Awopradio for Sunday October 16th : Mike Farrell,Director of Death Penalty.Org, and also Jeni Decker author

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This Coming Sunday we will be welcoming Mike Farrell to Awopradio. to have a Discussion focused on the Death Penalty in America. The Execution issue is regaining focus due to the Execution of Troy Davis and the GOP debates ( and Perry's Record). Mike Farrell is known by many as a fine actor and for his work on M*A*S*H as B.J.Hunnicutt , but he also has worked as an activist for 30 years, educating and advocating on many Human Rights Issues, including the Abolition of the Death Penalty. You can read more of his fine Human Rights Work on his own website.
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Brave New Films video introduced by Cenk Yuger for "Meet the Bloggers"
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Some of the Mythes that are mentioned in the videos and on Cenk's blog are still issues that arise today ::

Myth: Death by lethal injection is painless and humane.
Myth: The death penalty provides "closure" to families of victims.
Myth: The death penalty is enforced only after all efforts for appeal have been exhausted.
Myth: The death penalty is faithful to the Constitution.


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On GritTV ( Ann Flanders) (Sept2011) ( 2 Min. PSA on Death Penalty)

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On GRIT TV with Laura Flanders speaking on many issues, (17minutes) Sept 2011, including speaking on Healthcare ( please see the 2 min PSA on Single Payer, Medicare4All in this video).


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MORE:::
On Mike Farrell's Biography and his organization, WWW.Death Penalty.Org , you can read more here.

Huffpo post on Issue has an article by Mike Farrell from 2010 that is a must read.
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We also will be having Jeni Decker on the second half of the show to talk about her upcoming book about living with and raising her two Autistic Sons. Jeni Decker (@Jeni_Decker). "Author of I Wish I Were Engulfed in Flames." Earlier this Fall we had her on with Kat Nove as she is the Co-author of "Waiting for Karl Rove". We are looking forward to talking more with this creative writing Mom.

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Listen to internet radio with AWOP Radio on Blog Talk Radio

About The Death Penalty.....

~originally posted 9.29.11~

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About Life....
I have a Bird Feeder on my back porch.It was set up lovingly for both the birds and my cats. A couple of weeks ago, things got rough at the Feeder, and a little one got pushed off the food dish and fell to the ground and died. My little neighbor who is five came to me crying, " Can't you fix him, put Life Back in him ? You are a nurse, a grown up, are you going to just let him die ?". Together we buried The Little Dead Bird we tried to give him some dignity as we wrapped him in Basil and Morning Glories, and put him in a spot where the Cats would not get to him. And I tried to explain to her that Life was so fragile sometimes, and that even Big People can not always "Fix Life or Save All Living things" . "But you try right ?" She Said with such urgency....

It was the same day that Troy Davis was executed, and her pleading voice and her Big Eyes haunted me.....
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About Death.....

Ever since watching that GOP Debate where Perry's Record Execution Number was met with thunderous applause I have been haunted by the issue of what the Death Penalty really means to us as a People, as a Country. It was not just one person who clapped, and the clapping was not polite golf clapping, it was actual enthusiasm. And Perry smiled shyly, smugly in the warmth of the applause, not a drop of shame, not even a single moment of moral intrepidation. It was like expected applause or praise for this "Record". And I can not comprehend that he feels "pride" in his Execution Number, that he is proud to have ended other's lives. In yet another debate he proudly said that he is Pro Life, I am confused how he can honestly make that statement when he has knowingly ended more than 200 lives.



This month I tried to have discussions with people I know about the Death Penalty and the "Applause " Moment. And I was struck that others were not as concerned as I was. "Well, It is part of our Justice System." "Maybe they were only applauding Perry, not the actual number". "It is more cost Effective to execute than to have people sitting on Death Row". "Isn't it better for the Victim's Families to have the situation resolved". "Maybe the number is high because Texas is large and has more crime." "Well, it is Part of Our Justice System" " You are Buddhist and a Nurse, that is why you have a hard time accepting the Death Penalty".

