TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Ted Cruz’s filibuster against Obamacare | The Washington Post.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2013

Governor Quinn Announces Health Plan Rates are 25 Percent Below HHS Estimates
95 Percent of Illinois Residents will have Access to at Least 34 Plans Rates Will Be as Low as $120 Per Month for a 25-year-old in Chicago

Jackson County Mississippi Sheriff, James Michael Byrd, A/K/A Mike Byrd, was indicted Thursday, August 29, 2013 on Multi-Count Indictment 2013-10,516 (3) of 31 counts of wrongdoing as follows:

Sheriff Byrd was in his fourth consecutive, four-year, term as Sheriff of Jackson County. Jackson County Sheriff’s Department with 200 employees is the largest law enforcement organization in the county and completely under the supervision and management of Sheriff Byrd.

Jackson County has an estimated 2012 population of 140,000 with top three estimates of 73.5% white, 22.1% Black or African American and 4.9 percent Hispanic or Latino. The population split in this one county is considerably different than the population in the State of Mississippi as a whole, which is estimated to be 59.9% white, 37.4% Black or African American and 2.9% Hispanic or Latino. The residents in Jackson County have a median household income for the period of 2007-2011 of $49,620 compared to the entire State of Mississippi with a median income of $38,718.

Is there anything in the statistics that provides a clue as to why this particular sheriff went from enforcing the law to breaking the law? Probably nothing other than the fact he had been in a position of power for so very long and considered himself ‘above the law’.

We are supposedly all innocent until proven guilty, but the fact of the matter is the only time a person can be found innocent is if they have the funds available to hire a top notch lawyer. If they don’t, then they are going to plea bargain and they may not be found guilty of the original charge, but they will be found guilty of a lesser charge.

Apparently, according to Byrd’s attorney, Joe Sam Owen, Sheriff Byrd will not be resigning from the office of Sheriff of Jackson County and I find that turn of events totally disgusting. If this sheriff had only been charged with one or two minor crimes I suppose his reluctance to leave office would be acceptable, but he wasn’t. He was charged with 31 major counts and certainly shouldn’t be in charge of law enforcement in Jackson County MS.

Jackson County judges recused themselves from this case and the Mississippi Supreme Court appointment a retired Hinds County Circuit Judge, Judge William F. Coleman, to preside.

More than likely this is going to turn into another circus event similar to former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner who refused to resign and held out for an agreement where the city of San Diego would pay his legal fees, as well as pay any settlement charges assessed against him (with the exception of punitive damages).

What kind of a country have we become that an elected official not only feels they have the right to break the law, but also feel the people that elected him/her to office should foot the bill for legal costs associated with their illegal behavior?

© 2013 Patricia L Johnson

Opinion by Patricia L Johnson

The following thirteen Attorneys General sent an 8-page letter on August 14, 2013 to Department of Health and Human Services, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Personally, I love the last paragraph of the letter “We appreciate your prompt attention to these critical questions and request a response by August 28, 2013.”

“Critical questions”? If the answers to these questions are so critical why is it they waited almost three and a half years to ask, but more importantly why are they asking at all? The questions these thirteen Republican Attorneys General are asking pertain to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Public Law 111-148 and the Health Care and Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010, Public Law 111-152, both signed into law in March of 2010.

On June 13, 2013 nine Republican U.S. Senators sent a similar letter to Secretary Sebelius asking what they considered to be “critical questions”.

Not to be outdone, various Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives have also sent letters to Secretary Sebelius asking their ‘critical questions’.

Republicans have tried every way humanely possible to repeal and/or defund “Obamacare” and it hasn’t worked and the ratings at the polls are indicating the seriousness of their actions, so they have now passed the buck so the questions are being asked outside the Walls of Congress, but the answers remain the same.

Gary Cohen J.D., Deputy Administrator and Director, Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services testified before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on May 21, 2013. The subject of the Mr. Cohen’s testimony was “The Navigators and Assisters Program”.

Rules governing privacy issues on the Navigators and Assistance Programs are outlined in the Code of Federal Regulations listed below which may be found at the following link.

