Ted says to "Beware the Sugar Man"

 Well it seems that the details of the Affordable Care Act are being unveiled little by little.  People are doing as Randi Rhodes says and going on line and looking at healthcare.com or whatever to see for themselves how much they personally save.  And the savings, apparently, are pretty impressive.  The government just released a study that shows that Health Care costs will be 16% below what even they estimated.  But we learned a key thing from that marathon Ted Cruise speech in the senate yesterday, which as many people have pointed out was NOT a filibuster since no bill had been officially put before the floor.  Ted Cruise had admitted several times in the past 24 hours that the chief motivation for the tea party’s hysterical mad frenzy to halt Obama Care any way they can is NOT because they are wanting to save the American people heartache down the line.  Indeed some have pointed out that if the Affordable Care Act DID turn out to be a disaster, the Republicans would be in an excellent position to take back the White House in 2016, with or without Hillary running.  No.  The way Ted Cruise put it was “Beware the Sugar Man” just like the Grateful Dead song.  You get a little taste of the “sugar” and you’re addicted because no government program of substance has ever been taken back once the American people got a taste of it and came to rely on it, just like with drugs.  And so Ted Cruise is wanting to keep the American people from becoming Addicts.  Apparently only students in college were able to stay on their parent’s health plans up to age 26.  I didn’t know that, but as of next year they won’t have the college requirement.   Because of Ted Cruise starteling admission - - my view on the veracity of other statements by the republicans has been “colored” as in –altered.  If a juror thinks you’ve lied before they’ll be less inclined to trust you now.   And as to the “tragedy” of the 29 hour cutback in your job- - this isn’t a bad thing for the employee.  Because he may in fact more than make up for this loss of earnings by the much better deal he’ll be able to get by going to the Insurance Exchange now.  This loss of an employee plan has “freed him up” to choose between four different plans, basically known as the Bronze, the silver, the gold, and the Platinum plans, each with an increasing amount of coverage and lowered deductables.   Apparently even in Idaho and Kentucky the people like this plan.  If the people don’t know what you are offering them is really Obama Care they will rush to say “this is a good deal”.    The Senate in a trial vote today cleared the “clean senate appropriations bill for passage- - because it passed one hundred to nothing with even Senator Ted Cruise voting for it, which kind of makes you wonder why the eighteen hour speech campaigning for President in 2016.

Ted Cruise was seventeen in 1988 when he entered Harvard.  I’m not sure how he could afford that unless his father was really rich.  Harvard is normally pretty picky about who they let in.  So much for the idea promoted that “Liberals are the ones who are college educated snobs”.    Ted’s fellow students didn’t like him one bit.  He was every bit as far right conservative then as he is now.  And apparently four years of “liberal” higher education had no effect on him at all.  It’s not as if a guy like Ted Cruise is a guy who is interested in learning anything new anyhow.  He’s like Jack Deveroux- - he already knows it all.   These students- - unprompted- - independent sources- - describe Ted Cruise in terms such as – argumentative, strident,  “intense” and four even said he was “creepy”.  It seems he liked to prance around in a pasley bathrobe- - and go down the girl’s hall wing of the dorm and just ‘hang out” and the female students complained that they found his presence annoying.   Randi Rhodes has gone so far as to play the psychology care saying that “Ted Cruise obviously has a hole in his life that he is trying to fill with self adulation”.    So I guess Senator Cruise was in a four year college from 1988 to 1992, which means that generally he would have been a young teenager when Ronald Reagan was President and most “normal” teenagers - - aren’t really that interested in politics.  They have other priorities.  It amazes me that so many around a certain age - - I call them the “Children of the Jesus generation” would generally be too young to really believe all this stuff about what an Ideal conservative Ronald Reagan was and how conservatives have been waiting all of their lifetimes for a man like Ronald Reagan.   It is worth noting as to the Senate speech itself that Ted Cruise never read from the Affordable Care Act provisions themselves.  This would have been an ideal time to go through it line by line and debunk it- - if you think he can.  This only goes to show that whatever Ted Cruise learned at Harvard, it wasn’t studious discipline and logical analysis.   It looks as if Ted Cruise may be the first 2016 Candidate to flame out.

