Tip for the day… Anyone who uses Facebook or Twitter include the hash tag #beatcancer in your posts to raise money for cancer related charities. Each Tweet or Facebook post raises $.01, the goal being that the more it is spread through people’s networks, the more people re-tweet and re-post, the potential for money raised rises exponentially. Cool way to raise money for a good cause, and interesting social media experiment to see how effective the big 2 social media sites can be in both spreading a message and generating fund-raising dollars.

For more info from Mashable… Social Media Campaign to Beat Cancer

President Obama has attempted to sell his health plan to the American people on two previous occasions by by standing in front of a large group of supportive nurses. Yet this failed to do the trick so this time President Obama invited two doctors from each state in the union to the White House to show people out there that there really are professionals that support the President’s health care reforms. This time would be serious, this time they’d have their doctor’s outfits on. One poor doctor who showed up without his white coat looked sadly out of place, but never fear the Obama administration is here with a spare coat at the ready. Don’t want a doctor to lose all his super powers with no white coat, and besides who wants to wreck a pretty picture of 100 properly attired doctors with the President of the United States.

This photo op was such a powerful image that the administration looked for other ways to visually convince Americans to support other Obama administration proposals.

In fact they held one doctor over and convinced another familiar face to help sell the President’s second stimulus plan…

This was such a success that later that same day came the announcement the the Justice Department would be addressing the concerns of illegal aliens…

Then came President Obama’s surprise announcement of the appointment of his two new green job czars…

Finally President Obama, under advisement from his most recent appointments, decided green aliens would receive a government stimulus check if they cashed in their used space ship for a newer more fuel efficient model…

According to the New York Times, the White House is implementing a big health care push, and wil be pulling out all the stops to get its reform agenda passed…

Taking Health Care Courtship Up Another Notch

After months of cutting deals and stroking drug makers, hospitals and doctors, the president’s aides are laying the groundwork for a final round of Congressional arm-twisting, with Mr. Obama increasingly in a hands-on role.

As the Finance Committee wrestles with the bill, which could form the backbone of an eventual Obama plan, the lobbying effort is already bearing fruit. One Democrat who consults frequently with the White House said that a main goal of the administration has been to prevent any Democrat from publicly declaring opposition to the measure. So far, the only one who has, Senator John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia, has scaled back his criticism after a private Oval Office session with the president.

Rahm Emanuel, the chief of staff, runs the campaign out of his West Wing office. A former congressman, he knows how to count votes. (It was Mr. Emanuel, for instance, who suggested Mr. Orszag reach out to Ms. Collins.) Aides say he does not host a regular health care meeting, but rather summons his team several times a day, typically with e-mail messages ordering colleagues to drop everything and show up right that minute.

Mr. Emanuel oversees two working groups: a policy group, run by Nancy-Ann DeParle, the head of the White House Office of Health Reform, and a political group, run by Jim Messina, the deputy chief of staff. They are deeply engaged in what Chris Jennings, who advised President Bill Clinton on health policy, calls “intelligence seeking” — trying to learn who has problems with the legislation, what those problems are and what it will take to win each member’s vote.

“We are at the concern-addressing stage,” said Dan Pfeiffer, Mr. Obama’s deputy communications director, adding, “This is a political and policy challenge of epic proportions, and it takes a lot of effort and attention to achieve it.”

Everyone who has relationships on Capitol Hill is expected to pitch in. Mr. Messina, a former chief of staff to Senator Max Baucus of Montana, the Finance Committee chairman, is the link to the finance panel. Phil Schiliro, the head of legislative affairs, spent years working for Representative Henry A. Waxman, the California Democrat who is an architect of the House bill. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who served for 36 years in the Senate, has been making calls to former colleagues, especially those on the Finance Committee.

Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, Tom Vilsack, the agriculture secretary, and Gary Locke, the commerce secretary, have also been working the phones. Their notes are passed on to Mr. Schiliro’s shop, which catalogs them for future use. The cabinet secretaries have also been doing interviews with select regional news outlets to shore up wavering Democrats in districts where Republicans are attacking Mr. Obama’s plans.

