Huffington Post says that there's a "Full Blown Revolt on Health Care."
There's a lot of talk that the public isn't buying the fact that the Democrats are doing all that they can to make the watered down bill that is now on life support, to match at least the better components of the early bill.
With stories like this ... who can blaim them?
Health insurers have been among the most vocal participants in the debate. Through the first nine months of 2009, the health services and HMO industry has spent $52.8 million and used 988 lobbyists, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That's almost 12 percent more than the amount spent during the same time period in 2008.
WellPoint, the largest U.S. health insurance company, spent $3.5 million on federal lobbying in the first nine months of 2009, according to federal disclosures. WellPoint's executives also have been actively making the company's case."
I've said it before and I'll say it again, there are people who are getting rich off of us being sick, not eating well and dying. On my other blog (Mind Of A Media Junkie)I talk about animal rights, food equality and things of that nature, but I ALSO talk about the fact that food, and the right to healthy food, should be just as much of a part of the discussion about health care as adequate coverage affordability. We have sold our health to Wall Street, we have sold our food to Monsanto and from here the story gets bleak.
Right now the average American spends 17% of their annual incpme on JUST paying for healthcare, that doesn't account for ever being sick, thats just to continue to stay covered by the insurance you already have. We pay more in this country in insurance premiums than ANY other country in the world. The debate at this point, usually swings to the point that we have the "best healthcare system in the world." Really? You want the facts on that too?
From the NY Times:
Insurance coverage. All other major industrialized nations provide universal health coverage, and most of them have comprehensive benefit packages with no cost-sharing by the patients. The United States, to its shame, has some 45 million people without health insurance and many more millions who have poor coverage. Although the president has blithely said that these people can always get treatment in an emergency room, many studies have shown that people without insurance postpone treatment until a minor illness becomes worse, harming their own health and imposing greater costs.
Access. Citizens abroad often face long waits before they can get to see a specialist or undergo elective surgery. Americans typically get prompter attention, although Germany does better. The real barriers here are the costs facing low-income people without insurance or with skimpy coverage. But even Americans with above-average incomes find it more difficult than their counterparts abroad to get care on nights or weekends without going to an emergency room, and many report having to wait six days or more for an appointment with their own doctors.
Fairness. The United States ranks dead last on almost all measures of equity because we have the greatest disparity in the quality of care given to richer and poorer citizens. Americans with below-average incomes are much less likely than their counterparts in other industrialized nations to see a doctor when sick, to fill prescriptions or to get needed tests and follow-up care.
Healthy lives. We have known for years that America has a high infant mortality rate, so it is no surprise that we rank last among 23 nations by that yardstick. But the problem is much broader. We rank near the bottom in healthy life expectancy at age 60, and 15th among 19 countries in deaths from a wide range of illnesses that would not have been fatal if treated with timely and effective care. The good news is that we have done a better job than other industrialized nations in reducing smoking. The bad news is that our obesity epidemic is the worst in the world.
Quality. In a comparison with five other countries, the Commonwealth Fund ranked the United States first in providing the “right care” for a given condition as defined by standard clinical guidelines and gave it especially high marks for preventive care, like Pap smears and mammograms to detect early-stage cancers, and blood tests and cholesterol checks for hypertensive patients. But we scored poorly in coordinating the care of chronically ill patients, in protecting the safety of patients, and in meeting their needs and preferences, which drove our overall quality rating down to last place. American doctors and hospitals kill patients through surgical and medical mistakes more often than their counterparts in other industrialized nations.
Life and death. In a comparison of five countries, the United States had the best survival rate for breast cancer, second best for cervical cancer and childhood leukemia, worst for kidney transplants, and almost-worst for liver transplants and colorectal cancer. In an eight-country comparison, the United States ranked last in years of potential life lost to circulatory diseases, respiratory diseases and diabetes and had the second highest death rate from bronchitis, asthma and emphysema. Although several factors can affect these results, it seems likely that the quality of care delivered was a significant contributor.
Patient satisfaction. Despite the declarations of their political leaders, many Americans hold surprisingly negative views of their health care system. Polls in Europe and North America seven to nine years ago found that only 40 percent of Americans were satisfied with the nation’s health care system, placing us 14th out of 17 countries. In recent Commonwealth Fund surveys of five countries, American attitudes stand out as the most negative, with a third of the adults surveyed calling for rebuilding the entire system, compared with only 13 percent who feel that way in Britain and 14 percent in Canada.
That may be because Americans face higher out-of-pocket costs than citizens elsewhere, are less apt to have a long-term doctor, less able to see a doctor on the same day when sick, and less apt to get their questions answered or receive clear instructions from a doctor. On the other hand, Gallup polls in recent years have shown that three-quarters of the respondents in the United States, in Canada and in Britain rate their personal care as excellent or good, so it could be hard to motivate these people for the wholesale change sought by the disaffected.
Use of information technology. Shockingly, despite our vaunted prowess in computers, software and the Internet, much of our health care system is still operating in the dark ages of paper records and handwritten scrawls. American primary care doctors lag years behind doctors in other advanced nations in adopting electronic medical records or prescribing medications electronically. This makes it harder to coordinate care, spot errors and adhere to standard clinical guidelines.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The Commonwealth Fund says, "Among the six nations studied—Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States—the U.S. ranks last, as it did in the 2006 and 2004. Most troubling, the U.S. fails to achieve better health outcomes than the other countries, and as shown in the earlier editions, the U.S. is last on dimensions of access, patient safety, efficiency, and equity. The 2007 edition includes data from the six countries and incorporates patients' and physicians' survey results on care experiences and ratings on various dimensions of care."
Need I say more? I truly feel that if the President, Senators and Congressmen, don't truly act to pass reform in the way that benefits the American populace at large, we will have yet again, another lame duck President.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Keith Olbermann's Special Comment
I sit and I watch this ... and I can only weep, knowing that my country, the place of my birth, will NOT be the place I call home ever again. This is a country that will concede to the deaths of it's citizens in the name of political expediency, and in the name of politics. Of that I can not, WILL not oblige.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
I am NOT an American
I would like to think that I'm a pretty balanced, well thought out man. Who both hates and loves the country that he lives in ... well because it's where he was born, it afforded him opportunities that he wouldn't have otherwise .. and well this ... the ability to say what I'm about to say. As of January 1, 2010, I will no longer be an American. I will do everything in my power to expedite my departure from the US as soon as humanly possible. I will NEVER say the Pledge of Allegiance again, I will NEVER vote again and I will NEVER claim that I'm anything other than a citizen of the world. America is a fucked place. I've known that while I sat watching the protests for Gulf War Part Deux and heard the President calling 10 million people a "focus group." I realized it, when the SAME people who were at the helm of the ship that caused this economy to crash, were given the keys to the liquor cabinet in the captain's quarters and told to "drink up." Not sure what I mean?
How much is $140 billion?
The U.S. economy grew at a $89 billion annualized rate in the third quarter. That was the first growth since the second quarter of 2008 and came to $22 billion in actual growth in the third quarter.
The bankers, after causing the greatest economic calamity since the Great Depression, are rewarded with six times the growth accomplished so far in the much heralded “economic recovery.”
Meanwhile, seven million families face foreclosure and 25 million Americans can’t find full time work.
Think about that ... then there's HEALTHCARE. On my other blog (http://mindofamediajunkie.blogspot.com) I often talk about the costs of obesity and poor nutrition play into the ever escalating costs of Healthcare. Here's some facts from 2008:
Last month, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health came out with another report, in what has been a parade of dire warnings about obesity in the United States. In a study published in the July issue of Obesity, they concluded that unless our eating habits or exercise habits change, 86 percent of the American population will be overweight or obese by 2030. More than a third of American adults—over 72 million people—were obese in 2005 and 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The obese are more susceptible to an array of health problems, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Widespread obesity also means that today's children may even have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. (Newsweek).
Here's an article from 2009:
Americans who are 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight cost the country an estimated $147 billion in weight-related medical bills in 2008, double the amount a decade ago, according to a study by government scientists and the non-profit research group RTI International.
