Why We Need The Public Option In Health Care

From Paul Waldman at The American Prospect:

The single-payer and hybrid systems in place in every other country in the developed world have many admirable features: lower costs, universal coverage, and better health outcomes. But what ought to make us most envious is their security -- it's what they have and we desperately need. If you live in Canada or Germany or France or Japan, there are some things you need never fear. You need never fear that your insurance company will tell you it won't cover treatment for your asthma because you had asthma before they signed you up. You need never fear that you will bankrupt your family because of expensive treatments for a serious illness. You need never fear that you will find yourself without coverage after your insurer dropped you or you lost your job. You might fear getting sick, but you won't fear that your life will be destroyed by not being able to pay for getting sick.

In the United States, unless you're over 65, extremely poor, or a veteran -- thus, already covered by a government health insurance plan -- you do have to fear all that. That's because the central pathology of our deeply pathological health-care system is that most of us have no choice but to get health coverage from an entity whose sole reason for being is to take our money and then try to avoid paying for our care when we get sick.

Yes.

From Roseann

Thanks everyone
Your prayers and kind words mean so much to me. I just don't know what is going to happen but I guess none of us ever do. It is so hard to want to live when I am this sick. I broke down and cried yesterday. I want my mommy, I want to feel good, I want to walk in the grocery store instead of ride the go-cart thing. I want to whine and cry and pitch a fit because that always makes things better, right?

Thanks for listening to me and praying for me. When I get well I'll have a big bar-b-q and you're all invited.

Love, R

Roseann, go ahead whine, cry, and pitch a fit. You are one of the bravest people I know. You get to do whatever you want. I can't wait for the BBQ.

Much love and many prayers fly your way, my dear, dear Roseann. I love you and hold you in my heart.

Does God Change His/Her Mind?

In the Lectionary reading for today from 1 Samuel 15:24-35, v. 29 reads:

Moreover, the Glory of Israel will not recant or change his mind; for he is not a mortal, that he should change his mind.’

And then in v. 35:

...And the Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Wenchoster Calendar For July

 

 

During my trip to England, when our group of bloggers met for lunch at the Tiled Hall in Leeds back in March, Canon Daphne Pullover, who writes the regular feature, The Word From Wormingdale in the "Pharisaios Journal", brought me a gift packet from the Diocese of Wenchoster.

If you click on the calendar, you will see the the larger view of the feast days and activities in the diocese. The names of certain of the saints are unfamiliar to me, but I'm sure that their calendar must be the most accurate.

I'm sorry to be a little late in posting, as I know some of you like to keep up. I'll try to do better next month.

For those of you who are too lazy to click, the feasts and activities are listed below.

1. Feria.

2. Feria.

3. St. Thomas the Apostle.

4. "Doubting Fair" at Farp.

5. Trinity 4.

6. Diocesan Church Schools Festival.

7. Feria

8. Apparition of Our Lady at Wenchoster Parva 2004.

9. Feria. It always is.

10. Feria.

11. St. Catherine of the Wheel.

12. Trinity 5.

13. Feria.

14. Cathedral Refectory cleaning day.

15. St. James the Throttler.

16. Feria.

17. Feria. Also.

18. Ferret racing at Mollusk.

19. Trinity 6

20. Feria.

21. Feria.

22. Mary Magdaline.

23. St. Vivian with the Walk.

24. Feria. It always is.

25. James the Apostle.

26. Trinity 7.

27. Feria.

28. St. Mark of the Deluge.

29. Flower Festival at Duncan Sands.

30. Feria. Again.

31. St. Otto the Gruff.

From Roseann

Health declining

I am now having problems with blood clots. I couldn't do dialysis today because of blood clots in my catheter. At least they sent me home from the hospital as there is nothing they can do and I'm more comfortable at home.

Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve your sick servant Roseann, and give your power of healing to those who minister to her needs, that she may be strengthened in her weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer, p.459)

A Theme Song For Our Meet-Up In Anaheim?

