You probably think your doctor is prescribing you medication you actually need. You have to believe most of the time doctors are doing the right thing for the benefit of your health. Prescription drugs are big business run by big corporations. Health insurance is big business run by corporations. Therefore, your health is big business that can result in big profits for these corporations. If you watch TV, all you see nowadays is a tremendous amount of commercials for prescription drugs. It wasn’t like this a few years ago. From an interview on Bill Moyers Journal, New York Times reporter Melody Petersen describes drug companies:

“as an industry whose core drive is profit, and one that has insinuated itself, through money, into every level of drug research.

Petersen states,

‘I actually thought that they were a lot about science. That’s what they tell the public. They are all about science and discovering new drugs. But as I started to follow their daily activities and talk to executives, I learned that really it was marketing that drove them.’

According to Petersen, the rewards have been large. America has become the top consumer of prescription drugs in the world, with nearly 65% of the population on physician-prescribed medication. In 2005, Americans spent $250 billion dollars on such drugs. This consumption made pharmaceuticals the most profitable business sector in America from 1995-2002.

‘With their hoards of cash, the companies have readily handed money to patient groups, hospitals, universities, medical schools, physician societies, government agencies, and just about any organization they want on their side. […] The industry’s cash-filled coffers have given it a stranglehold on medical science. […] We’ve come to a time when decisions on how to treat a disease have as great a chance of being hatched in a corporate marketing department as by a group of independent doctors working to improve the public’s health. In too many, cases, whether a medicine helps or harms a patient has become secondary to how much it will bring shareholders in profits,’ Petersen says.”

Melody Petersen has written a book on the subject, OUR DAILY MEDS: HOW THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES TRANSFORMED THEMSELVES INTO SLICK MARKETING MACHINES AND HOOKED THE NATION ON PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. Next time you go to your doctor and s/he suggests you start taking a prescription drug make sure you ask a lot of questions. Do some research. Check out Petersen’s full video interview and transcript here.

From the dailykos.com delegate count graphic posted on their front page, Barack Obama needs only 177 of the remaining 484.5 delegates (pledged and super delegates combined) to win the nomination. Hillary needs 327.5 to win the nomination. In the remaining states Clinton will need to beat Obama by double digits in each state to have a chance. That isn’t likely to happen. She’s just hanging around waiting for him to make a huge gaffe or she’ll use the Karl Rove style tactics she’s been using and continue to attack him.

She’s needs to bow out before she’s does damage to herself and the party. I do like the Clintons, but Hillary is toast.

Mitt Romney has suspended his presidential campaign. With all of his money, he couldn’t compete with John McCain. Romney could barely compete with Huckabee and Huckabee has about $15 bucks to spend on his campaign. The strategy seems to be that if Romney stays in the race any longer, he’ll ruin his chances for a presidential campaign run in the future.

It looks like Mitt will be going back to planet Kolob to regroup and consult with God. Planet Kolob you ask?

“In the Latter Day Saint movement, Kolob is a star or planet mentioned in the Book of Abraham as being nearest to the throne or residence of God.”

Mormons really believe in this. From Wikipedia:

According to the literal interpretation, Kolob is an actual star in this universe that is near to, or perhaps the sun of, the physical throne of God. This interpretation has significant formative impact on Mormon belief and criticism, leading to conceptions such as that the faithful will be made gods of planets in this universe, that God dwells within this universe rather than transcending it, and that the Biblical creation is a creation of the local earth, galaxy, or solar system rather than the entire known physical reality.

If he’s lucky he might get to be President of Kolob. In four years he’ll have the experience to lead from day one. Unfortunately for him, the Democratic President should be in his or her second term. Sorry Mitt.

Populism. John Edwards’ campaign is considered by many to have populist themes; lifting up the working class, fighting for the middle class, healthcare for everyone and eliminating poverty. These are concepts that we should embrace. We should help those who can’t help themselves. John Edwards tells every American that he will fight for them.

The defining attribute that makes Edwards appealing may be the reason why he won’t win the nomination. He won’t take money from corporations, lobbyists, or special interest groups. He is being outspent by Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton by a ratio of 5 to 1. Obama and Clinton have been taking money from lobbyists and corporations. Edwards believes you have to fight the corporations and moneyed interests that have a stranglehold on America. He wants to take back America and make the government work for the people.

