Sorry for not posting much the last few days.
Yesterday my son fell at school and broke his two front teeth. Now I'm battling the insurance company to get this taken care of as a medical problem since our dental insurance sucks wet baboon ASS. 4 GRAND to fix this,dental will only cover a teeny tiny bit of that,while medical will pay 80 or 90 percent.However,one must get a referral to an oral surgeon,because heaven forbid I take the kid to see his regular dentist(who,btw can probably fix most of this today,but now I have to cancel that appointment and find an actual oral surgeon),nooo,that would be too simple.
I hate insurance companies.While I'm dealing with a traumatized kid(it took me almost an hour yesterday to get him to stop crying hysterically before I could even take him home from school.And even then,there were several more times yesterday where the poor little guy just fell all to pieces)I should NOT have to contend with all this insurance bullshit.WTF are we paying all these premiums for if the insurance company makes thngs more difficult than they should ever be?This is yet another example as to why we need a national,SIMPLE healthcare plan.Seems to me that it really shouldn't matter what doctor or dentist one goes to,just that you go to someone who is qualified and does a good job.
My son is autistic,and finding a good doctor or dentist he isn't afraid of took me time,research and energy.Now I have to take him to a stranger,and the kid barely slept last night because he's worried and scared.Plus he starts bawling every time he looks at those teeth in the mirror.
Anyhow,you can guess what I'll be doing with most of my time in the next few days. I've also officially reached the place where I've been paid back for every worry,pain in the ass,trouble,and other assorted headaches I gave my parents growing up,lol.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
...to the max, yeah, gnarly, dude...
George Bush, Preznit Valley Girl:
Creature.
...President Bush today said he had tried to avoid war with Iraq "diplomatically to the max."
First, huh? Diplomacy wasn't even on GWB's to-do list when it came to Iraq. This is an all-out lie. Second, huh? He said, "to the max." The so-called leader of the free world has suddenly crossed into the Valley. And not even modern Valley, GWB is stuck in 1985 Valley. All this and I haven't even mentioned the scary bit:
...
Creature.
Claptrap
Shea looks at all the right wing bullshit we've been subjected to over the past few years...and rebuts:
The thing that blows me away is most of the Rethug 'base' believes this shit.
...
"The best health care in the world is available for free in America to anyone who wants it."
This guy meant it, too. He honestly believed that free healthcare was already available to everyone in America. By the way, this guy has an MBA.
"A college education is available for free in America to anyone who wants it."
This guy meant it, too. The statement was so ludicrous that, at the time, I think I asked him what planet he was from.
...
The thing that blows me away is most of the Rethug 'base' believes this shit.
Effects
Short and sweet, the effects of the telecom industry's 'internet initiative':
Just another way to restrict Americans' freedom of speech. Don't stand for it.
...
Think that's a small deal? Try reaching WebMD and not get it, when your kid is sick. Or being blocked from paying your Time Warner bill on a Verizon DSL line. Or being fired because your company is now paying millions to send interdepartmental e-mail and they have to make cuts.
The Telcos want to not only change the internet, they want to change your life. All of the things you now take for granted, like sending a text message via e-mail, or checking your mail on any computer, or seeing your kids homework assignment from pre-k to college course syllibuses. or that nanny cam or home security you set up.
This is not just about laws and computers, but your life.
...
Just another way to restrict Americans' freedom of speech. Don't stand for it.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Thank you, Comrade...
Your information has been most helpful.
...
Many of the salient features of Khrushchev's government are readily recognized in our own current administration, including a slavish adherence to party unity (a rubber-stamp Congress), a complete inability to manage effectively during times of crisis (Katrina), ill-considered foreign adventures (Iraq), the subjugation of scientific knowledge to political orthodoxy (global warming, anyone?), ineptitude in fiscal strategy (the dollar risks joining the ruble as a symbol of the combination of great national strength and even greater financial weakness), the replacement of actual technical competence by blind party loyalty as the desired characteristic of all members of the ruling class (heckuvajob, Rummy!), and the abandonment of core national principles in search of selfish grabs for money and power (anyone ever hear of the Constitution?).
...
But the Russian empire began its slow descent into oblivion under Khrushchev, from a great power that had helped win World War II into a den of incompetent nincompoops who forgot how to make everything from suits to cars (though they sure could make great weapons systems!), and who gambled and lost too much of import in games of imperial adventure.