The Friends of Jake Song

♫ From the tables down at Louie's,
To the place where Disney dwells,
And the dear, old Hilton Bar we love so well,
Sing the Friends of Jake assembled,
With their glasses raised on high!
And the magic of their singing, casts a spell.

Yes the magic of their singing,
Of the songs we love so well:
"The Strife Is O'er" and "Come, Ye Faithful" and the rest!
We will serenade our Louie,
Till health and voices fail,
And we'll pass and be forgotten with the rest.

We are poor little lambs
Who have lost our way,
Baa! Baa! Baa!
We are little, black sheep
Who have gone astray!
Baa! Baa! Baa!

Saints and sinners, off on a spree,
Saved from here to eternity.
Lord! Have mercy on such as we,
Baa! Baa! Baa! ♫

(To the tune of "The Whiffenpoof Song")

"...we are not fighting flesh and blood...."

From Ruth Gledhill at the Times Online:

Greg Venables, primate of the Southern Cone, has just spelled out the issues at stake in the launch at Central Hall of the Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans. See our report today . 'In North America and here, true orthodoxy is being outlawed' warned Bishop Greg who has taken many congregations and even a diocese or two fleeing liberal episcopalianism under his conservative wing. 'We must remember we are not fighting flesh and blood. This is about principalities and powers.'
....

John Broadhurst bishop of fulham is now on the platform, about to introduce Archbishop Bob Duncan. Broadhurst said he did not believe in the devil when he was first ordained. 'I now believe Satan is alive and well and he resides at Church House.'
(My emphasis)

Principalities and powers is us?

UPDATE: Church House is the Church of England administrative headquarters.

"Pop Quiz - Compare And Contrast..."

Andrew Gerns, at The Lead, has a brilliant post comparing the views of two bishops of Rochester, Bishop Prince Singh of the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester (New York) and Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali of the Anglican Diocese of Rochester in England.

Bishop Singh:



Video from IntegriTV.

Bishop Nazir-Ali:

"We want to uphold the traditional teaching of the Bible. We believe that God has revealed his purpose about how we are made.

"People who depart from this don’t share the same faith. They are acting in a way that is not normative according to what God has revealed in the Bible.

"The Bible’s teaching shows that marriage is between a man and a woman. That is the way to express our sexual nature.

"We welcome homosexuals, we don’t want to exclude people, but we want them to repent and be changed."

The bishop added that it is not just homosexuals who need to repent, but all who have strayed from the Bible’s teaching.

He said: "We want to hold on to the traditional teaching of the Church. We don’t want to be rolled over by culture and trends in the Church. We want a movement for renewal. We need a reformation of the Church and the life of the Communion."

From Thinking Anglicans.

Which message is life-giving? Which message is the Good News?

Karen Akers - "Somewhere" (West Side Story)

Grandpère and I have seen Karen perform four times, twice in theaters, and twice at Le Chat Noir, a small cabaret in New Orleans. She's a terrific singer, with a poised and graceful presence. She's beautiful and quite tall, at least six feet. Her style is much better suited to the ambiance of a cabaret, rather than a theater. On one occasion at Le Chat, she came over to our table and sang to Grandpère, to his intense embarrassment.

Karen sings beautifully in French, too, having attended school with the Mesdames of the Sacred Heart, where French lessons were compulsory from early on and having listened to Edith Piaf's records played by her mother throughout her childhood and youth. She's married to a Frenchman and lives part of the year in France.

UPDATE: She's going to be at Le Chat Noir in New Orleans while I'm at the convention in Anaheim. Had I known, I may have skipped the convention. I'm on her email notification list now for future performances.

More Prayers For Roseann

Sue sent you a message.

Subject: Roseann

June,

I had gotten a note from Roseann this afternoon, saying the doctors are having a hard time getting the right drug to treat her staph infection, the nausea is raging again so she is remaining on the feeding tube.

I see entries on FB for the mafia wars that she has been playing, so that is a good sign, I hope.

I'll keep you posted.

Sue