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Monday, March 31, 2008
Elizabeth knows
By VictorM:Trying to understand the nuances of each candidate's health care plan is not easy. And even with the best of intentions, any proposed plan will be have go through serious compromises to become law, if ever. Which makes this observation by Elizabeth Edwards so important because if John McCain is entering the health care debate offering so little to begin with, how much will be left once the health care lobbyists and their allies in Congress are done with it?
Elizabeth Edwards said this weekend that she and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who have both been treated for cancer, have one thing in common: “Neither one of us would be covered by his health policy.” Under McCain’s plan, insurance companies “wouldn’t have to cover preexisting conditions like melanoma and breast cancer,” she said, since cancer survivors are routinely denied insurance when they try to purchase it as individuals.
Friday, March 28, 2008
One third are stupid
By VictorM:That's right, roughly one third of all Americans are plain and helplessly stupid. How do I know? Here:
the impression that Obama is Muslim crosses party lines: 14% of Republicans, 10% of Democrats and 8% of independents think he is Muslim.Do the math.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Idiot of the day: The Sundries Sack
By VictorM:Right wingers are obsessed with labels. Really, when they have no interest in discussions of substance (when do they ever?) they resort to labels. This idiot is worried about the term "civil war" to describe what's going on in Iraq:
According to Merriam-Webster, here's a definition of civil war: : "a war between opposing groups of citizens of the same country." Really, it's that simple. That Iraq is in the midsts of a civil war is a fact. And that the USA is involved fighting a civil war in a foreign country is another fact! Idiot.Apparently, Iraq is about to slide into a new civil war because the Iraqi government is taking out after the Madhi Army.
So, it’s civil war when Sunni and Shia fight. Now, it’s also civil war when Shia and Shia fight...
Because the MSM has a narrative and darned if the real world is going to get in the way of that.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Social Security and illegal immigrants
By VictorM:The 2008 report of the Social Security Trustees released today the "actuarial balance" of the system is better than it's been since 1993.
Wow, how about that? Want to know why? It appears that instead of making up numbers to address illegal immigrants based on the make-up of the general population, they actually built a model that better represents that group.
I never knew the specifics, and couldn't quantify them, but I always felt that people who claimed illegal immigrants hurt us in this area were dead wrong, mainly because of the third point above. I actually never thought of the first two points, but that makes a lot of sense too.And guess what?
Illegal immigrants tend to skew young. This benefits the system.
Young people have more children than older people. This benefits the system.
Some illegal immigrants pay taxes for a few years and then leave. This benefits the system.
Bottom line: "This year's report results in [...] a substantial increase in the number of working-age individuals contributing payroll taxes, but a relatively smaller increase in the number of retirement-age individuals receiving benefits in the latter half of the long-range period." Give or take a bit, it turns out that this shores up the Social Security system to the tune of around $13 billion per year. Thanks, illegal immigrants!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
"I didn't expect to see things happen this quickly"
By VictorM:When it comes to global warming, get used to statements like the one on the title of this post. I know we've reduced global warming skeptics to the size and importance of flat-earth idiots, but we have been too slow to react and the reality of global warming will be harder to deal with than outdated computer models:
A vast ice shelf hanging on by a thin strip looks to be the next chunk to break off from the Antarctic Peninsula, the latest sign of global warming’s impact on Earth's southernmost continent.
Scientists are shocked by the rapid change of events.
Glaciologist Ted Scambos of the University of Colorado was monitoring satellite images of the Wilkins Ice Shelf and spotted a huge iceberg measuring 25 miles by 1.5 miles that appeared to have broken away from the shelf.
Scambos alerted colleagues at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) that it looked like the entire ice shelf — about 6,180 square miles (about the size of Northern Ireland)— was at risk of collapsing.