I wanted to do a paragraph on what I call a defense of Atheist morality, or one might say “Making a moral defense of Atheism”.     Let’s go to something I heard on a “Born Again Science’ program, and Neil of KFI has said the same thing.   First of all a lot of people - - and this needn’t be “faith dependent” believe that certain things in nature have an A Priori existence.  This means that said entity needs neither "permission" nor any prior Cause- - to come into existance.  For instance we believe this about Time, and Space, and Inimate Matter, and also the laws of science themselves.  That is- - these things didn’t come into being one day- - they always WERE and are dependant on nothing prior, which is where we get the term A Priori existence.  It’s an ontological term.   The problem is when you say this to Neil he will say "You've just defined God".  For most people that one is a head scratcher.  How can the blackness of space be "God"?   But included in this grab bag - - is the notion of Morality.  So just as you don't doubt the existance of space, or time, or natural laws - - why then do you show inconsistency in not accepting Morality too, as another of those things "everybody knows is transcendant everywhere"?  It’s like that judge said about “Pornography”.  He can’t define it, but he knows it when he sees it.  Mankind inherently knows what is Moral and what is Immoral and Wrong.  Here again I would like to employ a term also used a lot by Ron Hubbard.   What I’ve said applies to a Non-Abberated Mind.  That is- - one who has a normal functioning brain.  We as a society recognize there are such people we refer to sociopaths- - and this is a clinical diagnostic term.  It’s considered a disease.  I stress all this to say that Morality is every bit as much a part of nature as the flowers and the trees and the sun and the sky.   There is vast commonality in all societies in what they do and do not consider moral.   Some have even said that “All the great religions are alike in their moral teaching”.  I’m not sure I’d go that far.    But I think we can say that Christian morality as we understand it - - supports Atheism rather than a Theistic belief.  Because we are told to respect and love all men, and regard our brother and sister as our moral equal.  Right away we have a problem.  Because the Ted Cruise Christian type will say that he has this secret God only he can see and relate to that “Justifies him”.   But in another of those highly revealing statements- - Christians respond as if by knee reflex when told about Morality but no god - - say “But what would be the point.  Why do I need to have any morals or restraints is there is no god?”   Randi can get into this whole parent figure void argument about Ted Cruise- - but I sure think it applies with professing Christians.  Because they admit that “left to their own devices” they would not be moral on their own.  They need a big bully pulpit God to keep them in line.  But people who think the way my brain works wonder “I wonder whether these Christians really aren’t admitting they don’t care a shit about their fellow man- - or what’s right or wrong- - because they and their invisible god only they can see- make up the rules.  You know in boxing you agree to the rules.  Ditto with football or any other sport.  You could not come into a boxing ring wearing a suit of armor and wielding a sword that could really hurt someone.  And yet these people won’t go to any philosophical contest- - without their God who is kind of like the five year old taking his Mommy everywhere.   It’s like the little kid who’s always saying “My daddy will get you”.   It’s really as Thom Hartman says about how they see themselves and mankind as inherently NOT moral - - and therefore see Corporations, being neutral, as their moral superiors.  The idea of a fair fight, one on one, mono a mono, is anathema to them.  They can never argue a point on its inherent merits or not- - but look for their God to “Justify” it – or not.   Indeed the term “Natural” morality is anathema to them since being Marcionites to one degree or another- - see anything pertaining to nature or “natural” as inherently Evil.  As such- and being at war with seemingly the whole world- - they wall themselves in their little cultic cloisters.

In terms of me and my writings - - I have become increasingly cautious and wary about the idea of bringing up "people you can't see and whose existance you cant prove".  The whole mental illness issue bothers me.  But I've never threatened anybody with going to Hell for an eternity if they don't "believe and obey" my message.   Actually I'd like to invert Gandhi's little speech.   This is about how you deal with the tea party.  First you ignore then.  Then you mock them, as though they were the class clown.  Then you see danger in them and try to enact laws that actively oppose them, if you can.  Pretty soon after they've completely take over, you're in an all out wars for your lives and liberty.  Then you lose - - unless (to quote Stephano)  "God desires it otherwise".    Our only thread of Salvation from this grim fate is if - "God desires it otherwise".  (Selah)

 Paul Mc Cartney gave a “street concert” last night in association with the Jimmy Kimbell show.  Tonight Justin Timberlake performs at the same place.  Jerry Brown signed the bike safety rule saying that drivers have to allow a three foot safety zone when passing bicyclists.  There was another provision signed about getting more free time off work, that I’m not sure I’m for.  Actually Brown was busy because he also signed that papperatzi bill about not photographing the children of celebreties.  This law is absurd on its face in that what if they are going incognito or just unannounced, or I don’t know who they are but was just snapping pictures in the park – which is a public place with no presumption of privacy.  Under this bill seemingly you can incur a fine and go to jail for up to one year.   In Riverside county they are on this sterilizing of pit bulls kick.   The problem here is that I believe an irrational, media generated fear, is generated against one breed.     President Obama and Iranian leader Rahani both spoke at the United Nations general assembly today, but Rahani balked at shaking the president’s hand for a photo op - - so the two never met.   One time I was on the west patio, I guess it was just after breakfast.  And Lisha and Mario were down there.  I already told you about that.  In the evening I got a cigarette from Donald and while still smoking it- - Marsha gave me almost a half of a white cigarette.   I went down for morning coffee in the courtyard and barely made afternoon coffee chasing Dora down along with Loretta in the kitchen- - and she gave us each one cup.