Health Care Act: The truth about section 102

It’s been hard to miss the articles and news feeds regarding Obama’s Health Care Reform Bill lately. Rightfully so as I imagine this will spawn a very drastic change to our health care system — the way it’s administered, how patients receive care, when they receive care, how much it will cost, and who pays for it — if and when the bill is passed.

But the past few days, one particular caveat of the proposed bill has permeated the blogosphere above all others – Section 102 also mentioned as page 16 – with the GOP and Dems each interpreting the subsection differently. Unfortunately for the average vested American, this is where partisanship gets messy and biased news agencies stop doing their job. Section 102 states:

SEC. 102. PROTECTING THE CHOICE TO KEEP CURRENT COVERAGE.

(a) GRANDFATHERED HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE DEFINED. — Subject to the succeeding provisions of this section, for purposes of establishing acceptable coverage under this division, the term ”grandfathered health insurance coverage” means individual health insurance coverage that is offered and in force and effect before the first day of Y1 [2013] if the following conditions are met:

(1) LIMITATION ON NEW ENROLLMENT. –

(A)    IN GENERAL. — Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day of Y1.

(B)    DEPENDENT COVERAGE PERMITTED. — Subparagraph (A) shall not affect the subsequent enrollment of a dependent of an individual who is covered as of such first day.

Many right-minded bloggers and news agencies purported said section means all individuals who purchase their own health insurance will not be able to switch private carriers  or purchase a different private insurance policy post-reform. They go on to suggest those who leave a company to work for themselves would not be free to buy individual plans from private carriers. Some editorials, such as the IBD, even claim the health care reform would outlaw private insurance. Liberal advocates of the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act claim that’s absolutely not true. Private insurance will remain available for anyone who desires it despite Obama’s health care overhaul.

As expected the truth lies somewhere in between. While it is true that private insurance will be obtainable post-reform, policies as we know them today will change quite a bit. According to Politofact, under the House bill, companies that offer insurance to individuals will do it through a national health insurance exchange, where the government mandates certain regulations and sets minimum standards for coverage. While minimum standards could improve baseline benefits by eliminating denials for pre-existing conditions, mandated government regulations could prove so burdensome, the private sector won’t stand a chance against its competition. Pages 17-1018 specify those regulations in greater detail I presume.  So, if you’re currently enrolled in a private insurance plan, you may keep it. However, you will not be able to purchase a policy from a private carrier if that policy was defined prior to Y1.

Truthfully, the good, the bad, the ugly of President Obama’s Affordable Health Choices Act remains to be seen, and it will undoubtedly stay up for discussion for quite some time. But whether you’re a proponent of the bill or vehemently against it, is it too much to ask of either party to report the truth? For those of us who simply desire the facts to make up our own minds, unbiased reporting is all we ask.

Terrorists alive & well in Jakarta

It appears another attempt by radical Islamic terrorists to demonstrate their imperious presence went off without a hitch today in Jakarta, Indonesia. Two American luxury hotels were bombed almost simultaneously in the southeast Asian city this morning: The J.W. Marriott at 7:45am and the Ritz-Carlton at 7:47am. Eight people were killed and more than 50 have been injured. According to Fox News, of those injured were at least 17 foreigners – eight Americans and citizens from Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, South Korea and Britain.

After smuggling the explosive devices into the Marriott two days prior, the terrorists (also hotel guests) assembled the bombs in their room on the 18th floor. Each explosion occured in or near restaurants inside the respective hotels, with one spare device found at their “command post” undetonated. CNN reports:

Investigators are analyzing closed-circuit television footage from the Marriott that shows a man, sporting a baseball cap and pulling a wheeled suitcase, heading toward the JW Marriott Hotel’s lobby-level restaurant seconds before the deadly blast.

Damage after the explosion at Marriott

Both the Marriott and the Ritz-Carlton sit next to each other (and connect via an underground tunnel) in an upscale business district in Jakarta, and doubtedly coincidental, the attack occurred as the Marriott was hosting a customary meeting of top foreign executives at leading businesses in Indonesia coordinated by CastleAsia, which is headed by an American. Responsibility allegedly lies with Jemaah Islamiyah, a radical Islamic group native to Indonesia.

After reading about these attacks today, I can’t help but ask one blaring question. How is it possible to walk explosive devices right through the front door of such prestigious American landmarks, both claiming to have “robust” security? Perhaps the metals and explosives were separate and apart when they crossed the  hotel line, but shouldn’t explosive material set off an alarm somewhere? It’s not like this is the first time a luxury hotel has ever been the target of a terrorist plot. Remember the 2 hotel explosions in Mumbai 8 months ago? Or the Marriott explosion in Islamabad, Pakistan in September 2008? Or the Pearl Continental Hotel attack in Peshawar, Pakistan just last month? In fact, this exact hotel suffered 12 casualties in 2003 when a car bomb exploded outside the main entrance. Hotels are prime targets. Jot that down. Every precaution should be taken to prevent attacks like this. It doesn’t matter how robust your security was when it fails and lives are lost because of it.

