health care aftermath
I’ve been pretty busy with work, getting my FAFSA together, and prepping the house for spring/summer, so I haven’t done a lot of blogging recently. in the wake of health insurance reform, however, I wanted to make a few observations.
Although I have some extremely serious problems with the new law, there is one clear benefit to its passage: the right wing shit fit meltdown. Any chance I get to tune into 990 AM, where they offer “intelligent conservative talk” (an oxymoron if ever there was one), I do so: their reactions are hysterical, in both senses of the word.
But a preface: I don’t understand how what they’re selling is “intelligent”, considering most of it is just a “load of baloney”. Take the “death panels” nonsense, a big component of the right-wing cuckoo bananas objection to health insurance reform: how can you talk intelligently about the dangers posed by something that just plain doesn’t exist?? Or the socialism hysteria: anyone with a functioning brain can tell you the reforms aren’t socialist at all (although there’s an honest argument to be made that the reforms are a step down the road to fascism, by forcing citizens to by a product produced by a private company), but that hasn’t stopped the right wing from pretending it is.
So I’m not sold on “intelligent conservative talk”: they’re talking about the equivalent of a Godzilla attack, and Godzilla doesn’t exist. That’s a lot of things, but it ain’t “intelligent”.
But anyway: the past couple of days on right-wing talk radio have been a sheer joy. yesterday, Hugh “man-tits” Hewitt was going on an on about how “the left is scared” of the successful passage of health care reform, and how the bill is going to put tanning salons out of business because of a 10% tax on their service. And then from there it was a long diatribe of speculation that culminated with every business in America going under, as Hugh whipped himself and his manboobs into a jiggling sweaty froth of angst.
Say WHAT, Hugh Hewitt? Are you out of your fucking mind? Is that ALL you’ve got? “Tanning salons will go out of business”?
John Prager has also been entertaining: on Tuesday i caught a few minutes of his show, in which he claimed to be angry, but controlling his emotions, after which he began an extending rant that “The left DESTROYS things, they want to DESTROY America. they are DICTATORS, they are SOCIALISTS, they are the same as HITLER AND POL POT, ARGLE BARGLE FRENNA FRENNA GLAB GLUB BARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHHHH. But I am CONTROLLING my ANGER.”
Just fantastic.
Not so fantastic are the ever-growing incidents of violence and intimidation the GOP faithful are calling for, or the subsequent efforts to distance themselves from the acts that ensue. the classic example of this (so far) was the attack on the family of Tom Periello: a moron named Mike Troxel posted what he thought was the congressman’s address on his blog:
Just in case any of his friends and neighbors want to drop by and say hi and express their thanks regarding his vote for healthcare. I personally believe it’s so important for representatives to remain fully grounded and to remember exactly what it is their constituents are saying and how they are telling them to vote. Nothing quite does that like a good face-to-face chat. It has a much more personal touch to it.
yes, nothing like angry strangers on your doorstep doing a personal repeat of the health care town hall hysterics. and it’s even better when you get the address wrong and send your flying monkeys to the wrong address, as the brilliant mr. troxel did, as did many of his friends. But what happened instead was someone cut the family’s the gas lines, and that’s a crime. Now, troxel’s buddies are in full damage control mode. talk about walking it back:
Danville Tea Party leader Nigel Coleman was one of the two activists who posted Bo Perriello’s address online Monday.
“This is Rep. Thomas Stuart Price Perriello’s home address,” Coleman wrote Monday. “… I ain’t holding back anymore!!”
According to the Politico Web site, when Coleman learned that the address actually belonged to the congressman’s brother, he responded on a blog: “Do you mean I posted his brother’s address on my Facebook? Oh well, collateral damage.”
Coleman told The Daily Progress today that he is “shocked” and “almost speechless” at the possibility that someone would sever the propane line to Perriello’s brother’s house.
“I obviously condemn these actions,” he said. “I would hope that people aren’t thinking about doing anything crazy. We just wanted people to get close to the congressman and have their voices heard. Violence is not going to answer anything. I’m a little shocked and amazed.”
That’s the sound of a man worried about criminal charges and jail time. he’s not sorry though, except for getting caught.
Following this despicable incident, the St. Louis Tea Party showed up Congressman Russ Carnahan’s house with a coffin. Of course, it wasn’t a threat, if you can believe organizer and insane person Jim Hoft (who also runs a blog called Gateway Pundit, a veritable toilet of wisdom), who says: “Obviously it came as quite a shock tonight to see that the Carnahan people and the Democratic-media complex had twisted this innocent prayer vigil into some kind of threat against Russ Carnahan.”
Right. Gotcha Jimbo.
Currently, about ten representatives are taking advantage of protection, provided of course by the taxpayer (thanks for wasting our money, conservative freaks). But frankly, I have a few cheaper proposals.
My first is, “Congresscritters, buy a high pressure garden hose. When these fruitcakes show up on your lawn, on YOUR PRIVATE PROPERTY, give them a bath.”
My second dates back to my high school days, when we all learned very quickly not to prank a specific house on Chartier Circle on Halloween. The owner was a mean motherfucker who would load up his shotgun with painful, but not lethal, rock salt, hiding in the bushes waiting for the sonuvabitch that DARED to set foot in his yard. Do the same: these people are always yapping about their second amendment rights and right to self-defense, and it seems to me that’s a two-way street.
In Missouri, where mr. carnahan is being harassed, you can go quite a bit farther: in 2007, the state approved so-called “castle laws”:
What the law boils down to is, Missourians can use nonlethal force to defend themselves, anyone else, or any property (against “any degree of tampering,”) anywhere they may be in the state,
and can use lethal force to defend themselves or anyone else against the commission of any felony involving the use or threat of use of physical force if legally in a dwelling or vehicle and if the person the force is used against enters, has entered and is not leaving, or is attempting to enter that dwelling or vehicle. This specifically includes temporary dwellings such as motel rooms, tents, and so on.
Perhaps someone should remind the Congressman, and his tormentors, of his right to protect himself.
On the other hand, I can understand a politician’s desire to not shoot his constituents, including those who will never vote for him. So maybe the way to split the difference is to buy a Rottweiller. A big, hulking, mean, biting Rottweiller, and turn the thing loose the minute the freakshow makes an appearance.
And now I read that these clowns are planning an armed march on Washington DC for April 19: they are pretending to be commemorating “the shot heard round the world”, but really they are celebrating the Oklahoma City Bombing.
They aren’t patriots: they are goons who are calling for the murder of their fellow citizens.
I wonder if the GOP realizes what kind of Frankenstein they have unleashed?
March 26th, 2010 at 10:37 am
my tea bagger cousin had this to say in an email:
“are you PROUD of these people who you have so blindly supported?….is today a day you sit back and say…” our country is on the right track now?”…can you see the grand canyon ahead that our country’s station wagon is barreling toward?….to me..in my mind…this is the most evil administration…and the least qualified…most corrupt group of socialist fatcat morons i have seen….i feel worse today that I did on Septmber 11th….at least THOSE TERRORISTS wore turbans..It might be I am deluded…I am fairly sure that will be your response…its all tea bag racist stuff….and i fear black whatevers…all i ask is this…how much better do you predict healthcare will become…?..do you think there will be a lot of people who will refuse to buy healthcare or pay the unconstitutional fine for NOT bowing your head…i was wondering if you were celebrating with your comrades somewhere….or if even you might be having second thoughts about how these turds brought this all about…
March 26th, 2010 at 11:00 am
that is some tasty wingnutty email steve!
(ps: gotta refriend on FB, got busy with other shit).