Month: October 2011

A nice letter to a wonderful company

Blue Cross Blue Shield
PO Box 4309
Helena, MT 59604

Attn: “GS”, “illegible” (see attached signature page)
Michael Frank, President and CEO

Gentlemen:

I become indignant every time I have to deal with an American health insurance company. The power you have taken upon yourselves to exclude people from our health care system was usurped, and not given to you. You abuse it every day.

I am the new majority owner in a business in XXXX, XXX, Inc. I recently urged our two long-time employees, XXX and XXX, to seek out health care coverage, for which the company will reimburse them in full. In this country it is the responsibility of employers to provide health insurance for employees. I take that responsibility seriously. Former owners did not.

You rejected XXX, and rated XXXX. I get that, I know why. With XXX – you are afraid xhe might not be a profitable client, and so are dumping hxx on the government. With XXXX – ditto, but you see some profit potential there, and so are accepting hxx for coverage.

Your behavior, your life and death power over people, is unconscionable. No private entity should ever have that kind of power. And yet, when we tried to reform our health care system in 2009, you stepped in and made sure that we would be forced to buy policies from you, and prevented us from having a public option.

That is despicable. Your behavior, in the more civilized industrial countries, would land you a jail sentence. Here, it is just good business practice.

Please read this and understand that you do not serve us, but rather leach off us, and prevent us from attaining quality health care.

Sincerely,

Should cops be prosecuted for illegal crackdowns?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. (From a document that is irrelevant during times when wealth is threatened)

Albany, NY police have refused to enforce illegal orders by Governor Cuomo and Mayor Jennings to break up peaceful demonstrations called the “Occupy Albany”, part of a larger national movement. This is refreshing and good news. It helps that Albany police chief Krokoff is not politically subordinate to the mayor, but the larger issue is a centuries-old debate concerning the liabilities of subordinates when they carry out illegal orders.

The law at stake here is the law of the land, the US Constitution, First Amendment, cited above. It trumps all. As long as demonstrations are peaceful, demonstrators cannot be forced to seek permits or disperiise when ordered to do so by local authorities. Continue reading “Should cops be prosecuted for illegal crackdowns?” →

Man of the Year nominee

I am in a motel room today watching football, bored to tears. Glenn Greenwald is putting out his usual outpouring of insight that, due to the depth of thought control in this country, few can grasp. (Who was it who sang “You better free your mind instead”? I did not know what that meant at the time either.)

The US is, surprise to me, pulling out of Iraq on the Bush timeline. It turns out that the Obama Administration did not want that to happen, but the Iraqis insisted that if American troops stayed in Iraq, they would be subject to prosecution in Iraqi courts for their crimes. This, as with all of the Arab Spring, is fallout from Wikileaks.

In other words, whoever leaked that cable [about a massacre of Iraqi civilians by American soldiers and the attempted coverup] cast light on a heinous American war crime and, by doing so, likely played some significant role in thwarting an agreement between the Obama and Maliki governments to keep U.S. troops in Iraq and thus helped end this stage of the Iraq war (h/t Trevor Timm). Moreover, whoever leaked these cables — as even virulent WikiLeaks critic Bill Keller repeatedly acknowledged — likely played some significant in helping spark the Arab Spring protests by documenting just how deeply corrupt those U.S.-supported kleptocrats were. And in general, whoever leaked those cables has done more to publicize the corrupt, illegal and deceitful acts of the world’s most powerful factions — and to educate the world about how they behave — than all “watchdog” media outlets combined (indeed, the amount of news reports on a wide array of topics featuring WikiLeaks cables as the primary source is staggering). In sum, whoever leaked those cables is responsible for one of the most consequential, beneficial and noble acts of this generation.

My nomination for Time Magazine man of the year: Prisoner Bradley Manning, whose newest crime is to force the US to be good to its word for once.

An experiment

The unfortunate passing of a brother has left me in a fortunate position. I am now majority owner of a business. I won’t say anything about its name or location for sake of privacy, though those who know me will know.

I urged my brother over the years (as did another brother) to treat his hired help with more respect and dignity. But, GRHS, my brother thought that hires were a drag on profit, rather than part of its source. Over the years, he refused to offer higher wages, eliminated benefits, and refused to even consider offering more hours than demand justified. He built a nice cushion to insulate himself from downturns, but no one else benefited. GRHS. Continue reading “An experiment” →

Breaking free

I am looking for positive things to put up here, and scanning the political horizon, there is not much. But there are protests going on, and that is a good thing.

We live in a thought-controlled culture, so that protests are usually seen by the mainstream as aberrant or even goofy. The media adds to this perception by showing the freakiest elements they can find. There are only two ways to keep those who have broken free of thought control in check – marginalization, and violence. The New York police Department, which is protecting criminals inside the buildings of Wall Street from protesters outside, seems aware that violence only feeds the movement.

The complaint most often voiced about Occupy Wall Street and it’s offshoots is that it is mere free-floating anger without an agenda or objective. That is a valid point, but the absence of an agenda should be expected in a nascent movement. If it is going to amount to anything, coalitions must form, leaders must emerge, and thinkers must start forming blueprints. But for now, just the overcoming inertia and breaking free of thought control is a big step.
Continue reading “Breaking free” →

Life begins anew

OK. Our family has endured much sadness lately, and out of that came a desire to avoid the incessant negativity of blogging. I’ve followed the usual haunts, and nothing changes. Ever. I continue to admire the work put out by Lizard and JC at 4&20, and will live vicariously through them. 

How to deal with loss? We’ve all experienced it, the knowledge that someone we love is just plain gone from our lives. It could be a romantic breakup or death. The feeling is the the same. As I saw bodies lowered into graves these past few weeks, I had uncontrollable sadness. Our family is closer now, more supportive of one another. We share pain, and that makes us stronger, more compassionate.

Does religion help? Do all the people who say that our loved ones are now somewhere else help the wounds heal? No. I don’t believe it, nor do they. Faith is unwavering belief in things we know are not true. Death is the end of a person, never to be hugged or heard again. 

Oddly, from death comes from within me a desire to give more of myself and expect less back. It is maturity. I was once told by a wise man that we don’t really become adults until our parents die. Perhaps he meant until we experience profound loss.

So my writing here is no longer offered to induce endless and unproductive political debate. I want more substance. I offer this forum to anyone who wants to share a positive outlook. No sympathy. We’ve had plenty of that. Just positive thoughts.

One lesson learned: The need for, and the healing power of forgiveness  – while we are alive. Life, as we all know, is short. We were repeatedly told that hearing is the last sense to go. Maybe so, but is there comprehension? I doubt it. Reconcile with them during life. I am saddened by the loss of two brothers, but gratified that we were friends at the end, all issues long since rectified.