8.14.2009

Friday Potpourri

Some closing thoughts for the week.

Where are the Christian Leaders?

As one who is often told that I could not possibly be moral because of my philosophy of life, I find it interesting that many of the Christian commentators seem to be mute about healthcare reform. Why is it that I am driven to ask, "Am I my brother's keeper?" but I don't hear so much from those who put a lot more stock in the text from which that comes. Yes, I know all about the self-levitating boot straps that have become a staple of modern conservatism, but here, would seem to be an opportunity for Christians to provide the kind of moral leadership we are told only they can provide. Other than telling Arlen Spector that he will burn in hell, I mean...

Seriously, this would seem to be a common ground for empathetic beings of all stripes. It would be a great way to help the less fortunate.

On the subject of boot straps

Maybe this helps explain the extremist's who don't want too much science in the classroom. Rudimentary physics education would pretty much rule out the mechanics of lifting oneself up by bootstraps - outside of a cartoon that is.

Freedom in Action and Deed

Irony is my forte but even I am overwhelmed with it this week. People clamoring because of perceived threats to liberty, carry guns into town hall meetings with the President while holding a threatening sign - and don't get shot or sent to the gulag. People can pop up like those mechanized vermin from Wack-A-Mole shouting slogans they got from some right-winged website and disrupt discussions of a critical issue yet they too are free to say what they want - even if it's hateful nonsence.

While on the subject of contrasts

Right wing dissenters disrupting town hall meetings might benefit from remembering that the last time they were in power, people were ejected from President Bush's get togethers for simply wearing protest t-shirts let alone packing iron. So much for socialism I guess...

Something else for Glen to cry about

Glen Beck has the freedom to say what he likes. Americans have the freedom to show their disdain for his views through voting with their wallets. thecolorofchange.org has organized a boycott of Beck's sponsors because of his comments about Obama. Corporate sponsorship of hate speech is an iffy business model, as a number of companies have already realized. So as to not have the reputation of all reptiles besmirched, Geiko has pulled its ads. Freedom of speech does not obligate the rest of us to amplify anyone's voice to Nigel's setting of 11. Say what you like, but do it on some lonely street corner.

A Rove by any other name would smell as foul

Carl Rove got outed in writing as a liar (say it isn't so!) by the justice department no less . Apparently several thousand pages of documents prove that he lied about having no real role in the attorney firing scandal. Again I am shock. Rove's defense and denial consists of referring people to his own testimony on his own website because that certainly is where the truth can be found. Not a good week for Fox commentators, so we have that going for us.

Spinal dissolution

The Phylum Cordata took a huge blow this week. News has arrived that the end of life counseling has been deleted from the healthcare bill. Instead of telling Sara Palin, et. al., to 'shut your lying pie holes', our leaders have once again caved to lies. I guess throwing yourself on the ground and screaming like a two year old really IS a viable means to restore Republican relevance.

Alternate Universes

As a surgeon I would like to move to the alternate dimension that President Obama mentioned when he claimed that surgeons get 30-50,000 for a lower limb amputation. Cause I don't get any where near that much for any surgery I perform. FYI Mr. President; Surgeons just love having a lawyer tell them they make too much money...

Cheney's big promotion?

Coming close on the heals of Discovery's Shark Week, the evil one was active again as he prepares his memoirs (called the Necronomicon, I believe) Take care Mr Cheney. While you bash your old boss, remember the fate Dante imagined for those who betray their benefactors. Maybe Satan will give Brutus some time off...

W

Former President Bush. FYI, when Cheney's memoirs come out saying that you listened less to him and more to the public in your second term, the great great majority of Americans will think that is a good thing...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't you mean they said you couldn't be morel? Which is technically true, so I don't see what you're on about ;-)

Rules are for the weak anyway Pliny, why go to all the truffle if you can't be morel?

Anonymous said...

BTW, I didn't forget about my 'make up' post. I'm ordering Roe v. Wade today through Amazon.