Search Results for 'BV'

[Kayleigh]

Jerald, a couple months ago I was researching reviews for a particular brand of makeup. I found the exact same review, word for word, on three different Internet sites…obviously somebody paid by the company to write it. I didn’t buy the product.

I try to judge reviews and recommendations by the smell test—if it smells fishy, I figure it probably is a shill. Like if it sounds like ad copy, or is too stilted or formal, or uses words everyday people don’t usually use.

I get the feeling most of us here at WSB are pretty real, though.

[JoB]

beachdrivegirl…

Bill Clinton campaigned on a platform of change… tho he/they were unable to make the kinds of changes they wanted.

that experience taught hillary that she couldn’t make the kinds of changes she wanted to make without learning how to play washington politics.

the truth is that a vote in the house or senate is always for sale. Unless they are sponsoring a bill, none of them will commit to vote for anything (even if they believe in it) without getting some favor for their vote. It isn’t how it should be.. but it is how it is.

I wish it there would be a new game… but this process is too well entrenched to give up without one heck of a fight… and that may take generations. You have to play the game that exists.. not the one you wish did.

the thing that would be different with this Clinton presidency is that there is a very good possibility that this president will have a congress they can actually work with… and imagine what somebody who knew how to play the game could do with that.

that to me speaks more of hope than anything in this campaign. Someone who knows how to work the system and has the ability to get things done.

Perhaps we would finally get the chance to see the democratic agenda in action.

Did you know that Hillary and Bill were wide eyed idealists… both working deep within the democratic party when they started? i think younger than you at their first real experience at democratic power brokering… in Texas.

She is still a wide eyed idealist… who optimistically believes there has to be a way to get things done and keeps trying even when she runs into countless roadblocks.

she will literally work with anyone to accomplish her goals.

And more important.. after the beating they took in Texas.. she stayed in the game. (One i dropped out of…) and she learned how to play hardball. She truly believes you can change the system from within. She has spent her entire political career doing just that.

I have read both candidates websites… so i know what their platforms are… and where they differ, i think Hillary has a better grasp of the issues… but being an old gal who has seen more campaign promises broken than kept, i wanted to know what Obama has actually done.

I will tell you that the news is more promising than i thought.. tho his senate record (including who he chose to mentor with and his attempts at passing substantive bills) is not what one would hope for as an agent of change.

I agree that Obama sells. But he is going to have to sell a lot more than people’s enthusiasm for him and hope if he wants to beat McCain.

McCain has a reputation of being a tough independent and when the shouting is over and he has that nomination, he will go back to selling that image.. regardless of the fact that he sold it out in a heartbeat to get his chance at the presidency.

Let me tell you, it’s a pretty convincing image.

And he has equally good plans for almost everything except getting out of the war and the economy.

He knows how to play hardball… and has no qualms about doing so.

And he has a republican administration behind him to help time events to promote his agenda.

If it becomes the Obama campaign against the McCain campaign, this pretense of a clean and gracious campaign.. the political high road… will have to go because it just plain won’t stand up against the republican/McCain smear campaign. It won’t be a gentleman’s race.

If he has to campaign against McCain, you won’t get the same candidate you have now because he will have to adjust his rhetoric and his strategy to combat some of the dirtiest politicking available.

I am sorry new resident and any other republican toes i stepped on there… but i am just stating the obvious… the truth is that if you don’t win.. you never get a chance to either keep or break your campaign promises and nobody knows that better than John McCain.

and i am sorry if this offends obama supporters. I am not putting him down. i truly think he would make a great president in 4 to 8 years… but for now, i am am hoping the better woman gets a chance to get things done:)

ok.. so i guess i have to apologize to the guys too for my sexist ways;-)

just more food for thought…

[JoB]

the pit bull incidents in the past week have been frightening… for those who love dogs as well as those who don’t.

This was clearly an irresponsible owner. If they knew the dogs could escape the house, it was their responsibility to correct the problem or kennel the dogs.