And the president has been holding more private meetings, aides say, with Democrats like Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, who said she received an invitation to the Oval Office on a recent Friday, when she had hoped to spend the morning at home. She said she told the president the legislation would have to do more to rein in Medicare spending. “He was, like, ‘I’m all for this,’ ” Ms. Cantwell said.

“He is leaving no stone unturned,” said Senator Mary L. Landrieu, the Louisiana Democrat and Finance Committee member, who received an unsolicited call from Ms. Sebelius last week. She said they spent 20 minutes going over what she perceived as flaws in the bill.

The White House is carefully monitoring what senators say. When Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, the Connecticut independent, said on a Sunday morning talk show that health legislation should be delayed until the economy improves, his chief of staff got a telephone call from a worried-sounding Louisa Terrell, the White House legislative liaison assigned to monitor his office.

“She said, ‘Does he want to speak to Sebelius, does he want Peter Orszag?’ ” the senator said. He said it was not necessary. But last Friday, while Mr. Lieberman was at home preparing for Rosh Hashana, Mr. Locke, the commerce secretary, called. “He wanted to lobby me on health care,” Mr. Lieberman said.

At least one White House official, Ms. DeParle, has gone so far as to make a house call. When Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, expressed misgivings about how expanding Medicaid would affect California’s budget, Ms. DeParle gathered some charts and dropped in on a Saturday. They spent nearly three hours talking over coffee in Ms. Feinstein’s den.

For the second time this year the Democrats have voted against transparency and by voting against posting a bill online 72 hours before it the vote. Transparency was a huge theme in the last election, this administration claimed it would be the most transparent in history, and while this vote is not President Obama fault, it shows that the Democrats, as a whole, are not living up to the promises of last election. Posting bills online prior to a vote was specifically mentioned during the 2008 race, and now that it is no longer politically convenient, transparency has been thrown overboard.

Democrats’ Second Vote Against Transparency

As previously reported the Federal Deficit is Soaring with estimates for this year being between $1.6 trillion or $1.8 trillion. Now the projected deficit for the next 10 years is up $2 trillion. There are so many disturbing elements to this ever expanding deficit, not least of which is how the U.S. economy will recover with this level government debt. As the deficit shoots upwards so does the risk of inflation, making recovery increasingly more difficult. Not to mention that China owns so much of our debt that at this point they’re practically a part owner of this country. The government seriously needs to reexamine its priorities and reign in its spending or this country will find itself in a world of hurt.

Major Garrett reports New 10-year Federal Deficit: $9 Trillion, Up from $7 Trillion

The Obama Office of Management and Budget tells Fox the federal deficit over the next decade is projected to be $2 trillion higher than previous estimates.
The new 10-year aggregate federal deficit is $9 trillion.

An official said the prolonged recession and the ensuing decline in federal revenue prompted a recalibration of the deficit numbers.

The numbers also reflect a projection that post-recession economic growth may not be as robust as after previous recessions, the official said.

Whole Foods is facing a boycott because its CEO John Mackey wrote an Op-ed in the Wall Street Journal opposing government run health care. Mackey’s thoughtful article gave eight ideas for health care reform, and is not anywhere near what most rationale people consider provocative or radical. On the contrary, he is one of few public figures to put together a clear, concise, well-reasoned approach to health care reform. For his trouble he’s being boycotted by those on the far left who can not accept that not everyone shares their point of view. The WSJ article is definitely worth a read for anyone interested in health care reform…

The Whole Foods Alternative to ObamaCare - Eight things we can do to improve health care without adding to the deficit.

The following excerpt Food Fight Over Health Care, from a transcript of On the Record with Greta Vansusteren, also illustrates that Mackey is good person who does right by his employees, and is absurdly being targeted for vocalizing his opinion on health care reform. Hopefully those who see the injustice in this will counter the boycott by stopping by a Whole Foods store and picking up some groceries.

