Monday, December 03, 2007

Abstaining From The Truth.... 12.03.07



( Warning: My Cspan has been taken away- so post below is less than polite).

IN TV LAND THIS WEEK.....

This past Weekend I tried to watch the Democratic Forums in Iowa, but the CSPAN situation has been rendered difficult by Time Warner, this past friday they took CSPAN 2 off our regular lineup- and you have to pay for expanded channels , CSPAN2 has been channel 40 for many years, but now it has been taken away, and I have to pay for expanded basic and rent a box for my old TV if I want to watch CSPAN 2 on channel 186. Now the reason I am pissed is that my old TV has been where I watch CSPAN 2 for many years, I watch Book TV and also watch ALL the Important Election issues....so I am pissed. And I will bet you money here in the Bible Belt that anyday now Some Kind Of Geesus Stuff will appear on that channel. ( I don't mean to be rude but ....)

So Please do read the Huff Post today, there is an interesting article about the Plame Investigation, and that the Whitehouse is Blocking....hmmm I wonder is Fitz trying to follow up on the Scotty Story ?? (BTW his investigation is NOT closed-remember that) It really strikes me as Odd that as soon as he came forward, we stopped seeing Valerie on so many talk shows, what is that about ? And heavens this Public Servant came forward and basically said that the WhiteHouse told him to lie about a Treasonable offense, and yet the Media is busy talking Geesus with McCain. What the Hell is Wrong with this Country. Where are ALL the Real Journalists ? My son pointed out that other day that if Nixon was President today- he would not be Impeached. Tweety and Russert would be interviewing him about what a good job he has done....

And Please Someone Explain to me WHY Healthcare is NOT mentioned On CNN or MSNBC ? Someone on another blog said, well, the Health Insurance Industry does sponser alot, but funny thing, I have been noticing that we NEVER have Health Insurance Ads on TV anymore....we have alot of Drug Ads, but no Health insurance. Odd. Matter of fact in the Eves there are alot of Cialis and Viagra Ads...

ABSTAINING FROM THE TRUTH...

Now speaking of Viagra, I have to mention this, because it is really bugging me. AIDS Day was this weekend, and oddly the CDC is saying that their numbers might not be accurate.That there might be some problems in which numbers were altered, and altered down. I find it disturbing that the WhiteHouse and DC setting Parameters for AIDS programs , that 33% of their work must be focused in Abstinance Programs, NOW let's get this straight. Abstinance does NOT prevent AIDS, CONDOMS PREVENT TRANSMISSION OF THIS DEADLY DISEASE, it is about Science, and epidemiology. The American City that has seen the Biggest Dramatic Measurable Rise in AIDS and HIV is Washington DC. When Hypocrites are abusing Science and making law based on their own religous agendas - People DIE. 1.3 Million Americans are infected, and MANY could have been prevented with proper education and proper prevention. We are not educating our young people well enough, much less protecting them, and that is criminal.

I do also fault the Media, they should be highlighting the Amount of Sexual Corruption in DC, it is important that the City that is making Laws about Education on AIDS and STD's, and also creating Laws to pay for the damage caused by the lack of Educaton, is critical. ( They seem so nervous to cover ANYTHING to do with Craig's Dallying, or Vitter's Hooker Problems, or even Rudy using New Yorkers' Tax Money to pay for his mistress, yet these stories have been well researched and handed to them on a platter, yet in the 90's they rushed to cover a Blowjob and escalate an Impeachment Process based on the said blowjob).

That being said, what should be advertized EVERY evening during PrimeTime instead of Viagra or Cialis is CONDOMS.

*{Click the title: "The Raspberries" from 1974, dedicated to XDELL, and over at the Enigma Cafe there Van Morrison on tonight...And WHY the Raspberries Song " Go All the Way"? , because it would be perfect in a Condom ad}*

21 comments:

enigma4ever said...

I wanted to write a nice AIDS post....and I also wanted to have my facts straight to do that...so after stewing about it all weekend...this is the post I wrote..mostly out of frustation....my apologies...

