Entertainment Overnight -- Carol King and the Queen of Soul

Carole King, honored and feted by none other than the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin with President Barack Obama and First Lady (truly a lady) Michelle Obama in the audience, 2015.

Because these things happened all the time during the Trump administration. Sure they did.

Democrats vs Republicans? Really??

Really. Democrats vs Republicans?   

Why??

Unless you're already wealthy, why, why would you vote Republican?

Well, already wealthy and fixated on only taking care of yourself.

Hey, Kansas City! You're Getting Some National Attention!

Yesirree, Bob...  National attention to and for our very own Negro Leagues Baseball Museum!

Obama, Clinton join virtual celebration 

for Negro Leagues

A bit of the article:

Every living former U.S. president paid tribute to baseball’s pioneering Negro Leagues as the part of the “Tipping Your Cap” campaign celebrating the institution’s centennial.

Major League Baseball had originally planned a public tribute to the league for June 27, but the coronavirus pandemic forced its cancellation. Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick told The Washington Post he was at first resigned to holding the celebration a year late before having the idea for the virtual tribute.

“In our game, there’s nothing more honorable than tipping your cap,” Kendrick told the Post. “And once I realized that national day of recognition was going to fall by the wayside, I thought, ‘OK, maybe we can do it next year.’ But that didn’t really do it.”

“So then I thought, ‘How about a virtual tip of the cap?’ ” he added. “And let me say here and now, there is no way I could have done this myself. I could not be more proud of the response.”

In addition to former Presidents Obama, Bush, Clinton and Carter, participants in the tribute included baseball legends like Hank Aaron and Derek Jeter as well as iconic athletes from other sports, including Michael Jordan and Billie Jean King, as well as celebrities from other fields including Tony Bennett and Stephen Colbert.

“Today I’m tipping my hat to all the giants in the Negro Leagues, from Satchel Paige to Toni Stone and so many others,” Obama tweeted. “Their brave example, first set 100 years ago, changed America’s pastime for the better––opening it up for new generations of players and fans alike.”

The League, established in 1920, counted among its players greats such as Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson and Jackie Robinson, who played with the League’s Kansas City Monarchs before he broke the color barrier by joining the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. The league dissolved in the years following Robinson’s milestone as numerous others followed him into the major leagues.

So good on you, Kansas City! Maybe after all this coronavirus is straightened out, we'll get some more visitors and tourism out of it. We can always hope.

A Comparison of Presidents

Three former Presidents have made public statements on our current national situation, given the George Floyd death. I thought seeing 4 of them, side by side, could and possibly would be telling.  I think I was correct on that.

First, we'll hear from Jimmy Carter:

“We need a government as good as its people, and we are better than this. As a white male of the South, I know all too well the impact of segregation and injustice to African Americans. As a politician, I felt a responsibility to bring equity to my state and our country.”

Next, George W Bush:

"America's greatest challenge has long been to unite people of very different backgrounds into a single nation of justice and opportunity. The doctrine and habits of racial superiority, which once nearly split our country, still threaten our Union. The answers to American problems are found by living up to American ideals — to the fundamental truth that all human beings are created equal and endowed by God with certain rights,"

Barack Obama:

“There is a change of mindset that is taking place, a greater recognition that we can do better, That’s a direct result of the activities and organization and mobilization and engagement of so many young people across the country who put themselves out on the line to make a difference,”

Finally, current President Donald J Trump:

“You have to dominate. If you don’t dominate, you’re wasting your time, They’re going to run over you. You’re going to look like a bunch of jerks.”

It speaks for itself. It all speaks for itself.

Just the Facts, Ma'am

That one guy also oversaw the saving of the US economy, after the 2008 financial near-collapse, among other improvements.

Huh.

Quote of the Day -- On Goodbyes

As we say goodbye to President Obama, the very bright to brilliant, educated and extremely talented Mr. Spacey has this so correct.

As President Obama Says Goodbye Today

For us.

For the people.



Yes we can.

Yes we did.

And we must do still more.

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you and First Lady Michelle and your children and entire family. We have a nation of thanks.

And It's Nearly Over

Happy Birthday, President Obama!

Yessir. Today, Tuesday, August 4 is President Obama's 54th birthday. And while part of this is to wish him well on his day, part of it for me and a lot of us is to thank him for all his work these last 7 years.

Herewith, some links to pages showing just some of his accomplishments for we, the people. Each has citations and links to their sources:

14 Facts About Obama's Presidency Most People Don’t Know

A List of 305 Accomplishments by President Obama so far

Like did you know...

