How to Read Insurers' Reaction to Supreme Court Decision to Learn What They Plan to Do Next

Thank you Mr. Potter. Now I know exactly why I had very mixed feelings about this ruling.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Stop Calling it a Sex Scandal

Dear media: Learn the difference between abuse and sex -- otherwise, you're sensationalizing violence and rape
Salon / By Mary Elizabeth Williams via Alternet

the most reasoned, rational response to the SC ruling on Obamacare

Supreme Court Health Care Decision: Individual Mandate Survives

I've never been so pleased that my predicitions were wrong.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Individual mandate.

Supreme Court Health Care Decision Will Define The Future Of The American Health Care System
Posted: 06/27/2012 12:36 pm Updated: 06/27/2012 2:40 pm

Crap. Without the individual mandate Obamacare will fail. Congratulations Republican tools for the health insurance companies, you're destroying the country, but hey, your goal of hurting Obama just may work.


Fucking fucks.


Obamacare Opponents Are Fat Cats Masquerading As Small Business
"Small businesses don't give multi-million-dollar contributions."
June 27, 2012 |

This action by the Supreme Court may backfire though:

"...Buttressing that theory, retiring conservative Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) warned Wednesday that, “If they strike down the mandate, the Supreme Court will be paving the way to a single-payer system, or back to the old broken health care system - neither of which are good for Nebraskans.”..."
TPM

Gawd I hate the Robert's Court. Arrogant, corporate owned and operated assholes. Not that I think the individual mandate is a great thing, here's part of the reason why:


Flip-flop on Healh-Care Reform Casts President as Modern-Day Julius Caesar
by WENDELL POTTER on JUNE 25TH, 2012

Mitt Romney Billed $10,000 By Newport Beach, Calif. To Cover Cost Of Officer Overtime

I love this article. I needed something to make me laugh today :)
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Taibbi

The Scam Wall Street Learned From the Mafia
How America's biggest banks took part in a nationwide bid-rigging conspiracy - until they were caught on tape

"...The banks achieved this gigantic rip-off by secretly colluding to rig the public bids on municipal bonds, a business worth $3.7 trillion....

...In fact, stripped of all the camouflaging financial verbiage, the crimes the defendants and their co-conspirators committed were virtually indistinguishable from the kind of thuggery practiced for decades by the Mafia, which has long made manipulation of public bids for things like garbage collection and construction contracts a cornerstone of its business...."


Read the whole thing, Taibbi is a master at cutting through the bullshit,  explaining complex and tedious things in sometimes salty, oftentimes humorous language, which I for one greatly appreciate.


You know?  It just dawned on me that I absolutely loathe movies and tv shows about the mafia.  And I loathe banksters.  Hmmm.

My saviors from reading more Romney crap

Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney.  Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney.  Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney, Romney.


Jebus I'm sick of that doof. That rich, greedy tool of the rich and greedy can go fuck himself. Job creators?  Nonsense, that shithead destroyed a shitload of American jobs and made beaucoup bucks doing it.  


 I'm sick of the ridiculous charade that national politics is, especially Presidential election politics. The only way I can stand to look for some article that is remotely interesting and is mildly political in nature is to listen to Blue Gal and Driftglass on the Professional Left Podcast. I found myself impatiently wating for it yesterday and then I thought I would hold off and save it for this morning's coffee on the porch.


Here's part of my view when I sit there.




And I was pleasantly surprised to hear those two talk about themselves and how they came to do the podcast.

Supreme Court: U.S. Chamber Of Commerce Undefeated This Term

Yup, I knew who these jokers were playing golf with.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

U.S. Financial Professionals Call for Transaction Tax

interpress service /news report
Published: Friday 22 June 2012

"...The tax would cover stock trading, derivatives and other financial instruments, but, proponents say, would have a significant impact only on so-called high-frequency trades, in which computer-driven speculators typically hold stocks for mere milliseconds..."


