Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Celebrate the fucking wins.

The gop couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Republicans don’t trust women.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

That’s my take and I am available for criticism at this time.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

Everyone is in a bubble, but some bubbles model reality far better than others!

Jack Smith: “Why did you start campaigning in the middle of my investigation?!”

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

There’s always a light at the end of the frog.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

Fuck that bum, let’s go Joe!

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Shut up, hissy kitty!

We need to vote them all out and restore sane Democratic government.

It’s not hopeless, and we’re not helpless.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Many life forms that would benefit from greater intelligence, sadly, do not have it.

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Reader Interactions

312Comments

  2. 2.

    dmsilev

    Running around and chasing each other, are they?

    And how is the cat coping with the moving chaotic vortex?

    -dms

  6. 6.

    Maude

    Is it like the sum is greater than its parts?
    One more pooch and you have a 3 dog night.
    Sorry, I had to.

  10. 10.

    erlking

    @Corner Stone: Amen. The change from life with Daughter la premier to life after the arrival of Daughter the Younger was ecological. Not world + 2nd kid, but entirely new world.

    The dog and cats have never forgiven me for the first kid. After the second, they turned their backs on me.

  11. 11.

    Xenos

    I am busy planning a dinner in honor of Kenya’s Independence Day – Luo style (Baked whole Tilapia, Ugali, Sweet Potato and red bean stew, and greens), but now I have seen this I suppose I ought to be celebrating our own independence day.

  12. 12.

    JenJen

    Now, see, I’m a “two dogs are the same as one” person, except for the food and vet bills. Taking care of them, loving them, playing, exercising, going to the dog park, etc.? Same diff. At this point I can’t even imagine having just one dog. I do not want three, mind you, but two seems just right.

    Of course, a lot of my theory hinges on the individual characteristic of each dog in said scenario.

  13. 13.

    Yutsano

    Is it bad I just wana see Jesus Boy cry?

    GO TIDE!!

    (I went to a Pac-10 school so I don’t really have a dog in this hunt, I just would rather #2 kill #1.)

  14. 14.

    You Don't Say

    @Yutsano: This is better than I ever dreamed! ;-)

    Tebow looks bullshit, McElroy looks like the genius everyone says Tebow is and Alabama is 19 (!) points ahead of Florida.

    And Arizona beat USC?! What a great day of football!

  17. 17.

    Yutsano

    @: Oh I doubt the media’s massive hard-on for Tebow will go down any time soon. But if your QB is your team rush leader, that’s a problem.

    FUMBLE TO THE TIDE!!

    EDIT: wait…might get overruled, though the ball was loose before his arm went forward.

  27. 27.

    You Don't Say

    Intercepted!

    FYI: The edit function looked like it added all this code so I requested deletion. It posted comment anyway, without the weird coding.

  29. 29.

    Annie

    Tunch is lying on the futon thinking — see John. We could be having a quiet night at home, plotting revenge on the wingnuts. But, nooooooooooo. You wanted a dog — and now you have two…

  31. 31.

    South of I-10

    @Yutsano: Mr. South is actually taunting the TV as if Tebow can hear him. He just called it the unholiest of SEC championships.

  33. 33.

    Corner Stone

    @Yutsano:

    And Tunch sharpens his claws slowly…slowly…

    Well..to be fair, he doesn’t do anything quickly at this point.

  36. 36.

    Corner Stone

    Godboy will never do anything in the Pro’s. You could set a sundial on the time his arm action gets to the release point.

  37. 37.

    Yutsano

    @arguingwithsignposts: Scariest part is it almost worked on me. I was this close to Googling John 16:33 then I remembered I was a sane human, and refrained. He is a tricky God botherer that one. Too bad cause he actually ain’t bad to look at.

  42. 42.

    Tara the antisocial social worker

    1 liter + 1 pack = 1 liter of the pack.

    1000 mean bunnies = 1 kilobunny.

    3 kings = beats 3 jacks.

  43. 43.

    The Grand Panjandrum

    The FSM loves us and wants us to be happy:

    Well, Saturday [tonight] night, if all goes to plan, Ms. Palin’s book tour will take her someplace else: the Gridiron Club’s winter dinner in Washington. For those who don’t know, the Gridiron dinners are among the most exclusive of Washington events where the city’s media elite — to borrow a phrase — share dinner, drinks and bonhomie with elected officials, political leaders and other members of the governing elite … Ms. Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate under Senator John McCain of Arizona last year, is one of two guests speakers, who in years past were invited to provide typically humorous speeches. The other speaker this year is Representative Barney Frank, the liberal Democrat from Massachusetts.

  44. 44.

    RedKitten

    You know how you can get TV shows and movies that have voice-over narration for the visually impaired? I can’t help but wonder: do they also offer narrated pr0n? I’m just trying to imagine that dry-as-dust narrator’s voice describing one, and my imagination is falling short.

  46. 46.

    You Don't Say

    Lundquist and the other guy sound absolutely despondent. I wonder what the announcer who declared Tebow the greatest football player ever before the game will have to say after the game.

    And I think I see tears in Tebow’s eyes.

  48. 48.

    madmommy

    I am sooo loving watching The Chosen One getting his ass kicked. How is it possible that the Almighty has abandoned him? Did he not pray enough this week? Did he look at a cheerleader with lust in his heart??

    Bama is playing a great game, they took it to Florida right from jump and now it’s just clock burning time. Mark Ingram has more than made a case for himself as a serious Heisman candidate.

  49. 49.

    Robertdsc-iphone

    I don’t know what you did, John, but the site loads much quicker in the past couple of hours. Much props.

  50. 50.

    Yutsano

    Mark Ingram has more than made a case for himself as a serious Heisman candidate.

    If it’s not a race between Ingram and Toby Gerhart, there is no justice in this world. An all RB Heisman race. Think it’s been awhile since that happened.

  51. 51.

    MBSS

    @RedKitten:

    i saw some narrated porn at the store, with the narration by wilford brimley, but i ended up passing on it after a long deliberation.

  56. 56.

    jacy

    3 dogs is something like 17 dogs, especially if one of them is small.

    And the cat has decided the Christmas tree looks far, far better without ornaments.

    Go Avalanche. Also.

  61. 61.

    Yutsano

    And it’s ovah! Okay now we got some water works outta Jesus Boy. The FSM does, indeed, love me.

  64. 64.

    MBSS

    @Yutsano:

    @MBSS: If it didn’t have repeated quotes of “diahbeetuhs” then it’s a waste.

    on the front of the box it said he saves that for the moneyshots. sweet!

  65. 65.

    RedKitten

    @Corner Stone: We were just browsing around our TV channels, and came across one that was for the visually impaired. Basically, there was this low, monotone narration of the action that was taking place, usually between bits of dialogue. And of course, because I’m warped, I couldn’t help but wonder if anybody has thought to offer narrated pr0n for the visually impaired. And then, I couldn’t help but imagine that drone-like voice talking about DPs and ass-smacking, and I think a few of my synapses just gave up and quit.

