gettin there

Health Care That Spares No Expense (washingtonpost.com)

Democratic presidential candidates and Republican congressional staffers are making claims about the greater fairness of government health insurance and the greater efficiency of private health insurance, respectively. Some tout the virtues of managed care, others believe the solution lies in tort reform. But the real problem is far deeper. We have come to expect, in this country, very high-tech health care, delivered without reference to price and thorough to the point of parody. Our doctors meet our expectations. No disease is too rare to test for, no technology is too expensive to use, and fear of litigation is not the only explanation.

BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID
Overhaul Without Oversight (washingtonpost.com)

Last month, as Congress was departing for a two-week recess, the Defense Department submitted a 200-page draft "transformation" bill that requests extensive new authorities. It is not an understatement to say that this bill, taken as a whole, is the most sweeping defense reform legislation proposed since the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986, which changed both the structure and the policies governing our military. The only thing that is obvious and consistent throughout the 50 provisions included in this bill is the aggregation of power sought for the Department of Defense, removing the legal restrictions and congressional oversight that should safeguard against any abuses, however unintentional. This approach is a rush to judgment that will affect vast numbers of people and, in many cases, will enshrine bad policy in law.

well, this is a switch. i wonder what the story is behind this.
Palestinians in Gaza Turn Anger on Militants (washingtonpost.com)

In an unusual protest, about 600 Beit Hanoun residents blocked a main thoroughfare with trash cans, rocks and burning tires to show their anger at the militants and Palestinian Authority officials

Reuters | Latest Financial News / Full News Coverage

The two-hour finale of ABC's reality romance hit "The Bachelor" was the big winner Sunday in the ratings race for young adult viewers, while the first half of a CBS miniseries about Hitler finished third, according to preliminary figures from Nielsen Media Research.

just goes to show ya, who do ya trust anymore. but one thing is for sure. hitler is a fabulous production. cbs did good.

MediaDailyNews 05-20-03

The two-hour special broadcast of 60 Minutes delivered a 9.1/16, 12.86 million. The first part of Hitler: Rise of Evil, focusing on the Nazi dictator's youth, earned a 9.0/14, 13.52 million. CBS placed first on Sunday in viewers and households with a 9.0/15 and an average of 13.22 million viewers. The other networks were NBC (7.9/13, 11.57 million); ABC (6.7/11, 10.62 million) and Fox (5.6/10, 9.66 million).

Peace in Pieces By Eric Umansky

Final Blair thought ... There are no doubt a number of institutional and management issues that in some way or another helped Blair snooker the Times and readers. Here's one to add to the pile: The NYT makes it unnecessarily difficult for readers to contact staffers. The LAT, WP, and WSJ all use a standard e-mail naming scheme. So, if you know the name of a reporter or editor, you can e-mail them. The LAT helps that along by publishing an editorial staff directory, while the WP has an easily contactable ombudsman. The NYT has none of that. Nor does it seem to have an e-mail address exclusively devoted to corrections

oh it just gets right to the heart of it .... their screaming anti-American for protesting the war worked. the only way the dems can do this is to grow a fucking spine and stand UP.

No Political Fallout for Bush on Weapons (washingtonpost.com)

Among the U.S. electorate, though, the concern about Hussein's weapons programs has been swiftly replaced by an increased sense of security that came with the successful military action. Even fiercely partisan Democrats say privately that they fear criticizing Bush for overstating Hussein's weapons capability could make Democrats appear to be defending Hussein's regime.

so no biggie if they lied huh. obviously, that's the spin that's happening. unbelievable. absolutely absurd.

