Imprecatory Prayer

I thought I knew something about religion but imprecatory prayer is a new one on me. I blame the nuns at my catholic school for not teaching us about praying for someone to die.

I've seen the occasional parked car with a bumper sticker that reads "pray for Obama". But the tiny type in the corner of the sticker that cites Psalm 109:8 didn't really mean much to me. What does Psalm 109:8 say?

109:8 Let his days be few; [and] let another take his office

Ok, fair enough. You are praying to god that President Obama is not re-elected. But what does Psalm 109:7 say?

109:7 When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin

Let him be condemned how though? Well, read Psalm 109:9.

109:9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow

That line doesn't need much interpretation. So good christians are actually praying to god for President Obama to die. Well, Barack Obama seems to be a pretty healthy guy in spite of his smoking. It appears unlikely that he will succumb to some disease in the near future. So praying for his death means what? And, it's not enough that someone is praying for President Obama's children to be fatherless and his wife a widow. Check out Psalm 109:10.

Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek [their bread] also out of their desolate places.

This is good Old Testament violence and revenge at it's best. But for those "good christians" that buy into this crap, I suggest you turn to the New Testament and read Matthew 7:1-2.

Judge not, that ye be not judged.

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Debating Whether to Debate

This morning the US Senate is debating whether to debate the health care reform bill. We're number 1!!!

Hoffman Claims ACORN Stole NY-23 Election

Doug Hoffman is rapidly become the North Country version of Glenn Beck. Here is his latest:

Recent developments leave me to wonder who is scheming behind closed doors, twisting arms and stealing elections from the voters of NY-23.

I'm sure you are as dismayed as I am to learn of the mischief that took place in Oswego and neighboring counties. We know this would not be the first time for the ACORN faithful to tamper with democracy.

That's not all:

P.S. I ran a different kind of campaign, one where Conservatives, Republicans, Libertarians, Tea Party and 9/12 activists rallied around. ACORN, the unions and Democratic Party were scared, and that's why they tampered with the ballots of voters in NY-23. Will you please contribute today so we can show them that fair elections are the Will of the People? Thank you.

Those are serious allegations. I hope Doug has more proof than what he's shown so far. BTW, Doug also claims he was "forced" to concede the election.

Als, Doug and his tenther, teabagger friends also believe that ACORN stole the last Presidential election, so it's not surprising that ACORN would steal the election from Doug Hoffman.

Murphy Explains His Health Care Vote

A couple of weeks ago I emailed Rep. Scott Murphy concerning his vote against the House health care bill. Here is his reply, likely a "form response", to me and the many other Democrats that probably sent emails similar to mine. It appears that Murphy is more concerned about local paper mills and medical device manufacturers (what medical device manufacturer?) than actual health care reform.

Thank you for taking the time to contact me about your support for the House health care bill, H.R. 3692, The American Affordable Health Care Act. Your input is important to me and helps me to better represent the people of New York's 20th district.

Over the last six months, I have traveled the 20th congressional district listening to constituents at over 100 events and Congress-On-Your-Corner meetings. During this time, no topic was discussed as often, or with as much passion as health care reform. These discussions were critical and reinforced my desire to reform our health care system.

I was pleased to see that H.R. 3962 took a number of important steps toward achieving these goals. For example, the bill would eliminate lifetime caps on insurance benefits and the pre-existing condition exclusion. It would create a health insurance exchange to force insurance companies to compete on a level playing field, and it offers a public option to give people access to a no-profit insurance choice.

However, in order to achieve this goal, we must be willing to address the flaws in the current system that have led to skyrocketing costs, bankrupt families, and windfall profits for insurance companies. That is why I have focused my attention on efforts to contain costs by eliminating waste, fraud and abuse; create a system based on healthy outcomes by incentivizing doctors to make Americans healthier; and drive competition in the insurance market to provide more choice and drive down costs.

However, after months of listening to constituents and reviewing the legislation, it was my belief that H.R. 3962 did not go far enough to bring down cost to a level that would contribute to our economic recovery. Furthermore, I was deeply frustrated by the last minute addition of over $50 billion in taxes, which would negatively impact the two largest employers in the 20th district--medical device manufactures and paper mills. This is not an acceptable way to pay for real healthcare reform. For these reasons, I voted against the bill when it passed the house by a vote of 220 to 215 on November 7, 2009.

As the bill now moves to the United States Senate, I remain committed to the goal of health care reform that provides quality, affordable health care to all American families and leaves our nation stronger. I look forward to continuing this important discussion and working to ensure that the final legislation addresses the issues that I believe are critical for Upstate New York.

Thank you again for contacting me about this important issue. As a member of Congress, I have to make tough decisions every day, and hearing from you helps me to do my job well. To stay informed of my work, or to sign up for future updates, please visit my website at http://scottmurphy.house.gov. Also, please do not hesitate to contact my office again if I can be of any further assistance.

Learn to Speak Tea Bag

You too can learn to speak "tea bag" by watching this short instructional video at Mark Fiore's website.

A Question About the War in Afghanistan

The following question was asked by former State Department official Matthew Hoh. "Do you want Americans fighting and dying for the Karzai regime?” Recently, our ambassidor to Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, appears to agree with Mr. Hoh.

I think these two guys have it right. Supporting the President of Afghanistan, who was likely fraudulently elected, is not the correct strategy. First, I no longer know who we are fighting in Afghanistan, is it the Taliban or Al Queda? It appears Al Queda terrorists are all hanging out in Pakistan, not Afghanistan. As for the Taliban, the Soviet Union couldn't defeat them (Mujahidee not Taliban; see comments) and I doubt we will either. At least in a war.

It's time to bring out troops home which will save lives and about a $100 billion dollars a year that our country sorely needs right now.