Saturday Night Thread

Gag, at home with the flu and Rush is on my news channels.

Open Thread it’s Saturday Night!Although it seems more like late Saturday afternoon here in KC.I’ll dodge in and out as I catch up on some TV from the internet.Sorry you’re ill there Kyle, watching comedy (Rush) will make you laugh and perhaps feel better.

Santelli’s “spontaneous” rant turns out to have been nothing of the kind, folks. The whole thing was astroturf, and it’s been in the works since August 2008.http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2009/02/rick-santellis-faux-rant/“That Rosenberg’s producer owns the “chicagoteaparty.com” site is already weird—but what’s even stranger is that he first bought the domain last August, right around the time of Rosenburg’s launch of the “Obama is a terrorist” campaign. It’s as if they held this “Chicago tea party” campaign in reserve, like a sleeper-site. Which is exactly what it was.”

The original site:http://www.playboy.com/blog/2009/02/backstabber.html

Kyle, liked the new blog. The Doors was fantastic.If you like great pictures and music check out my friend Alex’s Notes from the Kelp

Secret video of CPAC after hours:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AetNx3Cc3Sw

So, I hear my Gov. Sebelius is the pick for HHS. Good pick given her performance as state insurance commissioner, but bad news for us Kansans that hoped to see a Dem replace Brownback 2 years from now!

What do you get when you invite all of the wrong wing players to one event and then feed them a lovely punch laced with LSD and Crystal Meth?CPAC!Where insanity isn’t just a motto, it’s a way of life!I hope they pass out the thorazine soon.I suspect that hate is the only thing keeping Lush Rimbaugh alive.

You be da man!

lol gravelhey guys..refresh my memorywhen newt and his boys took over in 94, did the media spend so much time talking to ousted dems?i was loosing a lot of brain cells back then and dont rememberthanks

I’m surprised the born-again “revolutionaries” don’t know this. If they did, they’d think twice about tossing their tea off bridges.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGz4bcDyG1c

It’s just silly. It’s like the complete opposite of what the Boston Tea Party stood for.How can such a big group of people be so dumb? Contagious? Osmosis. What is going on here?!

Hey gravel…good to see you

Haven’t a clue.. went to read the chat and all they could talk about was making sure they followed all the laws, checking in and not taking wood signs, to not dump tea in the river and streams.How can you protest without protesting??

they dont usually find themselves protestingthey are usually the ones being protested against…although how half of this country believes the crap put out there by the wrong wing is beyond me

And yeah… don’t dump anything in any damn rivers!

And good to see you too, Annette.

And I thought the southerners liked tea. I mean, the song clearly says, “On the 8th day, god made sweet tea.” So, they’re SINNERS! The whole lot of them.(I actually graduated from high school with the lead singer in that band, but don’t tell anyone. ‘K?)

Let’s go Red Wings!

So I was just watching the video of Rush Limbaugh at CPAC:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/28/rush-limbaugh-at-cpac-dou_n_170792.html…and he’s following up on his desire to see Obama fail. He justifies this with a football analogy: “I was watching the Superbowl, and I love the Pittsburgh Steelers, so I wanted Kurt Warner to fail!” The crowd eats it up.Our national fortunes be damned; Rush wants to “win.” He cares only for “winning.” He’s leading a cult of identity and the crowd is drinking his Kool-Aid.We need Limbaugh to keep talking. In fact, we need to boost his message — replay it on websites, social networks, our blogs. Maybe we can get the MSM to replay it over and over again and have a nice panel discussion where Republicans have to defend his words.I want Limbaugh to fail. What’s more, I want him to fail in a gigantic spectacular flameout of his own devising. I want him to keep his fat yapper open and continue regurgitating this line: “I want Obama to fail because to me, our nation’s economy is just a game.”

What’s your favorite tea?I’m partial to darjeeling. And Yogi makes a great bedtime tea.

There is only one tea where I come from: southern table wine (sweet iced tea).

bleagh, tea. (bad Southerner)

bjritz, enjoy the rare Doors stuff while it lasts, WMG has been flagging my videos left and right, even though none of them actually contain anything that is commercially available. Yay corporate America!

jane: I’m a bad Southerner too, had to give tea up along with other sugary drinks… there’s no way I’m drinking unsweetened. blehhhh.

VeraLynn, I’m SO happy you’re alive! How are you? You did not e-mail me today, and I’m a bit of a worrier, ya know.Dammit, now I have that stupid song in my head, “Don’t tempt me. I’m where I wanna be…’cause on the 8th day god made sweet tea…”I’ve been known to hop up on stage with those weirdos a time or two. Oh dear me, I was so young and immature back then in 2008, though.

>>Let’s go Red Wings!Relax, El. It’s just spring training. It doesn’t count yet.

Well, the leader of the party spoke today!They are the party of Rush!

SUGGESTED AD SCRIPT:Limbaugh at CPAC: I want Obama to fail![Skip to]Limbaugh at CPAC: It’s just like the Superbowl![Cut to: rows of foreclosure signs]Voiceover: This isn’t a game.[Cut to: Dow graphic, plummeting lines overlaying hectic trade floor activity]Voiceover: It’s not a sport.[Cut to: a factory with a CLOSED sign on a chain-link gate.]Voiceover: It’s not fun.[Cut to: Limbaugh at CPAC]Limbaugh: I want him to fail!Voiceover: And it’s not funny.

Sweet tea discussion interspersed with hockey. Something is off.

Jane, I’m a bad souther…actually, I’m not one at all. I just live here, but I don’t like tea either, unless it’s of the Long Island Iced sort.

Real southern sweet tea is made in a pot, on a stove-top.The sugar — real sugar, accept no substitutes — is added while the water still simmers.The tea is cooled and then poured over ice.Remember: in the south, the tea is sweet and the cornbread ain’t.

