My New Blog

I started a new blog because my first one had drifted away from my original intentions.  I have many things that interest me, but politics soon overwhelmed all of the them.  And since I think that much of today's culture consists of things that are so stupid that most of us wish we could whip out a magic wand a la Harry Potter and dispose of the boggarts by yelling "Riddikulous!", I decided to devote this blog to those items and leave my original blog to my many other interests.

So, almost five years later I've decided to try and centralize those items that reflect the decline of logical thinking and the increase in lemming activity.

I have the same feelings about Obama as I did about Bush.  They both reflect the worst that politics has to offer.  Neither one had or has had any interest in helping the majority of Americans unless it was time for an election or they were consolidating the power of their donors and wanted to keep the populace as quiet as possible until the deed was done.

Our so-called elected "Representatives" are about as useful as throwing gasoline on a fire.  They neither represent us nor do they maintain the checks and balances the Founding Fathers envisioned for them.

And the Supreme Court?  The current version is determined to make Dred Scott look like a high point of jurisprudence.  Corporations are not people, they are businesses run by people and should not have the same, or more, rights than a kindergarten teacher.  Besides having more money than most individuals, they now have more influence in an election.  Like a double double at In-N-Out burger.  They get to buy votes as a corporation and the same individuals who decide who the corporation backs also get to throw in their two centsmillions any time they want.  And the best part?  Most of those people sit on more than one board of directors, so they have even more influence.  Isn't that lovely?

Public figures do stupid things all the time so this blog won't always be about politics, but it will be about things that make you go "huh?"

I'm a couple of days behind, so let's start with Tom Tancredo and his "literacy" tests.  I'm all for them.  Especially for the people currently in power.  What the almost never right party of "No, because I said so!" Republicans and the "I can't find my balls with two hands and a flashlight" Demowienies have in common, is a complete lack of understanding of how to run this country effectively.  And they have communicated that to their die hard followers.  The sky is what we should be aiming for, not running into the ground like a plane without a pilot.

Yesterday's favorite was Michael Steele's "after taxes a million dollars isn't a lot of money."  I'm willing to give it a try since I know plenty of people who are living on less than ten thousand a year and they work for a living instead of giving speeches on subjects that affect less than two percent of the American population.

I'm sure that with a little more research there will be more to come.  Unfortunately.

BBB and The Stupid For The Day

Saturday Morning Observations

Supposedly the first thing you should do when you find yourself in a hole is to quit digging.  Unfortunately for the Republican party, their goal seems to be China.  Not content to be the minority party they are now trying to be the minuscule party.  The dittoheads and Palinites want to purge the party of those who don't believe exactly as they do.  If this means getting rid of people who are already serving in office, well, so be it.  To the teabaggers it is better to have nothing than it is to appeal to more citizens or to be relevant.

Josef Stalin was also extremely fond of purging and millions of people died because of it.  Funny thing is he started with his own party and as his paranoia grew, so did the circle of people he considered to be disloyal.  Eventually generals and peasants alike were purged and Big Brother was officially born.

But the impetus to "cleanse" the social body rapidly spilled beyond these elite boundaries, and the greatest impact of the Purge was felt in the wider society -- where millions of ordinary Soviet citizens assisted in "unmasking" their compatriots. Frank Smitha describes this mass hysteria well, writing that

A society that is intense in its struggle for change has a flip side to its idealism: intolerance. People saw enemies everywhere, enemies who wanted to destroy the revolution and diminish the results of their hard work and accomplishments, enemies who wanted to restore capitalism for selfish reasons against the collective interests of the nation. If those at the top of the Communist Party and an old revolutionary like Trotsky could join the enemy, what about lesser people? In factories and offices, mass meetings were held in which people were urged to be vigilant against sabotage. It was up to common folks to make the distinction between incompetence and intentional wrecking [i.e., sabotage], and any mishap might be blamed on wrecking. Denunciations became common. Neighbors denounced neighbors. Denunciations were a good way of striking against people one did not like, including one's parents, a way of eliminating people blocking one's promotion, and ... a means of proving one's patriotism. Many realized that some innocent people were being victimized, and the saying went around that "when you chop wood the chips fly." As with Lenin, it was believed that some who were innocent would have to be victimized if all of the guilty were to be apprehended.

History is a pesky thing and while some might say that today's political purges aren't violent, calling for a revolution is one step in that direction.  Eventually an innocent person is going to die due to the intolerance now making its way through the country, but the teabaggers are so far gone that they will consider it a step in the right direction.  Returning this country to a McCarthy like existence with a 1984 mindset and 2009 technology enforcement capabilities.  Does anybody think this will end well?

Better late than never. Now that female Vietnam War veterans are in their sixties, it's time to investigate how the war affected their health.  As with men, a good guess would be, poorly.

Well, that was depressing.  Hopefully this should bring a smile to almost anyone's face.

BBB

Things I Don't Understand

Why should I, or anyone else, care that Nidal Hasan is paralyzed from the nipples down?  There are thirteen people who would be more than happy to trade places with him but they can't because they're dead.  By his hand.  If there was any justice he would have CRPS instead.

The new Air Force commercial.  The tag line is that "it's not science fiction, it's what we do every day".  On what planet?  At approximately 11 seconds in there are two moons on the horizon, how is this not science fiction?  Or a video game?

Why do more Americans attribute a bible saying to Obama than to the Bible?

The Plan.  Mao would be so...honored.  Statistically speaking, Glenn Beck's attempt at destroying America is doomed to fail.  Melanin impaired Americans are becoming a minority and all the ranting, raving, bigotry and hatred are not going to change that.  He can try to co-opt as many national holidays as he wants, he will never be the equal of Martin Luther King.   And so-called "voter education events" are laughable.  Self reliance and community organizing.  I thought he hated ACORN, now I see he's just jealous.

Hypocrisy.  Has the definition changed?  Inconceivable!  What I want to know is, how many Republicans used the abortion benefit before the cat was out of the bag?

Purity oaths?  The Republicans might find candidates who fulfill the requirements, but  they won't find a majority of voters who agree with them.  Sometimes young people are a little savvier than they are given credit for and more than likely won't vote against their own best interests.  They'll leave that job to the old people.

BBB

This 'N That

OMG!  People have lost their freakin' minds.  Funny how the right likes to quote the Founding Fathers as gospel whenever the subject of gun ownership comes up, but not for anything else. John Adams, the Founding Father most likely to be ignored by those ruled by their reptilian brain, once said "we are a government of laws, not of men". And two even more appropriate quotes to the discussion of whether or not terrorists should be tried in New York, which directly suffered from the crimes of the accused, are also from Mr. Adams

Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.

