So Predictable

During the summer recess, Congressional Democrats returned to their home districts to hold open town hall meetings to solicit feedback from their constituents. These meetings were open to the public.

A very small group of rabid right-wingers organized some mindless zombies programmed with conservative talk radio sound bytes to show up at these town hall meetings with no other purpose than to disrupt the meetings and stifle debate.

Not a single one of these tea-bagging douche-nozzles came to the meetings with an alternate proposal presented in a calm and rational manner.

Every single one of these cocksucking doorknobs stood up, waved signs, yelled down elected members of congress, refused to let anyone else speak. Their ONLY purpose was to create disruption and get on the news to give the impression that a very small band of radical idiots represented an actual grass roots revolution of pissed off Americans.



Today, Republicans John McCain, Kit Bond, and Mitch McConnel came to Kansas City to hold a "health care reform debate" at Children's Mercy Hospital.

This "debate" was close to the public. It was invitation only!

Apparently 3 of the highest ranking Republican members of the United States Senate were too chickenshit to face the public.

They didn't want any outraged liberals showing up and loudly demanding that the United States give all of it's citizens the same access to health care that every other modern, civilized, industrialized nation in the world provides their citizens.

The Senators kept referring to the United States as having the best health care in the world. I guess they didn't want anybody asking why the World Health Organization ranks the U.S. Health care system only the 37th best out of 50.

We rank just below the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica, but just above Slovenia and Cube. So we've got THAT working for us! France has the Number 1 rated health care system in the world.

No, the Three Republican Amigos didn't want any harshness or tough questions. Fuck, they didn't even want any raised eyebrows or cocked heads. So they invited a few Stepford Families and TV crews and locked the doors to everyone else.

So predictable.

Well, It's Official

My 15 year old daughter, young Galadriel Tanqueray Onassis, has a boyfriend.

Jimmy.

Now, I'm not foolish enough to think that Jimmy is her first boyfriend. Jimmy is just the first one that she's actually told me about.

It happened like this. I took her to pick up her friend Alyssa on Friday. They were going to the Chief's game on Saturday with some other folks. On the way back I heard GTO ask Alyssa what time she was leaving on Sunday. I didn't really follow the conversation but me ears perked up when I heard "hanging out with me and Jimmy".

"Me and Jimmy". Yeah.

But I didn't say anything, I just sort of filed that away.

Today she texted me. She was pissed off at her mom. Not exactly breaking news. The reason for this particular instance of her pissedoffedness was the fact that her mother, who had previously agreed to drive GTO to Blue Springs and pick up Jimmy on Sunday, was now backing out because she had "plans". She wanted to know if I could take her.

Summoning all of the casual innocence and passive, dismissive curiosity I could muster, I asked. "Who's Jimmy?"

"Jimmy's my boyfriend."

Dum, Dum, DUMMMMM.

And there it was.

I took the news in stride and focused on what I considered to be the two most important points:

1. She felt confident enough in our father/daughter relationship to know that she could tell me she had a boyfriend and know that I wasn't going to freak the fuck out.

2. She was actually going to let us meet each other. That means she knew I could handle meeting him and she didn't view me as some embarrassment that she needed to hide from her boyfriend.

I told her I could probably squeeze the excursion into my busy vacation schedule. Just before we ended the call, she said "WAIT. He has ear gauges. Don't say a word!" I agreed to keep my mouth shut, even though she knows I think that shit is STUPID.

As things turned out, I didn't get to meet him. He turns 16 tomorrow and his mom was taking him out for his birthday, so there would be no hanging out today.

When she told me this, I asked her to send me a picture of him, which she did.

This isn't him, but the ear gauges are about the same.



He has holes in his earlobes about the size of a quarter.

Now, I'm not crazy about this, but it's OK. Other than the facial mutilation, he's not a bad looking guy. And GTO tells me he's an atheist, like us, and that makes me happy. Makes me think he might be intelligent despite the visual evidence to the contrary.