At the Greenville “Tea Party” they threw their tea in the Reedy River. Also, Greenville’s population is 34% African American, and I didn’t see a single AA in any of the 71 pictures I looked through.I gotta get out of this city, STAT!

hi ady, yes i am still in a haze, but breathing, thanksand i am a very bad southerner, i dont like tea at all@matt—i know i should be happy that rush spews his hate like he does, and you have to give him credit. he is saying what a lot of them think and no one calls him on it, but that is another thought. i just look around andsee so much wrong with this country and all they (repugs and MSM) talk about are how will the repugs get back in office?! i just find it very sad, git is correct when he says the media is bought and paid for. they will come around when their money dries up

Nooo…

Tea–should never touch sugar.It’s only been the last 10 years or so that I didn’t get confused looks from waitpersons when asking for the non-sugar variety. Apparently they thought you had to make it with the tea and then go to the trouble of removing it. You’d think by the attitude.

Kyle, that’s just…wrong.

Paul Harvey has passed away.

DP? got any snow yet? lolAdy? are you supposed to get snow down there?they say we are getting some tomorrow night, i wouldn’t mind the snow, i just dont want any iceand dammit i didnt get to the grocery store today to get my bread….

And that’s the rest of the story.(sorry, Gravel. It just fell out)

Don’t apologize… That’s what I titled my blog post

Still just cold rain here, Vera. It was probably all a funny cooked up by the weather people.

Ah, whew. I suddenly had this “that was callous” feeling when I hit post. Glad it wasn’t just me.

hope so DP, i want spring though

Matt, you just made iced tea sound good to me. Gads! (I’ve always liked the idea southern Sun Tea, but I would never drink it).VeraLynn, if you’re going to live, I’d like to at least know about it.And WTF was Rush talking about when he said that VP Joe Biden wondered how Bobby Jindal got off of work early from the 7-11 to give the official response to President Obama? Rush insisted that he was merely pointing out Biden’s bigotry. You know, the bigot who’s serving as VP to an African American President right now or as the GOP likes to call him, “The Magic Negro.” But nevermind all that, Biden’s clearly the bigot here. Huh?

No, DP. Callous would be something like,” And that’s the rest ..uh, aahh, AARRRRRRRRGHHH!! … Thud.”

Vera, I first read that as “I want to spring through”. Thought you were lost in a Doors song or one of us was losing it.Me too, but just one good weekend snow–just one.

Carl, that’s so much nicer a reaction. cleaning water off chin and shirt

Rush is so wrong. Jindal came from the movies set of Slumdog Millionaire, not a 7-11. How racist of him.

lol DP,the way i type, i had to go back and check!ady—you are sweet, thank you for worrying about me and i am sorry i didnt email you, been sleeping off and on all day

I thought it was established by Kyle that listening to Stinky Cheese Man causes flu symptoms. You folks gluttons?

Ady, sun tea is a highly-specialized brew. Not recommended for amateurs.Variation: steep the tea with fresh mint from an herb garden. Add it to the pot with the teabags, remove the bags but not the mint. Leave sprigs in the pitcher.

Dontpanic, you are a Philistine of the lowest order. Or a Yankee.

Carl, lol! I simply don’t understand these people.I don’t think it’s supposed to snow here, not that I know of anyway. Should I be getting the obligatory ingredients for French toast too? Do I still have time? What about the blue laws? Am I being a terrible mother again if my kid can’t have French toast in the snow? (Jeebus, what in the hell is wrong with me these days?)

Vera, the MSM has a bias for controversy. The trick to getting their attention is to make one.

Matt, it’s odd. I took a quiz on the Book of the Face that called me a transplant. I’ve been here since I was five (and in 4 states before that from the gulf to Niagara). I mostly grew up here but never picked up a lot of the local customs. Maybe it came from my parents. I was 20 before I tried pinto beans. I’ve never had okra. It’s a wonder I have my kneecaps (wait, that’s a northern thing?).

Dammit, Matt. Now I have to make Sun Tea b/c it’s romantically southern. Crap. What about the snow? Can I still make it to the store? Where do I get the fresh mint? I didn’t get a Chia Herb Garden for Christmas this year.VeraLynn, that’s no excuse. I coulda worried myself to death, and you’re on your computer now and haven’t answered me. Do NOT make me come up there b/c I would do just about anything to get outta here….Sing it with me now, “Don’t tempt me, I’m where I wanna be. ‘Cause on the 8th day, god (and Matt) made sweet tea.”

Leigh, it is illegal to skip the pre-storm trip to the store for milk and bread. The southern police (pronounced PO-lice) will come and “carry” you away.

Up here, the pre-storm trip is called grocery shopping.

Rush has permanent brain damage. He just makes shit up. Pay no attention to him. If you look for logic and reason you will get stuck in an infinite loop.His thought processes are very, very simple.liberals cause all of my problems.liberals cause all of your problems.liberals cause all problems.Kyle -I’m surprised that Poopy-Time™ hasn’t been sued yet. I could have sworn that the corporate media has a patent on extruding shit.

Gravel, you probably do it at a normal pace. Down here we hear the weather rumor and go flying out to be greeted by nearly empty shelves. You’d think we weren’t going to see the light of day till spring. It’s usually history in a day or two.

According to the NY Times:38 percent of Americans say they are Democrats, 28 percent call themselves Republicans

dont you guys just love the new poll results?!even repugs are loving our President!!