And, even more importantly:

The law no passion can disturb. 'Tis void of desire and fear, lust and anger. 'Tis mens sine affectu, written reason, retaining some measure of the divine perfection. It does not enjoin that which pleases a weak, frail man, but, without any regard to persons, commands that which is good and punishes evil in all, whether rich or poor, high or low. 'Tis deaf, inexorable, inflexible. On the one hand it is inexorable to the cries and lamentations of the prisoners; on the other it is deaf, deaf as an adder, to the clamors of the populace.

Both of those statements were made while defending the British soldiers after the Boston Massacre.  Inconvenient truths, indeed.  But not nearly as inconvenient as old Ben.

Any people that would give up liberty for a little temporary safety deserves neither liberty nor safety.

The Republicans wetting their pants are determined we shall have neither.  Honestly, why are they so scared?  Timothy McVeigh was tried, convicted and executed by the same justice system, why isn't it good enough for foreign terrorists?  What do we stand to lose by showing the world, and ourselves, that we apply the law equally (sort of) to every accused criminal?  Or is it that New York isn't Texas and Republicans are afraid that the state can't meet the burden of proof?  New York has plenty of experience, they paid the highest price and they deserve to prosecute the offenders.  Or at least the ones hat are still living.

My pug is cuter than a French bulldog.  Of course that is my biased opinion, but Shai always gets attention when we go out, as do most brachycephalic breeds.  One of the reasons I got her was to meet people and she definitely accomplishes that, but all they want to do is talk about how cute she is.  It's amazing how everyone knows the names of the dogs at the park and who they belong to but not the owners names.  And sometimes we talk to each other for hours.  About our dogs.

The health care debate rages on, with nothing useful being accomplished.  I will probably never leave Reno, the VA facilities are too good.  I had another asthma incident this week but they nipped that sucker in the bud.  My doctor had switched me from Flovent to Asmanex, it got a little colder one morning and even though I stayed two aisles away from the soap aisle in the grocery store, wham!  Three hours after I arrived at the urgent care clinic I was out the door with an antibiotic because I was at risk for pneumonia, tapered doses of methylprednisone to reduce the inflammation in my lungs (and as a side effect my joints feel better) and Tessalon Pearls for the coughing since I'm allergic to codeine.  This is in addition to the blood pressure med and the synthroid I just started because my thyroid is giving up the ghost according to the doctor.  Mom is 79 and only takes two meds, this does not bode well for my old age.

When I worked at Universal Studios the secretaries were unionized and when our contract came up for renewal several things happened.  The first time they initiated a two tier wage system and then got rid of everyone on the top tier.  You get what you pay for and at $7 an hour in Hollywood all you get are bimbos who want to meet a movie star.  It took about six months and 90 percent of us had our jobs back.  I was working in the black tower, which happens to be a closed environment, during the second set of negotiations.  This time Universal got the bright idea to eliminate sick days because they said the secretaries were using them for personal business.  Flu season came around and within days half the building (executives) were out sick because the secretaries worked while ill and recirculated air contaminated with viruses was distributed around the building.  Sick days mysteriously showed up again.

I'm glad I renewed my library card.  Friday night television is just like Saturday night.  Useless for entertainment.  CBS, which doesn't have very many successful new shows, has cut the amount of episodes of Numb3rs to 16 from 22 as it prepares to cancel it.  Not for lack of viewers, but because they say it's too expensive since it's been on so long.  Fox canceled Dollhouse after completely botching the timing, audience and advertising.  What do those two shows have in common?  You have to pay attention.

BBB

Insanity And Heartlessness

I'd say that Malkin is out of her mind, but that assumes she has one and you know what they say about assuming.  She does have an extremely fertile imagination and an inability to face reality which is reminiscent of most people who are off their rockers. The never right wing of the GOP would like to blame the loss of NY-23 on Dede Scozzafava when it was themselves who engineered the defeat of their party in a district that hadn't voted for a Democratic representative in 138 years.  They sabotaged the original candidate and totally forgot about the people who actually live in the district while engaging in their hate filled campaign to purge the party.  Bloodletting isn't a viable option in medicine and it doesn't look like it's that good for politics either.

Ever since Reagan broke PATCO the average joe in this country has been headed down the path to financial ruin.  Jobs have disappeared at a phenomenal rate, only to reappear in another country done by workers who are paid as little as possible.  Levis are no longer manufactured in America along with many other products that kept the American worker employed and able to purchase those same products.  Meanwhile in the lala land that exists in corporate boardrooms, much joy was to be found in their ever expanding bottom line.  Until so many Americans were out of work that products couldn't be sold and more layoffs ensued.  Homes were lost, families uprooted and gypsies were created.  Can serfdom be far behind?  40 acres and a mule sounds pretty good in comparison to what some people have now, which is nothing.

Balancing the budget on the backs of the people who can least afford it.  Then they die.  And not one Republican complained about that death panel.

Had my first appointment at the VA hospital yesterday and was more than pleasantly surprised.  I got my seasonal flu shot, had my blood work done and the longest visit I have ever had with a doctor.  I feel like I was listened to, viable suggestions were made and it didn't cost me a thing.  Except for the time I spent in the military.  My prescriptions are being mailed to me and outreach programs to increase my quality of life are available.  If I was homeless there would be even more help to get me back on my feet.  And they have an emergency room.

Speaking of emergency rooms, I had to take mom in on Sunday.  It looked like she had broken her wrist but after taking her blood pressure she was moved directly into a room.  Her EKG shows that her heartbeat is irregularly irregular and that isn't a good thing.  When she sleeps she isn't getting enough oxygen and her heartbeat goes haywire.  Her COPD is getting worse and that is accelerating her dementia.  I feel sorry for her but now it's all about the waiting.  Not a peep from either brother, am I obligated to let them know when she passes?

BBB

They Say

What I don't understand about Republicants is that they say human life is sacred.  Until it's born.  Or in a country they believe should be bombed because they don't like its leader. 

They say every child has a right to life and then do everything in their power to make life harder for the child to succeed after it's had its first breath.  They say the poor and minorities have too many children as they restrict access to birth control and abortion.  Viagra, on the other hand, will probably be available over the counter in a few years. 

They wail and gnash their teeth about sixteen year olds having sex because they don't know the consequences of their actions, yet are perfectly comfortable sending thirteen year olds to prison for life.  And are sad that the Supreme Court won't let them put them to death.