I was stunned at the number of rational justifications and even placid acceptance offered to me. And some of these people are very religious and morally sound and some were and are even liberal and progressive. So I am left wondering, do I not understand my fellow Americans ? Or is our Moral Courage damaged ? Do we lack a Moral Compass on this Issue ? Are we as a Country damaged when some Americans justify Killing Other Americans by stating it is Legally and Religiously Sound ? Are we really a "Civilized" Industrial Modern Nation that values Ancient Law of "Eye for an Eye" ? 139 Countries (some more developed than others) have abolished the Death Penalty since 1976, why is America not one of those Countries ?

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Wisdom from Others.....

"Capital punishment is the most premeditated of murders."
-Albert Camus, French philosopher

"As if one crime of such nature, done by a single man, acting individually, can be expiated by a similar crime done by all men, acting collectively."
-Lewis Lawes, warden of Sing Sing prison in NY in the 1920s and 30s

"Imposition of the death penalty is arbitrary and capricious. Decision of who will live and who will die for his crime turns less on the nature of the offense and the incorrigibility of the offender and more on inappropriate and indefensible considerations: the political and personal inclinations of prosecutors; the defendant's wealth, race and intellect; the race and economic status of the victim; the quality of the defendant's counsel; and the resources allocated to defense lawyers."
-Gerald Heaney, former appellate judge

"To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice."
-Desmond Tutu

"The most glaring weakness is that no matter how efficient and fair the DP may seem in theory, in actual practice it is primarily inflicted upon the weak, the poor, the ignorant and minorities."
-Pat Brown, former CA governor

"I have yet to see a death case among the dozen coming to the Supreme Court on eve-of-execution stay applications in which the defendant was well represented at trial... People who are well represented at trial do not get the death penalty."
-Ruth Bader Ginsburg, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

"In the US the overwhelming majority of those executed are psychotic, alcoholic, drug addicted or mentally unstable. They frequently are raised in an impoverished and abusive environment. Seldom are people with money or prestige convicted of capital offenses, even more seldom are they executed."
-George Ryan, former Illinois Governor

"The reality is that capital punishment in America is a lottery. It is a punishment that is shaped by the constraints of poverty, race, geography and local politics."
-Bryan Stevenson, Death Row lawyer

"It can be argued that rapists deserve to be raped, that mutilators deserve to be mutilated. Most societies, however, refrain from responding in this way because the punishment is not only degrading to those on whom it is imposed, but it is also degrading to the society that engages in the same behavior as the criminals."
-Stephen Bright, human rights attorney

"I think this country would be much better off if we did not have capital punishment.... We cannot ignore the fact that in recent years a disturbing number of inmates on death row have been exonerated."
-John Paul Stevens, U.S. Supreme Court Justice

"I'm of the opinion that we should eliminate capital punishment. Having been involved with justice agencies around the world, it's been somewhat embarrassing, quite frankly, that nations just as so-called civilized as ours think we're barbaric because we still have capital punishment."
-Reginald Wilkinson, was a prison director in Ohio

"Death is not only an unusually severe punishment, unusual in its pain, in its finality and in its enormity, but it serves no penal purpose more effectively than a less severe punishment; therefore the principle inherent in the clause that prohibits pointless infliction of excessive punishment when less severe punishment can adequately achieve the same purposes invalidates the punishment."~ William J.Brennan , judicial opinion, Jul. 2, 1976

"When a juvenile commits a heinous crime, the State can exact forfeiture of some of the most basic liberties, but the State cannot extinguish his life and his potential to attain a mature understanding of his own humanity."~ Anthony Kennedy ,judicial opinion on Roper v. Simmons, Mar. 1, 2005

"Since I was a law student, I have been against the death penalty. It does not deter. It is severely discriminatory against minorities, especially since they’re given no competent legal counsel defense in many cases. It’s a system that has to be perfect. You cannot execute one innocent person. No system is perfect. And to top it off, for those of you who are interested in the economics it, it costs more to pursue a capital case toward execution than it does to have full life imprisonment without parole."
~Ralph Nader , Meet the Press interview, Jun. 25, 2000

"It's just really tragic after all the horrors of the last 1,000 years we can't leave behind something as primitive as government sponsored execution." ~Russ Feingold

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Facts To Share....
(1) Amnesty International has carefully researched the Cost Issue, and shown that actually the Death Penalty is not Cost Effective, far from it.

