Disqus - Latest Comments for Paul_Fretheim

Re: CDC: Adults in US Skipping Medicine to Save Money

Paul_Fretheim — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:41:19 -0000

http://www.democracynow.org...

Re: CDC: Adults in US Skipping Medicine to Save Money

Paul_Fretheim — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:20:41 -0000

Re: CDC: Adults in US Skipping Medicine to Save Money

Paul_Fretheim — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:20:24 -0000

"I can see why folks skip meds. I've come close myself, even with health insurance and plenty of ability to pay the co-pay. I just hate to aide and abet criminal enterprise."

I couldn't agree more. I just turned 62 and they can take "plan B" and shove it where the Sun don't shine. I completely refuse to participate in a criminal enterprise like that.

We always get the argument that patents are necessary because the huge profits encourage research. What a bunch of manure that is! Most of the research is done at publicly funded universities or small research institutes working with grant funding. When something promising is discovered the trillion dollar drug cartel companies like Merck or Bayer buy the rights, obtain the patent and then hold the world hostage for decades if not centuries.

This is criminal behavior that makes the Mafia look like a bunch of pikers! The genocidal effects of these practices rival and in some cases exceed the crimes of the Nazis. And U.S. Imperialism bears a large part of the responsibility.

There was a documentary film at Sundance this year, "Fire in the Blood" that told the story of the IMF and the CIA blocking the importation of generic antiretroviral AIDS drugs into Sub-Saharan Africa that was directly responsible for the deaths of TWELVE MILLION PEOPLE! The Holocaust times 2!

The drug cartels falsely claimed that the AIDS drugs were "very expensive" to manufacture, thereby justifying the insane profiteering cost of $15,000 per person for the life saving drugs. A doctor in India set up his own manufacturing process and was able to provide the same cocktail of medications for $350 per year, an affordable amount, even in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The IMF-CIA-Big Pharma mafia threatened the doctor who decided to flaunt the patent laws with death. The film has an actual recording of the death threat he received.

Patent law that results in millions of deaths is just wrong and must be changed and the criminal profiteering thugs of big pharma must be arrested and brought to justice for their crimes!

Re: north korea

Paul_Fretheim — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 20:19:14 -0000

The USA is the only nation to have bombed people with nukes. The USA carpet bombed N. Korea using B-52 bombers and killed 3.5 million people. To assert N. Korea is threatening world peace is like a coke furnace calling a teacup black.

Re: The '147 People' Destroying the US Economy

Paul_Fretheim — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 01:24:59 -0000

A typical high school teacher has 5 periods of 30 kids each in a day - 150 students.

Re: Pro-Democracy Movement Rises Against 'Disaster Capitalism' in Detroit

Paul_Fretheim — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 20:17:47 -0000

This is what happens when we have hack ideologues at the Supreme Court. Of course this law is unconstitutional.

Re: Victory at Hand for the Climate Movement?

Paul_Fretheim — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 19:13:07 -0000

You must mean car batteries. They claim the ones in the Leaf will last at least 30,000 miles. I probably won't drive it that far before the lease runs out.

But more importantly, if you try you can find a lease situation where you can get solar on your roof with zero money down and a monthly payment that is calculated to be less than your current electric bill.

At my age I don't want to fool with that. If I can't pay cash I don't want to get involved. Also, I want an array (two actually) that has enough power to both run my home and my transportation. The lease people are mostly interested in providing systems which are almost entirely funded in the end through government subsidies. The government won't subsidize arrays large enough to power your home and your car. Not yet anyway.

Re: Victory at Hand for the Climate Movement?

Paul_Fretheim — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 18:27:00 -0000

When it becomes cheaper to build a solar source of electricity than the cost of coal to fire a coal plant, and maybe we are there right now, the coal plants will become economically noncompetitive and will be abandoned. Solar is free, will remain free, and is inexhaustible for all eternity.

Re: Victory at Hand for the Climate Movement?

Paul_Fretheim — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 18:22:39 -0000

The critical issue is going to prove to be agriculture. Have we already screwed things up so much that agriculture is going to fail on a global scale?

Re: Victory at Hand for the Climate Movement?

