Disclosure

I have to disclose to everyone that I am helping Rep Pricey Harrison at her blog. She has enabled me to post on her blog. Everything I post is Pricey's words. I do not edit or change anything in any way. I am not being paid or reimbursed in any way. Just helping out someone I believe is doing a fair and honest job in politics. As any House Rep. encounters, there is a lack of time to post. I am simply, posting what Pricey needs posted, and generally sends in an e-mail to her constituents anyway. She will post as time allows and she will follow the comment stream and jump in to the conversation as time allows. The most important thing I see here is that an elected official, in a higher then local office, wants to blog. That I think is HUGE!
Good Luck Pricey and welcome to the blogisphere.

The Big Link VII

This weeks BIG LINK is here. Check it out.

You Don't Have To Do Your Job If It Is Against Your Morals

As reported on A-1 of this past Sundays Greensboro News and Record, Rep. Jeff Barnhart(Republican) of Cabarrus County, introduced a bill allowing pharmacists to refuse birth control, emergency contraceptives, or whatever they want based on their moral values and beliefs. The bill is titled, "Conscience Protection", and is bill H1407 . The bill is co-sponsored by Republicans Mitch Gillespie(Minority Whip- Burke and McDowell Counties), Mark K. Hilton(Catawba County), Wm. C. "Bill" McGee(Forsyth County), and Edgar V. Starnes(Caldwell County).

The American Pharmacist's Association has the Code of Ethics a Pharmacist is expected to follow and the Oath that a Pharmacist takes when becoming a Pharmacist. Under the Code of Ethics Section III: "A pharmacist respects the autonomy and dignity of each patient.
A pharmacist promotes the right of self-determination and recognizes individual self-worth by encouraging patients to participate in decisions about their health. A pharmacist communicates with patients in terms that are understandable. In all cases, a pharmacist respects personal and cultural differences among patients." Read all the sections.

The Oath of A Pharmacist is also available at the APHA website. It is in Powerpoint format. For those that don't have PP here it is in full:

Oath of a Pharmacist

At this time, I vow to devote my professional life to the service of all humankind through the profession of pharmacy.

I will consider the welfare of humanity and relief of human suffering my primary concerns.

I will apply my knowledge, experience, and skills to the best of my ability to assure optimal drug therapy outcomes for the patients I serve.

I will keep abreast of developments and maintain professional competency in my profession of pharmacy.

I will maintain the highest principles of moral, ethical and legal conduct.

I will embrace and advocate change in the profession of pharmacy that improves patient care.

I take these vows voluntarily with the full realization of the responsibility with which I am entrusted by the public.

A Pharmacist provides a service that he/she is paid to do. A doctor prescribes pharmaceuticals based on their diagnosis of a patient. A patient brings their prescription to a Pharmacy and has it filled. They can not go anywhere else legally to have this prescription filled. If a Pharmacist refuses to fill a prescription based on their moral or ethical beliefs, they are not only not doing their job/Oath, but going against the Code of Ethics they are required to follow. It is a pharmacists job to ensure a patients access to legally prescribed medications.

I have no problem with a pharmacist denying to fill a prescription based on the date it is written for, insurance reasons, etc... When a pharmacist steps into the realm of preaching their values to a patient, they might want to consider being a preacher instead. I know several pharmacists, several whom are religious. One told me that, "they don't agree with some of the prescriptions they have to fill, but they do. My way of dealing with it is to pray for that person." That is completely fine. I respect that more then anyone can imagine.

I have no problem with any religion. I don't personally believe in any organized religion, but I do not denounce them either. Being spiritual with out all the fanfare isn't a bad thing. When I refer to the religious right, I refer to the most extreme side of the right. Not every Republican Christian is an abortion clinic bomber. They are probably the minority amongst the right. I don't care what religion you believe in, and you shouldn't care about mine. That is why the 1st Amendment to the Constitution of The United States included freedom of religion.

