PAUL RANTS

Posted by Paul at May 30th, 2007

Here’s a great piece: Andrew Sullivan on al Qaeda’s ‘enabler‘, President George W. Bush.

When an Islamic jihadist finally detonates a nuclear device in the United States, we can look back at what our leaders did since 9/11 to assure that would happen. Our unmatched potential for intelligence and finesse in fighting terrorism has been obliterated by Bush and his sledge hammer of unprovoked mayhem and incompetence. If our mere presence in Saudi Arabia inspired Osama Bin laden to launch 9/11, imagine what the Bush policies of the last several years have now sown.

UPDATE: Report: al-Qaida Has Regained Strength. And no, not in Iraq.

Posted by Paul at May 29th, 2007

Featured at the Miss Universe pagent in Mexico City:

This year’s contest was marked by controversy, with a handful of Mexicans booing (Miss USA, Rachel) Smith in the run-up to the finals because of what they saw as U.S. unfriendliness toward illegal immigrants. - Reuters

Talk about misplaced anger. Nevermind the handful of Mexican billionaires who keep the rest of their country in utter poverty. Or the U.S. government’s split personality on what to do about the influx. Let’s boo a young woman whose whole life to that moment has been about finding the right dress and how to grin (But apparently not how to walk. Maybe all that booing rattled her). Hey, I should go to a hockey game and boo some Canadian players. Yeah, that’s it: Come on, hockey players, with all your skating back and forth. My government’s been hijacked by corporatist war mongers. I want to live in Canada and get free healthcare. Boo!! BOO!!!

Posted by Paul at May 26th, 2007

Have you ever seen one of these things in your salad or Chinese food? Little tiny baby corn cobs, about the size of your pinky finger. They don’t taste like anything, but they sure are crunchy. Personally, I don’t enjoy eating as much as I do looking at them. Don’t bother to boil, barbecue, or butter baby corn cobs (not that I’ve tried). You’ll end up with some tasteless mush. For some reason, you can’t find them in the produce section (too easy to steal?), only with the canned vegetables. What I’d really like to know is this: are there little baby cornstalks growing somewhere, in a little tiny cornfield??

OK, Here’s the Straight Dope on baby corn.

Posted by Paul at May 15th, 2007

From the painfully obvious file: U.S. Healthcare expensive, inefficient: report.

(Also, there’s a whole lot of cars in Los Angeles, and the sky is blue.)

It would be nice to have a German style healthcare system that doesn’t deplete your net worth. The next president may just bring that about (if she doesn’t cave in like last time). Currently, my employer pays over $300 a month for basic inefficient HMO coverage (co-pays not included). Regardless of what it says in the above article, state-of-the-art healthcare does exist in the U.S., but strictly for those both extravagant and wealthy enough to pay the price.

UPDATE: Woman bleeds to death on emergency room floor

Click here to lobby for universal healthcare in California (Hat tip: Sister Patti)

Posted by Paul at May 8th, 2007

The American people have wanted change in Iraq, and they got it. The President announced a new policy on January 10th that was quite different and divergent from where we were before. … I understand that they might not agree with the President’s policy, but there is a new one, and it’s been implemented according to General Petraeus and many others on the ground. — Dana Perino, White House Press Secretary

If only we had been more specific. When the American people voted in Novemeber 2006, we asked for something different in Iraq. We asked for a new direction (Well, an escalation is a new direction… right?). What we got is more, more of what the voters didn’t like, but at least it’s more, and because it’s more, it’s different — a more refined level of complete disaster. More troops in harm’s way, longer tours of duty, more dead. More standing on the sidelines while an unaccountable leader does the opposite of the public will… only moreso.

UPDATE: Surge going swimmingly