Archive for the ‘Current Events’ Category
The March Toward "Justice for All"
I’ve seen thousands of people naked. I have inspected their insides and outsides, felt their pain and sometimes their souls, and after all that, I can see we all are pretty much the same. That equality in human essence makes it impossible for me to see why gay people are not allowed the right of […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events, Faaabulosity
One Visible Gay Marine, a Thousand in Shadows
I felt that it was important to put this image right here, in my blog, on the internet, where it would be easily visible. It needs to be seen — it will be seen. Pictured is Tim Smith, a former US Marine, "honorably discharged after a military minister outed him." (source) Last week, as one […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
65% Still Favor Government-Run Health Insurance
So: "57. Would you favor or oppose the government offering everyone a government administered health insurance plan – something like the Medicare coverage that people 65 and older get – that would compete with private health insurance plans?" Despite all the propaganda that has eroded this figure since Obama has been in office, 65% still […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events
Pelosi on Milk & Pride
The occasion was the dedication of a building in San Francisco to Harvey Milk. The video below is a short speech by Nanci Pelosi that I enjoyed listening to, and not only for the part that I transcribe here (blame me for any mistakes, please): I always say to my members of congress and to […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
Who Are the People's Lobbyists?
Here's another gloss on the corrupting power of money from large corporations, in this instance health-care insurance companies — not to mention the silly, antidemocratic notion of "corporate personhood" that recognizes campaign "contributions" from such corporations as political "speech" protected by the First Amendment. First, note the observation the the health insurance and HMO corporations […]
In: All, Current Events, Raised Eyebrows Dept.
Rep. Joe Wilson: Republican VP Hopeful?
So we have the curious case of Representative Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina, shouting at the President during the latter's remarks to a joint session of congress last night. In the midst of reporting on that in today's press (e.g., the New York Times), some mention was made of the President's speech. As I […]
In: All, Current Events, Splenetics, Will Rogers Moments
Achieving Health-Care Competition
The other day I happened to have lunch near one of my lunchtime friends, which also meant being in close proximity to her arch-conservative husband. Naturally, as arch-conservatives are wont to do, he immediately wanted to talk about constitutional rights and what's wrong with liberal government. It's almost as predictable as those "Would you like […]
In: All, Current Events, Eureka!
When Forgiveness Happens
It’s easy to understand Mr. Cheney’s aversion to the investigation that Attorney General Eric Holder ordered last week. On Fox, Mr. Cheney said it was hard to imagine it stopping with the interrogators. He’s right. The government owes Americans a full investigation into the orders to approve torture, abuse and illegal, secret detention, as well […]
In: All, Current Events, Reflections
Moyers on Universal Health Care as Moral Imperative
Bill Moyers speaks my mind in a discussion with Bill Maher on health-care reform: "We're all in the same boat." That would be the metaphor that would change this [health-care "debate"], that's the moral message that America would send by adopting health care as a human need, which everybody should have access to. The moral […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events, Personal Notebook
Penn & Teller on Marriage Equality
As I have mentioned, Isaac and I do not have our finger on the pulse of American popular culture, in large part because we don't have cable television because we never watch television anyway. Thus, I didn't know that Penn & Teller have a series on Showtime called "Bullshit!". They do and I know it […]
In: All, Current Events, Laughing Matters
Healthcare: Society and Economy
"Over the last 12 years the number of people visiting America's emergency rooms has soared. Yet here's what's surprising: The number of low-income people going to ERs has not increased. The increase has come almost entirely among middle-class people and many of them have insurance." — Maggie Mahar "We live in a society not just […]
In: All, Current Events, Personal Notebook
Cautious Play is Bad Strategy
Today's headlines on stories that interest me brings a curious convergence between 1) health-care reform and 2) marriage equality. Advocates of both have for far too long played a strategy of holding back and not moving as quickly, boldly, and energetically as they can until they feel that "the votes are there". Alas, the votes […]
In: All, Current Events, Reflections
Hitler Fatigue
Friends of mine who are of a certain age–hence, in their prime–who were active Usenet denizens in the early 1990s, are familiar with Godwin's Law from being there in the flame wars. In essence: the longer a Usenet discussion lasts, the probability of a comparison to Hitler approaches one. It is generally understood by all, […]
In: All, Current Events, Laughing Matters
"Better Off" in Iraq?
Human Rights Watch issued a report ("They Want Us Exterminated", 17 August 2009) with the subtitle "Murder, Torture, Sexual Orientation and Gender in Iraq". From the introduction: A killing campaign moved across Iraq in the early months of 2009. While the country remains a dangerous place for many if not most of its citizens, death […]
In: All, Current Events, Reflections
Dingell on Racism & Health-Care Townhall Mobs
Michigan congressman John Dingell on "Coundown", with Keith Olbermann (segment on "Racism in the Public Square", c. 12 August 2009), explained that the staged "disruptions" at health-care town halls–his in particular–reminded him of a previous experience: Well, the last time I had to confront something like this was when I voted for the Civil Rights […]
In: All, Common-Place Book, Current Events
Who Stands?
Now I'm confused — again. It happens so easily these days. I read (via Towleroad: "Arlen Specter Health Care Town Hall Nearly Gets Physical") that the loudest, angriest white male at Arlen Specter's recent healthcare townhall meeting shouted: "One day, God's gonna stand before you. And he's gonna judge you…". Now, I am just an […]
In: All, Current Events, Will Rogers Moments
Stephen Hawking Erroneously Found Dead in "Death Panel" Marketing
How interesting. I learned from Avedon Carol (who learned from Wonkette….) of an editorial in the Investor's Business Daily that, in explaining how government-run-healthcare "death panels" wold imperil your grandmother's life, used as the centerpiece of it argument that famed physicist Stephen Hawking, whose life is challenged with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as […]
In: All, Current Events, Laughing Matters, Raised Eyebrows Dept., Will Rogers Moments
Who Took Whose Country?
Rachel Maddow told me that, according to the SEC, the profits of health insurance companies were $2.4 Billion in 2000, but $12.7 Billion in 2007. This is only a 429% increase, almost keeping pace with inflation. (I watched the segment at Joe.My.God.) She also notes that by 2007 the average compensation of the CEO of […]
In: All, Current Events, Will Rogers Moments
APA Disses "Ex-Gay Therapy" in No Uncertain Terms
Just a few days ago the American Psychological Association (APA) adopted a resolution saying, basically, that claims for the success of "ex-gay therapy"* have no scientific merit. Quoting from the APA press release‡ TORONTO—The American Psychological Association adopted a resolution Wednesday stating that mental health professionals should avoid telling clients that they can change their […]
In: All, Current Events, Faaabulosity
To the Moon
I am excited to think that today is the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong's and Buzz Aldrin's landing on the moon, while command-module pilot Michael Collins orbited the moon in the Apollo 11 command module. I am, perhaps, less excited that its been forty years since I was 12 years old! The photograph is of […]
In: All, Current Events, Reflections