Does this sound vaguely familiar?
...
Link via my man Dave.
Net Neutrality
This puckers my sphincter:
These greedy bastids have to be stopped.
The big ISPs want to control the Internet. The battle is over "net neutrality." As soon as this coming Wednesday, it could all be set in motion because Republicans and Democrats are set to make this happen. If you don't know what it is watch this video now, because it effects you. It's hard to believe, but I've been writing on the web for 10 years. That's a long time, longer than most. In all those years I've never heard of anything quite so dangerous as what's now being debated in the Congress. Matt Stoller will be blogging about the consequences all this week as it plays out. Another site for information is SaveTheInternet. Josh Marshall has a discussion going on over at TPMCafe. Let me give you an example of how this could play out. If you're Barnes and Noble and pay the right ISP, your site will open faster than, say, "YourLocalBookStore.com." There are so many things wrong with this idea it's hard to know where to start.
The Internet is a free flowing, democratic forum where every site is created equal, big or small, conglomerate or start-up. Congress is about to change all that because they like the money they get from big telco companies. The threat is bigger than you realize, but there's more.
...
These greedy bastids have to be stopped.
Section 603
OpEd News
Wonderful news for a Monday morning! We'll see how this works out. Go read the rest and sign the petition.
The Illinois General Assembly is about to rock the nation. Members of state legislatures are normally not considered as having the ability to decide issues with a massive impact to the nation as a whole. Representative Karen A. Yarbrough of Illinois' 7th District is about to shatter that perception forever. Representative Yarbrough stumbled on a little known and never utlitized rule of the US House of Representatives, Section 603 of Jefferson's Manual of the Rules of the United States House of Representatives, which allows federal impeachment proceedings to be initiated by joint resolution of a state legislature. From there, Illinois House Joint Resolution 125 (hereafter to be referred to as HJR0125) was born.
Detailing five specific charges against President Bush including one that is specified to be a felony, the complete text of HJR0125 is copied below at the end of this article. One of the interesting points is that one of the items, the one specified as a felony, that the NSA was directed by the President to spy on American citizens without warrant, is not in dispute. That fact should prove an interesting dilemma for a Republican controlled US House that clearly is not only loathe to initiate impeachment proceedings, but does not even want to thoroughly investigate any of the five items brought up by the Illinois Assembly as high crimes and/or misdemeanors. Should HJR0125 be passed by the Illinois General Assembly, the US House will be forced by House Rules to take up the issue of impeachment as a privileged bill, meaning it will take precedence over other House business.
Wonderful news for a Monday morning! We'll see how this works out. Go read the rest and sign the petition.
Let me expand...
On my point the other day about getting new blood into the presidential race. My deal is simple, the Rethug Noise Machine and the so-called 'Conventional Wisdom', rightly or wrongly, has branded all of the previous candidates (and yes, I include Hillary in that group; it should be obvious why), Kerry the Flip-Flopper, Gore the Eccentric Tree-Hugger, Dean the Lubatic, Hillary the [Place Rethug Talking Point Here], get it? We need someone who doesn't have the baggage of races past, isn't tainted by the 'conventional wisdom' of the mis- and under-informed.
It's why I'm looking to Wes Clark and Russ Feingold, guys who can run on a record of ethical behavior and are not beholden to huge special interest. I haven't made up my mind by a long shot (there's still a long way to go and we should concentrate on the November Mid-Terms), but I'd like folks to start thinking about what they want in their leadership.
Do we want real leaders, like Wes Clark, who have the respect of their people and are adept in the international arena, or do we want folks who talk a good line about leadership but don't have a clue? We've seen what 5 years of that has done to this country.
Like I said, the '08 campaign season is a long way off, relatively speaking, but it doesn't hurt to start thinking about our potential with a real leader at the helm.
It's why I'm looking to Wes Clark and Russ Feingold, guys who can run on a record of ethical behavior and are not beholden to huge special interest. I haven't made up my mind by a long shot (there's still a long way to go and we should concentrate on the November Mid-Terms), but I'd like folks to start thinking about what they want in their leadership.
