"If you put arsenic in someone's tea, it's not the tea's fault."

If the tea leaves are soaked in arsenic during the manufacturing process, and there are no checks in the system to make sure the consumer is not being poisoned...yes it is the tea's fault. It is also the FDA's fault.

The FDA is not doing it's job. The FDA has not recalled any of these products. They have left it to the manufacturers to self police and to submit their own recalls. This poison has also entered the human food supply as it was fed to pigs and chicken. This is from the FDA's web site:

"The same procedures are being followed in relation to both hogs and poultry; animals are being quarantined by state order or voluntarily held by the owners."

There is no federal (FDA) recall of pet or human food products!

Heck of a job...[insert unqualified Bush political appointee here]! Unfettered free market capitalism at work.

My neighbor's dog died because of this poisoned pet food.

"Among other things, the legislation would give the FDA authority to order mandatory food recalls and would establish uniform federal standards for pet food."

From the FDA web site:

"Recalls may be conducted on a firm's own initiative, by FDA request, or by FDA order under statutory authority."

Some faster than others. Don't treat him any different than if he were going to live another 20 years. If you have a problem with anyone's indifference what would you do? The problem is that everyone is treating him with kid gloves. He's dying. We are all dying. He's going to get there quicker. He's not dead yet. He should be treated as a living person, not a dying one.

Also, it is not self centered to be offended by someone's indifference or rudeness. It is self centered to focus on it and to assume that you are the sole target of that rudeness or indifference. An asshole is usually an asshole universally. This guy most likely treats everyone with a bad attitude. If it is just you, then have a conversation with him.

There has been a quiet corporate takeover of the entire military apparatus. Monetary corruption such as overbilling should be the least of our worries. These companies, now global enterprises (see Haliburton), have no national allegiance or congressional oversight. They will do the work, only as long as it is profitable. They will only abide by their corporate laws.

These companies and their employees do not have to abide by American foreign policy or rules of engagement (see Eugene Hasenfus, Iran Contra.) This use of contractors allows for criminal behavior, or behavior not authorized by congress (see rendition, torture, lack of habeas corpus Guantanamo, and telecommunications companies participating in domestic spying.)

These current contracting scenarios are best-case and assume an abundance of tax dollars and also assume that the government is driving the car. In actuality, profit motive is driving the car. Once these companies gain expertize at American taxpayer's expense, why shouldn't they sell their services to the highest bidder?

Perhaps the Sunnis will take some of that stolen oil money and buy some Blackwater mercenaries of their own. They can supply them with battlefield data purchased from Northrop Grumman. That would be a nice fight to watch. Contractors vs. contractors.

"Senators Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Dianne Feinstein of California, proposed barring spending on interrogation techniques that go beyond the Army Field Manual, which bans physical pressure or pain. Under their proposal, the only exception would have been when the president determined “that an individual has information about a specific and imminent threat.”

The amendment failed when Senator Bill Nelson, Democrat of Florida, joined all the Republicans in voting no."

~N.Y Times 2007/06/01

Anyone in Florida got a problem with their representative and want to give him a piece of your mind: 202-224-5274

Note that the 3 media's contenders were placed next to each other center stage. Dodd and Kucinich get placed on the edges. The media's candidates (translation-whomever has the larges war chest) were also aloud to interrupt each other and respond to each other's criticisms. Kucinich repeatedly attempted to interject that there was more than one way to skin a cat, but was ignored or passed over by the moderators. These subtle manipulations on the part of the press should be called to account and should be pointed out to the public. Thank goodness they had the "army of staffers with stopwatches," because you (Michael) didn't get off your lazy ass and time the response times, nor did any main stream media news outlet. All that would have taken was one person, a stop watch, and C-Span. It wouldn't even require you to leave to comfort of your couch. You people call yourselves journalists.

Most wanted a private sector solution to health insurance. Most framed the war (civil war between Shia and Sunni Iraqis) as America vs. the insurgent terrorists (how many of these so called Al Qaida in Iraq terrorists have we actually captured?) Most voted for the war and for war funding. Most wanted to expand the military. Most have a personal wealth over one million dollars. Most have never held a job other than in politics. If they were dominated by republican talking points, it is because they are actually republicans.

Al Gore democrats, the ones that actually have conviction, a stance, and a reason to be, should call these pretenders to the mat.

The Scooter Libby sentencing would be the 'wag the dog' in this particular case.