Around The World, And Healthcare Non-Reform?

In world news, Germany faces energy decisions that are changing power lines (pun intended). Due to be phased out by 2022 after the Greens passed legislation in 2000, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is trying to revamp and start construction again. Despite the expense of building nuclear plants, they are cheap to run. And, with oil prices still around $70 a barrel, and solar plants still only providing a small portion of power, the attractiveness of cheap power will be hard to ignore. It could also mean Germany misses the greenhouse gas targets it has to achieve. These same issues face Americans, as well. Is there room for solar fields to generate power? Is it possible for America to make a real difference in pollution emissions, besides the new tax structure of the cap-and-trade system currently making it’s way to the Senate?

Closer to home, Russia is financing arms for Hugo Chavez. This time the amount is $2.2 billion, bringing the total value of Russian weapons contracts to almost $4 billion. Chavez is claiming he needs them for “self-defense” against American attacks, now that the US has access to Columbian military bases. Many conservatives in America thought that with President Obama’s election and the power of the Left emerging that there would be a reduction in Chavez’s anti-US rhetoric. Obviously that has not been the case. More distrurbing than the weapons contracts is news that the Venezuelan leader is going to use Russian aid to develop nuclear power. This could easily lead to an Iran like standoff in the west.

Here at home, the big issue is healthcare reform, followed closely by financial reform. Both are high on Obama’s agenda, as well as Democrats in general. Shawn Tully has a series of articles that grade the proposed healthcare reforms. The 8th in the series covers Obama’s latest speech. Tulley’s overall picture paints something along the lines of no improvement, other than more government control through subsidies, giving non-profits and government agencies a huge leg up on private insurers. This follows on the heels of reports indicating that reform won’t reduce cost of healthcare. Now, there are two goals to healthcare reform. The first is to provide healthcare to the uninsured. The second is to cut down on the rising cost of healthcare, which is a major reason so many are uninsured. IF the legislation goes through without reducing costs, what is gained beyond more government domination of private industry? Couple that with the necessity of raising taxes to pay for it, and it’s a wonder so many Americans are in favor of it. What legislation actually comes out of Washington remains to be seen, with much debate about whether a public option will actually be available. But, it will be very important to watch where and how the costs are covered—if they can be.

ACLU, Healthcare and the Socialism of America

I find it fascinating that people believe the American Civil Liberties Union (ALCU) has a high minded goal of seeing equal liberty for all. This is simply not the case. Have you ever heard of them taking a case to defend Christian rights? No. There are reasons for this. At its heart, the organization is Communist. Communist regimes have the state as God, since religion is merely a tool to keep the downtrodden masses in check. Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look at the writings of Robert Baldwin, founder of the ACLU:

[There] I saw … fresh, vigorous expressions of free living by workers and peasants all over the land. And further, no champion of a socialist society could fail to see that some suppression was necessary to achieve it. It could not all be done by persuasion. … [I]f American champions of civil liberty could all think in terms of economic freedom as the goal of their labors, they too would accept ‘workers’ democracy’ as far superior to what the capitalist world offers to any but a small minority. Yes, and they would accept — regretfully, of course — the necessity of dictatorship while the job of reorganizing society on a socialist basis is being done.”(From "Freedom in the USA and the USSR" , 1934)

Their goal is to change the way Americans think about liberty, and bring about dictatorial leadership by the state.

What, you ask, does that have to do with cap and trade and government healthcare? Simple. It leaves the government in charge of everything, which is the goal of a socialist or communist state—it is just a matter of degree. Manufacturing is openly being bought by the federal government, in the name of job salvation. But, only economic development and growth can guarantee jobs—not government, Financial institutions are being bought out by the government, in the name of monetary stability. That one may be arguable, but one certain thing is government doesn’t finance entrepreneurs because they are not looking to increase return on their investment.

Consider that government healthcare, as it did in Russia and most socialist states, will reduced the quality and quantity of available healthcare. Don’t believe me? Name the countries that have produced applyable medical breakthroughs. Most have been from the US. Research, high caliber no doubt, has come from many countries. But, real advances in medicine and industry have primarily come from the US. Senators and Congressmen are already saying this will change with the implementation of proposed legislation. If you don’t believe me, maybe you should believe them.

