USA - USA - USA!!! It is time to take our country back!

Confederate flag, gay marriage, and voting. USA - USA - USA!!!

Only about half of the voting age population in the USA is registered to vote;
And of that number only about half actually turn out to vote in the best of election year turnouts;
ergo, only 25% or less of the American voting age population actually votes.

Now, consider that in a one-on-one election with only two candidates running and it turns out that a candidate can win the election by only 12.5% plus 1 person of the voting age population.
And in a plurality election where the winning candidate only needs the most votes, not a majority of the votes cast, the number of people that decide the election is less than 12.5% of the voting age population.
Nonvoters have created the situation we have today - not voters, not politicians, and not political parties.

I wish that as many people who are chiming in on the CONfederate flag issue and on the Marriage EQUALITY issue would spread the word about the importance of voting and actually turn out themselves to vote.

REF (Open and explore the contents of the embedded links):
Confederate flag controversy
Gay marriage controversy
Voters vs. registered voters and voting age eligible USA

More from me about voting, not voting, etc.:
A Threat To Democracy, Roland's Ramblings, March 2, 2007.
Toledo and Ohio May 4, 2010 Elections and the Storms Afterwards, Roland Hansen Commentary, May 8, 2010.
American Democracy Threatened, Roland Hansen Commentary, October 5, 2011.
The Fraud Being Perpetuated By The Republican Party On The American Public., Roland Hansen Commentary, September 22, 2014.
U.S.A. Election 2014, American-style. The general American public gets the government it deserves!, Roland Hansen Commentary, November 14, 2014.

Moral Crisis according to Robert Reich

If that interested you, I suggest you head on over thisaway to read other Robert Reich Quotes.

From Wikipedia, we read "Robert Bernard Reich (/ˈraɪʃ/;[1] born June 24, 1946) is an American political economist, professor, author, and political commentator. He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and was Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997."
Go on over to read that entire Wikipedia Robert Reich article.

And, if you've a mind to read more of Robert Reich's thoughts and writings, you may check out the Robert Reich website.

Wondering about a President Donald Trump ...

There are those who say the Government of the United States of America should be run like a business. Hmmm ... let me think about that for a moment.

Michael Cox: ObamaBasher, Religous Zealot, Ignorant Self-Proclaimed Jewish Bible Expert - DUH!

OMG! There are such idiots in this world! I have run across a very strange character by the name of Michael Cox on Facebook before. He frequently bashes President Barack Obama and demonizes all Democrats in general. His comments are so off base, it is ridiculous. This Cox Character, a religious zealot, is a "friend" on Facebook of Ron Prochaska who a real life friend of mine from my high school days.
Yesterday's exchange on Ron's Facebook wall really showed the total ignorance of this religious zealot Michael Cox when he professed that the Jewish bible states "Only one way to God the Father...through Jesus Christ!"

Hey, don't take my word for it. Read it for yourself in the copy and paste replication of that Facebook exchange itself that I now place below:

Ron Prochaska via Mother Jones
June 25, 2015 at 1:58pm
Oh, brother!



The GOP Candidates React to the Supreme Court's 
Obamacare Ruling
"Judicial tyranny."
MOTHERJONES.COM

(Here is an embedded link to the article above.)

Michael Cox: Ron...you can mock and laugh all you want! One day you will confess the Lords name! Like it or Not!
Thursday, June 25 at 3:15pm

Roland Louis Hansen: God was and still is the first Socialist.
Thursday, June 25 at 7:03pm

Michael Cox: Never was he a socialist...He wants You to help your neighbor! Not the govt!
Thursday, June 25 at 7:30pm

Michael Cox: Only one way to God the Father...through Jesus Christ! Even your Jewish bible states that!
Thursday, June 25 at 7:32pm

Michael Cox: Roland, your messiah has already come...he is waiting for you to repent and to turn to him! He is coming back for us!
Thursday, June 25 at 7:34pm

POSTSCRIPT: 
If this type of person is representative of the Christian Tea Party Conservative Republican, we in the United States of America are all in a world of trouble!!! 
However, I think this guy is more than likely suffering from some form of mental illness and I wish him well and hope that he gets the professional treatment he may very well need. 
Truth be known, I respect several people of whom I also consider friends and who may fall into one or more of the categories of Christian, Tea Party, Conservative. Republican, Libertarian, etc.; people such as (in last name alphabetica order) Tim Higgins, CW Martin, David McKay, Maggie Thurber, Dennis Wilburn, and Dave Zawodny.

Supreme Court on the Affordable Care Act. ObamaCare Reigns Supreme.

On June 25, 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled in the case of King v. Burwell by a vote of 6-3  in favor of upholding subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare.

From The New York Times, you may read Supreme Court Allows Nationwide Health Care Subsidies.

