The State of Medicine Before "ObamaCare" Takes Effect in 2014

The above was posted on Facebook, tonight, by a friend of a member of The Blog's family. The friend that he is talking about is the daughter of The Blog's cousin.

(Second cousin? First cousin once removed? Shit, I don't know. She is family. That's all I really care about!)

Here are the basics...

Kris has been diagnosed with a rare disease called Takayasu Arteritis.

Here is a link to the facts of this disease...

It took 2 years to diagnose and 4 months for the specialist to call her back... only to tell her they don't take her insurance (Ohio's CareSource). Based on her quickly progressing symptoms, she figures she's now well into stage 2. Point blank, this is going to kill her if she doesn't get treatment, which involves heart surgery.

The Blog is sickened by the fact that she is being denied treatment because of her sub-par health insurance.

The Blog has some pretty high level medical people in his circle of friends, more doctors than any normal person should ever have to know. I have reached out to them.  If all goes well, Kris will get the help that she needs.

The Blog asks that you pray for her, if you are so inclined. Or, put out good thoughts, good vibes or whatever.

Prescription Pot

The question of whether pot should be legal is a debate for another time.

The Blog has no skin in that game. He hasn't smoked pot in over three decades. (Except for that one time in Jamaica a decade ago, which only served to remind him why he doesn't smoke pot, anymore.) But, The Blog believes that pot should be legal, controlled and taxed.

The Blog's preferred, mind numbing drug is scotch whiskey.

If you know your American history, then you know how well the prohibition of liquor worked out.

                                                                                        Ask this guy.

But, the subject of medical marijuana is a different issue.

If you have ever known, loved, cared about or cared for a cancer patient, then you have a pretty good idea about how important the medical marijuana issue is. Medical marijuana is legal in 17 states, including The Blog's state of California.

Last week, the Los Angeles city council voted to shut down all of L.A.'s medical pot dispensaries.

The Blog believes that this happened, mostly, because the majority of L.A.'s city council is of "that certain age" that sustained permanent psychological scarring from their 5th grade, health class screenings of "Reefer Madness."

The city council called the ruling a "gentle ban" (a phrase that must have been coined by a pothead) that still allows those who need the plant, for medical reasons, to grow their own. Because, there is nothing more that a chemo patient likes to do than to toil in a garden.

*Brief Digression*

Let's be honest... How many of you quit growing tomatoes in your backyard when grocery stores started carrying organic, heirlooms at reasonable prices?

*End Digression*

But, the L.A. city council has a valid point. The system, as it currently stands, is rife with abuse.

Even though a recent L.A. Times story shows that Southern California (rather surprisingly) is near the bottom of the list of legal medical pot states who are subject to abuse (Denver, Colorado is number one) the fact of the matter is, for good and valid reasons, the whole medical marijuana concept has become a punch line for TV sitcoms and cop shows.

All because the qualification for, and distribution of, medical marijuana is completely disconnected from all other prescription, pharmaceutical practices.

Let's say that I go to my doctor with high blood pressure.

He writes a prescription for Lisinopril and sends it to my pharmacist at CVS.

He fills it. I pay my $5.00 co-pay, and I am on my way.

But, let's say that I am a cancer patient, or I have glaucoma. or, there is nothing wrong with me, but I just want to get high.

I have to visit a doctor who specializes in handing out Medical Marijuana cards. His billboard advertisements are, virtually, indistinguishable from the billboards advertising local strip clubs.

                                                                                              This....

                                                                                                 Or, this.

So you see?

The whole problem here is that medical marijuana is not taken seriously.

A California college that trains medical pot "pharmacists" boasts this "coat of arms."

                                                                                                Really?

It's no wonder that the very serious issue of medical marijuana is taken as a joke,

The answer is to start taking the issue seriously and stop taking it all as a Cheech and Chong sketch!

