The holes in the armor

Because as far as germs and viruses are concerned, mostly dead is still slightly alive.

Over 80 percent of kindergarteners at some Oakland schools entered this year without all of their state-required vaccinations. At some Los Angeles Unified schools, more than 90 percent are under-vaccinated, meaning only 10 percent of kids — or far fewer — are fully up to date on their immunizations. . . .

“We have a conditional-entrant problem here,” insisted Pine. “They’re not immunized. They’re not protected.”

The national measles outbreak has now spread to Marin County, where the Department of Health and Human Services confirms that two children have come down with the disease. As of this afternoon, the total number of confirmed cases in California stands at 92, with one being an adult coach of a high school baseball team, and one being an infant at a daycare center, where it was in care with 23 other infants and toddlers who are likely not vaccinated due to their ages.

It's difficult for me to put this sentence together, but perhaps Mississippi got it right on this one. A strict law mandating vaccinations and the lack of loopholes for exceptions have left Mississippi nearly impervious to Measles, Mumps and Rubella, and one suspects to whooping cough as well. As for the 0.3% (yes, that's three-tenths of one percent) of the population in Mississippi who remain unvaccinated because of age or medical condition, the herd really will protect them, creating a immune-based shield that will stop the advance of the virus in its tracks. This is what vaccinations are for.

We need to seriously consider, as a society, the limits of personal choice on the public welfare. In Mississippi, public health unquestionably trumps personal choice. I understand that this is the United States of America, and that we were forged in the crucible of rugged individuality and independence that was the American Frontier. I get it. But there is no reason to compromise the health of an entire population when we could so easily stop it. MMR vaccinations are cheap, readily available, and have few if any complications.

"The science is pretty indisputable," the President told NBC.

“You should get your kids vaccinated — it’s good for them,” Obama said. “We should be able to get back to the point where measles effectively is not existing in this country.”

Review this on 1/20/10

From his interview with Time: I think there are a couple of benchmarks we've set for ourselves during the course of this campaign. On [domestic] policy, have we helped this economy recover from what is the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression? Have we instituted financial regulations and rules of the road that assure this kind of crisis doesn't occur again? Have we created jobs that pay well and allow families to support themselves? Have we made significant progress on reducing the cost of health care and expanding coverage? Have we begun what will probably be a decade-long project to shift America to a new energy economy? Have we begun what may be an even longer project of revitalizing our public-school systems so we can compete in the 21st century? That's on the domestic front. On foreign policy, have we closed down Guantánamo in a responsible way, put a clear end to torture and restored a balance between the demands of our security and our Constitution? Have we rebuilt alliances around the world effectively? Have I drawn down U.S. troops out of Iraq, and have we strengthened our approach in Afghanistan — not just militarily but also diplomatically and in terms of development? And have we been able to reinvigorate international institutions to deal with transnational threats, like climate change, that we can't solve on our own? And outside of specific policy measures, two years from now, I want the American people to be able to say, "Government's not perfect; there are some things Obama does that get on my nerves. But you know what? I feel like the government's working for me. I feel like it's accountable. I feel like it's transparent. I feel that I am well informed about what government actions are being taken. I feel that this is a President and an Administration that admits when it makes mistakes and adapts itself to new information, that believes in making decisions based on facts and on science as opposed to what is politically expedient." Those are some of the intangibles that I hope people two years from now can claim.

Obama-Kennedy

wow. does that sound cool or what?

More often than not, I dismiss Michael Moore as the Rush Limbaugh of the left, swaggering and rude, and, even when he does have a point to make, it gets lost in his self-absorbed delivery.

Today, he said something wild, crazy and cool.
Really worth reading, too.

"Caroline: Pull a Cheney!" An Open Letter to Caroline Kennedy (head of the Obama VP search team) from Michael Moore.

Stand up and surprise us, Barack. Wouldn't this be just great?

first couple

Is it any wonder that they captivate the press?

the facts are clear

Clean energy isn’t pie in the sky – the Germans created 250,000 jobs in less time than it will take for John McCain and Big Oil to drill for oil offshore -- and bring it to market. Failing to invest in new energy means we will continue to fall behind in the competitive race for new jobs and manufacturing.That’s not the road to smart energy independence; it’s a backwards formula for more Exxon dependence.

Ten years to wait for off-shore drilling to come to fruition or a plan that makes a difference in mere weeks? The answer seems obvious, to me. If Obama's plan makes enough sense that environmentalists from all walks of life and with many divergent causes support it, it will be the first time that they can agree on a direction. Now that's what I call progress.

it's called democracy

Senator McCain would like us to believe that by choosing not to partake of old-school taxpayer dollars to fund his own political ambitions is somehow breaking a promise to the American people.

