This is so bizarre. Drug companies dumping addictive drugs in rural communities. Check out this lawsuit.
KERMIT, WV — This town of 392 people in Southern West Virginia is suing out-of-state drug distributors that shipped nearly 9 million highly addictive pain pills to a single pharmacy there in just two years. – Read more at Charleston Gazette
Real estate values in Kermit increase 33%
I remember a high school teacher of mine, way back, telling us of how 19th century colonialists flooded China with opium to make the indigeneous people easier to subjugate. Sound familiar?
karma, bink, karma
bid, I agree that the Dakota protest would make a much better reality show. here’s the latest episode
huffpo:
Veterans Vs. Trump: Pipeline Will Never Be Built, Warriors Vow
“It’s not happening on our watch,” says Veterans Stand.
U.S. military veterans have thrown down the gauntlet to the Trump administration, vowing that the Dakota Access Pipeline will “not be completed— not on our watch.”
Veterans Stand, a group of vets who have vowed to protect the pipeline protesters of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation and supporters, ominously threatened the possibility of more “boots on the ground” at the site — but also repeated their commitment to nonviolent action. The group is capable of calling up several thousand veterans to the protest site.
“We are committed to the people of Standing Rock, we are committed to nonviolence, and we will do everything within our power to ensure that the environment and human life are respected,” spokesman Anthony Diggs told CNBC. “That pipeline will not get completed. Not on our watch.”
The latest defiant declaration follows the arrest Wednesday of nearly 80 protesters camped out at the demonstration site near the town of Cannon Ball, North Dakota, amid the Trump administration’s determined press to push through the controversial pipeline…..
sturge, how would you have liked this tour of duty?
cbs12 local station:
Coast Guard sets security zones for President Trump’s visit
flatus, here’s wapo’s coverage on the flag flying: A special warfare unit was spotted flying a Trump flag in public. Now the Navy is investigating.
[….]
For some, military personnel publicly endorsing a political candidate exacerbates existing fears about American institutions falling prey to an administration that has been accused of having authoritarian impulses. For others, the flag was little more than a patriotic celebration highlighting the peaceful transfer of power.
The Navy has an opinion as well: The display was “unauthorized.” [….]
“Department of Defense and Navy regulations prescribe flags and pennants that may be displayed as well as the manner of display,” the statement said. “The flag shown in the video was unauthorized. A command inquiry into this matter has been initiated.”
“Naval Special Warfare strives to maintain the highest level of readiness, effectiveness, discipline, efficiency, integrity, and public confidence,” the statement continued. “To this end, Naval Special Warfare leaders are committed to thoroughly and impartially investigating all non-frivolous allegations of misconduct. Where misconduct is present, the Naval Special Warfare commander responsible for ensuring good order and discipline within his unit will make a disposition decision as to the appropriate administrative and/or disciplinary action, if any.” [….]
U.S. Rep. Scott Taylor, a Trump-supporting Republican and former Navy SEAL from Virginia Beach, told the Virginian Pilot that the decision to fly the flag was clearly inappropriate and was quickly corrected by the individual’s senior officer.
“Obviously, it’s inappropriate,” Taylor told the paper. “It’s very clear that you should not be doing that, that they shouldn’t be involved in politics, overtly in their military capacity.”
It’s the no.1 prescribed drug of addiction in our little town. Heroin is the no.1 street drug. As far as Rx painkillers, WV is No. 3. But for ODs, we’re No. 1.
Kentucky & Ohio are nipping at our heels, and PA is in the top 10 as well. Kind of an opioid black hole.
another addiction running rampant that gopers don’t want to control: guns.
upi: House votes to roll back rule to prevent mentally ill from buying guns
patd, I really can’t see how the House (or their funding source, the NRA) could possibly think that’s a good idea – well, except that the NRA’s real constituency, the gun manufacturing and sales industry, would stand to benefit. But hey, it’s already happening – Exhibit A – Ted Nugent.
the newly minted country of that big blue flag needs a proper name. any ideas?
“tromp-us-stan” ?
“DST” (deranged/divided states of trauma)?
Pat, I would direct formal reprimands for all found to be culpable, apologize to the public, reaffirm our nation’s policy that our armed forces are apolitical, and hope that all will learn from this unfortunate breach of discipline. Should there be a repetition, I shall not be so charitable.
loved this:
Keith Olbermann Retweeted Donald J. Trump
They’re called “refugees” you piece of shit.https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/827002559122567168 …
Keith Olbermann added,
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
Do you believe it? The Obama Administration agreed to take thousands of illegal immigrants from Australia. Why? I will study this dumb deal!