Bipartisanship is great, but look what has happened over the last 8 years with the Republicans in power. Scorched earth politics by the Neocons have run this country into the ground. We were lied into a war that should have never been started. There have been so many scandals from the outing of CIA agent Valerie Plame to the partisan firing of the U.S. Attorneys to the Jack Abramoff lobbyist scam to no bid contracts to Halliburton to unchecked executive orders by Bush. And the list goes on and on. The Democrats had a big win in November of 2006. The result has been the failure of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid to hold the Bush Administration accountable for abuse of power. The Congress and Senate have folded on votes to stop funding the Iraq War and failed on votes to amend the Federal Intelligence Surveillance Act. The housing crisis has been a national tragedy with millions of people losing their homes. The economy is tanking and the country seems to be heading into a recession. Another mission accomplished by George Bush. The Democrats have kowtowed to the Republicans and it has been a bipartisanship disaster.

It seems that some Democrats are afraid to speak truth to power and vote their conscience. They would rather vote to preserve their political futures. I want someone to fight for our rights, someone who will fight for the average American. John Edwards seems like the only candidate who is pushing this issue and driving the Democratic Party in the right direction. It’s time for the Democrats to start acting like Democrats. This populist message works. It worked with Franklin Delano Roosevelt. When you stand up for what you believe in and do the right thing, not only for yourself, but for your country, people will follow. Edwards is campaigning based on what he believes is right. He is not pandering based on studies by focus groups to run toward the middle to convince Independents and Republicans to vote for him. He is running toward the base of his party. That happens to be the direction of the left. That is the direction where all Americans should be heading.

The great conservative revolution started when Ronald Reagan took office where greed was considered a virtue and lying was a tool to push policy. Conservative doctrine spiraled out of control as the Neocons of George W. Bush’s administration have taken this nation to a dark place where only the rich get richer, the middle class gets squeezed and the population at the poverty level increases. Greed doesn’t work. It’s time for a Liberal revolution.

I couldn’t write it in any better, so I’ll have to quote from the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” This is an excerpt from a monologue by the character George Bailey. George’s father, Peter Bailey has just died. In this scene George Bailey is standing up to the antagonist, Henry F. Potter, so he can save his father’s Building and Loan business.

George

“…He didn’t save enough money to send Harry to school, let alone me. But he did help a few people get out of your slums, Mr. Potter. And what’s wrong with that? Why . . . Here, you’re all businessmen here. Doesn’t it make them better citizens? Doesn’t it make them better customers? You . . . you said . . . What’d you say just a minute ago? . . . They had to wait and save their money before they even ought to think of a decent home. Wait! Wait for what? Until their children grow up and leave them? Until they’re so old and broken-down that they . . . Do you know how long it takes a working man to save five thousand dollars? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you’re talking about . . . they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn’t think so. People were human beings to him, but to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they’re cattle. Well, in my book he died a much richer man than you’ll ever be!”

It’s a Wonderful Life

Except for the top five percent who benefited the most from George Bush’s tax cuts, the rest of us are the “rabble” George Bailey said Mr. Potter was talking about. One can say that Henry Potter symbolizes present day corporate America and our government. In the real world we do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this country. Don’t we, the rabble, deserve a government that represents us and not corporations and special interest groups? Don’t we deserve universal healthcare? Don’t we deserve at least a $10.00 hour minimum wage? Don’t we deserve civil rights under the Constitution and not a President who grants overreaching power to himself? Don’t we deserve to have our voices heard when the majority of us believe we should bring our troops home from Iraq? At the very least we deserve all of these things. We are not being heard.

We watch the news that is reported by millionaires talking about the millionaires running for President who will look out for the interests of millionaires who donated to their campaigns. It’s true that John Edwards is rich, but he came from a working class family. He spent almost 20 years of his life fighting the rich and powerful as a trial lawyer representing plaintiffs who were victims of corporate and medical malpractice. His money came from the large settlements he won on behalf of his clients malpractice suits. He’s a proven winner when in comes to representing the underdog against those with wealth and power.