As you all know, I despise SUV's. If I got a job as a car salesman and was asked to sell an SUV to a customer and refused on my environmental beliefs, I would be fired. Based on my job description of salesman and failure to perform the duty I was hired to do. As a pharmacist, you are hired to dispense legal prescriptions to patients, based on your knowledge, Oath and Code. Failure to do so should result in termination. I can't think of any other job that you can say I don't believe in that, I am not doing it, and not get fired. That goes for the military too. It is OK to kill people in war, if you choose not to, you get court marshaled. All I am saying is, if you are hired to do a job, do it. What you believe personally, is your business, but no one else's. Don't impose your way of life on others, let others have their own way of life. That is what this country was built on.

My idea to fix this problem is simple. The groups that believe that the emergency contraceptive and birth control pills and anything else for that matter should not be sold, should put their money behind a company that does refuse to sell these products. The pharmacists that have their beliefs should go work there and no one would have a problem. A whole chain of these stores nationwide, so everyone has a choice. After all being free is all about having choices isn't it?

In the mean time, write your Representatives and let them know you want a choice and you don't want to be told what to do. This argument may not stop at these particular pharmaceuticals. What if your pharmacist knows you are a single male and refuses you your Viagra, because it promotes your pre-marital sex? What if your pharmacist is a Jehova's Witness and denies you your insulin based on religious beliefs? What if you live in rural Kansas and there is only one pharmacy remotely close to where you live? This is a very complex issue and I can't wait to see how it plays out.

Bloggers Are Journalist?

(Via CNN.com)

80 California bloggers called The Bear Flag League, challenged in court the Blogger Vs. Journalist argument. The whole story is here by Julie Hilden from FindLaw. Julie points out in the article that the law views bloggers as a publishing company just as much as The NY Times. She also agrees that bloggers are journalist, as in, they publish their own words and are just as liable as the NY Times. Very good article. A must read.

Religious Right = Taliban?

As everyone is aware of, the religious right in the United States is trying to highjack our government and our judicial system. What everyone fails to see is the big picture. The picture I am about to paint. After 9/11, our government pegged the attacks waged on America, on Afghanistan. More directly, the Taliban government that ran Afghanistan. Some of the arguments that the US government made in attacking the Taliban have stark similarities to what the religious right is trying to impose on our very country. We argued that the Taliban, imposed their religious beliefs, treated women poorly, and instilled their moral values on the people of Afghanistan, against their will. Is that not what the religious right is doing here? This constitution eating disease has seemed to be spreading faster, especially in the majority rule Republican party. Bill Frist has a bad case. Probably caught it from ole W.

The President talks about the war on terror. That war is being waged from within our borders, from within the church. Pro-life groups are killing abortion doctors and bombing clinics. Traditional terrorist are killing and bombing their enemies as well. What is the difference? Women are looked at as a secondary gender within the church. Likewise, the Taliban degraded and held women down under a tight leash. The separation of church and state is one of the structural columns of the US Constitution. Remove the columns and the building falls. The imposing of the church's moral values on our government has striking similarities to the Taliban regime we fought so hard to oust. The Taliban has been compared to other Theocratic regimes, Iran, Iraq(with Saddam), Syria, even Nazi Germany(minus the genocide). Is Bill Frist appearing on Judicial Sunday not Propaganda? I just want you to really ask yourself if the values and views of the religious right fits you to a tee? I know it doesn't fit me. Not even a little bit.

US Protecting Osama Bin Laden's Privacy

Check out this great KOS piece I stumbled on tonight. It is from his April 21st post. I was going to break down the very bad energy bill that passed the house this past week, but it is forever with sections of legislation. I will try to get to piece by piece. There are 25 sections and tons of sub sections for each of those. Enjoy the very disturbing piece by KOS. I am appalled, personally.

The Big Link VI

Check out this weeks BIG LINK. It's whatz up!!!

Declaration Day

May, Felton and Marvin Williams announce today that they will all three go to the NBA in this years draft. That's our top seven scorers, rebounders, and assist men gone. Three McDonald's All-Americans coming in next year. We must wait and see. I am sure Roy will pull the Heels together. Good luck guys, it was a pleasure watching you play and win the National Championship.

