Linkee-poo tells myself that you can be replaced, I try with someone else but its you that I taste

"Accidental drug overdoses killed 3,050 people in Ohio last year, an average of eight per day, as deaths blamed on the powerful painkiller fentanyl again rose sharply and pushed the total overdose fatalities to a record high, the state reported Thursday." Sounds about right. Ohio has been in the middle of this for a long time. And have we mentioned how much more expensive Narcan has become?

"A surprising ingredient — gas relief drops designed for infants — may be contributing to the contamination of medical scopes and putting more patients at risk of infection, according to a small but provocative study." Son of a…

The EpiPen thing, "Updated at 9:20 am ET to include Mylan's announcement that it will reimburse consumers for some of their out-of-pocket costs." Note they're not saying, "Oh, hey, maybe we did gouge a little too much, let's walk that back." They're saying, "If you really can't afford it, we'll increase our charitable tax contribution (or loss statement) by giving you a discount making the pen cost 200% you of what it was before." Gee, thanks. Why is our insurance premium going up so much?

Jim Wright's take on the Epipen. Jim damn smart guy, he makes things go. I have a few quibbles here and there, but I do agree with his assessment and where the blame lies.

"A new ad highlighting Sen. Richard Burr's (R-NC) work in helping disadvantaged children in his state appears to feature black children from a school in Africa, not North Carolina." Yeah, stock footage and photos can really mess you up when you don't have a clue as to what you're doing. (Grokked from John Scalzi)

"West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey's office fired a spokesperson Thursday after it was revealed she had played a prominent role in a white supremacist video that was first posted online in 2012." Well, that's gonna leave a mark.

When we talk about Planned Parenthood being (sometimes) the only health service is some places (for both male and female health needs, and especially reproductive health needs) some people wonder what we're talking about. "In Little Haiti, Liberty City, and a number of other neighborhoods in Miami, canvassers are now walking door to door to spread the word about the risks of Zika, one household at a time — hoping to reach 25, 000 people the next six weeks. In some neighborhoods, these workers aren't sponsored by federal or state health agencies, but by Planned Parenthood." As Congress dithers and Florida Gov. Scott tries to defund them, Planned Parenthood is doing the hard work on the ground to inform people about Zika. Note that in the story, some of the people they are reaching have not heard about Zika (because a lot of people don't pay attention to the news). "In South Florida, Planned Parenthood expects to knock on some 25-thousand doors in medically underserved areas through September. That's the most recent estimate of when Zika cases are likely to peak in Florida." That's what community service looks like.

Gee, why to liberals believe conservatives are angry and violent? I just have no idea where we came up with that idea. I mean, who could think that a Governor would call up a legislator and call him various names, then summon reporters to talk about the phone message (which he told the legislator he hoped he was recording - yeah. I also thought that's how voice messages worked, but apparently that's not how Gov. LePage thinks these things work) and then talk about how he wished it was 1825 and he could duel him with pistols and just kill him (note, dueling was illegal in 1825). He seems nice. (Grokked from Jim Wright)

"Donald Trump's national spokeswoman, Katrina Pierson, said on Thursday that her boss hasn't changed his position on immigration—just 'the words he's saying.'" You're not supposed to say that out loud. People are supposed to project onto the candidate. People who may be on the fence can say, "Oh, I guess he's changing, I might support them" and the current supporters can say, "He's just lying to get into office and then he'll show the bastards what's what." Why the mincing of words? "Donald Trump’s recent waffling on his hardline immigration stances has put some of his most ardent and earliest supporters -- many of them self-proclaimed white nationalists… -- on the defensive, as they try to rationalize what the perceived shifts mean for their movements." That's why. And then there's this… "Alt-right activist Nathan Damigo pleaded for Trump to meet with prominent white nationalists now that the candidate has hosted a roundtable for Hispanic leaders." Oh please oh please oh please.

The speech from Clinton about Trumpster stirring up hatred. And then the Trumpster says "nobody knows what al-right means." Except for his new campaign CEO who "once said that Breitbart News is 'the platform for the alt-right.'" And then "Donald Trump has taken flack for painting a bleak picture of African-American life in recent speeches, but his campaign manager argued he is better at appealing to black voters than others in his party." That's what's called "clearing the low-bar."

On being asked to comment on Clinton's speech about how Trump is a racist when you're a Fox New commentator. "'I quote what people say, you know? She quoted Paul Ryan, the speaker of the house, saying that one of his statements was trademark, I guess, textbook racist. I'm not one to generally label people like that. So I would pass on that question.'"

Oh look, and actual cause of voter fraud in Florida. And yet again, not only is it a Republican, it's a very prominent one. "Donald Trump's new campaign chief is registered to vote at an empty house in apparent violation of election laws, The Guardian reported Friday morning." At least he has some property rights there as he rented the house for his ex-wife. But nobody is living there now as they're about to demolish the home and rebuild. And he never actually lived there. Oopsie. (Grokked from Jim Wright)

Oh, and the Trumpster's campaign CEO beat his wife. Nice people.