The continuing calamitous crypto currencies crash of 2022

Your crypto purchase bought me another
bottle of champagne for my asshole!

Just think!  Every Bitcoin you bought at the end of 2021 lost you $50,000 USD.

Hey you!  Yeah, you!  Join the 21st century!  Get out of the Stone Age!  Money isn't rocks!  Crypto comes from computers!  Real Money is 1s & 0s.  Give us that worthless fiat currency and we'll give you these digital tokens!  Trust Us!  Crypto isn't some Scam!

Of course, when you realize that Crypto Currency is a massive scam and that the creators of the scam made the money then you realize the goal isn't to create the Block Chain or create Non-Fiat Currency or Democratize Banking or The Digital Currency Utopia but to swindle hard-working but, financially immature or novice investors of their Real Money then you understand that a BitCON Artist actually made that $50,000 USD.

Every cryptocurrency is a scam to transfer money to thieves from hardworking people.  Yes, some individuals may have successfully rolled the dice in the crypto market over the past 5 years and made a small fortune for themselves (doubtfully over $1,000,000) but, in the aggregate a lot of innocent, inexperienced, or foolish people invested money they could not afford to lose... and... lost it.

The FTX Sam Bankman-Fried scandal is merely the latest biggest of the crypto scams not the only one.  Bankman-Fried took the real money he was swindling from people and used it to buy real assets, cases of $10,000-a-bottle champagne, multi-million dollar ocean-front Bahama properties, politicians...  And then everyone involved in FTX was getting high and fucking each other as they swindled and screwed people out of their life-savings.  And then $30,000,000,000 was gone.  Straight up embezzlement.

In July, 2022 Three Arrows Capital collapsed in a spectacular flame out of, at the time, the biggest crypt scam as the two founders Su Zhu and Kyle Davies vanished leaving the $150,000,000 superyacht Much Wow, in dry dock in the Italian port of La Speiza.  The fallout from Three Arrows Capital Ponzi scheme affected numerous other companies,

Crypto companies from New York to Singapore were the direct victims of Three Arrows. Voyager Digital, a publicly traded crypto exchange based in New York that once had a multibillion-dollar valuation, filed for Chapter 11 in July, reporting that Three Arrows owed it more than $650 million. Genesis Global Trading, headquartered on Park Avenue, had lent Three Arrows $2.3 billion. Blockchain.com, an early crypto company that provided digital wallets and evolved into a major exchange, faces $270 million in unpaid loans from 3AC and has laid off a quarter of its staff. 

Among crypto’s smartest observers, there is a widely held view that Three Arrows is meaningfully responsible for the larger crypto crash of 2022, as market chaos and forced selling sent bitcoin and other digital assets plunging 70 percent or more, erasing more than a trillion dollars in value.

Fortunately, the owner of a Crypto Currency Company 100% on the Up-and-Up determined that Three Arrows was almost uniquely responsible for Crypto's Woes in July 2022, 

Sam Bankman-Fried, who as CEO of FTX, a major crypto exchange that has bailed out some of the bankrupt lenders, has perhaps more visibility on the problems than anyone.

“I suspect they might be 80 percent of the total original contagion. They weren’t the only people who blew out, but they did it way bigger than anyone else did. And they had way more trust from the ecosystem prior to that.”  

 I wonder what ever happened to that guy Sam who said the above quote? 

The long NYMag Intelligencer talks about how for a decade the Two Thieves at Three Arrows tried to break into the world of High Finance but were unable to and remained small time, until Crypto came along and they convinced almost everyone their schemes were genius.  And then billions of dollars were gone and so were the two thieves of Three Arrows.

In June 2021, Kim Kardashian took her giant oiled ass to Instagram and told her millions of followers to invest in Ethereummax and the EMAX cryptocurrency.  Kardashian and several other celebrities were paid icky fiat currency to hype Ethereummax.  6 months later EMAX had lost 97% of its' "value" and, once again real people lost real money they couldn't afford to lose.  But, the Kardashian Klan monetized themselves again for icky fiat currency and after paying a small fine to the SEC for failing to disclose Kim was paid to tout the crypto went back to making more icky fiat currency.  And now Kim can luxuriate on her ass implants a little easier because a Class Action lawsuit against her was thrown out,

In his ruling, Judge Michael Fitzgerald of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California agreed that the lawsuit’s claims raised legitimate concerns about “celebrities’ ability to readily persuade millions of undiscerning followers to buy snake oil with unprecedented ease and reach.” However, he explained: While the law certainly places limits on those advertisers, it also expects investors to act reasonably before basing their bets on the zeitgeist of the moment.