I'd much rather see her hook up with an atheist hipster with holes in his ears than some fundamentalist football quarterback who wants her to "get right with God" and save her soul.

I take solace in the fact that this won't last. One of them will break the other one's heart and she will move on to the next boyfriend who will be different from the last boyfriend. This is how it works. It's a winnowing process. Eventually she will discover what she wants and doesn't want and, I hope, she will find the man (or woman) who will make her happy. Which is my only concern.

In the meantime, I'm just nurturing the "you can talk to me about anything" aspect of the father/daughter relationship because I know that will become increasingly important in the coming years.

With honest and open communication, anything is possible. Between parents and children, between boyfriends and girlfriends, between husbands and wives, between life partners and life partners, between business's and customers, between politicians of opposing parties, and between nations who seek each other's demise. Nothing is as powerful or important as communication.

If you aren't communicating, you are powerless and inconsequential.

The Greatest Rock & Roll Jam Ever

I see:

Ray Charles
Keith Richards
B.B. King
Jerry Lee Lewis
Little Richard
Bo Diddley
Fats Domino
Steve Cropper
Donald "Duck" Dunn

I'm sure there are a whole lot more I didn't spot. But that's a pretty impressive bunch of talent to have on one stage at the same time.

An Untold Story Chapter 1 - The Woman

This story has been stewing inside of me for about a year. With the exception of a few trusted confidants, I haven't shared this with anyone.

It was too personal, too recent, and too raw. I was also, and still am, respectful of the other person's privacy. Which is why the names have been changed, although the circumstances are completely factual.

Most of the prologue can be found in Parts 1-3 of my "Disasters in Dating" series.

Disasters in Dating - Part 1

Disasters in Dating - Part 2

Disasters in Dating - Part 3

The beginning of Part 1 finds me freshly divorced from my 2nd wife and very much on the prowl.

By the end of Part 3, I am in love, happy, content and have been for a few years.
Which is where this story begins.

The Woman

I met Becky over 5 years ago. I had been divorced for a couple of years and was very active in the local online dating scene.

OK, "active" doesn't quite do it justice. That's like saying Ted Kennedy enjoyed an occasional sip of scotch in a social setting. Or saying Bill Gates is doing OK for himself and can live within his budget.

I was a full speed, pedal to the metal, balls to the wall manwhore, mkay? I can refer you to a few local bloggers and tweeters who will vouch for the depths of depravity and promiscuity into which I dived like Alvin on Ecstasy.

But after a couple of years of this, I had started to think that maybe I was beginning to be ready for something more. Maybe.

None of my attempts at "something more" lasted more than a month. It got to the point that I started thinking I could save myself a lot of time and money by just calling up women at random out of the phone book and breaking up with them.

"Hi! You don't know me, we've never met. But I really don't think we should see each other. It's not you, it's me. I know this comes as a shock. I'm so sorry! But you'll get over me. You'll find somebody else. You deserve to be happy. I still want to be friends. Let's stay in touch! Maybe we could have lunch sometime! O.K., I gotta run. Buh bye!" click buzzzzzzzzzzzz (that's a dial tone for you young fucks who have never heard one)

When I found Becky's online profile, I noticed that not only was she petite and cute and hot and funny, but her status was "separated".

I thought "This is fucking PERFECT! She isn't even divorced yet! She can't possibly be looking for anything serious, I suck at anything serious, so this is doomed from the start! Exactly what I'm looking for!"

I can help her transition to single life, we can have some laughs together, she'll realize she isn't ready for a relationship, in a couple of months we can part as friends and it will all be good.

Well fuck me running! It didn't work out that way. We fell in love. Sometimes shit just happens.

She'd been married twice. So had I.

Her first marriage was to a shiftless, abusive, druggie and only lasted a few years but resulted in her oldest son, Jerry.

Her second marriage was to a callous, misogynist, railroader, lasted 20 years and resulted in two more boys, Desmond and Sam.

The first 3 years we were together were fucking AWESOME. We talked and emailed every day, spent almost every weekend together. We never fought or argued. We shared a warped and twisted sense of humor.

