TexProdigy

Prescription Drug Prices

I am glad I do not take any medications. I am still relatively young and healthy. My parents and grandparents take several pills a day for various ailments that crept into their lives as they aged. I can imagine that without insurance, their prescription drug costs would be sky high.

My grandparents were, for a long time, members of AARP. They decided not to renew their membership after the AARP decided to jump in bed with the pharmaceutical industry and concoct the Medicare Drug bill. My grandparents were telling me how drug prices would rise, despite assurances from the Bush administration, the pharmaceutical industry, and the AARP. My grandfather worked as an accountant for the government. I trust that if he says there is no way it will cost less, then he is speaking the truth.

Lo! And behold! Yahoo! News reports that drug prices rose after the Medicare prescription drug bill was enacted. According to AARP, brand-name drug prices have climbed 3.4 percent -- or three times the rate of inflation -- since December. It is nice that AARP is reporting this after the fact. They should have had people on the job to find this information out before the Medicare prescription drug bill was enacted. Maybe AARP should have listened to its members who told it to not support it. Oh, I forgot. AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons) is now a big business looking to make a quick buck off senior citizens any way it can.

War President

Came across a link documenting President Bush's actions during another war... I have not read it all, but I suspect I have seen much of it published on other websites and newspapers like the Boston Globe.

Hmm... This Sounds Familiar

I chuckled a bit as I read this passage from a Yahoo! News article by the LA Times:

"They didn't really have a specific plan for what to do, case by case, if we lost," a senior Department of Defense (news - web sites) official said on condition of anonymity. "The Justice Department didn't have a plan. State didn't have a plan. This wasn't a unilateral mistake on Department of Defense's part. It's astounding to me that these cases have been pending for so long and nobody came up with a contingency plan."

That sounds awfully familiar. Where have I heard people talking about the Bush administration not having a plan? Oh! I know! It was Iraq! What did Bush say? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice and you won't get fooled again?" (Mr. President, it is supposed to be, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

I can see a pattern with this administration. I think it follows the pattern George W. Bush has had throughout his entire life. Before he became President of the US, and even before he became Governor of Texas (a largely ceremonial job), Bush was being pulled out of the fire of his mistakes time and again by his "friends" and by his father's friends. Most of them used him because of his last name. Unfortunately for President Bush, the stakes are much higher than losing money on a dry oil well. I do not believe he has anyone who can pull him out of the fire of his mistakes in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the US.

Yes, the economy is growing, but the jobs that were lost are not being regained. We are still in the hole. The deficit is at record levels. If Gray Davis can be recalled for a $15 billion shortfall in California, shouldn't Bush lose his job over a $500 billion shortfall? Environmental protections that protect not only land and wild life, but also people have been stripped back. In place of real protections, voluntary protections have been implemented. If a corporation does not have to follow the rules and can make huge profits, they will, even if it hurts people. Soldiers die or become injured every day in Iraq. Terrorism is on the rise. The world is not safer. And we should re-elect Bush because...?

Individual Ready Reserve

A Yahoo! News article says that the Army us going to call up 5,600 people from the Individual Ready Reserve.

What is the Individual Ready Reserve? When people enlist in the military, if they do not serve at least eight years, they are placed in the Infividual Ready Reserve pool. Officers who have not resigned their commission are also places in the Individual Ready Reserve pool. Unline the Reserves or the National guard who serve at least one weekend a month and two weeks in a year, Individual Ready Reservists do not have regularly scheduled training. Some may have moved on to other jobs that have nothing to do with the jobs they did while they were on active duty.

The last time people on the Idividual Ready Reserve were called up was during the first Gulf War. What callinging them up now tells me that the Department of Defence officials (think Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, General Ryan, etc.) in charge of our military messed up. They claimed on Sunday talk shows that they could get by with a bare bones force. General Shinseki tried to tell the leadership more troops were needed. They ignored him and now we have to call up people who may have left the military and done a brain dump of all the stuff they learned. I have a suspicion that things are worse than we are being told. Only time will tell. If I was on the Individual Ready Reserves for the Army, I would be concerned about that next phone call or piece of mail. I have no doubt, though, that those called up will do they best they can given the circumstances.

I am not on the Individual Ready Reserves for the Air Force because I served over eight years. If I was called up, though, things would have to be really, really bad. I would go and serve my country, no matter what hardships came my way.

Powdering One's Nose

A few weeks ago I went out to the clubs in San Antonio. I met up with my friend, Jim (visit his blog, jadash's Blurty, it all it's monkey-goodness). I go out and have fun. My fun is without inebriating substances or recreational euphoric substances. I do not drink because of two reasons - I never really got anything out of drinking and the fifth Buddhist precept prohibits taking intoxicating substances. I am not perfect, but I try to follow the precepts as best I can.

Some of Jim's landlord's friends had come down from Austin to go out on the town with him and Jim. I think it's really good when you and your landlord get along that well.

Anyway, since I was the sober one (I like to refer to myself as the story teller, inebriated friend carrier, hair holder, etc.), I saw everything that happened. Jim's landlord's friends told everyone in the little group they were from Austin, that they were Republican, members of the Log Cabin Republicans, etc., etc. I guess they were the type of people who became really chatty when they drank. They also went to the restroom to "powder their noses." And I am not talking about Maybeline.

