Senator Joe Lieberman introduced a bill, called Protecting Cyberspace as a National Asset Act which would allow Obama to shut down the Internet in case of a "national security" emergency.
This bill is wrong on so many levels I could write up hundreds of pages on the subject, but one of the main problems is Obama frankly, is in a dream world. He is not connected to reality and is WAY over his head. Therefore he, nor is any government politician qualified to exert control over the Internet. Especially Obama, since he has stated that he wants to control and in some cases shut down news outlets that disagree with him. Or levy special taxes on these outlets to give money for his friends in the mainstream media. And because of this and many other reasons, he can't be trusted with this type of power.
Lately I have been disappointed with Lieberman. He proposes bills like this, but never thinks things through.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Republican Party and the Pharmaceutical Industry
Another area which I disagree with the mainstream Republican party is on the subject of value of alternative health and the dangers of prescription drugs. I have seen a number of Republicans bash alternative medicine and practitioners.
I do not believe that medical drugs should never be used. I do. There are a great many cases where a person would need a drug for a certain purpose. But today, far, far too many people are taking drugs for specious reasons. People are literally seeing an ad on TV for, say a heartburn drug, and then going and seeing their doctor and getting prescribed this drug which, in truth they did not need. Or they have a mild condition and instead of making lifestyle changes to handle their issues, they are lazy and simply take a drug, when this was not actually necessary. For example, if a person's blood pressure is only slightly high, they can often resolve the situation by dietary changes, exercise and reducing the stress in their life. So instead of taking these common sense measures, the person chooses to take drugs despite the fact that these are not necessary.
Another solution, when it comes to conditions is alternative medicine. Not all of the time, but sometimes medical conditions are caused by simple mineral or vitamin deficiencies. For example, for years I had trouble sleeping. In the end, it turned out that I was not getting enough calcium in my diet since I am lactose intolerant and therefore don't drink milk. Because of this condition I needed to supplement my diet with extra calcium and other minerals. I started doing this and the sleeping problem resolved itself. No need for Ambien or some other expensive drug.
And what so many fail to realize is that prescription drugs are not candy. They are dangerous substances that can injure or kill. Hundreds of thousands of people die from these prescription drugs and they are nothing to mess around with. Now again, there ARE some cases where a person legitimately needs a drug. But today, these drugs are being given out like candy and the force driving the boom, direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs, defended by Republicans and some Libertarians, continues unabated despite the obvious fact that ordinary people are simply not able to determine what drugs they need and don't need. And doctors in many cases are unable to do what they should do, which is when asked about a drug, just say no. Don't prescribe it if the patient really doesn't need it.
So instead of bashing these alternative health solutions, such as vitamins and minerals, we need to embrace them. They can't cure everything, not by a long shot, but it can definitely solve some common conditions.
I do not believe that medical drugs should never be used. I do. There are a great many cases where a person would need a drug for a certain purpose. But today, far, far too many people are taking drugs for specious reasons. People are literally seeing an ad on TV for, say a heartburn drug, and then going and seeing their doctor and getting prescribed this drug which, in truth they did not need. Or they have a mild condition and instead of making lifestyle changes to handle their issues, they are lazy and simply take a drug, when this was not actually necessary. For example, if a person's blood pressure is only slightly high, they can often resolve the situation by dietary changes, exercise and reducing the stress in their life. So instead of taking these common sense measures, the person chooses to take drugs despite the fact that these are not necessary.
Another solution, when it comes to conditions is alternative medicine. Not all of the time, but sometimes medical conditions are caused by simple mineral or vitamin deficiencies. For example, for years I had trouble sleeping. In the end, it turned out that I was not getting enough calcium in my diet since I am lactose intolerant and therefore don't drink milk. Because of this condition I needed to supplement my diet with extra calcium and other minerals. I started doing this and the sleeping problem resolved itself. No need for Ambien or some other expensive drug.
And what so many fail to realize is that prescription drugs are not candy. They are dangerous substances that can injure or kill. Hundreds of thousands of people die from these prescription drugs and they are nothing to mess around with. Now again, there ARE some cases where a person legitimately needs a drug. But today, these drugs are being given out like candy and the force driving the boom, direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs, defended by Republicans and some Libertarians, continues unabated despite the obvious fact that ordinary people are simply not able to determine what drugs they need and don't need. And doctors in many cases are unable to do what they should do, which is when asked about a drug, just say no. Don't prescribe it if the patient really doesn't need it.