America is the ONLY Democracy on the PLANET, that doesn't offer some sort of "universal" healthcare to it's citizens. Let me repeat that ... AMERICA IS THE ONLY DEMOCRACY ON THE PLANET THAT DOESNT OFFER SOME SORT OF "UNIVERSAL" COVERAGE TO IT'S CITIZENS.
The following information is from Wikipedia:
According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the United States is the "only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage" (i.e. some kind of insurance).[21][22] The same Institute of Medicine report notes that "Lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States." [21] while a 2009 Harvard study published in the American Journal of Public Health found a much higher figure of more than 44,800 excess deaths annually in the United States due to Americans lacking health insurance.[23][24] More broadly, the total number of people in the United States, whether insured or uninsured, who die because of lack of medical care was estimated in a 1997 analysis to be nearly 100,000 per year.[25]
(full post here.)
more from the same post:
Current estimates put U.S. health care spending at approximately 16% of GDP, second only to East Timor (Timor-Leste) among all United Nations member nations.[10] The health share of GDP is expected to continue its historical upward trend, reaching 19.5 percent of GDP by 2017.[30][31] Of each dollar spent on health care in the United States 31% goes to hospital care, 21% goes to physician services, 10% to pharmaceuticals, 8% to nursing homes, 7% to administrative costs, and 23% to all other categories (diagnostic laboratory services, pharmacies, medical device manufacturers, etc.[2]
The Office of the Actuary (OACT) of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services publishes data on total health care spending in the United States, including both historical levels and future projections.[32] In 2007, the U.S. spent $2.26 trillion on health care, or $7,439 per person, up from $2.1 trillion, or $7,026 per capita, the previous year.[33] Spending in 2006 represented 16% of GDP, an increase of 6.7% over 2004 spending. Growth in spending is projected to average 6.7% annually over the period 2007 through 2017. Health insurance costs are rising faster than wages or inflation, and medical causes were cited by about half of bankruptcy filers in the United States in 2001.[34]
This is from the Kaiser Family Foundation (not to be confused with Kaiser-Permanente)
The high and growing cost of health care is a significant issue for people, businesses, and government. Spending on health care, which is a projected to be 17.6% of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009, has consistently grown faster than the economy overall since the 1960s. This fact sheet presents some of the key statistics about the level and growth of health care costs and spending in the U.S. Links to additional resources are provided at the end of the document.
Overall Spending According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the U.S. is projected to spend over $2.5 trillion on health care in 2009, or $8,160 per U.S. resident (Exhibit 1).1 Health spending in 2009 is projected to account for 17.6% of GDP.
• In 1970, U.S. health care spending was about $75 billion, or $356 per resident, and accounted for7.2% of GDP.
• Health care spending has risen about 2.4 percentage points faster than GDP since 1970.
• CMS projects that by 2018, health care spending will be over $4.3 trillion, or $13,100 per resident,and account for 20.3% of GDP.
(10.6%), Japan (8.1%), and the United Kingdom (8.4%). Switzerland was a distant second to the U.S., devoting an estimated 11.3% of GDP to health care.
This document can be found here.
Yet we have "tea baggers" liars, republicans, democrats, lobbyists, etc etc, ad nauseum, who say that this bill will cost too much money. We gave full reign of the economy over to Wall Street, they slit our throats, and watch us bleed out right on the "Main Street" that President Obama refers to again and again. I may not be a genius ... but by ANY stretch of the imagination, this isn't right. As someone recently put it "America is VERY very broken and it won't be fixed anytime soon."
I'll close with this quote:
America... just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable.
Let me modify that a bit
America, just a nation of two hundred million lobbyists, making sure that you die as quickly as possible and leave all of your money to them.
FUCK you America.
How much is $140 billion?
The U.S. economy grew at a $89 billion annualized rate in the third quarter. That was the first growth since the second quarter of 2008 and came to $22 billion in actual growth in the third quarter.
The bankers, after causing the greatest economic calamity since the Great Depression, are rewarded with six times the growth accomplished so far in the much heralded “economic recovery.”
Meanwhile, seven million families face foreclosure and 25 million Americans can’t find full time work.
Think about that ... then there's HEALTHCARE. On my other blog (http://mindofamediajunkie.blogspot.com) I often talk about the costs of obesity and poor nutrition play into the ever escalating costs of Healthcare. Here's some facts from 2008:
Last month, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health came out with another report, in what has been a parade of dire warnings about obesity in the United States. In a study published in the July issue of Obesity, they concluded that unless our eating habits or exercise habits change, 86 percent of the American population will be overweight or obese by 2030. More than a third of American adults—over 72 million people—were obese in 2005 and 2006, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The obese are more susceptible to an array of health problems, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Widespread obesity also means that today's children may even have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. (Newsweek).
Here's an article from 2009:
Americans who are 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight cost the country an estimated $147 billion in weight-related medical bills in 2008, double the amount a decade ago, according to a study by government scientists and the non-profit research group RTI International.
America is the ONLY Democracy on the PLANET, that doesn't offer some sort of "universal" healthcare to it's citizens. Let me repeat that ... AMERICA IS THE ONLY DEMOCRACY ON THE PLANET THAT DOESNT OFFER SOME SORT OF "UNIVERSAL" COVERAGE TO IT'S CITIZENS.
The following information is from Wikipedia:
According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the United States is the "only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not ensure that all citizens have coverage" (i.e. some kind of insurance).[21][22] The same Institute of Medicine report notes that "Lack of health insurance causes roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year in the United States." [21] while a 2009 Harvard study published in the American Journal of Public Health found a much higher figure of more than 44,800 excess deaths annually in the United States due to Americans lacking health insurance.[23][24] More broadly, the total number of people in the United States, whether insured or uninsured, who die because of lack of medical care was estimated in a 1997 analysis to be nearly 100,000 per year.[25]
(full post here.)
more from the same post:
Current estimates put U.S. health care spending at approximately 16% of GDP, second only to East Timor (Timor-Leste) among all United Nations member nations.[10] The health share of GDP is expected to continue its historical upward trend, reaching 19.5 percent of GDP by 2017.[30][31] Of each dollar spent on health care in the United States 31% goes to hospital care, 21% goes to physician services, 10% to pharmaceuticals, 8% to nursing homes, 7% to administrative costs, and 23% to all other categories (diagnostic laboratory services, pharmacies, medical device manufacturers, etc.[2]
The Office of the Actuary (OACT) of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services publishes data on total health care spending in the United States, including both historical levels and future projections.[32] In 2007, the U.S. spent $2.26 trillion on health care, or $7,439 per person, up from $2.1 trillion, or $7,026 per capita, the previous year.[33] Spending in 2006 represented 16% of GDP, an increase of 6.7% over 2004 spending. Growth in spending is projected to average 6.7% annually over the period 2007 through 2017. Health insurance costs are rising faster than wages or inflation, and medical causes were cited by about half of bankruptcy filers in the United States in 2001.[34]
This is from the Kaiser Family Foundation (not to be confused with Kaiser-Permanente)
The high and growing cost of health care is a significant issue for people, businesses, and government. Spending on health care, which is a projected to be 17.6% of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2009, has consistently grown faster than the economy overall since the 1960s. This fact sheet presents some of the key statistics about the level and growth of health care costs and spending in the U.S. Links to additional resources are provided at the end of the document.
Overall Spending According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the U.S. is projected to spend over $2.5 trillion on health care in 2009, or $8,160 per U.S. resident (Exhibit 1).1 Health spending in 2009 is projected to account for 17.6% of GDP.
• In 1970, U.S. health care spending was about $75 billion, or $356 per resident, and accounted for7.2% of GDP.
• Health care spending has risen about 2.4 percentage points faster than GDP since 1970.
• CMS projects that by 2018, health care spending will be over $4.3 trillion, or $13,100 per resident,and account for 20.3% of GDP.
(10.6%), Japan (8.1%), and the United Kingdom (8.4%). Switzerland was a distant second to the U.S., devoting an estimated 11.3% of GDP to health care.
