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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (325319)	2/9/2007 8:03:29 PM
From: bentway	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1578334

"I brought up the parable to prove to the socialists that Jesus was never against making a profit." But, then he wanted you to give your profits to the poor. Admit it. That was the MAIN THEME of his teachings.. Some other "Christian", PROLIFE I believe, quoted me some Jesus that "proved" Jesus was pro-war! Another of the hell-bound..

To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (325319)	2/10/2007 2:58:03 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1578334

If there is flip flopping I dislike its this kind..where a politician remakes his image to appeal to a different crowd. Mitt's miraculous turnaround BOSTON — Last spring when the tender shoots of John Kerry's ambition were rising again like a hardy perennial, I uttered a shriek: "Stop Him Before He Kills (The Democrats' Chances) Again." Kerry is a good, honorable, thoughtful man but a God-awful presidential candidate. And so the one person who choked up at last week's announcement that he wasn't going to run again was John Kerry. But no sooner do we celebrate the demise of one Massachusetts candidate, then up pops the next one. The unlamented former Gov. Mitt Romney is becoming a true contender, harvesting endorsements and attention in pursuit of the Republican nomination for president. I realize that Bay State politicians — from John Adams to Mike Dukakis — have long suffered from Potomac Fever. But my friend Steve Crosby, dean of the McCormack Graduate School at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and a chief honcho for two previous Republican governors, says Romney suffers from "Potomac Ebola Virus." A particularly virulent strain has infected the man running from Massachusetts. Our man Mitt is positioning himself to the right of every Republican candidate with the exception of Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback. He has famously told audiences that "being a conservative Republican in Massachusetts is a bit like being a cattle rancher at a vegetarian convention." He has repeatedly described himself as a lonely figure fighting the values fight against "the Kennedy-apologist, knee-jerk Clinton supporters." Even "Evangelicals for Mitt" — there is such a Web site — says "He shares our values, and he's fought for those values in hostile territory." The idea, the pitch, the shtick is that if Romney can make it as a conservative Republican here, he can make it anywhere. There's only one small problem: He didn't make it here as a conservative. Romney ran and won as the fourth in a direct line of moderate Republican governors. Romney is the author of a book called "Turnaround," a proud reference to his career as a venture capitalist and to his star turn in salvaging the scandal-plagued Salt Lake City Olympics. But I assure you there is no turnaround as impressive as the one he's done on himself. You can go to the Internet for the Compleat YouTubing of Mitt's transformation. Here's a short reprise: The old Mitt said, "I respect and will protect a woman's right to choose." The new Mitt says, "I'm committed to promoting the culture of life." The old Mitt wanted emergency contraception to be more readily available. The new Mitt vetoed a bill to have it sold over the counter. The old Mitt promised "more effective leadership" toward "full equality" for gays and lesbians. The new Mitt is dining out on his opposition to gay marriage and adoption. The old Mitt was in favor of embryonic stem-cell research. The new Mitt is boasting of his leadership in the fight against "human cloning." That's just the beginning. In any flip-flop contest, Romney makes Kerry look like he wears Timberlands. I am delighted to see a politician evolve, although evolution is not high on the dance card of the religious right. Romney prefers saying he was just wrong in the past. The old Mitt story line for supporting abortion rights was that a member of his family died of an illegal abortion. His support for stem-cell research came partially from his wife's expressed hope that it would cure her disease, multiple sclerosis. The new Mitt story line is that after talking to a stem-cell researcher, he had an epiphany. He saw "where the harsh logic of abortion can lead — to the view of innocent new life as nothing more than research material or a commodity to be exploited." If you have trouble believing that he suddenly found stem cells more sympathetic than a dead relative or a sick wife, you are left with two options now facing spurned BayStaters: Was he lying to us then or lying to you now? But you can also regard Romney as the veritable model of the Venture Capitalist as Politician, doing and saying whatever it takes. Indeed, Crosby describes Romney's governorship as like "a corporate takeover. ... He took over the asset, stripped it of what it was worth to leverage him into another asset, the presidency. There's no way to think he has any core beliefs other than leveraging to the next acquisition." What is the difference between a leveraged buyout and a sellout? Memo from this citizen of Massachusetts: Our Turnaround Master is now Your Spinmeister. Best of luck. No returns. Ellen Goodman's column appears Friday on editorial pages of The Times. Her e-mail address is ellengoodman@globe.com seattletimes.nwsource.com

To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (325319)	2/10/2007 5:09:20 PM
From: tejek	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1578334

brought up the parable to prove to the socialists that Jesus was never against making a profit. Why is that important? No one is against anyone making a profit in socialist society. In fact, people make lots of profits in a socialist society.

