The rowdiness will no doubt subside, but could civility save the "debate" over health care? The signs are not encouraging. Today the President devotes part of his weekly address to "dispelling the outlandish rumors that reform will promote euthanasia, cut Medicaid, or bring about a government takeover of health care. "That’s simply not true. This isn’t about putting … [Read more...] about Stupidity as a Pre-Existing Condition
Planetary Puberty
In Puberty on the Scale of a Planet, Dot Earth's Andrew C. Revkin posits we are a teenage species at this moment. He asks, what do we want to be when we grow up? 9 Billion People + 1 Planet = ? At a quickening pace, humanity is etching its signature across the Earth, diverting waterways and downing forests, spreading pythons to the Everglades and American bullfrogs to … [Read more...] about Planetary Puberty
Page One: Unemployed Alaskan Woman Has Facebook Account
I can't quite make out her name in all the clutter, but based on her profile she apparently lost her job recently and, as such, might understandably be very concerned about making sure she had health care for her and her very large family. More from the mother of several: [W]ho will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. … [Read more...] about Page One: Unemployed Alaskan Woman Has Facebook Account
Those Town Halls — Ouch!
Several weeks ago, about 425 active and retired employees of The San Diego Union-Tribune were asked in an email newsletter they publish what they would do if they were dictator for a day. Naturally, most of the replies were humorous. Allow me to don the imperial crown for a moment. I would tell the demonstrators disrupting town hall meetings with their elected … [Read more...] about Those Town Halls — Ouch!
Required Foreign Policy Reading
The always-thoughtful Dave Schuler has some required foreign policy reading: If you only read one thing today, read the for-the-record answers from the Director of National Intelligence to questions from the Senate Intelligence Committee in April 2009. At the very least read the tickler summary from the blog of the Federation of American Scientists, which has done a … [Read more...] about Required Foreign Policy Reading
Want To Help The Uninsured? Just Give Them Insurance Already!
In my prior post on why I though the current health reform bill would fail to help most people, SteveK linked to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation with an outrageous claim: Myth 10: Expanding health insurance coverage to all, or even a large share of the uninsured, will cost far more than the country currently spends on health care. FACT: Because both the uninsured … [Read more...] about Want To Help The Uninsured? Just Give Them Insurance Already!
Obama Weekly You Tube Radio Address: Ignore “Outlandish” Rumors About Health Care Reform
In his weekly You Tube-radio address, President Barack Obama says there are hopeful signs on the economic front and makes his pitch for health care reform -- noting "outlandish rumors" about health care reform including the one raised by talk show hosts and conservative politicians about it including a "death panel": Embedded video from CNN Video The "death list" charge is … [Read more...] about Obama Weekly You Tube Radio Address: Ignore “Outlandish” Rumors About Health Care Reform
Videos of Sonia Sotomayor Being Sworn In To Supreme Court
History was made today as Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in to serve on the Supreme Court, the first Hispanic in history to serve on the court. Here's MSNBC's report: Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy ABC News has THIS VIDEO (cannot embed). CBS News has THIS VIDEO (won't embed since it will loop and play over and over) Fox News … [Read more...] about Videos of Sonia Sotomayor Being Sworn In To Supreme Court
New York’s Big Gay Ice Cream Truck
On Weekend Edition Saturday, New Yorkers get a taste of Doug Quint's Big Gay Ice Cream Truck: "If I weren't gay, I wouldn't call it the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. And if I weren't happy, I wouldn't have the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. It would just be the big crabby ice cream truck," Quint says. Quint, who is a classically trained bassoonist, has only been in the ice cream … [Read more...] about New York’s Big Gay Ice Cream Truck
Quote of The Day: Why Even Fiery Town Hall Meetings Are A Positive Thing
Our political Quote of the Day comes from the Atlantic's always perceptive Marc Ambinder who offers this perspective on the increasing ugliness of the healthcare Town Hall meetings: There's lots of lamenting on the left about all the teabaggers showing up and town hall meetings on health care being held by returning members. The right's all atwitter about organized labor … [Read more...] about Quote of The Day: Why Even Fiery Town Hall Meetings Are A Positive Thing
Glimmers of Economic Hope: Coming into Focus?
