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Sharing is Health Caring

09/24/2010 Nativegrl77

Sharing is Health Caring

LIKE your family and friends? Help spread the word about how the new health care improvements works for women.

Do you hate pap smears, but LIKE the idea that they are now free?

Today is the six-month anniversary of the new health care law and the day when a number of important consumer protections go into effect. Insurance companies can no longer drop you when you become sick or deny health coverage to children with pre-existing conditions. Also, when you enroll in a new health plan, you no longer have co-pays for preventative health care services. And the law provides even more relief to women, like making it illegal to charge them more than men for insurance. These are some of the improvements that women and their families can enjoy because of the new health care law.

In honor of these new provisions coming into effect, the National Women’s Law Center is launching a campaign to help spread the word about how the new health care law works for women. Digital public education ads will appear on websites such as Huffington Post, Facebook and Politico, and based on Facebook’s “LIKE” function, the campaign allows you to “LIKE” the improvements the health care law makes in your life and the lives of those you love.

Join the campaign! Take the Sharing is Health Caring pledge to get informed about the new health care improvements, share the campaign with your friends and family, and make sure that you know where your candidates stand when you vote in the November 2nd election.

You’ve fought hard with us to pass this law and today we can celebrate — perhaps with a free mammogram or pap smear? Or how about just LIKING that it’s free and taking our pledge today?

You can also find out exactly what goes into effect today by checking out our new fact sheet.

Sincerely,

Judy Waxman
Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights
National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Your generous donation allows us to continue to stand up for women and their families. Support our work today.

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A message from President Obama …

09/22/2010 Nativegrl77

In the coming weeks, Americans will make a critical choice. Do we continue moving our country forward? Or do we bring back the very same ideas that devastated the middle class and resulted in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression?

There is no doubt that Democrats can retain our Majority in the House of Representatives in the same way that we won in 2008 — by going block by block, house by house, voter by voter.

September 30th marks the final FEC quarterly fundraising deadline of this election, making this the most important deadline we have ever faced. Your support by Midnight on September 30th will decide how strong our voter contact team is, how far they can extend their reach, and how many Democratic voters they can get to the polls.

Contribute before the crucial Midnight September 30th FEC deadline to fund our get-out-the-vote effort and ensure that I keep my great Democratic Partners in the House. Your gift today will be matched by a group of generous Democrats.

The challenges we face as a nation are too great to go back to the same old Republican ideas that got us into this mess in the first place. We simply cannot give the keys to the car back to the very same folks whose ideas led to the worst economy since the 1930s.

Since taking office, I have been fortunate to have extraordinary partners in the House like Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues who have fought to move our country in a New Direction. They have put our recovery on track, fought Republican attempts to privatize Social Security, and heroically taken on the powerful special interests. Now they need your help.

When my own campaign for this office began, we weren’t given much of a chance by the pollsters or the pundits. You proved them wrong through your belief that 2008 had to be different. Now I need you to do it again for my great Democratic allies in the House.

We simply cannot afford to spend the next two years wishing we had done more in this final push to keep the House in Democratic hands.

This is our moment to retain a Democratic House so we can continue working to create millions of jobs, strengthen our middle class, and make this economy work for every American.

Thank you.

Barack Obama

P.S. Every dollar you give will help decide how strong our voter contact team is, how far they can extend their reach, and how many Democratic voters they can get to the polls. Contribute today and your gift will be matched by a group of generous Democrats.

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IRAN: Ahmadinejad Comes To Town

09/21/2010 Nativegrl77

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is among the world leaders scheduled to speak today at a United Nations summit on global goals to fight poverty, hunger, and disease. Ahmadinejad, whose controversial re-election set off weeks of protests in Iran in June 2009, “is on a public relations offensive this week in New York, addressing the session on tackling world poverty, giving interviews and speaking Thursday in the assembly’s general debate.” On Sunday, Ahmadinejad told ABC’s Christiane Amanpour that after he helped free American hiker Sarah Shourd, President Obama should reciprocate by releasing Iranians held by the U.S. for sanctions violations, though “U.S. officials have said those cases have nothing to do with each other.” Ahmadinejad will likely try to use his visit to the United Nations as an opportunity to increase his domestic support, as he has recently come under increased criticism by other Iranian conservatives for his handling of the economy and flamboyant statements. The head of Iran’s judiciary, Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, also blasted Ahmadinejad “for criticizing a court verdict against the former head of state news agency IRNA” for his statements about pro-reform Green movement leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. Protesters are planning demonstrations today against Ahmadinejad, and “the New York City Police Department has ramped up security for the assembly.”

