Leaping Sadly Through the News

Startling research from the biggest study ever of U.S. health care quality suggests that Americans — rich, poor, black, white — get roughly equal treatment, but it's woefully mediocre for all."

What a puff piece : "health care quality … Americans – rich, poor … get roughly equal treatment" and "the study even challenged some stereotypes" and found "blacks and Hispanics actually got slightly better medical treatment than whites."

Included were U.S. Veterans Affairs personnel and a study group which represented a broad picture of the nation's health care practices. That's right Sargent Bubba Washington – you get the same mediocre medical care as any other rich, poor, insured or uninsured, black or white veteran; like John McCain, John Kerry, Colin Powell. And Grandma Millie's medical care is as good as Babara Bush's HMO.

Rand Corporation conducted the study. Rand describes its "Corporate Mission" as a "nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decision making through research and analysis."

Rand also has headquarters in the Netherlands and the RAND-Qatar Policy Institute to analyze "complex policy problems and help implement enduring solutions for clients across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia." Rand's list of major sponsors, advisers, board of trustees, etc. includes enduring solutions folks such as guys from Bechtel Group, Scowcroft Group, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Carlyle Group. Past and present business and political figures : Francis Fukuyama, Ann McLaughlin Korologos, Paul H. O'Neill, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Paul Bremer, Frank C. Carlucci.

To the elite with unlimited funds and access to quality worldwide health care the above junk news would be jest. A few souls may be convinced that regardless of class status we are all equal on the examining table under a paper sheet. Equality in health care, presented with certitude and by a group with the prestigious Rand rap sheet shows how "news" can seem truthful yet be complete b.s., empty of any pertinence.

But my mind takes a leap here. The piece is representative of what the media give us on all sorts of subjects. Pieces by qualified people, from corporations like Rand, who are only here to help us – to improve policy and decision making through research and analysis. To "enlighten" us. A smorgasbord of national and international politicians and corporate heads, left and right, advising, helping us realize the complexities of it all. I'm not sure how to define "it," however, on Rand web page I notice they cannot proofread or spell check "it" (decisionmaking).

This type of dishonest news reminds me of the "turn around" in political news the past few months. The courageous messengers of late delivering the "liberal" point of view to MSM, each revelation hinting, or guaranteed by some interpretations, to "bring BushCo down."

So I ask myself – how is it so many politically aware folks, some who shout the loudest about a Zionist neocon pack having a stranglehold on US media, Hollywood, business, banking, industry; controlling our pols, the Pentagon, CIA; so powerful "they" pull SS Liberty and 9/11 ops, "they" dictate when and where we war, rig our elections, and even wiretap Bill Clinton phone sex, etc., how can aware folks pant over the crumbs of recent "liberal slanted news"?

"News" from the same mogul-dom that faithfully published BushCo lies and/or ignored truth, ignored dissent as they printed, filmed, and spread propanganda. The same Hollywood that gave us a 3 year dose of pro-war themes. Same entitites that posed Bush with flags, halos, flight suits and turkeys, a tear squeezed from his eye. It's the same Pentagon and CIA, still taking orders from the same PTB (powers that be). It's the same experts, think tanks and pols who hammered our ears with silence for 5 long years and now come forward with "second thoughts" and new, more informed interpretations, as they continue to force us to fund wars … business as usual.

Is it good news that a "liberal" mogul, dem donor, who counts Bill Clinton and Al Gore among his friends, is buying out Knight-ridder? Does that guarantee truth in news? Or just another mogul, friend of Clinton and Gore, neither of whom lifted a voice to fight BushCo when they should have.

Sad when a pol's censure slap is considered an act of bravery. Sad when the 3rd anniversary of illegal war and invasion brings only a trickle of protest. Sad when we applaud Hollywood royalty for doing what they do best – putting on a second rate show, applause, bow, limo home until the next performance.

Sad so much energy spent on Dixie Chicks and Swift Boats, Mockingbirds and Able Danger and 1001 conspiracy theories, Wilson/Plame, uncle Sam snooping on everyone, Iran is next, plane/no plane hit the pentagon, renditions, Iran is next, free speech zones, Cindy's teeshirt, port deals, bird flu is coming bird flu is coming, Bush's poll numbers, Iran is next - yet we still don't know when a bombing is real or an inside job, whether OBL is dead or alive, or who mailed the anthrax.

So the ruling elite get our attention – and we don't get theirs as they divert our minds to the next mediocre act in the political circus. Do the democrats not recognize their side of the aisle plays them as skillfully as the republicans play theirs?

Fire the liars and they give us new liars. Loss of freedom of speech is always the democrat's popular fear to push in times like this – yet we can hear everyone with a keyboard or bullhorn. Name one high traffic legitimate website shut down by the government. Saddest thing this week is high profile webmasters who encourage readers to email ABC praise for a few sound bytes on a nighttime soap - or push the belief that a liberal mogul is more honest than a conservative mogul - when we could be marching on DC to burn 1040s in the squatters front yard - just, you know, to get their attention.