News-Record.com

"Leonardo DiCaprio's documentary, "The 11th Hour," reminded us that, according to the U.N"...

Nuff said. Two icons of liberalism in the same sentence is nauseating this early in the morning.

"The national uproar" over Vick's dogfighting was created by the media...not the public. Go munch on your tofu and baby carrot sticks that were ripped from the mother earth while still in their infancy and leave the rest of us alone.

I had just read this book when the Vick thing broke.

http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-Natural-History-Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199619581&sr=8-1

Then a related article was published in the paper about puppy mills, so I wrote this LTE:

==

An unintentional smile curled my face when in today's Puppy Mill story I read, "They see these cute little puppies [but] don't know the other side of the equation". The same is true of that cute steak on your plate.

Perhaps "Food Mill" is an accurate term for America's industrial foods, and just about everything at the grocery story is industrial Food. More accurate is that everything is "a meal of corn" (not to be confused with "cornmeal").

The farm bill once provided loans to level out corn supply and demand, but this formerly rotated crop is now guaranteed: the more farmers grow - including corporate "farmers" - the more tax-payers pay them. There is no longer a market economy, only federal subsidized overproduction.

This over production of corn gets absorbed by its inclusion in to everything. McDonald's French Fries are 23% corn; sodas are 100% corn with added water. Add ethanol to the list which absorbs corn overproduction but does effectively zero environmentally.

Americans get upset when they read about doggies living in cages, yet apparently ignore the calf whom Mother Nature intended to graze on sun and grass for 5 years before being trailered to the local butcher ... is instead caged on a fresh manure floor, fattened on corn and steroids, and kept alive with a steady diet of antibiotics until at 1-1/2 years old, he staggers into the slaughterhouse. Chickens get only 7 weeks.

Yea, pity the poor puppies.

==

This reminds me that I haven't had my quota of red meat this week. A charcoal grilled, medium-rare, 3/4" thick rib-eye with Montreal seasoning will be fine tonight.

Of course I'll balance it with a nice Russet and some salad.

NEWS AND RECORD MODERATORS-

This is another form letter. Ivan Slotsky of Princeton sent it to a New Jersey paper on Jan. 1 of this year:
http://www.packetonline.com/articles/2008/01/04/the_princeton_packet/your_views/doc477962a9587cf084862834.txt

Here is what the N&R says their process is:
http://company.news-record.com/edfaq.htm

"The letters then go back to Becky to be verified. We don't want to take a chance on publishing a fake letter."

Ha. You do much more than chance it. You all dive right into it quite frequently. Allan Freburg seems to be the favorite form-letter submitter. Look at the last bit of this topic: http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2007/11/for_this_thanksgiving_skip_the.shtml

"After the letters are entered into our computer system, staff members take turns editing them, writing the headlines and proofreading them."

Might I ask that a quick google search (www.google.com if you haven't heard of them) of at least one paragraph in the middle of all submissions might also be in order? If a layman can tell something is fishy, certainly a news professional can, too. If time is a problem, maybe google only submissions that don't discuss local topics.

If time is REALLY a problem I'll be glad to contract out with you do do daily google searches. Post an email address where I can send you my contact info.

A real letter letter was skipped over for this spam-like nonsense.

Thanks,
Roger

Ha. This isn't the first time Gustafan has gotten one over on the N&R and, by extension, its readers.

Here's one he'd "written" on Kyoto and meat (anyone else notice a pattern?) that was published in March of '05:
http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2005/03/meat_consumptio.shtml#comments

And here's the same letter, but this time in a Maui paper and "written" by Jason Oakley of Wailuku, in February of '05:
http://www.mauinews.com/letters/2005/2/28/10what0228.html

Roger

Roger,
I think you must have missed on this one.
The local letter writer's was totaly independent of anyone else's letter. Because he did not mention vegetables in the last paragraph. The rest of the exact wording was just a merely coincidence.

Good investigation Roger. Why is it the vegetarian crowd cannot come up with their own original letters? Protein deficiency?

Agree they should write there own letters.

Should we dismiss the message because they do not write original material? Only if one listens too much to Hannity & Co.

Speaking of Hannity & Co. .. am I the only one who has noticed heavy Fox watchers seem to have the same retorts for liberal transgressions? I swear there a few guys sitting around to develop buzz-storys - good buzz storys mind you - but the then same counter argument is repeated everywhere. Dan has posted in here dozens of times about how in Canada there is a waiting line for non-critical health care services ... we have heard from everyone about Al Gore jetting to warming conferences, ditto his un-green house, and the absolute nonsense in his definative claim of a 20 foot sea rise (which I'm not sure he actually said).