Actually, I’m more likely to purchase alcohol, and I’m almost certain the PO-lice are still fishing tea bags outta the Reedy River in downtown Greenville anyway. No need to “carry or tote” me away ’cause I have all the stuff to make French toast already. How long will the snow last on the ground? 10-15 minutes tops? I just love to watch this kind of hysteria, though.It’ll be back up to 70 degrees by Monday or Tuesday at the latest.Did Paul Harvey really die? Oh no…

DP–dont you love going to the store and seeing all those people scurrying around?! i always mess up and make my grocery store shopping time around the time they forecast snow…i needed to go today, but i was not leaving the house with that cold, cold rainalthough, not much to eat. oh well, there is plenty of liquer, so i am good

Jesus H. Christ on a mag-lev train.What kind of tea haters use bags? I buy loose tea from the same place that I get coffee that was just roasted.Tea has nothing mixed with it except for other herbs such as mint.Since I have diabetes, you would be kinder to shoot me in the head with a large caliber handgun than to hand me tea contaminated with lethal sugar. Humans have not evolved the ability to eat refined sugar. The sugar lobby has been supressing this for over 200 years. Statistics show that diabetes is extremely rare until refined sugar enters the diet.All people should avoid refined sugar as much as possible. The less sugar you eat the more you notice that things without sugar are sweet on their own. Diets containing large amounts of refined sugar cause your taste buds to lose sensitivity to other sources of sweet sensation.

one day i will learn to spell, just not today

Vera, I was one of those fools today. I make fun of the phenomenon but I find myself engaging in it. I Do Not Drive In Snow Or Ice. Period.

No, no, no, NO!When winter weather hits below the Mason-Dixon, the primary object of value is BEER.I know this because I have seen it.I was a cashier many years ago at the last gas station between Maryville and Gatlinburg. One night we had a 23″ snowfall start up in the late afternoon and by eight o’clock I had racked up $1,800 in beer sales ALONE.There were still eggs and milk in the cooler, yet people were coming in to grab the last case of Whatever. Bud, Miller, they didn’t care.I stocked the cooler until there was nothing left — NOTHING — except for King Cobra, and the last case walked out about nine-thirty, when the boss arrived and confiscated it.He told me to close up and get home. “There’s no point in staying open. No one wants gas or food anymore tonight.”

i know DP…last winter or the one before last, i was driving to work,i was in front of the speedway and there is a big hill, i just came sliding down in the wrong direction…after that i dont drive in ice or snow either

Good point, Matt. When I drank beer I either went for that or didn’t notice the snow was coming because I was already good on beer.Interesting, Git, about the sugar. I managed to keep my daughter from knowing sweets existed until she was 8 months old and was, to my utter horror, handed a candy cane by an inlaw. She came down with her first cold soon after that. The connection might not be there but always stuck with me.

Git, it’s all about balance.I use about one and a half cups of sugar to the gallon. For coffee, I prefer “dirty” natural sugar. But I avoid sweetened food and refuse to drink anything made with high-fructose corn syrup. The way I figure it, my risk of diabetes is pretty low as long as I maintain those habits.Besides: if I can’t have sweet tea, then I don’t want to live anymore.

Vera, I had to drive to work 35 miles away once in an ice storm. I drove slow and steady, terrified, and when I got there had to pry my fingers off the wheel after sliding into a parking space that had a curb separating me and a slope down into some woods. I said “never again”.

Yep, that’s what I get-BEER or wine. I always have food here. But we have blue laws in this here state. For instance, aside from alcohol, it used to be illegal to purchase pantyhose or frying pans during Sunday go to meetin’ hours. I’m not sure exactly why. Also, none of the stores open before noon around here. Evidently, if you’re not going to church, then by god, you aren’t allowed at the mall either. And that’ll teach all y’all!SillyGit, as long as you stay above the Mason Dixon line, there’s not sugar added to the tea. You can’t order sweet tea in northeastern Ohio either. I don’t drink tea, so I don’t know anything about loose tea v. bagged tea. Now, I do love coffee, though. And I’m Finnish and love the coffee in Finland, so I have it shipped here. But this does not make me an elitist.

Matt -Yeah. I can believe that. In CT, the only panic shopping before a storm is if the beer, wine, etc. stocks are low. The lines will be at the Liquor stores.In new england, everyone has enough food on hand to survive a week or so without electricity (you have to have a pantry to put shitloads of canned food into). Joe would have considered my pantry a well stocked armory since I usually have about three weeks worth of Campbell’s soup.I’ll stand in line to buy beer and vodka, screw the bread.

Santelli’s full of Santorumhttp://lolfed.com/2009/02/28/santelli-full-of-santorum/

Pantyhose and frying pans?!?! That’s some pretty fuck up shit right there.

Report: Obama helicopter security breached http://tinyurl.com/dxbw46

Employees of Tiversa, a Cranberry Township, Pa.-based security company that specializes in peer-to-peer technology, reportedly found engineering and communications information about Marine One at an IP address in Tehran, Iran.

My snow shopping list is quite similar to my hurricane shopping list: wineWe don’t drink milk and my kid is the only one who eats a lot of bread, so there isn’t a big store rush for us. Besides, as one Weather Channel dude said tonight, how many sandwiches can you eat in two days, anyways?

It’s true, Carl. Until 20 years ago we couldn’t buy anything on Sunday in this small town. It moved to after 12 noon (but no alcohol) and maybe 10 years ago alcohol after one (but not conveniently timed for those on the way home from church). My county finally moved alcohol to noon on Sunday about 5 years ago. You can get groceries on a Sunday morning but most other type stores are not open. The sheep are in church.

Maybe you guys have never seen a guy walking into church on Sunday morning with pantyhose over his head and a frying pan in his hand ready to do some serious damage to whom his fury rages. But, that’s how these bans started.

That is a frightful image, Beej.

Thanks for pointing that out Matt.The story is getting out. The more places it spreads to the better.The Koch suckers are using the propaganda machinery to stir up the freepers into tea bagging frenzy. It will only get worse.<only slightly joking>They will soon carry signs advocating the use of potato guns on liberal democrats except that they will use potatoe guns. When that gets old they will begin using pumpkin cannons on us.We will be forced to defend ourselves by drawing pentagrams and summoning demons from the depths of hell. An alternate plan is to unionize their places of employment depriving them of their jobs.</only slightly joking>I think we should begin arming ourselves. I plan on ordering 6 AFL-CIO T shirts and 6 AFL-CIO sweat shirts immediately, and a half dozen Teamsters T shirts early this week.