BRIAN SULLIVAN, FOX BUSINESS NETWORK: The irony of this story, Greta, is that if John Mackey, who is the CEO of Whole Food who has been running the company, started the company in Austin Texas about 30 years ago, if he had positioned what he positioned in “The Journal” when we were not considering health care, this would have been considered radical reform. He said here are eight ideas as a successful CEO that I have, including tort reform, allowing insurers cross state lines, self-directed ideas. And yet he is vilified by some of the more liberal followers out there of the president’s plan. They are, as you said, waging war against Whole Foods, 18,000 on Facebook in a boycott. There is Web page set up. And they are calling him, get this, Greta, a right-wing zealot.

VAN SUSTEREN: This CEO of Whole Foods, in 2007, he said he had enough money to live comfortably, so in 2007 he cut his salary down to $1 a year, and he donated all of the proceeds from his stock option to charity. This does not sound like a guy who wants to stick it to the poor when it comes to health care. He had a different idea, and that was what was in the “Wall Street Journal.”

SULLIVAN: He is a self-described libertarian. And I do not know if that was angered some people. Not only was he taking $1, but he pushed this through, Greta, a $100,000 need-based fund for Whole Foods workers. They offer domestic partners same sex benefits at Whole Foods. Heretofore this has been considered a relatively progressive company. Now he comes out and says the government-run plan is not the way to go. And he is absolutely being slaughtered on the left side of the blogosphere.

Americans are expressing serious reservations about the direction of health care reform. The President did little to assuage those fears when he compared the controversial ‘public option’ to the Post Office. Concerns about the administration’s handling of economic matters continues to grow, and citing the USPS as model government program when it is facing serious financial trouble fuels concerns that the administration’s math is not adding up.

Obama Goes Postal, Lands in Dead-Letter Office by Caroline Baum of Bloomberg.

Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) — “UPS and FedEx are doing just fine. It’s the Post Office that’s always having problems.” — Barack Obama, Aug. 11, 2009

No institution has been the butt of more government- inefficiency jokes than the U.S. Postal Service. Maybe the Department of Motor Vehicles.

The only way the post office can stay in business is its government subsidy. The USPS lost $2.4 billion in the quarter ended in June and projects a net loss of $7 billion in fiscal 2009, outstanding debt of more than $10 billion and a cash shortfall of $1 billion. It was moved to intensive care — the Government Accountability Office’s list of “high risk” cases - - last month and told to shape up. (It must be the only entity that hasn’t cashed in on TARP!)

That didn’t stop President Barack Obama from holding up the post office as an example at a town hall meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, last week.

When Obama compared the post office to UPS and FedEx, he was clearly hoping to assuage voter concerns about a public health-care option undercutting and eliminating private insurance.

What he did instead was conjure up visions of long lines and interminable waits. Why do we need or want a health-care system that works like the post office?

What’s more, if the USPS is struggling to compete with private companies, as Obama implied, why introduce a government health-care option that would operate at the same disadvantage?

As claims people opposing the administration’s health care reform plans are being directed by the GOP and/or insurance companies, numbers are showing those claims to be weak and misguided. It actually appears that the condescending tone and belittling remarks made towards those opposing current health care reform measures is only fanning the flames of the debate. As the Washington Times reports Polls undercut scripted protest claims.

A majority, 57 percent, said health care reform should be abandoned if it will “significantly” add to the deficit. Mr. Obama has promised that any reform will not add to the budget imbalance, but 72 percent of the registered voters surveyed by Quinnipiac said they did not think Mr. Obama would be able to deliver on that vow.

A National Public Radio poll of 850 likely voters in late July showed that 48 percent thought the president’s policies have increased the federal deficit and done little to slow job loss, while 45 percent said Mr. Obama has blunted the recession and set a foundation for recovery. The poll also showed 47 percent opposition to the Obama health care reforms in Congress, with 42 percent support.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll of 1,011 adults on July 30 showed that 42 percent thought the current health care reforms were a bad idea, while 36 percent thought them a good idea. More surprisingly, Republicans in Congress were more trusted to fix the budget deficit by a 31 percent to 25 percent margin, a drastic turnaround from January, when Democrats held the edge by a margin of 42 percent to 20 percent.