[SIDE STORY - Before our first date, we were talking on the phone. I can even tell you the exact day. It was Saturday, July 3, 2004. She was in the middle of trying to find a job. As we were chatting and flirting over the phone, a Breaking News Story came on her TV. Tragically, it was the story of the disgruntled ConAgra meat plant worker who brought a couple of pistols to work, shot 7 people, killing 5 of them before killing himself. Her first reaction was "OOH! I bet they're hiring!" That was some sick and twisted shit! I was pretty much a goner right then and there.]

We had a lot in common. We were both the oldest of 4 kids. Both of our dad's worked for TWA. We ALWAYS had each other's back. We weathered some individual tough times hand in hand.

When I was out of work and filing for bankruptcy, I woke up one morning to find my jeep GONE. Repossessed in the middle of the night (due to bad advice from my lawyer). After an entire day of complete MELTDOWN PANIC, she came over after work picked me up and calmed me down. We drove to a dealership I had found that had a jeep I wanted. She had to write the check because my hands were shaking too bad. I was barely able to sign it. Then she bought me dinner at Denny's because I hadn't eaten anything all day and was about to pass out.

She called me, crying, when her transmission died at Truman and I-435. I ditched my grocery cart at Price Chopper and raced to her. We got her fucked up car towed to her house. Then I took her to KCI where I rented her a car so she could go car shopping. When she found one she wanted, she needed to borrow $1500.00 for a down payment. I met her at CarMax and wrote a check. No questions asked.

We were a great team!

This was the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

Then about two years ago, tragically, things started to change.

Next: Chapter 2 - The Diagnosis

Park Name FAIL

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, R.I.P.

Nothing was ever expected of Ted Kennedy. He grew up knowing that. He was WAY down on the food chain.

Joesph P. Kennedy, Jr. was the son that his father, Joe Kennedy, Sr. had groomed to be president.



Unfortunately, after surviving his required 25 combat missions, he was killed on August 12, 1944 while serving as a test pilot for an experimental and cutting edge bombing technique.

With Joe Jr. dead, the family burden fell on JFK's shoulders. He was able to fulfill his father's ambition and become the first Irish Catholic president of the United States.


Unfortunately, JFK was assassinated before he could complete his first term of office.


The weight of the family legacy then fell on the shoulders of Bobby Kennedy.


I still think he would have been the best of the bunch.

But unfortunately, he was also gunned down in 1968, just 2 months after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.



In a tragic and tumultuous 5 years, arguably the most important 5 years of the 20th century, the Kennedy mantle had been unexpectedly passed from the 2nd string quarter back to the 4th string quarter back.

He was completely traumatized and unprepared.

Joe, Jr. would be the one in the spotlight.

Jack would be the one in the spotlight.

Bobby would be the one in the spotlight.

Ted never, ever, expected to be in the spotlight.

Which explains why his behaviour in those days was so...unheroic.

He had all of the benefits of being a Kennedy but none of of the expectations of ever amounting to anything. Yet history kept brutally slicing it's way towards him.

History met a critical mass on July 18th, 1969. He was 35 years old. He attended a party on Chappaquiddick Island for "the boiler room girls" who had served in his brother Bobby's campaign the previous year. He offered to give Mary Jo Kopechne a ride home. On the way, he lost control of his car (probably because he was drunk) on Dike Bridge and the car went into Poucha Pond.

Although Ted Kennedy managed to swim his way free, Mary Jo Kopechne drowned in the car and the incident went unreported until fishermen discovered the car the following morning and reported it to officials who discovered the body of Mary Jo Kopechne inside.

Ironically, the fulfillment of his brother JFK's greatest legacy, landing a man on the moon, was in full swing. Apollo 11 lifted off on July 16th, 1969. Neal Armrsrong set foot on the moon on July 20th. What with the news lag 40 years ago, I have a copy (somewhere) of the Kansas City Star from July 20, 1969 that has "MAN LANDS ON THE MOON" in HUGE type above the fold and a much smaller reference to Ted Kennedy and Chappaquiddick below the fold.