1,000 best
By VictorM:The New York Times has a list of the 1,000 best movies ever made. I know, these lists are highly subjective, but still fun to look at. So I was curious to see if some of my favorite movies of all time made the list. I clicked on "P"... P... R...I... nope. No Princess Bride. Then I went to "F"... F... I... E... nope, no Field of Dreams. I tried one more. I clicked on "O"... O...n...c... nope, no Once Upon A Time in the West.
I have to admit that the list looks pretty good, but if it doesn't have room for those three movies, something is wrong with the list maker.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Maybe this is what Bush meant by "the surge"
By VictorM:To me, sending more troops to Iraq just seemed all along as a way of providing more targets in that country. Unfortunately, that fear seems to be the one becoming reality rather than the misguided and naive notion that the extra troops would be a catalyst for peace:
American forces have just experienced the most violent two-week period in Iraq since September 2007. Unfortunately, I'm afraid this fact will be lost in the media coverage over the number 4,000 during the next several days.... Between March 10 and March 23, 25 American soldiers were killed in Iraq. The last two-week period in which U.S. forces sustained similar losses was between September 14 and September 27, when 26 were killed--a period that capped off the bloodiest summer of the war.I know, I know... So? They're only volunteers.
Family Values
By VictorM:We hear a lot of talk about family values these days. That means a lot of different things to a lot of people. To me, it's about raising your children right. And here's one family that is on the right track as they raise their 3-month old baby Matthew the right way:
Yeah!!! MLS season starts March 29.
Idiot of the day: Jawa Report
By VictorM:Recently there was a new tape by Osama bin Laden. In it, he mentions the Norway cartoons poking fun at the prophet Muhammad. And that's all it takes for a right winger mind to jump to conclusions:
This is the "new" speech by bin Laden on the 5th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq? The Muhammad cartoons were first published in September of 2005! There is literally no doubt in my mind now. This is an old audio, probably from 2006, of bin Laden... Case closed: Osama bin Laden is dead!That's it. Just like that. Proof that bin Laden is dead. Never mind that wherever bin Laden might be hiding probably doesn't get the 6:00 PM news with any regular frequency.
Anyway, there were references in the recording that are more recent than 2005. But this idiot is ready to close the case.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Tiffany May
By VictorM:During an USA Olympic team qualifying soccer match, Tiffany May jumped onto the field and "streaked" (she was wearing a bikini) around the field. Her looks and personality have gotten her quite a bit of attention. Now, the Hillcrest Road blog scored an exclusive interview with Tiffany:
Why the bikini? Why not the real thing?Here's a video of Tiffany running around the field:
There were kids, and I also knew that my dad and brothers would be watching the game. It was more for the act of running out on the field to show my fan dedication!!
What's good for the goose...
By VictorM:... is a lot better for the Republicans, thanks in part to our corporate media. Case in point:
Obama’s presidential campaign has been undermined, possibly permanently, thanks to the media’s unrelenting fascination with Wright’s controversial sermons. But John McCain has close ties to high-profile evangelical leaders who, among other things, blamed 9/11 on Americans. As a result, McCain has faced no political consequences whatsoever.This is the way it has been and the way it will continue to be. And you know why? Because Democrats are too timid to attack their opponents. Which explains why so many on the left think Hillary Clinton is evil and why Republicans win more races than they should.
Sure, the media turns a blind eye to some of these things, but it sucks when your rivals are playing by NFL football rules and your team is playing by flag football rules. It's not just the media's fault.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Is our children learning yet?
