!@%$@#*&$@#*%!!

WHY DO PEOPLE FUCKING CARE ABOUT FUCKING REALITY TV SHOWS?

That is all.

E.O.B.

Oh, the joys of the American healthcare system. Bills, bills, and bills. Incomprehensible bills from Martians. Collection agencies phoning about incomprehensible bills. We here in America looooove to spend time sorting out our medical paperwork and reading Explanations of Benefits from our for-profit insurers. It's so much more fun than, you know, living.

I have several unopened doctor's bills sitting on my desk as I write. Will I open them. Nope. Not till I get the third or fourth one, after which there is a chance somewhat greater than 0 that I might actually owe the amount listed inside, assuming that I can even determine what that is.

Waiting for indictments

This is worse than that summer I spent waiting to find out how they were going to resurrect Buffy.

And if there are no indictments, I predict a wave of despair worse than the one that swept us all November 3rd last year.

Please, ye gods. Please Mr. Fitzgerald. Bring the whole criminal lot of them down, like the best political novel you ever read, a spectacular fall. Burn the republican machine to the ground. Let us be a nation of laws again.

Two things for you to read, London Times Edition; and a hero

First, here is an article by an Irish journalist describing her first and only interview with the "leader of the free world," which resulted in the U.S. filing an actual complaint with the Irish embassy. "Your journalist was mean. We're embargoing your beer." This interview took place in 2004. What's amazing to me is that the U.S. press apparently regularly puts up with this treatment and says nothing about it. I mean, yes, it shouldn't be amazing to me, but it's still quite chilling to read.

Next, , the tale of a Muslim chaplain who worked in Guantanamo, was accused of being a spy for Al Qaeda, had his life ruined, and then had the charges dropped. Now, be honest. When reading this story, did part of you think, "well, maybe he did something"? Did you think, "well, he probably really was cheating on his wife and downloading pornography, so it's not like he was totally innocent here"? Did you think "Well, of course the government will be wrong some of the time, but that's the price we pay for our safety, and gosh darnit, I'm not a Muslim, so I'm willing to pay it." How many stories like this are acceptable to you?

Oh, and I hope you've read this already, but if not, here is a hero for you: Captain Ian Fishback, writing to John McCain about torture in the military.