Go Health Care Reform!

“The country suffers when there is a failure to act on serious challenges that millions of ordinary Americans face in their daily lives,”  Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont.

Denying coverage is crap and it needs to end.  It needs to change and since the GOP’s only wish is for everything in the world to never ever change – the Democrat plan is what needs to get passed. 

We need reform. 

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time”
      — Obama

Does Republican Health Care include Death Panels and Abortion?

“Reckless Rhetoric”: Major hypocrisy on health care reform. 

The proposal to reimburse doctors that was so offensive was the end-of-life counseling (newsflash, we’re mortal) – the “death panels” as they were called were a plot to “kill grandma”.

Imagine the awkwardness now that the Republican party’s own health care provider (Cigna) already has in place and is currently promoting end-of-life counseling / death panels.

But that’s just the icing on the cake. The RNC health plan from Cigna that they’ve been using for 18 years, also covers elective abortion services.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/34005238#33981053

We can assume that their health care proposal (if they actually had a proposal) would look like the plan they designed for themselves.

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/14/rnc-health-grandma/
http://www.sodahead.com/other/the-rnc-health-provider-offers-end-of-life-counseling-death-panels/blog-190977/
http://www.cigna.com/healthinfo/aa129753.html

Bit by your own dog?

Good stuff – it takes a couple of minutes to pick up, though.  It’s about the Republicans who are saying “Hey – Palin doesn’t tell the truth!”  It’s like the people who get bit by their own pit-bull, you just gotta love it.   

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/vp/34005238#34005238

 

 

NoMoreFunn – NoMoreEffective

In general, using Blacklists to control spam is a highly ineffective and innaccurate choice.  And that’s mainly because of the sites like the NoMoreFunn or No-More-Funn list. 

If you want to incorporate Blacklists, the best way is to use that information very minimally, as 1 method of detecting spam.  For instance, if there are multiple characertistics of spam then adding the use of a Blacklist can help.  Or if a domain is on multiple Blacklists, that can be an issue. 

But when you are checked against 99 Blacklists, and your domain is only listed (erroneously) on ONE blacklist, then the odds are that you are on the error-prone NoMoreFunn list who adds entire blocks of addresses to his list.  At my office, this is what we generically refer to as “a guy in his garage”.  It’s the guy who can fix some cars…in his garage.  He can play some music…in his garage.  A lot of people are frikkin’ geniuses, in their garage.  

When I examined the listing, he said he’s blacklisting an entire block of IP Addresses from my ISP – not my mail server, not my IP address – an entire block.  An ISP has thousands and thousands of addresses with thousands of customers.  To arbitrarily make these false accusations against companies is not just ineffective but it’s irresponsible (it’s interfering with work).  It’s like saying you got of piece of junk mail from company “x” in New Orleans, so the most effective way to eliminate junk mail will be to block all the mail from New Orleans.   The NoMoreFunn lists weakens the entire world of Blacklisting.  Because he lists entire blocks, a mail server can never send a single piece of spam, yet still be listed on Dr. Mash’s NoMoreFunn list (a Blacklist that contains non-spamming mail servers is a completely useless list).  Like it says when you attempt to remove yourself from his list: If you don’t want to get listed again, don’t send spam.  As though that’s the only way anyone gets on that list. 

NoMoreFunn is NoMoreGood

So that is why Blacklists are ineffective and that is why Dr. Mash’s NoMoreFunn Blacklist is the most ineffective list of the 100 lists it was compared with by MXToolbox. 

One of  the best ways to identify and authenticate your mail server is to use Sender Policy Framework (SPF).  It uses existing infrastructure (DNS) and it’s FREE.   When shopping for SMTP Security / Anti-spam services, be sure to look for systems that can take multiple actions based on SPF validation.   The use of DNSBL or RTBL should not be relied on. 

If you’re using Blacklists, I’d recommend that you (A) Don’t reject messages solely based on these lists and (B) Don’t rely at all on the NoMoreFunn list. 

The guy running the blacklist provides some information about himself – if your System Administrator is letting your business’s communications rely on this guy’s blacklist, then your System Administrator might be an idiot.  

I’m living with my wife, Berit, and our cats Louis, Lauritz and Agnes at Nøddeboparken in Vallensbæk, south of Copenhagen, Denmark.
 
When I’m not working or trying to sell my house, i’m probaly e-mailing, drinking beer, drinking more beer, bowling, playing backgammon.

Generally, we’ve had trouble with RoadRunner account – looks like those idiots aren’t sure how to effectively fight spam.  We’ve encouraged our business customers to get a host who is more effective than RoadRunner.  We’ve also had trouble with one or two small companies (under 5 people).  All of the mid-size and up companies have IT personnel on staff who can weed out useless blaklists like No-More-Funn.

If you want to check up to 147 Blacklists, go to http://www.mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx

Pro-Life FOR Health Care Reform

The pro-life movement should be supporting Obama and the Democrats in the Health Care Reform movement.  After all, this plan removes one major obstacle for the Pro-Life movement.  If the federal government takes away a women’s right to choose, then the high cost of medical and pharmaceutical services for the mother and baby must be considered.  Unless, it’s already covered by Obama’s health care reform. 

