What really has everyone’s underwear up in a wad is this sentiment in particular:

Many promoters of health-care reform believe that people have an intrinsic ethical right to health care—to equal access to doctors, medicines and hospitals. While all of us empathize with those who are sick, how can we say that all people have more of an intrinsic right to health care than they have to food or shelter?

I don’t know. I was just going to say that I’ve been boycotting Whole Foods for years because the food is way overpriced, the fruits and vegetables aren’t that much better than what they’ve got at United Markets (serving Marin County since 1955),  and when you do set foot in that store, you put your physical well being into great risk, as the other cart pushers are aggressive, with little regard to others’ personal space or safety.

On the other  hand, Whole Foods assortment of fine chocolates is unmatched in any other grocery chain, and they make a damn good burrito.

I find these issues so confusing.

US Nobel laureates: vote Obama

On the eve of the first US presidential debate, a host of Nobel Prize winners in the sciences signed an open letter to “urge” the nation to vote for the Democratic nominee, Barack Obama.

Sixty-one US Nobel laureates, including 22 who won the prize for physics, made the stand yesterday after Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden, published an 11-page policy document entitled, “Investing in America’s future: Barack Obama and Joe Biden’s plan for science and innovation”. The plan builds on aspects of Obama’s science policies that he drafted at the end of last month in response to 14 questions posed by the organization ScienceDebate 2008.

Read more.

All the bad news you read about in the paper, that’s not really happening, they say. It’s all anti-capitalist propaganda, intended to scare people into destroying our country.

It’s an interesting claim, that the media are anti-capitalist, considering their air time is paid for by advertisers, but anyway, have you ever asked a Republican what his or her information source is? If not from televised media, newspapers, radio, journals and magazines, what is this magical fountain of information? How is it possible that we’ve all been missing the true facts that contradict all the headlines?

I will reveal it to you now their source.

Republicans get their information from chain e-mails. I know this, because I am friends with a Republican, who is a kind, decent, hard working human being, and I am also on his e-mail list, and so my finger is on the Republican pulse. Their news is disseminated like lightening rods through underground channels, sparked by the click of the Send button. The authors are either anonymous or someone’s aunt or uncle. It has been proven that news from relatives is always more authentic. The sources tend to have voted for Nixon, the last of a dying breed.

Here’s the last missive that arrived in my Inbox, just for an example. This one is called, Why I’m Voting Democratic, which is supposed to be sarcastic, in case this is not obvious, and I am including the contents of the entire e-mail, including the introduction.  

My friends uncle sent this to him.  Sounds interesting.

Why I’m Voting Democratic

I’m voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I’m voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody is offended by it.

I’m voting Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they’re doing because they now think we’re good people.

I’m voting Democrat because I believe that people who can’t tell us if it will rain on Friday CAN tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don’t start driving a Prius.

I’m voting Democrat because I’m not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates alive.

I’m voting Democrat because I believe that business should not be allowed to make profits for themselves. They need to break even and give the rest away to the  government for redistribution as THEY see fit.

I’m voting Democrat because I believe three or four pointy headed elitist liberals need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would NEVER get their agendas past the voters.

I’m voting Democrat because I believe that when the terrorists don’t have to hide from us over there, when they come over here I don’t want to have any guns in the house to fight them off with. 

I’m voting Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. I’ve decided to marry my horse.

I’m voting Democrat because I believe oil companies’ profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene but the government taxing the same gallon of gas at 15% isn’t.
 
Makes ya wonder why anyone would EVER vote Republican, now doesn’t it?

Is this really what Republicans think?

Yes. Yes, that is how they think. I don’t even know where to begin. There is no doubt in my mind that this e-mail has been read by millions and millions of people, and a large percentage of them actually believe it. Of course, yes, Democrats want us to be attacked by terrorists! We want to marry our pets. And it must all be true! Because Cousin Zeke sent it!