This document can be found here.
Yet we have "tea baggers" liars, republicans, democrats, lobbyists, etc etc, ad nauseum, who say that this bill will cost too much money. We gave full reign of the economy over to Wall Street, they slit our throats, and watch us bleed out right on the "Main Street" that President Obama refers to again and again. I may not be a genius ... but by ANY stretch of the imagination, this isn't right. As someone recently put it "America is VERY very broken and it won't be fixed anytime soon."
I'll close with this quote:
America... just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable.
Let me modify that a bit
America, just a nation of two hundred million lobbyists, making sure that you die as quickly as possible and leave all of your money to them.
FUCK you America.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Get this
The juvenile justice system in New York is so fucked up, according to a new report , that "the state agency overseeing the prisons has asked New York's Family Court judges not to send youths to any [juvenile prisons] unless they are a significant risk to public safety." Yes, the agency that runs the prisons is begging courts not to send any kids to the prisons for kids because the prisons are too dangerous, for the criminals.
(From Gawker.com)
Oh and I'll be back later to rant about the LOVELY customer service experience, I've had twice today.
(From Gawker.com)
Oh and I'll be back later to rant about the LOVELY customer service experience, I've had twice today.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
And the rant is on
My last post was a bit wordy peppered with some posts from other people around the interwebs to show what things look like out here ... Feeling the chill yet? Anyway, I HAD to come back and post again. This little rant will be about that other thing you're not supposed to discuss with friends ... religion.
Let me start by saying ... I don't care what you believe, I don't care what God you put your faith in, I don't accept you or your belief system because it's YOURS. NOT mine. Get that distinction? You believe what you want and guess what .. I'll let you and not try to "convert" you .. BUT ... and this is the big one .. YOU have to let me believe what I WANT. Whether you like it or not. That means if I want to pray to a shrine of Tom Waits or a Saltine ... you have to LET me. Now with that said ... tolerance is a big deal here. My shrine won't beg you for money, it won't tell you what to believe or how it needs you to believe in it, because it is my shrine. I can point at it, make jokes about it, but still fulfill my "god-like" worshiping whenever I want. The reason that I bring this up (and I hate doing this because it gives some people free hits) is this douche:
http://notyrants.blogspot.com/
"The New Nazi Party!
It's Official! The Democrat Party has now become Thee New Nazi Party! The display of Thuggery this past few months has put the New Nazi Party on the map. These Modern Day Nazis want to control us from the “Womb to the Tomb”.
We all know by now the so-called Leader we have, would put a baby in a utility room, to die alone. So you Old People are next. You better start working on that Bucket List deal. You can bet your last devalued Dollar, with rationing Obamacare, I mean HEALTH Care, that there won't be room for Seniors.
Uh oh, as a 40 something year old, former Military, Right Wing extremist into the Constitution (I bet that word, Constitution will be outlawed soon) maybe I better start my own Bucket List."
Just simply unbelievable. I sat and read that at least 3 times, sitting with my jaw open and just thinking to myself. His God probably won't protect me. Again ... I will post more about this later.
Let me start by saying ... I don't care what you believe, I don't care what God you put your faith in, I don't accept you or your belief system because it's YOURS. NOT mine. Get that distinction? You believe what you want and guess what .. I'll let you and not try to "convert" you .. BUT ... and this is the big one .. YOU have to let me believe what I WANT. Whether you like it or not. That means if I want to pray to a shrine of Tom Waits or a Saltine ... you have to LET me. Now with that said ... tolerance is a big deal here. My shrine won't beg you for money, it won't tell you what to believe or how it needs you to believe in it, because it is my shrine. I can point at it, make jokes about it, but still fulfill my "god-like" worshiping whenever I want. The reason that I bring this up (and I hate doing this because it gives some people free hits) is this douche:
http://notyrants.blogspot.com/
"The New Nazi Party!
It's Official! The Democrat Party has now become Thee New Nazi Party! The display of Thuggery this past few months has put the New Nazi Party on the map. These Modern Day Nazis want to control us from the “Womb to the Tomb”.
We all know by now the so-called Leader we have, would put a baby in a utility room, to die alone. So you Old People are next. You better start working on that Bucket List deal. You can bet your last devalued Dollar, with rationing Obamacare, I mean HEALTH Care, that there won't be room for Seniors.
Uh oh, as a 40 something year old, former Military, Right Wing extremist into the Constitution (I bet that word, Constitution will be outlawed soon) maybe I better start my own Bucket List."
Just simply unbelievable. I sat and read that at least 3 times, sitting with my jaw open and just thinking to myself. His God probably won't protect me. Again ... I will post more about this later.
Why I hate liberals/conservatives/GlenBeck/douchebaggery/etc.
So I woke up today in a better mood than usual, despite having watched about 4 minutes of Glen Beck's program last night before I fell asleep. I'm still in a relatively good mood, but I will say now that my faith in anything getting done right in this country anymore is just slipping away more day by day. See, I'm one of those weird people, who don't walk around chipper and smiling all day because ... well, because I'm not chipper and happy every day. In fact, I'd be the first to call me a bitter curmudgeon. The reason that I am that way? It's pretty simple really, I'm grumpy. I'm angry because of a LOT of things. Things that shouldn't make me angry but they do, things that I can do something about but sometimes don't and well ... just humanity in general. The phrase "you people really piss me off" flys out of my mouth more times than I can consider coincidence or happenstance ... but yet it does. I'm not a huge cheerleader for the human race, in fact .. in my more calloused moments, I issue poxes on people's psyche's. I'm a mental death dealer. But despite all of that, in my heart of heart, I believe that given the opportunity to really fuck up either your own life or someone else's, that MOST of humanity will work hard not to do that, but you other lazy fucks out there will just take the easy way out. Who gives a shit who it hurts. I'm a closet optimist. I don't spread that around, you never know when you may need to be cold, bitter and grumpy like me. Anywho, the reason for this little screed is that as I'm watching Douchebag Beck last night, he was ranting on and on about a book called Stand Up Straight (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world/stand-up-straight-author-robert-creamer-invited-to-white-house_100286233.html) and how this guy was a convicted felon, blah blah blah blah blah. Listen folks if you think having a convicted felon at a State event is the WORST thing we've got going on ... let me lend you some voices from the "wilderness" of the American populace:
"I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT YOU COULD POSSIBLY HATE GLENN BECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE IS ADORABLE AND SPEAKS NOTHING BUT TRUTH-HE CERTAINLY IS AN INSPRIRATION TO ME-
OBAMA IS A LIAR AND A THEIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT IS JUST SO REFRESHING TO SEE SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS HOW TO SMILE AND TELL THE TRUTH FOR A CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!
MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS GLENN BECK AND THE COUNTRY HE SO LOVES AND FIGHTS FOR TRUTH FOR!!!!!!!!!!
HE IS CERTAINLY MY HOME TOWN BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Glenn Beck is great American unlike you, you liberal loon. Liberalism is a sick weak philosophy that is rightly dying in the USA. The Wall Street Journal is thriving, the New York Times is going bankrupt, MSNBC, a pathetic liberal channel is being killed by Fox News which has millions of viewers.
Only 5 or 6 people will read your pathetic blog while the great Bill O'Reilly has 3 million viewers, not cool aid drinkers like yourself , but true Americans who think for themselves, a recent Poll showed that O'Reilly watchers were the best informed of all viewers.
I now going back to my Bill O'Reilly book, read by TENS OF THOUSANDS and still in the: "Top Ten bestseller" list after weeks and weeks. And leave you liberal losers to your powerless little blog, that's all you guys are capable of. Pathetic little bogs read by 3 people, YOUR TALK BACK RADIO IS A BORING FAILURE TOO.
L for liberal, L for loser."