You tell me who has sole posession of the parrot label.

I am a vegetarian because I choose to be. If you want some meat, knock yourself out. Food, by God, ought to be at least one personal choice we retain. Both of my children eat meat. My youngest, a college Freshman, has a t-shirt that reads "For every animal you don't eat, I will eat three." It sports a picture of a baby panda in a soup pot.
From what I have seen, he pretty much keeps up his end of the equation.
Better, by the way, the write a poorly-worded, original letter than to forward (and pass off as your own) other people's work. Nice work, R. Bennett. Maybe we should all get together and start our own GSO news site?

From the N&R FAQ at:
http://company.news-record.com/edfaq.htm

What is your policy concerning "astroturf"?
Astroturf is the name coined for form letters that are circulated on the Internet and sent to newspapers throughout the country as the work of local letter writers.
They may come from political campaigns (Democrats and Republicans are equal-opportunity offenders.) or from a variety of advocacy groups.
Our policy is very simple: We don't run them.

"You tell me who has sole posession of the parrot label."
Certainly not Gustafan:
http://www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=NuH&q=%22including+a+mammoth+one+by+the+World+Cancer+Research+Fund%22&btnG=Search

-------------
"Should we dismiss the message"

Yes. "linked meat and dairy consumption with elevated risk of colon, stomach, pancreatic, prostate, breast, uterine and ovarian cancers."

I can link meat and dairy consumption to keeping billions of people alive at this very moment as well as allowing the technology to exist that lets all of us waste time on these forums.

I see your point, J.D.R., but sending in letters that you didn't actually write seems... gutless, maybe. Not cowardly, but more like having no real feelings except for those someone else tells you to have (we're critical of talk radio junkies taking this approach- why not PETA and the like?) and that, situationally, you might be guilted into having. No "skin in the game," if you will, which, if I read right, was a popular criticism recently. Gustafan and dozens of other lazy people who pay to be members of some type of fan club are telling us "I have these views, you should have these views, too."

I'm bothered that someone who actually sat and put pen to paper was trumped by someone who is the editorial page equivalent of the person who keeps sending me faxes about great vacation deals.

Why not publish form letters from PR shills for auto manufacturers in the LTE section?
"I believe the Buick self-leveling system is an overall positive for the progression of the automobile and it can be statistically shown that passengers in Buicks with self-leveling devices suffer dramatically fewer bear attacks than passengers in many other automobiles without GM's self-leveling technology. Order a Buick with this technology today for the safety of your family."

Useless drivel that plays fast and loose with facts (and they are facts) and hopes guilt will work on other people like it works on them. Just like this form letter which, although maybe not paid, is a PR campaign nonetheless.

Buy ad space, but don't pretend it's your letter.

If I had to respond, though, I would say to this part:
"...brutal dogfighting operation made us wonder why we tolerate the brutal treatment and slaughter of billions of cows, pigs and other innocent, sentient animals for our dinner tables."

Because they all taste better than dogs. If dogs get suddenly tastier, or food gets suddenly more scarce, all bets are off. And check your teeth- see those pointy ones in the front, a little off to each side? Research them.

And why do we tolerate the "brutal treatment and slaughter?" Because most of us aren't up to the task ourselves.

Roger

It's not "brutal treatment and slaughter" that has me thinking about it .. it's having been raised in farm country, making $48 working 60 hours a week calling cows in from pasture then milking 'em [by machine, unless they had mastitous, then it was by hand and real gross], bailing hay all day, spreading straw in the barnyard .. My neighbor across the street had his own butcher shop (and he had the cutest daughters too ....). I watched him slaughter cows and pigs. We did the chickens ourselves.

... vs. the way it's done today, which is to fatten 'em up with steroids and give them a diet they would not normally eat (given a choice). because they live shoulder to shoulder and knee deep in cow-plop, pump them with antibiotics to keep them from dying before they reach the slaughter house.

Farm-raised salmon is being bred to eat a diet of corn .. tell me that's normal.

Eat shit if you want. To feed my family I'm looking for local farmers - grass farmers.

