tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post5088321619047582164..comments2024-01-05T06:18:18.086-05:00Comments on CommentaramaPolitics: Commentarama-nary Lives!AndrewPricehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comBlogger48125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-77205330600958602402014-07-20T22:43:58.967-04:002014-07-20T22:43:58.967-04:00I can think of millions of people, fundamentalist ...I can think of millions of people, fundamentalist Christians mostly who would freak the Hell out if we were contacted by a species from another star. I have friends who are convinced that Earth is the center of God's universe and that all of his love is showered on us....hmmm, they don't quite understand they preach about. <br /><br />Speaking of extraterrestrials, Jerry Brown may run for POTUS. So now we have a Moonbat, a fake Indian, a disgraced lawyer and a dumbass VP all looking at it....I think I'm hoping for an alien invasion.Critchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07106908233705403513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-53501457419635513342014-07-20T21:32:38.129-04:002014-07-20T21:32:38.129-04:00Actually, that's not true. When the first rov...Actually, that's not true. When the first rover landed on Mars and started sending back images, that was pretty amazing too. I remember thinking what would happen if a little green face looked right in the camera as it was being shown live! What would happen?BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-68153767926698789822014-07-20T21:29:43.288-04:002014-07-20T21:29:43.288-04:00Thanks Rustbelt, I forgot about the anniversary of...Thanks Rustbelt, I forgot about the anniversary of the moon landing. I DO remember it. I was 10, sitting in front of the old B&W TV (yes there was a time, children, that TV was only in B&W!) watching the landing and then waiting for the first walk on the moon. And sadly we've never done anything quite like since...BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-70934460833512879042014-07-20T18:03:17.467-04:002014-07-20T18:03:17.467-04:00Well, I wasn't around for the actual moon land...Well, I wasn't around for the actual moon landing, but it is the 45th anniversary today.<br /><br />So, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMA0zbFK5jE" rel="nofollow">here's some of NASA's restored footage of Tranquility Base.</a> (There IS some sound at the key moments, Neil's and JFK's speeches, mostly. But it still leaves me wondering how, in a world where can put men on the moon and in stations where they can live in space, why does NASA seem to have a problem with talkies?)Rustbelthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12190297078043033514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-29659064060435353582014-07-19T20:03:09.537-04:002014-07-19T20:03:09.537-04:00What? Was Barack at another fundraiser or golfing ...What? Was Barack at another fundraiser or golfing or something? Oh, yeah, I think he is at Camp David this weekend, before he and family take off for Martha's Vineyard for two weeks...BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-47738771685597635132014-07-19T19:53:36.046-04:002014-07-19T19:53:36.046-04:00US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power giving the ...US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power giving the speech Obama <i>should</i> have made —but didn't.<br /><br />She blasts Putin for sponsoring the insurgency in eastern Ukraine and points out the numerous connections between the insurgents and the Russian government and compares that to the generous offers made by President Poroshenko to the rebels including amnesty for those not guilty of capital crimes. <br /><br />Length: 12min 22sec<br /><a href="http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4504151/un-ambassador-samantha-power-statement-downed-malaysian-airliner" rel="nofollow">LINK</a>Kithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01453591141757808708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-7401081555471121462014-07-19T14:14:10.070-04:002014-07-19T14:14:10.070-04:00Koshcat, from what I've read, the gov't is...Koshcat, from what I've read, the gov't is claiming that because one part of one company was shut down for selling illegal scripts then FedEx should have known to stop dealing with the parent company and all its other subsidiaries. I don't know how reasonable that is, but I'm leaning toward "not very." The gov't is also claiming that b/c FedEx took steps to protect themselves from possible illegal acts of their clients, that constitutes collaboration or at least an admission of certain knowledge. That's like saying that wearing a seatbelt demonstrates that I intended to get in an accident. tryanmaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881154741574720094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-36953015225757097492014-07-19T12:56:00.834-04:002014-07-19T12:56:00.834-04:00Ukraine is accusing the rebels of "destroying...Ukraine is accusing the rebels of "destroying evidence" at the MH17 and yesterday an OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) team was blocked from accessing the site by a group of militants, several of whom were drunk.