In an interesting story on CNN the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sent a letter to the Senate insisting they include the harsh language of the abortion-banning Stupak Amendment in the health care bill.

And while the news media seems to focus on the Stupak Amendment (even though Federal Funds already are banned from being used in elective abortion, and even though the RNC and other Right Wing organizations like Focus on Family provide abortion coverage to THEIR members), they are not reporting on what the rest of the letter says:

We support the inclusion of all immigrants, regardless of status, in the insurance exchange. The Senate legislation forbids undocumented immigrants from purchasing health-care coverage in the exchange. Undocumented immigrants should not be barred from purchasing a health insurance plan with their own money.

So while on the surface, this letter seems to push the interests of the GOP, we see clearly there is still much fragmentation on the Right.

Clearly, the right has no unified set of ideals. I think this letter, while scary in its assumption that a Church can dictate the Law, also shows how split the Right is when it comes to morality.

What do you think? Will other media outlets pick up on the fact the Catholic Church insists on coverage for illegal immigrants? Will the Right embrace this letter, or reject it? I think I know what Joe Wilson would do ;-)

Thanks for listening and thanks for all that you do, fellow Democrats!

Best,
D. Tree

Clearly there are some posters on this blog in need of information (that is, information provided from sources other than Glenn Beck).

So, perhaps we should start posting little facts to keep the more combative members of this site informed. That way we can help them to either make better arguments, or perhaps we'll even persuade them to our side. Think its impossible? Well, one must remember even the most belligerent trolls come here for a reason: they must be confused or insecure about their own beliefs and they must be curious about ours.

So let this be the first installment of a series of posts sharing information that will hopefully educate us all.

Claim: most of the Founding Fathers were "Deists."
Fact: True
Question: but what exactly is Deism anyway?

The implications of Isaac Newton's physical theories of mechanics, which treated the universe as if it were a machine (hence the term "mechanics") built by a creating god yet running on its own principles independent of the interference of the creating god (though Newton never denied that God couldn't interefere, just that he didn't), encompassed much more than physical change and movement. Soon other areas of experience came to be regarded as mechanistic and independent of divine interference: social structures, economics, politics, and so forth. Each of these areas could be understood and manipulated solely through rational methods, since they operated through consistent and orderly laws and principles

The philosophes of mid-eighteenth century France developed this mechanistic view of the universe into a radically revised version of Christianity they called deism. Drawing on Newton's description of the universe as a great clock built by the Creator and then set in motion, the deists among the philosophes argued that everything—physical motion, human physiology, politics, society, economics—had its own set of rational principles established by God which could be understood by human beings solely by means of their reason. This meant that the workings of the human and physical worlds could be understood without having to bring religion, mysticism, or divinity into the explanation. The Deists were not atheists; they simply asserted that everything that concerned the physical and human universes could be comprehended independently of religious concerns or explanations.

LINK

People who don't really understand what Deism is like to use it as a way to claim the Founders saw America as a decidedly Christian nation, and that there should be no separation between church and state.

The fact is quite the opposite.

The Founders, inspired by the Philosophes of the Enlightement, believed that religion and laws should absolutely be separate. They also believed religion was a bad influence on societies and was the cause for much war and suffering. They believed in the power of rational thought, laws, and government, to improve the quality of life through scientific progress, rational behavior, and improved social structures (a.k.a. what conservatives lamely call "entitlement programs").

So I hope that clears it up for anyone who is curious or confused about the Founders intentions, and about what Deism means.

Before I go, I'll leave you all with one more definition of Deism

Deism: Deism is a term coined in the philosophe movement and applies to two related ideas: a) religion should be reasonable and should result in the highest moral behavior of its adherents; b) the knowledge of the natural world and the human world has nothing to do whatsoever with religion and should be approached completely free from religious ideas or convictions.

Best wishes to my fellow patriotic Democrats, and thanks for all that you do to make the world a better place.


Best,
D. Tree

I discovered today that our friend Jake has passed. There is a memorial site on facebook.
I do not know how.. or why.
Peace to you, Jake.
marsha riggan

(I copied this form the site.)
A memorial service will be held on Saturday October 31st, 2pm in Denver, Colorado at St. Thomas Episcopal Church.
There will be a reception immediately following the service in the Church hall.

