Posts Tagged ‘reality’

Death Panels: It’s not a bug its a feature

Posted: September 11, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, opinion/news
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One last thing about the death panel stuff.

If you wonder why pro life people, particularly the Catholic Church keep fighting when all this stuff goes on it’s because they have seen the culture of life degenerate since Roe v. Wade. They have seen assisted suicide and euthanasia in the western world. The see the Capewell case and they understand what the fight is all about.

They understand in the great tradition of Margaret Sanger the death panel isn’t a bug, it’s a feature. And once there are guidelines are in place people who would normally be considered good and moral people will embrace those features and say they were just following guidelines or didn’t want to rock the boat. Just as otherwise good people and good neighbors embraced slavery and Jim Crow without giving it a second thought or if they had those thoughts kept them to themselves. The change will be gradual, it will be a gentle slope:

You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report great wickedness. But do remember, the only thing that matters is the extent to which you separate the man from the Enemy. It does not matter how small the sins are provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into Nothing. Murder is no better than cards if cards can do the trick. Indeed the safest road to Hell is the gradual one-— the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.

If this passes I predict that in ten years we will be told that our instance of the preservation of life and the treatment of the elderly will be called “unreasonable” and the argument of “quality of life” and “economy” and “guidelines” will be used as an excuse to end life.

It’s not a bug it’s a feature

Morning Joe on death panels; the old south on Lynching

Posted: September 11, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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You know the constant refrain about the lack of “death panels” saying there is nothing in the bill that calls for death panels brings back memories.

It brings back memories of the South’s argument on the Jim Crow laws. There was nothing in the Jim Crow laws that called for lynching or for jury nullification if a white man was charged for lynching a black man.

It was just the logical consequence of the laws and the attitudes of the people enforcing it.

Obama in a box

Posted: September 10, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
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President Obama speech was made for political reasons to help get some kind of bill passed that his name can be on. This is a short term strategy and it may pay short term dividends. It did however have a long term cost and that cost was to put himself in a box.

He put three things out there as Sine Qua Non.

It will not increase the deficit

It will not cover illegal immigrants

It will not cover abortion

Now if he had casually mentioned this in a town hall and then dropped it that would be one thing, but this was said to a joint session of congress broadcast to a national audience live.

These are markers that can be used against the bill and/or the president, and as Byron York already notes it has resulted in a change of language:

on August 10, at a town hall meeting, Obama referred to the “46, 47 million people without health insurance in our country…” And on July 23, he said, “This is not just about the 47 million Americans who don’t have any health insurance at all…”

What’s the difference? Obama appears to be choosing his words carefully. There is a difference between Americans who “cannot get coverage” and Americans who “don’t have any health insurance at all.” The interesting question is why Obama has chosen to downgrade the number from 47 million to 30 million. Look for Democrats to begin using the new figure in making the case for Obamacare.

Legal Insurrection is having none of it:

Technically, Obama was correct that his plan does not cover illegal aliens because Obama has no plan that has been released, only concepts. So if Obama says his plan doesn’t cover illegals, then by definition it does not cover illegals — at least until we see the language in his plan. Similarly, the Senate HELP Committee bill defines an “eligible individual” in numerous places throughout the bill to include only citizens and legal residents (including for the public option, at page 111 of the bill).

So using the two measures, the non-existent Obama bill and the draft Senate HELP Committee bill which was not a full Senate proposal, Obama was correct.

But if the standard is the full House Bill, HR3200, then it appears that Obama was incorrect. There is nothing in HR3200 that excludes illegal aliens from the various coverage provisions (with a few limited exceptions). The Congressional Research Service agrees with this assessment (full report embedded below).

Wilson may have apologized but he might have the last laugh, if the bill covers illegals, then that clip of “liar” will become prophetic.

On abortion If you don’t think that guys like the American Papist are going to all over him concerning then you are in a dream world, as Gateway Pundit has already reported the National Right to Life Committee has already called him on it.

As for the deficit even the AP isn’t buying that. Cripes even Lawrence O’Donnell didn’t buy it.

Believe me if a bill passes with any of these things the commercials for 2010 and 2012 are now made and ready.

What the purpose of the speech was

Posted: September 10, 2009 by datechguy in baseball, opinion/news
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Ok before we say what the president’s speech was, lets talk about what it was not.

It was NOT an attempt to persuade the American people. I suspect they tuned out in droves, with 100 channels out there and Fox putting out regular programing, and plenty of baseball out there, not to mention millions of TV’s across the land devoted to day one of Beatles Rock Band I suspect only the junkies like me were watching.

It was NOT an attempt to bring Republicans on board, republicans in the house and senate are not only able to count votes in congress but can count votes in their districts and they know that their seats depend on their opposition to this bill.

This speech had one purpose, it was designed to give the democrats that Jane Hamsher might target cover to support some kind of plan, any plan to make sure he can say he passed “health care reform”. That is also the purpose of this CNN poll. I suspect they will push these results:

What was your overall reaction to President Obama’s speech tonight – very positive, somewhat
positive, somewhat negative or very negative?

Sept. 9, 2009
Very positive 56%
Somewhat positive 21%
Somewhat negative 12%
Very negative 9%
Both/mixed (vol.) 2%
No opinion 1%

Without emphasizing this polling sample:

18% of the respondents who participated in tonight’s survey
identified themselves as Republicans, 45% identified themselves
as Democrats, and 37% identified themselves as Independents.

Soooo less than 1 in 5 polled were republicans and almost 1 in 2 who were polled were democrats.

The president’s emphasizes were specifically aimed toward blue dogs, no additional costs, no illegal immigrants, no abortion. These promises were made to give those blue dogs cover.

I wouldn’t bet the farm on it from the reaction such as this:

I don’t know how others will read this, but I was looking for something to show the President understood his credibility with Democrats has been badly damaged by precisely this kind of ambiguity. The fact that he continues this mode means he and those around him don’t get it or they don’t think it matters.

The next week will tell.

Update: The Anchoress proves me right in spades.

Tepid political theater is no match for a good ballgame. And if I have a choice between looking at Nancy Pelosi or looking at Derek Jeter, who do you think I’m going to choose?

and she saw history being made.

BTW that represents hits as a Yankee. Wade Boggs, Rickey Henderson, Dave Winfield and Paul Warner are all members of the 3000 hit club and former Yankees. If Jeter gets to 3000 hits he will be the first person to get 3000 hits in a Yankee uniform.

Update 2: Hot air headlines notices the poll sample

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