Clueless America: 26 percent don't know we split from England

This should be shocking news. However, considering America is the country that wanted to elect a Vice-President who did not know Africa was a continent, and who could not list a series of publications she regularly read.

26 percent of Americans do not know that the U.S. split from Great Britain when it declared its independence, according to a Marist Poll. That 74 percent do know the correct answer is small comfort.

20 percent were unsure of which country the U.S. split from. Meanwhile, the other 6 percent mentioned France, China, Japan, Mexico, and Spain, among others. Don't imagine it's senility, either: the youngest group was the worst, with 18-29 year olds only answering correctly 60 percent of the time.

Steele rewrites history; Obama becomes president who started war in Afghanistan

It's been said by some that the GOP likes to rewrite history, and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele appears to be no different. At a GOP fundraiser in Connecticut on Thursday, Steele, while responding to a question about the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal, stated that the war in Afghanistan "was a war of Obama's choosing" that America had not "actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in."

Wait, what happened to this George W. Bush guy? What happened to "Operation Enduring Freedom?"

Here's what Steele said:

"The McChrystal incident, to me, was very comical. And I think it's a reflection of the frustration that a lot of our military leaders have with this Administration and their prosecution of the war in Afghanistan," said Steele. "Keep in mind again, federal candidates, this was a war of Obama's choosing. This is not something the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in."

Watch a video, but note that Steele is not all that audible in the clip.

GOP D.A. Threatens Teachers for Following State Law

Juneau County (WI) District Attorney Scott Southworth sent out 24 letters to top officials in the county 5 school districts telling them to suspend sex education classes in their schools or face possible charges. At issue is the new state law, called the Healthy Youth Act, which took effect in March. It requires schools, starting this fall, to teach students medically accurate, age-appropriate information, in their sex-education course, including how to use birth control and prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

In his letter, Southworth told school district leaders that teachers who follow the law could be charged with misdemeanor or contributing to the delinquency of a minor, with maximum punishment ranging from nine months in jail to six years in prison.

Already part of previous law, parents will be permitted to remove their children from sex-education classes. Schools also will be allowed to decline to offer sex education, but must notify parents if they decide not to.

For those wondering: yes, Southworth is a Republican, as could be implied by his stance. As a DA, he's required to uphold the law, and state law would trump county law, as well.

"If a teacher instructs any student aged 16 or younger how to utilize contraceptives under circumstances where the teacher knows the child is engaging in sexual activity with another child - or even where the 'natural and probable consequences' of the teacher's instruction is to cause that child to engage in sexual intercourse with a child - that teacher can be charged under this statute" of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. [...]

"Forcing our schools to instruct children on how to utilize contraceptives encourages our children to engage in sexual behavior, whether as a victim or an offender. It is akin to teaching children about alcohol use, then instructing them on how to make mixed alcoholic drinks."

Unfortunately, if Southworth wants teens to never learn about sex, he's going to have to a) lock them in a room, b) not let them watch TV, read newspapers, magazines, books, and on and on.

Rep. Kelda Helen Roys (D-Madison), co-author of the legislation, said: "Using condoms isn't a crime for anyone. This guy is not a credible legal source on this matter, I'm sorry to say. His purpose is to intimidate and create enough panic in the minds of school administrators that they'll turn their backs on young people and their families."

Ignoring Hippocratic Oath, Dr. Refuses To Treat Obama Supporters

A Florida doctor has decided he doesn't want to treat Democrats, at least those who voted for Barack Obama. Florida urologist Jack Cassell posted a sign on his office door telling those voters to go away.

"If you voted for Obama ... seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your health care begin right now, not in four years."

William Allen, professor of bioethics, law and medical professionalism at the University of Florida's College of Medicine said that Cassell's sign is pushing the limits of professionalism.

Allen said doctors cannot refuse patients on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or disability, but political preference is not one of the legally protected categories specified in civil-rights law. By insisting he does not quiz his patients about their politics and has not turned away patients based on their vote, the doctor is "trying to hold onto the nub of his ethical obligation," Allen said.

