I cant keep up with you, if you slow down for me I can see that you're only telling lies...

freedom of speech is a wonderful thing. and regardless of how incredibly ignorant, insanely stupid, or just plain unethical and evil you may be, I am big proponent of the fact that you can walk to the corner, drop a milk crate for a stage and declare your philosophy to the world. unfortunately...that means I am forced to put up with whatever you have to say, no matter how incredibly ignorant, insanely stupid or just plain unethical and evil you may be.

on the same token...freedom of the press is a wonderful thing. only "the press" stopped being "the press" long ago (part of me blames kennedy and that televised debate...cue the entrance of marketing into politics). there was a time when a journalist was a journalist and a commentator was a commentator. there was a time when a journalist would have the balls to ask "why are you telling lies?" now, everything is reported under the guise of "fair and balanced" coverage. so once again...no matter how incredibly ignorant, insanely stupid or just plain unethical and evil you may be, I am forced to hear your words spouted back to me by equally incredibly ignorant, insanely stupid or just plain unethical and evil people with a press pass.

take the health care reform "debate" for instance. when your "talking points" rely entirely on misinformation, ignorance, stupidity and outright lies...you should be (1) outright ignored by the press or (2) called out by the press. unfortunately, instead we have republican "leadership" whipping vulnerable segments of the population into a frenzy with idiocy. as a former conservative sympathizer, I am utterly ashamed that I once went out of my way to defend the republican party.

thanks to this ignorant hysteria we have people shouting some of the most ironically asinine comments at elected representatives. things like "keep your government hands off my medicare" - because if you are so thankful and satisfied with your government-run health care program obviously the last thing you want is for the government to get its hands on your government-run health care program.

and one of my favorites - the old "if government-run health care is so great than why don't congress and the president be the first to sign up for it?" please just ignore the fact that the vast majority of public employees, state, federal and local, have health care provided through government plans...including congress and the president.

and then there is all the hoopla about the "horrors" of other univeral health care systems. here is a story of "horror" from france for you. in college I had an acquaintance that sliced his hand to shreds while working on an architecture project. at the time he was studying abroud in versailles. he was taken to a french hospital in a nation with (shudder) government health care. the extremely difficult task of repairing the multitude of severed tendons and such was completed by french doctors. his hand was good as new. no cost. and he wasn't even french. god forbid we would have such a system. you know, one that would help us live longer, happier, healthier and the like.

and it isn't like we are getting any real ideas from the conservative side...which is a shame, because they could contribute to a true, honest and robust debate that might actually assist in forging a program that could work. instead we have the CEO of Whole Foods telling us that the answer is found "high-deductible" plans that encourage self-imposed rationing of health care up to a few thousand (if not more). he espouses how wonderful this is because it keeps the health care costs of Whole Foods down...but doesn't tell you that this is because when you have a high-deductible plan and you are working at a place like Whole Foods, you can't afford the deductible and so you never get health care because you can never afford to pay the portion required of you before the insurance kicks in. I have a professional degree and a white collar job...I have a high-deductible plan...I can't afford to use it because I can't drop a few grand on doctor visits. but then I guess it doesn't qualify as "rationing" if profit hungry fuckjobs are causing it.

but the most offensive is this bullshit about "pulling the plug on granny" and so-called "death panels." referring to a provision inserted by a southern republican senator, the republican "leadership" has now declared that one of the most positive aspects of end-of-life care should be considered the most frightening and is really just a front for the government to slit your mom's throat. every single one of us can point to someone in our lives that has been terminally ill and come to the end of their lives...many of us know that person finished their life in an unfamiliar place and in pain. some of us know that person was determined to leave this place with dignity, and were lucky enough to be in comfortable surroundings, possibly even with loved ones in their own home. some choose to fight with everything medicine can offer, some choose to accept the end and want it to be as comfortable as possible. (ironically those that opt for comfort and ease have been shown to outlive those that remain in the hospital). as the child of aging parents, I am horrified at how the GOP is approaching this subject...horrified but not surprised. to think that anyone would argue against my mother or father being given access to all the information necessary to make the right decision for them is extremely distressing. to think that my parents, and yours, may be forced to die in a hospital bed rather than in comfort and surrounded by their loved ones because the republican party has no agenda other than bringing down a democratic presidency is infuriating.

there was a time I defended the republican party, there was a time I pointed out that at least they were trying to do something. there was a time I believed that we could move past this bullshit politics of whatever you are for I am against and the most important thing is that I bring down whatever you are for. there was a time when I actually believed the better angels of america's nature would overcome the onslaught of un-american, my-profit-above-all-else talking points from persons concerned now with human beings, but only with dollar signs. I am no longer so sure.

I have permanently abandoned the republican party as a refuge for wing-nuts, ignorance and profit over people. but the democratic party should not believe for a second that this means they have my faith. if you blow this opportunity, if you back down for fear of your immediate political future, myself and history will view you with utter contempt.

people are facing "death panels" daily in this country because through no fault of their own they are not lucky enough to be blessed with financial well-being and perfect health. stop this. it is un-american. worse, it is inhuman.