Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:13:22 EST

From: Valerie Scotella <Staywell2002@AOL.COM>

Subject: Re: Here some quotes from some candidates regarding human rights issues

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I would just like to add this sentiment,...

HAPPY HOLIDAYS ALL!

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#877

Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:17:03 -0500

From: Richard A Fee <professor@LOUISVILLE.EDU>

Subject: Re: Here some quotes from some candidates regarding human rights issues

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Thanks

and

Merry Christmas to all!

Regards,

Richard Fee 502-852-0549 FAX 852-4534

"If you want to make God smile, tell him what you plan to be doing tomorrow." Father Mychal Judge, fallen chaplain of the FDNYC. ><>

This message, including any attachments, contains confidential information intended for a specific individual and purpose and is protected by law. If you are not the intended recipient, do not read, copy, retain or disseminate this message or any attachment. If you have received this message in error, please contact the sender immediately by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the message and any attachment.

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#878

Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 10:25:12 -0600

From: James Teufel <teufel@SIU.EDU>

Subject: Re: Here some quotes from some candidates regarding human rights issues

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Merry Christmas to all who celebrate Christmas; Happy Holidays for people

who celebrate through Christianity and other religious traditions; and have

a great vacation for those who do not believe in holidays.

James

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#879

Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 13:32:22 EST

From: Valerie Scotella <Staywell2002@AOL.COM>

Subject: Re: Here some quotes from some candidates regarding human rights issues

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HOLIDAYS does include New Year's Eve and Day so enjoy EVERYONE!

In a message dated 12/20/2007 11:36:05 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,

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#880

Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:01:31 -0800

From: Mark Fulop <markfulop@YAHOO.COM>

Subject: Healthcare reform

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James,

Thanks for your contribution to the conversation and believe that you make many valid points about the system of Washington and the ability to make meaningful reforms to our health care system. But I am much more optimistic that after we endure another year of criminal intent, that we will see a change in Washington. I also believe that we have a chance of succeeding in changing the health care system of this nation if we can do the following things:

1. Build on a defensible plan that is readily understood by the average citizen.

2. Build a strong message control rather than letting the corporations control the debate.

I remember an article from the journal; Journal of Health that correlated the decline in public support for the Clinton plan with the message control of the corporations. As corporations were able to inflict 1,000 cuts the healthcare reform bled to death (the article’s metaphor, not mine). So one part of the strategy needs to pre-empting the corporate message by calling out the corporations and individuals opposed to health care reform and keeping the pressure on them. Classic Saul Alinsky tactic – Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, polarize it.

3. Build on People Power.

We can’t bank on money to change this country but we need to bank on people. We have the ability today that we did not have the last time we tried to change the healthcare system organize the support of people. Go to powells.com or your local library and check out Trippi’s book, The Revolution Will not be Televised. Trippi used that book not only to teach people how the Internet has changed politics but used the book to teach people how the Internet is important to connecting people. We can mobilize today in ways that we could not dream of back in the early days of the Internet.

4. Build on Medical Technology.

The technology exists today that did not exist back in the day when Clinton sought to reform healthcare. I believe that we are finally able to make the leap in our use of technology to better manage medical information, to improve diagnosis and treatment, to prevent disease and to reduce medial errors.

5. Build on Business and Labor.

Healthcare costs are finally breaking the backs of businesses and unions and so business and Labor back healthcare reform. If we can partner with business and labor broadly, we will have support to confront the medical industrial complex.

What we need is to back a candidate that has a coherent plan (preferably one that his opponents copied), who has built a coalition of people, who has not been sleeping in the bed of corporations and lobbyists, who is willing to call out corporate greed and influence and who has the moral integrity to advance a social agenda…. Hmmmm… which of the current candidates does that sound like? ...hmmm.

Holiday wishes to all.

