HEALTH CARE: RETURN OF THE BUNGLED TEA PARTY PROTESTS -

• Congressional Republicans have been holding a series of protests on the hill regarding health care reform legislation…of course they’re not calling them “protests,” but are rather using the term “press conferences.“  It’s what we have come to expect:  buses sponsored by “astroturf” groups dumping groups of disgruntled citizens at the Capitol steps…check.  Wildly inaccurate, misspelled, racist, and occasionally simply bizarre hand-held signs (including one featuring pictures of holocaust victims, comparing health reform to Nazi genocide)…check.  A Republican legislator (Rep. Todd Akin, R-MO) botching the Pledge of Allegiance right after extolling the importance of the pledge…check.  Another Republican representative (John Boehner, R-OH) holding up a copy of the Constitution, claiming that it is the most important guide to his actions and that he’d like to read a little excerpt from it…then proceeding to read from the Declaration of Independence…check.  Fox News, using an outdated photograph to misrepresent the attendance at the gathering (not the first time they’ve done this), only to get busted by Jon Stewart of The Daily Show…check.  For your viewing pleasure, here’s the Daily Show clip:

• The protests weren’t the only “health-care related” spectacle.  Here again is Jon Stewart…to address the OTHER antics of our elected officials:

THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION: Pro-Sex Offender?

• If you’ve heard about the conservative Heritage Foundation, it is probably due to the health care debate…where they have been quick to provide reform opponents with a variety of unfathomably unscientific and skewed “studies” with which to do battle.  They also have some rather interesting legal opinions, which they present on their sister website, Overcriminalized.com.  The Heritage Foundation claims that the site “...describes the trend in America -- and particularly in Congress -- to use the criminal law to “solve” every problem, punish every mistake (instead of making proper use of civil penalties), and coerce Americans into conforming their behavior to satisfy social engineering objectives.”  What examples do they give of unnecessary laws, to address minor “mistakes” that they’d rather see handled in civil proceedings?  How about HR5652, the Child Slavery Prevention Act of 2008…which provides strict sentences to people who engage in human trafficking and sex slavery.  And they’re not too fond of HR1632, the International Megan’s Law of 2009, which requires that sex offenders report any intention of travelling abroad, and prevents foreign sex offenders who committed their crimes against children from coming into our country.  And there’s HR3513, Prevention and Deterrence Of Crimes Against Children Act of 2009 (strongly penalizes those involved in child pornography), HR288, Save Our Children: Stop The Violent Predators Against Children DNA Act of 2009 (created the DNA database for use in identifying and prosecuting sex predators), and S431, Keeping the Internet Devoid of Sex Predators (KIDS) Act of 2007 (sex offenders have to register all online identifiers, IP address, email accounts, usernames, chat names).   Besides being an absolutely inane position to take, claiming that these bills are anything except a GOOD thing…it certainly seems an odd stance for a group that likes to portray themselves as the “law and order” crowd.

CONSERVATIVES: NO MUSLIMS IN THE MILITARY -

• You didn’t need to have a crystal ball to know that the right-wing response to the recent, tragic shooting at Fort Hood in Texas would focus on the fact that the shooter was a Muslim.  First there were calls for “screening Muslims” who want to serve in the military.  Besides the obviously xenophobic and discriminatory aspects of this suggestion,  it is clear that effecting such a policy would be difficult, given our military has been repeatedly and desperately lowering its recruiting standards, and currently fails to “screen out” members of biker gangs, street gangs, assorted violent felons, and individuals with terrifying mental histories.  Now, the American Family Association (you guessed it…with a name like that, it has to be a conservative activism group) wants to take things a step further: they call for a ban on Muslims in the military.  Quick little bit of history: In WWII…some of our greatest heroes were German-American soldiers who were very much in touch with their ancestry, but they put America first.  Also during WWII, Japanese-American soldiers, despite the internment of so many Japanese-Americans in camps…they put America first, served this country, and were recognized for their bravery and sacrifice.  If we were fighting in a Christian nation…would Christians not be allowed to serve, for fear of divided loyalty?  No…and Muslim-Americans who choose to bravely serve and protect our nation should continue to be afforded not only the opportunity…but also our full gratitude and respect.