2201 Dexter St
Denver, CO 80207-3756
(303) 388-4395

Please read and pass on this personal message on Rex's experience with medicare.. we should all be so lucky...
He gave this to my friend Kathleen to post, and pass on.
I am posting with permission.
Peace,
marsha


-----------------------
Today at 6:43pm
Hello family, friends and neighbors;

Our country is bogged down in a national health care crisis and I feel compelled to add my two cents to the discussion. I feel qualified to speak out by virtue of being the recent recipient of our excellent Medicare health system. May 21, 2009 I received life sustaining open heart surgery which, no doubt salvaged the quality of my life today, not to mention adding productive years to it. I feel extremely fortunate to have had one of the very best heart surgeons and surgical teams in the nation use their skills to keep me alive.


However, I feel even more fortunate that my cardio crisis waited until this time in my life, 68 years of age, to reach critical mass. I have absolutely no doubt that if my heart problem would have peaked 10 years ago, before my eligibility for Medicare, I would have been one dead dude, not because the problem could not be surgically corrected, but because there is no way I could scrape up the money from my family and friends to pay even a fraction of the resulting medical cost of heart surgery.


Medicare is not perfect but it is an established medical delivery system that leaves all medical decisions to the doctor and patient. My cardiologist and I monitored the deterioration of my heart valve over the past nine years until my symptoms dictated it was time to proceed with corrective surgery. I was on the operating table for five hours, during which time my deteriorated aortic valve was replaced, plus one by-pass was accomplished. In total, I spent five nights and six days in the hospital, including 24 hours in ICU. My total Medicare co-pay was $800 for a surgical procedure that cost in excess of $200,000.00. No insurance companies or government officials were ever a part of any discussion about when, or if, I could have this life saving operation.


The 'pay or die' health care system our young people (under 65 yrs of age) are living under in this country is a moral disgrace to all Americans. I do not believe the solution to our disastrous health care system is about politics, democrats or republicans, or right wing versus left wing ideology.
Health care for everyone is about human decency and the moral responsibility of all nations. It hurts my spirit each time I hear about someone dying from a medically correctable condition in this country because they could not get health care coverage and had no money (the two go together). Our medical care for profit is the laughing stock of the world. Most countries that have universal healthcare for all include a law that makes it illegal to make a profit for providing basic health care. Even China has begun plans to provide universal health care for all its citizens. No other industrialized country in the world treats its citizens the way we do. America is so much better than this.


I am asking everyone I know to support a national healthcare program that would provide Medicare for every man, women and Child who wants it. Support it because it is an established medical delivery system that runs efficiently (overhead estimated at less than 4%) and is successful (87% Medicare recipients say they are highly satisfied). It would save the tax payers billions of dollars when compared to any of the 'medical reform plans' currently being debated. The simple strategy of doing nothing and keeping the current medical system in place guarantees the insurance corporations will continue to get richer, our medical system for the rich will continue spiral further out of control, more of our citizens will be denied coverage and more people will die unnecessarily because they lack money.



Medicare is the best, most efficient, least costly medical delivery system in the United States today. The problem is that it is only available to citizens 65 and older and disabled Americans. It would be easy to re-write the law to make it available to all Americans who want it. Everyone who has private health insurance and is happy with it should keep it, those who are unhappy with their health insurance and all those who do not have health insurance could be covered by Medicare.


I believe with every fiber of my recently repaired heart that decent quality health care like I received a few months ago is a fundamental right of every American citizen, not just a privilege of senior citizens and the very wealthy. Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs, if that remains to be true.if we continue to represent ourselves as a Christian nation.then we must come to terms with the very basic moral issue that is as old as the Scriptures, how we treat the weakest among us. People don't die broke because of health care anywhere else in the industrialized world, but they do every day in America. I do not believe we can save the world, but I do believe we possess the common love, compassion and wisdom among us to come together to do this basic human thing of providing quality basic health care for all American citizens.


Thank you for your time and willingness to think about this topic. Feed back welcome.


Hoping you and your loved ones are healthy and happy.

Rex

Friday last I had the honor of attendinding Grandpa Dine's Spiritual cleansing. I was in the circle with my grandpa and many wonderful Native brothers and sisters, whom made a special sacrifice to pray for grandpa all night long, from early evening untill the following day at sunrise.


