Iowa Supreme Court Says Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional

Deep in the heartland of the USA, the Supreme Court of Iowa has unanimously ruled that a ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional!

This is amazing stuff. Iowa now becomes the third state where gay marriage is legal.

That is a very telling ruling. The court recognized the unfair nature of the anti-gay marriage laws and said so. I suspect now there will be an outcry for impeachment of the entire court in Iowa, but that is unlikely to happen. It seems Iowa values human rights more that ideological dogma and that is a hopeful sign!

Walgreens Offers Jobless Free Clinic Visits

Last month FedEx Office made a generous offer to those seeking employment. They had a "free resume day" at their locations where job seekers cold print off 25 copies of their resume for free. It was not just a successful PR move, but it actually helped people in need.

Now another corporation understands the economic climate and the problems faced by unemployed. Walgreens is offering free clinic visits at its network of "Take Care" clinics across the country. For people who loose their jobs after March 31, the drug store giant will offer free health care and treatment for respiratory problems, allergies, infections and skin conditions, among other ailments.

Quest Diagnostics, the lab associated with the drug store will also offer free tests for a variety of diseases as part of the plan.

Bravo for them! It's refreshing to see companies use some of their "bandwidth" to help out in tough times. Now the real problem is getting Congress to get off their duffs and pass effective health care reform for our country.

What do I mean by "effective"? Well my version goes like this. If you are an American citizen, you can walk into just about any hospital or doctor's office in the country and get treatment without going bankrupt. The system would be a "single payer" health insurance system and the government would be that payer. Private health insurance would still be an option if you really wanted to waste a lot of money, but a basic level of health care would be considered a right not a privilege.

What about all the insurance companies? Well I hear them complain constantly about rising health care costs and how little they make on health insurance, so this will help them out of a tough business. Maybe they could start selling dirivitaves?

The Queen's iPod & A Special Gift

After being widely criticized for the gifts President Obama gave to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his children, his gift for the Queen was much more thoughtful.

You will see a lot of press about the iPod he gave her, loaded with video of her visit to the United States in 2007. Nice gift and very personal. What you probably won't hear about is the additional gift which was a rare record album autographed by Richard Rogers of Rogers and Hammerstein fame.

The Queen and her husband Prince Phillip are big fans of the song, "People Will Say We're in Love" from the musical Oklahoma. They used to hum it to each other as a personal signal when others were around. Very thoughtful gift as well.

And for the Obama's...well the standard framed photo of the Queen and Prince.

Qualcomm Organic Hybrid Network

Qualcomm has created the next generation in mobile computing. Organic based wireless networks.

Watch:



Happy April 1!

Norm Coleman Moves Closer To Conceding Defeat

Norm Coleman, the Every Ready Bunny of the GOP, has lost another battle to change the results of a recount in the Minnesota Senatorial race.

An article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:

Norm Coleman's lawyers all but conceded defeat Tuesday and promised to appeal after a panel of three judges ordered no more than 400 new absentee ballots opened and counted, far fewer than the Republican had sought to overcome the lead held by DFLer Al Franken.

Read more here.

Congresswoman Murkowski On Jindal's "Volcano Monitoring" Comment

Being a bit of a vulcanology enthusiast myself, I know the importance of the "volcano monitoring" that Bobby Jindal railed against in the GOP response to President Obama's speech a few weeks back. So do the folks in Alaska.

Aw Nuts! Another Salmonella Scare - Pistachios This Time

Seems our food supply has just not been as safe as it should be. Take the latest recall of pistachios. The FDA issued a warning on any foods containing pistachio nuts because of Salmonella found in bags of nuts shipped from California-based Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc. the nation's 2nd largest pistachio supplier.

The FDA learned about the problem last Tuesday, when Kraft Foods Inc. notified the agency that routine product testing had detected salmonella in roasted pistachios. Kraft and the Georgia Nut Co. recalled their Back to Nature Nantucket Blend trail mix the next day.

Time to put teeth back into the FDA and other inspection and regulation agencies!

Mt. Redoubt Still Erupting

This amazing photo is from the geostationary satellite MTSTAT from the National Weather service. It show Mt. Redoubt's volcanic ash cloud from space. And to think that Bobby Jindal thinks we don't need anything called "volcano monitoring"? Ask the residents of Ankorage if they think we don't need it!

Spanish Court Considering Criminal Charges Against Bush Era Officials

From the folks who brought you the arrest warrant for Augusto Pinochet comes news that the same court in Spain is highly likely to issue warrants for the arrest of 6 Bush ear officials on war crimes charges. Among those whose names will be in a criminals list in Europe will be Alberto Gonzales.

Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon, who is known for his tough minded approach to international criminals, terrorists and human rights violators will be reviewing the charges, According to a report in the New York Times, a Spanish official said that it was “highly probable” that the case would go forward and that it could lead to arrest warrants.

Seeing the Bushies brought up on charges would be a real banner day for the cause of human rights and justice in the eyes of the world. I only hope this story comes to fruition and arrests are made.

Alec Baldwin - Great Clip!

OK, I rarely post ads here unless they are for a specific cause I support, but this one is amazing. Hulu, the NBC branded version of YouTube gets the 30 Rock treatment. Enjoy!

Shady AIDS Charity Ads On Front Page Of USA Today

You'd think in the 21st century most American's would be immune to the 19th century "snake oil " salesman. You would be wrong.

Just watch TV late night and see the parade of demonstrably bogus products being touted for everything from Arthritis cures to "male enhancement", whatever that is. Most of these products are classified as "Herbal Supplements", a sneaky classification that puts them on the fringe of real medicine and yet having some kind of cache of authenticity.

These products are usually a blend of well known herbs that have little or anecdotal effect on the miladies they are intended to treat, and the labels make sure you know that no medical claims are made...but plenty are implied in the TV ads! Just ask Smiling Bob!

OK so this was a long route to get to the point, and that's why I am not a journalist. USA today carries an ad on its web site that promotes "The Center for AIDS Prevention". Sounds like a good thing, and by the name alone you might even consider making a contribution. Here's the catch, the Center for AIDS Prevention is a front.

Created as a money making venture by an herbal supplement marketer whose previous product was touted as a replacement for anti-retroviral therapy. Say what?

Yup. This alleged foundation claimed on its web site to have had a history of "Fighting the HIV Epidemic for over 20 Years". That claim is a lie, and according to the group's PR guy it is coming down from the site. Worse still is the "advice" for prevention that the site carries. In one paragraph it states clearly that birth control pills help stem the spread of AIDS. Most kids in high school can tell you that one is false.

The real crime, and I am convinced that is the appropriate word here, is that this dubious charity is sapping funds from "real" non-profits that are in desperate need of money.

The larger implication is that you don't need any credentials or facts to set up a sham charity in this country or to sell a bottle of colored water as a miracle cure. Such is the legacy of deregulation and something that must be addressed by the new administration as they try to clean up the mess left by 8 years of Bush/Cheney.

Meanwhile, I have a new "male enhancement" product I'd like to sell you. It is a secret blend of di-hydrogen oxide and C₁₂H₂₂O_{11. Guaranteed to put a little pep in your pants!}

New Hampshire Steps Closer To Gay Marriage

The dominoes are starting to fall. New Hampshire has moved a step closer to allowing same-sex marriage. Already having a civil union statute, the New Hampshire House voted 186-179 to approve the gay marriage bill and send it to the state Senate.

New Hampshire will be the third state to allow same-sex marriages should the bill become law. Another measure is in discussion in Vermont and New Jersey. If passed it would make New England a safe haven for LGBT people seeking to wed.

As more and more states allow same-sex marriage, the question of recognition will be more and more difficult for states who have passed so-called "Defense of Marriage" laws.

Ashcroft Defends Torture - No Regrets

I just watched a clip of the not-yet-prosecuted criminal John Ashcroft. He danced around whether or not waterboarding is torture. Now I don't know what he calls waterboarding, but what I call waterboarding is TORTURE. Funny thing is, the Geneva Convention calls it torture as well.

Ashcroft is a sociopath. He has no conscience and no thought of anything that does not advance his agenda. That would be the definition of ruthless and his defense of torture proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

He is another of the Bush minions who is touring the country trying to rewrite the Bush legacy. Surely people are not stupid enough to buy this crap!

Michael Steele - Clueless Token

It's no secret that Republicans live in their own reality, often a delusional one. The sad thing is when they don't even know it. Take Michael Steele, titular head of the GOP.

Steele thinks he is in a postion of power, but the reality is he is a front-man. To use even less tact, he is a "token" and the sad thing is he doesn't even know it. The latest example of his delusion is his appearance on CNN where he explains his whole dust-up with Ruch Limbaugh as part of his "strategy". That is like a kid who falls on the playground saying, "I meant to do that!"

Further proof of his cluelessness is his assertion that he is ready to be the candidate for the GOP in 2012. Please, someone get this man into treatment. He has as much chance of being the GOP nominee as I do. That would be less than a .0001% chance, or statistically impossible.

My appologies to anyone who is offended by my use of the word token, but in this case it's true!

Obama Uses A Teleprompter And Other Non-Stories

I have to wonder why there is all this kerfuffle over President Obama using a teleprompter? Every president since Carter has used one and so does every news anchor, most reporters and public speakers. It's just like having paper in front of you, except you can actually look at your audience while you read.

