Talk Left

[Lana]

Is there anyone on these boards who shares my interest in Talk Left? I am a dyed-in-the-wool far-left-wing liberal who has never, ever been able to enjoy listening to a left-wing talk show. All the talk shows here in the Philly area are right-wing. I listened anyway because I love talk shows. My favorites on Talk Left are Mike Malloy and Lynn Samuels. I like to listen to Mike because I want to be there when he has his stroke right there on national radio. He is so intense (and funny at the same time) that I sit glued to my Sirius. He yells and screams and (almost) curses and calls Mr. Bush "Chucklenuts." At least it's a way to introduce younger (young adults) people to politics in a way they may enjoy and still learn at the same time. Lynn Samuels is just as far left as I am. She has a very thick NY accent and is great fun to listen to. Any other left wingers on here or am I totally alone? If I am, I'll be quiet, I promise.

[eduardo]

YEAH after trying for what seems like an eternity to post here I finally am in .

In response to Lana , I am a registered independent . I am a fiscal conservative and a social liberal who would rather puke than listen to the religious right who IMHO are watching reruns of the Flintstones and applying what they see as if they were watching a documentary ! LOL !

I love discussing politics with almost anyone . I do get a little nuts when the "I want biblical law to supersede the constitution crowd shows up though "

So Lana or anyone else fire away let's talk some down and dirty politics .

Here is where I stand on this presidential election . Romney is a pandering flip flopper who changes his stances as often and easily as John Kerry ! Billary is making me sick with their lying , decietful attacks to discredit Obama , I wouldn't be surprised if Karl Rove showed up on the Clinton payroll any day with the lies and tactics they are using .

Two to three years ago I would have supported John McCain in a NY minute but when he got on his knees last year to none other than Jerry (The Amerrican Taliban ) Falwell just to try to secure the Puritan vote I dropped him like a bad habit .

I had actually warmed up to Huckabee a little even though I don't trust (Men Of God) any further than I can spit . That is until he started his biblical law BS a few weeks ago . So he went to the crapper also !

So that leaves me with Obama . I think he can be a good leader that is if he gets a chance and the lunatic fringe doesn't pull a Martin Luther King on him.Which in this day and age and in this country I worry about . I believe that Obama is the best choice to lead the country the only thing that can get in his way of being a good president and uniting this country is the intolerance and hatred that permeates everyday life in the US.

And as for the present the current president and his administration is undoubtedly the absolute worst I have seen in my lifetime . With the economic damage they have done already and the mess they are leaving behind I would bet that historians will be very harsh in their appraisals . It is amazing how we the American public have allowed this administration to trash the constitution repeatedly and stood by mute !

As a great man once said when facism comes to the US it will be wearing an American flag and carrying a cross !!!

There you go boys rip it apart !!!

Thank you Charles LaRocca for getting the technical part straightened out for me !

[Lana]

Hey, eduardo,

Well, I'm a registered Democrat. I am proud to say I have NEVER voted for a Republican in my entire 57 years on this earth and I never will.

My problem is who to vote for - Hillary or Obama. I keep seesawing back and forth, back and forth. I hear something I don't like about her and say, nope, I'm voting for Obama. I hear something about him I don't like and I'm back to Hillary. What to do? I've never been this way before, always had a clear picture of my favorite. I'm really not crazy about either one of them. I just want a fantastic health plan so that everyone will have coverage. I am on disability and can't afford insurance when I need it most. I need to do my homework about their healthcare proposals. I hear all kinds of things but need to study them for myself. I've been lax but for some reason, I just don't feel like it yet.

[eduardo]

Lana ,

Sorry to hear about your disability bro . Is it permanent or temporary ? I myself am in Chile at the moment receiving treatment for what was termed by the US medical establishment as terminal lung cancer . They gave me 3 months to live 3 months and 4 days ago ! LOL ! I am either going to make a glorious miracle comeback or I am living on borrowed time.

I am at peace with either one .

IMHO it is a crying shame that the US "The Greatest Country In The World" (ask any republican) cannot provide affordable health insurance for all their citizens . And I don't buy the BS that it would be to expensive . There are literally 100 countries many of which are far poorer than the US (at least before Bush II) that provide it and continue to function . And the other BS argument that quality would suffer is exactly that BS why would I have had to come to Chile to get treatment and a chance to live when the whole US Medical establishment told me to get ready to check into a hospice and tell them to get the morphine drip ready so I would be comfortable till my death ?

When I got hear 1 month and 4 days ago I was coughing up blood constantly , taking Oxy-Contin 6 times a day for the pain and Metformin 4 times a day for diabetes . I now have not taken either drug since the day I stepped foot into the clinic my blood sugar has stabilized between 90 and 120 depending if it is taken after a meal or between them . I no longer cough up blood and although my first two weeks were spent in excruciating pain it has subsided and the pain is manageable now .