MULTI-TRACK EFFORT: Ahmadinejad’s visit to New York comes as the Islamic Republic is coming under increased sanctions pressure. The initial phase of President Obama’s Iran policy involved an effort to step back from the Bush administration’s belligerent stance, and to demonstrate a good faith willingness to negotiate with Iran. After talks last year over Iran’s program failed to achieve sufficient progress after Iran was unable to respond in time to a proposed nuclear fuel swap, the administration turned to the pressure track, primarily through the use of financial sanctions. Speaking yesterday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey said, “It is not just my prediction that this strategy can have significant impact; it has already begun to do so. The financial measures the U.S. and others are implementing are imposing serious costs and constraints on Iran.” White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said on Monday that, “The door is open to them having a better relationship with the United States and with the international community,” but “Iran is going to have to demonstrate its commitment to show its peaceful intent around its nuclear program.” Rhodes also said that “the cost that Iran is facing has been greater than it was expecting with regard to sanctions.”

TENSIONS IN REGIME: Recent statements by Iranian power-broker Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani seem to confirm Levey’s and Rhodes’ comments. Speaking last week before the Assembly of Experts, Iran’s most senior clerical body, Rafsanjani said “you should be vigilant and careful. … Do not downplay the sanctions.” Rafsanjani added, “We have never had such intensified sanctions and they are getting more and more intensified every day. Wherever we find a loophole, they [Western powers] block it.” Reuters also reported that “divisions within the ruling elite have become increasingly evident in recent months as opposition protests over Ahmadinejad’s re-election in June 2009 have died down.” The increased international pressure may also be having an effect on Iranian public support for the nuclear program, long seen as a consensus issue among Iranians. Leila Chamankah, a professor at Azad University in Tehran, wrote that “many Iranians are dubious now about the country’s nuclear program” because of the perceived international costs. “At the popular level,” wrote Chamankah, “a separate motivation has taken shape: pride in the technical prowess embodied in the program, but opposition to Iran becoming a nuclear power and all that it would mean for its relationship with the West.”

POLICY OPTIONS: While sanctions are clearly having an effect on the Iranian regime, the question remains what those effects, and the current tensions within the Iranian government, mean for U.S. policy. Surveying the tensions, former State Department Iran adviser Ray Takeyh is skeptical that the current measure will lead to a positive outcome in the near term, writing, “For the near future, Iran’s international relations will be conditioned by the vagaries of the complex relationship between [Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei and Ahmadinejad, which means its policies are likely to be characterized by contradiction and inconsistency.” Unless there is a more creative approach to Iran policy, George Washington University’s Marc Lynch predicts “a relentless slide towards a replay of the Iraq saga of the 1990’s: a steady ratcheting-up of sanctions, which increasingly impact the Iranian people but fail to compel change in the regime’s political behavior; episodic and frequent diplomatic crises which consume the world’s diplomatic attention and resources; the growing militarization and polarization of the Gulf; ongoing uncertainty about Iranian intentions and capabilities.” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stressed that “the goal [of sanctions] was to stop the Islamic regime without harming innocent civilians.” A recent poll by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs showed that “Americans are at present reluctant to resort to a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, preferring economic sanctions and diplomacy.” Indicating agreement with the administration’s position on Iran’s nuclear rights and responsibilities, a majority of 52 percent also said that if Iran were to allow U.N. inspectors “permanent and full access throughout Iran to make sure it is not developing nuclear weapons,” then it “should be allowed to produce nuclear fuel for producing electricity.

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Watchdog group: Delaware candidate’s spending ‘flat-out illegal’ (via Anderson Cooper 360)

09/20/2010 Nativegrl77

CNN Wire Staff (CNN) — A watchdog group says it plans to ask authorities in Delaware to investigate Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell's finances. At issue are more than $20,000 of spending in 2009 and 2010 that Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington claims was illegal. "It turns out Miss O'Donnell has treated her campaign funds like t … Read More

via Anderson Cooper 360

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Democrats in Congress: 1 in 3 Americans say:let Tax Cuts for Wealthy expire…gallup Poll

09/19/2010 Nativegrl77

Definitely a day to relax breathe deeply release your breath slowly and relax … repeat as needed

Sunday Buzz… Is your Democratic member of congress among those 31 House or Senate democrats foolish enough to ignore the high percentage of Americans who want to keep the tax cuts for the middle class and allow the Bush tax cuts to expire as scheduled. I am surprised, offended and perplexed at how this Congress of democrats have showed us that they are subject to or are liabilities to the change 53% voted for in 2008. It is absolutely apparent that this group of 31 and that doesn’t imply flavor; it truly is a group that is not acting in their or our best interest by breaking away from what most Americans have been polled as a good move. I and hopefully others will start calling your member of Congress to find out if in fact they are among those currently anonymous blue dogs conservadems or truly the ones we need to vote out of office because not only they proven they are not true democrats they have decided to ignore Americans -you 31 are standing in the way of getting the middle class back on track.

