Didn't happen. The nurse took my blood pressure, and to quote the anesthesiologist, "No fuckin' way".
So I have to get that under control and then take another stab at it. I'm disappointed, but the hospital and doctor, and the cataract, will be there whenever.
Disappointed but grateful. Knowing about my blood pressure might have just saved my life.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Quote of the Day
As I run out the door ...
Roger Ailes the Good (scroll down, his permalinks are fucked):
Heh ... Later.
Roger Ailes the Good (scroll down, his permalinks are fucked):
...
At least Rudy Giuliani never paid for it. (Though the taxpayers did.)
Heh ... Later.
Late ...
Running really late. Had to get the Mrs. on an early flight out this morning. I'll be back after work.
Surgery Day
I'll be light-to-none blogging the next day or so. I'm going in this morning to have a cataract removed from my right eye. I had the same thing done to the left one several years ago, so hopefully this will be the last time I have to do this for a while. I'm looking forward to it. After the last cataract, I ended up farsighted in my left eye and nearsighted in my right eye. Drive with one, read with the other. A simple matter of retraining my little pea brain, but it will be nice to have same-focus binocular vision again.
Anyway, in honor of the lovely drugs they will give me so that I will not react adversely to the Doc advancing on my eyeball to slice 'n dice with his (t)rusty Ginsu set, I will leave you with this video from Cowboy Bebop, the anime that got me likin' anime. Enjoy.
Anyway, in honor of the lovely drugs they will give me so that I will not react adversely to the Doc advancing on my eyeball to slice 'n dice with his (t)rusty Ginsu set, I will leave you with this video from Cowboy Bebop, the anime that got me likin' anime. Enjoy.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
CentCom Commander Resigns
MSNBC
Look for the update to start with, "Strategic operations against Iran have commenced..."
Note to you star-studded Flags out there: If you really take the defense of the United States seriously, whenCheney the Chimp tells you to attack Iran, tell him to stuff it.
Better yet, clap 'em both in irons and send 'em to some lovely tropic isle.
Note to Congress: If such a wondrous thing as B&C's arrest and rendition take place, don't make waterboarding any more illegal than it already is just yet. There's a lot we want to know from those two.
Probably won't even need to waterboard 'em. We can probably get those two chickenhawks to sing like little birdies by takin' 'em into a room with a bathtub and turning on a faucet. Withhold the toilet tiss-yoo and let 'em stew in their own, er, juice for a while as well.
Adm. William Fallon is stepping down as head of the U.S. Central Command, which oversees military matters in the Middle East, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Tuesday.
Gates described as “ridiculous” any notion that Fallon’s departure signals the United States is planning to go to war with Iran.
This report will be updated as information becomes available.
Look for the update to start with, "Strategic operations against Iran have commenced..."
Note to you star-studded Flags out there: If you really take the defense of the United States seriously, when
Better yet, clap 'em both in irons and send 'em to some lovely tropic isle.
Note to Congress: If such a wondrous thing as B&C's arrest and rendition take place, don't make waterboarding any more illegal than it already is just yet. There's a lot we want to know from those two.
Probably won't even need to waterboard 'em. We can probably get those two chickenhawks to sing like little birdies by takin' 'em into a room with a bathtub and turning on a faucet. Withhold the toilet tiss-yoo and let 'em stew in their own, er, juice for a while as well.
FL Lawmakers Consider Regulating Salvia
AP via Raw Story
The article gives a pretty good description of the herb and its effects, but for the straight scoop I turn to our august panel of experts on recreational drugs:
Fixer, what's up with this shit?
On Web sites touting the mind-blowing powers of Salvia divinorum, come-ons to buy the hallucinogenic herb are accompanied by warnings: "Time is running out!" and "stock up while you still can."
The article gives a pretty good description of the herb and its effects, but for the straight scoop I turn to our august panel of experts on recreational drugs:
Fixer, what's up with this shit?
4AM Closing for Repug Convention Nixed
Raw Story
Probably a clever idea to let the Repugs get themselves in even more trouble. Heh.
Take this from a guy who has more than once seen the Sun come up from a barstool because the bars in Nevada don't close: I'm glad it didn't pass.
