No Reality in Today's News

(From yesterday's Blondie comic strip by Dean Young and John Marshall)

Dagwood's right, there's very little reality in today's news stations. Many of the news outlets act more like Orwell's "Ministry of Truth."

What's Really Being Built?

Mark Steyn rolls-in to discuss Obamacare and the Stimulus Package.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/obama-percent-sign-2536772-president-government

Mark's been saying this for quite some time that the issue isn't really about healtcare, especially since no one in the political ruling class can explain the details, but a move to create a permanent left-of-center electorate.

The Fight Over Obamacare Still Rages

Moderate commentators think phrases like "death panels" (Sarah Palin) and "Nationalizing your body" (Mark Steyn) are too extreme.

Maybe so but they resonate very well among nearly 50% of Americans, especially among seniors who feel what care they have access to now will shrivel up.

Several days ago The Wall Street Journal posted a very even-handed article on what's wrong with "Obamacare" as it's come to be called:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203863204574344900152168372.html

(I found the article link yesterday on Laura Ingram's website).

Terrorist Receives a Hero's Welcome

(Photo of the remains of Pan Am Flight 103).

Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, the only known suspect in the bombing of Pan Am Flight-103, was released and flown back to Libya on the grounds he was suffering from terminal prostate cancer.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090820/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_lockerbie

Comrade Karla's comment: To bad he wasn't released somewhere over the North Sea.

Wikipedia has an extensive entry on the Lockerbie Bombing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_103

"Please Sir, Could I (Not) Have Some More?"

Trying to loose weight, but not making any progress?

The diets listed below all promise rapid weight loss. The only problem is--they don't work. Yet dieters perpetuate many of the beliefs listed in this "myth busting" article:

http://www.aolhealth.com/diet/basics/diet-myths

Here's some foods that may actually help:

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/foods-that-burn-calories-492197

The Fishy Market

Fish tossing at Pike Place Market in Seattle, WA.


In response to the White House's attempt to collect "fishy" e-mails for their "Ministry of Truth" at:


flag@whitehouse.gov

I'm starting a new section dedicated to informing readers of such breaches of our 1st Amendment by the Hopeychange Machine.

Welcome to the "Fishy Market!"

Several days ago FOX News ran one of the early stories regarding this story that won't conveniently go away for the White House:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/07/white-house-collect-fishy-info-health-reform-illegal-critics-say/

If ratting-out fellow Americans isn't enough for some folks, Mark Steyn suggests other "websites" people can go to:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/obama-new-health-2521528-gov-whitehouse

Another Name for "Obamacare"...

(Comrade Karla found this and passed it on).

I originally posted this photoshopped image a couple of days ago with no narrative other than crediting Comrade Karla for sending it to us.

However, today I had an experience with our current pre-Obamacare health system.

Since I'm retired military, I'm a part of the TriCare Prime healtcare network for retirees under 65. A couple of weeks ago I saw my primary care provider at McChord Air Force Base who submitted a referral to a specialist in Madigan Army Hospital, Ft. Lewis. I had to wait at least 3 working days for the referral to wind its way through the system. Because I had relatives visiting I put off calling for an appointment until today.

I called the TriCare Regional Appointment Center to schedule a time to see the specialist I was referred to. However, the operator told my that I should have received notice that I was being referred to a civilian doctor under the TriWest program and that I need to call them in order to obtain that notice.

So I called the number in question and talked to another operator. She told me I didn't have to talk to them and that they already have my referral on file. All I needed to do was call the doctor (which I think they assigned).

And so I called that number which brought me to the Tacoma General Hospital. But I needed their specialty clinic so the hospital operator gave me that number to call.

Finally I called the specialty clinic--and got a voice recording asking me to leave a message and they'd get back with me.

This process lasted nearly half an hour. This was especially frustrating since I'm currently on nightshift. During the day, the only activities I like to do are--a. sleep, or b. workout. I could have used my lost 30 minute doing "a" or "b."

Today's incident then gave me a pause to reflect on Obama's proposed healthcare reform. Even if "Obamacare" (formerly know as "Hillarycare") is enacted, the least it will do is create another layer of bureaucracy within the healthcare system. While minor in comparison to other healthcare ordeals, making an appointment could possibly take a lot longer...

Imperial Eagle Nest Found

Archaeologists discovered the birthplace of the Roman Emperor Titus Flavius Vespasianus, aka Vespasian:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090808/ap_on_re_eu/eu_italy_emperor_s_villa

The Roman Empire plunged into another civil war in 69 AD, known as the Year of the Four Emperors. Emerging as the last emperor standing, Vespasian ruled for 10 years:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vespasian

While not much is actually known about Vespasian's rule, he plays a prominent role in the "Eagle Series," by Simon Scarrow. These books are string of 9 historical novels set in ancient Rome:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Series

In this series Vespasian hasn't reached imperial divinity yet and is merely the legate, or commander of the Second Legion. The main protagonists are two Roman soldiers, Marco and Cato. They make something of a Mutt & Jeff pair--or is it Mutius & Jeffius? Marco's an illiterate tough-as-nails centurion, while Cato's an educated and cultured former imperial household slave. Together they make a formidable pair.

So far I've read the first four books and look forward to discovering what further misadventures await Marco & Cato.

Leopards Don't Change Their Spots...

...nor do Bears change their fur.

A couple of Russian attack subs have been cruising in or around US waters. True this is nothing like the bumper-car games US and Soviet subs played during the Cold War. However, US-Russian relations has been on shaky ground lately.

So is this the harbinger of the "Cool War"?

The full story so far on FOX News:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,537077,00.html


Meanwhile in other Neo-Cold War news, the two American journalists pictured above, have been pardoned by North Korea's Dear Leader Kim Jong Il and are now back home.

But the People's Democratic Republic of North Korea didn't cough-up these young ladies because the were won over by Bill Clinton's bedroom eyes.

Nope.

It appears there was more to this release than a simple chat between a philandering former US president and a worn-out, party-boy president-for-life.

But we knew already knew that didn't we?

The first layer of this Prisoners-For-Nuke-Talks onion gets peeled:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_us_nkorea_analysis

I'm sure there'll be more smelly layers revealed later.

Bill Clinton Better Watch His Step in N. Korea...

...or he'll end up in Kim Jong Il's shark tank like "Hans Brix" did in Team America.

Maybe Hillary put him up to taking this trip.

Seriously, former president Bill Clinton is now in North Korea attempting to negotiate the release of two female journalists:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/08/03/2009-08-03_give_em_to_bubba_expresident_travels_to_n_korea_in_bid_to_free_jailed_us_journal.html

The Most Dangerous Sport is...

...Cheerleading.

Several young ladies I know were cheerleaders back in high school. I don't remember any of them being tossed around like rag dolls as pictured above.

And a good thing too.

According to the US Consumer Products Safety Commission and the National Children's Hospital, cheerleading was the leading cause of spinal cord injuries among athletes:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090804/lf_nm_life/us_cheerleading

The only high school sport I participated in was track & field. However, I was always disappointed that the javelin throw was never included in our track meets. Which was just as well since the Safety Commission's report indicated that running; along with basketball, football, volleyball, soccer and gymnastics was dangerous enough without wielding sharp implements.

Besides, the New York State School Board probably feared that arming teenage boys from opposing teams with pointy sticks was a disaster, or worse--lawsuit--waiting to happen.