"Republicans hate women ? its the Democrats that tried to destroy both Hillary and Sarah in the last election # one lie you just made
Obama and the Democrats are turning their backs on the Jewish nation # 2nd lie you just told
Democrats have no regard for History that shows by Democrats daily pissing on the Constitution # 3 lie you told
Truth boy your an idiot Obama's who life is a lie he lied about everything to get his ass into office # 4 lie you told
and if we hate gays so much why are the Gays running from the Democrats right now just like the Catholic and Independent voters are ? #5 lie you told
so in other words your just another stinking lying Democrat ..thats pretty easy to see"
I chose these three little quotes from random people on a few web sites. This is what America is now. I get the feeling out here that I may as well piss into the wind. The idea of "discourse" has now officially become tabloid. When the healthcare bill gets LESS publicity than Tiger Woods ... well you tell me ... what do YOU think? Me personally, I don't give two fucks who he's fucking or how fucked up his marriage is. Guess what ... he's a professional athlete. He's worth at least a BILLION dollars .. ok game over .. next. Get it? There are people DYING out here.. there are people who think that overtaking the government because the "liberals" are fucking it up and want to make it a violent, sexist, homophobic, christ loving (but only if it's OUR white gay bashing christ) nation. Yet THIS is what we chose to talk about? More to come later.
"I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT YOU COULD POSSIBLY HATE GLENN BECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HE IS ADORABLE AND SPEAKS NOTHING BUT TRUTH-HE CERTAINLY IS AN INSPRIRATION TO ME-
OBAMA IS A LIAR AND A THEIF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT IS JUST SO REFRESHING TO SEE SOMEBODY WHO KNOWS HOW TO SMILE AND TELL THE TRUTH FOR A CHANGE!!!!!!!!!!
MAY GOD CONTINUE TO BLESS GLENN BECK AND THE COUNTRY HE SO LOVES AND FIGHTS FOR TRUTH FOR!!!!!!!!!!
HE IS CERTAINLY MY HOME TOWN BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Glenn Beck is great American unlike you, you liberal loon. Liberalism is a sick weak philosophy that is rightly dying in the USA. The Wall Street Journal is thriving, the New York Times is going bankrupt, MSNBC, a pathetic liberal channel is being killed by Fox News which has millions of viewers.
Only 5 or 6 people will read your pathetic blog while the great Bill O'Reilly has 3 million viewers, not cool aid drinkers like yourself , but true Americans who think for themselves, a recent Poll showed that O'Reilly watchers were the best informed of all viewers.
I now going back to my Bill O'Reilly book, read by TENS OF THOUSANDS and still in the: "Top Ten bestseller" list after weeks and weeks. And leave you liberal losers to your powerless little blog, that's all you guys are capable of. Pathetic little bogs read by 3 people, YOUR TALK BACK RADIO IS A BORING FAILURE TOO.
L for liberal, L for loser."
"Republicans hate women ? its the Democrats that tried to destroy both Hillary and Sarah in the last election # one lie you just made
Obama and the Democrats are turning their backs on the Jewish nation # 2nd lie you just told
Democrats have no regard for History that shows by Democrats daily pissing on the Constitution # 3 lie you told
Truth boy your an idiot Obama's who life is a lie he lied about everything to get his ass into office # 4 lie you told
and if we hate gays so much why are the Gays running from the Democrats right now just like the Catholic and Independent voters are ? #5 lie you told
so in other words your just another stinking lying Democrat ..thats pretty easy to see"
I chose these three little quotes from random people on a few web sites. This is what America is now. I get the feeling out here that I may as well piss into the wind. The idea of "discourse" has now officially become tabloid. When the healthcare bill gets LESS publicity than Tiger Woods ... well you tell me ... what do YOU think? Me personally, I don't give two fucks who he's fucking or how fucked up his marriage is. Guess what ... he's a professional athlete. He's worth at least a BILLION dollars .. ok game over .. next. Get it? There are people DYING out here.. there are people who think that overtaking the government because the "liberals" are fucking it up and want to make it a violent, sexist, homophobic, christ loving (but only if it's OUR white gay bashing christ) nation. Yet THIS is what we chose to talk about? More to come later.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
So I'm being lazy ....
Work has really been kicking my ass lately so I havent had as much time to post anything but believe me ... when I have some more time, I'll be back to my old vitriolic self. Posting like a mad man ....in the meantime, I'm gonna be lazy and just post this:
see more Engrish
That's about all anyone can hope for anymore isn't it? Some wild animal love.
see more Engrish
That's about all anyone can hope for anymore isn't it? Some wild animal love.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Continuing the Hate
Yeah so I'm a hater ... bite me ... oh wait ... not if I have to deal with this:
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Turkey day countdown
I've had my day out there amongst you ... and let me say ... whew .. can we be done yet? The tide rises against me ..... somehow I'll rise against it .. in the mean time .. take this from brother De La Rocha
Cell phone inspired stupidity ... or why I hate shopping
As the holidays approach, my patience is in rapid decline. Usually because some idiot or asshole in front of me (whether driving or walking) is on their cell phone stopping for no apparent reason, driving or walking too slow, or just fucking oblivious that ANYONE ELSE ON THE FUCKING PLANET exists besides them and their conversant. If you know me ... are friends with me or are an casual acquaintance with me, you KNOW that I loathe people that are like this. My feeling is that if you own a piece of equipment that requires you to
1. Think while operating
2. Slow down your central nervous system to a slug like capacity
3. Brings out the idiot in you
Guess what ... DON'T USE THAT DEVICE IN VIEW OF OTHERS.
My example ... I was shopping for my holiday meal yesterday .. at Whole Food's ... (there's a whole other story about my feeling about this bastion of insanity ... but we'll get to that later) and a woman with her husband in tow were in front of me in the aisle. If you're at all familiar with Whole Crack, you'll know that the aisle's are not very wide. There was a box on the floor in front of said woman and she simply had to maneuver around the box and go on her merry way. All the while she's on her cell, talking to some idiot child or other adult somewhere about something no one but her and it would have even the most slight interest in. Rather than move around the box, she stopped blocking the aisle and stood there. OBLIVIOUS to the fact that she was now blocking traffic in BOTH directions. I said ... loud enough for her to hear ... "It's like being in fucking traffic with IDIOTS on their cell phones." I KNOW that she heard me.
Anyway ... enough about that ...
devices to operate once you spend a small amount of time with them, but there are certain rules of etiquette regarding their usage that should be obeyed:
1) Location: There are places where it is dangerous or simply inappropriate to use a cell phone (or even have it turned on ready to receive calls). Your judgment is your best guide in these cases, but three places spring to mind as no-cell areas: any performance venue (opera, music hall, movie theater, etc.), the inside of a vehicle which you are driving, and inside certain areas of hospitals. The reasons behind the first two should be very obvious to any but the dullest members of society. The latter is due to the fact that certain kinds of emissions can interfere with some medical instrumentation (such as is present in emergency rooms and near operating rooms).
2) Time: There are some times when whatever you are doing is more important than whatever may come over the air waves to you on your phone. An example would be when you are having an important discussion with a business partner, customer, or significant other. Interrupting the conversation to chat with a friend about the weather and gasoline prices is inappropriate at best and very rude at worst. Once again, your own judgment should be the best guide.
3) Volume: Most people seem to raise their voices when speaking on cellular phones. Perhaps it is because the phone's speaker apparatus is quieter than they are used to, but for whatever the reason this is no excuse to project your end of the conversation to every ear within ten paces. The party on the other end of the line can hear you quite well, and you should speak in a tone of voice appropriate to your surroundings until your caller asks you to do otherwise (at which point you should retreat to a private spot as much as is possible). Mastering this component of proper cell phone etiquette seems to be the most difficult for many, as it requires that they focus on their surrounding ambient noise level as well as their conversation.
As a responsible cell phone user, you should be aware of the aural space of those around you and the environment you are in before placing or receiving a call. Your judgment is, as always in matters of social behavior, your best indicator to what is proper. As a final note of inspiration, consider the recently enacted law in the city-state of Singapore that dictates that drivers caught conversing on a cell phone face not only stiff monetary penalties but prison time as well after the first offense.