No responsible pet owner has their dog off leash and out of control in public where it is possible for other people to interact with their animals…

but, they should be able to take a leashed dog for a walk, play ball with their dogs in a public area under controlled circumstances (if your dog can approach or be approached by another dog or person.. the circumstances aren’t controlled) … or be in their own yards (fenced or not) with their animals.

I am one of those aggressive dog owners (not pit bulls.. aggressive dogs come in all sizes and shapes) … and i can tell you from personal experience, it can be a heartbreak… Not because my dogs are vicious and out of control but because having a dog is like driving a car. You might be able to control yourself and your dog, but there is absolutely nothing you can do about the other people and/or dogs on the road.

i am perfectly aware that i have a huge responsibility for my dogs… and sometimes that means i don’t get to do things with my pets that i would like to because there are too many other people around and i accept that. But i am not the only one responsible when a strange dog… or child… or adult… approaches my leashed animals. And i don’t feel i should have to muzzle my dog to prevent dogs or people from being bitten when they invade my space. I am willing to be careful (even beyond reason), but I can only do so much to avoid unwanted encounters. yet, if my dog bites someone, i will be held responsible regardless of their actions.

I don’t know how many times i have had to be incredibly rude to people to stop them from coming up to pet my “cute” dogs… yet those same people would holler like a stuck pig if my dogs bit them …in what to the dogs would be self defense.

For every thoughtless dog owner…. There are at least an equal number of thoughtless adults.

I had my fill of both this week on vacation. I am not sure exactly why some people believe that their “rights” extend into allowing their out of control children and dogs to cavort through the space you also paid good money to enjoy… but i have a lot of sympathy for cranky little old ladies…. I nearly became one:)

Long story short, no-one wants to be placed in the position of enduring the obnoxious and/or dangerous behavior of other people’s dogs or kids…. or having no choice but to correct them yourself.

Here’s the deal when it comes to petting other people’s dogs… don’t unless you are invited.

Dogs in parks or other public spaces are not there to become a free petting zoo.

When you ask a dog owner if you can pet their dog, you put them on the spot… and most don’t want to be rude… so often dog owners tense up and hope the children approaching their dogs are not too rough and hope for the best… and many dogs who don’t want to be petted endure the uneducated attentions of children who are not as gentle or respectful as they should be.

How would you respond if someone walked up to you on the street and asked to pet your children?

Yes, i know there is a big difference between children and dogs but there is not a big difference when it comes to respecting boundaries. It makes everyone uncomfortable at best and is dangerous at worst.

When i had a dog that liked to be petted by children, i would invite them to pet her when i saw them gazing longingly in her direction… until she too became old and cranky. then the invitations stopped.

And if the parents didn’t like me correcting their children when they approached my dog, then they didn’t get to pet the dog.

You should never approach anyone else’s dog without an invitation. (asking and receiving permission does not qualify as an invitation).

You should never allow your child to touch a strange dog that you have not petted yourself to find out how they react to strangers.

Your child should never touch any dog without your assistance to make sure they handle the dog respectfully.

It’s just not safe for your children. If you leave it up to the dog… you won’t like the outcome. Dogs correct one another… and the humans that surround them… by nipping… often at faces. They don’t mean to cause harm, but accidents often happen.

I know children want to pet dogs… and i know that it isn’t possible for every family to have a dog…. but it’s up to you to teach them how to behave around dogs whether you have one or not.

If a dog owner notices your child staring longingly at their dog… or realizes their dog really wants to be petted by your child … if they have the time and their pet is agreeable… they will ask you if it is ok for your child to pet their dog. If you don’t get an invitation, the answer should be no.

It really is that simple.

Even under the best of circumstances, accidents happen when you put dogs and children together… (they happen when you put dogs and adults together). Nobody deserves to be bitten, especially children… but any time you put your hand out to any dog, you are accepting the responsibility for unintended outcomes.

