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Monday, October 19, 2009

Head For The Hills, Sam, The GAY Is Coming!

So is our own Assemblyman, Sam Blakeslee, got his eye on running for State Senator? Casting an eye on his “base,” fixin’ for ta’ fire ‘em up, fixin’ fer a run?

According to an Oct 18 Tribune story by Bob Cuddy, Sam sent a memo to his fellow Republicans just dissing Governor Schwarzenegger all over the place, attacking several pieces of health care legislation that Sam thinks are really bad. Seems Sam thought it was reeeeelly, reeeelly awful to have a law that outlawed “gender discrimination in health care and prohibit health insurers from dropping clients who run up large bills within two years of signing up.” (Uh, wasn’t that a key issues in the federal “reform,” making sure insurance companies can’t dump people who cost them money? As for gender discrimination in health care? Sam’s FOR gender discrimination in health care and opposed to a bill that would eliminate that? Huh?)

Also on Blakeslee’s top 10 list of WORST legislation is recognizing out-of-state gay marriage [you know, complying with the Federal full faith and credit clause] and “declaring May 22 ‘Harvey Milk Day,” which Blakeslee said ‘champions (the) homosexual political agenda.”

So Sam’s four-square behind creating two classes of California citizens; those who have full civil rights and can marry and have those marriages done in another state be legit in this state, and those who almost have full civil rights, except their perfectly legal out-of-state marriage is bupkis. And, Awww Mah Gawd. Hide the children, it’s the dreaded “Homosexual political agenda.” (Does that differ from the standard, plain vanilla, white-bread, run-of-the-mill “Homosexual agenda?”) Yikes, sounds like Sam’s cranking up his Feed The Base It’s The Dreaded GAY! playbook.

Cuddy’s story also notes, “As the Republican leader in the Assembly, Blakeslee is one of the so-called Big Five who have significant input into how the state is run.” All you second-class citizens need to keep that in mind. Sam’s moving on up. He signed a blood oath to Grover Norquist and was willing to see this state go off a cliff rather than make some sensible tax compromises and for his party loyalty he was given a seat at the Big Boy table. (Senator Maldonado modestly compromised and was punished for his loyalty to the state as a whole and loyalty to the people of the state. In Grover Norquist Land, there is only one loyalty and it isn’t to the constitution or the people of the state; it is to the Republican Party.)

Thank You Doctor Foreman

In the Trib’s Oct 18 series on health care, “Can We Heal The System?” there’s a brief story on Dr. Larry Foreman, an emergency room physician from Arroyo Grande. Dr. Larry sensibly notes that even though we are supposedly “reforming health care,” what we really are doing is simply reforming health INSURANCE, which still doesn’t solve the problem.

“We can do it now, or we can do it later,” Foreman says of universal health care. The current system is destined to ‘implode,’ he says. ‘It’s not sustainable.’
“Demographics are not reassuring, he says,” to which I can only add, “I’ll say!”

“The ideal system, Foreman says, would provide ‘the best result with the least amount of money being spent,’ as opposed to the market deciding, which he believes is the way health care delivery works today.

“As to spending less money, many reforms are needed, including making sure pharmaceutical companies spend their research and development money on research and development and not on salaries and advertising.

“Foreman also stresses the need for preventive medicine.”

Indeed so, Dr. Foreman. We actually need a system that’s focused on coordinating patient care -- the so-called Mayo Clinic method – add in known “best practices” care and aggressive preventative care early on, and maybe we’d have a shot at actually improving our medical health. Plus, figuring out a way to get the American public to grow up and begin to take some responsibility for their own health.

Round ‘em UP, Head ‘em Out

That loud sucking sound you heard east of town was Cal Poly President,Warren Baker trying to ‘splain why he capitulated and forced a guest speaker (author and agribusiness critic) Michael Pollan to share his (formerly) solo podium with speakers from agribusiness so he wouldn’t lose Harris Beef Ranch Co’s promised donation to the university. Suss out on academic freedom or lose the big cow bucks, said Harris. And Baker said? Well, in the Tribune he had an “explanation” that went, Blah, Blah, Blah, our students need to be exposed to diverse viewpoints, Blah, Blah, Blah, “Alumni – or for that manner any special interest groups including donors – do not dictate classroom content and they do not dictate who will come to this campus and who won’t.” Blah, Blah, Blah. . . .

Well, that’s sure good news; no classroom content “dictation” BUT, apparently donors WILL dictate what kind of forum certain speakers will get when they do come to speak. Which means a solo speaker can get a solo podium BUT NOT if a wealthy donor demands that he be given a “panel” with “opposing views.”

Then he’ll get a panel or he’ll be given the bum’s rush.