Buyer beware indeed!  The "Zeitgeist of the Moment" is a nice turn of phrase to describe the latest get-rich-quick and Ponzi schemes thieves have invented to separate regular people from their hard-earned real money.

Laws and Governments are really behind and really underserving their citizens.  There are hundreds of laws on the books and thousands of police to catch the pickpocket but, woefully few resources and scant understanding available to police the lawlessness of the digital frontier.  And so every so often a 20 something year old "Genius" over-leverages his phony position and uses social media to hype the latest don't-miss-out-on-this-can't-miss Crypto! well... a bunch of people suffer but, that "genius" got to live it up on Other People's Money! And that, living the life on Other People's Money, has always been the dream and goal of all Ayn Randian / Qelon Musk Capitalists in America!

"I believe they and the estimated 40 million other Americans who have invested in cryptocurrency have been sold a bill of goods.  They have been lied to, in ways both big and small, by a once-seemingly mighty crypto industry whose entire existence in fact depends on misinformation, hype, and yes, fraud." - Ben McKenzie.

The Amazing Marvel Film Universe

Since 1998, when the Batman Franchise imploded under the weight of total camp and silliness, Marvel stepped up and 35 films based on Marvel Comics have been released.

The Amazing Spiderman 2, in a very poor showing, only held the Top Box-Office spot for 1 week before being knocked off by the juvenile movie Neighbors starring Seth Rogen and Zach Effron.

However, this is mostly because, The Amazing Spiderman 2 was awful. Modeled on the classic Death of Gwen Stacy storyline, the film simply failed. Besides the terrible special effects and the obligatory scenes of New Yorkers standing around gawking at explosions while NYPD vehicles exist only to be blown up, far too much film time was wasted on Electro's Origin, which followed the standard OSHA-violating industrial accident imparts super-powers to the victim who in reality would be dead.

The worst scene being the torture of Electro by the male Doctor Kafka, who wears make-up and listens to classical music while conducting experiments as an obvious cliched caricature of Doctor Josef Mengle. This character is made worse once it's understood that the inspiration for "Doctor Ashley Kafka" is an actual person.

One of the brilliant things The Dark Knight (2008) did was not show a villain creation scene for the Joker. Besides happening off screen, this also allowed Heath Ledger to taunt the audience and his on-screen victims multiple times with the 'Do ya wanna know how I got these scars?' line.

Instead of the cartoonish Electro created by genetically altered eels, why not just have Electro appear in New York rampaging and out for vengeance? During the course of the film, and I'm drawing off of Johnny Got His Gun, you can reveal this Electro is an eye-less, ear-less mouth-less electrically burned monster who can sense/manipulate electricity. Having been traumatized (perhaps by war or as an experiment for instance) and being little more than a charred corpse you can make him a lost soul who Peter Parker is forced to stop and is dismayed to learn he can not help.

One could argue such a film idea is too heavy or disturbing for a children's film? Well, ***spoiler*** Gwen Stacy does indeed die in the film. Though her death scene is, fortunately, not graphic.

Also why bring back the Green Goblin? However, it was accomplished the character would be compared to Willem Dafoe's excellent and psychologically frightening turn, in the Sam Rami Spider-Man film. There are many other Spidey enemies to choose from!

Of course, I would prefer the ultimate Spiderman Story of the 1980's; Kraven's Last Hunt.

But, perhaps I should be glad Sony Pictures won't be ruining that storyline the same way they flubbed Gwen Stacy's death.

Now, these films run into problems because even the Elektra (2005) and Punisher: War Zone (2009) had 40 million dollar budgets and even that kind of money is going to entail meddling from people unfamiliar or uncaring about the original source material. 

For instance, Ben Affleck's Daredevil (2003) committed the mortal sin, literally, of Daredevil letting a villain die. Daredevil, as the ultra-catholic, never kills and doesn't even let the scummiest of the scum die if he can prevent it.

The two Hulk movies (2003 and 2008) failed because the Hulk is an unworkable character for a stand-alone film. He's far too powerful, having literally carried a mountain range on his back in The Secret Wars. And the films end up with Hulk smashing a bunch of things and fighting a Hulk-esque enemy.