They talk about supporting the troops, which really means sending them into as many armed conflicts as possible so they can use as much replaceable killing equipment as possible, but don't want to do anything to support those same troops once they have been injured or have returned home to families that don't know them anymore and to jobs that no longer exist.

They say people should find jobs to support their families instead of using welfare and food stamps and then continue to make it easier for corporations to send their operations overseas leaving whole neighborhoods and towns to be decimated by unemployment.  Then they give the corporations an even bigger tax break saying it will encourage companies to create more jobs.  Overseas.

They say people should get an education to get ahead and then cut or eliminate programs designed to do just that.  They say they want children to learn, as long as it doesn't involve free thinking, history, civics, biology or the arts. 

They say you should support the president under any and all circumstances, until it's a president they didn't elect.  

They say they believe in freedom of religion, as long as it's Christianity.  They say they believe in freedom of speech, yet object when it's anybody but them speaking. They say they believe in freedom of the press, as long as it's printing their point of view.  They say they believe in freedom of assembly, as long as you are a teabagger, birther or watch Fox New on a daily basis, not if you are against the war, oil corporations or the police killing unarmed civilians.

They say they have the right to bear arms while totally ignoring the well regulated militia requirement.

They say America is the land of the free, yet we have the highest rate of incarceration in the world.  They say America is the home of the brave, yet most decisions made since 9/11 have been based on fear.

They say...a lot of things I don't believe in.

BBB

Saturday Morning Observations

Hmm, Byron York in the Washington Examiner has an article about how lefty anger could sink the Demowienies in 2010.  As if the Republicants are happy with their choices for candidates.  Perhaps the problem is that all of the choices suck, it doesn't matter if you're Republicans or Democrats.  Maybe the reason why the congressional approval ratings are so low is because the majority of them are useless sycophants out to line their own pockets and don't represent the interests of the people who voted for them.  It's just a thought.

The H1N1 virus is killing people who are obese or morbidly obese more frequently than in the past and the doctors seem mystified.  Did they pay attention in medical school?  Earlier in the article it's stated that for the people at risk the H1N1 virus affects the lower lungs as opposed to the usual invasion of the upper respiratory tract.  As an asthma patient I can tell you that my lung function tests reflected an almost twenty percent increase when I lost fifty pounds.  With less fat in the way, my lungs had more room to expand and at the same time more carbon dioxide was expelled, which increased the amount of oxygen my lungs were able to take in.  One of the things I noticed during an asthma attack is that I tend to try and suck more air in without trying to exhale which means that the only the upper lungs are working.  The lower lungs are congested and when I focus on exhaling forcefully, I tend to get a deeper, more satisfying breath.  Being fat makes this more difficult.  Duh.

I'm confused.  Does the NY Times have a time machine?  Today is October 17, 2009 and at the moment it is 11:44 am.  How do they know for sure that the article on the overreaction to the H1N1 virus is going to appear tomorrow?

A version of this article appeared in print on October 18, 2009, on page A1 of the New York edition

It's written in the past tense. Writing it today is one thing but a lot can happen in the next twelve hours as I'm sure Thomas Dewey would have explained to them.  Or if this asteroid had come a little closer.

It's not that I think the H1N1 virus isn't a problem that might become worse, at least some lessons were learned from SARS, but a better focus might be how the many people who don't have health insurance are going to receive adequate treatment and if hospitals are strained already why isn't something being done to change that?  Eight months into the pandemic and still not enough ventilators.  That's like eight years into the Afghanistan debacle and the troops still don't have dependable weapons.  Too bad we don't manufacture things in this country anymore, these problems would have been nipped in the bud thirty years ago.  Viva la corporations!  There bottom line is everything and now Americans are at the bottom of the line.

BBB

Please Clarify

Why do Republicans feel that our current so-called liberal President should only appoint conservatives to posts while a conservative president does not need to appoint any liberals while in office.  Why is their point of view so much more important than mine?  I'm an American citizen and I deserve representation also.  Why does it always have to be a one way street with these guys?

Stand and deliver?  From the Democrats?  Have you started inhaling?  I love ya Bill, but the spineless toads we have as representatives are more like run and hide.  The Republicans may be the party of no, but the Democrats have become the party of no balls.  Except for that Barney Frank guy.

And while I am also loathe to have a discussion with a dining room table, to Saxby Chambliss I say "Fuck you!"  I hardly ever cuss on my blog and I'm not an Obama supporter per se, but Mr. Chambliss really has gone one step over the line.  Whether you like it or not, Obama is the president and deserves the respect due that office.  The President doesn't have to express humility any more than Mr. Chambliss has to express intelligence.  And since Chambliss hasn't expressed any intelligence (but his racist freak flag is flying), I hope Obama doesn't express any humility during his speech to those who are supposedly our elected representatives but in actuality are highly paid goons sponsored by so many lobbyists and special interest groups that they have become the death panels that some nitwitted politician has so helpfully brought to our attention.

The American people have become expendable and it is the corporations über alles.  The minute healthcare reform became about health insurance reform the battle was lost.  Debtor's prisons are going to have to be built for the people who won't be able to pay for the mandates or the thirty five percent of their medical costs that won't be covered because they can't afford the top tier plan.  I want Medicare and I don't want to wait until I'm sixty five.  Medical care is a right, not a privilege.  The emergency room isn't treatment, it's a fall back position.  Oh yeah, when people can't afford car insurance or a car, they take public transportation.

Farrah Fawcett dies and Schwarzenegger cuts spending for victims of domestic violence.  The two probably have nothing to do with each other but the timing worked so I threw it in there.  Whatever the reason, domestic violence shelters are beginning to close their doors  during an economic downturn when violence typically increases.  It takes real arrogance for an overbuilt man to think that women and children who are beaten and abused will be able to change their situation without help and a safe place to stay.  Even in this day and age the police are not always willing to help victims of domestic violence, otherwise they would enforce protective orders a little more vigilantly.

It's interesting how the right wing thinks that every life is sacred.  At least until it's born, then it's every man for themselves.  Women are only supposed to do what they're told and have lots of babies that neither they or the planet can afford.  And if kids reach eighteen in one piece the right wing is all too willing to send them off to war or put them to death for an increasing number of crimes.  Education, housing, food, economic security and health care are for the peasants to provide for themselves.  If the kids do make it to old age the right wing is suddenly interested in them all over again to ensure that the elderly suffer until their last painful breath because nobody should interfere with God's will.  The right wing call themselves Christians because they say they believe in Jesus but they want the world to operate by way of the Old Testament.  What's up with that?

