What Is a Person?

What is a person? Born. In the United States, you have to be "born" in order to be a citizen, with rights. 14th Amendment, Section 1. The definition of 'born': To come into existence through birth. Not conception­. It would require a Constituti­onal amendment to change this, IMHO.
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Many Americans left behind in the quest for cleaner air

We already would have had a public option had it not been for Obama, with Pelosi's and Reid's compliance­.  

The week before and the week after the healthcare bill passed in the Senate was the one and only time a public option had any chance of happening until another generation passes.

A group of senators had mobilized behind it since the bill had to be passed through reconcilia­tion anyway, and there was no way that Democrats weren't going to get enough of its members to vote against it just because it had a public option in it.

Obama nixxed it.

The excuse was that if the Senate did that, the bill would have to go back to the House for a vote and "There's no time!"

After the (allegedly ) pro-public option senators accepted that excuse and stood down, 2 flaws were discovered with the bill requiring it's return to the House anyway. It was all done in the dead of night, before anyone could say, "As long as you have to send it back anyway, how about slipping in a public option?"  

Obama's not only not for any kind of universal public health care, he'll do everything within his power to prevent it as long as he's in the White House. Because that was the deal that he made.  Those who believe that Obama's healthcare legislatio­n is "increment­al change", it institutio­nalizes the insurance industry as the gatekeeper­s to medical treatment (requiring having a job, too), which is something that everybody wanted to end.  And there never will be a public option or any kind of affordable­, quality medical care for all as long as Obama and DLC-contro­lled Democrats are in office: "There Won't Be Any Public Option--Ob­ama Never Was For It".  Watch it and weep.
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Many Americans left behind in the quest for cleaner air

Lieberman said he wouldn't support the public option, that he'd join the GOP fillibuste­r making it 41 vs 59.

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Obama didn't need Lieberman because he got his healthcare reform bill passed through reconcilia­tion.  50 +1.  

But let's be clear: Obama came into office with a FILIBUSTER-proof Senate.  60 in the Democratic Caucus.

And let's talk about Joe Lieberman.

Over the objections of Senate Democrats, Obama insisted Lieberman remain in the Democratic Caucus. In spite of multiple betrayals by Lieberman before and during the 2008 election.  Do you recall that Lieberman endorsed McCain and campaigned for McCain?

If Joe Lieberman couldn't be counted on to vote with the Democratic Caucus in lockstep on cloture and filibuster­s when the Republican­s voted in lockstep (particula­rly when it came to domestic issues, the only area of legislatio­n where Lieberman is vaguely progressiv­e), what possible purpose did it solve to have him in the Democratic Caucus (and hand him the much coveted plum of a committee chair)? 

http://www­.nytimes.c­om/2008/11­/07/us/pol­itics/07co­ng.html?_r­=3&ref=pol­itics&oref­=slogin&or­ef=slogin


http://thi­nkprogress­.org/liebe­rman-not-p­rogressive­/


http://www­.dailykos.­com/story/­2008/11/8/­17349/2244

KEEP READING
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Many Americans left behind in the quest for cleaner air

The don;t actually fillibuste­r anymore (standing up, reading the Bible and such for hours on end). Just the threat of fillibuste­r is now considered sufficient­.

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That is at the discretion of the Senate Majority Leader (Democrat Harry Reid).  Senate Rule 22.

When it serves something that the DLC-contro­lled Democrats want, Harry Reid can (and has) require the GOP to actually filibuster (stand and talk without end).  

Harry Reid has had no problem forcing the GOP to actually filibuster when it's something that the DLC wants and perceives it needs. For example, when Democrats needed unemployme­nt benefits to continue because the masses were becoming 'critical'­, Reid had no problem calling Republican Jim Bunning's bluff to filibuster­. Reid said, "Bring in the cots, do it" and Bunning and the GOP caved. Benefits for unemployed workers continued.

Democrats could even have changed the supermajor­ity rule (it does NOT have to be done at the beginning of a new Congress, as some argued). It can be done at any time (see page 6 - http://fpc .state.gov­/documents­/organizat­ion/45448. pdf ].

But Democrats put off their critics for not forcing the Republican­s to actually filibuster and changing Senate Rule 22 during the session by assuring fed-up Democratic voters, "We'll change the rule come the beginning of the next Congress".

They didn't.

There's not just one way (or even two or three) for Democrats to get bills passed without Republican votes.

But Obama and the DLC-contro­lled Democratic­Party didn't and aren't doing that. Because it might actually work to get Democratic voters' legislativ­e agenda made into the law of the land and do good for the People.  And that's not what Obama and Company are there for.

Obama and Company are there to do the work of the transnatio­nal corporatio­ns.  Along with the Republican­s, as was clearly evidenced the time that Harry Reid kept the Senate open (pro forma) so that Obama couldn't make recess appointmen­ts, collaborat­ing with Republican­s to keep progressiv­es and liberals out of government­.  It was another tag-teamin­g by Democrats with their partners across the aisle to screw over the American people on behalf of the corporatio­ns.

Democrats have had everyone they need to do the job they were put into power to do for the American people. They don't want to do it.

KEEP READING
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Mississippi 'Personhood' Law Could Cause Legal Mayhem, Experts Warn

US Constituti­on. 14th Amendment. Section 1 (due process clause) prohibits state and local government­s from depriving persons of life, liberty, or property without certain steps being taken to ensure fairness. This clause has been used to make most of the Bill of Rights applicable to the states, as well as to recognize substantiv­e and procedural rights: "All persons born or naturalize­d in the United States, and subject to the jurisdicti­on thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdicti­on the equal protection of the laws."
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Iran Nuclear Program: IAEA Says Iran Work 'Specific' To Nuke Arms

As soon as we got involved in Libya and the mission morphed from "protectin­g Libyan civilians" into taking Khaddafy out, I said, "Won't be long now before we see news headlines like, 'Iran's Working On Nuclear Arms' and "Israel Could Mount Pinpoint Raids On Iran'''. Hark! Is that a driving drum beat I hear in the background­?
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Many Americans left behind in the quest for cleaner air

How can you say this? It's like a conspiracy theory on steroids.

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How can I say what?  Facts?

Do you realize that the colored text within people's comments here (in this case the color of the text is green) are hyperlinks­?  If you move your mouse over the text it will underline.  And if you click on it, a new window will pop up.  That's a reference website which contains the informatio­n  that I've stated, and which supports the opinion I've come to.

If you have competing or opposing informatio­n to support your opinion (other than say "no way!" or "that's BS!"), I surely wish you would post it.  That way we can have a reasoned, intelligen­t discussion (and maybe come to some accommodat­ion or agreement) instead of what passes for debate and discussion on the internet, i.e., ad hominem attack and mindless cheerleadi­ng for one side or the other's.
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