<br /><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-28383625" rel="nofollow">"MH17 crash: Ukraine accuses rebels of destroying evidence"</a><br /><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/18/mh17-crash-pro-russia-rebels-block-access-ukraine" rel="nofollow">"MH17: rebels block access to part of site of crash as evidence against them grows"</a>Kithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01453591141757808708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-41224483860579429402014-07-19T12:33:01.328-04:002014-07-19T12:33:01.328-04:00And Koshcat, FedEx counters by stating that they h...And Koshcat, FedEx counters by stating that they handle 10 million packages a day and cannot police each package without violating their customers' privacy. It seems to me that the Feds are leaning on FedEx as the middleman rather than investigating the pharmacies and matching prescriptions to doctors to patients. I won't even go to the Big Pharma and their monopoly on drug prices...BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-2857382245789346092014-07-19T12:26:41.206-04:002014-07-19T12:26:41.206-04:00Critch - I think that so many Westerners do not ap...Critch - I think that so many Westerners do not appreciate those documents because they have never really lived in situation where they have not known freedom. I talk to my Eastern European friends, mostly Polish, who know first hand what not having freedom means.BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-22047280349106915072014-07-19T07:46:12.884-04:002014-07-19T07:46:12.884-04:00Bev, the last time I was in the desert, 2006, I ga...Bev, the last time I was in the desert, 2006, I gave an Egyptian gentleman a copy of our Constitution and our Declaration of Independence. We had a number of great conversations over coffee about how things should be running. He was a Cambridge graduate and a genuinely nice person. He told me that he thought it was unfortunate that so many Westerners did not appreciate those documents. Critchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07106908233705403513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-10452443365653645552014-07-19T01:36:37.320-04:002014-07-19T01:36:37.320-04:00I'm not sure FedEx has a legal leg to stand on...I'm not sure FedEx has a legal leg to stand on. Knowingly transporting an illegal substance is illegal. They were informed that these companies were shipping narcs illegally. There are a lot of legal hoops to jump through to ship narcs. There is similarity between this and shipping cocain from Columbia. Does anyone think that would fly in court especially if the company was made aware?Koshcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00552108950848576633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-63461840077340974402014-07-18T20:35:42.922-04:002014-07-18T20:35:42.922-04:00Re: FedEx have the two pharmacies named in the Ti...Re: FedEx have the two pharmacies named in the Time article been indicted? Or any of the recipients?BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-28407804685981629412014-07-18T20:32:13.642-04:002014-07-18T20:32:13.642-04:00It was also reported that there were 100 children...It was also reported that there were 100 children on board...BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-18487351817489693512014-07-18T17:37:14.548-04:002014-07-18T17:37:14.548-04:00re MH17,
There was 1 American on board. The Nethe...re MH17,<br /><br />There was 1 American on board. The Netherlands had the highest number of citizens killed with 189, Malaysia the 2nd highest w/ 44, and Australia the 3rd at 27. Other countries that lost citizens include, but are not limited to, Belgium (6), UK (9), and Israel (1). 3 persons remain unverified.Kithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01453591141757808708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-21085939688192838602014-07-18T17:03:36.081-04:002014-07-18T17:03:36.081-04:00The biggest claim is that "FedEx took steps t...The biggest claim is that "FedEx took steps to protect its business by setting up special credit policies for Internet pharmacies so it wouldn't lose money if police shut the sites down, the indictment says."