Citizens Conscience Calls

Change Needed Desperately Now!

2010-11-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

When Henry Ford gave us the first Model T car, it was an open air vehicle. (Occasionally infants died from too much wind!)

Today, not only Fords, but all modern cars are hermetically sealed. They are bake ovens. In a very few minutes, life ends, babies, dogs and the elderly unable to escape the vehicle, die.

Is it because care givers are bad people? No way.
Is it because car-makers are evil? Of course not.
Is it because car-seat manufacturers don't care about babies they try to protect? Of course they care.

But good people sometimes let bad things happen because they do not realize there is danger. No one has underlined the problem for them. Minds are on other things. Distracted humans are error prone. So why are we delaying to rush to the rescue?

Everyone knows a dead child is more important than a dead battery!

Mandatory Warning Systems are demanded now by car buyers, SO NO MORE BABIES DIE IN THE BACK OF THE FAMILY CAR .

NEEDED NOW: LOUD BELLS AND WHISTLES even when a child, dog or elderly person is mistakenly left in a car.

No parent or care giver can imagine the horror of death under such agonizing conditions. Distracted, exhausted parents are often unaware that the baby was forgotten in the back of the car. No bells and whistles gave out an SOS.

Lets change now, in the name of humanity, our Conscience Call is to end deaths in cars forever.

For more information contact Janette Fennell President and Founder of Kids and Cars. http://www.kidsandcars.org/

Conscience Calls

2010-11-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

Heal A Hurting World

Dear Friends:

You and I are needed to rescue ourselves and our planet from selfishness and indifference. In the name of plain decency and simple fairness we can take a stand.

At this writing there is a grieving father in Florida in prison for twenty years for leaving his baby daughter in the back of the family car. A tragic mistake too often repeated, yes, but nonetheless a mistake. California, humanely, did not send its grieving father, a college professor, to prison nor even impose probation. But in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in the heat of the moment, Antonio Balta, an uneducated immigrant, was handed the stiffest sentence of any father in America, twenty years. He has already served over 6 years of the 20. Now is the time to free him, as governor Charlie Crist leaves the governorship.

The 2007 Florida law HB667 sponsored by Representative Joe Gibbons mandates a maximum of five years in prison for similar accidents. Mr. Gibbons agrees that Balta should be released.

How can we help? We can phone, email and/or write to Florida Governor Charlie Crist to request a review of Mr. Balta's too-severe sentence. We believe Antonio Balta should be released, since he is not a criminal, but a grieving father. He had no prison record and no drugs or alcohol were involved in his tragic mistake. In the more than 6 years he has been incarcerated he has a proven record as a model prisoner and a master carpenter. Please, dear friends, ask governor Crist to release Antonio Balta now, as he leaves the governorship.

Office of Governor Charlie Crist
State of Florida
The Capitol
400 S. Monroe St.
Tallahassee, FL 32399-000
charlie.crist@myflorida.com
Citizen Services Hotline: (850) 488-4441
Executive Office of the Governor Switchboard:
(850) 488-7146
[Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time]

Free Antonio Balta

2010-11-01T15:30:00.001-07:00

At this writing there is a grieving father in Florida in prison for the accidental death of his baby daughter in the back of the family car. A tragic mistake too often repeated, yes, but nonetheless a mistake.

California, humanely, did not send its grieving father, a college professor to prison, nor even impose probation. But in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Antonio Balta, an uneducated immigrant, was handed the stiffest sentence of any father in America, 20 years!

Now is the time to free Antonio Balta.

It takes a leader of the stature and generosity of governor Charlie Crist to get our nation aware of it's responsibility to treat all it's people fairly.

Instead of being granted the traditional probation or exonerated as other fathers were, this blue collar dad was sentenced to 20 years without appeal, even though no drugs or alcohol were involved and he had no criminal record.

The imprisonment of Antonio Balta is a blight on the good conscience of our country. Antonio is a Peruvian immigrant who worked as a horse groomer at the Hallendale Racetrack. At the time of the accident he had very limited English and little understanding of our court system. No drugs or alcohol were involved. A reserved and quiet man, with no criminal record, he was overwhelmed by the tragedy that had overtaken him and without early legal counsel he could not make an effective defense for himself.

