I don’t miss the irony. A double espresso is costly, and this is my second.

I continue reading, this time about millions of hungry people in this country, many of them are children, and though it doesn’t specifically say so I’m fairly certain some of them are veterans. I know because we feed a lot of veterans at the mission and homeless shelter here.

I’m not alone. I’m considering lunch, while listening to co-workers discuss the political anthropology of our organization. At the same time I’m concentrating haphazardly on a discussion between two individuals I have great fondness for. A Chicano and a Cuban American. The conversation/argument surrounds the differences between Chicano and Cuban Americans. I, being neither Chicano or Cuban, unless non bio family osmosis counts, am a happy to monitor this type of thing after a couple of glasses of wine, but I prefer not to deal with it while drinking my 2nd pre-lunch Espresso.

I grab the laptop, briefly click through to TPM where they were highlighting John Stewart’s wtf talk with Lou Dobbs. I appreciate the observation made by one commenter — “that for Dobbs advocating for the military industrial complex is the middle of the road and advocating for health care for the soldier running up Omaha beach is taking a hard turn to the left “. I want to add that Dobbs has always been covertly irrational. Covert because his voice doesn’t squeal with hysteria and he doesn’t cry like Beck. His patronizing tone, almost calming at times, deceives those for whom overly cynical and strict fatherly love has a calming effect, giving an illusion of a rationality he does not poses, making him all the more dangerous.

peace

Wonderland or Not.

The famous “Just Wow” link for the day is, Walter Reed Officials Asked: Was Hasan Psychotic?. They asked this some time ago, long enough ago to have prevented this. There is something very strange, very wrong, and completely messed up here. We live in a country where you can get kicked out of high school, or at least expelled for the term, for carrying Motrin or Tylenol, but they won’t kick you out of the military, or even do a proper investigation if you are possibly psychotic and antagonistic toward the country you are serving?

The highly regarded “I’m loving it” link goes to The Hiking Artist.

The dreaded “you should vote” link goes to The World Challenge 09 finalists. There are 12 chosen finalist all innovative and awesome in their own right. My four choices use sun, shit, refuse, and disaster for the greater good. My top picks are Fuel Cell Kenya, Solar Sisters India, The Love in Haiti Project which many of you have probably already heard plenty about, and Old School Thai. Go find your favorites.

The rare “I’m sad I no longer live in N.Y. because I can’t go to this” link belongs to 33rd Annual Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival .

The coveted link, “My favorite non fiction blogelle” (a short piece posted to a blog), for this week is Get a Wife from the travel series Nowhere Slow at the Bygone Bureau.

The final and usually ignored must read link, Over 2,200 veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance.

A research team at Harvard Medical School ( yea, yea, probably socialist), estimates 2,266 U.S. military veterans under the age of 65 died last year because they lacked health insurance and thus had reduced access to care. That figure is more than 14 times the number of deaths (155) suffered by U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2008, and more than twice as many as have died (911 as of Oct. 31) since the war began in 2001.

The researchers, who released their analysis today [Tuesday], pointedly say the health reform legislation pending in the House and Senate will not significantly affect this grim picture.

Peace

Wonderland or Not.

The Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) amendment to the House health bill, which would bar federal funding for most abortions, has passed on a vote of 240–194. Democrats split 64–192 against the amendment, but 176 Republicans voted in favor of it while none opposed it and Jon Shadegg of Arizona voted present.

As if my head wasn’t about to explode already.

Now we can safely say that those without will remain without, because you know damn well Congressmen Stupak that your children, or your Republican friends children, can pay cash for those abortions, or have private insurance cover it, and that will allow them to continue their education, to assure they will take their rightful place in society.

This kind of amendment does nothing but punish those who don’t have the money to pay for their mistakes.

So this is what it has come to.

It’s disgraceful that this sham passed.

By the way, Congress passed that joke of a health care bill. Unfortunately the bill sucks balls. And you know that sucking balls is not something on my A list.

06 — Red Red Wine (12 Version)
Belch.

Wonderland or Not.