"...In May, however, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to set a blanket tax on trades at .1 percent and on derivatives at .01 percent. Several EU countries are now reportedly ready to move forward, either collectively or individually, led by Germany and France..."

".01% on deriviatives?"

 Are you fucking kidding me? Why are those those fucking things still legal?

Health Insurance Interests Invest Heavily in California Campaigns

by Linda Casey, April 19, 2012
FollowTheMoney

How Many More Mexicans Must Die for America's Drugs?

Thank you Mr. Drucker for telling it like it is.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

SCOTUS sides with big bidness again, what a surprise...

not.


SCOTUS Overrules 2nd Cir on Pharmaceutical Sales Rep Overtime Pay
By Robyn Hagan Cain on June 19, 2012 3:04 PM

"Ethos"

Streaming on Netflix now. A documentary worth watching. Or watch here. (beware, there are preznit Stupie McFuckwit clips in it, and that fucktard still pisses me off)

Gardener Sues City of Tulsa For Cutting Down Her Edible Garden

at Treehugger
Ramon Gonzalez
Living / Lawn & Garden
June 18, 2012

"...Everything that Morrison grew could be eaten. At the time the gardener was unemployed and not covered by insurance. She used her garden not only to feed herself, but to treat her diabetes, high-blood pressure and arthritis. According to Morrison, when she explained this to the enforcement officials she was told “we don’t care.” Morrison has filed a civil rights lawsuit arguing that the enforcement officials overstepped their bounds..."





Well, Law enforcement organizations are doing pretty well ensuring that the rights of BigPharma and Food Inc.'s rights to screw us endlessly are not violated.


I'm sure somebody who spent time in law enforcement will comment that I didn't understand this story and then give me the neatly compartmentalized version of what happened.


Fine.


Geometric cubby hole thinking and an emphasis on capitalistic endeavors without counting the human (and other species) cost is what's fucking this planet and everything trying to live on it.


Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery Talk Dark Money With Bill Moyers
—By Monika Bauerlein and Clara Jeffery| Fri Jun. 15, 2012 5:00 PM PDT

Has the Drug Industry's Grip On Health Care Become a Pharmageddon?


Published on Saturday, June 16, 2012 by Rolling Stone
Senators Grovel, Embarrass Themselves at Dimon Hearing
by Matt Taibbi

Squeeze us some more why doncha?

Published on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 by RobertReich.org
Why The Economy Can’t Get Out of First Gear: The Rich Have Sucked It Dry
by Robert Reich

"...If you have any doubt, just take a look at the Survey of Consumer Finances, released Monday by the Federal Reserve. Median family income was $49,600 in 2007. By 2010 it was $45,800 – a drop of 7.7%..."

"...Bottom line: The American economy is still struggling because the vast American middle class can’t spend more to get it out of first gear..."


Published: Friday 15 June 2012
See You at the Club: Fed Fat Cats Dip Into the Till
Robert Scheer - Truthdig

The Fed backed the bailout of Citigroup, the result of deals dreamed up by Dimon, who before his JPMorgan days had teamed with Sanford Weill to merge privately held investment firms with government-insured commercial banks, which would have been illegal under the Glass-Steagall law.

"... Dimon—whose company last year paid him $24 million, compared to the $45,800 median U.S. family income—testified that the bank could manage its own affairs. But that is hardly reassuring given that the Fed provided JPMorgan Chase $391 billion in total assistance as well as paying the bank to administer the government’s emergency lending program. It was the Fed that back in March of 2008 made $29 billion available to Dimon’s bank so it could acquire beleaguered Bear Stearns; the Fed also agreed to purchase Bear Stearns’ most toxic assets before the merger..."

Hmmm, wonder which consumers will actually buy this article?

Swiss bankers drop holiday plans on fear of arrest
MARTIN DE SA’PINTO AND EMMA FARGE
Zurich and Geneva — Reuters
Published Thursday, Jun. 14 2012, 3:41 PM EDT
Last updated Thursday, Jun. 14 2012, 4:52 PM EDT


After all...