Iron Man 2 (2010) was an film which drew many detractors but, for the wrong reasons. I movie was fairly decent but was disappointed the film executives decided to give Robert Downey "palladium-poisoning", cured by Tony Stark's discovery/invention of a new element, as opposed to staying true to the source material and making Tony a drunk. The disease of Alcoholism, apparently being too heavy a topic for a film ostensibly marketed towards children.

The writers for the second Fantastic Four film (2007) apparently never read the Silver Surfer. While the decision to change Galactus from a big guy into an celestial monstrosity was fine, the Silver Surfer, that goofy footed philosopher has one line, "To Me, My Board"which must be included as the character swayed by the promise he sees in humanity turns on Galactus and fights for Earth.

Any film which doesn't include that line shows a lack of basic understanding of the character. Let alone the deeper Hegelian arc the writers undertook culminating in Issue 64 from 1992.

"On approaching the other it has lost its own self, since it finds itself as another being; secondly, it has thereby sublated that other, for this primitive consciousness does not regard the other as essentially real but sees its own self in the other." - G.W.F. Hegel, Phenomenology of Spirit

The Dark Surfer and the Silver Surfer engage in the struggle unto death, as they attempt to get the other to acknowledge their superiority.

Complaints aside several of the Movie Franchises have succeeded both financially while staying true-ish to the characters. The Captain America stories (2011 and 2014) have resonated quite well. The Avengers (2012) succeeded with it's blockbuster approach. The Wolverine (2013), adapted from the 1982 limited series, overcame the earlier dreck from the first solo Wolverine movie Origins. (Please Note: Any comic book movie with Ryan Reynolds is guaranteed to be bad.)

The problem is Movie Studios don't want to take any risks with these stories. They'll go for what they think will make the most money as opposed to crafting a piece of cinematic art, based on a comic book.

But I, of course, am not the intended audience. Having collected comics from the early 80's through the mid-90's my quibbles and critiques are dismissed as those of a fanboy. What the Studios look for is the Hundred of Millions of dollars these movies make them in profit.

Are you gonna pay Derrick Rose's Rent?

Everyone's your brother until the rent comes due. - Ronin 1998

The Chicago Bulls season ended last week with a trouncing by the LeFlop James led Miami Heat. Derrick Rose the erstwhile Bulls Superstar did not play a single minute during the Regular Season or Playoffs while rehabbing his knee. Rose suffered a torn ACL during the 2012 playoffs .

Now, the injury rehabilation became a sticking point for Rose, his family, the Bulls Organization and Fans. According to the post-operation schedule, the Doctor who performed the ACL reconstruction suggested Rose would be ready to play by early April and that a month of games in the regular season would be the final step in the healing process.

Starting in late March, Derrick Rose through his brother Reggie and his own Twitter account let it be known that he was listening to his family and while he might come back it was only when he could "dunk of his left foot" and his knee 'felt comfortable'.

This caused much confusion and consternation in Chicago Sports scene. As the regular season dragged on and various other players gutted through injuries or missed games themselves. Luol Deng missed the entire playoff series with the Heat because of a vicious flu strain which Doctors were worried was Viral Meningitis.

As the Bulls struggled the confusion morphed into mild displeasure and then grumbling anger towards Rose. Chicago "Fans" questioned his toughness, mental and physical. They accused him of malingering.

I don't know what the collective bargaining agreement betweeen Players and Owners in the NBA stipulates. I do know that the Bulls through insurance recovered 40% of Rose's salary for the Season, roughly $6.5 million of $16.4 million, with whomever, his contract is indemnified.

The story of Hunter Hillenmeyer of the Chicago Bears is illustrative:

On August 28 2010, Hillenmeyer suffered a concussion during a pre-season game. He was placed on injured reserve before the season and has never played again. The Bears terminated his contract Feb. 28, 2011, one month after the team's concussion consultant, Dr. Elizabeth Pieroth, a board certified clinical neuropsychologist, examined him and recommended he no longer play. The Bears cut him with one year and $1.8 million remaining on his contract. According to the union, Article 45 of the collective bargaining agreement stipulates Hillenmeyer is eligible for an injury protection benefit of 50 percent of his base salary up to $1 million.