"But this is pushing the limit," he said.

No big loss really. Vitals.com, which rates doctors via patient rankings, says Cassell has a 1 out of 4 star ranking. It seems that it might be a good idea to avoid him anyway; he might snip the wrong tube.

Of course, Jack Cassell did backtrack as knowledge of this reached the public. "I'm not turning anybody away — that would be unethical," he told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday. "But if they read the sign and turn the other way, so be it."

Right, sure. At any rate, there are a couple of things that Jack Cassell is forgetting in his (modern) Hippocratic Oath. They include:

• I will respect the privacy of my patients (which means you shouldn't be able to ask, even in an implied manner, who they voted for)[...]
• I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings (not just certain voters), those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.

Tea Party Movement Racist: Fox News Poll

Strange results from a Fox News poll, as their core audience is undeniably to the right. However, a Fox News poll indicates that even those viewers / readers feel that the Tea Party movement is racist.

Here's how the poll was posed:

How to define the Tea Party movement was nearly as big an issue last week at the National Tea Party Convention as the political issues discussed, from government fiscal responsibility to greater accountability of public officials. Some participants drew cheers for raising more controversial topics, such as President Obama's nationality, but others argued that those points were, at best, politically unproductive. Meghan McCain went further on Monday and called segments of the movement "racist."

As of the the time of this writing, there are 210,835 votes. 80 perecent of them selected the option that the Tea Party movement is "A fruitless mix of racism, conspiracy theories."

Interestingly, for those who believe the policies of Barack Obama are socialist, only 1 percent of respondents agreed with that statement as a reason that the Tea Party movement has begun. Of course, those who truly know what socialism means know that any idea that the U.S. is moving toward it is a completely untrue statement, anyway.

Tea Party Speaker Tancredo Suggests Return To Literacy Tests

Former California representative Tom Tancredo urged a return to voter literacy tests on the opening night of the Tea Party convention. Such tests were used in the past to prevent African-Americans and in some cases, Latinos, from voting, prior to Johnson-era civil rights laws.

Tancredo said that President Barack Obama was elected because "we do not have a civics, literacy test before people can vote in this country." He went further and blaster his own party's John McCain, saying "Thank God John McCain lost the election. This is our country. Let's take it back."

It's hard to know if by "our country" he meant a country of white people. However, as he railed against what he called the "cult of multiculturalism," it's pretty obvious. Tancredo, who has been a long opponent of immigration, should remember who the real immigrants to North America are.

When the literacy tests were previously used, those who were white were often allowed to vote, even if they failed the test. Details on Alabama's program can be found here.

Here are a few of the questions they gave on the "test."

• "If a person charged with treason denies his guilt, how many persons must testify against him before he can be convicted?" (two)
• "If a president does not wish to sign a bill, how many days is he allowed in which to return it to Congress for consideration?" (10)
• "If the United States wishes to purchase land for an arsenal and have exclusive legislative authority over it, consent is required from [fill in the blank]." (legislature)

A few comments: considering that Sarah Palin, a woman in her 40's, did not know that Africa was a continent and not a country, it is obvious there's a good chance she would fail this test. Second, as a member of Mensa with a certified genius level IQ, I can't answer these, because my civics class was over 30 years ago.

And finally, what you need to be able to do to vote for a candidate is not understand the esoterics of the laws and information in that test. You need to be able to parse the rhetoric of candidates. That is something that many on the right, who still believe in "death panels," cannot doe.

Ted Nugent: Obama a Communist, Should Be Jailed

Ted Nugent is a die-hard Republican, but as such he certainly isn't a fan of Barack Obama's. He also obviously too big a fan of history or dictionaries either.

He told Royal Flush magazine, that "I think that Barack Hussein Obama should be put in jail. It is clear that Barack Hussein Obama is a communist. (Former Chinese leader) Mao Tse Tung lives and his name is Barack Hussein Obama. This country should be ashamed. I wanna throw up."

