If I were the DNC

I’d quit putting out memos about Sarah Palin! and focus on this.

QUESTION: In the 2010 Congressional elections will you definitely vote, probably vote, not likely vote, or definitely will not vote?

The results were, to put it mildly, shocking:

Voter Intensity: Definitely + Probably Voting/Not Likely + Not Voting

Republican Voters: 81/14
Independent Voters: 65/23
DEMOCRATIC VOTERS: 56/40

Two in five Democratic voters either consider themselves unlikely to vote at this point in time, or have already made the firm decision to remove themselves from the 2010 electorate pool. Indeed, Democrats were three times more likely to say that they will “definitely not vote” in 2010 than are Republicans.

And with independents peeling away in droves, the Dems are in for a whole lotta hurt in November 2010.

 

Pre-emptive Arrest?

Looks like Denmark is taking a page out from the U.S. playbook.

The Danish parliament today passed legislation which will give police sweeping powers of “pre-emptive” arrest and extend custodial sentences for acts of civil disobedience. The “deeply worrying” law comes ahead of the UN climate talks which start on 7 December and are expected to attract thousands of activists from next week.

Under the new powers, Danish police will be able to detain people for up to 12 hours whom they suspect might break the law in the near future. Protesters could also be jailed for 40 days under the hurriedly drafted legislation dubbed by activists as the “turmoil and riot” law. The law was first announced on 18 October.

But not to worry, it only affects non-Danes, so it’s okay (not).

The Danish ministry of justice said that the new powers of “pre-emptive” detention would increase from 6 to 12 hours and apply to international activists. If protesters are charged with hindering the police, the penalty will increase from a fine to 40 days in prison. Protesters can also be fined an increased amount of 5,000 krona (671 Euros) for breach of the peace, disorderly behaviour and remaining after the police have broken up a demonstration.

The Danes are not happy.

Tannie Nyboe, a spokewoman from campaigning group Climate Justice Action in Denmark, said the new law was designed to control civil disobedience during the summit. “These laws are a big restraint in people’s freedom of speech and it will increase the police repression for anyone coming to Copenhagen to protest. Denmark normally boasts of how open and democratic a country we are. With this law we can’t boast about this anymore.

“It will increase the repression of any protester or activist coming to Copenhagen. This law creates an image of anyone concerned about climate change being a criminal, which will of course also influence the general treatment of any activist who comes into contact with the police or other authorities.”

 

What Glenn said

Add this to the list of reasons I am a registered independent. I really got tired of this sort of horse pucky, from both sides.

Greenwald:

I could understand and accept a lot more easily this blithe acquiescence to Obama’s record if it weren’t for the fact that progressives and Democrats spent so many years screaming bloody murder over Bush’s use of indefinite detention, military commissions, state secrets, renditions, and extreme secrecy — policies Obama has largely and/or completely adopted as his own.  One can’t help but wonder, at least in some cases, how genuine those objections were, as opposed to their just having been effective tools to discredit a Republican president for partisan and political gain.

It’s all about winning, not about doing what’s right.

 

Is it just me?

Or is this the first year that retailers have actually used the words “Black Friday” in their advertisements for their Day(s) After Thanksgiving sales? It is everywhere on t.v., in print, and online. No mention of the “spirit of giving.” No mention of finding that “perfect gift.”   It’s as though they all got the same memo. The ads are all about unabashed greed and consumerism.  I find it disconcerting, and yet, at the same time, brutally honest.

 

Entry Interface

We watched the shuttle land this morning and I heard them speak of ”entry interface” which is where the shuttle moves from space into the the earth’s atmosphere. 

The goal of guidance, navigation and flight control software is to guide and control the orbiter from this state (in which aerodynamic forces are not yet felt) through the atmosphere to a precise landing on the designated runway.

I’m going through entry interface right now. The events of the past weeks are starting to fade. The swelling is subsiding in my shoulder. I’m not living on pins and needles waiting for the next shoe to drop, and so I’ve raised my eyes to the world once again.  Jeebus.

What kind of inhumanity does it take to do this?  Or this? Or this? Or this? And what is this all about?

And this is just insane.