To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (325319)	2/10/2007 5:40:39 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1578334

Below is one of the benefits of living in a wealthy country like the US. We have a $1/2 trillion to spend on war but nothing for dental insurance. Please note that the guy has high blood pressure but he's only 34 and looks to be in decent shape. That's because of the poor condition of his teeth and gums. I hate to think what 8 years of infected teeth have done to his heart. Reason to smile: Outpouring from readers will end his pain "I just want my teeth pulled out so I can't feel pain anymore," says Michael Coates, who was to have eight infected teeth pulled this morning after suffering for years because he could not afford oral surgery. He says many people are in a similar situation. Michael Coates cries last week after Dr. Heather Olson, left, told him she couldn't give him a pain-relief shot because his blood pressure was too high. By Kyung M. Song Michael Coates is scheduled to lose eight of his teeth today. He can hardly wait. "I just want my teeth pulled out so I can't feel pain anymore," Coates said. Three days after a Seattle Times story that chronicled Coates' dental ordeal — and eight excruciating years after he first felt the throb in his molars — the Auburn man is about to find relief in the office of a Renton oral surgeon. Coates, 34, was part of a story about the lack of dental care for poor and uninsured people. He had shown up at the Auburn Community Dental Clinic in agony from abscessed wisdom teeth. To numb his pain, he sipped ice water from a pitcher and carried a juice jug to spit out the tepid water. Readers reacted swiftly to his plight. More than 50 people from as far away as Kentucky offered to help pay to fix his teeth. Two executives from Amgen in Seattle and SNC-Lavalin Constructors in Bothell each offered to personally cover the entire cost. Many readers said they couldn't shake the image of Coates in a photo on the front page, crying because his blood pressure was too high for a dentist to give him anesthetic. "I thought, 'I have to help him,' " said Sherrie Jolliffe, a Metro bus driver who hasn't forgotten her own pain from an infected tooth 34 years ago. "Oh, my God. No wonder he cried." One of those who reached out to help was Peter Carpenter, chief executive of ClearPoint, a Seattle health-insurance brokerage. Carpenter asked a dentist friend, Dr. Scott Moffitt, of Burien, to examine Coates. Moffitt said Coates had "extensive" problems, including infections not just in all four wisdom teeth but the four adjacent molars. Moffitt referred Coates to an oral surgeon, who asked that his name not be published. The surgeon was scheduled to extract the eight teeth this morning. Carpenter has pledged $1,000 toward the surgeon's fee, if needed. Coates also needs other repairs on fillings, and Moffitt has offered to do those later for free. Coates, who delivers furniture part time, was appreciative and a bit dazed by the attention. He said he is trying to imagine what it will be like to live without the constant ache. "I can't wait for Saturday and Sunday" after the teeth are gone, he said. After years of scrounging for dental care with no insurance and little money, Coates knows that the need is vast and options few. He said to really get an idea, people should visit a community dental clinic at dawn on the days they treat poor people needing urgent care. "You'll see a line of people holding their teeth and crying," he said. "I'm not a special situation." seattletimes.nwsource.com

To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (325319)	2/10/2007 5:46:05 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1578334

Why are stories like this all too common in a country Republicans are fond of saying is the most advanced, wealthiest nation in the world? Why? Are all of these people expendable? Are they presumed guilty of laziness? A Sincere Plea for Help Category: Posted on: February 8, 2007 12:03 PM, by Ed Brayton I am writing this in the hope that the generosity that my readers have shown to me over the last 3 years will show itself again for someone I care about. I have a friend who is in dire need of medical equipment that her insurance will not pay for and she cannot afford to buy on her own. Her friends are trying to find ways to help her and have put up this webpage to solicit donations; the details of the medical problem and the equipment that she needs are on that page. Connie is a brittle diabetic, which means her blood sugar fluctuates wildly. I've seen it go up or down 500 points or more in half an hour, the swings are that extreme. Her doctors have said that if she does not have an insulin pump with continual monitoring, which will adjust her insulin level every 5 minutes, she will not likely live another 5 years. Connie has two daughters who are very dear to me as well, one of whom will not even be out of high school in 5 years. Connie has known for a long time that she would not likely live to an old age, but she at least wants to be able to see her girls grow up and become adults; I want that as well. I'm asking my readers to follow the link and make a donation on my behalf. If you've appreciated the things that I've written, if you value the sense of community that has developed around this blog, I ask that you express that appreciation by helping me help someone I care about. I have thousands of readers who have been very generous to me. It won't take much. If even 1/3 of you give just a dollar or two, it could be the difference between Connie seeing her daughters grow up and dying far too soon. You don't even have to give any money directly if you don't want to. If you plan to buy anything from Amazon.com now or in the future, just go to that page and use the link to Amazon that you find there; that will send a small portion of what you buy to them, which will also help fill this need. Thank you for your consideration and, in advance, for your generosity. Here's the link again. P.S. I'm closing the comments on this post. I don't really need to know who helped and who didn't, it's not about that. Just be as generous as you can afford to be and you will have helped me by helping Connie, her husband and her two children have a longer, healthier life together. P.P.S. One more thing. If you don't have a paypal account or don't want to use such means but still want to help out, please email me and we can make whatever arrangement is necessary. scienceblogs.com