Ralph E. Stone
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Articles by Ralph E. Stone
November 18, 2009
The Stupak-Pitts Amendment to the health care bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives prohibits the use of Federal funds "to pay for any abortion or to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion" except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the life of...
November 15, 2009
Now is the time for a long overdue debate on our current Israeli foreign policy. The fallout from Israel´s 2006 war with Lenbanon and its 2009 invasion of the Gaza strip has made many Americans view the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a new light. Before, it was David (Israel) versus Goliath (the A...
November 05, 2009
Recently, Senate majority leader Harry Reid indicated that health care reform might not be passed this year. Why? Because he may not have the votes in the Senate to pass the legislation and, if such legislation were passed, it might not survive a Republican filibuster.
Many have criticized Reid...
October 20, 2009
On our recent trip to the Republic of Ireland we stopped in the town of Tipperary where the 15-century Blarney Castle -- and the Blarney stone --are located. Supposedly, anyone who kisses the Blarney stone will get the gift of blarney or gab. According to Gerry O'Brien, our Irish guide, who, by th...
October 03, 2009
I learned about a new low in corporate greed from Michael Moore's latest documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story," which, by the way, I highly recommend. It is called "dead peasant" insurance. Companies take out secret insurance policies on their employees and name themselves as beneficiaries. A...
September 29, 2009
Former president Jimmy Carter, who has monitored elections around the world, recently commented: "Hamid Karzai has stolen the recent [Afghan] election." Because of widespread fraud allegations, an election recount is presently being conducted in Afghanistan. At a minimum, President Obama should no...
September 22, 2009
Eid is one of the most important Muslim festivals. Eid marks the end of the fasting of Ramadan. This year Muslims celebrated Eid A-Fitr on September 21st.
ABOUT EID
Coming with the new moon, the festival marks the end of 'Ramadan' - a month when Muslims fast throughout the day and eat onl...
September 15, 2009
September 16th marks the 199 year anniversary of the events and people that eventually resulted in Mexico's independence from Spain in 1821. Last year, my wife and I visited the cities of Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, and Querétaro. Each city had an individual who sparked the independence str...
August 21, 2009
An important objective of meaningful health care reform is cost control. President Obama's sweetheart deal with the drug companies and the dropping of a public option to provide meaningful competition to for-profit health insurance companies will not provide needed cost control. Given the way heal...
August 15, 2009
MoveOn´s Real Voices for Change campaign put together this list of health care reform lies that are spreading via anonymous
e-mail chains. And remember when Sarah Palin bizarrely said that President Obama was going to set up a "death panel," whatever that is. Here is MoveOn´s list of lies and thei...
August 07, 2009
Unfortunately, health care in the United States is a privilege, not a right. Opponents of health care insurance reform prefer the status quo. That is, obscene profits for the health insurance industry while consumers pay more for less coverage. Our present health care system is riddled with ineff...
July 28, 2009
As the dust settles over another budget battle, we should expect some action to eliminate or at least ameliorate future budget battles. This should include changing the two-thirds rule to pass a budget and amending Proposition 13. California cannot continue to engage in battles each budget season....
June 30, 2009
What is the cost of the Iraq and Afghanistan war so far and what are the California tradeoffs? As of June 30, 2009, in Iraq 4,321 Americans have died as have from 92,435 to 100,911 civilians and another 2 million civilians have been displaced. In Afghanistan, 709 Americans have died and, although a...
June 18, 2009
After the dust has settled, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will again be the president of of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Why and how was he reelected president? Because he was approved once again by Iran's Guardian Council as a candidate for the nation's highest office. The Council consists of six Islamic...
June 10, 2009
Remember Arnold Schwarzenegger's campaign promises during the 2003 recall election? While campaigning, Schwarzenegger hammered Davis over the budget. He promised to rein in state spending and repeatedly criticized Governor Gray Davis and Democratic legislators as "overspending addicts." He further l...
June 07, 2009
On June 5, 2009, President Obama announced a new strategy to fight the Mexican drug cartels. This is not just foreign aid; it is a recognition that Mexico's war on drugs has also become a homeland security problem. U.S. law enforcement officials have identified at least 230 U.S. cities, including ...
June 05, 2009
According to a June 3, 2009, Associated Press-GfK survey, 52 percent of Americans say torture is justified in some cases to thwart terrorists attacks. More than two-thirds of Republicans say torture can be justified compared with just over a third of Democrats. This poll comes on the heels of former...
June 03, 2009
Much of the reportage on the ongoing conflict in Gaza gives the reader the impression that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a relatively recent event. What is sometimes lost in such coverage is the deep background. Of course, Hamas has much to answer for, but the present conflict is but the lates...
June 02, 2009
No one disagrees that we are in a severe recession. The more affluent among us will be inconvenienced at best, but I fear that in the stampede to balance the budget, California will eliminate or reduce many of the public assistance programs serving as social safety nets for children, the poor, and ...
June 02, 2009
The first act of Maurice Funes, the newly elected president of El Salvador, was to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba. Now the United States is the last country in the Western Hemisphere with no formal relations with Cuba. Is it not time for the U.S. and Cuba to mend fences? For a start, the ...