I personally do not mind if people drink or use recreational euphoric substances. That is their own personal decision and they will have to live with it. I do mind that these people were part of an organisation that has all sorts of opinions on drug use, marriage, etc. I thought it was a bit hypocritical that on one hand these guys were saying one thing and on the other hand they were doing another.

I think it is good that the Log Cabin Republicans (LCR) are trying to change the Republican party from within. However, here in Texas, the LCRs are up against the religious conservative (religious "right."). I think the LCRs (especially in Texas) are a bit like Don Quixote. They get on their noble steeds and charge at the religious "right" windmill. One of these days they will actually get that "giant."

Until then, I think the best way to get and preserve rights is to work with an organisation that sees you as part of the battle. Only by working through courts and legislatures can the rights of all Americans be preserved.

Robert Gant

I was in Houston this weekend with a friend of mine. We went to the Future Babylon Tour, featuring DJ Tracy Young and actor Robert Gant. DJ Tracy Young played some awesome music. She rocks!

I also have tremendous respect for Robert Gant. He signed autographs for fans. My friend and I waited in line for what seemed an eternity (it was actually about an hour). As we got toward Robert Gant, someone started telling people in line that he was not going to be signing any more autographs. Then word was that he was going to take a break and they were not sure when he was going to be back. Robert Gant got up and saw the huge line of people. He said, "What's going on?" The two ushers, who looked like twin drag queens, told him that it was time to take a break. He said, "No. There is still a long line. I'm going to sign autographs." His ushers tried to take him to the back, but he turned around and went back to the table and started signing autographs again.

My friend and I both have autographed head shots of Robert Gant. He did not have to go back to the table, but I am glad he did. I know writing a brief message and signing your name over and over again can get tedious and tiring. I am so glad he did not act like a stereotypical Hollywood star. He earned a ton of points in my book. He earned one fan (me) who will see him in any TV series, movie, play, or whatever he is in - no matter what. I figure it is the least I can do in return.

Language

Every once in a while I say and write obscenity. I do it to emphasise a point, especially if I am upset. For example, I used it in a post about the beheadings in Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

I read an article about how Vice President Cheney to Senator Patrick Leahy "fuck off" or "go fuck yourself."

Now, I do not mind if Vice President Cheney said "fuck" or not. A while back, John Kerry created a tiny stir (huge among conservatives) for saying an obscenity. Conservative commentators made all sorts of remarks about Democrats and their having to resort to using obscenities, blah, blah, blah. Maybe we could just paraphrase what they said and apply their statements to Dick Cheney.

To paraphrase David (the brother of Rush) Limbaugh, "I guess this has become a rite of passage for Republican vice presidents."

Or maybe I could paraphase Dennis Prager, "When a man is the vice president deliberately uses the f-word when talking to a US Senator, it is cause for concern."

Or I could paraphrase Andrew Card, "That's beneath Dick Cheney. I'm very disappointed that he would use that kind of language. I'm hoping that he's apologizing at least to himself, because that's not the Dick Cheney that I know."

Maybe I could use what Michael Medved said, ...another sign of desperation from a dying campaign."

Or finally, maybe I could paraphrase what the Washington Times said, "Certainly Mr. Cheney set a new low for American vice presidents when he used the F-word in regards to Senator Patrick Leahy."

Whatever! Give me a break. Almost everyone has said an obscenity at one point in time or another. For these people to act holier-than-thou reeks of hypocrisy.

Marriage Hypocrisy

I recently visited the web sites of my state's (Texas) Senators, Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn. Both of these Senators say on their web sites that they support the Federal Hate Amendment (aka Federal Marriage Amendment). That disappoints me. As a constituent in their state, I really wish they would represent me members of my community. Unfortunately, instead of representing all Texans, they support and represent a very vocal group of bigots who discriminate against one of the few groups of people that it is kosher to discriminate against - gays and lesbians.

I find it amazing that Kay and John think that enshrining discrimination into the Constitution is the right thing to do. Gays and lesbian contribute to society just as their straight counterparts do. We have jobs, we are active in our community and neighbourhoods, we pay taxes, etc. I know marriage is a right many straight people take for granted. I wish Kay and John could imagine living in a world where they lived and loved a their partner for years, owned a home, car, and maybe even had children, but could not have their union protected by law. That is how many gay and lesbian partners live. Straight couples have 1,049 rights granted to them immediately after saying, "I do." Currently gays and lesbians would have a difficult time getting a fraction of those rights. Those they could get would have to be through legal documents developed with the aid of an attorney. Even then, the benefits those legal documents grant could be (and have been) challenged in court by families who do not think that a partner, who has lived with someone for years, even decades, should get.

I intend to write to both of my Senators and ask if they will vote for the Federal Hate Amendment. I expect to get a form letter in response spouting the platitudes of the religious conservatives and that they intend on voting for it. My only recourse in this process, if they vote for it (and I fully expect them to), is to see that neither of them get elected to another term. That could mean campaigning for their Republican rivals. That could mean campaigning for their Democratic rivals. Or both.

I thought...