Of course, Barack Obama is by no means a communist. The definition of communist is in fact:

"Communism is a social structure in which classes are abolished and property is commonly controlled, as well as an ideology and social movement that advocates and aims to create such a society."

Those on Main Street should be angry at this statement. It is obvious from the bailout of Wall Street (a process, we should recall, that was initiated by the Bush Administration) that the class system is alive and well in America.

As Barack Obama has made no changes in regards to Wall Street, this is obviously a misinformed statement. No, Ted Nugent is definitely off base. The class system is functioning on all cylinders. He himself in is the "privileged but ignorant" class.

GOP Seeks Divine Intervention To Defeat Health Insurance Reform

Rachel Maddow, on her Dec. 17, 2009 broadcast, highlighted the GOP's latest attempt to defeat health insurace reform: divine interverntion.  Participating in an online PrayerCast, Senators Jim DeMint (South Carolina) and Sam Brownback (Kansas) along with Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann joined a number of Christian leaders in praying that health care reform will be defeated.

During the PrayerCast, DeMint said:  "If we have the government making decisions about the most personal and private part of our lives, it's so naive to think that that coverage is not going to include a number of things that cause people of faith a lot of heartburn, whether it's funding abortions, whether it's rationing care, whether it's funding medical marijuana, whether it's euthanasia."

Maddow added that none of this is in the health insurance reform bill in the Senate. More to the point however, is the apparently ignored question: Who Would Jesus Insure? Would he keep the least of us uninsured and suffering, and even dying?

One of the commenters at Raw Story had an interesting question:

I don't understand..... somebody please explain to me WHY these peoples "God" would allow such heartache for the average American and condone the greed on Wallstreet and condone the greed, death and destruction of war while condemning abortion, and condone these government officials to speak in his name for profit over healthcare for babies already born. Somebody please explain this to me....

To this, there came an excellent response:

because if you pray hard enough, and lead a good Christian life, you won't get sick and need healthcare. If you do get sick, well obviously your a demon-possessed sinner. Or liberal. Or both.

Although that may seem simply sarcastic, it's actually true, at least from a Calvinist point of view.  If you are a good Christian, you won't suffer.  If you suffer, you deserve.  That's a very simplistic intepretation, but it's quite often the one the extreme right wing Conservative movement takes.

Watch the video:

Chris Christie Accused of Stealing Monty Python Material for Ad

Chris Christie, 47, the GOP candidate for Governor of New Jersey in Tuesday's gubernatorial election, has used some Monty Python material without permission. The comedy troupe is none-to-happy.

Christie is a lawyer, and a former U.S. attorney. He was appointed by George W. Bush as a U.S. Attorney in 2001 on Karl Rove's recommendation. The campaign advertisement, titled "Deja Vu," attacked incumbent New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine. The problem is that is used scenes from a "Monty Python's Flying Circus" skit without permission. The ad, since removed, was on Christie's official YouTube campaign site, and already aired on national TV, which cannot be witdrawn.

Michael Palin, who appears in the skit use for the ad, was particularly upset that his image was by the Republican candidate without permission. He said, "I'm surprised that a former U.S. Attorney isn't aware of his copyright infringement when he uses our material without permission. He's clearly made a terrible mistake. It was the endorsement of Sarah Palin he was after, not that of Michael Palin."

Even when upset, Michael Palin is still the comedian.

Meanwhile, the group's Terry Jones said that they are strongly considering suing the Republican for his copyright infringement, saying "It is totally outrageous that a former US Attorney knows so little about the law that he thinks he can rip off people. On the other hand, another of Bush's legal appointees was Alberto Gonzales and he didn't seem to know much about the law either."

Christie and Corzine are in a hotly contested, and very close race for Governor of New Jersey. Normally a blue state, NJ is in play due to the dismal state of their economy.

