Wow! One week, two days and the glucose meter is not looking like such a formidable machine any longer. After days of sticking with no results, I finally got all the bugs worked out and actually got a reading. If you've never used a meter before, there are a few things to consider. Don't think that intuition will guide you through. What you think will work doesn't. Follow the directions to the letter. My meter requires 1.0 micro-liters of blood, which I am happy to say the American Diabetes Association actually pictures. It is about the size of a the top of a straight pin, not the point. My first couple of attempts I tried to drop the blood onto the strip--no go. After coaxing the appropriate amount of blood to the surface, you bring the test strip to the blood and gently let it flow onto the strip. It's fun to watch actually. The channel fills quickly and in five seconds you have results. So simple, despite all my worries.
Now I just have to learn what it all means. I think I'll celebrate with a pedicure tomorrow!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
One Week In
It's been one week since my diagnosis of Type II diabetes. The week seem to drag by--probably because I am anticipating my vacation which starts next Friday. I am like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning. But not so fast...the drag could be due to the darn glucose meter. If you remember, that's the machine that causes me to prick my finger on more than one occasion during each day. I think I've finally gotten over the fear of the prick, but I was having real trouble managing the meter. My husband suggested I go back to the doctor's office, but I don't cave that easy. I finally went to the site of the company that makes the meter and all my questions were answered. Goodness, Gayle, what took you so long. My meter is a OneTouch Ultra 2 made by LifeScan. It really is easy to use and I have to say the prick isn't that bad.
The first week on Bob Greene's 1500 calorie diet for diabetics didn't go badly. For the first three or four days, I think I was too nervous to really care about eating, but my appetite seems to have returned today. I've always been very conscious about reading food packaging labels, but am even more so now. I am mostly looking for sodium, carbs and fiber content. I love salad, which is very good for me to eat--low cal, low carb, high fiber. I just hate making them and I refuse to buy salad in a bag-it just never tastes fresh enough to me. I have a salad spinner which really rinses and dries the lettuces very well. Using a variety of greens makes the salad interesting. I usually throw in some yellow or red pepper, cucumber, red onion,cherry tomatoes and sometimes either broccoli or cauliflower. Depending on my flavor moods, I add avocado, or Gorgonzola with roasted walnuts or pecans. Okay, now you see why I hate making salads--I am fussy and it is a lot of work, but oh so good. One of my favorite dressings from a bottle is Newman's low fat lime vinaigrette. It goes perfectly with the avocado.
The most upsetting part of my new eating plan is having to cut down on my favorite carbs. I am not a big sweet eater, so I don't really miss desserts. A bowl of fresh strawberries or blueberries fills that niche. I do miss my potatoes and my pasta. It is not that I can't eat them, it is the amount that I can eat. 1/3 of a cup of cooked whole wheat pasta does not take up much room on the plate. Nor does a third cup of brown rice or half a baked potato. I haven't had a chip of any kind since last Friday and may go into withdrawal since tortilla chips are probably my favorite snack. I've added a lot of seafood choices to my menu--even though I prepare for me only since Eric does not eat fish.
I've been walking--but not every day this week. Eric and I had some errands to run so I guess I could count walking through stores we visited. I did walk Monday and today, just around the neighborhood for about 20 minutes. I actually love to walk but here in Texas, even at 8:30, it is a chore. It was probably close to 90 degrees this morning.
Here's hoping I can keep this up on the road. I will keep posting from my vacation stops.
The first week on Bob Greene's 1500 calorie diet for diabetics didn't go badly. For the first three or four days, I think I was too nervous to really care about eating, but my appetite seems to have returned today. I've always been very conscious about reading food packaging labels, but am even more so now. I am mostly looking for sodium, carbs and fiber content. I love salad, which is very good for me to eat--low cal, low carb, high fiber. I just hate making them and I refuse to buy salad in a bag-it just never tastes fresh enough to me. I have a salad spinner which really rinses and dries the lettuces very well. Using a variety of greens makes the salad interesting. I usually throw in some yellow or red pepper, cucumber, red onion,cherry tomatoes and sometimes either broccoli or cauliflower. Depending on my flavor moods, I add avocado, or Gorgonzola with roasted walnuts or pecans. Okay, now you see why I hate making salads--I am fussy and it is a lot of work, but oh so good. One of my favorite dressings from a bottle is Newman's low fat lime vinaigrette. It goes perfectly with the avocado.
