Second Thoughts on Gays in the Military - New York Times

Second Thoughts on Gays in the Military - New York Times

Its about time for American politicians to give up this bullshit prejudice against gay soldiers. What next, Pelosi will give in to the PETA lobby and decide that meat-eaters have no place defending America? Why not, it seems just as arbitrary. Not that big a percentage of soldiers are gay so the troop-strength arguments are lame. Its not that because we throw out gays we have no Arabic linguists. The total number of troops thrown out for being gay are far fewer than the number the military throws out for weighing too much. By the way, yes, they do that.
The best argument for allowing gay people to be in the military is freedom. Anyone who wants to be in the military who otherwise would qualify has no business being excluded because of where they put their genitals on their own time. I have to agree with Barry Goldwater here, "You don't have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight."

What’s Making Us Sick Is an Epidemic of Diagnoses - New York Times

Yesterday at the hospital where I work, a demented patient who is dying and for whom it has been decided that no aggressive treatments will be done, had a physician order a painful, invasive, procedure which would have yielded no significant information. Terry my friend and coworker would have said "Teaching hospital" and we both would have known exactly what he meant.
Now I know this rant takes a somewhat different tack than Dr. Welch's article does. He's talking about over diagnosing, over testing, and over treating those who aren't really sick. I'm talking about over diagnosing, over testing, and over treating those who are so far gone that there isn't any hope of making their lives any longer and certainly not better.
In a teaching hospital teams of physicians change frequently. Depending on whim and the pet theories of their latest instructors the patients they take over will suddenly have be retested for everything in sight. Never mind that they were already retested by the last group of residents who flashed through. Apparently it is the fondest wish of a medical student or resident to be the first on their block to discover a disease or disorder which their friends haven't yet. Even if they don't, they get to practice expensive, painful, procedures that no doctor out in the world would dream of ordering for fear of the reaming a lawyer might hand them.
To that end, every 89-year old gomer from the nursing home admitted with pneumonia gets a spinal tap looking for hydrocephalus or meningitis when they have a long-standing history of Alzheimer's Disease. Maybe blood tests looking for Lyme Disease, perhaps the 14th repeat of a hypothyroid panel just in case it comes up positive this time. Maybe even a repeat head CAT Scan or MRI "just to make sure."

These young doctors are so earnest, so convinced. They actually believe that they are doing these crazed, demented, deathly ill, suffering souls some sort of favor. I'd call them cute but someday I'll be a crazed old gomer myself suffering through their Josef Mengele-style mercy. If I still have any self-awareness left I'll be wishing for the sweet release of death only to be thwarted by some deadly serious kid who just bought their first stethoscope last fall.

The Air America Fiasco Continues

Stereotypes are that liberal types cannot manage business' and are profligate with other people's money. Imagine my shock reading this passage from a NYT article recounting the ineptitude and botchery that lead to Air America's bankruptcy;

Some people at Air America assert that, under Mr. Glaser and the team he put in place, the network was top-heavy with management, inept at selling ads, unwilling to make program compromises that veered from the liberal message and overstaffed with more than 100 employees when two dozen would have sufficed.

What they did for $45 million they could have done for $10 million, said Sheldon Drobny, an investor with a contentious relationship with the network.

No wonder conservatives don't feel that they can trust liberals to regulate business and industry. Overstuffed administration, wasteful spending, and paralyzed by dogma. Thanks for not reinforcing any of those stereotypes, guys. Perhaps the most telling passage was this,

As for the bankruptcy filing, which came after a creditor, MultiCultural Radio Broadcasting, sought to freeze company accounts, Mr. Klestadt said the board decided a Chapter 11 proceeding would be the best way to maximize the value of the assets.

When a business feels that bankruptcy improves its value, you're in trouble. The truth is, nobody was listening to Air America except Liberal True Believers. When I listened I heard programming long on emotion and short on persuasion. Insulting conservatives is what passed for "spreading the message." For what its worth, calling someone a dumbshit isn't likely to make them receptive to your philosophy.
While the current and former staff of Air America might like to shake their own hands and say how they changed the elections, it just isn't true. Those who listened to Air America were never going to vote any other way. Yet another money quote:

Saying that Air America reaches millions of listeners and "clearly had an impact on the 2006 elections..." (Terence F. Kelly, potential buyer of Air America)

What complete bullshit. Air America couldn't even find an audience in Madison, Wisconsin. Berkeley of the Midwest and all that. Terence Kelly's hometown by the way. The Madison Air America station will be a Fox Sports Radio station. Oh, sweet irony, your nectar is too tart for most but I will partake of thee.
I'm going to make a not-so-bold prediction; Air America will never succeed except as a vanity project funded by some charitable limousine liberal attempting to woo some vacuous hollywood Mc-Starlet.
Why on earth would anyone need Air America, anyway? We already have the NYT, the LAT, Time Magazine, Ted Turner, ABC, CBS, NBC, NPR, and Hollywood.

