Being the Change I Wish to See

Why is it that most Americans like, support and defend our Constitution in principle, but not in practice? When asked, most Americans think that freedom of religion is a vital First Amendment right.

But in practice, a whole bunch of people are freaking out about somebody building a rather typical structure in an abandoned Burlington Coat Factory about 5 blocks from ground zero that was damaged in the World Trade Center bombings of 9/11/2001. What everybody is freaking out about is the land owners want to build an Islamic Community Center on that land. The community center will contain a basketball court and a culinary school along with other typical community center facilities, and some prayer space, not a mosque.

Americans need to get over the idea that we need a buffer zone around the hallowed ground of the World Trade Center Complex. Many Muslim-Americans died in those attacks along with Christian-Americans and Jewish-Americans. Some were first responders to the attacks. Many Muslim-Americans volunteered in the U.S. military to fight in Afghanistan (and Iraq). There are a growing number of headstones in Arlington National Cemetery with Muslim sickle and star carvings, along with the many Christian crosses and Jewish stars of David.

Muslim-Americans are Americans. They were born here just like we were. They are not terrorists. They are not radicals or our enemies. They are us. Those we are fighting are not true Muslims. Islam is a peaceful faith.

If we look at faith as the Litmus test to exclude people who might be terrorists, we had better start watching white Christian males, because Timothy McVeigh was a white, Christian, American ex-soldier who became a radical terrorist. We don’t do that, so why should we do it to Muslim-Americans? We shouldn’t. It’s wrong.

In 10 years, such unrest about this issue will seem unbelievably petty and ridiculous. America, it’s time to live American values, not just pay them lip service.

Keith Olbermann’s special comment from today’s broadcast of Countdown says it best (12:21):

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This metaphor describes exactly what is going on with the GOP and health care reform:

GOP dudes want pizza but without any of the ingredients, including sauce and cheese. I wonder if they even want crust?

It’s time to forget the Republicans and for the Democrats to go it alone.

Those of you who don’t want health care reform are saying you want the insurance companies to make 35 cents out of every dollar in profits. You’re paying for it, and you are at risk of losing your insurance because the costs keep going up. It will keep going up as fewer and fewer people are insured, and our delivery system is expensive.

If you have employer health insurance, look back at your pay stubs from at least a few years ago compared to today and see how much more you’re paying now compared to then.

What’s going on with people who don’t want a public option or even a co-op? What’s wrong with making it possible for the uninsured to be able to buy insurance and afford it? What’s wrong with increasing competition to make your insurer earn your business?

What would you do if your insurance tells you the emergency surgery you just had isn’t covered or is only covered 65/35 because you were out of town when it happened? You would have to pay 35% of an average $20,000 hospital bill. Can you fork that over right now?

Think back on recent and even not so recent lay-offs at your company. How many people who were laid off had a serious illness prior to being laid off? Get rid of those who get sick and get rid of their risk from your employer’s pool.

Are the insurance company executives in your pants (or your pockets) at your demand? They’re heavy into many GOP pockets. Prostitution, figurative or literal, is the only sane thing I can think of for wanting to pay those companies a 35% profit. The rest of the excuses are myths or outright lies too many people have started to believe.

Wake up and smell the coffee! Our health care system is unsustainable, and the GOP wants a “reformed system” that is even more unsustainable and more beneficial to the insurance industry.

It’s time for the Dems to dump the GOP obstructionists.

Sources:
TRMS
Countdown

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