1. Think while operating
2. Slow down your central nervous system to a slug like capacity
3. Brings out the idiot in you
Guess what ... DON'T USE THAT DEVICE IN VIEW OF OTHERS.
My example ... I was shopping for my holiday meal yesterday .. at Whole Food's ... (there's a whole other story about my feeling about this bastion of insanity ... but we'll get to that later) and a woman with her husband in tow were in front of me in the aisle. If you're at all familiar with Whole Crack, you'll know that the aisle's are not very wide. There was a box on the floor in front of said woman and she simply had to maneuver around the box and go on her merry way. All the while she's on her cell, talking to some idiot child or other adult somewhere about something no one but her and it would have even the most slight interest in. Rather than move around the box, she stopped blocking the aisle and stood there. OBLIVIOUS to the fact that she was now blocking traffic in BOTH directions. I said ... loud enough for her to hear ... "It's like being in fucking traffic with IDIOTS on their cell phones." I KNOW that she heard me.
Anyway ... enough about that ...
devices to operate once you spend a small amount of time with them, but there are certain rules of etiquette regarding their usage that should be obeyed:
1) Location: There are places where it is dangerous or simply inappropriate to use a cell phone (or even have it turned on ready to receive calls). Your judgment is your best guide in these cases, but three places spring to mind as no-cell areas: any performance venue (opera, music hall, movie theater, etc.), the inside of a vehicle which you are driving, and inside certain areas of hospitals. The reasons behind the first two should be very obvious to any but the dullest members of society. The latter is due to the fact that certain kinds of emissions can interfere with some medical instrumentation (such as is present in emergency rooms and near operating rooms).
2) Time: There are some times when whatever you are doing is more important than whatever may come over the air waves to you on your phone. An example would be when you are having an important discussion with a business partner, customer, or significant other. Interrupting the conversation to chat with a friend about the weather and gasoline prices is inappropriate at best and very rude at worst. Once again, your own judgment should be the best guide.
3) Volume: Most people seem to raise their voices when speaking on cellular phones. Perhaps it is because the phone's speaker apparatus is quieter than they are used to, but for whatever the reason this is no excuse to project your end of the conversation to every ear within ten paces. The party on the other end of the line can hear you quite well, and you should speak in a tone of voice appropriate to your surroundings until your caller asks you to do otherwise (at which point you should retreat to a private spot as much as is possible). Mastering this component of proper cell phone etiquette seems to be the most difficult for many, as it requires that they focus on their surrounding ambient noise level as well as their conversation.
As a responsible cell phone user, you should be aware of the aural space of those around you and the environment you are in before placing or receiving a call. Your judgment is, as always in matters of social behavior, your best indicator to what is proper. As a final note of inspiration, consider the recently enacted law in the city-state of Singapore that dictates that drivers caught conversing on a cell phone face not only stiff monetary penalties but prison time as well after the first offense.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Stories about my past
This video was one of the first videos that I'd ever seen that made me question what I was doing. I was a young lad, about 16. Watch, shudder, learn.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Twitarded
Ok so I was going to post some rantings about the new Twilight movie today, since all of the talking heads are all agog over it, but decided instead to post what's below from the Huffington Post. I'll come back to Twilight, don't you worry.
(I'm posting this verbatim from Huffington Post.)
I'm not sure what I have more contempt for. Sarah Palin's pathological lying or the people who can say with a straight face that Sarah Palin is qualified for anything other than a reality show contestant or the the Edie McClurg role in a remake of Planes, Trains & Automobiles.
What's even more alarming is the constant reporting from the cable news people this week: Sarah Palin is famous! Wow! But no one is digging into exactly why she's famous.
And that's the heart of the matter here. She's nothing more than an overrated celebudoof. She's the equivalent of an ex-reality show star that's somehow tricked enough people into believing that a convention speech and a series of embarrassing winks qualifies her to be a national political leader -- even president -- when, in fact, she's only really qualified to be famous. She's famous for being famous.
I have yet to hear a pitch from her supporters that elevates her in any substantive way to a level beyond that of the other Republicans in the current field of potential candidates. She's famous. And. Hmm. She's famous. That's about it. Oh, and she can repeat hard-right ideology without swallowing her own tongue in the process.
It's very possible that Bill Kristol and whoever Palin's ghost-handlers happen to be are cynical enough to believe that Sarah Palin could ride a celebreality rocket ship into the White House.
They've taken a hard look at the present climate of celebrity gossip and reality television ratings and they've identified an opening in America's obvious infatuation with chewing-gum superficiality -- and they're ready to exploit it for political power. Where Ronald Reagan was a celebrity in the old-Hollywood framework, Palin is a celebrity in the talentless, Balloon Boy, reality show, Prejean, new-Hollywood framework.
Suffice to say, this strategy further devalues what it means to be considered "presidential." It chips away at all of the basic but necessary prerequisites for the gig, replacing them with nothing but the base notion of fame. Not even popularity as it applies to fame, but merely the quality of being known.
Consequently, this can only contribute to a future when we choose a president based solely upon his or her ability to achieve the most real life drama, irrespective of any sort of inherent talent for leadership, natural intelligence or any notable skills whatsoever.
A reality show president.
So it's not difficult to imagine a blurring of the line between the quality of being famous and the quality of being presidential -- an eventual time when these traits become totally interchangeable. It's already happened in Hollywood with the rise of unscripted reality and game show personalities slowly replacing actors and filmmakers, and the calculation coming from the Palin camp seems to be that this programming formula can be applied to presidential politics.
Here's how it works: Take a not unattractive rube with a screwy family and mix in some drama. Add cameras and POOF! We have a candidate/show.
Is there any other formula to explain the obsession with, say, Jon & Kate? Or the Balloon Boy family? The Sarah Palin Show is nothing more than a confessional interview with poorly articulated politics tossed into the mix.
Speaking of the confessional interview, she hasn't proved herself to be especially articulate, bright or well-informed. Even after a year on the air. Which is alarming because being on television is supposed to be her strong suit. See, Palin's most glaring inadequacy isn't necessarily her lack of work experience. There's just nothing else concrete enough to compensate for her weak resume. It's not like her supporters can say, "Yeah, well, she's only been a small town mayor, and she resigned before her first term as governor was over. But damn! She's crazy smart when it comes to economy and foreign relations -- you know, because of her education and travels abroad." There's not even that. She comes up empty on everything.
And what makes this utter lack of substance far worse is that she can't even articulate her very simplistic thoughts without using staccato sentence fragments strung together as if she's reciting abbreviated notes illegibly scrawled on the backs of barroom napkins, and selected on-the-fly using a dart board.
Even on the question about the role of the vice president last year, she failed to properly articulate an answer, and, instead babbled incoherently about something to do with "position flexible."
Fact: When a job applicant at any level is given repeated chances to explain the job for which he or she is applying, and, even after several tries, still can't nail the answer, that person is unqualified for that job. But her inability to explain the vice presidency (even after several tries) underscored that it's not just about her lack of experience or leadership or general knowledge, it's that she was (and remains) simply incapable of grasping the basics. In this case: grade school level civics, and a description of the job for which she was nominated.
Again, what does that leave us with? A reality show novelty. A tabloid hero. Not a world leader.
Somewhere along the line, her advisers recognized her ineptitude and twisted the "going rogue" description into a positive way to explain it all. Rewinding again to the vice presidential debate last year, she made it very clear that she didn't intend to directly answer the questions. She just plowed forward and answered the questions that she prepared for, even if they were totally unrelated to the topic. Why? She explained that she was, in essence, going rogue.
Early in the debate she said, "And I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also."
But it was clearly just an excuse for the fact that she's a policy nincompoop and could only recite from the script she memorized. This rogue mantra lives on with the theme of her book, along with her ongoing refusal to confront the growing syllabus of unexplained inconsistencies on even the most basic of details -- like whether or not she held a family vote before she accepted Senator McCain's kneejerk offer. Even on this very simple question, she refuses to correct the record.