Ben Shapiro, the "wunderkind" over at Townhall.com makes me wonder sometimes if he's really as intelligent as he purports to be. For someone who is a senior at UCLA, he makes quite a few stupid statements. For example, most of his latest article seems to be one stupid statement after another.

He asks, "Should transvestites-transgenders have the right to use whatever bathroom they choose?" Please, Ben! Use that brain in your head. If Ben knew anything about pre-op and post-op transgendered persons or transvestites, then he would never have made such an inane statement.

Let me give an example. If a male is undergoing gender reassignment surgery (male-to-female, MTF), for a period of time prior to the actual operation, he will have female hormones administered, he will be asked to act, dress, and live as a woman. That includes using the women's restroom. A similar thing happens for female-to-male (FTM) gender reassignment. Some men do choose to dress as women. Some women do choose to dress as men. However, most people undergoing gender reassignment dress as a man or a woman because that is the gender they will be reassigned to.

Besides, the whole thing is not that controversial. Women use stalls and a MTF would use the stall as well. Stalls are also quite prevalent in mens' restrooms. Therefore, a FTM would use the stall until the surgery was complete. As far as the Thai school installing a third restroom, that was their solution to a problem that they faced. It worked for them.

I really thought Ben Shapiro was smarter than he actually seems from his article. I can understand him not agreeing with gender reassignment or transvestitism, but to be as ignorant as he is surprises me.

Things are up!

The Bush administration has to be proud that several things have gone up while they have been in power.

In 2002, according to CNN toxic pollution is up. I guess Bush really is the environment president!

I guess after realising that they used the same techniques Enron used to balance their books, the Bush administration released revised figures about terrorism. Surprise! Terrorism is up! I guess Bush is doing quite a bit for terrorism, just not the way we intended it.

Another thing that is up is the deficit. The US currently has record budget deficits. Deficits our children and grandchildren will end up paying.

I just do not think that George W. Bush's track record on the environment, education, terrorism, budget, etc warrants him getting re-elected.

Stop it, already!

First it happened to Nick Berg. Although I wished Nick Berg were still alive today, I hoped for all the people in Iraq and the surrounding areas his beheading was a one-time occurrence. Then Paul Johnson was murdered. Now I read Kim Sun-il was murdered.

Here's a hint to the terrorist who are kidnapping and beheading people: It will not work! Fucking stop it! Killing people does not win over people to see your side of the story. If anything, it hardens their resolve. Eventually, the terrorists who have committed these crimes will be found and prosecuted. And although I am against the death penalty (killing someone does not bring the people they murdered back), the killers of Nick Berg, Paul Johnson, and Kim Sun-il have already been killed in raid or will be found, prosecuted, and given the death penalty.

My condolences goes out to the families of Nick Berg, Paul Johnson, and Kim Sun-il.

Jerry Falwell

Jerry Falwell has an article on Worldnet Daily about the fight for the Federal Hate Amendment. He says:

"The U.S. Senate will likely vote on one of the most consequential issues facing the modern American family next month when senators will consider the passage of a Federal Marriage Amendment that would forever secure marriage as a bond between one man and one woman."

Oh, kind of like Prohibition was to forever secure families would be free from the decision to buy alcoholic beverages"

"The failure to pass an amendment," said Mr. Bauer, "will give a green light to liberal judges all across the country and the consequences will be devastating. The words 'husband' and 'wife' will be meaningless.

Gary and Jerry, husband and wife will not become meaningless. Their meaning will change - slightly.

Homosexual adoption will be instantly legalized, and generations of children will be raised in wholly unnatural environments – deprived of ever having the benefit of a mother and a father.

I wish homosexual adoption would be instantly recognised when the Federal Hate Amendment does not pass, but that is just not going to be the case. Actually, children are being raised in those environments right now and they are turning out just fine. Many children of gays and lesbians are straight. Unlike Gary and Jerry, though, they do not spew hate in their speech and writings.

The public schools will teach your children that two men 'marrying' each other are morally equivalent to one man and one woman. It's legal, so it must be OK!

Is that like teaching kids itisi alright for a white man to marry an African-American woman? Or for an Asian-American man to marry a Hispanic woman? Those were illegal a few short decades ago, Gary and Jerry.

Our kids will be taught how to perform 'safe sodomy' in their sex education classes.

Yeah. Kids should be taught safer sex, period. To not teach them about safer sex would be wrong and potentially condemning our children to catching diseases that will either stay with them for the rest of their lives or kill them. People need to look out for themselves and ensure that they don't get any sexually-transmitted diseases.

Churches will be pressured to either abandon the Scriptures or lose their tax-exempt status if they refuse to 'marry' homosexuals. That would be discrimination, after all!"

This is a load of crap and Gary and Jerry know it. The Bible talks about slavery as an accepted pratice. However, today we do not think slavery is acceptable. Churches modified their teachings and no longer focus on slavery. It happened in the past, it was wrong then, slavery was abolished, and we have moved on and try to prevent it from happening again. Similarly, churches and their teachings will change over time. Sure, there will be radical churches that will still preach slavery and hate of gays and lesbians is alright, but those will fall to the wayside as teachings become more focused on loving one's neighbour and treating others as you would like to be treated yourself.

