SAR #15040

The ECB should be ashamed.

Caution, Adjectives: Now that we've managed to get rid of “managed care” - under which the insurance companies managed not to care for us – the new solution to our healthcare problems is “accountable care” - under which the accountants will be in charge of our health care. This is intended to differ from business as usual by increasing profits for insurance companies.

Moon Shot: Senators Lindsey Graham (War Bride, SC) and John McCain (Lunatic, AZ) are wandering around Europe selling subscriptions to a new big war in Ukraine with the goal of reducing much of the continent to rubble so the US can be great once more. Joe Biden is in favor of anything that will save son Beau's investments. Obama, a surprising voice of sanity, suggest the US should not “overreach” in starting more foreign wars. Meanwhile the Pentagon is lobbying for permission to”establish a presence” in space “without involving diplomacy.” Why space should be treated differently than Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and so on was not immediately clear.

Better Luck Next Time: Unfortunately, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has survived a no-confidence vote from his own party. Here's hoping the country survives the continuation of his rule. 
 
Compassion: Wyoming's GOP has joined Tennessee Republicans in rejecting billions of federal dollars to pay for extending healthcare to the poor in their state because of principles... Mainly that it's good for the poor to suffer.

Pot / Kettle: While the ECB, EU and IMF warn that Greece cannot survive without submitting to even more god-awful austerity, Greek Financial Minister Yanis Varoufakis has pointed out that the Eurozone will miss the Greeks when they're gone. And the suffering in Greece will be about the same either way, but just imagine what would happen if the idea of democracy becomes popular. Where would it end? 
 
Tel Aviv On The Potomac: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Israeli, FL) had pro-Palestinian activists removed from a Congressional hearing that had been called to find ways to punish the Palestinian Authority for joining the International Criminal Court.  The protesters were requesting the ICC review Israel and Israeli leaders for war crimes. 
 
On The Middle Eastern Front: As Kurdish forces push out from Kobane and retake nearly 100 villages from ISIS, ISIS fighters have fled into Turkey. The story here is not the triumph of the Kurdish forces, but the warm welcome Turkey extends to ISIS.

Just In: It has come to the UN's attention the the US global war on human rights terror does not justify torture, mass surveillance or secret courts interpreting secret laws. A court in the UK has ruled that the mass surveillance carried out by GCHQ is illegal. 
 
Footnote: Sure, the jobs report was terrific. But the celebration has gotten seriously out of hand. Note that only 44% of US adults now are employed full time. The percentage that actually have decent jobs at decent wages is much lower. And of course, cutting benefits has forced people to take crappy jobs at crappy wages. Two million are still working part-time involuntarily.

Surreal Punishment: The Texas branch of the NRA advocates empowering teachers to “use force against students in public schools, up to and including deadly force” so that local NRA members will not be forced to gun them down. 
 
Porn O' Graph: Oh, now I see the problem...