(2)And for those that say America does not execute that many, 58-92 People are still executed per year. 3300 Are at any one time on Death Row, either serving life sentences or awaiting sentencing.

(3) National Coalition to End the Death Penalty also has more on this situation, explaining that it does not cut costs, or deter crime, or "save lives". ( President George Bush used to say that at Debates...and no one every challenged him for the Stats.)

(4) Death Penalty Information Organization ( also called Death Penalty Focus) has more information and is a site that has valuable insights.

Change in Thinking, for the 1% and the 99%

About Hope...

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"All of us are in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the Stars" ~Oscar Wilde
I have been thinking alot about the Occupy Movement, I shop at the Dollar Store, and More and More of My Neighbors do too. At first it was just for Cleaning Supplies and then Toiletries, but now we also have been buying food. More and more neighbors and college students and elderly neighbors also are shopping there. I have been pondering the Numbers, Numbers that the MSM is ignoring.

Living Conditions of the 99%.....
46 Million on FoodStamps/Assistance....
1;4Children living in Poverty and Hungry.....
26Million UnEmployed&Underemployed.....
8 Million Foreclosed....
50 Million Still with No Healthcare.....
Unemployment for Under Age25 is 50% (yes, that includes College Educated)......

I am One of the 99%, I have been working part time jobs, I am definitely UnderEmployed, I am UnInsured, I have been moved when Landlords went through Foreclosure. I have watched neighbors leave, homes taken away. I have watched so many businesses gone, closed up. I have had to put my son's college dreams on hold, because the Loans that were offered were too expensive, I did not want to burden him with debt. Yet watching the OccupyTogether OccupyWallstreet Movement has been inspiring as people speak out and up and to each other. No Longer is there hidden shame silently born by so many. The Government has been more responsive to Wall Street and Lobbyists than to The People, so hopefully a shift is occurring.

@Awop Radio Sunday Show 10.9.11 Tune In and Listen Up....

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This coming week on the radio show 7-9PM EST we have some wonderful guests on our @awopradio show. @awopradio ( Kim) and @mommapolitico (Perry) and I will be welcoming some Twitter Wonders.....

(1) We have Micheal Stinson known as @symbolman on Twitter. He is very talented,creative and he is sharing with us about his 4 books and also his music. We will be hearing about his song "Corporation" and it's origins and playing it as it seems timely with the events of #occupywallstreet. (Posted below with his band Round House) We will also talk to him about his "Rouge Coloring book" that was written with his wife about Sarah Palin. (The Coloring Book Link). And more about his other his other writings and books.


(2) Another guest this week is @EileenLeft a wonderful California Progressive who started the #connecttheleft hashtag and movement on Twitter. This amazing mom is also raising five boys and she's a premie family counselor,who also works hard to help progressives work together and is a truly positive force on Twitter.
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(3) @Faydra_deon is also on Twitter, she blogs, writes and is a social media goddess. And this year she wrote a book called "The Pride" about the strength of four women. Many of us met her during different Disasters as she tweeted for Humanity, she created a whole site that offers folks creative ways to give to areas that are suffering and need our help. Be sure to see about her book, and it is available digitally and on Amazon.

(4) Jasmine Beach-Ferrara will be joining the program to discuss her work with Southern Equality. Org , they are working hard for Marriage Equality in North Carolina. You can also follow them on Facebook at Southern Equality and also on Twitter at @CSElive. And if you want to read more about Jasmine her bio is here.
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Please do read the Post below if you want to learn more about the Populist Movements going and want information on #occupywallstreet or #occupytogether, there is alot going on in America with real Americans really finding Voice in this Battle on the Working Class and Unemployed and UnderEmployed. And you can always click the Radio over in the Sidebar to hear past shows, via podcasts or on iTunes as we have really been honoring those that are Fighting the Good Fight.

