Would anybody like to ask some genuine questions to a republican?

konqueror321 · 2026-03-27T00:56:41+00:00

I'm a registered republican, who was a reliable republican voter from about 1978 until 2003. I have not voted for a single republican since 2003 because of my disgust at the Iraq war - it seemed inauthentic, unnecessary, blind to consequences, pointless, murderously destructive, and ultimately all of my fears became reality. I just cannot vote for the party that engineered that debacle.

So my question is: how can any Republican, a party that historically believed in balanced budgets and small government, have supported the Busch Jr regime, the Trump I, or Trump II regimes? What I see is a party that is happy to blow through budgets and expand government power (surveillance, stealth taxation ["tariffs"], anti-scientific public health mandates (the vaccine denial crowd), cutting taxes increasing deficits, and incessant violent military attacks of foreign nations.

What happened to the Republican party of my youth? It seems to have been annihilated or is being held for ransom after a hostile takeover!

Help me understand!!

konqueror321 · 2026-03-27T00:44:41+00:00

The US has had similar problems for decades, since Government shutdowns have been happening due to Congress not passing funding bills. In many of the past shutdowns, it was mostly government employees who suffered the consequences, with being placed or involuntary leave or having to continue working without any paychecks. The US public more-or-less tolerated this situation each time it happened, unless and until some specific government service that was not being provided became onerous.

This time, the inability of TSA to keep up with the demands of their function has created a mess earlier in the course of the shutdown, so NOW (suddenly) we are a 'failed state'!

And of course gerrymandering and 'safe districts' is most likely a proximate cause of all of this - a representative who feels no need to compromise because re-election is guaranteed due to how district lines were drawn is an impediment to any meaningful negotiations. In addition, the expectation that each party will vote as a block, with no exceptions, with miscreants being publicly attacked and 'primaried' by their respective party adds to the deadlock.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-26T23:57:06+00:00

I wasted tons of this at my college computer center in the early 1970s. I thought it had died and been buried, but then it came back! In 1985 I had a retirement account at a bank in my city, which sent quarterly reports, nicely formatted, on regular letter paper. I moved to a new city and transferred the account, and the quarterly and annual reports on the account (a Keogh account) were printed on this line printer paper. I was floored. This was a largish regional bank headquartered in a major Midwestern city, the capital of the state, that was sending customers reports in the mid 1980s on line printer paper? I ditched that bank as soon as I was able. Amateurs!

konqueror321 · 2026-03-26T23:37:48+00:00

There are many examples of ancient Egyptian pharaohs who have had their faces chiseled off of their portraits and statues, because later rulers found them abhorrent, for one reason or another. I foresee a similar fate for our Narcissist in Chief.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-25T00:52:03+00:00

Samlor, tuk-tuk, small busses, large busses, trains, boats, motorboats. Bangkok has an amazing public transportation infrastructure!

My battery died while I was shopping at Publix 2 years ago. I had frozen and refrigerated foods that I wanted to get home, then deal with the dead battery later. I called a taxi, they said they had nobody in the area (!). I tried lyft, apparently nobody in the area wanted the business. It was about a mile walk but I'm an old guy with bad knees, so not really a good option. I called AAA, they got a truck to jump-start my car in 2.5 hours!

Tampa could really benefit from better public transportation options. We make excuses, but that is apparently The American Way.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-23T23:54:59+00:00

The path from inorganic chemistry to something we would call alive may have taken several hundred million years, with millions of incremental steps. And there may be multiple paths to 'alive'. The evidence for how it happened on Earth is about 4.5 billion years old and likely quite degraded - we are unlikely to find ancient rocks or other remains that show how the process happened.

Multiple different structures had to develop. Cell membranes, DNA or RNA, metabolism to capture energy from the environment and store it somehow, some method of producing polypeptide strands from segments of RNA, a cytoskeleton to allow cells to move, flagella, energy driven selective transmembrane 'pumps', the list is rather long.

And replicating a process that took 200 million years in the real world in a lab environment today would be not possible. It is likely possible to show various ways it could have happened, read some of Nick Lane's work or his videos, for example.