By Cliff Schecter:It should be enough to get your blood boiling: [M]any states use an inflated graduation rate for federal reporting requirements under the No Child Left Behind law and a different one at home. As a result, researchers say, federal figures obscure a dropout epidemic so severe that only about 70% of the 1 million American students who start ninth grade each year graduate four years later. Everything BushCo touches - everything - ends up a disaster.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Phenomenal
By VictorM:So Dick Cheney, our rotten vice president, thinks there has been "phenomenal progress" in Iraq. To quote the movie Princess Bride, the source of all wisdom in life: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means
This modern day Count Rugen is visiting the scene of the crime (well, one of the many crimes) and S.W. Anderson has this to say:
Birds of a feather: Cheney wasn’t the only high-level Republican war hawk visiting Iraq today. Sen. John McCain also showed up, although he didn’t venture another trip to the marketplace he toured a year ago — wearing a bulletproof vest and surrounded by 100 troops, with Blackhawk choppers providing air cover the whole time. And then, McCain boasted about how so much progress had been made that there were whole neighborhoods where Americans could stroll freely, in perfect safety.
It turns out that marketplace is in an area now controlled by Muqtada al Sadr and considered too dangerous for Americans.
Five years
By VictorM:Today marks the 5th anniversary of the Iraq war. A war of choice. A rotten decision. An American disaster. A criminal act. The single biggest mistake in American foreign policy. And basically the same amount of troops are still there. Still dying. Still killing. Still wasting billions of dollars. Gross mismanagement. Massive corruption. Tons of lies. And still far too many Americans support its criminal mastermind, George W. Bush. And Osama bin Laden is still alive. And there's no end in sight. Another 100 years, if McCain wins and has his way.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Kristen or Tiffany?
By VictorM:Give people who follow sports two of anything and soon enough you have a contest. If you are such a person, it's time to pick:
1) "Kristen", 22, governor Spitzer's prostitute, or
2) Tiffany, 25, the girl that ran into the field during a USA soccer game wearing nothing but a bikini and an American flag.
My take: "Kristen" may be hotter but Tiffany seems more fun.
Argentina violence
By VictorM:Reading about the incidents of violence in Argentinian soccer is like watching two trains on the same track going in opposite direction -- you know it's not going to end well.
I'm just a casual observer, but just from watching a couple of games this weekend, I can see the same lack of security concerns in the stands that were visible in England when they went through their problems with hooligans years ago.
England pretty much solve their situation to the point that English Premiership games are devoid of crowd problems these days. Argentina needs to do the same. They have a blue print to solve the situation (although you have to wonder if they don't use it because it's an English blue print), but Argentinian authorities seem to be sleep walking as the problems escalate.
Monday, March 17, 2008
MRSA type staph infection
By VictorM:Visit our discussion forum for more details about this post by rreppy, which is part of the topic "Epidemic countdown update":
Here in the Tampa area recently, a woman was sent to jail for the heinous crime of stealing a cheesesteak sandwich from a Publix. In jail she caught a MRSA type staph infection, which tends to proliferate in institutional settings. Three days later she was dead!
She was sent to an ICU and everything, but none of the IV antibiotics were effective against this strain. Staph germs have the ability to transfer bits of DNA with each other that contain useful information, like acquired resistance.
So now there is a MRSA strain out there, escaped from the hospitals, that can kill you despite anything medical science has. The post-WWII era of antibiotic miracles is over; it took single-celled creatures approximately 60 years to figure them out. Three generations of people have grown up considering infectious disease to be a trivial thing, easily fixed. They're not going to understand that those days are drawing to an end.
Technorati Tags: MRSA strain, avian flu, Staph germs, infectious disease
So, are you better off than 8 years ago?
By VictorM:When George Bush took over as president, he inherited an economy that was slowing down. He pushed it into a recession by characterizing the situation as a recession -- it wasn't at the time -- because he wanted a reason to push through his incestuous tax cuts for the rich. What will he leave for the next president? Alan Greenspan has a projection:
The current crisis rocking the markets and global economy could turn out to be the worst since World War II, former US Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan said in remarks published Monday.
Idiot of the day: Gateway Pundit
By VictorM:The right wing nuts are a little quieter these days but once in a while they can't resist spewing the same stupidities they cling to as a way of justifying their massive leap into the wrong side of history. As an example, we have this right wing idiot saying this:
Unfortunately... There were no royal dinner parties between former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden greeting guests in one of his palace gardens. They never held a joint press conference either.What's next? 9/11 was masterminded by Mister Rogers?