  68. 68.

    gnomedad

    @RedKitten:
    I’m trying to imagine what kind of an evening you’re having. My imagination is falling short.

    Actually, this sounds kind of Andy Rooney-ish.

  72. 72.

    Corner Stone

    @RedKitten: Well, Betty White narrated Peter Griffin’s pr0n novels on Family Guy, on kind of a books-on-tape deal. If that helps you out any.
    I think I’d enjoy my pr0n narrated by Sean Connery. Or possibly Kathy Griffith.

    ETA – DP’s and ass-smackin. Yes.

  76. 76.

    CynDee

    @ John Cole

    Two dogs is more than twice one dog.

    You are wanting us to believe this without pictures ? ?

  77. 77.

    Annie

    Need help here. Spent the day on email arguing with my cousin, the doctor, about the public option. His argument is that health care is not a right, therefore, the government should not intervene. He stated at one point after I argued that while health care is not a right it is public good, his response was, “I’m happiest with a hot woman, with fake boobs and a few bottles of wine. That’s not in the constitution either.”

    WTF…I actually like the guy. But seriously, I need some arguments here for the public option….

  78. 78.

    Comrade Mary

    @RedKitten: Oh, God, I caught that channel late one night (well, very early morning) with my guy last year. The narrated mini-crime story we saw first was just weird, but then they ran this cheap teletubby-like animation with a small meant-to-be-cuddly THING with stars or something that came out of his belly. It was like watching Alien on pixie dust.

  79. 79.

    RedKitten

    @The Grand Panjandrum: No, I’ve always been weird. I had just never encountered a narrated movie before, and mentioned to my husband that certain genres of movies would be a bitch to narrate (like anything with huge battle scenes, for example.) And then I started to giggle, as my mind “went there”.

  80. 80.

    You Don't Say

    Looks like Ingram collapsed and those idiot announcers are laughing about it.

    OK, don’t know what happened but Ingram looks OK. Announcers are still idiots though.

  81. 81.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @Annie:

    His argument is that health care is not a right, therefore, the government should not intervene. He stated at one point after I argued that while health care is not a right it is public good, his response was, “I’m happiest with a hot woman, with fake boobs and a few bottles of wine. That’s not in the constitution either.”
    __
    WTF…I actually like the guy. But seriously, I need some arguments here for the public option….

    You might try “we hold these truths to be inalienable, that all men are created equal, with the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” If you don’t have health care, you don’t necessarily have life.

    And your friend sounds like a total dick.

    Edited to add: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

  82. 82.

    jl

    “Two dogs is more than twice one dog.”

    And one cat is often more than one cat.

    Regarding the comment above on the cat multiplier, I think it depends on the cat. Some cats will self-cancel themselves behind the furniture and under the bed. They become like wild bobcats you might see on a hike as very rapid blurs, as they dash from one hideout to another. I imagine Tunch will always be a large dog multiplier, though. We have evidence he is on video posted on this very blog.

    Small children are always dog multipliers, which sometimes seem sometimes to approach a vertical asymptote, and become unstable.

    The algebra of pets and children is complex. It is always learned inductively.

  83. 83.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    I couldn’t help but wonder if anybody has thought to offer narrated pr0n for the visually impaired. And then, I couldn’t help but imagine that drone-like voice talking about DPs and ass-smacking, and I think a few of my synapses just gave up and quit.

    He puts the lotion on her skin and then she gets the hose again.

    Sorry.

    I know there is (was?) a production group that specialized in porn for the deaf. Don’t know about the blind.

  84. 84.

    MBSS

    @Annie:

    that’s a bullshit leap of logic on the part of your friend. a hot lady with fake tits may be a private pleasure for him, but it is definitely not a public good. his assertion that his sexual pleasure has anything to do with the good of society is pretty silly. (unless sex makes him less of an asshole.)

  85. 85.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    I couldn’t help but wonder if anybody has thought to offer narrated pr0n for the visually impaired. And then, I couldn’t help but imagine that drone-like voice talking about DPs and ass-smacking, and I think a few of my synapses just gave up and quit.

    He puts the lotion on her skin and then she gets the hose again.

  87. 87.

    Demo Woman

    Tee Hee Hee.. My conservative friend (not sure what that word means anymore) mentioned that if Tebow had a b v number under his eyes that was personal and anyone who criticized him had more problems than he did. I suggested that Tim decided not to keep it personal because he was sharing it with millions of Americans who were watching the game. I then suggested she watch the game for herself and then decide.
    She called and sorta apologized.

    @Yutsano: That would be awesome.

  88. 88.

    SiubhanDuinne

    John Cole: you know what? I just realized it has been *months* since we’ve seen any photos of Ginny and Guesly. Are they both okay? Still cute? Still a handful for your folks?

    I’m not sure but I think the last pix of them might have been that visit when Lily was quite new and was just getting to know her cousins and wasn’t totally sure she really wanted to know them all that well. I’m remembering her face with rolled eyes and a “what the HELL?” look.

    I can haz JRT updates plz?

  90. 90.

    jl

    @arguingwithsignposts: Who is this doctor? I want to know, so I can avoid him if I need medical care.

    He sounds hopeless. Tell him that a large proportion of his income is derived from a government enforced cartel (the AMA) that is allowed to set reimbursement rates and control the suipply of docs. More of his ill-gotten surplus is from short sighted hypocritical and corrupt ‘deficit hawks’ in Congress who will not approve a short term increase in government expenditure needed to train more doctors in order to gain long term lower physician fees from an increased supply (The US has one of the lowest rates of docs to population of any high income country. And other countries with similarly low doc ratios have a much higher rate of trained nurses to compensate).

    Next time Annie is over at his house, maybe she should pick up some of his ill gotten gains and head towards the door. Maybe some of those fine wines he likes so much. If Annie swings that way, maybe entice one of those big boobed babes to leave with her. He owes us. I give my share to Annie. I am generous.

  91. 91.

    Yutsano

    @Annie: Ignoring the fact that his response is a total non-sequitur, you might mention the fact that the Preamble specifically calls for promoting the general welfare. You can always throw the Tenth Amendment in his face. In other words the writers were smart enough to figure out that the country will change and so will its needs, so they needed an out to keep the federal government from being too constricted. Otherwise the amendment would only mention the states. If not I’ll think of a few other juicy tidbits.

  92. 92.

    Annie

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    He is actually my first cousin. I am five years older. And, my one memory is when as a baby, my grandmother bathed him in the kitchen sink. I sometimes regret that I did not (innocently of course) hold his head under the water when my grandmother turned her back…

    But family is family…

  93. 93.

    Demo Woman

    @RedKitten: Best advice that the pediatrician ever gave me was when both my sons had back to back ear infections. The ex traveled and I had been up all night with one and like clockwork was up all the next night with the other. The pediatrician prescribed some pain medicine and I mentioned that it did not seem to work.
    He looked at me and said you could take it. lol

    I have an edit function also. WAHOO1!

