I pretended that proposal by the car...

So last week I called A Local Minor Celebrity Mr. David Parispeking (he MADE me write it that way) with a proposal. I suggested that we go watch the Michael Moore flick "Sicko" and then get something to eat and debate the movie. He was all for it.













So after work today, we met and watched the movie. I found it interesting, although there were too many blatant tugs at the heartstrings (too many sick old ladies, or dead babies, or crying widows). I understand the man needed to use examples to illustrate his points, but I don't think he needed to use as many, nor spend as much time on each one as he did. Also, I know he praised the health care systems of Canada, Great Britian, France, and even Cuba, for gosh's sake, without illustrating any negatives of living in those places (as if there IS any negative to living in Canada). However, the movie was NOT a comparison of each country as a whole vs the USA, it was a comparison of the relative health care systems. And while I'm ceratin each one of those has their own horrow stories, the bottom line, to me, is: people don't die there for lack of being able to pay for health care, nor do they go bankrupt having to pay for thier healthcare.

When debate time came, A Local Minor Celebrity Mr. David Parispeking and I had little to disagree on, much to my surprise. Oh we debated, don't get me wrong. Debating is at the core of our entire friendship. That and insulting one another. But this time we only debated on a few small points, not on larger overall issues. Which was quite a pleasant surprise.

(Oh, allow me to digress here. A Local Minor Celebrity Mr. David Parispeking was quite upset that I did NOT mention in the blog that a few saturdays ago, he, Gilligan and I saw Harry Potter and then ate at Garfields. So I'm doing it now. I hope he's happy.)

But we found out, over the Appetizer Sampler, steak and shrimp, and a quesadilla-burger and fires, that he actually is more in line with my way of thinking now. FINALLY, he admitted (without any prompting from me) that it was a mistake to back Bushie in either of his elections and that Bushie himself was one bit mistake. Oh, from his lips to the country's ears!

Overall, the evening was quite pleasant, and something we should, I think, do more often.

POLT Oil: 73.28 (-1.63); Gas: 2.87 (-.03)

It eludes me how anyone can support a political philosophy that is defined in part by its open hostility toward people like oneself. Are you listening Log Cabin Republians? - Leonard Pitts