witola.com

Good afternoon,

Shortly after taking office, I put forward a plan to end the war in Iraq responsibly. Today, I'm pleased to report that -- thanks to the extraordinary service of our troops and civilians in Iraq -- our combat mission will end this month, and we will complete a substantial drawdown of our troops.

Over the last 18 months, over 90,000 U.S. troops have left Iraq. By the end of this month, 50,000 troops will be serving in Iraq. As Iraqi Security Forces take responsibility for securing their country, our troops will move to an advise-and-assist  role. And, consistent with our agreement with the Iraqi government, all of our troops will be out of Iraq by the end of next year. Meanwhile, we will continue to build a strong partnership with the Iraqi people with an increased civilian commitment and diplomatic effort.

A few weeks ago, men and women from one of the most deployed brigades in the U.S. Army, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, returned home from Iraq. The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden were at Fort Drum to welcome the veterans home and spoke about their personal experiences as a military family:

Our commitment to our troops doesn't end once they come home -- it's only the beginning.  Part of ending a war responsibly is meeting our responsibility to the men and women who have fought it. Our troops and their families have made tremendous sacrifices to keep our nation safe and secure, and as a nation we have a moral obligation to serve our veterans as well as they have served us.

That's why we're building a 21st century Department of Veterans Affairs.  We've made one of the largest percentage increase in the VA’s budget in 30 years, and we're dramatically increasing funding for veterans' health across the board. In particular, we're delivering unprecedented resources to treat signature wounds of today's wars—Traumatic Brain Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Our sacred trust to take care of our veterans goes beyond simply healing the wounds incurred in battle. We must ensure that when our veterans leave the Armed Forces, they have the opportunities they need to further their education and support their families.  Through the Post-9/11 GI Bill, some 300,000 veterans and families members have pursued a college degree.  Others are taking advantage of job training and placement programs.

My Administration will continue to do our part to support the brave men and women in uniform that have sacrificed so much.  But supporting our troops and their families is not just the job of the Federal Government; it's the responsibility of all Americans.

As we mark this milestone in the Iraq war and our troops continue to move out of Iraq, I hope you'll join me in thanking them, and all of our troops and military families, for their service.

Sincerely,
President Barack Obama



AP

Came across this and thought I'd share his valid point:

As a nation that was founded by men and women who were being persecuted for their particular faith, we should know that the best path to finding freedom is finding freedom for others. We were formed as a pluralistic society and this means we welcome all religions. Islam did not attack the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, sick and twisted men did, who not only hijacked four airplanes but also hijacked a religion. Let us not stereotype the over one billion Muslims around the world because of the evil acts of a few.

~Russell Simmons

President Obama took a step toward equal rights on Thursday when he mandated that hospitals allow visitation to the partners of gay men and women, along with respecting patients' choices about who can make critical health-care decisions for them.

The new rules will affect any hospital that receives Medicare or Medicaid funding and will become active within months.

"Discrimination touches every facet of the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, including at times of crisis and illness, when we need our loved ones with us more than ever," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign.

And per usual, opponents of gay marriage are all up in arms about the whole thing! Their warped thinking truly believes that this decision is undermining the definition of marriage. With the current stats on marriage, which the trend is 40-50% ending in divorce, I don't see why this is an issue. Something that is so sacred seems to be taken lightly and casual to me!

But Obama issued the following elegant memo to the Department of Health and Human Services.

It read:

"Every day, all across America, patients are denied the kindnesses and caring of a loved one at their sides whether in a sudden medical emergency or a prolonged hospital stay.

Affected are "gay and lesbian Americans who are often barred from the bedsides of the partners with whom they may have spent decades of their lives — unable to be there for the person they love, and unable to act as a legal surrogate if their partner is incapacitated."

President Obama was inspired by the story of a lesbian couple in Florida, Janice Langbehn and Lisa Pond, who were not allowed to see each other when Pond collapsed of a cerebral aneurysm in February 2007 and died alone in the hospital hours later because of these outdated policies.