"Dan has posted in here dozens of times about how in Canada there is a waiting line for non-critical health care services ... "

JDR, I've had great respect for you and your opinions over the years, but I have to say your last post lacks "original material". You have become a Demon Deacon sycophant of late. Hence his sniffing up your ass on a daily basis; "spot on James".

FYI, I have read about waiting times for medical care in Canada via on line. I have lived in France, returned many many times and learned the exact same thing decades later. I've been to Canada (Demon Deacon would be proud) the UK, and many other socialist countries. When was the last time you lived in a socialist country hmmm?

Go find the Hannity, Rush, etc. link about wait times for health care in Canada and tell me where I've repeated the same thing. Homework assignment. All I did was a Google search for "Canada wait times". Do it yourself. The first thing you will find is a site by the Canadian govt. about wait times, and they aren't talking about buses. No one told me to search this, gee golly whillkers I done did it myself JDR.

As for Gore, again go back to Google or any other search engine you prefer.

If you assume this info will never appear on PBS, NBC, ABC, NPR, MSNBC, CBS, BBC, etc. you are "spot on" JDR. Thankfully there are other sources of information available on line to expose Gore's hypocrisy.

So JDR, go screw yourself on that post. I thought better of you.

Back to the subject, verelse I like your post. You choose your own diet, I'll choose mine. Food should be a personal choice as you state.

We have several vegetarian meals each week, they are very good. This is balanced with other dishes featuring meat. Personal preference. Thanks again for a reasonable approach.

J.D.R.- Preaching to the perverted, my friend. Scroll down to the 3:20pm post, third paragraph from the bottom:
http://blog.news-record.com/opinion/letters/archives/2007/08/how_is_michael.shtml

The two things I like best that I can't make or track- Fresh bacon from a friend's farm in VA, and local wildflower honey.

But I have to mention that I'm not struggling to pay the bills or feed my family. Our spendthrift society has, perhaps, encouraged the method of livestock production we've reached today. You know the adage- Cheap, fast, good. I'd bet lots of people don't have the luxury of choice. Or would care if they did. They might not have ever tasted good home-grown beef. I run into this with my grown daughter who can't remember Coke tasting so much better before the corn syrup coup. You can't realize it's bad if the baseline was crap to begin with.

I hope your neighbor from so long ago kept a black kettle full of lard over a fire while he was slaughtering the hogs. Fresh cracklins covered with hot sauce is one of my best childhood memories. Can't eat that way anymore, of course, but nobody cared much about heart problems back in the 60s. Until you had one, I guess.

Roger

You're throwing out the baby with the bath water, Dan.

"I swear there a few guys sitting around to develop buzz-storys - good buzz storys mind you - but the then same counter argument is repeated everywhere."

Someone notices Al Gore's jet-setting and sents spam-mail that gets repeatedly posted in blogs. Later others are tagged for not walking across the Bering Straight to attend a conference. Hypocracy does negate any point, but many use it to establish universal truths.

I'm not "accusing you" of cut and pasting the Canada thing .. but you act like having to wait for the non-critical is removal of a God given right to in-expensive and individual service. If you can afford to get around the queue, fine (except you may be bumping another .. what would Jesus say about that?) ... but if the queue holds down run away costs, maybe it's a good thing. I do not know - but I do know that many times "Hillary Care" is mentioned, we hear alot about the waiting periods in Canada ...

... and we have run away costs here in America, which spends 2 to 3 times what other nations do on similar care and we get no better results. That is anything but fiscally conservative.

Globull warming, as our friend Neo calls it, was dissed for years by those at the top. Note almost everyone now agrees it's happening - our friend Neo specifically excluded. Is it possible they have other interests beyond Conservative? (Is pissing fuel away a conservative action?)

Doesn't any of this give you a bit of pause about their intentions? As said in another thread: Support capitalism, but do not trust capitalists. I'm sure "they" believe in free markets and all that .. but you may bet my personal life "they" get the first cut off the top.

"Spot on" Dan.
The new media, with it's multi-faceted approach on a subject such as state run health care, is a bitter pill for the socialists to swallow after more than 50 years of being spoon fed liberal propaganda under the guise of "news".
I never saw '60 minutes' or 'Conservations With Harry' point out the down side of Canada's (or Russia, or France) state run health care system. All we saw and heard about was the poor shillrun who were dying in the streets because some opposed LBJ's 'Great Society' and his 'war on poverty'. (Man oh man, has THAT been a resounding success! You now, literally, take your life in your own hands when you make a trip to the grocery store)

Oh, and you can bet my life personally that albore, John Travolta, and Leonardo DiCaprio are getting the first cut off the top of the globull warming scam.
Eat their shit if you want, I'll opt for a nice sirloin.

