Shit happens. For a reason. While there is a worthy discussion going on in the internets about the varying degrees of morality on either side of the conflict, I particularly like to look at the policy-related causes and effects.

After failing to anticipate Hamas’s victory over Fatah in the 2006 Palestinian election, the White House cooked up yet another scandalously covert and self-defeating Middle East debacle: part Iran-contra, part Bay of Pigs. With confidential documents, corroborated by outraged former and current U.S. officials, the author reveals how President Bush, Condoleezza Rice, and Deputy National-Security Adviser Elliott Abrams backed an armed force under Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan, touching off a bloody civil war in Gaza and leaving Hamas stronger than ever.  Read more…

As if a serious financial recession weren't enough, the people of the Appalachians received yet another unwelcome, and un-re-gift-able, "present" early this week when a coal-ash pond collapsed.

Photo by J Miles Carey, Knoxville News-Sentinel

Fifteen houses looked like the one in the photo Monday morning. Imagine that at Christmas. Read more…

Via Singularity:

Hedge Funds to US Soldier: “I need a Maybach, so… You can die too.”

-- Molly Ivins Read more…

Feh, working all day sux. But, I'm curious: are you getting more emails than ever, from corporate concerns, begging you to click the link and check out "savings like never before!" at this or that business website? It's sort of annoying to have to sift thru a lot of "you told us it was OK to email you" spam, as you're trying to get work done, yo?

I don't do a lot of online shopping, compared to your average American consumer. But obviously it's impossible to keep an email addy "private," and once one has used an addy, it gets whored around with the same promiscuity of a desperate blogger looking to generate new traffic at a new site. But it's notable, at least to me and anectodally, to consider how many "Sale of the Century!" emails I'm getting right now, and even from business concerns I've not had relations with for years.

The saddest/funniest ones are from the garden-related businesses, who don't seem to realize that I'm a few thousand away, in terms of savings, from having the self-heating eco-correct greenhaus that would make me more inclined to want to buy plants and gardening supplies in the early dead of winter. I suspect that, economically speaking, it's going to be even more Cold, come February.

First, let me give you some background on Michigan's 2008 Democratic Primary. The primary was moved to January 15th by an act of both Michigan legislatures. To make an important note, though, the original idea came from the Republican-controlled Michigan Senate, and the bill passed the Senate along purely paristan lines with the 21 Republicans voting "yes" for the move, and the 17 Democrats voting "no." Read more…

Has the Health-Insurance Industry Buckled on Reform? Sort of, But Not Really Read more…

Hospitals X-Ray Patient Credit Scores

More and more are buying credit data to see if the sick can afford treatment

2025: the end of US dominance --
the National Intelligence Council global trends review is out, and contrary to 2004's rosy view of 2020-- still dominated by US and with oil to burn--the new forecast sees things very differently. (pdf link to full report at bottom article)

"... the world is entering an increasingly unstable and unpredictable period in which the advance of western-style democracy is no longer assured, and some states are in danger of being "taken over and run by criminal networks". ..."

The transfer of vital organs from the have-nots to the have-mores doesn't just play out in cinematic goings-on in seedy London hotels, but also in the humdrum precincts of the American health (couldn't) care (less) system. In a recent press release, the Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) reveal that "People who lack health insurance are about 20 times more likely to donate their liver or a kidney for a lifesaving transplant than to receive one". Read more…

Obama donors get access to top advisers" (not the small online donors, silly!)

"Aides to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) scheduled pricey luncheons, roundtables, readings, VIP receptions and policy dinners with campaign officials and advisers, offering donors a taste of his potential administration. ..."

Get their ears even before the election-- Buffet, and Daschle, and Cutler, and Tanden, and Jarrett, etc. (Article also includes a very non-complete list of just some October big $$ events.)

Those are the key phrases in Sarah Palin's answers to the nation's energy needs. In Scranton on the 14th, and in Roswell today, McCain running-mate Sarah Palin repeats the drumbeat.

In discussing Mr. McCain's plans to get American back on the road to energy independence, Mrs. Palin called it a national security issue. The governor said there is more coal in the United States than there is oil in Saudi Arabia and promised Pennsylvania, with its coal reserves, will have a key role to play.
"Drill, baby, drill, and mine, baby, mine," Mrs. Palin said as the crowd roared its approval. Read more…

WellPoint’s IT woes taking toll; St. Francis contract dispute just the latest problem involving tardy payments

A year of computer snafus boiled over Oct. 13 when the St. Francis hospital system declared WellPoint Inc. in breach of its contract because of habitually late payments.

Those computer problems already have helped to wipe out the Indianapolis-based health insurer’s expected profit growth for the year. And some analysts fear WellPoint will continue to lose customers and market share until the end of 2009. Read more…

the AP pulls out their crystal balls--

If Elected ... How Would a President Obama Govern?