And the new mandate will not only apply to gays. Widows and widowers will now be able to receive visits from friends and companions. Small, but crucial steps for equality!

To My Fellow Citizens, the Republicans:

Thanks to last night's vote, that child of yours who has had asthma since birth will now be covered after suffering for her first nine years as an American child with a pre-existing condition.

Thanks to last night's vote, that 23-year-old of yours who will be hit one day by a drunk driver and spend six months recovering in the hospital will now not go bankrupt because you will be able to keep him on your insurance policy.

Thanks to last night's vote, after your cancer returns for the third time — racking up another $200,000 in costs to keep you alive — your insurance company will have to commit a criminal act if they even think of dropping you from their rolls.

Yes, my Republican friends, even though you have opposed this health care bill, we've made sure it is going to cover you, too, in your time of need. I know you're upset right now. I know you probably think that if you did get wiped out by an illness, or thrown out of your home because of a medical bankruptcy, that you would somehow pull yourself up by your bootstraps and survive. I know that's a comforting story to tell yourself, and if John Wayne were still alive I'm sure he could make that into a movie for you.

But the reality is that these health insurance companies have only one mission: To take as much money from you as they can — and then work like demons to deny you whatever coverage and help they can should you get sick.

So, when you find yourself suddenly broadsided by a life-threatening illness someday, perhaps you'll thank those pinko-socialist, Canadian-loving Democrats and independents for what they did Sunday evening.

If it's any consolation, the thieves who run the health insurance companies will still get to deny coverage to adults with pre-existing conditions for the next four years. They'll also get to cap an individual's annual health care reimbursements for the next four years. And if they break the pre-existing ban that was passed last night, they'll only be fined $100 a day! And, the best part? The law will require all citizens who aren't poor or old to write a check to a private insurance company. It's truly a banner day for these corporations.

So don't feel too bad. We're a long way from universal health care. Over 15 million Americans will still be uncovered — and that means about 15,000 will still lose their lives each year because they won't be able to afford to see a doctor or get an operation. But another 30,000 will live. I hope that's ok with you.

If you don't mind, we're now going to get busy trying to improve upon this bill so that all Americans are covered and so the grubby health insurance companies will be put out of business — because when it comes to helping the sick, no one should ever be allowed to ask the question, "How much money can we save by making this poor bastard suffer?"

Please, my Republican friends, if you can, take a quiet moment away from your AM radio and cable news network this morning and be happy for your country. We're doing better. And we're doing it for you, too.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

P.S. I'll have more to say on this tonight, live on CNN, at 9pm ET. I'll be talking with Larry King about the health care bill and where we go from here, considering we still don't have universal health care.

P.P.S. In case you missed these photos in yesterday's NY Times Sunday Magazine… That's the results of seven years of madness. The Iraq War began its 8th year this weekend. How can we remove more of those responsible for this tragedy in November.

Outside of DC, however, many Americans are trying to cut through the chatter and get to the substance of reform with a simple question: "What does health insurance reform actually mean for me?" To help, we've put together some of the key benefits from health insurance reform.

Let's start with how health insurance reform will expand and strengthen coverage:

• This year, children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied health insurance coverage. Once the new health insurance exchanges begin in the coming years, pre-existing condition discrimination will become a thing of the past for everyone.
• This year, health care plans will allow young people to remain on their parents' insurance policy up until their 26th birthday.
• This year, insurance companies will be banned from dropping people from coverage when they get sick, and they will be banned from implementing lifetime caps on coverage. This year, restrictive annual limits on coverage will be banned for certain plans. Under health insurance reform, Americans will be ensured access to the care they need.
• This year, adults who are uninsured because of pre-existing conditions will have access to affordable insurance through a temporary subsidized high-risk pool.
• In the next fiscal year, the bill increases funding for community health centers, so they can treat nearly double the number of patients over the next five years.
• This year, we'll also establish an independent commission to advise on how best to build the health care workforce and increase the number of nurses, doctors and other professionals to meet our country's needs.  Going forward, we will provide $1.5 billion in funding to support the next generation of doctors, nurses and other primary care practitioners -- on top of a $500 million investment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Continue reading

The health care bill passed in the House of Representatives with the votes coming in at 219 - 212 and now it's on the way to President Barack Obama to sign!