  96. 96.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    So Tim Tebow is Godboy? Gotcha.

    @Annie:

    The Constitution calls upon the country to promote the general welfare, and what could be more germane to that than keeping people healthy and alive? Also he seems to have no idea what the public option is. It’s just a health insurance plan no different than any other except it’s run by the government. It’s hardly a “government intervention”. He needs to learn the difference between a British-style national health system and a government insurance program, or shut his mouth.

    Also, Aristotle wrote–and the founder fathers agreed–that people have a right to that which they need.

  98. 98.

    Platonicspoof

    @The Grand Panjandrum:

    . . Ms. Palin’s book tour will take her someplace else: the Gridiron Club’s winter dinner in Washington.

    From NYT article’s link, to Sarah the Comedy’s twittering page:

    Stand by for Facebook entry on Obama’s climate change “experts” & their latest shenanigans. Thank God “Climategate” truth is being revealed!
    4:13 PM Dec 3rd from TwitterBerry

    /my bold of “Obama’s”

  99. 99.

    Yutsano

    @Yutsano: Also ask him if he accepts Medicare, and if not, if he gets off on fighting tooth and nail for reimbursement from the various insurance companies with their varying requirements and rules.

  100. 100.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @jl: that’s what I’m thinking, John’s parents’ place is in shreds and John, being John, doesn’t want us to see the place until he can tidy it up. And it’s too cold for John to do his usual housecleaning . . . .

  101. 101.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    Also ask him if he accepts Medicare, and if not, if he gets off on fighting tooth and nail for reimbursement from the various insurance companies with their varying requirements and rules.

    Good point, but he should also refuse insurance offered by employers, since the government offers a tax break for businesses that offer such. He should also refuse people with medical savings accounts since the government guarantees bank savings.

  102. 102.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    Tell him that a large proportion of his income is derived from a government enforced cartel (the AMA) that is allowed to set reimbursement rates and control the suipply of docs.

    No. No. And … no.

    Are you maybe thinking of MedPAC (not that they set rates either)?

  104. 104.

    bago

    Ughhhhhhh. There’s a stupid Tea Party going on outside my window in Foley Square in New York City.
    __
    They’re protesting the trial of terrorists. There’s about 200 people here, and they have megaphones and a video wall. And they’re disrupting my law school final exam studying. Which is funny, because none of these people seem to have any confidence in the judicial system…yet still support the death penalty.
    __
    I know it’s only 200 people and it’s New York, so it’s a very small percentage. And according to my quick canvass of the area during my run this AM and my website research, most of them are from Staten Island. But it’s still disheartening.

    AH-HA! I was wondering what those teabaggers were doing in New York this morning. Now I know. Thanks BJ!

  105. 105.

    Annie

    @Notorious P.A.T.:

    AW — But his response is that the public option is a really slippery slope to government controlled health care, putting private health insurance out of business and leading to rationing, lack of quality, lack of choice, etc.

    The funniest part of our dialogue is that he believes he is arguing for individual/patient rights. I tried to tell him that even with health insurance, patients have no rights. We can be declined procedures at any time.

    As I argued — patients are at the mercy of doctors. We have little to say about procedures and care. We don’t have the necessary information to ask for what we need, because often we don’t know what we need. This in itself, makes the “free market” argument bogus. We can’t shop around for a doctor to give us what we need for the best price, when doctors have the knowledge, and we have limited knowledge.

    But, since he is a doctor, I believe he is comfortable arguing from a position of knowledge….

  106. 106.

    MBSS

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    it was pretty obvious that he wasn’t down because he was on top of another player with his back to the ground. there was no way he could have been down until after the second effort. bad first call on the field. at least they fixed it.

  107. 107.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    They’re protesting the trial of terrorists.

    Teabaggers are not concerned citizens. They are not populists, or dissenters, or disaffected taxpayers. They are contemptible idiots.

  108. 108.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @Annie:

    putting private health insurance out of business

    As if that’s a bad thing.

    But, since he is a doctor, I believe he is comfortable arguing from a position of knowledge….

    Well, being a doctor has never meant you understand macroeconomics, but they seem to think it does.

    As for “positions of knowledge,” ask him when was the last time he had to pay for an uncovered medical expense on a minimum wage salary. If not, then STFU.

  110. 110.

    Notorious P.A.T.

    The slippery slope argument is a bogus pile of crap in regards to any subject. Who is to say which way the slope goes? We could just as readily say that if there is no government option, then soon the government will cease to license doctors and Sal the mechanic will be trying to remove gal bladders.

    The “government involvement will lead to rationing” is just an idiotic thing to say, considering all the people who can’t get health care under our present system.

    I echo the people who would not want to go to a doctor like this. He might even be a nice person, but he sure doesn’t know very much about how our present health care system objectively works.

  112. 112.

    Midnight Marauder

    Interceptions : The Big XII Championship Game ::

    Touchdowns : The 113th Civil War

    Edit: THE LEGENDS WERE TRUE!
    +4

  113. 113.

    jl

    @kommrade reproductive vigor: “No. No. And … no.”

    If you would kindly flesh out your argument a big, Mr Vigor, I will respond.

    Well, OK, I will respond anyway. My argument goes thusly.

    Several small committees controlled by the AMA and dominated by specialists docs define the AMA controlled and copyrighted medical procedure codes that are used for billing, and set the relative reimbursement rates for the procedures. These serve as references prices and are the starting point for industry negotiations.

    By ‘training’ I refer to post-graduate medical education training slots. These slots are dominated by medical graduates seeking training in specialties because of the reimbursement structure determined by the AMA committees. Allied health professionals such as pharmacists, physician assistents and nurse practitioners tend to seek training for work with specialist docs also because of reimbursement structure.

    AMA dominated committees essentially froze post-graduate medical education slots in the late 1990s and funding has been either frozen or increased very little since then. There was an effort to increase slots a few years ago, but no one is sure how the money was spent. Some docs think the AMA allowed the extra money to be used for additional training added to the end of currently approved slots, resulting in few additional docs or primary care docs.

    International evidence strongly suggests that a larger supply of docs produces lower reimbursements. There is a theory going around that more docs always and everywhere produces doctor induced increased demand for medical care, but evidence for this is weak.

    Anyway, let me know your “No. No. And … no.”s and we will fight to the death.

  114. 114.

    madmommy

    Holy crap there’s been three interceptions in this game and it’s only halfway through the 1st quarter! I think I’m going with Nebraska, seconding that whole BCS chaos thing.

  119. 119.

    burnspbesq

    @Corner Stone:

    They all are. Not all dickwads are coaches, but all coaches are dickwads.

    Actually, no.

    I bow to no one in the intensity of my hatred for all things Tarheel. Except one.

    Coach Smith, in his own quiet way, did more to advance integration in the state of North Carolina than anyone.