Conservatives (specifically the anti-abortionists) should stop to consider their goals and then embrace health care reform. 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/

The anti-abortion platform would still have to account for other massive increases in government social spending that goes along with protecting and monitoring the unborn life as well as the newborn.  If the mother is going to drink and smoke and eat nothing but McD’s because she doesn’t want the baby…then really, you have to ask if its worth the high financial cost and tax burden.   Conclusive research shows that leads to medical problems and behavioral problems.  Caring for the unwanted is admirable, but it results in much higher taxes.  I don’t see a lot of people lining up to adopt babies from inner-city women who smoke and do drugs (I certainly haven’t seen many white conservatives in this line).  But – the anti-abortionists will have to have a plan to do something with the kids once they’re here.  And if all the Bristol’s and Levi’s in suburbia drop out of high school and forego college and start raising kids at 16, that has a financial cost to society. 

That anti-abortion platform uses a lot of tax dollars.

Tip of the Hat to Rush

Colbert gives a Tip of the Hat to Rush Limbaugh:

http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/255172/november-04-2009/tip-wag—rush-limbaugh—us-weekly

 

Stop LJ Petition

It’s not often that the fans really get to hammer one of these overpaid, overpampered, loud-mouth, rude, socially-inept, spoiled little bitches in professional sports. 

Larry’s long term future with the Chiefs? The writing is on the wall:

During his suspension, the Chiefs unveiled a new sign at Arrowhead Stadium that appears to be directed at Johnson. The sign admonishes:
“Losers assemble in small groups and complain about the coaches and other players.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/04/larry-johnson-petition-fa_n_346213.html&cp

Embattled Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson is 75 yards from becoming the team’s all-time leading rusher. And some Chiefs fans have a problem with that.

An online petition started by Chiefs fans asks general manager Scott Pioli to deactivate Johnson and keep him on the sideline so he cannot pass Priest Holmes for the team rushing record, or join the team’s Ring of Honor at Arrowhead Stadium.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4622503&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines

We are asking you, as fans of this team, this organization, and of the pride that this city has in the Chiefs, please deactivate Larry Johnson. Please do not let his name sit atop the all-time rushing leaders in Kansas City Chiefs history. He has never represented anything close to the values that we have for our Chiefs and it would be another dagger to the fans that continue to support this proud franchise.

We are asking this as a favor to those of us who have supported this team long, long, long before you were brought in. We will support you through thick and thin — you will find out that we are a loyal, loyal bunch. … However, allowing Larry Johnson to attain a record is something that can never be erased.”

The “Stop LJ” Online Petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/StopLJ/

Pat Robertson and Demonic Candy

Put aside your fears of swine flu. TV preacher Pat Robertson’s Web site has just issued a bulletin warning Americans of the real threat we face this season: Demons may be lurking in our Halloween candy.

In a column on the Christian Broadcasting Network’s Web site, writer Kimberly Daniels asserts that “demons” sneak into bags of Halloween candy at grocery stores.

“Curses are sent through the tricks and treats of the innocent whether they get it by going door to door or by purchasing it from the local grocery store. The demons cannot tell the difference.”

The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, urged Robertson and Daniels to lighten up. “I’ve heard of the devil being in the details, but to think he’s lurking inside a Snickers bar is a little too much.”

A good website:
http://www.au.org/media/press-releases/archives/2009/10/pat-robertsons-christian.html

A “little” too much? How about: It’s frikkin’ lunacy spoken by fanatics, that’s more accurate.  Your soul will wind up in hell because you ate CANDY in early November.  What a bunch of idiots.  (And if you listen to the Christian Coalition and attend these fundamentalist churches and listen to these lunatics and shake your head in agreement, then you are most likely and idiot, too.  Keep your post: I would be more interested in the thoughts on this topic from a goldfish). 

For us normal people: You can join Reverend Barry Lynn the Americans United for Seperation of Church and State and keep up with related news and attempts to turn America into a theocracy.  It’s not an attempt to outlaw religion – just to keep religion seperate from from our government and our schools.  Religion is a personal and family thing, not a governmental policy thing.  From the Council of Nicene through the millenia to today, religion has too often been a political tool. 

Most of the “prayer-in-school’ advocates I’ve talked to COULD take their kids to prayer services every morning before school, but they don’t want to.  They could attend mass or religous education classes in the afternoons and evenings, but they don’t want to.  They just don’t want to do it themselves, they want American schoolteachers to do it for them.  None of these people believe that their child’s sole will be lost without group prayer for 7 hours during school.  Besides, you can’t stop prayer in school.  A child can pray anytime he/she wants to.  As far as I know, humans cannot know when a child is saying a prayer in their head and certainly can’t block their thoughts – that’s ridiculous (but then so is “demonic candy”, so “ridiculous” is just part of the status-quo for the religious right).