M

---

Reference:

Finnegan, Jeffrey Huebner David P. Fan John (1997) "Death of a Thousand Cuts": The Impact of Media Coverage on Public Opinion About Clinton's Health Security Act Journal of Health Communication, Volume 2, Issue 4, 253 - 270

===

M

Mark Fulop, MA, MPH

Portland, OR

"The truth is, the American health care system is broken because wealthy health insurance corporations and their lobbyists have rigged the system against the American people. I hear all these candidates talking about how we're going to bring about the big, bold change that America needs. And I hear some people saying that they think we can sit at a table with drug companies and insurance companies, and they will give their power away. That is a fantasy. We have a fight in front of us. We have a fight for the future of this country. And the change we need will not happen easily. We need someone who is going to step into that arena on your behalf, someone who is ready for that fight. I have spent my entire life fighting and beating those same special interest groups to protect the rights of regular Americans, and that's exactly what I'll do as president."

____________________________________________________________________________________

Be a better friend, newshound, and

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#881

Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:45:32 -0700

From: Pat VanMaanen <pat@PVHEALTHSOLUTIONS.COM>

Subject: Re: Healthcare reform

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I recently attended a conference on Health Care Reform where Mark McClellan

MD (Brookings Institution and former CMS Director), Matthew Holt (of the

for Studying Health System Change and former RAND economist) spoke. For

Following the energetic and engaging discussions after the presentations the

Executive Director of SLHI wrote the following which I thought was timely to

this discussion and time of year:

O'Health Reform by Roger Hughes of SLHI

O' Health Reform

(Sung to the tune of O' Christmas Tree)

O' Health Reform, O' Health Reform

How long must we await thee

Two trillion dollars counting now

Will you crash the party

The uninsured are at the gates

We're all fed up with rising rates

O' Health Reform, O' Health Reform

How long must we await thee

O' Health Reform, O' Health Reform

How brightly some have decked thee

With P4P and HIT

And someone else's money

Please give us procedures new

And send our kids the IOU

O' Health Reform, O' Health Reform

How brightly some have decked thee

O' Health Reform, O' Health Reform

Please tell us you are coming

Through the cracks in cost and care

The gravy train's still running

So what if we are getting fat

You'll find a pill for fixing that

O' Health Reform, O' Health Reform

Please tell us you are coming

O' Health Reform, O' Health Reform

Some things are never changing

While the ship sinks in the sea

The chairs we're rearranging

From choices there, we'll take our pick

And hope that we are never sick

O' Health Reform, O' Health Reform

Some things are never changing

--

Pat VanMaanen, RN, MS

Health Consultant

PV Health Solutions

4914 E Aire Libre Ave

Scottsdale, AZ 85254

P: 602-616-6448

F: 602-482-0213

E: pat@pvhealthsolutions.com

This electronic transmission may contain information that is privileged,

confidential and exempt from disclosure under applicable law.

If you are not the intended recipient, please notify me immediately as use

of this information is strictly prohibited.

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#882

Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:09:00 -0800

From: James Teufel <jamesteufelchhp@GMAIL.COM>

Subject: Re: Healthcare reform

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Mark,

First, for those interested in comedy and not my wordy rant, several links

are included at the end of the email that may entertain you. My second

point will be a bit more of my pessimism, and my third and fourth points

will include some optimism. Lastly, the comedy links from Funny or Die are

listed; skip to them if rants are not your thing.

Second, Mark, I appreciate your commentary. You always have an opinion on

these issues, which is important. You try to incite discussion on cultural

topics though there are typically few takers. My prejudice is that the

HEDIR would be a wonderful forum to critically examine important issues

instead of the more typical mundane and culturally irrelevant questions

regarding curricula and textbooks. If health educators are more interested

in discussing textbooks and curricula, the big picture of health and

education is truly being missed. Textbooks and curricula without critical

attention, thought, understanding, and action are meaningless. I digress--

Mark, I wish I had your optimism. Maybe it is that I or friends have lived

in the D.C. culture too long, or maybe it is the work that I have completed

with health care organizations (the jaded factor)? The cost of drastic

health care reform at this point is too monumental, especially with regard

to technology, that I just do not see how it is feasible, even though I

believe change is useful and ethically proper. A poet that I knew, adapted

a Mark Twain quote, and said "Image is halfway around the block before

substance has its shoes on." The image of changing health care has been

developed by the Democrats and Republicans, but an actual functional plan i=

s

still looking for its shoes much less putting them on. In recent history,

politicians have spoke about health care reform and have made some reforms

that decreased, not increased access to care. I do agree that political

movement among "the people" would need to take place to drive this change.

