Peter Hodges

Universal healthcare - Basic human right or the end of innovation in medicine?

Hillary Clinton promises to get it done if elected President.

If possible, remove her personality from the debate and make cogent points regarding the pros and cons of such a system. Will universal healthcare eliminate cases like this? Is this a step toward a socialist state?

Discuss.

The Oblivion expansion pack is out.  I have to admit that I did not finish the game, so I probably won’t be buying it. However, I know quite a few of you did.

Enjoy!

Pete asked me earlier to post something as they are getting some nasty weather. Not to mention he’s getting used to the cutest baby in the world.

So, since we barely got to know each other when I was covering for Pete, I’d like to know who is out there in the web audience and frankly, I’m tired and about to head to bed. So a simple yet elegant assignment for you.

One of my favorite questions that breaks the ice and gives you keen insight into someones psyche is:

What do you like on your pizza?

For me, it’s a puffy crispy crust pizza with cracked dough bubbles, a nice but not to thick tomato sauce, extra cheese, garlic and fresh sliced tomatoes on the top. I’ll sometimes throw some hot sauce on their or red pepper flakes, depending on what is available. I like a tasty pizza, but not necessarily dripping grease down my arm as I eat it.

Those of you who know me, this is your challenge; what does my eating habit say about me? To those of you who don’t, what do you see? I honestly think we can tell a lot about a person with what they choose to garnish their pies. My ex-husband preferred plain cheese pizza. Now, I’m not going to knock all you K.I.S.S (keep it simple stupid) fans out there, but could you be any more boring with such a tempting dining option? Some of the most intriguing people I’ve met have enjoyed garbage pizzas. I love that term for throwing every topping imaginable on the crust.

So start passing out the slices and let me know what you like!

It appears that one of my fans has seen fit to embellish the Wikipedia article on golf balls with a libelous account of my ghey exploits. Of course, there are several OTHER Peter Hodges out there, so maybe I’m not the one mentioned in the article.

If someone has a Wikipedia account (I don’t, nor do I want to create one), would you mind returning the article to its original state?

I believe the Democrats should go with a weasel or a chicken for their mascot. Both animals sum up the Democratic mentality nicely. The Republicans, on the other hand, would do well with Napoleon the Pig (from Orwell’s Animal Farm) or the Democrat’s own donkey.

In the latest example of our inability to deal with current issues, our illustrious congress has attempted to put a mandatory pull out date for our operations in Iraq in an appropriations bill that is supposed to fund our efforts there. Whether you’re in favor of our current deployment in Iraq or not, our country has a responsibility to finish what we started. To pull out now, based on a time table that is politically expedient, is unfair to the people of Iraq. It is also unfair to those American men and women who have lost their lives to achieve the objectives of our government. Providing a mandatory pull out date is tantamout to pissing on the graves of our sons and daughters, brother and sisters, fathers and mothers. The Democratic party is sending a clear message that the sacrifices that have already been made have achieved nothing. They can couch it in terms of “we’re saving the lives of future soldiers,” but the reality is that they want to win elections. By politicizing the future of Iraq, they gain seats in congress and time in the limelight of our sensationalist media.

The Republicans, on the other hand, are just as guilty. They used a paper thin excuse to convince the American people that they were making the world safe from terrorism. Had President Bush come on my television and told us the following: “Folks…we’re going after the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan as best we know how. However, it is in the interests of America that we extend our fight to Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Lebanon, and Sudan in order to secure the world for Western interests. This means an increase in military spending and deployment, but will ultimately make the price for attacking America so high that terrorist organizations around the world will understand that to do so means signing their own death warrant.” I would have no problem with this kind of honest, naked imperialism. Instead, we were lied to, or at best, misled about the facts on the ground in Iraq. It was a truly noble calling for us to free the people of Iraq, but to do so under the guise of searching for WMD’s or crushing terrorist organizations is a lie.

And now, despite the fact that the American people were misled, we have a responsibility to finish what we’ve started. An election year doesn’t suddenly absolve the body politic from discharing its responsibilities. We owe the people of Iraq and the Middle East a chance to see a stable and secure nation state. Suddenly withdrawing our support by sacrificing an entire country’s future on the altar of political expediency is reprehensible and cowardly. We, as a nation, are better than that. We have a history of individualism and self-determination, but this has always been tempered with a sense of duty and justice. If we abandon the people of Iraq in their hour of need, then we, as citizens, share the blame for every man, woman, and child who dies as a result of the ensuing anarchy and instability.

It is time our leadership realized this.

…arrives tomorrow. If you’re looking for a partner in world domination, look no further than Captain Spank. My first impressions will follow.