From Mother Jones, you can read the very interesting article as embedded at:
Chief Justice John Roberts Gives the President Another Big Win on Obamacare
"Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets," Roberts writes, "not to destroy them."
—By Pema Levy | Thu Jun. 25, 2015 10:41 AM EDT

From C-SPAN, you may watch and listen to a video as embedded in the following:
JUNE 25, 2015
President Obama Statement on Supreme Court Health Care Decision
President Obama made a statement on the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in King v. Burwell allowing federal subsidies to be made available to individuals in states that have a federal health care exchange.

You might also be interested in reading:
Reaction to the Supreme Court's Health Care Decision
Jun 25, 2015, 3:11 PM ET
By The Associated Press

From The Washington Post, you can read the full text of the Supreme Court's decision in the health-care case.

I suppose a whole bunch of anti-ACA Conservatives and Republicans will continue to fight their losing battle by trying to undo the effect of the decision made by the highest court of the land. We can expect that there will be more waste of time and energy, just as these Con-Repubs have done for the past 5 years. These losers keep beating a dead horse. Well, I got news for them: The proponents and supporters of the ACA are the winners; the anti-ACA folks are the losers. Winners never lose and losers never win.

Choose your Instrument of Death: Gun, Hammer, Knife, Car, ObamaCare.

Okay. Now, I have seen it all!

I had thought I had seen and heard all the idiotic arguments against gun control advocacy and against the Affordable Health Care Act (dubbed ObamaCare by Obama Bashers) that could possibly be put forth until earlier today when I saw a meme on the Facebook wall of a "friend" of mine. Please note that I am referring to "idiotic" arguments; I am not referring to my politically conservative friends who put forth their personal perspectives using facts, logic, and sound reasoning.

Unbelievable as it may seem (at least to me), I can hardly believe any reasonable, logical thinking person would assert that ObamaCare is responsible for the deaths of 195,000 people via medical malpractice and summing it up by stating that a person is 600 times more likely to die using ObamaCare than by a semi-automatic rifle. Here, take a look at that meme I saw posted by my "friend" on Facebook:

I guess malpractice deaths do not occur if the decedent was private self-pay or had private health insurance not connected to ObamaCare.

Well, at any rate, I felt this uncontrollable, overwhelming desire to respond to the meme posting, so I responded in the comment section of that posting.

I wrote:
"Death is death. Guns were invented for the sole purpose of killing."
The poster of the meme responded with:
"We need to stop blaming the gun. We don't blame the car for driving drunk"
To which I responded:
"I stated a simple fact. It is not an opinion; it is not "blaming the gun" as alleged.
SIMPLE FACT: Guns were invented for the sole purpose of killing.
ANOTHER SIMPLE FACT: Cars were invented for the sole purpose of transportation.
Why argue or dispute simple facts; they are not opinions."

With that being written, I was immediately inspired to write a blog entry that I then scribed onto my other blog, Roland's Ramblings, You may read that entry if you so wish. Just go on over to
FACT: Guns make it easier to kill people.

Teresa Fedor Speaks Out. HB 69. Rape. Abortion. Women's Rights. Right To Choose. Heartbeat.

This past March 25, 2015, Ohio State Representative Teresa Fedor (D., Toledo) stood up and spoke up during the debate over HB 69. During her talk, she stated that over 35 years ago she had been the victim of rape resulting in pregnancy for which she consequently underwent an abortion. The rape had occured while Teresa Fedor was in the military service; she served in the United States Air Force (1975-1978) and in the Ohio Air National Guard (1980-1983).

State Representative Teresa Fedor is no stranger to women's rights issues and a woman’s right to choose; however, before March 25, she had never publicly revealed her own very personal experience with rape and abortion.

Ohio HB 69 is also known as the “heartbeat bill” because it bans an abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected; it has no provision of any kind for, and allows no exceptions for, victims of rape or incest. As proponents of HB 69 spoke in favor of the proposed legislation without giving any reason for excluding victims of incest or rape as exceptions, Representative Teresa Fedor felt the "overwhelming need" to voice her opinion.

For more readings on the subject of this Roland Hansen Commentary, I suggest you go on over to the following embedded linked articles:

• Ohio legislator stands and says she was raped, and had an abortion, during debate on ‘fetal heartbeat’ bill by Deborah Hastings, New York Daily News, Thursday, March 26, 2015, 4:52 PM
• Ohio State Rep. Teresa Fedor Opens Up About Her Rape And Abortion During Debate Over 'Heartbeat Bill' by Paige Lavender, The Huffington Post, Posted: 03/26/2015 12:29 pm EDT Updated: 03/26/2015 12:59 pm EDT
• US politician Teresa Fedor bravely admits she was raped - is interrupted by laughter from opposing party, Cosmopolitan.co.uk, Reports Abortion Rape, March 30, 2015.
• This Lawmaker Publicly Discussed Her Rape and Abortion. And Some Dude Laughed., by Inae Oh, Mother Jones, Thursday, March 26, 2015 4:42 PM EDT
• A Jerk Actually Laughed While A Lawmaker Revealed Story Of Her Own Rape, Crooks and Liars, 3/28/15 1:00pm, March 27, 2015, Anomaly, Posted with permission from FreakOutNation.com.

