Editorials
Waterboarding has always been a war crime
by Ed Klein, Peoria, IL
A debate has arisen about something which is not debatable: the rule of law, and the floor beneath which we must not go if we are to be the country we claim to be.
Waterboarding has been punished for being torture – a war crime – enough times to be acknowledged and accepted as such instead of being “debated.”
In 1898, American soldiers were court-martialed for inflicting what they called “the water cure” on Spanish-American War guerillas. In 1968, when a photo appeared in the Washington Post of a group of soldiers waterboarding a captured Vietnamese prisoner, those soldiers were court-martialed. In 1947, a Japanese officer served 15 years hard labor for similarly torturing a civilian. And, in 1983 in San Jacinto, Texas, a Sheriff Parker waterboarded prisoners to extract information and was sentenced to ten years, his deputies to three years. This documentation is taken from cable news MSNBC.
Mr. Cheney probably knows of these facts and that waterboarding is indeed torture, but in the interest of self-preservation, dare not admit it.
New Young Adult Dependent Coverage Law in Illinois
by Debbie Adlof, Editor/Owner Community Word
We’ve all heard the corny joke line that says, “I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want first?” How do you answer that? Well, here’s some good news for you. A new law goes into effect on June 1, 2009. This law states that all individual and group health insurance and HMO contracts must give parents with insurance policies that cover dependents the right to choose coverage for qualifying dependents up to the age of 26 and up to the age of 30 for military veteran dependents. Even if the “child” exceeds the IRS definition of dependent, said “child” can be eligible for dependent coverage under this new law.
Wow! Any parent whose insurance plan dumped their dependents before they had completed college knows how difficult it is to find affordable insurance for them. If you’re lucky, your student attends a college that offers a decent insurance plan. However, some do not. My husband and I have really good insurance, but both of our kids were kicked out of the program as soon as they turned 22. I was very pleased to hear this news because our daughter seemingly meets the criteria.
Upon researching, I learned several useful facts. All policies must offer an initial 90-day enrollment period to eligible dependents. For existing policies, the initial enrollment period will vary depending on the date your policy is issued, amended, or renewed. You would need to check with your employer group or your insurer for the date on which your initial 90-day enrollment period begins. For dependents added into group policies during the initial 90-day enrollment, annual enrollment, or special enrollment periods may not be declined coverage due to health status. For individual policies, you should check with your insurer.
So, what’s the bad news? Like many laws that are written with the intent to help our citizens, there are loopholes and clauses that will let the insurance companies literally off the hook. The first such loophole that I found is that there seems to be a clause whereby dependents may be subject to preexisting condition limitations contained in the policy. So, that’s not too bad, right?
Further research revealed that for the most part, parents are responsible for paying the full cost of coverage – whatever rate the insurance company deems necessary for adding dependents to their policies. Furthermore, Illinois law does not restrict the rates insurance companies charge for these plans. Therefore, parents may find that adding their dependents to their policy might not be affordable. Wow, that could be really bad, right?
Oh yeah, I found one more loophole that would be funny if it didn’t impact my family. Blue Cross/Blue Shield for federal employees claim that they’re exempt from this Illinois law because the federal government doesn’t have to adhere to state laws. Excuse me? When did Blue Cross/Blue Shield become a part of the federal government?
You’ve almost gotta laugh.
So, my hunt for decent insurance continues as my daughter’s last two years of college will be with a school that doesn’t offer health insurance.
(You can check out this new law at: http://www.idfpr.com/doi/default2.asp)
Define the word ‘Conservative’
by Dolores Klein, Peoria, IL
A current media report on David Souter’s retirement from the Supreme Court, states that he was appointed by the elder George Bush as a Conservative. Then he is said to have departed from that philosophy, in a Decision supporting Roe v. Wade and, when he dissented as other Supreme Court justices intervened in the controversial first election of the younger President Bush.
Regardless of the label attached to his actions, he was in line with a majority of Americans on Roe v. Wade, and his position on that Supreme Court intervention which made Bus President, is considered rational by those Americans who consider the High Court’s actions as a “first” to be deplored!
Among the many definitions of that good word, Conservative, I find: moderate, cautious, and stable. Would that today’s self-labelers would fit that description! Just as they use the word Liberal to convey scary attributes like unpatriotic and irreligious, they have managed to hijack Conservative to fit a narrow religious ideology and certain political positions. This has been harmful and divisive.