No Political Fallout for Bush on Weapons (washingtonpost.com)

"Inasmuch as we've already done the deed, the need for that as a rationale is less," he said.
White House officials express confidence that Bush is not vulnerable on the absence of banned weapons in Iraq, if only because few people in either party doubted that Hussein had such weapons. "Both Republicans and Democrats alike know that Saddam Hussein had a WMD program," said White House communications director Dan Bartlett. "In fact, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution that confirmed it. So why would you criticize something the entire world knows to be true?"
In November, the Security Council's unanimously approved Resolution 1441, which found Iraq to be in "material breach" of its disarmament obligations and gave it a "final opportunity to comply." But now even some close allies of the Bush administration say they have serious doubts about the intelligence evidence Bush and his aides used to win passage of that resolution.
Before the war, the administration said that Iraq had not accounted for 25,000 liters of anthrax; 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin; 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent; and 30,000 munitions capable of delivering chemical agents. Bush said at the start of the war that Hussein "threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder."

well well well, that didn't take as long as i thought it would. hm, changing plans, and admitting to it up front, is something of a stoid.

Baaths Take Bath By Bill O'Brien

U.S. troops will remain in place and allied officials will remain in charge, thereby delaying Iraqi self-rule for the time being. The allied rationale, according to the NYT¸ is that an interim government would not have the strength and resources to rule effectively at present—and that it's failure would tarnish the allied victory.

well, aint this interesting.
DesMoinesRegister.com | News

The divisions are similar to those that first appeared among the candidates over the war in Iraq with a few exceptions. U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt, who backed the president on Iraq, is joining anti-war Democrats who back a full or partial repeal of the Bush tax cuts.
Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Bob Graham of Florida, who opposed the war, is lining up with pro-war Democrats who back keeping in place the 2001 tax cuts already in effect.

shit, i sat down and by the time this loaded i forgot what the hell i was going to say.

oh there it is. with all this whining from the repukes about the liberal media bias, i wonder. if that's true, since we all know about hate-radio... then where is the love-radio at? i wanna tune in dammit.

and they wonder why we're so hated:

The FedBudget Factoid: Average per capita expenditures of industrial countries on international aid: $66. Per capita expenditures of US on international aid: $33. Per capita expenditure of US on military: $1,202

Quote for the Day. something i've been doin on IA.TALK.MISC for some time now, and i think i'll start another one in here.

today's winner, something i found crossposted in NYC.GENERAL.

"Mans plan for god's plan for man. hmmmm..."
-Frederick S. Kahrs

comparisons of hitler & junior stops with the death camps. hopefully.

lots of good letters in today's des moine register. mostly positive, but as usual, there's that lone poopyhead that stands out.

http://www.dmregister.com/opinion/stories/c2129999/21190491.html

they figured out that using the word terrorism was the key that unlocked the door to avoiding the American justice system.

this was just too good to pass up.

The Lonely Pleasure, From Sin to Symbol Medieval Christian theologians devoted pages to sexual sins, but they lacked both a word for masturbation and a pressing interest in the subject. "Burchard of Worms, a major late-10th-, early-11th-century figure, was far clearer than most in specifying what we understand as masturbation," Mr. Laqueur writes, "but he thought little of it: 10 days of mild penance if a boy did it alone; three times that if in company."

i just needed to keep this for reference. sounds eerily like a CIA op. dont it? oh, the reconstruction.

Pentagon Sending a Team of Exiles to Help Run Iraq By setting up office outside of the Pentagon, with telephone numbers and e-mail addresses that gave no hint of their government ties, he said, "they have gone to some lengths not to be seen that way."

republikan paraphrasing scares the shit out of me. it's not only so far out there on point, but it is void of any intelligent logic. bringing hitler into the game, again, is typical of the hypocrisy repugs will stoop to enforce that 'evil, everything's evil, unless it's something i approve'. wretched even moreso is the fact that Americans are buying into this shit. right and left, no pun intended.

DesMoinesRegister.com | Opinion Rob Borsellino wrote an excellent column about the Holocaust and the human suffering it caused ("Shoes Bring Flood of Memories," April 16).
It really is too bad we got into World War II. After all, one of the triggers of the war was our oil embargo against Japan. So the war really was all about oil.
And when you think about it, we really should have just handled things diplomatically through the League of Nations. After all, "what did Adolf Hitler ever do to us?" - to paraphrase Susan Sarandon.
Why should we have been concerned if he killed a bunch of Jews? I mean, really, it is just like using poison gas on a bunch of Kurds. Nothing we should be concerned about. At least not enough to risk the lives of American soldiers.
David C. Hammel
Urbandale.

we create chaos to justify having an enemy to fight, silly. but you did good jerry. you did real good.