BBB

The Morality Of The Right

Waah! Waah! Waah!  Imagine that you are capable of intelligent thought instead of being a self serving crybaby and conflating two separate issues in one whining article.  Yes, becoming a doctor is a grueling, time consuming and expensive endeavor.  But it is one which should be considered if your primary reason for doing it is to help people.  If it's to pad your pocketbook then you should have been a stockbroker.  Since when is earning a lot of money a moral right?

Now imagine how you would feel if the rest of us got together and proposed that the government should become the primary client for medical services. As part of the deal, the government will determine how much you will be paid. Lawyers, business executives, electricians, and plumbers (to name but a few) will all be allowed to command what the market will pay for their services-but not you. Simply because it is possible that a majority may be found who think this scheme is a good idea, you may lose all the benefits of offering your services in a free economy.

Is this situation really fair? Have your fellow citizens honored your inherent rights and freedoms? They have not, and this why a public option is so offensive. It represents a move by a majority of citizens to control the economic well-being of a person who has endured extraordinary hardship and trials in order to become a much-needed provider of medical services.

I've had doctors like him and it is one of the many reasons I don't trust them and why health care reform is so necessary. Ever since it became business oriented the quality of the care provided and the quality of the provider have suffered. We make fun of Cuba but we are just above them when it comes to health care outcomes. Perhaps people should think about that instead of "death panels".

Which is why I'm confused by something.  During Terri Schiavo's last weeks and after her death many people crafted living wills and discussed advanced directives with their loved ones and swore to each other they would never let that happen in their family.  So why is end of life counseling so bad now?  Nobody gets out of here alive but a little dignity would be nice.

Having repeated sex with a woman who isn't your wife isn't "legally wrong" according to John Ensign.   He feels this way because he didn't get on television and lie about his affair.  Here in Nevada serial adultery isn't legally wrong but in the Republican world it is supposed to be morally wrong.  Especially if your name is John Edwards.

When dealing with people going through a mid-life crisis I like to ask the question "would you let an 18 year old make a decision for you?" and the answer is always "of course not".  So then I ask 'why would you let a decision you made at 18 run the rest of your life?" and most people will say "that's a really good point".  Meanwhile, you can't legally buy cigarettes until you're 18, you can't legally drink until you're 21 but you can face life imprisonment at the age of twelve.  If society (and biology) judges you incapable of making good choices until your late teens and early twenties what in the world makes anyone think that a twelve year old has a grasp on life and how momentary impulses determine how their life will proceed from that point?  Twelve year olds aren't allowed to make their own health care decisions or decide whether or not they will attend school and occasionally they get to have some input on custodial arrangements during their parent's divorce but that is the limit of decisions they are trusted with. 

For a supposedly Christian nation we certainly are judgmental when it suits us.  John Ensign (51) knew what he was doing was wrong.  Every single time he had sex with his friend's wife.  And then he tried to cover it up.  With his parent's help.  That type of hypocritical behavior is deemed okay even though it is against one of the Ten Commandments (actually he broke two of them) the right is so fond of.  Demarco Harris (12) made a bad choice and broke one (possible future CIA or Blackwater employee?) but owned up to it.  A life sentence seems a little harsh for a twelve year old whose perception of time makes Christmas and birthdays seem to come rarely as opposed to a 50 year old where they always seem to be right around the corner.

BBB

I'm Wondering

While being wimpy and inept is the hallmark of Democrats and their "leadership" (who honestly thinks that pharmaceutical companies are going to agree to lower prices?), is being a Republican synonymous with being a hypocrite?  I ask this because it's been more than obvious that the Democrats don't have the balls to enact legislation that their constituents elected them to pass as they are irretrievably beholden to their corporate masters, but the constant assault on programs that help people while promising to improve their lives by other means is a Republican trademark.

I have no health insurance.  I've been turned down many times due to my asthma and a couple of kidney stones and the one plan that would take me was almost $500 a month with a deductible of $5000 and $50 office visits.  Just for myself.  Mom is covered by Medicare and Medicaid covers her monthly premium.

Having grown up with a single payer health system, courtesy of the USAF, I have no objections to it.  The arguments about the government rationing health care are just that.  Arguments.  Arguments that have no basis in reality since the reality is that I and 47 million other Americans have no coverage at all.  And never will if the Republican versions of the health bills are the ones considered and enacted.  And just like in California, seniors (who made this country what it is) and children (who are the nation's future) will bear the brunt of the health insurance "improvements".

The bill’s failure to make coverage affordable for many low-income people is especially serious because the bill would also eliminate Medicaid coverage for low-income children, parents, and seniors, pushing tens of millions of vulnerable people into the private insurance market. Low-income Medicaid beneficiaries tend to be in poorer health and are more likely to have chronic illnesses than people enrolled in private insurance; if forced to purchase coverage on their own, many likely would find the premiums unaffordable.

In addition, low-income seniors who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare would face substantially higher costs, because under the bill as drafted, Medicaid would no longer pay their Medicare premiums and cost-sharing. Seniors would have to start paying out of their own pockets the Medicare Part B premiums (which now total $1,157 a year), Medicare co-payments (which equal 20 percent of the cost of many outpatient services), and Medicare deductibles (which can run as high as $1,068 in the case of a hospitalization). For many low-income seniors, these charges would be unaffordable. (Summaries of the bill that its sponsors have circulated say that Medicare would assume these charges, but that clearly is not the case under the legislation they have introduced.[2]) The bill would also turn Medicaid coverage for long-term care services into a block grant, placing vulnerable groups at risk for significant benefit and eligibility cuts.

And why are low-income citizens in poorer health and have chronic illnesses than people with private insurance?  Could it be that they don't have access is regular health care and their only option is to wait until their symptoms are bad enough that they go to the emergency room? By any other name that is rationing by way of class warfare.

Republican twaddle has revved up the uninformed masses to something that is beginning to resemble a mob mentality.  And like most mobs they invariably act against their own best interests.

BBB

Monday Morning Musings

How much more study is needed before the soldiers get the help they need?  When ten guys from one unit have been accused of murder, attempted murder, and manslaughter, maybe more study isn't needed and the next step should be admitting there is a problem and doing something to change it for the better.

Almost all those soldiers were kids, too young to buy a beer, when they volunteered for one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Almost none had serious criminal backgrounds. Many were awarded medals for good conduct.