Deja Vu

Hundreds of people have taken to the streets calling for the prosecution of [Johannes] Mehserle, with one rally last week spiraling into violence that resulted in more than 100 arrests and damage to dozens of businesses.

Sound familiar? Riots erupted in Oakland, California a few days into the New Year after an Oakland police officer intentionally shot an unarmed African American male in a train station on New Years Eve.  According to eye witnesses, Oscar Grant and others were detained after a fight broke out in the station as celebrators headed home from the area’s festivities. The 22 year old victim was reportedly lying face down when the 27-year-old caucasion officer shot him in the back.

Allegations that Grant’s hands were behind his back and another officer was kneeling on him were contained in an Oakland police officer’s request to issue an arrest warrant. It said it appeared from cell phone video that “Mehserle shot and killed Oscar Grant while Grant was restrained and unarmed.“

Captured on cell phone cameras and widely viewed on the Internet, the incident has inflamed long-running tensions in Oakland between law enforcement authorities and many African-American residents. Unlike Athens however, the subsequent protests were prodominately peaceful. A small group of avengers did ignite a window-breaking rampage through downtown, smashing windows at several businesses and about 30 cars. Eighteen people were arrested, mostly for vandalism. Yet, hundreds listened to preachers and community activists urging  peaceful demonstrations and demanding justice for Grant. 

Here’s yet another heart-wrenching tragedy resulting from a cop’s blatant abuse of power.  Another trusted, uniform clad individual on the wrong side of the law.  Johannes Mehserle took an oath to protect and serve and they handed him a gun. Now an innocent young man will never see the light of day, and his 4 year old daughter will never know her father. Fortunately for Oscar Grant’s family,  Mehserle has been charged with murder. I hope they find justice, but more importantly I hope the justice eases their pain.

Greek riots spreading through Europe

A young man throws a stone as police advance in front of the Greek Parliament in Athens.

 

Today marks the seventh day of riots in Athens, Greece. Protesters, mostly students, were seen smashing the glass doors of a Citibank and throwing a metal barricade at police lined up along a city street. According to the Associated Press, the reasons behind the recent protests are mostly related to economic turmoil and the severe lack of job opportunities for young people post-college.  They also mentioned the Greek riots could essentially just be a trigger for anti-globilization groups to get their point across. The unrest is threatening Costas Karamanlis‘ hold on power, with some opposition groups calling for new elections.

But Greece isn’t the only country suffering from a poor economy in Europe, and avengeful protestors are capitalizing on the opportunity to express discontentment with their own government.  Teens have smashed shop windows, attacked banks and hurled bottles at police in relatively small but violent attacks in Spain and Denmark. Cars were set on fire outside of a consulate in France. Damaged police cars, charred trash cans, and overturned vehicles painted the scene in front of the Greek Embassy in Rome.

It sounds like the pressure was already boiling before Alexandros Grigoropoulos was shot.  His death, whether intentional or accidental, was all it took to put government opposition groups over the edge. 

Meanwhile, shopkeepers and businessmen seemed determined to reclaim their city. In desperate attempts to salvage what’s theirs, merchants have been confronting (and even fighting with) hooded, masked teens involved in the riots. I can empathize with the Athens activists’ desire for change, but they have to acknowledge at some point reform can’t take place in the midst of a firestorm. It’s time to put the rocks down. Breaking windows, starting fights, and burning vehicles doesn’t typically encourage the government to back off.

Athens is burning

More specifically, the bohemian district of Exarchia. Popularly known for its deeply entrenched left-wing dwellers, anarchists, drug dealers, and virtually anyone who challenges authority, Exarchia is quite familiar with riots between its residents and Greek police. In 1973, armored tanks rammed through the front gates of Athens Polytechnic Institute intending to squash a student uprising against the military junta. At least 22 civilians were killed and Greek police have not been permitted to enter college campuses since. Some feel these subsequent riots by anarchists are at least in part, residual to the incident in 1973.

But this time, the riots are worse. In an article written by Dina Kyriakidou for Reuters, the Athens native wrote:

As police fought youths this weekend, tear gas hung in the air and even seeped through window cracks, making it hard  to breathe indoors. Garbage cans were set ablaze, cars were destroyed and barricades were erected.  “It’s never been this bad,” one neighbour shouted at me from his balcony. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”  

Protesters clashed with police near the main police station in Athens.

