Lovely parting gifts...

Despite the flurry of press coverage lauding the Bush administration's "unprecedented cooperation" with the Obama transition team, the outgoing administration is quietly passing dozens of deeply offensive and highly partisan rules, corporate giveaways, presidential directives dismantling environmental protections and other pet right wing projects. (Over ninety of them at last count.)

The medical "right to refuse" rule just passed is an example of these, designed to:

"...protect the right of medical providers to care for their patients in accord with their conscience," said outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt.

Is that an Orwellian bit of doublespeak or what?

This means that a Emergency room nurse opposed to birth control can refuse emergency contraception to a rape victim, or even to inform the patient that such a thing exists. Receptionists can refuse to make appointments for patients whose medical choices they disagree with. Doctors could legally withhold information about birth defects in a fetus if they felt it might increase the chances the mother would elect to have an abortion.

This "right" to deprive people of their legal health care choices based on religious objection is an appalling "parting gift" to the evangelicals, and a slap in the face to the electorate who overwhelmingly rejected the Bush administration's policies. As usual with this deeply mendacious administration, the public face hides a sinister and narrowly defined agenda.

Having your cake and eating it too... A note on voiding California Proposition 8

The supporters of Proposition 8 in California keep wailing plaintively that the thousands of people in California whose marriages were recently declared invalid should "accept the will of the people."

"Opponents of same-sex marriage have urged protesters to accept the will of voters." - NY Times

Hmmm....

Aren't these the same people who have spent the last 35 years trying to overturn Roe v. Wade, which is the will of the vast majority of the American people who want to keep abortion safe and legal? How many times have they argued that their "moral imperative" overrules the "mistakes" of the courts and legislatures? It seems they'd like to have their cake and eat it too.

Most excellent spam - because all the best law firms use hotmail...

Recently received spam -

I especially like the part about how the beneficent Jürgen Krügger was a "very dedicated Christian who loved to put out." Hmmm...

Plus, I'm pretty sure all the best law firms use Hotmail...
- Will

Barristers' Chambers:
JERRY MORGAN & ASSOCIATES
E-mail: bjmesq4@hotmail.co.uk
Address:33 Bedford Row
London WC1R 4JH, England
PARTNER MANAGING
JERRY MORGAN & ASSOCIATES
LONDON - UK.

Attention

On behalf of the Trustees and Executor of the estate of Late
Engr.Jürgen Krügger. I once again try to notify you as my earlier
letter was returned undelivered. I hereby attempt to reach you again
by this same email address on the WILL. I wish to notify you that
late Engr. Jürgen Krügger made you a beneficiary to his WILL. He left
the sum of Thirty Million, One Hundred Thousand Dollars (USD$30,
100.000.00) to you in the Codicil and last testament to his WILL.
This may sound strange and unbelievable to you, but it is real and
true. Being a widely traveled man, he must have been in contact with
you in the past or simply you were nominated to him by one of his
numerous friends abroad who wished you good. Engr. Jürgen Krügger
until his death was a member of the Helicopter Society and the
Institute of Electronic & Electrical Engineers. He was a very
dedicated Christian who loved to put out. His great philanthropy
earned him numerous awards during his life time. Late Engr. Jürgen
Krügger died on the 13th day of December,
2004 at the age of 80 years, and his WILL is now ready for
execution.According to him this money is to support your humanitarian
activities and to help the poor and the needy in our society. Please
if I reach you as I am hopeful, endeavor to get back to me as soon as
possible to enable me conclude my job. I hope to hear from you in no
distant time.

Contact me upon the receipt of this mail: bjmesq4@hotmail.com

I await your prompt response.

Yours in Service,
BARRISTER JERRY MORGAN ESQ.
PRINCIPAL PARTNERS: Barrister Aidan Walsh.Esq Markus Wolfgang, Mr.
John Marvey Esq, Mr. Jerry Smith Esq.

The 'Ol Soft Shoe...

In a new height for media cluelessness, when reporting on the Muntadhar al-Zeidi - George Bush shoe throwing incident in Iraq this week, a CNN anchor said: "We're still trying to get to the bottom of why someone would do this." Hmmm.... Let's see -

Could it have someting to do with the Bush regime's cherrypicking the intelligence to promote a totally unnecessary and massively destructive invasion and occupation of Iraq? Thousands of civilians dead? The country in ruins? The brutal civil war the invasion unleashed?

Perhaps we should look to what Muntadhar al-Zeidi said as he tossed the shoes?

"This is a farewell kiss, you dog," al-Zeidi yelled in Arabic as he threw his shoes. "This is from the widows, the orphans and those who were killed in Iraq."

Why indeed?

Can you be more specific, please?

Hmmmm...

Can you be more specific, please?

- Will