Some Words

I know that most of our fellow citizens live inside the chamber of silence when it comes to international news, but fucking eh! When one of your closest allies in your largest war front is releasing studies about how you’re full of shit and can’t be trusted for anything… When other people have to start distancing themselves from you on torture, it’s time to start some serious self appraisal. Too bad this one isn’t getting reported on CNN or anything. Also too bad we don’t have ‘British Fries’ or something we can rename to show our defiance in the face of international law.

Also, as a dual citizen, with family in the US and Canada, the next time someone tells me about how the Canadian health care system sucks, I’m pulling out this little anecdote. That’s a gem, that one. I love how people who argue this with me are always people who have a third cousin who they’ve never talked to who had to wait for an elective surgery like a face lift. I’ve had relatives die in Canada, and they sure didn’t want for medical care. I loved them, I was devastated by the loss of them, but I never wondered if they had been tricked into not being given care by the medical equivalent of DSL tech support.

Seen at the Lyndale exit of 94: One woman in full jogging gear, jogging slowly across the intersection. In one hand, a 12 oz can of iced tea, it looked like Lipton Brisk, but I was at a distance. In the other hand, a cigarette. As she crossed the street, she took a long drag, not breaking stride. Upon getting to the other side, she exhaled. She then stopped to breath heavily.

Minnesota ranks number one among the fifty states for health and health care outcomes. This is largely due to the high number of people who have insurance. It’s 18th and 20th in smoking and obesity rates respectively. Scenes like today’s remind me that it’s more of a “least stupid” that a “smart” sort of thing.

It’s a bit old in blog years, but look into this. Healthcare is something we should all care about. Healthcare and the environment… I don’t really have much to say beyond that, as others are putting it better these days.