So here we are, at a Congressional hearing with a House Oversight Committee into the events that led up to a recall of beef tied to a Hallmark/Westland slaughterhouse in which downer cows–that is, cows that cannot walk or stand–were treated inhumanely via kicking, beating and repeated electric shock, then were sent directly to the “kill box,” illegally bypassing an inspection of the cattle by a USDA veterinarian, as mandated by law.

I only caught part of it on CSPAN today, so I had to resort to a Google news search to fill in the gaps. Naturally, media outlets like Fox News and the Wall Street Journal show more support than disdain of the meat industry. Steve Mendell, president of the company in question seemed to be at war with himself over what he was saying.

On one hand, he’s the president of the company and is under the threat of having his whole world turned upside down with the largest beef recall in history. On the other, as one panel member pointed out, he didn’t find it in his best interests to spend six minutes of his time watching the videos in question. Indeed, he claims that the first time he had seen the videos was at the hearing yesterday. Way to be prepared, guy.

Another thing that concerned panel members about his actions is that while he responded to the accusations and depictions of excessive animal cruelty by ordering cameras for the slaughterhouse within days of the charges, he didn’t order a recall of the beef, even though downer cows were said to be in the video, heading straight for the kill-box. His argument was that even though they were mere feet away from the slaughtering area, there is no video showing the downer cows actually entering the box. Certain members of the panel were aghast that he and his company were unable to connect the dots and make a reasonable assumption that the sick cows were being processed alongside the rest of the beef.

One thing he said, which I do believe, is that he did not directly view or supervise the slaughterhouse. I believe that. Why would the president of a company, whose job is mostly administrative work, go into such a facility but once in every great while? My problem with his statements is that he seemed to be claiming that the slaughterhouse was not being supervised by anyone he was asked about. Instead, he said in vague terms, to paraphrase,”I’m sure middle-management was supervising at the time.” And nobody did anything about it?

As a defense, he touted that the USDA had, in fact, been there for inspection of the facilities. Indeed, he had documentation out the wazoo. However, the panel noted that the inspection time had been scheduled in the four-hour period between times when cattle are regularly scheduled to be moved. This, according to the panel, was the absolute most crucial time for them to be observing the facility as it would have at least shown the downer cattle to have been present.

Democratic members of the panel noted that the company did not actually execute a recall until it was told to by authorities, citing the number of days that had passed between when they knew about the charges and when they were told to recall. They said that there was a clear business incentive, regardless of the health-risks to American citizens, not to recall. They’re planning to introduce legislation that would grant the authority for other food-related agencies such as the FDA to instigate a recall in situations like these, remarking that the USDA process for recalling a product is “long and involved.”

Republican panel members, naturally, were a considerable amount softer on the company’s president.

The question in my mind is why did it take so long for the recall to happen, and why didn’t the company initiate it? The obvious answer: money! I thought Mendell came off as being mostly genuine, but reserved enough to be considered questionable. I don’t think, however, that he should stand to take all the heat for this. It was the company itself that acted inappropriately by beating the shit out of cows that weren’t even fit for consumption, then processing them as if they were! It is those who oversaw the process and knew about the abuse and violations who should be held criminally accountable, as well as the employees who did the beating.

The company itself, if it hasn’t gone bankrupt from the recall, ought to be fined to the point of bankruptcy–as well as any company that knew about the danger but refused to initiate a recall on products which used the beef. At any rate, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Republicans, I know what you’re thinking. “Oh great, another round of regulation by the evil liberals!” Tough shit. One company spoiled it for the rest of ‘em, proving once again that private interests, like the government, are beyond the realm of public trust. When there’s money at stake, they’re the last ones we can count on. That’s why we’re going to regulate them, whether they comply or come kicking and screaming. They just can’t be trusted, and they’ve shown us this over and over.

I had heard the name Keith Olbermann before, but have never bothered with his show on MSNBC, as I tend to prefer direct-from-the-source (CSPAN) and print media to media pundits. After discovering him and reading his stuff (then later watching him on his site), I feel bad about putting him in that category, especially since he doesn’t host a show with a “yell louder than the other guy” format.

The proprietor of the blog Grandma’s Attic and my partner-in-crime over on peoriaspeaks.com alerted me to one of his rants and, I gotta tell ya, it felt like I was listening to myself. Only a bit more elegant and experienced. Anyway, I’ve added him to my blog roll and strongly suggest checking him out and viewing his videos if you can. The fervor expressed just doesn’t translate well to print, and adds a layer of depth to what the man has to say.