D.K. Raed said...

This was great, Enigma! Sorry about your C-Span 2. At least, they left you regular C-Span?

I saw a Christiane Amanpour special about AIDS this weekend. That was the ONLY Aids coverage I saw. She was mainly talking about Africa, about how mothers there are passing along Aids in giving birth, for lack of some simple drugs given during delivery that we've had available here for yrs. She was told we don't make the drug available because it has to be refrigerated & very few villages in Africa have refrigeration! But I'm thinking it has more to do with the faith-based morals crowd here who think if they have the drug available, the aids women will just keep having sex & having aids babies (yeah, like they aren't doing that already).

To my mind, this is very similar to the condom issue you bring up. We keep trying to legislate morals. Current federal agencies reject scientific studies on stem cells, contraceptives, climate change, etc/etc. Oh, but they sponsor everything faith-based: faith-based science (don't plan for tomorrow, armageddon is on the way), faith-based education (intelligent design), faith-based medicine (power of prayer vs insulin), and faith-based WAR (only christians deserve oil & nukes)!

And you know, I hadn't even noticed the dearth of ads for health ins until you pointed it out(blue cross & aetna & humana used to run all kinds of ads) -- guess I am just overwhelmed with Bob's Woody Problem every night on TV!

Larry said...

Notice how the CDC is finally admitting their totals on those affected with HIV is way off.

Another government sham ignoring the plight of those who suffer.

Fran said...

Hey a good rant is healthy. You get less for more on your TV, what's worse is they will likely replace it with crap you don't want. the ONLY AIDS coverage I saw this weekend was a giant aids ribbon on display in the front of the white house.
Unless that ribbon is made of condoms.... it is not likely going to do much good eh?
W might consider changing his middle name to "cooked books" because his numbers are always off. Doesn't matter what topic, the numbers are off.

Mary Ellen said...

enigma- That was a great post! You should stew more often, you made some excellent points. Your son also made an excellent point about Nixon! I never thought of that, but how true! I also never thought about the lack of health insurance commercials. I guess they figure that they don't have to advertise to the average person, it's the corporations who decide what policy they will allow their employees to have. Who can afford private insurance on their own?

Anyway...I also wanted to invite you over to my blog tomorrow afternoon if you have time, to "live blog" during the NPR Democratic Debate in Iowa. You can listen to it on their web site, or you can go to their website and if you type in your zip code, it will direct you to the FM station nearest to you that has NPR.

Here's a post about the whole thing. Of course, all your fellow bloggers are welcome, also. The more the merrier!

Gryphen said...

I am so sorry that you are not getting your c-span fix, I know how important that is in keeping you politically sharp and mentally lucid.

The bastards!

I will not divulge how much I pay for my cable because it is insane! But having cable feeds my constant need for information and repetitive programming. Well that and my internet. I just love my internet.

And as for the AIDS thing you know the reason that the religious conservatives want everybody to put off having sex is so they can have anonymous gay sex in airport restrooms and still feel superior.

And I bet THEY use condoms when they stick their holy ruler of hypocrisy into the orifice of some poor gay prostitute or young male page.

Hang in their Enigma! Any day that the NIE report comes out and destroys Bush's evil plans to bomb the hell out of Iran to get their oil is a damn good day.

A damn good day!

Anok said...

You know, sometimes we are in sync...I just wrote a whole rant about health care. Its not polite either LOL.

I do find it odd that you have to pay to watch c-span at the most pivotal time in politics. That hasn't happened here, but it does seem strange to me.

Anyway, just popping my head up over the blogger fence post to say hello!

enigma4ever said...

G'man... so nice to see you- and I thought about you today- that this was a GOOD day....about Iran..and how foolish this is going to make the WH propaganda look....again...you are right....Now about the cpsan 2 addiction.....I have an old TV in my room, I don't have 186 channels on the ancient old tv...but ce la vie- I watch too much cspan- we have known that for a long time....sigh...Now Bush is suposed to give a presser tomorrow- and he is going to have a hard time- because of this NIE report...incredibly perfect timing to thwart the Bushco Cheney Iran agenda....

