One outrage after another

Watch'n Wait: You will never convince me about turkey breast. But I'm with you 100% for bacon wrapped filet mignon on charcoal. However, you should know that we only eat beef from Scottish Highland cattle, raised by friends, with no antibiotics, hormones, or chemicals whatsoever (and fed only first cuttings of alfalfa). We are partial to New York cuts but on the rare occasions we wrap bacon around a filet we wrap bacon from pigs raised in the same way. Cheers.



A group of pilots who were shot down in Iraq during the first gulf war and then tortured by the Iraqis filed a lawsuit against the Iraqi government for close to a billion dollars in damages. There is over a billion dollars of Iraqi money frozen by the United States which could be used to pay for these obvious damages. The Bush/Cheney administration is fighting tooth and nail to prevent these American heroes from receiving any compensation at all. As I understand it, this has to do with some complicated notions about a new Iraqi government, they need the money to rebuild, and so on. All of this is happening at the same time that Rumsfeld has been arguing that the Iraqis who were tortured at Abu Ghraib should be entitled to compensation. Does this make any sense whatsoever to anyone with a brain larger than a split pea?

If this is not outrage enough there is a piece in Smirking Chimp today by Evelyn Pringle about a plan to expand something called the Texas Mental Health Parity policy nationwide. This plan already exists in Texas and also in Pennsylvania. I confess to not fully understanding it but it appears to be a scheme to test students up to 12K for mental abilities, aberrations, or whatever. In Pennsylvania this has already been accused of being nothing but a Trojan horse for the Pharmaceutical industry. That is, if this is put into effect it will result in the sales of drugs to treat these students who are found to be problematical. Please note that it is not directed to students who are problematical but, rather, to search out those who may be so defined by whatever criterion those in charge determine is relevant or useful. In other words, to put it in its simplest form, it is a gigantic scam to sell more drugs to more people who almost certainly in most cases do not need them. This is absolutely shameless. This makes their current advertising schemes to get people to “ask your doctor if whats-a-dingy is good for you,” pale into insignificance. Something needs to be done about the Pharmaceuticals now!!!

Apparently Al Gore is about to give a major speech castigating the Bush/Cheney administration for failing to take global warming seriously. He describes their position as moral cowardice. I have no doubt he is correct in this. I always admired Al Gore and would have voted for him again had I had the choice. I believe he is probably the most qualified candidate in the history of the United States to be president. Certainly on the environment he is knowledgeable and outspoken. He also knows a great deal about foreign policy and the domestic budget. He is probably a great guy. I would never support him again. You want to know why? Because he chose Joe Lieberman as his running mate. Joe Lieberman is a Republican. He is kissed by Bush. He’s a secret right winger. For Gore to have picked him for a running mate is the ultimate in bad judgment. I can never forgive him for it. If he thinks Lieberman is proper material for vice-president I suspect not only his motives but his judgment. So please Al, don’t try to run again. And don’t encourage either Kerry or Hillary either. We don’t need anymore Republican-lite. Someone today suggested we run Tom Hanks, because, after all, the Republicans ran Arnold, and everyone likes Tom Hanks. Given the current level of American electorate intelligence it might not be a bad idea.