That’s the sound my mind makes whenever my right hand hits the keyboard. Ladies and Gentlemen, I went roller skating last night.

I was with my best friend. He has a guest from Japan staying at his house and was out of ideas for how to entertain her in pre-spring Illinois. I, in my naive fondness of memory, suggested rollerskating. What my mind and body had apparently forgotten was that I hadn’t been rollerskating for the better part of a decade. For those of you who find yourself in a similar situation, here’s a tip sheet:

• Dress light. Rollerskating can be quite a workout!
• When choosing a pair of skates (or if you’re one of those “hip” people, blades), be sure to find a pair that fits snugly. You can’t trust your shoe size on this one. I normally wear a size 12, but after some trial-and-error had to switch to a size 11. The skates should be snug, and if you have a spouse or partner who is willing to trade foot rubs with you once the night winds down, all the better!
• Lace the skates as tight as you can! Make sure to pay attention to all the holes and notches for the laces to go through. If you find the laces are too big even after a double-knot, wrap them around the back of your skates then tie them in the front. The last thing you want, as I painfully discovered, is to have a rogue lace slip under a wheel. The main benefit of having your laces tied tight is not falling on your ass and getting run over by six junior-high kids. Also helps with ankle support/steadiness.
• Another thing, while it’s fresh on my mind, is to watch your language. If you curse a lot like I do, you may want to bite your tongue. Skating is a family-oriented activity. Tempted though you’ll be, do your best not to yell out “OH SHIIIIT” as you go flying into a cinder-block wall.
• Skate brakes are tricky. Because you must have the balance and coordination to tilt one foot forward (or, for roller blades, backward) to slow yourself to a stop, this may be a problem for some people. The trick is to make the brakes touch the floor lightly enough to make you gently slow down. What this means for the rest of us who don’t have a good sense of balance and coordination is that tilting your foot forward to make brake-contact with the floor usually ends up in a skidding, spinning, flailing descent to making full-body contact with the floor. I recommend flying into a cinder-block wall to stop yourself. It’s less painful and far less embarrassing.
• Balance is the key to proper skating. If there’s a concessions stand nearby, don’t go near it! There’s bound to be some sort of slick or sticky fluid spilled in the vicinity. Your flawless sense of balance doesn’t mean shit when your wheels don’t stick to the floor. If you’ve gained a belly between now and the last time you took to the rink, you’ll have to lean forward farther, which isn’t so good for people with back problems.  And, by George, bend those knees!. A girdle is recommended.
• Proper technique is paramount! When skating, do not attempt to walk on your skates. This doesn’t work. Instead, you should employ a sort of sliding motion, back and forth. If you’ve got bad hips, maybe you should hit the arcade instead.
• When falling, the best method I’ve found is to try to lower a knee in a sort of “marriage proposal” position, then slide to a halt, or a cinder-block wall. The success rate of this method depends entirely on your sense of balance–I only got it to work once. If you’re like me, falling flat on your back, sliding on your stomach, or landing in a “limbs-askew” position is the more likely course of action.
• Another important thing about falling is this: when falling on your ass is imminent, do NOT grab hold of your best friend’s hoodie in a desperate attempt to balance yourself. You will both fall and be run over by six junior high kids.
• If someone falls directly in front of you, I can tell you from experience that it is not in your best interest to attempt to lift one leg up to avoid running it into the fallen. You are going down; just let it happen.
• Do your best to hold your course and don’t be intimidated by people skating around everyone like a drunk driver weaving in and out of traffic. Chances are, they’ve had more practice than you and are thus unlikely to cause an accident.
• Finally, as an exception to the previous tip, when someone cuts you off on their way to the rink’s exit, thereby causing imminent ass-landings, it is against proper etiquette to try taking them down with you, but highly recommended anyway.

I hope this helps, and good luck out there!

I was watching CSPAN tonight while taking care of the boy. Gotta tell ya, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is a hell of a guy. Apparently, after having their secret session concerning the FISA act, House Democrats were as incensed as ever over the Republicans’ demand to grant retro-active immunity to the telecom corporations that assisted in the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program.

Republicans’ argument against the Majority-supported bill went something along the lines of,”If we don’t protect these American corporations from opportunist trial lawyers’ lawsuits, then we haven’t done our job to protect the American people from the terrorists.” Throughout the counter-arguments, the telecommunications companies in question were referred to as “good Samaritans” and having “answered the call in this country’s hour of need.”

