Thursday, June 28, 2007

The Supreme Court v. Social Justice




The Supreme Court blows, and will continue to blow for many, many years unfortunately.

Summary: segregation is not bad enough to warrant using race to integrate schools. So tell me, just how the hell are you supposed to stop racial segragation without addressing the fact that its racial segregation?

This is one of the many decisions this year from a Court whose majority is committed to removing this country's political and social progresses of the last century.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

We're getting the band back together




It looks like the greatest band of all-time maybe reforming for a show (or more?) soon. Led Zeppelin will be getting back together for a memorial show and, if all goes well, possibly a tour. Zep bassist John Paul Jones made a bunch of appearances at this year's Bonnaroo festival (which I did not get to go to this year), and it seemed like that would be the closest we could get to hearing live Zeppelin. But this reunion just may give us some hope. Though tickets will be like a million dollars each, so know way I'm gonna get to go. It's hard to say if I would really want to, though. I mean, Robert Plant's voice is not quite what it once was; in fact, in the last twenty years it has been pretty weak. Though I'm sure Jimmy Page hasn't lost any of his guitar skills, I don't think he or his bandmates probably have have the same stage-presence that they once had. I would like to her it when it happens, but I don't think that it's necessary for me to be there.

So, is Zeppelin the greatest band of all time? I've really gotten attached to the Beatles in recent years, which has given me doubt of Zeppelin's standing, but I can't seem to let them got from the number one position. I got into Zep during my teen years, so they hold a special place in my heart for sure. I think its that they are just so impressive all the way through. With most bands you can see an evolution and reshaping within their careers, but with Zeppelin, every song and ever album just seems so solid. Sure, there are few surprises, but there are also no let downs (well, maybe some, but they take place at the end of their career, and they are not so bad).

i guess when compared with the Beatles, I would say that the Beatles are more like a flower. There is a natural growing and maturing and a beauty, but also natural flaws that don't necessarily take away from the whole, but are flaws nonetheless. Zeppelin, though, is more like a machine that's built to last and to perfectly administer its task. Unlike all other machines, though, this one is not soulless, but instead know what its doing and enjoys it. For these reasons and more LZ is at the top of my list of bands.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

B.O.? Oh, B.O.

When I was a kid, I remember instances when I would be around one of my uncle and I would detect a unique smell, one that I never smelt anywhere else. The odor made me think of vegetables; chives and onions in particular. The smell didn't quite smell bad, but it wasn't the best in the world either. But I guess because I never really could quite detect the smell from anywhere else, it was kinda intriguing. Mysterious even.

It wasn't until I reached adolescence that I discovered what that scent was. After an active bout of soccer one evening without having put on any deodorant prior, I smelt those vegetables again. It was my body odor! I never really knew that this is what body odor smelt like. The concept of B.O. and its actual smell (and the odor accompanying my uncle) were never connected before in my mind. Ah, but now, whenever smelling body odor, I can't help but think of that realization, and of the most disgusting salad that anyone would ever want to eat.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

What is Universal Health Care?


Grey: no universal coverage
Blue: w/universal health care
Green: implementing universal health coverage

I think that our political discussions in this country have been vague about the answer to that question. Senator Obama recently introduced his health care plan. For the most part, I have been supportvie of Obama for president. But lately I have been looking elsewhere (I'm actually been increasingly impressed with Hillary believe it or not), and this new health plan is one reason why.

Like other health care plans that have been brought about, Obama's spreads the responsibility out among government, businesses, and consumers, and to pay for heath insurance while regulating health insurance companies (i.e. insurance companies won't be able to bar people from plans because of preexisting conditions). Though I like that businesses and government will be chipping in to pay for the plan, it takes the assumption that individuals would buy health insurance if only it were more affordable, like Edwards' stupid plan to make health insurance required like auto insurance. And in all this, heath insurance companies will benefit because they would have guaranteed customers and money coming into to them.

To paraphrase Dennis Kucinch, I support universal health care, but so do the insurance companies.

Michael Moore's new movie Sicko will be coming out soon, and I hope that a lot of people see it and are influenced by what Moore supports, which I do as well: government financed health care for all. A lot of our presidential candidates talk have a talking point that alludes to the fact that the U.S. is the only advanced country without universal health care. But those countries will still have something else that America won't have if we go through with health plans like those currently being purposed: guaranteed health care paid for by the government. In some countries, like England, doctors are employed by the government, but this isn't necessary for single payer plan. We can have a plan like Canada's where you are still given choice about who your doctor is (which you really don't have with the current health insurance companies), but the tab would be picked up by the government (which in turn would be be paid for by taxes on , ideally, wealthy individuals and corporations).

So, yes, I support universal health care, but my support can be narrowed down to single payer health insurance, where there is no middle-man insurance companies that serve no purpose but to make money. And this can be achieved through Medicare For All.

Medicare already does all of the things above for senior citizens; so the main goal of Medicare For All would be to gradually bring more people into the system, starting with the youngest and working its way up the age brackets.

Face it, if a Democrat is elected president, they are probably gonna try some crappy combination plan like the one Obama is supporting, and it may last for some time, but eventually we are going to have to switch to a system that works for people and satisfies them. So instead of lagging behind the rest of the world in another arena, instead let's do this right the first time.

So, don't just support universal health care. Support Single-Payer Health Care/Medicare For All.