Monthly Archives: August 2009

Too Much Hate and Stupidity

First off, the stupid.

Senator Mike Enzi, Republican from Wyoming, recently told his town brawl supporters that he never planned to compromise on health care reform, he just wanted to screw it up as much as he could. In his own words:

“It’s not where I get them to compromise, it’s what I get them to leave out.”

Even more degenerate Senator Jim Inhofe gets to the real role of GOP legislative “prowess” in the Age of Obama. On health care reform legislation:

“I don’t have to read it, or know what’s in it. I’m going to oppose it anyways.”

With enemies like this, you’d think all Democrats would rally around reform. You’d think so, but you’d be wrong. Here are the Fifth Columnist Democrats (and Lieberman) who are willing to sell out reform and act like pigheaded Republicans who can be bought with lobbyist silver. In some of their cases – especially YOU Baucus – that’s millions in silver.

Now for the hate.

I know I wasn’t going to focus on this, but dear lord do these so-called Christians know how to hate their neighbors.

Here is a sampling of the hateful attacks on Ted Kennedy after the news broke that he had died. Apparently Republicans have no ability to respect the dead.

In California, Rep. Wally Herger still refuses to back down on supporting a “proud right-wing terrorist”.

Meanwhile, in Arizona, Steven Anderson, the pastor of one of the degenerates who brought an assault rifle to the President’s event there last week wants Obama to die. He gave a sermon on “Why I Hate Barack Obama” and preaches the following from the pulpit:

“I’m going to pray that he dies and goes to hell.”

Then he goes on to state that he in no way supports the assassination of the President. But damn is he proud of his parishioner showing up packing heat to a political event.

And, once again, you wonder why I have a problem with organized religion. The Bible says this:

1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

– Timothy 2:1-2 (King James Version)

And instead we get the following from the Talibangelicals like Anderson:

“No where in the sermon did I advocate vigilantism. It’s a spiritual battle….I’d rather have him die of natural causes anyway, that way he’s not some martyr. I’m praying for him to die just so he gets what he deserves.”

Special.

You’d hope all Republicans would hesitate to assassinate our nation’s leader. That said, Republican Rex Ramell, when prompted by an audience member at a GOP rally said, “The Obama tags? We’d buy some of those.”

Laugh it up asshole. You want to be governor of Idaho, but just admitted to wanting to hunt the President.

You’d hope he’d do time for something like that, but Rethugs strangely never do time for violent threats.

The Washington Independent: Obtained: The RNC’s Health Care Survey

“Yes, Dems are going to deny health care to anyone registered as a Republican. The original plan was to harvest their organs. However, that plan had to be scrapped after it was discovered that their brains weren’t any good and their hearts were completely gone!”

– Commenter Steve, tongue fully in cheek

Seriously, check this out. It’s a survey being passed out to Republicans. One, to scare them into pushing against reform. Two, to solicit donations to the RNC. Because, you know, it isn’t worth scaring American citizens to a Rethug if you can’t possibly make a buck off of it.

That question is the best part. Apparently it is meant to scare Republicans into thinking that they might not be allowed to participate into a public health care plan.

You know, the plan they call “socialist”. The plan they shout down town hall meetings to protest against. The ones they show up with assault weapons because they want to silence advocates for such a plan. The public option they’d like to kill the President over.

The RNC is so concerned about this that they want to warn their constituents by filling their heads with outright lies.

The height of hypocrisy here, of course, is that why the hell would Republicans be worried about mythically being left out of a system they swear up and down they won’t participate in? It’s like sending me a memo letting me know that I’ll probably not be allowed to join the Klan. Good! I didn’t want anything to do with Kluckers anyway!

Here’s the whole damned survey…

…followed by the begging for money section:

Personal Hero: Senator Ted Kennedy Dies At 77

Tis a sad day for me, and a passing of an era for America. I woke up this morning to the news that Ted Kennedy passed.

I am not sure how many of you know that my first name comes from my dad’s respect for JFK. So, even though I never lived in the time of John, or even Robert, I’ve always been intrigued by the Kennedy family. So, my only real ties to them – tenuous as they are – are watching Teddy do his thing in the Senate through the years.

The Boston Globe is carrying much of the news related to his life and passing, starting here with his obituary.