According to a police statement, the night of December 6th, two police officers patrolling Exarchia were stopped by some 30 young men, many of them hurling stones. The officers confronted the mob by firing 3 warning shots, one of which went arry killing a 15-year-old boy Alexis Grigoropoulos. But according to eye witnesses, the officer specifically aimed at the child. The policeman (Epaminondas Korkoneas) has been charged with premeditated manslaugter, but retaliatory violence hasn’t ceased.  So far 67 people have been injured, including 37 police officers in a dozen towns and cities across the country. Protesters have destroyed at least 17 banks and set fire to dozens of shops and cars. It’s the worst political violence in Greece in 17 years.

Hot-headed combative people exist all over the world. Some areas contain more than others, but I don’t understand why this one district of Athens is so hard to control.  The residents of Exarchia must understand that some government is essential to maintain order, and the government must learn that opening direct fire on mouthy teens is not an acceptable solution to their problem.  It’s time for the government to get a handle on trigger-happy policemen, and finally put an end to angry anarchists trying to rectify the deaths of a previous generation.

And the truth comes out…

As the dust settles in the blood-stained halls of the two premier hotels in Mumbai, the only terrorist captured alive tells the world they had hoped to kill more. Azam Amir Kasab, 21, told Indian police that the attacks, which included 10 terrorists in a heavily orchestrated plot devised six months ago, aimed to kill 5,000 people with “whites, preferably Americans and Britons” as the primary target. Visiting the densely populated city a month prior as “students” allowed the terrorists easy access to film their strike locations and familiarize themselves with roads and street markers. Below are before and after pictures of the Harbour Bar in the Taj Hotel from UK’s Daily Mail:

Harbour Bar

According to Kasav’s interrogation, he and the other terrorists began their journey to Mumbai on November 21, leaving an isolated beach near Karachi, Pakistan unarmed in a small boat. Picked up the following day in a larger ship, they were each given eight hand grenades, an AK-47 rifle, an automatic pistol and ammunition. Once properly armed, they hijacked a fishing trawler, presumably killing its passengers and navigated roughly 300 nautical miles to Mumbai’s port. And lastly using inflatable dinghies, the terrorists arrived inconspicuously on Indian soil.

The current death toll registers 179, but the number is expected to rise as all of the bodies haven’t been recovered from every destination. Indian officials have demanded Pakistan deliver the masterminds behind this brutal attack.  One can only hope each and every wanted militant is brought to justice.

Women still suffering in Afghanistan

While women are breaking ground in this country with both Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates vying for spots in the 2008 Election, they’re being tortured just for pursuing an education in Afghanistan.  In the Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan, 15 young girls and their 23-year-old teacher were attacked by alleged Taliban fighters on their way to school.  Men riding motorbikes squirted battery acid from water bottles at three separate groups of students and teachers. Several girls suffered burned faces and were hospitalized. One teenager couldn’t open her eyes for days after the attack. And unfortunately, this isn’t an isolated incident. Islamic extremists frequently attack Afghan schools educating women soley to discourage such activity.

As I learned in A Thousand Spendid Suns, under Taliban rule in Afghanistan between 1996-2001, citizens were expected to follow outrageously strict rules, most namely women.  Here’s an expert from Khaled Houseni’s novel:

“The following day, Kabul was overrun by trucks. In Khair khana, in Shar-e-Nau, in Karteh-Parwan, In Wazir Akbar Khan and Taimani, red Toyota trucks weaved through the streets. Armed bearded men in black turbans sat in their beds. From each truck, a loadspeaker blared announcements. The same message played from loudspeakers perched atop mosques, and on the radio. The message was also written flyers, tossed into the streets. Mariam found one in the yard.

Our watan is now known as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. These are the laws that we will enforce and you will obey.
All citizens must pray five times a day. If it is prayer time and you are caught doing something other, you will be beaten.
All men will grow their beards. The correct length is at least one clenched fist beneath the chin. If you do not obey by this you will be beaten.
Singing is forbidden. Dancing is forbidden.
Writing books, watching films, and painting pictures are forbidden.
Attention Women:
You will stay inside your homes at all times. If you go outside, you must be accompanied by a male relative. If you are caught alone on the street, you will be beaten and sent home.
You will not, under any circumstance, show your face. 
Cosmetics are forbidden. Jewelry is forbidden.
You will not wear charming clothes.
You will not make eye contact with men.
Girls are forbidden from attending school.  All schools for girls will be closed immediately.
Women are forbidden from working.
If you are found guilty of adultery, you will be stoned to death.
Listen. Listen well. Obey. Allah-u-akbar.”

Although the Taliban no longer rule Afghanistan, their radical beliefs and intent to regain control is ever-present, especially in the consertive province of Kandahar. These women literally fight for their lives and don’t always win. Yet their resolve is unwavering, as seen with Shukria Barakzai. The Afghan MP told The Guardian, “You can’t imagine what it feels like as a mother to leave the house each day and not know if you will come back again. But there is no choice. I would rather die for the dignity of women than die for nothing.” I don’t think any of us can truly imagine the lives of women living in Afghanistan, but it’s important to hear their story, admire their bravery, and be sincerely thankful for the liberties of our country.

