I just came back from John Kerry's public forum on KidsFirst,

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his legislation that provides for universal health care for children.

I supported it before, but now I'm ready to fight hard for it.

The town hall-style meeting was full with doctors, emergency room nurses, school nurses, retired nurses, parents and concerned citizens.

The stories from the parents and the nurses, coupled with Sen. Kerry's passion for this issue, had many of us crying. (bleeding heart liberals)

A high school girl told how her poor Minneapolis school held a fundraiser so a classmate could get life-saving surgery for a tumor (sound familiar?);

A veteran school nurse with 25 years in St. Paul Public Schools shared how a child who broke his hand on a Friday evening waited until Monday morning so the nurse would look at it and get him some help. The family refused to take him to the doctor because they had no health insurance;

An ER nurse said it's common practice for the uninsured to wait until a child's illness becomes an emergency so they can bring them into the ER. That's the only situation when the health system is required to treat them. She said often, the hospital is filled and they ship these kids to hospitals in Duluth or Rochester, or to S. Dakota;

A grandma-type from a smaller town outstate cried when she told how she is always participating in fundraisers for young children in her community with cancer and other serious diseases;

Betty McCollum relayed how the state House of Representatives just voted to cut Minn Care which will take 30,000 working poor off the sliding-fee state health program;

John Kerry said it's time to get mad and hold those that vote against such legislation as KidsFirst and Minn Care accountable. Let them know that we're watching and that they will be replaced.

He said his goal is to get kids insured first, and then work for universal health care for all. I think it's doable if we stand up and demand it.

An action kit is soon to be added to his website.
http://www.johnkerry.com/features/kidsfirst.html

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1. What was the press turnout? National - Local?

So far, none of the "news" channels have been discussing his legislation or the townhalls even though he has been holding them for awhile now.

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2. I know all four TV stations were there and lots of print photographers

Kerry mentioned that the media is too concerned about "the runaway bride" to cover substative issues. He got loud applause from that.

I'll attach a few photos here after I get them uploaded to photo bucket.

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3. At the Seattle stop the news article there pointed the finger at the media

for ignoring Kerry's work and the real issues of the American people, too. Hopefully, if Kerry is noting the media's failures then other Democrats will force the issue out in the open, as well.

It's the corporate media, stupid. (I only WISH Carville would say that.)

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4. Photos. This is the man that should be our president

He showed me again that he has real compassion for all.

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5. Great pictures (I still am enamored by how handsome he is.).