Paul_Fretheim — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 18:19:41 -0000

I think you are missing his point. He sees the IMF and other big financial players as coming around on the climate issue. He believes that capital markets are starting to run scared about where the fossil fuel economy is leading us. I think he makes a good argument. He says it won't be easy, just that it looks like we are starting to see leadership from circles of real capitalist power going in the right direction.

In my own case, I am 62 and nearing retirement. I plan to have two solar arrays on my home soon. One which will be grid tied with inverters and one that is direct DC to a car charging station. The whole setup can be had, minus the car, for less than ten grand. So I will not have energy bills or inflation to worry about. That will set an example and I am sure my friends and neighbors will soon want the same. We are going to see that on a global scale. I think we do have a chance.

Re: The Ultimate Logic of a Society Built on Mass Murder

Paul_Fretheim — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 19:38:05 -0000

I'm of northern European descent. I rooted for the Indians too.

Re: Obama's Deficit Proposal: Cut Social Security Benefits

Paul_Fretheim — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 19:09:27 -0000

Can you please tell me how a 1.7% increase for SS benefits in 2013 was calculated?

Re: Mental Health Reform as Important as Gun Reform

Paul_Fretheim — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 18:59:48 -0000

The First Amendment is on its last legs when it comes to protecting dissent, but the corrupt judiciary that won't protect free speech there would step in right away, I fear, if the FCC tried to do its job and keep the fare of violence and depravity that dominates the television airwaves off the air.

Re: A Culture That Condones The Killing Of Children And Teaches Children To Kill

Paul_Fretheim — Sat, 15 Dec 2012 18:52:33 -0000

Is there a Karmic connection between the slaughter of innocents in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan and the tragedies here?

Re: This Is Cardboard. Also Entirely Recycled, Water and Fireproof, and Dirt Cheap. | Common Dreams

Paul_Fretheim — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 16:23:32 -0000

Sort of. I don't like Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" anymore because it wasn't our land, it belonged to the Native people.

Re: This Is Cardboard. Also Entirely Recycled, Water and Fireproof, and Dirt Cheap. | Common Dreams

Paul_Fretheim — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 16:22:07 -0000

I made mine.

Re: This Is Cardboard. Also Entirely Recycled, Water and Fireproof, and Dirt Cheap. | Common Dreams

Paul_Fretheim — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 16:17:50 -0000

You are a piece of s--t!

Re: This Is Cardboard. Also Entirely Recycled, Water and Fireproof, and Dirt Cheap. | Common Dreams

Paul_Fretheim — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 16:17:21 -0000

The bike may be cool, but I am boycotting Israel and all Israeli products because of their apartheid behavior.

Re: Organic: Food Justice for the 99% | Common Dreams

Paul_Fretheim — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 16:11:48 -0000

I thought that he meant neoliberalism too. But he said liberal, so I thought I would make a little joke . . .

Re: Organic: Food Justice for the 99% | Common Dreams

Paul_Fretheim — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:34:10 -0000

I'm sure you are very concerned about the purity and essence of your vital bodily fluids and support your local police.

Re: Lawyers: Bradley Manning Already Punished for Unproven Crimes

Paul_Fretheim — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 20:46:14 -0000

""This undermines the United States' commitment to the principle of the presumption of innocence."

What commitment to the presumption of innocence? Give me a break!

Re: Protesters Decry 'Coup Against Legitimacy' by Egyptian President

Paul_Fretheim — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 17:03:08 -0000

I want to hear what Sharif Abul Kadduz has to say about it on Democracy Now! Monday.

Re: Protesters Decry 'Coup Against Legitimacy' by Egyptian President

Paul_Fretheim — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 17:02:39 -0000

I am adopting a wait and see attitude. Maybe Clinton made some demands and paid some visits that instigated the situation.

Re: Protesters Decry 'Coup Against Legitimacy' by Egyptian President

Paul_Fretheim — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 15:26:53 -0000

Yeah, but what people? Is this an orchestrated mess because Mursi did not knuckle under to Clinton on Israel as much as she wanted?

Re: Protesters Decry 'Coup Against Legitimacy' by Egyptian President

Paul_Fretheim — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 15:25:35 -0000

Clinton was just there.