When I see John Edwards speak I believe that he will fight for us. He is leading by example by not taking corporate money. When I see Hillary Clinton I see the finely tuned Clinton machine going after power and a presidency she somehow believes she is owed. When I see Barack Obama I see a candidate who has only revealed the part of himself that has been safely tested by his handlers and advisors. I hope to see the real Obama soon. John Edwards might not win the nomination because of lack of funds and because of his tough message. If he doesn’t win it will be partly because the corporate run media doesn’t like his anti-corporate platform.

As the country is enamored with the historical significance of both a woman and African-American running for President with the two candidates slinging mud at each other on a daily basis, John Edwards’ populist message doesn’t get the coverage it deserves. He is saying all the right things at a time in history when these issues need to be addressed. The citizens of this country need to be allowed to progress and break the bonds of corporate greed. We need to get out of Iraq and bring about change to an ineffective government. We need someone who will fight for that change. I will vote for John Edwards on February 5^th in my state’s primary. I hope you will too.

Do you think you have choices? You don’t. Corporations shape the way we get our news through the ownership of multiple new sources. Fox, Fox News, Fox Business News, Fox Sports, NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, etc. You get the picture. Corporate power has become too great. Federal Communications Committee Chairman Kevin Martin wants to ease regulations on corporate ownership. He pushed through last week for a vote this week to bow down to the corporations. Yesterday, he got what he wanted,

“The Federal Communications Commission narrowly approved on Tuesday a loosening of media ownership restrictions in the 20 biggest U.S. cities, despite objections from consumer groups and a threat by some senators to revoke the action.

The FCC voted 3-2, along party lines, to ease the 32-year-old ban on ownership of a newspaper and broadcast outlet in a single market.

Existing FCC rules ban ownership of a newspaper, and a television or radio station in the same market, unless the FCC grants a waiver.

The FCC’s Republican chairman, Kevin Martin, called the move a “relatively minimal loosening of the ban”

Sure thing, Kevin. What does this mean? More corporate control of what you watch on TV, what you listen to on the radio, and what you read in newspapers. The Democrats on the committee voted against the ban,

“The vote came over the objections of the FCC’s two Democratic commissioners who said easing the ownership rule would lead to more consolidation in the industry, eliminate independent voices and degrade local news coverage.”

How we go to war and who we vote for President is greatly influenced by the media. The corporate controlled media was just handed more power by the Republican majority of the FCC and Chairman Kevin Martin. Read the full article here. Check out the piece, “Massing of the Media” from the program “Bill Moyers Journal” to learn more.

George Bush should be the “Buffalo Chip of the Week” every week. I’m surprised I waited this long to anoint him. He qualified because he lied again. This was a lie to get us into another war. Just as he lied to get us into Iraq, he wanted to lie us into a war with Iran. Iran was supposedly working on a nuclear program. That, according to Bush would lead to WWIII. The National Intelligence Estimate says that Iran stopped trying to enrich uranium in 2003. From thinkprogress.org,

‘The National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) released today concludes that “in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program.” It adds that “Tehran had not restarted its nuclear weapons program as of mid-2007,” and the country is “less determined to develop nuclear weapons than we have been judging since 2005.”

The assessment, which relies on data collected through Oct. 31, was reportedly completed in 2006, but was blocked by administration officials who wanted it to be more in line with Vice President Cheney’s hardline views.’

Cheney is lying too? Of course. What does Bush do when confronted with the truth? He plays dumb. He’s played dumb for almost seven years. Nixon resigned for the Watergate break in. Clinton was impeached because he cheated on his wife. George Bush gets a pass when he starts a war based on lies. Hundreds of thousands of people have died because of this dummy. He sits in the White House with his finger up his ass, choking on pretzels trying to figure out new ways to drive this country into the ground. We must wake up to the fact that Bush is too dangerous to lead. We shouldn’t let him serve out his term. Congress must put impeachment back on the table. For the full NIE article click here

Two weeks ago Ron Paul raised over $4.2 million dollars in one day. This would indicate that this Republican candidate for president is growing in popularity. He does have this weird lunatic following that is ever present on the internet, trolling sites like digg.com and reddit.com. His followers flood these sites with positive Ron Paul articles and blogs. They attack anyone who is anti-Paul with the veracity of a Doberman tearing into a raw t-bone steak. I know because I’ve been swarmed by these people when I’ve posted on digg and reddit. I assume they’ll be coming here to spam this site with their righteous Ron Paul rhetoric. Maybe I’ll actually get some traffic.