This isn’t even what I wanted to write about in this first real honest-to-goodness post since my own personal drama took over.  I wanted to write about Nancy, who sent me flowers with a note that read “Who knows why or how, but you’re one of my best friends….I’ve never met!” Nancy, who may be dying and can’t even afford to find out, much less do anything about it. 

What she didn’t realize — and that’s why one goes to an endocrinologist when one has thyroid issues rather than a cheap federally-funded health clinic for the poor — is that when you’ve had thyroid cancer a doctor likes to keep your levels EXTRA LOW just to make sure no thyroid tissue grows back. Because if you’re not on Synthroid and don’t keep the dose high enough to suppress everything, your thyroid will start trying to grow tissue again and that tissue will likely be cancerous. 

And then all it has to do is spread somewhere, say your lymph nodes, and you’re fucked.

So by taking me off of Synthroid for more than a month, that nice but uninformed doc at the clinic for poor folk has risked my life.

And forget me knowing if cancer is right now spreading throughout my body, because I sure as hell can’t afford to pay full freight for an MRI.

I wanted to write that because of my really good insurance my recent medical adventures won’t  send us careening into debt. I wanted to write about how I want that assurance for every person in this country. When one is staring one’s mortality in the face, the last thing anyone should have to do is find themself thinking twice about whether to call the ambulance, make the appointment or get the test. The very last thing.

Right now, the atmosphere is hitting me hard.

 

 

Thanksgiving

While we wait for The Kids to show up, my heart is beating at an even 60 beats a minute. I know because I just took my pulse, and it was so.  It will never go below that because of this amazing piece of technology under my left clavicle. I am so very grateful for the technology that has changed, and perhaps saved, my life.

So this Thanksgiving, I am keenly aware of what I have been given.  Every breath feels good. Every touch feels magical. A task as mundane as cleaning out the refrigerator makes me happy today. 

And I am loved. I could not ask for more.

 

Pink Glove Dance

What makes this even sweeter, is that this video was made at the hospital where I got my open heart surgery in 1982, St. Vincent’s in Portland, Oregon.

 

Wired for sound

Now that Multaq is working its way out of my system, I’m feeling pretty damn good. 

We’ll be leaving shortly to go to the kids’ place to pick them up so we can retrieve Sweetie’s car from the Renown parking lot. Being as I’m not allowed to drive, we have to drive in to get them, drive home with both cars and then drive them back. Whee!

In the meantime, I’ve had my first shower in days, am starting to lose the swelling around the pacemaker and can see the faint outline of it. The area is still quite tight and finding comfortable undergarments was a bit of a challenge, but I’ve even managed to take care of that. TMI? Sorry.

Oh, and Percoset is a wonderful drug . . . if one doesn’t have to drive.

 

Petition: Don’t let women lose access to mammography

From my inbox:

You’ve no doubt heard the news this week about the new recommendations concerning mammography screening.

While this shows that there is disagreement among experts about when mammograms should begin and on what schedule, all agree that mammograms save lives – in women over 50 and women in their 40s. 

Sign our petition and help us ensure that all women have access to this life-saving screening. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendations could significantly change breast cancer screening approaches. And while these recommendations are not binding, they are often consulted by health care providers and insurance companies. Most breast cancer experts agree far more than they disagree. One thing that the evidence clearly shows is that mammography reduces the risk of dying from breast cancer. Susan G. Komen for the Cure® continues to recommend annual mammography beginning at age 40 for women of average risk and earlier for women with known risks for breast cancer. Mammography is not perfect, but until we can develop more precise screening methods and can more accurately predict which women are at risk for breast cancer it is still our best tool for early detection. Please sign our petition and help make sure there are no barriers for women to get the mammograms they need. 

While controversies like this one make for good headlines, we must not lose sight of the fact that one third of all women who should get a mammogram don’t, because they lack access, education or awareness. This is an issue that needs our focus and attention. If we make progress with screening in vulnerable populations, we will continue to make progress in the fight against breast cancer.  

The Komen Advocacy Alliance will continue to advocate for women in this country and will push to ensure that all women have access to mammography. Sign our petition today >> Thanks for your support on this urgent issue.Sincerely, 

Lucy McGuire
President, Northern Nevada Affiliate Susan G. Komen for the Cure

 

Light posting, in case you haven’t noticed

Healing, dealing, contemplating. I’ll be back soon.