And, if you don’t like any of this, let YOUR elected officials know. Make your voice heard on the internet, in public discussions, and anywhere else you can peacefully take a stand. As long as the American people say nothing, this will go on until there are no liberties left in this country. As the old saying goes, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” What are you doing to bring change?

Consider more about Baldwin. He was a friend of terrorists who supported communism (Pedro Albizu Campos). He was a friend and supporter of those who were willing to murder their won people for political means (Ho Chi Minh). In fact, maybe we should just consider Baldwin’s own words:

"I am for socialism, disarmament, and ultimately, for abolishing the state itself as an instrument of violence and compulsion. I seek social ownership of property, the abolition of the properties class, and sole control of those who produce wealth. Communism is the goal. It all sums up into one single purpose -- the abolition of dog-eat-dog under which we live. I don't regret being part of the communist tactic. I knew what I was doing. I was not an innocent liberal. I wanted what the communists wanted and I traveled the United Front road to get it."

You should also know that Baldwin maintained an office in the United Nations after his retirement from the ACLU, working as a consultant for the International League for Human Rights.

So…do you still think it’s all about the best for man as opposed to what’s best for the state?

Immigration, Democrats Duck-and-cover, and The FDA

For those who think the United States is alone in it’s immigration troubles, you should check out Italy’s immigration situation. Kind of reminds me of how the US deals with Cuban refugees. If they are fond at sea they are returned to Cuba, if found on land, they are on arrested. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is in it’s own kettle of hot water over that. Recent reports indicate no change from Bush policies. Isn’t it amazing how many policies and plans from the Bush era that Obama promised to change, but is now claiming to be new and better? Like…when the troops are getting out of Iraq.


Speaking of Iraq, Nancy Pelosi is battling the CIA over interrogation briefings. News reports in 2002 quoted Congressmen as saying they received full briefings on CIA and other agencies actions. But, once the war began to drag on, losing public support, Democrats followed public opinion. They also began claiming they had no knowledge of actions that were going on in various places and organizations. Well, sooner or later, the truth comes out, as Pelosi is finding. Still, the number two Democrat, Stephen Hoyer, twisted the focus of the story away from Pelosi is making up stories to something else:

But Hoyer added that focusing on what had been told to lawmakers on interrogations was a distraction from the question of what techniques were used, and whether they were legal.

The point of the article, and the issue, is that Pelosi and other high ranking Democrats knew all along what was going on. But, the media and Leftists are spinning things to blur that focus.

(…soon, no one will care that Democrats lied…only that Bush did something wrong…just wait, you’ll see…)


Finally, I would like to weigh on the whole Cherios vs. the FDA thing. The media would have you believe that right wing crazies are rabidly claiming all kinds of things on this issue. It doesn’t matter that the same style of attacks are used by the Leftwing to demean right wing actions. Nor does it matter that most of the media claims are taken way out of context. It seems that America, and it’s government, has lost focus on something pretty important. The basic point of the FDA is that only drugs can be advertised as healing things. But, the truth is that drugs do not heal. They only help manage health. People worldwide have used diet to maintain health for millennia. So, at its core, the FDA claim is flawed. We seem to have forgotten that a proper diet, as opposed to the standard US diet, can maintain and help manage your health. Instead we believe the lie that we need all these drugs to keep us healthy. I do not deny there are circumstances where drugs are needed. But, we need to have a better focus on what drugs really do. They help manage health issues, but they do not heal them. The FDA needs to get it’s facts straight on that.

Policy, Medicine and Islam

After the report on medical information safety by the BBC, the NYT reports that many doctors question whether the cost of implementing digital records may not be worth it.

Two articles, to be published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, point to the formidable obstacles to achieving the policy goal of not only installing electronic health records, but also using them to improve care and curb costs.

Studies found use of data to be far lower than originally thought. One journal article went so far as to say implementing this would be a serious policy mistake. In typical liberal line-toeing, The NYT, though, goes on to cite the importance of implementing the proposed Obama/left wing policy without citing any real sources that refute the Journal’s findings.

On the subject of dealing with tough policy issues, Germany is wrestling with dealing with Islam in the schools. Religious instruction is a constitutional reality in all but two states. The honor killing of a Turkish woman in 2005 scared Berlin into using an ethics based teaching instead of religion.

