Might I shed some light on that thought? Google, in the way they conduct their international business has adopted a policy that generally works for them wherever they do business. Granted, we in the United States often take a dim view of those countries who do practice censorship - as it's against our fundamental beliefs. I can't remember where I read it, but Google does censor some content in a few countries they do business with, although it is based on a logic that I understand.

If a government is elected by the people and they establish "laws" that do not allow some types of content, then to a certain extent, Google attempts to work within the framework of those laws; all elected governments are not necessarily "democratic" as per our standards, and Google understands that. The government of China IS NOT elected by the people, and there is a thirst for knowledge from those Chinese citizens who do not agree with extremely restrictive policies that often do not consider the people, but only the state. When Google was hacked from within China and it was learned that the "hackers" were attempting to access Gmail accounts of Citizens that are considered to be dissidents by the government, Google almost instantly understood that those accounts which were compromised also placed those people in jeopardy. The hack appeared to be aimed at uncovering those that did not agree with government policy, and in China, that can often mean lengthy imprisonment or even death - a policy that no civilized country can morally aid and abet, which I believe is why they chose at that time to take a stand based on their (Google's) own policy of “Don’t be evil.”

I have never stated that here in the United States that we are "perfect" and do not have problems of our own, however, as you read at the beginning of this article, in 2006, when Google believed our own government was violating our constitution, they handily took the matter to Federal Court and won, effectively standing-up for their own value system and that of the American people. China is attempting to create a closed "Chinanet" where the people of China never hear any of the truth and are force-fed government propaganda, a policy that the Western World cannot support or endorse. When the government enforces policies that often harm their own people and prosecute people that attempt to seek the truth, even to the point of "disappearing people" that only sought to express their own religious views, this is a practice that western society finds to be reprehensible and is against all of the beliefs that our culture (the West) believes is a basic human right .

Google speaks for itself, and while these are my beliefs as to why Google took the action they did, that may not necessarily be the case, however I sincerely believe it is. In the past week or two, we have published more than one article in regard China's repressive regime, and if you read those articles and still agree that China holds the high-ground on this matter then in my own opinion I can only surmise that you don't believe in basic human rights. You are also entitled to your opinion, and even on this site we publish comments that are critical of what we write, respecting the belief that every opinion should be heard and we don't censor comments that differ from our own beliefs.

Pete;

Thanks for the comment, however, even though I am aware of the atrocities the United States has committed, when we do realize that a company is killing people, we do respond with lawsuits and if they are in the wrong, and it's proven, that company is made to pay for their damage(s). The issue of China manipulating their currency and winning bids in the U.S. for high-speed rail and "Green Technology" contracts is slapping all of us in the face as we bear the grim reality of the the highest unemployment figures I've ever seen in my 59 years on this earth. We don't murder prisoners for the sole purpose of harvesting their organs for their booming, international transplant services. And, we don't jail people that are only seeking medical attention.

Granted, we have a host of problems in this country that I address on a regular basis, but with our unemployment so high, it's an insult to the American people to outsource jobs that are vital to reinvigorating our own economy - and with their undervalued currency, Europe and the U.S. are both seeing their own economies tank because of outsourcing everything they can to China.

You are correct and the reply to this comment, because of other important information it revealed, is now a postscript to the original article.

Thank you again for your comment.

Bill Cormier

Since I originally posted this article on Lunesta, the vivid accounts of injury and death I have reeived are truly heartbreaking. My Mom's heart attack, which I am certain was caused by Lunesta, eventually led to her death - and from the comments I have received, has caused the untimely deaths of several other people.

To hell with liability and walking on eggs so I won't be sued by the makers of Lunesta. They are marketing a drug that has apparently resulted in several deaths and I am hoping that this drug is taken off the market and those who have lost loved one's are compensated for their pain and suffering. The Supreme Court, in their egregious ruling that gave Corporations the status of "people," should also allow manufacturers of dangerous drugs to be prosecuted and receive prison time for their callous disregard of side effects that can often be lethal. The "God of Profit" and their ability to hide behind their corporate veil contributes to marketing drugs that are known to cause severe and sometimes deadly side-effects. From what I have been reading, Lunesta is one of the worst so-called "sleeping aids" that are on the market, Sepracor has to know it's dangerous, but as long as they can't be personally prosecuted, it will stay on the market until liability claims outweigh its profitability.

That's the sad part of drugs which cause death and permanent injuries; they keep them on the market until liability claims surpass their profits. It's simply a matter of risk management, and if they have to pay out millions in liability claims, they will continue to do so as long as profit outweighs how much they have to pay in court settlements. Human life is inconsequential in the profit/loss equation, and to be honest, that is very unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.

In all honesty, I considered being the one to "go postal" on their asses, but I believe that facts and truth, widely disseminated, is far more effective than violence. This company lied to me on more than one occasion, and while I thought their help desk employees were fantastic and compassionate, it was all a sham to make me help them cut off my benefits. I was guaranteed by their staff when my Social Security came into effect I would receive supplemental payments that would bring up the total amount I received to $1,800 per month. That turned out to be nothing more than a lie - and while I don't know for sure that the "help desk" employees that informed of this thought that to be the case or were engaged in the deception themselves is still a matter of speculation and I don't have the true answer.