The Chicago Bears have not paid the 50% of Hillenmeyer's final contract. In the modern world of Sports you're earning a million dollars one day and out of work the next. Careers, most often, end in men's early 30's. Derrick Rose doesn't owe Bulls Fans anything. When his career is over no one in Chicago is going to help him out.

But, this is where the narrative gets most muddled. Through his actions it appears Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf is one of the few sports franchise owners who goes out of his way to help up and look out for his former employees.

Several Bulls players hit upon hard times after their playing careers have ended.

Randy Brown, a fringe player, who averaged 5ppg over his career of 655 games was part of the Bulls Second 3-Peat. Brown had to file for Bankruptcy and auction off his 3 rings. Reinsdorf simply created a "special assistant" job for Brown and hired him in 2009.

Scottie Pippen who made several bad contracts and was outspokenly truculent with the Bulls about his perceived contractual slights also reportedly fell into bankruptcy after his career ended. In 2010, Pippen rejoined the Bulls as an "ambassador".  

“Jerry has been very warm towards me over the years and has never turned me down for anything,” said Pippen.

In 2003, another Bulls Point Guard, Jay Williams injured himself. This time it wasn't on the court but a motorcycle accident during the off-season, which almost resulted in Williams losing his leg and requiring Williams to undoe multiple surgeries, extended hospital time and an arduous long recovery. 

Even though the accident could have been prima facie evidence of a contract violation because the Bulls had written into Williams contract that he was not to ride motorcycles, the Bulls organization helped pay his medical bills and a portion of the second season salary. Williams never played an NBA game again.

Jerry Reinsdorf has a clear track record of being loyal and compassionate towards his former athlete  employees which goes beyond what is normally seen in the cut-throat world of Sports Capitalism.

So, I think Rose has reached an incorrect conclusion about his post playing career but I don't fault him for reaching it.

Poor Poor Pitiful Republicans or Damn It's Hard to be a Rancher

Republican Rep. Denny Rehberg of Montana told his supporters "we are struggling like everyone else". Rehberg assertion is the more galling because he has millions in land, or as Rehberg the Republican slime put it "we're land rich and cash poor," and is accounted the 23rd richest member of Congress.

Rehberg has the advantage of not being from Wisconsin, where Republican Sean Duffy told the rich Union thugs who are destroying America, "I..I struggle to meet my bills right now," on his $174,000 salary and families' guaranteed health and dental benefits.

But, that's how it goes for Republicans they know Americans are struggling because; They. Caused. It. Now, the Republicans House members are back in their districts having taken yet another vacation from not creating jobs and proclaiming 'We feel your pain!' as they are suffering just like their constituents.

Republicans are the party of the Rich, by the Rich and for the Rich.

This realization has been dawning on the American people as they observe their wages stagnate, health care insurance vanish, their children fight wars the rich avoid, and see more and more wealth trickle up to the privileged few. In an attempt to reverse their downward trend, the Republican establishment created The Tea Party Rage of 2009. It was grass roots! It was regular America! It was populist! The media and GOP assured us again and again.

Well, with the major media networks directed to champion the Tea Party Sham, the Republicans had to do little else than sit back and shout, "Hosanna!" But, Republicans will do whatever is necessary to fool people to vote against their self-interests.

If they have to pretend to be moral and righteous, they will. If they have to proclaim their philandering was because of their deep love of Country, they will. If they have to pretend to be fiscal conservatives they will. If they have to rail against government handouts while their families accept subsidies they will! If they have to lie and claim to be regular folks, well shucks they'll clear some brush on a Texas ranch!

Well, deluded voters put the Republicans back into power in the US House, multiple State legislatures and Governors. And what did the Republicans do upon regaining power? They showed their true objective. They moved quickly to steal rights away from workers, redefine rape, attack Planned Parenthood, and then crafted the most inhuman budget with the goal to finally eliminate the Middle Class and reduce the 90% of the American people, with whom Republicans have no ties, to Wage Slavery.

But, a funny thing has happened on the rush to obliterate Unions, the EPA, FDA, OSHA and create Neo-Feudalist GOPAmerica, the masses of people actually enjoy having America be a Modern Nation and don't want the Republicans to cosign us to Third World Status and Serfdom.

Republicans have to play the 'we're just like you' as voters recognize the Republicans are rich, elitest bastards far removed from their struggles and more worried about retaining office, dismantling the social safety net, deregulating every industry and removing Federal agencies which police and halt Corporate crime and corruption, as the Republican Punk Ass Bitches make sure they properly service their Rich Moneyed Masters.