However, as much as today's corrupt media insists that there were no links between Saddam and Al-Qaeda or that Al-Qaeda is still not operating in Iraq there is much evidence to the contrary.
For starters, even the latest Pentagon report the media is referring to today explains links between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda. (Link meaning: a bond, or a connecting element or factor)
Anyway, one of the visitor comments on that site pretty much lays this stupidity to rest:
Indeed, laughing at these idiots is the appropriate response.Tee Hee - The Pentagon examines 600,000 seized documents from iraq and comes to the conclusion that there was no OPERATIONAL links between Saddam and al Qeada - and the hard-core wingnots are now CONTRADICTING the MILITARY to justify our failed invasion. Who you gonna believe - [this blogger] or the Pentagon. To prove the point, the Pentagon buried the report it was so damning to Bush's lies!
Oh - I'm laughing so hard it hurts!
I also like this reply:
Problem is, with what you've posted, there are better documented links between bin Laden and:
(1) The Bush family (GWB is way closer to ObL than I am to Kevin Bacon.)
(2) The CIA.
(3) The Reagan administration.
(4) The third Rambo movie (you know, the one where Rambo fights side-by-side with the noble Taliban).
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Addition by subtraction
By VictorM:Sometimes we win by losing... in this case, losing two really obnoxious conservative TV personalities. Steve Benen speaks for me:
Yeah, Gibson was a grating individual. A really rotten creep. That he was remotely popular with right-wingers give you a clue about those damn folks.It hasn’t been a good week for conservative hosts of unwatchable cable talk shows with poor ratings. Earlier this week, MSNBC yanked Tucker Carlson off the air. The next day, Fox News gave up on notorious blowhard John Gibson...
Media Matters has done a great job for years of highlighting some of Gibson’s more jaw-dropping remarks, but who could forget his insults of Heath Ledger after his death? Or his concerns about “black devils” who “wanna fight the white devil”? Or the time he said John Edwards “whored his wife’s cancer as a fundraising gimmick”? Or his requests to white people to “make more babies“?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Who said life is fair
By VictorM:Everyone knows that Princess Bride has a quote for everything that happens in life. The Grandpa teaches the sick child that unfairness is part of life when he says: "Who said life is fair? Where's that written?" If it's in Princess Bride it must be true in real life. And here's proof that indeed life is not fair:
Governors who hire adult prostitutes must resign immediately lest the public trust be forever sullied. Presidents who break the law by spying on Americans with no warrants, who torture people in violation of multiple treaties and statutes, who start hideously destructive wars based on false pretenses, who repeatedly proclaim the power to ignore laws, and who imprison people -- including Americans -- with no charges of any kind, should remain in office for as long as they want. Anyone who suggests otherwise is an irresponsible, shrill, partisan radical.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Goodbye, Mr. Spitzer
By VictorM:So New York governor Eliot Spitzer resigned in the aftermath of his alleged entanglement with a ring of high-priced prostitutes. Considering his prior work as attorney general, and the illegality of the act he all but acknowledged, Mr. Spitzer did the right thing.
He could have saved his job; all he had to do was switch to the Republican party, where he'd feel at home.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
It's the hypocrisy, stupid
By VictorM:I frankly don't care that Republican Senator Vitter engaged prostitutes; his situation bothered me because "family values" was central to his election and public political persona.
I really don't care that Republican Senator Craig has a wide stance in public bathrooms; his situation bothered me because he had such strong anti-gay views and a voting record to go along with them.
I don't really care that Democrat Governor Spitzer sought the service of prostitutes; his situation bothers me because he prosecuted prostitution rings before and made his public political persona one of being clean beyond reproach.
I hope Spritzer resigns on his own or is encouraged to resign by the Democratic party establishment.
