Good morning and thanks for the post, Attaturk.

Heard the chief medical officer for Wellpoint on NPR yesterday. According to him the medical coverage provided to our elected representatives is administered by Wellpoint. So the money they are using to lobby against us is provided by……wait for it….. us! Perfect. Maybe the discussion about choice (one of the republics favorite talking points) should be centered around us making the choice to NOT give Wellpoint any more money.

Health insurance is not, repeat NOT, health care. Have to say it often. Slowly. So the learning impaired in congress can understand.

“Hurry up. If you have to go without Republicans, it’s not the end of the world.”

It’s the end of the beginning. The good vessel Bipartisanship took withering fire from the other side for six months before slipping below the waves. It’s in Davey Jones’ Locker.

You know what this means.

Arrrrrrrrrrrr!

I’m shocked!

Most in Congress have a severe learning disability, head in sand syndrome) and the American public pays the price for their ignorance.

so the Ds on the HELP committee fashion a trillion dollar giveaway to the insurance industry and the Rs object because it’s not enough. yikes.

here’s scarecrow’s diary on the committee’s bill (from a few days ago, but i don’t know of any massive changes in the bill):

Health Care Reform that Doesn’t Fix the Problems

The overall structure of Congressional efforts at health care reform doesn’t indicate how the reforms will change the out-of-control cost problem. What’s more likely is a massive transfer payment from the public health sector to private insurance and health care industries.

Health insurance is not, repeat NOT, health care.

amen oldnslow!

some reasons why (for those who do not get it):

* denial of coverage
* deductibles, copays, coinsurance
* availability of doctors, etc (for example, we need ALOT more primary care docs).

Woo has an editorial in the WSJ that you all need to read so you can get really pissed off before the sun comes up.

p.s. sorry i don’t remember who i got the link from yesterday, but here’s excellent report from npr (yeah, i’m shocked too): How To Reform Health Care Reform

Woo Hoo

sun’s already up here and looks to be another beautiful day. maybe i should thank you for not including a link? otherwise i’d have clicked and read it.

Good Morning. I often think of this quote by Josh of West Wing.

I don’t know how we’ve done it but we’ve legalized bribery. …

Good morning, pups. It’s Collins, Kristof and Cohen this morning. Ms. Collins, in “3 Days of the Sotomayor,” says a lot of Americans are watching the Judicial Committee hearings — so let’s get to the hypothetical questions. Mr. Kristof, in “Chemicals and Our Health,” has a question: How to call prudent attention to murky and uncertain risks of a ubiquitous substance, without sensationalizing dangers that may not exist? Mr. Cohen, in “The Meaning of Life,” says one thing is clear from a protracted experiment on aging conducted on two rhesus monkeys: Cutting calories makes a monkey miserable.

Here they are.

The coffee and tea are ready, and the cold drinks are in the fridge for later. This morning I’ve got Thomas’ English muffins with a variety of jams. Today poor Mr. Marion in Savannah gets to languish at home waiting for the service people to come and tell us why the dryer doesn’t heat any more. Being able to dry towels in less than 2 or 3 hours will be nice… Have a great day.

good one.

in support, here’s another recent vote from our senate HELP committee (this admendment can still be brought up on the senate floor and in conference):

Senate HELP Committee
July 14, 2009

Sen. Bernie Sanders just offered an amendment to the Senate HELP health care reform bill that would allow a limited number of state experiments with single payer systems. The proposal would have provided waivers from federal regulations such as ERISA, and would have authorized current federal spending on programs such as Medicare and Medicaid to be transferred to the state to be used in the single payer program.

Those voting for the amendment:

Bernie Sanders
Tom Harkin
Sherrod Brown
Jeff Merkley

All Republicans and all other Democrats voted against it.

http://www.pnhp.org/blog/2009/…..periments/

… later pups, have a great day.

From the beginning of his last graf:

Our Constitution created a presidency whose function is to protect the nation from attack.

Really? Maybe one of the attorneys or historians here will instruct this uneducated rube where it says that. (Raven, I’ll send you the bill for my ulcer medication…)

Thanks for the link. I think we’re smokin’ him out.

How to call prudent attention to murky and uncertain risks of a ubiquitous substance, without sensationalizing dangers that may not exist?

Easy. Burden of proof should be on the chemical manufacturer to prove the chemicals are safe, and that included for pregnant women, infants, wildlife, etc. And in long term use. I can dream.

Kucinich has a diary at DKos:

This week is the time to break the hold which the insurance companies have on our political process. Tell Congress to stand up to the insurance companies. Ask members to sign on to the only real public option, HR 676, a single-payer healthcare system.

That’s what I want….single payer. Besides the morality, I think it’s a huge money saver.

What is surprising is how little money it takes to buy a congress critter.

coffee first.

angry profane rant later….