First off, let’s get a few things straight. One, while the House-proposed bill does not provide retro-active immunity for the telecom companies, it does (at least according to the CSPAN ticker at the bottom of the screen) make it “easier for telecom companies to defend themselves” should they be confronted with one of these “opportunist” lawsuits.

Second, the FISA bill, as it currently stands (and has stood for 30 years) enables intelligence agencies to obtain all the information they need with a court order or, in emergency situations, without a court order. This is what Republicans want, right? To be able to cut through the red tape to protect Americans from terrorists when the need arises? As they’ve continued to reject this bill, I’d say they want to make a law which violates Constitutional protections against “unnecessary search and seizure” by cutting out the courts altogether. Wait… didn’t they claim to be the holy defenders of the Constitution back when Clinton was in office? Tsk.

Third, and this is something I’d really like to touch on, is about the immunity for communications companies. One thing House Democrats made a point to mention is that the telecom industry already has immunity–with the proper documentation: court authorization via a warrant. It was argued that telecom companies, who have the means to full immunity for wiretapping, willingly chose to bypass the rule of law and suddenly want protection from it, when the mechanism for their immunity was already available if only they had followed the procedure.

That’s like illegally downloading something online, getting caught, then asking for a receipt as a proof of purchase without actually buying anything. The conditions for getting a receipt to avoid charges have not been met. Likewise, American citizens’ phone records, conversations and internet activity have all been handed over to the government without following the law, the People found out, and now they’re wanting immunity–their receipt–even though the conditions of getting it haven’t been met. Doesn’t make much sense, does it? The point: they had their chance at immunity and knowingly blew it.

Personally, I’m of the opinion that the telecom industry actually is a victim in all this. I’ll bet they were told–or assumed–that they were being given full legal authority to do this for the Bush cabal. They were led to believe that what they were doing was perfectly legal, and maybe, just maybe, they complied out of naivety rather than complicity. I don’t think that just because their crimes were tied to the White House, that they share the same operating procedure and philosophy as the Bush regime. We don’t have all the information regarding who did what yet, so I’m willing to suspend judgment on the companies themselves while this gets sorted out in Congress. If it can be shown that they acted egregiously (and not merely gregariously), then let the chips fall where they may.

Bushie, however, is obviously by this point beyond any benefit of the doubt.

Naturally, the Senate says this is a “step in the right direction” but are still babbling about reaching a compromise. In other words,”If the House adds immunity to this thing, because we’re all getting creeped out by Dick Cheney’s evil stare and want to get this over with as quickly as possible, we’re willing to overlook any earmarks you glue to this sucker.” I’ll bet the “compromise” is at least similar to this.

I don’t get what’s so terribly offensive about Wright’s sermons. I don’t agree with all of it, but I can at least see where he’s coming from.

Browsing the news articles today, I found a wealth of ignorance left by commentors on the articles. I couldn’t help but think,”Oh look, white Republicans ganging up on a black Democrat because his pastor–not he, but his pastor made comments that reflect ugly truths and perceptions of white Americans, things you white Republicans aren’t comfortable acknowledging about yourselves. Then, without even willing to look at why you’re being criticized (since understanding is a catalyst for resolution), you simply make a judgment about a man based on comments FROM HIS PASTOR. His pastor, who you’re labeling a bigot while refusing to accept a shred of responsibility for the things he’s angry about.” Who’s the hypocrite again?

What gets me about it is that these are comments from people–and you can tell by their arguments–who wouldn’t have voted for Obama anyway. It’s made by people who are looking at this as a way to justify their already-racist attitudes. Is race involved in this election? Hell yes it is. When you read the tripe these people regurgitate, it becomes quite obvious.

A good percentage of them were only regurgitating what they heard on Limbaugh. I caught part of his racist diatribe during lunch and hit the refresh button on one of these stories, only to see it filled with comments that weren’t merely inspired by Limbaugh’s statements, but were directly plagiarized, at times word-for-word! Republicans are such sheep.

Anyway, I don’t think the pastor believes that white people are the root of all evil. In fact, nowhere did I see him even suggest that. But from a black perspective race is important, especially–especially–considering this country’s history. I think we can all agree that there are issues within the black community that can’t be fixed by any amount of reparations or actions by whites, things that need to be dealt with from within, but that doesn’t mean we’re off the hook. People ought to take this into consideration when weighing the Pastor’s statements.