Jerry's article goes on, and on, and on. He orders readers to call congress and have their representatives support the Federal Hate Amendment. I am simply requesting people call both senators who representt them at the Capitol switchboard (202-224-3121) and have their Senators not support the Federal Hate Amendment.

Pride

Sunday, June 20th was Father's Day. It was also Pride Day in San Antonio. I spoke online to some people and they were upset that Pride Day was on the same day as Father's Day. They said it was tacky. I said, "Why is it tacky?" Their response was that it was a day to honour Fathers. True.

Fathers day was started unofficially in Spokane, Washington, on June 19th 1910, as an compliment to Mother's Day. President Calvin Coolidge recommended in 1924 that the third Sunday in June would be Father's Day. It was not until 1972 that Father's Day was officially recognised as a holiday by Richard Nixon.

Pride started in the 1970's as a result of the Stonewall Riots. Gays and Lesbians decided that just like the African-American movement of the 1960's they should organise themselves and celebrate their achievements and struggle for equality.

That San Antonio's Pride Event was scheduled on the same day is probably coincidence. Austin's Pride Event was two weeks before and Houston's will be the week after San Antonio's. Normally, Pride events are held on Saturdays, but Saturday, June 19th, was also Juneteenth. Juneteenth is the day in 1865 that news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached slaves in Galveston Texas - two years after it had been issued. I am sure San Antonio Pride organisers faced some difficult decisions. For maximum turn out, they could not schedule their Pride events on the same weekend as Austin's or Houston's events. They could also not schedule it on Juneteenth.

I saw quite a few children at San Antonio's Pride Event. Many were the sons and daughters of lesbians. Many were also the sons and daughters of gay men. So, in a sense it was celebrating two things on the same day - Pride and gay fatherhood. With the current Federal Hate Amendment (aka Federal Marriage Amendment) set to be voted on in July, it was really moving to see men who were both fathers and gay celebrated on the same day.

Tax Exempt

The New York Times has an article (registration required) on how Ralph Reed and other Southern Baptists are getting awfully close to crossing the line where religious organisations are advocating for one candidate or another. I think in some instances they have gone over.

When a religious institution says, "Vote for candidate X," they cross over the line. When political campaigns pay for "pastors receptions," they cross the line, too. Religious organisations that cross the line ought to have their tax exempt status removed. Those organisations no longer try to handle spiritual matter.

If a mosque, synagogue, temple, church, etc. advocates broad principles, pro-life, human rights, etc., then that is within the bounds of free speech. When they say, "I want you to vote for Candidate Smith because they are for..." that religious organisation has become an extension of the campaign. They become like any corporation lobbying for an issue and need their assets and employees taxed.

President Bush also advocated, through Cardinal Sodano, that the Vatican urge its bishops to "encourage" priests and other clergy to advocate for positions Bush thought they should tout. I think the Catholic Bishops who say it is alright to deny Communion to parishioners who are pro-choice, pro-euthanasia, etc are going to end up alienating more Catholics if they push too hard. Back in the 60's another candidate (John F. Kennedy) had to explicitly say he would not blindly follow the Catholic church's teachings, rather, he would do what was in the best interest of the entire country - even if that went against the teachings of the Catholic church. Now we have Bush, who is a Methodist, begging a Catholic Cardinal (something that Kennedy would not do)to help him out. That should frighten all Americans.

As I have said in post before, mixing politics and religion is bad. Religion will be perverted by politics (and vice versa) to advocate all sorts of obnoxious rules and regulations. We can look how that happened in our own history. People we persecuted by religious leaders and killed because they questioned the teachings. It is happening now in countries like Iran and parts of Nigeria. I would rather have laws that had some thought put into them and made sense than laws that were around because some religious document said a deity said to do something. Granted, laws made by humans are not perfect, but they can be adjusted over time to correct inequalities or deficiencies. Laws attributed to deities are much harder to change because changing them would mean that somewhere someone was wrong - the deity obviously cannot be wrong (it was a transcription error, the person writing the law down misheard the deity, etc.)

The Don...

The BBC News reports that Donald Rumsfeld ordered the incarceration of a "ghost detainee." A "ghost detainee" is a prisoner who is not listed on any roll of prisoners or has an assigned prisoner number. Both of these are violations of the Geneva Conventions. Both of these broke international law to which the US signed on.

Here we have yet more evidence of criminal conduct in the Bush administration and nothing is done about it. I guess one of the memos written by Bush's lawyers said that was okay. Sure, to some of Bush's lawyers the Geneva Conventions seem quaint. Other international laws and treaties to which the US signed must seem like hindrances to getting the mission accomplished. Machiavelli would be proud. The ends do justify the means for the Bush administration.

All I can think of is their lack of vision. This administration is not an administration of leadership. They cannot see consequences of their actions. I am not talking about the immediate consequences. I am talking about the consequences 5, 10, 25, and 50 years down the road. Will more terrorists be created? (They already have been.) What will happen in the next war America enters into? If it's with another comparable power, they may look back on history and determine that it is better to torture and kill American Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen and ask for forgiveness later - just like the US is doing now.

I only hope those who have violated laws in the Bush administration are brought to justice. Even Bush, himself, is not above the law. Richard Nixon proved that.