A while back I mentioned that I was trying for a promotion. Fortunately, I got it. One of the perks is that I no longer contribute to my health ins. and I get it free for the rest of my life. So, I’m not afraid of future premiums but I am afraid of bills not being paid etc. More than that, the burden of paying for the insurance of all the retirees is unsustainable. It’s crippling school systems, businesses and government. Take the freeking profit out, medicare for everyone and lift that burden.

What is surprising is how little money it takes to buy a congress critter.

I’m thinking that about $5K every two years oughta get you a majority stake for most congresscrooks.

The other shoe seems about ready to drop. Looks like domestic spying against political opponents is on the burner. Again. Second time in less than forty years. They’re incorrigible. Time for a beatdown.

The only money they ignore is money raised from progressives.

for those who missed Al Franken’s funny exchange with Judge Sotomayor yesterday – ‘ere you are…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_k2Sc1VAtY

You all saw that Kucinich link, right? HR676 is what we want. I like it when I can cite a specific bill when contacting my Blue Dog (who looks like he’s on board for some sort of public option).

From what little I could gather from the NYT or other places that purported to be “live blogging” the hearings Franken was one of the few Senators who actually asked substantive questions. (For some completely inexplicable reason the cybernannies at work have decided FDL is porn, so this avenue was lost to me at work.)

Thanks. A little cheer in the morning is never wasted.

For some completely inexplicable reason the cybernannies at work have decided FDL is porn

Probably because emptywheel said blow job.

I thought he did an entirely credible job. He pulled out and read from a pocket copy of the Constitution (don’t laugh – I wish more of those lunkheads carried one), asked about a few specific cases (which beat the R’s right there, who only seem to know the Ricci case), pointedly and passionately asked the Judge about net neutrality – and some other stuff.

He did just fine. I think he’ll bring populism, passion, and the perspective of one an EveryMan to the Senate.

go Al.

Interestingly Neoconservative progenitor Leo Strauss was also a big fan of Perry Mason. Adam Curtis talks about this in his BBC documentary, The Power of Nightmares.

For some completely inexplicable reason the cybernannies at work have decided FDL is porn,…

Here at chez jayt, the computers down in the common areas won’t bring up FDL either. HuffPo yes – FDL no.

blowjob.

That’s interesting. I would have thought that Strauss would hate it because the state always lost.

Franken will get criticized for being funny. The irony is that several senators inject a little humor into their questioning but Franken is the only one who actually succeeds.

Curtis claimed that Strauss liked Perry Mason because the show was emblematic of a hero who could weave “not-necessarily true” stories (myths) to achieve a “noble end”. This was, of course, exactly what Strauss thought needed to be done for the “American people” who he believed had lost their moral and ethical base (1950s). Curtis doesn’t indicate what his basis for this belief is however.

Franken will get criticized for being funny.

which will be an unerring indicator of just when he’s struck a nerve….

Oh, and Curtis also said Strauss really liked Gunsmoke for its “black and white” depiction of good versus evil characters.

Great catch we should push to kill their contract Payback is a

Oh well, I suppose neocons can twist anything into their weltanschauung. Can’t see what the noble end in PM was, nor how PM altered reality, but maybe that’s just me. I remember that in most cases PM got his client off by identifying the actual neer-do-well.

I agree. I think there’s a tendency to derive from almost anything metaphors that support one’s personal beliefs. I do also wonder what basis Curtis had for his explanation. Have you seen The Power of Nightmares? It’s a stunning three-part documentary about the origins and development of Neoconservatism and Islamism and the similarities between the two.

No, I haven’t seen the Power of Nightmares. It sounds interesting. Is it available online?

A high school classmate of mine took Strauss’s course at U.Chicago. It sounded like a real cult of personality. Strauss spoke in a very low voice, so students lined up outside the door for the 8:45 am course (iirc) to get seats near the front so they could hear. What my friend liked about him was his ability to do deep textual analysis. But I suspect that meant finding stuff in the text that wasn’t really there.

It was instantly clear after Sept. 11, 2001, that our security agencies knew little about al Qaeda’s inner workings, could not detect its operatives’ entry into the country, nor predict where it might strike next.

Suppose an al Qaeda cell in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles was planning a second attack using small arms, conventional explosives or even biological, chemical or nuclear weapons. Our intelligence and law enforcement agencies faced a near impossible task locating them.

http://online.wsj.com/article/…..inion_main

My bold so of course why bother with facts when you can just make up stuff as Strauss suggested? Spies are worthless Valerie Palme told the truth about what was going on we did not want to here that.
Nope we wanted to spy on our real enemies Americans who had not drunk the cool aid!

I think there’s a tendency to derive from almost anything metaphors that support one’s personal beliefs.

oh my.

I was a big fan of The Addams Family – and the movie Pulp Fiction

offered without comment. heh.