"This is what change looks like," Obama said. "We proved that this government — a government of the people and by the people — still works for the people."

The new health care plan will extend coverage to over 32 million uninsured Americans, reduce deficits as well as ban insurance companies from denying coverage due to pre-existing medical conditions.

To deliberately attempt to manipulate viewer's opinions through laugh tracks is as pathetic as she is.

Check out a part 1 of 2 videos from NBC.com:

Writer and activist Micheal Stinson, who apparently hates Sarah Palin more than we do, flew to El Lay with his wife to be in the audience during the newly re-Leno'd Tonight Show, which featured the Alaskan trainwreck as a guest on its second night.

Now Stinson has come forward with some SHOCKING allegations against NBC and the talk show, claiming they manipulated Sexy Sarah's interview by dubbing laugh tracks over to make her appear funny and well-received, when apparently she got nothing but awkward silence her ENTIRE segment.

You can read the full article here, but it's a little lengthy, so here are some highlights:

But when Jay brought out Sarah Palin, she was completely nerved. Watch the video, check out her breathing, she's freaked and talks a mile a minute. Both my wife and I agreed - when you actually get close enough, she's just plain creepy, and those yech vibes filled the room.

And while NBC Sold Palin, she sold her body, jiggling, teasing, pushing the cutesy-pie, what we used to call in the military, a "prick tease." She short circuits brains, deflects the fact that most of what she says is nonsense or hateful, as lizard layers of right wing men's brains hum a sexual fantasy tune, and women who have thrown all sense of propriety to the wind, watching her strip, want to be just like her. Rich. Stupid. The sweet "Bite Me" bitch attitude she's honed to an art form. No, she doesn't just "wink" - she uses her whole body to sell the package. Turn off the sound, just watch her body language. I find it whorish, repulsive, and I'm no prude.

They added laughter where there was none during uncomfortable portions. Well, there was some laughter. Mine, of derision. During those pregnant pauses in her performance I was laughing long and loud, couldn't help myself as much of what she was saying was utterly surreal, ridiculous, hypocritical - nonsense, spewed platitudes, pushed buttons. I was seriously thinking of leaving as it was getting hysterically unfunny.

After sitting through the taping of the show in the studio I can recount many portions where there was little or no laughter or response, but at the later broadcast they are smoothed over with applause and laughter that WERE NOT THERE at the taping. Groans, hoots, grumbling, or just dead silence - all missing.

They should bear some responsibility for hawking a defective product. This is corporate shilling in the worst way, not only to raise Leno's ratings, but to push Palin on a crowd with fake laughter and applause. The applause sign is one thing, an American institution. But INSERTING Laughter for Sarah Palin? Try to realize that while you may be laughing at the things she says, because she's a train wreck, the corporate powers that be are ADJUSTING the laughter so it appears APPROPRIATE. I worked in a mental institution. The very basic definition of insanity is "inappropriate laughter" WHO decides what's "appropriate?" Apparently, corporations. Not you. The Tonight Show is a lie, more than ever a corporate shill that's performing a cultural engineering service. Selling garbage, that is literally ruinous to our nation and women's rights.

Another hypocrite bites the dust! Prop 8-Supporting State Senator Arrested After Leaving Gay Club!

Great satire from Funny or Die, with a message we should all act on. Funny or Die have teamed up with Americans for Financial Reform to urge Congress to act on financial reform and get that shit passed ASAP!

I love all the old Presidents coming back to haunt the Obamas while in the bedroom one night. They brought in starring Will Ferrell, Fred Armisen, Darrell Hammond, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Dana Carvey, In Living Color alum Jim Carrey and Maya Rudolph, directed by Ron Howard.

Call the number on the screen today!