The Master Plan...

Dr. (not MD, mind you) James Dobson, from that "lovely" group, Focus on the Family, claim that a sinister force is at work in America for the past 60 years:

"For nearly sixty years, the homosexual activist movement and related entities have been working to implement a master plan that has had as its centerpiece the utter destruction of the family," he writes. "Now the final battle is at hand: The institution of marriage and the Christian church are all that stand in the way of the movement's achievement of every coveted aspiration."

Damn! How did he find out about that master plan! Did someone leave it on the sling while he visited the bath house again?

If he had any sense, he would realise that instead of trying to destroy families, gays and lesbians are trying to create families. Partners who have been in committed relationships want to have exactly the same rights and benefits as their straight counterparts have had for years. They want to be allowed to marry. They want to be allowed to adopt. They just want to be treated as equal.

If the institution of marriage was so sacred, why does James Dobson not try to prevent heterosexual divorces? Rush Limbaugh is currently getting a divorce from his third wife. I do not know the circumstances of his current divorce or his previous two. What about Newt Gingrich? He divorced his wife while she was in the hospital? I could name many famous and not-so-famous people who have gotten divorces. Marriage has been used in a multitude of ways. Many marriages of the past were arranged marriages to bolster a family's wealth or social standing. It was not until relatively recent times when people married for emotional reasons.

People like James Dobson are so hateful and ignorant. They claim to be men of God and Jesus, yet they hardly practice in compassionate ways. Instead of loving others as they would love themselves, they hate others. They seek to persecute, ridicule, and assault gays and lesbians. They should be ashamed of that.

US Department of Stupidity... er, Agriculture

The USDA classified batter-coated French fries as a fresh vegetable, Yahoo! News reports. Potatoes are a vegetable, yes. French fries, since they are processed, fried, and in many cases frozen are a processed food. They lose many of the nutrients because the skin is peeled off and gain a ton of calories from batter and/or being fried. Baked fries are better for you, but don't taste as good. Most other frozen fries were considered fresh vegetables in 1996. What in the hell was the Clinton administration thinking!?

As much as I like fries, once potatoes get processed into their distinctive fry shape, fried, and then frozen, they are no longer fresh vegetables. That would be like saying ground beef is still a cow. Fresh should imply that the fruit or vegetable has not been processed or frozen. Del Monte or Libby's cannot say their pea, carrot, or other canned vegetables are fresh because they are not. Even Green Giant frozen corn is no longer fresh. It is frozen.

And you know there is always money involved when a government agency changes the definition of something...

The department's proposal to list batter-coated fries as fresh under the commodities act provisions was challenged by a Dallas-area food distributor, Fleming Companies. The company is in Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, and the law requires creditors who sold fresh fruits and vegetables to be paid in full, while other creditors might get partial payment, said Fleming Companies' lawyer, Tim Elliott of Chicago.

Fleming Companies plans to appeal, Elliott said. The law was intended to protect growers of fruits and vegetables, especially small farmers, and the ruling misconstrues the act's intent, he said.

So basically, companies who say their battered fries are fresh get paid in full. That's a load of crap. If Fleming Companies was sold whole potatoes then had to process them, I could see paying in full for the whole potatoes because they may spoil. However, battered, frozen potatoes would stay unspoiled for a much longer time (if they were kept frozen). I think the definition of fresh should mean what it meant when the commodities act provisions were passed in 1930 and what fresh means to most people - unprocessed, not frozen, and in a form that is still recognisable as a whole fruit or vegetable.

Oh, the Hypocrisy!

Salon has an article about the so-called "Arabian Panther. Dyab Abou Jahjah is the leader of the Arabic European League (AEL). One of the things they advocate is the introduction of sharia -- the religious laws and codes of Islam -- to form what he calls a "sharocracy" in Europe. He would also ban the sale of alcohol in grocery stores, so would sexually suggestive advertising. Islamic holidays would become national holidays, like Christmas.

I am all for people being allowed to practice their religion freely. However, when you impose your religion on others, you lose my support. Imposing sharia on Europeans was attempted a couple of time, however the Europeans rebelled against that as evidenced by Charles Martel, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, Vlad Tsepes, and others. Their methods may not have been the most humane, but Europeans did not want to be ruled by Muslim laws then, and most, enjoying the freedoms and human rights they now have, do not want to now.

People like Jahjah should be thankful to God, or in his case, Allah, every day that he has the opportunity to form a group like AEL. If he were in Muslim countries, he would have probably been tried and already executed. People who try to impose their views of how the world should be, whether they are fundamentalist Muslims, Jews, or Christians, are wrong. By trying to forcibly take rights away from people, they are taking rights away from every one.

Torture Is Legal Because We Said So

I was reading the Working Group Report on Detainee Interrogations in the Global War on Terrorism: Assessment of Legal, Historical, Policy, and Operational Considerations, dated March 6, 2003. (available here thanks to Isthatlegal.org and MSNBC).

It was interesting to me to read all the reasons why this document said American can do things to prisoners that most people, including most Americans, would call torture.

One quote:

"The defendant specifically intended to caused the victim severe physical or mental pain or suffering."

