Sunday, March 28, 2010

About that 'amazing' ObamaCare

ObamaCare was rammed through last week. It's a miracle and historic . . . to hear and read all the government propaganda passed off as reporting.

But help us out, if it's so wonderful and amazing, why was one group of the population so worried that they needed assurances in writing?

You probably think we mean Bart Stupak and the other anti-choice Democrats. We don't. Little noted but last week the House Veterans Affairs' Subcommittee on Disability had a hearing and, in his opening remarks, Subcommittee Chair John Hall declared:


In a rare Sunday session, Congress passed and the President signed the sweeping health care reform package and I'm pleased that [VA] Secretary Eric Schinseki as well as the Chairman of the full VA Committee (US House Rep Bob Filner] and the full Armed Services Committee [US House Rep Ike Skelton] have signed a letter and sent it to the VSOs stating unequivocally that Tri-Care and VA care will not be effected by the health care legislation.



Tri-Care and VA won't be effected. And that needed to be put in writing. But ObamaCare's cause for celebration?

only if you weren't paying attention.

Sisters

ObamaCare

From Great Britain's Socialist Worker:


Editorial

US needs more than Obama’s health changes

Barack Obama’s health bill is the biggest welfare reform in the US since the 1960s. Another 32 million people will have health insurance.

This is a step forward – and it’s good to see the Republicans defeated – but what is really shocking is how modest the changes are.

The Medicare scheme which offers health care to retired people was introduced in 1965 on the back of a wave of social discontent. But Obama’s reforms are a compromise designed to avoid upsetting the medical insurance companies.

About 23 million Americans will still have no health cover. Ordinary people will continue to pay crippling insurance premiums.

Insurers will no longer be allowed to exclude people for pre-existing medical conditions, but care will depend on what you can afford.

The scheme will subsidise insurance premiums for people who can’t pay. When they come in during 2014 the reforms will cost $940 billion (£624 billion).

So the government will fund the profits of the profiteering insurance companies, and the Republicans will blame reform for the increased costs.

The reforms will not set up any publicly run health scheme – even one that competes with the private companies. Any talk of change that would make the system efficient is dismissed as extremism.

Its frightening that the political consensus in Britain is to make our system ever more like the US.



© Socialist Worker (unless otherwise stated). You may republish if you include an active link to the original.

Share this story on:

Delicious | Digg | reddit | Facebook | StumbleUpon

If you found this article useful please help us maintain SW by » making a donation.

» comment on article | » email article | » printable version

Laura Lying Flanders

Mike's Friday post is one we felt had to be reposted in full.

Laura Lying Flanders

Friday and the topic tonight is Laura Lying Flanders.

There's no one uglier than Laura the self-loathing lesbian who's apparently back in the closet. Laura has a need to hide a lot of things. She can never stop lying. All through 2004 and election night and the day after, she said on air that she was supporting John Kerry. But, in 2008, we learned she didn't vote for him. Despite doing the overnight Air America 2004 coverage and telling people that they would get through it together and they were all disappointed.

She always lies. She can't help herself. If she's telling you what happened, she's got to lie to make it 'better.' You can't trust her.

She proves that today at CounterPunch
-- and that's my last link to that piece of trash outlet ever.

Whora Flanders (who 'joked' about Hillary's "cackle" even after Chris Matthews had stopped) writes:

So, the New York Times finally ran a correction. But after six weeks of "considering" the errors in its own reporting, the Times’ correction of its misleading ACORN story, came way, way, WAY to late.

The correction ran the same day that the anti-poverty group ACORN called it quits, after a year under attack -- and a day after the paper's public editor wrote that yes indeed, the paper has "mistakenly reinforced falsehoods" from right wing activists against the group.

The Dirty Whore notes the 'costumes' and then launches into other things. Here are the next three paragraphs included under fair use and as a warning to the general public:

When right-wing journo-hucksters released videos appearing to show ACORN workers offering advice to people posing as a pimp and a prostitute, the Times fell for an editing trick. The videos gave the impression that two hucksters were dressed in outlandish costumes when they visited ACORN offices. They weren't.

Video transcripts also contradicted what the video makers claimed, namely that ACORN staffers appeared to endorse talk of using underage girls as prostitutes. The Times also fell for that. In fact, the transcript reveals that ACORN staffers believed they were discussing a plan to protect two girls.

Responding to a complaint from the media critics at Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Hoyt said Sunday that the paper's editors were "considering issuing a correction."

What did the Times issue a correction on? From the above (and the rest of the article), they issued a huge number of corrections. But Laura's lying. Laura Flanders is always lying. She's a whore, just like her uncles and the rest of her crazy ass family. Here is the entire correction from the New York Times:

Several articles since September about the troubles of the community organizing group Acorn referred incorrectly or imprecisely to one aspect of videotaped encounters between Acorn workers and two conservative activists that contributed to the group’s problems.

In the encounters, the activists posed as a prostitute and a pimp and discussed prostitution with the workers. But while footage shot away from the offices shows one activist, James O’Keefe, in a flamboyant pimp costume, there is no indication that he was wearing the costume while talking to the Acorn workers.

