"...No choice..."

Anyone else look at that and see the rather overt threat that I see?

I hate that arrogant asshole.

You put it there in the first place

The irony just drips from this bit;

"Democrats launched a drive at both ends of the Capitol on Wednesday to strip the insurance industry of its decades-old exemption from federal antitrust laws, part of an increasingly bare-knuckled struggle over landmark health care legislation sought by President Barack Obama."

Quaint concept, since rigging stuff is something that's usually right up their alley.

The piece continues, with Moron-in-Charge in the Senate Finance Committee having this to say;

"If enacted, the change would put an end to "price-fixing, bid-rigging and market allocation in the health and medical malpractice" insurance areas, said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.,"

I couldn't finish the rest.

It's funny to think about what kind of Pandora's Box these people just can't realize that they're opening.

Maybe it'll actually mean some real competition, in the end.

We can only hope.

Which is it?

The title on the front page said one thing;

"Obama offers Sudan incentives to end genocide,"

but the link said something entirely different,

"US unveils new policy of engagement with Sudan."

So, what is it, are we paying them off, or are we doing what LibDems do best, Talk!?

I can hear Barry saying it right now, "Hey Omar, here's a fiver, and, could stop killing all those ethnic Nubians, thanks?"

Stoopid S.O.B. probably thinks it'll work, too.

Sec State Liberal Bitch had this to say about the situation,

"We are looking to achieve results through broad engagement and frank dialogue,"

and,

"But words alone are not enough...Assessment of progress and decisions regarding incentives and disincentives will be based on verifiable changes in conditions on the ground."

I can promise you that there will be little in the way of any real progress, to be sure.

And to show exactly how serious The State Department is, they've got this to say about how they are willing to deal with the government in Khartoum;

"A senior State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said US diplomats would engage with Sudanese government officials but not directly with President Omar al-Beshir, who faces war crimes charges over Darfur. "We have no intention of talking with President Beshir...We think he should get himself a good lawyer... and face the charges."

I sure he's just quaking in his sandles about that one.

Susan Rice, US ambassador to the United Nations, thinks harsh language is going to be enough too, as she, "warned of "significant consequences" for any parties in Sudan who failed to live up to their promises and said there would be "no rewards" for the status quo."

And the raping, government-backed hordes liked the status quo just fine, but are going to like this "Hope and Change" non-sense even more, it seems;

"A top adviser to President Beshir welcomed the change of tack by the Obama administration."Compared to previous policies there are positive points... we don't see the extreme ideas and suggestions which we used to see in the past," Ghazi Salaheddin told reporters. "I will say it is a strategy of engagement, not a strategy of isolation."

Because it means that the goatherd-cum-dictator gets to keep offing his opposition, so long as there isn't any real repercussion from his ongoing actions.

When is this dolt (yes, Barry) scheduled to get run out of town, again?

What won't these people do?

As Billy Beck might say, "Who are these people, certainly not Americans."

I'm shaking my head, in utter amazement.

H/T to Og, via Tam.

Details are the cornerstones to civilization

The base story is funny, at least it is to me, however, it's tone is far from comical, it's downright serious.

Pay attention closely to this, from The Freeholder himself, Mike Williamson;

"As has been mentioned here recently, most westerners don't really grasp how essential modern plumbing, from water to sewage systems, are to modern society. Without them, large cities are simply impossible, and small housing lots lead quickly to the type of pestilences that wiped out large areas of Europe and Asia during various plagues. Bacterial infections can reduce populations in a matter of days."

I've told people around me that there are a few items that people simply should not live without. One of those is toilet paper. The simple relationship here should be obvious.

This is surprising how, exactly?

Isn't this a prime example of what is called, The Tail wagging the Dog?

Barry and his minions set this up to make it all look like it wasn't him who was actually, ya know, pushing for socialized medicine, but that he was just taking up the torch for certian "business concerns" within the country.

He gets to play the role of hero, ya see, just like his lapdogs in the media want it.

All the World's a Stage, right?

Fuck the lot of them.

Snowe toes her party line

Nothing shocking here.

Move along.

"Add some weight to those shackles!," I hear, from not-so-far.

'Nuff said.

Whole world's gone off its rocker

Yet, consider that some of the more recent winners include such persons as Yasser Arafat, Brother Jimmeh and, excuse me, Al Fucking Gore, I'd say he's in almost perfect company.

Much is being made, and rightly so, of the submission deadline not exactly squaring with the supposed reasons for The One actually doing any sort of dead in earning said prize.

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark, or as it is, Norway.

Is there really anything left to say?

Need a new building? Hire a gardener!

At least, that's what's going on down in Athens, Alabama right now, the City Council having, apparently, given a notice to proceed to a firm hired to design a building or two, except, the firm's principals aren't actually architects.

Oops.

There are currently some revisions afoot in Birmingham, for consideration by the Legislature there, for amending state law, allowing this kind of thing to become legal.

Anyone see how my objection (as usual) at institutionalization of these kinds of matters, that being by force of law, isn't really very effective at the disposition of good solutions?

Beuhler?

I've never been given to the idea that a license necessarily implies any form of competence, no matter what field, but (and this is a big but), this is kinda like getting your mechanic to perform your appendectomy.

Caveat emptor, or something.

Teeth-Grinding, Jaw-Breaking madness

This is the part that gave my blood-pressure a sudden surge,

"...Perhaps compromising on accuracy is a necessary evil...is this really the right way for scientists to go? With climate change, perhaps the end justifies the means... given Gore's success and the prevalence of scientific illiteracy, it remains an interesting path to consider."

And, in perfect contradiction to that way of "thinking," we get a reply from Dr. Sanity, illustrating the inherent lunacy with that remark,

"In other words: truth is irrelevant, lying is perfectly ok, and "compromising on accuracy is a necessary evil" --particularly when it is some important issue like climate change...or any other issue deemed important for social policy by the political left. It is, after all, for our own good! A 'greater good' !"

Well played.

The rest of Kevin's piece is just right-on, as usual.

Oh, and Kant was a stupid mush-head, and distinctly anti-intellectual.

What's wrong with this headline?

Government to consumers?

Makes it sound as though it's the Gummint playing the role of benevolent dictator to me, granting people the luxury of keeping warm, or something.

The real reason, or course, is current market conditions, coupled with abundant stores, which resulted from, "lower fuel costs across the board."

You know, that adage about buying low and selling high thing? It works.

MSM needs to be taught how to write a decent headline.