Laying blame just on the dogs (by calling them “bad” dogs) or the dog owners is simply shirking your own responsibility.

I am not trying to lay blame on anyone.. just stating what seems perfectly obvious to me.

Ok.. so maybe i have reached the cranky old woman status…but there are a lot of us living on this planet together and if we are going to get along we probably need to have as much respect for other people’s rights as for our own… and that includes taking responsibility for the risks we choose… instead of expecting others to make what we want safe for us.

[Anonymous]

For what it’s worth, because I guess it wasn’t obvious, I was also kidding. I’m betting it was the birds!

[Anonymous]

NewResident- the hemp plant grown for consumer products (twine, clothing, cosmetics, etc) has no smoking value at any time, in any form. If you know people smoking it, they’re getting about as high as they would smoking their front lawn.

wsChic- people stupid enough to steal twine because it’s made from hemp would have definitely left an obvious mess. My dog loves to chew hemp products, but she wouldn’t be that neat either. I would go with the birds unless you think you know someone who might want to spend that much time and effort just to mess with you.

[Anonymous]

Hi NewResident,

I am just so sorry to hear about your parents dog, I hope it is has healed. And that makes me very angry to hear the owner had the pt bull off leash, obviously he wasn’t very concerned about another attack happening.

[wsChic]

Okay, so here is the deal:

Two or three days ago my husband constructed a somewhat elaborate hemp twine fence around one of our large flower beds in our fenced in backyard, (this was to teach our dog not to walk through it) The little fence was about 1.5ft tall, basically the twine was run from the corner of the garage around several strategically placed posts along the border of the bed, knots were tied to each post so the twine would stay in place. The end pieces were wrapped around a heavy rock several times.

Well anyways, today he noticed that the twine was missing, it was there yesterday night but this afternoon it was gone(about noon is when he came home and saw it). Nothing else appears be disturbed, the posts (which are just old black wrought iron curtain rods) are still completely upright, the rock is in place. No sign whatsoever that there had ever been hemp twine wrapped around them. Whoever took the twine must have untied every single knot from every post plus the anchor points on the garage. This would have taken some time as the twin is thin and the knots tiny. We obviously don’t care about the cost of the twine, but are freaked out that someone was in our yard doing this when we weren’t home. Our dog did not eat the twine, he is not that delicate to leave no trace. We were thinking perhaps birds or rodents of some sort. Or maybe teenagers pulling a prank. (we have a teenage relative that reports rearranging garden gnomes to freak people out on occasion) If you have any theories about what/who may of done this please let us know. Our imaginations are running rampant.

[swimcat]

I don’t own a dog, but I suggested that Parks put in an off-leash area during the input phase for the Myrtle Reservoir park. My idea didn’t make the cut obviously, but I thought it was a good idea because there are so many dog owners in the neighborhood.

On another note, if you get a dog that needs more exercise than a walk or daily run and you don’t have the time or energy to provide that, you should have thought twice before getting that breed. It’s really not fair to the dog.

[herongrrrl]

My 8yo daughter and her friend were very frightened by an off-leash dog at Me Kwa Mooks Park last Friday when we went there to enjoy the sunshine. No one was hurt, but when a strange dog runs at you (or your child) barking while the owner is both too far away to do anything to intervene AND makes no effort to call the dog back, it is not a comfortable experience.

There are so many really excellent reasons to keep dogs on leashes when they aren’t in areas set aside for them to run free. The obvious ones include public health and safety issues. Less obvious ones that I have encountered include dogs harrassing wildlife (I once watched an off-leash dog chase a juvenile great blue heron around a WS beach for a good half an hour while its owner did nothing) and damaging new plantings in parks, yards and habitat restoration sites. I have a very dear friend who is terrified of dogs and an off-leash dog in his presence is a threatening thing for him. I know he’s not the only one with this issue.