"For all Barack Obama's talk about change, there are signs that in style -- if not substance -- a new White House under Democrat Obama would operate much like the current one under President Bush. ..."

If Elected ... How Would a President McCain Govern?

"A rabble-rouser from his earliest days, John McCain has never been one who likes to be told ''no.'' There's no reason to think a President McCain would be any different. ..."

Buried in the onslaught of economic bad news is word that the British Amabassador to Afghanistan has predicted that the war against the Taliban will fail and that what needs to be done is to prepare the public to accept a dictator in Afghanistan because that's the best option:

"The current situation is bad, the security situation is getting worse, so is corruption, and the government has lost all trust,” the British envoy, Sherard Cowper-Coles, was quoted as saying by the author of the cable, François Fitou, the French deputy ambassador to Kabul. Read more…

In yesterday's post, I went into some of the initial detail on a statement given by Thomas Muthee in the infamous sermon where he "annointed" Sarah Palin and also claimed to literally run a traditional religious practitioner out of his home base.

Muthee's statement referred to a popular concept in Joel's Army circles--the concept of the "seven mountains", that is, seven pillars of society that these groups see as a major priority for takeover "by hook or by crook". (Of note, Palin was actually used as an example for the takeover of "government".) Read more…

Today's diary is--and yes, I know, this is a shocker--NOT going to be about Sarah Palin. At least, not directly. This is more towards some of her supporters...and especially in light of Palin throwing stones whilst in a glass house re the Jeremiah Wright controversy, a deeper look is warranted into one group Palin is associated with in particular. Read more…

For a good long while before the 30s, some people thought they could create wealth while not paying anybody, and it all came crashing down. Then they were made to pay people, for their own good. Years later, they tried to realize the dream of not paying anybody a second time around, with even cleverer not paying anybody techniques. Needless to say, it still didn't work, but they'll get to try again. And they got rich anyway.

I am as open-minded as anybody, but how in the name of the seven bald steers are the Democrats, in particular the Democrats of a progressive turn, going to get representation out of either of these debaters tonight??

As we seem to be moving inevitably towards helping out some of the richest Americans to protect them from the consequences of their fraud actions, I thought it might be useful to take the time to remember who isn't being helped by the Government and who won't be any time soon because, while there's at least $700 billion for Wall Street and unending resources for Iraq, we do not have the money to help someone who earns $5,000 a year. Just because we can afford billions, doesn't mean we can afford thousands. Read more…

Over the past few weeks, folks on the Internet have turned up an impressive amount of info re Sarah Palin's questionable judgements--including scandals involving the Alaska State Police (now known as "TrooperGate") and similar hijinks with the Wasilla PD, info re Palin trying to make rape victims pay for their own evidence collection kits (which led to the state stepping in), and Palin's disturbing connections with "Joel's Army" neopentecostal dominionists.

What has not been publicised so far is that the first two scandals have direct connections to the third--and, even worse, there's the most damning evidence yet that the very "Joel's Army" folks Palin is linked to may have been grooming her explicitly as a "stealth candidate". Read more…

A few days ago, I had reported on Palin's linkages to "Bible-based cult" promoter Bill Gothard...and, sadly, followup info proves that this may be far from her only links to religiously motivated abuse.

It turns out that Palin--and Wasilla A/G--are intimately connected with "Joel's Army" promoters directly responsible for not only harassment of critics, but also a little-reported and growing humanitarian crisis in sub-Saharan Africa: namely, the growth of "Joel's Army" "exorcists" and people--including young children--fleeing for their lives from a literal "God Warrior" progrom.

Palin's links to Thomas Muthee, Witchfinder General Read more…

A few days ago, I wrote an article detailing several more links between Palin and particularly disturbing elements of the "Joel's Army" movement--namely, apparent links between Palin and Bill Gothard's network of groups, and some very disturbing dog-whistles from some of the "Joel's Army" faithful comparing her to the prophetess Deborah.

Now that I have my power restored...we can get to "the *rest* of the story", so to speak...and now you get the background as to why the latest revelations are quite disturbing.

Sarah Palin a Gothardite? Read more…

Another video from the Canadian election whose overall lesson is quite applicable to the American situation. Rick Mercer is the host of the CBC comedy Monday Report, which is a weekly Daily Show-type thing. Mercer is a very popular comedian in Canada, but IMO he became less funny when he left the endlessly hilarious This Hour Has 22 Minutes team. This video is from several months ago:  Read more…

Much like the US Postal Service, neither rain nor snow nor 70% of my hometown's power infrastructure being eaten by Ike will stop me from posting the latest on Palin's connections with dominionists. Read more…