There are opposing views on the overall subject of abortion. Take, for example the article by Daniel Payne published on April 15, 2015 in the FEDERALIST. Click onto the following with its embedded link:
Rape Does Not Justify Abortion. One crime does not require another. We can both love rape victims and any children they conceive.

I realize different people have different perspectives on different issues. I respect the right of people to have their own opinion. However, I do not believe people have the right to impose their belief and values system unto others when the opposing perspective does not infringe on the rights of others.

The debate over abortion is a very sticky wicket, made even more so when there is no universal agreement on when 'life as a human being entitled to individual rights' begins. I believe in the sanctity of life; however, I also firmly believe a woman's right to choose. I do not believe that abortion should be used as a birth control mechanism; but, I do support the right of a woman to make decisions that involve her own body and her own emotional, psychologial, and physical health. As one who believes in the sanctity of life, I am against the use of the death penaly. I do not understand how people who profess in the sanctity of life can be against abortion and yet be in favor of capital punishment, i.e. support the death penalty, at the same time.

But, I digress. 

Back to Teresa Fedor Speaks Out. HB 69. Rape. Abortion. Women's Rights. Right To Choose. Heartbeat. BUT, I shall do so in a somewhat circumvented manner. Ergo, in conclusion, as compared with another current event and to put the words and actions of Teresa Fedor in its proper perspective, in my opinion:

There has been a lot of hype with many people citing that when Jenner stood up, spoke up, and came out, that it was brave. 

I assert and want to cite that when Teresa Fedor stood up and spoke up, THAT was a real act of bravery.

United States of America: Melting Pot, Cultural Diversity, Racism, Prejudice?

As a product of the American Public School System during the 1950s and 1960s, I was taught that the United States of America is a melting pot.

During my career in the American public service sector up until my retirement from civil service in 2002, I was bombarded with the idea that America is a nation of cultural diversity that is to be understood, to be embraced, and to be encouraged, especially in the workplace.

But, what of racism and prejudice in the United States of America today? Here is some quoted material for you to ponder:

Again and again Americans are proving that the term “melting pot” is indeed a myth. There is an ongoing struggle to keep America white. From white fear of becoming a minority in their own country to a denial that racism still exists in this country to outrage that a United States president would dare speak out on behalf of the black populace, there is an unspoken sentiment that a large percentage of white Americans are becoming more and more fearful of losing the privilege that they are reluctant to admit they have.

I suggest you go on over to read the entire article (just click onto the embedded link in the title): Smith, Will, Race & Prejudice in America Today – A Series: Exclusive Company, Daily Kos, July 23, 2013.

Here is some other quoted material for you:

Despite the movement towards a more diverse and integrated society, America still isn’t the melting pot it claims to be. Instead, it’s a compartmentalized storage unit, with Whites in the biggest compartment.

Okay, so now you can read the entire article from which I took that excerpt. Just click over to: Ahmed, Tasnim, The Melting Pot That Never Was, The Harvard Crimson, March 5, 2014.

This all brings something to my mind. Let me share it with you:

Xenophobes Fuel The Fires Of Genocide!

As I have previously scribed, Xenophobia Runs Rampart In the U.S.A., Xenophobic Americans Are Not Good Americans! And now, another recent event in the United States of America has fueled the fires of this Roland Hansen Commentary. Read on ... 

The article "Over 200 Demonstrate Against Islam Outside Phoenix Mosque" contained within this embedded link causes me to think about how Nazi Germany rallied against Jewish people resulting in the deaths of six million Jews. Can a new "Kristallnacht" be in the making - this time directed against Islam?

For those unfamiliar with Kristallnacht, you can read and learn about it in the embedded article KRISTALLNACHT courtesy of HISTORY.com.

While I have no empathy for radical Islamic extremist Muslim terrorists, I refuse to stereotype all followers of Islam and I abhor the prejudice and discrimination targetting all Muslims in general as seems to be the case with the anti-Islam protesters reported in the cited article of the second paragraph here in this Roland Hansen Commentary, and as seems the case with the supporters and sympathisers of those protesting demonstrators. These people, these demonstrators, these protesters voice their negative feelings directed at all Muslims, not just the violent extremist terrorist Muslims.

As I have stated elsewhere, "I believe that killings and violence should and can be condemned without fueling the fires of prejudice, discrimination, or xenphobia. I see no need to mock any person or group of people in the process of condemning senseless violence and/or in the advocacy of peace."

I am of the opinion that persons who condemn Muslims, who advocate anti-Muslim sentiments, who provoke and incite fear and hatred of Muslims are the catalyst for genocide of the followers of Islam.

Fred Vallongo is a very knowledgeable man who I admire and respect. He is a veteran, a case manager, a social worker, an adminstrator, a counselor, a Red Cross volunteer, a thespian, a writer, and a wrestling aficionado, and oh, so much more. I have known Fred Vollongo for approximately 40 years. I would like to share with you a recent statement made by Fred Vollongo in response to my writing about this topic on Facebook:

"The first step to genocide is cultural disrespect. Second step is for that disrespect to be socially sanctioned."