In addition to that, I can’t find any fault with what he said. That Hillary had it easier than Barack? He makes a good case for it. Is the idea that maybe we were responsible for 9/11, maybe even had it coming, so outlandish? Tell that to the 9/11 Commission, the Iraq Study Group, numerous political scientists and foreign policy specialists. Tell it to the intelligence community. Tell it to the people of the Middle East. Tell it to Palestinians.

The blowback phenomenon works almost like a law of physics: “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” When we grant Israel a license to do whatever it damn well pleases while we turn a blind eye to their crimes against humanity, we would be reasonable to assume there would be consequences. When we attack foreign countries based on lies while arming their enemies, it would be reasonable to think that there would be resentment. When we allow our corporations to run amok in these areas, it is reasonable to believe that we may be viewed in a negative light. It is not only reasonable, but absolutely necessary to assume that when we employ an unjust foreign policy towards a region, their people will hate us. It is insane to ignore the fact that every person killed as a result of our policies has friends and relatives who wish to avenge them.

It is reasonable, my friends, to draw a line connecting our actions in the Middle East and the attacks of 9/11 as a direct repercussion. The attacks were evil, but they were not random, and they were not unprovoked. No, I don’t find anything wrong with the Pastor’s thinking.

Now we’ve got the Conserfascists demanding that Obama outlines which parts he does agree with (copying this line from Limbaugh, like everything else they think), rather than simply saying he doesn’t agree with certain parts. Apparently, to a conservative, this is an Ace-in-the-Hole argument, even though it’s not an argument. They reason that even though he may not agree with certain statements, he’s been listening to 20 years worth of these sermons, so he must agree with some of what he says (never failing to add foreboding finger-pointing Republican emphasis).

The truth is, like I said before, these people weren’t voting Obama anyway. They’re happily going to vote for whatever bum the Republicans squeeze out of their dookie-holes. In this case, John McCain is the turd they’re willing to sniff for the next 4-8 years. I, however, smell another foulness on the air. You see, most of the time, Republicans don’t even give a shit about the Democratic candidate until one has been chosen. This year, however, they’re all over it. If you ask me, I think it’s part of their little fraudulent conspiracy to put Hillary Clinton on the ballot. Scumbags.

…is good enough for the rest of us.  It has been a day or so, and I’m already tired of the GOP’s calls for Governor Spitzer of New York to resign.  I’m tired of hearing Limbaugh’s fanatics calling for him to resign.  Sure, we can all agree that what he did was sleazy, reprehensible, disgusting, dishonest, etc.  What gets me is for Republicans, that’s par for the course.  They want the Democrats to hold themselves to a standard that the Republicans themselves don’t live up to.  They don’t even expect it of themselves.

Politicizing the DoJ.  Pre-emptive war.  Violating the Geneva Convention.  Advocating the use of torture.  Suspension of Habeas Corpus.  Completely ruining the credibility of the United States throughout the world–completely conceding our moral authority.  The list goes on and on.  I could fill a small encyclopedia with the crimes of the Bush Administration.  Hell, anyone who’s paid attention during his presidency could.

That’s basically my case for it.  Not a single Democrat should resign for any reason as long as Bush and his administration continue to stay in office.  If we’re going to hold politicians accountable for their crimes, we can’t pick and choose.  Moreover, when you consider the weight of the crimes committed by Bush & Co., Spitzer’s crime is a drop in the bucket by comparison.

I haven’t updated my blogroll since migrating to blargen.com, so I’ll throw out a few plugs that are worth the read:

http://anotherconundrumpeoria.blogspot.com/

http://katearch1978.blogpeoria.com/

http://grandmasattic.blogspot.com/

http://theussuspects.blogspot.com/

http://bjstone.blogspot.com/

http://iwillrambleon.blogspot.com/

http://savyono.livejournal.com/

—–

I really need to update that blogroll. If you didn’t get listed, and you think you should have, well, god dammit, let me know.

“This is one of the most civil and positive campaigns that I can remember.”

I can’t believe I let this slip under my radar. I also can’t believe the statement was made about the current Democratic primaries, and by Clinton, of all people. Hillary Goddamn Clinton, who has run the most negative campaign I’ve ever seen. If anyone has been paying attention this year, they know it’s been anything but positive from her side.

Obama? Way positive. Clinton? What has she attacked so far: Obama’s experience, his record, his competence, his readiness, his integrity (funding), has engaged in race-baiting, compared him to Ken Starr and refused to apologize for it, releasing embarrassing photos to propagate the Muslim characterization/falsehood, among many others. At least when someone on Obama’s side talks shit, he disowns it. His people are respectful enough to resign over things like calling Clinton a monster, but calling Obama a monster (Ken Starr) is, according to Hillary at a press conference,”a true statement.”