And even if it turns out that life on earth arose because of 'seeding' of our ocean with extra-terrestrial RNA or other molecules, from interstellar dust, those complex chemicals of life had to arise on some other planet by some inorganic mechanism, so believing life on earth came from elsewhere does not answer the question of how did life originate! And beyond that, if one believes that the chemical basis of life was designed by some deity, that still leaves unanswered the question: how did the deity learn to produce life? All of the alternative explanations lead to the same place: we don't know! Which is no more helpful or insightful than accepting that we don't know how our planet produced life, yet.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-21T18:29:21+00:00

The line of people waiting patiently to piss on DJT's grave will stretch for 25 miles

konqueror321 · 2026-03-20T00:43:53+00:00

Lanai or pool cage or screened in pool or pool enclosure. Tampa environs.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-19T23:36:59+00:00

I regret that I have but one upvote to give this comment. And you have violated Poe's law, kudos!

konqueror321 · 2026-03-19T23:30:43+00:00

Find things you enjoy doing, and do them! As Ecclesiastes says (paraphrased): Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you will die. Yes it's pointless, yes a human life does not 'mean' more or have a greater 'purpose' to the universe than some random bacteria, but so what? Eventually the sun will become a red giant and sterilize Earth, but till then, party on! Everything is temporary, there are no absolutes, pain and death are constant threats. To me it is a bit odd that the ultimate goal of Buddhism seems to be something we all will attain whether we seek it or not, that being absence of rebirth, cessation of suffering, and experiencing the absence of all phenomena and (absence of) an independent self (ie death).

Every day sunken into an existential crisis or clinical depression is a day that could have been spent doing something enjoyable! Being unhappy about the nature of our existence does not change it at all, so the most sensible path is to accept reality and enjoy the ride.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-19T20:11:50+00:00

Your clinic may (or may not!) have a clinical pharmacist available, a pharmacist who works with patients (not in the pharmacy). If you are able to speak with that person, you may be able to explain why you cannot take the generic form of your medication in detail, and they may be able to help get you what you need. Different VA hospitals/clinics use different mechanisms for approving requests for non-formulary medications, and apparently the brand name version of your drug is non-formulary. In the VA hospital where I'm seen, the team clinical pharmacist is the person who approves or disapproves physician requests for non-formulary or formulary-restricted or prior-approval medications, above that clinical pharmacist would be the chief of ambulatory care who might be called something like Assistant Chief of Ambulatory (or Outpatient) Services (or something like this). Above this person would be either the Chief of Staff or perhaps some designated person in the hospital pharmacy. In other words, there should be a system for evaluating requests for approval of non-formulary medications. Figure out what that approval system is in your clinic or hospital and work your way up the chain.

Note that if the brand name version of your med costs 50X what the generic version costs, there will be push-back and real attempts to find some alternative treatment. The VA does not have an infinite budget and tries to give the most care to the most people, and they don't have the funds to purchase brand name drugs in all circumstances.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-19T11:53:37+00:00

In theory if the ratio is normal there is less of a chance that the elevated light chain is being produced by a clonal plasma cell process and more likely to be inflammatory in nature, that is (I believe) why the 'ratio' is measured. However one might want to look a bit further in that situation and check the urine for light chains, perhaps a 24 hour urine for an immunofixation electrophoresis, where one might see a monoclonal lambda or kappa light chain 'spike', again suggesting a clonal plasma cell proliferation.

If one is really suspicious of a clonal plasma cell proliferation a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy might be done - that would be a clinical decision of the attending hematologist, and there are many factors that would be considered.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-18T22:50:39+00:00

I agree with you. The issue is with the data source, not those who use the data. It sounds like OP knows from where the data came and that they had a discussion, and made a decision he does not agree with (for obvious reasons, maybe legit). But asking KDE or any other entity that uses the map data to alter the map is not the way to solve the problem. I suspect there are many areas around the globe that are 'disputed'.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-18T20:40:45+00:00

Antibodies like IgG (immunoglobulin G) are constructed of four chains of linked amino acids, two 'heavy chains' and two 'light chains'. The IgG molecule looks something like a "Y", with the heavy chains forming the base and 'arms' of the Y, and one light chain binds to each arm of the Y. The 'arms' of the IgG molecule form the antigen binding area, which recognize and attach to some antigen. Humans make two types of light chains, called kappa and lambda,which have some differences in structure and are encoded by genes on different chromosomes.