The fact of the matter is Ron Paul is not who people think he is. He’s an anti-war Republitarian. He’s right on one issue. Let’s get out of Iraq. Good. But he’s just a Libertarian in Republican’s clothing. What’s worse is he’s a nut job fringe politician who accepts money from Neo-Nazi groups. He’s the white supremacist’s candidate. Check it out here. The Ron Paulbots are going to say it’s guilt by association. No. He hasn’t given the money back. Even racist David Duke endorses Ron Paul. You have to wonder why all these wackos like Paul so much. Well, It’s because he says some crazy things that tap into the beliefs of these hate based groups. From David Neiwert of firedoglake.com,

“Paul continued that politically sensible blacks are outnumbered “as decent people.” Citing reports that 85 percent of all black men in the District of Columbia are arrested, Paul wrote:”Given the inefficiencies of what D.C. laughingly calls the `criminal justice system,’ I think we can safely assume that 95 percent of the black males in that city are semi-criminal or entirely criminal,” Paul said. Paul also wrote that although “we are constantly told that it is evil to be afraid of black men, it is hardly irrational. Black men commit murders, rapes, robberies, muggings and burglaries all out of proportion to their numbers.”

That’s pretty bad. Here some more from Neiwert’s article,

“The embrace of extremist beliefs also includes Paul’s views on education: just as he’d like to eliminate the Fed and the IRS, he’d also like to do away with public education. He’s an avid supporter of the Alliance for the Separation of School and State, and has been since its inception.”

Are you ready to volunteer for this nutty curmudgeon? If you are still not convinced that Paul’s views are crazy and dangerous. Here’s a quote from the “white nationalist” website Stormfront from a diary by “Pen” on dailykos.com,

“[Ron Paul] is the least toxic candidate by leaps and bounds. On issues particularly important to White Nationalists or the Pro-White in general, of all of the mainstream candidates:

— Ron Paul is the strongest opponent of “Hate Crime” Laws.

— Ron Paul is the strongest opponent of Amnesty and “open border” movements.

— Ron Paul wants to end birth-right citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants.

— Ron Paul is the strongest opponent of welfare programs that among other things, would redistribute the income of White families into the hands of lazy non-Whites.

— Ron Paul is the strongest opponent of Globalism and all attempts to create a North American Union.

— Ron Paul is the strongest opponent of military support and foreign aid to countries like Israel.

— Ron Paul is the least likely to support government crackdowns on Pro-White organizations, and the most likely to veto such measures.”

Pen described Paul as “bat-shit crazy.” Pretty accurate. He is the false messiah of the neo-progressive right. Being anti-war doesn’t give you a free pass as the candidate of new ideas. If you are a real progressive you should dump this idiot and forget you ever believed a word he said. Did I mention that he is a obstetrician who’s against pro-choice? People are throwing money and time away on this kook. His views are just wrong. Ron Paul is the “Buffalo Chip of the Week” and beyond.

General Pervez Musharraf has been leader of Pakistan since he took control of the government in a bloodless Coup in 1999. He was Pakistani Army Chief of Staff and then assumed the title of Chief Executive of the country. With the Military behind him it wasn’t difficult. A recent run for “re-election” has proven to be quite a problem for him. From the Wikipedia article,

“On October 2, 2007, 85 Pakistani opposition lawmakers resigned from the country’s parliament to derail Musharraf’s reelection bid. National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain stated that the resignations would not affect the presidential election. Under Pakistani law, the national parliament and provincial assemblies choose the president…On October 6, 2007, Musharraf won a vote to be re-elected Pakistan’s president. However, the Supreme Court ruled that no winner will be proclaimed until it decides on the legality issue.”

