http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/18/AR2008111803487.html?hpid=moreheadlines
Among the many things we hired Obama to do is to stop his administration from wrongfully labeling lawful citizens as terrorists. Under the Bush Administration, once a person was given a label as “terrorist”, “threat”, “anarchist”, “animal rights activist” or “extremist”, that person and all the people with similar names would be flagged. They would face additional harassment when attempting to travel by air, would be on surveillance lists, and would face extra government discrimination and possibly even job discrimination – and would have no clue why they were being treated that way.
I seriously want these “little lists” eliminated. Gone. Wiped irretrievably from every computer system, removed and burned from every paper back up, microfiche films recycled unrecoverably, and each and every permutation of these lists utterly, utterly gone from police stations, government offices, air ports, sea ports, fire stations, private home computers, and any other place they may be residing.
Should there be a need for these lists, I want them made with stronger regulations on who actually makes the list. The lists should be short. No one should be placed on the list without incontrovertible evidence that they actually are terrorists, not just that they wrote some grade school paper about people shooting one another or were walking their dog in the same park where a protest rally was held. Getting on the list should have about the same odds for the average American as winning a 7 digit lottery.
This wholesale assumption of darkest guilt needs to stop. Eight more weeks of lawful American citizens being treated as terrorists are more than long enough. I hope it will be stopped once Obama assumes office. I hope it will be quick.
http://www.newsweek.com/id/169805
“WASHINGTON) The health insurance industry says it will support a national health care overhaul that requires them to accept all customers regardless of pre-existing medical conditions.
In return, the industry said Wednesday, it wants Congress to require that everyone buy coverage.”
I do not want to live anywhere I cannot opt out of paying for services I don’t use. I pay the liability insurance on vehicles because I don’t currently have the savings to pay in case of an accident, but I have the option to either have a savings/trust for accident coverage or purchase insurance. I’m not forced to have insurance. I do not want to be forced to have health insurance I cannot opt out of. I am paying for health insurance right now, but I can opt out of it by changing jobs. If the insurance industry gets their way, I won’t be able to opt out of health insurance coverage no matter where I work or whether I work or not.
I don’t like that.
