I need a production crew to help creative a U-Tube video to tell the story about my 30 year old brother, who died from cancer because he couldn't get the health care he needed. Because he didn't have health insurance he couldn't get regular checkups and tests when it would have saved his life. He eventually ended up going by ambulance to an emergency room and several days later he was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. 

Conservatives believe everyone already has health care. They believe everyone can just go to an emergency room and be treated. They believe everyone who shows up at an emergency room gets extensive tests to determine the cause of their ailments. They keep spreading this either out of ignorance, fear or out of absolute disregard for the welfare of their fellow man. And conservative talk show hosts opportunistically feed off of their mostly uninformed, illiterate or ignorant listeners.

Sick and dying people who don't have insurance rarely, if ever, get diagnosed early, when their diseases are easily treatable. If my brother had health insurance his illness would have been diagnosed in its early stages, and he in all likelihood would still be alive. My brother's condition was diagnosed in late 2000, six years after the coalition of conservative republicans and the insurance industry spent millions to spread propaganda and fear to eventually destroy health care reforms being promoted by the democratic party. I feel that because health care reform was defeated in 1994 by those who fought for insurance company profits, rather than for the well being of their fellow man, that they are responsible for his death.

By the time my brother got care he was diagnosed with stage 4 lymphoma. Had he been diagnosed earlier his survival rate could have been at least 95%. My brother was a hard working person, who was always there for others. He helped his parents, friends and anyone else in need. He worked very hard in the jobs he had but he couldn't afford health insurance. The money he earned was used to support his beautiful little son and for life's other necessities, like food, rent and car payments. Had health care reform not been defeated by those who lusted for corporate profits over people's lives, my brother's illness could have been diagnosed with a routine examination and tests. When conservatives say everyone can go to an emergency room and get extensive tests they are either ignorant, in denial or who knowingly and selfishly choose to send their fellow Americans to their deaths. They are also victims of corporate propaganda that is spread by ignorant, dishonest, uncaring or unthoughtful conservatives in the media. 

Conservatives willingly supported instant retaliation against those behind the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks killing 2,819 Americans and even if those our country attacked had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks, had nothing to do with Osama Bin Laden, had never threatened the United States, had nothing to do with Al Qaeda, had no weapons of mass destruction and which had no ability to attack the United States.  While I believe our country should defend itself against all enemies with the full force of our military, it should only do so against those who actually threaten the United States. 

Conservatives are always eager to spend unlimited resources on war, killing and destruction, but always seem reluctant to help those who are poor, sick or oppressed in our own country. There was not one protest from conservatives against the unnecessary Iraq War or the trillion dollars spent to kill and destroy. But now these same people are protesting health care reform. I wish these people could act out of love for their fellow man, as easily as they act out of misplaced vengeance. 

My brother was a veteran. He served in the US Air Force for four years. He served with distinction and received many honors. He was so regarded by the Air Force he was honored to be selected to have breakfast with General Colin Powell. It was an honor my brother cherished.

For 45% of my brother's adult life he served his country. He also helped his family members. He supported his son. He was always there for others in need. He added so much love, support and was always there for so many others. But when he needed help the most he was let down by a system that denied him even what he needed the most, health care. 

No church, charity or conservative stepped forth to help my brother make payments to an insurance company so that his illness could be diagnosed when it could have been treated. Last week, republican Eric Cantor told a woman at a town hall meeting last week that a person who wants health care should sell their houses, cars and all their possessions so they can get health care from the government through Medicaid. According to this republican leader a family should go bankrupt in order to qualify for health care. Cantor doesn't care that 1,000,000 Americans will go bankrupt because of health care costs every year. Cantor doesn't care that one million Americans are losing their homes, cars and retirements every year. And Cantor certainly doesn't care that 45,000 Americans will die this year because of people who share the same callous, inhuman beliefs he has. Representative Cantor's callous remarks mirror the same inhuman attacks by conservative talk show hosts and their listeners who either knowingly, or unwittingly, are pawns to insurance corporations.

Those conservatives who sold out to insurance company profits in 1994 sealed my brother's fate. They essentially killed him. And now, a more mutant crop of conservatives are telling the 45,000 people who die each year because of lack of health care that their lives are expendable. They believe insurance company profits are more valuable than human beings. These conservatives react so easily out of vengeance, but seem unable to do so out of love or concern for others. They were willing to spend unlimited amounts to retaliate against those responsible for killing 2,819 Americans on 9/11, but are now fervently supporting a system that is killing 45,000 Americans every year. The lives of each one of those 45,000 are just as important and as valuable as those lost on September 11, 2001, so why are conservatives so willing to let them die? Why is it 'noble' to use government resources to seek revenge, but a 'government take-over' when we use our resources to help our fellow man?