CARRIE PREJEAN: FALL OF A POORLY CONCEIVED CONSERVATIVE ROLE MODEL -

• Quick Version: Carrie Prejean, Miss California, loses the Miss America pageant after saying that she opposes gay marriage.  Conservatives immediately hail Prejean as a hero, a wholesome Christian girl, and a victim of “political correctness.“  Prejean makes the rounds, speaking at conservative symposiums, tearfully recalling how she believes her First Amendment rights were violated (for the hundredth time…no, Carrie: the government never prevented you from exercising your free speech).  The Miss California Pageant fires Prejean, and wants the money for her boob job back (they paid for it) because despite being a “wholesome Christian girl” Prejean apparently never learned the whole “Christian-work-ethic-thing,” and has been ditching on her contractual commitments.  Prejean cries “religious discrimination” and sues the pageant for millions.  A sex tape appears…when the pageant’s lawyers bring it to a hearing (ouch).  Prejean drops her lawsuit…conservative groups drop her as a guest speaker.  Prejean tries to get her ex-boyfriend (the source of the tape) to say it was from a LONG time ago…he refuses and tells TMZ it was from 2007.  Now…here’s my favorite part: despite all this, Prejean is STILL plugging her new book on the talk show rounds, and I guess she just didn’t figure anybody would ask her about the lawsuit, and the reason she had to drop it.  Enjoy this bit from Larry King Live, where Prejean regresses to the level of an eight-year-old:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVwwZ1ZJrkE

LOU DOBBS: DON’T LET THE DOOR HIT YOU…

• Lou Dobbs…has quit CNN.   When one examines even just his most awful, most racist, most insane moments (much less his consistent stream of unresearched, patently false, and journalistically irresponsible claims), you are left asking: Why was he allowed to continue for so long? Here’s a compilation of some of Lou’s worst moments…CNN is planning to replace him with John King, which can only be an improvement.

Tomorrow…it’s time for our weekly “Chaos Theory” edition, where we’ll try to wrap up all remaining items from the week.  Until then…

THE HEALTH CARE CARNIVAL OF DESPAIR:

• First, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and the Republicans DEMANDED that the current Democrats’ health care bill be posted online for 72 hours prior to the vote.  Boehner quickly, and sheepishly, backed down when asked if the GOP would do likewise with their bill.  The problem: they had no bill.  They’d been claiming for over six months that they had their own plan…but had produced nothing.  Zip.  Bubkus.  Even conservative economists start voicing their concerns: without a GOP alternative bill…they look REALLY bad, especially going into the 2010 and 2012 elections.  On CNN, Boehner gets even more defensive…when cornered, the best he can offer is that they have “eight or nine ideas about how to make our current health care system better.“
• Then…a miracle:  the GOP announces it will be releasing its own health care reform bill.  Now, remember the stimulus debate?  Remember how the Democrats had a plan and the Republicans didn’t?  Remember how the Republicans then made themselves look even WORSE, by claiming they had a plan…and it turned out to be just a flimsy political statement with no numbers, no data, no specifics?  Well…they surely wouldn’t make that mistake again…oh wait, I guess they did.  Their “triumphant” alternative to the Democrats’ health care bill?  It doesn’t force insurance companies to insure people with pre-existing conditions (something the GOP has claimed to support), it wouldn’t provide insurance to a SINGLE one of the FORTY MILLION uninsured people in this country, and…wait for it…it costs MORE than the Democrats’ plan.  Wow…less benefit…more cost…way to show us all that you’ve really embraced the whole “fiscal conservatism and responsibility” thing.
• Now, if you’re like me, you might well ask: With the soaring price of health care, the number of uninsured, and the number of people dying because they are uninsured…why would the GOP put out a plan that fails to address ANY of these problems?  The answer: They don’t admit to the problems…or they simply don’t care.  Representative Steve King (R-IA) was asked how many people in his district were uninsured and could only mutter, “My district…The people in my district are calling for freedom.“  House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) said that the recent, full endorsement of the Democrats’ plan by the AARP and the AMA doesn’t mean anything to him or the other Republicans.  That’s right: The largest groups representing seniors and doctors, groups that almost always lean heavily conservative and have usually opposed health reform in the past…they back the bill, and it’s meaningless to Cantor and the GOP.  Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) showed he didn’t care AT ALL when he said earlier this week that he doesn’t see what the problem is…because “everyone can show up at the hospital.“  Jim…those emergency room visits by the uninsured are one of the number one financial drains on the system, and if you were paying ANY attention, you’d know that:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZIr6w1_AVU