  120. 120.

    Steeplejack

    DVR Alert!

    Ovation is showing the excellent documentary Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography (1993) at 9:00 p.m. EST tonight and 6:00 p.m. EST tomorrow. Lots of great film clips from classic movies, with cinematographers talking over them, explaining what they did or commenting on what others did. Highly recommended.

    . . . Holy shnikeys! Edit is back. And it actually works. Praise be to the FSM (and blessed be Her noodly appendages). XP and Opera 10.10.

  122. 122.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    Well, being a doctor has never meant you understand macroeconomics, but they seem to think it does.

    This.

    If you hang out with health care lawyers or consultants they will tell you, that as a group, doctors have all the business acumen of duckweed.

    Really stupid duckweed.

    Unfortunately (and again, speaking generally) because they are doctors and so (usually) because they are very smart about certain things, they have trouble believing they’re not smart about everything.

    And then they get fucked.

  124. 124.

    Annie

    @jl:

    I definitely would take the fine wines. As for the “big boobed babes,” maybe they can choke him, me included, and then we can call a doctor and see if it is covered under his health insurance…But, yet again, he is my younger first cousin, so I am not sure how I would explain this to the rest of my family…using the “asshole” argument won’t fly…

  125. 125.

    jl

    Below is a link from a post at Ezra Klein’s blog with a good set of charts on international cost comparisons for various medical goods and services. Prices in the US are way higher.

    If this comment escapes moderation, click through.

    Also check out Uwe Reinhardt’s homepage at Princeton. He explains why corruption, lax regulatory controls, toleration for conflicts of interest on part of docs, pharma, hospitals and healthcare plans, and cartelization in US health care industry has resulted in far higher prices here than in other high income countries. (No URL, since I am afraid of moderation)

    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/IFHP%20Comparative%20Price%20Report%20with%20AHA%20data%20addition.pdf

    If that link does not work, then look at bottom of Klein post for it.

    An insurance industry CEO explains why American health care costs so much
    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2009/11/an_insurance_industry_ceo_expl.html

  126. 126.

    Yutsano

    @Annie: If your family is anything like mine, trust me the assholishness has been duly noted. It’s most likely ignored, but it definitely has been noticed and/or accounted for.

  127. 127.

    You Don't Say

    To John Cole: Didn’t you promise in an earlier thread to post photos of Lily and Sam? Am I being too impatient?

  129. 129.

    Midnight Marauder

    Colt McCoy is the truth. It’s a pretty terrible slate of Heisman candidates this year, but if Texas wins this game, I don’t see how Colt McCoy doesn’t get the ol’ Lifetime Achievement Heisman this year? I mean, honestly, who else really deserves it?

    +5

    Edit: Just because I can.

  131. 131.

    jl

    @kommrade reproductive vigor: If you can wait, read my comment above when it comes our of moderation and we can discuss.

    I do agree that most doctors have the economic knowledge of duckweed. And when left to their individual wits, they do get regularly conned and ripped-off, especially primary care docs.

    My argument is that there are institutional and government regulations (and in some cases lack of regulations) and policies that increase reimbursements of many doctors in the US compared to other high income countries that have the same level of care and better population health. So, most are hapless on an individual basis, but as a group, they get higher reimbursements than any other high income country in the world, especially specialists. Netherlands is only other country that is comparable in reimbursements, and then only for specialist docs.

  132. 132.

    Yutsano

    BLOCKED PUNT BABAY!!

    And intercepted right back. I get a feeling I know how this game is gonna go.

  134. 134.

    gwangung

    If you hang out with health care lawyers or consultants they will tell you, that as a group, doctors have all the business acumen of duckweed.
    Really stupid duckweed.

    If you talk to fundraisers, they’ll tell you that as a group, doctors REALLY don’t know how to handle their money (overly conservative and not quite understanding how to use it beyond sticking it in a bank).

  135. 135.

    Bill H

    The only thing better than Bama stomping Tebow Florida is Bama grinding out the last seven minutes with a running game after intercepting Tebow in the end zone.

    Daily Howler is liberalese written by the worst writer in the universe. I usually agree with what he is saying whenever I can figure out what he is saying. Much of the time I have no idea in the world what he is saying.

    Omigod; edit is back for Vista/Firefox.

  137. 137.

    Midnight Marauder

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    But does he have Bible verses under his eyes?

    Who needs bible verses when your name comes with two custom-made six shooters?

    @Bill H:

    The only thing better than Bama stomping Tebow Florida is Bama grinding out the last seven minutes with a running game after intercepting Tebow in the end zone.

    Whether Tebow can overcome that horrendous throw in the offseason/NFL combine months to come is going to be the difference in being a frisky 2nd round pick or being a groaner of a 6th round experiment.

  138. 138.

    jl

    @kommrade reproductive vigor: My reply to you latest comment is also in moderation.

    I think it is because I felt the need to discuss

    s p e c * * l * s t doctors and primary care doctors.

    If you can wait and check back for my replies, after my comments are out of moderation, we can discuss the issue of why prices for medical goods and services are high in the US.

    But on another note, when will WordPress discover ‘whole word only’ searches? Yeebus.

    And what is the obsession with detecting embedded letters that could in some fantasy, but never in any real world, refer to b * n * r p * l l s?

    Has Cole set the b * n * r p * l l detection sensitivity level to ultra-high? And if so, why?

  139. 139.

    Corner Stone

    @burnspbesq: Ok, if 100% of every coach who ever lived wasn’t a dickwad, then excuuuuuussse me.
    What kind of society are we when the grand and honored tradition of hyperbole is no longer respected?

  141. 141.

    JK

    @Anya:

    Is anyone familliar with the Daily Howler?

    I used to read the Daily Howler, but I’ve given up on its creator Bob Somerby. My theory is that he’s a shut-in with delusions of grandeur. Occasionally, I’d agree with a post of his, but I got fed up with his relentless attacks on his usual list of suspects. This guy is still pissed off at pundits for their treatment of Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal and of Gore during the 2000 election. I also have a problem with anyone who refers to himself using the first person plural.

  142. 142.

    kuvasz

    Two dogs is more than twice one dog.

    now you are beginning to learn about human/canine/canine relationships.

    with my six pack of dogs i calculate that i have about a seven factoral number of human/canine relationships. no two dogs relate to me or any other of the remaining four dogs in quite the same way.

    good luck on your voyage as a canine anthropologist.

    may the buscuit be with you.

  145. 145.

    Midnight Marauder

    @Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle:

    He’s already thrown two Interceptions. Nebraska should be smoking Texas right now if they were any good.

    I don’t disagree with this. But Nebraska’s offense isn’t the explosive/consistently effective type, while the Blackshirts are pretty nasty. There’s a reason they keep forcing those turnovers.

  146. 146.

