Morning Seditionists

I don’t know if it’s a guy thing or not, but I’ve never given a crap about weddings. I didn’t care when Luci Bird married whoever the hell it was she married, or when Tricia married that Cox guy, or when Diana married Prince Jughead or even when Jen married Brad. If I hear that somebody I actually know is getting married (though, at this phase of my life, people I know are a lot more likely to die than get married), my first thought is usually, “oh Christ, I hope they don’t invite me” (my second thought, of course, is “I hope they have an open bar at the reception”). So it should come as no surprise that I really don’t give a flying frack about Chelsea Clinton getting married today. (more…)

45 years ago today, LBJ signed the Social Security Act of 1965 into law, creating Single Payer health care for the 65 and over crowd. At the bill-signing ceremony, Johnson enrolled Harry S. Truman as the first Medicare beneficiary (Bess was second), and presented him with the first ever Medicare card. Among other things, this means that I’m older than Medicare, which is a somewhat somber realization. Even more somber (downright depressing, even), is the fact that, in four and a half decades, we never bothered to extend Medicare to everybody as a “perk” of being an American. Because trying to ensure the health of our citizens is decidedly un-American, I guess (very European, though, like legislated vacation and subsidized child care. Friggin’ commies). Much like unemployment benefits only encourage people to be drug-ingesting coach potatoes, health care benefits only encourage people to be slackers. Or something. I dunno. All I know is we’ll never get Single Payer in my lifetime, because, as Illinois Senator Barack Obama once said, “first we have to take back the White House, we have to take back the Senate, and we have to take back the House.” And that aint gonna happen, ‘cuz “we” won’t ever get the Republicans and Democrats out of the government. But, hey, Happy Birthday to Medicare anyway!

A bit of a surprise in the vote for the new troop surge in Afghanistan (or to Afghanistan, I guess), as my congresscritter, who – though I knew he was no Dennis Kucinich, and although he is better than the Republican turd he replaced – has been a disappointment thus far, voted against the $33 billion in new war funding. So, good for you, Dan. But your stance on Net Neutrality and your failure to push for Single Payer still sucks, so no more money from me. (more…)

The reprieve from the hot and humid weather we’ve been having ends today, as it’s expected to get back up into the 90’s. I’m really not looking forward to the new climate patterns that are coming, though I suppose being beach front property will be good for tourism. Still, I may have to get more serious above moving to Canada before I get so old they won’t take me. Either that, or quit my bitchin’. (more…)

In a move certain to bring the wrath of Jobs down on him, the Librarian of Congress – James H. Billington – yesterday announced a new ruling on US Copyright law, declaring that it’s OK to hack your iPhone to run non-Apple approved apps, or even use a different wireless provider. (more…)

Some blessed relief from the heat and humidity that’s not as bad here as it is in other places so I won’t complain about about it but it’s really sucked this summer. Yesterday was a beautiful day, and today is supposed to be just as nice (which will bring me great comfort as I sit in my windowless office all day). After a humid (though not quite a horribly hot) and rainy Saturday, I finally got to try out my new electric lawnmower yesterday. I really like the fact that it’s incredibly light and really, really quiet, and there’s no farting around with gas or oil or trying to start it, but there’s no getting around the fact that the cord is a pain in the ass. Especially in the front yard. The big problem is when you change direction. The cord stays on one side, so you have to figure out how to step over it and let it shift over and not run over it. I finally settled on putting it across my shoulder and around my neck. You just need to turn the same way every time to avoid getting strangled. I reckon I’ll get it figgered out (or winter will get here – whichever comes first). (more…)

Today on Press the Meat, it’s Tim Geithner. Maybe he’ll tell us who he’s chosen to head the Consumer Protection Bureau. Then it’s a roundtable with NY Times weenie David Brooks, the WaPost’s E.J. Dionne, former White House Communications Director Anita Dunn, National Urban League President Marc Morial and teabag founder Rick Santelli. (more…)

So, Stanley McChrystal officially retired yesterday, I guess. How long before he’s an “anal-yst” for Fux News, telling the teabag faithful how Obama is doing everything all wrong? (more…)

Barack Obama keeps writing to me. At first I kinda liked it, you know? But then I got tired of it, and now it’s just kind of annoying. I didn’t even bother to read this one. The subject was “Change,” so I’m assuming he’s trying to tell me he’s changed and from now on things’ll be different. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I might start to get my hopes up, but in the end he’ll just hit me up for money, and then I’ll realize yet again what a fool I am for thinking he could change. It’s not that I hate you or anything, Barry. Honest. I’m just not that into you any more. I mean, when we first met – even though I knew you weren’t the “perfect” man (hey, who is, right?), I thought you were really cool, and I hoped I could change you. But that never works, does it? And now we’ve just kind of drifted apart. We just don’t seem to have anything in common anymore. (more…)