THE POLITICIZATION OF…WELL…EVERYTHING:

• Have you noticed? It seems that the GOP/RNC/FOX are willing to politicize anything?  Shamelessly…and in a way that, if the Democrats did so, they would certainly be positively livid?  A few very current examples follow…
• Yesterday, something truly awful happened.  At Fort Hood, Texas, a soldier went on a shooting spree. When the dust settled, thirteen people lost their lives…thirty-one people were wounded…many more would be emotionally scarred…and conservatives, well, they saw the usual opportunity to make political hay from the tragedy.  It started with cries of “terrorism,” even from some GOP members. Then when they found out the shooter was a soldier, a Muslim soldier, their cries changed to “domestic terrorism!“  World Net Daily‘s Jerome Corsi, renowned for creating conspiracy theories out of thin air with no regard for reality, quickly claimed that the shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan, had ADVISED Barack Obama.  Turns out that Hasan only attended a seminar as an audience member, that was held by a task force that advises Obama…but that’s close enough for Corsi.  Fox & Friends explored the idea of whether or not there should be “special screenings” for Muslims that serve in the military, and Gretchen Carlson floated the idea that if not for “political correctness” towards Muslims, Hasan might have been stopped.  This should sound familiar…conservatives often use “anti-political correctness” arguments to justify racial profiling and other discriminatory tactics used against “non-white, non-Christian” Americans.  Today, I already spotted conservative friends parroting this talking point on Facebook…condemning the supposed “pc mentality” that they hold truly responsible for the killings.  It was Geraldo Rivera that stepped in to point out that it was more likely “government bureaucracy” and not “political correctness.”  Comment: you know your talk show is more than a little flaky…when GERALDO RIVERA is serving as the “voice of reason.“  Interesting side note: the military also appears to have trouble keeping biker and street gang members out…not because of “pc” OR “bureaucracy“…but because they are so desperate for new recruits.
• Want to know what happens when you’re enough of a jackass to politicize rape?  Senator David Vitter (R-LA) was one of the GOP senators to vote against Senator Al Franken’s recent bill, that would force government contractors to allow their employees to report rape or harassment.  Here’s what happened when Vitter runs into a victim of rape:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6YZ1wP1978

• How do you politicize the stimulus package?  Well first…you call it “socialism” and say you’ll refuse to accept it in your state.  Then, of course, you accept it.  Then you travel amongst your constituents, taking credit for all the jobs and programs that it creates/saves.  Then…you pronounce the plan a “failure” and apply third-grade level math to the numbers to “prove” your point.  For example, the latest GOP “numbers“…subtract some of the benefits created by the stimulus from the total cost of the bill…and they claim the amount left over is the “shortfall.”  The problem with this, besides the obvious over-simplification…the cost of plan is divided over ten years, but they are only subtracting ONE year’s worth of benefits.  As one writer put it, “it’s as if the 10-year cost of George W. Bush’s big tax cuts were compared with the benefits to the economy that only accrued during the first year.“
• Swine Flu?  Ready for “politicization,” if you ask the Republicans.  Representative Joe “You Lie” Wilson (R-SC) recently attempted to blame the shortage of H1N1 vaccines on President Obama (all experts cite supply problems).  Perhaps Joe forgot: He voted against vaccine funding.  Why is he so upset now…when he obviously didn’t think it was too important back when they were voting for the funding?  Oh yeah…his wife has Swine Flu. It’s the two things you guys NEVER seem to understand, Joe:  First, it is always better to spend some money up front to PREVENT something from happening…than it is to pay a lot of money and tears AFTER it has already happened.  Second, that thing you don’t want to help “the other guy” with, because it’ll never happen to you?  Yes, it can happen to you.
• Remember the census worker who was found hanged?  The conservative officials of that county, rather than admit that the violent, anti-census rhetoric of some GOP legislators and FOX News may have claimed an actual victim…are still treating the case as if it might be a suicide.  That’s right, instead of admitting that some goofball got swept up in the anti-government incitement of Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and Glenn Beck…they’re saying that this poor guy probably stripped naked, carved “FED” on his own chest, duct-taped his hands, and hanged himself in a public area.
• She was the GOP’s darling.  When Carrie PreJean lost the Miss America pageant, after answering that she did not support gay marriage, conservatives shouted “political correctness at work!“  They invited her to speak at conservative fundraisers, Republican events, and other gatherings…and she would regale them with tears and nonsensical statements about her First Amendment rights being violated (ummm…Carrie…the government never stopped you from saying ANYTHING).  But now…it’s amazing how one little SEX TAPE, and you’re just not the spokesperson they were looking for anymore.  It’s so hard to maintain the appearance of holding the high ground…well, especially with all the affairs…oh, and the hooker scandals…oh, yeah, and don’t forget the little boys, and the airport bathrooms….oh, heh, and getting caught in the cemetery with a hooker AND sex toys.
• I’ll keep this brief: Want to know how best to politicize health care reform?  Ask Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT).  He tried to put an amendment into the health care legislation, that would force insurance to treat medical treatment and “Christian Science prayer treatments“…EQUALLY.  Some have said that this would violate the “Separation of Church and State.“  Duh.

