Managing Pain On A Rare Day In June - Or Any Day, Any Month

So far, an exceptionally fine and pain-free day, a "runner's high" for someone who can no longer run.

Photo credit: Still from Chariots of Fire, Oscar winner, Best Picture, 1981.

Anti-Semitic Campaign In San Francisco

The media and blogosphere had some fun this past week over San Francisco's upcoming November referendum on banning circumcision. The fun ended today with the appearance of some disturbing anti-Semitic campaign literature. Regardless of how you feel about the referendum or its subject, propaganda in the best tradition of the Third Reich has no place in the American experience.











Reason, rationality, and moderation have been in short supply in the City by the Bay for some decades now. Let's hope the leftists behind this campaign see the hatred and bring it to a quick end. Here is your link to more pictures and commentary.

Thanks to Glenn Reynolds for aggregating this story.

Renew! Renew!

One of OTR's favorite films--not close as a top lister, but still entertaining-- is Logan's Run. He couldn't help but post this satirical take on the film now that Democrats have written end-of life planning into a regulation after removing it from Obamacare legislation. Looks like required death planning is with us after all. Those who administer such planning will be called anything but a "death" panel.

















Democrat Congressman Earl Blumenauer (Oregon) is responsible for this concept, but he is encouraging his fellow Democrats to keep quiet about the regulation. You can read more about it here on Moonbattery. Rest assured you will not be hearing about it from ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, CNN, NYT, WaPo and other leftist media.

Truth Or Obamacare Consequences

The editors of National Review Online have just posted the best summary to date of the legislative and policy nightmare that is Obamacare. This article has all the talking points conservatives need to effectively destroy any liberal arguments for keeping such rotten legislation on the books. It's time to forget this surprise package and replace it with something based on rational thinking.

Photo: Kathleen Hughes, from the film, It Came From Outer Space (1953)

A $613,000,000 Judgment Calls For Massive Tort Reform

A well-respected California health care provider may soon vanish overnight.

This paragraph says it all:

Here we had a company that was going about its business, and by all accounts has a good reputation in its industry yet found itself with a multi-million dollar award levied against it because of some trial lawyers that went ambulance chasing to float a class action lawsuit. And now thousands of people’s healthcare and livelihood is in jeopardy.

There were no complaints from patients about the care they received in these California nursing homes. Then the lawyers found a regulation violation. The verdict could displace 32,000 nursing home patients and put several thousand people out of work.

Warner Todd Huston has the story at Gateway Pundit.

Spreading The Debt Around

It's interesting how the news is coming out more and more on both sides of the political aisle that Obamacare legislation was really more about the redistribution of wealth than it was health reform. Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit has more on this story.

That could be the case, but I think the politicians and pundits have it all wrong. In order to redistribute wealth, both tangible and intangible, the bottom line on the balance sheet still needs a plus sign. Taking on more than a trillion dollars of debt to nationalize 17% of our economy and project an improvement in national "health" some decades into the future doesn't sound like much of a wealth building policy. In fact, it sounds just the opposite, given the soon to be upside down Medicare and Social Security programs.

On the campaign trail in October 2008, Obama made the statement that one of his intentions was to "spread the wealth around." I'm not very hopeful that borrowed money from China and India processed through Obamacare will result in any tangible wealth. When was the last time you remember a government business making serious profits? As for the intangible wealth of better health, I be in my eighties before I can tell you, the good Lord willing.

And by that time, the national economy itself is projected to be upside down, flat broke. No tangible wealth to support the intangible health. Sounds like Obama has been spreading something else around the country, and it isn't wealth or debt, my friends.

Well Down The Road To Serfdom

Powerline has a short post by Scott Johnson that is filled with links describing the consequences of the combined impact of Obamacare and Obama-ed on the American republic. If you value your freedom, you need to read this post and links therein.

Here Comes National Socialist Health Care

Powerline's John Hinderaker reports on a Breitbart post that Democrats are dropping the public option from their health care legislation. In its place is "top to bottom" regulation of the private industry, otherwise known as national socialism. Here's the Powerline link with more on the story and a link to the Breitbart report.

To Serve Seniors

The Washington Post reports that the Congressional Budget Office has prepared a report on the impact of the new health care bill on seniors. Adding an estimated 30,000,000 people to the insurance roles will result in enormous increases in costs. The bill calls for reducing Medicare funding by as much as $500,000,000 to "spread the wealth" of new coverage.



That can only mean a reduction in services for older Americans. Will this bill force senior to "renew" years before their time under the old plan? Certainly looks that way. I wonder how many older Democrats expected reduced benefits when they cast their vote for hope and change?

Photo: Last Day, from the film, Logan's Run

With Deepest Sympathy, Support Nationalized Health Care

On the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, Democrats on the Hill are issuing statements embedded with messages to support the current health reform "bill" under debate as a tribute to the late senator. I find this rather shabby. Senator Robert Byrd even suggested naming the "bill" after Kennedy. It reminds me of the widely televised memorial for Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone during the 2008 campaign. Democrats turned it into a partisan political event, tarnishing what should have been an uplifting commemoration of a life well-lived. What's happened to class?

As for the "bill," if there is strength in numbers, our elected officials may want to quietly co-sponsor this disastrous legislation, but none of them would wish to have it named after them, living or dead. No question, Kennedy's passing will impact this legislation. The Hill has some comment here.

Decriminalizing Most Illegal Drugs: Another Take

The late, great soul of the U.S. conservative movement, William F. Buckley, Jr., began advocating for the legalization of most drugs in the late 1990s. He recognized that our "war on drugs" was a massive strategic failure from many perspectives ranging from public health to government intrusion. Outside the Beltway has an interesting take on legalization and one of its immediate effects, increasing life expectancy, as well as its impact on the concept of nationalized health care.

The Politics Of Fat

Like millions of other Americans, I've been fighting a war with my weight. The big battle started with marriage and children, when time became precious and running - in the park and on the beach, no less - became a low priority. My knees didn't take kindly to all those years of pounding exercise, so these days the workout is confined to my stationary recumbent bicycle, and landscape and garden maintenance. Another option presented itself last week when my sister-in-law won a national award from the American Volkssport Association. Imagine happily wandering one's way to health and you have the picture. Options for doing so in most Atlanta suburbs are limited, but we'll try. My personal role in the nation's war on fat begins with my first step.

And based on personal observations, there should be plenty of people taking the first step. That is a significant change from twenty years ago when obesity was more the exception than the rule. If you're interested in this problem, its cost to all taxpayers, and honest proposals to solve it, read this article from today's Opinion Journal. There will be no safe quick fix to this issue until we have a few more breakthroughs in genetic research. For now, we're left with solving it the old-fashioned way. That reminds me it's time for my bike workout, followed by a calorie conscious snack.

Smoke And Mirrors

Health care in the U.S. is a big issue that may have been deflated today according to this post at Power Line. I'll bet it takes the dinosaur media more than a few days to pick up the story.

Anti-Vaccination Movement As A Major Risk To Public Health

Little Green Footballs links to another article about this frightening issue and why it persists.