The most upsetting part of my new eating plan is having to cut down on my favorite carbs. I am not a big sweet eater, so I don't really miss desserts. A bowl of fresh strawberries or blueberries fills that niche. I do miss my potatoes and my pasta. It is not that I can't eat them, it is the amount that I can eat. 1/3 of a cup of cooked whole wheat pasta does not take up much room on the plate. Nor does a third cup of brown rice or half a baked potato. I haven't had a chip of any kind since last Friday and may go into withdrawal since tortilla chips are probably my favorite snack. I've added a lot of seafood choices to my menu--even though I prepare for me only since Eric does not eat fish.
I've been walking--but not every day this week. Eric and I had some errands to run so I guess I could count walking through stores we visited. I did walk Monday and today, just around the neighborhood for about 20 minutes. I actually love to walk but here in Texas, even at 8:30, it is a chore. It was probably close to 90 degrees this morning.
Here's hoping I can keep this up on the road. I will keep posting from my vacation stops.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Sweet Ride
Friday, June 11, 2010, is a day that will forever change me. My journey has become somewhat more complicated and I've spent the last 48 hours pondering how I will manage it. On Friday, I learned that I have Type II diabetes which brings with it the codependent issue of high blood pressure. I knew my sedentary lifestyle--thanks computer--would catch up with me. It has and now everything must change if I am to do well with controlling this illness. I've decided to write about it, describing the emotions and the physical implications.
Let's begin with the glucose monitor. You would think a woman with two masters degrees would have no trouble mastering the tiny meter. Three days later I am still learning the ropes. What's the big deal, shouldn't everyone love sticking themselves several times a day?
Taking two medications is freaking me out a bit. I don't like taking advil for a headache. About the only thing I have taken regularly over the last thirty years is a multi vitamnin. I am taking metformin, the generic form of glucophage. Its purpose is to lower my blood sugar--in conjunction, of course, with a proper diet and exercise. The other med is lisinopril for high blood pressure. So far neither medication is having an adverse effect, although I've found already if I don't eat enough before taking the metformin and then try to exercise I find myself lightheaded.
I am not having difficulty with the diet part. I understand I have to cut back on carbs, which is really okay with me--except for one thing. I like potatoes--any way, shape or form--so cutting them out or even cutting back is difficult. I love chicken, fish and seafood, so choosing them as a lower calorie protein is easy for me--so long as they hold out, considering the mess in the Gulf. That's a really sad state of affairs which I'll probably address in another blog. I also love low carb veggies like cauliflower, brussel sprouts and broccoli.
I've reinstated my walking routine, which was temporarily on hold due to my knee acting up. It's feeling better, so I am trying to get out before the Texas heat takes over. It was 80 degrees when I walked at 9 AM this morning. Waiting any later than that puts the whole plan into jeopardy--as I tend to wilt in the heat. Can't wait for those cool summer morning in Scranton or elsewhere in the northeast. Eric has talked me into going back to the weight machine, and I will do that in about 3-4 weeks. Our vacation is coming up and I can't see starting before we leave.
More to come...
Let's begin with the glucose monitor. You would think a woman with two masters degrees would have no trouble mastering the tiny meter. Three days later I am still learning the ropes. What's the big deal, shouldn't everyone love sticking themselves several times a day?
Taking two medications is freaking me out a bit. I don't like taking advil for a headache. About the only thing I have taken regularly over the last thirty years is a multi vitamnin. I am taking metformin, the generic form of glucophage. Its purpose is to lower my blood sugar--in conjunction, of course, with a proper diet and exercise. The other med is lisinopril for high blood pressure. So far neither medication is having an adverse effect, although I've found already if I don't eat enough before taking the metformin and then try to exercise I find myself lightheaded.