The Exchange regulations, at 45 CFR 155.260(a), establish privacy and security standards for Exchanges, and § 155.260(b) provides that  Exchanges must require Navigators and  other non- Exchange entities to abide by the same or more  stringent privacy and  security standards as a condition of contract or agreement with such entities.

Pasted from <http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/2013/05/t20130521a.html>

Members of the Republican Party are doing the exact same thing they have done since they lost the White House in 2009. They are attempting to sway the public with allegations of wrongdoing on the part of the Obama Administration and/or threatening a government shutdown over “Obamacare”. There is nothing wrong with asking a legitimate question, but the questions they are asking are not legitimate. They are questions intended to force the average American to shy away from “Obamacare” in fear.

The only way the United States will be able to maintain a health care system that covers all will be for people to sign up. Young, healthy individuals need to sign up to offset the costs of the older, sicker adults. The more, young, healthy individuals that sign up for “Obamacare”, the cheaper the insurance costs will be for all of us.

“Medical Bankruptcy in the United States, 2007: Results of a National Study” is a clinical research study completed in 2009, by the Department of Medicine, Cambridge Hospital/Harvard Medical School, the Department of Sociology, Ohio University and Harvard Law School and published in the American Journal of Medicine.

Two thousand, three hundred and fourteen, 2007 bankruptcy filers were surveyed for this study by reviewing their court records and or direct interviews. It was determined that of the 2,314 filers, 62.1 percent were designated as ‘medical’ bankruptcies, due to either having medical debt of more than $5,000 or 10% of pretax family income, losing significant income due to illness and/or mortgaging their home to pay for medical costs.

It’s almost impossible to believe that most of the medical debtors in this study were middle class, well educated, owned homes and more than ¾ had medical insurance. It’s a pretty sad state of affairs when you have medical insurance, but still have to file bankruptcy due to medical debts.

A prior study completed in 2001 and using the same criteria for both 2001 and 2007, indicates medical bankruptcies in the United States rose 49.6 percent between 2001 and 2007. What’s the next study going to show?

H.R 2009, a Republican sponsored bill “To prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from enforcing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010”, dated May 16, 2013, was the 40^th attempt by Republican Members of the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal a portion of “Obamacare”.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor [R-VA] stated, when asked about this particular bill “We care about the health and well-being of the American people, which is why this bill is coming to the floor”.

Back in 2012 the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation prepared an estimate of the spending and revenue effects of repealing “Obamacare”. Bottom line, repealing “Obamacare” would create an increase in budget deficits of $109 billion dollars over the 2013-2022 periods. The repeal would create an increase in direct spending of $890 billion, while also reducing revenues by $1 trillion dollars; hence the deficit.

Republicans, in general, don’t give a rat’s buht about the American people. If they did, they would do what they are paid to do instead of wasting everyone’s time, money and energy trying to repeal, or defund a law that has not only been in place for three and a half-years, but has also been confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The U.S. Oath of Office taken by all Members of Congress on the first day of Congress states they will support and defend the Constitution of the United States.

U.S. SENATE OATH OF OFFICE 

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God. 

Pasted from <http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Oath_Office.htm> 

U.S. HOUSE OATH OF OFFICE 

“I, (name of Member), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God” (5 U.S.C. §3331).

Pasted from <http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/memberfaq.aspx>

Article VI, Section 2 of the United States Constitution states the Constitution, and the LAWS of the United States are the supreme Law of the Land, as follows:

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land;   

Pasted from <http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html>

In simple English – “Obamacare” is the Law of the Land and if the Republican Party does not want to support this law, then all members of that Party, along with any Democrats that don’t support the law need to immediately resign because they are in violation of their Oath of Office.

What can you do? Contact your elected officials and demand they put your healthcare above partisan politics.

• U.S. Senators
  
• U.S. Representatives
  

© 2013 Patricia L Johnson

Please click on the following NHTSA Campaign ID links to view the recall information.

