Another bit of good news: Obama wants to give gay couples hospital visitation rights on par with married couples. Hallelujah, amen. I’ve seen the incredible healing power of having a loved one at bedside; I can’t fathom the idea of being kept away from a sick wife, child, or family member for any reason. Maybe someday this country will grow up completely.
I’ve always liked the simplicity and quaint design of the original Gadsden flag. You’ve seen it in history class—it’s the yellow flag with a coiled rattlesnake bearing the motto “Don’t Tread On Me”. Actually, I much prefer the “Join, or Die” cartoon designed by Benjamin Franklin that predates it, but my libertarian sensibilities are more in line with the spirit of the later design.
The Gadsden flag was designed and popularized by Christopher Gadsden, a soldier and statesman from South Carolina. According to Wikipedia, the U.S. Navy was created in 1775 in order to intercept ships bringing supplies to British troops in the colonies. Five companies of Marines were mustered to accompany the Navy, and they carried drums painted yellow with the rattlesnake and motto. Gadsden gave the Navy Commander-in-Chief a version of this design as his personal standard to carry into battle, and the rest is history.
What bums me out is the current usage of the Gadsden flag by the Tea Party movement. This morning on my way to work I spied a guy waving a 5′ Gadsden flag on the I-83 overpass at passing traffic; I don’t think there’s any rally locally today, but this dude seemed to really be into his freedom of expression. I’ve heard a lot about the Tea Party and how they’re mad about things, but it wasn’t until I read this article that some of the distinctions became clearer. Apparently the majority of the group is white, evangelical, identifies as conservative Republican/Independent, is over 45, 1/3 southern, and owns a gun. They seem to believe Obama is making the country more socialist (healthcare reform), and believe he has increased taxes (not true).
Asked what socialism means, roughly half of Tea Party supporters volunteered government ownership or control, far more than any other answer. Eleven percent cited taking away rights or limiting freedom, and eight percent said it means the redistribution of wealth.
According to the CBS poll,
They are more likely than Republicans and Americans overall to see illegal immigration as a serious problem (82 percent), doubt the impact of global warming (66 percent) and call the bank bailout unnecessary (74 percent).
So this Tea Party thing would make more sense to me if I actually understood what they were so upset about, but I think it’s a pretty good analogy for our culture and mass media in general. These folks are pissed off at…something, presumably whipped up into a frenzy by Mr. Beck and Mrs. Palin, but from all I’ve seen and read, don’t offer a whole lot of actual solutions for fixing things. They rail away at “Big Government” daily, but seem to forget that de-regulation is probably one of the biggest factors in the banking meltdown (and subsequent bailout).
Everybody has their right to be angry at something, I guess.
Oh, goody, just what I was hoping for. I was less than pleased when this Gingrich mouthpiece used his first governorship for nothing besides spouting Republican revolution rhetoric. Now he has a fantastic plan for revitalizing the economy! Cutting the sales tax. That will help fill the budget deficit. Good luck, douche.
Old news by now, but here’s my take: It’s about fucking time. I went without health insurance for five years out of college, routinely rolling the dice by hanging my ass off a two-story ladder while trying to afford to run my own business. Buying health insurance in 1994 was no picnic, and it’s a ridiculously expensive proposition today, especially for a family. Here’s the thing that nobody seems to realize: if I’d fallen off that ladder in 1994, the ambulance would have taken me to the hospital, and we’d all be paying for my treatment. We’re all paying for it one way or another. The next step is to regulate the crap out of the insurance companies. Period.
Also, I like the rule that states that nobody with a preexisting condition can be denied coverage.
Conservative Activists busted for attempting to tamper with senator’s phones. While the ACORN representatives were clearly breaking the law in the “undercover” videos, I’m happy to see this wanna-be Liddy douchebag busted for a federal offense. I wonder if the guys in prison will make him wear the pimp outfit when they sell his skinny ass for cigarettes?
Here’s the Washington Post’s take on the gutting of the McCain-Feingold bill. I think we should just put the entire government up on eBay every four years and auction it to the highest bidder—we might actually make some money that way.
Another reason to be proud of Baltimore: Mayor Dixon found guilty of embezzling a bunch of gift cards originally meant for needy families.
Behind the War Between White House and Fox – NYTimes.com. Wow, I’m amazed it took them this long to cut Fox off.
So everybody’s heard that Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize, and just like me, the world has responded with a collective, huh?
At first, I was as confused as everyone else. Don’t you have to do something to win the Nobel? I mean, Jimmy Carter got a terrible rap while he was in office, but he worked tirelessly to broker peace in the middle east and sign the SALT II agreements, and he’s set the standard for ex-presidents in terms of activism, diplomacy and humanitarianism. Al Gore got the Prize for elevating the discussion about climate change to an international level. Mother Theresa? Nelson Mandela? Doctors Without Borders? Yeah, I get it.
There have been a lot of people complaining that Obama hasn’t done enough yet, that he’s not completed any of campaign promises, and that he’s no better than the last guy we elected. I don’t agree with that assessment if only because of the willingness he’s shown to talk to people and not just do whatever he wants.
What’s interesting is the viewpoint that we Americans have of ourselves vs. the rest of the world, though. Perhaps this isn’t all about what Obama has done, but more about who he is, and most importantly, who he isn’t. Maybe the Nobel committee looked at what what he’s done so far and seen such a contrast in this administration as opposed to the previous administration that they found cause for celebration. Maybe the tone of the conversation has shifted so dramatically, in the eyes of the rest of the world, that they found cause to reward him, with the unspoken suggestion: You’re doing good so far. Don’t fuck it up.
No Exit: The never-ending lunacy of Betsy McCaughey. A profile of the woman who’s trying to torpedo health-care reform.