I am not having difficulty with the diet part. I understand I have to cut back on carbs, which is really okay with me--except for one thing. I like potatoes--any way, shape or form--so cutting them out or even cutting back is difficult. I love chicken, fish and seafood, so choosing them as a lower calorie protein is easy for me--so long as they hold out, considering the mess in the Gulf. That's a really sad state of affairs which I'll probably address in another blog. I also love low carb veggies like cauliflower, brussel sprouts and broccoli.
I've reinstated my walking routine, which was temporarily on hold due to my knee acting up. It's feeling better, so I am trying to get out before the Texas heat takes over. It was 80 degrees when I walked at 9 AM this morning. Waiting any later than that puts the whole plan into jeopardy--as I tend to wilt in the heat. Can't wait for those cool summer morning in Scranton or elsewhere in the northeast. Eric has talked me into going back to the weight machine, and I will do that in about 3-4 weeks. Our vacation is coming up and I can't see starting before we leave.
More to come...
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Thanks for the Memories
They called it the end of an era and perhaps it was. Texas stadium stood at the intersection of Loop 12, 183 and 114 for 39 years, welcoming players and fans to the Sunday excitement that was a Cowboy’s game.
Some of my friends remember it being built. Not me. My very first recollection of the famous icon was from the opening credits of the hit series Dallas. You see, back in the early days of my marriage and my growing family, football was not a big part of my life, and when I had the time, I was watching the Steelers, the Eagles or the Giants, not the Cowboys. Who would have believed then that someday, going to Texas stadium would become a Sunday ritual?
When we arrived in north Texas in January of 1991, it was hard to absorb the fervent fever that permeated the very air here. I’d lived in Baltimore and in Cleveland, but never remembered the fan base being as loyal as here. Cowboy shirts were everywhere and the people wearing them would not hear a disparaging word about their ‘boys.
My first trip to the stadium came as the preseason of 1991 began. My daughter played in the band at R. L. Turner High School in Carrollton, Texas. The band boosters made the majority of their fund-raising money by running a concession stand at the stadium. Every Sunday for the next three years, I would spend hours before and after the game preparing and cleaning up the stand. But the hours during the game were the most special, when what seemed like millions of people passed by or stood in line waiting for a hot dog or nachos and a drink. I learned to be quick to provide service and give change—and no—there was no big register that told me how much to give. If you hesitated even a little, some fan might get angry about missing even a minute of action on the field. I loved the hustle bustle, the lines, the crowds, the excitement. The only thing I didn’t miss when my time there ended was the intense August and September heat that often raised the temperature in the stand well above 100 degrees.
When the demand for hot dogs went down at the stand you knew something exciting was happening on the field. One at a time, some of us would sneak away to a gate, to stand and watch a great play and sometimes a touchdown by the Cowboys. In 1993, I jumped at the chance to work all three of the Garth Brooks concerts. Again the stadium was packed to the roof with excited fans. What a stage show, complete with thunder, lightning and rain, courtesy of Garth’s concert tour! I managed to sneak a few moments watching the concert and even though Garth appeared to be not much larger than child’s action figure, it was a great moment.
In the fall of 1993, my former husband and I became owners of season tickets. He and I attended quite a few games and when I let my daughter or son attend instead, you’d find me back in the concession stand, serving up dogs and counting out change at something close to the speed of light. The Thanksgiving Day game on November 25, 1993, was perhaps my most memorable. My husband decided to forgo the game tickets that day, when we awoke to find the weather miserable and predicted to be worse. I would have liked to stay home that day too, but the Band boosters were desperate as so many people bailed that day. So off I went for a 3:30 game start. Of course that meant I had to be in the stadium two hours before they opened the gates to fans, which was 11:30 for a 3:30 game. Things didn’t look bad when I got on the road but oh how that would change during the course of the day. When the fans started exiting the stadium around 6:30 that evening, I still had an hour or more of work to complete before I could leave. I got to my car around 8 PM, and finally got home about 10 PM, even though I only lived about 16 miles away. And what a drive that was! Some of you may also remember that this was the game in which Leon Lett made the blunder of his career. His touching the ball and failure to hold on to it in the icy conditions allowed the Dolphins another chance at their field goal, which they made, beating the Cowboys 16-14.
In January of 1993, the Cowboys ended up in Pasadena for the Superbowl. My husband was lucky enough to get tickets and he and my son, Evan, spent a few memorable days in California, which included watching the Cowboys win and Michael Jackson perform.