The Associated Press's Ron Fournier apparently thinks Obama is the first president to use one. Guess what? Not! Watch every speech Bush made in a controled environment and you will see the familliar teleprompters, though you would have never known he used one because his reading skill was so impared.

I guess it's just the right-wing trying toi snipe at President Obama with whatever meager verbal amunition they have left. Short of calling him names like Rush Limbaugh and other purile idiots, these guys just have to find fault with something.

Give it a rest!

Anonymous Violent Sex Ad Leads To Murder

Former ABC Newsman, George Weber cruised the Internet looking for "violent sex" what he got was murdered.

Weber placed an ad on Craigslist seeking what he described as "violent sex' and found a partner in a 16 year old from Brooklyn. The boy, now in police custody said things got "out of hand", and that during a drug induced stupor he stabbed and killed Weber at his apartment.

The press has already started characterizing this as a sadomasochistic killing. That figures! The sad truth is had Weber been open about his desires and sought a partner in the BDSM/leather community, he would probably be alive today.

Anonymous sex, as exciting as it may seem to some is dangerous business. It's risky from a legal standpoint since often anonymous partners are lying about their age. It's risky because anonymous partners often lie about their health status. It's risky because the very fact that they are anonymous means they are hiding something!

How often do we have to read about these kind of encounters before people realize that finding a partner online is often risky and sometimes deadly! What ever happened to meeting someone in person and getting to know them? What happened to checking their reputation before submitting to a potentially life-threatening scene?

I am not trying to blame the victim entirely for this crime, but sometimes people really are "asking for it" when they play these dangerous games. You can have rough sex and still be safe. That's what I have spent most of my life trying to teach people. Just because it's rough, doesn't mean it's dangerous. Having rough sex with a complete stranger...now that's dangerous!

American's Without Health Insurance Rising - Costs Everyone

The problem of uninsured American's might seem like a problem for somebody else, but it's yours.

Roughly 8% or about $1,100 per year of average family's health insurance is actually a cost shifted to them due to our broken system that fails to cover the uninsured.

In 2007 and 2008 roughly 87 million Americans went without health insurance at some point. As unemployment rises another 14,000 lose their health insurance every day. Furthermore according to a report from the Center for American Progress:

The uninsured pay more for care—and get less—than those with insurance. But when the uninsured cannot pay, health care providers shift those costs to those who can pay—those who have insurance coverage. This leads to higher premiums for those who buy their insurance on the individual market, as well as workers who get insurance for themselves and their families through their job.

Our health care system in the US is broken. Putting the burden of health insurance on employers makes us less competitive with the rest of the world and as more and more companies cut payrolls the number of uninsured will increase. More unemployment pulls the economy down as well..

Isn't it time for a national health insurance plan? We are the only industrialized country without one and we rank far down the scale on the quality of our health care.

GOP Would Rather Cheney Returned To Undisclosed Location

Remember when Dick Cheney was that shadowy figure lurking somewhere at an undisclosed location? Well the GOP wishes he would return to his lair.

According to an article in The Hill, Republican legislators find Cheney's recent media appearances detrimental to their cause. Cheney has been on a series of talk shows defending the Bush-Cheney legacy, and though it is understandable, many in the GOP would rather he didn't.

According to the report Rep. John Duncan of Tennessee said,"He became so unpopular while he was in the White House that it would probably be better for us politically if he wouldn’t be so public."

Another noted, "Cheney did House Republicans no favors,” adding, “I could never understand him anyway."

Such is the real legacy of Dick Cheney.

JP Morgan Uses Bail Out Funds To Buy Luxury Private Jets

I guess the fat cats at JP Morgan never had to go through their pockets to find enough change to buy gas just to get to work. I would bet they never had to negotiate with a creditor a payout agreement for an overdue bill. I would also bet they haven't traveled by a means of public transportation since college, if then.

These guys are so out of touch they have no idea how "real people" live, and that's why they are buying new luxury private jets. Yup, the same guys who took the $25 billion in TARP funds are tossing a cool $138 million for a couple of new Jetstream runabouts. Top that off with their plans to build a new hanger in Westchester for another $18 mill and you have a whole lot of crazy going on.

Needless to say, outrage has followed this decision, and rightly so. Next time these guys need to go somewhere, wouldn't a first class ticket on a commercial flight be good enough? Heck they would even afford a few extra cigars and hundred dollar bills to light them with.

If the business tycoons who got us into this mess don't wise up and start behaving like the failed businessmen they are, I wouldn't be surprised if the current populist trend doesn't turn into full blown socialism. It won't take much more for folks to storm their offices with torches and pitchforks. Wise up guys!

Portia De Rossi - Sorry For Getting Married

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi got married before Proposition 8. Now Portia apologizes to all the people their marriage hurt.