Wow NBC

NBC Chief wants Brian Williams and his anchors to blog. He also wants celebrity interviewers to blog. Check out the story via Yahoo here.

Big-o Link-o Cinco

This weeks BIG LINK is here. It's red, it's fiery, it's hot. It's the BIG LINK. Click it you know you want to.

Bankruptcy Bill Rant

President Bush is prepared to sign the bankruptcy bill, crushing people who need the help, and further stroking the credit card companies and the rest of Corporate America. Some people will argue that people should be fiscally responsible. They should, I agree. There are times though, when really good people lose their job(due to outsourcing or downsizing) or fall ill and can not pay exorbitant medical bills. I will disclose that I have filed bankruptcy six years ago and am coming out of that now. My family also has exorbitant medical bills which I simply can not pay.

People fall into hard times. I know several here recently. What about Corporate America? They have filed some absolutely huge, almost obscene bankruptcies. The top five since 1980: 1)Worldcom Inc.- $103,914,000,000(assets at time of filing), Enron Corp.- $63,392,000,000, Conseco Inc.- $61,392,000,000, Texaco Inc.- $35,892,000,000, and Financial Corp of America- $33,864,000,000. That is billions folks. Billions. The list of the top twenty is here. On this list is UAL(parent company United Airlines) which has been bailed out by the government time and again. Financial companies, oil companies, airlines, where does it end. It doesn't. If you totaled the amount of money owed by corporate America and put it up against citizens in this country, I am pretty sure that corporate America would have the larger number when it comes to bankruptcies.

Hey, I have an idea, lets stomp on the little guy. That had to be what Washington was thinking. Or maybe, it is just that their pockets have been filled with the loot of these companies. Sure, I could go into how members of the Bush administration have very close ties to all of these companies, but I wouldn't be telling you anything you didn't know.

If you are going to hold the citizens of this country responsible for their financial woes, then you need to incorporate corporate America in this process too. They also need to be held responsible. I have a very loud message to send back to Washington, if you keep us broke, we can not stimulate your economy. We won't be able to buy your gas, pay our bills, buy American products, pay our taxes and in turn pay your salaries. At some point, you go out of business. When you do, don't come crying to us about your financial problems, 'cus we will remember how you fucked us.

McCants Declares

Rashad McCants held a press conference today declaring eligibility for the NBA draft. I would like to wish Rashad a lot of luck in the big game. If was a pleasure to watch you play for UNC and win a championship. I think that Rashad will go top 5 in the draft.

Hopefully, this is not a trend though. I would love to see May, Felton and Marvin stay for another year. Try to win us back to back championships. We have at least two good kids coming in next year. I can't wait for next season.

Good luck Rashad, you will be missed.

Living Wills In North Carolina

I went to the library yesterday(yes I read away from my computer) and picked up a few pamphlets put out by the NC Bar Association. One was regarding Landlords and Tenants and the other was entitled "Living Wills and Health Care Power of Attorney".

I read through the living will pamphlet to see what our laws were. All is basic, living will gives you the right to choose, etc... Then, there is a section entitled "If You Do Not Have a Living Will or Health Care Power of Attorney, Who Will Make These Decisions for Me". This is how it reads, "If you do not have a living will or health care power of attorney, your physician will ask your spouse or next of kin to consent to treatment, unless a court has appointed a guardian. North Carolina statutes provide that the decision to withdraw or withhold medical care if you are terminally and incurably ill, or in a persistent vegetative state, may be made by your physician, after consulting with your spouse or next of kin and after your condition is confirmed by another physician."

My physician can decide if I live or die? Any Schiavo-like cases in NC? Our state is wide open for a fiasco, if this loophole is not closed. Of course, if you have a living will there is no problem. For me that is an expense I can not incur right now. To busy paying for gas.