Even more memorable for my son was being in the old OTB on Beltline in Addison on January 7, 1994, when Jimmy Johnson, Norv Turner and Dave Wannstedt who were also at the bar, signed autographs for my son and daughter. I like to say that was the day that Jimmy bought me a drink for my birthday—sometimes I leave out the fact that he bought drinks for everyone in the restaurant that night. Of course, it wasn’t long after that night that Jimmy Johnson resigned and Norv and Dave left Dallas for careers with other teams.
For me, that was the end of the era. My husband had no desire to return to the stadium as season ticket holders with Johnson gone. My marriage ended that same year and my daughter graduated from high school and while I worked a few more Cowboys games for the band boosters in 94, it wasn’t the same. The memories were bittersweet, as they were today when I watched Texas Stadium collapse on cue. I wonder what the drive to work will be like on Monday morning as drivers slow to take a last look at the rubble that was once such a famous icon.
Some of my friends remember it being built. Not me. My very first recollection of the famous icon was from the opening credits of the hit series Dallas. You see, back in the early days of my marriage and my growing family, football was not a big part of my life, and when I had the time, I was watching the Steelers, the Eagles or the Giants, not the Cowboys. Who would have believed then that someday, going to Texas stadium would become a Sunday ritual?
When we arrived in north Texas in January of 1991, it was hard to absorb the fervent fever that permeated the very air here. I’d lived in Baltimore and in Cleveland, but never remembered the fan base being as loyal as here. Cowboy shirts were everywhere and the people wearing them would not hear a disparaging word about their ‘boys.
My first trip to the stadium came as the preseason of 1991 began. My daughter played in the band at R. L. Turner High School in Carrollton, Texas. The band boosters made the majority of their fund-raising money by running a concession stand at the stadium. Every Sunday for the next three years, I would spend hours before and after the game preparing and cleaning up the stand. But the hours during the game were the most special, when what seemed like millions of people passed by or stood in line waiting for a hot dog or nachos and a drink. I learned to be quick to provide service and give change—and no—there was no big register that told me how much to give. If you hesitated even a little, some fan might get angry about missing even a minute of action on the field. I loved the hustle bustle, the lines, the crowds, the excitement. The only thing I didn’t miss when my time there ended was the intense August and September heat that often raised the temperature in the stand well above 100 degrees.
When the demand for hot dogs went down at the stand you knew something exciting was happening on the field. One at a time, some of us would sneak away to a gate, to stand and watch a great play and sometimes a touchdown by the Cowboys. In 1993, I jumped at the chance to work all three of the Garth Brooks concerts. Again the stadium was packed to the roof with excited fans. What a stage show, complete with thunder, lightning and rain, courtesy of Garth’s concert tour! I managed to sneak a few moments watching the concert and even though Garth appeared to be not much larger than child’s action figure, it was a great moment.
In the fall of 1993, my former husband and I became owners of season tickets. He and I attended quite a few games and when I let my daughter or son attend instead, you’d find me back in the concession stand, serving up dogs and counting out change at something close to the speed of light. The Thanksgiving Day game on November 25, 1993, was perhaps my most memorable. My husband decided to forgo the game tickets that day, when we awoke to find the weather miserable and predicted to be worse. I would have liked to stay home that day too, but the Band boosters were desperate as so many people bailed that day. So off I went for a 3:30 game start. Of course that meant I had to be in the stadium two hours before they opened the gates to fans, which was 11:30 for a 3:30 game. Things didn’t look bad when I got on the road but oh how that would change during the course of the day. When the fans started exiting the stadium around 6:30 that evening, I still had an hour or more of work to complete before I could leave. I got to my car around 8 PM, and finally got home about 10 PM, even though I only lived about 16 miles away. And what a drive that was! Some of you may also remember that this was the game in which Leon Lett made the blunder of his career. His touching the ball and failure to hold on to it in the icy conditions allowed the Dolphins another chance at their field goal, which they made, beating the Cowboys 16-14.