Said Pollan, who is a journalism professor at UC Berkley, “. . . Wood’s threat constituted an attack on academic freedom, adding that bullying has no place at a university.”

You may laugh now.

8 comments:

Shark Inlet said...

With Pollan (and I'm a big fan) the problem is that he says and writes stuff which makes people often feel uncomfortable.

Who the heck cares if not everyone can live on self-sustaining farms (as some critics suggest he wants), the problems with agribusiness many and a straw-man version of Pollan isn't the way to argue against his conclusions.

Perhaps even the whole process (invitation, acceptance, complaint, revision of invitation) will provide a teachable moment. I suspect that the Trib was right that Harris Ranch made this into a situation when, had they just ignored it, only the true believers would have attended. The hubbub drew in more bodies and Pollan is compelling.


Even so, I won't fault Baker for his choice.

Suppose it wasn't Pollan talking about agribusiness but Francis Collins (head of NIH and a geneticist) talking about science and God. Because his Christianity is well known, some would object to him being given a forum to proselytize. I would think that a debate or panel which included others (say Dawkins) would still offer a worthwhile discussion. Sure the nature of what is done during the hour would change, but it would still be very worthwhile.

Mike Green said...

Pollan's book "The Botany of Desire" is wonderful.
"The Omnivores' Dilemma" Not only shines a light on big Agribuisness, but also on the "Organic" title currently making folks feel better while picking their pockets.
Case in point is the kerfluffel with Whole Foods ( a large upscale grocery store) having no way to confirm that their "Organic" produce that comes from China is really "Organic"
As far as Cal Poly goes, what did you expect?
Cal Poly sells produce! milk, eggs, whatever.
A lot of what Mr. Pollan exposes is directly a result of Cal Polys teaching.
Go to the farmer's market and eat local.

Churadogs said...

The problem with what Cal Poly did was so clearly acting under duress of Harris' $$ threat. IF Cal Poly wanted to set policy that only allowed balanced panels for ALL guest speakers, that's one thing. But to cobble together this hasty CYA deal was ridiculous. And then to try to lie to cover up what you're realy doing makes the school and Baker look even more ridiculous.

Universities have a long tradition of bringing often controversial speakers and giving them a forum to be heard. They can then invite another (contra) speaker and let him/her counter what the previous speaker says, & etc. But panels and debates are entirely different forms of information transmission than single speakers.(For one, a single speaker has more time to develop his whole theory or point, in all its complexity; panels are truncated and often muddled becaause complex issues cannot be fully discussed, there simply is no time for 3-4 opposing points of view to get any full airing. In short, Panels get the Readers Digest version of information.Is that what Baker wants CAl Poly to be -- the REaders Digest of Universities. Feh. Sorry, but this was lamely DUMB and an utter embarassment.

Interestingly, I've never found Pollan to be some True Believer Johnny One Note (Agribusiness BAD; Organic GOOD: Vegan BETTER) He seems to grasp the issue that we're screwed no matter what we do, vis a vis food, simply becuse there's too many mouths to feed so no one system will fix the mess we've gotten into. So, no, he was certainly no "threat" to Harris Beef. Again, that's why this speaker was a particularly wrong one to pull this crap on.

Alon Perlman said...

Sam the Man? Fixin ta run?
faahn thiyen thayt.
Whay c'ordin to the Only BOOK about Los Ozarkosos Suuuwee-r, "Ah poyferktly, mahty, beeyg Weeynd"
Intro and final chaptah and verse, and say Hozannah, Aymen, Halelooya. He justen done and fixen everithin right darned good. And shouldn pack up and go directlee tar Warshinton, jusn three owers away by telifone, and tell that fellar wat warzent eeven born heyar in a reel stayte -"What eyz gawin on heeyr inna reel Armerika".

Aind wat with "Norquist" even do dhats some kyner forrineer naym, wid Yoo-roppeen cornit-ashins, and you'n no all about "theym".
And not ter mensheen hees jus annour good 'ol boy, and I forgot to menshin "Grover" which was a good O'l naym too, till dem darned beetle-niks took ovah our grate Nayshin with the flawah-pawa an' peece and love and Grow-vey this and Grover that, and Henry Fonda's li'l girlee makin a darned spectacle of herseylf, ahh steel feel for heem, do she turnd out almost allright later on that exorsist video, fyn settar legs on that chicken.
We need somerren of that new fangled clonee-ing engin-eerin tayk-now-lo-gee and untill every Nayshin on his o'l urth, has a GROVER NORTKISSED to make shuren an keep behind the line, them commies and sosheealites and pinko liberals and mauvo liberals, even in Chyna and whatever, Dick-Chaneeyana, they call theym Russkies playce now. Yesm, till'n every nayshin and stayte has isself a Northkissed of zyr-own ta mayke suure theyr I-corn-omy is poppin like Lizzie -county - Fair agronomiks perfesser says it shud, gottn it right here on hism Cal-poly bizzyness caird-"Leiize fere ecoornomiks" -darn fools inner-inner-offis didn grad-u-ayte third grade tilln got elli-gable for militaayree service. Dey don callit "Gay-Lobal Ey-cornormey" fer nuffin.