He is now into the 7th year of his 20-year sentence at Sumter Correctional Institution in Bushnell Fl. His incarceration is wasting a million dollars of Florida's critical needed funds.

As governor Crist leaves office now in 2010 here is an inspiring opportunity for him to free Antonio Balta and show the nation a way to more humane and pragmatic leadership.

http://www.soulsite.com/freebalta/

Where have the True Republicans Gone?

2010-10-29T15:09:00.000-07:00

Whatever happened to the once noble Republican party--"the grand old party"--the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and Reagan? As great as Sarah Palin is, a brilliant show woman, of national importance, she is not in the same league as these others.

As certain as the current "so-called" Republicans are that they know what Americans want, and that November will bring a sweeping victory to them, to these blatant anti-Democrats, a surprise may be in store.
Where have the real Republicans gone? They are now the Independents and yes, even the current Democrats. Many of the old Republicans realize that in today's world they have no choice but to be Democrats. The next few days may bring on many unexpected results.

All of this is very confusing not just to the young , the new voters. It's plenty confusing to the oldsters who wonder, what has happened to courtesy, clarity and decency? Because someone can arouse emotions doesn't mean that that is the call to abandon our sanity. And just because party lines have blended and merged, doesn't mean that the new foxes in the hen-yard are going unrecognized as the predators that they are!

The party of "No, Hell-No", belongs on Broadway, in a Broadway musical, with Sarah Palin as the star. If Sarah ever made it to the White House, it will be the comedy of the ages, bar none.

So we can go on, amusing and abusing ourselves and having a great time, but Americans are not so unaware that they don't realize that there is a difference between Government and Show business. President George W. Bush is a charming man, but hardly a scholar. He was at the bottom of his class at Yale. That might not explain some of the mistakes that were made during his administration, but as one voter commented, "this time I'll vote for the person who was at the top of his class". That person is President Obama.

The tea party candidates are a lot of fun but are they qualified to help America compete on the world scene? Lets make our vote count for something real, solid and not just entertainment.

So I guess in conclusion, the message is, think through all things political and try to keep America on a sane and safe pathway. And keep always the common good in mind.

So this year vote democratic to keep our country safer.

The United States is not a Nation of Unthinking People

2010-10-29T14:05:00.000-07:00

It is a nation of people who care, who want prosperity for everyone and blessings to come to the earth.

Just because we have the freedom to place a vote and express an opinion does not mean that we suspend common sense or traditional courtesies.

It does not mean that we vote only for emotion without a sense of reason and concern for others.

It does not mean that we abandon our traditions of careful consideration and dependable action.

It does mean a respect for the truth, a regard for the generous spirit of America and enough love for our country to defend it from harm.

It means that each citizen must bring clarity and sanity to his or her vote. In this year of 2010, Democrats have provided the place for former Republicans and spirited Independents to find a safe haven for that precious vote.

VOTE DEMOCRATIC IN 2010
AND SUPPORT OUR BEST TRADITIONS!

Your Vote Counts

2010-10-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

As an American you have a vote, and that vote counts. But who took over our dependable GOP? Why is our lovable GOP elephant dead?

Dinosaurs have taken over the Republican party. that’s why! Anyone who votes for today’s phony Republicans is unwittingly voting to dead-end America. Failed ideas can not rescue our failing country.

BEWARE, DINOSAURS HAVE NO HEART, NO SOUL AND NO SENSE.

Since when will the dead past ensure a lively future? Failed old ideas will not rescue America! We are already behind on the world scene thanks to the mistakes of the Bush administration. Repeating those mistakes will doom America.

VOTE SMART, VOTE FOR OUR COMMON GOOD, VOTE DEMOCRATIC.

LETS MAKE THE YEAR OF 2010 THE YEAR OF NO MORE CHILD DEATHS IN OVERHEATED CARS

2010-10-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

The Year of Child Rescue from Overheated Cars Must be Now!

1. Every Licensed driver must sign an awareness statement that young children are never to be left alone in cars.

2. Bells and whistles MUST go off externally, warning all in the vicinity that there is a possible catastrophe happening. When such an oversight occurs, loud warnings will prevent tragedy.