Barack Obama Perfect Christian

President Obama is the perfect Christian. No matter how many times Republican and conservative racists slap him in the face he is ready to offer up the other cheek.

It began prior to his nomination, continued throughout his first two years in office with loud and continuous aspersions about President Obama's faith, birth, heritage and family and repeated wishes for his failure, removal and death. Republicans place their party and the demands of the Rich Plutocratic Controllers over the safety of American Citizens. But, even after winning the 2010 elections, with Republicans gloating about working to harm Americans so President Obama fails, he offered forth his hand in brotherhood to work together.

This infuriates blood thirsty Republican savages, like Sarah Palin, who long to kill things and are aroused at the sight of blood. Sarah Palin, is the perfect Republican, a savage anti-christian, who cloaks herself in righteousness while merely using religion to advance herself and her family.

Christianity is at odds with natural human behavior. Love thy neighbor as yourself is a reaction one must learn. Naturally, the last two years have shown that Republicans are false christians. Just listen to them, every single one of the GOP platforms are in opposition to christs' teachings. Republicans succor and fawn over money and build vast temples for Moneychangers. Republicans hate the poor and use the power of Government to see them ground down to an early grave for the Money Masters they serve. Republicans are the first to cast stones for behaviors they engage in wantonly. Republicans love warfare and death and seek to sacrifice as much of humanity on the altars of War as possible.

Republicans hate christ and venerate death, war and avarice.

The Republican Party enjoys Nirvana?

Hate me
Do it and do it again
Waste me
Rape me, my friend ~ Rape Me, Nirvana

Well, not exactly but what the Pro Human Pain and Suffering Profit over People Chicken Hawk Punk Ass Bitch REMFpublican Party of Deferments does enjoy is funding companies that force women not to report being raped because, well because, as everyone knows by their actions the Republican Party hates People.

Republicans for Rape shows the 30(!) Republican Senators who voted against an amendment that would allow employees of military contractors to sue their employers if they are raped at work.

You see Republicans and their conservative enablers enjoy it when People (Especially Americans) are killed, raped, assaulted or grievously wounded. That's why they celebrated Bush and Cheney's Utter Failures (9/11, VA Tech, The Amerithrax Attacks, the DC Sniper, Hurricane Katarina, Iraq and Afghanistan). When Republican Teabagging Conservative Birtherites see violence and death They see Money and there is nothing Republicans love more than being able to profit off the Blood of Humanity.

The Obligatory Cubs Failure

The damn Chicago Cubs failed again and will not win the World Series. Most likely, the damn Cubs will never win the Series...

I spend to much damn time listening to Sports Talk Radio. I spend to much time watching baseball on TV. I need to become a grumpy White Sox fan or icky Cardinals fan or {shudder} Soul Sealing Hell Spawned Yankees fan. Or I need to more powerfully divest myself of Sports "Fever".

After two straight winning season in 2007 and 2008 the Cubs as a team choked both time in the Playoffs. While Lou Piniella is a good manager over the long hard slog of a 162 game baseball season and he's done a nice job of utilizing and maximizing his bench players potential; The short 5 game first round playoff series is too dicey and often one bad game or a couple hot players can take it over and crush the hopes and dreams of little Cubbie fans worldwide. Now, it's not totally Piniella's fault as the idea of playing 162 games and then having your Championship chances ruined by a "mere" 3 losses is bad planning by the MLB.

But, it's all based on the drive for more games and more revenue and if the Baseball Cartel could figure out a way to add more games and keep Fenway, Wrigley and Yankee Home Run Stadium open year round they would but Chicago winters, especially lately, aren't too conducive for that prospect. That's enough of Money Ball and wistful lamentations for Baseball purity.

The 2009 Cubs failed as an organization. Several players did very well, Derek Lee especially. But several decisions and baseball incidents caused the team to collapse.

The first and worst move was the acquisition of known malcontent Milton Bradley. Bradley appears to be a not nice person who finds ways to blame everyone but himself for his extensive history of problems. The Cubs ostensibly claimed they acquired Bradley to be a left-handed run producing hitter. Bradley does not drive in a large amount of runs and was not what the Cubs needed. So Bradley was what his history advertised and not what the Cubs declared... To make room for Bradley's forced signing the Cubs traded Mark DeRosa.