There is no doubt whatsoever that his family's legacy and position spared him what would have been severe DUI and manslaughter charges for you and me.

I won't even try to justify it because I can't. He should have done time. But he didn't.

From 1969 until 1979 he was mainly an ineffectual politician maintaining a legacy Senate seat with the American public wondering when he would finally make a presidential run and, most likely, meet the same fate as his brothers.

That moment came when he decided to challenge Jimmy Carter in the 1980 Primary election. He decided to challenge a sitting president over the issue of health care. This was, and remained his passion. Nothing was more important to Ted Kennedy than bringing the United States up to the level of the rest of the industrialized nations that provided health care to everyone.

He barely finished announcing his candidacy before people started talking about Chappaquiddick. Fair enough.

He also ran a crappy and inarticulate campaign framed by the Iranian revolution and American Embassy hostages resulting in a deeply divided Democratic party and a Reagan win.

But I would argue that 1980 was the best thing to ever happen to Ted Kennedy.
He finally realized that he would never be president.

The burden of his father's expectations was finally lifted from his shoulders and he could focus on being the best Senator he could be.

And he was a GREAT Senator. He knew how to reach across party lines, compromise, and get things done.

If you look at the long list of legislative bills over 40 years that carry Ted Kennedy's name, the great majority of them will carry the name of a co-sponsor from the Republican party.

This is how government is supposed to work.



Ted Kennedy, despite insurrmountable burdens, inauspicious expectations and ineffectual initial efforts became one of the longest serving and most influential Senators in the history of the United States.

We will never see his like again.

Go in peace.

How Does US Health Care Rank Compared To Other Industrialized Countries?

We suck ass. That's how we compare. We are the only industrialized nation on the planet that doesn't have the means to provide health care for everyone. The only one. Everyone else can do it. Just not us.

According to the World Health Organization, we rank 37th among the 50 industrialzed countries.

That's 37th from the top, only 13th from the bottom.

From Yahoo Answers

WHO rankings:

Rank Country

1 France
2 Italy
3 San Marino
4 Andorra
5 Malta
6 Singapore
7 Spain
8 Oman
9 Austria
10 Japan
11 Norway
12 Portugal
13 Monaco
14 Greece
15 Iceland
16 Luxembourg
17 Netherlands
18 United Kingdom
19 Ireland
20 Switzerland
21 Belgium
22 Colombia
23 Sweden
24 Cyprus
25 Germany
26 Saudi Arabia
27 United Arab Emirates
28 Israel
29 Morocco
30 Canada
31 Finland
32 Australia
33 Chile
34 Denmark
35 Dominica
36 Costa Rica
37 United States of America
38 Slovenia
39 Cuba
40 Brunei
41 New Zealand
42 Bahrain
43 Croatia
44 Qatar
45 Kuwait
46 Barbados
47 Thailand
48 Czech Republic
49 Malaysia
50 Poland

===

1.The US has the most expensive healthcare system in the world. It is almost twice as expensive as every other developed nation. This is largely due to administrative costs which account for 19-25% of healthcare costs, and up to 34% at for-profit hospitals.

2.Other than South Africa, America is the only developed country in the world that does not provide healthcare for all of its citizens.

3.Yet, the US ranks 26th in infant mortality and 24th in the number of healthy years a person can expect to live - putting America’s healthcare system in the company of Cuba and Slovenia rather than Canada and Western European nations.

4.And, despite ludicrous right-wing anecdotal claims of high dissatisfaction among those who live in countries with universal healthcare, the reality is that, with the exception of Italy, Americans are more dissatisfied with their healthcare than are the citizens of every other developed nation, including England, France, Germany, and Canada. Moreover, US doctors spend less time with patients that do doctors in other nations.

http://dll.umaine.edu/ble/U.S.%20HCweb.pdf

http://news.ucsf.edu/releases/comparison-study-shows-us-low-in-primary-care-physician-visits/