Let me ask you liberal sheep lovers a question:Are you ready for universal health care? Are you ready for a system that will HAVE to ration medical care and provide coverage for treatments that have proven to be effective? Sounds like a rational approach, right? But allow me to herd you sheep down the following path:If you had pancreatic cancer would you demand the same treatment that Ruth Ginsberg received? Most people would want any option that may save or prolong their life. The operation that Ginsberg had, in clinical studies, is no more effective than chemotherapy. Yes, a rare few (less than 5-10%) may be cured but the remainder survive only as long as those who did not have this surgery. So should we, as a nation, foot the bill for a costly operation that isn’t effective? If not would you be willing to forego the chance that you could be one of the rare patients that could be cured? Would you pay for the surgery out of pocket then? If you would pay then why should you have the surgery and the shot at life and not a homeless person?These are the decisions we will have to make, are you ready?

Also, there’s this(I forgot about it):”Then there is the minutia of blue laws, right down to which products can and cannot be sold on Sunday. Title 53 Chapter 1 lists them. You can buy film but you can’t buy a camera, for example. So there is still a lot of confusion among merchants and consumers regarding the dos and don’ts of blue laws.”

potato guns…i shot one once, god does that mean i am really a southerner?! in my defense, that is the only gun i have ever fired….wait is that a good thing or a bad thing?

That’s scary, Annette.

btw CarltheBroad, ILMAOTC on your Paul Harvey memorial comment! He’s winking at you from heaven.

Yeah…and it was done through file sharing software…

Thanks for pointing that out Matt.The story is getting out. The more places it spreads to the better.The Koch suckers are using the propaganda machinery to stir up the freepers into tea bagging frenzy. It will only get worse.<only slightly joking>They will soon carry signs advocating the use of potato guns on liberal democrats except that they will use potatoe guns. When that gets old they will begin using pumpkin cannons on us.We will be forced to defend ourselves by drawing pentagrams and summoning demons from the depths of hell. An alternate plan is to unionize their places of employment depriving them of their jobs.</only slightly joking>I think we should begin arming ourselves. I plan on ordering 6 AFL-CIO T shirts and 6 AFL-CIO sweat shirts immediately, and a half dozen Teamsters T shirts early this week.

Let me ask you liberal sheep lovers a question:Are you ready for universal health care? Are you ready for a system that will HAVE to ration medical care and provide coverage for treatments that have proven to be effective? Sounds like a rational approach, right? But allow me to herd you sheep down the following path:If you had pancreatic cancer would you demand the same treatment that Ruth Ginsberg received? Most people would want any option that may save or prolong their life. The operation that Ginsberg had, in clinical studies, is no more effective than chemotherapy. Yes, a rare few (less than 5-10%) may be cured but the remainder survive only as long as those who did not have this surgery. So should we, as a nation, foot the bill for a costly operation that isn’t effective? If not would you be willing to forego the chance that you could be one of the rare patients that could be cured? Would you pay for the surgery out of pocket then? If you would pay then why should you have the surgery and the shot at life and not a homeless person?These are the decisions we will have to make, are you ready?

Hey, I make some pretty awesome potato cannons… and I’m about as far north from south as you can get.

Yeah…and it was done through file sharing software…

From the Houston Tea Party web site..LOL… be advised:I realize it goes against the grain for some convervatives to “protest”…..but as one poster said it has to start somewhere. Considering the short notice all in all it was a good start. March 10th in honor of the 10th admendment we send a message to DC “In honor of the 10th Amendment, we Americans can send our representatives in every level of government a simple reminder on March 10th by sending the following e-mail:Dear Representative [NAME]This is a friendly reminder that I still believe in the 10th Amendment. Please represent me.Thank you,April 1st we mail tea bags to Prez Obamaand July 4th is “the BIG tea Party”.Will we accomplish anything? Yes, remember dems govern by polls and demonstations make them nervous. besides its fun to tweak libs occasionally.

Hey, I make some pretty awesome potato cannons… and I’m about as far north from south as you can get.

analprobe, there’s no “rationing” and no “socialized medicine” in the proposed legislation. As far as “provide coverage for treatments that have proven to be effective,” that’s exactly what private insurers are already doing. If you’ve ever needed a Prior Authorization, been put on Step Therapy, or paid a Tier III copay then you’ve met with the phenomenon of Comparative Effectiveness Review. And if you’ve ever seen an HMO refuse to pay for a pancreas transplant (I have), then you’ve seen denial of care without Big Brother even in the picture.

Such a waste of good tea, Annette. Although they are probably sending crappy tea, so it doesn’t really matter. I would suggest sending bottles of Sam Adams in response, but it would probably do more good just to drink it in order to drown out Rush’s voice in my head.

Sorry for the double post my tubes were clogged.

These are the decisions we will have to make, are you ready?

Yes. Anything would be better than the health care system we have now.Please go peddle your propaganda someplace else.

Heh. Anal probe wants to herd sheep. Typical.(Sounds like he/she has serious issues. Lemme see if I can find a blue law which makes it illegal to even use those words in the same paragraph with one another here in SC).Mr./Ms. The Anal Probe, please outline the costs of both the chemotherapy treatments for pancreatic cancer and the costs associated with the surgery. Then I can answer your question. Chemotherapy treatment can continue for as long as the patient survives. So, that cost will be variable. The very best treatment would be both, I assume.But if you currently have medical insurance in this country and REALLY believe that you and/or your doctor are making the best medical decisions for you, then you’re sadly mistaken and also a sheep. A big insurance corporation decides FOR your doctor. In fact, I love to mess with my insurance company when they decide what my doctor can or can’t do. I call and demand to speak with the doctor there who decided what “treatment” would be best for me. And, guess what? There ISN’T one. Some poor SOB in finance decides.