• We've now had 65 straight months of economic expansion.
• We are currently enjoying the longest period of private sector job creation in American history.
• Unemployment has dropped from 10.1% in October of 2009 to 5.4% by Spring of 2015.
• The stock market continues to set new record highs since President Obama took office.
• The Federal budget deficit is shrinking. It’s been reduced by two-thirds since 2009.
• Under President Obama, government spending has increased only 3.3% annually, the lowest rate since Eisenhower was president.
• For 95% of American taxpayers, income taxes are as low or lower than they were at almost any point in the last 50 years.
• Nearly 20 million more Americans now have health insurance that didn't have it before President Obama. More Americans have health insurance, and fewer are without, in at least decades.

And that's just a short, very short list. There's lots more.

And then there's these, from the world community:

President Obama Named ‘Most Admired Man In The World

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton Extend Run as Most Admired

Barack Obama is most admired man for 7th year in a row...

And as if that isn't enough for the Right Wing, there's this, too, from that same article:  Hillary Clinton is most admired woman for 17 th time in 18 years.

Like it, all of it--or accept it--or not.

So here's to you, President Obama, on your day.

Thanks, very much, for all your work.

For all the Obama haters out there

And keep in mind, this isn't including more recent improvements since 2008. This is a partial list of benefits for and to America (click on picture for easier viewing).

On that immigration issue?

Americans one, big, real problem with "Obamacare"

The fact is, the facts are, we here in America have THE MOST EXPENSIVE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN THE WORLD.

Bar none.

It's no way even remotely debatable.

Added to that, we have the worst health outcomes for that system OF THE TOP 17 INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS.

Again, not debatable.  Fact.

So someone in Washington comes up with a solution--some solutions--in federal legislation out of Washington and sure, it's nor perfect, far from it.  No way close.

But it's an improvement.

And it's for us this time, not just for the health insurance companies and corporations.

But what's our big response to this legislation for us?

We're agin' it.

I got to thinking about it and I've been thinking about it for some time.  I've come to a conclusion why we a lot of us don't like or want this legislation, too.  It's so obvious.

We don't like being told what to do.

Especially by government.

And especially by this guy:

I can nearly hear them going crazy already

Former Republican Governor from Florida on the Presidential election

Former Florida Republican Governor Charlie Crist on President Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney as printed in the Tampa Bay Times newspaper, this past Sunday, right before the Republican National Convention which also takes place in Tampa this week:

"As America prepares to pick our president for the next four years — and as Florida prepares once again to play a decisive role — I'm confident that President Barack Obama is the right leader for our state and the nation. I applaud and share his vision of a future built by a strong and confident middle class in an economy that gives us the opportunity to reap prosperity through hard work and personal responsibility. It is a vision of the future proven right by our history."

The rest of the column here: http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/article1247631.ece

Democrats said to have 4 top cities selected for 2012 National Convention (MO?)

From HuffPo tonight: WASHINGTON -- Recognizing that President Barack Obama faces serious challenges in the Midwest he carried not two years ago, the Democratic National Committee on Wednesday picked three heartland cities and just one in the Republican-friendly South to consider for its 2012 nominating convention. The cities are Cleveland, St. Louis, Minneapolis and Charlotte, N.C. At least they're considering St. Louis--somewhere in Missouri. Link to original post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/01/democratic-convention-201_n_632177.html

Quote of the day--where we are now

“We are staring into our future and it does not work. The gush of filth” (BP’s Gulf Oil spill) “is a reminder that we have surrendered our independence to a technology we cannot master. Our energies are misdirected to expensive foreign wars whose purposes grow ever more obscure. We rail at one another in “cultural’ clashes irrelevant to our real problems.” “Meanwhile, the clockwork precision of our classical constitution has ground to a halt—depending as it does on consensus that no longer exists. Taking the long view, this is how republics die. ‘Someone’ clearly has to do ‘something.’ What do you propose?” --“Tony” from an article in yesterday’s New York Times, “Generations in the Balance” Link to original post: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/opinion/20judt.html?th&emc=th

Strong, intelligent leadership

Scientists pushed the "Doomsday Clock back one minute" in the last 24 hours, "citing hopeful developments in nuclear weapons and climate change."

And you know who has lead us in those new, improved directions.

"The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, which maintains the clock and puts an illustration of it on its cover, attributed the move to efforts by world leaders to reduce their countries' nuclear arsenals and collaborate on climate stabilization."

"The group, which includes 19 Nobel laureates, said a key to the 'new era of cooperation is a change in the U.S. government's orientation toward international affairs brought about in part by the election of (U.S. President Barack) Obama.'"

Yeah, President Obama.

And then this:

Despite a recession that's disproportionately affected their community, African-Americans are dramatically more upbeat about their progress in this country than at any time during the past quarter century, according to a new Pew Research Center poll.

Okay, so, sure, one is the opinion of scientists on a rather arbitrary evaluation of the status of humankind on the planet and the other is the opinion of one group of people in the United States but opinions matter. Assumptions of how we are matter.