So, if the defendant didn't intend to cause the victim severe physical or mental pain or suffering then it's okay and it wasn't torture? What were those Pentagon lawyers smoking? I want some!

Now that this is out on the Internet, people can see how the Pentagon and their lawyers tried to find every possible loophole, nit pick every possible definition, and pull things out of their ass to say that, "No, no. That's not really torture. We're just questioning them thoroughly."

If any other country on the planet were to do the same things we have done we would denounce them for their human rights violations. It really bothers me that the people we have in charge of our administration claim to be Christians yet do very unChristian things. They need to ask themselves, "What would Jesus do?"

Rhea County... Again!

What is up with Rhea County, Tennessee? CNN reports that they lost a federal appeals court case. What was they case? Rhea County had a "Bible Education Ministry" program in the public schools. I think some one in Rhea County missed the day in Civics class when the teacher taught separation of church and state.

I am all for children learning about religion. However, they should not teach religion in public schools. Religion should be taught in churches, temples, synagogues, mosques, and other places of religious gathering.

Rhea County is the infamous county that brought us the Scopes Monkey Trial and, recently, tried to ban gays and lesbians from living in the county. I just wish one of these days the leaders of Rhea County would get some sense and stop being so stupid. Let schools teach reading, writing, and other subjects like that and let religious institutions teach about religion.

Energy Independence

According to an AP article on Yahoo! News, the Exxon Mobil chairman, Lee R. Raymond, says "We do not have the resource base to be energy independent."

So, let me translate that for you. What Lee R. Raymond is saying is,

"We made 21.5 billion (with a "b") dollars last year. I want to scare the American public into thinking they have no alternative. I will spend millions (with an "m") on lobbyists to make sure that we continue to pump oil out of the ground to fill gas-guzzling SAVs (Suburban Assault Vehicles) that soccer moms and NASCAR dads love to drive. Furthermore, the lobbyists I pay millions of dollars for will help to stymie any legislation designed to decrease our dependence on oil and natural gas. I really don't care about the environment. Hell, look what happened in Valdez, Alaska. It's still messed up. I do not care about green house gases, because everyone wants to swim in November, right? And the most important reason why I say we will never have energy independence is because I want to make the share holders happy and make more than 21.5 billion dollars. If I don't make more than that this year, I'll be out on the streets."

Lee R. Raymond is feeding the press a bunch of crap. I am fairly certain if the American automobile industry would build more fuel-efficient cars, we could decrease our dependence on foreign oil. I am also certain if things like refrigerators, air conditioners, and other appliances and household devices were made more efficient we would further decrease dependence on foreign sources of oil. If we also focused and spent money on improving renewable sources of energy production, solar, wind, water, etc. we would decrease our dependence as well. Lee R. Raymond made his statement simply because he is greedy and wants his company to make more money at the expense of the environment, our national security, and most importantly the future of our children and grand children.

St. Ronny

Ronald Reagan's body is just barely cold and already his worshipers are talking about pasting his image on money. It is not enough that he has the largest building in Washington DC named after him or an airport in Washington DC named after him. Oh, no! According to CNN Money, people like Grover Norquist want Ronald Reagan's image to plaster on to either the 10 dollar bill, the 20 dollar bill, or half the dimes.

Alexander Hamilton's face graces the 10 dollar bill. For those who do not know, he was the first Treasury Secretary of the US. He helped institute many of the programs still used today for finances and money in the US. Andrew Jackson's face graces the 20 dollar bill. He was the seventh president of the US and helped with the War of 1812 by defeating the British at New Orleans. Franklin D. Roosevelt's face adorns the dime. One of the reasons is he helped start the March of Dimes to prevent childhood disease. Some other reasons: he was President during World War II and helped win that war, established many social programs that helped to bring the country out from the Great Depression.

Nancy Reagan has my condolences that her husband passed away. He was 93 and suffering Alzheimers. It seems to me many of his supporters are also suffering from selective Alzheimers when they claim he was the greatest American President of all times. He was well liked by many, but he was not the most well liked. I do not think Ronald Reagan's face should appear on any denominations yet. Let history determine whether he should or not. Let his family and friends grieve for the man before starting any legislative fight to put him on our money.

Stop Payment

Margaret Cho is on of my favourite comedians. I have seen most of her tours live. The one or two I have not seen live, I have seen either in the theatre or on DVD (Widescreen, not the devil's format - 4:3!). I also read her blog quite regularly. Some posts are really funny and a few make me say, "Huh?"

I read in her blog yesterday that Omni Hotels had hired her to do a mini-show at corporate convention. They pulled the plug on her microphone just ten minutes into her performance. If I were here I would be pissed off at that alone. They then stopped payment on her cheque. That would piss me off even more. I would do the only American thing left - sue their pants off for breach of contract and then make everything public and humiliate them.

I would start a boycott of Omni Hotels and everything affiliated with them. I will do that on my own, anyway. I may not have a big impact alone, but if enough people boycott them, they will fee it where it hurts them the most - in their bottom line. I hope Omni Hotels corrects its error soon and pays Ms. Cho.

