GOP = Gainsaying Old Party

After Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize, conservatives criticized the award.  It seems like they have something against peace.  When Chicago lost its bid to host the 2016 Olympics despite Obama's promotion of it, conservatives cheered.  Conservatives were against Obama speaking to school children... about staying in school.

Obama could invent a cure for cancer and conservatives would probably be against that.  They would probably say he was increasing unemployment by putting oncologists out of business.

It seems like conservatives have learned their political tactics from the Monty Python argument sketch.  It doesn't matter what Obama does, they will engage in gainsaying whatever he does.  It's not about having different political opinions.  It's not about having integrity towards their "beliefs."  They would and have abandoned some of their opinions or beliefs simply because Obama had taken the same position.  It's just about being against anything Obama does.

They do this because it is more important for them to try to help themselves win elections by attempting to politically destroy Obama than to try to help our country win.  That's why it's more important for them to block health care reform (because they believe it would help Obama if it is passed) than to do something to help the almost 45,000 Americans who die each year because they don't have health insurance.  They probably just hope all those people who die are Obama voters.

Single-Payer Health Care = Pro-Life

If you're "Pro-Life," you should be pro-single-payer health care.

If you're not, then you aren't being consistent in your beliefs.

David Broder Hates Justice

One question that I had (and I imagine many other did too) when I first learned about the Holocaust is how could people have let it happen?  I think future generations will be asking the same question about war crimes committed by the Bush administration.

David Broder is a good example of people who let it happen.  Glenn Greenwald explores this:

But it's simply not true that these journalists vehemently objected to torture as abhorrent but now merely believe prosecutions are an over-reaction. The reality is that they did not object to the torture regime as it was implemented. They did the opposite: they mocked those who objected to it and who tried to stop it as overheated, hysterical, fringe leftists -- as Broder did in a November, 2004 Op-Ed, deriding as "unhinged" those who were arguing "that 'the forces of darkness' are taking over the country."

Equal Rights for All

I'm Sick of the Lies

Can't they ever tell the truth on FOX?

"Answer the Question, Claire."

How many times do you have to ask a question before you get an answer from Joe Scarborough? Rep. Anthony Weiner tries to find out unsuccessfully.
The point Rep. Weiner is trying to make here is that there is no good reason for health insurance companies to exist.

They don't contribute anything to society. All they do is steal your money. If we were a smart country, we would rid ourselves of them and move to a single-payer plan.

Are You Listening, Sen. Grassley?

Political Argument on Facebook

I got into an argument on Facebook.  I like what I wrote and wanted to reprint it here, so I could find it more easily.  I'm replacing the other two people's names with initials for fun, I left out parts of the discussion that I was not involved in, and I didn't correct my own grammar.

S:

Forty years after murdering a woman, Ted Kennedy is finally dead.

Me:

I've been involved in a car accident where I was ruled at fault. Fortunately, no one died, but I can't imagine the endless guilt I would have felt if I had. It would be hard to live with that for forty years. Some people might call such an accident "murder," and the guilt of causing someone's death that way would make one feel that they were a ... Read Moremurderer on some level.

If you want to criticize Ted Kennedy for irresponsible behavior that resulted in someone's death, for drunk-driving with a female passenger with whom he was probably trying to commit an adulterous act, and for his intoxication and cowerdice that prevented a full-scale and timely rescue effort, then I wouldn't disagree with you. If you want to criticize our two-tiered system of justice, where the rich and powerful receive lighter or commuted sentences while the poor get maximum prison sentences, then I would agree with you.

But I feel your use of the term "murder" in this case is inaccurate and reckless. Murder implies intent. I don't think it was Kennedy's intent to murder Mary Jo Kopechne. It probably was his intent to get it on with her, so I don't think he would have wanted to kill her.

P.s. It never ceases to amaze me how people still get all frothy at the mouth over the death of one person forty years ago, but are completely silent about ... Read Morethe George W. Bush administration causing the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people through illegal war and torture.
I'm not accusing Shane or anyone else specifically of such inconsistency, but it's just one of those hypocritical double standards that drive me crazy enough to mention it anyway.

S:

Hey, I think Bush is a mass murderer, too. Right and wrong transcends politics for me. But I do see the double standard.

As for my use of murderer, perhaps it's reckless if intent wasn't clear. But being culpable and guilty of an act which killed another person and being a murderer are a fine line.

