GeezerSue

When he is outnumbered and hated by 70% of the country, he goes for the "No Politics" routine. Not exactly the high ground when you recall his "Let me put it to you this way: I earned capital in the campaign, political capital, and now I intend to spend it. It is my style" declaration. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/11/20041104-5.html In leaving Iraq, our country can't "lose" a war it could never have "won." I cannot find a single person who can define a "win" in the "war on terror." If you can't define it, we can never claim victory. (Check out the "War on Drugs" or "War on Poverty" to see how that kind of thing works.) ~~~~~~~~ As far as dividing Iraq into three sections...Sunni, Shia and Kurd...isn't that what was happening there when the UK-administered provisions of the Treaty of Versailles made the area into Iraq? (I'm not saying that it WAS, I'm really asking.) These people have been trying to massacre each other for about 1600 years. And we're going to cause a democracy to be born? Hardy-fucking-har. No one who has successfully completed a high school psych class would go for that...but Dubya says that's what we're doing there. Right. As a former troop, MY version of supporting them is to get them the hell out of there...posthaste. and to fund veteran's benefits, because we have a hell of a lot of unseen amputees and brain damaged folks home and on their way home and their claims are NOT being processed in a timely fashion.

Mine isnt BCBS...it's BC CA PPO, but I wanted to point out that it changes fairly quickly. Here's from my BC site: Medical Policy Subject: Surgery for Clinically Severe Obesity Policy #: SURG.00024 Current Effective Date: 11/13/2006 Status: Reviewed Last Review Date: 09/14/2006 Description/Scope Clinically severe obesity is a result of persistent and uncontrollable weight gain that constitutes a present or potential threat to life. There are a variety of surgical procedures intended for the treatment of clinically severe obesity. This policy addresses those procedures. Policy Statement Medically Necessary: Gastric bypass with a Roux Y procedure up to 150 cm, laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (the Lap-Band® System), vertical banded gastroplasty, or biliopancreatic bypass with duodenal switch as a single surgery, is considered medically necessary for the treatment of clinically severe obesity for selected adults (18 years and older) who meet the following criteria: 1. BMI of 40 or greater, or BMI of 35 or greater with co-morbid conditions including, but not limited to, life threatening cardio-pulmonary problems (severe sleep apnea, Pickwickian syndrome and obesity related cardiomyopathy), severe diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease or hypertension. AND *Note: Individuals considering the laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding (Lap-Band®) procedure must meet the above minimum BMI requirement and, in addition, have a maximum BMI of less than 50.

Many of the plans list which comorbidities they will accept and they don't care about the others...your sex life or self-esteem, for example. But, at 100 pounds overweight, you need a (pain the the ass) sleep study. In fact, some surgeons (or anesthesiologists) require one before surgery. Sleep apnea is a life-threatening condition and most people who have it don't know it. (Some of us even INSIST we don't have it...right before we test out as having SEVERE sleep apnea. Duh, me...)

I have BC CA PPO. First, they didn't cover the band (when it was new), then they did. Last I checked they will approved the band ONLY for BMI's between 35 with co-morbidities and 40 without and 49. They don't cover it, right now, for BMI's of 50 or greater.

I thought that if you didn't take Medicare Part D, you had to pay 100% for the Rx drugs. (What do I know?) My mom is in a Medicare HMO...and her drug copay went down. A little. HOWEVER--thank you, Mr. Assholes-in-the-White House and Congress--she now has a $4000 limit she didn't have before. (And, interestingly enough, both what the insurance company pays AND WHAT SHE PAYS count towards the $4000. Bastards.) Meanwhile, my husband will retire in abut 13 months. The policy he currently has will begin to cost us $982/month. (Currently, it's $120.) We can switch to another policy at Open Enrollment, but that will be after we pay for THIS assault on our senses for five months. The two other PPO policies price out at $440/mo or $200/mo depending on whether we want to pay more for lower (or, in some cases) no copays or pay as we use the services. With those two...because DH is on an expensive drug...his copay for that one drug will go from $10/Rx to $150/Rx. Europe is far more civilized.

The experts usually hand the "worst" honors to a Democrat and a Republican. Buchanan--for letting the nation divide under his leadership--and Harding--for more corruption than had been seen...but then THAT was before Halliburton and all--are usually two of the pack leaders for "worst ever."

Glad you asked, Jack. "...the information in Powell's presentation initially came from a document he described as 'sort of a Chinese menu' that was provided by the White House." source: http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/08/19/powell.un/ Actually, most of what I've read on the topic does not refer to any massive conspiracy, but rather to a mindset...an unquestioning willingness to believe bad stuff--and to disregard any and all information which conflicts with the bad stuff--about the enemy. (I may suffer from a little of this when it comes to Dubya himself...who knows?) I'm not sure I can recite the four reasons Bush cited, but I'm pretty sure that one of them was to enforce the UN resolutions requiring Saddam to disarm. And, who gave us the right to enforce UN resolutions? Not the UN. Nope, Bush did. What incredible arrogance...what hubris! Let's say I'm a MEMBER of an organization..a union, maybe. And the union has a contract that a certain employer will pay a particular wage for given employee labor/services. And I find out that some employer somewhere isn't honoring that agreement...so I decide that a few of us in the union ought to go knock down his door and TAKE the money out of the office so that the union employees will be paid as agreed. I would, rightfully, be arrested as a thug and a thief and a threat to the neighborhood...because nobody made me "the enforcer." Just like the UN did not appoint Dubya the enforcer of these particular resolutions.