What everyone shares is an obsession with Muslims, who account for over half the students in parts of the city. The ethics course is partly meant to snuff out incipient violent radicalism. But it leaves many children learning the Koran from teachers who have little stake in German society. Better, says Pro-Reli, to bring it into school, where German-speaking teachers can impart Islam under the state’s watchful eye.

Bringing it into the school to allow state control of religion can be dangerous. America, for instance, was founded on the idea that government should not control the church as well as the church not being the government. At the same time, giving Islam an inroad in one area is just as dangerous. Islam is not tolerant, contrary to those who say otherwise. Just follow the history of how Islam has gained control of once Christian Lebanon.

Consider, for another example, the proposed rules in Tajikistan.

The new law imposes censorship on religious literature and restricts performing rituals to state-approved venues. It makes it harder for new religious communities to get registration.

The new law revolves around a state sponsored version of Islam, for a primarily Sunni population. Part of the new law is government control to block a resurgence of the Taliban.

All of this leaves the U.S. with the question of how it will deal with the most rapidly expanding religion in the world. Will we continue to tolerate it without question, as C.A.I.R. desires and lobbies for? Or will we give it equal footing with other religions and remove the anti-religious laws and restrictions that are steadily increasing in the nation? Or will we do something entirely different? The choice is ours, and we must act. And, we act by what we say to our legislators, and how we deal with those around us. Are you speaking out?

02/15 Obama, Healthcare, and the Lack of Debate

There were three news reports from Friday that I found VERY interesting. They all revolve around the Stimulus package that many expect to rejuvenate the economy. All are from CNSNews. You can claim bias all you want to…but the reports should be disturbing to everyone…

First, a Democrat says no one will have time to even read the Stimulus Bill before it has to be voted on.

The first PDF was 424 pages long and the second PDF was 575 pages long, making the total bill 999 pages long. The House is expected to vote on this 999-page bill Friday, and the Senate either later Friday or Saturday. [Editor's note: The first PDF, as posted on the House Appropriations Committee website as of 8:20 AM Friday morning, had grown by 72 pages to 496 pages, increasing the length of the total document to 1,071 pages.]

If you had any illusions that there would be reasonable debate, discussion or even understanding of the whole thing, you were sadly mistaken.

Second, we now have a new government agency that will have possession and control of all medical records. This was slipped into the bill without debate. And, although Bloomberg News reported on this agency that will have a budget bigger than the US military, no one raised a fuss or demanded explanation. It’s amazing that the American people would scream and shout over the excesses of the Bush administration, without oversight, but say nothing of such an expensive agency.

And, that brings us to the third report. It seems that The Guardian is reporting the British centralized records system isn’t working like it should.

An NHS hospital boss criticised the new computerised medical records system today, saying it had cost his trust an extra £10m and meant fewer patients could be seen.

Andrew Way, chief executive of Hampstead's Royal Free hospital, in north-west London, said his staff were "incredibly disappointed" with the IT upgrade on trial at the hospital since last summer.

The National Programme for IT (NPfIT) aims to create a centralised medical records system for 50 million patients in England at a cost of more than £12bn.

The article goes on to cite some very strong privacy concerns, since pharmacists would be able to see the entire record—not just doctors.

So, for everyone who thinks this is the best thing since sliced bread…maybe you should reconsider. Are the expected benefits of an agency that will have the authority, in the future if not now, to control healthcare access and spending really going to be worth it? Maybe taking subsidies away from drug manufacturers and no longer propping them up by restricting alternative medical means would accomplish more to reduce costs. Which, of course, begs the question since government subsidizes so much of healthcare technology and drug research…why are costs rising so sharply?

(…either way…government has near total control of medicine…I hope everyone is happy with it…)

8/3 Morning Report

Libya is still big in the news. Bulgaria is waiving $57 million in debt! Well, sort of. They are putting the money into a fund for HIV victims in Libya—which means Kadfi gets the money twice! What a reward for falsely accusing and imprisoning people! Meanwhile, France and Libya are doing an arms deal! Isn’t that special? Makes me really feel safe again. But, then again, money does talk…

One deal for 168 million euros was for Milan anti-tank missiles and the other for 128 million euros was for communications systems, the source had said.

(…really makes me think highly of EADS…which after the Airbus problems, isn’t saying much…)

And, not to be outdone, the French even thumbed their noses at the international community.