I too, have done reckless acts and hurt ... Read Morepeople. Guilt is a feeling with which I'm well acquainted. But feeling guilty and being held accountable are two different things as well. I do not believe someone that acted as recklessly and irresponsibly as he did should have held political office as a township trustee, let alone a member of the US Senate.

The discussion eventually turned to the invasion of Iraq.

C:

It was bad intel but it's not like it was Switzerland. We had already been at war with them when they invaded Kuwait & Iraq had made moves after that war was over so big deal they got rid of some dickhead dictator & a bunch useless followers in his government. I realize it's the bad principle of the whole thing & everyone going by the rules but they were playing with fire & I'm sure Iraq wasn't completely innocent as far as having any involvement with terrorism.

When a president starts going into countries that are completely innocent & minding their business then I will worry & call them out as a murderer & an invader. Until then I think they all are on the up and up & not trying to take over land, oil or kill people who don't deserve it.

Me:

"so big deal they got rid of some dickhead dictator"

Yeah, big deal. And a million Iraqis died in the ensuing chaos. Big deal. And 4,000 American troops were killed. Big deal. And we tortured people. Big deal. And over 100 people died from torture. Big deal. And we abandoned our system of justice. Big deal. And we sacrificed our moral high ... Read Moreground. Big deal. And we violated the Geneva Conventions and the Convention Against Torture. Big deal. And we'll spend 1 trillion dollars on the Iraq war which could have paid for universal health care. Big deal. And 20,000 Americans die each year from lack of access to health care. Big deal. And we created more terrorists. Big deal.

We invaded Iraq because Bush said they had WMDs, a nuclear weapons program, and ties to al Qaida. All of those claims were lies. There are plenty of brutal regimes in the world. It is not a coincidence that two oil men (Bush and Cheney) wanted to invade the one that had oil.

C:

Million Iraqis? Really? Let me guess they were all kids without guns huh? 4000 American volunteer troops who aren't sitting on their couches complaining about shit who are proud they went over there who would be sickened by universal healthcare run by the government who would still fight under some dick that has no reason being president that is in overdrive spending this country into oblivion.

Our troops, yes voluntarily, go through more (so called) torture than your beloved terrorists did.

They had components of WMD's. They had them back when Clinton was pres. The UN would give them 2 month's notice that they were coming to inspect and the shit would get moved because they had plenty of time to do it. We played that bullshit pussy hands tied around our balls with them for a long time. Yes. no evidence of it when Bush sent troops in. ... Read More

America has the best health care system there is. Why do you think so many people come here for health care. Why do you think that is?

S:

Point, Set, and Match, Brian.

Me:

Yes, a million Iraqis. All kids without Guns? I never said that they were, but you're lack of compassion over the deaths of a million of our human brothers and sisters is a little disturbing.

4,000 American volunteer troops who aren't sitting on their couches complaining because they're dead. Bush's lies killed them. Sickened by universal health care run by the government??? Um, they had universal health care run by the government, Tricare. We shouldn't speak for the dead. Some of them may agree with you while others may agree with me, but we can't know what they thought.

No reason being president? Except that the majority of Americans voted for Obama. It's called democracy.... Read More

Overdrive spending? That was what Bush did. He brought us further into debt than all previous presidents combined, and "conservatives" didn't complain about that oddly. Because they're hypocrites with no integrity, you see.

Beloved terrorists?! Oh, I see. I think torture is morally wrong, so therefore I must love terrorists. That's a perfectly logical conclusion. And torture is against the law, but if I say that we broke the law when we tortured people, then it must mean that I really love terrorists. I also happen to thing that rape is morally wrong and against the law. Does that mean I love Nazis? Jesus was a victim of torture. I'd bet that he's against torture too. Do you think Jesus sides with terrorists? WWJT (Who would Jesus torture)? The 8th Amendment prohibits the federal government from inflicting "cruel and unsusual punishments." The founding fathers must have been gay for terrorists. Reagan signed the Convention Against Torture in 1988. Who would have thought that he was getting erections for terrorists?

Oh, Iraq had "components of WMDs." Remember before the war when Bush said we needed to invade Iraq because Saddam had "components of WMDs?" Neither do I.

You're right that Iraq had WMDs in the past. Do you know why? Because the Reagan and Bush 41 administrations sold anthrax, VX nerve gas, West Nile fever germs, and botulism to Iraq. Saddam ... Read Moreused WMDs on his own people while Reagan and Bush 41 looked the other way because Saddam had oil. So, we probably should have invaded Reagan and Bush's houses first and put them on trial.