Pearl Harbor Vets

I work in a Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital and I've gotten to know vets from every conflict since WW1. Not much more than a week has passed since the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association's announcement that

"With age and aching joints slowing the sailors, marines and airmen who lived through the attack on Pearl Harbor, the major national survivors group has decided this year’s gathering will be its last in Hawaii."

Sadly, inevitably, their numbers shrank by at least one more a few days ago.
I'll just call him Arthur. He was in the US Navy but on shore that day. Arthur had been sick for these last few years and had been in the hospital quite a bit. Over these few years I've heard many stories of that day, and the days following December 7th, 1941. Its a story I've heard many times over the years working at the VA. Ordinary men doing the extraordinary when need calls and never believing their actions were the least bit special. "Just what any decent man would do." Perhaps so, but the world is a bit less rich for your passing, Arthur.

Godspeed, Arthur.

Architectural Porn

Chateau in the Sky - New York Times

Now just how incredible would it be to have that view? Knowing what a philistine I am, I'd probably set up a basketball court in the ballroom.

"I've got a bad feeling about this"

While running spellcheck on my last post, "Pelosi" was highlighted. I clicked on the "learn" box and now I feel dirty inside.

Just a Reminder, the Taliban are Scum

The death of a criminal

The gunmen came at night to drag Mohammed Halim away from his home, in front of his crying children and his wife begging for mercy.

The 46-year-old schoolteacher tried to reassure his family that he would return safely. But his life was over, he was part-disemboweled and then torn apart with his arms and legs tied to motorbikes, the remains put on display as a warning to others against defying Taliban orders to stop educating girls.

His crime was teaching girls.


For those of us who need reminding of just who it is we are fighting in the Middle East, read this article. Students of recent history shouldn't be surprised. After the US forces left Vietnam to the tender mercies of their northern commie friends, the same thing happened there. While we haven't fled Afghanistan yet, our enemies know with the Democrats closer to power in America it may not be long before Pelosi and her ilk concede victory and leave Afghanistan high and dry. This is just a taste of what will happen in Afghanistan if the USA and NATO abandon them. Just imagine what you could get in Iraq if our new Democrat Overlords have their way.

No wonder nobody trusts America.

Leonard Nimoy sings the "Ballad of Bilbo Baggins"

For the best in truly bizarre 60s-70s nostalgia, watch this early music video by none other than Spock and his squad of adoring cheerleaders




truly odd

USAF TV commercial

I just heard that the USAF plans to shitcan their F-117 stealth fighters. Ah, Nighthawk, we hardly knew ya. The complaint has been a 1970's design made with 1980's technology flying in the 2000s was outclassed by new aircraft; namely the F-22 Raptor. I've seen this commercial around lately and thought it was most excellent.



During my soldier years, I kept a photo of my wife inside the top of my helmet so I perfectly understand the sentiment of the pilot's photo in his cockpit. Having a reminder close at hand of why we endure the long, lonely, hours of duty made them less tiresome. Many who have seen this video take the meaning of "guardian angel" to be the pilot in his stylin' F-117 flying overhead protecting his loved ones from harm.
I thought the wife and kids photo was his guardian angel acting as a spiritual shield. Military life can be deadly dangerous, especially for the Zipper Suit (pilots) crowd. Being reminded not only of what you swore to protect but what's at home can help prevent unnecessary risks that can keep you from becoming an expensive lawn dart.

"If it was up to the Democrats, we would still be living under Saddam's tyranny"

Sometimes it takes a parody news aggregator to get to the heart of the truth.

"If it was up to the Democrats, we would still be living under Saddam's tyranny"

Don't worry guys, the Democrats will soon put that to rights. FFS a former Democrat US attorney general is one of Saddam's defense team. That should tell you all you need to know.