Steve Jobs Gone....RIP.

Steve Jobs died this week. It is so sad, he was far too young.He gave us so much, and enriched our lives, our Communication. He made computers accessible for so many, he made them fun, creative and a way to connect.For me, someone who would load up the car with bags of library books, it gave me a "place to go",and for my son that lovely Bondi Blue iMac in 1998 opened up the world for him.....Steve was our Columbus pushing for the next horizon, he was our Leonardo creating what we could only dream of, he was our Edison always focused on what The People needed.

@Awop Radio Sunday Show 10.2.11...Eric Byler of the Coffee Party and a LIVE report from OccupyWallstreet

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This Sunday we have Eric Byler of the Coffee Party on as our Guest at 7:30PM EST to talk about his work with Annabell Park and the Coffee Party and their projects and the history of the Coffee Party. It should be a really interesting Round Table discussion. You can read more about the Coffee Party on their website and also about the October 29th Rally. They have a Rally planned for October 29th "Enough is Enough". The Coffee Party is the 7th collaboration between these two amazing Film Makers.Two of Eric's feature films, "9500 Liberty" released in 2010,(and co-directed with Annabel Park) and "Charlotte Sometimes" (2003) will be offered on Comcast VOD during the month of October 2011. { Coffee Party is on Twitter @coffeepartyusa and @ericbyler )

**** Do rent or order "9500 Liberty" on DVD it is an amazing film.****



Who is the Coffee Party and What are they ? Eric Byler explained to CBS in San Francisco last April,"The Coffee Party was started by Eric Byler and Annabelle Park in 2010. According to Byler, it began as an online meeting place where political and social ideology could be discussed. Byler calls it a “virtual town hall” with Facebook and Twitter as its primary vehicles. The Coffee Party boasts an email list of 80,000 people. Byler says it differs from the rival Tea Party in that everything discussed on it’s site must be fact based."

Here is a Must Read essay by Eric explaining the Coffee Party and how be became involved, as well as his history with Annabell and their political work that began with their shared work Film Making. This essay insightfully explains how politics impacts lives and how so many issues and lives are being swept up in these times. He explains and explores how Immigration issues combined with media created a real vehicle for discussion and motivation for Film and activism.


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The Radio show is 7-9PM EST, and Eric Byler should be on at 7:30 PM. You can click the radio on the Sidebar..Or you can click here to listen to the Current Show or Past PodCasts.....
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ENOUGH IS ENOUGH October 29th Website
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Eric Byler's Coffee Party Facebook page is updated on the OccupyWallstreet Event and the LiveStream Eric's Video from Occupy DC.

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On the Radio Show tonight we also interviewed Flux Nostrum LIVE from #OccupyWallstreet and he gave an update from NYC and since he is working on the LIVESTREAM for the OCCUPY Movement and Mobile Broadcast News has the LIVESTREAM Links on the website, they are now streaming video from NYC and around the Country. You can also follow Flux on Facebook.

OCCUPY Movement Advice from an Old Hippie Nurse....

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(1) Do carry a Camera and Cellphone Camera. Cameras keep People safe. Mobile Broadcast News is LIVESTREAMING video from around the Country. The More Cameras the better, they keep people safe and the Cops accountable. Even if your camera runs out of film or batteries, always act like you are still filming. Make sure you share all video and photos, especially on Twitter as the Viral team will do their best to share videos and photos as we know the MSM has not been covering this Movement well enough.

(2) If you are confronted by cops or meet belligerence, remember the Cops are working Short Staffed, Lower Wages, taking cuts in Pensions and Healthcare. If you can even find a way to have that conversation with the Cops do that. If you can make eye contact or even share coffee or food with the Cops "Guarding " the Occupy Area do that. Bring Compassion and Humanity to the Table, it can make the difference and help bring level the playing field. Remember this is a People's Movement, that means all People.

(3) Do review and read Ghandi and MLK and even carry their writings with you, these brave wise men understood the Patience and Courage it takes to stand strong in heat of the moment. A Movement , A Protests takes Determiniation, Clarity and Focus, and many calm heads. Do carry copies of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution with you, read it and share it. Know your Rights.

