No excuse for this!

A fellow coach sent out the message below. I cannot believe that this woman is not able to get some kind of healthcare assistance. I don't know how much she makes with her book, but it is obviously not enough to live on! A dear friend of mine has Hepatitis C. She works for a company that does not provide health insurance. She is not able to get private insurance at any cost. Her only hope right now, besides the herbs she's taking, is to get into a drug trial program, and hope whatever crap they give her works. Apparently, only people who likely won't use insurance have the right to get it, at a minimum cost of $200 per month. The United States is the ONLY industrialized country that does not guarantee basic health care services to its citizens. You are better off in some third world countries. Seriously. I lived in Brazil for 10 years. I was without health insurance once when I was unemployed there and managed to get treatment for a sinus infection. My housekeeper was able to get care for her son any time he was sick, and even free dental care. Sure, there was a waiting list for that, but here, you will be laughed at if you suggest the possibility of free dental care, let alone life-saving treatment for serious illness. The working poor are screwed.

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I am writing each of you to ask for a special prayer request for my friend Doreene Clement. Some of you may know her as the author of the book The 5 Year Journal. Doreene has suffered with health challenges for many years now and has overcome each time - including beating two different types of rare breast cancer using only all natural methods. You can see a bit of her story at www.beacancervictor.com

Doreene has been living with me for the past 3 years, due to the financial loss that the cancer caused, she has not been able to have a home or even a car or been able to work other than the sales of her book and doing a few small editing jobs. She is no longer able to even do the editing jobs because she cannot sit at the computer any longer.

In January of this year she became very ill again and has been mostly bed ridden. In late February it was discovered that she had parasites and worms that were eating away her intestinal wall. Again, using only natural methods she managed to kill them off but the after effects have been debilitating to the point that she is in constant pain and nothing seems to be helping. Two weeks ago she experienced severe back pain that then radiated down her legs. We have been taking her to many wonderful specialists - naturopathic doctor, neuromuscular specialist, organ massage specialist, colonic specialists, lymph specialists, acupuncture and using many different types of nutritional supplements and herbs. On Tuesday of this week the pain became so severe in her back and left leg she has not even been able to get out of bed to use the portable toilet at the foot of the bed. We have been using a female urinal. Bowel movements are a problem.

She applied for state assistance for healthcare and food stamps and was denied. They say she made too much money. Friends have been donating funds to her and because she is so honest she declared that money and the state has decided that it is income. She has an outstanding debt from a person who gave her a promissory note for $6,000 over 5 years ago and has only paid her a few hundred dollars. The state says that is an asset.

Doreene is a MASTER at overcoming pain and adversity and has been an inspiration and teacher to many. For the first time since I have known her she is crying out for help. Even during the cancer she always had a positive and upbeat spirit and attitude. Now, the pain is more than she can bare - I hear her crying - sometimes in just a whisper and whimper and other times out loud in a wail. She has said if it is now her time she is ready. BUT IF IT IS NOT - SHE WANTS PAIN FREE HEALING NOW!

I am not sending out this prayer request to ask for more treatments or supplements, but to ask for her what she is asking for. Complete healing with NO PAIN. And, if that looks like transition then so be it - that is NOT what she wants - but is willing to accept it if it is time. Please add her to any prayer request lists you may have or know of.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and, again, the power of your prayers for Doreene's highest good is most heartfelt appreciated. If you would like to call you can reach Doreene or me at 480-664-4170. Perhaps hearing your voice and a short prayer will lift her spirits. If she doesn't answer please do leave a prayer message for her.

Thank you for all you do for others in your life and your ministries and callings.

In Love and Appreciation!

Sandy Rogers

Another Reason to Hate Wal-Mart

I hate Wal-Mart. Some may argue that low prices are good for people who struggle with limited income. Yeah. But if a there were more of the manufacturing jobs that have been sent to China due to Wal-Mart's predatory policies, maybe people could get better jobs here. Another person told me that Wal-Mart provides jobs in rural areas. Yeah. But it also puts an untold number of mom-and-pop shops in said small towns out of business. Your point? Anyway, the Cornucopia Institute has the scoop on Wally World's latest outrage. I am already concerned about huge food corporations that continue to lobby to weaken organic standards. Mall-Wart actually has the gall to try to push non-organic foods off as organic.

Let's talk about Politics

I’m going to climb on my soapbox for a minute. Senator John McCain, who recently announced his candidacy for President in 2008, posted a question on Yahoo Answers asking for feedback on how to reduce government waste. Though there were some great, thoughtful answers, and some not so good, I was mainly appalled by the number of people who posted answers in the vein of “we elected you, it’s your job to fix it”.

Whether or not I agree with him on the issues, I thought it was awesome that the Senator posted a question on a public forum asking for our feedback. We have a representative Republic, and it IS our job to tell our representatives what we think and what we would like them to do. We are not supposed to sit back and let these folks decide everything without our input! With democracy comes responsibility.

The first part of that responsibility is to VOTE. I cannot believe how many people I have come in contact with who don’t vote. Statistics show that only around 50% of eligible American voters show up to the polls. If you don’t vote, you are letting other people decide for you. Before you cast your vote, it’s also necessary to find out about the candidates and the issues. Don’t rely on the TV media. Go to the candidates’ web sites, find other articles about them online. and if they’ve been in public office for a while, find out about their voting record on the issues you care about.

A good non-partisan resource I have found is congress.org. It’s a grassroots citizen’s forum with tools to help navigate the confusing political process. You can find out who your representatives in the House and Senate are, you can sign up to get a weekly e-mail update of upcoming legislation, and find out how your representatives voted. The e-mails will often include a form that you can fill out with a couple of clicks to write a personal e-mail to your Senators or Congressperson.

Besides Federal representatives, we also have State representatives. I have written several e-mails to my two state senators, and every time I have gotten a personal response, sometimes the same day. I believe that the best way to effect real change is from the bottom up – start with your local city council. Find out what’s going on in your neighborhood. It’s all about getting involved.

I have a real life example to share. My friend Debbie lives in an older neighborhood here in Scottsdale AZ. The city provides grants for public art projects. As my friend thought it would be a good idea, she got some of her neighbors together and they applied for an art installation in the neighborhood. The city chose an artist who proposed a fun and funky design to liven up a dirt lot at the main street leading to their enclave. They held neighborhood council meetings to get feedback from the neighbors. Not many people showed up, until the city actually started breaking ground for the project.

Then, several neighbors decided they did not like the artwork. They contacted the newspaper. They attended city hall meetings. They wrote to the Mayor. In the end, they got what they wanted. The project was cancelled. My friend is disappointed, but she realized the power of just a few voices.

We may not have a perfect system, and the current two-party political system leaves much to be desired. But we do have the power to change and influence it, IF we decide to get involved.