Month: August 2009

Per capita, Alaska gets more federal stimulus money than any other state.

Ron Paul's son, Rand, is running to replace Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY). Even the purists want to perpetuate their power somehow.

A picture of the Beck-Limbaugh-Reynolds right in action:

The Dish today had an especially varied diet. Andrew's main offerings included his reaction to the APA denouncing "reparative therapy," his defense of condemning the Gibbs gaffe, his continued discussion of race and partisanship, and an explanation of his political evolution – and consistency – over the years. (He also hinted at peeing in the shower – who doesn't?)

In foreign policy news, Clinton had trouble lecturing Kenya, Iranians targeted Nokia, and Juan Cole insisted that sanctions won't work (but went a bit too far in criticizing neocons). We discovered that Bush's Christianism was even scarier than we thought and that Americans, comparatively, could care less about climate change.

In conspiracy news, the Dish highlighted Obama smoking pot and exposed his secret Nazi plot. And  Andrew finally published his birth certificate.for all to see.

Finally, we started a new feature on the Dish today: The View From Your Sickbed, which chronicles your experiences with the American health-care system. The first entries can be found here, here, here, and here. (If you plan on contributing – at andrew@theatlantic.com – please put "Sickbed" in the subject heading.)

— C.B.

(Hat tip: Daily What)

A reader writes:

Just what was so improper about the Cambridge police's arrest of another Harvard professor three years ago? Unlike Professor Gates, who was arrested and released shortly thereafter, we can infer that this other Harvard professor was actually indicted, because we know that he was later actually put on trial for assault and battery, based upon charges brought by his ex-wife. In short, the police had probable cause to arrest him, regardless of whether he was in his house, your house, or the Harvard faculty lounge.

Following his arrest, his case was overseen by prosecutors, not the police, because that's how the criminal justice system works.

Whether or not he was guilty of the charges was for a jury to decide — again not the police. The jury ruled in his favor, and on that basis he is a free man. But that doesn't mean he never should have been arrested in the first place. All that was required was credible information that he might have been guilty, and if that bar is met, the criminal justice system takes it from there. The police don't render the ultimate verdict; that's not their job. So why do you continue your unrelenting assault on the police, who were just doing their job?

A reader writes:

As an epileptic I have had a few cases of seizures occurring in public places. While not life threatening, this can often impact strangers intensely. A stranger's first response is usually to call an ambulance and get me to a hospital. When I was younger and putting myself through college by working part time, this simple act of generosity on the part of the well meaning observer would terrify me more than the seizure itself.

A previous commenter related their experience of getting sick in Texas and since that is my home state you can begin to understand my dilemma. The simple act of being picked up off the ground, transported to the hospital and ingesting a Tylenol offered by doctor there would run me over a thousand dollars. When I checked my bill I discovered that the two Tylenols I had ingested alone cost me over 50 dollars.

After the first time this occurred I would come to in a panic asking if an ambulance had been called and if so I would do my best to bolt from the scene before the technicians showed up and did their best to convince me that it was in my best interest to take a ride to the hospital. Since I was working a part time minimum wage job, I could not afford to pay those bills and my credit was destroyed for years. At other similarly less fortunate occasions in my life I have been forced to take part in studies, moderate my dosage without the approval of a doctor or simply do without the medication that makes my life livable. I am fortunate now that I work for a company that provides decent health insurance, but going from one job to the next is highly dependent on the level of coverage I can expect to get.

From their Last.fm profile:

Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat are sisters from Iran, known primarily for vocals but also for performing the daf, a Middle Eastern drum. The pair contributed to the album “Lullabies from the Axis of Evil” (2004). Their first CD, “Songs from a Persian Garden,” was released in the United States in 2008.

View a longer version of the above performance here.