Bad Deeds for 10-30-2009

 

Lack of Health Care Led to 17,000 US Child Deaths – Lack of adequate health care may have contributed to the deaths of some 17,000 US children over the past two decades, according to a study released by the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. The research, to be published Friday in the Journal of Public Health, was compiled from more than 23 million hospital records from 37 states between 1988 and 2005.

 

Insurer Informs Customers of Rate Hike — Then Asks Customers to Oppose Reform – Customers of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina are up in arms about a flier the company sent out urging their clientele to oppose health care reform — shortly after sending out a notice informing them their health insurance rates would go up an average of 11 percent.

“Indignant Blue Cross customers have rebelled against the insurer’s message, complaining that their premium dollars have funded such a campaign,” reports the Raleigh-Durham News & Observer.
Over the past few days, Blue Cross customers have started a Web-based campaign to smother the insurance company’s message. In its flier, Blue Cross had included a form letter to North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan, asking Hagan to “please oppose government-run health insurance.” Customers have taken to marking up the form letter and using Blue Cross’ pre-paid postage to ask Hagan to do the opposite:

 

Christian Broadcasting Network Warns Against ‘Demonic’ Halloween Candy – Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network posted a blog by Kimberly Daniels recently that warns Christians to forgo celebrating Halloween because of its evilness. Daniels specifically calls out candy as a source of soul-molestation:

“During this period demons are assigned against those who participate in the rituals and festivities. These demons are automatically drawn to the fetishes that open doors for them to come into the lives of human beings. For example, most of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches. Curses are sent through the tricks and treats of the innocent whether they get it by going door to door or by purchasing it from the local grocery store. The demons cannot tell the difference.”

 

Pat Robertson Falsely Claims Hate-Crimes Bill Doesn’t Cover Religious Bias – Pat Robertson, at The 700 Club, ripped into the new hate crimes law both yesterday and today on his show. His basis for opposing the law, however, is completely detached from reality. For instance, Robertson argues:

You know, there’s a law – what about a law that says it’s a federal crime to attack somebody because of his religious beliefs? Not a chance!

Robertson seems completely unaware that in fact religious bias is one of the categories of bias crime covered by hate-crime laws — and it has been from the very start, since these laws were first enacted on the state level in the early 1980s!

 

GOP to Protest Mom and Apple Pie – First, we saw Republicans upset that the President of the United States told school children to study hard and stay in school. Then we saw them angrily deploring that the American President won the Nobel Prize for peace. And now, we see conservatives topping even themselves, as they actually complain about the President calling for Americans to volunteer and do good acts for others.

If this keeps up, they are going to put The Onion out of business. We’re reaching the point where it’s becoming impossible to know whether a headline about the GOP is real or a parody.

Mind you, none of this even includes things like claiming the President is a secret Muslim, an actual terrorist, a socialist, fascist, a Nazi, was born in Kenya, wants to kill old people, and criticized the U.S. Constitution in his senior thesis.

But this is no accidental twist in the space-time continuum. This is the pattern of conservatives in American history. Railing against pretty much all things that are basic to human dignity and decency.
Against Social Security. Medicare. Civil Rights. Raising the minimum wage. A 40-hour work week.
When you look at this larger perspective, then suddenly their being against studying, helping others, peace, and good health for everyone no longer seems so surprising. It’s just all part of a long, established pattern. Part of what “I’ve got mine, you’re on your own, bucko” conservatism is, at heart. (If I can be so bold as to use the word, “heart.”)

There are times it’s appropriate to be conservative. There are conservative issues that have been beneficial. (Enterprise economic zones, for one.) As a personal standard, being conservative often offers important guideposts.

But as a core political philosophy for the benefit of mankind, it is a disaster.

Government exists for one reason: protecting the common good. Conservatism, however, as they show time and again, exists to protect those who have theirs.

When George W. Bush (the second one) ran for president, he hoodwinked a portion of the gullible public into believing that he was a “compassionate conservative.” For all the proper things that a conservative outlook can bring, “compassion” is not one of them.

Compassionate conservative. The expression is one of life’s great oxymorons.

With emphasis on the last two syllables.

 

Obama’s Declaration Of Swine Flu Emergency Prompts Pro-Swine-Flu Republican Response 😉 – Claiming that the president was preying on the public’s fear of contracting a fatal disease last week when he declared the H1N1 virus a national emergency, Republican leaders announced Wednesday that they were officially endorsing the swine flu. “Thousands of Americans—hardworking ordinary Americans like you and me—already have H1N1,” Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele said during a press conference. “Now Obama wants to take that away from us. Ask yourself: Do you want the federal government making these kinds of health care decisions for you and your family?”

 

Nation’s Morons March On Washington State 😉 – OLYMPIA, WA—With random cries of “Enough is enough,” “Do something now,” and “Huh?” thousands of the nation’s biggest morons descended on Washington State this week, some 3,000 miles from their intended destination of the nation’s capital.

The march, which had no discernable goal or message began at approximately 8:45 a.m. in front of what the morons called the National Mall, but was actually the courtyard outside the Olympia Public Library.
While authorities maintained that the gathering was largely peaceful and most of the fires were set purely by accident, demonstrators appeared visibly angry about a range of topics. “No Social Security for Medicare!” Michigan idiot Kevin Liston added. “Not in my backyard!”

Throughout the day, the number of protesters grew to include not just morons, but more than 6,000 nimrods, 3,500 dunderheads, and approximately 12,000 of the biggest dips@#ts known to man.
In all, 75,000 of the simpletons turned out, though dozens were killed after walking out into traffic, and hundreds more were lost after wandering into nearby Trillium Park.

“I’m against things,” longtime North Carolina resident Pam Beucher said. “I’m for things.”
“America!” she added.

Regards,

Jim