Instead of pot dispensaries run by Jerry Garcia look-a-likes in tie-died shirts, playing the Grateful Dead on the PA system and sporting Bob Marly posters on their walls, medical pot should be dispensed as all other medications, through legitimate pharmacies.

Problem solved!

 
 

Memory Loss...

Funny thing about having posted 132 posts to the blog in six months....

Your old uncle PC is starting to forget what he has and hasn't written about.

The Blog has spent much of today composing a rant, in his head, about the problems facing medical marijuana and it's distribution.

Now, The Blog has some very specific opinions on this subject. He has pontificated about it to his friends (the ones who encouraged him to start this blog, to begin with) for years.

But, when I sat down tonight to write about the subject, the little voice in The Blog's head asked, "Have you already done this post?"

And The Blog answered the voice, "Shit! I don't know!"

So, instead of composing a new and amusing rant, The Blog has spent the last half hour or so reviewing everything that he has posted here.

Damn! There is some good stuff here! If you are new to this blog, spend this evening catching up with all of the brilliance you have missed!

Sure, there is some crap here. Some, just lazy and some, just really lazy. But, like an episode of SNL or Monty Python, for every "Killer Bee" sketch or "Crunchy Frog" bit that went nowhere and had no ending, there are, in The Blog's not so humble opinion, a few gems.

As it turns out, The Blog has not shared his view of the problems plaguing "prescription pot." So, tomorrow night, you will be treated to one of The Blog's better bloviations.

Tune in tomorrow!

What's Next For Batman?

The Blog Jr. posted the following question on Facebook...

Anyone else who's seen Dark Knight Rises, anyone got any speculations on what the future may hold/what they would like to see happen?

Here is The Blog's response...

No speculation here. But, here is what I know for sure.

Christopher Nolan has stated that his story had a beginning, middle and end. And Christian Bale has said that he has played Batman for the last time.

This version is over. The next will be a full reboot. And there will be a reboot. Warner Brothers has confirmed that. But, it will be the vision of a different director and team. It will be a hard act to follow, the bar has been set high.

*SPOILER ALERT!!!!*

(I wouldn't mind seeing Joseph Gordon-Levitt's "Robin" follow the path to Nightwing. But, Nolan would have to be on board and it doesn't look like that is going to happen. )



*END SPOILER*

When "Batman: Year One" which evolved into "Batman Begins"  was in development, WB was also considering a "Batman Beyond" movie.

I have heard it suggested that they should look to the "Arkham City" video game for inspiration for the next one. Not a bad idea.

This is speculation... but based on what I know, it is a pretty safe bet...

The next time Batman is on a movie screen, it will be in the long planned, but never quite gotten off the ground "Justice League" movie. With the success of "The Avengers" Warner is finally poised to press on with a JL movie.



A friend commented that he thought that "Rises" Selina Kyle was "too nice."

The Blog responded...

Since the late 1980's (in the comic books) Catwoman is more of an anti-hero than a villain. Batman doesn't approve of her methods or flexible ethics, but they are working on the same side. In fact, in a couple of incarnations, The Huntress is the daughter of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle.

(I don't know if it is available on YouTube, Hulu or Netflix, but there was a short lived series on The WB network called "Birds of Prey." It took place in the not too distant future of Gotham City. It starred The Huntress, Black Canary and Oracle as the next generation of Gotham defenders. The main villain was Dr. Harleen Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn. Batman and The Joker made a few appearances. The Joker was played by the animated series voice of The Joker, Mark "Luke Skywalker" Hamill.) It seemed like a good idea at the time. I even tried to get hired to work on it! But, it only lasted one season.

The same friend expressed an interest in seeing Jim Carey reprise his role as "The Riddler."

The Blog answered...

As for Jim Carey returning as The Riddler... Wash your keyboard out with soap! The Joel Schumacher movies were... uhm... interesting. And his cast members worked in that context. But, now that Nolan has done the series justice, I would rather not see a return to the campiness of those films.

Whatever happens, we can be sure of one thing... Wherever there is The Batman, there will be The Joker. I don't envy the actor who will have to follow in Ledger's shadow. But someone will.