With respect, mlyn, no one is owed pet ownership as a privilige granted for being alive. I agree that it is not responsible to commit to caring for a companion animal if you do not have the appropriate circumstances to care for one. I would love to have a horse, but can’t afford to board one or move to the country, so I don’t get to have a horse.

If you choose to be a law-abiding citizen who has a dog and no private space for it, then you are committing to the incovenience of taking your dog to the nearest place where it is legal and appropriate for it to run around off-leash. I’m not wishing dog bites on anyone, here, but I would sure appreciate it if people followed these rules for the safety and consideration of others.

[barmargia]

From what I can tell people are griping about ALL dog owners, one of the arguments (besides the obvious “against the law”) is that other park users have to deal with dog poop and THAT is why dogs shouldn’t be allowed off leash. Don’t dogs on leashes poop? So should dog owners not be allowed to take the dog out at all because no matter what it will probably poop. As for the possibility that a child could come up and do something to the dog and the dog would defend itself then maybe kids should be on a leash also, because a kid could do something to a dog while the dog is on a leash also. I’ve seen many times a parent walking over with a child to a dog to “pet the nice doggy” without asking “may my child pet your dog”. So is it the dog owners fault if the dog doesn’t take kindly to being pet? I know that there are irresponsible dog owners and I know that it’s the law, but it would be nice for dog owners to have somewhere (local) to take their dogs to play off leash, because really how many people have huge yards to play with their dogs in? Oh, and the comment about having a large breed and not being able to handle it and it being irresponsible to own a large dog in an apartment, some of the smallest dogs need A LOT of exercise, more than some of the larger dogs, and just because someone lives in an apartment/condo or small house with no yard doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be “allowed” to have a dog. Oh, and in the other post JenV, nice attitude about the poodle biting someone where the sun don’t shine…classy.

[JoB]

Kayleigh, what’s not to like about this?

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/tonight

I know, this was only an outtake from that debate… but this is the woman i like and support.

she laughed at herself and her troubles… she was gracious… she was inclusive… and she was dead on about what is really important.

Now admit it.. if she wasn’t hillary you would like the woman in this outtake ;-0

The thing about dislike is that it is self perpetuating. They did a functional MRI study on people who held strong negative political views (but it might as well have been religion or morals or any strong personal dislike) and found that when information contrary to the subject’s personal belief system was mentioned, their brains literally shut down. Although they were still listening, they were no longer processing.

I think this has happened to some people where Hillary is concerned.

It’s funny, Obama supporters almost universally strongly dislike Hillary and if the caucus is any example, can’t even hear that she might have more experience or impact in some area Obama supporters are promoting him for. Yet, Hillary supporters almost universally like Obama.. they just think he isn’t ready to be president.

You might think that is a good reason to have Obama as our candidate… but i think it is the reverse.

Hillary is already disliked. She already expects to be lambasted. (Unlike Obama, who became visibly incensed when she said that we need more than just words in one debate) … she is accustomed to being challenged and accepts that as part of the job. This will make it very easy for her to make tough decisions.

Hillary’s supporters know she is flawed. Obama’s think he isn’t. I think America is piling too many expectations on Obama that he will be unable to meet.

And we haven’t seen his dirt yet. When anyone get’s close to revealing something, the Obama campaign responds with moral indignation and outrage. That may stop Hillary who actually wants a united party after this primary contest.. but it won’t stop the republican political machine. and right now, they have no reason to pull their stuff out because Hillary is still obviously the candidate they fear (their pundits are still constantly after her… a good indication of their thinking).

again, just my rational two cents:)

JanS.. it think the questions may have partly been a result of the negotiations from the Obama camp prior to the debate (he has refused to actually debate her in any meaningful way) and the negotiations from her political camp who know that she has to come across as a person if she is to win that primary. For once, they were in agreement… much to the dismay of those who would prefer substantive debate.

i didn’t watch the entire debate so i don’t know if this personality lovefest worked better for Obama or Clinton… We will see:)

[charlabob]

When is it time to for a presidential candidate to quit? In this case, the two obvious possibilities are Hill and Huck, but I really just want to talk about Hill. Hill is losing in Wisconsin (I can’t wait to hear theories “old folks” won’t go out in the cold—pundits, ya’ gotta love ’em.)