In Sarah Palin's defense, there's no doubt that she's relatable to a certain demographic of Americans who are unconcerned with advanced education and the subtleties of policy. But if you dig down into the reasons why Palin people like her, it's obvious that they're simply "fans" who can, perhaps, relate to Palin's ordinary background and easy-to-repeat ideology.
Ultimately, there's a certain element of the Republican Party that's excited to have yet another stab at the Bush 43 idea, and, to that end, they've certainly found their empty vessel. But this time, they've tapped into an American obsession that goes beyond cowboy swagger and plainspoken southern twangery. They've identified and are cultivating one of our most addictive opiates: a genuine made-for-TV spectacle. And it's dangerous for America. Idiocracy dangerous.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
All I can say after this is ... Amen brother, amen.
(I'm posting this verbatim from Huffington Post.)
I'm not sure what I have more contempt for. Sarah Palin's pathological lying or the people who can say with a straight face that Sarah Palin is qualified for anything other than a reality show contestant or the the Edie McClurg role in a remake of Planes, Trains & Automobiles.
What's even more alarming is the constant reporting from the cable news people this week: Sarah Palin is famous! Wow! But no one is digging into exactly why she's famous.
And that's the heart of the matter here. She's nothing more than an overrated celebudoof. She's the equivalent of an ex-reality show star that's somehow tricked enough people into believing that a convention speech and a series of embarrassing winks qualifies her to be a national political leader -- even president -- when, in fact, she's only really qualified to be famous. She's famous for being famous.
I have yet to hear a pitch from her supporters that elevates her in any substantive way to a level beyond that of the other Republicans in the current field of potential candidates. She's famous. And. Hmm. She's famous. That's about it. Oh, and she can repeat hard-right ideology without swallowing her own tongue in the process.
It's very possible that Bill Kristol and whoever Palin's ghost-handlers happen to be are cynical enough to believe that Sarah Palin could ride a celebreality rocket ship into the White House.
They've taken a hard look at the present climate of celebrity gossip and reality television ratings and they've identified an opening in America's obvious infatuation with chewing-gum superficiality -- and they're ready to exploit it for political power. Where Ronald Reagan was a celebrity in the old-Hollywood framework, Palin is a celebrity in the talentless, Balloon Boy, reality show, Prejean, new-Hollywood framework.
Suffice to say, this strategy further devalues what it means to be considered "presidential." It chips away at all of the basic but necessary prerequisites for the gig, replacing them with nothing but the base notion of fame. Not even popularity as it applies to fame, but merely the quality of being known.
Consequently, this can only contribute to a future when we choose a president based solely upon his or her ability to achieve the most real life drama, irrespective of any sort of inherent talent for leadership, natural intelligence or any notable skills whatsoever.
A reality show president.
So it's not difficult to imagine a blurring of the line between the quality of being famous and the quality of being presidential -- an eventual time when these traits become totally interchangeable. It's already happened in Hollywood with the rise of unscripted reality and game show personalities slowly replacing actors and filmmakers, and the calculation coming from the Palin camp seems to be that this programming formula can be applied to presidential politics.
Here's how it works: Take a not unattractive rube with a screwy family and mix in some drama. Add cameras and POOF! We have a candidate/show.
Is there any other formula to explain the obsession with, say, Jon & Kate? Or the Balloon Boy family? The Sarah Palin Show is nothing more than a confessional interview with poorly articulated politics tossed into the mix.
Speaking of the confessional interview, she hasn't proved herself to be especially articulate, bright or well-informed. Even after a year on the air. Which is alarming because being on television is supposed to be her strong suit. See, Palin's most glaring inadequacy isn't necessarily her lack of work experience. There's just nothing else concrete enough to compensate for her weak resume. It's not like her supporters can say, "Yeah, well, she's only been a small town mayor, and she resigned before her first term as governor was over. But damn! She's crazy smart when it comes to economy and foreign relations -- you know, because of her education and travels abroad." There's not even that. She comes up empty on everything.
And what makes this utter lack of substance far worse is that she can't even articulate her very simplistic thoughts without using staccato sentence fragments strung together as if she's reciting abbreviated notes illegibly scrawled on the backs of barroom napkins, and selected on-the-fly using a dart board.
Even on the question about the role of the vice president last year, she failed to properly articulate an answer, and, instead babbled incoherently about something to do with "position flexible."
Fact: When a job applicant at any level is given repeated chances to explain the job for which he or she is applying, and, even after several tries, still can't nail the answer, that person is unqualified for that job. But her inability to explain the vice presidency (even after several tries) underscored that it's not just about her lack of experience or leadership or general knowledge, it's that she was (and remains) simply incapable of grasping the basics. In this case: grade school level civics, and a description of the job for which she was nominated.
Again, what does that leave us with? A reality show novelty. A tabloid hero. Not a world leader.
Somewhere along the line, her advisers recognized her ineptitude and twisted the "going rogue" description into a positive way to explain it all. Rewinding again to the vice presidential debate last year, she made it very clear that she didn't intend to directly answer the questions. She just plowed forward and answered the questions that she prepared for, even if they were totally unrelated to the topic. Why? She explained that she was, in essence, going rogue.
Early in the debate she said, "And I may not answer the questions that either the moderator or you want to hear, but I'm going to talk straight to the American people and let them know my track record also."
But it was clearly just an excuse for the fact that she's a policy nincompoop and could only recite from the script she memorized. This rogue mantra lives on with the theme of her book, along with her ongoing refusal to confront the growing syllabus of unexplained inconsistencies on even the most basic of details -- like whether or not she held a family vote before she accepted Senator McCain's kneejerk offer. Even on this very simple question, she refuses to correct the record.
In Sarah Palin's defense, there's no doubt that she's relatable to a certain demographic of Americans who are unconcerned with advanced education and the subtleties of policy. But if you dig down into the reasons why Palin people like her, it's obvious that they're simply "fans" who can, perhaps, relate to Palin's ordinary background and easy-to-repeat ideology.
Ultimately, there's a certain element of the Republican Party that's excited to have yet another stab at the Bush 43 idea, and, to that end, they've certainly found their empty vessel. But this time, they've tapped into an American obsession that goes beyond cowboy swagger and plainspoken southern twangery. They've identified and are cultivating one of our most addictive opiates: a genuine made-for-TV spectacle. And it's dangerous for America. Idiocracy dangerous.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
All I can say after this is ... Amen brother, amen.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
For the Love of Bacon
First let me explain something, I'm a vegetarian. About as close to vegan as you can get. I don't eat meat. I'm perfectly happy and quite sane that way. I'm ok with the fact you may not feel the same way that I do. We're all supposed to try to get along here. I just have different sensibilities than you do and as long as you're ok with .. then so am I, BUT ... with that said ... what the fuck is the fascination with bacon?
Get my point?
Wanna know where bacon comes from? Here's a little video to help you out in your neanderthal thinking:
Some more facts about how you get that nice bacon on your plate:
A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation reveals unconscionable cruelty to mother pigs and their young piglets at a Hatfield Quality Meat supplier - "Country View Family Farms," in Fannettsburg, Pennsylvania. The hidden camera video provides consumers with a jarring glimpse into the nightmarish world of factory pork production.
MFA's investigation uncovered:
* Workers grabbing piglets by their fragile ears or legs and throwing them across the room and slamming them into transport carts.
* Workers tattooing sows by repeatedly driving sharp metal spikes into their flesh.
* Sows with untreated rectal prolapses and deep, infected sores and scrapes from constant rubbing against the bars of their stalls.
* Workers cutting off piglets' tails with dull pliers and castrating them by ripping out their testes with their bare hands - all without anesthesia.
* Thousands of pregnant pigs confined in two-feet wide metal stalls so small that they could only take one step forward or backward and could not turn around or lie down comfortably.
* Injured, sick and runt piglets being tossed into overcrowded gassing kill carts, slowly suffocating from CO2.
* Workers firing steel rods into sows' heads, sometimes as many as four separate times, before the sows fell and died.
