Political Venting - Before I Go Crazy

This week I got to attend (for the 3rd time) the Group1 Users Conference for AFLAC. This year, it was in Boston and I got to take Tracey with me. This is the first time I have ever taken my wife with me to a business convention (or any other type of business trip), and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

First off, Boston is a great city. After we had dinner Tuesday night, Tracey and I took a pedicab (a bicycle rickshaw) from near our hotel to tour the area. Of course, the fun was watching this poor Harvard student struggling up hills with Tracey and I sitting in the back enjoying the sites. We went by Fenway Park (while the BoSox were playing), some really nice park that I have no idea the name of, about 5 universities (including the Harvard Medical School), about 5 hospitals and the Museum of Fine Arts. It was a wonderful tour, and because the kid worked so damn hard I gave him $30.

By the way, dinner was at a wonderful restaurant called Atlantic Fish. Tracey had lobster, I had an amazing grilled swordfish. It was soooo worth the cost.

Then the conference started. I spent the first day grousing to the president of Group1 about the crappy support services we are receiving (not the fault of the support personnel, there's just not enough of them). I then took my complaints about the US Postal Service to the Director of their Address Quality Division. My basic complaint is that they have done their damnedest to put out regulations which serve their needs but are crippling to the businesses who have to meet them.

I have to say that the reactions I got by these two people should have been completely predictable. The president of Group1 was apologetic and seemed to sincerely care about my concerns. The Director at the USPS basically made it clear that he didn't care what our businesses were going through. So typical.

The rest of the conference was great. With the help of the Group1 tech people there, we were able to solve a couple of huge problems we've been having. I learned a lot at the sessions I attended.

But the best part of the conference was being there with Tracey. We have only taken two trips alone together since Jacob was born. This one was great. We had fun, she loved Boston (except for the fact that her feet were KILLING her by the time she had gotten done touring), the parties we went to were very nice. And everyone who I had met at other user events LOVED her.

It wasn't a perfect trip, but it was great nonetheless.

Now, some other random notes about the trip.

The food there was fantastic. No matter where we went, we had great food. The New England Clam Chowder we had at a reception on Wednesday night was the best I've ever had.

Even though we didn't go to the Red Sox game, it was great to be in a town who's entire life revolves around their team. When the Red Sox are on, nothing else is watched. Period...end of story.

The amazing architecture of Boston is so wonderful to experience. Old structures right next to the best of modern buildings, it's an astounding juxtaposition.

The people who attend this particular conference are great to be around. It's an interesting mix of computer geeks and people who's work lives are completely bound up in this software. No matter what is going on with our collective feelings about the USPS or the vendor software, everyone does their most to have a great time. And it doesn't hurt that there is much alcohol flowing.

The Thursday night party was on the biggest non-cruise ship I've ever seen. It was huge. It was beautiful. It was well appointed for dinner, and if the weather had been better would have been great for touring the Boston Harbor.

Also, it was so unusual to be in a city where there was evidence everywhere that I was not a political minority. It was so self-affirming.

So, now I wait for next year's conference. They haven't made up their minds where they want to have it. I'm personally hoping for Honolulu.

Tonight was movie night for Tracey and me. We decided to go spend $9 a ticket (way expensive) to go see Michael Moore's new movie, "SiCKO".

It was $9 well spent. Very well spent.

I've hated the medical insurance industry for some time and have believed that H.M.O.'s are Satan's own business venture. After seeing this movie, I'm even more committed to see an overhaul of this morally bankrupt industry.

Understand, I loved both "Bowling for Columbine" and "Fahrenheit 9/11". But, I understand that both of these are acquired tastes given that Mr. Moore spent much of his time propagandizing as opposed to telling the story. He has almost completely avoided that with "SiCKO".

What Moore does in this movie is allow for us to become involved quite quickly in the lives of those affected by the uncaring and despicable web of insurance fraud (and it's not the insurance industry being defrauded, but those who are the insured). We hear again and again about under-handed and disgraceful tactics which this industry commits again and again to abuse their customers. Each and every day, this industry breaks the promises they make to those they are supposed to insure. It is quite amazing, and I don't mean in the awe-inspiring way.

Hand in hand with the medical insurance industry is the pharmaceutical industry, which over-charges for medicines which are needed by so many to live.

And in the end, who are the one's who really control this mess. The politicians who are sitting nicely in these industries pockets. I personally loved the part of the movie showing all the politicians (including President Bush) who were there for the signing into law of the utterly useless Senior Citizen Prescription Drug Plan and how much they had been given by the medical insurance and pharmaceutical industry. What I especially appreciated is the truth that Hillary Clinton is now pocketing more of this lobbying largess then just about any other legislator. Congratulations Hillary, another reason why I won't vote for you.

The only over-the-top part of this movie was Moore's completely unneeded trip to Cuba with 9/11 volunteer heroes who are now being neglected by the same government who begged for their help. Shame on the New York government and the US government for their plight. Unluckily, using Cuba to make this point was probably unnecessary, and the bit where they had the fire department in Havana welcome these heroes was completely off-topic.

Oh well, if I have only one complaint about a Michael Moore movie, then it was still proving to be his best film.

He deserves another Oscar for this one.

But in the end, this movie should truly be a clarion call to all of us. We are currently allowing ourselves to be abused by these industries and we do nothing but take it. It is ludicrous that we continue to take this abhorrent treatment which we are subjected to. Each one of us need to take our representatives to task for allowing this to occur. We should be taking whatever steps are necessary to bring into power those who will not be beholden to the insurance powers that be and will help bring about universal health care to our country.