Dan, Neo quit confusing people with facts.
I much rather read JDR facts, like he posted prostitution is legal in Vegas, and Nixon took us off the gold standard, I also like for him to tell us one lie that Hannity has spoken. Are maybe he could tell us how much ambulance chasing lawyers run up our health care? May he could tell us why GE has ways seems to have grants for professors that support global warming? Could it be that ugly word profit? Maybe he could even tell us why my 38 miles per gallon car, is killing the polar bear, and Al Gore jetting around is saving them?

"but you act like having to wait for the non-critical is removal of a God given right to in-expensive and individual service."

Non-critical?

"In Ontario the wait time for radiation for cancer care has been reduced to 4.4 weeks from 6.4 weeks."

"In Alberta the wait time for hip replacement has been reduced to 12 weeks from 16 weeks and for knee replacement has dropped to 17 weeks from 22 weeks."

http://www.pnhp.org/news/2007/august/health_council_of_ca.php

The latter may not be considered critical, but I remember how much pain my dad was in before his hip replacement. Waiting an additional three months wouldn't have been easy.

Keep in mind this is the wait time from scheduling surgery to it actually occurring. This does not include the wait time to see a specialist to diagnose the problem.

My wife had a septoplasty last month. It took 4 days from discussion with the ENT to surgery. 4 days.

****************************************

Al gore jetsetting. Remember JDR, I'm a pilot and love anything aviation. Although I own an airplane and not a jet I know jets use alot of fuel. Why didn't they use modern teleconferencing and webinar technologies instead of jetting to Indonesia?

Meanwhile, algore is chairman of Generation Investment Management and buys carbon credits from his own company.

You seem to have a problem with bloggers who discover these hypocrisies. Well perhaps only when it doesn't jive with your point of view.

I really appreciated JDR"s take on farming in his first post and subsequent posts. I agree with the very unnatural lengths corporate farms are going to to feed people and the sick corn pollution we're putting in our bodies.

Stick to that. It works. Lashing out at others ruins a great post.

I agree. I've had farm-raised natural beef from my grandfather's farm. He loved hamburgers. He'd grind a whole cow into hamburger. No steaks, or sirloins. All hamburger.

And I admit, it was the best damn hamburger I ever had.

But you and i know that even on those good old country farms we grew up with, we slaughtered cows, pigs and other 'sentient, innocent animals'.

Personally, I prefer my cow dead before I eat it.

I'm not gonna knock dog. I've never knowingly had it. If cat is what they put in that chinese food, it's pretty good too.

Are you always this petty, Doggie? Regardless, I'll answer .. again .. your nonsense.

Prostitution is legal .. just across the Vegas city line then as far as you can see in all directions. In some long ago post I forgot that detail and was therefore wrong by perhaps a mile, maybe even a country mile .. but considering NV is perhaps several hundred miles across, my accuracy is in fact in the very low single digit percentages .. certainly minor to the core argument .. which was what, Officer Puppy? Why don't you find the original context to remind us? Here's your chance to prove me a fool. Really! Go For it! I'll wait.

==

Nixon took us off the gold standard. Period. He did not start the process, but he finished it - some say he defaulted on an American promise ... and that led very directly to the '73 Oil Embargo as the price of gold skyrocketed and Towel Headed Oil Boys collected. Draw a dotted line to Osama and our current War on Terror as the Sheiks gave in to the corruption that accompanies the acquisition of obscene wealth.

==
"Tell us one lie that Hannity has spoken". Do your own digging. Just for fun, here?s a start:
http://search.live.com/results.aspx?q=Hannity+Lie&form=QBRE

The best lies have elements of truth, and the half-stories Hannity et. al. tell are truth soaked lies. Listen to the prosecutor and not the defense and you'll end up convicting a lot of innocent folks. Perhaps as an ex-cop you're OK with that, but first tell us you have never been wrong.

