Health Cares Biggest Fraud

How could anyone think that a healthcare bill going through a Congress owed by the very industry it is legislating about would produce a consumer friendly piece of work? Many comments have been made in the past month or so about how Obama is being played on health care; a rerun of the banking stimulus disaster. Henry Myerson, writing in the Washington Post (July 8)wondered why Obama has not unleashed his army of political supporters who made his victory possible. These are the 13 plus millions of dedicated supporters whose names are in the data banks of the Democratic National Committee. Myerson is perplexed by the lack of mobilization by Obama 's team for such a key fight.

The answer is obvious: the rank and file are far more liberal in their thinking about health acre and most other issues. Once they are mobilized, they may get out of control. The disaster shaping up now around the various strange constructions in the House and Senate bills are pure Beltway gamesmanship. Myerson seems to be thinking that the President is the leader of the nation and not just a tool of corporate interests. I have to assume that Myerson reads his own paper and saw the chart produced by his colleagues on the extensive connections between ex-staffers of the Senate Finance Committee and big Pharma. All you have to do is read The National Nurses Movement Blog to gage the impact of the betrayal that is playing itself out in the halls of congress.

We are witnessing the Obama administration betraying it promise to the country and weakening itself for the 2010 election cycle. The Republicans wish that Obama fails and he is obliging them with fake reform proposals that are ludicrous when closely examined. The fact that the single payer option has to jammed back into the discussion after Obama kicked it aside tells you that he is doomed to be just another player in the system of interest group deals in D.C.

http://www.washingtonpost.com

http://www.calnurse.org/?Action=content&id=608

The Irish Church: The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Things are not going so well these days in the Emerald Isle. The real estate bubble popped and the banks cratered with the real estate implosion. If that wasn't enough, there has been the troubles over an investigation of the treatment of the inmates at a reform school run by The Christian Brothers. The investigation, known as The Ryan Report, details the ill treatment dished out to children in this notorious reformatory. The Irish Times had an opinion piece by Jim Beresford (6/18/09) calling The Ryan Report a whitewash for failing to engage the issue of institutionalized psycho-sexual violence routinely practiced by The Christian Brothers Order. Mr. Beresford was, at one time, an inmate of the reformatory that was the subject of the report. The impact of The Christian Brothers teaching order on the Irish national character was profound; they were sanctioned by the state to education the youth of Ireland for generations. Read the piece, especially, if your a recovering Catholic.

The cover up that Beresford speaks about in the Irish context is quite the same on this side of the pond. The passing of the dramatic sex scandals in the American Church never addressed the sadism and brutality of the various teaching orders; the violence (discipline) was especially acute in schools for working class children. In 1950's America, there was no child abuse because it was known as discipline...a rein of terror existed in many classroom, unrestrained by the authorities and supported by parents who had been battered by the same thugs when they were children.

Things have changed; many of the sadists are dead and lay teachers are doing most of the teaching in Catholic schools today. Still, it is a shame that the Church in America has this dirty little secret that is still shrouded in silence. When I hear people say to me that I must have gotten a great education; I ask them what they mean. The ones over 50 always talk about discipline and self control. Had I gone to Attica Prison, I could have gotten better treatment and my parents would not have been burdened with the tuition and fees.

In general, the physical brutally was aimed at the boys; however, that was not always the case. Still, the overall atmosphere of psychological and physical intimidation was pervasive. There should be a truth commission in this country that talks directly to the issues raised by Jim Beresford in the Irish context. American Catholicism needs to come clean; as they say, confession is good for the soul.

http://www.irishtimes.com.newspaper/opinion/2009/0618/1224249067622.html

Coldest Known Object Hoax and stock tip for the Day

We are smarter than the average bear and saw something fishy in a story on Yahoo about the coldest object in space being a man made instrument package for space exploration. We contacted Anne Coulter people and asked them if she knew that something in space was supposed to be colder than she was...they just laughed and said no way. As the space object was still .1 above absolute zero, we believe Colture's people have the edge on this one...coldest object in the known universe....the Coultergeist.

An article in the Journal of Sexual Medicine had a stimulating piece on vibrator use and sexual health. More women than men have used them. Of the subjects who used vibrators, many reported positive results in terms of satisfaction and arousal. Anne Coulter was not mentioned in this article.

You do not need to be writing for Smart Money to realize the implications for the solar battery industry. Al Gore had no comment on the issue of battery disposal and the environmental impact of vibrator use on a planetary scale.

Check out the You Tube land. Apparently, there is "techno war music." And where there's war the Fuhrer rears his ugly head in some amusing clips. Yes, there is Hitler humor after "The Producers." Hitler, Hess, Goering and so many more to disco and other tunes. Quite Pythonesque...in a Monty sort of way.

McNamara Lives!

Don't cry for Bob, yes, some called him Bob, McNamara because he lives on in the system that he served as Secretary of Defense during the Sixties. The policy elites who run our current wars and prepare for the next war are just as devoted as McNamara was to the technocratic mindset. Rumsfled was almost a clone of the business school mindset about war as was Bob. The arrogance that got us into Vietnam has gotten into Afghanistan and Iraq. McNamara lives in the Orwellian language of military intellectuals who speak of kinetic battlefields and full spectrum dominance. The use of a pseudo scientific language covers a multitude of sins of omission ie, the lack of historical and political understanding of peoples and cultures not akin to our own. We blundered into Vietnam because we did not listen to the French, did not understand the people we were about to fight and dismissed the few experts we had within our own government who warned against a ground war in Asia.