ALL NIGHT LONG THERE WERE SACRED PRAYERS AND SONG FOR MY GRANDPA'S HEALTH AND WELL BEING. HE WAS ADMINISTERED THE MOTHER SEED PEYOTE AS THE PRAYERS AND SACRED SONGS WENT ON ALL NIGHT LONG. HIGH UP IN THE MOUNTAINS OF THE SANTA ISABEL RESERVATION.

Through the night until morning he took many teaspoons full of powdered mother seed and washed down with peyote tea. He was up all night on his ironwheeled horse. The experience for me was a highly memorable one. The sacred fire in the circle was kept going all night by the fireman, and the Roadman blessed him and I many times with Eagle feathers. As the Roadman prayed to Grandfather Spirit to cleanse the cancer from my Grandpa's body. The Roadman Glen Justky came all the way from a rez north of Casa Grande Arizona and he brought with him family members to assist with the entirety of the sacred ceremony.

I felt blessed just from being as one with our people and to have been under a beautiful starlit night on a mountain top as the coyotes serenaded us with their song, to have heard the crow of the roosters and see the birth of a new wonderful sunrise which became the first day of the rest of my Grandpa's life. He will live longer because the mother seed will cure him from his cancer, and Grandfather Spirit Creator of all will not allow my Grandpa to go home to Grandfather Spirit before his time.

I feel as if I have become one with all of our people and happy to be home.

Attention all Temecula Residents,
If you have any family members going to Vail elementry School, of Temcula Unified School District, you should be aware that there is a breakout of th swine flue and that it has been kept under wraps as far back as early June.
The first cases should have been reported to the CDC in Washington D.C. and Bethesda Maryland CDC.
It was not for obvious reasons. However since my little brother was exposed at the school and contracted the disease we are now all under order and guide lines from the CDC to stay Quarantined for the next 10 days. Two people have died from the disease in the County of Sandiego in the past month.
The Swine Flue is lethal if not treated.
The school district was not particularly in a hurry to make the report. Their main concern is to avoid a money loss from the federal subsidy they recieve for each child. My grandfather Dine' Warrior made a call to the CDC office in Washington DC and henceforth was passed on to the direction of the Bethesda Maryland office.
The School District of Temecula has not made it public to the parents of all the other students in the school.
Many of those children have brothers and sisters that go to middle School and Great Oaks Highschool. The disease can become a major epidemic if not properly handled. The sad part is that not all people have proper medical coverage and can not afford to take their children to the hopital emergency room to get treatment. The latter are the ones that may end up dead, and all because some money hungry school districts only care about the money and not the health of the students.
The Native American communities donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to the school districts in their areas every year, from Gaming on the Rez. I ask myself is it right for our people to be forking out money to the school districts if this is going to be their attitude. I do not think so. My grandfather Dine' Warrior will be going on a crusade to stop this practice, and to make it known to the shool districts that all children go there to recieve an education and not to be put in harms way by money grubbers, who do not care what happens to the children in their trust. No child should be exposed, Native American or other. I am writing this blog under guidance and direction of Grandpa Dine' Warrior.
The CDC is now aware and making sure that guide lines are being followed and will be watching closely that this type of behavior does not repeat, Grandpa Dine' Warrior is going to stay on top of this situation along with the CDC.

There is a link at this site...
http://www.pnhp.org/publications/united_states_national_health_care_act_hr_676.php
peace,
marsha

There there has been a lot of research conducted on how and why youths are not interested in mainstream politics and voting. The latter is not a phenomenon
Under-age future voters should have the chance to learn about the parties and their platforms. However there is little interest from the adult voters when it comes to seeing what we think about regarding politics. It seems that the only time we are taken into consideration is on election years and major campaigns. When it comes to canvassing areas for adults in local state and national campaigns we are asked to participate. We end up doing a lot of the dirty work along with the footwork. After the election is over it is as if we no longer exist.
I ask the enlightened here, if you have any ideas or suggestions on the matter, to come forward and make your views heard.


I say please give us a fair taste of the mainstream politics and better educate us on the matter so that those among us whom are apathetic can become genuinly interested and do our civic duty gladly as we progress and mature. We are mostly affected because we technically have no say.