I will make my wishes public here. If I, Jayson Ovittore, am ever in a vegetative state or on life support with no chance of recovery, then plug the plug, tube, or whatever is preventing me from dying. My wife is to make all decisions based on my medical needs and my parents are to have no say what so ever. If my wife wants me to stay on life support, then so be it. I also do not want to be paraded around on national or local TV, like a circus side show. In no way will a Republican make decisions on my life choices. I wish to be put to rest in the cheapest way possible, so my family does not incur a lot of cost. These are my wishes.

The Big Link Quattro

This weeks Big Link. Sorry it's late. I have had problems with Blogger.

Who Needs To Be Reined In

Reuters ran a story today titled "Republicans Step Up Attacks On Judiciary". The first paragraph reads, "Christian conservatives, led by some top Republicans, are stepping up their assault on the U.S. judiciary in response to the Terri Schiavo case, saying judges are attacking religion and must be reined in."

My question is, who really needs to be reined in? Aren't the Christian conservatives overstepping there own beliefs by butting into others personal business? Doesn't the commandment "Don't Covet Thy Neighbor" extend to your neighbors beliefs as well? Is it just a case of what ever is good for you, and not about the good of all.

What ever happened to the separation of Church and State? What makes a person's beliefs sacred is that you don't impose them on everyone. They are yours. If all the pro-lifers and anti-fur people (activists in general) would put as much effort into living their own lives, instead of everyone else's, they might be surprised how much they could accomplish.

My basic belief is, if it doesn't hurt other people as a whole, it is OK. Pro-life suggests Anti-Death, doesn't it?

The Republican party has overstreched it's bounds. Just because a party uses a group of people to get elected, doesn't mean you have to instill their policies. It is how government has worked for centuries. How come none of the Republicans complaining about judges seem to mind the judges that let them get away with all kinds of unethical bullshit? Maybe the next judge to look at Tom DeLey will think a little differently about him, based on what he and other Republicans have said. I am fed up with the force feeding of someone else's moral values and beliefs. What ever happened to a free country? Somewhere I could decide for myself, what is right and wrong.

Aren't we the country that went to Afghanistan and Iraq to overthrow the Taliban and their beliefs and the Baath party with their beliefs? We didn't feel it was right for them to treat women so poorly. That I agree with. We didn't like how they were forcing people to have a certain religious belief. I agree with that as well. The very things we put our countries sons and daughters in harms way for, we are doing to ourselves here. What a bunch of self-centered hypocrites we are. The extreme religious right is a cult and needs to be dealt with. They are the real terrorists. They are hijacking a once great country, which is now tumbling down the same path as the once mighty Roman Empire(which by the way fell). If history does indeed repeat itself, then we are in serious trouble.

There's A New Bike Shop In Town

A good friend of mine, Merritt White, has opened a new bike shop on Spring Garden St. Merritt is a X-Game type thrill seeker, but most of all a really good guy who knows bikes. The name of the shop is Recycles. He does sales and service. Today was his grand opening and it was packed. The shop is at 908-A Spring Garden St. right next to Boutique Hypnotica(between Tate and Mendenhall). The shop number is 420-2569. If you have a bike, need a bike, or need to fix a bike, Merritt is your man. Go check it out.

Fundraiser Info

As many of you know, a friend David Hoggard and his family, is going through the trials and tribulations of breast cancer. David's wife Jinni has and is fighting this horrible disease. You can read about her experiences at David's blog, by clicking on "What's up with Jinni?". The Greensboro News and Record is also publishing Jinni's Journal in the paper as a recurring column.

One of the trials and tribulations is medical expenses. A bunch of friends are putting together a fundraiser to help with the Hoggard's medical expenses. Cancer is an expensive disease and it doesn't matter how good your health care is, they all have a cap. Once you reach that cap, the rest is on you. The fundraiser is going to be called "Hoggfest", and via Jinni's request, we will have this event yearly for someone different, Jinni being the first. The way this fundraiser is being set up, no one person is going to be in charge. The event will take volunteers to head up different aspects of the fundraiser. All the information is in the forums at Greensboro101. You can help with ideas, donations at David's site, donations for the event(time or resources), and most of all by attending. The dates we are discussing are May 22nd and May 29th. The purposed site is the Flatiron. Any help will be accepted. We still need a lot. Bands. We need bands that would be willing to donate their time.