Do we want real leaders, like Wes Clark, who have the respect of their people and are adept in the international arena, or do we want folks who talk a good line about leadership but don't have a clue? We've seen what 5 years of that has done to this country.
Like I said, the '08 campaign season is a long way off, relatively speaking, but it doesn't hurt to start thinking about our potential with a real leader at the helm.
Emperors and Bloggers
...
However, in the city there lived a Liberal Blogger. When the Emperor passed by, with all his courtiers following, the Liberal Blogger took one look at him and said "Holy FUCK! The Emperor is FUCKING NAKED! You can see his fucking dick! What a fucking incompetent moron!"
The liberal blogger then turned to the courtiers and said: "what the FUCK is wrong with you fuckers? You're supposed to be fucking looking out for the fucking public good, and you let the Emperor go outside bare-assed and you won't say fuck-all? You fuckers!"
...
Excellent story and it ain't no fairy tale.
Thanks: Atrios
Sunday, April 23, 2006
It's all in the marketing...
Yeah, that's it:
Read my post from this morning, fellas. People don't believe the bullshit anymore. You blew it with 'Mission Accomplished' and it's gone downhill since.
...
This is an unabashed play to members of the conservative base who are worried about illegal immigration. Under the banner of homeland security, the White House plans to seek more funding for an extremely visible enforcement crackdown at the Mexican border, including a beefed-up force of agents patrolling on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). "It'll be more guys with guns and badges," said a proponent of the plan. "Think of the visuals. The President can go down and meet with the new recruits. He can go down to the border and meet with a bunch of guys and go ride around on an atv."
...
Read my post from this morning, fellas. People don't believe the bullshit anymore. You blew it with 'Mission Accomplished' and it's gone downhill since.
Rocker goes straight...
Now, I've barely heard of Mark Knopfler. I think he was in Dire Straits, but the only line I know out of any of their tunes is "the money's for nothin' and the check's for free" along with some stuff about microwave ovens.
Anyway, the guy has teamed up with a real star: Emmylou Harris. They have an album coming out in a coupla days called All the Roadrunning. Click her link, and after you spend an hour or two contemplating her beauty, scroll down a little and listen to the title song.
I guess old rockers are like old motorcycle racers. Bike racers get tired of slidin' up the track on their ass and go race nice comfy cars that don't tip over or spit 'em off. As easy, that is. Seems like Mr. Knopler has opted for nice, easy Americana/Country, probably fer pretty close to the same reasons. Old racers and old rockers can still get plenty sideways when they want to.
Anyway, the guy has teamed up with a real star: Emmylou Harris. They have an album coming out in a coupla days called All the Roadrunning. Click her link, and after you spend an hour or two contemplating her beauty, scroll down a little and listen to the title song.
I guess old rockers are like old motorcycle racers. Bike racers get tired of slidin' up the track on their ass and go race nice comfy cars that don't tip over or spit 'em off. As easy, that is. Seems like Mr. Knopler has opted for nice, easy Americana/Country, probably fer pretty close to the same reasons. Old racers and old rockers can still get plenty sideways when they want to.
Rearranging the Deckhands...
TimesonlineUK
It'd be a "new face" all right - younger, thinner, and darker - but it'd be the same old shit. Might be an improvement, though.
Too bad Bush doesn't have the balls to do it.
REPUBLICANS are urging President George W Bush to dump Dick Cheney as vice-president and replace him with Condoleezza Rice if he is serious about presenting a new face to the jaded American public.
It'd be a "new face" all right - younger, thinner, and darker - but it'd be the same old shit. Might be an improvement, though.
Too bad Bush doesn't have the balls to do it.
Diplomacy, Dick-style
The Dick in one of his less dangerous moments, displaying tact and courtesy during a briefing by Bush and Hu.
Good
...
But today, Blackwater is facing a potentially devastating battle--this time not in Iraq but in court. The company has been slapped with a lawsuit that, if successful, will send shock waves through the world of private security firms, a world that has expanded significantly since Bush took office. Blackwater is being sued for the wrongful deaths of Stephen "Scott" Helvenston, Mike Teague, Jerko Zovko and Wesley Batalona by the families of the men slain in Falluja.
...