THE RECENT ELECTION…EVERYBODY WANTS TO TELL YOU WHAT IT MEANT:

• Did you even know there were elections this week?  If you did, it was because the media certainly wanted you to get into all the “drama” they generated about them.  I’ll provide the short version: Two governors races…one with a wildly unpopular Democrat who is rich, tied to Wall Street, and who failed to make good on promises of tax cuts.  The other governor race…Virginia: Enough said.  There were also two state legislative races, one in a New York district that has voted Republican for more than one hundred years, and the other race in California.  Now if you listened to conservative/liberal/moderate media…these races would tell EXACTLY how American feels about President Obama, Republicans, and Democrats.  Well…not really.  Read on.
• THE RESULTS:  The Republican candidate beat the unpopular/rich/Goldman Sachs Democrat for the New Jersey governorship.  The Republican beat the Democrat for the governorship of Virginia, for obvious reasons involving, well, Virginia.  The Democratic candidate won the California legislative seat, and the Democratic candidate won the seat in the highly conservative New York district.   Oh yeah…and Mayor Michael Bloomberg managed to buy back his office as mayor…but few people cared.  In truth, only one of these races, the New York legislative race, even involves ANYTHING worth talking about.  So what did the “liberal” media report:  headlines everywhere reported a “Republican Sweep,” and proclaimed this a sign of the “disillusionment of voters” with the president.  Stop…roll back the tape…what was that? Is the media so desperate to create sensationalism and conflict…that they would proclaim the GOP “reborn, revitalized, and ready to rumble,” based on THESE election results?  Jon Stewart of The Daily Show tackled the issue of the media’s coverage:

• As I said, the New York legislative race was the one that was at all “revealing.”  The short and sweet: GOP offers up a candidate, endorsed by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH), and the Democrats do likewise (but the Democrats know they have NO change of winning the seat).  Sarah Palin, and the “wing-nut brigade,” throw their support behind an “Conservative Party” goofball who adores Glenn Beck (even calls him a “mentor”), and who doesn’t even live in the district.  Rush Limbaugh accuses the GOP candidate of committing “widespread bestiality.“  Boehner and other Republicans hedge on whether they now support THEIR candidate, or the conservative goofball.  The Republican candidate…she gets disgusted by her own party, and throws her support behind the Democratic candidate…who then wins the election.  Some say the current attempts by conservative purists to oust ANY Republican candidates who are at all moderate, or even simply reasonable…is a mistake.  At least, looking at these results…they appear to be correct.
• If there is one thing Republicans SHOULD know by now…it’s that they can’t look to RNC chairman Michael Steele for sound guidance.  After the elections, Steele first proclaimed that there are NO ideological divisions within the Republican Party (which we clearly know now to be false)…THEN, Steele calls the results of the elections evidence that the GOP is now “transcendent“…THEN Steele admits that all the intra-party fighting (which he said did exist) was “stupid” and that it was causing them to “screw” themselves.  Steele would find out what it is like to be truly screwed, when he was interviewed on Morning Joe alongside Lawrence O’Donnell…who congratulated him on leading his “party to a disastrous loss:“

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcYuJX-hzQo

Hopefully we’ll be back to more regular, consistent posting next week.  Have a great weekend.