So instead of bashing these alternative health solutions, such as vitamins and minerals, we need to embrace them. They can't cure everything, not by a long shot, but it can definitely solve some common conditions.
Values Clarification and Mental Health "Professionals"
I did a blog post a while ago on leftist intellectuals and the harm they cause.
The mental health field is a prime example of this. They have been completely taken over by leftists and as a result, it is no surprise that increasing numbers of people, including myself find it difficult to take seriously, the endless stream of pronouncements from people who call themselves experts on mental health.
For example let's take values clarification classes, done in schools and developed by mental health professionals. The ostensible reason for these exercises is to help a child "discover his or her own values." There are a number of values clarification exercises in schools that these "experts" have developed, from asking a child about his religious beliefs and then holding these beliefs up to attack and ridicule by the rest of the class to carefully explaining to children that whatever sexual decisions they make are OK and every decision is equally moral. For example, the decision to wait for a committed relationship before having sex is, morally, the same as a homosexual man having sex with hundreds of partners. All decisions are equally valuable. As a whole, these values clarifications exercises are designed to weaken a child's moral compass.
There is no reason for a child to "discover" values or to be made to question values he was raised with. His or her parents, along with their Church or Temple are the correct sources of moral values. If they are confused as to what is moral, they should talk to their parents, or if they feel this is difficult, they should, reach out to their minister or rabbi and have a heart to heart discussion with this person. Or they can reach out to a youth pastor. If a person is Christian they can also study their bible. There is no reason for someone to "discover" new values. For Christians there are biblical values. For Jews, there are Torah values. These are values that mankind have lived with for thousands of years. They are time tested values and lead to a moral life. Other religions have other books which outline their moral values, for example, Hindus have holy books with their values. In any event, it is important that children have a moral backbone, and this DOES NOT, come from some leftist teacher, psychologist or psychiatrist, who hates Christians and traditional values.
What these leftists hate to face is the fact that when people adhere to these moral values, things go better. Leftists hate this but facts are facts. When the black community was focused on the Church, things were much better. Children were growing up in two parent households. They were getting jobs. Things were better. When the black community became leftists and embraced left wing values, things got far worse. And the more we embrace these left wing values, the worse things get. So it is obvious that these values are unworkable and are in fact harmful.
The mental health field is a prime example of this. They have been completely taken over by leftists and as a result, it is no surprise that increasing numbers of people, including myself find it difficult to take seriously, the endless stream of pronouncements from people who call themselves experts on mental health.
For example let's take values clarification classes, done in schools and developed by mental health professionals. The ostensible reason for these exercises is to help a child "discover his or her own values." There are a number of values clarification exercises in schools that these "experts" have developed, from asking a child about his religious beliefs and then holding these beliefs up to attack and ridicule by the rest of the class to carefully explaining to children that whatever sexual decisions they make are OK and every decision is equally moral. For example, the decision to wait for a committed relationship before having sex is, morally, the same as a homosexual man having sex with hundreds of partners. All decisions are equally valuable. As a whole, these values clarifications exercises are designed to weaken a child's moral compass.
There is no reason for a child to "discover" values or to be made to question values he was raised with. His or her parents, along with their Church or Temple are the correct sources of moral values. If they are confused as to what is moral, they should talk to their parents, or if they feel this is difficult, they should, reach out to their minister or rabbi and have a heart to heart discussion with this person. Or they can reach out to a youth pastor. If a person is Christian they can also study their bible. There is no reason for someone to "discover" new values. For Christians there are biblical values. For Jews, there are Torah values. These are values that mankind have lived with for thousands of years. They are time tested values and lead to a moral life. Other religions have other books which outline their moral values, for example, Hindus have holy books with their values. In any event, it is important that children have a moral backbone, and this DOES NOT, come from some leftist teacher, psychologist or psychiatrist, who hates Christians and traditional values.
What these leftists hate to face is the fact that when people adhere to these moral values, things go better. Leftists hate this but facts are facts. When the black community was focused on the Church, things were much better. Children were growing up in two parent households. They were getting jobs. Things were better. When the black community became leftists and embraced left wing values, things got far worse. And the more we embrace these left wing values, the worse things get. So it is obvious that these values are unworkable and are in fact harmful.
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