...and much ado about things that matter. And then some gravy.

Most of my readers are news unjunkies, so much of this will be, well, news to them. That's what this post is for. Note that the links provided should not be taken to imply that a single source is ever a smart way to look into an issue; these are simply jumping-off points with good punch, with a viewpoint that's a decent match to my own.

Number one: The Downing Street Hearings.
"Very slowly, and after an embarrassing gap of silence from the news media, the American people have come to hear about the Downing Street Minutes. This document, once confidential but leaked by a British version of Deep Throat, describes in plain language the manner in which the Bush and Blair administrations planned to manipulate their way into an invasion of Iraq. The Minutes describe how intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy of invasion, and that a pretense for war had to be manufactured in order to paint a veneer of legitimacy over what everyone involved knew was a patently illegal military action."

Finally it begins.

Number two: The Supreme Court of Canada on healthcare.
When you visit this link, read the whole thing - including all of the comments, and if interested some of the supporting links provided therein. It showcases some excellent cross-political discussion about the outcomes of the SCOC's recent decision to strike down a Quebec law forbidding private health insurance, on the grounds that the deficiencies of the public system made it a rights violation to deny any other alternative. The short-sighted and the political right are seeing this as a green light to private medicine in Canada. King Ralph will certainly do so.

The data say this is a fucking stupid idea. Follow those links in the comments, guys; they're pure gold for convincing people who might be wobbly about privatization issues. Peer-reviewed hard data from nonpolitical medical journals, collated into summary form.

Number three: Debt Relief for the third world.
"Instead of this self-congratulatory Lady Bountiful act, how about some real debt relief? That means unconditional, mass repudiation of debt, the sacking of the World Bank and IMF headquarters, and Paul Wolfowitz's bleeding head on a pike."

Anyone with a libertarian streak, once you follow the link above, go read all of the favorite posts linked down the left of Kevin Carson's blog. Fantastic stuff. Libertarianism isn't actually short-sighted and imbecilic; it's just that so many libertarians are.

Number four: Vaccines, Autism and Silence
Normally one would prefer to dismiss such things as the ravings of the tin-hat crowd. One really, really would. And in ninety-nine percent of such stories, one probably can. This is important, intensely relevant, and I very much fear it's one of the one percent. I will do some further research on this with respect to Canadian usage, but something tells me the outcome is unlikely to be pretty.

Other news worth noting includes the crisis in Bolivia, the Conservatives and the Liberals and the contempt they deserve, Microsoft and China, and a June 21 launch date for Cosmos 1.

And here's a little amusing gravy for you all to enjoy when you can take no more of this nonsense.

Enjoy!