This And That
November 11, 2004 by J.
Meanwhile, in the magisterial heart of American capitalism
Even further reason for paranoia regarding any proposed plan to use stock market investments to shore up the Social Security system. I mean, it’s scary enough just thinking about Dick Cheney, one of the more prominent Enron emeriti, being a part of any administration seeking to deploy such a scheme. My recommendation if this modest little proposal comes to pass (and it will, in view of Dubya’s outrageous fiscal habits) is… either take advantage of your savings account at the local bank by earning a bit of interest, or invest in a cheap mattress that you can stuff with cash over the next few decades. Your money will probably be safer, and I hear greenbacks are pretty cushy.
FDA Letter Raises Questions about VeriChip Safety, Data Security
Kids, this is probably my big shock for the day. The Food and Drug Administration has actually questioned the safety of a device that could be viewed as a huge boon to insurance companies and dystopian government alike. Now the big question: will they and privacy activists push the issue enough to put a stop to these idiot-chips?
Trial Begins Over Cobb’s Evolution Disclaimers in Textbooks
Okay, wait. It took a lawsuit from the religious right to get these little sticker doo-dads in the books, which would mean that there originally was no promotion of religion involved. These little stickers do not specifically mention any form of religion, and make the accurate assertion that evolution is a “theory”. That’s right, folks - a widely held and well-supported theory, but a theory nonetheless, as we have yet to actually prove the origins of our first existence. The little doo-dads also say that it is best to approach this theory with an open mind (to counter-act all the religious right dogma), and to carefully consider what it says (so that you can make an educated decision regarding it’s likely veracity). How in anyone’s name does that indicate a government endorsement of religion? It would be a whole different story if that sticker said something like,
“Evolution is a theory which contradicts the teachings of creationism. However, because of separation of church and state, we are required to teach you evolution to the exclusion of creationism.”
The people filing this suit are overly-litigious idiots, and I hope ultimately that their case is thrown out. There is nothing wrong with accounting for the possibility that one widely held belief is not the only one, nor necessarily the correct one, nor mutually exclusive of all other beliefs.
Druggists refuse to give out pill
My beefs with this? Many. For one thing, who the hell are these pharmacists who think it is their business imposing their values upon the health and values of others. Secondly, as pharmacists they surely should realize that birth-control pills are commonly prescribed for reasons other than contraception, including the balancing of hormones, reduction in endometriosis symptoms, and acne. Then there is that whole issue of refusing to obey a protocol that requires them to either return the scrip slip or hand it off to another pharmacist if they refuse to fill it. But what gets me is that this kind of legislation is allowing the personal beliefs of singular individuals to override the health, well-being, finances, morals, and choices of others. If that’s an acceptable thing these days, then perhaps - what with my views on over-population and all - I should become a pharmacist just so I can refuse to fill life-extending prescriptions for the very same pharmacists who refused to fill birth control scrips. I’d love to see how long it would take before they started bitching and whining about how I was trampling all over their rights.
Bloody fantastic!!!
Although I can think of a few nice touches that aren’t shown, and it kind of creeps me out when I think about relevant sci-fi movies, this is truly a stunning architectural concept.
Text of Ashcroft’s Letter to Bush
I petitioned against this guy when he was first appointed, and for my efforts received a letter from my local representative saying I shouldn’t worry because he knew Ashcroft well from their mutual involvement in some sort of Senate Glee Club. (Disturbing enough in that they should have such a thing, moreso that they should both be involved in it). So I am going to file this under “What in God’s name took him so long?”
More tomorrow, but that sums up some of the tidbits crossing my screen this morning.