<br /><br />Like the others, I'm not a big enough legal mind so how would that be "conspiracy"? <br /><br /><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2014/07/17/fedex-charged-with-trafficking-drugs-for-web-pharmacies/12808643/" rel="nofollow">LINK</a><br /><br />I also find it interesting that no <i>specific</i> individuals were indicted.Kithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01453591141757808708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-13982335387749642922014-07-18T16:32:32.407-04:002014-07-18T16:32:32.407-04:00Bev, That is essentially what they are demanding f...Bev, That is essentially what they are demanding from a legal standpoint. But I think the feds will try to talk around that. They will instead say that FedEx received information (from the Feds) that these pharmacies were selling illegal drugs, so they should have not taken the packages... and they will hope that no one fills in all the blanks they are skipping.<br /><br /><br />tryanmax, I recall the UPS situation. I'm not sure what "normal practices" they could be talking about?AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-16238137151916626002014-07-18T16:18:13.624-04:002014-07-18T16:18:13.624-04:00So what you are saying is that the Feds want FedEx...So what you are saying is that the Feds want FedEx to request to see verification that the prescriptions are from the licensed doctors. Which of course means they would have to know exactly what is in the box and who it is going to. Doesn't that break all kinds of HIPAA laws? <br /><br />Oh, wait, the Feds will already know what doctors and what medications the recipient has been prescribed already through the very convenient electronic medical filing system required by ACA...BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-22528397707030829552014-07-18T15:55:41.685-04:002014-07-18T15:55:41.685-04:00Sounds like UPS already rolled on something simila...Sounds like UPS already rolled on something similar. That'll make FedEx's fight that much harder, I suspect. According to the TIME article, FedEx allegedly “departed from its usual business practices” to allow the drug trade to continue. I don't even see how such a thing is possible. Normal practice for a shipping company is to pick up and drop off with no questions asked. Anything FedEx might do to identify illegal pharmacies would be a departure from usual business practices. tryanmaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881154741574720094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-46018909456826836662014-07-18T15:06:43.991-04:002014-07-18T15:06:43.991-04:00Bev, It's even worse than that. If we were ta...Bev, It's even worse than that. If we were talking about guns or cocaine, then FedEx could at least spot them. But we're talking about something that is usually legal. In effect, the feds are demanding that FedEx investigate whether or not the pills it is carrying were legally purchased and stop the ones that weren't. How exactly does FedEx do that except to blacklist sellers the feds tell them to blacklist?AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-54458420986631547612014-07-18T14:54:16.468-04:002014-07-18T14:54:16.468-04:00I can understand if the entity the Feds are going ...I can understand if the entity the Feds are going after knowingly transacted. But to go after shipping companies for carrying mail that they are not allowed to open seems unlawful. They put FedEx in a bind - break the law by opening the packages or breaking the law by transporting unknown content that might be drugs or arms or "banned" material.BevfromNYChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14953050916932306270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-89672625060010050392014-07-18T13:19:06.643-04:002014-07-18T13:19:06.643-04:00tryanmax,Exactly.tryanmax,Exactly.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-8017597479381884872014-07-18T12:53:39.843-04:002014-07-18T12:53:39.843-04:00It's conscription, plain and simple. And it...It's conscription, plain and simple. And it's an obvious sign that the Fed has spread itself too thin. (Gee, I wonder how that happened?) This is how biggness fails, by trying to draw more cats into the herd. tryanmaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09881154741574720094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-64956068424664867592014-07-18T12:37:13.248-04:002014-07-18T12:37:13.248-04:00BTW, this is part of a trend over the past decade ...BTW, this is part of a trend over the past decade or so, where the Feds are increasingly attacking "transactional" players like banks, payment processors, internet providers, or transportation services to make them enforce US policy.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251675227852122352.post-54237018577355891242014-07-18T12:35:34.218-04:002014-07-18T12:35:34.218-04:00Bev and Kit, I'm bothered by this greatly. Th...Bev and Kit, I'm bothered by this greatly. The feds are trying to force FedEx into becoming an arm of the state and conducting independent investigations of their customers to see if they are in compliance with the law. That's an abuse -- the Feds don't have that right. If they want to get these pharmacies, then get them... don't try to force FedEx into helping you.AndrewPricehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11312364467936820986noreply@blogger.com