This is a problem that's gotten out of hand. Regular readers know my opinion of mercenaries (I have no use for them and don't give a shit if they live or die, or how horribly they die; they are not people of honor) and the profession has grown alarmingly in this country since the Chimp began his 'outsourced wars'. These guys have license to kill over there, where there is literally zero oversight by the U.S. justice system. I hope this lawsuit is just the first of many that will drive these 'security companies' into bankruptcy.
Great thanks to Singularity for the link.
It's all they got
So, by now you all know about the CIA officer who's been fired*:
Firstly, I applaud her for standing behind her principles. Her life is gonna suck for the foreseeable future and I hope she can take comfort in knowing she did the right thing.
Secondly, I figured the Right would immediately start building the gallows. I wasn't disappointed and Thersites documents**:
You know, it's sad in a way. This is all they've got. These guys used to be able to come up with good bullshit, now all they have to rely on are conspiracy theories to bamboozle the public. It should be obvious by now the Right is spent. Yes, they might be able to push back again, but we're looking at an 'army' that's just trying to stay alive. They're on the last page of their playbook and all of their previous lies have been proven bullshit. Only 33% (at last count) believe the Rethug line of crap, although they could probably be convinced you can turn lead into gold.
Face it, guys, you're done. You are literally preaching to the chior because nobody else is in the church. They done, they've had it with your 'moral values' and 'small government' because they know it's all bullshit now. Everything we've been told since the 2000 campaign season has been a load of elephant shit and the stench has risen high enough for most to notice it. You're now irrelevant.
I love the line from one of my favorite movies, The American President:
Note to Rethugs: Ding!
*Link via memeorandum.
WASHINGTON, April 22 - In 1998, when President Bill Clinton ordered military strikes against a suspected chemical weapons factory in Sudan, Mary O. McCarthy, a senior intelligence officer assigned to the White House, warned the president that the plan relied on inconclusive intelligence, two former government officials say.
Ms. McCarthy's reservations did not stop the attack on the factory, which was carried out in retaliation for Al Qaeda's bombing of two American embassies in East Africa. But they illustrated her willingness to challenge intelligence data and methods endorsed by her bosses at the Central Intelligence Agency.
On Thursday, the C.I.A. fired Ms. McCarthy, 61, accusing her of leaking information to reporters about overseas prisons operated by the agency in the years since the Sept. 11 attacks. But despite Ms. McCarthy's independent streak, some colleagues who worked with her at the White House and other offices during her intelligence career say they cannot imagine her as a leaker of classified information.
...
Firstly, I applaud her for standing behind her principles. Her life is gonna suck for the foreseeable future and I hope she can take comfort in knowing she did the right thing.
Secondly, I figured the Right would immediately start building the gallows. I wasn't disappointed and Thersites documents**:
-- The theory that the prisons never existed and were fabricated as part of a sting operation seems to have been originated by the inexplicably popular Captain's Quarters, based on self-serving denials by the countries that hosted the prisons.
Other conservative sites love the idea that the U.S. is smart enough to ruin its international reputation as a protector of human rights in order merely to nail a mole:
-- Stingray ("A Blog for Salty Christians") likewise thinks the prisons don't exist. (Bible: all literally, indisputably true. Prisons testified to by living, breathing people who were detained there: don't exist.)
You know, it's sad in a way. This is all they've got. These guys used to be able to come up with good bullshit, now all they have to rely on are conspiracy theories to bamboozle the public. It should be obvious by now the Right is spent. Yes, they might be able to push back again, but we're looking at an 'army' that's just trying to stay alive. They're on the last page of their playbook and all of their previous lies have been proven bullshit. Only 33% (at last count) believe the Rethug line of crap, although they could probably be convinced you can turn lead into gold.
Face it, guys, you're done. You are literally preaching to the chior because nobody else is in the church. They done, they've had it with your 'moral values' and 'small government' because they know it's all bullshit now. Everything we've been told since the 2000 campaign season has been a load of elephant shit and the stench has risen high enough for most to notice it. You're now irrelevant.
I love the line from one of my favorite movies, The American President:
In this town, you can go from heavy hitter to cocktail party joke in the time it takes to boil an egg.
There's never an egg timer around when you need one.
Note to Rethugs: Ding!
*Link via memeorandum.
**Notice my deft move not linking to any right wing sites (abiding by the only rule we have here at the Brain) but still providing you, dear reader, with links to the originals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)