(4) Sing, In Tense Moments do SING. Sing American Songs. National Anthem, "God Bless America", And even old Union Songs like "This Land is Our Land" and "Whose Side are you on" "Imagine" "People Get Ready" "Amazing Grace". Even while being arrested SING.

(5) Do write your name and important cellphone numbers on your arm with a sharpie in case you need and lose your phone . If you have allergies or medical condition try to stay near the Medical people. All good Movements have a Medic or Medical Crew.Do pack in your knapsack supplies that might help. Water, Bandannas, Soft Teashirts, Saline Eye Rinse, Milk ( works to rinse tea gas), Duct Tape. If someone gets hurt then you have supplies to help. If you have such a condition as asthma you may ask to keep your inhaler.

(6) Practice Staying Calm and calming others, breath deeply and join hands with those around you if this helps you or others. Share your Strength and your Courage. If you have watched any of the Egypt or Uprisings in the Middle East this year, you saw how they walked tall and together and sang and stood by each other. Courage is always shared.

OccupyWallstreet and The Brooklyn Bridge Arrests...

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A March was affiliated with OccupyWallstreet, although there are some different stories about who organized it. Per my sources in NYC it was to be a Poverty March, but when they got to the Bridge things became complicated as to what the plan was. Sadly the Police appeared to have maneuvered them off the path into the street and then Kettled them with the Orange Netting and basically trapped them on the roadway. Then they proceeded to arrest them, there were a total of 700 Arrests per The Guardian and BBC. American Media failed miserably covering this Mass Arrest. ( CNN kept airing Piers Morgan interviewing Jermaine Jackson over and over again.) Those of us who watched it unfold via Twitter while the Media Blacked it out tried to stream photos and video that came through. Mobile Broadcast News from OccupyWallstreet also kept people informed.
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Mobile Broadcast News is a wonderful LIVESTREAM site that really shows what is going on.
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The Arrests ( from LIVESTREAM)

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JP Morgan Chase gave the Police Money-is this a Conflict of Interest or do we call this Hired Guns ?
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Occupy Together Website
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More details from the Daily Gotham..
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Kevin Zeese and Dr.Flowers explain the October2011 Event and the Occupy DC Movement....

From Eric Byler's Coffee Party site.....filmed Sept 13, 2011. It appears that many Movements and Events are coming together. The Occupy Movement is also joining with the October2011 Event in DC (October 6th,2011). The Occupy Movement is now spreading to over 30 cities this weekend.Occupy Wallstreet has now reached other cities, from Boston to Asheville to Cleveland to LA.



If you want to learn more about the Occupy Movement, OccupyTogether.org has more information as the Movement spreads across the country.

More on the Occupy Wallstreet Movement and OccupyTogether

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This Video below is sharing Footage of the Brooklyn Bridge Arrests, but also one Person , One normal man is sharing why he is going to DC for the Occupy Movement.


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Mobile Broadcast New has Livestream links to many of the Locations and is a site that is worth exploring and seeing this Occupy Movement spread....
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OccupyTogether Website, check and see how many cities are sharing in this movement. Also the number of cities WorldWide that sharing in Solidarity is growing.

Moral Courage...

“Few are willing to brave the disapproval of their peers, the censure of their colleagues, the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change.” ~~Robert F. Kennedy

In My Backyard ::: How a Red State is now Slashing Health Care to the Poor,Disabled and Elderly....

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On a Personal Note about Being a Nurse here in Cleveland.....

Many of you know I am a Nurse of 20+ years, and I currently work Per Diem and Part Time, and Private Duty.( It also means I work a variety of other Part Time work to make ends meet and apply and work MANY non-nursing jobs. There are 25 Million Underemployed and UnEmployed, I am just one of the Many). I would love a full time Job in Cleveland, but the Health Care Industry is not as Rosy as some are painting it and "Hiring" is only a Mirage in this state. There are a couple of different issues, one is that Older Workers are viewed as costly to the system, so that is one issue. So sadly when one writes "Experienced" on the Resume, don't always expect a call back. One another note, many of the larger hospitals here are not hiring and have not been hiring for quite awhile.