It's not the first example of the GOP using copyrighted material without permission. During the 2008 Presidential campaign, John McCain ran afoul of copyright several times.

RNC's Facebook Page Displays Racist Photos For Nearly a Week

The Facebook page of the Republican National Committee displayed some revolting, racist photos, one nearly for a week, before they were taken down after a liberal website publicized their existence.

The first picture brought to light was one of President Barack Obama eating fried chicken, captioned with the following: "Miscegenation is a CRIME against American Values. Repeal Loving v. Virginia."

Miscegenation refers to the "marriage or cohabitation between a man and woman of different races." Loving v. Virginia was the landmark Supreme Court case that struck down laws against interracial marriage. By the way, you can't actually repeal a Supreme Court decision. That photo was posted on Oct. 20th.

Another troubling photo was of Mother Teresa, in which she is shown feeding a child. The caption beneath read, "Enabling scab-eating mouth breathers will do them no good. How do we expect them to take care of themselves?"

While none of the photos in question appear to have been posted by the administrator of the GOP's Facebook site, it's interesting that the administrator did not remove them, and that there was no uproar among the Republicans visiting the site. Either they did not disagree, or did not care, or there were no visitors (doubtful).

Both of those photos were posted by a Facebook user named "Gee Dub," apparently in reference to President George W. Bush. They have both been removing, but it is still troubling that they were there in the first place.

Hotel Tells Hispanic Workers to Change Their Names

Former Marine Larry Whitten, 63, after buying a run-down hotel in Taos, New Mexico, set up some new rules. The idea was to turn around the Paragon Inn (now renamed the Whitten Inn), as he had other distressed hotels he bought in recent years. Rule 1, requiring the Hispanic hotel workers to Anglicize their names, and forbidding them to speak Spanish in his presence, went over like you might expect in this liberal NM town: badly.

Examples or Anglicizing names include Marcos becoming Mark, and Martin (Mahr-TEEN) becoming Martin. In terms of forbidding them from speaking Spanish, after he arrived, Whitten met with the employees, noted they were hostile to his management style and worried they might start talking about him in Spanish. Aha.

He's fired some, who apparently couldn't adjust to his style (or perhaps wouldn't change their names to suit him). Besides workers, the town has not adjusted to his style, either, and they're not happy with what they perceive as racism.

Protester Juanito Burns Jr., who stated he is "prime minister" of an activist group called Los Brown Berets de Nuevo Mexico said, "I do feel he's a racist, but he's a racist out of ignorance. He doesn't know that what he's doing is wrong."

After the firings, the New Mexico branch of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a national civil rights group, sent Whitten a letter. Whitten alleged that the group referred to him with a racial slur. LULAC denied the charge.

Whitten has also made critical statements in interviews with local media, further incensing residents. He referred to residents as "mountain people" and "potheads who escaped society."

HE was somewhat more apologetic, speaking with AP. "What kind of fool or idiot or poor businessman would I be to orchestrate this whole crazy thing that's costed (sic) me a lot of time, money and aggravation?"

Pennsylvania GOP Replaces "O" in Obama With Hammer and Sickle

A recent ad on the the Pennsylvania Republican Party's website, since replaced, showed a message with the O in Obama replaced with the hammer and sickle from (guess where) the U.S.S.R.'s flag.

The ad asked: "Tired of Barack Obama, (Pennsylvania Governor) Ed Rendell and (Pennsylvania Senator and former GOP member) Arlen Specter ruining our nation? Hit them where it hurts. The voting booth!"

As you can see, the ad promotes Joan Orie-Melvin, a Republican candidate for the state Supreme Court in the November election. It appeared on the PA GrassRoots website late last week.

Unfortunately for those afraid of the "Red Menace," as noted by John Micek, "We looked pretty hard at Orie-Melvin's life story, and we couldn't find a single thing in there about her promising to fight the Red Menace if elected."

It's another example of hate-mongering and scare tactics among GOP candidates. The idea of equating liberals with the "Red Menace" isn't new, but isn't any truer than before, either.

