The only two things I know about DJ AM : (1) in a plane crash, didn’t die, (2) smoked crack, did die.

If you need me for anything this week that requires a sense of smell, let’s reschedule. My home is engulfed in wildfire smoke.

Earlier today I changed the channel from “Coming to America” to Ted Kennedy’s funeral and felt really guilty about wanting to switch back.

On any given day, I’d rather listen to the Monkees than David Bowie.

I guess it makes sense that somebody who would evoke the revolutionary mantra of taxation without representation would be ignorant and self-righteous enough to co-opt everything they can get their hands on. Here’s the logo to Glenn Beck’s “9/12 Project”

Needless to say, conservatives’ Photoshop skills are about as good as their historical analysis in this case. The original (which I love) :



Of course the great flaw that undercuts most of the Revolutionary rubbish that Beck and his teabaggin’ allies casually name-drop is that the Founding Fathers were fighting a monarchy which is, for those who prefer a democracy, tyrannical. For modern conservatives, who waited mere weeks after losing a fair election to carelessly accuse Obama et. al. of a burgeoning despotism, wrapping themselves in the accomplishments of the revolutionary movement don’t make them look like the second coming of Thomas Paine, it makes them look like a bunch of friggin’ babies.

Before you get too discouraged about the lack of progress on health care reform, don’t forget that Congress isn’t in session this month.

I’ve got a lot of conservative friends and family who sincerely believe that we’re in serious need of health care reform and that it’s unconscionable for the richest country in the world to let people die because they’re too poor to go to the doctor. Though I may vocally disagree with their positions, I won’t second-guess their stated motives for opposing the current plan. Indeed, I could see why a Republican would oppose Democratic health care efforts in the hopes that a more conservative plan emerges at some point in the future.

But here’s the deal : Republican politicians don’t care about heath care reform. They may talk a good game, but look at the past four decades. Ronald Reagan swept into office in 1980 and re-invigorated conservatism. He never tried to achieve universal health care. In 1994, Republicans took back the Congress promising reform in their “Contract with America”. They also never tried to ensure every American had access to quality affordable health care. In 2000, George W. Bush “won” the election and presided over six years in which Republicans had de facto control of the legislative and executive branches. Once again, solving our health care crisis wasn’t part of the agenda.

Seeing a pattern here?

Honestly, I’d rather the health care debate be about reforming a Republican health care bill that has already passed, but the last Republican President to even attempt to insure every American was Richard Nixon. No other Republican President or Congress has made a serious effort to ensure access to health care is a right afforded to everyone regardless of income.

I wish this wasn’t the case. I wish both sides could at least agree that there’s a problem requiring a solution, but the lack of interest among Republicans in Congress has made consensus impossible. At this point, conservatives should stop holding their breath hoping for something better to come along. Republicans have drawn a line in the sand between the various flavors of Democratic health care reform and no bill at all. If that is unacceptable to you, then should probably ask why the GOP hasn’t even bothered trying to protect the uninsured.

A filibuster-proof (ie. > 60%) majority of REPUBLICANS support a “federal health insurance plan” (aka. Public Option). http://bit.ly/YZzHX

How long before GOP insists “if Teddy was alive, he’d oppose health care reform”? Sounds crass, but they did it w/ MLK.

We shouldn’t pass Health Care Reform for Ted Kennedy. We should do it for the >20,000 people who die EVERY YEAR of preventable disease. RIP

“This is the cause of my life. New hope that we will break the old gridlock and guarantee that every American – north, south, east, west, young, old – will have decent, quality health care as a fundamental right and not a privilege.”

- Ted Kennedy, exactly one year ago today

Well, there went health care reform. Let’s try again in 20 years.

Wingnut : “Medicare is $39 trillion in the red!” — True if “in the red” means “projected deficit” and “is” means “75 years in the future”

GOP : “Death panels! Free ride for illegal aliens! Abortion on demand!”, Dems : “Not true. Read the bill.”, GOP : “Uh..1000 pages! Hitler!”

” [I] believe, that it is the will of the Almighty, that there should be diversity of religious opinions among us” – Thomas Paine