    Gravenstone

    @jacy:

    And the cat has decided the Christmas tree looks far, far better without ornaments

    Long ago my family had a little kitten who was the sole survivor of her litter. My sister and I tagged her PuttPutt because of her awkward stagger as she was first learning to walk. Our first Christmas with her, we were watching TV one evening when all of a sudden the tree starts shaking and rocking. Then this little white streak of fur comes flying through the air, originating about a foot below the top of the tree. PuttPutt had discovered the joys of 1) climbing the trunk of the tree and 2) attacking the dangling ornament that revealed itself from her new perch. Sadly, her depth perception was lacking, hence the brief flight.

    Idjit cat did this at least once every Christmas season going forward for the next 5 or 6 years.

  149. 149.

    Bostondreams

    Bah. The defense collapsed. The receivers dropped passes. The coaching sucked. Still great to be a Florida Gator, and say what you will about him, Tim Tebow is a great college player (now NFL, that is far different!).

    Go Gators. Still.

    And I despise Nick Satan with a passion usually only reserved for New York Yankees.

  150. 150.

    Bill H

    @JK:
    Yeah, that “we” stuff gets really old, and I skip over quite a lot of the grandiosity, along with the proclivity for refighting the Clinton wars. Um, that sort of eliminates about 80% of his blog, doesn’t it?

  152. 152.

    jl

    You know if, a certain blog owner bought a lot of b * n * r p * l l s, then maybe companies producing said goods would be flooding anythng associated with said blogger with relevant junk mail and spam.

    So perhaps there would be a need to set the b * n * r p * l l spam detection sensitivity level on his blog to extremely ultra super high. It might be set so high that commenters could not type in many common words needed for informed comment on important public issues of the day, due to false negatives on subtle references to said product.

    I’m just thinking through the obsession with b * n * r p * l l s on the spam software of this blog.

    It’s just a hypothesis.

  154. 154.

    kommrade reproductive vigor

    s p e c * * l * s t doctors and primary care doctors.

    That must be it. Good catch!

    This damn filter is like a word puzzle. “Find all the words that contain the letters C I A L I S.”

    At least it hasn’t banned Fuck You WordPress.

  155. 155.

    jwb

    @Midnight Marauder: At this point, McCoy’s not doing himself any favors for the Heisman. He really doesn’t look very good tonight.

    And I have edit! The page loads much faster on my iTouch now as well.

  156. 156.

    jl

    If I am not already banned for suggesting that there might be a reason for the b * n * r p * l l detection mania here, I admit it might also be Tunch buying them.

    Cole probably needs to check those plain brown wrapped packages Tunch has been getting in the mail. And explain to Tunch that he is fixed. I assume Tunch is fixed.

  157. 157.

    madmommy

    @Bostondreams:

    Sure you’re not a closet LSU fan? The level of hatred for Saban in Louisiana is amazing. And he did nothing more than take a job that was offered to him, after realizing the pro game was not where he wanted to be. It’s been years, and still the level of vitriol on local sportstalk when the UA/LSU game rolls around blows me away.

  159. 159.

    JK

    @Bill H:

    That “we” stuff gets really old

    To Nelson Algren’s rules “Never play cards with a man called Doc. Never eat at a place called Mom’s. Never sleep with a woman whose troubles are worse than your own”, I’d add never trust someone who refers to himself or herself as we.

  161. 161.

    khead

    Wow. CJ Spiller is amazing. He is going to kill it at the next level.

    Yup. I got a little tired of the CBS announcers talking about how either Ingram or McCoy will win the Heisman. I’m not sure I wouldn’t vote for Spiller or Gerhart. Gerhart is as much of a beast as Ingram.

    Edit: I can edit! Woohoo!

  163. 163.

    MBSS

    @JK:

    I’d add never trust someone who refers to himself or herself as we.

    unless you’re talking to a king.

  165. 165.

    Steeplejack

    @You Don’t Say:

    Not saying everything on Ovation is great, but on the weekend they usually have at least two or three things worth watching. And they repeat them a couple of times, which is convenient.

    I saw Visions of Light in the theater when it first came out, have seen it a few times since then, and it is really good. I am recording it to watch tomorrow.

  169. 169.

    burnspbesq

    It is truly unfortunate that both teams can’t lose in the same basketball game. That is the only outcome of Carolina-Kentucky that would have made me happy.

    However, Kentucky winning made me less unhappy than the alternative would have.

  170. 170.

    Midnight Marauder

    @burnspbesq:

    Toby Gerhart.

    As a USC fan, I just can never allow myself to accept such a thing. So there is that small matter.

    And in related news, Colt McCoy just ran Texas to a 7-6 lead and added a nice little shine to his Heisman potential.

  171. 171.

    Yutsano

    @Midnight Marauder:

    As a USC fan

    That is why you fail.

    EDIT: Just as a complete side note, it’s always nice when the announcers say that they’re gonna pretty much fuck any football player west of the Mississippi just because they aren’t playing football today. Douchebags.

  173. 173.

    Anya

    @Bill H: @JK: discovered his site last week by accident and I agree with both of you. I’ve noticed his obsession with Clinton and Gore’s treatment by the pundits (I agree with his critique but it is obsessive) and his arguments are hard to follow.

    On a more interesting note, Sarah Palin and Barney Frank are apparently keynoting the Gridiron Club dinner tonight. This must be fun, except that it will not televised. No word yet,whether, Palin will drag Trig to this event.

  174. 174.

    JK

    @Steeplejack:

    I saw Visions of Light in the theater when it first came out

    So you were the guy who was sitting 2 rows in front of me. I saw it 3 times during its run at the Film Forum. The anecdotes in the film were great and the closing montage set to Saint Saens’ Aquarium was brilliant. A few weeks ago, PBS aired No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos. It’s a great companion film to Visions of Light.

  178. 178.

    JK

    @Anya:

    I think even Clinton and Gore have moved on from their treatment by the pundits, so I think it’s time for Bob Somerby to move on.

    Sarah Palin is more full of shit than just about any other politician in America. It’s a shame her knuckledragging neanderthal supporters are too fucking clueless to realize what a shameless hypocrite she is. The Palin who delivered the speech at the Republican Convention wouldn’t be caught dead at the Gridiron Dinner or any other gathering of elites.

  179. 179.

    Montysano

    Roll Tide!! I’m not the biggest football fan, but that was sweet.

    I’ve got to think that the Tebow interception will cost him mucho dinero in the draft.

  181. 181.

    Corner Stone

    @Montysano:

    I’ve got to think that the Tebow interception will cost him mucho dinero in the draft.

    He’s not going anywhere in the draft. If he’s drafted before the 4th round I will be shocked.

  182. 182.

    Montysano

    @Corner Stone:

    He’s not going anywhere in the draft. If he’s drafted before the 4th round I will be shocked.

    But… but…. he has Bible verses under his eyes! Does this count for nothing?

    Just another example of the relentless persecution of Xtians here in the USA.

    Edit. Just because.

  183. 183.

    adolphus

    I’ve never read Algren, but I love that quote of his. He’s on my list of writers to check out.

