Sunday, May 07, 2006

The mysterious medicarestories.com...

Over at blogs Canada I discovered this reference from poster Kelly T. Konechny to a site called medicarestories.com.
I have come across one site in Canada that is asking for users of the system to record these stories for submission to the federal and provincial governments.
Medicarestories is also mentioned at right-wing blogs Canada Turns Left and Politiks Can and at Digg.com. Each time as a fortuitous discovery by the poster, implied to be someone else's site and recommended as a way for medicare users to share their experiences.

All of these sources seem to have one thing in common.

Kelly T. Konechny.

He's the only name, contact or affiliation on the medicarestories site itself, the helpful poster sharing his discovery on blogs Canada and on both right wing blogs Canada Turns Left and Politiks Can, both seemingly run by the same person, an e-mail free personage going by the initials KTK or SZM on older pages - which also happens to be the name of the design company listed on medicarestories.com. Update: Just noticed that the listed e-mail for Kelly T. Konechny at Canada blogspot is ktk@szm.ca. Politiks Can is on the blogging dippers ring.

Now, I'm certainly not ascribing a motive or specific ideological approach to the medicarestories.com site. But considering Canadian conservative figures like Preston Manning have called for a stealth campaign of high-lighting 'medicare horror stories' in an attempt to wean Canadians away from their affection for the Public System - any project such as this should perhaps be a bit more open about it's agenda and backers.

10 comments:

Cliff said...

Follow up: This is a letter sent to medicarestories contact page:


This is to let you know I've put up a blog posting about your site at http://rustyidols.blogspot.com/ in re: the many net mentions of this site by listed contact Mr Kelly T Konechny as a site he 'discovered'.

I find no mention in this site of backers, specific goals or agenda. All of which I believe are called for with a site of this kind.

I encourage you to post a reply to my posting providing some insight into medicarestories.com.

Anonymous said...

Well, he did more than discover it. If you check out the domain registration, you'll find that the owner of the domain is one Kelly Konechny of Winnipeg.

Cliff said...

So it is.

Robert McClelland said...

Good work, Cliff. I was hesitant about letting this guy into the Blogging Dippers because I suspected he was a conservative in disguise. Now I know for certain that he is.

Cliff said...

I'd still be more than happy to post his response to all this.

ktk said...

I am Kelly T Konechny (not John Galt).

I found(ed) medicarestories.com with no paticular partisian politiking in mind. I would suspect that you guys know more about what Preston Manning says and has said thank I do.

My registration is not limited to the Dippers but the Blogging Tories and LibLogs as well.

The reason for the site was not to generate cloak and dagger discussions, but rather to allow a medium where folks could share good and troubling stories about medicare treatment.

By the way, thank you for your feedback, I will change the mission statement to reflect more specifically the goals and objectives of the site.

As far as my 'backers' go, I have none. The domain, hosting, development, etc has been done by yours truly. I am trying to generate some interest in the site with individuals (and google) to bring it forward to the public. If I had backers why would I be forced into this grassroots, one-man message delivery? I have never tried to cover-up the links back the ownership of the site, heck you guys found it, anyone can!

And finally my alliance (no pun intended) is to no party in paticular. I have never and will never carry a card from a certain party. Still doubt it? In your digging you must have found:

http://konechny.blogspot.com

Look at the first posting, Jack Layton. I had a two-block walk and great conversation with him. We both agreed that Blakie should have been elected speaker and that he should never be cconsidered just the fourth party as the Bloc likes to label him.

Please forgive my methodology for promotion of the site. Perhaps this is why most other attempts at this have had to go seeking a 'backer'.

I'll be happy to answer any questions. Just email me. ktk@szm.ca.

Thanks!

Cliff said...

Posing as someone other than the creator of a site you're pushing kinda spurs the cloak and dagger discussions.

Points for responding.

I've met Jack too, it doesn't mean we're on the same ideological wave-length - I'm a bit to the left of Jack actually - the overwhelming direction of your blogs particularly canada turns left seems fairly right wing to me. Your comments on Canada Blogs were also fairly negative on the subject of public healthcare in a 'nice system...NOT!' sort of way.

Not that I've met a lot of Ayn Rand quoters who tend to be right wing Libertarians or anything...

ktk said...

My beliefs are my own as are yours.

Does it consistute an automatic error if I happen to be right of center in my beliefs and you left of center in yours when we will both benefit in a healthcare system that has had input from all all levels?

The time for the healthcare dollar to have the ear only of union interest groups or the fraser institute does not serve any individuals well in the the long or short term.

If you choose to disagree with me I applaud you. You have the right to do so and you choose to exercise that right, bravo! I choose to pursue this opportunity to allow the general folks of the nation to register their joys or pains with a system that everyone will or has used. This is my right. I choose to produce this system, non-partisian.

The production of too many useful things results in too many useless people is what you may be thinking, but you cannot deny my right to produce as I cannot deny your opposition to that production.

You are reading too much into the posting you refer to. I'm not against the way we deliver health care. I have had good and bad experiences as most Canadians have.

So, to answer, yes I'm more right than left. My right to be right and your right to be left.

Thanks!

Cliff said...

Absolutely.

My right to point out you'e posing as someone 'discovering' your own site.

ktk said...

Again I aplaud you for that discovery.

And again I apologize for the self-promotional posting. I have to thank you for the exposure on you site with the links and article however.

By the way MedicareStories.com allows for all stories good or bad to be posted. If you or your audience has someting positive to say about our Medical system please feel free to post it. And watch for the mission statement to change!

Thanks again Cliff, nice speaking with you!

Kelly (of MedicareStories.com)

Thanks!
Kelly

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