Why Mumbai?

The fighting in Mumbai still rages on in one last terrorist stronghold.  There appears to be one lone gunmen on the lower floor of the Taj Mahal Hotel.  Several explosions believed to be grenades and intensifying gunfire can be heard from outside and fires have broken out inside the building.  While approximately 400 hostages were released Thursday evening, 15 others are still trapped inside.  The Oberoi Hotel and the Nariman House (a Jewish Center) were secured earlier today.  It has been confirmed a New York rabbi and his wife were among the five found dead inside the Jewish headquarters.  Hostages released from the Oberoi Hotel included Canadians, Britons, Americans, Japan nationals, and Indians. The number dead at the Oberoi Hotel is currently 24.

As suspected, those responsible are Islamic extremist and evidently travelled, by boat, from neighboring Pakistan.  The exact terrorist organization responsibile is still unknown. But, according to FoxNews, Indian home minister Jaiprakash Jaiswal said a captured gunmen had been identified as a Pakistani. Patil, the Maharashtra state official, said: “It is very clear that the terrorists are from Pakistan.”  The armed gunmen arrived strong-minded and well-prepared, carrying large bags of almonds to sustain their energy levels. “It’s obvious they were trained somewhere … Not everyone can handle the AK series of weapons or throw grenades like that,” an unidentified member of India’s Marine Commando unit told reporters. The men appeared “determined and remorseless” and ready for a long fight. One backpack recovered contained 400 rounds of ammunition inside.

The seige commenced around 9:20 p.m. with shooters spraying gunfire across the Chhatrapati Shivaji railroad station, one of the world’s busiest terminals. For the next two hours, there was an attack roughly every 15 minutes at a total of 10 destinations, including the Jewish Center, the Taj Mahal hotel, the Oberoi hotel, the Leopold Cafe, and two hospitals. Here’s a map of the city, with the targets pinpointed.

Attacks in Mumbai, India.

In my last post, I questioned why Mumbai? What makes that city more vulnerable than another? And after some thought I don’t think it’s a matter of vulnerability, at least not in terms of security. Mumbai is the largest city in India with a rapidly emerging economy and one of the largest democracies in Asia.  In the minds of Jihadists, Mumbai represents the freedom of man they despise and a source of growing wealth they vehemently wish to disrupt.  It’s a city that largely employs men and women as outsourced workers for American businesses, it’s home to one of the great tourist attractions in the world, AND it’s right next door. Islamic terrorists wanted to create panic and chaos in a city large enough to send a message to the entire free world: Radical Islamists are alive and well with a mission as clear today as it was September 11, 2001.

Does it ever stop?

A reporter stands in the dark as smoke bellows from the Taj Hotel in Mumbai.

Mumbai, India has just been bombed and a group called the Deccan Mujahideen are claiming responsibility, but this claim hasn’t been confirmed. Known attacks are being reported at the city’s domestic airport, the Taj and Oberoi hotels, the popular Cafe Leopold, Cama Hospital, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station. Armed gunmen are firing indiscriminately throughout the city, killing anyone within range and taking hostages at both hotels.  Indian police are reporting the death toll at 85 while 185 have been injured. Pictures from CNN and FoxNews below.  Warning: The material is very graphic.

Luggage of passengers lie scattered on a blood splattered platform at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway station.

A victim of a gun attack lies on a hospital bed at the St. George's hospital.

The size of this attack is frightening.  Bombs of this size, with this frequency, at this many locations isn’t something that is planned overnight. Those with American and British passports are among those taken hostage and popular tourist landmarks are among the destinations most severly hit. You can’t help but assume Islamic Extremists are to blame. Who else has the desire and resources to pull off an attack so violent? But why Mumbai? What made these people so vulnerable? Are they the least protected city among the International community? I suppose only time will tell. My heart breaks for the victims of this tragedy.

The perplexity that is Sarah Palin

You know, I actually like this woman. More often than not, I usually side with the consertive party. Maybe not socially, but most certainly fiscally. So perhaps, its our political policies that we have in common, or perhaps it’s that she’s a successfull woman, like myself, AND mother of five. But mostly I think its her commitment to the state of Alaska and this country. I don’t know that she would’ve been prime for Vice Presidency, but she’s dedicated her life to bring morality back to government, and I don’t think anyone can argue with that.

Now, with that said, WHAT was she thinking here? Vegetarian or not, who wants to watch Thursday’s main course being shoved through a slaughter machine?  Worst of all, the reporter asked if she wanted to move to which she responded, “No worries.” And I don’t suppose Mr. Turkey Shredder could have waited 10 minutes to resume his bloody duties. This is Alaska though.  It’s freaking cold out.