vote FOR MUKASEY for Attorney General

Arlen Specter RANKING MEMBER, R-PENNSYLVANIA

Charles E. Grassley R-IOWA

Dianne Feinstein D-CALIFORNIA

Jon Kyl R-ARIZONA

Jeff Sessions R-ALABAMA

Charles E. Schumer D-NEW YORK

Lindsey Graham R-SOUTH CAROLINA

John Cornyn R-TEXAS

Sam Brownback R-KANSAS

Tom Coburn R-OKLAHOMA

Orrin G. Hatch R-UTAH
http://judiciary.senate.gov/members.cfm

US: Will the Next Attorney General Allow Torture?
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/10/25/usint17174.htm