DesMoinesRegister.com | Opinion It was said of the Romans that "They created a desert and called it "peace." " Now the Allied coalition has created chaos and the Register has called it "Easy Victory" ("U.S. Scrambles After Easy Victory," April 13).
Jerry Depew
Laurens.

Iraq Liberation Act

Let me be clear on what the U.S. objectives are: The United States wants Iraq to rejoin the family of nations as a freedom-loving and law-abiding member. This is in our interest and that of our allies within the region.
The United States favors an Iraq that offers its people freedom at home. I categorically reject arguments that this is unattainable due to Iraq's history or its ethnic or sectarian make-up. Iraqis deserve and desire freedom like everyone else. The United States looks forward to a democratically supported regime that would permit us to enter into a dialogue leading to the reintegration of Iraq into normal international life.
My Administration has pursued, and will continue to pursue, these objectives through active application of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions. The evidence is overwhelming that such changes will not happen under the current Iraq leadership.

this whole war had a whole 'nother effect that i havent seen addressed yet. the psycops, or as i like to spell it... PSYCHOPS. chop up that psyche of normal Americans into itsy bitsy pieces - calling protesters anti-American for example - then one by one, reshape them into what ever agenda is at hand. or planned. which brings up the thought i had wanted to jot down, but then it flew right outta my head.


how many people have profited today, from yesterday's actions? how about actions from _two days ago? how 'bout a week. a month? hell, a year, 5 years... twenty years. *quiver* the fact that we have people in power, that were in power 20 years ago, shouldnt negate any consideration what actions took place twenty years ago that are just now bearing fruit.

ahh yes, well, now... lets sheee here where we are. we've 'won' the war. or was that jus the first battle? either way, we have gloriously conquered iraq. arent we proud of ourselves. like peacocks. makes my stomach crawl. anyway, lost of short ones comin up.

yes, i't's ben a while. so much going on. so little time to get every site in and still say what needs to be said. but i'm back. and what has changed. we won yet?

Discuss FIELDS OF POOPY

today's quote:

"It's ironic that we're now talking about going into Iraq to clean up these weapons," Mr. Pitts added.

Gary B. Pitts, a Houston lawyer who is representing ailing gulf war veterans in a lawsuit claiming that their illnesses were explained by exposure to chemical or biological weapons that were known to be in Iraq's arsenal in the war.

and now on to iraq's neighbor, iran. from the LAT:

Here we suddenly discover that Iran is much further along, with a far more robust nuclear weapons development program than anyone said it had," Powell said Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition." "It shows you how a determined nation that has the intent to develop a nuclear weapon can keep that development process secret from inspectors and outsiders if they really are determined to do it."

then it later points out:

Inspectors found centrifuges and other evidence that Iran had made more progress than anyone had thought

does powell actually believe he can just continue to lie and deceive the way he says saddam is lying and deceiving? i've said it a million times: IT'S HARDER AND HARDER TO TELL WHICH SIDE IS SPEAKING

so now the inspectors have found delivery systems that could carry dirty weapons. at this stage in the game, there's not much sense in expecting a totally defenseless iraq is there? the way i see it, bu$h is pushing and pushing saddam into a corner where he'll have no choice but to play right into the chimp's hands and get dirty. i dont know. dumbya has been stirring up this hornets nest like a bully brat edging for a fight, so how can anybody not think that we're going to get bit sooner or later?

from the committee for economic development:

"Perhaps for the first time in this country's history, most Americans could no longer expect their children and grandchildren to have higher living standards than their own."

not only are we suffering today, but generations of tomorrow will suffer because of this madman.

i know it's been a while, jeez, almost 4 days already. but never fear. i am hard at work walking hip-deep in FIELDS OF POOPY. only at ITM. join in. if you dare.

and they say it's not about oil.
For Moscow, Veto Power Has Perks, Pitfalls

"Only very idealistic people in Russia can believe that when it comes to dividing the control over Iraqi oil resources, Bush will listen to Putin rather than to his friends from Texan oil companies," he said. "The Americans are not giving us any guarantees yet anyway."