Gotsta Put Mah "Santa Maria Diesel"
THINKIN COMMON MAN TRUCKER'Z Cap back on fo dissun. On account its personnal like.
Nah, I aint yellin, Rubber Duckie, I jis dropped mah Cap, got it jammed in this here Geer changup deeevice in the computerator thingamajig and it locked up the second back axle somethaing arfull, smoking out Its makin the Pismo Suwweeer smell lahk guns and roses, buirning down the Avila Grade. Darn, hit it agin. there! popped it raht out. Ah wiz jist bout to jacknife across four lanes, wodnjanowit too.
Ayn wahh-ay wod a xperiensted hauller as suych as me, be dropping my CAPSLOCK, yo'n be axing? weyl ahm not arshaymed to say that I caint reed "Sanna mah-reeyah Deezil" bakwoods in the ba-hck mirrah on account of the lisdexia, and mamas teen age drinkin yeers, anner Rozie O'donnel sayned inner blue ink baysball tradin card tucked innit the dayvid eidge of the reer faycin mirro too, AYND I aint gonna let that feyfth of good o'l Jackie "D" roll out fromn between my cawboah boots, lahk it deyed last time, unlessn theyre ara at leeyst three of themn yellow school busses lined up, and noner themn short'ns eezer.

Alon Perlman said...

Aynd, that odder tyme when it was nite anner trucckers little whayt trukkers hailpers had run out somewhere outskirts of Brownsville and ther coolers fans hadn gone busted anner load ov avokayders was not gonna git payd fer xeptin that one box they packed in first back in Mercskiker, n'sayd "make sure that one gets all the way to el lay sey-nyour", musteird been fer da uppir skayle-orgy-annik mar-kit, thaten thair box sholda been cool enuf-ter last, and then some bump woke me up and ah lookssed ahayd isuz dark inner fronner me like the inside of a bayr in a cayve, inner Nu-Clller winnah, anner cabin was all lit up like Santer klars was hitch hikerin and I watched it armayzed with the spirit of xristnmass all tearin up insider me, anthenni norticed they was spinning an theyr waz only red white an bluens, anit was smokey right up behyn me all ther way uppen the county line, where that spayce betweeyn the goal posts was not enuf, but they weirn gowel posts jist the legs between the water tower and if thateirn was not ee-nuf to clean shayve off my dis-kreet nekkid laydeecrome sylo-eyt side mirrahs, but the good lord saw feyt to send that their warter tawa riyet inter the Caayl-tawah and so on down to the gayz stayshin an lectric stayshin an if thateren woldena happind I woderna be tellin ya this story today excepten I waz hankerin to tellya somthing eylse

Ar yeys
Speakin of thangs wot dem ryme wid Suuu-Weer
Didja check the ads by google undah this col-u-men.
"Ads by Google"- "Gay State, Gay Bill, Gay About, Gay Allow, Gay Hate" So thatnems wot i figger thisnz about.
Now. As ah waz sayin thisnm kinda personal caus we gottus one of the , yes , gay-uns right in the family. Cuzzins I meen, and not the kissin kind if you nowadda mean there too. Now Ahm lettin ya now, I wolda caught it by now, ah rekkin, cuz he or she dinit come out and tellus ryt an proper onner thanksgivven taybil, but onie figgern it out theymselfs ayfter theyun wenner kollyge, anner that be a clu fer yer raht their.

Nah not to say that ah dinit have some suspishions wot with the cheeher leeder gymnastics stedina beeing a towel boy like sommerena man wot didderna get enough beef jerkey in yerly chyelhood. and wot widder pink triangle inner back winderra rice burner car of heeys, ahm askerin ya, pink tri-an-gyule just weyre supposed ter hav duh proud flag of their Corn-Fed-Erracy. I meen pink, aint that some girly color or summpthin. Not even a good hornest sqwaire or even a wrecket-angule, so anyway as Jeff Gillouly said whichrn where i borrowed most of this or Foxworthey or maybe it was that rotunder fellar "the dish instarller". Cuse I aint gonna let Grammer have him climb up onner roof cuz heyljusten forl rite eyin where the dryrot killed allthem tormite critters. He gottern be like three hunnert fifty pounds on heym without ther musteyrd stayns, an ah shoren dont like them showin up ter ther barberqyou erly cuz theyrn be nothin left fer layter. But them folks got me to a thinkin and when they said "Yourn Gay?" and "wEEYUL LOVE YOU ANYWAY, " {{RRRscRUNCH..DAMMIT, Ok got it}} an thenner said right onner Tee Vee " But why'll teeze you mercifully" an just then I thought I had a teer in mah aye but it was just som of that hallapeynyo jyoose got loose on the remote. but water imn sayin is in this beeutyferl countree of owerz and espeyshully with my girly mayn cuzzin let peeple be what they are, or think they are, everen if we now bettahr, and they'll figger out thern jusn gowin true a fayz, and go marry one of them pretty girls thet he seems to arllwayz havin payin him atenshin un such.
Gonna take a break for chew, nowerdaleft my wurd vellyfikayshun? -cophag