AdyLeigh, we’re confusing analprobe with facts. We should stop before his head ‘asplodes.

Report: Obama helicopter security breached http://tinyurl.com/dxbw46

Makes you wonder why McCain asked about it last week.Tinfoil hat time!The Iranians have the current plans and McCain was insisting Obama didn’t NEED new helicopters in an effort to retain the current helicopters whose security had been brached, ergo McYellowteeth’s plans for ultimate revenge come to fruition when the attack begins.BWAAHAAHAAHAAH!Seriously though, it’s not funny, just a weird fucking coincidence that he would bring it up.

I know.. I just thought it was funny how they have it all laid out through July 4th… Then they are discussing instead of April 1 making it April 15… so they may change that…lol

my thoughts exactly Carl….as usual you articulated it better than i couldcuriouser and curiouser

Mr./Mrs. The Anal Probe is probably one of the Koch sucking astroturfers spreading the corporatist/fascist party line far and wide.Imagine the kind of lowlife that accepts payment to spread propaganda that only benefits people that already have more wealth than they need. Paid to tell lies. A profession to be proud of.I can’t get mad at these shills, they are so pathetic I can only feel pity.

What’s that you say, Matt? Analprobe’s head is going to asplode? Oh my, I hope his/her insurance covers that kinda thing. I will feel horrible if it doesn’t.Analprobe will feel much better if he/she just tosses some tea bags into a large body of water.But let me add one more important fact. Treatment for many cancers is one great big crap shoot anyway. What works for one insurance company may not work at all for another.

AdyLiegh, the big new thing in cancer treatment is genotype-specific treatments. So far they’ve shown remarkable success in trials, but only for specific patients. So there’s a way forward to the Cure for Cancer, but it’s going to take a while to get there.

Sillygit…you are paranoid. Matt…you didn’t answer the question if you would demand a procedure that would not be provided under a universal health care system, but may have a remote chance of saving your life.You may be able to argue with an HMO (who has the time) but you WILL NOT be able to argue with the government.BTW chemo costs a fraction of what surgery costs and both survival and quality of life are equivalent.I am all for universal health care. Are Americans? Do we need pancreas transplants when we can use the money to screen for and treat diabetes before complications? Or identify people with hypertension before they have a stroke and need permanent rehab?

they are calling for 4-6 inches of snowady looks like, they dont show that far down on my teevee, that you may be getting 2-4 inchesget ready to enjoy the panic!

Herro, hippies. Analprobe, you have very tired arguments. Go get sick in France. You will get the best treatment for whatever you need and it won’t cost you a dime. Why am I talking to a troll when I really want to say hi to hippies in America?

Shouldn’t we start capping tha salaries of movie stars, directors, producers, and athletes? Why should the working man pay $70 to see a baseball game? After all he doesn’t have health insurance but like any typical blue collar idiot he finds money for that diesel pick up truck, the jet ski’s, the obligatory vacation to Cancun with the obligatory fat wife with ankle tatoos?Lets cap everyone’s salary , retro, beginning with Obama’s cut on his book deals. Mrs. Obama had no problems collecting 350K a year while an administrator at a hospital. Imagine all of the poor people that could have been taken care of if she accepted 70K a year instead?

would I demand a procedure not provided under a universal health care system? Great question — and purely hypothetical, since the proposal thus far involves private insurance plans and subsidies. If a future American “universal care” system denies me a procedure, it’ll almost certainly be a *private* company doing the denial.”You may be able to argue with an HMO (who has the time) but you WILL NOT be able to argue with the government.”HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA… Okay, it’s obvious you’ve never dealt with an insurance company before. And what shall we do, o wise analprobe, when the company doesn’t change its mind? Why, we’ll take them to court! And call our representatives! And otherwise bring down Big Gummint on their heads!Seriously: when did my opinion ever matter to BCBS, UHC, or Catalyst? Do they ever face the sanction of my vote?

analprobeyou may be correct in that some things will be different, i dont knowi do know i would trust that our president will structure the program so doctors are the ones who make the decisions, not financial people looking at some mythical bottom line of profiti dont know if the country is “ready” for it, but when you look at our economic troubles, risng health care costs are a BIG factor. the company i work for changes providers every 2-3 years because of cost increasesi think we are more ready now than ever before and we are the only industrialized country to not have some sort of universal care and our economy shows it, just look at detroitevery other county provides it or subsidizes it except for us and when the economy gets going again it will be stronger for all with some sort of universal careand git is not paranoid, just more informed of what has/is going on in this country

Today has been quite netherworldly; teabaggers and now anal probes. What moon phase are in anyway?

Rush speaks the truth and he see the future, the collapse of the United States, As we slide further into economic ruin at the hands of Mr Obama and his spending spree the nation will divide along ethnic and social lines. The Western states will smolder in ruin as the police and fire departments, reduced in size because of budgetary restraints, are unable to contain the riots and looting. Like 911 un NYC the liberals of San Francisco will leave their gerbils in the petshops and run crying in the streets for help from the rest of the US. But the east coast, specifically NYC, Phillie, DC, are over run with the poor and huddled masses who illegaly crept into the country.Rush is the man you all want to be and it bothers you to no end!!!!

Matt, I’ve read about that. My father died of lymphosarcoma when I was only 14 years-old, and cancer research has fascinated me ever since.