Sadly this is means many nurses are leaving the area, and even new grads here were not offered jobs the past two years. Even my new hood that used to be full of residents and young doctors and many nurses, is now half empty, a change that happened in the past 10 months. It also is the ripple effect of limited school loans for Medical and Nursing students. Also since Kasich's Budget Cuts hit Hospitals and Health Care across the board, it has hit Home Care and all levels of care, Nurses are leaving the area, as more and more jobs are cut. Nursing Homes and Hospitals are laying off. Even the Two Free Clinics in the Area are laying off Nurses and Doctors. Two Hospitals are actually Closing due to some of these shifts in funds and many SNF's are actually closing. And about the TWO hospitals that are actually closing, this means that Blighted Impoverished parts of Town are going to be impacted. Also VA is moving care to all one facility-but sadly Cleveland is a town that is directly divided due to infrastructure failings ( Bridges that are being shut down, pending repair and add to that Major Bus Routes were slashed in the past two years, this means that the City is divided in half in regards to access to services). Literally the poorer part of Town is losing care and transit and services. ( And it is the side of town that has more elderly, disabled and impoverished.)

As many know my goal is to move to NYC by Spring for son to go to Film School and there are more jobs there than there are here. So my own plight has actually made me examine and write about the Health Care Delivery System here and it's own economic plight. Anyone who says that Politics does not impact Health Care or the Economy is not paying attention. Period.
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Video about Proposed Cuts was run on TV in May2011. Thousands lobbying, writing and calling on behalf of the pending cuts, even large Health Care Providers, were ignored and their concerns not even acknowledged. Media also sadly gave this issue minimal coverage.
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Gov. Kasich's Budget Cuts total 7% of Skilled Nursing Care, that translates to 472 Million Dollars. OHCA of Ohio has been advocating on this issue, by writing to Legislators. You can read this letter it carefully lays out all that is at stake for the health of millions.
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Cleveland Jewish News has more about how funds to Nursing Homes throughout the state have been slashed and the effects that it will have on so many nursing homes.( as a Nurse it would make sense to cut funds if Other Funds were being improved, ie other Long Term Care or Home Care or even Day Care programs for the Elderly. Even In Hospital SNF care costs have been cut. But to cut funds on all levels for all care, is not prudent or humane.
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PRNewsWire has more about the impacts of Pending Federal Cuts combined with State Cuts on the SNF costs and possible ramifications to Health Care for Elderly and disabled in SNF's. It will impact Care and also lead to even more Job losses. ( SNF is the common abbreviation for Skilled Nursing Facility. What the Governor has failed to acknowledge is that Cutting Services to so many elderly,sick and disabled will also mean huge job losses, and as the numbers drop care safety and delivery is also impacted. Since Kasich has been making changes to budgets there has been 21-51,000 job losses, and Healthcare People are now joining that exodus from Ohio.
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Radio Show Tonight Cancelled due to Technical Difficulties...

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Sometimes things hit snags, and tonight's show hit many snags, technical difficulties that we could not have anticipated. So we will be back next week with a great show. And our wonderful Guest Joel Achenbach said that he will be joining us another night. But there are other shows that are worth a listen on Sunday Nights, Harry Shearer and also Tim Corrimal. ( I listen to them when our show is over.....) Have a great night.

You can also always listen to Podcasts of previous shows, by clicking the Radio on the Sidebar. We have had some amazing guests, from Wendell Potter, to Mad as Hell Docs, to Lizz Winstead , to Dr.Margaret Flowers, to Octavia Nasr, to Jason Leopold, so go ahead , have a Listen.....

Upcoming Radio Show on @awopradio : Interview with Joel Achenbach postponed until Later in October...