There was another e-mail last week, maybe you’ve seen it, in which the author proposed that instead of the government supporting this AIG bailout, why not just divide the $800 trillion dollars or whatever it is by the entire legal population of the U.S., and dispense accordingly,  calculating  $425,000 for each citizen. Of course, a third of this would be taxed, but we’d still end up with close to $300,000 in our pockets, and wouldn’t that revitalize our nation’s economy?

Except. Oh. Someone missed a decimal point. When divided properly, it comes to $425.00.

This would pay off my credit card bill, but not provide the benefit as originally claimed. I never received any e-mail apologizing for the errata, so I’m assuming that readers are still taking this at face value. I hope they don’t get their hopes up. They might stop believing in Santa Claus.

Oh drats, I’m sorry. I believe in the spirit of Santa Claus. I’m not a commie, people.

Often, the e-mails are forwarded from very credible sources, and go something like, “Just got this from my Aunt Judy down in Florida. She’s a true patriot, works as a checker at Walmart, and if that’s not enough to convince you, her next door neighbor’s illegitimate son Larry is back from Iraq, God bless him.”

If the above is grammatically error free, this is completely by chance. It’s a good day if they come with complete sentences. But then this type of e-mail will go into some discourse about how we’ve got to do something about illegal immigration and terrorists and how the Democrats are out to ruin our country, that they don’t believe in God, and soon our proud nation will be overrun by Mexicans.

Except, aren’t Mexicans Catholic?

I’m waiting for the next chain mail with the full explanation.

But after watching this video, I wish there were a way I could underline my vote for Obama/Biden a zillion times, just to make my point. I didn’t know what the Bush Doctrine was either, but I’m not running for Vice President. I can’t stand it when people pretend to know what they’re talking about, when they clearly do not, and then we’re supposed to trust them?

Yucky yucky yucky!

In her defense, the host (is that Charles Gibson?), talks to down to her like she’s an idiot, and I can sense her aggrivation. But he’s not running for Vice President, either.

So I was in the other room while Miguel was watching the New Hampshire debates, and the one thing going through my mind, just listening to the candidates, was, I can’t believe how emotional John Edwards sounds. I mean, he really got worked up about it.

Later, I read that Edwards himself was critical of Hillary’s tears, wondering if she had the emotional fortitude to withstand the trials and tribulations of the presidency.

I thought they both were either practiced politicians or maybe actually passionate about their positions, one or the other. It’s interesting to me, though, how Hillary is instantly criticized, but it’s just another debate in the life for John Edwards, or Obama or any of those candidates.

From Erica Jong:

“It’s the tears. She pretended to cry, the women felt sorry for her, and she won,” said Bill Kristol. So did his page-mate Maureen Dowd, that fierce feminist. So did many of my friends.

Why is it ok for men to get misty and not for women? Why is it assumed everything HRC does is scripted? Why is she seen as bloody Lady Macbeth while Obama is seen as darling Cordelia? Why is a man more sincere than a woman? Why? More…

I find it bizarre that people argue so much about the legitimacy of global warming claims, but don’t think twice about breathing in nasty air, a much more immediate negative product of the internal combustion engine than the predicted global warming destruction.

Go to Google, click Images, and then type “smog” and “Beijing.” Do you find anything even mildly disturbing? Do these images represent the kind of place you’d want to live in?

Anyway, I’ve thought about it, and there are some consequences of global warming that I’d actually like, should they actually happen. For example, I’d like to live on beach front property without ever having to move. I’ve always been more comfortable in warmer climates as well.

But there is one thing that keeps me from driving, despite all the positive consequences of global warming, and that’s that I seem to be one of the few who actually LIKES the idea of clean air. I’ve been walking, biking and riding the bus long before Al Gore brought global warming to everyone’s attention. I made this choice simply because I like breathing. A lot. My God, people, isn’t that enough? Why does this debate have to be so complicated?

I’ll let you know if I get any response!