Here is my pessimism again, however, it seems that the people are 1) too

apathetic or complacent, 2) are too busy to being beholden to their low

paying jobs and working to many hours, 3) too disenfranchised with

government, and/or 4) too fragmented to drive a national change effort at

this time. Additionally, the media propaganda machine is not independent o=

f

government and is more interested in spreading mediocrities or atrocities

for ratings than actually educating people regarding cultural issues. Here

is my optimism, I am hopeful for two reasons: 1) diversity in the

presidential office and 2) deflating the "morality" angle in politics, whic=

h

is ridiculously immoral, not to mention unethical-- but who cares about the

means as long as the ends are met --getting elected.

Third, I am optimistic that the streak of white male presidents may be

broken. The importance of this election will be less about health care and

more about the opportunity to become president. The election of either

Obama and Clinton would be a major advance for our culture in that it will

put the foot in the door for more diversity in the electoral process (excep=

t

of course, you have to be wealthy), though the process itself will change

little.

Fourth, I am also optimistic that people will not elect a person like Mike

Huckabee thereby preventing the further implementation of evil religion (se=

e

"When religion becomes evil?" by Charles Kimball) as some form of acceptabl=

e

secular government. Note, I idolize none of the candidates with regard to

civil or human rights. It is simply that Huckabee stands as the worst base=

d

the evidence that I have, though I am open to change. I do not know if Mik=

e

Huckabee "is" a bigot, but I do know that he certainly acts, writes, and

speaks like one. In the words of Voltaire, those who can make you believe

absurdities can make you commit atrocities. Huckabee's beliefs are

certainly absurd and if others buy his messages atrocities will follow

(creating and maintaining bogeymen to fight; oh yeah, and something along

the lines of the sun revolves around the flat Earth--children should learn

these type of "scientific facts"; and maybe we could go into another war

that is similar to the Crusades as Bush said about the war on terror). I

personally do not believe that alternative family structures and "gay

people" will destroy civilization, though Huckabee has other ideas.

Huckabee said:

"I don't think the issue's about being against gay marriage. It's about

being for traditional marriage and articulating the reason that's important=

.

You have to have a basic family structure. There's never been a civilizatio=

n

that has rewritten what marriage and family means and survived. So there is

a sense in which, you know, it's one thing to say if people want to live a

different way, that's their business. But when you want to redefine what

family means or what marriage means, then that's an issue that should

require some serious and significant debate in the public square."

It would be a major accomplishment if: 1) someone was elected who would not

further decimate our international reputation; 2) someone was elected who i=

s

at least neutral on civil rights issues [being for civil rights would

require that someone would have to step up and not be a pandering tool; all

of the front runners are, based on their actions, pandering tools], and 3)

someone was elected who will have at least a third grade social studies

education regarding the separation of church and State. I do not know any

president in the last hundred years who has not claimed to be Christian.

With regard to most of the current Candidates, I get it you are

Christian.... you are not a person who claims to be Muslim, Buddhist,

Humanist, Jewish, Hindu, Atheist, etc. Why does this matter? More likely

than not, if you asked the this question, you are likely Christian. It

matters because one's religious beliefs or lack there of should not impact

policy nor voting. Additionally, if the Christian stamp of approval is

necessary for presidential candidacy, change the Establishment Clause in th=

e

Constitution. If the Clause is not going to be changed, then candidates

should be silent on religion and not act based on their religious beliefs.

I care less who is the better Christian or who can sell hate the best under

the guise of god. By the way, between these candidates, I cannot think of

one of the Seven Deadly Sins that has not been violated. To me it seems

that god, or a thinly veiled reference to god, is brought up for one of two

reasons in contemporary political campaigns: 1) it is politically strategic

or 2) without including god in a statement, people would easily understand

the ridiculousness of a message.

This election could edge us a small amount closer to social justice or it

could enable more injustices; I suppose time will tell.

Again, Mark thank you again for continuing to incite greater depth and scop=

e

of discussion.

As promised, here are the videos. Comedy allows people to speak out agains=

t

absurdities in fun and socially palatable way, though I typically prefer a

bit more of the straight forward acerbic approach myself.

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