Thursday, October 27, 2016

SAR #16301


Suspecting your vote will not count is not the same as suspecting your vote will not be counted.
Being Prepared: As US Marines are deployed to Norway and US troops are sent to Poland “to stand guard on Russia's border”, NATO is calling for even more troops to bolster the largest military confrontation on Russia's borders since the end (temporary suspension?) of the Cold War. Russia, rather prudently, is upgrading the Baltic Fleet to counter NATO's unrelenting build-up in the region. While NATO presses for greater confrontation, Radio Free Europe (yes, that old and creaky US propaganda outlet still exists) reports that those nasty Russians think nuclear war might be a Good Thing. And all this because Russia didn't like the US backing the overthrow of their hand-picked guy.
Say Goodnight, Gracie: The Philippines Rodrigo Duterte says he wants “all foreign troops” out of the country, specifically US troops.
Ecumenicalism: The Vatican’s Treasurer is under investigation by Australian police in connection with child sex abuse allegations. Iran's top Qur'an reciter is accused of abusing young children and is 'defending' himself by threatening “to leak the names of 100 of Iran’s high profile officials also implicated in raping and molesting children.” ISIS financier Abu Mu’taz Qahtani, who was also in charge of IS female suicide bombers, has taken millions of dollars from the group's treasury and disappeared from Mosul.
Legalities: Pope Francis notes that ‘God promised the land to the people of Israel’ and recommends the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians be referred to binding ISDS arbitration.
Free Ride: Obamacare premiums are rising dramatically because too many sick people signed up for health insurance and then went and got actual health care. Because 83% of Obamacare enrollees receive government help in paying their premiums, the US taxpayer will pay the majority of these increases. Which is why the insurance companies can confidently jack up the costs.
New and Improved: In place of sovereigns and national sovereignty, now we have”Corporate Sovereignty.”
Metastasizing: The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer has instructed academic experts on a panel reviewing the effects of glyphosate (Roundup) not to release documents that show the chemical to be “probably carcinogenic."
Surgically: US-led air strikes have killed “at least” 300 Syrian civilians in the latest round of carefully targeted pin-point attacks.
A Parting Shot:

8 comments:

G-fan said...

Free Ride:Obamacare premiums are rising dramatically because too many sick people signed up for health insurance and then went and got actual health care. Because 83% of Obamacare enrollees receive government help in paying their premiums, the US taxpayer will pay the majority of these increases. Which is why the insurance companies can confidently jack up the costs.

So many questionable assumptions:
(Free Ride) Is it free with the large deductibles and co-pays?
(Got Health Care) Medical procedures/treatment do not equal health care, and often enough are detrimental to health.
(Why... jack up the costs): Nope, mostly it's because the market has already sieved out the players, and even in the most sucessful market, CA, most areas only have one player. Even a duopoly is usually rigged to stop competition. Finally, as insurance company profits are a "guaranteed but limited % of total charges, there is actually no incentive for them limit charges, rather perversely they want to see increased costs, particularly as many of their holding companies have bought hospitals and medical corporations as investments.

Gegner said...

'For profit' healthcare, ushered in with the Reagan administration, has been at the leading edge of societal collapse.

As goes healthcare, so goes the nation.

Charles Kingsley Michaelson, III said...

G-fan - Just to clarify, the 'free ride' was aimed at the insurers, not their captives.

McMike said...

I voted third party today. It felt great.

Try it! Don't overthink it. Just place your vote closest to the person/platform that best reflects your values.

See that wasn't so difficult.

There's no thirteen-dimensional chess involved. There's no fear-stoked abdication. There's no Lucy pranking Charlie with the football. And, best of all, there's no evil (lesser or less so) required.

Congratulations, you just exercised a pro-active, participatory, and unambiguous technique to refuse to endorse and validate our broken and corrupt (some might call "rigged") system, while supporting and strengthening a possible future closer to one of your liking.

How does it feel to stop moving away from things you fear and instead move towards something you value?

It's okay to bask in that strange feeling. It's called pleasure.

Charles Kingsley Michaelson, III said...

Or denial.

Gegner said...

Here, here! [or is it hear, hear?] CKM

McMike said...

Seems to me it's the people who vote for Hillary who are in denial.

(Unless they are socially-moderate, neoliberal, fracking war-hawks, who don't mind pathological lying and corruption, in which case they should be thrilled to have such a fine choice.)

McMike said...

One edit: remove pathological and replace with habitual. Pathological is a little strong.