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This Sunday we will be interviewing Joel Achenbach about his book about the 2010 Oil Spill,"The Hole at the Bottem of the Sea", it is a carefully researched, well written book that gives an inside look into the Oil Spill that answers many questions and also of course leads to new questions. You can read more about his book here and please do call in to the show if you have Questions for the Author, he will be on the show at 7:30PM EST. The Show is 7-9PM EST, join Kim @awopradio and Perry @mommapolitico and me for this interesting show. ( Click the Radio in the Sidebar to directly listen to the show.

Prayers for Troy Davis and his family.....And his Letter

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Amnesty International and many groups worked so hard to stop this Execution. But as of tonight, Wednesday Sept21st, sadly it looks like he will be put to death. Here you can read the Letter from Troy Davis.....

Please do ReTweet and Support #occupywallstreet

Do follow the Occupation on The Guardian.....Most American Media has not done a good job covering this Movement at all.. MSNBC did not jump in to cover it until day 12 ( when Susan Sarandon and Micheal Moore came to the scene.) Keith Olbermann on Current has been covering since Day 3.

Upcoming @Awopradio Show September 18th 7-9PM EST

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"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane." MLK
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This Week's Awop Radio Show is dedicated to the Health Care Crisis in our Country and the People who are fighting the Good Fight still advocating on behalf of millions of Americans without access to affordable Health Care. We plan to honor our guests hard work as we ask questions about the ongoing battles and challenges for improved Health Care. Do Click the Title to connect to AWOP on Blogtalkradio or click the Radio on the Sidebar. Or Click the LINK HERE for the actual link to Sunday's Show. Kim @awop of "A World of Progress" ( online Magazine), and Perry ( @mommapolitico) are the Hostesses,Nunzia Rider is our crew, and I am a contributer ( Health and Environmental ).

Guests include ::


(1) Wendell Potter at 7:30PM EST , Insurance Whistleblower who helped so many of us learn about the Inside Workings of the Insurance Industry. To Learn more about his work and his insights, please do see his Blog and learn more. ( Here is the Link to his Blog and website.)


His Book "Deadly Spin", is haunting and a must read, especially as HCR has gone into effect, and yet more than ever are UnInsured.

Here is the Link to the YouTube Video of Wendell on BOOK-TV on CSpan, discussing his book, Deadly Spin. (10min) The Full Name of the Book is "Deadly Spin, An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out On How Corporate PR Is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans."

Wendell is also working with Public Integrity to answer Insurance Questions/Concerns, by emailing askwendell@publicintegrity.org or by posting your queries as comments at the bottom of his columns. More Explained in his latest blogpost.

*** Bonus Video of Wendell Potter speaking in at a Bookstore about Deadly Spin and sharing stories.
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(2) Out 2nd guest is Lucinda Marshall, Health Care Advocate who has been researching the Current Situation of People with Pre-Existing Conditions who are trying to navigate Insurance and High Risk Pools as they move state to state. Here is more from her blog on her research and her story about moving Insurance with a Pre-existing Condition that shows how difficult the situation is to navigate. (Scroll to her post of 8/21 where the story begins.And also more on her and her work in her own Biography.

*** Here is the actual link about Moving Insurance from State to State, we can learn much from Lucinda's resourcefulness and research .
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(3) Vanessa Beck, the New Leader of HealthcareNOW at 8PM EST, which is an Organization that is still working for Single Payer Health Care for all ( Medicare for All). Here is more on her leadership and bio here.
Vanessa Speaks about our Health Care Crisis by sharing her own profound compelling story,

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(4) And at 8:30PM we have the Mad As Hell Doctors. All three wonderful folks are planning on calling in, Philip Kauffman (organizer,facebook guru, non-physician activist), Dr. Mike Huntington and Dr. Paul Hochfeld.


You can also follow them on Twitter @MAHDrs and like them at www.facebook.com/MadDrs.

This Video about Single Payer was produced by Dr.Paul Hochfeld, "Health,Money and Fear",

{{ Dr.Paul Hochfeld's website and post "Our Ailing Healthcare" has more about the Video, and DVD.}}

Here is the link to Dr.Paul Hochfeld's Film on the Doctor's Tour /Road Trip to DC, of America.
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“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.” Edward R.Murrow
Posts Below have the latest on the Poverty Statistics, as they relate to Insurance Issues, Joblessness, and Food Assistance. Helpful Background information for the Sunday Radio Show.