Occasionally I would listen to Hannity (past tense). Here's one lie I personally heard - live on the radio - and subtle as all dangerous rhetoric is - and deliberately divisive - and lot's of saps suck it up as Gospel:

In January 'o4 Bushie43 would have been a lot wiser following world events rather than myopically promoting wall street crony dreams about privatizing Social Security .. however he wasted a couple months on the effort. During that time I heard Hannity spend an hour saying only 4% of Social Security was being asked for privatization and "Anyone can risk 4%" That's a direct quote. Hannity had me intrigued - I must have missed what the President was saying - then I realized Hannity was really talking about 4% of the 12.6% .. They wanted to divert one third to the stock market ... but Hannity was telling everyone only 4%. Anyone can risk 4%.

Pooh-Pooh all you want, but Social Security is one of the most efficiently run systems in the world, costing about one-half a percent to administer - perhaps one third of your personal stock market 401k costs. The SS problem lay not in the program, but in the congressional buffoons that - often with presidential encouragement - keep spending the excess. If Hannity or the President or Congress or even the Doggie were to address that issue, I'd give 100% support.

==

Why does GE give grants to professors that support global warming? Hopefully for research towards future profits, a concept I have never diss'ed. If you don't believe that then show me where I have spoken against profits or even capitalism - otherwise continue your private fantasy.

... and thanks for the quote: "Could it be that ugly word 'profit'." Now I can use your words in the manner you seem to appreciate: out of context. Let's try it out:

"I'm shocked an ol' copper like you would be so anti-capitalism, calling 'profit' an ugly word."

fwiw .. Your "Capitalist Friends" just received from the Bush appointed EEOC board the go-ahead to dump retirees off privately funded health-care programs and on to publically funded Medicare. How dare you rail about Socialists - they are falling out of your own closet.

==

How much do ambulance chasing lawyers run up our health care costs? Direct tort costs 2 to 3%. Indirectly perhaps 10% due to the extra steps Dr's take to assure they are not going to going to be sued. Why don't you do your own research? What does Hannity say?

These numbers are from memory - actually this whole post has been from memory - so are you gonna ding me if I'm off a little? I'm shakin' in fear ... but I doubt you'll either bother to try to show me up - nor succeed should you actually do some research.

==

Why does GE give grants to professors that support global warming? Hopefully buying research towards future profits, a concept I have never diss'ed ? you don't believe it? Show me where I have spoken against profits or even capitalism, or continue your private fantasy. Whatever

==

Why is your 38 miles per gallon car killing polar bears? Did I say it was? Show me.

How is Al Gore's jetting around is saving polar bears? Did I say he was? Show me.

I did not look hard, Dan, but while "In Ontario the wait time for radiation for cancer care has been reduced to 4.4 weeks from 6.4 weeks." .. but here:

http://www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/results/postop-radiation0905

The men were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Half of them (502) received adjuvant (additional) radiation treatments over a six-week period starting within four months of their surgery .. "

Let me repeat that: "... starting within four months of their surgery .. "

I don't know .. but the failures of a Canadian system (or any single system) are not reason to NOT pursue some as yet unknown change (improvement?) in American's current system.

"I also like for him to tell us one lie that Hannity has spoken...

Dog, it's not just Hannity, it's the whole "Faux" News Channel because they are demolishing the liberal networks when it comes to the ratings game.

And the liberals' explanation for this?...Why they have everyone that isn't as smart as them fooled into thinking they are a legitimate news source, of course. As they will tell you, the really smart ones watches MesSNBC with Keith Olbermann or CNBC with Jimmy Carter Shill, Chris Mathewes, and listens to npr. No bias there, no siree.

The antique media is in it's death throes, but the dimocrats are trying desperately to resuscitate it via the "fairness doctrine". They long for the good old days when they owned the print media and the airways. Don't believe me, just ask Dan Rather. 15, 20 years ago, Bush would have been railroaded out of town by this 'journalist' and his own faux news story.

"You seem to have a problem with bloggers who discover these hypocrisies."

That's bull shit and you know it.

It has nothing to do with Ratings, Neo .. Tits sell well too.

It's the "fair and balanced" BS that is so annoying: "You can believe me because I never lie."

NP - it's like Roger said - many do not know how good things can tase.

"I never saw '60 minutes' or 'Conservations With Harry' point out the down side of Canada's ... state run health care system."

Try looking, bozo

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/20/health/main681801.shtml?source=search_story

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/05/04/health/main615493.shtml?source=search_story

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/10/opinion/main700930.shtml?source=search_story

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/06/09/health/main700681.shtml?source=search_story

"I did not look hard, Dan, but while "In Ontario the wait time for radiation for cancer care has been reduced to 4.4 weeks from 6.4 weeks"

I'll be fair JDR, I'm not a doctor and I do not know the prescribed wait times for prostrate cancer from surgery until radiation takes place. What I DO know is if the Canadian govt. is posting info about a reduction in wait times for radiation treatment. My guess would indicate that the waiting time was too long in the first place if they are posting such information. Perhaps it's still to long. Makes sense non?

