Even those too lazy to vote feel it their birthright to blast our elected representatives from every direction.  We complain bitterly when we do not get all we want as if it were possible to have more services with lower taxes, broader health care coverage with no federal involvement, a cleaner environment without regulations, security from terrorists with no infringement on privacy, and cheaper consumer goods made locally by workers with higher wages.  In short, we crave all the benefits of change without the costs.  When we are disappointed, our response is to retreat into cynicism, then start thinking about whether there might be a quicker, easier, and less democratic way to satisfy our wants.

--Madeline Albright on page 116 of Fascism, A Warning.  This quote comes on the heels of a section about globalism and about the manipulation of public opinion using the internet.  The first part of this book was the best short history of Europe I have ever read--for once it made sense.  Excellent read: recommend.

Here's the article and poll in the BMJ: http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h3735
( ThoughtsCollapse )

Maybe not quite yet, but I can hope. This article is right on:

9 Things Many Americans Just Don’t Grasp (Compared to the Rest of the World)
Americans' lack of worldliness clouds our views on everything from economics to sex to religion.
By Alex Henderson / AlterNet March 25, 2015
http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/9-things-many-americans-just-dont-grasp-compared-rest-world

One of the biggest tragedies of human civilization is the precedence of chemical therapy over nutrition. It's a substitution of artificial therapy over natural, of poisons over food, in which we are feeding people poison trying to correct the reactions of starvation. You all know how ridiculous that is, but you all know how widely it's being done.
--Dr. Royal Lee, January 12, 1951

The National Institutes of Health, 10 large drug companies and seven nonprofit organizations announced an unconventional partnership on Tuesday intended to speed up development of drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease, Type 2 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

During the course of a five-year, $230 million effort, the participants will share data in regular conference calls and meetings, working together to determine which findings are likely to lead to effective treatments. They will make their findings and data publicly available.

...What concerns me about this is the emphasis on drugs. There are better ways to adjust physiology than taking in foreign substances. And there are more useful things we could study. Like food, and exercise, and how to they affect our biochemical and electrical mileau. Sex, we should throw more money at studying sex and how it affects neurotransmitters. On the effects of chewing gum and on understanding the endocrinology of sexual preference. And on why our hearts slow down as we age, and a million other questions. I'm just curious: I really want to know the answers. I wish that the money spent on medical research was directed more by altruism and less by profit motive.

SOURCE
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/05/health/nih-joins-drug-makers-and-nonprofits-on-stubborn-diseases.html

Holistic, or Wholistic, refers to the entire person, usually considered to be mind, body and spirit combined. Somehow the Whole is thought to be more than the sum of its parts. Naturopathic philosophy guides us to learn about and care for the entire person, not just their rash or their bad mood. Today some say that "holstic" is a meaningless buzz phrase, like "natural". To me it is central to my way of thinking, that all parts of a person are connected and interactive. I believe in spirit defined as that which we do not know fully know or understand which is also immensely powerful. And the whole-as-more-than-the-sum-of-parts concept suggests that even if you have a narrower definition of spirit, there is more out there working than you can know. One cannot know it all. It is unknowable. And the unknowable is included: this is holism.

...Marketing: I will leave the word "holistic" out of my elevator speech, but it will be a part of the next speech to follow.

Check it out:
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/09/30/five-reasons-americans-already-love-obamacare-plus-one-reason-why-theyre-gonna/

The just-passed resolution recognizes naturopathy as "safe, effective, affordable health care" and specifically recognizes the value of ND's in preventing disease. (ND's are currently licensed in 17 states, more to come.) It also designates a week for Naturopathic Medicine---Oct 7-13 this year.

Senate Passes Naturopathic Medicine Week Resolution
The U.S. Senate last night unanimously passed a resolution designating October 7 - October 13 as Naturopathic Medicine Week.

The resolution recognizes the value of naturopathic medicine in providing "safe, effective, and affordable health care..." and encourages Americans to learn about the role of naturopathic physicians in preventing chronic and debilitating conditions.

Passage of this resolution is an historic achievement for naturopathic medicine. The Congress has now officially recognized the important role naturopathic medicine plays in effectively addressing the nation's health care needs as well as in addressing the increasingly severe shortage of primary care physicians.

SOURCE
http://naturopathic.org/naturopathicmedicineweek
Not exactly big news:
I searched google news for "naturopathic medicine senate" today 9/11/13 and got NADA.

I can't seem to get the speech windows to embed currently, but you can find it online if you want to look. It's worth hearing. I just listened to it.

He's trying so hard. Obama is reaching out to all sides, working to encourage Americans of every stripe to admit that we have something in common, to accept that our shared interests can be promoted by our government. He has many good points. Unfortunately, the people who most need to hear this message are guaranteed not to hear him. The easiest way to maintain a dogmatic or extremist position, is to completely avoid all other inputs. It is possible for a person to sit there and hear the sounds of the speech, but to tune out entirely inside, to hear only the internally entrenched brainwashed messages of whatever pundit or preacher has had most impact. If only we could get all Americans, congress included, to admit that there is importance to every geniune concern that comes to the table. At least Obama knows it. He is the most impressive moderate I have yet to witness in the US presidency.