Obviously the military brass learned nothing from the aftermath of the Vietnam War.   What these kids were asked to do time after time against a dehumanized enemy will affect them and everyone around them for the rest of their lives.  And with the loyalty that the chickenhawks don't have, these kids will be he recipients of the next "we must be tough on crime" wave and spend the rest of their lives in a physical prison to go along with the prison of their minds.

I've been a Cincinnati Reds fan for most of my life.  I started with the Big Red Machine because I had a crush on Johnny Bench and thought that Joe Morgan, Ken Griffey, Tony Perez and Dave Concepcion were the best teammates in the world.  And Tom Seaver was pretty darn cute.  For the record, I never liked Pete Rose and that had nothing to due with his abilities.  It had to do with the sneer he always seemed to have, not very attractive.  While I may not like him personally, he was a great ball player and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.  Gambling had nothing to do with his skills or performance and he should be recognized for them.  Considering the antics of what passes for a star nowadays, maybe it's time for the Hall of Shame to be reviewed.

Cocktails!  I'm seeing something from the Star Trek Universe.  A sleek black tablet with a touchscreen and the ability to look up information, play music and relay messages sounds like a good start.

As the saying goes, if all you is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail.  One of the problems with letting everyone have guns, is that everyone has guns.  Even people with known anger problems.  And this has a tendency to end in the deaths of police officers.  While I may think that the police have strayed from their mission of "to protect and serve", they don't deserve to die serving a warrant.

Of course he is.  Opposing Roberts and Alito was portrayed as partisan and being a bad sport, but opposing Sotomayor is okay because he has concerns about her positions on gun rights and white firefighters who like to sue their employers.  Sessions needs a session with mental health care provider.

My personal favorite of the beer labels banned in Maine is the last one.  Nut-Browned Ale sounds a little toasty, doesn't it?


BBB

Debating The Issues. Not.

So, the political discourse in this country has devolved into equating the Speaker of the House with the second most disgusting term for a woman's anatomy.  While I thought Sarah Palin was a moron, I would never have referred to her using nasty nicknames because there were too many other terms that were appropriate.  Idiot, clueless and inciter of hatred being among them, the mini me version of Limbaugh.  Palin was picked as a VP candidate only because she was a woman not because she was competent or had skills and knowledge that the position needed.  The woman, and I use that term loosely, I would describe using the "C" word would be Ann Coulter and only because she invites vulgarity as she drips vitriol and reeks of self importance when she attacks the 9/11 families.  Coulter isn't an elected official, she is a tacky pundit and a fear monger in her own right.

But when you see Nancy Pelosi, the Republican National Committee wants you to think “Pussy Galore.”

At least that’s the takeaway from a video released by the committee this week – a video that puts Pelosi side-by-side with the aforementioned villainess from the 1964 James Bond film “Goldfinger.”

The RNC video, which begins with the speaker’s head in the iconic spy-series gun sight, implies that Pelosi has used her feminine wiles to dodge the truth about whether or not she was briefed by the CIA on the use of waterboarding in 2002. While the P-word is never mentioned directly, in one section the speaker appears in a split screen alongside the Bond nemesis – and the video’s tagline is “Democrats Galore.”

The wisdom of equating the first woman speaker of the House with a character whose first name also happens to be among the most vulgar terms for a part of the female anatomy might be debated – if the RNC were willing to do so, which it was not. An RNC spokesperson refused repeated requests by POLITICO to explain the point of the video, or the intended connection between Pelosi and Galore.

I don't like Pelosi because I feel she is ineffectual, she protested too much and then folded, giving the Bush administration more than they wanted. Every time.  Yet Republicans maintain that she's incompetent when it should be the Democrats who should be yelling at the top of their lungs. Do I think she lied? You betcha! But probably not about the briefing since the Bush administration wasn't well known for openness. Besides, the important question here is whether or not torture occurred, not when she knew about it.

The Republicans are trying to have it both ways, they want to have their cake and eat it too. If Ms. Pelosi was briefed in 2002 then that means the Bush administration was torturing people and all those involved should be punished. Then, and only then, Ms. Pelosi should be investigated and censured, not the other way around. The Republicans want Pelosi penalized for a crime they swear was never committed and if it was then it was justified but she should be punished for not letting anyone know about it. That only makes sense to anyone who isn't capable of stringing two related thoughts together. Or hasn't taken a logic class.

And what do Ms. Pelosi's looks have to do with job performance, such as it is? Tip O'Neill wasn't that great looking and that was never an issue while he was Speaker. And don't even get me started on Dennis Hastert. Besides, Honor Blackman was quite attractive. In true Republican fashion they really wanted to equate Pelosi's looks with Irma Bunt or Rosa Klebb but their names weren't offensive enough.

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Like A Bad Penny

If I was Colin Powell and knew where the bodies were buried I would seriously think about whether or not I owed any loyalty to the Bush/Cheney administration and then report immediately to the Hague, Spain or our most useless Justice department and clear my conscience.  Let the chips fall where they may but I wouldn't for one second more think about how I had compromised everything I held dear just to keep those bozos out of jail.  Neither the administration nor the Republican party deserves my loyalty since they haven't shown me any.

And what in the world makes Cheney think that he is a Republican, he's not.  What he is though, is a five time draft evader, a torturer, a traitor, a hate monger, a liar of the first order and a criminal for the war crimes he authorized and idolizes.  He is even slimier than Limpballs, and that is saying something. Why hasn't he faded into obscurity like every other vice president?  He doesn't deserve to be a Jeopardy question but he continues babbling his bushit on Sunday morning talk shows.  How to "Shoot Friends and Interrogate People".  Indeed.

Good grief, the twerp just can't shut up.  The person that is hurting this country the most is the same one who was hell bent on destroying it in the first place.  And his name isn't Osama or Obama, it is Cheney.  In my life there have been very few people that I have actively hated, they can be counted on one hand and don't include my thumb, but Cheney leads the pack.  I would rather be forced to live with my ex mother-in-law for the rest of my life than to have Cheney continue to...it wouldn't be prudent for me to put into print.  Good God I hate that sorry ass excuse for a man.

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From Obscurity To Stupidity

She's no Vanessa Williams, that's for sure.  She isn't as classy, pretty, talented or graceful and she certainly isn't as natural.  She doesn't take responsibility for her actions or her words, always blaming someone else.  Which isn't really a surprise given her "beliefs".  She lied on her application and the fact that someone released a risque photo that she posed for is not an attack on her beliefs, it demonstrates that she is a hypocritical liar. It's long past the time for her to fade into obscurity, where she belongs.

