Sunday, September 6, 2009
Following the Money...
My own thinking about abortion has been focused on the moral issues. Here's a film that (from the trailer) appears to be mainly focused on something else: the money that Planned Parenthood is making from performing abortions, and how that allegedly distorts their behavior.
I have no idea about the truth of these particular claims; it's not something I've ever tried to dig up some facts on. I did a little digging this morning, and found several sources saying that Planned Parenthood performs approximately 300,000 abortions per year (in the U.S.) and receives about $700 million dollars per year for those services. That makes them quite a large business, and there's certainly enough money to affect people's behavior.
Food for thought, on an aspect of abortion that has relatively little to do with its morality...
I have no idea about the truth of these particular claims; it's not something I've ever tried to dig up some facts on. I did a little digging this morning, and found several sources saying that Planned Parenthood performs approximately 300,000 abortions per year (in the U.S.) and receives about $700 million dollars per year for those services. That makes them quite a large business, and there's certainly enough money to affect people's behavior.
Food for thought, on an aspect of abortion that has relatively little to do with its morality...
O-M-G!!!
Updated:
I just discovered that the trees have responded to the EarthFirsters:
Original post:
Somebody please tell me that this is some kind of a put-on. 'Cause, you know, I'd sleep a lot better if I knew for sure that people like these didn't walk the earth with me...
I just discovered that the trees have responded to the EarthFirsters:
Original post:
Somebody please tell me that this is some kind of a put-on. 'Cause, you know, I'd sleep a lot better if I knew for sure that people like these didn't walk the earth with me...
The Cats In Our Lives...
Anyone who has spent much time with a cat will enjoy these videos. I've spent almost 30 years with an average of about 8 cats, so you can imagine how entertaining I found them! Via Super Tremendous:
Van Jones “Resigns”...
I used the scare quotes in the title because only the most naive amongst us would believe that Van Jones voluntarily quit his job. There's no doubt in my mind that he was asked to – very forcefully, with no real alternative.
The lamestream media has, once again, been carrying water for The One. Aside from the renegade outlets like the Wall Street Journal and Fox News, there hasn't been a peep from them on the subject of Van Jones. The White House did their best to help them out by announcing the Van Jones resignation at midnight on Saturday on a long holiday weekend.
I don't even know how to be snarky about these things any more – it's not like they're sneaking around doing this behind our backs. They're doing it right in front of our faces! This behavior is leading to the strengthening of a dichotomy that's existed for a long time: the politically informed vs. the politically ignorant. This used to be almost the same thing as saying those who listened to the news vs. those who didn't. What's different now is that even if you do listen to the news, you won't be very well informed – because the “news” from the lamestream media more closely resembles a stream of propoganda than it does actual information. These days, if you want to be politically informed, you really need to read the Wall Street Journal and a selection of political blogs (leftie, rightie, and libertarian). People who did that are completely unsurprised by the Van Jones resignation.
The best commentary on this affair I've read so far comes from blogger Jim Treacher:
Update:
Here's some more, with snark, from Scott Jacobs (blogging at Patterico):
The lamestream media has, once again, been carrying water for The One. Aside from the renegade outlets like the Wall Street Journal and Fox News, there hasn't been a peep from them on the subject of Van Jones. The White House did their best to help them out by announcing the Van Jones resignation at midnight on Saturday on a long holiday weekend.
I don't even know how to be snarky about these things any more – it's not like they're sneaking around doing this behind our backs. They're doing it right in front of our faces! This behavior is leading to the strengthening of a dichotomy that's existed for a long time: the politically informed vs. the politically ignorant. This used to be almost the same thing as saying those who listened to the news vs. those who didn't. What's different now is that even if you do listen to the news, you won't be very well informed – because the “news” from the lamestream media more closely resembles a stream of propoganda than it does actual information. These days, if you want to be politically informed, you really need to read the Wall Street Journal and a selection of political blogs (leftie, rightie, and libertarian). People who did that are completely unsurprised by the Van Jones resignation.
The best commentary on this affair I've read so far comes from blogger Jim Treacher:
Tell it, brother!If the mainstream media didn't prove its own irrelevance during the Rielle Hunter scandal, this clinches it. An advisor to the President of the United States, a man in charge of tens of billions in taxpayer funds, is resigning because of a scandal that has not been covered by most news outlets. Now they have to do the same dance they did when John Edwards confessed to his affair: "Looks like we have no choice but to talk about this now. Let's cover the story as if we've been covering it all along, while explaining it for the people who don't know about it because we're their only source of news."
So long to the lying, racebaiting, communist Truther in the White House. Correction: So long to a lying, racebaiting, communist Truther in the White House.
Update:
Here's some more, with snark, from Scott Jacobs (blogging at Patterico):
Heh!!The question remains, however: How the holy monkey-fuck did this guy pass the vetting process? Is the White House that stupid? Or could it be that they didn’t find anything wrong with his words because they agree with them – after all, would crazy talk sound crazy if you agree with it?
I mean, I’m sure to other truthers a phrase like “the first time fire ever melted steel” sounds perfectly rational, you know what I mean?
Edit – Looks like it hit the wires at about 12:10am Eastern. Yeah, there’s no way people at the White House were trying to bury this…
Update: The WaPo has a story now, with the following awesome quote from Van Jones:
“On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me. They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide,” he said (emphasis added)
Smears? Lies? Distortions? Asshole, there were video cameras. We can watch you say the stuff we are claiming came out of your noise hole.
As I’ve often said in the past: “it isn’t slander if it’s true”.