The Supreme Court was going to rule that a leader could not be head of the army as well as head of the country. Musharraf’s response was to declare martial law/emergency rule, suspend the Constitution and fire the chief justice of the Supreme Court. He has ordered the detainment of protesters and shut down private TV news networks. He has put opposition leader and former Prime Minister Bernazir Bhutto under house arrest.

The United States has given Pakistan over $10 billion dollars since 9/11 because they have proven to be an ally in the “war on terror.” Backing a dictator can be pretty tricky since Musharraf has proven in the last two weeks that he doesn’t really believe in democracy. Oh yeah, and remember that Coup thing? The Bush administration has put pressure on Musharraf and he has declared that there will be new elections in January. He will not lift the state of emergency though. In a region where there is little stability with wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the crisis in Pakistan looks to add to the complexity of problems that Bush will leave to his successor. Go to Bill Moyers Journal and get a detailed account in the report “Pakistan in Peril” by clicking here.

Michael Mukasey might be the next Attorney General of the United States of America. Michael Mukasey will not admit that waterboarding is torture. What the hell? I mean, really. What the hell? From Thinkprogress.com,

‘Mukasey called the interrogation technique “over the line” and “repugnant” on “a personal basis,” but added that he would need the “actual facts and circumstances” to strike a “legal opinion.”’

He needs more facts to strike a legal opinion. Waterboarding was used during the Spanish Inquisition. Japanese soldiers and The Gestapo used waterboarding to torture prisoners during WWII. Aren’t those facts clear enough? Wouldn’t you think that a reasonable person would acknowledge that waterboarding is torture? Mukasey wants to be Attorney General. Why won’t he say it’s torture? From the editorial, “Mukasey should admit waterboarding is torture” in the Wisconsin State Journal,

“He won ‘t say so because there is every indication that the United States has used waterboarding to torture its prisoners and that the American government, most certainly including Gonzales and most likely including President Bush, have approved its use.”

He’s going to dodge the question if he wants to become Attorney General. And he’ll dodge the question while he is Attorney General. It’s the nature of the Bush administration. Truth never figures into the equation. There used to be this thing called the Geneva Convention that we respected. Oh well. We have exactly a year left until these idiots get voted out of office. I can’t hold my breath that long. But I guess that’s fits this situation. This administration is torture.

Last week as forest fires raged in Southern California Glenn Beck said,

“I think there is a handful of people who hate America. Unfortunately for them, a lot of them are losing their homes in a forest fire today.”

That’s a pretty horrible thing to say. From the Winston-Salem Journal,

“Wildfires in Southern California, which have destroyed more than 2,000 homes…The fires have killed 14 people and burned 809 square miles from the Mexican border to Los Angeles.”

Not only did people lose their homes, they lost their lives. But Glenn Beck somehow wants to make a point that people are being punished because they are living in a blue state, home of Hollywood where all those liberals dwell. Glenn Beck has a popular syndicated radio program along with a show on CNN Healine News as well as being a contributor to Good Morning America. How did this guy become so popular when time after time he spews this kind of vitriolic language? He has portrayed himself as a regular guy who is against the “political correctness” that is eroding our society. He has fooled his listeners and viewers. Glenn Beck is what is wrong with society.

Generally, if a liberal disagrees with a conservative, the liberal will hope that someday the conservative will see the light and do the right thing. If a conservative, like Glenn Beck, disagrees with a liberal or liberals; he wants them to be punished. They should be hurt. All enemies of the conservative need to be killed. Conservatives like to label their enemies. They look for new enemies. They like to make enemies of their own countrymen/women if they express dissent against the conservative government.

So it’s not surprising what Glenn Beck said about the people in California who lost their homes. It’s surprising that he’s still on the air. It’s surprising that anyone would support, listen or watch this fool. At the very least Glenn Beck is the “Buffalo Chip of the Week.” At his worst his stage for his right-wing misinformed hate spewage is ruining what remaining decency this country has left by deceiving the public. If a gorilla escaped from the zoo and broke into Beck’s studio and proceeded to pull Beck’s pants over his head and bitch slapped him into next week I wouldn’t really be that happy. I’m a liberal…I hope someday he’ll see the light and do the right thing.