In January of 1993, the Cowboys ended up in Pasadena for the Superbowl. My husband was lucky enough to get tickets and he and my son, Evan, spent a few memorable days in California, which included watching the Cowboys win and Michael Jackson perform.
Even more memorable for my son was being in the old OTB on Beltline in Addison on January 7, 1994, when Jimmy Johnson, Norv Turner and Dave Wannstedt who were also at the bar, signed autographs for my son and daughter. I like to say that was the day that Jimmy bought me a drink for my birthday—sometimes I leave out the fact that he bought drinks for everyone in the restaurant that night. Of course, it wasn’t long after that night that Jimmy Johnson resigned and Norv and Dave left Dallas for careers with other teams.
For me, that was the end of the era. My husband had no desire to return to the stadium as season ticket holders with Johnson gone. My marriage ended that same year and my daughter graduated from high school and while I worked a few more Cowboys games for the band boosters in 94, it wasn’t the same. The memories were bittersweet, as they were today when I watched Texas Stadium collapse on cue. I wonder what the drive to work will be like on Monday morning as drivers slow to take a last look at the rubble that was once such a famous icon.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
For all the Saints...
What a game, what a victory! It was amazing to watch and I am so proud of Jahri Evans and all the Saints. You deserve this win for great play and great coaching! I hate to wish my life away, but I can't wait for football season to begin again!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Super, Super Bowl
I can not say that I've watched every Superbowl since January of 1967, although I certainly could have. Some teams interest me a lot more than others. Who you watch the games with makes all the difference in the world. I am married to a sports fanatic and have been for the last 12.5 years. Football is one of his passions, so its fun to watch with him and discuss the game.
This year's game, XLIV, is particularly exciting for several reasons. First, the New Orleans Saints have been in existence for the same number of years as the Super Bowl itself. This is the first time the Saints have made conference champs and the Super Bowl. One Saints player grabs my attention. He's not the quarterback nor a running back nor a receiver. Jahri Evans is an offensive lineman that came to the NFL by way of a Division II school which just happens to be my alma mater. I've been following Bloomsburg Husky football for a number of years and have been known to drive or fly long distances to attend a game. You see, I live in Texas and my alma mater is in central Pennsylvania. When I can't be at a game, I am sitting in front of my computer listening to the Internet radio broadcast of the game, following players, charting wins and losses and predicting who will make it to Division II playoffs. Bloomsburg, which fields a team with the equivalency of about 11 scholarships, consistently makes the playoffs and in fact has been the team of the decade in terms of wins in the PSAC. That's due in large part to the coach, Danny Hale. In addition to coaching winning football players, he produces young men who are strong students, community volunteers and college graduates. Jahri is just one of those young men, who entered Bloom on an academic scholarship, excelled at football, graduated with a degree in sports medicine/exercise science and now gives back to Bloomsburg with a scholarship program and as a member of the Golden Helmet Alliance.
Most of the prognosticators have been picking the Colts to win this game. Frankly, I can't support the Colts, even with Peyton Manning as quarterback. Unfortunately, as a former Baltimore Colt fan and Maryland resident I have strong memories of the night in 1983, when the Irsay family moved the Colts out of Baltimore in the middle of the night. There was plenty of blame on both sides for that move, but the bottom line is that I don't and won't support the Indianapolis Colts. Perhaps if they had changed the name of the team to something more reflective of Indianapolis--a car name would be more appropriate considering what makes Indianapolis famous. The Colts belonged to Baltimore, home of the Preakness, and to Maryland, where Harford County is known for its thoroughbred horse farms.
That said, I am going with the Saints to win this game. Their unflappable spirit, their fabulous coach, their reborn quarterback, and best lineman in the NFL, Jahri Evans #73, all will be strong forces that lead the Saints to victory.
