What Blood For Oil Really Looks Like

It was, of course, a favorite mantra of the anti-war left – “No Blood For Oil!”.  International ANSWER, code pink, Cindy Sheehan (she who has morphed from useful idiot to just plain old idiot – now that a Democrat is in the Whitehouse) – they were all there criticising the war in Afstan and Iraq, screaming about Halliburton, calling Bush a war criminal, whatever.  Today, somehow the anti-war causes are relegated to the back burner, and we have no more grim milestone watches in the mainstream media – not even any real ackowledgements that the deadliest month of the Aftan conflict for US troops occurred on Obama’s watch.  And Cindy Sheehan sits all alone outside Martha’s Vineyard, wondering what happened to the media that couldn’t get enough of her when she was hounding Bush.  Mysteriously, the media has now decided that it’s time for Cindy to just shut up and move on.

Now we know what trading blood for oil really looks like.  It looks like Gordon Brown and British Petroleum making a deal for the release of a mass murderer in exchange for sweetheart trade deals with Libya.

The British government decided it was “in the overwhelming interests of the United Kingdom” to make Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi, the Lockerbie bomber, eligible for return to Libya, leaked ministerial letters reveal.

Gordon Brown’s government made the decision after discussions between Libya and BP over a multi-million-pound oil exploration deal had hit difficulties. These were resolved soon afterwards.

The letters were sent two years ago by Jack Straw, the justice secretary, to Kenny MacAskill, his counterpart in Scotland, who has been widely criticised for taking the formal decision to permit Megrahi’s release.

So, they’ve been working on this for at least 2 years.  One has to wonder whether al-Megrahi really was terminally ill – or whether it was , as has been suggested, all just a big rollicking hoax.

JUSTICE secretary Kenny MacAskill was last night under pressure to reveal more details of the medical evidence that led to the release of the Lockerbie bomber, after it emerged that only one doctor was willing to say Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi had less than three months to live.

Labour and Conservative politicians have demanded the Scottish Government publish details of the doctor’s expertise and qualifications, amid suggestions he or she may not have been a prostate cancer expert.

The parties have also raised questions over whether the doctor was employed by the Libyan government or Megrahi’s legal team, which could have influenced the judgment.

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Cowbell.

You always gotta have more cowbell.

Obama’s plummet has been truly spectacular.  And, as the “chosen ones” popularity plummets – he and his sycophants double down on accusing anyone who disagrees with his policies of racism.  The thing is, most Americans won’t put up with being called names.

Somehow, despite our apparently overwhelming racist tendencies – this guy was elected president.  As we watch his policies flounder, and as we listen to what he says and go”huh?” – it becomes more and more obvious that Obama is in over his head.  Even worse, it becomes apparent that for this administration, ideology trumps reason – and that Team Obama will pursue their agenda regardless of the will of the people – and regardless of the consequences to future generations.  He may end up being a 1 term wonder – but that’s still 4 years to do irreparable damage to the economy and social fabric of the USA.

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The future of KennedyCare

Ahhh, the joys of nationalized medicine.  How bad must things be if a British citizen, used to the NHS in the UK – makes fun of Canadian Health Care?  To be fair – a lot of his issues deal with the Quebecois language nazi thing – where you get the old “sorry – I don’t speak English” thing from someone who you heard speaking in English just 2 seconds before you asked a question.

Now, we are all used to a bit of a wait at the hospital. God knows, I’ve spent enough time in accident and emergency at Oxford’s John Radcliffe over the years, sitting with my sobbing children in a room full of people with swords in their eyes and their feet on back to front. But nothing can prepare you for the yawning chasm of time that passes in Canada before the healthcare system actually does any healthcare.

America – welcome to your future.  Look on the bright side – you’ll have lots of time to catch up on your reading while you wait for your doctor.

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As the Saying Goes

Being stupid is a shame, being ignorant is a sin. Ignorance is, however, preferable to being untruthful.

The proliferation of Obama’s gaffes and non sequiturs on health care has exceeded the allowable limit. He has failed repeatedly to explain how the government will provide more (health care) for less (money). He has failed to explain why increased demand for medical services without a concomitant increase in supply won’t lead to rationing by government bureaucrats as opposed to the market. And he has failed to explain why a Medicare-like model is desirable when Medicare itself is going broke.

The public is left with one of two unsettling conclusions: Either the president doesn’t understand the health-insurance reform plans working their way through Congress, or he understands both the plans and the implications and is being untruthful about the impact.

Neither option is good; ignorance is clearly preferable to the alternative.

The implications are, of course, staggering.  We either have a president who does not understand what he is selling – but is still willing to risk your and my health, wealth, and well-being to further his agenda regardless of his lack of understanding.  Or he does understand, and just doesn’t care.  You can form your own conclusions.  As for me, I think the legacy of being the man to bring universal health care to the US trumps all else for Obama, regardless of the consequences to this and future generations.