These assumptions help us be able to work on for the improvement of our situations.

They help us know that what we do makes a difference.

They help us have hope.

And without hope, there is no reason.

"The natural flights of the human mind are not from pleasure to pleasure but from hope to hope." Samuel Johnson

I had hope from 2000 to 2008 but it was very challenged hope, certainly.

An open letter to Senator Christopher "Kit" Bond

Senator Bond,

We need to make it clear that we not only want true, comprehensive health care reform in our country, we need it--and we need it badly.

We need the single-payer option--but apparently aren't going to get it--and we need the public option for insurance and aren't likely to get that, either.

Lots of us don't have health insurance out here, Senator, because health care costs here in the States are the highest in the world, as we all know.

Lots more of us can barely afford our health care for the same reason.

We need help, Senator.

We need your help.

We need you to vote for health care reform when it comes up for a vote soon.

We know you're not likely to give it to us because you don't want this President or his party to succeed, for fear of your own party's failure, but it's the right thing for the country and for its citizens, and your constituents

It's the right thing, Senator, it's worth repeating.

Vote for health care reform, Senator Bond.

Do the right thing.

We need this help.

We need your help.

Sincerely,


____________________________

Now, go write Sen. Bond. You can do that here: http://bond.senate.gov/public/

This is the year for being wrong, clearly

A few days ago, after President Obama went to Dover Air Force Base to pay his respects to 18 deceased American Soldiers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

I wrote that he showed a great deal of dignity and, again, respect for the Soldiers and their families.

I also wrote that surely the Right wing, Fox "News" and Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, etc., wouldn't dare speak out against this, that it would just be beyond the pale.

As it says above, this is my year for being wrong (you have no idea).

A quote, just now, from the Associated Press and Yahoo! News covering yesterday's Sunday morning news programs:

"Limbaugh belittled Obama's surprise, middle-of-the-night trip last week to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to observe the return of 18 flag-covered cases holding the remains of Americans killed in Afghanistan. 'It was a photo op' designed to 'create the impression that he has all of this great concern,' he contended."

It's been a banner year for me, I'll tell you.

Link to full story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091102/ap_on_bi_ge/us_limbaugh_obama

No "opt out" clause

The insurance companies keep doing what they can to take care of themselves--but take advantage of us.

First, we should have had the "single-payer" option with this coming health care reform so we can reduce what waste we can in paperwork, at minimum, that courses through our health care system.

There are 1300 insurance companies in the US and each one has their own forms, as we all know.

That creates untold waste in paper, time, energy and so, money.

Unfortunately, according to Matt Taibbi and Rolling Stone magazine, President Obama gave this $350 billion dollar a year savings tool away to the insurance industry and their lobbyists at the beginning of our negotiations for this reform.

That shouldn't have happened.

That wasn't in our best interests.

Second, we should have the "public option" for insurance, absolutely.

We are one of the only countries in the world that lets insurance companies make huge, ugly profits on health care insurance.

It's "blood money", for sure, let's be clear.

Government-run (yes, government-run) health insurance is the only thing that makes sense when it comes to being covered. Lots of other countries still have successful, private insurance companies and industries while, at the same time, having government-run health insurance, too. It can work. But we have to let it. (See any of the last 3 links below and/or do a Google search for "T R Reid Health Care").

We have to get the costs of health insurance down, that's all there is to it.

The ongoing annual increases are eating us alive--both businesses and citizens--you and me, out here in the real world.

Six to 8 to 13 percent increases (mine, this very minute, is an 8 to 13 percent increase option I have, depending on which deductible rate I accept), are devouring our economies. This inflation is unworkable, not just unacceptable.

And now we have the spineless, cowering Congress, kowtowing further for and to the insurance industry by throwing this ridiculous "opt out" clause in our negotiations.

The thought is, sure, if you must have this awful reform we don't want, then let's throw in the good-sounding "opt-out" idea, so if whole states don't want to go down this government-insurance way, they can choose to "opt out".

Except what it does is further guarantee insurance agencies their increases, at least for a few years, while strapping all the rest of us to ever-higher costs.

It's insane.

The insurance industry and their lobbyists are throwing millions of dollars at our representatives in an effort to get what they want and stiff the American public.

Don't fall for it, folks.

"Opt-out" is not in our best interests.

Far from it.

Now, today, Joe Lieberman says he will filibuster to keep the "public option" out of this bill.

(Bang head here)

Links:
http://www.rollingstone.com/nationalaffairs/index.php/2009/08/19/matt-taibbi-on-health-care-reform-sick-and-wrong/

http://www.rollingstone.com/videos/video/29735557
/matt_taibbi_on_healthcare_sick_and_wrong

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114209669

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112172939

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/21/AR2009082101778.html

http://fora.tv/2009/09/14/TR_Reid_The_Healing_of_America