The Greeks today

WEEKEND EDITION JUNE 15-17, 2012
Greeks Face Momentous Elections
Left Threat Terrifies Bankers: Out of the Eurozone, Into Bankruptcy?
by PATRICK COCKBURN
Athens

"As Greeks prepare to vote in the most important election in their history on Sunday, people in Athens fear they are facing a future full of uncertainty, poverty and violence. Well-publicized crimes help create an atmosphere of violence as the wealthy and vulnerable immigrants alike come under attack..."


I never thought I'd be glad to hear that Papou wasn't visiting his home country at the moment.


Man it's cold today.  Halfway through June and it's ususally the hottest part of the day and it's 65 ° outside.  According to this the  La Nina event has concluded. Whatever. I'm freezing my ass off today.

I've known this for years

Rio+20 Earth summit: scientists call for action on population
Joint report by 105 institutions urges negotiators to drop political inhibitions and confront rising global population and consumption

Jonathan Watts in Rio de Janeiro
The Guardian, Wednesday 13 June 2012

"...Many in the scientific community believe it is time to confront these elephants in the room. "For too long population and consumption have been left off the table due to political and ethical sensitivities. These are issues that affect developed and developing nations alike, and we must take responsibility for them together," said Charles Godfray, a fellow of the Royal Society and chair of the working group of IAP, the global network of science academies..."

Human-Induced Ocean Warming Study Addresses The 'Dominant Role' Of People

"Despite the ominous findings, some politicians are still attempting to project an element of doubt on issues surrounding human-induced climate change"



Can you say 'campaign contributions?'
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Wall Street Does Not Care About JPMorgan's Loss

Of COURSE they don't care. They are gambling with other people's money and no matter how badly they screw up the taxpayers get stuck paying off their bad bets.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Supreme Court Declines Guantanamo Bay Cases: It's Been 4 Years Of Silence

Come on, who remembers the days when the Supreme Court was interested in citizen's rights instead of advancing the wealth of the already wealthy? You know, like 50 years ago?
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

I am getting apathetic about elections

Although, I did vote. Love the absentee voting, more people should do it
here . It's easy.



Election Night Website Attack Came From Offshore IP Address, Officials Say
Friday, June 8, 2012
By CITY NEWS SERVICE

"Finding the ultimate source of an off-shore cyber attack on San Diego County's main website on election night will be a huge challenge, an expert at the Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego said today..."

COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO
PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY ELECTION
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
THESE RESULTS ARE UNOFFICIAL
Last updated on: 06-07-12 at: 16:54:51
There are approximately 108000 Absentee / Provisional ballots still to be counted

What Does Our Obsession With Zombie Stories Tell Us About Our Politics
By Kristin Rawls, AlterNet
Posted on June 6, 2012, Printed on June 8, 2012

"...A year ago, a CBS poll suggested that, “Americans have long felt they have little say in government. But the trends are troubling: While 58 percent said they have little say in what government does in 1990, that figure has risen to 69 percent today. In the new survey, 85 percent say that people like them had too little influence on American life.”

Political alienation in the United States, in other words, has never been higher. A staggering 85 percent of Americans did not feel that American politics allowed them much in the way of participation..."

House Republicans Vote To Defund Obama Immigration Efforts

Oh boy, another vote I can loathe my hopefully on his way out in Nov. congressman.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

All 67 Florida Election Supervisors Suspend Governor Rick Scott’s Voter Purge

All 67 Florida Election Supervisors Suspend Governor Rick Scott’s Voter Purge
By Judd Legum on Jun 2, 2012 at 12:08 pm

More Corporate Contradictions on Climate

"The Corporation" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z-JVP6aAxs
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Female circumcision

I recently watched a movie called Desert Flower, which was based on the life story of Waris Dirie, a Somalian emigrant to England.  I loved the movie, but the horror of what happens to many girls made me cry. I knew something of this practice as I have a lot of experience working alongside immigrants and I am a naturally curious person. I dunno why, but people talk to me. I've been told that I don't judge harshly, but you might not know it by reading this blog. I suppose I don't judge poor people nearly as harshly as the rich, powerful, greedy, and entitled. Anyway, I met a girl who told me that this had happened to her in her home country in Africa. She was grateful that the family had emigrated and her younger sisters had escaped her fate. I remember that she had the most beautiful smile and many admirable qualities.  I met her and she told me her story years before Waris Dirie shined an international spotlight on the practice in order to try and stop, or at least reduce it.