Conservatives say anyone can get health care anytime they want. But that is absolutely not true. They repeat that lie because that is what they are told by right wing radio and Fox News. And they don't bother to verify what is true, or to try to understand the plights other people are having to face every day. They think only of insurance company profits than helping those who are losing their lives every day. Conservatives will attack anything you write that doesn't fit smoothly into their limited belief system. They ask for sources, links or video proof. But the typical conservative rarely tries to verify what they are told by right wing radio or Fox News. They accept it all as gospel, even though they should know that those they listen to are being paid to say what they say. Even if you provide sources to extremist conservatives they will reject them (and the truth) if the source isn't a right wing source.

There are about 1,400 insurance companies, each with their own bureaucracies, complex systems of paperwork and 1,400 CEOs and tens of thousands of insurance company executives. Conservatives cheer when these people siphon off 30% in overhead from every dollar that flows through their insurance systems, while condemning the paltry 4% overhead costs associated with government-ran programs like Medicare. Somehow conservatives believe having 1,400 bureaucracies is more efficient than one. They believe 1,400 different systems is more effective than one. 

Every doctor I have asked is upset with the status quo. They have to hire huge staffs of people just to process the mountain of paperwork to be compensated. They have to first get permission from insurance companies before they can treat their patients. Insurance companies already are 'death panels' because faceless, nameless people in insurance company cubicles routinely deny care to the sick and dying. And they get rewarded for denying care.

Conservatives must believe it is better to force doctors to hire huge staffs of paper-shufflers than to hire more nurses or health care professionals. It is sad that the highest paid people in the 'health care industry' are insurance executives, not doctors. Even those who volunteer to work in hospitals to help patients do more in one day to help the sick than an insurance company executive does in a lifetime. 

But conservatives will defend the status quo without even trying to modify or improve the system. They will blindly defend corporate profits over the lives of human beings, citing 'liberty', 'freedom' and 'capitalism'. They never think of people like my brother who they let die, even though my brother served his country for four years in the Air Force. My brother even defended these conservatives the right to deny him health care. My brother was denied the ultimate freedom of 'life' by those who who believe it is more patriotic to wave flags made by communist Chinese slaves or to put 'I Support the Troop' magnets on their cars than it is to help the sick.

The same kind of people who defeated health care reform in 1994 are saying they have a plan of their own now, but they don't. Republican John Boenher, a ranking republican senator, said in July 2009 he and the republican party would be releasing a health care proposal of their own, but now it is more than 2 months later and they still do not have any credible reform packages being proposed. 

Conservatives do not want reform. Not once while republicans controlled both houses of congress between 1994 and 2007 did they propose one health reform bill. And not once did President Bush propose health care reform in his eight years as president between 2001 and 2009. It is obvious conservatives do not want health care reform, and when you see how much money that has flowed from insurance company profits into the pockets of these republican (and some democrat) representatives, it is not hard to understand where their loyalty lies. These representatives do not represent people. They represent corporations who have no concern for the lives of human beings.

The video program I want to produce will be a very personal story about my brother. He is a perfect example of why we need health care reform. His story is just one that is being played out 45,000 times a year in our country. Forty-five thousand Americans will die this year, and every year because of a system that rewards greed, excess, waste, fraud and total unconcern for our fellow man. Conservatives always profess to 'support our troops', but in 1994 they worked to prevent people like my brother, a veteran, from getting the health care he needed to live. And now, the same kind of callous, indifferent and uncaring people are trying to fight to keep people like my brother from getting health care. Conservatives don't care if people like my brother die. All they care about is maintaining a system that allows 1,400 insurance companies to control a rigged system where they put profit over peoples' lives. 

I need a co-writer, videographer, editor and production assistants for this project. I will also need volunteers to provide the production equipment needed. This is a work of love so I am looking for volunteers. I will not be able to pay for anyone's services. But all volunteers will get rewarded by knowing they have produced a documentary exposing the truth about the current health care system and hopefully save thousands of people's lives. What greater reward can one receive than to be there for other people, your neighbors, your families, your fellow man. 

Contrary to conservatives, the people who need health care are not 'deadbeats', 'illegal aliens' or 'freeloaders'. They are human beings like my brother who work hard, but who are unable to pay outrageously high insurance premiums. They are people who have temporarily fallen on hard times. Or they are people who have faithfully paid their insurance premiums only to be cancelled just when they need a life-saving operation. 

The estimated date when I would like this project completed is the end of November 2009. Because I want to highlight my brother's life, I will provide photographs of my him from when he was a baby until he became sick with cancer. I also want to include pictures of my brother while he was on active duty and serving his country. 

I will appreciate any suggestions, help, or other assistance in the production of this program. I do respectfully ask that those who are against health care reform to refrain from sending me messages of hatred, or attack my brother. When he died it broke my heart so please do not try to hurt me even more with your typical vicious attacks. My brother was a US veteran. So am I. My only objective is to try to save the lives of as many people as I can. Shouldn't that be the goal of all of us? Shouldn't we all always try to be our brother's keepers? 

Thank you for your interest in this humanitarian project.