That helicopter information leak doesn’t look that bad to me. The Marine 1 airframe is a standard VH-61 (IIRC) made by Sikorsky for nearly 40 years. Sikorsky has sold that model all over the world for a very long time. The airframe blueprints leaking is no big deal since you could probably bribe someone to let you take pictures inside and out anyway. I was actually on the inside of one of the the 28 VH-61s that are in the marine 1 fleet at an airshow at the naval air station near Topsham ME.The avionics information leak is more troubling, but the story doesn’t give enough information to judge the severity of the leak. Since the leaked information is known, the Marine Corp and Secret Service are already taking steps to counter the damage.I’m not very concerned. The guys tasked with dealing with this are highly trained professionals.That model Sikorsky has been used by the marine one fleet for a very long list of reasons.1. It has a wide flat cargo hold with lots of headroom that is very easy to convert into a very comfortable passenger cabin.2. The machine can be configured to have a passenger cabin that is quiet enough for passengers to converse in normal voice levels. This is a unique feature of this machine. Most helicopters require shouting to be heard.3. This machine has an exceptional maintenence and safety history. It has the best safety record of any helicopter.

Git, have you spoken with your family about eldercare options? I think your mom is suffering dementia.

Jindal is fighting back… he is angry that we have dared to call him out on his stories.http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/02/video_enters_partisan_dispute.html

I’m only going to say this once. The very fact that some folks had to look up “tea bagging” in the “urban dictionary” made me laugh hysterically.

Do you expect doctor’s to make the right decision? Wouldn’t a surgeon be biased in recommending surgery instead of conservative treatment? As an example coronary angioplasty is no more effective than best medical treatment, yet cardiologists plasty patients around the clock. Worse yet, back surgery is less effective than physical therapy in relieving pain and improving function yet insurnace companies and medicare both pay for this sham operation.Do you really trust doctors?I do ask probing questions.

AdyLiegh:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97025969

“Worse yet, back surgery is less effective than physical therapy in relieving pain and improving function yet insurnace companies and medicare both pay for this sham operation.”Really? I’ve had my back operated on twice. Both operations relieved me of pain and left me much better able to, ahem, function.And the government paid for both of them. It’s called a VA hospital.

“that diesel pick up truck, the jet ski’s, the obligatory vacation to Cancun with the obligatory fat wife with ankle tatoos?” Posted by: Sillygit’sMomIsn’t that mostly southern redneck fantasy women?? That would be conservatives, not liberals, all them pick up trucks..with the gun racks, the jek ski’s for messing around on the lakes and the fat wives to fetch their cold ones while they watch Nascar in the summer time?? Sure what I thought was the dream woman of the southern redneck from what I had seen when I lived down south before I got sick of all the crap and moved back north.

As an independent I feel the most frustrated with the two party political system. Every election I have to choose the candidate that I hate the least. Why should we swing from one extreme to the other every 4 or 8 years? There are loons on the left and retards on the right. What does a prolife/prochoice, pro death penalty, anti-gun, PETA memeber do?It is unfortunate that the democrats have sold out to the anarchists on the left, who are incapable of sustaining a social system of merit. It is unfortunate that the republicans have sold out to the corporate fascists and religion nuts who are incapable of sustaining a civil community of merit.

Psst…Matt, I found some humor in your comment about genotype-specific cancer treatment due to what I saw as a clever play on words. Did you intend to do that?

Yeah I trust my doctor.. she has my best interest in mind.. I do trust her. I have gone to her for a number of years and wouldn’t change for anything.

Rush is the man you all want to be and it bothers you to no end!!!!

Rush Limbaugh is the last person I would want to be.Rush Limbaugh is a big fat liar who is addicted to Oxycontin. He is a nihilist pig of a man who is so self absorbed that he does not even notice other people. He is an anti role model.You are wasting your time here.You have to be a paid shill because you would have to be an ignorant twit to believe the blatant lies you post.

Hi Matt,There is an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found that back surgery was no better than PThttp://www.modernsage.com/Expert/ArticleDetails.aspx?Mode=&Article_Id=395And are you really a vet? Really?Again, more probing questions.

Gees Git, looks like I struck a nerve in your spinal cord, but that can’t be because like all libtards you have no backbone!!BWAAA!!!HAAA!!!BWAAAA!!! HAAAA!!!!! BWWWAAAAAAHAAAA!!!!!Now go to bed, its getting late!Love,Mom

AnalP, are you a “Lou Dobbs Independent”? Or a true Independent? Because whenever I debate a “Lou Dobbs Indendent” (i.e. Republican) he/she argues from the right and not the center.

>>>Do you expect doctor’s to make the right decision?yes i do trust a doctor more than beancounters like me to make medical decisions>>>Do you really trust doctors?again, yes maybe they would have biases, but they have medical backgrounds and i would think they would be discussing with other medical professionals along with MY doctor. and yes, i trust my doctor….he looks like a grown up leave it to beaver, how could i not trust him?

AdyLeigh, my humor is always intentional.analprobe, the article is about ONE prodecure, herniated disc surgery. There are literally dozens of different procedures done on the spine that aren’t herniated disc surgery. So by “back surgery,” do you mean this ONE type of operation, or a whole class of operations in general?As to your second question: yes. I am really a vet. Why does this shock you?

I personally think you ask stupid questions. But that’s just my opinion.”And are you really a vet? Really?”"And are you really an idiot? Really?”Why would he say he was if he wasn’t? That’s just a really stupid question on your part.”Why should we swing from one extreme to the other every 4 or 8 years?”Because we have elections every 4 years and they matter, again, you are an idiot…that’s why we change elections matter…geeze.

Why are all of the wrong wing trolls, shills, and astroturfers ‘independents’?How much are you getting paid to spread your fertilizer?Is being a shill for the insurance industry an upwardly mobile position?If you are really good at it do you get to replace Charlie Gibson or Bill O’Reily?Are you sent a list of talking points like all of the Fixed News propaganda dispensers?What does Koch’s cock taste like?Do rich people’s cocks taste better than middle class cock?Done any tea bagging lately?