The WMDs Iraq had were destroyed or useless by the time Bush 43 was in office. So WMDs were a made up excuse to scare the American people into an illegal war. Then we tortured people until they said that Iraq had ties to al Qaida because you can torture anyone into saying any falsehood you want them to say.

The real reason UN inspectors couldn't find evidence of WMDs in Iraq is because there were no WMDs in Iraq. Any conspiracy theory about Iraq moving WMDs around or even "components" of WMDs to hide them from UN inspectors was debunked long ago. It's a made-up lie some people choose to believe because it's easier than admitting they were wrong.

America has the best health care system there is? Well, that's true. Unless you're poor and can't pay for health insurance or preventative medicine. And unless you have a pre-existing condition. And unless you get a catastrophic illness and you're insurance drops you because you took acne medication when you were a teenager. And unless you ... Read Morecount the 20,000 people who die each year from lack of access to health care. And unless you can't afford life-sustaining drugs. And unless you count the fact the medical bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy in this country. And unless you can't afford dental care. And unless you count the fact that we're 45th in infant mortality. And unless you count the fact that we're 50th in life expectancy. And unless you count the insurance companies who increase rates and lower coverage every year and spend our hard-earned money on commercials against people having the freedom of choice, not being forced into, but the choice of having a public option and buy off politicians to write legislation in their favor. Other than all that, yes, we have the best health care system in the world.

C:

Because it's private. Private schools = better education. Private healthcare = better healthcare. Hmmmm? Let's check out the government run organizations. VA (which I've experienced) all screwed up & you have to wait for hours to be seen. Social Security = bankrupt. Medicare = all jacked up. Fannie & Freddie which Bush gave warnings about them screwing up the system = oh gee, they actually caused the shit pile we're in now. hmmmm.

Oil men? Really? Where is all the cheap oil they supposedly went to war over. Oh, I see. We went to war so we could have more expensive oil at 3 & 4 dollars. That's a sound accusation.... Read More

100 people died from torture? Really? I suppose you're counting the ones that starved themselves to death by not eating. Oh wait. Is it torture that the government force fed them because they wouldn't eat & wanted to keep them alive?

Read the Geneva Convention. Yes it says no torture but it also says they can be held for an indefinite amount of time without trial during wartime which is what it is right now & has been since 2003. Actually since 9-11. All the little whiney whiney's complaining about the terrorists need for trial & release need to read the ... Read Moreconvention before they complain.

We created more terrorists? Really? Is that why there aren't a bunch of bombings in America & why terrorism isn't running rampant right now?

And you probably believe that there isn't still torture going on now. You probably think obama isn't doing the same thing but keeping it under wraps. All presidents have done it. Some were just a bit more out in the open with it.

How do you propose that we get information out of people. Ask them kindly over a cup of coffee? Pay them off & hope they give accurate information? Just let them go about their merry way & do what they want so we don't violate an outdated & vague guideline?

Me:

Private schools don't equal better education for all. They take away valuable public funds that could go to improving public schools. Private health care does not equal better healthcare. Other industrialized nations get better health care results for half of what we pay. Do you really want to continue a health care system that costs more and ... Read Moregets worse results. You only have to wait hours at the VA, that sounds great. Most Americans have to schedule an appointment and wait days to see their doctor. Social Security is not bankrupt. My grandmother is still getting her checks. Medicare gets better satisfactory ratings than private insurance companies. Fannie & Freddie were only a part of the financial crisis and Bush did nothing to fix any part of it except give a bunch of money to Goldman Sachs which is a much bigger part of the financial crisis.

Do you really think the Bush and Cheney's goal was to get cheap oil? Two oil men enter the White House and invade a oil rich nation and all of a sudden oil companies are making record profits. That was not an accident. Bush and Cheney worked for oil companies, and in their minds, they probably thought what's good for the oil companies is good ... Read Morefor America. They don't have the compassion to consider that what's good for the oil companies might be bad for Americans. So they invaded an oil rich nation which decreased supply and fueled speculation which drove up prices and made oil companies more profitable than ever before. I don't claim that oil was the sole reason for Bush and Cheney wanting to invade Iraq, but it is naive to think that it played no part in their calculations.