We work gladly doing what is called the dirty work in the hope of having our needs met through proper representation. Sadly after the elactions we are not taken into any consideration at all.
It is the hope of a majority of youths that we are given a true taste of politics, so that the apathetic become more engaged and interested enough to cast real ballots when they turn 18. What do you think?
If I am wrong please correct me?

Respectfully
Little Dine' Warrior

For those of you that have aspirations of becoming Public Servants in the not distant future, contact (kalyn@indnslist.org).

indnslist.org was founded by Kaylyn Free of the Shoshone Nation for the soul purpose of assisting Native Americans in reaching their goals to become public servants. If you believe you are made of the right material to become an honest public servant get in touch with Kaylyn. Her foundation is strictly to help and asist Native Americans recieve the support and preparation to be launched to public service after taking part of the internship offered by the indnslist.org.

I myself will become an intern with indnslist upon graduating from highschool and turning 17 years of age. Internship is for a minimum of two years at the Morongo Nation Rez.

The organization is not limited to youths, but also adults that are running for office at whichever level, from among Native America.
Todd Gloria from the Alaskan Tribes is now a public servant in the City of San Diego. He is one of the alumni from indnslist, and truly a success story. He is not the only one.

Take care all and may the Great Spirit shower you with blessings.
Sincerely your friend.
Respectfully Little Dine' Warrior

I ask that all adults here refrain from joining this group. It is strictly for youths under 22 years of age.
I do ask that all elders and adults on this site blog on this group as often as possible.
As the future leaders of America, we can not achieve our goals without the advice of the well versed and enlightened on this site.
I pray the Great Spirit Bless you all.
Very Rerspetfully
Little Dine' Warrior.

http://www.democrats.org/page/group/NationalDemYouthCaucas







http://www.democrats.org/page/group/NationalDemYouthCaucas

I just want to wish you all a happy belated birthday to all whom have been blessed with a birthday in the past few days. I have over two thousand friends on my network and it is very hard to keep up. I am getting ready to start school this monday and am looking forward to getting started. I am now a sophmore and looking forward to graduate early by taking advanced courses at Great Oaks High.
When I become 17 I will be going for my Political Science internship with the Morongo Nation and upon completion I will be launched for my first Public Servant job by indnzlist.org.
I pray the Great Spirit illuminate me and guide me so that I can become a good public servant and a dedicated servant to my fellowman, Native American as well as All citizens of our great nation.
I have joined just about as many groups as possible on this site. It is part of my political science major course of study. I hope that I am not removed from the groups, for not being an immediate local. However I have many family members all over our nation and specially among Native America all over. reason for which I joined these groups. We keep in contact and urge our fellow Native Americans in the areas to support fully the Dem candidates in your states and districts. May the Great Spirit Creator Bless you all.
Special greetings to grandma Spirited Donna, Vydia, Maryanne and all the mutual friends of my mentor and myself, Grandpa Dine' Warrior. Your friend always.
Sincerely Little D.

I greet all our mutual friends. I am happy to announce that on the weekend of September 11 through the 14th, Little Dine' Warrior will be dancing the Gord Dance and other ceremonial dances at the Pow Wow for the first time. He will be in full regalia along with the members of the Soaring Eagles, whereby I hope that all of you that are in the general area of San Diego County will be able to attend the Pow Wow.
The Head Pow Wow Woman Mrs Arnita Swanson will be one of the Honored guests at the Pow Wow.
Arnita is better known as Grandma Sioux.
I hope that those of you that live in Southern California will honor us with your presence. I also extend the invitation to those of you that happen to be visiting Southern Calif to come join us.
I am very proud of my grandson Little Dine' Warrior, he has grown considerably and is a very patriotic and respectful young warrior. He is a long time member of the JRAFROTC and is quite active in the community visiting hospitalized veterans at the local VA hospital.
He has also recieved recognition from the VA Volunteer Services Director and staff for his unselfish involvement bringing a smile to many Hospitalized Vets that are in the Community Living Section of the Va, whom for the most part have no family left to care for them.
I hope that you can all attend the Pow Wow At the Sycuan Rez 11 th through the 14th of September 2009..
May the Great Spirit Bless you all Highly.
I am still in fasting and preparation for my Peyote Cleansing Ceremony coming up on the weekend of the 21st of this month. I have faith the mother seed Peyote will cure me of my terminal Cancer.
My Little Dine' sends his regards to all here, the best people that ever graced our mother Earth. The Democrats and their leadership.
Dine' Warrior.