M.E.: thanks- what a great idea about the NPR ...I will have to try to see if I can do that but that sounds like a good time....and I also want to watch bush scramble during the presser tomorrow...

FRAN: it is amazing that Fuzzy math is his alibi and defense and way of altering history....math and science are not his strong points- would love to see his grades in those from havard.....

Larry: CDC should not be altering math, or science- not when so many are sick and dying....obits never lie though....when incidence and mortality don't match that is a problem.....

DK: I love what you wrote about oil and nukes....can they also have other problems that they have created....sigh...what a mess, i never thought that one Regime could do such damage....holy crap....We need Regime Change...NOW

tom said...

You go girl, CDC, CPSC, FCC, FDA, all in the pockets of our friendly corporate conglamorates, I wonder if you can Get Cspan from their website!!!
Oh, and that whole AIDS thing, don't worry GBush has it all in hand, and pay no attention to the man behind the curtain...
OH FOR 01/20/2009
keep fighting gal

enigma4ever said...

Thomas...thanks...I hope this all gets over soon...it seems like it is dragging...

Anok: thanks, I need to come read your post as well.....cspan 2 is critical for election year....sigh....

Coffee Messiah said...

Don't feel bad, last year they took CSPAN2 off here and I refuse to pay even more for the extree shit I wouldn't watch in order to get it. It's always about $$$$$ and the media seems to be worse now than back in the day.

And yes, the Bastards! All of 'em! ; )

WeezieLou said...

it's always good to see a great rant, and some stream-of-consciousness writing. i bet you felt better at the end of the rant than at the beginning...?

i hate when t-w messes with my TV (and you're probably right about God Almighty showing up next). and i hate the needs for AIDS Day. i was working at a non-profit gay counseling center in the early to mid 80's, and i watched in horror as person after person came in, gaunt, yellowish, pain piercing through their eyes, looking for the tiniest bit of kindness. and i can't begin to count the number of funerals i went to. the obituaries pages were full of young men, as if war had been declared on all 18 - 25 yr old men.

sometimes i feel like giving $ for medical research is not the way to go - that the $ should go to direct patient needs - but i look at how far we've come with AIDS (except if you live in the third world)and it's treatment and i believe in both miracles and science.

i guess that's my own rant.

X. Dell said...

(1) I'm thinking that the Raspberries had to be before your time. Funny, but I've never seen Eric Carmen before, as much as his music was the rage back then.

As for its appropriateness for a condom ad, I couldn't think of a better one.

(2) The CSPAN-2 disappearance is something of an ongoing cable phenomenon. Cable companies are offering more and more service for less and less. And bumping off a channel their research shows isn't as popular probably doesn't send them into restlessness at night.

(3) I was listening to a priest talking about his efforts to curb the rise of AIDS in Africa on NPR about a year ago. He said that the rise had to do with the "lack of morals." I reckon he assumes that below the Sahara, folks have more sex than the rest of us.

Of course, how could that be unless they're innundated with Viagra commercials? Perhaps their lust is spurred on by their emulation of Craig, Giulliani, Thompson, Vitter and those other champions of Christian conservatism.

The problem is that for the longest time there has been a conflation around the topics of sex and disease in general for the longest time. I believe that AIDS just focused the subject on a group of "others," be they Haitian, African, gay, et cetera.

The abstinence program probably promoes AIDS as well, since the emphasis is placed on sex, fewer people are prepared (with condoms) when they have it. After all, they don't teach you about "heat" in abstinence only programs. They can't, really.

(4) Thanks for the heads up on the Huff article. I see you've been creating a timeline of this story. I'm going to check it out when I get a chance.

fallenmonk said...

Good rant lady. Just follow the money is all I can say. The "christianists" are in charge and until we change that paradigm HIV is punishment from God for being gay, healthcare is for the wealthy, and the poor are poor because they are sinners and are being punished by God.
There wasn't even one question about healthcare on the most recent GOP debate on CNN.

Blueberry said...