Retweets 6,856
Likes 16,295
Craig…. I’ve recently read a book entitled “Hillbilly Elegy”. It’s a memoir of a man who’s entire family is from Jackson, Kentucky. He grew up in a rust belt town in Ohio when his grandparents, mother, and other family members moved there in search of a better life. He managed to go to Yale Law School and now works in Silicon Valley. A review of the book in The Economist said it was one of the most important books of 2016. I bet you’d be familiar with the story of his childhood.
Some of his concluding remarks about Appalachian hillbillies are very interesting, IMO. I found this compilation of those remarks on a review on Amazon.
“People sometimes ask whether I think there’s anything we can do to “solve” the problems of my community. I know what they’re looking for: a magical public policy solution or an innovative government program. But these problems of family, faith, and culture aren’t like a Rubik’s Cube, and I don’t think that solutions (as most understand the term) really exist…..Public policy can help, but there is no government that can fix these problems for us….I don’t know what the answer is, precisely, but I know it starts when we stop blaming Obama or Bush or faceless companies and ask ourselves what we can do to make things better.”
It’s so easy to blame problems on “the other”.
Methinks that taking a good long and hard look in a mirror can do wonders.
There is a second book about the same subject by a sociologist Arlie Hochschild and frankly, I have to say a pile of poop. They both are apologists for people who got left behind because of their own racial and religious prejudices Craptastic apologists for people who prefer pre civil war US
They have no one to blame but themselves
Both books got a lot of press during the campaign purporting to explain the Trump phenom. But it was just another excuse for religious and racial bigotry
Pogo, thanks (I guess) for those alarming stats. I knew heroin was a problem, but not this.
RR, I have to agree with that author on looking in the mirror, but the loss of jobs not their fault. In this opioid thing, can’t understand how a lawsuit can be sustained. It’s not like the drug companies forced them to overdose.
There have been a bunch of lawsuits mostly against doctors for over use of pain killers and some successful – and the question is shouldn’t the drug companies have been paying attention to where the sales where going
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/05/05/prescription-for-disaster
New sanctions against Iran for no reason
they did not violate the 7 nation agreement only we have done that
“It’s not like the drug companies forced them to overdose.”
boss, same can be said about the gun manufacturers, not like they force folks to kill folks.
would be nice tho’ if there were warning labels…. or if corps had a sense of morality instead of greed/profit at any cost.
there are warning labels on prescription medications
at Kaiser you must meet with a pharmacist for each new prescription
kgc, do you have a link for your comment the 1st thing Tillerson did was change the restrictions against Russia to allow a deal for Exxon ? nothing seems to be out there other than supposition that he would do something like that.
I wonder if drumpf & sil haven’t already made a deal with vlad and will use the sos former known connection to give them cover. iow, a “it was his fault” alibi when things go bad and corruption exposed.
Craig…. that line about looking into the mirror was my thought. What the author said is in quotes. And I agree about the loss of jobs not being their fault. The author says that even with jobs right in front of them, many still make bad choices. He thinks the problem is mainly cultural and that even when they move they take their attitudes with them.
reuters at msn:
Japan is putting together a package it says could generate 700,000 U.S. jobs and help create a $450-billion market, to present to U.S. President Donald Trump next week, government sources familiar with the plans said.
The five-part package, to be unveiled when Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visits Trump on Feb. 10 in Washington, envisage investments in infrastructure projects such as high-speed trains and cybersecurity, said the sources, who declined to be identified as they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Investing in overseas infrastructure projects dovetails with a key plank in Abe’s growth strategy, which is to export “high-quality” infrastructure technology.
Japan will invest 17 trillion yen ($150 billion) in public and private funds over 10 years, the sources said. That would include helping develop high-speed railways in the northeastern United States, and the states of Texas and California, and renovating subway and train cars.
The package also includes cooperation in global infrastructure investment, joint development of robots and artificial intelligence, and cooperation in cybersecurity and space exploration, among others.
The government may tap its foreign exchange reserves account to fund part of the package, the sources said.
It may also get funding from megabanks and government-affiliated financial institutions, as well as the Government Pension Investment Fund, the Asahi and other newspapers reported.
However, GPIF President Norihiro Takahashi said on Thursday there was no truth to reports that the Fund would invest as a part of the government package, adding that the Fund made its investment decisions to benefit policyholders.
($1=113.0100 yen)
One of the ironies in the statistics is that the proportion of WV’s population that uses illicit drugs is fairly low at 7.7%. Over prescribing painkillers when they aren’t needed is a huge problem that gets “legal” drugs on the street.
One of the new and growing problems is with subutex (suboxone, suboxin) from the pop-up addiction centers around here. The centers are notorious for giving out narcotic addiction treatment drugs and not lowering the dose over time, leaving the clients addicted to a new and different drug – that is available on the street to bump them past therapeutic levels in to abuse. Doing what I do for a living I hear people – largely young parents – try to defend their drug use with some regularity. They think people in the courts will forgive abuse of legal drugs. They are finding out that courts are not so easily fooled.
patd
I heard it on a cbs radio station and I haven’t been able to find anything in print
there is this
http://www.computerworld.com/article/3164841/security/obama-led-sanction-affected-us-tech-firms-in-russia.html saying they have “tweaked the sanctions”
and Nikki Haley saying they have not
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nikki-haley-says-russia-sanctions-ukraine-will-continue/
I think Tillerson did do something with the Russians over oil and now they have “privatized the statement” because of the problems it would cause.