The errors occurred in articles on Sept. 16 and Sept. 19, 2009, and on Jan. 31 of this year. Because of an editing error, the mistake was repeated in an article in some copies on Saturday. (Go to Article)

Get it? They only retracted that James O'Keefe was wearing a pimp costume. All the other stuff Lying Laura's going on about? More lies from her trashy ass mouth. We don't need her on the left. She's lying and people are going to believe her. She hurts the cause. She either learns to tell the truth or she goes over to the right-wing where her trashy ass belongs anyway.

Laura lies. She can't stop lying. Even her claim that the paper said the two didn't wear costumes is a lie. They only say O'Keefe didn't wear a pimp costume.

Laura also claims that Clark Hoyt (public editor of NYT) finally got honest but he's saying what the correction says: Only that the pimp costume was not worn. From Hoyt's article:

Acorn’s supporters appear to hope that the whole story will fall apart over the issue of what O’Keefe wore: if that was wrong, everything else must be wrong. The record does not support them. If O’Keefe did not dress as a pimp, he clearly presented himself as one: a fellow trying to set up a woman — sometimes along with under-age girls — in a house where they would work as prostitutes. In Washington, he said the prostitution was to finance his future in politics. A worker for Acorn Housing, an allied group, warned him to stay away from the brothel lest someone “get wind that you got a house and that your girlfriend is over there running a house of women of the night. You will not have a career.”

FAIR said that in Brooklyn, O’Keefe and Giles seemed to be telling Acorn staffers that “they are attempting to buy a house to protect child prostitutes from an abusive pimp.” That’s right, but FAIR left out the part about their clear intention to operate a brothel, which the Acorn workers seemed to take in stride, with one warning: “Don’t get caught, ’cause it is against the law.”

The videos were heavily edited. The sequence of some conversations was changed. Some workers seemed concerned for Giles, one advising her to get legal help. In two cities, Acorn workers called the police. But the most damning words match the transcripts and the audio, and do not seem out of context. Harshbarger’s report to Acorn found no “pattern of illegal conduct” by its employees. But, he told me: “They said what they said. There’s no way to make this look good.”



"FAIR left out the part . . ." Don't you love that. We know FAIR as the liar supreme. Ava and C.I. deconstructed that trashy group in 2008. They lie all the damn time. They once had ethics but they whored that out too. Now they're almost as big a whore as Laura Flanders.


This doesn't help the left and anyone who applauds Laura Flanders is as much a liar as she is.
It's time we took back the left from these liars. It's time those of us with ethics, those who didn't whore themselves out, make it clear that Laura Flanders and her ilk are nothing but the faux left. We can win it because we have truth on our side.

Highlights

This piece is written by Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude, Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix, Kat of Kat's Korner, Betty of Thomas Friedman is a Great Man, Mike of Mikey Likes It!, Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz, Ruth of Ruth's Report, Marcia of SICKOFITRADLZ, Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends, Ann of Ann's Mega Dub. and Wally of The Daily Jot. Unless otherwise noted, we picked all highlights.

"I Hate The War" -- Most popular highlight of the week. Many of you guessed that Ava and C.I. would be doing a radio program this week and you were right.

Isaiah's The World Today Just Nuts "The nail biter" -- The backstory? You've got a painted in wording for part of the comic. Isaiah did the comic last week and was convinced ObamaCare would fail. It didn't. He had already left DC when the vote was taken and C.I. and Wally worked up a new line (just one sentence) to add to the comic and make it work.


"Iraq snapshot," "Iraq snapshot," "Iraq snapshot" and "Iraq snapshot" -- C.I. reports on Congressional hearings.

"You Keep Me Hangin' On," "Silly," "Silly," "american pie," "Venus," "I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever)," "Erotic City," "Wishes," "What Have They Done To The Rain?"and
"What's my age again?" -- Theme post on music.

"THIS JUST IN! THE PRIVATE DANCER!" and "Let me loosen up your collar . . ." -- Wally and Cedric on Barry's Stupak lap dance.

"Freudian Slip wht World's Waiting On" -- Isaiah dips into the archives.

"Gumbo in the Kitchen" -- Trina covers cooking and the economy.


"Robert Mitchum" -- Ann on acting.

"Excuse me?" -- Betty asks the questions.

"book 'em friday" and "Oscar Micheaux" -- Rebecca and Marcia's book posts.

"Who is he working for?" -- We don't know.

"Surprises" -- Kat's musing post.

"Ever After" -- Stan's Friday night movie post.


"Alex Cockburn the Global Warming Denier" & "Laura Lying Flanders" -- Elaine and Mike take on the Crazy Cockburn family.


"Gearing up for Iowa" and "THIS JUST IN! ROAD SHOW!" -- Cedric and Wally on the never ending campaign.

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Truest statement of the week

Why would it be a special accommodation then to someone who's gay to say 'Hey, I'm gay.'? Why -- why do you call that special? You don't call it special for someone who's heterosexual or straight. Why do you believe that's a special accommodation to someone who's gay?