    He writes about people Tom Waits sings about and he dated Simone de Beauvoir.

    I recommend Man With the Golden Arm. It was a pretty decent movie, too and I think I read somewhere it inspired Leonard Cohen’s The Stranger.

  187. 187.

    Chris

    @burnspesq
    You wouldnt happen to be a blue devil would you? Or even better…a wolfpacker? Even though I wear the proud red, I have to agree with you. The Dean did alot of good with intro-ing the lily whitest nc people to the 20th century. Or maybe I mean…introduced them to a world not full of just white people.

  189. 189.

    JK

    @adolphus:

    I recommend Man With the Golden Arm. It was a pretty decent movie, too.

    I saw the film. Great story and impressive performance by Frank Sinatra.

  190. 190.

    Bostondreams

    @Montysano:

    Congrats on the win. The Gators were simply outcoached and outplayed. The defense, especially, was horrendous.

    Personally, I see Tebow going to the Jaguars. There has been talk down here about drafting him to bring fannies to the seats.

    Say what you will about him, and you could say a great deal, Timmy is a great deal of fun to watch and one of the greatest college players of the last 30 years.

  191. 191.

    Anya

    @JK: Since the only thing that is consistent about Palin is that she uses her kids as a prop while she whines about people attacking her family and that she is constantly quitting on things, she might not show up. She is supposed to be disdainful of journalists, also.

  192. 192.

    Midnight Marauder

    And the interception party continues! Wow, this is a defensive struggle, to say the least.

    I can haz offensive production?

  194. 194.

    JK

    @Anya:

    Given the breathtaking stupidity of Sarah Palin, how the hell did she ever get elected governor in the first place? Are a majority of Alaskan voters drunk or high on crystal meth?

  196. 196.

    Yutsano

    @Morbo: Although the way this game is going I could smell 2 more Texas points on the horizon. I am not a prognosticator, however.

  199. 199.

    Midnight Marauder

    @Morbo:

    Not on your life. You can haz QB punt.

    Very well played. The helicopters are indeed laughing over that one.

    Edit (this is so baller): Almost ANOTHER interception?!

  202. 202.

    Common Sense

    Texas has a better defense than ‘Bama.

    I also suspect that Nebraska is going to beat the crap out of LSU or whichever sap SEC team gets the draw in the Cotton Bowl.

    SEC uber alles my ass.

  208. 208.

    burnspbesq

    @Chris:

    You wouldnt happen to be a blue devil would you? Or even better…a wolfpacker?

    I wear the correct shade of blue.

    Hey, are y’all ever going to be good again? What’s up with losing to Northwestern?

    Y’all were IDIOTS for running off Sendek.

    Y’all were also idiots for moving to the RBC Center. State should play in Reynolds. Forever. Period.

  211. 211.

    Anya

    From Lynn Sweet:

    Some of Palin’s lines:
    _
    “You betcha. Who talks that way?”
    _
    On deciding to speak to the Gridiron Club “Sometimes you just got to trust your instincts. And when you don”t, you end up in places like this.”
    _
    “At least now I can put a face to the newspapers I do read.”
    _
    “It’s good to be here though, really, in front of this audience of leading journalists and intellectuals, or as I like to call it, a death panel.”
    _
    On being on the same program as Frank “And I’m the controversial one?

    @JK: I always wonder about those who voted for her as a vice president. How can anyone, who is not an idiot, or a racist fuckwit vote for a ticket that has this mean spirited idiot?

  213. 213.

    Yutsano

    @Anya:

    How can anyone, who is not an idiot, or a racist fuckwit vote for a ticket that has this mean spirited idiot?

    My father, the ex-Navy government contractor neo-libertarian, voted for Obama. His main rason was he was intrigued, but he also admitted Bible Spice was a huge part of that calculation.

  214. 214.

    demkat620

    Okay is anyone else seeing this CNN interview with April Ryan now?

    I swear to god, they are not going to stop with this until they get a scalp. This Gatechrashergate is the worst thing that has ever happened to this country since Monicagate.

    How do these people look themselves in the mirror?

  215. 215.

    JK

    @Yutsano:

    For the assholes who voted for Sarah Palin for governor, there is no punishment too severe. These scumbags deserve to burn in hell for launching the political career of this hideous montrosity.

  218. 218.

    burnspbesq

    Did any of y’all see the end of the Grey Cup last week? Now THAT was a fuckup for the ages.

  220. 220.

    Midnight Marauder

    CJ Spiller is a monster. 4 TDs like it is nothing. And there’s still 12:00 minutes to play. He could easily end up with 6 or 7 (I smell a 90 yard kick return somewhere in the mix.)

  221. 221.

    JK

    @Anya:

    The Gridiron Dinner, the White House Correspondents Dinne, and the Alfalfa Club Dinner are an abomination and any journalist who attends any one of them is a shameless fucking whore.

  222. 222.

    JK

    @demkat620:

    How do these people look themselves in the mirror?

    I missed the April Ryan interview. She and her colleagues in the White House Press Corps are clueless, worthless tools who should be prosecuted for journalistic malpractice.

  223. 223.

    Anya

    @Yutsano: Your father is a wise man.

    @demkat620: So April Ryan is still milking this thing. Lynn Sweet has a good article in which she is defending Rogers. She correctly points out that it is the SS job to protect the president not the social secretary.

    @JK:

    These scumbags deserve to burn in hell for launching the political career of this hideous monstrosity.

    The person who launched the career of this monstrosity nationally is McCain. If he did not nominate her, she would have remained in her obscurity.

  224. 224.

    Of Bugs and Books

    @Anya:
    (And @The Grand Panjandrum: )

    From the NYT article:

    Palin . . . is one of two guests speakers, who in years past were invited to provide typically humorous speeches.

    I wish I could be the fly on the wall and the “media elite” would laugh during the straight parts of her speech and sit stone cold silent during the humorous parts of the speech.

  225. 225.

    jwb

    Seriously, are UT and Nebraska going to total 250 yards of offense together? Right now Nebraska has twice the return yardage as offense.

    Edit is failing.

  226. 226.

    demkat620

    @JK: She wants Desire Rodgers’ head on a platter.

    Apparently Rodgers has offended the Village and must pay.

  228. 228.

    Midnight Marauder

    Listen, I cannot tell you people enough. If you want to watch the best running back in college football (CJ Spiller. Duh.) put on a show, put on ESPN right now.

    19 carries, 231 yards, 4 TDs, 12.2 YPC

    Absolutely unreal.

    Edit (still baller): And with 6:11 to go, Clemson just tied it up at 33. Extra point to come. Goddamn, I love me some college football.

  229. 229.

    MikeJ

    Apparently Rodgers has offended the Village and must pay.

    Nothing to do with Rodgers. Just setting up the Obamas.

    Are you going to stand by while some mere underling upstages you? You don’t deserve to be first lady.