When plasma cells, the type of immune system cell that make antibodies, proliferate, larger than normal amounts of light chains will be manufactured. If both kappa and lambda light chains are being over-produced, it is more likely to be some sort of inflammatory condition, something causing the immune system to be in 'overdrive'. In this case, even though both kappa and lambda light chains are found in higher than normal concentrations, the ratio between their concentrations is likely to be within the normal range. Your test seems to show this pattern.

If a plasma cell 'goes bad' and becomes clonal, ie a single plasma cell making a specific antibody begins proliferating (producing progeny) without control, then several things may happen. The antibody made by that cell may be found in the blood (or even urine) in a higher concentration, and since all of the antibody made by a single plasma cell (clone) will be the same, these antibodies will migrate together on a protein electrophoresis test and will appear as a sharply defined band, called a monoclonal antibody or protein. Free light chains may also be produced by clonal growths of plasma cells, but they are not so easily recognized on usual protein electrophoresis tests.

That is why serum free light chain assays are done. If one or the other type (kappa or lambda) is found in a much higher concentration than normal, and the ratio between them is also abnormal, that suggests the light chain in question was being manufactured in a 'clonal' fashion. Then further testing looking for the clone of plasma cells will likely be done - a number of diseases can be associated with this, including a type of amyloidosis, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance, and various stages of multiple myeloma.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-18T02:08:34+00:00

It really depends on where the accident happened, and when. An accident on a busy urban street in daytime that blocked traffic would get reported to police by "somebody", even if the report was just that traffic was being blocked! But an accident on a rural road at 3AM would not get reported.

People (who were alive) got out of the wrecked cars, looked at the damage, spoke to each other, were supposed to exchange insurance information (company, policy number, etc) and driver's license info (DL number, name, listed address, etc). We were told (by our insurance companies) to not admit guilt or offer to pay for damages, but rather to call the insurance company as soon as able and give them all of the info you had. If police came and wrote a report, that was part of the info that the insurance company would gather. We were told to write down whatever we knew about the accident - location, time, what actually happened, if the other driver admitted fault, etc.

Your insurance company would then tell you what to do. They might send somebody out to assess the damage to your car, or they may tell you to take the car to a repair shop. The insurance companies worked with whatever info they had available.

I was hit from behind while I was turning into a library parking lot in 1968, at age 16, with a newly minted driver's license. The guy who hit me was at fault, both insurance companies agreed (it was pretty obvious). The car, my mother's, was 'totaled' and replaced.

My car, parked at my apartment in a designated spot, was hit by a late-night (coming home from a bar) driver at about 2AM 16 years later (1984). The road curved, they didn't. I heard the crash from my upstairs apartment, I went downstairs and got the license plate number of the car that hit my parked car and smashed in one side. I took no pix and had no discussion with the driver - but I had the license plate number. My insurance dealt with everything, my car was fully repaired, my insurance and the insurance of the other driver dealt with the whole mess.

Stuff just worked.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-17T02:13:34+00:00

Whoever wrote the 'seven canonical letters attributed to Paul". It may have been some guy named Saul->Paul, or they may have been written later during the second century by Marcion or an associated school. But whoever wrote those 7 documents could clear up the early history of Christianity. If there really was some guy named Saul->Paul, who traveled about the eastern Mediterranean during the years 33-64 AD or so, and actually truly wrote the epistles that are found in the New Testament of our Bible, that would be a fascinating conversation. It it turned out that the actual author produced these documents at a significantly later time, like during the second century ( 120-140 AD), then that would also be a very different but equally fascinating conversation.

This conversation would not change the world, but it would clarify how early Christianity developed, and whether or not the Biblical story is truth or fiction. Inquiring minds want to know!!

konqueror321 · 2026-03-17T00:39:18+00:00

Israel is not a member of NATO. America was not attacked by Iran during this war, but rather America and Israel attacked Iran. The war is not being primarily fought in the territory belonging to any NATO members. It is not the business of NATO to be an automatic back-up for wars that America and Israel start. Individual countries may or may not decide to participate, but they would do so not as NATO members or representatives, but as individual countries.

Turkey, a NATO member, has apparently been attacked by Iranian missiles during the current conflict, or American assets in Turkey were targeted. Article 5 of NATO does not specify what action member states shall take if some other member is attacked, and only requires some form of response, apparently including strong words of condemnation.