Rwanda is shocked by a French appeals court ruling that freed two Rwandans indicted by Kigali and an international court over the country's 1994 genocide, and its foreign minister called the decision absurd on Thursday.

The two men were freed on a technicality. It seems the French appeals court believes they can only be arrested if the international court was making a judgment, and in this case it was asking for arrest pending any decision.
(…how utterly compassionate…and stupid…I hope no one epxects they’ll stop bashing Americans after this farce of justice…)

Speaking of legal surprises, and the US, it seems more and more doctors are citing religious reasons for not doing certain procedures or prescribing certain drugs.

More than half the states in the past two years have debated expanding legal protections for health care providers, including pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions for the "morning after" pill. Two states have passed them.

I’m sure there are a lot of surprised people reading this article. The media has let us believe there is little or no resistance along these lines. But, more and more often, it is ending up in court.

Most disputes arise out of beginning-of-life and end-of-life issues, such as assisted suicide. No doctor is required to perform particular treatments.

The collision between religious freedom and rules against discrimination occurs when physicians perform procedures selectively, offering them to some patients but withholding them from others, says Jill Morrison, legal counsel to the National Women's Law Center.

This year in a case generating wide interest, the California Supreme Court will hear a first-of-its-kind lawsuit: fertility treatment denied to a lesbian.

In Washington state, a gay man recently settled out of court with a doctor who refused to prescribe him Viagra.

Honestly, I fail to see why these two ended up in court. If this type of sexual life is natural, fertility treatments do not apply since only by intercourse with the opposite sex (ie. male-female, penis-vagina) can procreation take place. It seems more of an argument against the naturality of it than anything else.
(…personally, I just see it as a strong statement about our selfishness as Americans…)

Meanwhile, the legal scene over the Minneapolis bridge collapse is just starting to heat up. No surprise that information about lack of oversight or negligence is suddenly coming to the surface. Recriminations are flying in all directions:

White House press secretary Tony Snow said while the inspection didn't indicate the bridge was at risk of failing, "if an inspection report identifies deficiencies, the state is responsible for taking corrective actions."

(…snip…)

Gov. Tim Pawlenty responded Thursday by ordering an immediate inspection of all bridges in the state with similar designs, but said the state was never warned that the bridge needed to be closed or immediately repaired.

And, there are over 70,000 more with an estimated repair price tag of $188 billion.
(…and we wonder why they haven’t all been repaired yet…reminds me of how badly oil refineries need to be upgraded…and the price tag for that…)

05/03 Morning Report

How far will the reaction to Don Imus’ recent troubles really go? Would you believe to the point of refusing to play “hip-hop” music? That probably wouldn’t be such a big thing except the company that made the decision owns a hip-hop radio station!

Less than a week after Imus's firing, Roberts Broadcasting Company, owners of TV station WRBJ Channel 35 and hip-hop radio station WRBJ-FM in Jackson, Mississippi, sent out an internal memo banning its radio station and other broadcast operations from playing music with lyrics "degrading women and other members of our community."

(…makes you wonder what the liberals will do in response, though…doesn’t it?...)

In other media news, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists ranks Russia as 3rd worst among 10 countries for journalistic freedom. At least 12 journalists have been killed there in the last 5 years. The State Department ranks Russia right along side Afghanistan in terms of media freedom.
(…but it does make you wonder why there was the huge fuss over TWO journalist incidents involving US troops in combat…apparently the MSM doesn’t care so much about their brethren in foreign lands…)

Meanwhile, in other Middle east news, the US reported today that it had al Quaeda’s Iraq “information minister”. Unfortunately…

Gen Caldwell said he could not confirm Iraqi statements that other top militants, including the country's al-Qaeda head, had also died this week.

Either way, it seems there is ever more evidence that General Petraeus’ plan seems to be working.
(…I wonder what the Democrats will do about a timetable now…)

In something “kind of” related to the Virginia Tech shootings—or young adult deaths in general really—the Feds are making a REQUEST of drug manufacturers. Personally, I find that kind of unnerving. These drugs can change our thinking patterns enough that we may get suicidal or homicidal, and never know it. But, we are only to ask manufacturers to maybe, kind of sort of, put a small note on the packaging to let people know. More effort goes into making people believe that Bush is responsible for all the ills of the world!
(…hey!...if we say Bush did it, do you think the lefties would get upset enough to get involved on this?...hhhmmmm…that may actually be more frightening…)

Finally, there was this sad announcement a couple days ago, in the Dallas Morning News:

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – A 24-year-old soldier from Texas was among three Fort Benning soldiers killed in Iraq on Saturday, military officials said Tuesday.