Alon Perlman said...

So keypin in corn-text ov thee above, ...one of them pretty girls thet he seems to arllwayz havin payin him atenshin un such.

And Know this; If anyone Eylse but fam-hill-billy even looks sideways at mah gay cuzzin, there willn be a serious stomperin, and said stomperin will only commence after said perpu-traytor is laid out cold. And said stompering will continue till the crayck of dawn, or untill the beer runs out witchever comes first, or if Eymee comes back from deliverin the kids to skool, and needs heir pahkin spayce back. And ah do appolergerize Cuzzin, for commencuratin the beaterization of that feller ,fouh (Hamid) Chower-zi ta know that he was yer "lahf pahtner", and now you'll jaust hafta git you anuzzerun.
And so this goes out to allenyer bullies, cuze allen them gayans are now unduh my protecterization.




Thisaal is inspired by this leeynk, Since It is 1969 and PeeCee was not inventerated yet, you kin only wartch it, if yer were able to place a 33 1/3 onner turntayble in 1970. Ifn yer ask yer mudders fiyrst please show pruuf ofn yer Biyrth certyficayte on yer return, or youl be leyft in the interneyt fereyver an eyver.
W.V;amica W.V.2 subme

Mike Green said...

Thank you Alon, For that inspiring essay in authentic hillbilly gibberish.
Of course, we already know the natural disposition of hillbillys, cause we all saw Deliverance.
An enlightened view to be sure.
I always kind of wondered why gay folks, and some of my best friends and most loved relatives are gay, would want to align themselves with marriage. I understand on the top it seems like hetero couples have an advantage, but if you look at the costs overall involved in failed hetero marriage , the odds seem pretty grim.
Is that as good as it gets? can't the gay community do better?
If I was gay and single, madly in love and required a true commitment till death do you part, I'd want something better, who wouldn't?
But I'm me, happily married thirty plus years.
I beat the odds, big time .
I say , let em gamble with the rest of us.
One born every minuet.

Alon Perlman said...

Soowee thar podner,
Ah must be diskreet,
I tolded the sherrif,
I only bag Skeet.

Howder liker the musiculation? Kuinder scratchy. may pull up another if reeqwestid

Without direct details; the M-word versus the life partnership-two souls entwined by destiny, constantly forgiving daily indiscressions?
Equivalent rights to health benefits? Choose your battles carefully or they will be chosen for you? I've seen a 17 year (I'm happy to be likely off on that number) failed D I V O R C E damage all my family. The legal dissolution? too little too late.The short 1/2 way around the world 3 year, failed same-sex marriage, was just one of those things that happened to someone I am related to and who will bounce back to whatever I hope he gets, in his own time and in his own way. A good friend too as to some extent would be his ex partner.
Every situation is different.
In a country that chooses to stay divided? VALUES
I'm with you, good for you,(and with your wife by implied extention, aware of potential indiscression in addressing to the idea of a person who is not communicating with me here. Good relations are best when not rubberstamped agreements).
Now back in role-Play;
Mah granny who jist harpendz to be mah irmaginairy wife, naho its not lahkke thait, Its through legail mayrridge, an the man who married her prviously waz a preetcher not a father but he was mah unkyle an the yun doctah fok fram ther citey they tell us our yonguns will git over thyre unnnaytural lahkin of eytc othyr when they git oldah, an fand potners of thyr owin to bee wyth and file fore thayt gummint cheese, even if raht naw thy caint irmagin findin summun with too tails eych lahk theim selfs. My waf is axing what you meen by "Minuet" yo aint onnerdose damn forrinahs aintcha, from parisland? She sez "Aurtentic?" Weeren yousin Gogil Scotts Hiyhlander langwidg translater, weist edinborow vershin an she alser thanks ya donno yer kentuck tru-blu-hillfoke tahk from yer cormin tarheel innorant no good fir nuffin wot got no langidge skeyls day was borned wid.