Speaking of fading into obscurity, Mr. and Mrs. Edwards need to do the same.  I was a John Edwards supporter for many years but I can't and won't get past the fact that he lied and let down the people who most needed his help, his children and the poor.  The poor have been forgotten as this drama has turned into tabloid fodder.  And bad tabloid fodder at that.

Wow!  The definition of work certainly has changed.  Globetrotting workaholic?  So that's what they are calling it these days.  Spoiled floozy seems like a better description.

Cash for clunkers is a misnomer.  In order to get the cash you have to be willing to buy, and make payments on, a new car.  I don't have a job and even if I did my credit sucks, so trading in my 17mpg car is out of the question.  Actually, I'm going to have to sell it and take the money to buy food, mom's medications and pay off the deposit on the apartment.  Hopefully some enterprising person will buy it and then they can trade it in for a new car, I'll be taking the bus.

If marijuana was legalized, we wouldn't have to worry about things like this and law enforcement could concentrate on important things like finding murderers, rapists, kidnappers and thieves.  Building a fence is a stupid idea and won't close the borders to drug traffic or any other kind of traffic.

How can you protect the quality of healthcare for all Americans when significant sections of the population have none and will never be able to afford it?  You can't ration what they don't have and patients can only be a part of their healthcare decisions when they can afford to see the doctor.  Typical Republican strategy of nowadays, can't see the forest for the trees.

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Will The Democrats Screw Up?

Wow, how clueless do you have to be?  Of course the Dumocrats are going to screw up.  Unfortunately for the Repubs it won't be as bad as they themselves have done in the last eight years.  William Jacobson. a law professor from Cornell (I thought you had to be smart to attend there much less teach) sets out his reasons why the Specter defection will turn out to have a silver lining for the GOP.

So I'm not depressed about the long-term future of the country, although the next few years will be tough politically. The Democrats will screw up big time, as they did during the Carter years, and the damage they cause will be generational. But the clean-up is worth looking forward to, even if the mess is not.

How...kind of him.  As if the problems created by the last eight years aren't going to be generational.

His first argument is no surprise because I've been saying the same thing for years. The first duty of a politician is to get themselves reelected, preferably to higher office but staying in the Senate is a no brainer if you can't be President.  And just like any other party, if your date gets obnoxiously drunk it is better to go home with someone else.  Especially if you plan on getting there in one piece.

Now, in regard to the torture hearings, if America sits on its ass and does nothing to rectify or show shame about the situation, it will give those who hate us even more ammunition, not less.  As my father pointed out to me in 1967, the people in America have short memories and the people in the Middle East have extremely long ones.  The Turkish-Armenian situation is but one sad example.  Plus, and this is a big one, they are willing to die for their beliefs.  The majority of Americans aren't and our recent behavior more than makes this clear.

To accuse the Democrats of being the isolationist party is one of the most laughable arguments I've heard in years.  I was a Republican because I was an isolationist and a fiscal conservative until they lost their freaking minds.  Republicans ran up the national debt, like they always do, and went nuts on immigration.  If you were born brown and out of town you became the reason that everything went wrong in America.  Sheesh, get a grip.

Last time I checked we were a Republic, not a dynasty.  As history (there's that word again) has shown many times, the balance of power shifts across the globe pretty frequently.  Maybe if we hadn't spent all our resources, wasted our good will and destroyed our military in two useless wars we wouldn't be in the position of having to watch other countries pick up where we left off before we had our mental breakdown.  America is no longer a free society.  Our phones are tapped, there are surveillance cameras in almost every town, the police become more like the military every day and while the Second Amendment is in no danger, the First, Fourth, Fifth and Fourteenth definitely are.

The national debt was way out of control before the Democrats were elected to power.  It got that way while the Republicans held sway and decided that the rich needed to be richer at the expense of everyone else.  Young people aren't stupid and since recent studies show that math scores are increasing they will be able to do the arithmetic.  A simple math problem might consist of something like this.  In 2000 there was a surplus and in 2008 there wasn't.  By a wide margin.  Yes, the deficit is going to be bigger for the next couple of years but that wouldn't have happened if the GOP hadn't engaged in a reverse Robin Hood scheme for the last eight years while at the same time increasing the size of government with duplicate agencies that contained their unqualified cronies.

Human rights, that's rich.  And who says it's only three members of al-Qaeda that were tortured?  It's much more widespread than that and everyone knows it.   Pregnant women wouldn't have joined the cause to blow themselves up if they and their baby had something to live for.  They don't.  We have turned their homes, fields and farms into one gigantic war zone in an effort to get revenge on people who are already dead.  Human rights belong to everyone, even if you're brown from out of town.  Other countries, who are much smaller than us geographically, have survived terrorism for years.  We have one instance of terrorism and now the nation wears diapers and cries for mommy.  They aren't destroying us, we are doing it ourselves.

I've been buying foreign cars for years and Detroit has been the reason.  As a woman I require that my car be dependable and affordable.  As an example in 1987 my brother and I got new cars at the same time.  I got a Honda CRX and my brother got a Pontiac Fiero.  He sold his car at the end of six months because it had spent three of those months in the shop and still didn't run right.  I drove the Honda for fourteen years and was grateful every day that I got over 40 mpg.  Detroit's solution was to build bigger and more unstable gas guzzlers.  And now there's no more Pontiac.  The government certainly can't do any worse than the auto execs did.  Unless it's run by people who say their goal is to drown it in a bathtub.

Health care.  Don't make me puke.  I grew up on Air Force bases using military healthcare.  It was nowhere near as bad as going to the doctor today.  Oops, I don't go to the doctor, I can't afford it and I don't qualify for health insurance because I have a preexisting condition called asthma.  The emergency room is my fallback for when it gets out of control and I think I'm going to suffocate.  We won't even go into that dental and vision thing, they don't seem to be on the radar of the entitled so why bring up another problem that those who have everything they need would like to ignore.  Oh yeah, that argument about waiting months for a surgical procedure?  Maybe you should talk to all the people who have health insurance and been denied procedures so the insurance companies can give their executives and shareholders enormous bonuses and dividends.

I'm black, there is racism, get over it.  When you have black communities in states where local governments have built services around them and they didn't have running water like their neighbors did for the last fifty years, that's racism.  When things like education and skills are equal and blacks and Latinos are earning less (provided they got hired) than their melanin impaired compatriots, that's racism.  When you cut essential school programs in poorer districts that are predominately black and politically mrginalized, that's racism.  When prisons are filled to the brim with people of color who have committed petty crimes against themselves while rich melanin impaired executives who destroyed the lives of millions go free, that's racism.  Those are facts and they aren't going away.