Thank you,

Recalls Subscription Team
Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)

To find out more about NHTSA, please go to the Safercar.gov website or call our Vehicle Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236.

U.S. Condemns Terrorist Attacks in Iraq and Pledges to Help Combat al Qaeda

Press StatementJen Psaki
Washington, DC

August 10, 2013

www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/attachments/44495-MBR.pdf.

Please click on the following NHTSA Campaign ID links to view the recall information.

FBI — FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending July 5, 2013.

2013 Senate Bill 206.

Tsarnaevs’ News Conference – A Transcript – NYTimes.com.

By Patricia L Johnson

One of the SearchWarp authors mentioned the term “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their …” in their bio and the quote immediately caught my attention due to the fact it was different from what I learned in typing class.

The writer was taught the following: “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party” while the version I learned is “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country.”

I began writing with three questions in mind. Where the term did come from, when was it changed and why was it changed? I’m sorry to say that after numerous hours of research I only have the answer to one question – where the term came from, but the story is interesting enough to want to share.

If you Google the term “Now is the ….” you’ll see many references to Charles E. Weller as the author of the phrase, but that’s an incorrect assumption on the part of the writers. Charles E. Weller was in the room when the words “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party” were first uttered, but he was not the originator.

In 1918, while Secretary of the National Shorthand Reporters’ Association, Charles E. Weller wrote the book “The Early History of the Typewriter”. In his book, he explains that while he was employed as the Chief Operator of the Western Union Telegraph Company located in Milwaukee Wisconsin, Christopher Latham Sholes came to the telegraph office to request a piece of carbon paper. At the time carbon paper was used by the telegraph office to make duplicate copies of Associated Press reports received for the press, but seldom used anywhere else.

This was sometime during the month of July 1867. As Sholes was leaving the office with his piece of carbon paper, he asked Weller if he would be interested in coming over to his office the next day around noon, as he had something interesting to show him.

The next day Weller went over to the Federal building where Sholes currently held the position of Collector of the Port of Milwaukee and found him with Carlos S. Glidden discussing the small mechanical unit on the table in front of them. The unit had a bar with the letter ‘w’ cut into it, a piece of glass, as well as other parts and a Morse telegraph “Key” attached in such a manner that if you held a piece of carbon paper and a thin piece of white paper against it and tapped the Morse key repeatedly, a perfect line of w’s would appear as follows: wwwwwwwwwwww

At the time the only form of printing that was known was the extremely slow process of typesetting so it was amazing to see the line of w’s printed evenly across the page with so little effort.

Sholes explained to Weller and Glidden how adding more bars with letters cut in the ends could eventually allow the operator to ‘type write’ the entire alphabet, at the time a difficult concept for both Weller and Glidden to comprehend.

Glidden, a fellow printer, along with Sholes became interested in the design and manufacture of the machine and the two eventually teamed up with Samuel W. Soule, a machinist. The three of them worked on the design of the machine at 318 State Street in Milwaukee, in the machine shop of C.F. Kleinsteuber and by late fall of 1867 the first working type writer was completed and ready to be tested for speed by repeatedly typing the same sentence over and over again.

Weller doesn’t indicate in his book which of the three men, Sholes, Glidden or Soule came up with the test sentence “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party” but he does mention there was an ‘exciting political campaign’ going on at the time. Sholes in addition to having been the former publisher of the Kenosha Telegraph was also a politician and had served in both the Wisconsin State Senate and the Wisconsin State Assembly so it’s entirely possible he may have coined the term, or it may very well have put together piece-meal by all three men.

That was the beginning. The term was subsequently changed to “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party” and “Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country“, to the current version “Now is the time for all good men and women to come to the aid of their country.”

On June 23, 1868, Sholes, Glidden and Soule were issued U.S. Patent No. 79265 [which has no resemblance to the final product] and spent the next year perfecting their ‘type writting machine’. By September of 1969 the first practical typewriter was operational and due to the fact funds were running low Sholes wrote a letter to James Densmore explaining the potential of the machine. Without Densmore ever seeing the unit Sholes negotiated selling Densmore a 25% interest in the invention in 1870 in order to cover future development costs.