    Are you going to fire somebody so that you can be the centre of attention? You don’t deserve to be first lady.

  231. 231.

    JK

    @Anya:

    I despise John McCain and I hope he burns in hell for choosing Palin as his running mate.

    Alaskan voters deserve some blame too though, because McCain wouldn’t have selected the Mooseburger Queen as his running mate if these knuckleheads hadn’t elected her governor.

  233. 233.

    Anya

    @JK: In their defense, I think she was a bit better at Alaska local issues. It is a small state with corrupt politicians so she made all the right noise. If you actually watch her debate, she sounded more coherent than in the national debate. She had fewer word salads and she made some points.

    I still think that McCain deserves the lion’s share of the blame. In fact, I blame Arizona for inflicting this asshole on us. If they don’t punish him for his sellection of Palin, then they are worse than the Alaska voters who voted for Palin in the first place.

  234. 234.

    Mark S.

    @Anya:

    What I can’t believe is that McCain had months to decide his running mate and then just seemed to pick her out of a hat. What the hell was he doing all that time?

    All right, 1:44 left in about the worst college football game I’ve ever seen.

  235. 235.

    Midnight Marauder

    Well, if ever the stage were set for Colt McCoy to go out and win the Heisman trophy, this would be the moment.

  237. 237.

    Corner Stone

    @You Don’t Say: Draft Insider has him at 62 which I guess is late 2nd, almost 3rd.
    But I have no idea why anyone would take him at all. And I feel bad for anyone who wastes a pick on him before the 4th round.
    So yeah, what’d you have in mind for the wager? Braggin’ rights or something else?

  242. 242.

    Brick Oven Bill

    Tonight I was very happy, as at the bar, with the person named ‘Fred’ sleeping and drooling on the bar after he had refused to take the taxi home, after he accepted the free shot to take the taxi home, the Indian bartender asked the daily trivia question which was:

    ‘Name one of the three Greek philosophers.’

    I named a full three and included Pythagoras. The other two were on the bartender’s card but Pythagoras did not make the trivia-game. This is bullshit as he established the Order of Pythagoras (‘there are men, there are Gods, and there are men like Pythagoras’). Pythagoras was kind of like a ruling Democrat, but with a brain, and a sense of situational awareness.

    In other news, by butt is chaffed after walking around The Facility under duress for half-a-day. I think I need some lotion.

  250. 250.

    jl

    @Anya: I agree with Anya. AK voters deserves some slack on Palin. Two reasons.

    One, there’s been a lot of weirdos elected governor, Arnold and Ventura are only two recent examples (though Ventura’s and Arnold’s attitudes seem somewhat less weird than Palin’s as time goes by, but that does not change the fact that neither have, or had, the adminstrative or political ability to be an effective governor). But, I live in CA, so this item One is probably obligatory for me. How could I say anything else and not damn CA along with AK.

    Two, remember Palin is a grifter. Even the Great Orange Satan initially spoke of her as a GOP moderate when she first popped up on the radar. And in some ways she was more moderate as governor than Arnold. For example, Palin does believe that oil companies should pay some tax on the oil they pump out of the ground to the state government. Admittedly it would be instantaneous and total political suicide to say otherwise in AK, since that is where their residents’ annual state welfare checks, er, I mean ‘permanent fund dividends’ come from.

    Unless something has changed recently, Arnold is such an anti-tax fanatic, he cannot bring himself to tax CA oil producers, even as his state is going broke.

    If Palin is a grifter, as is commonly believed, she has few principles. It is unclear what she really believes, and I am not sure which came first, her nutcase teabagger principles, or the GOP wingnuts’ love for her. I am not sure which is the prime mover in her act: her own beliefs or her need to cultivate support. If anyone knows, please do tell me. Palin was always a heretical Xtianist, I guess, but she mostly kept it under wraps, and retreated when her Xtianist impulses did not lead to an easy victory (as in her abortive attempt to ban a book from the library in Wasilla).

    She was always willing to take big risks for corrupt and selfish reasons, though. So, I go with the theory of a conwoman with few fixed principles.

  251. 251.

    Anya

    @Mark S.: I think he wanted to go all mavericky and chose his boyfriend Liebermann until he was told that the crazies in his party would not stand for a pro-choice Jew from Connecticut.

    What makes me really mad about McCain is this fallacy that he is honorable and he acts based on principles when it’s clear to anyone who is honest that he is mean and bitter old man.

  256. 256.

    The Dangerman

    Fuck, fuck, fuck; two huge penalties (OB, PF) and Texas gets the win. Not that I really give a shit more than getting a playoff.

    Oh, and Colt McCoy was one second away from joining Bill Buckner…

  257. 257.

    John O

    @Anya:

    My take too.

    I was on the phone with an old friend Longhorn fan when the kick was made.

    I told him TCU should still play in the Big One. Makes the idea of “small schools” more definitive over time.

  262. 262.

    Corner Stone

    @jwb: I can hear all the SEC witch doctors sputtering from here.
    bbbbbuttt – it’s the S E C ! !
    sputter sputter

  263. 263.

    You Don't Say

    @Corner Stone: I’m broke so can’t be money. The only football paraphernalia I have to put up is a Hawkeyes sweatshirt or a Steelers T-shirt. I also make very good gingerbread or apple cake. Bragging rights otherwise.

  265. 265.

    Midnight Marauder

    @Mark S.:

    That was almost the most epic fuckup in clock management.

    Exactly. I can’t even imagine how tarnished the legacy of Colt McCoy would have been after a play like that. But instead, they’re (most likely) going to the ‘ship. And while I’m excited about the potential Alabama-Texas matchup, I cannot deny that a large part of me wanted to seem some BCS Chaos™ unleashed in the form of TCU or Cincinnati.

    Edit (Because I can do that shit whenever I please these days): I think Cincinnati can put up 40 on Alabama–all day, every day.

  268. 268.

    Brick Oven Bill

    To catch up on other news. Just because Tiger ran through a fire hydrant, into a neighbor’s tree, and ended up in the middle of the road snoring, this no reason for the police to have had the reasonable suspicion necessary to perform a breathalyzer on Tiger.

    Let us now consider the broad appeal of Glenn Beck. Here is Principle Number Five:

    “If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and nobody is above it.”

  274. 274.

    pseudonymous in nc

    Today’s games made the case for an RB getting the Heisman.

    Also, USC go to the Toilet Vegas Bowl.

  275. 275.

    Corner Stone

    @You Don’t Say: I don’t like gingerbread and we all know the cake is a lie.
    So braggadocio it is.
    It Is On! I am so gonna brag your ass! Get ready for the harshest braggin’ you’ve ever seen!

  276. 276.

    burnspbesq

    Well, I started out in DC at 5:00 a.m. Eastern time, and it is coming up on 9:00 Pacific time at home, so I am toast. See y’all tomorrow.

  278. 278.

    Corner Stone

    In all of College Football, beside being head coach of U of South Carolina, could there be a better job than head coach of U of Hawaii?