What makes people stay in (or leave)? Why did John Edwards quit early (why OH why OH why????) Does it hurt the Democratic chances for the fight to continue? If you’re a Barack supporter, would you vote for Hillary? If you’re a Hillary supporter, would you vote for Barack?

This is all just too interesting and, finally, are the Dems actually going to manage (again) to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?

Inquiring minds … who are about to go home and dive into a bowl of chocolates before they read further, want to know.

c – the whimsical half of charlabob

[JoB]

oh JT.. it’s time for an intervention. can i take you out for ice cream? chocolate ice cream? Your soul is obviously in crisis:)

Yes, faith is hardwired… in some very inexplicable ways. The brain is amazing. I could tell you more about what the brain responds to.. but that would be another topic;-)

It is not necessarily logical to decide that the portion of the brain that responds is or was essential to survival. Watched any animals lately? not everything they do can be traced to survival:) So why should we be different?

I think science is finally catching up with the notion that things are far more complex than we once thought:) Just because we can find some way to explain things away doesn’t mean that we are right.

I think we can agree that not everything can be understood… anywhere there is room for any mystery, there is room for religion.

as for our numbers dwindling… church attendance isn’t doing so well, but have you seen the bookstore sections that deal with faith and mystery? they are selling well. Faith in one from or another is alive and well.

I find that it is generally those who are not secure in their faith who spend so much time condemning others. Those who are truly secure have love for and curiosity about others… they truly want to know what you think and why.

that doesn’t mean they won’t try to make you see that you might be missing something:) But probably only if you ask questions back….

when you start asking questions, you will know you should have turned down the chocolate and run ;-)

[Kayleigh]

JoB, I honor that, I really do. When pregnant with me, my mom was required by her bosses (a very well known moneyed Seattle family) to enter her job through the back door, because they were embarrased that she was preggo. It’s startling to remember what the climate was like only a generation ago (sorry you had to go through it.)

This is kinda a threadjack, but I consider myself a second generation feminist. It never feels to me like a very satisfying feminist victory when women succeed on men’s terms, or act as badly as men (sometimes) act. I know a few aggessive women, and I don’t like them much. (That’s OK; they get to live the lives that make sense to them). I dislike aggressive men in equal measure, too, so it’s more of a general value preference on my part.

So what would a feminist victory be like for me? You know,when my ex-husband said to me, “it’s not your job to cook dinner for me. We both work for a living” it felt like a small victory. When my parents paid for all their kids’ college and saw equal potential in them, regardless of sex. When my grandfather would tell me I could be anything I wanted and I believed him.

Why is the typical male behavior the one that is so consistently rewarded? Why aren’t social workers, nurses,teachers, and other people who nurture and help others paid CEO level salaries?

I don’t have the answers, obviously. But it does seem like Hillary doesn’t connect as well with women in my generation (Gen X). Interesting for sure.

[JoB]

i have met Hillary Clinton. Once a long time ago before she was anybody’s target. And again after she was first lady and a big target. and i have read her every speech and statement paper starting with her commencement speech. (ok, not every campaign speech.. she has done a lot f them lately) i even hung out in the bathroom with her once when she could still have relevant conversations in bathrooms with other women.

I know this woman. I know how idealistic she was in her youth. I know how hard she worked to get things done. I know she was willing to be a first lady instead of a candidate if that was what it was going to take to get things accomplished. And i know she found out quickly enough that she couldn’t do it that way. It wasn’t enough to be in a supporting position with a man who considered her his partner.

i know she has learned from her mistakes. The woman who idealistically tried to craft a compromise on health care has learned she needed to have ratified power to negotiate.

I know she has had to work harder and be nicer… and that there are very few places she could actually let anyone see that she was the smartest person in the room.