Numerous veterinarians and animal welfare experts have harshly condemned the conditions documented at this "family farm" - which confines nearly 3,000 breeding sows. Dr. Nedim C. Buyukmihci, Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, asserts, "I can state unequivocally that the pigs in this facility suffered immensely...These people showed complete disregard for the welfare or well-being on the pigs."
The findings of MFA's newest investigation are consistent with those documented at pig farms across the country in recent years - illustrating that animal neglect and abuse are the pork industry norm, not the exception.
Not only are the abuses documented at this facility standard within the industry, they are legal in the state of Pennsylvania. Like most states, Pennsylvania's anti-cruelty statute exempts farmed animals from legal protection. Pigs, like all farmed animals, also lack federal protection during their lives confined on factory farms.
As consumers we can choose compassion over cruelty at every meal. Adopting a compassionate vegan diet is the most powerful action we can take to put an end to needless animal suffering and the conditions documented during this investigation.
More about this atrocity can be found here.
Any questions?
Wanna know where bacon comes from? Here's a little video to help you out in your neanderthal thinking:
Some more facts about how you get that nice bacon on your plate:
A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation reveals unconscionable cruelty to mother pigs and their young piglets at a Hatfield Quality Meat supplier - "Country View Family Farms," in Fannettsburg, Pennsylvania. The hidden camera video provides consumers with a jarring glimpse into the nightmarish world of factory pork production.
MFA's investigation uncovered:
* Workers grabbing piglets by their fragile ears or legs and throwing them across the room and slamming them into transport carts.
* Workers tattooing sows by repeatedly driving sharp metal spikes into their flesh.
* Sows with untreated rectal prolapses and deep, infected sores and scrapes from constant rubbing against the bars of their stalls.
* Workers cutting off piglets' tails with dull pliers and castrating them by ripping out their testes with their bare hands - all without anesthesia.
* Thousands of pregnant pigs confined in two-feet wide metal stalls so small that they could only take one step forward or backward and could not turn around or lie down comfortably.
* Injured, sick and runt piglets being tossed into overcrowded gassing kill carts, slowly suffocating from CO2.
* Workers firing steel rods into sows' heads, sometimes as many as four separate times, before the sows fell and died.
Numerous veterinarians and animal welfare experts have harshly condemned the conditions documented at this "family farm" - which confines nearly 3,000 breeding sows. Dr. Nedim C. Buyukmihci, Emeritus Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, asserts, "I can state unequivocally that the pigs in this facility suffered immensely...These people showed complete disregard for the welfare or well-being on the pigs."
The findings of MFA's newest investigation are consistent with those documented at pig farms across the country in recent years - illustrating that animal neglect and abuse are the pork industry norm, not the exception.
Not only are the abuses documented at this facility standard within the industry, they are legal in the state of Pennsylvania. Like most states, Pennsylvania's anti-cruelty statute exempts farmed animals from legal protection. Pigs, like all farmed animals, also lack federal protection during their lives confined on factory farms.
As consumers we can choose compassion over cruelty at every meal. Adopting a compassionate vegan diet is the most powerful action we can take to put an end to needless animal suffering and the conditions documented during this investigation.
More about this atrocity can be found here.
Any questions?
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Think you can handle the truth?
Here's a nice little piece written by one of the producers of Keith Olbermanns show. Before you start your inner dialogue ... cease and desist. This is NOT about politics, forget that it's someone from the MSM (or whatever you want to call them) and IMAGINE for a minute that it was a friend, or a loved one, or even you either at the clinic or maybe even volunteering:
"Eighty-three percent of the patients they see are employed, they are not accepting other government help on a large scale, not "welfare queens" as some would like to have us believe. They are tax-paying, good, upstanding citizens who are trying to make it and give their kids a better life just like you and me.
Ninety percent of the patients who came through Saturday's clinic had two or more diagnoses.
Eighty-two percent had a life-threatening condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or hypertension. They are victims of a system built with corporate profits at its center, which long ago forgot the moral imperative that should drive us to show compassion to our fellow men and women."
The full article appears here.
The question that's asked in this article is the same that I find myself asking over and over and over again. To the point of insanity. How can a country of such "wealth" stand by and let this happen? People are DYING because of this. Forget about the fact that there may be an "agenda" in here ... just stop that arguement right now. This is NOT about agendas, messages or politics. When I started this blog I swore that I wasnt going to make it about politics but about things that pissed me off ... and friends let me tell you ..... on a scale from 1 to 10 ... this one is a 25. I am livid with rage, ready to snap the head off anyone who calls this some call to arms for any number of idiot conspiracy theories, socialist healthcare plans, Obama being any kind of "ist" or another rant from Glenn Beck. Again let me point this out in VERY simple english. Politicians and their indifference are KILLING americans. While access to health care is NOT a fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution, it should be and should start now.
Further Insanity
No sooner did I post my last post than I find the following:
Rage Grows in America: Anti‑Government Conspiracies
Introduction: A Year of Growing Animosity
Since the election of Barack Obama as president, a current of anti-government hostility has swept across the United States, creating a climate of fervor and activism with manifestations ranging from incivility in public forums to acts of intimidation and violence.
What characterizes this anti-government hostility is a shared belief that Obama and his administration actually pose a threat to the future of the United States. Some accuse Obama of plotting to bring socialism to the United States, while others claim he will bring about Nazism or fascism. All believe that Obama and his administration will trample on individual freedoms and civil liberties, due to some sinister agenda, and they see his economic and social policies as manifestations of this agenda. In particular anti-government activists used the issue of health care reform as a rallying point, accusing Obama and his administration of dark designs ranging from “socialized medicine” to “death panels,” even when the Obama administration had not come out with a specific health care reform plan. Some even compared the Obama administration’s intentions to Nazi eugenics programs.
Some of these assertions are motivated by prejudice, but more common is an intense strain of anti-government distrust and anger, colored by a streak of paranoia and belief in conspiracies. These sentiments are present both in mainstream and “grass-roots” movements as well as in extreme anti-government movements such as a resurgent militia movement. Ultimately, this anti-government anger, if it continues to grow in intensity and scope, may result in an increase in anti-government extremists and the potental for a rise of violent anti-government acts.
Part One: Anger in the Mainstream
The Tea Parties
The rapid growth of anti-government anger in the wake of Obama’s election first became apparent in the spring of 2009, when conservative groups and grass-roots activists organized a nationwide series of anti-government rallies dubbed “Tea Parties.” At these events, and later sequels, anti-government sentiments and conspiracy theories proliferated, with a common theme being that somehow Obama had “stolen” the country from Americans.
The Town Hall Meeting Disruptions
More evidence of anti-government animosity appeared in the summer of 2009, when a variety of anti-government protests and disruptions occurred at town hall meetings organized by senators and representatives across the country to discuss healthcare reform. These events became a fertile ground for anti-Obama protests and stunts, with some protesters angrily launching verbal attacks against the president as well as other officeholders. A number of protests explicitly compared the Obama administration and its policies to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.
A Building Anger
The angry protests at town hall meetings seemed to give a “green light” to expressions of anti-government and anti-Obama hostility, as when South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson shouted “You lie!” to Obama himself during a speech to Congress in September. Tea Party events in September, especially a large rally in Washington, D.C., itself, were characterized by extreme sentiments, including Nazi imagery, racist imagery, and imagery that implicitly or explicitly promoted violence. Other events, such as a “How to Take Back America” conference in Missouri and the rally against health-care reform held by conservatives in D.C. on November 5, 2009, saw similar expressions of anger.
The “Birther” Movement
More troubling than general expressions of anti-government hostility or anger has been the proliferation of anti-government conspiracy theories. One of the newest such theories, the so-called “birther” movement, which rapidly spread during and after the 2008 election campaign, targeted Obama himself. “Birthers” claim that Obama is not a legitimate president because he allegedly was not born in the United States (as the Constitution requires), but rather in Kenya. Especially disturbing are the mainstream media figures and politicians who implicitly or explicitly endorse the “birther” conspiracy theory, or refuse to condemn it. Two attorneys, Philip Berg of Pennsylvania and Orly Taitz of California, have been particularly active in spreading the “birther” arguments, as has an on-line right-wing newspaper, World Net Daily.