Time covers his career and hits the highlights of his legislative legacy:

Everybody was wrong. Ted Kennedy would never reach the White House….But his failure to get to the presidency opened the way to the true fulfillment of his gifts, which was to become one of the greatest legislators in American history….

Because Kennedy never made it to the finish line, he never had to endure a post-presidential twilight. Instead, by the time of his death on Aug. 25 in Hyannis Port at the age of 77, he had 46 working years in Congress, time enough to leave his imprint on everything from the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009, a law that expands support for national community-service programs. Over the years, Kennedy was a force behind the Freedom of Information Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. He helped Soviet dissidents and fought apartheid. Above all, he conducted a four-decade crusade for universal health coverage, a poignant one toward the end as the country watched a struggle with a brain tumor. But along the way, he vastly expanded the network of neighborhood clinics, virtually invented the COBRA system for portable insurance and helped create the laws that provide Medicare prescriptions and family leave.

Whether you’re a proud Democrat or the most ignorant Rethug, you’re life has been bettered by Ted Kennedy’s work. And yes, the hatemongers are talking. But I refuse to focus on them today. Let their hate be ignored and shunned by all good people who have respect, even for someone they didn’t agree with. I remember my dad popping me a good one when Nixon died. You have to have respect for the dead, I was told. He was right then. He was right when Reagan passed.

Hopefully somewhere Republican fathers are teaching their children the same lesson today.

A lot of people are saying great things about our lost leader. None have done so better than Joe Biden did this morning:

That said, Harry Reid stepped up today, and I’m proud to have him represent me for at least these words:

“Because of Ted Kennedy, more young children could afford to become healthy. More young adults could afford to become students. More of our oldest citizens and our poorest citizens could get the care they need to live longer, fuller lives. More minorities, women and immigrants could realize the rights our founding documents promised them. And more Americans could be proud of their country.”

The GOP embraces the big lie – How the World Works – Salon.com

This treads into dangerous, but not necessarily erroneous, ground. This article compares the GOP’s strategy of opposing the President on health care – and everything else – to that of the Nazi “Big Lie”.

So yes, the GOP are acting like Nazis, without necessarily being Nazis. Got it?

They sure don’t. They’ve called the President every political label in the book and have him being born in Kenya, Indonesia, and probably the Moon for all I know. Basically, it’s a kitchen sink strategy.

They’ve called Democrats murderers for wanting to enforce living will policies even their blowhards have supported.

As for the generic GOP hatemonger at a town brawl? Odious people backing odious insurance companies.

Rep. John Dingell compares them to the KKK.

Rep. James Clyburn says they are the same ilk as our nation’s opponents to civil rights legislation:

“I have seen this kind of hate before. I have seen this discussion before….I have seen snarling dogs going after people who were trying to peacefully assemble. I have seen the eyes of people who were being spat upon.

“This is all about activity trying to deny the establishment of a civil right. And I do believe that health care for all is — a civil right.”

He went on to say the he had “no question” that some of this was racially motivated hate.

Rep. Jerry Nadler from NY calls the political theater of the GOP stalwarts as akin to using “fascist tactics”.

So, yeah, call it as you see it, but make sure the characterization does not turn into caricature.

Raw Story » GOP congressman supports ‘proud right-wing terrorist’

“What has happened in this country? Why all of a sudden, is it perfectly acceptable to be a terrorist (as long as you are right-wing apparently)? I thought we were fighting a war against terrorism and now all of a sudden people are being applauded for it? “

– Blogger Michael Hendricks on town hall traitors

Ladies and Gentlemen, THIS is your Republican Party.

A place that not only welcomes people who call themselves proud terrorists, but has elected polticians praising them as a “great American”.

Olbermann calls out Congressman Herger on being an unpatriotic dolt:

And these are the so-called “patriots”? Kiss my ass.

Mass Medical Clinic’s Sobering Message : NPR

I first heard about RAM, the Remote Area Medical group, in this story about them treating a few thousand folks in Appalachia. More on their work here.

RAM is supposed to be working in Third World nations. Instead, they are spending some of their time working with some of the most needy in America. Appalachia comes to mind, but they are now expanding their scope. If you still think we don’t need health care reform in this nation after seeing these guys at work, you, frankly, are an idiot.

RAM’s work in Los Angeles last week was picked up by Reuters, on on Marketplace twice, and NPR again.