Yes, at least 100 people died from torture, or in legal terms, were murdered. Murder by the American government and paid for by our tax dollars. You don't seem concerned. What if it was one of your family members that they had tortured to death? Well, they were your family members because we are all one race. And what happened to them could ... Read Morejust as easily happened to us. Our founding fathers understood this. George Washington banned torture during the Revolutionary War even though the British offered no such mercy to Americans. It's called the Golden Rule. It says do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And when we cease to live by that rule, when we start to torture, we cease to be good, we become evil, we become just like the terrorists, and we cease being Americans.

I don't think the Geneva Conventions mean what you think they mean. They do allow more rights for prisoners than what the Bush and Obama administrations have given them. And technically, this isn't a time of war. The founding fathers gave the power to declare war to the U.S. Congress because they didn't want some crazy executive to have ... Read Moreunlimited power to start hostilities whenever they felt like it. I guess they didn't imagine a Congress that would be too scared to stop such a crazy executive from doing so, but they never declared war at least. As for terrorists needing a trial, you don't know they are terrorists until you have a trial. This country's judicial system was founded on the idea that people are innocent until proven guilty, or do you want to kill off that American ideal too? That standard prevents government abuse of power. It protects our rights and our freedom. Otherwise, they could lock up anyone without any evidence of a crime.

Yes, we created more terrorists, but they don't need to come here to kill Americans. They can stay in Iraq and Afghanistan to that. So far they have killed more Americans than those that died on 9/11. Terrorism in the world has increased since the Iraq invasion. It is running rampant.

I don't think that you can claim that all presidents have committed or ordered torture, but I am not so naive that I think that we've never tortured before. The difference is that in America we used to all agree that torture was wrong, and we would prosecute those who did it. We prosecuted Nazis and Japanese for torture after WWII. We signed the... Read More Geneva Conventions against torture. Reagan signed the Convention Against Torture. Then Bush and Cheney come along and all of a sudden, torture is up for debate, defended by one of the two viable political parties in this country, and given serious consideration in the media instead of being cast out of our society as it used to be. I really miss that aspect of our country because it was something I had a lot of pride in.

I propose we get information out of people the same way our police and FBI get information, through lawful interrogations and developing a rapport. In fact, that's how the FBI was getting information from terror suspects before we started torturing them. One FBI agent testified if front of Congress that his interogation methods were getting ... Read Moreinformation from a suspect until the CIA starting torturing the suspect, and then the suspect stopped talking. Torture is morally wrong. Torture is illegal. Torture gets false intelligence. Bush and Cheney ordered torture because they wanted to hear something that they believed that wasn't true. Torture is how you get people to confess to lies. The Spanish Inquisition knew that very well. Torture is how you get people to confess to being a witch, but there are no witches, so obviously torture is not effective if you seek to know the truth. Bush and Cheney had no interest in that.

So sometimes I write a lot.

One thing that I did not write that I wish that I had in the beginning regarding Kennedy is that I think it is unfair to judge him based on his worst mistake rather than everything that he had done in his life. He did some bad things, including one that was inexcusably bad, but he also did a lot of good things for those who were less fortunate than himself.

I Wonder Why Obama's Poll Numbers Are Dropping

I don't understand the decisions that Obama is making.  Breaking campaign promises to appease Republicans will not get Republicans to support him, but it will get Democrats to stop supporting him.  Triangulation decreases support which is the opposite effect of why politicians are attracted to its siren call.  Ironic, isn't it?

Digby sums it up after quoting Politico:

On health care, Obama’s willingness to forgo the public option is sure to anger his party’s liberal base. But some administration officials welcome a showdown with liberal lawmakers if they argue they would rather have no health care law than an incremental one. The confrontation would allow Obama to show he is willing to stare down his own party to get things done.

This makes perfect sense because his problem is that he's been kow-towing to the left so much that he's lost the country, what with all the war crimes investigations, the tax hikes for the rich, the crackdown on the banks, the repeal of "don't ask don't tell" and the thumbing of his nose at the Republicans every chance he gets. Not to mention the plans for full withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan by 2012 and his full blown assault on the health care industry and insistence on a Canadian style health care system. You'd think Obama would have been far, far more cautious so as not to give the Republican freakshow any possible path to demonize them as "far left." It's not like they could just make stuff up and a lot of people in America would believe it, right?

Pat Buchanan Defends Hitler

Remember that whole World War II thing? The one with the Holocaust?

According to Pat Buchanan, it wasn't Hitler's fault:

DailyKos: Pat Buchanan, Hitler apologist

Seriously, MSNBC needs end their employment of Pat Buchanan.  How can they defend paying this Nazi-sympathizer after this?