When major corrections were made a unit would be shipped to Weller, who had subsequently moved to St. Louis, Missouri. Weller would test the new unit and send his findings back to Sholes, who would then incorporate Weller’s suggestions into the design as well as adding additional upgrades.

Several times Sholes wrote to Weller explaining he thought he had finally perfected the machine, only to write back several months later explaining new changes were being incorporated and this process went on for several years.

Finally, on April 30, 1873 Sholes wrote a letter to Weller explaining he was finally satisfied with the machine and a contract had been signed with Remington Arms Company, Ilion New York to manufacture 1000 units.

While Sholes was the genius behind the invention Densmore was the person that received the majority of financial gains from the invention by eventually obtaining controlling interest in the product and selling to E. Remington and Sons.

Although different versions of a typewriter have actually been around since the early 1700’s the Sholes typewriter is the only one that became a commercial success. It’s also the only typewriter that contained the QWERTY layout still used today on all keyboards. QWERTY refers to the first six letters on the left side of the keyboard.

Born on Valentine’s Day, Charles Latham Sholes died a poor man on February 17, 1890 at the age of 71, and was buried at Forest Home Cemetery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He died with so little money that a marker was not even purchased for his grave.

The Nineteenth annual convention of the National Shorthand Reporters’ Association was held in Cleveland, Ohio on August 13, 1917, ninety-eight years after the birth of C. Latham Sholes. At that convention a resolution was made and unanimously carried by the members to set up a system of soliciting contributions for the purpose of erecting a monument to C. Latham Sholes at his gravesite.

Whether or not they succeeded on their own in obtaining the funds, or if donations were received by other organizations, I don’t know, but what I do know is there is a beautiful monument erected at his gravesite giving homage to the inventor http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=7656870&PIpi=2795520

The words on the plaque at the top of the monument read as follows:

Christopher Latham Sholes

1819 – 1890

THE FATHER OF THE TYPEWRITER

DEDICATED BY

THE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN OF AMERICA

IN GRATFUL MEMORY OF ONE WHO

MATERIALLY AIDED IN THE WORLDS PROGRESS

© 2013 Patricia L Johnson

By Patricia L Johnson

Whether or not someone is ‘too rich’ in monetary terms can only be determined based on what that particular individual does with his/her wealth.

Warren Buffet, Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway is considered to be the 4^th wealthiest individual in the world, and the 2^nd wealthiest in the United States. His net worth is estimated at $53.5 billion on the Forbes 2013 listing of the wealthiest individuals in the world.

Warren Buffet was probably the first person to bring the U.S. tax cut problems to light by appearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance on November 14, 2007. It was during this hearing that Mr. Buffet proved, beyond a reasonable doubt, the gap between the super-rich and the middle class in the United States had widened tremendously due entirely to the tax law changes benefiting the rich, put into place under the Bush Administration. He basically compared the increase in the Forbes 400 list with the median income increase for the average American over a 20 year period of time. During this hearing Mr. Buffet stated that while the average American workers income has been on a treadmill, income for the super-rich has been on a spaceship.

That same year Warren Buffet appeared at a New York fundraiser and said he was taxed at a rate of 17.7% of the $46 million he earned in the last year, while his secretary was taxed at 30% on the $60,000 she earned.

Warren Buffet’s August 2011 opinion piece published in the New York Times “Stop Coddling the Super- Rich” explains some of the tax cuts available to the wealthy, that aren’t available to the average taxpayer. If you haven’t had the opportunity to read this article, you may want to take a few minutes to review as it will provide a better understanding of tax cut problems.

The following Warren Buffet quote basically says it all: ““There’s class warfare, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”

Although he’s the second wealthiest person in the United States Warren Buffet apparently still resides in the same home he purchased back in 1958 for $31,500, although it appears he does own a home in California estimated at $4 million dollars. His frugal nature was obvious when it came time to purchase a new corporate jet for Berkshire Hathaway. While most CEO’s would order a shiny, new jet, Buffet settled for a “used” model.