Bob McNamara lives on. Bob Gates is finding out how hard it is root out the interests that use the war machine as a means to fuel their state's economy and guarantee their reelections. The waste that McNamara tried to control is today impeding the country's recovery from the greatest economic collapse since the 1930's.

Bob McNamara lives.

Wa/Po Froomkin Loses Cherry, North Korea Solved!

Dan Froomkin's Blog, White House Watch is terrific stuff. But, the kid surely has just about had it with the Obamatron and his merry men. Froomkin, he looks like his name (cute), tore the administration another one over the consistent undermining of the transparency promise of the early golden days of long ago...like January 2009. Indeed, through the miracle of the Post's, "way back machine" I was able to read the virginal love song of the Froomster after the Obama speech to his worthies at the White house on January 21. The Froom's s article of the 22 January was so full of good will and hopefulness that I had to take something to settle my stomach before I continued on my way through the posts to his column. It is a real lesson in how a very level headed columnist has been almost totally turned off by the Bushian blow back on the Obama people. The DoJ has employed the same idiotic rationalizations as the previous administration...when they had their spines removed is yet to be determined. Perhaps, Geraldo Rivera is on to that story.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/white-house-watch/obama-bogus-new-excuse-for-se.html

North Korea: Problem solved by Rutabaga Ridgepol. No idea who this is. And yet he spoke to me when I caught his post on TPM ( Talking Points Memo); this blog is a very successful, social democratic group of Wiemar intellectuals released from the amber and blogging away, creating chaos wherever they alight. Just wonderful writing and intelligent analysis. Back to the Rut guy. He noted that "The Dear Leader" is about to keel over and his number one son is a basket ball nut....this intelligence was picked up from a kitchen help guy. Rut says that Obama can straighten nuclear stuff out on basket ball court and personal coaching clinic with Phil Jackson, etc. Hans Morganthau could not have put it better...I only hope Hillery has a computer in her office. Rut must have cc her on this one.

http://tmpcafe.thetalkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/rutabaga/2009/06

North Korea May Honor U.S. On July 4th!!!

Yes, it's true. You got it here first. The North Koreans may send a rocket's red glare out over the Pacific on the Fourth of July. How anyone can think that this rocket launch might be anything but a friendly gesture from the Beloved Leader himself. Well, the Defense Department is amused and has said that the launch was expected. This might upset the North because it sort of gives it away....we all like surprises, don't we? It is not known whether the famous American fireworks family, the Gruccis have had anything to do with this launch.

As you know, rockets over NYC were prohibited by former Mayor Giuliani in a show strength against the Chinese years ago. Oh, that was Chinese in Chinatown, that is. Do not panic and stock pile and more than you already have for a normal July 4th catastrophe. Ice, beer, condiments; DVD's and hard liquor for the real men among you, girls included. I will be joining some Constitutional scholars at a Constitution burning and BBQ at Foley Square. Later, we will g to the Joyce Theater for the experimental dance of the Federalists Papers, performed by The Paul Taylor dancers.....

Happy Rockets and Rockeets to you all

Dowd barks and her commenters howl

When I was informed of the Maureen column, I rushed to read and commento. Shut, the comments section was like the line for the last life boat on the Titanic. No freaking room at the Inn. So, settled down and read a page or two. Jesus, people really funny and enjoying being Sanforized.

Like an idiot, I was reading the Times story on the Marines moving into southern Afghanistan to put their new counter-insurgency plan into operation. A dear friend called and I tear-arsed my way to the Dowd column. Once again, she just doesn't get it. The Strategic Air Command got it, massive nuclear retaliation. You want to cut down on guys messing around: arm the women. Yeah, it would be messy for awhile, the murder rate would rise by 400% for a few years. But, honor killings could be legislated....am surprised they aren't in the South Carolina Constitution.

I must say that the sucky weather in NYC has kept me glued to my computer and the webbie warped commentary on Sanford. Now, here comes an Edwards story with video! This may be known as "The Summer of Sleaze." Did Henry Mancini do a song by that name? Could all this distraction be a nefarious plot by your stock broker to get you to stop threatening to sue him or her? Think about it...maybe not.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/opinion/01dowd.html

Another gem rolled off the NYT turnip truck. In the business section today, it was reported that 75% of medically induced personal bankruptcies are filed by folks who had health insurance. Scamming the public is what they do; our friends at United Health Care are mention as was the sacred cow AARP. Who better to sell useless insurance to but the elderly. you just have to love these guys.

"All life is connected grasshopper." So, imagine my delight in seeing the learned comment by Melena Ryzik on the new Dillinger film. This passed winter I bought a fedora at Housing Works Thrift Shop. I was drawn to it. Now, I know why. I can be just like Johnny Depp in the movie...minus the Thompson .45 cal. sub machine gun. This story follows yesterday's tempest between the NYPD and the Banking Community ( leper colony). The romanticism of a bank robber movie, set in a depression, starring a strikingly handsome Depp...well, if I were Commissioner Kelly, I'd be telling my robbery guys no vacations this summer me buckos. I predict huge fedora sales from movie and I am trying to corner the quality felt supplies around the globe. Anyone want in?

All the above jewels were found online in the nytimes.com 7/1/09

Thank you Times for the fun and games...minus the Marines and healthcare fraud.