This year's game, XLIV, is particularly exciting for several reasons. First, the New Orleans Saints have been in existence for the same number of years as the Super Bowl itself. This is the first time the Saints have made conference champs and the Super Bowl. One Saints player grabs my attention. He's not the quarterback nor a running back nor a receiver. Jahri Evans is an offensive lineman that came to the NFL by way of a Division II school which just happens to be my alma mater. I've been following Bloomsburg Husky football for a number of years and have been known to drive or fly long distances to attend a game. You see, I live in Texas and my alma mater is in central Pennsylvania. When I can't be at a game, I am sitting in front of my computer listening to the Internet radio broadcast of the game, following players, charting wins and losses and predicting who will make it to Division II playoffs. Bloomsburg, which fields a team with the equivalency of about 11 scholarships, consistently makes the playoffs and in fact has been the team of the decade in terms of wins in the PSAC. That's due in large part to the coach, Danny Hale. In addition to coaching winning football players, he produces young men who are strong students, community volunteers and college graduates. Jahri is just one of those young men, who entered Bloom on an academic scholarship, excelled at football, graduated with a degree in sports medicine/exercise science and now gives back to Bloomsburg with a scholarship program and as a member of the Golden Helmet Alliance.
Most of the prognosticators have been picking the Colts to win this game. Frankly, I can't support the Colts, even with Peyton Manning as quarterback. Unfortunately, as a former Baltimore Colt fan and Maryland resident I have strong memories of the night in 1983, when the Irsay family moved the Colts out of Baltimore in the middle of the night. There was plenty of blame on both sides for that move, but the bottom line is that I don't and won't support the Indianapolis Colts. Perhaps if they had changed the name of the team to something more reflective of Indianapolis--a car name would be more appropriate considering what makes Indianapolis famous. The Colts belonged to Baltimore, home of the Preakness, and to Maryland, where Harford County is known for its thoroughbred horse farms.
That said, I am going with the Saints to win this game. Their unflappable spirit, their fabulous coach, their reborn quarterback, and best lineman in the NFL, Jahri Evans #73, all will be strong forces that lead the Saints to victory.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Pen vs sword, Part II
Today I read an editorial from the January 21, New York times. Seems the writer shares my feelings about this being one of the most damaging rulings ever to the face of American democracy. A small quote from that editorial:
This issue should never have been before the court. The justices overreached and seized on a case involving a narrower, technical question involving the broadcast of a movie that attacked Hillary Rodham Clinton during the 2008 campaign. The court elevated that case to a forum for striking down the entire ban on corporate spending and then rushed the process of hearing the case at breakneck speed. It gave lawyers a month to prepare briefs on an issue of enormous complexity, and it scheduled arguments during its vacation.
If that paragraph doesn't strike fear in your heart, try this one on for size:
The majority also makes the nonsensical claim that, unlike campaign contributions, which are still prohibited, independent expenditures by corporations “do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption.” If Wall Street bankers told members of Congress that they would spend millions of dollars to defeat anyone who opposed their bailout, and then did so, it would certainly look corrupt.
Corporate contributions to advertising in the media--in any of it's multitude of forms--will control elections, plain and simple. If pharmaceutical companies want a particular candidate elected--they most certainly have the financial wherewithal to make that happen.
And try this final quote on for size--most particularly if you are a liberal thinker, since as long as this ruling stands there will be very few liberal or even middle of the road thinkers left in office.
In dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens warned that the ruling not only threatens democracy but “will, I fear, do damage to this institution.” History is, indeed, likely to look harshly not only on the decision but the court that delivered it. The Citizens United ruling is likely to be viewed as a shameful bookend to Bush v. Gore. With one 5-to-4 decision, the court’s conservative majority stopped valid votes from being counted to ensure the election of a conservative president. Now a similar conservative majority has distorted the political system to ensure that Republican candidates will be at an enormous advantage in future elections.
None of us will benefit from a one party system--which this ruling was designed to create. Oil companies, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies should not be running this country--they should not have Congress in their proverbial pockets--but this ruling promotes that. I agree with the president when he says that these powerful corporations will drown out the voices of ordinary Americans. Every single American who has ever voted in an election should be writing their Congressman to make changes in laws to prevent this. This ruling has nothing to do with free speech and everything to do with politcal corruption.
This issue should never have been before the court. The justices overreached and seized on a case involving a narrower, technical question involving the broadcast of a movie that attacked Hillary Rodham Clinton during the 2008 campaign. The court elevated that case to a forum for striking down the entire ban on corporate spending and then rushed the process of hearing the case at breakneck speed. It gave lawyers a month to prepare briefs on an issue of enormous complexity, and it scheduled arguments during its vacation.
