Thoughts in October 2014: Flu Vaccines, Political Example-Stories, Confederate Ghosts in the Fog, and Mobile, Alabama memories

“Down in Mobile they’re all crazy, because the Gulf Coast is the kingdom of monkeys, the land of clowns, ghosts and musicians, and Mobile is sweet lunacy’s county seat.”—Eugene Walter So I was in Mobile, AL, a port city as complex as it is old, the Confederacy’s “undefeated” city, and my hometown, and I move … Continue reading “Thoughts in October 2014: Flu Vaccines, Political Example-Stories, Confederate Ghosts in the Fog, and Mobile, Alabama memories”

That Time Mobile, AL Made The Front Page of the New York Times

And how The Times missed the story It’s not exactly surprising that the New York Times missed the story: their writers too often cling to conventional wisdom like a drunk grabbing a lamppost, not for illumination as much as desperately-needed support.  Don’t get me wrong, the Times sometimes has great coverage and is valuable as one of the … Continue reading “That Time Mobile, AL Made The Front Page of the New York Times”

Mitt Romney: Can You Help Us, Mr. Fix It? (Part 2)

Continuing my comments on Mitt Romney’s “very ample safety net” statement on CNN; see the first half of my post: Mitt Romney: Can You Help Us, Mr. Fix It? (Part 1)… So, as I said in Part 1, it’s very important to assess presidential candidates in a just and fair manner, and too often the … Continue reading “Mitt Romney: Can You Help Us, Mr. Fix It? (Part 2)”

Mitt Romney: Can You Help Us, Mr. Fix It? (Part 1)

  So, there’s been a dust up over Mitt Romney’s “I’m not concerned about the very poor” comments on CNN.  A lot of the blogosphere is mindlessly blasting this quote sans context, and the TV news even worse, so Team Romney isn’t wrong to protest how this has been “taken out of context.”  Cable news … Continue reading “Mitt Romney: Can You Help Us, Mr. Fix It? (Part 1)”

Senator Schumer, Hands Off Our Meds Please

People in chronic pain need help, more options, more understanding. [the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report Relieving Pain in America: A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education, and Research] Issued at the request of Congress as part of President Obama’s health reform legislation, the report calls for a “cultural transformation” — an attitude shift on … Continue reading “Senator Schumer, Hands Off Our Meds Please”

News Media Decides Life of Fly More Important Than Slain Latinos

So, the Minuteman Movement has gone completely insane, and they are now crossing over into murder and theft to meet their political goals of a Southwest free of Hispanics. ter·ror·ism n.  The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of … Continue reading “News Media Decides Life of Fly More Important Than Slain Latinos”

U.S. Attorneys Scandal: The Media Is Missing The Point

The media, the pundits, the blogosphere is abuzz about the firings of the eight U.S. attorneys. As usual, most everyone is missing the point. The Senate Democrats are saying “were the firings politically motivated?” Of course they were, the documents even admit this. Move on to the crucial questions, you fools. The Republicans are saying … Continue reading “U.S. Attorneys Scandal: The Media Is Missing The Point”

News, Not News

In A New Segment, I Dissect What The Dumb Media Is And Isn’t Covering As the recent media blitz surrounding fake Jon Benet murder suspect John Mark Karr has shown us, the mainstream media (MSM) is completely clueless about what IS and ISN’T news. Since everyone is so confused, I’ll give you a breakdown on … Continue reading “News, Not News”