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Reality Bites, in a Strangely Hilarious Way

Remember how Obama touted cash for clunkers as a huge success – then refused to release any of the data associated with the program?  Well, perhaps this is why:

The program offers up to $4,500 to shoppers who trade in vehicles getting 18 mpg or less for a more fuel-efficient car or truck. Dealers pay the rebates out of pocket, then must wait to be reimbursed by the government. But administrative snags and heavy paperwork have created a backlog of unpaid claims.

Schienberg said the group’s dealers have been repaid for only about 2 percent of the clunkers deals they’ve made so far.

Many dealers have said they are worried they won’t get repaid at all, while others have waited so long to get reimbursed they don’t have the cash to fund any more rebates, Schienberg said.

“The program is a great program in the sense that it’s creating a lot of floor traffic that a lot of dealers haven’t seen in a long time,” he said.

“But it’s in the hands of this enormous bureaucracy and regulatory agency,” he added. “If they don’t get out of their own way, this program is going to be a huge failure.”

But government run health care will be different.  Really.

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’nuff said

Perhaps could be used as a graphic for this phenomenon.

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You can’t make this stuff up

Remember all of the screams about how Bush was turning the US into a fascist state – you know, one where threats forced you to comply with the demands of the government?  Well, all I can say is congratulations – we’ve finally arrived at the thing all of the screaming leftists feared.

Letters sent to 52 insurance companies by Democratic leaders demand extensive documents for an examination of ‘extensive compensation and other business practices in the health insurance industry.” The letters set a deadline of Sept. 14 for the documents.

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, signed the three-page letter dated Monday.

An industry source replied when asked for comment: “This is nothing more than a taxpayer-funded fishing expedition designed to silence health plans.”

Now, of course, it’s not fascism – it’s “hope and change” – and things done for your own good in the name of the Messiah.  As one could have predicted, there are no more grim milestones in the age of Obama – just sweetness and light and unicorn hugs.  And threats – don’t forget the threats.

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Another Government Safety Net in Freefall

FDIC insured – the question now becomes “from what, with what?”.

Hey!  Here’s an idea – let’s turn over responsibility to health care (and everything else) the the federal government!  What could go wrong?

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All You Need To Know About Socialists

Can be found in this transcript.  It doesn’t matter what YOU want – your leftist overlords know better, and will vote for what they think is best for you, regardless of your wishes.

MASSA: I will vote adamantly against the interests of my district if I actually think what I am doing is going to be helpful.

(inaudible participants’ comments regarding the “interests” of the district statement from Mr. Massa)

Massa: I will vote against their opinion if I actually believe it will help them.

Got that?  Massa will expressly vote AGAINST the wishes of the people who voted him into office – if he feels he knows better.  This elitist crap is just beyond the pale.  Reminds me of a Five Feet of Fury tagline:

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Dichotomous, Indeed

While the Obama administration tries to stampede the American public to accept a “Government centered” health plan, Canada’s doctor’s try to get people to run towards a “patient centered” health plan.  All Canadians do is bitch about health care – unless there’s an American TV station asking them how they like their system – then it somehow becomes “perfect”.

Dr. Anne Doig says patients are getting less than optimal care and she adds that physicians from across the country – who will gather in Saskatoon on Sunday for their annual meeting – recognize that changes must be made.

“We all agree that the system is imploding, we all agree that things are more precarious than perhaps Canadians realize,” Doing said in an interview with The Canadian Press.

“We know that there must be change,” she said. “We’re all running flat out, we’re all just trying to stay ahead of the immediate day-to-day demands.”

Then, of course, there’s this nugget:

Doig, who has had a full-time family practice in Saskatoon for 30 years, acknowledges that when physicians have talked about changing the health-care system in the past, they’ve been accused of wanting an American-style structure. She insists that’s not the case.

Because nothing, NOTHING, in Canada is worse than being accused of being an American, or thinking like one.

And finally (emphasis mine),

Doig says there are some “very good things” about Canada’s health-care system, but she points out that many people have stories about times when things didn’t go well for them or their family.

“(Canadians) have to understand that the system that we have right now – if it keeps on going without change – is not sustainable,” said Doig.

But wait a minute – aren’t we being told that the only way we can sustain our current health care in America is to radically overhaul it so it is government run?  Meanwhile, our closest neighbor to the North can’t sustain it with a population 1/10th the size of the US?  So, who are you going to believe – the doctors practicing under a “public option” system who say it is broken, or the politicians trying to ramrod a public option health care system down your gullet as the only way to save health care.  Nothing like building your model on a real life example of failure, I guess.  Come to think of it – why are the left so enamoured of socialism?

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