I know she is willing to work hard. And i know that she sees pattern in the details.. not just a idealized vision. I know that she can actually think on global terms… and still track details.

I know that she has a proven track record on women’s issues.. not just abortion, but sex slavery, mutilation, home based business, childcare, etc…. And i know that she is willing to defy even her party to use an international platform to promote those issues.

I know that she has a grasp of how much more cost efficient and productive it is to guarantee education and nutrition to American children and that she will find a way to pay for it.

There are those who may say that i simply see me in her.. but it’s not true. i would have handed bill his walking papers when he cheated. And i wouldn’t have worked so hard for a party that showed me such disrespect.

I also see how badly the Republican party has tried to paint her as bitchy, uncooperative, lieing, cheating, without principals, etc…

why do you think they went so far in attacking a first lady? Who can you think of who was so thoroughly trashed as first lady? They don’t spend money and resources blindly. I think they had a plan.

Hillary is and was seen early by the Republican party and their system as the first viable female candidate for President… and they have been doing everything they can to make sure we don’t think so.

They have been doing a great job. Even those who admit that most of the “scandals” aren’t her fault cite them as a reason she isn’t a viable candidate.

When Charla posted a link to a paper that pointed out the sexist manner that Hillary has been treated, not one man even mentioned the issue or commented in any way. It is easier to say that they don’t support Hillary because she is a bitch than to say they don’t support her because she is a woman.. and they use republican talking points to justify their hatred. The republicans did a great job.

I sent the same link to my republican brother who said that the writer was a fanatic (a woman) and that although some of it was inappropriate, he didn’t see it as sexist. this is a man who calls me the smartest person he knows… doesn’t stop him from arguing with me or ignoring the obvious though:)

Anyone the republicans hate that much should get our attention… Why is this woman such a target? What about her is so dangerous to their interests?

And finally, i would vote for hillary because she is a woman. When i went back to work in my early 20s, i had to get a permission slip signed from the husband i was divorcing for making bill look faithful in order to get a good enough job at a local department store to support my children.

I have a visceral memory of just what sexual discrimination looks like… and i wish i could say it is gone.

My daughter who is working on her PhD in enegineering had to fight her professor every step of the way to be able to look at detail in her research project and follow the detail to trends… which she then tested for validity. it was not the established male path to research (choose a result and find data that supports it). she has very nearly quit her PhD because of it.

She was recently commended by that same professor for her grasp of details and ability to identify trends that weren’t apparent… after her work was requested by an international symposium in china this may and another in japan next year. It will likely win huge awards for her and her professor.

She does incredibly good work, but she had to fight every step of the way to be allowed to do it.

I believe that any woman would be true change… a new way of looking at the problems we face.

I believe that this woman is especially good at doing with policy what my daughter does with soil. I believe the results would speak for themselves.

So that’s why.

i know this is an incredibly personal post and an incredibly personal opinion… but you asked and i felt that after holding yours and kayleighs feet to the fire, you deserved as honest an answer from me as you gave.

[Sue]

Huindekmi, the pot pie at Shoofly is absolutely amazing. I highly recommend it. Although, if you eat in, they tend to not heat it long enough. They refuse to use microwaves since it heats better in their regular oven, but since it can take 10+ minutes to heat it, it obviously gets pulled while still lukewarm inside. I usually just take it home and heat it as I like.

[Anonymous]

PrayingMan-tis-i… I agree. I think it is extremely informative and interesting to find out exactly what makes one person “love” one candidate over another. I wanted to know specifics as to how Obama is inspiring sooo much hope in so many people. I’m obviously on the other side of the fence, but I really want to know specifics. I would really like Ken to answer only because he seems so knowledgeable and is always able to convey what he thinks through his writing. I am very interested in this topic.

[karen]

I’m not a dog person and I think it would anoy me some to have someone drop the poo in my can. However, I would much rather that than be hit with it the next time I am out mowing.