**A Russian aircraft buzzes US warship

**6 arrested for terrorist plot against the Pope

**Oregon seafood company recalls packaged crab

**Iranian President lands in NYC

**President Obama encourages Black lawmakers to rally their constituents

**Stewart/Colbert announce National Mall rally 10-30-10

Today the weather is a mix of things that let you know fall is here and maybe as our weather people are warning… snow is coming this year.

There are issues coming up in Washington State that threaten personal choice they actually would threaten our overall health care choices and the reform we now have in place. If these issues of health care are challenged here in the state of Washington, the move to do so on a national level is sure to come. The main issue is birth control but that can be subdivided on all levels from drugs to in office procedures that in my opinion violate my rights as an individual my privacy and my life. The idea that any pharmacist who opts in to getting public or government funding has the right to say no or refuse to dispense the night after pill or any contraceptive is outrageous. There are laws in place already and should be left alone yet quietly in states like mine, folks have been challenging them left putting the regions officials on edge to do something. The results from pro-lifers might move from just efforts to win the right for pharmacists to refuse to dispense contraceptives into changing or ruling against individual rights and or a woman’s right to choose to being something else. Women who believe in fair and balanced health care for all need to be ready to stand up for a right to choose being challenged by both sides of the aisle in the coming months.

If anyone out there is sane enough to understand just how ugly the Newt rhetoric was getting before the latest conservative summits. The fact is he has just moved to a new low. I suggest going to the Cnn website or mobile and read Fareed Zacharias’ article covering the nasty words gingrich had to say about our “Democratic establishment”. In my opinion it was self-serving, he comes out on the last day of their radical movement meeting talking a 2012 run, blasts murkowski for running a write in campaign and his truly nasty, truly un-American disrespectful comments about President Obama thrown at the pack of dogs like red meat. This is the same guy who verbally beat up on Christine O’Donnell a few days ago who has had to walk that back in his speech, probably gave a significant amount of dollars, and is apologizing to everyone. I wonder if he had to bow down to Limbaugh as well. He is now in full Republican effect; preaching at how great she and the tea party are …come on us all at risk if he and their flock gain control …anyway, the article is a sad reminder of how low your fellow man can actually go in order to get control over another… very primal and ugly to be sure. Republicans play both sides of all the issues if they will serve them in the name of Profits and it is very offensive to me.

The Media has branded this political year as the year of the woman. I admit there are quite a few women from the Republican Party running for office in various states all over the country but not one candidate truly represents women in their best light. The fact is they all are against the right to choose, most are against gays and a couple feel women in the Military is definitely a no no. To say these ideals are against family is to say i have a nose on my face. They are women who live different lives than the rest of us and if i am hearing them right they intend to not only push their personal ideologies on me but will try to put them in to law. That is just wrong, it is offensive, and dare i say against the whole separation of church and state… right? Though I am no expert when it comes to individual rights, it is apparent that folks on the right feel Americans get too many entitlements like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and intend to take some if not all of my individual rights. The behavior from these so-called women on the right have embarrassed me as a woman in general on so many levels and continue to as they open up their mouths to say things that have moved from nasty sarcasm to what I consider extreme ideology to racist and or inappropriate comments. The notion that any public figure or who wants to call themselves a Public Servant and or representative of the people should be speaking and representing one nation under god, not just a select few which is all I get from the conservative extreme right.

If you watch the rallies, town halls and meet ups -there is an obvious lack of people of colour, oh there is a token handful, but the reality is this group talks about taking their country back but where did it go and take it back from who and where or what will they do with it. It started back when Palin tapped to grab women voters from Clinton. I was very offended the first time i heard Sarah Palin speak. I am still offended by her and her willingness to go so extreme that Americans are now fighting each other as the haves and have not now have almost nothing. Republicans have managed to manipulate the public and the media by blaming this current administration. It is odd so many have forgotten what happened let alone how the media is willing to let misleading information continue to get on tv or into the airwaves. The fact remains that the house of Bush could have stopped this calamity called an economic collapse way before it occurred but they did not. The blame is the Republican party stalling, blocking and voting no to legislation that could had the bills been big enough helped or solved the problem but no the Party of NO wants control and has been willing since President Obama was elected throwing Americans under the bus every time a bill gets on the floor of the Senate Republicans say one thing and do another and We the People fail to get back on track, our economy fails and any progress needed to get us into the 21^st Century fails. I had managed to stay away from the “social media” network thang .

