The site for ranting and reporting by John Masters
This is for those posts that we wish to feature here at Deep Sand. It implies that these are a bit extra special.
Leave it to Bill Moyers to be the voice of sanity in an otherwise insane discussion about healthcare reform. A recent report showing the majority of bankruptcies in America are healthcare related (and most of those people have healthcare insurance) should be causing Americans to demand that our Congress Critters take a serious look at single payer as the only real way to reform healthcare.
Read moreThis morning I went to a nephew’s 5th grade graduation ceremony over in St. Petersburg. I found it telling that the speakers two main points were about responsibility: taking responsibility for yourself and your own actions; and being responsible in the friends we choose.
Read moreI pointed out in a post on May 8 that the GOP was already gearing up for a smear campaign on Obama’s SCOTUS nominee, whoever it turned out to be. Well, the hypocrites have certainly rolled out of the woodwork to condemn Judge Sotomayor. Let’s take a look, shall we?
Read moreI continue to be baffled by the arguments in favor of torture, and the justifications that are made for America’s use of torture. I have heard one justification after another, and each falls with daily revelations of what really happened. Most disturbing though is a recent Pew Survey finding that the more people attend church, the more accepting they are of these torture justifications. That, my friends, causes me crisis of faith. I fear for what is to become of us as a people and a Republic.
Read moreU.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx represents the congressional district that includes my alma mater, and she has attended ASU events and activities to advance her political career and give her an undeserved credibility. Over the past several days, Rep. Foxx has made a number of inflammatory statements during the House’s consideration of the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act. Today, Rep. Foxx crossed a line when she took to the floor of the House, claimed that Shepard was killed as part of a robbery, and called the hate aspect of the crime “a hoax.”
Read moreSen. John McCain was on Face the Nation Sunday morning, and the contortions he went through to let the previous administration off the hook for their illegal torturing was astounding. He tried to claim that it was all just the result of some bad legal advice. Early in the interview McCain makes the claim that he believes no other Administration will ever make the same mistake (of using bad legal advice…I guess), and torture again.
Read moreAccording to a Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll of Texans, Republicans there are equally split when asked if Texas would be better off as an independant nation. I thought Austin was a great city with very friendly people, but if that’s how people down there feel, let ’em go. They can worry about the border, and figure out how to solve their many social problems. AsGny. Sgt. Hartman says to Private Cowboy in Full Metal Jacket, “only steers and queers come from Texas.”
Read moreMark Twain said, “Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” Rick Warren, darling of the “intellectual evangelicals,” is learning that lesson the hard way this week after an appearance on Larry King Live. Obviously I don’t agree with the evangelical view on homosexuality, and believe they are misreading the Bible based on many years of misinterpretation by their clerics, but I understand their right to believe as they wish. One thing, though, I’m fairly clear about is that lying is pretty much frowned upon throughout the Bible, yet Warren decides to play fast and loose with the truth. Now, even the evangelicals are mad at him.
Read moreCongresswoman Michele Bachman, Congresswoman from Minnesota, made the following comments to Sean Hannity: “At this point the American people – it’s like Thomas Jefferson said, a revolution every now and then is a good thing. We are at the point, Sean, of revolution. And by that, what I mean, an orderly revolution — where the people of this country wake up get up and make a decision that this is not going to happen on their watch. It won’t be our children and grandchildren that are in debt. It is we who are in debt, we who will be bankrupting this country, inside of ten years, if we don’t get a grip. And we can’t let the Democrats achieve their ends any longer.” I believe this may constitute a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2385. Advocating overthrow of Government.
Read moreMy niece loves to play the Bubble Breaker game on my phone. She can be down the hall at her grandmothers house, and as soon as she hears the little start up noise, she comes running going…”bubbles!” I also remember how cool I thought it was when adults could make smoke rings with their pipe or cigarette smoke. Now comes this video from Sea World where some of the dolphins, on their own, have learned to make a bubble ring with their blow holes, and then play with the ring underwater. Watch the video, as it is just beyond words to describe it.
Read moreChoose your poison. I don’t know the final best answer to the healthcare crisis in this country, but I know it’s a mess, and it has to be fixed. I know one thing that is an absolute certainty. This problem will never be solved until the insurance companies and their influence are removed completely from the process.
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