She really is a monster, and I’ve said it before: she’ll do whatever it takes to win, no matter how absurd. She’ll say anything to win, because this race is all about her. Hillary is in this to advance Hillary’s career, not for the good of the nation. After everything that has been said and done, I don’t see how anyone could doubt that. Don’t be surprised if this ends up in an “I told you so.”

Democrats are proposing parity for insurance coverage of mental health. Basically, they want to make a law out of something health insurance companies should have been doing in the first place–and bloody well know they should have been doing–by making policies treat mental health claims in the exact same way as they would any other claim.

What kind of asshole would oppose giving Americans coverage for the number one leading disability in this country?

Oh, that’s right: Republicans!

I was watching it on CSPAN. The whole shebang. It’s times like these that they show their true colors as corrupt, sell-out, corporate hacks.

No, really! Yearly, we have thousands of suicides, hundreds of thousands of deaths due to substance addiction, not to mention people suffering with depression or severe conditions such as bi-polar disorder and, need I even mention it, people with conditions that lead them to shoot up their schools. The Republicans were grasping at straws trying to fight this one off. Why?

Obviously, because it’ll cost their financiers money. But the reasons they actually stated were as follows, with debunking responses:

1. It’ll cost untold billions of dollars. Wrong. I believe the actual month increase in cost to the company (or, through deductibles, the insured. I don’t remember which) would be a fraction of a percent. About enough to buy a really cheap cup of coffee each month.
2. Businesses might cancel their health insurance benefits altogether! Wrong. In states that have already passed similar bills, there has been no such evidence of businesses abandoning healthcare benefits for their employees. In fact, it has grown.
3. It could be used to force health insurance providers to pay for abortions as part of treating someone’s mental health. What the fuck? This is what I meant when I said they were “grasping at straws.” First off, an abortion, which is a physical medical procedure, is by definition and laws of nature mutually exclusive from treating someone’s mental health, which consists of counseling and medication. The Dems’ response? “There’s nothing about abortion in this bill.”

How do these scumbags get re-elected? My hat’s off to Patrick Kennedy and Jim Ramstad, one of the few Republicans who doesn’t deserve to be deported, for authoring the Wellstone bill.

All you people out there who are affected by mental health conditions or know someone who suffers from something like BPD or addiction, keep this in mind when going to the polls this November.

A few months ago I made a prediction.  I was listening to Rush Limbaugh–yes, you read that right;  it’s good to know what the enemy is thinking–railing against John McCain.  Rush didn’t like him back in 2000, and he sure as hell doesn’t like him now.  I know he’s not a sucker.   Hell would freeze over, the Cubs would win the World Series, and the dollar would be outpaced by the peso before Rush would vote for anyone but the Republican nominee.  But Rush didn’t like him, so all his listeners didn’t like him.  That’s the way it works.

I knew my prediction would come to pass when I heard Ann Coulter saying she was going to campaign for Hillary Clinton after John McCain became the front-runner.  This was not the typical Ann Coulter brand of insane batshittery we’re all used to.  This, like Rush’s continuous badmouthing (which he lies about by denying later), is calculated.

The four-state primary happens yesterday.  Clinton, who had lost 11 states in a row and is doing poorly in numerous polls suddenly beats Barack Obama in 3 of the 4 contested states, overcoming all statistical probability to help narrow the gap between them.

My prediction?  Republicans, having found their nominee, would vote in the Democratic primaries to sabotage the results by choosing someone they thought they could beat:  Hillary Clinton.  Turns out I was right.   They’re even bragging about it.

This is not a new tactic.  The Republicans whine,”but they came over to sabotage our primaries by voting for McCain!”  I don’t know about you, reader, but this makes Republicans seem very, very stupid.  This democratic primary is one of the most hotly contested ever.  One part of us desperately wants Obama.  The other desperately wants Clinton.  Not a single Democrat who has a serious stake in this election has wasted it on John McCain, unless their horse dropped out of the race.  That, Mr. Limbaugh, is indeed “subverting democracy.”

What we arrive at is this:  Republicans know they’re going to lose this election.  They know they deserve to lose this election.  Yet still they feel the need to continue ruining America.  How do they sleep at night?

If Clinton were any kind of patriot, she’d drop from the race this very instant…  she hasn’t?  Color me unsurprised.

Reader, do your country a favor and punch a Republican today.  Make them have to use the gouging, crooked private health insurance industry they’re so adamant about keeping.