Note to Repugs: Just start drinkin' earlier (before they get up!?). It'll have the same results, but the folks who deal with the shenanigans of late-night drunks won't have to stay up as late.
A Minnesota state senator (Linnda Scheid DFL MN-46 - G) has withdrawn a bill which would have extended drinking hours at local bars during the Republican National Convention next summer.
The legislation would have changed the closing time from 2 am to 4 am for bars in the seven-county Minneapolis-St. Paul area between Aug. 29 and Sep. 8.
Probably a clever idea to let the Repugs get themselves in even more trouble. Heh.
Take this from a guy who has more than once seen the Sun come up from a barstool because the bars in Nevada don't close: I'm glad it didn't pass.
Note to Repugs: Just start drinkin' earlier (before they get up!?). It'll have the same results, but the folks who deal with the shenanigans of late-night drunks won't have to stay up as late.
Dope Pushers Going Bipartisan
Politico
This is actually pretty good news. The dope industry is the second or third largest gang of ripoff outfits (AKA 'Corporate America') in the country. They see which way the political wind is blowing and are at least hedging their bets in anticipation of a Democratic regime. They just want to keep their gravy train runnin' smooth.
Exactly right, Billy, yer catchin' on. That's what's going to happen if we wish to catch up to the civilized nations and get this economy under control. Health care will still come out of everybody's pocket, but the money will go for health care instead of obscene profit to 'insurance' companies, as in "pay us for years and you're covered until you get sick", and the dope cooks.
Billy's sayin' it like it's a bad thing, and will fight it like the dinosaurs fought extinction, with the same eventual outcome. The time of health care for profit is going to come to an end for many reasons, even if for no other reason than it's just plain wrong to selectively disregard people's lives and well-being to make a buck.
The gravy train's runnin' outta track.
Could PhRMA, the trade association for all of the big, Republican-leaning drug companies, become the Democratic presidential nominee’s newest best friend?
When you’re finished laughing, you might want to settle in and ponder the positioning of Billy Tauzin, who took the reins of the association three years ago and has since been aggressively moving it toward the center of the political spectrum.
This is actually pretty good news. The dope industry is the second or third largest gang of ripoff outfits (AKA 'Corporate America') in the country. They see which way the political wind is blowing and are at least hedging their bets in anticipation of a Democratic regime. They just want to keep their gravy train runnin' smooth.
Tauzin does object, though, to some provisions of the Democratic plans, particularly creation of a government insurer of last resort.
While Tauzin embraces many of the Democratic proposals, he can’t support plans by both Obama and Clinton to create a government insurance program that could serve as an alternative for people who can’t get private coverage.
The way Tauzin sees it, that’s the first step toward a government-run, single-payer system modeled after those in Europe and elsewhere.
“I don’t like any notion that the government is going to come in and start competing with private insurance,” he said. “The government becomes a price fixer, and it will drive out private offerings. It ends up being a single-payer system eventually.”
Exactly right, Billy, yer catchin' on. That's what's going to happen if we wish to catch up to the civilized nations and get this economy under control. Health care will still come out of everybody's pocket, but the money will go for health care instead of obscene profit to 'insurance' companies, as in "pay us for years and you're covered until you get sick", and the dope cooks.
Billy's sayin' it like it's a bad thing, and will fight it like the dinosaurs fought extinction, with the same eventual outcome. The time of health care for profit is going to come to an end for many reasons, even if for no other reason than it's just plain wrong to selectively disregard people's lives and well-being to make a buck.
The gravy train's runnin' outta track.
Radio Fear America
NYT
I hope the next Prez starts with a twelve-rope dropfest pour encourager les autres and to show miscreants that criminal actions have consequences.
Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia read the funnies over the radio to cheer up New Yorkers during a newspaper strike. President Franklin Roosevelt gave "fireside chats" to bolster Americans during the depression. President Bush used his radio address on Saturday to try to scare Americans into believing they have to sacrifice their rights and their values to combat terrorism.
This is not the first time that Mr. Bush has misled Americans on intelligence-gathering and antiterrorism operations, and it may not be the last. It will be up to the next president to restore the rule of law.
I hope the next Prez starts with a twelve-rope dropfest pour encourager les autres and to show miscreants that criminal actions have consequences.
A Different View of our Presidental Canidates
I was a geek before geek was a common term. For a geek, one of the best ways to spend your spare time was playing Dungeons and Dragons. Long before Diablo, World of Warcraft, or Everquest (aka Evercrack), you had this game where you had to do all the work looking up stats in various tomes and relying on your (gasp!) imagination. Last week with the passing of Dungeons and Dragons creator Gary Gygax, many including myself have looked back at those long ago days. So when I stumbled across this gem - I had to share.
In honor of his passing, and because it's an Election year - I give you the Monster Manual stats of each of the canidates (via Charlie's Diary)
John McCain (Demon Prince of Republicans.) (Lesser God.)
Hilary Clinton (Demon Queen of Pork Belly Futures.) (Lesser Goddess.)
Barack Obama (Demon Prince of Upsetting Applecarts.) (Lesser God.)
In honor of his passing, and because it's an Election year - I give you the Monster Manual stats of each of the canidates (via Charlie's Diary)
John McCain (Demon Prince of Republicans.) (Lesser God.)
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO APPEARING: 1
ARMOUR CLASS: -7
MOVE: 3" (72" per flight sector on the campaign jet)
HIT DICE: 200 hit points (But first you have to defeat 4d8 Secret Service Agents)
% IN LAIR: 0%
TREASURE TYPE: All your NATO base are belong to us!
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Invades Iran. Takes 100d20 casualties in first strike while inflicting 20 x 100d20 civilian casualties. Followed by war of attrition, economic collapse, recrimination.
SPECIAL ATTACKS: 5% chance of 30,000 Megaton nuclear first strike on Upper Volta.
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +3 or better weapon to hit. In event of combat, 20% chance of heart attack per round, followed by the swearing in of President Santorum. You wouldn't want that, would you?)
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 80% (10% vs. mind control spells by Cheney.)
INTELLIGENCE: Normal.
CHARISMA: 12 (16 to neocons)
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil if under control of Cheney; otherwise Chaotic neutral.
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: X/29,950* (* for impeachment)
A huge, ancient, carnivorous dinosaur from the swamps at the heart of Republican country, not unlike Godzilla in appearance and wrinkled integument, McCain has seen better years. Nevertheless he can breathe fire and threaten to stomp flat the capital city of any country that Fox News disapproves of with the best of them.
The biggest danger in facing off against a McCain is that he might be under the mind control of the Svengali-like Cheney, Prince of Darkness. In this case, he is likely to be lethally aggressive and even more unpredictable than usual.
Hilary Clinton (Demon Queen of Pork Belly Futures.) (Lesser Goddess.)
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO APPEARING: 1
ARMOUR CLASS: -7 (But -4 if encountered in the same campaign as a Bill Clinton)
MOVE: 3" (72" per flight sector on the campaign jet)
HIT DICE: 200 hit points (But first you have to defeat 4d8 Secret Service Agents)
% IN LAIR: 0%
TREASURE TYPE: The future is ... Pork!
NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 + 1
DAMAGE/ATTACK: captures 2-16 superdelegates; 20% chance to cast Slime per round
SPECIAL ATTACKS: If sustaining damage, 33% chance per round of invoking Bill Clinton to fight alongside her. See also Big Dog.)
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +4 Fundraising, Regeneration, +3 or better weapon to hit.
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 80%
INTELLIGENCE: Genius
CHARISMA: 17 (Democrats)/ -1 (Republicans)
ALIGNMENT: Lawful Neutral (Will steal anything that's not nailed down, especially if she can construe it as lawful appropriation. Depending on the meaning of the word "it".)
SIZE: 14
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: X/12,250* (* for impeachment)
As with all Clintons, Hillary exudes negative charisma towards Republicans. Otherwise, she's a classic machine reptile.
Barack Obama (Demon Prince of Upsetting Applecarts.) (Lesser God.)
FREQUENCY: Very rare
NO APPEARING: 1
ARMOUR CLASS:
MOVE: 3" (72" per flight sector on the campaign jet)
HIT DICE: 200 hit points (But first you have to defeat 4d8 Secret Service Agents — unless attacking in Texas, Florida, or other Republican-held states)
% IN LAIR: 0%
TREASURE TYPE: Budget Deficit: -500,000 million G.P. plus compound interest
NO. OF ATTACKS: 0 (He runs a clean campaign).
DAMAGE/ATTACK: Makes his opponents look foolish: -1 Charisma per round engaged in combat polite debate.
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Casts Mass Charm 1 per round engaged in combat polite debate.
SPECIAL DEFENSES: +5 Fundraising, Regeneration, +3 or better weapon to hit.
MAGIC RESISTANCE: 80%
INTELLIGENCE: Genius
CHARISMA: 18(100) (Democrats) / 12 (Republicans)
ALIGNMENT: Law Professor
SIZE: M
LEVEL/X.P. VALUE: X/89,950* (* for impeachment)
Handsome, intelligent, charismatic, and he manages to sound absolutely wonderful ... but how do you know what else is lurking under that sleek exterior? The Obama's main advantage in combat is that he makes everyone else in the melee look absurdly aggressive or foolishly short-sighted, sapping their Charisma. Probably the lesser evil, so once you elect him you'll have the luxury of knowing you've been eaten by the right lizard god.
Spitzer ...
To all of you who are screaming for his resignation. STFU. He should stay in office until David Vitter and Larry Craig resign.
Update:
And something I've been thinking since the McGreevy scandal is put into words by Dr. Attaturk (Podiatrist to the Stars):
Update II:
Our pal Lambert has some questions:
Update III:
And Watertiger basically sums it up:
And just some thoughts of my own. What the fuck can this woman do that's worth $5000 an hour? I mean, seriously, for that kind of money, sparks better shoot out her ass and Hail to the Chief play out her ears. No public pussy* is worth that, I don't care how 'high class' she is.
Update IV:
But should Spitzer have to resign (he's a Dem so the Republican Noise Machine will be cranked into high gear until he leaves), the man who would take his place is inspirational.
Update:
And something I've been thinking since the McGreevy scandal is put into words by Dr. Attaturk (Podiatrist to the Stars):
Stop fucking up, then dragging your spouse out to stand there and suffer while you talk about how sorry you are -- especially since they are the most aggrieved party of all. It's bad enough that you fucked up, and fucked them over, don't punish him or her by making them stand there with a pasted on look on their face while you drone on.
Thank you.
Update II:
Our pal Lambert has some questions:
...
And interesting, isn’t it, that this whole story, that starts with a wiretap, breaks the same day and completely buries a story on how these guys can wiretap entire cities whenever they fucking want. Odd, that.
...
Update III:
And Watertiger basically sums it up:
...
I'm of the belief that it takes a special kind of person to be a politician - the level of arrogance and chutzpah to build your entire career on crime-busting, and you wind up IN THE MIDDLE OF A FUCKING PROSTITUTION RING? WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?!?!
...
And just some thoughts of my own. What the fuck can this woman do that's worth $5000 an hour? I mean, seriously, for that kind of money, sparks better shoot out her ass and Hail to the Chief play out her ears. No public pussy* is worth that, I don't care how 'high class' she is.
Update IV:
But should Spitzer have to resign (he's a Dem so the Republican Noise Machine will be cranked into high gear until he leaves), the man who would take his place is inspirational.
*And let me be absolutely clear (before I come home to see a crowd of women on my front lawn with pitchforks and a noose), this prostitute wasn't some victim (or a woman forced into the business by slavers) who ran way from home and had to sell herself to survive. A woman who can demand that much is in it for the money, period, and I'm looking at it as a purely business transaction. For $5K, that sucker better be gold plated at the very least. Goin' to work now ...
Monday, March 10, 2008
Bush's Endgame and Legacy
Balkinization
He has failed as badly as it is humanly (?) possible to fail and then some, period. Every incompetent and criminal act was done on purpose. Worst. President. Ever.
The next President, the first real one in eight years, absolutely must institute "systematic rejection of the themes of his Presidency". Posthaste with a hard-on.
Rather, it is worth recognizing Bush's veto-- and indeed, many other future actions and acts of intransigence-- as part of an endgame strategy. At this point in Bush's Presidency he deals from a position of weakness, not strength. His major goals are to prevent criminal prosecutions of himself (unlikely in any event) and his aides (more likely), to keep the public from finding out much of what he and his advisors actually did and ordered done during his presidency (his fight for immunity for telecom companies who engaged in illegal surveillance should be understood as part of this larger strategy), to entrench the U.S. presence in Iraq for the foreseeable future, and do what he can to ensure that John McCain becomes President, or failing that, Hillary Clinton as a second best solution. He figures that McCain, and, to a lesser extent Clinton, are most likely to continue aspects of his policies and keep troops in Iraq for some time. The longer that the next president continues his policies-- including warrantless surveillance, his interrogation practices, and his war in Iraq, the longer these features will become normalized and/or the next President's problem.
What Bush does not want, above all, is to be followed by a repudiationist or reconstructive Presidency that establishes a new political order through systematic rejection of the themes of his Presidency, thus making Bush the modern day equivalent of Herbert Hoover and Jimmy Carter rather than Harry Truman. Bush's presidency is a failed presidency; the only issue now is how badly he has failed.
He has failed as badly as it is humanly (?) possible to fail and then some, period. Every incompetent and criminal act was done on purpose. Worst. President. Ever.
The next President, the first real one in eight years, absolutely must institute "systematic rejection of the themes of his Presidency". Posthaste with a hard-on.
Quote of the Day
I haven’t been indicted yet, but I fully expect to be by the end of the year. - Karl Rove
MSNBC to De-Twit
Raw Story
Agreed, and the next step in the right direction will include the words "Rachel Maddow", oh please please please...
Update:
Forbes
Waaaaah!
According to TVNewser, MSNBC will announce the dismissal of talk host and political pundit Tucker Carlson.
"Maybe MSNBC has realized that swinging to the Right to try and shake out Fox News for viewers isn't a winning strategy," opines The Bilerico Project's Alex Blaze. "Or maybe they realized that at least half their commentators should accept the reality that white men aren't oppressed. Or maybe they think that people don't want to watch a bully wannabe talk about his fun days of beating up [gays]. Or maybe they got tired of his history of abusing the rules of logic, evidence, and reality."
Whatever it was, I'll take it as a step in the right direction.
Agreed, and the next step in the right direction will include the words "Rachel Maddow", oh please please please...
Update:
Forbes
The bow tie is out at MNSBC. David Gregory is replacing Tucker Carlson as host of a one-hour show each evening.
The news network is making a handful of changes to respond to heavy political interest. Gregory's new show is called 'Race for the White' and will be on each weekday at 6 p.m. starting next Monday.
MSNBC also says that Andrea Mitchell will anchor an hour each afternoon. Keith Olbermann's popular 'Countdown' program will rerun every night at 10.
Waaaaah!
Oh, the irony...
Ironic Times
I think Mrs. G likes the little 'French maid' outfit I wear...
BUSH PLEDGES TO HELP McCAIN
Promises at least two terror alerts.
Research: Brain Imaging Could Show Other People’s Dreams
Coming soon to YouTube.
Report: Vermont Highest in Marijuana Use, Utah in Mental Health Problems
Vermont lowest in mental health problems, Utah in marijuana use.
Israeli Researcher: Moses High on Drugs When God Gave Him Ten Commandments
Smoked “burning bush.”
Men Who Do Housework May Get More Sex
Based on survey of 1500 brothels.
I think Mrs. G likes the little 'French maid' outfit I wear...
Supporting the troops ...
Yeah, those fine patriots at Halliburton:
Don't you silly people understand? You go to war with the contractors you have, not the contractors you want.
Happy Fucking Monday ...
...
A report obtained by the Associated Press said soldiers experienced skin abscesses, cellulitis, skin infections, diarrhea and other illnesses after using discolored, smelly water for personal hygiene and laundry at five U.S. military sites in Iraq.
...
Don't you silly people understand? You go to war with the contractors you have, not the contractors you want.
Happy Fucking Monday ...
Perfect ... in theory ...
Little Dougie Feith is now saying it wasn't his fault Iraq went so badly. It was everybody else's. Athenae:
...
Irony. Whenever I think they've finally killed it, it rises from its grave to gnaw the Republic once more.
...
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)