Army Sgt. Glenn D. Hicks Jr., of College Station, was killed in Salman Pak when the soldiers' vehicle was struck with an improvised explosive device and small arms fire, the Department of Defense said.

Also killed were Pfc. Jay-D H. Ornsby-Adkins, 21, of Ione, Calif., and Pvt. Cole E. Spencer, 21, of Gays, Ill.

The three were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga.

At our house we remember your cry—the cry of all warriors:

"Tell them of us and say,
For their tomorrow, we gave our today."
--The Kohima Epitaph--

Sgt. Hicks, Pfc. Ornsby-Adkins, and Pfc. Spencer, at our house, we remember what you have given. And we say thank you for the tomorrows you have given others. May God give back to your families more than they have sacrificed and lost.

And, now, we dance In Memoriam.

05/01 Hockey Thoughts

Well…as usual there is no doubt all of the series in round two (…and hopefully the finals…) will be long ones. Most prognosticators are saying all of them are due to go 6 or 7 games. But, that’s why we love the Second Season!

Some one is figuring out that the players are making the game great. I wonder where that concept got lost? Of course, the point is the players are the draw…in the midst of bad officiating and other problems. EJ Hradek had some of his own thoughts on the impact of Sundays Rangers-Sabers game. It was a great game, played on national media. And, I agree with him that the NHL could use a whole lot more of that. It could use a few more things than that, of course…
(…better media coverage, league management that knows what it’s doing, more scoring, consistent officiating…OH! Were these thoughts out loud?...)

Over at The Hockey News, Crag McCaig had the interesting thought of Buffalo and Ottawa playing for the East. Despite my predictions earlier, I think the Sabers against the Devils would be even better.

By the way, if you’re looking for playoff history and records information, TSN has all the links.

Meanwhile, the Canucks are continuing to have problems with opponents running over Luongo. Dallas did a lot of the expected bump and tussle during Round 1. And, Vancouver complained. It seems the Ducks, though, are out to run Luongo down. I didn’t see it, but if it’s true, the officials have a lot answer for.
(…of course, so do the Ducks…)

Much to my surprise, Dave Tippet will be back in Dallas next year. Frankly, I saw the inability to keep the team consistent and get production from the main producers as a management failure. Losing their way into the playoffs, as far as I was concerned, was a sure sign of first round failure. (…yeah…I know their last ten regular season games were good…but how many of those were overtime, and how many were shootouts…can’t win the playoffs on shoot outs…) The real surprise is that Nashville’s Barry Trotz may not be coming back. And, of course, Columbus and Phoenix are looking for new GMs.
(…I bet we see a few more teams taking it out on the front office…some of them actually need to…)

And, there are the World Championships.

The Americans and Czechs are 2-0 in Group B, and Finland and Russia are 2-0 in Group D.

The Russians are trying to make their first bid at their first title since 1993.
(…this one may prove pretty interesting…)

Looking into the future of hockey, and sports in general really, there was a really good article on the treatment of post concussions syndrome. Having had one that took six or seven weeks to clear the last symptoms, I for one am glad to hear it.
( thanks to Kukla’s Korner for the link…)

04/18 Morning Report

The “partial birth abortion” ban has been up held. And, I have to admit I am excited to see that type of ruling come from SCOTUS. Of course, the liberals are all lining up with the usual rhetoric. It’s “amazing” how the media all use the same quotes from liberal sources, don’t you think? The BBC, MSNBC, and the New York Times (paraphrasing), all used the same quotes like:

Ginsberg says: "In candour, the Partial Birth Abortion Act and the court's defence of it cannot be understood as anything other than an effort to chip away at a right declared again and again by this court - and with increasing comprehension of its centrality to women's lives," she said.

"This ruling flies in the face of 30 years of Supreme Court precedent and the best interest of women's health and safety," said Eve Gartner of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

No real surprises in their rhetoric. Many liberals are still very much in denial of the life of a “fetus”…uumm…baby…sorry got caught up that ridiculous PC stuff.