I do know that they lied, pure and simple, and this is a company that whoever holds this coverage I recommend that they find a company that is more honest - if such an insurance company truly exists in the United States. As we watch the health care debate and the constant lies and disinformation that is being spewed by Health Insurance Companies, I have real doubts whether there is an honest health insurance company to be found anywhere in our nation.

Of the 50,000 self-styled "lobbyists" that are supporting their lies and disinformation campaign, it was startling to find out that most of them are employees of the health care industry that have been given their "talking points" by their employers who told them if universal health care passes their jobs would be in jeopardy. (They were also told not to divulge that they were employees of health insurance companies.) They are out to accomplish only one thing - protect their jobs at all costs, even if it means disrupting Town Hall meetings and lying to the American public. Please note this is a general statement that applies to several health insurance companies, and I admit that I have no personal knowledge if this company is also engaged in the health scare tactics that are being widely used by some companies.

If you ever have to use their coverage, I recommend that you record all of your telephone conversations, inform them you are doing it - which you have a right to do as long as it's disclosed, and then if they do lie and supply you with the wrong information, you will have the proof you need to sue them for fraud. I wish that I had the same advice when I was being lied to, but I didn't, and they got away with what I consider to be gross fraud and misrepresentation.

Good luck you you and I sincerely hope that you don't ever have the need to use the coverage you are paying for.

Bill Cormier

Would someone familiar with Intense Debate please tell me that multiple comments that only have question marks mean? I get a heck of a lot of these comments, so many in fact, that I'm asking if there is any special significance to the multiple question marks???

Thanks,

William Cormier

A free night paid for by the town??? That would creep anyone out - and I'd be wondering if hey had hidden cameras in the rooms or something else. By the same token, once people relax and start looking around, they're bound to spend money, so I agree it's illegal and "probable cause" is thrown out the window, but I'm betting the town is making money off this twist of what appears to be harmless - until someone does have a heart attack or a severe anxiety attack not knowing what is in store for their family.

Wouldn't a large billboard advertising a free night's stay serve the town better? You can bet many would take them up on the offer and not get scared S**tless wondering if they had entered the Twilight Zone.

We only have to look back at history and remember the shrill lamenting that occurred when Medicare was being created. The right-wing of the country was screaming that we were facing socialism and that it would be the end of democracy, none of which happened - at least by and through the passage of the Medicare program. Disinformation and downright lies seem to be heard more often than the truth, and while I do not support health care reform without a public option, it appears that the House is supporting several Bills that do have the public option which the bought and paid for Senate are likely to reject.

Obama seems to be gaining steam and lately, much to my surprise, has made a few moves that will be beneficial to the public if the "Blue Dog Democrats," who have accepted huge amounts of campaign donations from the health care industry, derail anything meaningful that won't reap the health insurance and pharmaceutical giants billions of dollars in profit. These so-called Democrats that are accepting these huge campaign donations need to be publicly flogged and thrown out of Congress. Let's call it what it is - legalized bribery, and these "Blue Dogs" are nothing more than criminals who have sold out their constituencies.

It would be perfectly acceptable to me if someone broke their legs for taking bribes and then they had to pay the hospitalization expenses themselves and reap what they have sown. Yes, I realize this is a "Glenn Beck" type of a statement, however, I'm sick and tired of Congressmen/Women who take bribes and serve Corporate America rather than the people - and it's time that people get mad as hell while these jackasses keep enriching themselves at the taxpayers expense. The public will never be properly represented until Lobbying is outlawed and Congress admits that it's bribery, which unfortunately, we know they never will. There's two sure fire ways to become wealthy in the United States; become a politician or a televangelist - and both misrepresent anything and everything in pursuit of the almighty dollar.

Great article!

William Cormier

I don't think a "bleeding heart" is an appropriate adjective to describe myself or others who are only attempting to learn the truth, not what our MSM portrays as the "News." I am concerned that Hugo Chavez is stifling free speech, as Brazil's Lula also recognized - and if the opportunity ever arose, what I wrote would be what I believed to be the truth. Nevertheless, I'd go there in a heartbeat if the opportunity ever presented itself, as the pursuit of truth is one of the stalwarts of liberty and freedom.

Keep in mind that I WAS an Obama supporter, but now am one of his critics as he seems to favor corporate America over the people. I don't bite my tongue for anyone and the opinions I have are not influenced by anyone except what I can glean from news and other facts that often take too much time to find any semblance of the truth. If you want propaganda, tune into Fox News or listen to Glenn Beck and the radicals that call themselves journalists (sic) which are causing violence and unrest as they abuse the tenants of free speech.

This comment did not post:

Mitch;

Thank you Jean for sharing your opinion but if you have something specific that points out an error in the data I provided please share them.

My article was well researched but error and oversight is always possible. I addressed the issue raised by Harry who was pointing out a generalized statement I made about Republicans widely supporting both Bush’s TARP bailout program and Obama’s ARRA bailout. I added an addendum to my posting correcting my error clarifying that the Republicans had widely supported Bush’s but reversed themselves by not supporting Obama’s.

I believe the crux of your issue might be found in your statement:
…it appears that Gurney didn't answer her basic premise:
"Instead of solving economic problems, government welfare socialism created monstrous moral and spiritual problems — the kind of problems that are inevitable when individuals turn responsibility for their lives over to others.
“The legacy of American socialism is our blighted inner cities, dysfunctional inner city schools, and broken black families."