Am I claustrophobic?
I found out the answer to the question yesterday as I was loaded into a MRI machine. A brief moment of panic as I went into the tube! Then I was able to calm my mind and finish the test.
A pro tip for you if you have to have a MRI: bring something to think about. You have only your mind to calm your fears. Keep it occupied. For me, that meant composing a blog post in my head about current events. Such as:
1. Is Sarah Palin running for President?
I think she is. In that I stand against all current conventional media wisdom, given that they have all written her off even as they obsess about her because she is ratings gold. Here's why I think so:
- She said earlier that she will run if a solid commonsense conservative doesn't step forward. Given that all of the media constantly parrots that the GOP field is a bunch of lightweights, that condition is fulfilled.
- She loves campaigning. She loves touring, and she loves meeting regular folks.
- She has some chits to cash in from all of the GOP candidates that she helped in the 2010 cycle.
One twist: I'm getting 3rd party vibes from her this time around. I think that she has no love lost for the GOP establishment, given their pitiful treatment of her in 2008 and since. She is a Tea Party favorite, and I think that the Tea Party is getting tired of the GOP establishment too. Although the Tea Party worked within the GOP in 2010, that could change. Plus, it would avoid the Palin / Bachmann throwdown that the media is salivating for. It's just a hunch at this point. But, you should pay attention to my hunches with Palin given that I called her as a McCain Vice Presidential candidate way back in July of 2008 - before most of you even heard of her. I get her better than you do.
2. King Obama and the Libyan not-a-war war.
My Democrat friends: were you really taken in by King Obama's lame defense of his illegal folly in Libya in his relection campaign speech called a press conference? Really?
Straight talk time: Team Obama is lying about Libya.
- It's not "days, not weeks". It's been months now.
- We're not uninvolved, leaving the fighting to our NATO allies - who are acting outside of the NATO charter. Drudge has it up this week that US bombers are still flying hundreds of sorties, including a hundred that involved dropping bombs on targets. Add that together with the fact that our troops in the theater are getting "imminent danger" pay, and it adds up to WE ARE IN A WAR IN LIBYA. Team Obama's demurring notwithstanding.
- King Obama went on during his ridiculous press conference on how extensively Team Obama is "consulting" with Congress.
Urgent to King Obama: it's not consultation that is required. It's approval. That means a vote. The only vote that has been held in the House specifically repudiated your actions in Libya. You are engaged in an illegal action with our military. Stop it, or resign. Articles of Impeachment are now in order if the House has any spine.
3. The DSK bombshell
The NYT dropped the story this week that the rape case against former IMF head DSK is unraveling due to suspect testimony from the alleged victim.
She may be an actual victim. He may be guilty. I don't know. We just need to let the case unfold in the courts. If he proves to be guilty, hammer him.
My only interest in the story involved left media bias. Specifically the rush-to-judgement that the media conducted in trashing DSK to a level deserving of a war criminal. Wow. Followed closely by a "media whipping" of Ben Stein for writing a piece in the "American Spectator urging caution and due process. The left media elites despise Stein for earlier defending Intelligent Design and they subjected him to a public savaging - even though his article clearly qualifies that "it's possible indeed, maybe even likely, that he is guilty as the prosecutors charge".
I experienced some of that myself online. I defended Stein on the presumed-innocent argument and got accused of "defending a socialist (DSK)". It got savage there for a while, just like the media savaged Sarah Palin over the Tuscon shooting. It's what they do to conservatives, and it's getting worse.
Bottom line: Ben Stein looks to be right, and the left media that savaged him will never admit that or apologize. (Just like they still haven't apologized for falsely accusing Palin of culpability in a heinous mass-murder).
4. Fukushima unfolding
The reactors are melting down. The American media is not covering it. Nor are they covering the flood threat to the nuclear reactor in Nebraska. It's okay - go back to sleep.
5. Candidate Obama - the unserious President
The President scolded the Congress for not yet resolving the pending debt default crisis. Never mind that we're past the legal "debt ceiling" and will officially default on our debt Aug 2. Never mind that the President has personally been absent from all of the WH negotiations with Congress. Never mind that he completely failing with leadership, preferring instead golf every weekend. Candidate Obama got to scold Congress in his campaign speech dubbed press conference for not working hard enough. Right before he got on a plane and went to Philadelphia for campaign fundraisers. Hypocrite-in-Chief.