But, the important question is what is going to change? In other words, will this ruling really make a difference? Before you get mad at me for that thought, give it some serious consideration. You should also probably go read this. According to Mark Crutcher, president of Life Dynamics:

"We need to temper our excitement over something like this by the fact that this ban won't save one single baby," the pro-lifer cautions. "Every baby that would have been killed with a partial-birth abortion or a D&X, whichever you want to call it, will simply be killed with a D&E or hysterotomy or some other abortion method.”

That is a chilling perspective from someone on the Pro-Life side of things. Despite the legal victory, and the possibility it may signal a change, Clutcher’s peek behind the curtain indicates there isn’t may not be much real dispelling of the darkness, yet.
(...hearts have to change, not just laws...and, so far, we are the same self-centered culture we were before the ruling...)


Meanwhile, still on the subject of “not what it seems”, there was this BBC report that Ethanol cars may not be healthier. Can I be surprised? If I use an ethanol mixture then my gas mileage goes WAY down. Should I be surprised that it has other health problems?

A computer model set up to simulate air quality in 2020 found that in some areas ozone levels would increase if all cars were run on bioethanol.

Of course, this is just a continuation of the same statements made back in January of 2006.

(…ranks up there with Al Gore’s electric bill…doesn’t it…a little hypocrisy…mix in good PR…say…sounds like what the left says about Bush…doesn’t it?...hhhmmmm...)

02/09 Morning Report

Well, the Palestinians are happy with each other again. A new peace deal has been worked out. At least the bullets have stopped flying. There are still a lot of issues left to deal with. First and foremost, there is the issue of how Israel will be treated by Hamas, which refuses to recognize Israel—stopping all the aid desperately needed by the people.
(…personally, I hope it lasts…but, it’s all I can do not say “Here we go again”…)

Meanwhile, Hezbollah—and possibly Syria—have some serious egg on their face. It seems that Lebanese government troops a truck of weapons that Hezbollah claims is theirs.

An opposition alliance led by Hezbollah has vowed to bring down the government, and has demanded the formation of a new cabinet in which it has the power of veto.

In a statement, Hezbollah called on the government to respect a policy statement adopted two years ago that describes the group as a resistance movement against Israeli occupation.

But under UN resolution 1701, which ended the war between Hezbollah and Israel last summer, the militant group is banned from re-arming.

Since they aren’t getting their way, they brought in more weapons—with total disregard to their promises. The truck came from the Becca valley—a long time Syrian stronghold. Which leaves me wondering just how uninvolved Syria really was in this. Of course, it didn’t help the cause any when they accused Bush of pushing Isreal into invading. There are those who will think so, one way or the other. And, this is in spite of the evidence that enough bombs and rockets had been fired without any change on the horizon. (…and, Hezbollah wonders why so many in the West don’t trust them?...)

This was a scary announcement. A $1.5 Billion vaccine fund is being set up to help vaccinate people in poor nations. According to Jeffrey Mecaskey, head of health at Save the Children,

"However, despite the great strides from this investment, political and financial support must go beyond developing and buying drugs.

"Clinics need to be built, doctors and nurses trained and fees for medical treatment scrapped so people can afford to seek medical help in the first place.

And we thought a national socialist health care plan was bad? This plan is for a global one! And, for those who believe vaccines are the way to future global health, let me ask a question…why are there so many new flu strains if the vaccine is so effective? For the record, I think vaccines do have a level of positive effect. But, I also believe they are not tested thoroughly.

For example, take Gov. Rick Perry’s recently announcement a mandate that all sixth grade girls should be immunized for hpv. On the surface, that looks wonderful. But, there are problems. For starters, it takes some 10-15 years for the virus to develop. The vaccine has only been tested out 4 years. So, how do they know it really works all the way out? There has been a huge firestorm of protest to his announcement! From all sides, too. The legislature is hacked because they weren’t involved. Even some area media thinks he’s gone too far.
(…makes it pretty obvious there was some serious money at work here somewhere…doesn’t it?...)

In another statement on the times we live in, GPS equipped shoes will soon be available. I think it was about ten years or so ago, the new rage was Kevlar backpacks and jackets. That was brought on by rising school violence. (I seem to recall it even predated Columbine.) That particular fad died off due to high prices. They are still for sale, though.
(…it does make you wonder what will happen with these shoes…and where these will lead us next…)