Specter: GOP "A Party of Obstructionism"

Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), longtime Republican who switched sides earlier this year, described his former party as a group of naysayers Sunday on Fox News, calling them a group of obstructionists.

On the Republican side, it’s no, no, no. A party of obstructionism. This is no longer the party of Jon Hymes and "Mac" Mathias and Lowell Weicker. You have responsible Republicans who had been in the Senate, like Howard Baker, Bob Dole, and Bill Frist, who say Republicans ought to cooperate. Well, they’re not cooperating. Bob Dole reportedly wouldn't return a telephone call from a Republican leader who wanted him to back off. Take a look at the absence of any Republican plan ...

Specter isn't the first to say this. Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) said recently that the GOP is against anything President Barack Obama is for, regardless of if it is good for Americans.

"They understand if Barack Obama were somehow able to cure hunger in the world, the Republicans would blame him for over-population.

They understand that if Barack obama could somehow bring about world peace, they'd blame him for destroying the defense industry.

In fact, they understand that if Barack Obama has a BLT sandwich tomorrow for lunch, they will try to ban bacon."

Watch it:

Nine-Year-Old Asks Obama: "Why Do People Hate You?"

Out of the mouths of babes, they say. At a town hall in Louisiana today, Barack Obama received a question that would have taken some people aback. Despite that, he acted with aplomb.

He was asked by Tyren Scott, of Paulina, LA, "I have to say, why do people hate you? And why ... they supposed to love you, and ... God is love." A good question. It should be asked thusly: why does the GOP hate you?

Obama's response:

"Hey, that's what I'm talking about. Tyren, I appreciate that. What grade are you in? (answer: 4) Well, now, first of all, I did get elected president, so not everybody hates me now ... I got a whole lot of votes.

But, what is true is, if you were watching TV lately, it seems like everybody's just getting mad all the time. And you know, I think that you've got to take it with a grain of salt. Some of it is just what's called politics, where once one party wins then the other party feels it needs to poke you a little bit, to keep you on your toes. So you shouldn't take it too seriously.

"And as I said before, people, I think, they're worried about their own lives, a lot of people are losing their jobs right now, a lot of people are losing their health care or they've lost their homes to foreclosure, and they're feeling frustrated, and when you're President of the United States, you've got to deal with all of that; that's exactly right. And, you get some of the credit when things go good, and when things are going tough, you're going to get some of the blame, and that's part of the job.

But, I'm a pretty tough guy. Are you a tough guy? You look like you're pretty tough. And so, you just gotta keep on going even when folks are criticizing you, as long as you know you're doing it for other people. Thank you; you're a fine young man. I appreciate you."

Tyren is a fine young man. Those who have participated in hate crimes against Obama or have made racist remarks should be looking pretty sheepish right now, compared to this young man.

Watch the video:

Grayson: GOP in Running for Nobel Prizes For Fear, Hatred, Racism

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), who has been the most visible member of the House of late, what with his bombastic comments about the GOP's health care reform plan ("don't get sick and if you do, die quickly") as well as his refusal to apologize to the GOP, has his own theory of why the GOP is so angry about President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize win: because they have no chance themselves.

On MSNBC's "The Ed Show" on Friday, Grayson told Ed Schultz (emphasis mine):

"I think I understand their disappointment. They're not going to be winning the Nobel Peace Prize anytime soon. They probably wish there was a Nobel prize for fear, a Nobel prize for hatred, a Nobel prize for racism. Then they'd be in the running."

It's true that many, on both sides of the aisle, have been critical of the Nobel Committee's choice of Barack Obama for the Nobel Peace Prize, but it should be remembered that the Nobel Committee consists of five people only, they are all of one country (Norway), and Norway is considered quite eclectic. Don't blame the president for something he did not campaign for.

Watch the video:

GOP Endorser Mocks Opponent's Stutter

Classy, GOP, classy. Just when you thought the Republicans couldn't be more classless, the Virginia governor's race came to the fore when a prominent endorser for Republican Bob McDonnell mocked the slight stutter of Democratic candidate Creigh Deeds (pictured).

