Mid Week Mishegas


 

On Michael Sam: He has 100X the courage of the ‘unnamed NFL executives’ who hide behind anonymity when they say things like “a gay player can cause some chemistry disruptions in the locker room.” 

On Olympics: I love how purists pretend that the Olympics are about the competition and politics have no place in the conversation, when in reality the Olympics are nothing but politics starting with the host city selection, including the governing bodies for the individual sports, and ending with the judging.

On Canadian Breast Cancer Study: This study over 25 years concluded that mammograms do not help detect cancer any better than an exam.  Of course the study was based on old technology and lacked proper randomization and to make matters worse the old white guys who analyzed data now recommend women shouldn’t bother with mammograms. 

On Health Care Plans: One may argue whether it is a war, but the bias against women’s health as exemplified by the defunding of Planned Parenthood, the restrictions on contraception, and the limited coverage in many insurance plans regarding cancer screening.

On Immigration Reform: Any system that creates two classes: citizens and guest worker residents is immoral and illegal.  Create a pathway to citizenship for all and figure out to increase H1B visas and eliminate quotas. 

On True Detective: The best show on television and maybe the best show to debut on TV since Breaking Bad.

On Dirty Wars: For every terrorist we kill, two more take his place.  Our over reliance on this method of prosecuting the war on terror is ineffective and arguably illegal and immoral.  Without proper safeguards and oversight, we become indiscriminate killers.

On The New Economy: New businesses driven by emerging technology will not be the job creators of the previous millennium.  Case in point as noted in the Economist: “When Instagram, a popular photo-sharing site, was sold to Facebook for about $1 billion in 2012, it had 30m customers and employed 13 people. Kodak, which filed for bankruptcy a few months earlier, employed 145,000 people in its heyday.”

On Politics: It shouldn’t be a zero sum game.  Compromise is necessary and all sides need to walk away from a negotiation feeling they got something.

On Executive Power: The same people who demand President Obama take unilateral action when it suits them are the same people who will criticize when a president of the other party deploys similar power.

 

 

 

Comments

  1. MarieMargaretFebruary 17, 2014 at 2:13 PM

    I enjoy your musings! I wish the Olympics were pure. I enjoy watching the skiing and snowboarding events, but I know the Olympics are fraught with politics and no doubt corruption.
    You are spot on about politics not being a zero sum game. If more people understood this then the country would be a better place and not so divided.
    You should run for President :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. DiggaduhFebruary 18, 2014 at 6:32 AM

    Thanks for the comment M. President? Ha, though the debates would be lively.

    ReplyDelete

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