I was only following Orders

After reading several article on TPM, Intel Dump, et al., I am amazed at the amount of time, effort, and energy the Pentagon is going through to say that the torture of prisoners was perfectly legal. That is fucking bullshit and they know it.

They say laws apply to some areas, but not to others. They say soldiers were "just following orders." One quote I like is:

To protect subordinates should they be charged with torture, the memo advised that Mr. Bush issue a "presidential directive or other writing" that could serve as evidence, since authority to set aside the laws is "inherent in the president."

So the President has the inherent right to set aside laws? I do not remember reading that in the Constitution. The President, last time I checked, had to follow the laws of the United States just like every one else. That is why Nixon resigned. That is why Clinton was almost booted out of office. The other defence in that statement is, "I was just following orders." Well, that did not work when the Nazis went to trial and it will not work now.

This "creative approach" to try to find ways to make torture legal sickens me. As I have said in a previous post, this will come back to haunt us. We will fight a war with some future power and our men and women will be abused and tortured. The future enemy will say, "Oh, they were enemy combatants, not POWs. Besides, we were just following orders."

Living Leviticus-loca

Many on the right espouse "Judeo-Christian" teachings. While many of the teachings in both the Old and New Testaments are still valid today, some people think we ought to abide by all the laws in the Bible. In 2004, we simply do not live in the same way the ancient Hebrew peoples did. Christians do not go to Temple and present offering upon an altar. We do not sacrifice animals upon an altar. Many Christians eat "unclean" animals - pigs, crustaceans, etc.

Today, we know women are not "unclean" after childbirth or during her period. Women do not have to wait any period of time to become "clean" again. If someone has a skin disease, they visit a doctor, not a priest. Doctors have the necessary tests and technology to diagnose illness and, hopefully, provide a cure. If clothes become have mildew on them, we don't burn them, we simply put a bit of bleach in the water or some other substance and get rid of the mildew.

The incest prohibitions made and still make sense - unless you are in the movie "Deliverance." Many of the other prohibitions against "unlawful" sexual relations are pretty much common sense. Some of the other laws mentioned in Leviticus are common sense laws. Some just don't make sense by today's standards. If we did apply Judeo-Christian punishments, people would be stoned left and right. Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, and a whole host of politicians would be stoned to death for committing adultery.

I find it odd how some people who espouse Judeo-Christian values still break Judeo-Christian laws. They are the "Do as I say, not as I do." Christians. Those are the Christians you have to be suspect of.

Stoploss

When I was in the Air Force, Stoploss was enacted on several career fields, including the one I was in. I happened to get out between Stoplosses. Now I read in Yahoo! News that the Army has instituted Stoploss for everyone because they do not have enough fresh units to continue the occupation.

For those of you unfamiliar with Stoploss, it is when the armed services stop all routine separations and retirements and defer them until the time of need has passed. I know Stoploss was implemented right after September 11th so the Air Force (and I presume other branches) could retain skilled people. It affected one of my supervisors who wanted to retire at the end of 2001. It was not a big problem for him, he just waited it out.

One of the problems with Stoploss is that it prevents people from proceeding with plans for their life. Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen looking forward to civilian life have to wait. If they had a job lined up, that job may not wait for Stoploss to end. The other problem is that Stoplosses usually have indefinite dates. The military leadership does not want to have their hands tied by telling service men and women that the Stoploss will only last for six months or a year. This creates an air of frustration at times. Most service men and women accept and live with Stoploss. I know from personal experience, though, that when it affects you it is frustrating.

This all goes back to poor planning on the part of George Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, and the leadership in the Pentagon to adequately plan for what would happen after the major combat operations in Iraq were completed. Unfortunately for the military, poor planning on the part of Bush and his administration does constitute an emergency for many service men and women.

Copyright Infringement?

So the RNC has a "game" called Kerryopoly on their website that allows players to "experience" what it is like to be John Kerry and see if people can afford to live like John Kerry. First of all, if I were Hasbro, I'd send a cease and desist letter because they are violating the Monopoly copyright. Second, this is a bunch of crap. Players are "given" $40,000 and then asked to roll the dice. They then "buy" things like homes, motorcycles, boats, etc. Each of these causes them to "go into debt."

The premise of the game is flawed. John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry acquired their homes, motorcycles, boat, plane, and other possessions over time and because they had the disposable income to do so. I do not really care if they own five homes. Good for them. They had the money, they bought property. I do not really care if they own a boat, a plane, a motorcycle, or bicycle. Again, they had the money, so they bought the stuff.

The one thing I that is a huge pile of crap is:

"KerryÂ’s 50-Cent Gas Tax Increase Would Have Cost Average Households $1.80 A Day Or $657 A Year"

Notice the operative word "would." We'll never really know if that would have happened. Cars, trucks, and SAVs [Suburban Assault Vehicles, not SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles)] may have been designed with greater fuel economy. Maybe not.

I wonder how much property Bush owns and how much it is worth? How much money has he spent over the years? What vehicles does he own? Where does he get his hair cut? What art work did he buy? Bush, contrary to popular opinion, is not a "common man." Molly Ivens, an awesome Texas journalist, has some really great books if you want to read more about Bush and his upbringing.