America's Latest Poverty Numbers Came Out Today.....Worst in 50 years

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The US Census Bureau released Latest Poverty Numbers today, Mark Shriver of US 's Save the Children Programs, reports Care for the Huffington Post the numbers are the Highest they have been in 50 years.


More in Depth Analysis was found in the LA Times, and how it effects so many families on so many levels.

( LA Times) "Reporting from Washington— In a grim portrait of a nation in economic turmoil, the government reported that the number of people living in poverty last year surged to 46.2 million — the most in at least half a century — as 1 million more Americans went without health insurance and household incomes fell sharply.The poverty rate for all Americans rose in 2010 for the third consecutive year, matching the 15.1% figure in 1993 and pushing many more young adults to double up or return to their parents' home to avoid joining the ranks of the poor. Taken together, the annual income and poverty snapshot released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau underscored how the recession is casting a long shadow well after its official end in June 2009."

It is important to note that this report also correlates with the Food Assistance ( Food Stamp ) Numbers of earlier this summer saying that 46.9 Million Americans are now receiving assistance and 1:4 Children are living in Poverty and also suffering Hunger. 24 Million Americans still searching for work, we should not be shocked by these numbers. We should be talking about the effects of this Economic Stress, and Poverty on our Children.

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Feeding America Responded to the New Census Data.
""Today the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the nation's poverty rate rose to 15.1 percent in 2010, up from 14.3 percent in 2009 -- the highest level since 1993. Poverty affects African Americans and Latinos at nearly triple the rate of non-Hispanic whites.

"This reported increase is not a surprise to Feeding America. We know that more and more people are seeking help to feed themselves and their families. Proof of this is that the Feeding America network of food banks distributed 3.1 billion pounds of food in 2010, an increase of 500 million pounds over 2009, when 2.6 billion pounds were distributed.

"It is important to note that just last week the USDA reported that in 2010, nearly 49 million Americans were food insecure, about the same rate reported for 2009. The fact that food insecurity has remained stable while poverty has increased proves that the current safety net, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is working. We must continue to protect our federal nutrition programs to meet the current rate of need."

Orland Sentinel has more about the UnInsured Numbers and also the actual statistics in Florida. ( We should all start looking at our State Statistics and see if they are on similar.) Below More Statistics from the Orlando Sentinel :

"More than 46.2 million Americans live in poverty — the highest number in the 52 years for which such estimates have been published, according to census figures released Tuesday. From 2009 to 2010, the nation's poor increased by 2.6 million, and the number of those without health insurance grew by nearly 1 million people.In Florida, 3.8 million people — more than one in five — were without health insurance last year. Nationwide, the number of uninsured was closer to one in six.Of those Americans not working, 28.5 percent were without health-care coverage — the same percentage as part-time workers. But even among those who worked full time, 15 percent were without insurance, the continuation of a trend that began a decade ago with rising insurance rates.Since 2001, the number of Americans with employer-provided insurance has declined from 179.9 million to 169.2 million. In some cases, employers stopped offering such coverage. But there are also employees who decided they could no longer afford the premiums."
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" If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. "~~
Mother Teresa

More Americans on Medicare and Medicaid Ever....( CS Monitor)

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Do read the Article attached to the Title, it has some interesting stats and information that is worth seeing, especially as the Republicans keep pedding the idea that Medicare and Medicaid should be eliminated or removed, even though these are organized established Programs.

About 1.5 million fewer Americans had health insurance plans covered by their employers in 2010 than in 2009 – while 1.8 million more joined government insurance plans.The number of people covered by Medicaid, the government program for the poor, increased 1.5 percent to 48.6 million. Those covered by Medicare, the government program for the elderly, rose 2.1 percent to 44.3 million.
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Meanwhile National Association of Free Clinics are seeing More Patients than Ever, please go to the Website and see how you can give to help your neighbors, in money or as a Volunteer, they are providing much needed care around the Country.