But a July 27 poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press showed that 55 percent of 1,506 people surveyed still favored “spending more to make health care more accessible and affordable,” compared with the 40 percent who disagreed with that statement. However, that same poll showed 43 percent disapproval of Mr. Obama’s handling of the health care debate, 53 percent disapproval on the economy, and said that 44 percent “generally oppose” the health care proposals in Congress, while 38 percent generally favor them and 18 percent said they didn’t know.

The White House at first responded to the poll numbers by claiming that Americans were being influenced by “misinformation.” At one point in the middle of last week, an anonymous White House official told Politico that “poll numbers now, for health care, are up.”

When asked by The Washington Times to verify that latter statement, however, no one in the White House communications office would own up to the quote or defend it.

But as protests erupted a week ago and spilled onto the Internet via YouTube and the Drudge Report, the administration took a new tack. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs called the now-visible opposition “manufactured anger.”

The Democratic National Committee piled on, calling the protesters “mobs” and even saying they were being “bused in” to events by “by well-funded, highly organized groups run by Republican operatives and funded by the special interests.”

Brad Woodhouse, the DNC spokesman who made those accusations, said in an e-mail exchange that the evidence of protesters being bussed in came from “anecdotal reports” along with eyewitness accounts from some at an Aug. 2 forum in Philadelphia. The accounts said people saw buses from North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

On Friday, the White House political arm Organizing for America sent a video to its 13 million or so supporters in which OFA Director Mitch Stewart said that town-hall protesters are “trying to drown out public discourse and legitimate conversation on this issue.”

But Mr. Walker, the former comptroller, said the dissatisfaction being expressed was not a minority view but rather a reaction to the government’s arrogance, pointing to the polls as quantifiable evidence.

“What’s going on is there is increasing concern, which in some cases has turned to outrage, with how far out of touch and out of control Washington has become,” Mr. Walker said.

The rhetoric on health care on health care is hitting a fevered pitch. One bill has passed committee while other bills are in process, yet on hold for August recess. The clash that is occurring between the two sides is likely being made worse by a genuine confusion about what is in and what is out of the bill. Yet clearly there are a couple big health care money drains that are not being addressed, or not being addressed adequately - Fraud and Tort Reform.

CNN reports how burdersome fraud is to the health care system, and how the bill that passed committee does little to address it.

Health care reform: forgetting fraud

“We don’t actually know the dollar amount being lost but we know the order of magnitude. It’s hundreds of billions of dollars. We just don’t know how many hundreds of billions of dollars,” said Harvard Professor Malcolm Sparrow, author of License to Steal: How Fraud Bleeds Americas Health Care System.

President Obama warns health care reform is necessary to get medical costs under control.

“If we do not reform health care, your premiums and out-of-pocket costs will continue to skyrocket,” the president said July 22 during a press conference to promote his health reform initiative.

But one of the key factors driving higher costs – fraud – is getting little mention in Washington’s reform effort.

“They are certainly aware of this problem. They don’t seem to know the magnitude or the seriousness. They don’t seem to be acting with the kind of urgency that I would like,” said Professor Sparrow.

The health reform bill approved in the House, “America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009? – 1018 pages long – devotes only 40 pages to the issue of fraud. This and other bills still under discussion in the Senate would allocate just $100 million dollars a year to combat fraud, waste and abuse. That’s the amount of health care fraud occurring in this country every 12 hours, using the most conservative estimates.

Americans for Tax Reform takes on the need for tort reform, and explain why it is needed to keep health care costs under control.

Trial Lawyers Thwart Meaningful Healthcare Reform

Doctors combat impending lawsuits in two ways, both of which unnecessarily inflate the cost of healthcare. Most doctors purchase malpractice or asset protection insurance as safeguards against lawsuits. These insurance plans are expensive and raise overhead costs for hospitals. Secondly, doctors are forced to practice defensive medicine. Defensive medicine takes place when doctors order needless tests or procedures to protect themselves against future lawsuits. A 2008 survey found that 83% of Massachusetts doctors practice defensive medicine and that 25% of all imaging tests were ordered for defensive purposes.