How each party handles hypocrites within their ranks is up to them but I will be more attracted to a party that purges hypocrites of this magnitude than to one that embraces them.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Experience
By VictorM:Hillary Clinton is making "experience" a big issue in her presidential campaign, particularly in terms of qualifications to be commander-in-chief. Despite the obvious that neither her husband in 1992, nor she now, came to the race with commander-in-chief experience, Senator Clinton is further saying that John "Bush's 3rd term" McCain meets that qualification. Get real, Hillary!
Experience isn't what happens to you; experience is what you do with what happens to you. With this in mind, is John McCain really qualified? I don't think so. I agree with Georgia10:
Commander-in-chief experience only comes with on-the-job training. And some leaders, like George Bush, never get it right. McCain promises to be an equal failure.What does John McCain present today that pushes him past the "commander in chief threshold"?
Is it his joking and singing about bombing Iran? Is it his promise that "there will be more wars"? Is it his belief that the nation's spying apparatus should be turned upon its people?...
His claim that we should remain in Iraq for 100 years? His dishonest accusations that his political opponents want to "wave the white flag of surrender"? Or is it his insistence on sending more troops into a quagmire?
Sunday, March 09, 2008
A frightening thought
By VictorM:Sometimes pollsters do waste their time asking dumb questions. Here's an example: Iranians were asked if they would like to vote for their supreme leader. Here's the result:
almost nine out of 10 voters surveyed want the top political position to be accountable to voters, the poll found.Was that poll really necessary? Why don't we have a poll about how many people in the USA would like to drink gasoline for breakfast? I bet we'd get about the same result.
But, I got to thinking, "almost nine out of 10 voters" is a phrase we could use to characterize the number of Americans who think George Bush is doing a poor job. Now, just imagine we got stuck with George Bush as president for life! *horror movie scream in the background*
Well, that must be how the Iranians feel about their plight.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
How good is David Beckham?
By VictorM:And further, how good can the LA Galaxy get (by MLS standards) if they can stay healthy and fix the defense? Well, this video below shows Beckham's precision passing at it's best. A simple little touch that many world class players can imitate but none do it as often and as accurately as Beckham (and yes, I'm including Riquelme, Deco, Ronaldinho, and others). Calm down folks! I'm not saying Beckham is a better player than them, I'm just saying when it comes to precision passing from the right wing, nobody does it better than Goldenballs.
But also look at how good a finisher Carlos Ruiz is, despiting being the most annoying player in the league. Watch the calm, cool finish of the first goal, the excellence touch from an almost impossible angle on the second goal, and the run on the third goal, finding the seam between the two central defenders, and slotting it home. Notice (on the 3rd replay) how he lifts his head, sees the keeper coming, and curves the ball around him with the outside of the foot. Pure class! With Beckham and Donovan in the lineup, watch for a 20+ goal season from this professional
Poor, lonely Republicans
By VictorM:sanatonerose did her civic and Democratic party duty and participated in the Texas primary process. She describes what it was like in this post, but what I really liked was the contrast between Democrats and Republicans:
Goodnight and good luck, candidates. You should be proud that the voting rate has increased by 240%. Also, there was only one Republican voting volunteer versus three for the Democrats. And they almost didn't need the one Republican volunteer. hahaUnfortunately I think a few more Republican will come out next time around.
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
This person speaks for me
By cscs:I think one thing is clear this far into the Democratic primary race: Both Obama's and Clinton's supporters must now drop out of the race.
Hillary Clinton's supporters have gotten incredibly annoying, with their chants of "Yes She Can," and charges of cultism and their desperate yelps of schadenfreude every time Clinton looks like she might actually be "recapturing the lead" that she never had.
And Obama's supporters, yes, you too are incredibly annoying, with your accusations of Clintonian Republicanism and your whiny little cries about how you're going to take your ball and run home if your candidate doesn't win the primary.
Supporters of both candidates, please listen closely. For the good of the Party -- no, for the good of the Nation! -- the time has come for you to leave this race.