DeRosa has always been considered a role-player but if his last 4 seasons are taken alone his numbers show him to be an everyday player, who will produce a .285 average, 15-20 home runs, score and drive in 80+ runs. DeRosa was widely acknowledged as a good influence, clubhouse leader and showed a willingness to play a variety of positions for the Cubs during his two seasons with the team. Each of those attributes turned out to be exactly what the Cubs needed and missed in 2009.

The Cubs made the risky decision to enter the season with no backup for talented but slightly injury prone 3rd Baseman Aramis Ramirez and it turned out to probably be the worst cost-benefit analysis of the season. Ramirez got hurt and missed significant time during the season (DeRosa could have filled in at 3rd) but with DeRosa gone and when Ramirez went on the Disbaled List, the Cubs moved Mike Fontenot from 2nd Base to 3rd. Fontenot was to be given the shot to be the everyday 2nd baseman and he might have been okay this year if he also did not have to worry about playing everyday at the hot corner. The added pressure along with being a regular everyday player hampered his ability to adjust at the plate and kept Fontenot in an extended hitting slump.

Incredibly talented Carlos Zambrano again exploded into full blown Big Z meltdown mode in his underwhelming season. Zambrano is such a gifted baseball player he's got Nuke Laloosh's pitching power with the hitting ability of Crash Davis, unfortunately as Costner alluded to in Bull Durham Zambrano's apparently also got Laloosh's "5 cent head".

The off season abandonments of Felix Pie, Casey McGehee, and Jason Marquis contributed to the sad bad 2009 season.

And Non-Cub Alfonso Soriano continued his slow decline into baseball agedness. The Cubs have 6 years and $100 Million USC left of his .250 hitting Designated Hitter fielding ability left.

Fortunately for Cubs Fans the season's withering won't be seared into their psyche like 1969 or 1984 or 2003 or 2008...

Health Care Party Platform or C'est La Vie

The Republican Party platform can succinctly be defined as We Care More For Our Possessions than You People.

They can't hide their hatred for the Poor and Middle Class. It's not even hidden in their claims about Health Care Reform, to wit Democrats are trying to Destroy the Best Health Care System in the World. The System is Sacrosanct and Supreme if a few 47 million people fall through the cracks well C'est la Vie...

Americans and those trained by American Medical and Nursing Schools are without a doubt the brightest, best trained and hardest working practitioners in the world. That's the People.

The System? The System which gouges you, which bankrupted GM and which is consuming more and more of every Americans paycheck is a fucked up morass of drug dealers, paper pushers and lobbyists who are merely a small cog in the machine or work to keep the big picture from being understood by Americans and want to wring as much money as possible out of the pain and suffering of the American people.

Now why would the Anti-People Pro Human Pain and Suffering Republican Party (and Insurance pocketed Democrats) want to change the system? They don't because the money being made is more important than the people being mistreated.

Related:
For instance, read about Betsy McCaughley who jumped back into prominence with lies, false declarations and incorrect statements about Obama's attempt at Health Care Reform.

If you were Wealthy you'd be Healthy

That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above...


Hey poor people? I've got some bad news for you... It's your own fucking fault you're poor. And because you are poor when you get sick well too fucking bad.

The Healthcare Reform debate is rooted in the idea the poor are that way due to their own failings, their lack of moral fiber. If god or nature wanted the poor to be wealthy and healthy they would be, but since they are not well then... It's Pre-Destination, Calvinism, Social Darwinism and Welfare Queens again. It's the Myth the Rich got that way due to their inherent merit... And why should the best and brightest, The Rich, pay for your pre-ordained immorality? Indeed forcing the Meritorious Rich to pay for the Poor is the height of evil and as Michele Dump Bachmann* stated "This is Slavery".

Now that we have once again established the hierarchy of Morality with the Rich on top they needed a way to coerce enough of the middle, who think they are rich living off of the Piss Down You Back trickle down American economic cycle, to get up in arms (literally), form a Dump Bachmann 'Wrist Slitting' Death Cult Covenant and threaten violence if any reforms are attempted. So they choose Sarah Hot and Palin to warn America about her baby Trig and your Grandma being put to death by ACORN-SMERSH Obamannist Death Panels.

This is merely the underlying message. The battle for Healthcare is actually being waged by the 250 or so Republicans and Democrats who are in the pocket of Pharmaceutical Giants who reap huge profits from selling their legal drugs.