 

Medical tort reform drives down insurance premiums by reducing the amount of tests insurance companies cover each year. This would reduce healthcare costs by as much as $200 billion a year. So why are no Democrats talking about eliminating defensive medicine as an easy way to save billions of taxpayer dollars? Trial lawyers, the only opponents to medical tort reform, happen to be in bed with Democrats, consistently raising millions for the Democratic Party.

SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline)- President Barack Obama’s push for an overhaul of the nation’s health care system could be stymied by Senate lawmakers, particularly moderate Democrats, the lobbyist for trial lawyers said.

Linda Lipsen, American Association for Justice (AAJ) senior vice president of public affairs, told her organization’s members that among moderate Senate Democrats who could possibly pose a threat to the Obama health care push are Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Sens. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Tom Carper of Delaware.

Lipsen told trial lawyers in the AAJ’s Birth Trauma Litigation Group meeting this week that the lawmakers are “business Democrats that aren’t necessarily that great for us,” referring to plaintiffs’ lawyers.

Cost isn’t the only reason tort reform is needed. Certain specialties like OBGYN’s are facing outrageous fees for malpractice insurance, and in some states like New York OBGYN’s are leaving as the cost of doing business is too high.

From Long Island Business News Ob/gyns on Long Island dropping deliveries, leaving state

Opatich, a solo practitioner in Bethpage, is one of a growing number of ob/gyns in New York State who, faced with malpractice premiums topping $100,000 and declining reimbursement rates for services, are making the often heart-wrenching decision to stop delivering babies. Others are dropping gynecological surgery, or simply retiring earlier than they had planned.

In a recent survey by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 212 ob/gyns in New York State, or 16 percent of those surveyed, indicated that they have stopped practicing obstetrics. That’s left seven of the state’s 62 counties with no ob/gyns.

One of the consistent complaints about the health care debate is that legislation is being rushed through, that more time needs to be spent to ‘get it right.’ The lack of attention being paid to these two issues supports that theory. Who could possibly be opposed to fraud prevention? While there may be resistence to tort reform, if it is not addressed money is being left on the table, and more importantly quality of care will likely diminish if specialists feel they can no longer afford to practice.

Politico reports that Kelly Ayotte is likely to have a primary challenger in the race for Senator Gregg’s open Senate seat.

It’s easy to see why the National Republican Senatorial Committee is so enamored of Ayotte. She’s a youthful, female face in a party that has been criticized for not fielding a diverse crop of candidates. With deep New Hampshire roots and a law enforcement record that has drawn bipartisan praise during her five-year tenure, the 41-year-old Ayotte could prove to be a compelling alternative to the likely Democratic nominee, Rep. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.).

Indeed, to demonstrate its commitment behind her candidacy, the NRSC is even prepared to offer Ayotte its endorsement if she requests it.

Yet two credible GOP candidates — a former nominee for governor and a well-heeled businessman — have signaled that they’ll also pursue the nomination, and the state GOP chairman, John H. Sununu, is indicating that he’s not going to choose sides.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25238.html#ixzz0M0u45siB

On Facebook:
Friends of Kelly Ayotte

Kelly Ayotte for Senate

As Kelly Ayotte looks like a likely candidate for the open Senate seat in NH, the Democrats appear nervous at the prospect launching negative attacks comparing her to both Charlie Crist and Sarah Palin, apparently arguing that she is both too moderate and too conservative.

Excerpt from the New Hampshire Business Review 2010 races starting to take shape.

The most interesting political event occurred when Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte abruptly announced that she would resign her office to investigate running for the Senate. This followed press speculation about her running and firm predictions by many (including the governor and me, for separate reasons) that she would not do so.

Her announcement produced some inappropriate and intemperate comparisons to Governor Palin’s announcement in Alaska, especially from the head of the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

Ayotte is a talented, serious and experienced public servant. Prosecuting murder cases and administering the largest group of government attorneys in the state, with the attendant responsibility for setting policy, giving advice, and providing oversight of governmental operations, is more experience than most candidates for public office have, so any comments about her not having served in elective office should be discounted substantially.