i always did like my iranian boys:

Says a 23-year-old Iranian student at a cafe, "Can they hurry up with Iraq already, so they can get on with attacking us?"

that quote is out of some LAT story.

we got a poopyhead in carroll, m.c. mcdermott. who thinks that we can do what we want when we want, to who we want. that we dont need no steenkn support from anybody else. she's also very much mistaken when she writes:
DesMoinesRegister.com | Opinion

And despite the inference from the Register, which neglected to mention any countries, European or otherwise, that support American efforts, most European countries actually support U.S. actions toward Iraq.

she confuses 'support' with 'bribed'.

a great quote from today's register's letters. by greg stults of knoxville.
DesMoinesRegister.com | Opinion

It clearly falls into the category of political satire that we see and hear in the mainstream media every day. It is unlike humor based on race, ethnicity and sexual preference, whose targets suffer hostility and persecution that produce severe consequences on the basis of inherent human characteristics.

then we get this gem in the same section from james sutton of des moines:

The final irony is that Mann's detractors have given him another diabolism for his list: "Republicans believe satire is a hate crime."

BRAVO folx.

that twit who won poopyhead of the month award, david yepsen who has to squawk his venom in the des moines register, still cant get the facts right. either that, or he's derelict in his duty to report the truth.
DesMoinesRegister.com | Opinion

And peace activists can generate a lot more press attention than the hawks. Let 750 people show up at a church to relive their youth singing "60s peace songs and it's a bigger TV story than the fact that a growing number of Iowans - 59 percent - tell pollsters they support the forcible removal of Saddam Hussein from power. And 20 people carrying anti-war pickets get more ink and airtime than the fact that hundreds of Iowans are showing up at send-off ceremonies for our troops.

when in fact, 59% of iowans do NOT support what bush is doing. they want a united nation resolution authorizing invasion of another member state. and bush knows he needs that resolution too. the independent ran an analysis of why. i'll post the link if i can find it again. but that media-has-a-left-bias just doesnt work anymore yeppie.

RIGHT ON BROTHER!
Yahoo! News - PluggedIn: Imagining a World Without Ads

"Ads are intrusive and irrelevant ... I'm not going to buy anything because of an ad," said Drukman, who prefers independent research and recommendations from friends over company-sponsored promotions

2 questions that should be asked of ari fleisher:

1. is it true that the only reason we're going through the motions of a U.N. resolution, is because the armed forces are not yet ready? and 2. what is the status of the 3 ships out at sea with reported weapons of mass destruction on them?

great quote on bartcop today? this is early morning, so i expect maybe it could be from yesterday's posting. bartcop usually gets updated around noon or so CST. anyway, good quote from dave galloway (whoever you are).

BartCop's Political Humor - Today's BartCop RantsUntitled Document

The 100,000 to 1,000,000 (numbers depend on who you talk to) people who rallied in NYC
were not deterred, but this does not change the fact that Bush wanted to shut them down.
The question that begs to be asked is this; If "We The People" can't march,
should our soldiers be allowed to?
Dave Galloway

talk about a dumb statement, this is why i don't subscribe to the journal. when the editors make such stupid remarks like this, its no wonder the stock market isn't doing better.
the journal

Who can blame Americans for being skeptical of the science behind global warming when the temperature stays well below freezing for days on end and the weatherman measures the snow in feet?"

interesting article today in the uk's observer and it hits the nail on the head.

"Destroying by war Saddam's control over any hidden stocks and forcing those involved to flee is the surest method of getting weapons of mass destruction into the hands of terrorists. An invasion of Iraq should be characterised as stamping in a puddle of poison."