  279. 279.

    You Don't Say

    @Corner Stone: The cake is not a lie. I am known for it in the small circle I inhabit. I only know how to bake; I am a terrible cook.

    I never thought I’d say this, but here goes: Go Timmy Tebow!

  280. 280.

    The Moar You Know

    Just because Tiger ran through a fire hydrant, into a neighbor’s tree, and ended up in the middle of the road snoring, this no reason for the police to have had the reasonable suspicion necessary to perform a breathalyzer on Tiger.

    @Brick Oven Bill: You’d be snoring too if your wife just unloaded ten or twelve good shots on your face with a five-iron. Which, from your fixation on thermally inefficient, primitive culture cooking devices and the grandiose sputterings of a weeping Mormon alcoholic, I’m betting happens to you at least twice a week.

  286. 286.

    Yutsano

    @JK: I’m betting on him coming out and his boyfriend roommate being his partner. Or maybe I’m just dreaming out loud again.

  288. 288.

    Moonbatting Average

    Thanks a lot UT. If you’re gonna take take months off of my life with a game like that, at least do me the favor of losing so I don’t have to suffer a further shortening of my lifespan when you play Alabama.

  290. 290.

    Scott H

    @Annie: My issue, simply, is that the entity (insurance company) responsible for making decisions about my health is beholden to it’s shareholders (in terms measured by profit) and not my well-being. Add to that, short-term decisions that are detrimental to my long-term care (but cheaper) may be in the insurance company’s best interest, because that company likely will not be responsible for my care later on. So it just sucks to be patient and not a shareholder, and I am a patient first and foremost.

  292. 292.

    Yutsano

    @Tattoosydney: I’m thinking more a rough night of sex. Or he has no clue what he’s doing. Since it’s BoB I’m inclined towards the latter.

    I looked into Sydney tickets tonight. I’m wondering how hard finagling a business class upgrade will be at the airport.

  293. 293.

    stetson

    My republican father is running for congress against a vulnerable dem incumbent. You kids are smart. Any thoughts or analysis?

  294. 294.

    Tattoosydney

    @Yutsano:

    I just wish BoB would come out and proudly proclaim his love of the cock. This hiding behind the straight persona he portrays is sooooo 1990.

    Mmmmmmm business class… Eleven days and something hours until I am on a plane to Bangkok. I can taste the pre flight glass of champagne already.

  298. 298.

    Little Macayla's Friend

    @Scott H:

    My issue, simply, is that the entity (insurance company) responsible for making decisions about my health is beholden to it’s shareholders (in terms measured by profit) and not my well-being.

    I haven’t finished this story’s comments and links yet, but that’s where to go. Don’t stop at the story.

    The comments start with the usual reactions, then it’s argued that there is a difference between pricing policies out of reach by raising rates, which apparently Aetna is (will be) doing, versus not renewing policies of high cost customers, which the DKos story (&/or Huff Post? – I rarely go there now) is leaving some people believing. Strong overlap between poverty and high cost customers, of course.

    Then look for Jim Bow and Dburn comments halfway down (2:56 p.m.), if you want to see more about profit motive AND about the complications of HCR.
    What a mess.

  301. 301.

    Little Macayla's Friend

    Article from AMA news site on projected losses in Aetna membership due to policy price increases:
    http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/11/30/bisb1130.htm

    “(Aetna President Mark Bertolini) . . . predicted that Aetna would lose between 300,000 and 350,000 members from national accounts — large businesses in multiple states — because of businesses looking for “near-term cost savings.” They would lose another 300,000 in smaller group accounts, which are medium- to small-size businesses.”

    h/t again to http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/12/4/810802/-Aetna-Dropping-600,000+-Customers-to-Raise-Profits

  304. 304.

    Randy P

    @Brick Oven Bill:

    the Indian bartender asked the daily trivia question which was:
    __
    ‘Name one of the three Greek philosophers.’

    I heard an interview once with the authors of Trivial Pursuit. They mentioned that they included questions that nobody in their right mind could possibly know, but also what they called “brain dead” questions. Questions that you were grateful you got to when it was 2 am and you’d been playing for hours. Questions nobody could possibly miss.

    I believe this question is one of the latter. Your bartender friend no doubt reserves them for closing-time drunks, to give them a boost of self-esteem.

    But, as I recall the authors said people miss those questions sometimes anyway, I suppose congratulations are in order.

    (Yaaay! Edit! Yippee!!!)

  305. 305.

    JD Rhoades

    @demkat620:

    She wants Desire Rodgers’ head on a platter. Apparently Rodgers has offended the Village and must pay.

    Well, of course. You know how many asses they have to kiss to get one of those invites? And these crashers just walk in for free?

  306. 306.

    WereBear

    Regarding cats and Christmas trees:

    Cats climb trees and play with toys. So you bring a tree into the house and hang toys on it…

    What part of this confuses people?

  307. 307.

    MikeJ

    Well, of course. You know how many asses they have to kiss to get one of those invites? And these crashers just walk in for free?

    It’s not really the gate crashers, it’s that Rodgers is uppity. Did you know that a mere employee of the White House got to go to a fashion show while she was in New York? Obviously the villagers can not let this stand.

  308. 308.

    gnomedad

    @Randy P:

    I believe this question is one of the latter. Your bartender friend no doubt reserves them for closing-time drunks, to give them a boost of self-esteem.

    Yeah, isn’t that a bit like “name one of the three Apostles”?

  309. 309.

    kay

    @MikeJ:

    She’s a disaster. I have no idea why people are defending her.

    The Secret Service are in charge of security, but she’s in charge of the list.

    The whole point of her job is to make sure that the White house doesn’t have to deal with details at events, and that the event goes smoothly.

    She failed at that, and then wouldn’t admit it, and put them in the ridiculous position where they were making a legal argument to get her out of testimony. They probably didn’t want her to testify. I’ve read her responses in interviews. I wouldn’t let her anywhere near Congress.

    If her job is to make Obama’s life easier, so he can do his job, and it is, there just isn’t any doubt she failed at that.

    All she had to do was issue a statement sharing responsibility. She failed even at that.

  310. 310.

    kay

    @MikeJ:

    I would also add that an employee of the White House, which is what she is, in the midst of the worst economic conditions since the Great Depression, would do well to avoid fashion shows, and designer gowns.
    That’s just politically tone-deaf and stupid, and it causes problems for her boss.

  311. 311.

    The Other Steve

    @Brick Oven Bill:

    Let us now consider the broad appeal of Glenn Beck. Here is Principle Number Five:

    “If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and nobody is above it.”

    Why won’t Glenn Beck address the allegations that he raped and killed a girl in 1991?

  312. 312.

    AkaDad

    @Annie:

    Tell him that if businesses didn’t have to provide health care, they’d make more profit and that we’d spend less tax dollars with public health care.

    If all supporters of government funded health care argued it this way, we’d have it under ten years.

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