A 19 year old, Sohrab Arabi, disappeared more than 3 weeks ago after he participated in post election protests in Iran. His mother was told he was being held in Evin prison, and she routinely visited the prison trying to find information about her son. Sohrab was dead, reportedly killed as a result of torture. At Sohrab Arabi’s funeral his mother called out the cowards who murdered him and proclaimed, “I won’t be Silenced.”

Mother Of 19 Year Old Sohrab Arabi At Son’s Funeral – “I won’t be Silenced”

Petty politics detract from Ayotte decision

I was saddened to see the partisan response in the July 8 Telegraph to the decision of Attorney General Kelly Ayotte to resign her post and explore a run for U.S. Senate.

One response was even critical of Gov. John Lynch for his reappointment of Ayotte. In this climate of partisan politics, one should stop and consider the commentary on Ayotte’s talents implied by this reappointment, by a Democratic governor, of a Republican to New Hampshire’s top law enforcement position. I know this of Kelly Ayotte.

When Mark Rowland, a staffer at Nashua Children’s Home, was murdered 10 years ago, on Aug. 20, 1999, it was Kelly Ayotte who so competently prosecuted this case, not once, but twice, ensuring that the murderer would be convicted to a sentence of life imprisonment with no possibility of parole.

It was early on in the retrial that then-Assistant Attorney General Ayotte was promoted to her current office. But she felt that this case was important enough – that her commitment to Mr. Rowland’s family, his friends and colleagues vital enough – that she saw it through.

I, for one, have no issue with Kelly Ayotte’s commitment on any level.

I saw that morning’s headline (“Ayotte resigns as AG, eyes Senate run”) and was immediately filled with a sense of pride for knowing Kelly Ayotte. I’m certain that anyone who knows her feels the same way.

It was only when reading the typical, partisan political commentary within that story that I became dismayed.

David Villiotti
Executive Director
Nashua Children’s Home

WMUR reports that Kelly Ayotte polls well against the likely Democratic challenger for the seat Senator Gregg will be vacating in 2010. Ayotte Performs Well In UNH Survey

A new survey shows that New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly Ayotte may have a good shot at winning a U.S. Senate seat. Ayotte announced Tuesday that she was resigning as attorney general to explore running for Republican U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg’s seat. Gregg has announced he would not seek re-election. Democrats appear to be clearing the field for U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes to run for the seat, but other contenders in addition to Ayotte have been mentioned on the Republican side. A recent survey by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center indicates that Ayotte might be the Republican Party’s best hope to retain the seat. "Kelly Ayotte is better known and better liked than even a guy like Paul Hodes, who has been in office and is the likely challenger in 2010," said Andy Smith of the UNH Survey Center. "She’s also better known and better liked than all the other Republican challengers who have been talked about so far." Roughly 18 months before the election, 39 percent of voters surveyed said they preferred Ayotte, while 35 percent chose Hodes. But when Hodes was matched hypothetically against other possible GOP contenders, such as Fred Tausch and former U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass, Hodes came out on top

Kelly Ayotte on Facebook: Friends of Kelly Ayotte Kelly Ayotte for U.S. Senate

DA Kelly Ayotte Eyes Run at Open NH Senate Seat

Since the election in Iran on the 12th of June, information about the protests and brutal government crackdowns has flowed in via the internet, particularly social media sites, and specifically Twitter. Twitter was the first place to provide information about the protests as the media largely missed the story in the beginning. Now the flow of information out of Iran has slowed due to massive arrests and violent government oppression. Along with the slowing of information, the main stream media’s attention has been diverted. Yet this remains a topic that deserves continued public attention. People are fighting for their freedom under unimaginable conditions.

Here is a recap of some of the videos, stories, and information that has come out of Iran along with the role technology has played…

Total Oppression Versus Open Communication in Iran

In an early show of force students were beaten in their dorm rooms, and their rooms were trashed, computers and the like destroyed. Angered by the brutal beat downs, many professors at Tehran University protested by resigning. Hospital workers who treated the students, also disgusted by the government’s brutality, went on strike the following day to protest the students’ treatment.

Foreign media was banned, journalists have been jailed. Due to the crackdown, citizen journalism virtually the only way the story is getting to the rest of the world.