Sheila Johnson was taped discussing the importance of communication skills in the state's next governor at a rally for McDonnell's campaign. Yeah, right. She said:

"We need someone who can really communicate. And Bob McDonnell can communicate. The other people that I talk to, especially his o-pop-pop-pop-pop-pponent (unclear) could not articulate what needed to be done."

I have already forwarded news of this affront to the National Stutterers Foundation. As they note on their website, many notable people have overcome stuttering, including James Earl Jones, Bruce Willis, Bill Walton, Tiger Woods, Jimmy Stewart, and Carly Simon. That's just a short list, mind you.

This appears to be the face of the Republican party: can't beat someone, make fun of them. Remember when Rush Limbaugh mocked Michael J. Fox for his Parkinson's? He said that Fox was on drugs, so he shouldn't have exhibited the twitches he did. What Dr. Limbaugh didn't know is that despite the drugs that Fox takes, his motions are perfectly symptomatic of the disease.

At the time, Elaine Richman, a neuroscientist in Baltimore who co-wrote "Parkinson's Disease and the Family" said:

"Anyone who knows the disease well would regard his movement as classic severe Parkinson's disease. Any other interpretation is misinformed."

Misinformed is kind. Cruel is another word I would use. Let's not forget, it's not the style with which a speech is presented that is most important, but the content.

Watch Johnson on video below:

GOP Candidate Raffles Off AK-47 at "Machine Gun Social"

First of all, it's an assault rifle, not a machine gun. Secondly, while yes, we have Second Amendment rights, I fail to see why any private citizen would need an AK-47.

Dean Allen, a GOP candidate for South Carolina's Adjutant General (S.C. is the only state to elect that post), held a "machine gun social" on Saturday. Allen, 58, of Greenville, said the "machine gun social" was his way of celebrating the Second Amendment as well as showing solidarity against gun-rights opponents.

Approximately 500 people showed up Saturday at the Allen Arms Indoor Shooting Range (owned by Frank Allen, unrelated to the candidate). Some paid $25 for barbecued food and ammo to take target practice with the weapon of their choice. The sweepstakes was included at no extra charge.

Lisa Flaugher of Pickens said she came to the event at the Allen Arms Indoor Shooting Range to support Allen and try to win the AK-47, because "I want the gun for target practice."

These people know very little about the AK-47. While reliable and easy to manufacture because of its loose tolerances, that same fact also makes it a pretty inaccurate weapon.

At any rate, Dean Allen said, "I like to tell people I'm not the country club conservative, I'm the machine gun one."

Assemblyman Resigns After Bragging About Sex With Lobbyists on Open Mike

An Orange County lawmaker, Assemblyman Mike Duvall (R-Yorba Linda) abruptly resigned from office this afternoon. He had inadvertently broadcast explicit remarks about his sexual conquests over an open microphone during a slow period in a Sacramento hearing.

Mike Duvall, a married conservative with two adult children, had previously received a 100% rating from Capitol Resource Institute, a conservative advocacy group for his votes on legislation considered pro-family. CRI denounced Duvall today, after the news broke.

Worse, the two women that Duvall refers to in his taped comments are both married and both lobbyists in Sacramento. One works for a firm, which represents utility companies. Mike Duvall was vice-chairman of the Utilities and Commerce Committee.

Prior to his resignation, in a statement on his campaign website, Duvall wrote:

I made a mistake and i sincerely apologize. I deeply regret the comments I made in what I believed to be a private conversation. This is a private matter and I ask that everyone respect the privacy of all involved.

It stopped being private when lobbyists that may have affected his vote via sex became involved, Mike. One of the lobbyists, the woman who wears the "eye-patch underwear" noted on the tape, is apparently Heidi DeJong Barsuglia, a lobbyist for an energy company, Sempra Energy.