I can barely stand watching the rest of those news channels when they cover events -- constant spin and yackety-yak, just shut the hell up, point the camera let me listen to the goings-on and let me make up my own mind about what I think of it. grrr.

Wordsmith said...

You are aware, aren't ya, that C-SPAN2 is online as well? That's my consolation when I vacillate between cable or no cable.

TomCat said...

E4e, sorry about your C-SPAN2. We get lots of health insurance ads here. Three different companies today, all associated with AARP.

enigma4ever said...

TOMCat: hmmm, so you still have ads, you might be the only one....

Wordsmith: I know cspan is online- but they don't stream everything or re-air everything on line...
only certain things....( that is kind of like censorship)...

Blueberry: sorry , I too hate News at this point and am VERY selective What and when I watch....

Monk: sadly everything you just said is soooo true..

XDell: you certainly presented somethings that I had never thought of presenting...wow...mostly a Medical ISsue should not be debated byt religous people, esp. if they do not understand the cultures of other countries- which Bushco does not....

CM:Bastards all of them....yup...that says it all...

Okay so maybe that is just my first rant of the week...ce la vie...

Wordsmith said...

Wordsmith: I know cspan is online- but they don't stream everything or re-air everything on line...only certain things....( that is kind of like censorship)...

I'm not sure I know what you're talking about here.

CSPAN-2 online is what is on CSPAN-2 television, just as it is with CSPAN-1. CSPAN-3 is something else entirely.

There's quite a bit on their website. Sometimes you have to wait a day or more for stuff to appear .

I find CSPAN a pretty good source although I'm not particularly fond of their political 'bent' or Brian Lamb's obvious tack. I wouldn't necessarily accuse them of censorship.

enigma4ever said...

Wordsmith: I feel like you want to argue- which is not necesssary, I am merely lamenting the LOSS of Something that I love, and have thrived on for years...I have been a cspan fan for many many years....I have watched it since before my son was born....and I don't want to argue- but you are incorrect- MAYBE it is different where you live- BUT here in Middle America- cpsan 2 is BOOK tv on weekend, and LIVE events- ie, Protests, and Election events, both very important to Freedom os speech- and cspan 2 does not run those live on their site....and that is frustating- so I did not get to see the DEM forum in Iowa- unless I wanted to watch pieces of it at 4am on cspan1, and yet ANN COULTER was on my TV FOUR TIMES on saturday on cpsan 1 AND there was Even an Interview with JEFF GANNON( remember dale the Press Room Hooker ?).....now I am sorry but this is just what happened with PBS, slowly infiltrated- and the first thing changed was the schedule...and the amount of DEM events shown is drastically different to Repug events.....NOW the reason that this is upsetting is that I pay Cable- it is ONE of my biggest Bills- so I surely deserve to be able to sit on my bed at ALL hours and watch Cspan and look things up Online while I watch...it is my way of educating myself and staying informed...and I am bummed- so just let me be bummed....I have that right....

You don't know me- I have blogged for over 2.5 years and everybody knows that I love CSPAN and have been hooked for years, but WHAT is avaialble online is NOT the same....I know this from watching it for many many years...and what is on cpsan1 and 2 is suposed to keep MOST people informed and engaged- 3 was created for HISTORY programs- that is totally different....

thanks again for your concern.....

Wordsmith said...

Nooo...I'm not trying to argue. I was 'providing' um, information; ya know, trying to be helpful. Yeah, I've watched CSPAN a long time, probably since before your son was born too. :-)

I don't know if CSPAN is different in other parts of the country. I just haven't noticed any difference between what is shown online and what's on my TV. Now to be fair while I was in Ohio and addicted to CSPAN, I didn't watch it online.

One of the things with Book-TV is I can sit in my home office and watch it online instead of being out in the living room or bedroom watching it on TV.

That interview with Gannon I just happened to catch, flippin' the channels. Fucking asshole.

Okay - I'll let you just be in your bummediness.

(FYI: I won't often - if ever - pick a fight and especially one with you because as you say, I don't know you. I'll wait a year or so, oK)