This post is in three parts. First, the bad news about the economy. Second, the economy according to Fox News. Third, those glimmers of economic hope. The bad news: Today's "good" news that the unemployment rate fell to 9.4 percent---the first rate drop in 15 months---as the U.S. economy "only" shed 247,000 jobs in July, is of course no comfort to the millions … [Read more...] about Glimmers of Economic Hope: Coming into Focus?
Quote of the Day: On Town Hall Protesters, Health Care Reform and the GOP
Our political Quote of the Day comes from Philadelphia Inquirer columnist/blogger Dick Polman on the increasingly tempestuous Town Hall meetings held by Democrats to discuss health care reform and the role of Town Hall meeting protesters and heckers. First, the beginning of his analysis, titled "Goon Power": I was in college when I first witnessed goon squads in action. … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: On Town Hall Protesters, Health Care Reform and the GOP
While Many Bicker over Birthers, Troll Rupert Plans to Starve Out Newsbloggers
When Rupert immigrated to the USA and began/ continued buying up newspapers and media outlets like a hungry Jabba, and especially when he bought up the venerable Wall Street Journal, he threw around a lot of words saying 'Ah, open access for all'... his properties would be open content, no fees for most anything except expert financial reports. But, Rupert has changed … [Read more...] about While Many Bicker over Birthers, Troll Rupert Plans to Starve Out Newsbloggers
Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Maze
Silicon Alley Insider: One of Microsoft's biggest challenges with Windows 7 is an easy upgrade path for consumers and corporations. As this chart illustrates, it's a mess: Only a few upgrade paths qualify for an "in-place upgrade," which means you can keep "files, settings, and programs intact from your current Windows version." Most will require a "custom install," which … [Read more...] about Microsoft’s Windows 7 Upgrade Maze
And Now A Call To Carry Arms To Protests Against Health Care Reform
When you read THIS about a protester encouraging others to bring guns and also to get violent you have to ask -- isn't it clear where this is heading? And then there's THIS threat from an apparent protest saying if things keep up the town hall proponents are going to find out about the second amendment. This is a classic escalation. Can't we just envision the future … [Read more...] about And Now A Call To Carry Arms To Protests Against Health Care Reform
Nitpicking CIA’s Leon Panetta
Leon Panetta, the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, wrote a positive, forward-looking Op-Ed in the Washington Post this past weekend. It was titled, "Congress and the CIA: Time to Move On." In his Op-Ed, Panetta rightly commends the men and women of the CIA for the crucial work they are doing to protect our country---for being "America's first line of … [Read more...] about Nitpicking CIA’s Leon Panetta
Ode To A Living Will
I wrote my living will yesterday rather than posting my column. It served a myriad of purposes, the least of which gave the gatekeeper a day off fending those slings and arrows from both extremes of the political spectrum picking apart my prose and carrying on about stuff I didn't write nor intend but rather squabbling among themselves over some intangible twist introduced by … [Read more...] about Ode To A Living Will
John Hughes (1950-2009)
He wasn't a cinematic master, by any means, but he was one of the most distinctive American filmmakers of his generation, and it is indeed difficult to imagine American cinema in the '80s without him. John Hughes died yesterday at the age of 59. I was a bit too young, at the time, for his early seminal movies, such as Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985), and … [Read more...] about John Hughes (1950-2009)
Steven Pearlstein on Republican Lies
A lot of bloggers are noticing Steven Pearlstein's piece in today's Washington Post in which he quite forcefully takes Republican leaders in Congress to task for the lies they are propagating, both directly and via their operatives in the streets and at political meetings. … [Read more...] about Steven Pearlstein on Republican Lies
Unhealthy Debate
Left and right, the ugly turn of American politics this month is provoking conflict about the conflict. Paul Krugman decries "recent town halls, where angry protesters--some of them, with no apparent sense of irony, shouting “This is America!”--have been drowning out, and in some cases threatening, members of Congress trying to talk about health reform." Across the … [Read more...] about Unhealthy Debate