-- Senator Carl Levin, at the US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Don't Ask, Don't Tell Thursday (Levin is the Chair of the Committee).

Truest statement of the week II

You have been told that the President has a plan! But Congressman Barney Frank confirmed to us this week that the President still is not fully committed to repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell this year. And if we don't seize this moment it may not happen for a very long time.

-- Lt Dan Choi, as quoted in Brian Montopoli (CBS News) report.

A note to our readers

Hey --

A very long Sunday. We have rough draft pieces that we hope to smooth over next week but, most likely, the inspiration will be gone when the weekend rolls around.

Participating in the writing of this edition:

The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Trina of Trina's Kitchen,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.

We thank them all. It was a long, long session. We took time out to march for immigrant rights today. But even allowing for that, it was a long, long writing session.

This was Carl Levin and Marcia was the biggest champion for this but far from alone in wanting this as a truest.
Lt. Dan Choi was another one we had to recognize. We have five other worthy truests and for awhile joked about just making the edition a "truest" (seven truests) plus Ava and C.I.'s TV commentary.

Editorial: Barack is killing the left

Elaine's "They are the problem" should have been included in this. We forgot. But her Friday entry charts how left periodicals avoided the protests against the wars. They are the enablers. Everything can be killed in their non-stop efforts to pimp Barack.


A major piece. This was finished Early, early Sunday morning and Ava and C.I. put the rest of us to shame. Yes, we were tired from the protest and march and fun. But Ava and C.I. had been on planes repeatedly. They wanted to be at the San Francisco protests for a number of reasons so they flew out, they then flew to LA, they then flew back to DC. And despite that, they still had it in them to write this epic. Amazing. Ian Wilder was one of the five others we considered seriously for a truest. The fact that he is quoted in Ava and C.I.'s piece allowed us to go with others.

Our LGBT feature that the rest of us mainly smoothed over. Ava, C.I., Kat and Wally attended the Senate hearing that's being reported on.
To round out the edition, Ava and C.I. wrote this. It ups the arts coverage and the Iraq coverage for the edition.

Who would have thought David Sirota would become a stand up voice of reason? But in a world of liars, he emerged as a truth teller. Good for him.

We were looking for a short feature and C.I. was speaking to a friend with The Nation on the phone when it was suggested we check out the artwork for The Nation's cruise. High-larious.

Mike, Elaine, Wally, Cedric, Betty, Kat, Rebecca, Ruth, Marcia, Stan and Ann wrote this and we thank them for it.


That's what we managed to come up with. See you next week.


-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.

Editorial: Barack is killing the left

In one of the more laughable attempts to cash in on the Iraq War for the 7th anniversary, a man who never bothers with Iraq anymore wrote a column for a foreign outlet where he asserted that Iraq had vanished from the MSM (it has) but it continued to be covered by independent media (false). It was so much smoke up the ass, we're afraid he's still choking on second hand smoke.

In the real world, the election of Barack Obama has meant the death of the left.

No where did that become more clear than in Indymedia (Independent Media Center). Visit the US page and you'll quickly encounter a listing entitled "Latest news from all syndicated independent media centers across the US." And if you just read that heading, things look pretty good. However, if you read the actual headlines and -- more importantly -- the dates on them, you grasp that the IMC network is just one more thing the election of Barry O killed off.

imc


If your an IMC outlet and you haven't published in the month, you're dead. No one's going to keep coming back in the hopes that someday you'll have something new. So we count the following sites as dead: Arizona IMC, Arkansas IMC, Atlanta IMC, Austin, IMC, Baltimore IMC, Big Muddy IMC, Binghamton IMC, Charlottesville IMC, Cleveland IMC, Colorado IMC, Hawaii IMC, Houston IMC, Hudson Mohawk IMC, LA (Louisiana) IMC, Las Vegas IMC, Madison IMC, Maine IMC, Michigan IMC, New Hampshire IMC, New Mexico IMC, North Carolina IMC, North Texas IMC, Oklahoma IMC, Pittsburgh IMC, Richmond IMC, Saint Louis IMC, San Diego IMC, and San Francisco IMC (not San Francisco Bay Area IMC -- also known as Indybay -- which continues to publish).

Apparently, with Bush to hate, there was a passion and excitement for the left. But covering up for and excusing the Corporatist War Hawk Barry just saps the soul.
We loved to be so radical But like a ragged love affair Some became disenchanted And some of us just got scared
-- "Playing Possum," written by Carly Simon, from her album of the same title


IMC, one of the successes out of the 1999 Seattle protests, now limps along. And it's far from alone. As noted in "The Capons of NYC," NYC couldn't even muster a respectable anti-war protest on Saturday.

nyc imc

A visit to NYC IMC on Saturday morning found that the protest taking place later that day wasn't even prominently noted.

WBAI ignored it as well, refusing to even list it on it's calendar of NYC events.

wbaicalendar

Barack Obama is killing the left and a large number of his faux left cheerleaders are egging him on. It's time the left strikes back, reclaims their voices and starts calling for peace and equality.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
 
Poll1 { display:none; }