LOL

Neoconservatism and Islamism similar Naw they are the same:)

Women should not be educated or you get Feminazis.
Private Religious Shira Charter Schools Schools should be mandatory! No money for public schools in the Stimulus! No Money for Birth Control in the Stimulus! No abortion!
This is a religious country founded by Christians Muslims we should live like it under Sharia Bible law.
Global Warming is a myth spread by liberal Jews/Zionists designed to hurt our Saudi Friends after all where would Bush and the Taliban be without Ossama and his Saudi friends money.

One of the interesting revelations in the part that you quote is how Yoo admitted that the govt was useless at doing their most impt job: defending the country. Specifically the part about knowing nothing about AQ.

Of course, like every other word that comes out of Yoo’s mouth, that too is a lie.

No, I haven’t seen the Power of Nightmares. It sounds interesting. Is it available online?

Yes, it is, although the direct URLs are obscenely long. Go to:

http://video.google.com/

and search “The Power of Nightmares”. Parts 1 and 2 are on the first result screen. Part three is also on Google Video, but you have to dig a little deeper to find it.

Thanks. I’ll try it later. Coffee’s gone, so I’m just hanging out inside until I hear headlines on democracynow.

well crap – time to suit up.

Today is Take your kid to work with you Take your clients to talk to Detectives Day.

yay.

Hillary’s blathering on cspan2. I get soooo tired of pols mouthing fancy words and ideals that have absolutely no meaning, Ds and Rs alike.

Under FISA, to obtain a judicial wiretapping warrant the government is supposed to show probable cause that a specified target is a foreign agent. Unlike, say, Soviet spies working under diplomatic cover, terrorists are hard to identify. Yet they are vastly more dangerous. Monitoring their likely communications channels is the best way to track and stop them. Building evidence to prove past crimes, as in the civilian criminal system, is entirely beside the point. The best way to find an al Qaeda operative is to look at all email, text and phone traffic between Afghanistan and Pakistan and the U.S. This might involve the filtering of innocent traffic, just as roadblocks and airport screenings do.

http://online.wsj.com/article/…..inion_main

John First of all we don’t care if you spy on Pakistan this is a Strawman argument how you got a law degree without learning you argue and defeat the other sides best not the weakest case I will never know.
We care that Bush was spying on us.
Also John why did Bush bother spying on Pakistan when he NEVER sent any troops after Osama? Nope Bush sent Pakistan/Ossama Tribute Pakistan’s intelligence service created the Taliban and helped set up Al Quieda.
Giving money to Pakistan’s government then the people who pay the guys who helped create Al Quieda is TRIBUTE.

I wonder if Pakistan threatened Bush with an other 9/11 attack if he didn’t pay them billions, sell them weapons, relax an import ban related to their nuclear program.
Thanks to 9/11 Pakistan got a lot of stuff they wanted and we never got Ossama. I think Bush caved to blackmail.

It occurred to me that those in the administration with the power to direct investigations and or start prosecutions of the possible wrong doing of previous administrations don’t do it because they don’t want it done to them. Each administration, not being as transparent as they should, get themselves into questionable actions which they justify as the power of the presidency and the “mandate” from the people.

Obama seems to be carrying on many of the very questionable policies / activities of the Bush administration and would be held to the same level of accountability. They are not going to dig into stuff that they are engaged in.

Why are they doing weird stuff? My sense it is some sort of blackmail/pressure from the MIC / national security state which is the shadow government with an unaccountable agenda and they want to keep it that way. At the bottom… behind the curtain… people are making huge amounts of money and transparency would rain on their parade.

We’re being robbed, and bled.

What my friend liked about him was his ability to do deep textual analysis. But I suspect that meant finding stuff in the text that wasn’t really there.

Yes, that’s what Strauss did. He found support for his beliefs in the classics. Ted V. McAllister has written the seminal work on the philosophy of Strauss and his ilk: “Revolt Against Modernity: Leo Strauss, Eric Voegelin, & the search for a Postliberal Order”. It’s a serious academic work though and not exactly light reading.

But, a basic grounding in Strauss is absolutely critical to the understanding of what has happened to this country (and the world) over the last 60 years.

Hillary is a national security lapdog or puppy/. She wants that pat on the back for the old boys. ata girl.

We don’t know who was behind 911… we are told that 19 mostly Saudi and Yemini nut cases who were in AQ carried this out because OBL told them to. No proof if OBL was behind it… or the ISI or anyone for that matter.

Look who gained from it Pakistan certainly got a lot they otherwise would not have gotten. But I am open to ideas about who gained the most.

Shouldn’t someone be assigned to take down Yoo word for word, sentence for sentence, lie for lie every time he has the audacity to take up the WSJ on their open offer to fill it’s pages with yet another screed of bald faced lies? In fact, how come there isn’t a line around the block of knowledgeable volunteers for taking on that task? Yoo is one of the few people on Earth who I find as repulsive as Dick Cheney.

Emptywheel and probably Hugh from Hugh’s list are on it:)

Thanks. That’s good news. I’m looking forward to reading/hearing the smack down.