Now my chest is still bloated from the tumors but they haven't increased in size since I have been in country .

Go to the websites of the candidates and check out their healthcare plans yourself . And voting a straight ticket is your right and priviledge and far be it for me to try to tell you what you should do but I would suggest that you try to keep an open mind . ALL politicians are LIARS . It comes with the territory . I have found that there are times the bigger liar is Democrat and times when the reverse. The current executive branch is incredible aren't they it almost seems like they make their lies bigger as they go along just to see how much the public will take till they explode !LOL !

Personally I can't see myself voting for any Republican (except Arlen Specter my home state is PA) until they come to their senses and show some fiscal responsibility some restraint on the ever growing government , stop pandering to the religious lunatic fringe and curtail there warmongering and actually get down to protecting our citizens instead of the oil companies interests !

Take care brother ,

Eduardo S Fernandez

PS : OBAMA 2008

[Lana]

Dear eduardo,

Thanks for your reply. I'm so sorry to hear about your illness. I pray that they can help you in Chile. It sounds amazing that you are feeling so much better than you were here in the states. (BTW, I'm from PA, too!) Do you have to pay for the treatment there? I saw Sicko, did you? I was absolutely livid!!! When I went on disability, I had to start paying COBRA at $450.00 a month. Now, this is at a time when you need it most and can't afford to pay for it.

Please keep us up-to-date about yourself.

P.S. I'm a "sister," not a "bro." LOL.

[eduardo]

Lana ,

The fee here is all on me . I also have Capitol Blue Cross back in the states that I pay myself $500 a month plus I pay my parents supplemental to their Medicare for another $150 each a month . I was lucky I had a successful buisness at an early age, grew it , sold it and retired comfortably at the age of 40 . So the finances aren't to much a concern thankfully .

I never saw Sicko . Prefer to go on my own experiences to tell you the truth than to see something that someone has filtered . Not that Moore is deliberately distorting but I am a pretty cynical type and don't really trust people that are in power . And Moore love him or hate him has power . Therefore what he says or the films he makes IMHO have to be at least a little slanted one way or another.

Besides having been a buisness owner and dealing with insurance companies to cover my workers and being a consumer in the states I have enough horror stories to go around about health care in America .

The absolute greed that permeates our society is staggering . It is as if everyone turned into Gordon Gekko overnight !!! ( Remember the Micheal Douglas character from the movie Wall Street ?) I have to admit that I am at the verge of being ashamed of saying I am an American . Many years ago when I had international contracts and traveled throughout the Far East, Northern Africa , South America , the Middle East and the Caribbean . You said you were American and people stumbled over each other to make you feel comfortable and at home and wanted to talk to you , ask you questions about the states they were curious and friendly . Now you get that cold look like they would rather you disappear .

At any rate congratulations on your super bowl win .

Take care sister ,

Eduardo S Fernandez

PS : My home is located in Bethlehem Pa by the way when I am in the states.

[minnesota]

Hello Eduardo:

I send my wishes for good health. Yes, health care is expensive. But what isn't? It is sad that you had to go to Chile to get medical treatment. Is it experimental?

I just want to say one thing, if I may, and it is not said for argument, I will not argue politics. It is sad when I hear someone say they are almost ashamed to be an American. I am blessed to be an American and enjoy my freedoms which were bought and paid for with human life. Now, when we have our troops risking their lives everyday in Iraq and other parts of this world, despite what or who put them there, they are THERE, and I will always support America and our troops. I am proud to be an American. Will you be returning to a country you are ashamed to be a part of?

No argument. I said my peace.

Take care bro.

Yeah, I'm one of those.

[eduardo]

Ah Minnesota ,

I had a long 8 paragraph reply to you and as I was just finishing I don't know what key I hit and it was gone forever ! So I went to sleep and now I will try again but I will be more brief .

The treatment that I am undergoing is actually old not experimental . There is nothing and I mean nothing man made that goes into your body (thank god I gave up smoking a couple of years ago) . Everything is all natural and organically grown . Except for the spring water which comes from a spring that is checked for it's purity every morning !

The theory is that toxins build up in your system over the years and they accumulate to the extent that they compromise the ability of your immune system to combat serious disease . So you clean out your system at least 1 month fast with only all natural liquids . Then bring your immune system back up to full strength with all natural fruits and vegetables and their juices . Supposedly the natural vitamins and minerals into your clean system will revitalize your immune system to the point that it will eradicate the disease inside you.

I thank you for you nice sentiments . But I would like to know how you jumped to the conclusion that I didn't support our troops ? It seems like that is a long way from saying and I quote "I have to admit that I am at the verge of being ashamed of saying I am an American" . To me this seems like a seriously long leap .

