Morning Radio

Ken AshfordHealth CareLeave a Comment

I missed the beginning of the interview, but NPR's Morning Edition was interviewing somebody who was opposed to Obama's plan for health care reform. The guy was exciteable and defensive, and really really contradictory. For example, the guy said (I'm paraphrasing) that whenever government competes with private business, it always does a bad job.  He cited as examples, the post office … Read More

Teddy Hagiography

Ken AshfordIn PassingLeave a Comment

Last night was literally the first evening in months where I had no rehearsals, no performances, no auditions, no theatre-related meetings, etc.  In other words, it was the first evening in months where I could veg in front of the TV. Man, what a bleak oasis. With nothing to grab my interest, I gravitated to the news channels, where there … Read More

Texas (Of Course) Executes Innocent Man

Ken AshfordCrime2 Comments

Take a long look at the picture: That's Amber Willingham and her father, Cameron Todd Willingham. In 1992,the Willingham house caught fire.  Amber and her two sisters perished. Cameron, the father, was charged with murder.  He is the only person in history charged with murder where fire was the weapon. There wasn't much evidence against him.  He was convicted largely … Read More

Health Insurance And The Free Market

Ken AshfordEconomy & Jobs & Deficit, Health Care1 Comment

Tthose opposed to health care reform do so because they want to keep "their" insurance.  (Forget for a moment that under the Obama health care public option, you can keep "your" insurance). But how many people can actually claim that "their" health insurance is actually theirs?  I mean, did they select it?  Was it their choice? I buy insurance for my car; … Read More

If Gay Marriage Destroys Marriage…..

Ken AshfordSex/Morality/Family Values2 Comments

then why does Massachusetts have the lowest divorce rate in the entire country? It's been five year since Massachusetts recognized marriage equality, long enough to actually get some data on its effects (if any) Before I go on, let's have a quote-a-thon: "Homosexuals are not monogamous. They want to destroy the institution of marriage. It [ same-sex marriage ] will … Read More

The Coburn Health Care Plan

Ken AshfordHealth CareLeave a Comment

CNN’s Rick Sanchez aired a segment from a health care town hall where a weeping constituent explained to Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) her prblems. The woman in the clip struggles to even speak through her tears, but she explains to her right-wing senator that her husband has traumatic brain injuries. Their family's private insurer, she said, won't cover some of his … Read More

RIP Edward Kennedy

Ken AshfordHealth Care, In PassingLeave a Comment

In the 1930's, Joe Kennedy knew one of his sons would be President.  That future president, everyone assumed, was to be smart, handsome, and charismatic Joe Kennedy, Jr.  But Joe Jr. was shot down and killed in WWII.  All eyes fell to John. Joe Kennedy lived long enough to see JFK become President, as well as the younger brother Bobby become Attorney … Read More

Thomas Paine Weighs In On Torture

Ken AshfordHistory, War on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

GOP Congressman Peter King — the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee — had said this today regarding Eric Holder's decision to investigate whether laws were broken by the Bush administration's torture: "It’s bulls***. It’s disgraceful. You wonder which side they’re on.  [It's' a] declaration of war against the CIA, and against common sense…" Yeah.  Well, one can be "not … Read More

The Torture

Ken AshfordWar on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

I don't have much to say about this… WASHINGTON – With just two weeks of training, or about half the time it takes to become a truck driver, the CIA certified its spies as interrogation experts after 9/11 and handed them the keys to the most coercive tactics in the agency's arsenal. It was a haphazard process, cobbled together in … Read More