In fact, Obama is making good on his word, making strong statements of principle and backing them up with actions, even if risks are involved.

I like that.

Tim in Texas gets it right on the money with his comment:

Today, for the first time in my life, I contributed to a political campaign. I did so because I have always believed that true power rests with the people, if only those people could be organized. Now, that power enables us (Obama and the people who support him) to fight back against the special interest groups and lobbyists…

It's time that people learn what their contributions can accomplish. We have the power to take back our country from the special interest groups. There are more of us and when we act together, we are the force that can dictate the direction our country will take. It's called democracy and it signals the end of our dependence on politicians and the beginning of their dependence upon us. Now, they answer, not to the lobbyists and special interest groups, but to us.

Bring on McCain. Bring on the world.

From the New York Times:

Ségolène Royal, President Nicolas Sarkozy’s Socialist rival in last year’s French presidential election, called Mr. Obama’s candidacy "a historic choice." "He embodies the America of today and tomorrow," she said Wednesday. Ms. Royal, who attended an Obama rally in Boston on Feb. 1, said his consistent opposition to the war in Iraq could help mend America’s battered image in the world. "He had a lucid judgment of the war in Iraq." ==Later in the article== That generally favorable impression was echoed in Pakistan where Mr. Obama’s speech in St. Paul, Minnesota, came on television at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning. “It should bring a good change in relations with Pakistan” should he win the presidency, said Munaway Akhtar, a prominent lawyer specializing in international arbitration in the capital, Islamabad. “Pakistan has always been friendly to the United States but the people have never benefited, the rulers have always benefited. Hopefully, that would change with Obama.” ==And later== Margherita Boniver, of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s Party of Freedom, said an Obama victory in November “would be a moment of great liberation, of the overcoming of many millenary prejudices” whose impact would spread to the entire world.

I can think of no better reason to support Obama. It's not just about rhetoric. It's about what matters, at home and abroad.

It's all about 31 Million

Wow. Hillary is all about claiming her victory with Kansas voters, but the numbers show a different story. Obama managed to raise as much money in April as Hillary has gone into debt to make her case. If Hillary can continue to call these numbers optimistic, I don't want her anywhere near my federal budget. I'mnot the only one who feels this way, clearly: One commenter concluded Hillary's financial woes are reminiscent of ". . . a teenager with a credit card. Only the American public are the ones who will need to pay the bill." Add to that the latest poll showing Obama ahead of McCain in a national race, and I think the message is clear who our candidate should be. She claims Obama is getting ahead of himself, acting as the Democratic nominee before the decision has been made. Meanwhile, Obama is inspiring record numbers of Americans to get involved: 75,000 people at his rally in Oregon, record numbers of first time voters signed up, record numbers of contributors, and within sight of setting the record for most contributions raised in a campaign. Let Hillary address her empty halls. She is the ex-candidate.

hope with hope

After John Edwards endorsed Obama in Michigan last night, my dormant and nearly-dead hope that Edwards would become the Vice Presidential candidate received a breath of life. This would be a ticket that would make my heart sing.

It did me good to hear Obama make his position on domestic poverty clear, and Edwards has been more vocal about that than any other politician I've heard to date. We live in the United States of America, for Pete's sake: why are we dealing with poverty and indigence at such an alarming rate? What in the world would Jefferson think of our wealth when it has been used to pilfer the environment and divide us into castes?

Could it be, o please, that this trend ends now?

Go, Casey!

Listen to Casey declaim Hillary. Thanks to Casey for speaking up. Our images of innocence and strength, hope and courage are not here because to be exploited. And neither are we.

Hear me roar.

I am a woman.
I am a Virginian.
I voted for Obama.

due to the hurricane. . . .

This weekend's near hurricane-force winds put a severe damper on most activities, but David and I didn't notice much. We spent Saturday at home cooking, talking, enjoying each other and browsing at some land for sale nearby (too many restrictions and too overpriced). We left home on Sunday, where i got a much needed news fix while David played tennis. The blustery winds seem to be propelling Obama's campaign, and I can't wait to vote tomorrow. I also heard that congress passed the tax rebate, which is actually not a rebate at all, but an advance which is being covered by tacking the bill onto the national debt. O puh-LEEZE. enough already.

Confession: I have never contributed in a political campaign before in my life. I gave $50 to Obama, wishing it were more, and thanking the tuned-in Obama supporter who matched my contribution.