If that paragraph doesn't strike fear in your heart, try this one on for size:
The majority also makes the nonsensical claim that, unlike campaign contributions, which are still prohibited, independent expenditures by corporations “do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption.” If Wall Street bankers told members of Congress that they would spend millions of dollars to defeat anyone who opposed their bailout, and then did so, it would certainly look corrupt.
Corporate contributions to advertising in the media--in any of it's multitude of forms--will control elections, plain and simple. If pharmaceutical companies want a particular candidate elected--they most certainly have the financial wherewithal to make that happen.
And try this final quote on for size--most particularly if you are a liberal thinker, since as long as this ruling stands there will be very few liberal or even middle of the road thinkers left in office.
In dissent, Justice John Paul Stevens warned that the ruling not only threatens democracy but “will, I fear, do damage to this institution.” History is, indeed, likely to look harshly not only on the decision but the court that delivered it. The Citizens United ruling is likely to be viewed as a shameful bookend to Bush v. Gore. With one 5-to-4 decision, the court’s conservative majority stopped valid votes from being counted to ensure the election of a conservative president. Now a similar conservative majority has distorted the political system to ensure that Republican candidates will be at an enormous advantage in future elections.
None of us will benefit from a one party system--which this ruling was designed to create. Oil companies, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies should not be running this country--they should not have Congress in their proverbial pockets--but this ruling promotes that. I agree with the president when he says that these powerful corporations will drown out the voices of ordinary Americans. Every single American who has ever voted in an election should be writing their Congressman to make changes in laws to prevent this. This ruling has nothing to do with free speech and everything to do with politcal corruption.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Pen: mightier than the sword?
The pen is mightier than the sword. What wisdom in that statement. In a bloodless coup, the US Supreme Court, or should I say the five most conservative justices, all nominated by Republican presidents, have just changed the face of American elections, local and national. Now any corporation with enough money can influence the outcome of an election by dumping an unlimited amount of funds into media blitzes for the candidates of their choice. If you are reading this and have even a modicum of intelligence you know which candidates those will be.
While the contribution limits to federal campaigns remains in tact, any corporation with money can run any type of ad to persuade the general public to vote their way. How many of those ads will be imbued with integrity or veracity? As it is now, local and national news entities hustle to provide fact checks for the unlimited drivel that spews in campaign advertisements.
Where are the likes of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, who in one of his most quoted decisions, restricted free speech when it interfered with the efforts of the US government to recruit soldiers during wartime? How will the content of ads be controlled? Who will do the fact checking? A recent conservative presidential adviser embodied the adage of “tell a lie often enough and people will believe it.” Most people do not check the “facts.” I know this to be true by the excessive number of shady, dishonest and hurtful political forwards I receive. “Pass it on” is the motto of the email forwarder. If it’s on the Internet, it must be true, right? How many conservative, business friendly candidates will be elected before our system is one party only?
I believe this decision by the high court will insure an overrun of Republican candidates who walk into office, propelled by the ever present media blitzes paid for by corporate entities who will directly benefit from their election. Is that freedom of speech or electoral manipulation?
While the contribution limits to federal campaigns remains in tact, any corporation with money can run any type of ad to persuade the general public to vote their way. How many of those ads will be imbued with integrity or veracity? As it is now, local and national news entities hustle to provide fact checks for the unlimited drivel that spews in campaign advertisements.
Where are the likes of Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, who in one of his most quoted decisions, restricted free speech when it interfered with the efforts of the US government to recruit soldiers during wartime? How will the content of ads be controlled? Who will do the fact checking? A recent conservative presidential adviser embodied the adage of “tell a lie often enough and people will believe it.” Most people do not check the “facts.” I know this to be true by the excessive number of shady, dishonest and hurtful political forwards I receive. “Pass it on” is the motto of the email forwarder. If it’s on the Internet, it must be true, right? How many conservative, business friendly candidates will be elected before our system is one party only?
I believe this decision by the high court will insure an overrun of Republican candidates who walk into office, propelled by the ever present media blitzes paid for by corporate entities who will directly benefit from their election. Is that freedom of speech or electoral manipulation?
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