Git, the reason they are all “independent” is because they don’t want to be linked with Bush. They’re all disowning him now. Mark my words, before the decade is done we’ll find out that Bush was never “really” a Republican.

BO is correct in that lobbyists will contest most if not all of his policies. If there is a single payer system through the federal government, I would expect that private insurance companies will lose a significant number of subscribers or will fold.My concern us that members of congress, both in the house and the senate, will betray BO in favor of the hand that is feeding them.I also have the same concerns about the power of oil lobbyists in DC

M’kay I’m on my second glass of wine, so this is turning into a one-man BCGABG birthday party…with a helpful troll to liven things up.

Happy Birthday Matt!!

Mr./Ms. The AnalProbe, WTF? Why on earth would you question whether or not a veteran is really a veteran? Who would lie about that? I’ve done a lot of volunteer work with veterans who have PTSD, and I haven’t seen a single one lie about being a veteran or their injuries. I think that was completely ridiculous.

Happy Birthday Matt!

Silly silly git. I bet that you can tell me what man meat tastes like better than anyone else. Come on Git, you know that we all know where those callouses on your knees came from.This whole Obama experiment is going to be so fun to watch, as it is already unraveling before your libtard eyes and hence the reason you are such an angry little man…or maybe its because you didn’t get your manmeat sandwich with extra Mayo today?Hell, this past month all indices of the economy plummetted. Everytime your affirmative action baby opens his mouth (I forgot that he’s a genius who didn’t graduate from Columbia with any honors (yawn) and still got into Harvard Law School)the market plummets. But its all Bush’s fault even though BO was elected 4 months ago. That is the problem with libtards, they blame everyone else rather than solve the problem.Goodnight!

Annette: thanks! I’m old…

BOB! I’m playing the troll song!They’re trollin’, Trollin’, Trollin’Their comments are so swollenGet analprober Trollin’ Outside!No matter what the weatherOr how the ice gets thinner,In their postings global warming is denied.They write extended missives,Of evidence dismissive,Their links are all to pages that have died.Move ‘em on, head ‘em off,Head ‘em off, block ‘em out,Take ‘em on, block ‘em out Outside!Put ‘em out, ride ‘em offRide ‘em off, knock ‘em out,Cut ‘em out, move ‘em on Outside!They’re postin’, postin’, postin’Though monitors removin’,Take their comments postin’ Outside!Don’t try to understand ‘em,Just mark, delete and ban ‘em,Their paranoia’s poison to your mind.By my quick calculatin’Nine tenths of it is spammin’,just pimpin’ out a blog that we’ll deride.Move ‘em on, head ‘em off,Head ‘em off, block ‘em out,Take ‘em on, block ‘em out Outside!Put ‘em out, ride ‘em offRide ‘em off, knock ‘em out,Cut ‘em out, move ‘em on Outside!

“I’ve done a lot of volunteer work with veterans who have PTSD, and I haven’t seen a single one lie about being a veteran or their injuries. I think that was completely ridiculous. “Puhleezzeeee. The majority of PTSD claims through the VA are from “vets” who never were in combat. Need I inlcude a link to enlighten you libtards some more?

oh analprobe, please have sweet dreams…and when you get into bed and remove those rose colored glasses you have been wearing, shut your eyes very fast. i would hate for you to see the destruction of this fine country that you and your kind have visited upon/are wishing upon this country.we had to live through your 8 years, buck up and act like a man/woman and live through oursi promise, whether you likeit or not, this country will be what we once were….a nation founded and ruled by the rule of law

Happy Birthday to you and all that other jazz.Matt, do you know what you said that was funny?How much snow, VeraLynn? It’s 50 degrees here, so any would be a friggin’ miracle….

Awwww Matt… I am old too… so I can feel your pain.. but my birthday isn’t for another month.. so when mine comes around you can laugh at me.

you know for all of your patriotic talk, what it all boils down to is you have no respect for the constitution of this country and that just pisses me offw and his apologists have shredded the most basic ideals of this country…for what?so the oil companies and defense contractors can make money on our members of the military and innocent civilians?please read the preamble and the constitution and then come back and have an intelligent discussion with us instead of spewing talking points. seriously if you want to debate the issues, great, but come prepared with facts, not talking points

Yeah, it’s all BO’s fault. The economy has been falling apart for over 4 years but its all Obama’s fault. I seem to recall a major collapse in October, before the election, but that was Obama’s fault anyway.<rhetorical>Is Bush responsible for anything?</rhetorical>The wrong wing way:Money for weapons and unnecessary wars, but not a penny for U.S. infrastructure.Billions for corporate welfare but not a penny for adult welfare.Trillions for the strategic defense initiative, but not a penny to help citizens after Katrina.There’s a record to be proud of.

i dont know ady, they are sayin 4-6 here, but they dont show me that far south to see if you are in the colored area too, but it does go straight down 85

Alright, GitLuvin’Rush, yes, please enlighten me. I know the look of terror in the eyes of veterans who suffer with PTSD. If they didn’t see combat, then they either saw Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter…somethin’ really fuckin’ scary like that.The maddening part of it? They’re veterans who are in a private mental health facility b/c the VA here is what they call “a joke.”

I posted this earlier at BroadwayCarls, I am too tired and lazy to retype it…lol”It has always rang so false for me, coming from a military family for the rethugs to be so against paying taxes and supporting our military. They talk the talk, but they don’t walk it. That was what I have always had against McCain.While people called him hero, I never did, and I argued against it. Just because he served and was in a POW camp did not make him a hero. There were lots of others who were there, went through much more than he did, and yet have never been called a hero. Yet, he wants that label put on him daily. But will not honor the men and women who fight by helping them. That’s why I have no respect for him and cut him no slack and give him zero cred as Bob would say when it comes to anything he says about military matters.Why anyone defers to him is still a mystery to me, other than no one bothers to check his record on voting for the military or veterans issues. If they did their job, maybe then they would stop pandering to this blathering idiot.Pres. Obama has continually walked the walk when it comes to military and veterans issues and it showed yesterday and in his budget.”