David and Jinni are great people, who do good for others. Trust me, I know this first hand. They didn't ask for help, this great Greensboro blogging community offered it.

The Hoggard's aren't the only people locally who need help. Tara Sue Grubb is going through a legal battle to get her child back. You can read all the case facts at her site and act accordingly. I have not weighed in too much on this, but I urge you to go read the facts presented, see if you are interested in helping and help if you can.

There is so much love in this community and I would like to keep it that way. We can all help each other through tough times. That is what a community is all about. I wish the best for all in need and vow to help anyway I can.

New Planet, Different Solar System!!!

Space.com has a photo here of a newly discovered planet, that orbits a younger version of our star. They say the planet is about twice the size of Jupiter. Aloha aliens?

The Big Link 3

Here is this weeks BIG LINK.

Pope Names Successor

In a shocking move from the Vatican, Pope John Paul II has named his successor from his deathbed. His successor will be Pope George W Bush. Pope Bush immediately named new Archbishops; Rumsfeld, Cheney, Rove and Wolfowitz. He says he plans to spread Christianity to all lands(especially those with oil) against peoples wills, even if we have to have another Crusades. He will have dual roles as President and Pope to his term expires in 2008. Happy April Fools Day.

UPDATE: Sources say Wolfowitz is converting from Judaism for the appointment. In another update Jeff Gannon is named Head Vatican press spokesman to Pope Bush. Tune to any Fox news channel for live breaking news.

A Few Good Things Come of the Schiavo Fiasco

Any way you cut it, the Terry Schiavo fiasco is a very sad series of events. I feel like a few good things can and have come out of this. Terry can finally rest, peacefully. The living will issue will be addressed in many households. The Republican party stuck their big right-wing feet in their mouths, and the Democrats came out looking almost golden.

The largest of this tidal wave of goodness, is Terry finally resting peacefully. I watched South Park on Wed. night and they addressed another side of the issue that hasn't been addressed. What if Terry's wishes, if she was in a vegetative state, was not to be paraded around on national TV like a circus side show. I never met Terry. I know her as well as everyone else in the country does. I think if she could speak, she would let us all know how embarrassed she is of the people in this country, the media, the government and especially her family.

The second largest wave of goodness, is the Republican fallout and the Democratic strategy throughout this whole ordeal. The way I see it, the Republican's saw a way to satisfy the religious right and pro-lifers. Not a single Republican Congressman gives two craps about anyone's health. If they did we would all have health care insurance, cheaper drugs, and some sort of just environmental policy. They actually incited Anti-Death Penalty activists. Even better, their base, the religious right wasn't all that happy with the events that unfolded. The fallout is just beginning. Tom DeLay, the most unethical bastard in Congress, is looking foolish after this. Read more about his ethical woes here. The President's approval rating is flushing down the shitter, the lowest levels of his painful tenure. (Insert ear to ear grin here) The bill he signed in Texas as governor, stood for the exact opposite of what he was spewing during Schiavo's court battle. Whose the flip-flopper now W?

The Democrat's on the other hand voted to help the Republicans, for the most part. Then they stood back and watched the parade. In the end, they did everything right, as far as I can see. They acted instead of reacted. Silence is golden. Is this the new leadership of Howard Dean? I think it is. This is the new Democratic party. I would chalk this up as a political victory for the Democrats. More to come, hopefully.

The Birth of A New Baby: Part 2

Yesterday, Roch Smith, mastermind of Greensboro101, gave birth to a second two-headed love child called Nashville101. Ah, our world domination is underway. Well, not world domination, but we love kick starting new communities. Good luck Nashville, welcome to the world.