That is why this article caught my eye this morning:

The horror of female genital mutilation in the UK
An estimated 66,000 girls have been illegally mutilated in the UK, but no one has yet been prosecuted for this practice.
Last Modified: 30 May 2012 15:50
Aljazeera

"...The poisonous power of patriarchy
Female Genital Mutilation is without a doubt powered by the poison of patriarchy. In a FGM affected community, there is a fundamental belief that mutilation is the only way to initiate a girl into becoming a "good woman" ready for marriage and childbirth. The bitter irony is that the very process of FGM is achieving the exact opposite. Removing part of a girl or a woman's anatomy, disturbing and forcefully changing the way her body is intended to function not only takes away her femininity, but biologically changes the composition that makes her into the woman that she naturally is intended to be. Women across the world are torturing other women to accommodate and appease an ideology and distorted history of male supremacy. FGM is practiced to satisfy the wishes of a patriarchal family structure, but in reality the men distance themselves from the procedure of the practice, maintaining a dominating presence in the "background" and are not concerned enough with the consequences to stop inflicting this depravity onto their daughters...."

Many immigrants have traditions that they bring with them that are charming and sweet.  This is not one of them.  This one brings with it pain and suffering and dangerously unhealthy side effects to its victims:

" It is not uncommon in some cases for a woman's vulva to be stitched up, leaving just a small opening for urine and menstrual blood to pass through, before the woman is then re-opened for sexual intercourse and childbirth...."

 It brings nausea and anger to me and frankly it makes me want knock some of these ignorant, selfish men and stupid old women upside the head to knock some sense into them. These women need to buck up and learn the power of what my mom calls "equalizers." Things like cast iron frying pans, and artfully leveraged tools, 'cause the bastard's gotta sleep some time. Ladies, your biggest tools are the truth told to the right people, and education. Being a good wife is not by definition being repeatedly raped or submitting to some selfish, stupid, cowardly piece of shit, and that's exactly what men who favor this practice are:

"There is no endorsement of FGM in the Bible, the Tanakh or Quran."

Bailing out Germany: The Story Behind the European Financial Crisis

Posted by Pratap Chatterjee on May 28th, 2012
CorpWatch Blog
Translation: The Rich Get Richer. Stop Poverty Wages! (Photo of Blocupy poster: linkskreativ. Photo of Euro: Slolee. Used under Creative Commons license)

"...In reality, a large chunk of the bailouts are for debts created by private banks in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain borrowing abroad – for speculative real estate schemes and such like - not by shopkeepers, small entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens. And a surprisingly big chunk of the rash loans were handed out by private (and some public) banks in just four countries: France, Germany, the UK and Belgium (in that order)..."

Charles Taylor Sentenced: Judge Gives Former Liberian President 50 Years In Jail

Televangelist Pat Robertson didn't have any trouble dealing with Taylor:

"The subsequent investigation by the Commonwealth of Virginia concluded that Robertson diverted his ministry's donations to the Liberian diamond-mining operation, but Attorney General of Virginia Mark Earley blocked any potential prosecution against Robertson, as the relief supplies were also sent.[12]" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Taylor_(Liberian_politician)#Civil_war
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

Peter Cincotti "Nothing's Enough" / Produced by John Fields

Rough stink bug

 This, from what I found floating floating round on the internet thingy, is a Rough Stink Bug. Not to be confused with a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, because the two look unnervingly similiar on this web page, but not very close at all if you look at my bug (good bug).  Well, I hope it's a good bug and not a bad one.