Actually, no. Perhaps you believe this because you have not heard the truth on the matter, which is not surprising since it was underreported..even ignored. But, here it is...the truth should never be too late to be welcomed: Summary: Four days after former high-ranking CIA official Tyler Drumheller revealed that the Bush administration dismissed clear-cut evidence undermining President Bush's central case for war -- that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction -- the media, except for MSNBC and now CNN, have largely ignored the story. http://mediamatters.org/items/200604270015 So, if by "we" you mean the US government, then, NO, everyone did NOT believe that Saddam had WMD's. But those who reported on this fact were ignored...and even the media let them slide.

Happy...VERY happy...New Year.

Surely you don't think that's enough, do you?

אמן Not positive, but I THINK that's "amen" in Hebrew.

Paraphrasing Penn...defending the "accuracy" of the bible is necessary for people who can't say, "Well, it DOES seem to defy logic, but it's what I believe because of faith." The "accuracy defenders" KNOW that the bible defies logic but insist on trying to distort history and science and archeology and geology and all that good stuff so that they don't have to accept the bible on faith, because...apparently, they, too, really WANT logic and reason and facts and such. Too bad. Like Penn said, "...But if faith isn't enough...if you want history or fact in your bible, you are so screwed." Because, after all, if believing in FACT were all that was being asked of true believers, how tough is THAT? The entire test of faith is to believe what is NOT real. Once someone "succeeds" (were that possible) in proving that everything in the bible is real, that person simultaneously eliminates the need for the oft repeated biblical lessons on the importance of faith. I don't see how a true believer would even want to try.

If y'all can handle any more...here's a Mithra-Christianity discussion. You have GOT to hear the comment she makes about what she's never heard a bloke say... http://throwawayyourtv.com/2006/12/jesus-as-reincarnation-of-mithra.html

http://throwawayyourtv.com/2006/06/bible-is-bullshit.html

I hope you have a small family...or they have a large closet...Matthew 6:5-6 and all. Oh, or should we go with Timothy 2:8? Well, they're both in the bible and so they must both be right.

...is scheduled for "imminently." There will be some cheering among the less-informed Bushy-ites, who will be glad that we finally got the bastard who caused 9/11. Morons. Anybody know where Osama is? Anybody know WHO Osama is?

First, you have yet again misquoted/misinterpreted what I have written. Then, I am not going to engage in a debate with you over what I consider to be your fantasies. But address the point I was trying to make...Christ had himself a bit of a "gang" if you will...a core of a dozen relative unemployed characters who hung with him on a regular basis. I don't recall his building a physical church...and, what with carpenter skills and all...that seems like it might have been possible. No Building Fund was mentioned in any scripture I recall reading. Christ spoke for himself. Your guy Greg, the anti-evolutionist, has his own detractors. (I haven't read much, but generally, NONE of the parties in these debates cause me to want to engage.) He doesn't need me: http://www.gregiswrong.com/site-gregiswrong/ Believe what you want to believe. Do whatever it takes to get you through the night. But if anyone has the right to claim that if I don't believe as they do then I am an anti-Christ or a spawn of Satan or I am a tool of some imaginary demon and doomed to eternal damnation...then I pretty much reserve the right to say that THEY might as well open the Church of the Tooth Fairy, as reasonable as they are IMO. They are, when you think sbout it, all just words...

Christ comes to mind. LOL! After him, can't think of any...

Not all of the cult leaders have television shows; some are still just on the radio: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Koukl

Here's more info about that "miracle drug." http://www.enbrel.com/index.jsp?f=7

I hate when I'm wrong. ~~~ Perhaps he's just cranky because he's only a couple of weeks post-op. Or...maybe the size of his SAT English scores matches the size of...never mind. I just don't want to go there.

"Pastor Melissa" is the multi-million dollar widow of the late Gene Scott, a cult leader here in L.A. http://www.dymaxionweb.com/kulturedrome/gene%20scott.jpg

Sunta! Well, right off we've got your suspect narrowed down to that "special" 18% of the population that "strongly" supports Bush even now. "Special" being the operative word. Lemme guess...does it start with an "L?" Edited to clarify...NOT Leatha.

Leatha, As soon as Christians are in the same kind of minority as the other groups you listed, it might make sense to get our panties in a bunch about their rights being endangered. And as soon as Christians--the majority, remember...the group with all the power in this culture--set the example as to how to treat others who believe differently, it might be easier to tell the good guys from the bad guys in this drama. But, if you want to feel the wrath of a Christian or two, try to not say the words "under God," in the Pledge of Allegiance. Or ask that the school stop having Halloween parties on school property during the educational day because Halloween is a holiday based on religious beliefs that conflict with yours (not to mention that the school's test scores indicate that they could USE another day of study, not parties.) Try being the non-Christian parent when your kid is in a classroom full of religious motifs this time of year. If you want you kid to keep her solo in the school choir "Winter Holidays" performance, do you even MENTION that every song they are performing is a freakin' CHRISTIAN HYMN!? In terms of day-to-day hegemony, the Christians are millenia ahead of the other groups mentioned. Funny how most people can see only how Islam has taken over the lives of the citizens of Middle Easten countries, without seeing how Christianity has dictated a good part of how our lives are conducted here. There ARE parallels.

Just my wild ass guess here, but I'm thinking that most of the Rapture Ready people do not hold today's mental health standards in very high esteem...and tha the twain would seldom meet.