MAKE THE CASE, AND WE'LL SUPPORT YOU. PLAIN AND SIMPLE, MR. PRESIDENT. MAKE THE CASE. THAT'S ALL. MAKE THE CASE. THE MORE YOU TRY DECEIVING US, THE MORE WE SEE WHAT YOU'RE UP TO. WE ARE NOT DUMB, MR. PRESIDENT. WE WERE SHOCKED AT FIRST, AND YOU TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THAT. WE CAN ALMOST FORGIVE YOU FOR THAT. BUT DARE WITH THE CONTINUED DECEIT, AND AMERICA WILL NOT FORGIVE YOU IN 2004.
ok, i can stop screaming logic and common sense.

we need weapons of no destruction, not weapons of mass destruction.
boy, i'm jus full ot it today. its friday. flyday. so sue me. want a refund?

i really like that republicons.org site tho. good site.

ONLY A CONQUERER RUSHES TO WAR

rented my very first dvds today.

sum of all fears
blackhawk down
XXX
signs
minority report
harry potter

got my sister's player. had a time hookin it up cuz i got a satellite, which feeds the vcr, which feeds the mixer, which feeds the sound system. the problem was first, i couldnt find my video cable - that yellow ended bugger was under the couch. then it was the space between the video port and the audio ports was greater than the video cable's audio connections were. so i had to split up the audio. well, that's hardly a piece of cake when you have satellite, mixer, sound system, vcr with no manual and a remote that got added to the box after it got to wal-mart. dont EVER go to wal-mart. they buy shit at rediculously low prices, and get the bottom of the barrel. everything i have ever bought there, that could be returned, went back. but i had to be out there today for my d vee deez. so, to stay political.... read some google. finally, mainstream is able to say what i want to say..

jeee, i didnt know anybody else noticed. junior l. wohlenhaus in atlantic did tho. good eye there junior.
DesMoinesRegister

The markets seem to have no confidence in his plans because every time he opens his mouth the markets fall.

ayup. its health care day today down there. we have a poopy selection to play for you now, from karen lonsdale in stuart. i dont know where stuart is, but who cares.
DesMoinesRegister

National health care will do nothing except raise taxes and further dictate where, when and how the patient secures services. Will people not learn that bigger is not better? Will we not learn that the federal government is an institution composed of inefficiency? You think we have it bad now, just wait.

do crystal balls come in poopyhead kits?

steven r. hull, from clive (a sub of des moines), writes a letter to the editor at the register. just had to quote it here. it must be health-care day today down there. *shrug*. its good, but not good enough ... every day should be health-care day until its fixed.

DesMoinesRegister

The American health-care crisis is being exacerbated by doctors ordering procedures for defensive purposes and by prescribing useless medications, rather than making the effort to inform patients.

i've been an advocate of health-care reform since god knows when. if ever there was a broken system in this country, it is the health-care system. people often compare the american system to that of her neighbor's in canada. but here are some cold hard facts, reported today in the des moines register. mind you, des moines is probably the best city in the nation that knows insurance.

DesMoinesRegister.com | Opinion

Here are some comparisons between the United States and Canada.
* In 1996, Canada spent $2,002 per capita on health care.
* In 1996, the U.S. spent $3,708 per capita on health care.
* The Canadian government provides health care for every citizen.
* The U.S. government provides health care for about one-fourth of its citizens. Another one-sixth, or 41 million Americans, have no health insurance. The rest purchase coverage on their own or through employers.
* In 1995, the life expectancy for a Canadian male was 75.3 years. For every 1,000 live births in Canada, six infants die.
* In 1995, the average American male could enjoy life for 72.5 years. For every 1,000 live births in the United States, eight babies die.
Canada spends less, insures all its people and enjoys better life expectancies and infant mortality rates than Americans.

language we need here in mason city. thank god santa monica, claremont, and davis passed it.

Petaluma refuses to OK Patriot Act resolution

Former City Council members Janet Cader-Thompson and Matt Maguire urged the council to adopt the resolution, which would have provided that "to the extent legally possible, no city employee or department shall officially or voluntarily cooperate with investigations, interrogations or arrest procedures" that violate the Constitution.

suckholes, calling all suckholes. your emporer demands your obedience.

smh.com.au

Mark Latham, who already accused Mr Howard of being an "arselicker" of the Bush Administration and described this visit as "a conga line of suckholes" heading to Washington