His salary from Berkshire Hathaway is a measly $100,000/year – a mere pittance when compared to others in his position.

In June of 2006 Buffet made the largest charitable contribution in history [approximately $30.7 billion] to the Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation. This was the first step in his plan to give his fortune to charity. The Gates Foundation receives 5% of the total contribution on an annualized basis every July beginning with July of 2006. The condition attached to this contribution was the Gates Foundation, beginning in 2009, must give away an amount equal to the prior year’s gift from Buffet, plus 5% of the foundation’s net assets.

Too many foundations are set up to avoid paying taxes and while they accept donations, fail to pass on those donations to worthy causes. The condition Mr. Buffet included in his plan eliminates that possibility.

There are numerous millionaires and billionaires in this country that definitely have an excessive amount of wealth and the reason it’s excessive is simply due to the fact very little good comes out of their assets. Warren Buffet definitely does not fall into that category. He is a prime example of how an excessive amount of wealth can be good for both the country and the people in it.

© 2013 Patricia L Johnson

www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/argument_transcripts/12-307_jnt1.pdf.

By Patricia L Johnson

It wasn’t that many years ago I remember having a discussion with the manager of our local box store. I’d gone into the store to pick up some cards and come to find out they didn’t carry any. I’d like to say this was 50 or 60 years ago, but it wasn’t, it’s only been in the last 10 years. I absolutely could not believe this store had a card celebrating every holiday known to mankind, but didn’t have one, not a single card celebrating this particular day.

When I came home that evening I remembered I had just received a new catalog from one of the mail order houses and I thought, super, I’ll just order something from them so I went through the catalog from beginning to end only to be disappointed once again. This time I sent a complaint to Customer Service and was advised by return e-mail they would refer my complaint to someone else as they simply had not received any requests for the items I wanted.

“Items I wanted” – the words kept repeating themselves over and over in my head. I wasn’t looking for anything that “I” personally wanted; I was looking for something that should have been available at every single store in the nation, in various shapes, colors and sizes. I was looking for a Veteran’s Day card. Generally I make my own greeting cards, but this particular year I wanted something a little ‘different’.

I had attempted to purchase Veteran’s Day cards before, but this was after we went to war with both Afghanistan and Iraq and I thought okay, this is the year. This is the year the dingbats running the show will finally recognize the sacrifices being made and acknowledge our veterans.

For as long as I can recall I have always made Veteran’s Day special for my husband by making a favorite meal, or buying a little cake or just purchasing a little gift. Just something to let him know we remembered the day and were thankful for his service to our country.

According to the Veteran Population Projection Model 2011, as of September 30, 2012 there are 22.3 million veterans projected to still be living, broken down as follows:

Thankfully, the past five years have seen a major turnaround in how retailers view vets. Many major restaurants and stores are recognizing the need to honor both our Veterans and our active military personnel by offering discounts and freebies, not only on Veteran’s Day, but sometimes throughout the year.

I want to say that Golden Coral was the first to provide a free meal to veterans and Applebee’s was second, but I don’t have any way of proving that so I’ll just say they both took the lead. Since then numerous others have jumped on the bandwagon; especially within the past few years. A partial listing of participants in 2012 activities follows:

A partial listing of stores that offered a Veteran’s Day discount in 2012 also follows: Home Depot, Lowe’s and Big Lots. In addition discounts were provided at hotels, for car wash’s, for haircuts, oil changes and at various recreational facilities.

In most instances there are restrictions. Some restaurants offer the meals on Veteran’s Day only, some during the entire weekend, and some for only a few hours on a specific day. Check with your local restaurant for dates, times and individual requirements necessary for ‘proof of service’.

The listing for 2013 has not been completed as yet, but when it is it will be posted at the following site:
http://militarybenefits.info/veterans-day-discounts-sales-deals-free-meals/#ixzz2OqFIgiBj

Do I love the companies listed above? You betcha! Our Veterans make sacrifices every day they are in service and in some instances, every day of their return. I would be thrilled if they just put a flyer in the window saying “Thank You” and wishing these men and women a happy day, but these companies go above and beyond and actually try to do something to make a difference, if only for one day.