Plan B

Plan B, also known as levonorgestrel, is a drug made by Barr Laboratories. Plan B is an emergency contraception drug that women would take after having unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy from occurring. Everything was going swimmingly for the drug to be offered over-the-counter, however, the acting director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Steven Galson, quashed the release of Plan B claiming 11-14 year olds wouldn't know how to use the drug effectively. Liza Mundy, from Slate.com, has a good column about why the decision to prevent Plan B from being sold over the counter was not one based on reason and fact.

One of the comment from the article says:

So a woman with a live embryo that has not implanted is not pregnant, according to the article. I've seen the phrase "that's like being a little pregnant" used as a joke before, but here it's being used seriously. Apparently, there are degrees of pregnancy, and if it's halted in one of the early degrees, it's not a pregnancy. Good to know...

I think it's interesting that the author mentions Slim-Fast and other weight-loss aids as things that are currently available over the counter. Would the author say that the presence of these products brought about more or less eating disorders among teens?

--John_McG

Actually, biologically speaking, pregnancy happens when the embryo implants in the uterus. No implantation, no pregnancy. Plan B would prevent implantation of the embryo in the uterine wall. The fertilised egg would then be sloughed off as part of the menses and either go in a tampon or feminine napkin. It happens quite often, especially in the latter parts of a woman's menstrual cycle.

Part of this controversy, I think, hinges on when life begins. For some people, it is the second that sperm joins the egg. To me, that's when a potential life begins. That embryo still has a journey to make. It has to travel through the Fallopian tubes. If it implants early, it becomes an ectopic pregnancy and either has to be removed or the embryo will kill both the mother and itself. If the embryo makes it to the uterus, it has to implant in the uterine wall. If it cannot implant, it will not develop into a foetus. If the embryo implants improperly, it risks being miscarried. If the mother smokes, drinks, or takes drugs, the embryo could be miscarried, or developmentally stunted. I can go on and on, but the point is, embryos face many hurdles before they become foetuses and then get born as little boys or girls.

People who are not ready to have children (pre-teens, teens, etc.), people who do not want children at the moment, or people who do not want children at all should have the option to go down to their pharmacy and pick up emergency contraception such as Plan B. Sometimes, in the heat of things, people do not think of using other forms of contraception or they forget to take contraception. That is not an excuse, it's just a fact. If a teen or pre-teen becomes pregnant, a whole host of consequences arise for both mother and child. Many teens and pre-teens do not get adequate prenatal care. Teens and pre-teens are just children themselves. They should not be expected to grow up in nine months and become adults and take care of children. Teens and pre-teens becoming pregnant is a whole other issue that I will not discuss in this post.

In a perfect world, people would not have sex until they were ready to have children or be in a committed relationship. The world is not perfect though. I believe the FDA's acting director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Steven Galson, acted in a very partisan way to push an agenda. By denying women and families this option, he is in effect saying just wait until you can get an abortion - it is legal (sort of).

Aww, Nuts!

I had a good Memorial Day weekend. I drove to visit my grandparents. I also had a chance to visit with my parents when they drove down for a lunch-time meeting. It was like a mini family reunion.

While I was at my grandparents, I had a chance to watch TV. Since I'm usually busy with life (work, school, friends, gym, etc.) I chose not to have cable. It save me some money. On the downside I do not get to hear all the loopy comments people make on cable "news" programs.

Many of those comments have been made about AL Gore's speech (Get the Salon day pass or subscription) regarding Bush's handling of Iraq. Many on the right are now calling Al Gore nuts, crazy, and the like. Hmmm... A Democrat who is willing to criticise Bush is called nuts? Please. Here are some comments form commentators:

"At one point I respected Al Gore, but I think he's lost his mind... I think he's gone daft because he's a sad little man now." -- CNBC host Dennis Miller

Yeah. Dennis Miller, you were kinda cool on SNL, but you slid down hill fast. Your Monday Night Football commentary was so good, they asked you not to come back. You have to pay your audience members $15 just to listen to you. You are quite the sad little man.

"We are all sitting here asking ourselves, was there lead in Al Gore's silver spoon, because of the obvious tilt across the river of sanity. He has definitely pulled his raft across the river of sanity, or he has taken the side of the enemy, there's no other explanation for what he has been doing." -- Michael "Savage" Weiner.

Yeah, you are the same guy who screamed at a caller that he should get AIDS and die (then your show was cancelled). You also said who on the air recently that the U.S. should murder thousands of Iraqi prisoners and nuke a random Arab city. If that is not insane, I do not what is.

And, last, but not least, from my favourite drug abuser, Rush Limbaugh:

"I guess those naked pyramids are just not in the national interest to Algore. [sic] [Laughing and laughing.] Okay. Well, you know, here's the thing, folks. Algore, this whole speech, he went nuts. He's flailing around wildly there ... I mean, it says a lot about Gore. It says he's perverse ... I don't think anything of this kind has ever been done by a former vice president during a war, but our adversaries and our enemies would be badly mistaken if they actually believe that Gore speaks for this nation, because he doesn't. I speak for more of this nation than Algore does, and I will say it on this program."

Rush, you lost all your credibility once you started being the Oxycontin King. You may need to check back into rehab again. It seems to me as if you are slipping. Quick! Call your sponsor!