.. i was busy but then this unqualified cliché driven talker who did not seem to be educated on anything about foreign policy let alone what was going on in the world and forced me to blog my heart out make phone calls and speak up and out that this woman does not represent me as a woman, a mom or worker. The idea that she would be next in line if something happened to the guy running for President was definitely a scary proposition and thank goodness, other women saw what our future would look like.

We are a few weeks away from the November elections and the Media has begun pulling out all the video of those on both sides of the Political aisle claiming they are the ones to vote for because …you fill in the reasons. What I have noticed is that the Republican party has women candidates that may put families at risk if they win. The efforts to move Americans to ideologies that are definitely right of center are bad enough. We hear the crap about the current President about being a Socialist but Boehner Bachmann and others on the right want us to have less government maybe less money for ok, think about that what would your neighborhood look like without Teachers, Police, EMTs, and Firefighters? Yes, they want to privatize everything and that would mean a huge increase in costs that absolutely would have no cap on the amount and or when that increase would come. It is happening now with health care and has been for years. The costs of privatization would be bad for the disabled, elderly, the current and new poor created by all the NO votes in Congress by Republicans and other who have been putting profits before people. As a woman and mom, I am concerned about the possibility of Palin getting opportunity to gain any position of power let alone the other women who are anti-establishment candidates because they are dangerous to family values and what rights we were all given as Americans.

The Tea Party or Republican ideologies or family values group embrace an extreme view on all things that I feel are about my personal life and should be left alone by the likes of a Palin,Bachmann, O’Donnell and other women on the right. Unfortunately, there are more pro-life women breaking the barrier and have crossed the line by getting into a position of holding political office. The reality is not just grim it begs all members of the Democratic Party with families prepare to fight against the possibilities of a Republican take down with our votes for equal rights not for those who want us to do as they say not as they do. They portray themselves as the family values party but even that is laughable if not offensive at best. Family is more than just one man and one woman married with children. In this 21^st Century the meaning of family is indefinable and should be left to the individual not manipulated but this group seems devoted to renounce “separation of church and state”

The fact is the difference between the Democratic and the Republican Parties are our ideologies

I started listening to the rhetoric in the news here in Seattle about birth control issues currently being challenged and realized that women need to be outraged. I know people are thinking why but start listening …keep your ears open to the rhetoric coming from those grizzly moms out there locally and on a national level. The religious right or the tea party see a right to choose an evil thing,pro-life means telling others what they can do with their bodies and should be forced into going full term no matter what the circumstance. If we allow Christine O’Donnell and the group of do as we say get into power the right to choose will be one of the first things they target. Women who believe in the right to choose must be prepared to speak up and out or march if needed to keep the current law in place. . i read about partial abortion and the procedure… clearly it involves steps that most of us would not go through unless it was absolutely needed… why have a vote on a common sense procedure that is my individual choice, my body and my money being used to pay for the procedure if i so choose. I would wager to say that a licensed doctor would not do this operation without it being the only way to help the health of the woman needing the procedure. The most important aspect of a right to choose is the life of a mother and her individual right to any procedure valid medical reason that should remain confidential and info kept between a women and her Doctor. The idea that a personal procedure paid for by the individual in most cases needed to be put into law is absurd to me, then actual people in political office began to push their religious ideologies and women all over the country had to stand up and say we demand the right to choose. In 1976, the Hyde Amendment became law but it has been that thing in the room Republicans and some conservadems want to manipulate; wanting women to go full term even if the circumstances might be questionable, bad, or ugly. I do not understand this attitude, this old style behavior of keeping women barefoot and pregnant or at least the image comes up when you hear pro-lifers talk. It is offensive and in this 21st Century, no one should have the right to tell me as an individual what to do with my body. Women need to stay prepared to speak up and out against those in Congress who intend to take up efforts to hold abortion rights as hostage ask to manipulate the current law then take the next step to ban abortions altogether.

just sayin

Other News …

**WA state Huskies FBall game at 12:30 today

CSPAN …

White House Briefing with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs