Notice

If you've noticed this blog, well, THANK YOU!.

Over the Ridge

Former "Homeland Security" (what an Orwellian name) director Tom Ridge is the latest of shrubs enablers to right a 'tell all' book, revealing what many of us knew: They were incredibly corrupt and dishonest. Ridge reveals the politicization of those entertaining color coded alerts:


(graphic from Dependable Renegade)

In the book, Ridge says he was never invited to attend National Security Council meetings, was “blindsided” by the FBI in morning Oval Office meetings because the agency withheld critical information from him, his urgings to block Michael Brown from being named head of the emergency agency blamed for the Hurricane Katrina disaster went ignored, and most shocking of all, Ridge says he was pushed to raise the security alert on the eve of President Bush’s re-election, something he saw as politically motivated and worth resigning over.

As with Colin Powell, John Ashcroft, and others, Ridge seems to be seeking some redemption for his sins, along with a big chunk of cash. Sorry, I'm not buying it. Nor am I willing to forgive you. If you had a shred of decency, you'd have done the honorable thing when it mattered and blown the whistle then. Admitting the truth five years (and many thousand deaths) later merely shows that you're a cheap corrupt tool. Unless you're on trial with the rest of the shrubies, I have no interest in anything you have to say.

A Nice Boobie

A nice looking Boobie makes us smile most every Friday.

Clarity

From The Onion:

WASHINGTON—After months of committee meetings and hundreds of hours of heated debate, the United States Congress remained deadlocked this week over the best possible way to deny Americans health care.

"Both parties understand that the current system is broken," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Monday. "But what we can't seem to agree upon is how to best keep it broken, while still ensuring that no elected official takes any political risk whatsoever. It’s a very complicated issue."

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/congress_deadlocked_over_how_to?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Yup.
"the time for action has passed. now is the time for senseless bickering"

On A Lighter Note

The last few posts haven't been fun, so it's time for this:

Huge Capybara Eating a Popsicle
A Capybarra eating a popsicle. Try it.
(I don't post videos, but I will link to some)

Health Care Reform Explained

Avoiding Whiplash

If you're following the whole "healthcare reform" process, you're at serious risk for whiplash (which is why I've kept my distance). Both the political debate and the public debate have sunk into street theater, instead of movement toward a goal.
On the political side, the "public option" is back and forth like a tennis ball at Wimbledon. It's in, it's out, it's back in, or maybe it's out. It's going to be "bi-partisan", but one party will oppose anything at all. So the Dems will go it alone. Except if they don't. Even if you're paying close attention to the process, the picture is about as clear as mud.
The public debate is even more absurd. People with guns screaming about "death panels" get TV airtime as if they were credible. People on Medicare decrying "government run healthcare", proving we really need a better mental health system, seemingly have zero sense of irony. Never mind the "facts" (which are rather dull), let's focus on the absurd. The lobbyists are having a field day. It would be really entertaining if it weren't so tragic.
Somewhere in reality there is the main actual proposal, H.R. 3200. While it's certainly going to go through changes in the reconciliation process, this is what is actually currently "on the table". Good friend badtux the snarky penguin has put together the best summary analysis that I've read so far:

Well, basically, HR3200 is a strange amalgation of the German system -- which has publically owned nonprofit sickness funds and for-profit insurers largely funded by employer contributions with all citizens required to purchase insurance if not provided by employer (and all employers required to provide insurance for their employees) -- and the Swiss system, where individuals purchase insurance in a heavily regulated must-issue must-have individual insurance market (that is, insurers are required to issue insurance that meets minimum standards w/no pre-existing conditions exclusions, and individuals are required to purchase insurance). Subsidies are provided in both systems so that people who cannot afford to buy insurance on their own can afford to buy insurance, and HR3200 includes similar subsidies. One thing HR3200 does *not* do is force employers to provide insurers -- if employers refuse to provide insurance, instead HR3200 taxes them 8% of payroll
in order to fund subsidies so the employees themselves can afford to buy individual insurance.

There's no reason why HR3200 should not work as designed -- the public option in the German system keeps costs low, the 8% tax encourages employers to provide employer-provided insurance, while the various mandates and subsidies insure that all Americans can afford and obtain insurance that will cover all common health costs -- but of course it is nowhere near the most efficient way to provide health care. The system HR3200 sets up will provide universal healthcare, but at a cost much higher than a single-payer system. Still, it's a whole lot better than the current system, which is "let them eat cake" filled with rescissions, refusals to insure due to pre-existing conditions, discrimination against women, older Americans, and against families with young children, and far too many people who cannot afford to purchase health insurance and cannot obtain any subsidy for doing so.

"What HR3200 really is"

So, it's not "bad", but it's also not all that good. It may be the best bill we can get passed in the current climate, but it's not a solution to the healthcare crisis.
Like most "liberals" ("socialists" in the current lexicon), I would really like a "single-payer" system. It's not even "on the table", but Thom Hartmann has a really simple, good proposal:

Dear President Obama,

I understand you're thinking of dumping your "public option" because of all the demagoguery by Sarah Palin and Dick Armey and Newt Gingrich and their crowd on right-wing radio and Fox. Fine. Good idea, in fact.

Instead, let's make it simple. Please let us buy into Medicare.

It would be so easy. You don't have to reinvent the wheel with this so-called "public option" that's a whole new program from the ground up. Medicare already exists. It works. Some people will like it, others won't - just like the Post Office versus FedEx analogy you're so comfortable with.

Just pass a simple bill - it could probably be just a few lines, like when Medicare was expanded to include disabled people - that says that any American citizen can buy into the program at a rate to be set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which reflects the actual cost for us to buy into it.

So it's revenue neutral!

To make it available to people of low income, raise the rates slightly for all currently non-eligible people (like me - under 65) to cover the cost of below-200%-of-poverty people. Revenue neutral again.

Most of us will do damn near anything to get out from under the thumbs of the multi-millionaire CEOs who are running our current insurance programs. Sign me up!

This lets you blow up all the rumors about death panels and grandma and everything else: everybody knows what Medicare is. Those who scorn it can go with Blue Cross. Those who like it can buy into it. Simplicity itself.

Of course, we'd like a few fixes, like letting Medicare negotiate drug prices and filling some of the holes Republicans and AARP and the big insurance lobbyists have drilled into Medicare so people have to buy "supplemental" insurance, but that can wait for the second round. Let's get this done first.

Simple stuff. Medicare for anybody who wants it. Private health insurance for those who don't. Easy message. Even Max Baucus and Chuck Grassley can understand it. Sarah Palin can buy into it, or ignore it. No death panels, no granny plugs, nothing. Just a few sentences.

Replace the "you must be disabled or 65" with "here's what it'll cost if you want to buy in, and here's the sliding scale of subsidies we'll give you if you're poor, paid for by everybody else who's buying in." (You could roll back the Reagan tax cuts and make it all free, but that's another rant.)

We elected you because we expected you to have the courage of your convictions. Here's how. Not the "single payer Medicare for all" that many of us would prefer, but a simple, "Medicare for anybody who wants to buy in."

Respectfully,

Thom Hartmann

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/08/17

Of course, this has a snowball's chance in Turlock of ever passing. Good ideas aren't allowed in the current dialogue. There is no army of lobbyists for "common sense".

My own personal healthcare is paid for by the state of Arizona. Because I was unemployed when I broke my shoulder, I'm enrolled in "AHCCCS", the "Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System" (the name makes clear their motivation), and as long as I remain below the poverty level I'll continue to receive basic health services on the taxpayers dime. I can't complain; the service has been adequate and my Dr.'s have been top-notch. The problem for me is that if I ever rise above the poverty level, I'm screwed. I'm uninsurable thanks to pre-existing conditions, and unless I got really, really rich there's no way I could afford the treatment I need out of pocket. And a lot of Americans are in even worse shape.

So that's where we stand: A huge problem, a number of vested interests in the status quo, weak political leaders without real solutions, a largely ignorant populace inflamed with rhetoric, and a dysfunctional legislative system determined to avoid real action. And I only say this because I'm trying to remain optimistic. Because if you watch too closely, you're likely to suffer whiplash.

So...

How long until Brett Favre retires (again)?

Not Getting What I Want

I really wanted the "pubic option".

Also, smarter opponents.

Has it Really Come to This?

Maybe I'm becoming an alarmist, but I don't remember this happening under the Shrub: At a presidential event in Arizona this afternoon, civilians were seen carrying assault rifles. This is legal in this state:

PHOENIX - About a dozen people carrying guns, including one with a military-style rifle, milled among protesters outside the convention center where President Barack Obama was giving a speech Monday - the latest incident in which protesters have openly displayed firearms near the president.

Gun-rights advocates say they're exercising their constitutional right to bear arms and protest, while those who argue for more gun control say it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

Phoenix police said the gun-toters at Monday's event, including the man carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle slung over his shoulder, didn't need permits. No crimes were committed, and no one was arrested.

The man with the rifle declined to be identified but told The Arizona Republic that he was carrying the assault weapon because he could. ``In Arizona, I still have some freedoms,'' he said.

Phoenix police Detective J. Oliver, who monitored the man at the downtown protest, said police also wanted to make sure no one decided to harm him.

``Just by his presence and people seeing the rifle and people knowing the president was in town, it sparked a lot of emotions,'' Oliver said. ``We were keeping peace on both ends.''

``It's a political statement,'' he told The Boston Globe. ``If you don't use your rights, then you lose your rights.''

Police asked the man to move away from school property, but he was not arrested.

Fred Solop, a Northern Arizona University political scientist, said the incidents in New Hampshire and Arizona could signal the beginning of a disturbing trend.

``When you start to bring guns to political rallies, it does layer on another level of concern and significance,'' Solop said. ``It actually becomes quite scary for many people. It creates a chilling effect in the ability of our society to carry on honest communication.''

He said he's never heard of someone bringing an assault weapon near a presidential event. ``The larger the gun, the more menacing the situation,''

Arizona is an ``open-carry'' state, which means anyone legally allowed to have a firearm can carry it in public as long as it's visible. Only someone carrying a concealed weapon is required to have a permit.

Paul Helmke, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said people should not be allowed to bring guns to events where Obama is.

``To me, this is craziness,'' he said. ``When you bring a loaded gun, particularly a loaded assault rifle, to any political event, but particularly to one where the president is appearing, you're just making the situation dangerous for everyone.''

He said people who bring guns to presidential events are distracting the Secret Service and law enforcement from protecting the president. ``The more guns we see at more events like this, there's more potential for something tragic happening,'' he said.

http://ktar.com/?nid=388&sid=1200460

I'm a liberal, but I own a couple of guns. But the idea of ever bringing a gun to a public event is beyond my comprehension. And the police were making sure that "no one decided to harm him"? The dude had an AR-15, and you're worried about his safety? This is not a good sign.

(Added) Steven D at Booman Tribune has it right:

Which brings me to my quote of the day by the Brady Campaign's President Paul Helmke:

Bringing loaded firearms to any Presidential event endangers all in attendance. Even though our weak national and state gun laws may allow this dangerous behavior, we should use a little common sense. Individuals carrying loaded weapons at these events require constant attention from police and Secret Service officers, thus stretching their protective efforts even thinner. The possibility that these weapons might be grabbed or stolen or accidently mishandled increases the risks of serious injury or death to all in attendance.

The National Rifle Association and other 'gun rights' groups need to send a message about 'gun responsibilities' to their members and all gun owners. Loaded weapons at political forums endanger all involved, distract law enforcement, and end up stifling debate. Presidential protesters need to leave their firearms at home -- no exceptions."

I couldn't agree more. There is no need for to bring weapons to a political event unless your goal is to intimidate those with whom you disagree into silence, or unless you intend to use those weapons to assassinate a political figure. Neither of those is a legitimate exercise of one's right to bear arms.

The Sky was Yellow

There's a big fire burning in Sycamore Canyon, and the smoke is so heavy that the sky is yellow here in town. Not good for breathing.
Added: Details for local readers: Wildfire blankets region in smoke

Like a Complete Unknown

Everybody must get ID'd:

Rock legend Bob Dylan was treated like a complete unknown by police in a New Jersey shore community when a resident called to report someone wandering around the neighborhood.

Dylan was in Long Branch, about a two-hour drive south of New York City, on July 23 as part of a tour with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp that was to play at a baseball stadium in nearby Lakewood.

A 24-year-old police officer apparently was unaware of who Dylan is and asked him for identification, Long Branch business administrator Howard Woolley said Friday.

"I don't think she was familiar with his entire body of work," Woolley said.

The incident began at 5 p.m. when a resident said a man was wandering around a low-income, predominantly minority neighborhood several blocks from the oceanfront looking at houses.

The police officer drove up to Dylan, who was wearing a blue jacket, and asked him his name. According to Woolley, the following exchange ensued:

"What is your name, sir?" the officer asked.

"Bob Dylan," Dylan said.

"OK, what are you doing here?" the officer asked.

"I'm on tour," the singer replied.

A second officer, also in his 20s, responded to assist the first officer. He, too, apparently was unfamiliar with Dylan, Woolley said.

The officers asked Dylan for identification. The singer of such classics as "Like a Rolling Stone" and "Blowin' in the Wind" said that he didn't have any ID with him, that he was just walking around looking at houses to pass some time before that night's show.

The officers asked Dylan, 68, to accompany them back to the Ocean Place Resort and Spa, where the performers were staying. Once there, tour staff vouched for Dylan.

The officers thanked him for his cooperation.

"He couldn't have been any nicer to them," Woolley added.

How did it feel? A Dylan publicist did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment Friday.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iy8jnlcZu7jfNUS3KQ5phFhctnBQD9A2UAHO1

Another story that makes me feel old. The cops were so young that they'd never heard of Bob Dylan? That's quite a generation gap. Of course, when you record an album of Christmas songs (see my earlier post) you're destined to slip into obscurity.

Woodstock

40 years ago? woodstock.
I didn't get to go.
I blame my parents.
I was 10.
Living in San Francisco.
But growing up, it looked like fun. We wished we could have been there.
But I wasn't there.

Why They Lie

The latest round of right-wing lies, the "death panels", shouldn't be a surprise. They know that this type of lies work. The "Willie Horton" ads worked. The "Swift Boat" ads worked. They were lies, but they managed to obscure the truth in enough minds to actually win. So this shouldn't come as any surprise, either:

Leaked memo shows energy industry execs sending employees to industry sponsored events to play average citizens outraged about cap-n-trade.

In short, expect the same type of lies, loudly shouted, as we move toward any attempt at energy reform. The screams of "euthanasia" and "socialism" have effectively scuttled any real health reform, and those who oppose energy reform will adopt the same tactics.
Because lying, loudly and repeatedly, works.

Boobie News

New friend Lockwood from Outside the Interzone (a very smart blog, which you should go read frequently) sent me this link to a new National Geographic article, telling me "These aren't the boobies you're looking for." The Tasman Boobie was thought to be extinct, but it now turns out that the Tasman Boobie and the Masked Boobie are the same. Nice to know that the Boobie's are still around.

Today's Question

Zymurgian asked me: "How'd you get to be so old?"

Me: "By not dying"

So my question to all of you: How'd you get to be so old?




(added explanation: This conversation was about Zymurgian's angst upon approaching age 40. Since I'm 50, I qualified as "old" in his view. I don't feel that I'm old, except on certain mornings.)

QOTD

From distributorcap

Sometimes I wonder if the media isn’t so much anti-Obama as it's just plain anti-intellectual and pro-toilet paper sales.

Couldn't say it better.

Evidence

Here is the most basic evidence of why we need real healthcare reform:

The free medical clinic at the Forum in Inglewood reached capacity again Wednesday, as hundreds camped out overnight to receive medical and dental care.

More than 2,000 sought services on the first day of the medical clinic -- and hundreds were turned away. People were lined up Tuesday night, hoping to get in. The MTA announced it was extending service of Line 115 because of "overwhelming demand" for rides to the clinic, which runs for eight days.

On Tuesday, procedures included 95 tooth extractions, 22 oral surgeries, 470 fillings, prescriptions for 140 eyeglasses, 45 mammograms, 43 HIV tests and 96 Pap smears.

The Remote Area Medical Foundation is a trailer-equipped service that has staged health clinics in rural parts of the United States, Mexico and South America. It brought its health camp to urban Los Angeles County on Tuesday to begin a stint that the group's officials described as its first foray into a major urban setting.

Organizers expected big crowds in a county with high unemployment and an estimated 22% of working-age adults lacking health insurance.

On Tuesday, the turnout was so large that hundreds had to be turned away.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/free-medical-clinic-at-forum-reached-full-capacity-for-second-day.html

I'm still composing my thoughts on the whole "healthcare reform" debate, but this proves that what we're doing now isn't working.

Miers and Renzi

Ah, the old case gets more interesting...

In the House Judiciary investigation into the U.S. Attorney firings, Harriet Miers admitted to her role in helping re-elect Rick Renzi by hiding the corruption investigation of him:

It's just days before the mid-term elections, and you're sitting in the White House watching a close Congressional race when it bubbles up that the the Republican incumbent, long dogged by corruption rumors, is under federal investigation.

That's the situation the Bush White House found itself in when it was reported in late October 2006, first on blogs, that U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton was investigating Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ).

And that's when the damage control machine kicked into gear.

Scott Jennings, deputy to Karl Rove, and White House Counsel Harriet Miers intervened to try to get the Justice Department to throw cold water on the reports of an investigation, despite the DOJ's policy not to confirm or deny the existence of ongoing probes, according to e-mails released by the House Judiciary Committee today. (Read them here.)

In the two days following Miers and Jennings' emails, articles appeared in the press quoting DOJ officials saying the investigation was in "preliminary stage" -- which it was not.

One piece in the Arizona Republic, speculating that the news about the
investigation was politically-motivated, quoted a DOJ official: "I want to caution you not to chop this guy's (Renzi's) head off." That's the type of statement that surely helped Renzi in the heated days before the election.

Renzi went on to win reelection, but was indicted on wide-ranging corruption charges in April 2008. The case is still pending.

The Jennings/Miers e-mails make for rich reading. On October 24, Jennings wrote, under the subject "re: our call":

"The person I called you about [Renzi] said the USATTY in his area, as well as the local FBI office, said they were unaware of any investigation."

Miers replied, describing how she intervened to pressure the DOJ on its public stance:

Scott, I just finished speaking with [Deputy AG] Paul McNulty. He said what we suspected he would. He has been contacted by a number of frustrated members of the Congress asking why people can't be vindicated in the event nothing is going on. He acknowledged that the situation is frustrating, but reiterated their position that they cannot confirm or deny the existence of an investigation. He said the AG did an interview last week to put things in as good as a perspective as possible by explaining that no one should be talking and that a refusal to deny should be given no meaning beyond that Justice does not admit or deny the existence of an investigation. I observed that at some point, immediately preceding an election, unattributed statements about the existence of an investigation was rankly unfair. He is continuing to think about the situation, but I did not get a lot of encouragement that they will deviate from normal course.

In other words: despite being told it was DOJ policy not to confirm or deny the existence of an investigation, Miers asked Paul McNulty, the deputy attorney general, to knock down the reports of a probe. But she "did not get a lot of encouragement that they will deviate from normal course."

In the next two days, the articles citing anonymous DOJ officials appeared, falsely reporting the probe was in early stages. It's still not known who made those leaks and whether anyone directed them to do it.

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/on_election_ever_miers_tried_to_intervene_renzi_case.php?ref=fpb

Renzi's corruption investigation was kept hidden until after the election for political reasons, a classic example of how the shrub administration operated (read the whole article for a lot more juicy details). Paul Charlton was fired in the Attorney purge, in hopes of killing the investigation of Renzi, and it almost worked. But Mr. Corruption's trial is scheduled for next month. I wonder if Harriet will be called to testify? That certainly could be worth watching.

And, (in keeping with the Pygalgia tradition with all things Renzi), Mr. Renzi, here's your pig:

(And read all about sleazy Karl Rove's roll in it all here: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-rove12-2009aug12,0,6512321.story, here: Raw Story, here: NYTimes, and The full interview transcripts and documents can be found here.)

Finch Fighting?

This is a little old, but: weird news that I almost couldn't believe (except that I can):

SHELTON, Conn. -- Connecticut authorities say they arrested 19 people and seized more than 100 birds in a house raid on an alleged bird-fighting operation

Wayne Kasacek, of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, and Shelton police Sgt. Robert Kozlowsky say most of the 150 confiscated birds were saffron finches and that a few were canaries. Kasacek say some of the birds had previous injuries, including blindness in at least one eye, and may have to be euthanized.

Police say they made the arrests Sunday just as spectators had placed bets and were getting ready to watch the birds fight at a home in Shelton, just west of New Haven. Authorities say they seized $8,000 in alleged betting money.

Saffron finches are small birds that are native to South America.

» Report on WSFB-TV
Channel 3 in Connecticut (video, photo slideshow)

http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/police_arrest_19_in_conn_finch.html

There are a lot of strange people in this world, but the thought of watching and betting on small birds forced to tear each other apart boggles my mind. But...I'm not sure. When, at the local pub, I proposed "worm racing" for a slow night's entertainment, the owner said "no way. that's cruel". I think "Finch Fighting" is far more cruel than a worm race, but I might be wrong.