I am Dine Warrior and am thankfull to the Great Spirit for the oportunity to be again blogging here on Little Dine,s Party Builder pages. I have been away for quite some time in the land of shadows between the living and the dead. I have regained control of not only one limb but both and can now handle a key board much better versus previously with only one hand.

To many of you here at this point I may be a stranger, however there are still many here whom remember me. I am the Grandfather of Little Dine' warrior.. I still have stage four cancer and will soon be cleansed through the Native American Church of my cancer with the mother seed Peyote.
This event will take place on the third weekend of August at the Santa Isabel Reservation. I invite all of my Native American friends here to join me for my ceremony. If you are from afar and will be in the area at that time I will be highly honored if you can attend. If you are from near the area and are able to attend I will also be highly honored.
Regardfless of the situation whether you are able to attend or not due to previous engagements or the imposibility of attending, I will still be praying for all of you as I will be for all my family and close friends so that they can recieve blessings from the Great White Spirit Creator and always walk with beauty before you, to the back of you, above you and below you to the right of you as well as your left.
I will be praying that all your troubles go away and the great Spirit shower you all with health, love, happiness and that you have all your needs met. This invitation is not only for the Native Americans whom I have befriended here on this site, it is also for all non natives whom are here. I extend welcome and wish blessings and all good tidings to the new mwmbers of the Party Builder.
I pray that those of you that remember me drop me a note or comment on this invitation, and I offer my humble friendship to all the new people here. Little Dine Warrior is at my side now and he sends his best regards to all here and wants to make it known to all new members of the party builder he would enjoy their friendship in his humble friendship network.
MAY THE GREAT WHITE SPIRIT CREATOR OF ALL BLESS YOU.
SINCERELY YOUR FRIEND, DINE' WARRIOR.

Post Data

For directions to Santa Isabel Reservation drop me a note. I will give you all the necessary info, or call me at cell 619 399-6626

REMEMBER TO GIVE 1 HOUR TO MOTHER EARTH!
SHUT OFF YOUR LIGHTS 8:30 TO 9:30 PM TONIGHT MARCH 28TH
TO SHOW WORLD SOLIDARITY IN BATTLING GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE.
FOR MORE INFO....
http://www.earthhour.org/home/
peace,
marsha

-http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29493093/

Hey you all get voting-- The Repulsicans have already voted... Now it is our turn!!! Unfortunately there is is only an "A" not A+, so I had to settle for just an A...

Send this on,
Gretchen

POSITIVE ECONOMIC TRENDS!!!!!!!

• The Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators has risen for two months in a row.
• Producer prices have increased for two straight months.
• Consumer prices rose in January, the first monthly gain in six months.
• The Baltic Dry Index, which measures the cost of shipping key raw materials like copper, steel and iron, has more than doubled from its recent lows.
• Existing-home sales rose in December.

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/mar/02/maybe-just-maybe-economy-has-hit-bottom/


Just passing this along.
peace,
marsha

Dear Friend,

There is an important bill in Congress that will bring more diversity of news, views and music to our radio dial.

Please urge your member of congress to pass the Local Community Radio Act. This important bill will open our airwaves to more low power FM radio stations across the country and reconnect communities to a medium that has been overrun by corporate conglomerates.

Please visit the URL below to learn more about this campaign and to urge your elected officials to support this important legislation:

https://secure.freepress.net/site/Advocacy?&id=299

Does no one care that the foot-soldiers of the party are being silenced... If you don't care now.. you will in 2010.
Are the conservative in the party taking charge to push the progressives out???
PLEASE TAKE OUT THE TRASH!!!!!!
PLEASE TAKE OUT THE TRASH!!!!!!
PLEASE TAKE OUT THE TRASH!!!!!!
PLEASE TAKE OUT THE TRASH!!!!!!

peace,
marsha

Simple answer, because they have figured out that Redneck is a viable, important, voter demographic. I challenge anyone to prove me wrong.

YIPPY-- Have waited 8 YEARS for this!!!
YIPPY!!