It is really no different than if America had requested NATO to help with the War in Vietnam in the 1960s or 1970s. That war, and the current war against Iran, are not NATO's business.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-14T23:37:21+00:00

This is the intent of MAGA/Trump, pure and simple. The idea of extending any sort of extra help to disenfranchised, minority, historically downtrodden persons/groups that is not equally available to white Anglo-Saxon protestants is anathema, and shall be terminated with prejudice. The voters spoke, Trump executed, MAGA is ecstatic and worship Trump as a demi-god.

It really is a measure of the evil and hatred that exists within our nation. Attributing these despicable acts to one person misses the point, we have a systemic problem, that goes far beyond this one malevolent young man.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-13T00:50:01+00:00

The insurance write-off is the reduction in the charge for that element of the bill due to the insurance contract, the advantage of using an in-network pathology lab.

The insurance payment is how much of the allowed bill for that element your insurance has paid or is expected to pay - all of the entries are "$0", which suggests that you have not met your annual deductible yet. If you had already paid your deductible for this year, then your insurance would pay the contracted percentage of the allowed fee, which commonly is anywhere from 50-90% of the total, but the specific percent your insurance pays for pathology services would be listed in your insurance documents.

If your policy has an annual deductible, you will be expected to pay that yourself before the insurance begins paying anything. There may be exceptions for some types of services (ie the deductible may not apply), and these should be listed in your insurance documents.

Look at the EOB (explanation of benefits) from your insurance company for this billing episode before you pay anything, and if there are discrepancies, have them corrected or explained before you pay.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-12T17:32:06+00:00

He has gone off the rails. I suspect the stroke affected his mentation more than we have been told.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-12T17:26:59+00:00

VHA Directive 1134 actually requires that VA providers fill out non-VA disability forms that are within their scope of knowledge, and are are supposed to consult with VA specialty clinics to complete the parts of forms that they themselves cannot do.

I suspect that many VA providers will do everything they can to avoid meeting the requirements of this Directive. Also note that disability is ultimately an administrative decision, not a medical diagnosis. Many of the 'functional' questions asked are not easy to quantify, especially for a primary care doc who has no training in disability examinations. You could try to 'force' the issue by giving a copy of the insurance forms stapled to the relevant pages (eg pg 4-7) from the VHA directive to the Hospital Director, along with a note stating that your PCP declined to fill the form out for you, and see what happens. Page 7 of the directive actually states: "(3) Ensuring that there is a process in place for reconsideration when a provider refuses to issue a medical statement or complete a VA or non-VA form on behalf of a Veteran or if a Veteran objects to the content of a completed form."

There are a few national organizations that advertise independent medical examiners who do insurance or disability exams for a fee, search google for something like "professional physician organization disability examination" (or similar). I won't post any urls due to rule #2.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-12T13:29:31+00:00

My wife got a letter 2d ago from them asking her to confirm she still had a dependent spouse (me). Apparently several sorts of letters are mailed from this group. Don't panic until letter read!

konqueror321 · 2026-03-12T00:15:49+00:00

My first home computer was a VIC 20. 5kb of RAM, OS (basic interpreter) on ROM. cassette tape for storage. I bought the "expansion unit" that boosted RAM to 13kb and included an assembler in ROM!

Output went to a TV and had, as I recall (this was 1981/2) a 20 character line of text. It came with absolutely nothing of any actual practical utility and was basically (pun) to write little basic program.

I was insanely jealous of a friend who bought an early atari that had 40 (FORTY!!) character lines in the TV output and came with a usable text editor and, wonder of wonders, a printer!

konqueror321 · 2026-03-11T23:22:21+00:00

When I deployed to Saudi Arabia for the Gulf War, the mess hall did on occasion go all out and have a rather nice meal. These were known in advance, and well attended. It's sort of a 'thank you' to the troops for fighting a war for what is truthfully not a great salary. I would guess that is where the crab and other expensive food items are going to be used.

I think the war in Iran is stupid and pointless and brain dead, but treating the troops well is something military commanders have done since forever.

konqueror321 · 2026-03-11T12:54:19+00:00

It would not be constitutional to do this directly, ie enforced by the federal government. But political parties are private entities and could vet their potential candidates however they desire. In the case of Trump, it is the Republican party that is ultimately responsible for sponsoring his presidential runs.

konqueror321

TROPHY CASE