Recently, I had to transport a young man to the Hospital near my town who I arrested for an Aggravated Battery to a Police Officer. His injuries in the scuffle were minor but I learned he took Seroquel for bipolar disorder. Seroquel is the AstraZenaeca name for the chemical Quetiapine. He didn't have any meds with him and hadn't taken them for days, and my department procedure and County law dictates all arrestees must have received prescribed medications prior to being turned over the the Sheriffs Department for holding awaiting trial. I looked up Seroquel, which according to the AstraZeneca Annual Review 2005, "...with $2.8 billion sales in 2005, further strengthened its position as the most prescribed atypical anti-psychotic therapy..."

Total sales for Quetiapine was over $4 billion.

It's the Money.

The Billionaires for Wealthcare understand perfectly the Status Quo needs to be maintained.



Related:
Truth Shall Rule: Rich Republicans Jealous of Food Stamps

*- It's disturbing we have M. Dump Bachmann ranting on and on about the voices she hears. Can't her Government Run Health Care provide her with enough Seroquel to quiet the voices in her head?

Money!

Yes The Eddie Money! I got a chance to see him on 3 July rocking the Arlington Heights Frontier Days. Money is 60 and his voice sounds it due to his rock and roll lifestyle excesses. But, what was classic were Eddie's comments:

I sold 7 million records and got married four times. I'm broke, come up and buy a CD for $5!
This ones for the ladies who loved me in the eighties!

For the most part, the "true" Money fans arrived early and grabbed prime spots near the stage whilst I was relegated to the 380 foot marker and the majority of the crowd merely enjoyed him as back drop music. That was until he played one of his monster hits; Two Tickets, Baby Hold On, Take Me Home Tonight, then they joined in and sung-shouted the half remembered lyrics.

Of course, the fair also provided the nearly unending fun of people watching, punctuated by spotting a rocking Femullet and of being cognizant of the bad element, a few of whom I noted despite the efforts of the AHPD.

I hate my lawn and your lawn, but...

please mow your grass as a sign of community.

Lawns take a large amount of time, care, fuel (oil+gas), treatment and water to "properly" maintain. They are an outdated status symbol which until I get 3 youngsters running around or throw weekly backyard soirees remains a green hole of life suckage, though it looks pretty. Whiskey Fire gets it with the eloquent post, I Hate Mowing My Fucking Lawn.

However, there is a curious effect happening thanks to the Piss Down Your Back Tipsy Canoe Recession; there are a large number of empty foreclosed homes with overgrown lawns and towns are reducing budget and laying off public workers, so village boards see grass height scofflaws as a potential source of revenue.

Mow or Pay:

Municipalities are finding it increasingly difficult to keep tabs on all their unkempt yards. Many, including Arlington Heights, Northbrook and Lake Forest are taking steps to hold property owners accountable.

Additionally, the Seatlle-esque rains we've been receiving are a boon to the growth of yards everywhere,

"The majority of grass grown in the Chicago area is Kentucky blue, which is a cool weather grass," said Marvin Ganek, a master gardener at the Chicago Botanic Garden. "In addition, it needs moisture, and we have had plenty of that. I can tell you it has been growing better this year than it has in a number of years."

Gasp! More big government socialism encroaching upon the individual! Quickly man the Crying Freeman Glenn Beck Ramparts! Except it really isn't. While less leniency and a more stringent enforcement of the fines may be a crass attempt at generating revenue for the towns, living in a Chicago suburb necessitates the person understand the rights of others and the responsibility of community. If you live in a community you have, unfortunately, accepted the burden of being a good neighbor.

If you want to live like a Randian Superman with a wild overgrown prairie of a yard move out to McHenry or Boone County and allow your lands to grow wild grasses.

Now of course it's difficult to move to those Counties. McHenry has been devastated by the Republican Economic Crash and living that far out costs too much if you want to drive into the city since the corrupt Bush Regime allowed their Corporate Oil Masters to inexplicably and capriciously raise the price of gas to whatever they deemed fit and since funding an improvement to the much maligned Chicago Roadways would have been socialism at work, better to allow them to flounder.

"Excellently observed," answered Candide; "but let us cultivate our garden."

Update:
In light of Father's Day I do have fond memories of mowing my Grandfather's yard, drinking lemonade and eating McRib's which he would get for me and then pull up into the driveway just as I finished.