When we arrived home after a fun-filled browsing at Lowe's, one of our favorite outings together. We looked at high-efficiency, stackable washers and dryers and figured the lumber costs for the mudroom project. We looked for tankless hot water heaters, drolled over the 12-jet jacuzzi corner tub for two, and had lunch before heading back up the mountain where we discovered that we didn't have power. We napped until the boys came home, and started the generator and some dinner. While the rest of Craig county was without power -- and many of them without water or heat, as well pumps and furnaces need electricity too -- we watched Firefly and made chili. We enjoyed all the comforts of home, though at the cost of a gallon of cas an hour to power the house, I am investigating some wind and solar combination alternatives.

After tuck-ins, David and I finished watching Perfume: The Story of a Murderer which is weird and cool all at once. It is creepy and engaging, and beautifully filmed, a feast for the eyes, and filled with twists for the mind. On Saturday we watched more of Heroes (we're irrevocably hooked) and David brought me An Officer and a Gentleman which was as delightful as it ought to have been.

on pins and needles

I confess that the dead heat going into Super Tuesday might be the most engaging and interesting political event i have ever seen. I'm thrilled to be part of it, anxious about the income, invested in the process in a way i had given up on. Good luck, Mr. Obama.

An economic boost for change.

i'm not going to claim that i really understand the new refunds for stimulus plan. I know that this effort (coming from a president who told me six years ago that the most important and helpful thing i could do was go shopping) is ridiculous in the extreme, and simply further proof that he is out of touch with the real problems we face, as people and as a nation.

For my part, any of the money i get i plan to put into an economic plan i can believe in, one that I think will actually make a difference: I'm buying Obama gear. Thanks, Mr. Bush!

keeping my fingers crossed all day.

From terrorism and climate change to runaway federal entitlement spending, there are big challenges to be faced. Sen. Obama is the only Democrat who plausibly can say that he wants to work with Americans across the political spectrum to address such subjects - and he has the integrity and the skills of persuasion that make him the best-qualified among the remaining Democratic hopefuls to address these challenges.

He would be a groundbreaking nominee. More to the point, he makes a solid case that he is ready to lead the whole country. We see Sen. Barack Obama as the best choice in Saturday’s Democratic primary.

Whoops. Quit rewriting history.

HRC, in an attempt to rewrite history to suit her own campaign needs, claimed that it took a President to realize Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream. Well, let me tell you, I can spot bs rhetoric a mile away, and Obama's blueprint for change seems pretty really, and achievable, to me. Frankly, my vote would have been for MLKjr over LBJ any day. HRC is so deperate that she can't even see how dumb she is being. Please, let he continue to cast Mr. Obama deeply within Mr. King's shadow, but let's not ever pretend that some white President is responsible for gains to the civil rights cause. RFK and JFK did more to help advance everyone's reality than LBJ could ever dream, and MLK's dream was so powerful that it sparks hope in all who hear it, even 50 years later. This has caused an uprising in political opinion, but i doubt that it had the effect Mrs. Clinton wanted. From my favorite discussion on the matter so far:

Just how awful is this, on so many levels? "It took a President to get it done?" NO. It took a nation to get it done. It took a mass uprising to get it done. It took brave men and women to brave Bull Connor's thugs, firehoses, and dogs. It took an overriding popular will to see it throught. It took courage. It took inspiration. It took the the blood of martyrs and patriots. It took a movement. And the implication here is that African-Americans didn't make it happen, but rather that the nice white father figure in Washington got it done for them. Get her off the national stage before she disgraces herself any further.

fired up, reading up

now that i've made my decision, i'm reading what other folks have to say about Obama and his candidacy. Frank, a registered republican, writes, "The candidacy of Barak Obama is a threat to the establishment democrats because he talks of returning the democratic party and the government of the United States back to the people. . . . . I believe however that the time has come in America for real change that will be seen and felt by common, hardworking citizens. I believe that Barak Obama is the only candidate who can facilitate the kind of change that the American citizens are longing for." momendo, another blogger for Obama, writes reasons she doesn't want HRC to be president. Alot of people are fired up, and I think that what has happened is since the Iowa caucus, the idea that change has a chance has finally come through. I'm looking forward to the coming weeks.

He has my vote

I read the plan. And for the first time in nearly a decade, i felt something that i thought had disappeared when i thought of politics: I felt hope.

So here's your chance Mr. Obama. You've asked me to believe in you. Against all my cynicism, I do. You've asked for my vote. You've got it, in February and in November. I want to believe in my leadership again, not just in my country.

I'll be watching you.