The GOP is in trouble for a reason and the reason is this.  They are out of touch with the average American.  Their base consists of angry people who vote on single issues by claiming that the Bible disapproves of certain behaviors they deem immoral while ignoring the rest of the Bible teachings that encourage them to take care of their fellow man and to have compassion and pity for those who are suffering.  The elite of the party are just that.  Elite and as far removed from their base as they can get in their personal lives as they can manage and not get outed.

The party of Lincoln is falling apart and the more they scream about how unfair it is and the more rabid they are to return to a time that only exists in their imaginations, the further from the mainstream they will be.  As so many other Republicans have said before me, I didn't leave the party the party left me.

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Abusing The Country

This is the opposition?  They sound like they've been listening to too many "experts"and it certainly sounds like Gregg has turned off his brain as if it was a light switch.  Anyway you look at it tomorrow's generation is going to have to pay for the sins of the Bush administration and to say that President Obama's budget is irresponsible after eight years of massive tax cuts for the wealthy and the almost continuous war on the poor, is a little too much like downing bottles of champagne and then trying to convince the police officer that you aren't drunk, you still have the judgment to drive and the alcohol on your breath is from a mint.

Gregg repeated what has become an opposition mantra, saying the president's plan "spends too much, taxes too much and borrows too much."

As opposed to the billions lost to graft and greed in the last eight years which will never to be accounted for, corporations getting ridiculous tax breaks and then moving their operations to a different country so they can avoid any taxes or paying workers a living wage, stealing the youth of today to fight wars whose only accomplishments were to kill innocent civilians, a couple of politicians in a sovereign state that had nothing to do with terrorist acts perpetrated on the United States yet lets Osama bin Laden wander free to continue creating havoc and leaves the veterans to suffer neglect and abuse after serving their country honorably?

Republicans need to get a grip on reality and realize that the country is in a hole that they dug and learn to support their president.  Or at least that's what they've been telling the rest of us for the last eight years while they destroyed the Constitution and rammed disaster after disaster down our throats while threatening us with treason for speaking out about being treated like an abused wife.  The country divorced you and it didn't ask for alimony or child support, it just wants you to go away while it tries to rebuild itself.

And like true abusers, Republicans keep believing that more abuse will make us see it their way.  Until they get therapy and realize that not only are they part of the problem but that they created the situation, the country is not going to listen to much of what they say.

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Four Years And Eleven Days Ago

I wrote my first post and here it is.

My first blog. Prior to this moment I have ventured into the online literary world twice. These were very brief posts on Dkos after the recent "National" election.

My interests are varied, but I have a few favorites that occupy a good percentage of my thinking time. Depending on my mood I can focus on politics (the stuff that gets glossed over on the national infotainment that describes itself as news), things that fall into the geek category (science, electronics, etc.), cooking/nutrition (from recipes to the latest health news) and anything else that strikes my fancy.

I am an Acupuncturist by trade, a borderline geek by nature and a home cook by intention. Almost any problem can be solved or defused by food. Whether you are hunting/gathering (shopping), prepping, cooking , presenting, eating or digesting, your mind should be focused on what you are doing. The above activities can be creative and relaxing with the reward being you get to eat the results. Digesting usually makes most people calm and sleepy. Thanksgiving springs to mind. National eating holiday.

People usually know how to drink water, come in out of the rain, find sexual companionship, but cooking intimidates the most adventurous person. As Lao Tzu is reported to have said, "The journey of a 1000 miles begins with one step". So I just might write about the wonders of the dark leafy greens that Americans avoid with such creativity while embracing the statins and colonoscopy in their stead.

I had hoped there would be more Wil Wheaton on CSI last night. Oh well, there are two other CSI's. The way they have been recycling plot twists, he could easily get a better gig. Maybe one where we can see his face. They used a fingernail clipping as the key piece of evidence on LV and NY in the same week! He's better than a clipping. Maybe he could have a recurring role?

A few days later I wrote this one.

People are looking outside California for places to live. Number one reason is a better quality of life. Not for their kids, but for themselves. They want houses they can place a king size bed and furniture in the same bedroom. They don't want to look into their neighbors kitchen, living room or backyard. They really don't want their neighbors to have the ability to do it either. They want to be able to afford something else besides their house. Traffic, taxes, politics, watching what they work for count for nothing.

In the last week two different households decided to check out our neighbor to the immediate north. For right now that means Oregon, but both of them are capable of relocating outside the US. A woman who shares my birthday is moving to Arizona, she bought over the w/e and is now checking into her pension plan, plans to be gone in a year. As soon as her new house is completed. Arizona? I would rather go somewhere a little more green.

My only hope to get out of this state is to accidentally get roped into marriage or have there be national recognition of the CA Acupuncture license and I can move to another state. Zip, zilch, nada, a snowball's chance in the nether regions springs to mind for both those options. Since I no longer take insurance, staying here isn't required. Just a compatible scope of practice.

Someplace green with old trees and very little traffic would be great. A really good grocery store would rock. Of course, it is a little difficult to make money when you are isolated. Hmmm, will have to think on that.

Well, I didn't get roped and there isn't national recognition of the CA Acupuncture license but I'm finally moving.  And with the most exquisite timing in the world, a reader named G. who reads me via the Feedburner Flare (thank you!) sent me this encouraging message.

Regarding your acupuncture license being good only in California - Reno is right on the border of California and Nevada, so you should be able to work in California while living in Nevada.  You should be able to find people interested in your services around Lake Tahoe.  I think you should give it a try!  I wish you all the luck in your journey.

Thank you so much for your wishes and for your fresh idea.  I like it except for a couple of things.  One, I would probably still have to pay CA taxes while receiving only the benefit of not having wasted the last fourteen years, which now that I've written it sounds pretty stupid and two, I would need special dispensation from the Board while I try and get all the CEU's I'm behind on and aren't in the budget.  I will check on that tomorrow.  I haven't been able to leave mom alone but the complex we are supposedly moving to has quite a few senior citizens and maybe I'll be able to find someone to watch her while I'm gone all day.  However you look at it, it's an idea worth trying.  Once again, thank you.

It wasn't until August that the blogging fire really took hold.  I was picking up speed, having finally recovered from the previous election disappointments and then there was Katrina.  From before the storm hit to the inhumane treatment during and after, I went on a tear.  I ranted and railed about how it wasn't all incompetence, that it was deliberate and time marched on while the victims were forgotten.