IT IS TIME.

As a post-script, I am proud to work for an insurance company which actually does keep its promise to its customers. I work for AFLAC, and in the 4+ years I have worked there I can say without question that this company does exactly what it says it will do. If you have a policy which says it will pay you a certain amount when you experience an illness or injury, you will have your money in your hand within a month or so of your submitting your claim.

I am so happy that I can say that. It makes it worth all the hours that I do work for them knowing that I am helping them keep those promises.

Let's say you are a high-ranking member of an administration and as part of your job you decide to try to discredit a person who is criticizing some of your positions or decisions. There are many ways one can do this.

You can have members of your administration make public statements arguing why that person is either incorrect or nuts. You can feed the same type of information to reporters friendly to your administration, which has the same effect. Or you can get real dirty and sneak out the name of their spouse (who happens to be a covert officer at the CIA) as the person who was the chief sponsor for that person.

Of course, the problem with option #3 is that it is possibly illegal. Certainly covering up truth of your actions to federal agents is very illegal. And thanks to a special prosecutor, charges are filed against you for actions in covering up your earlier dirty actions.

As time goes on, you are convicted and sentenced. An appeals court even goes so far as to deny your wish to stay our of jail while you appealed your sentence. Your next move should be to pack your bags and get in the SUV for a nice cushy federal prison.

But noooooo. Your president just happens to love to thumb his nose at everyone who would hold anyone under his branch of government accountable for their actions. So you get to stay home, as the President commutes your sentence. He keeps the fine, but that will be paid for by his lobbyist friends.

I would consider this to be hilarious in a sad sort of way, but the flood of news from the Bush administration that they are above the law of the land is making me ill. I would not be surprised if the next move is to impose martial law and suspend elections in 2008.

It has become obvious that President George W. Bush and his administration will do anything to avoid accountability. It is also obvious that they have every intention to do as they please without regard to what the American public, Congress or the Courts say on the subject.

The whole lot of them are POLITICAL SCUM!!!!!!

From the Washington Post:

President Bush Commutes Libby's Sentence

By Amy Goldstein
Washington Post Staff WriterMonday, July 2, 2007; 7:28 PM

President Bush today commuted the prison sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, sparing him the 30-month term to which he was sentenced last month for lying to federal investigators about his role in the White House leak of a CIA officer's identity.

Bush took the action just hours after a federal appeals court ruled that Libby was not entitled to remain free while he was appealing his conviction on four felonies.

"With the denial of bail being upheld and incarceration imminent, I believe it is now important to react to that decision," Bush said in a statement issued by the White House early this evening. Although the president said he "respected" the jury's verdict, he added that he had "concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive."

Bush said he was letting stand a $250,000 fine that also was part of the sentence handed down last month by U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton, who presided over the month-long trial last winter.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mi.) released a statement saying that "until now, it appeared that the President merely turned a blind eye to a high ranking administration official leaking classified information. The President's action today makes it clear that he condones such activity. This decision is inconsistent with the rule of law and sends a horrible signal to the American people and our intelligence operatives who place their lives at risk everyday."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) added that "the President's decision to commute Mr. Libby's sentence is disgraceful. Libby's conviction was the one faint glimmer of accountability for White House efforts to manipulate intelligence and silence critics of the Iraq war. Now, even that small bit of justice has been undone."

But former Sen. Fred Thompson, an unannounced candidate for president who has called for Bush to pardon Libby, said he is "very happy" for Cheney's former top aide. "I know that this is a great relief to him, his wife and children. While for a long time I have urged a pardon for Scooter, I respect the President's decision. This will allow a good American, who has done a lot for his country, to resume his life."

In their one-paragraph order earlier in the day, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit had denied Libby's request to remain free while he appealed his conviction for perjury and obstruction of justice.

The judges said that Libby's appeal did not raise "a substantial question" close enough that it was likely his conviction would be overturned.

The appeals court ruling prompted Bush to abandon the hands-off posture he had adopted towards the criminal proceedings against Libby, a 56-year-old lawyer who was Cheney's right-hand man and an architect of the administration's national security policies. As pressure from conservatives to give Libby a reprieve mounted on Bush over the past several months, the White House had, until now, said that it was not appropriate to intervene.

The judges' order had upheld a decision by Walton, who presided over Libby's month-long trial. In mid-June, Walton ruled that the defense had not raised any issues that were so likely to prevail on appeal that they warranted allowing Libby to remain free on bond.

At the time, Walton estimated that Libby would have to report to prison within 45 to 60 days, after federal prison officials determined where he would serve the sentence.

In March, a federal court jury found Libby guilty of four felonies for lying to FBI agents and the grand jury that investigated leaks to the media by administration officials of the identity of covert CIA officer Valerie Plame. In a trial that featured high-ranking officials and an A-list of Washington reporters as witnesses, the jury convicted Libby of two perjury counts and one count each of obstructing justice and making false statements about when and how he learned Plame's identity--and what he told journalists about her.

The appellate judges who ruled today included two appointed by Republican presidents and one Democratic appointee. They were David Sentelle, selected by President Ronald Reagan; Karen LeCraft Henderson, appointed by President George H.W. Bush; and David Tatel, chosen President Bill Clinton.