 And more, to The Blog Jr....

*ANOTHER SPOILER ALTERT!*

You are right, The Joker did not die in "The Dark Knight." Technically or otherwise. This posed a problem for Nolan. Did you notice that all of the villains from the trilogy made appearances in "Rises" but The Joker was not even mentioned? Nolan decided that that was the only way to handle it.

The one thing that I know for sure...

One of the great things about the Batman world is that it is a subject that lends itself well to reinvention. Whatever comes next, it will be worth seeing! 

Guns Don't Kill People?

Let me be clear about one thing, right up front.

The Blog has a number of friends who are evangelical about the right of gun ownership. Hell! The Blog has at least two friends who own gun shops!

The 2nd Amendment of the of the Constitution of The United States of America guarantees the right to bear arms.

We can quibble over the whole "well regulated militia" thing, but the Supreme Court has made that a moot point. So parsing words and splitting hairs about it is a waste of time and energy.

The 2nd Amendment = Settled Law = Done Deal.

Obama is not coming for your guns and ammo. Neither is the United Nations, Hillary Clinton, James Baker (although, if anyone has good reason to hate guns, it's James Baker) the Democrats, the liberals, Michael Moore, or me.

Even if we wanted to (and some of us do) it just ain't gonna happen. No matter what the daily email blasts from the NRA tell you.

But, while my gun loving friends exercise their 2nd Amendment rights, allow me to exercise my 1st Amendment right to say that I find the whole gun fetish thing unnerving and creepy.

How many more Auroras, Columbines, Virginia Techs and Fort Hoods? How many more Gabby Giffords, or (dare I say it?) Ronald Reagans, before we can have a calm, paranoia free, common sense discussion about making it just a little bit more difficult for goddamned lunatics to arm themselves?

The Blog is an outspoken advocate for the 1st Amendment. The Blog also knows that you do not have the right to yell "FIRE!" in a crowded theater, incite riots or paint swastikas on your jewish neighbor's garage.

In The Blogs not so humble opinion, emptying an AR-15 into a crowded theater is actually worse than yelling "FIRE!" No?

Predictably, the bodies in Aurora weren't yet cold when several far right, NRA funded politicians and even more right-wing pundits wasted no time suggesting that, "if only some of the movie goers had been packing, the shooter might have been stopped."

It's the same tired argument that we hear whenever there is a shooting.

"What we needed in this situation is more guns."

Okay, So here is what I want to know about Friday morning's Colorado movie theater massacre.

Colorado is a "concealed carry" state.

So where were those 2nd Amendment cowboys who should have taken out the psycho shooter before he killed 12 innocent people and wounded something in the neighborhood of 70 others?

Where were the John Waynes and Harry Callahans of the state of Colorado who fantasize taking down The Jokers of the world with their mad gun skillz?

Were they hiding under theater seats? Or were they running like the devil out of the theater?

Or, were they maybe... just maybe... hip to the reality that you can't just start firing a gun willy-nilly into a dark, smoke filled, crowded theater?

Today, The Blog heard a post from someone commenting on the "Armchair Vigilante." The Blog has not been able to find the actual post, so he is paraphrasing here...

"He had a semi-automatic AR-15 and full body armor. You have a pistol and a t-shirt from Walmart. He is focused and practiced. You are caught by surprise, in the dark, disoriented by smoke bombs. So, what good are you in this situation?"

Anyone who knows about our fairly recent history remembers the North Hollywood Bank of America robbery that took place on February 28th, 1997. Two bank robbers, armed with semi-automatic weapons and full body armor, held off Los Angeles police first responders for hours. It took the SWAT team and armor piercing ammo supplied by a local gun shop (and one self-inflicted gunshot) to stop these assholes.

Here is the thing...