More signs of life in planet Soccer USA
By VictorM:Major League Soccer (MLS) just awarded its 16th franchise to Philadelphia, after having awarded the 15th to Seattle. The plan is to get up to 18 teams and then pause and evaluate before going on. This by itself is no major deal, seeing as the defunct NASL folded in the 80's after having gotten up to 24 teams.
But the new league (only 12 years old) has taken a different approach. And that approach is paying dividends. The difference this time around is explained better in this article in the Yahoo sports section:
Whereas in the past the league had to actively seek prospective investors, now it can pick and choose from a variety of solid options around the nation and into Canada.It has been the league's patience in attracting wealthy and well-known owners -- and having them line-up for future franchises -- that marks a stark contrast with past professional soccer ventures.
“At one time the majority of our efforts on this front were outbound,” MLS president Mark Abbott said. “Now it is largely inbound and is a case of us finding the best options.”
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Why there's still a contest in the Democratic party
By VictorM:Months ago it seemed inevitable that Hillary Clinton would win the Democratic nomination. But things haven't turned out that way. E. J. Donne Jr. offers his explantion for the turn of events:
[T]he scenario-builders pondering this contest two years ago imagined a showdown between Clinton and -- let's be honest -- a white guy... Clinton could have counted on strong support from African Americans... she would have assembled the "regular" Democratic coalition: blue-collar whites allied with black voters... Clinton would have won the liberals. Her strength among women would have provided her with additional ballast.This sounds very plausible to me. But you've got to give credit to Obama for the way he inserted himself into the race and not only pulled away voters from Mrs. Clinton but added to that base all on his own:
Will we have an outcome today? I hope so. I'm itching to take on McCain.Obama not only created an alliance between African Americans and upscale reform voters, but he also changed the composition of the Democratic electorate by drawing in hundreds of thousands of voters under age 30.
How popular?
By VictorM:So, how popular is David Beckham in China? This popular:
Monday, March 03, 2008
I feel just like this guy
By VictorM:This comment from a right winger caught my attention because I feel the same way about some members on the far left, particularly the more sensitive Obama supporters:
I’ve been feeling more and more like a radical center-right extremist, alienated from my hard-lined rightwing militant allies. Whether it’s over John McCain’s apostasy, Barack Obama’s middle name, or on Islam, I feel like those who navigate through the blogosphere are sailing through a world of hyberbole and emotional venting; and of militant partisanship. I used to see it all the time coming from the left... but now I am acutely aware of the vitriol that comes from my side of the spectrum. And ultimately, I think it harms the conservative movement and in our credibility.The difference is that right wingers have always been like this. I don't know why this person didn't see it before because their stupidity has been blatant. Case in point: we have no one on the left that has risen to the super star status that Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Hannity, Coulter, and other such cretins have.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Offsets
By VictorM:I was reading this article on airlines and their effort, or lack of, to be more environmentally conscientious. It lists Virgin Air as the most active of airlines in this area, and includes this passage about another airline:
[K]udos to Nature Air, a Costa Rican domestic carrier that proudly claims to be the planet's only carbon-neutral airline. Over the past four years, Nature Air says it has offset more than 10,000 tons of carbon emissions through green investments and reforestation efforts in its home country.Clearly the green investments and reforestation efforts are fine, but what's the deal with offsets and being carbon-neutral? I mean, yeah, continue with the green investments, but don't stop there; do everything you can be use less carbon, going as low as you can, not aiming for neutrality.
To me, offsets are to polluters what confession is to Catholics; it makes you feel good, but hell, you still sinned in the first place!
If you want to plant a tree, plant the damn tree, but not because you traveled a mile. You could still plant the tree and car pool for the mile, or ride a bike for the mile. If you drive your Hummer because you contribute to some organization that plants trees based on contributions from environment "catholics," I'm not impressed. Neither is the environment.