Veteran’s Day is a Federal holiday and children are off school for the day and many businesses are closed down for the day, but too few people actually celebrate the day by giving thanks to those that served.

© 2013 Patricia L Johnson

By Patricia L Johnson

My husband brought the mail in this afternoon and I was surprised to see an envelope from U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). I receive a lot of ‘political type’ mail but what was so unusual about this envelope is it was addressed to my husband.

Curiosity got the best of me and as I looked at the envelope further I could literally feel my blood pressure rising at an unprecedented rate. On the front of the envelope was the following statement, in size 18 font:

“IN THE COMING WEEKS, I WILL USE WHATEVER POWER THIS OFFICE HOLDS [TO BAN GUNS].” ~PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

When you are quoting someone it is permissible to insert your own comments [in brackets] to make it easier for the reader to understand the quotation.  In this illustration the inserted words were “To Ban Guns”, which were simply not spoken by the President.  It is also customary when you leave words out of a quote to indicate the omission with the following … the ellipsis [three equally spaced points] indicates to the reader that the quotation is not complete.

The inserted text was not meant to make the material easier to read, but to distort what was being said by the President of the United States.

The words used were taken from President Obama’s December 16, 2012 speech at the memorial service for the victims of the Newtown Connecticut massacre. The entire paragraph reads as follows:

“In the coming weeks, I will use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens — from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators — in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this.  Because what choice do we have?  We can’t accept events like this as routine.  Are we really prepared to say that we’re powerless in the face of such carnage, that the politics are too hard?  Are we prepared to say that such violence visited on our children year after year after year is somehow the price of our freedom?”

Who would have the audacity to intentionally distort comments from a memorial service for children – why none other than our own U.S. Senator Rand Paul. The correspondence was sent out under the name of Senator Rand Paul, but we know Senator Paul is from KY and this mailing came from “Senator Rand Paul” with a post office box address in Fredericksburg VA.

Further research indicates this post office belongs to none other than the National Association for Gun Rights, a first cousin to the NRA. The inside of the package contains a two-page blurb written by Senator Paul, on mock Senate letterhead, indicating how critical it is to act immediately to protect the Second Amendment. Included was a full color photo of President Obama with their new and improved quotation from his speech. Paul goes on to explain the reason he agreed to help the National Association for Gun Rights fight back to stop the gun ban is because “They’re tough. They’re principled. And they know how to win.”

Senator Rand Paul and the NAGR are superior LIARS, a disgrace to the U.S. Senate, the Second Amendment and the entire country.

© 2013 Patricia L Johnson

Kansas Firm Recalls Pork Products That Were Produced Without a HACCP Plan.

Recall Notification Report 023-2013 | USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/radDocs/consumer/SpamAlert.pdf.

 

By Patricia L Johnson

Agent Orange is a blend of tactical herbicides developed by the United States Department of Defense for use in ‘combat operations’ in Vietnam.

During the period of 1962 to 1971 more than 19 million gallons of various herbicide combinations were sprayed in country, but Agent Orange was the combination used most often.  It was named “Agent Orange” due to the orange stripe on the 55-gallon drums used for storage.  The purpose of the spraying was to remove trees and other dense tropical foliage providing enemy cover under Operation Ranch Hand.

The various agents were known as the Rainbow Herbicides due to the multiple colors as follows:  Agent Pink, Agent Green, Agent Purple, Agent Blue, Agent White and Agent Orange.

Agent Orange contained two active ingredients in equal amounts 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T), which contained traces of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD).

TCDD is the most toxic of the dioxins, and classified as a human carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA].  The TCDD was an unwanted byproduct of herbicide production which was released into the environment by burning waste, diesel exhaust, chemical manufacturing and other processes.

Were you exposed to Agent Orange?

Veterans who served anywhere in Vietnam between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975 are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides.