Also CBS said they couldn’t find any racist statements directly attributable to Banhim
patd,
Here’s a link to USA Today’s article on the Russian sanctions.
Poobah, was it you before who said reinstitutin g Galss-Stegall instead of Dodd-Frank would be a good thing? Well, looks like drumpf intends to deliver half of that – getting rid of Dodd-Frank. Considering how drumpf pilloried Hillary over her Wall Street connections and ridiculed the notion that she would regulate the big binks, him surrounding himself with Goldman Sachs toadies and saying he’s going to lift the Dodd–Frank regulations strikes me as another bill of goods sold by the flimflam prez to his gullible crowd.
And IMHO, Sean Spli(ar)cer won’t last in his job. His cred with the press to the extent it exists ain’t gonna last long if he keeps talking a mile a minute, blaming Obama and claiming small is big, up is down and black is white. Whenever Mrs. P sees him talk she says he’s got a Pinocchio nose.
KGC, No, perhaps Banhim didn’t write the articles, but he did boast that Breitbart was a platform for the alt-right and he provided them that platform.
Pogo
I don’t think they looked very hard
KC, probably not.
Hey, what was it- two weeks ago that drumpf said he wouldn’t be taking weekends off? So what’s he doing today? Moving to the “Winter White House” also known as Mar-a-Lago. I guess there aren’t enough phone and computer lines in the regular White House to spend the weekend in DC. But I’m sure he’ll be working hard – look for the tweets. Keep an eye on his complexion to see if he’s hard at work or just working on his tan.
He’s probably never going back to DC
I wonder if Melanoma will be joining him
Nothing Pussy Grabber says is a fact until it happens
pogo, thanks for the link but it was treasury* not state and techie stuff not oil. so the link to sos tillerson 1st action charge is still unanswered.
*The U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday eased economic sanctions on Russia, allowing some cyber-security transactions with the Russian Federal Security Service accused of meddling in the U.S. electoral process.
treasury is the enforcement agency
maybe they conflated this story
http://www.vox.com/2017/2/1/14477314/oil-companies-disclosure-rule-tillerson
Some reporting indicates he picked a fight with China on his first day but I am sure he can multi-task
https://www.desmogblog.com/2017/02/02/rex-tillerson-south-china-sea-exxon-russia-offshore-oil-gas
kgc & pogo, to answer both re work and mel here’s daily mail First Lady Melania to make first public appearance in two weeks at Red Cross ball with her husband in Mar-a-Lago – despite charity contending with Trump travel ban.
heard somewhere that red cross ball at mar a lago has been a big thing for decades in palm beach going back to the Marjorie Merriweather Post ownership of the place. also heard on cbs this a.m. that she gave (willed?) MaL to the feds for prez/gov retreat but the feds couldn’t afford the upkeep so put it up for sale and drumpf bought it at a bargain.
DEVOS vote on monday. HERE IS A LIST OF REPUBLICAN SENATORS WHO MAY BE PERSUADED TO VOTE AGAINST DEVOS!
Please give them a call as soon as possible and kindly ask them to vote against Betsy DeVos! Thank you!!
Jeff Flake – AZ: (520) 575-8633
John McCain – AZ: (602) 952-2410
Deb Fisher – NE: (402) 441-4600
Bob Corker – TN: (202) 224-3344
Mike Crapo – ID: (202) 224-6142
Joni Ernst – IA: (202) 224-3254
Dean Heller – NV: (702) 388-6605
Shelly Moore Capito – WV: (304) 347-5372
There are conflicting reports of whether Senator Toomey (PA) is at all considerting a “no” vote, but it’s worth a call: (202) 224-4254
ALSO, we need Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) NOT to switch. Rumor has it that he is considering a “yes” to DeVos vote now. His number is (202) 224-5274.
wiki:
Mar-a-Lago (English pronunciation: /mɑɹ.ə.lɑ.goʊ/) is an estate and National Historic Landmark in Palm Beach, Florida, built from 1924 to 1927 by heiress and socialite Marjorie Merriweather Post. Post envisioned the house as a future winter retreat for American presidents and foreign dignitaries, and following her death in 1973 it was bequeathed to the nation. However, successive presidents declined to use the mansion, which was returned to Post’s estate in 1980 and eventually purchased by Donald Trump in 1985.
[….]
