I have read this piece a few times. The first time I was mildly interested and it was on the front page of the times web site.

The second time, it was because I assumed I had skipped over the part where the author linked low income to lack of medical care.

The third time was when I searched for key words to see if I could figure out whether the author was purposely misdirecting the premise, or the editors had removed "controversial" (ie: conflicts with Republican talking points) material from the piece.

I can't tell.

Counting Birthdays
The Short End of the Longer Life

http://www.nytimes.com/...

Read it for yourself and see if you spot whether the elephant was surgically removed with a blue pencil, or was never there at all.

The elephant I am talking about is Universal Health Care. I would have settled for any mention of either of the Dem candidates bastardized "Universal Health Insurance" talking points.

Even the most innocent sounding diary titles today are degenerating into name calling partisan primary wars.

It's all over but the voting, so step back and let it happen.

Kos needs to prepare to enforce anti conspiracy theory rules on both sides by evening.

The ignorance about the process and the variations in each state are one of the things that are floating to the top today despite all the detailed and informative post from various regional and state specific activists.

Just wait and see. There will be time tomorrow to excoriate  the silly brainless supporters of (insert candidate here).

Someone asked for the source of one of my quotes the other day and in searching for it I found the  original essay. The quote is the last paragraph. (see link)

In this current election cycle, it is a good idea to know the origins of some of the more baffling (to us) punitive, illogical and downright mean spirited themes, memes and policies being used by both the economic conservatives and the religious right. The following linked and excerpted essay appeared in Harpers Magazine in May of 2005, and traces the history of the rights seeming disdain for not poverty, but the poor, not work as much as those who have to work for a living wage.  Their insistence that wealth is a measure of piety, and the visceral rejection of any kind of safety net whether it be government or church sponsored and maintained, is made clear.

Let There Be Markets:The Evangelical Roots of Economics
GORDON BIGELOW / Harper's Magazine v.310, n.1860, 1may2005
http://www.mindfully.org/...

Two numbers snagged from another web site.

Verizon: 1-800-888-8448

Qwest: 1-800-422-1234 — option 4, then option 2

In theory these are the numbers to request that you be removed from the delivery list for phone books.

Your mileage may vary.

I have tried to get verizon to stop sending me phone books in the past and they show up again the next year even though I have never had phone service with verizon.

As a matter of fact, In 15 years of dealing with telcos both personally and professionally, not once has a representative from Verizon ever told me the truth about any damn thing.

Sign the petition
http://www.paperlesspetition.org/

Seems to have tipped their own server over. Cenk posted that info on their absence would be on a video to be posted at noon. (Pacific)

Perhaps they under estimated their servers load since the url will ping but it is answering no SYN requests and therefore returning no pages. I hope those more local to the site (which is apparently in NYC) can access the video.

Perhaps AAR owns the stream?

This may be too short for a diary, but I am wondering if anyone has info on why "The Young Turks Show" is playing repeats and the last post Google finds on the show site and the web in general seems to be from the 12th of December. I listen everyday and heard no announcement of impending vacation or holiday.

Does anyone have any info?

One poster on the YT site is tying possible scenarios to a Rachel Madow producers break in statement indicating that any discussion of drinking on air is not tolerated but he could not say why.

Cenk apparently indicated he was drinking a beer on the air on Tuesday to celebrate the anniversary of the repeal of prohibition.

Damifino.

Update: Cenk has posted on TYT web site.

http://www.theyoungturks.com/...

Still cryptic but he assures there will be a show on Monday.

http://www.wikileaks.org/...

Joint Task Force Guantanamo (JTF-GTMO) standard operating procedures (SOP) for Camp Delta (Guantanamo Bay prison). This is the primary document for the operation of Guantanamo bay, including the securing and treatment of detainees. The document is extensive and includes, in addition to text various forms, identity cards and even Muslim burial instructions. It is signed by Major General Miller, who Donald Rumsfeld later sent to Abu Ghraib to "Gitmoize it". The document is also the subject of an ongoing legal action between the ACLU, which has been trying to obtain it, and the Department of Defense, which has withheld it in full (see http://www.aclu.org/...

Washington post article title:

Persistence of Myths Could Alter Public Policy Approach

It has been the fashion recently to assign almost magical powers to Karl Rove and the various spin-doctors of the right. Perhaps this article and study indicate either another facet of our evolution (like the flickering tv parable in Al Gore's book) or a more recent result of being a part of the first 5 generations to grow up totally immersed in an advertising/public relations driven culture. I am not sure the study addresses or could address the latter, but the former theory is supported by our history and the use that social control mechanisms like religion have been put to by those who would control the masses. It may also contribute to much of the misunderstanding among the religious right concerning that ancient list of negatives known as the ten commandments.

The entire article is here
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...

And an excerpted block quote (3 paragraph) is over the fold.

Image test for my own amusement

The Fremont Troll is 18 feet (5.5 m) high, weighs two tons (1814 kg), and is made of steel rebar, wire and ferroconcrete.  

Excerpt:
The difficult prospects for Republicans in 2008 explain much of today's politics.
The 2006 midterm elections are so critical because the mandate key turns on the
outcome. The president and Republicans in Congress have pushed for the "nuclear
option" to end judicial filibusters by majority vote because this is likely their last chance
to fill the Courts with reliable conservatives. And the president is bucking public opinion
on the rewriting of Social Security to win the pivotal Policy Change Key 7 for 2008.
-- Allan J. Lichtman

http://www.forecastingprinciples.com/...
After the fold...

Strong or Smart: If ya had to pick one...

Which would you choose?

 A leader that's "strong" on national security? (In the way repubs apparently understand it)ie. Uses the tactics of fear and intimidation, refuses to talk let alone negotiate, unable to acknowledge mistakes, or that the political or military situation has changed, stubborn refusal to listen to experienced professional advice from anyone in the reality based community,
or
one that's "smart and strong" on national security... as in knowledgeable about history, military science and tactics, has negotiated directly with heads of state to end a war, and is respected by millions of Muslims around the world.

So...

Shall we get a bid from them on stopping the Genocide in Darfur? And start raising money? Get the quote and divide the cost among KOS members? Ridiculous on the surface perhaps but then again... Why not?

Private army is ready for hire, company says
By Bill Sizemore

The Virginian-Pilot

NORFOLK, Va. -- Stepping into a potential political minefield, Blackwater USA is offering itself as an army for hire to police the world's trouble spots.

I re read this every 6 months or so and find more understanding of current events.

A Fascist Philosopher Helps Us Understand Contemporary Politics
By ALAN WOLFE

To understand what is distinctive about today's Republican Party, you first need to know about an obscure and very conservative German political philosopher. His name, however, is not Leo Strauss, who has been widely cited as the intellectual guru of the Bush administration. It belongs, instead, to a lesser known, but in many ways more important, thinker named Carl Schmitt.