In addition to locations in Vietnam, some soldiers may have been exposed in the following locations:

• Along the demilitarized zone in Korea between April 1, 1968 and August 31, 1971
• On or near the perimeters of Thailand Military Bases between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975
• Possible exposure due to herbicide tests and storage at military bases in the United States and locations in other countries
• Possible exposure of crew members to herbicide residue in C-123 planes flown after the Vietnam War

Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange may be eligible for VA disability compensation and health care benefits for the following presumptive diseases associated with exposure to herbicides:

• AL Amyloidosis
  A rare disease caused when an abnormal protein, amyloid, enters tissues or organs
• Chronic B-cell Leukemias
  A type of cancer which affects white blood cells
• Chloracne (or similar acneform disease)
  A skin condition that occurs soon after exposure to chemicals and looks like common forms of acne seen in teenagers. Under VA’s rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.
• Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
  A disease characterized by high blood sugar levels resulting from the body’s inability to respond properly to the hormone insulin
• Hodgkin’s Disease
  A malignant lymphoma (cancer) characterized by progressive enlargement of the lymph nodes, liver, and spleen, and by progressive anemia
• Ischemic Heart Disease
  A disease characterized by a reduced supply of blood to the heart, that leads to chest pain
• Multiple Myeloma
  A cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell in bone marrow
• Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
  A group of cancers that affect the lymph glands and other lymphatic tissue
• Parkinson’s Disease
  A progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects muscle movement
• Peripheral Neuropathy, Acute and Subacute
  A nervous system condition that causes numbness, tingling, and motor weakness. Currently, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of herbicide exposure and resolve within two years. VA proposed on Aug. 10, 2012, to replace “acute and subacute” with “early-onset” and eliminate the requirement that symptoms resolve within two years.
• Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
  A disorder characterized by liver dysfunction and by thinning and blistering of the skin in sun-exposed areas. Under VA’s rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.
• Prostate Cancer
  Cancer of the prostate; one of the most common cancers among men
• Respiratory Cancers (includes lung cancer)
  Cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus
• Soft Tissue Sarcomas (other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or mesothelioma)
  A group of different types of cancers in body tissues such as muscle, fat, blood and lymph vessels, and connective tissues

If you have any of the above diseases and believe you were exposed to Agent Orange please be sure to call one of the numbers listed at the top of the page for assistance.

© 2013 Patricia L Johnson

By Patricia L Johnson

Saturday afternoon I went downstairs to put some clothes in the dryer. Usually I don’t go any further than the laundry room because the rooms beyond haven’t been cleaned out since our last son moved. My intent was to have my helper start packing later that day so I figured, while I was downstairs, I’d take a quick peek in the rooms to get a general idea how many storage boxes would be needed. I never got that far.

As I walked past the furnace I smelled the very distinct smell of natural gas. It wasn’t a strong smell, just a very faint smell so I asked my helper to come downstairs. When she walked in the door to the laundry room I asked if she smelled anything and she said no, so I asked her to go into the other room and she never got that far. As she walked in front of the furnace she said she smelled gas, so I contacted our local gas company.

I told them that if there was a leak it was probably was a small leak because the smell wasn’t very strong, but they asked we follow their normal safety precautions as follows:

1. Do not hang up the land line, they will disconnect from their office [they prefer you leave first and then call].
   
2. Do not turn anything electrical on or off, leave everything running as is.
   
3. Do not light any matches or use a flame for anything.
   
4. Do not use any cell phones on your way out.
   
5. Get everyone out of the house, but stay on a neighboring property so you can show the representative the problem when they arrive. Wait time 30-60 minutes.
   

It was just a little more than 30 minutes when the gas technician arrived. As he waved his magic wand up and down the pipes it was easy to determine that there was, indeed, a gas leak due to the sound made by his equipment.

He spent about an hour checking out the furnace and repairing the leak, which was apparently due to substandard installation of our relatively new furnace. In addition to the one pipe not being connected properly, it was also loose enough that you could move it just by touching it and sooner, rather than later, would have been a major problem.