OK. On the subject – how about this one. On recycle day there is a gentleman in the neighborhood who goes around and digs through the recycle containers. He has a little cart with buckets and long handled thing and who knows what. Obviously he takes this really seriously and I wonder if he is supplementing his income with recyclables. The thing is – it drives me nuts! I hate having his dig through my trash.

I have no problem with him having the cans or whatever instead of the city. I just hate having him out digging through my can.

Anyone else have this in their area?

I just wanted to mention it, I know it’s illegal and I could write a note or talk to him. I just don’t feel comfortable confronting him and it would be silly to call the police over something like this.

[Anonymous]

Sue.. This has not happened to me, but I have had experience with this issue as being on the other side, in a way. When we first moved here, we had no idea about recycling and separating everything. Where we moved from, they don’t recycle like they do here. Obviously, just moving in, we had a lot of trash (recyclable and otherwise). For a couple of weeks, they weren’t picking up our stuff because we were doing it wrong! Well, we needed to do something because we had NOWHERE to put it!!! However, never in a million years would we have considered using a neighbors trash! We took care of it, but I think you should contact the city trash/recycling people and go from there. If those people moved from out of state, they probably don’t know all of this stuff (like you can be charged for their trash). Hopefully they don’t know and aren’t just that inconsiderate. Good luck!

[JoB]

obviously flower petal, this is a mother who wasn’t thinking about anything other than the photo opportunity it presented. What if the coyote had actually approached and her little angel had “tamed” a wild beast?

If his fingers had gone with the coyote, something tells me we wouldn’t have been seeing that clip.

This is why it is so important that we are educated about the wild creatures living around us… and that we learn how to interact with them responsibly… so that our children will know the difference between wild and domesticated creatures and will not try to interact with them.

wild animals don’t get used to humans by simply watching them.. they get used to humans because someone thinks they are cute and feeds them and encourages them to hang around… and thinks it’s cute to get the animal closer and to get it to play. Generally, they are not the one who suffers for that behavior because they are a food source.. but the next person who comes along without food and uses the same gestures often does pay.

And the animal is killed. Not because it wanted to hurt humans but because some idiot taught it to see humans as a food source.

ok.. i will get off this soapbox now:)

[Anonymous]

And, Job, for what it’s worth…. I obviously don’t know House (just like I don’t know anyone else on this site), but I’m pretty sure that House respects your opinion and perspective too. I really don’t think he would give you the time of day if he didn’t enjoy debating with you. It just seems to me that House responds to both you and Jan and not many other people on this site. All three of you have very insightful views and I know I enjoy reading all of your posts.

[Ken]

Like most Republicans, Justice Scalia suffers from the “24” fantasy.

For real info on what is and is not torture, visit this link:

http://smallwarsjournal.com/blog/2007/10/waterboarding-is-torture-perio/

What do I think of Western civilization? I think it would be a very good idea.

— Mohandas Gandhi

US Judge Scalia on ‘So-Called Torture’

“It seems to me you have to say, as unlikely as that is, it would be absurd to say you couldn’t, I don’t know, stick something under the fingernail, smack him in the face. It would be absurd to say you couldn’t do that,”

— Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

“I suppose it’s the same thing about so-called torture,” he said in the interview. “Is it really so easy to determine that smacking someone in the face to find out where he has hidden the bomb that is about to blow up Los Angeles is prohibited by the Constitution?

“Is it obvious, that what can’t be done for punishment can’t be done to exact information that is crucial to the society? I think it’s not at all an easy question, to tell you the truth.”

— Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

“Europeans get really quite self-righteous, you know, (saying) ‘no civilized society uses it.’ They used it themselves — 30 years ago,” he said, adding that a majority of Europeans probably supported capital punishment anyway.

— Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

“I don’t look to their law, why do they look to mine?” he said.

“We don’t pretend to be Western mullahs who decide what is right and wrong for the whole world,” he said in the broadcast.

— Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hSKKtDg6GlOtxvQADw_pW5FWEJ9wD8UP28A80

[JoB]

house and new resident…

i would add one thing to the health care part of this discussion… having health insurance does not guarantee coverage… pre-existing condition or not.

Not one of the medications i take nor the stop smoking medication that my hubby takes is covered under our health plan’s medication coverage. And their cost is substantial. so is the insurance:(

There is only one medication approved for my condition and i can’t take it. There is no “standard of care” at all. So, not a lot is covered.

We will have the option of changing insurance plans soon.. and we will, but there is no guarantee that my illness will be any better covered than it was with this plan.

For those with chronic illness… and there are a lot of Americans with chronic illness… not lack of character or bad lifestyle choices… chronic illness… health insurance doesn’t turn out to be much protection from the rising costs of health care… and yet we have to keep it because of the possibility of an accident or catastrophic illness. So, we pay for insurance and then we pay again for health care.

So when someone who obviously doesn’t know what they are talking about spouts rhetoric and blame at those of us who have to deal with the flaws in the system, we can get just a tadd cranky.

Believe me this wasn’t a choice i made. Nor was Ken’s a choice he made. Nor was JanS’s a choice she made.

Yet, this is what life sometimes throws at you.. and when it does, it would help to have the kind of coverage you thought you had created for yourself.

I certainly don’t consider myself a victim.. and my personal story isn’t such a bad one… but i believe it is true that people are being victimized… because of the assumptions made about how they could have coverage if they wanted to and how it is their own fault they don’t.

Think about it.. you get sick, you get blamed for for being ill, you really get blamed if you don’t get better, you get blamed for not having adequate insurance thru no fault of your own and then you get blamed for thinking that the whole thing just a bit unfair.

This, in a nutshell is why Americans need a Universal Health Care program and we could never have made the point as clearly as you two did.

I am assuming you just didn’t know because i don’t think anyone could intentionally be that rude or thoughtless about the suffering of others.

But you do now. And if you don’t believe me.. or anyone else who posts here… all you have to do is a little research and you will find that the facts have been understated… not overstated… here.

Of course, that will challenge your world view… but at least your opinions will be based on evidence, not misinformation and innuendo.

[JoB]

New resident.. i think you missed the part where Ken said that he was no longer on the medications he was taking which implied some sort of pre-existing condition… which doesn’t leave you the option of having your condition covered by health insurance and in many cases prevents employers from hiring you.

Yet, he still works. That doesn’t sound much like someone who considers themselves a victim to me.

Assumptions are dangerous. When we make assumptions like “anyone can be covered by health insurance if they choose to do so” we are generally doing so without all of the information.

And i doubt that he was being drastic when he said that he would die of a life threatening illness. Though he would be treated initially in the emergency room at great cost, he is unlikely to have the funds from self employment to cover the cost of his total care and it is is a fact that the rate of mortality from illness is much higher if you are uninsured.

It is obvious that these are truths which disturb you.. and which you would rather not hear.. but that doesn’t make them untrue.

[Anonymous]

I’m not going to get too involved in this thread for obvious reasons. I’ve learned from the past. I did want to say, though, that I think House was merely implying that there is always a way to handle particular situations. Just a little while after Ken wrote that he could not afford health insurance, someone gave him the name of a health care provider that seemed affordable. I think, if you choose to go into business for yourself, something you should maybe think about is how you are going to take of yourself. Ken obviously chose to become self-employed. If by doing that, you no longer can have or get health insurance and that is a big issue to you personally, maybe you should rethink your plan. I know House talked about “victims”. Maybe this is why. If you cannot provide yourself health insurance, don’t become self-employed and then talk about how unfair that is. Does that make any sense? I think Starbucks provides health insurance if you work only 20 hours a week. Maybe getting a small, second job that will provide your health insurance is an option. To say, though, that you will die of a life-threatening illness and that’s a fact, is very drastic. Especially because there are things you could do. There’s always other options.