Of course…this is what he said during the campaign…AND he could immediately call a moratorium on enforcement of the policy…AND hundreds of highly trained soldiers, technicians, translators, and medical personnel have already been lost this year.  Since the policy’s inception in 1993, over 12, 500 men and women have been discharged…men and women that took millions of dollars to train, and who will take many millions of dollars to replace.  Men and women…who are American heroes AND citizens.

So I guess we can’t blame the people marching the next day for being skeptical about Obama’s promises regarding DADT, repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), securing hate crimes protection for gays, and providing equal work benefits for gay employees and equal rights for their gay partners.

But…he has taken some steps:  Obama has just nominated the first openly gay person to serve as a U.S. Marshall, and there is word that talks have been initiated with Senator Joe Lieberman about repealing DADT, since Lieberman sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee.

And there is one thing you have to admit…the other side of the aisle, isn’t even trying.

For all the Republicans’ talk of being the “civil rights party” and the “party of Lincoln,” the GOP leadership has offered little in the way of hope to the gay community.  One notable exception: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger just signed two bills, one honoring Harvey Milk, and the other recognizing gay marriages performed in other states.

But the GOP leadership? If Representative John Boehner is any indication…they are still engaged in the “dark ages” belief that homosexuality is a “choice.”  When asked why he opposed the currently proposed legislation to add sexual orientation to the list of things protected by hate crime laws (ie. race, religion, gender), Boehner said that sexual orientation is different from the currently protected classes, which he says are “based on immutable characteristics.“  It’s hard to tell which of Boehner’s positions makes less sense:  that sexual orientation is NOT based on permanent traits from birth…or that religious choice IS.  Seeing as this argument doesn’t make any sense, allow me to translate Boehner’s response on behalf of the GOP to the question of “why shouldn’t gays have equal legal protection:“ They just don’t respect gay Americans.  And it is, in part, because of this viewpoint…homophobia-fueled beatings like the one endured by Jack Price (disturbing video here) continue to occur with some frequency.

And the Prop 8 Supporters? If their lawyer, Charles Cooper, is any indication…the pro-Prop 8 groups can’t even explain why Prop 8 (a California ban on gay marriage) is necessary.  In a recent hearing U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker asked Cooper to explain just how gay marriage poses any threat to heterosexual marriage, as alleged in Cooper’s lawsuit.  Cooper’s response: “My answer is, I don’t know. I don’t know.“  Seeing as this argument doesn’t make any sense, allow me to translate Cooper’s response on behalf of Prop 8 supporters to the question of “why shouldn’t gays be allowed to marry:” They just don’t respect gay Americans.

And the right-wing media? If FOX News is any indication…they’ll cover Tea Party protests, no matter how small, but barely give airtime to a protest of 75,000 protesters in Washington, D.C., marching for gay rights.  In fact, the recent Tea Party protest in D.C. which netted about the same number of participants, seemed to warrant (by FOX’s standards) almost endless coverage and ads that also served to PROMOTE the event.  FOX News even had the nerve to criticize the other networks for covering the event too little, saying that the number of attendees alone merited great attention…but somehow the same number of gay people, and their heterosexual supporters, just don’t seem to count.  Seeing as this argument doesn’t make any sense, allow me to translate FOX News’ response to the question of “why shouldn’t gay civil rights protests get fair and equal treatment on the news:” They just don’t respect gay Americans.

Here’s Jon Stewart of The Daily Show on FOX News’ hypocrisy:

What all these people forget, is that there are consequences to ignoring segments of our own citizenry.  Republicans, and FOX…will increasingly just have to do without the votes and viewership of gay Americans.  Democrats, and Obama…need to show gay Americans the respect the others won’t, or they will similarly be penalized.  And they ALL should realize, that a growing number of heterosexual Americans…ALSO support equal rights for gay Americans, and will vote/spend/watch  accordingly.