Sempra Energy, where Heidi DeJong Barsuglia works, released the following statement regarding the Mike Duvall report:

Sempra Energy takes very seriously any reports involving the conduct of our employees. We are investigating this matter and the recent media reports that named one of our employees. The employee has denied the speculative media reports. Our investigation will be conducted to ensure not only that our policies on employee conduct are strictly adhered to, but also that our employee is treated fairly.

A progressive California group, the Courage Campaign, is calling for an investigation into whether Mike Duvall sold his votes for sex. They said:

"A vice-chairman of the Committee on Utilities and Commerce was literally in bed with Sempra Energy's lobbyist. Assemblyman Duvall's 'sex for votes' affairs have cheated Californians out of honest government. We call on the attorney general to investigate Mr. Duvall to see if he can be prosecuted for selling his votes."

Listen to Mike Duvall's comments via this video report.

GOP Says Dems Will Ration Health Care to Republicans

The GOP loves scare tactics, as they readily admit. This fundraising mailer, sent to GOP voters, which implies that voter registration will be used to ration health care, sinks to a new low.

The Republican National Committee's mailer includes this line, which bears no basis in fact, in a questionnaire:

"[...] GOP voters might be discriminated against for medical treatment in a Democrat-imposed health care rationing system. Does this possibility concern you?"

Translation: Democrats might deny anyone registered as a Republican treatment.

A spokeswoman for the RNC said the questionnaire was "inartfully worded" and added "The RNC doesn't try to scare people." What? The whole Presidential campaign in 2004 was built around fear.

Let's not forget the objection by the American Spectator over making Sept. 11 a national day of service:

The plan is to turn a "day of fear" that helps Republicans into a day of activism called the National Day of Service that helps the left. In other words, nihilistic liberals are planning to drain 9/11 of all meaning.

It's right there, "a day of fear." For the GOP, it's all about fear. No issues, just fear.

As opposed to the lie in the mailer, here's truth: there's already health care rationing. And it's done by the insurance companies. This has been called health care reform, but it's really insurance reform, taking the money out of the pockets of millionaire CEOs and making insurance available to all.

What's wrong with that?

Jon Stewart Roasts "Death Panel" Idea Originator

Jon Stewart had "death panel" idea originator Betsy McCaughey on his show on Thursday. It should be noted that McCaughey never used the term "death panel" herself, or at least, did not coin that phrase (it came from Alaska, ahem), but she originated the idea that the health care reform bill promoted euthanasia.



McCaughey appeared on stage carrying a huge binder, which she stated held the first 1/2 of the health care reform bill. Interestingly, she admitted the provisions were all about "living wills" as opposed to "death panels."



S: It seems like this bill is allowing people more control over their lives and that your reading of it is hyperbolic and in some cases, dangerous.



M: This provision is so dangerous that the Senate finance committee has already ripped it out of its draft.



S: It's not because it's so dangerous; it's because people so lost their **** about it. The misinformation that was put out there ... look, we can argue about whether it's a slippery slope to certain things, but there is absolutely nothing in that reading that says this is a mandatory consultation, and that ...



She interrupted and said he was wrong, but when asked to provide proof, she could not.

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Interestingly, in part 2, McCaughey seemed to concentrate on the word "adherence," but as Stewart noted, the wording said "adherence to orders for life-sustaining treatment." Hmmm. Life-sustaining. Where's the "death" part of the panels?

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Quite a bit of blathering on the part of McCaughey, but not much information. Stewart notes that Reagan said in 1961 that Medicare would be the death of seniors and that did not pass. He then asked if she really believed that fact. And she said yet.



McCaughey then tried to say that American health care was good. Stewart pointed out what I've said before: the U.S. is 50th in infant mortality and 46th in life expectancy. He didn't note what I have, that Cuba has the same life expectancy as us.



She said that (pulling the stats out of her *ss, I'm sure) that if you remove violent crime and auto accidents we're #1. So?



See the final part of the interview:

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