The rest of the year was occupied by Harriet Miers, various blog redesigns, plenty of jokes, posts about the troops getting screwed, the most popular post I ever wrote, how the Democrats couldn't roll over and play dead any more than they already were, and ended the year with the attempted bullying of John Ashcroft by Andy Card and Alberto Gonzales.

It's sad seeing how much I've changed and the world hasn't.  I don't do as many jokes or find as many feel good stories and while evil still rules it no longer looks like a certain ex VP (I love how they use his trademark snarl to show contempt and arrogance on Lie To Me). The little people still pay the price and get blamed for it not only being so high but that without any outside positive changes in their lives they still haven't achieved the American Dream that is shown nonstop on television so it's really their fault and they aren't worthy of any help. Government is still clueless as to what the taxpayers really need and some Republicans are willing to punish their constituents for a future principle (running for national office) while those same constituents and their children are suffering right this moment.

For the last six months my personal drama has ruled my life and my posting, hopefully I'm making a change for the better.  Like a good Netflix queue, I hope that the drama becomes an adventure comedy and I can return to my original goals.  A mixture of politics, humor, cooking, science, space, and whatever else tickles my fancy at the moment.

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Revisiting The Myth

Social Security is not an "entitlement" program.  Over the course of their working lives people have had millions of dollars taken out of their paychecks and put into a program as insurance for when they got older or became infirm.  Using the word entitlement implies that nobody contributed anything and that they are sponging off the government, which isn't true.  Why is it that the people who have money are so determined to see the teachers, mechanics and bank tellers who served them over the years spend the end of their lives in poverty?  If I hadn't been willing to give up my own life, my mom would be on the street, lonely and forgotten through no fault of her own.  Which is where I will be if this stupidity continues.

I'm 52 and don't have time to make up hundreds of thousands of dollars so I can retire.  By the time mom is gone we will be so deep into this depression that I, along with a good majority of other innocent people, will not be able to survive in the economic conditions of the future.  So much for that Masters and owning my own business.

Social Security is NOT the problem. It isn't even out of money, no matter what the people who don't need to worry about their retirement babble.

We are staring at unfunded liabilities for Medicare and Social Security in the tens of trillions of dollars. Where's that money going to come from? We have to either raise taxes or cut benefits. There are no other options.

Yes, there are. For too long the elite have used the bounty of this country for themselves and it is long past time to share the wealth. We are rapidly becoming a third world country, run by people who have no concept of what it is to struggle to survive. As the economic downturn continues and small businesses start to fall by the wayside along with corporations who gave obscene amounts of money to the people at the top while taking everything from the people on the bottom, the pain will be felt by everyone who isn't at the top.

Food, gas and medicine are out of the price range of a growing section of society. They can't cut back any more as there is nothing left to cut. The poor can't walk to the grocery store because grocery stores aren't located in the poor sections of town. The poor can't take public transportation because it is being slashed in a futile effort to balance budgets that will continue to run a deficit as more people become unemployed and can't contribute to the tax base. The poor can't afford the highly overpriced medicines or the preventative doctor visits to keep them healthy. The poor, as a group, can't do anything to change their situation because they have nothing to change it with. Their children will continue to swell the ranks of the poor because education in their areas has been virtually eliminated and besides they have to scrounge for food. The poor can't get abortions, birth control is nonexistent and the fundamentalists want to keep it that way. That way they can complain about the poor being irresponsible and having too many babies. And prison is not a replacement for a healthy and happy childhood.

The Republican party and the fools who support them are determined to return this country to the days of indentured servitude. They trot out trite statements such as pull yourself up by your bootstraps when not only do the people not have straps, they don't even have boots. If you are born poor or lower middle class the odds are that you will stay that way. The outer fringes of society will be your world and unless the elite who are really the ones enjoying the benefits of entitlement, get off their high horses and walk among the commoners we will end up having a caste system that is more entrenched than India's.

Or a revolution.

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Waah, Waah, Waah

She can believe whatever she wants but just like every other Republican taking the blame herself is not an option.  It's always someone else's fault with "those people".  Maybe if Palin hadn't said so many obviously stupid things, the media wouldn't have made such an issue of them.  She can't see Russia from her front door, she didn't have the vaguest idea of what the Vice President job was and she butchered the English language at every opportunity, just to name a few.  Tina Fey did her image more harm than Charlie Gibson and Katie Couric combined.  Like any good caricature the skits were based on the truth, the sad part was that they didn't have to change anything she said to get a laugh.  Glasses, hair and twang were all that were needed as they repeated verbatim her latest verbal faux pas.  If you can't stand the heat, get out of politics.  And yes, unbalanced media is a threat to democracy, the last eight years proved that.

Speaking of biased media, in their latest hatchet job CNN never mentions that it was the Republicans who refused to cooperate and that Obama did try to include them in the stimulus process.  They decided not to participate and then decried the lack of bipartisanship.  Through the eight years of the recent Bush presidency the Democrats, unfortunately, never voted lockstep against any of his proposals.  Seven Democrats in the House voted against the stimulus and I don't hear them crying about being left out in the cold.  Funny how the people who voted against the stimulus are all too willing to take the money.  Republicans, always willing to take not so willing to give.

I'm not particularly fond of quite a few of the recent Supreme Court Decisions but this proposal sounds messy and removes the judicial branch from its coequal status.  The not subtle dig at Justice Ginsburg sounds like it came straight from Senator Bunning's office.

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American History

It is frightening to me how many people who have served in government wouldn't be able to pass my high school American Government class.  From the idiocy that is Michele (we're running out of rich people in this country) Bachmann to the sinisterness of Karl Rove, the dumbing down of political discourse continues.   Mr. Rove worries about President Obama's reputation for competence because the White House only suggested $200 billion of the stimulus plan instead of line by line requests.  I guess he missed the part in civics class about it being the House's job to initiate revenue bills.  Something about them being more representative of the people since they have a smaller constituency and are more likely to understand what the people who elected them need.

While the Democrats may have tax problems, as if Republicans haven't done the same things, the Republicans have a sex problem.  They rail about homosexuality being being immoral while indulging in the same activities behind closed doors.  Or stalls.  And that shows more of a lack of judgment than not paying the taxes that Republicans are always trying to cut. And is Mr. Rove really trying to convice people that Bush didn't wing it on a daily basis?  On second thought he might not have if The Pet Goat being upside down is any indication.  Man, that's hard to watch.

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