Category: Reader Rant

Here it is boys and girls, your open thread for Friday, January 21, 2011.

This means you can say what’s on your mind without having to push your round thoughts into the square pegs of a post.

Got a rant or a rave? Here’s where you put it.

Reader Rant: I am a gay OBcian. I noticed with broad interest that this blog published a photo and short…

It’s that time, boys and girls, to unroll the rants about our favorite federal agency, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA):

Rant #1 – “Nanny State” vs. Police State

Rant #2 : A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To Work (or How Much I Love TSA)

President Obama appointed 18 people to come up with suggestions for lowering the deficit. Yesterday, when Pres. Obama is outside of the country and will be until Sunday, they released their suggestions. I won’t go into detail about all of the things, but will mention two in particular that have me up in arms:
1. Social Security – raise the retirement age and lower the benefits

I am so mad that they are using SS as part of the reason for the budget problems.

I’m getting really, really sick of it. Everywhere I turn – there’s Sarah Palin. Not her really, of course, but another image of her, another post, another comment, another article, another scoop, ….

HELP!!!!!!!!!!

Am I the only one who is so sick of seeing her that I’m getting ready to throw up???

I wrote the first part – below – in response to the pink blindness I see everywhere. It has been a pet peeve of mine for many moons. It (pink ribbons) has been exploited for profit and now that Kentucky Fried Chicken jumped on the bandwagon it is so laughable. The very worst food for Health promotes BC Awareness?

by JEC

It’s happened.

McDonalds has followed through on their threat to turn every store into a robotic extension of a central hub located somewhere in – well – India I think.

Today grabing a snack wrap and coke, after suffering the delay of the predetory sales pitch – this time to buy a 400 calorie smoothie made with 10% fruit juice – a male voice asks for my order.

by Molly MacGuire
The peace movement of this past decade was George Bush’s tea parties.

Amidst the gnashing of teeth and stomping of feet by peace movement types – people like me – expressing our frustrations, distrust and exasperation over this whole change in Iraq, there is something that has to be brought up. Whether it’s just the appearance of the end of US combat after the 7 year war, or there has been a significant shift in American military power, there is something that I think has been overlooked.

Editor: The local San Diego government watch-dog web site, the Voice of San Diego, has caught TV station KUSI working the spin machine in favor of opponents of Prop D, the sales tax increase.
How Political Spin Became Fact on KUSI

by Keegan Kyle/Voice of San Diego/ August 31, 2010

Here’s a lesson from the budding campaign over Proposition D that shows how quickly political spin can become accepted fact. ….

by Anonymous OB Lawyer

Since this would appear to be an interpretation of an organization’s bylaws…I would want to know more about what the definition of “work” in OB means. Is there a further definition of what “work” means. Does it indicate that a person must work for a business that has a property and license in OB? If the bylaws are silent on this, then it really isn’t a stretch to say that Frank might qualify as “working” in OB.

In a civil court of law…making an argument that a PO Box doesn’t count would be a very very weak argument….

by Elaine

After losing my job of more than 25 years, being unemployed for 8 months and finally being offered a job at half the money I used to make, I found myself close to foreclosure. Really close. I have been consistently 2 months behind on my mortgage for over 2 years and cannot catch up. If it wasn’t for the 2 roommates that live with me I would have given up and let the bank have the damn house, along with the negative equity.

The story behind how I ended up in this situation is one you’ve heard before. Simply stated, I got divorced at the height of the real estate market (my house was appraised for almost 3 times what I paid for it) and at the time the best thing I could do was to stay put. Buying another house would have cost me just as much, increased my property taxes and with the additional expense of moving, well it just seemed like the best option for me and my kids.

by Anonymous

When I was seventeen in1967, a friend and I got in trouble at school, cutting class to go surfing if I remember right. This was not the first time we had been caught breaking school rules so it was no surprise when we were both called in to the principal’s office.

We were introduced to a couple of army recruiters and given choices. My friend Stein – his mother dead and his father the town drunk – could enlist or go to juvenile hall. I was offered expulsion or military service. I chose expulsion.

Stein, still not eighteen, showed up in Vietnam just in time for the Tet offensive. He was in country for less than two weeks before he was killed.

I would never betray my friend Stein by thanking him for dying in a war that no one has has ever explained to my satisfaction that had anything to do with mine or any other Americans’ freedom, or pursuit of happiness.