Iranian government claims that death of Neda was staged by the opposition. They prevent any form of public mourning for both Neda and the many others killed in the protests.

Soccer Team Members who wore green armbands during a game are permanently banned from the sport.

British representatives expelled from the country.

Special courts established for trying arrested protesters.

Mass show of force and violent suppression of peaceful protests continue.

Videos: The first video shows the death of Neda a young Iranian woman who has come to symbolize the Free Iran movement. She was shot while simply watching the protests, and reportedly died by her father’s side. Be warned that the first two videos are very graphic and disturbing. The third video, while somewhat less graphic, but is also quite disturbing.

*VERY GRAPHIC* Young Lady Dies on Streets of Iran

*Very Graphic* Video of Iran Protests and Man Badly Beaten

Shooting of Iranian Students Caught on Camera

Massive Show of Force on Streets of Iran

Video of voter fraud in Iranian Election

June 20 Iran Protesters Face Off with Police

Crowds During June 20th Protests

Riot Police Attack Protesters in Iran

Video Showing Scope of Iranian Protests

This Week’s Articles:

This week a violent beat down of protesters was under reported as the flow of information slows. CNN and the AP both had reports on this brutality…

AP Reports Iran Security Forces Again Beat Down the Opposition Protesters

Distraught woman describes the brutality to CNN, Reports of Brutal Crackdown In Iran

Article’s Prior to the June 20th Protests

Concern About Khamenei’s Statements

Arrests and Protests Continue in Iran

American’s Practical Support of A Free Iran

Articles About the Role of the Internet in post-Election Iran

Twitter Changing the Playing Field In Iran and For Totalitarianism

One of my first thoughts on seeing Twitter being used by Iranians following their elections was, ‘Imagine if they had Twitter during Tienanmen Square.’ Totalitarian regimes historically thrive, in large measure, by controlling the media and modes of communication. Would be protesters become isolated. Government propaganda simply spins any protest or event into something that reflects well on the regime in power.

Following Iran Elections on Twitter – A Lesson in Freedom and Technology

Google Farsi - English Traslator: Google launches Farsi - English translator Thursday night/Friday morning. A hugely helpful tool that aids communication, and understanding of news directly from Iran.

Cable and Network News relying on Twitter: Saturday the 20th, with a government imposed blackout of foreign media CNN and others have to rely on citizen journalists along with Twitter and other social media sites to gather news. Protests are scheduled even though Ayatola Khamenei has made statements that suggest a possibly violent crackdown on protesters. Reports of tear gas used and armed police barricades used to disperse crowds.

Students Shot on Camera: A tweet linked to this video of Iranian students being shot

A graphic YouTube video of a woman’s death (Neda) becomes a symbol of the movement. Trending topic on Twitter is #Neda as references to the video, and her life show how moved people were by her tragic death.

Mousavi Facebook post: Through a post on Facebook it has been reported that Mir-Hossein Mousavi has stated that he is “ready for martyrdom.”

Embassies Take Wounded Iranians: Word spreads quickly on June 20th that many European embassies are taking care of wounded Iranians. These embassies along with their address/directions were also diseminated through Twitter. The safety of the hospitals is in question, and the Canadian embassy is pressured (via use of Twitter) to open its embassy too, yet embassy remained closed on Saturday.

Iran Elections and the Internet

An interesting subplot to the Iranian elections is that the internet is providing people more information than major news networks…Dear CNN, Please Check Twitter for News About Iran

One of my first thoughts on seeing Twitter being used by Iranians following their elections was, ‘Imagine if they had Twitter during Tienanmen Square.’ Totalitarian regimes historically thrive, in large measure, by controlling the media and modes of communication. Would be protesters become isolated. Government propaganda simply spins any protest or event into something that reflects well on the regime in power.

Yet now there is Twitter, other social networks, and the internet at large. It’s wise for Tweeters and others to understand that the deck is still stacked against those protesting the election. The Iranian government still controls the media, and in a textbook totalitarian move they have banned foreign press. While members of the Twitter community have set up proxy servers for people in Iran to use, the government has shut down known internet connections, which means that in all likelihood a large majority of Iranians are only hearing the official government version of events.