***************************************

As for your BS comment, you didn't seem to take kindly to bloggers who.....well let me put it in your words:

"Someone notices Al Gore's jet-setting and sents spam-mail that gets repeatedly posted in blogs"

Bloggers calling out algore regarding his jetsetting hypocrisy doesn't seem to appeal to you, hence my comment.

BTW you didn't answer my question. Wouldn't it make a STRONG statement for all these global warming alarmists to teleconference?

Getting a little testy aren't we? BS, Bozo, unlike the "civil" engineer (pun intended) that I'm used to.

Maybe I'm blind, but I still don't see the '60 minutes' or 'Conversations With Harry' showing the downside of socialist medicine... bozo
However, I did notice the cbs headline which read:
"U.S. Health Care Not Always Best"

Just couldn't help themselves, I suppose. And two of the links are essentially the same story...but two hyper-links posted back to back looks more impressive than one, huh?
Also, the storiy most critical of the Canadian system is from Grace-Marie Turner...That ain't exactly the lamestream media, bozo:
"(National Review Online) This column was written by Grace-Marie Turner". (The president of the Galen institute...not CBS news, '60 minutes', or 'Conversations With Harry')
"National Review Online"...the alternative media. Get it?
Nice try.

"It's the "fair and balanced" BS that is so annoying"...
Yeah, having an opposing view to a liberal talking head tends to annoy some...no such bothersome little quirks with the antique 'news' shows, huh?

And, yes, it has very much to do with ratings. Ratings are the barometer of the public mood, and right now most of the public has had it up to here with the media acting as a mouthpiece for the democrats. The liberal print media is in free fall and the broadcast 'news' shows aren't far behind.
A bitter pill, no doubt about it. I'm enjoying it a great deal.

prostate

All I was saying Dan, was that whatever difference in waiting time between Canada and the USA, there is also a difference in costs ... and while that may or may not be a reasonable trade off, it also it not a reason to out-of-hand reject - or whole heartedly accept - either system ... and that's the message that seems to be repeated, not only here but within the many-many arguments everywhere against "socialized medicine" - what ever that means.

Hannity say's "The United States Health Care System is the Best in the World!!!" It is also the most expensive, and I'm sure you do not fly "The best airplane in the World", because you do not have unlimited resources and have therefore applied fiscal sense.

A reasonable discussion would seem valuable, but all we get is divisive rhetoric. "My side's better than yours." Whatever. Truth is, we're probably beyond the ability to discuss thing fairly and it will take another national crisis - and even that may not help heal.

The consensous America cherished from 1945 to 1965 may be gone forever.

==

Al Gore's hypocrisy is nothing but Al Gore's hypocrisy. Certainly it makes sense for global warming alarmists to teleconference - it makes a STRONG statement - but I'll bet they do already and while they certainly could do more, at some point viv-a-vis is needed.

There is, like all things, a balance somewhere .. but as above, to reject out-of-hand the need to address climate change - because Al Gore flys a Jet - is just stupid.

==

Testy? Perhaps, and shame on me. Doggie's pointless scab picking set me off, and for Neo to claim he "never saw [CBS] point out the down side .. " means he just wasn't looking. Lazy.

I spent two minutes finding those CBS links .. the first one is full of criticism, including some jems like "The system is going broke, says the [Canadian Taxpayers Federation], which campaigns for tax reform and private enterprise in health care."

For him to go on about "All we saw and heard about was the poor shillrun who were dying in the streets because some opposed LBJ's 'Great Society' and his 'war on poverty'" means he's stuck in 1968 and just isn't looking.

Why should I respect or even listen to the perspectives of those with frozen brains?

"those with frozen brains" LOL (npr syndrome)

Someone has a knot in their tail to be up at 2:00am and worried about if America can achieve the utopian health care system enjoyed by Canadians.

This one will really make you froth at the mouth, cRock-o-...feller. Not only does it contain some facts on socialist/state run health care, it's brought to you by faux news:
:]

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/lynn-davidson/2007/10/19/media-ignore-hannity-colmes-expose-awful-cuban-health-care