Bottom Line: the President has checked out from governing and is a non-serious scold. The debt crisis continues...
6. the SoCal seccession
Drudge story this week that the conservative counties South of Los Angeles have proposed seceeding from California and forming a new state called Southern California. No, seriously.
It is not an unrelated story that the U.S. National Soccer team got boo'd in LOS ANGELES during it's game with Mexico. Not to mention that the awards ceremony was conducted entirely in Spanish. Drudge story: "Mexico was the home team". IN LOS ANGELES.
7. Fabulous weddings in New York
Gay is not my issue one way or another. While I generally think that the definition of marriage as one man/one woman has been the basis for every society in earth's recorded history, I'm all for civil unions like the Illinois Governor just signed that provide the same rights.
I only have two issues on the gay question:
a. I can see this getting to the point where churches will be charged with hate crimes if they refuse to perform same-sex marriages. If it gets to that point, it's on. Do what you will at the courthouse. You can't force a church with a religious objection to perform a wedding. Some of you will unwisely try.
b. Gays in the military is a more complicated issue than many of you think it is.
Have you served in the military? Lived under the separate judicial system known as the Uniformed Code of Military Justice (UCMJ)? Lived under the forced housing situations that are sometimes unique to the military and it's unique and hazardous mission?
If so, we can disagree on the issue and I respect our disagreement.
If not, you do not have enough experiential information to have an informed opinion on the subject. Period.
8. Uncivil Society
We are, I fear, so deeply polarized in this country over such serious issues that we are headed for an unraveling of civil society.
You see it on TV in other countries. The revolutions of the "Arab Spring". The austerity riots in Europe.
Why do you think it can't come here?
What pressures would it take for a breakdown of civil society? Are you not paying attention? They're coming...
Stop pushing so hard to "fundamentally transform America".
Back to the MRI:
So, those are the things that I was thinking about that got me through the intense claustrophobic experience of laying in that loud and confining MRI tube. That, and the gastric distress of having eaten at Taco Bell before my appointment. "Don't fart in the tube! Others have to get in here..."
My guesses:
ReplyDelete1. Sarah Palin means to throw what popularity she's gained in somebody's favor, or to draw people away from somebody else.
2. I just read that Ghaddafi had been slated for a meeting about supporting a non-dollar money system. Whatever else -- and unlike Mubarak, he DID spread the wealth around in a way that helped his people -- he's got enough money to play in the int'l casino we call "economy." Thus Obama was ordered to lie, cheat, steal, whatever, sink Obama. I'd read Sadam was sunk for rumoring to go to the Euro.
4. Don't forget, Obama's on the Exelor payroll, so he's a monkey for selling nuke power, one of the reasons he was installed in the presidency, for which, it's about time people took off their magic 3D glasses and saw, he was never remotely competent. The opinions that say Fukushima (and that's 5 reactors in meltdown) many millions will die aren't "emotional."
6. The idea of SoCal splitting into two has been around for decades. It's not an impractical idea at all. Both sides have justifiable resentments to deal with, especially the water problem. I wish people would stop reporting old news as though it were some big surprise. That's exceedingly dishonest.
6a Such as, how about a little news on the Gannon Committee, the movement to make taxpaying a specified-pay affair?
7. Justin Raimondo, a brilliant gay writer, is correct, this is an eventual non-issue. Except maybe for divorce shysters.
8. "Stupid is as stupid does." The MSM is pitting nitwits against each other. They need to quit. People need to smarten up and quit this. There's prob'ly an agenda to keep the stupid at each other.
Oops I meant "sink Ghaddafi."
ReplyDeleteHi Tom,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. Good ones.
Although, be exceedingly careful using the word "monkey" in a sentence with Obama. You'll get accused of being a racist, which I don't believe you are. I get the context in which you used it.
The SoCal is news because of a specific proposal just submitted to make it happen.