I don't believe that I should have to defend my patriotism to anyone but since it seems you are challenging it I will have you know that since we went to war in Afghanistan (which I supported and still support I am still waiting for Osama dead or alive are you ?) after 9/11 I have donated over $5000 dollars worth of calling cards to the troops so they can keep in touch with their families and loved ones .

See to me being a patriot isn't about lip service to the subject or slapping a bumper sticker on your vehicle and saying proudly see I support our troops , or chanting USA , USA at a Bush rally . Actions speak louder than words is what I was taught . But in this country at this time it seems that lip service is the order of the day . Why else would this administration talk so highly about our troops and then send them to war without the proper equipment and vehicles , or tell us how great our troops are and then screw them with terrible conditions in the vets hospitals because they cut funding behind their backs or outright release them without the proper and necessary treatments !

See it is possible to love your country support the troops and be ashamed of what the leaders of your country are doing in your name ! To question authority and demand transparent actions and have your leaders act according to the constitution and the laws of our land IS PATRIOTIC . It is what made this country great and it is slipping away from us the public . We are allowing these lying clowns to distract us with inane BS like gay marriage and other wedge issues so they can circumvent the constitution and erode the very freedoms that you praise and value . But many mostly Republicans IMHO don't want to face the truth about our leaders ! They would rather yell USA , USA and call anyone that dares question our leaders a liberal as if it was a dirty word and/or question their patriotism !

To answer your last question I will have to assume that I will survive the treatment no small feat considering my doctors in the US told me I had three months to live tops , three months and 1 week ago . I am living on borrowed time according to them .(Kind of like what this administration did for all these years bringing in boatloads of borrowed money from Japan and China to artificially bolster our economy . You see the chickens are starting to come home to roost now ! This is just the tip of the iceberg my friend. You can borrow but some day you have to pay the bill . Japan and China mailed ours out bro ) But I digress!

I have been blessed in that both my parents 87 and 86 who have been married for 55 years are still alive but need constant attention . Before I became ill I was their primary care giver with the help of one nurse so I could get some sleep (I promised them when I was 12 that I would never do the American old folks solution to them and sentence them to death in an old folks home as long as I was breathing , it's a Latino thing ! LOL !) . So yes if I get well again I will return and resume caring for my parents I have round the clock nurses and aids for them in my absence and everything set in case of my demise for their care IN MY HOME .

Now if I survive and eventually outlive them I will sell my home liquidate all my remaining assets in the US and move to the Caribbean . Probably the Dominican Republic . And buy a cabin on a lake to summer at probably in Canada but if the US gets back on track I might consider Montana , Wyoming or your state Minnesota (I am an avid fisherman and my favorite football team is the Vikings no wonder we don't see eye to eye cheesehead ! LMAO !!!) . See I don't know how much traveling you have ever done but I have traveled extensively throughout the entire world except Russia and Antarctica and believe it or not those American freedoms that the right keeps talking about are just as prevalent and in many cases better (especially now) in a lot of countries around the world .

Well brother I hope this didn't come off as to argumentative it wasn't meant to be . I felt that with your characterizations or assumptions I needed to clear up my position since I felt misrepresented . You know that was pretty skillful of you taking the "I'm on the verge of being ashamed " quote and the way you morphed it into putting my patriotism into question was pretty slick I must admit . Are you really Karl Rove or do you work for Faux News ? LMAO !!!

Just kidding bro .

Take care my friend and I hope this finds you and all yours in good health and spirits and that you all spend many happy healthy years together !

Eduardo S Fernandez

PS : So I wasn't brief , Shoot Me !!! LOL !

[minnesota]

Hello Eduardo

Thank you for your brief response. I do hope you continue on the road to increasing good health. You must excuse my banter about our troops I have two nephews in Iraq and perhaps, am a bit sensitive about politics and America's tarnished reputation. As I mentioned, I will not argue politics and since I am on a political thread, I better sign off and let someone else take the floor.

[eduardo]

Minnesota ,

I wish your nephews well with all my heart and I truly support them . Believe me bro I hope that they will be home for good , safe and sound yesterday . Now I know that to discuss politics is hard in this day and age . It seems everyone has a bone to pick one way or another . But I still believe that it can be done politely with a certain decorum and with a little humor thrown in to keep it a little lighter .

You seem like a good guy and a real gentlemen . I would welcome you to discuss politics or anything else you want to with me (except Nascar which I know absolutely nothing about , LOL , besides I don't drink much beer or live in a trailer). I'm just kidding bro please don't get angry ! LMAO !!!

Really though I enjoyed our little chat and hope you see fit to talk some more with me about anything you wish buddy !

Take care brother,

Eduardo S Fernandez