Yet protests continue and news spreads in large part due to Twitter and the internet. This is not something past totalitarian regimes have had to deal with. There are enough Iranians using Twitter (or other forms of communication) to organize that protests continue. The government has not been able to implement complete control. Hopefully those watching, participating, and following #iranelection on Twitter recognize that there is a definite possibility that this ends very badly as totalitarian regimes are also brutal. The reality is that what results from this is wholly a guess, but it changes the playing field and gives voice to those who previously had none. Person to person communication tools change the dynamic shifting, at least some of the power to the people, and puts a crack in structure of totalitarianism.

Twitter Changing the Playing Field In Iran and For Totalitarianism

As a staunch McCain supporter I’m over the defeat; that is except when the Obama administration attempts to use parts of the McCain platform that they previously criticized. When the Obama administration followed the McCain plan in their Iraq and Afghanistan I was relieved. They weren’t as reckless as their campaign statements made them appear. Also, I have to give them a gamesmanship points (even if they lose honesty points) for completely sticking it to the far left without making them angry. Yet the annoyance started when Obama used the McCain rhetoric about the economy without including all that pesky fiscal discipline. The statements post stimulus about strong economic fundamentals were practically verbatim what Senator McCain said during the election. Now health care is on the table and so is taxing employer based health insurance. Remember Obama campaign ads revolved around the idea that this was a terrible plan for Senator McCain to propose. Now it apparently is not such a bad idea. What makes it worse is that in the McCain plan there was a $5000 tax credit that would have off-set the tax. There will be no tax credit with the Democrat’s plan, so any tax assessed is coming right out of your pocket. I’ll get over the annoyance, but if the Obama administration keeps adapting McCain ideas the least they could do is adopt his fiscal discipline (and math skills) too.

Senator Brownback talked to bloggers today laying out the problems with closing the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility. The most pressing of these problems is what to do with the detainees. Senator Brownback explains that one commonly overlooked risk of bringing prisoners to U.S. prisons is that the surrounding prison communities may be subject to violent acts by groups making political statements about the prisoners’ detention. He also explains that the Geneva Convention says that prisoners of war will not be held along with a general prison population. Senator Brownback lays out numerous reasons why closing Guantanamo is poorly thought out, and is decisively lacking a realistic and safe plan. The propsal also lacks support both in Congress and among the American people. A new Gallup poll shows that by a 2 to 1 margin Americans Oppose Closing Gitmo and Moving Prisoners to U.S.

This call is worth listening to as one may be surprised at the number of solid reasons the Senator gives for opposing the Obama adminstration’s call to close Guantanamo.
Blogger Call with Senator Brownback

On a blogger call today Senator Coburn and Representatives Nunes and Ryan discussed their alternative health care plan entitled ‘Patients’ Choice Act.’ Representative Nunes noted that the Obama administration has yet to release any of the details of the plan that it is already starting to promote. Summaries of the Patients’ Choice Act as well as additional information are given on Representative Ryan’s website.

“The Patients’ Choice Act of 2009,” transforms health care in America by strengthening the relationship between the patient and the doctor; using choice and competition rather than rationing and restrictions to contain costs; and ensuring universal, affordable health care for all Americans. “The Patients’ Choice Act” promotes innovative, State-based solutions, along with fundamental reforms in the tax code, to give every American, regardless of employment status, age, or health condition, the ability and the resources to purchase health insurance. The comprehensive legislation includes concrete prevention and transparency initiatives, long overdue reforms to Medicare and Medicaid, investments in wellness programs and health IT, and more.

Republican Health Care Alternative, Patients’ Choice Act

Promoted by Dan McLaughlin

The Obama administration is having some difficulty with the economic projections they used to sell the stimulus bill, so they’ve decided to rewrite their projections. The administration projected that the unemployment rate would peak at 8%, it is now at 8.9%. This would lead many reasonable people to think that that the stimulus package has not yet been successful at creating jobs. Hence the Obama administration has written a new economic report. USA Today article White House defends 3.5M job forecast states…

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