James Fallows makes a good point. But I want to take it a step further. The anti-health reform tactics are so divorced from truthfulness that I think it is the responsibility of the non-aligned media to come out as a forceful referee. It’s really imperative that the press not adopt their typical he said/she said style of reporting. This morning, David Brooks called Sarah Palin’s ‘Death Panels’ comment ‘crazy.’ That’s the absolutely correct approach to take in reporting on this debate. But it shouldn’t be coming only from partisan journalists from either side of the aisle. Television anchors and print journalists should be reporting these ravings as ‘crazy talk’ as well. And they should do more. They should make a real effort to educate people about what the truth is about health care. Tell people what is and is not in the bills. Tell people what might conceivably be problematic and tell people what might possibly work very well. Explain how the current system works. Explain how the system works in other countries and give an honest account of the pros and cons of other systems.
This is a big opportunity for the non-aligned media to do their real job instead of just milking controversy for ratings and circulation. If they fail this test, the whole country will be worse off for it. I hope Jake Tapper, et. al., take my advice because our Republic is in the process of humiliating itself.
Fallows and Steven Pearlstein have both, in recent days, written about the lies peddled about health care. Both of them tend to be moderate in tone, so I see this as a potential turning point for others in the media (not all, that’s for sure, but still…).
Yes they have written articles but have you read the comments. Hundreds of them for every article on HC and the same crap you see at the town halls you see in the comments. It’s about half and half for and against.
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Gladney did not address Saturday’s crowd of about 200 people. His attorney, David Brown, however, read a prepared statement Gladney wrote. “A few nights ago there was an assault on my liberty, and on yours, too.” Brown read. “This should never happen in this country.”
Supporters cheered. Brown finished by telling the crowd that Gladney is accepting donations toward his medical expenses. Gladney told reporters he was recently laid off and has no health insurance.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."it would appear mr. gladney is vying for his 15 minutes of fame, ala, joe
not a plumberthe plumber…but his story seems to have a couple gaping holes in it vis-à-vis the truth.via media matters:
the seiu member who was first attacked is the rev. elston mccowan according to this post at coloradopols…oops.
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Conservative or activist my a**.
Interview with Kenneth Gladney and his lawyer
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."I hope Jake Tapper, et. al., take my advice because our Republic is in the process of humiliating itself.
It’ll be a cold, dark day in hell before that happens. The TradMed is cheering on that humiliation. Frankly, any Democrat that goes on any of those shows, if they are worth a damn, should go all Joseph Welch on the TV fluffheads that try and spout Palin’s BS
Public Option is dying.
So without that what controls costs. I’ll go public option in two seconds and thats why the republicans are scared. We need to rally around government run insurance. I’m not sure why small business isn’t behind this. So who is behind the brown shirt activities at town meetings?
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"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."I’m afraid that ship sailed a long time ago…
It is time for public spirited citizens to stand up and speak out for honesty and fair play in open discussion of a most important national health bill. To allow special interests to unleash their attack dogs to disrupt public forums and prevent free discussion of this bill is not only humiliating to the republic but is a national disgrace as well. The demented and delusional beings on the far right require therapy at once.
Perhaps, their recovery can be achieved by means of a significant change in the national health program.
I read three or four serious articles about the rise of fascism yesterday, and they were helping to ground me with an understanding of the violent mobs shutting down public meetings and threatening Congressmen with lynching and poisoning.
I thought, who I should send this to is Senator Reid, and Lieberman, and Nelson, and Feinstein, and tell them that it is their business to stand up for our democracy, and take some effective action to stop this insanity.
And so I did it. I sent emails, and quotes from the pieces comparing our violent lobbyist-coached mobs and the situation in Nazi Germany, and I asked each of them to take responsibility, take action to stop this violence in our public meetings.
So I have been thinking about it for a day, and I want to suggest that we all do this. That is, that we approach these so-called Democrats who do so much business with the health care industry, and we ask them to not only repudiate the violent and threatening behavior we’ve seen, but that they also admit that the lobbyists they have been doing business with are financing Dick Armey and others who are opening coaching and encouraging the mobs.
Are the Senators willing to sign onto this move into violence themselves? Or are they willing to quit supporting the corporations who are funding it?
Are they willing to call out the corporate funding? Are they willing to meet with their lobbyist supporters and insist they they call off the violence and the mobs? Are they willing to organize in the Senate and the House against violent behavior and threats?
If they are taking health care money, and the same organizations are financing mob rule, then the Senators and Representatives who take that money are responsible to stop the promotion of violence, or resign their alliance with those businesses.
Don’t you think so?
What do you think?
There was a bit of discussion yesterday on CSPAN to that effect–that the MSM had again abrogated its responsibility (with comparisons to the run-up to the war). Yes, occasionally there’s a mention that “euthanasia” isn’t in the bill, or that it refers to living wills, but in general MSM has not said in words of one syllable how dishonest all this propaganda is.
And in general, the progressive community has formed a circle and shot inward, rather than endorsing the 90% good and clearly defining the 10% that must still be improved.
Mark Halperin takes my advice, mostly.
But, why has it taken so long to realize that the Right is plum-crazy?
SAYS IT ALL!
Guy without health insurance protests getting free health insurance
by drst [Subscribe]
Share this on Twitter – Guy without health insurance protests getting free health insurance Mon Aug 10, 2009 at 07:27:43 AM PDT
So one of the teabagger guys gets into fisticuffs at a town hall meeting he attended in St. Louis – attending meaning “went with the intention to stifle debate and prevent others from speaking.”
He and his buddies accuse “union members” of attacking him; the union says he started the fight. Six people were arrested in this brouhaha.
Now the guy is “accepting donations toward his medical expenses.
Gladney told reporters he was laid off recently and has no health insurance.”
(The KC Star is reporting this as Protesters demand justice for man injured at town hall.)
He went to a town hall to protest health care reform and the creation of a public health care program that would provide access to medical care for people exactly like him.
How does a person function with that level of cognitive dissonance?
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My recent comment on Kenneth Gladnet with video of attack.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."