The Influence of the Mainstream Media
Though much of the impetus for anti-government sentiment has come from a variety of grass-roots and extremist groups, segments of the mainstream media have played a surprisingly active role in generating such segment. Though a number of media figures and commentators have taken part, the media personality who has played the most active role has been radio and television host Glenn Beck, who along with many of his guests have made a habit of demonizing the Obama administration and promoting conspiracy theories about it. Beck has acted as a “fearmonger-in-chief,” raising anxiety about and distrust towards the government.
Part Two: Anger on the Fringe
Alex Jones, the Conspiracy King
Further out into the extremist fringe, one person in particular has been responsible for stirring up anti-government and anti-Obama conspiracy theories in the United States. Alex Jones, a Texas-based radio show host, has created a radio- and Internet-based conspiracy-oriented media empire, most of the content of which is devoted to promoting the notion of an over-arching conspiracy by malevolent globalists to take over the world and create a “New World Order” with high-tech slavery. Jones claims that the United States government itself is part of this conspiracy, building concentration camps and preparing to implement tyrannical measures such as martial law and gun confiscation. Jones has been effective in promoting his conspiracy theories and has even appeared on some mainstream media shows.
Conspiracy Theories Imagine Government Plots
One of the most disturbing trends in the rise of anti-government animosity in 2009 has been the resurrection and proliferation of anti-government conspiracy theories, many of which had their origins in the early to mid 1990s. More extreme than “birther” conspiracies, these theories allege dark, violent designs on the part of the federal government to declare martial law and end democratic government, to confiscate firearms from American citizens to render them defenseless, and to build hundreds of concentration camps to house “dissidents” and other liberty-loving Americans. Internet social media, including Web sites such as Myspace, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, have allowed these theories to spread far and wide very rapidly.
Conspiracy Theories Prompting Action: Reaction to the Iowa National Guard Training
Though many anti-government conspiracy theories seem wild and fantastical, anti-government activists may nevertheless act on them as if they were true. The Iowa National Guard experienced this in early 2009 after a planned training exercise was reinterpreted by conspiracy theorists as an exercise in confiscating firearms from American citizens.
Conspiracy Theories Prompting Action: Richard Poplawski
Conspiracy theories also play in important role in radicalizing people, drawing them further towards extreme causes, and increasing their willingness to take extreme, even violent, action. A tragic example of this phenomenon occurred in Pittsburgh in April 2009, when a young man, radicalized by anti-government and white supremacist ideologies, especially since Obama’s election, allegedly murdered three Pittsburgh police officers responding to a 911 call.
Resisting the Government
Since Obama’s election, an increasing number of people have urged that he and his administration must be resisted. Some groups have even implicitly or explicitly urged armed resistance of some sort. Many of these groups have appropriated an idealized version of Revolutionary War history for their own purposes, stressing the armed resistance of the American colonists to British “tyranny” and suggesting that Americans today should act as their revolutionary forebears did.
The Oath Keepers
One manifestation of the ideology of resistance was the creation in March 2009 of the Oath Keepers, an anti-government group that tries to recruit police and military personnel and veterans. Members refuse to obey hypothetical “orders” from the government, “orders” that speak more to their own paranoid and conspiratorial beliefs than to any realistic government action.
The Three Percenters
The Three Percenters are a loosely organized movement whose adherents portray themselves as modern-day counterparts to Revolutionary-era patriots “committed to the restoration of the Founders’ Republic” and “willing to fight, die, and if forced by any would-be oppressor, to kill…”
The Resurgence of the Militia Movement
One of the most troubling aspects of the rise of anti-government sentiment in 2009 has been a corresponding resurgence of the militia movement, an anti-government extremist movement that has had a long history of criminal activity and violence. Within the past two years, the movement has almost quadrupled in size, growing to more than 200 groups across the United States. It is also the most receptive audience for the extreme anti-government conspiracy theories and their radicalizing potential. Because of its history of criminal activity, the revival of this movement is of serious concern.
I don't normally post all another post but this one seemed to be worthy of it.
Letting It Fly
So ok ... I've been thinking about things that piss me off .. and let me be VERY specific, these aren't your normal under the skin, little irritants but things that REALLY really piss me off.
1. That Fucking TWILIGHT movie. Tweener vampires? Really? Does anyone else remember those years? Does the fact that you're an insufferable little pimply faced douche lose ANY of it's "warmth" because you're a vampire? Wasn't it bad enough that we had to deal with Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire AND Tom Cruise as Lestat bad enough? Hollywood ... give this over to the Asians' too. They understand 2 things you don't get. Plot and story. Enough. Send Joe Eszterhas, Micheal Bay and let them ruin Tokyo the way they guttered Hollywood.
2. Insurance Companies. A HUGE FUCK YOU to them. I don't deal with them often, but I had one instance that still to this day pisses me off. I had an injury to a rotator cuff earlier this year and had to visit an ER. I've spent almost the last 10 years working for startup companies that were too poor to give me insurance so I haven't had any. Therefor I may have had a "pre-existing" condition called Insura absentia. I'm sure a lot of you know this (if I'm to believe what Keith Olbermann is telling me.) So I went to the ER, filled out my paperwork and then was sent 14 cadjillion forms asking me if I'd had a pre-existing condition. Noting that on every form I filled out, if I'd had insurance in the last 10 years, to which I would reply NO! Try to disqualify me now you FUCKS! Now couple that with the fact that they're getting rich off of us. They're worse than the next people on this list but NOT by much. I'll probably spew a LOT more about these idiot savants later, I'll just save that though.
3. The media. Point of contension. Sarah Palin. Does this media whore need ANY more attention? David Gergen said that he figures that she's set to make about $10 million on a speaking/media tour. I'm going to go out write a schlock crap novel call it a "memoir" call EVERY media outlet in the US and just send a loud recording of me taking a shit and laughing. That's what they're feeding us. Here's a brief list of media WHORES I can't stand
Jon Gosslin
The Entire staff of MTV
Sarah Palin
FOX news
The Dugger Family
Anyone who thinks that having more than 3 kids is "a lifelong goal"
Nancy Grace
Anyone who is STILL talking about Michael Jackson ... he's not Elvis and we STILL want to resurrect his ghost. Something tells me that MJ's "shelf-life" will be about that long too.
(that's my short list today)
4. Lastly but not least. People who STILL think that talking on their cell phone is mandatory for being in a vehicle. Guess what it's not you douche. Get off your phone, stop talking about your brats and DRIVE. Johnny and Susie are precious but obviously not precious enough for you to stop talking on your fucking phone while you drive. Take my advice, next time you think about having another child, have another drink, masturbate and go back to sleep. The world can deal with only so many of you draining the gene pool.
Monday, November 9, 2009
Starting off with a Bang!
"Here is my final point. About drugs, about alcohol, about pornography and smoking and everything else. What business is it of yours what I do, read, buy, see, say, think, who I fuck, what I take into my body - as long as I do not harm another human being on this planet?" --- Bill Hicks
"America... just a nation of two hundred million used car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable."
"For every moment of triumph, for every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled."
Hunter S. Thompson
"This is my home. Home is where the disease is. As long as I stay in America, I'll never run out of subjects for songs." --- Jello Biafra
“Take away the right to say fuck and you take away the right to say fuck the government.” --- Lenny Bruce
Yes friends, this blog is going to be one of THOSE kinds of blogs. Some whiny pastey faced guy sitting in some dank basement ranting about how it's all fucked up and how we got here, except that I'm one of you. I have a job, I pay my bills, I do the things that all "good" citizens do, I just now have a pulpit to spew from. Let me just say this ... there will be spewing, vitriolic, vile, somewhat diseased screed scrolling from my fingers, typing as fast and as furious as the limbic center of my brain can take me. My monkey mind, feverishly working the bile that's been festering and finding a way to send it out to the etherworld of the Internet. To share with someone ... anyone ... or possibly no one. Wanna join me for the trip?
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