AdyLeigh, I’m well into my second glass of wine so you’d best explain it. I’ve forgotten.

adysaid—The maddening part of it? They’re veterans who are in a private mental health facility b/c the VA here is what they call “a joke.”back in august my esteemed former senator liddy dole petitioned the dod to close part of the va hospital here, the er…but repugs do love and treat veterans they way they deserve to be treated, right?! you betcha!! and such as

Hello All! Happy Birthday to Matt!! Would you like a birthday kiss? I don’t know how many of you saw the other thread on red-state porn, but one guy’s (Russ) comment really pissed me off & it takes a lot to do that! Why in the hell would anyone say that we should declare ourselves to have fibromyalgia (which, to this un-informed asshole, is a made-up disease) so we can “sit on our butts & collect disability”? I would love to see Russ try to live on the extravagant $980 I collect each month. Please, my GDAB friends, when you see a cocksucker like Russ, call him out for me? I need all the help that I can get.Ady? Is the boy back yet from his fun? Are all of his body parts still attached??

SillyGit, I thought Gov. Jindal deflected any and all blame for the Katrina response failure AWAY from the Bush Republicans and placed it squarely on the shoulders of big liberal governments and such as.It’s true, ’cause Bobby said so.Oh, there IS a winter storm watch here, VeraLynn. The temp. is dropping but no snow until Monday? That can’t be right…

supposed to start tomorrow late afternoon i think adyand can i get an amen for annette?!

evening minx

They only thing republicans care about combat veterans is that their children aren’t one.

Minx, it would be my honor. *muah*

thanks…and I want to give one to minx… I know exactly what she is feeling.. I just went and read her post on the other thread. I suffer too. So Fist Bump Minx…but not too hard my hands hurt tonight. LOL

Matt, you said something about genotype-specific cancer treatments having shown remarkable success, but only in specific patients…And I didn’t know if that was an intentional play on words or not or not a play on words at all.

Bobby Jindal gets caught telling bald faced lies.Unfortunately, fibromyalgia is a very real disease. They people I know that have it would rather trade it for type 1 diabetes since pain is not always a complication with diabetes provided you maintain good blood sugar control. Pain is always a feature of fibromyalgia.

Oh dear…its starting to snow here and I let my poor kitty out an hour ago and she hasn’t returned yet. I’ll wait another hout then don my nightgown and slippers to go look for the old girl. Some great links:http://newsblaze.com/story/20080118113555nnnn.nb/topstory.htmlhttp://www.obamaclock.org/

Yes, git and I haven’t found the amount or the combination yet that will take it away. Nor as far as I know has anyone else. So you live with it, as best you can. Or maybe I should say you exist with it..some days I can’t say I live with it..

Fairweather: TROLL ALERT

@Matt–A big kiss to you, on your birthday sweetie! *Muah!* I must admit to a little crush on you–your blog picture is so handsome (am I giving away my age, here? I’m not really that old!)@Annette– A gentle fist bump to you, girlfriend! That asswpie pissed me off to no end!Ady? Earth to Ady! Is the boy back yet? My huband thought that it was silly & a little stupid ( not said but implied) that I should be so worried about someone I never met & don’t really know– he doesn’t get it. Blah! That’s why Gyps is my Internet Girlfriend!

I don’t know if this was posted a couple of days ago but it’s funny none the less:Joe the Plumber’s Bummer

Howdy, Minx. Yep, the little creep is home now. I’ll worry about detaching his limbs tomorrow, though.What is the deal with this, “if you’re sick or suffering either physically or mentally then it’s your own damned fault shit tonight?” Yes, being at home in pain must be such a blast. What morons! Oh, and it’s also okay to question whether a veteran who comments on a liberal blog is really a veteran.Are people nuts or something?

bob must embed this video on the death of the rocky mountain news: http://vimeo.com/3390739

stupid rethuglicans

Do you expect doctor’s to make the right decision?

Time for analprobe to go away. First it complains about the government and trusting universal health care, and now it doesn’t trust doctors to make the right decision. What a douche. My only complaint is that my witchdoctor isn’t covered by my insurance. I have to pay out of pocket for the bad gree gree to be spirited away by Dr. ShakeyBones. And the chicken blood is expensive!

That would be sad if it wasn’t so funny… Not Joe the Not Plumber I mean…lol

Yep, Minx, I’ve learned that men can’t possibly understand the emotional connections or goings on of most females. If you wait for them to be able to do that, then it will just frustrate you and make you unhappy. That’s where a few bff’s come in, and that takes care of many things. Does that make sense?

Absolutely, sweetie! With the fucking fibro it’s so hard to maintain good friendships. Add that to how busy everyone is these days–the Internet has been a God send. Thank You, Al Gore! Speaking of Mr. Gore, does anyone remember the pics his wife released of him a few years back? Miaoww!

I think I am going to try to get some rest.. these old bones are getting a little tired.. I think I have bounced my head off the key board a couple of times…lolNight all… minx hang in there… don’t let the ignorant bastards get to ya…lolMatt…happy birthday again..Everyone else… rest well..see you tomorrow.

sleep well annette

Sleep well, Annette, my sweet friend. Thanks for telling me that you have fibro too. It’s so good to know that not all of us with fibro are “SuperWomen” who run triathelons and run corporations!

Only the Ghostbusters are qualified to remove troublesome deities from your home or workplace.http://www.buzzfeed.com/sarahmorgan/ghostbusters-vs-jesus-d8Nite ya’ll.

G’Night to all of the wonderful PTT folks tonight. I hope that someday I have the honor of meeting y’all. I already love y’all.