Upon her death in 1973, Post willed the 17-acre (69,000 m2) estate to the United States government as a Winter White House for presidents and visiting foreign dignitaries. Richard Nixon preferred the Florida White House in Key Biscayne, however, and Jimmy Carter was not interested. Not wanting to pay $1 million in annual taxes and maintenance costs, the government returned it to the Post Foundation in 1981, which listed it for sale for $20 million. Dina Merrill and Post’s two other daughters did not maintain the property, expecting to sell it, but there was so little interest that the city approved its demolition to build smaller homes. Mar-a-Lago was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1980.
After unsuccessfully trying to purchase and combine two apartments in Palm Beach for his family, Donald Trump learned about the estate and offered $15 million. After the Post family rejected the offer, Trump threatened to block Mar-a-Lago’s beach view, forcing the Post family to accept his last offer of less than $8 million in December 1985.[
Has everyone seen Winter’s Bone It was the first film that really gave Jennifer Lawrence her big break. It is about poverty, methamphetamine, and family in the Ozarks.
patd, I just looked for something about the easing of sanctions on Russia. Maybe even drumpf could anticipate a firestorm if Tillerson announced such an easing. Besides, i think those kinds of easing would have to come from Treasury. I think what is comical is that the actions easing those sanctions are not easing or changing policy according to drumpf and Sli(ar)cer.
Published on Jan 24, 2017
Prepare for some stiff competition at this year’s most anticipated sporting event: Puppy Bowl XIII. As 78 rescue puppies face off in an epic game of Team Fluff versus Team Ruff in the hours before the Super Bowl, three all-star players with disabilities, Doobert, Lucky and Winston, are making this year’s championship one of the most inclusive yet. Insideedition.com takes you behind the scenes of the taping of this year’s Puppy Bowl.
Jamie and all who just want to see the ads but aren’t interested in the game, here are some of them courtesy of usmag
We go to a friend’s annual super bowl party. You can watch the game seriously or you can chat and chew. It’s always fun
My grandparents used to winter in Palm Beach. MaL was on a nice quiet road to nowhere backing up to the intra-coastal. Down the street (towards town) from them was Mrs (Frances) Bolton’s ocean front estate. She was our U.S. representative from Ohio.
I remember when I was perhaps 12-y.o. going into a shop on Worth Ave and buying a very pretty (not expensive) embroidered hankie. I had it nicely wrapped, settled with the store, then went outside and presented it to my grandma. To say that she was touched would be an understatement. She was a very, very special woman.
The “war on drugs” in general and the war on oxy in particular is a symptom of too many failed policies, politicians and promises. Right now all sorts of politicians are proclaiming their own ‘get tuff on oxy” plans. All of them are stupid. The oxy, or heroin or booze or whatever addictions are a result of failures from much earlier. That people are dying immediately of an OD instead of over forty years from liver failure is the attention getter.
I propose immediately making marijuana legal and free. Let those who are addicts get stoned on weed with the hope that many would not use the more lethal drugs.
One of the side effects of the “get tuff on oxy” crap is for those of us who do need it a lot of useless or stupid steps to get our prescriptions filled. I just saw one moran proposing to limit a script to seven pills or something equally idiotic. That is one way to drive up the street price and not solve a problem. To solve a problem you look at the cause. In this case it goes back as far as anyone with time on their hands and not enough money to blow town. Putting someone to work is not always the answer. There are really many causes and many answers. But, that is not one of the quick answers desired by the politicians.
That aside, the First Lady seems to have set up housekeeping separate from the bloater. Hard to tell if this came about as verbal and visual proof of his philandering was provided or this was the best opportunity to do it and still stay under the terms of the pre-nup.
Life is good.
patD –
Oh, Tromp-Us-Stan, we’ve lost our native land, to the Orange One who’s, sadly, in command.
With Kellyarse and Stevil BananaNazi at his side, he’ll sign whatever’s in front of him with a look of pride.
God, save us all. Let us be free. Especially free of alt-right idiocy.
IOKIYAR
Time to revive this little brace of letters.
It is okay if you are a Republican
That is all we at the bottom of the pecking order need to know to make our lives easier. No need to complain. No need to be obstinate. Accept what ever comes from the alternative universe. Use it well and often.
__________________________________________________
A side note, not an endorsement, if you are looking for a cheap laptop, not tablet, I am playing with a HP Stream 14. It is a great price, $240, for a machine which can be stuffed in a bag and taken almost everywhere with little concern of damage. It does have drawbacks, no upgrade tiny memory and no upgrade small solid state hard drive. But, shoving a good size SD chip in it and it begins to work very nicely. The keyboard is 75% the size of a standard keyboard, which for fat finger typists like me is hardly noticed. With HDMI and three USB ports it has lots of I/O. And it is very light.
It is going to fill a roll in my life which even a ultra-thin laptop cannot fill.
bid, bravo! the new national anthem.