The 24 year old shooter who legally purchased a semi-automatic weapon and three other guns and 6000 rounds of ammo, (and, on all accounts, bought 15 thousand dollars worth of body armor) and who knows how much bomb making materials,  could not, legally, rent a car.

Speaking of cars...

Automobiles on our freeways are all potential deadly weapons. Half ton, 65 miles per hour killing machines. All "open carry." But, license and insurance is required.

Should we really be okay with concealed carry, like this shit?

"Guns don't kill people?"

No.

Psychos with access to guns and 6000 rounds of ammo kill people.

Some Random Stuff and a Very Short Movie Review

Chick-fil-A v. The Muppets

In the past year or so, I have been pretty vocal, here and on Facebook, about Chick-fil-A's sanctimonious stance on their Biblical positions and, in particular, their support for anti-gay marriage politicians and organizations.

Last week, after Chick-fil-A's CEO, Dan Cathy, publicly doubled down on the company's position on same sex marriage and a general condemnation of what they perceive as the rampant immorality of the American people who flock to their stores to fill their coffers, the Jim Henson Company publicly severed their promotional ties with the chicken sandwich chain, canceling a toy give-away.

                                                  Proving that hand puppets are more evolved than some humans.

Regardless of The Blog's opinion of the junk food chain's religious, political and social positions, The Blog has always given them credit for staying true to their convictions.

It would seem that The Blog has given them too much credit.

Within 24 hours of the Henson announcement, the sign below began showing up at Chic-fil-A counters around the country.

I guess that Chic-fil-A's new corporate policy is to lie to their customers.

Is lying a new "Christian value?"

Speaking of Christian...

Kudos to The Dark Knight, himself, Christian Bale for jumping on a plane from Paris and getting his bat-self to Aurora, Colorado to visit the victims and survivors of the movie theater massacre. Based on the numerous cell phone pics that have surfaced on the internets, Bale brought a lot of smiles to a place that is in desperate need of smiles!

                                                                                          Like this one.

There has been a push on Facebook to get Bale to appear in full Batman costume at the hospitals. A cool idea, but The Blog understands the logistical difficulties that would have been involved.

A tip of the hat to Warner Brother's, as well. The studio has donated a reported $2 million to the survivors and families of those who were murdered. If The Blog knows his Hollywood people as well as he thinks he does, the outreach has only just begun.

The Shortest Movie Review Ever...

The Blog and Mrs. Blog saw "The Dark Knight Rises" today.

A full and proper review would reveal far too many spoilers.

Maybe in a few weeks, when everyone has seen it, your Uncle PC will post a detailed review.

Until then....

Here is The Blog's bottom line review of "The Dark Knight Rises..."

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!!!!!!

That is all for now.

A Follow up to Last Night's Post

I had not thought of the "color blind" possibility. Very feasible.

Reports today tell us that the shooter is refusing to cooperate with the police. Considering the unusual level of cooperation when he allowed the police to take him into custody without a fight, his refusal to talk now does parallel the behavior of Heath Ledger's Joker. So a Joker fantasy seems to be becoming more plausible.

But, let's not rush to blame the movies.

To quote the classic line from "Scream..."

"Movies don't create psychos. Movies make psychos more creative."

And, speaking of movie quotes...

I had intended to begin last night's post with a quotation from "The Dark Knight," then forgot to use it. It has rung in my ears since the story first broke. After today's revelations, it seems more appropriate tonight than it would have been last night.

It is from "The Dark Knight."

Bruce Wayne wonders about what motivates The Joker. Alfred tells "Master Bruce" a story and concludes with the following words...

"Some men just want to watch the world burn."

Barring some earth shattering new piece of information that bears discussion, this is the last that I plan to post on the subject.

The only related topic that remains to be discussed is the subject of America's post 9/11 culture of fear and how it connects to our fetishizing of guns, and how our media and politicians exploit that.

Heavy stuff for a blog that considers itself to be, primarily a humor blog.

But, it's stuff that is worth discussing.

Just not tonight. Probably tomorrow or the next night.

That's a promise!