The technician told me the leak had been there for quite a while but because of the fact natural gas travels up when released and in this instance the leak was only about 12″ from the ceiling, the escaped gas would have been dispersed into the air and gone unnoticed.

I seriously doubt that we were ever in any major danger, but the fact remains the best course of action – as determined by the gas company saying is “Smell Gas, Act Fast”.

© 2013 Patricia L Johnson

Illinois Firm Recalls Ready-To-Eat Roast Beef Products Due To Potential Listeria Monocytogenes Contamination.

State of the Union: Fireside Hangout with President Obama – Google+.

Illinois Firm Recalls Ready-To-Eat and Raw Poultry Products Produced Without Benefit of Inspection.

Frail Pope Breaks Tradition and Resigns – NYTimes.com.

Terrorist Attack on Camp Hurriya in Iraq.

Oklahoma Firm Recalls Frozen Country Fried Steaks Nationwide Due to Possible Foreign Matter Contamination.

Wisconsin Firm Recalls Liver Paté Due to Misbranding and An Undeclared Allergen.

By Patricia L Johnson

$5.7 billion dollars is a staggering amount, especially when you take into consideration its buying power.

According to the Congressional Budget Office a full year of CHIP [Children’s Health Insurance Program] funding for the years 2016 through 2022 would cost U.S. taxpayers $5.7 billion dollars per fiscal year

A deficit reduction counter-offer made by House Speaker John Boehner back in December 2012 included raising the Medicare retirement age from 65 to 67. That change would amount to $5.7 billion dollars in spending cuts.

The VA budget for 2013 contains two items that add to a little less than $5.7 billion dollars as follows:

$3.3 billion to meet the needs of more than 610,000 veterans returning from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

$2.2 billion for improved benefits claims processing (increased staff, improved processes and IT enhancements).

Let’s throw in one more for good measure – funding for the CH-47 Chinook Helicopter will cost $5.7 billion for the period beginning FY2013 and ending FY2017. The Chinook is the heavy-lift helicopter used to transport cargo, troops and weapons.

As you can see, $5.7 billion is nothing to sneeze as when it comes to the good it can do for U.S. taxpayers.

The Federal Election Commission recently released the totals for the 2012 Election Cycle and once again the number $5.7 billion appears. This time as the total amount of receipts collected during the 2012 election cycle which began January 1, 2011 and ended September 30, 2012.

What is interesting to note is the split. The majority of funds $1.7 billion were donated to PACs, with $1.6 billion donated to Congressional candidates, $1.4 billion donated to Party Committees [RNC and DNC], and the smallest amount, $1.0 billion was donated to presidential candidates.

There were 129 million [129,067,662] votes cast in the 2012 election which means $44.64 was donated to the various campaigns for each and every vote cast in the election.

We learned a valuable lesson in 2012, we learned that money doesn’t buy votes so what will happen during the 2014 Congressional elections? Will major individual and corporate contributors remember that votes can’t be bought and donate their money towards worthy causes or will they continue to give credence to the Bible verse “…every fool will be meddling.”

Only time will tell.

© 2013 Patricia L Johnson

FRAUD ADVISORY: Inspector General Warns Public About Phone Scheme Targeting Georgia Residents | Office of the Inspector General, SSA.

President Obama and Hillary Clinton 60 Minutes Interview: Full Transcript [VIDEO] – January 28 13 12:21 EST – ForexTV.com.

Death toll in Brazil nightclub fire rises to 180.

Oklahoma Firm Recalls Chicken Fried Chicken Breasts That May Contain Foreign Materials.

Michigan Retail Store Recalls Ground Beef Products Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination.

SSA Inspector General Combats Social Security-Related Internet Fraud | Office of the Inspector General, SSA.

Texas Firm Recalls Ready-To-Eat Pork Products Due to Possible Salmonella Contamination.

Photos courtesy of MICHAEL LEE JOHNSON – above photo taken September 2012

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Remarks by the President and the Vice President on Gun Violence | The White House.

Wisconsin Firm Recalls Ground Beef Products Due to Possible E. Coli O157:H7 Contamination.