3. Laws must be made national and more uniform, less involved with accusation and more with sympathy and empathy, when tragedy occurs, we must acknowledge there is a difference between accidental death and intended crime.

4. We must train our law makers and enforcers to differentiatebetween the two and show compassion and common sense. Our present circumstance is barbaric.

5. GOAL: Make child deaths in hot cars a thing of the past, a grim reminder that fallible human beings will always make mistakes but that the right law can protect and prevent needless dissasters.

We are the car customers and it is up to us to insist on this immediate mercy mission to save precious little lives.

For full information contact Janette Fennell founder and President of Kids and Cars. http://www.kidsandcars.org/

Wars that don't need to be waged but are being fought anyway.

2010-03-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

In the next few days we will know more about the Health Care Bill, and whether it will be passed or not. One would think that health care for once's own countryman could not be a controversial matter. But it is. Even-though it is not a new idea and has been proposed by many Presidents of both parties over the decades it still has not come to pass. If one goes back in history there are interesting discoveries.

Richard Nixon, a Republican president had many marvelous ideas not only on this subject but also in other needed reforms that could have strengthened our country.
Mr. Nixon was a bright man and whatever your opinion of him, credit must be given for many of his inspired ideas.

There were many great minds in the Republican party over the decades who came up with excellent concepts, many of which were ignored by the press of politics at the time. What is clear as crystal today is that what is being called the Republican party now is not the Republican party that we grew up with. It should call itself something else. What used to be considered statesmanship, leadership, and plain integrity seems to have vanished, to the sorrow of many Americans. We can only call on the current minority leaders, Republican Representative John Boehner (R-OH) and Senator Mitch McConnell (R-MI), and tell them that many Republicans want the Health Care bill passed. Not everyone applauds an ungenerous stance on Health Care at this critical juncture in the history of our country.

Now that the whole Health Bill will be presented in it's entirety, word for word, so everyone in America can read it, we still have time to find out the facts. We can redeem our integrity as human beings, as the generous-hearted people that we Americans are and pass this necessary bill.

Health Care, another Conscience Call.

2010-03-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

Another day and the chance to answer another Conscience Call.

At this moment America is in the grasp of historic change. The unanswered question is will there be Health Reform or Health Care for more Americans? Or, will we go into the future fumbling along in a mire of inadequate care and intolerable expense?

Even though for many many years, reform of our delivery of health care has been desired, it has not yet happened. The USA is one of the most powerful of all developed nations, but it is the only one that does not take medical care of all it's people. Just as our President works to fulfill his pledge to correct this unfairness, the two leaders of the Republican party pledge to defeat him. One wonders why this rigid resistance has risen! Let us presume these two gentlemen are acting out of honest conviction, rather than a determined thrust for political power .

For their sakes I hope the bill goes through to bring help to so many despairing families who need medical care. It will help the Republican Party to appear more humane and caring, but even more important, since every human being has to answer for his actions, not only to history but to a call of conscience it will be better not to be pronounced guilty by a saddened world.

So this is a call to every American to live up to the traditions of loyalty and fairness for which we are famous, and not let everybody down by an exercise of petty politics.

The Ides of March, a Significant Date, the Day this Blog Began.

2010-03-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Everyone of us is a citizen, not only of this magnificent country of ours, but also of the Universe. Every person is here for a reason to contribute to the well-being of all others. We are bound to each other and intertwined in ways so mysterious and universal that it eludes the human mind. We are each others guardian.

So we begin today to speak in behalf of the unfortunate, sad, the beleaguered who need some of the sunny and inspiring lift that we can give to each other. Everyone has a conscience and no matter how helpless we feel or how confused we are or how uncertain the path ahead may seem to our limited minds, we all like to participate in the creation of a more beautiful world.

So welcome to everyone, greetings to all, we embrace you, and we hope you'll contribute your ideas and your deepest thoughts and sincerest feelings to this blog.

Welcome to a meeting place of a warm interchange of ideas, theoretical concepts and practical solutions.

Join our circle of friends.
Sincerely,
D.N. Sutton