By the way, if you want a one-stop health care myth debunking place, bookmark this. Here's the myths they debunk: MYTH 1: There is no health care crisis MYTH 2: Health care reform will impose rationing MYTH 3: Health care reform provides for euthanasia, "death panel" MYTH 4: Health care reform legislation will cover undocumented immigrants MYTH 5: Health care … Read More
Our Local Senator Representative Is Entering Crazy Michele Bachmann Territory
In a telephone town hall yesterday, Senator Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said: "The Constitution doesn’t grant a right to health care, and most of us are living as much by the Constitution as we can. It also doesn’t give the federal government the authority to deal with health care. As you may know, the 10th amendment, it says if it … Read More
Obama’s Media Criticism
At a town hall forum at the DNC yesterday, Obama was asked where the lies about health care reform are coming from. After laughing and making reference to "certain" news channels (he didn't mention them by name, but we all know which ones), this is what Obama supposedly said: "…I have to say, part of the reason it spreads is … Read More
Stewart vs. The Originator of the “Euthanasia For Granny” Myth
Jon Stewart is best when he stops being a comedian and just talks reason. Betsy McCaughey, the first who equated end-of-life planning with government-influenced euthanasia, went on the Daily Show to make her case. Rather than trading barbs, the two of them actually discussed the house bill which supposedly supports the whole "death panel" meme. (McCaughey never suggested, and in fact denies, … Read More
Texas Board of Education At It Again
These guys kill me: The [Texas] State Board of Education has appointed “review committees” made up largely of active and retired school teachers to draft new social studies curriculum standards as well as six “expert reviewers” to help shape the final document. The standards, which the board will decide next spring, will influence new history, civics and geography textbooks. The … Read More
Hellphone Promo
Nice little write-up about the movie I'm supposed to be in (in an insignificant role) here. Also mentions a friend, Rebecca Clark.
Yahoo’s Novel Idea To Help Stop Email Spamming
Here's the proposition: Everybody pay one penny to send an outgoing email. This will discourage spam, which consumes 33 terawatt hours of electricity every year. A spam email sent to a million people would cost $10,000. No, you say? You don't want to pay to send email? I hear you. But what if it was voluntary? But wait, you say. If … Read More
Terror Politics
I've largely refrained from posting about the Bush White House ever since Obama became president, but sometimes my self-imposed ban is hard to maintain. Now that Bush is out of office, we're finding that the actual illegalities are just as bad, if not worse, than imagined. The firings of the U.S. attorneys, for example, were politically motivated and were orchestrated … Read More
Winston-Salem: The Frontier
First bears, now coyotes. Maybe it's my New Hampshire upbringing, but I don't see what the big deal is.
Silliest “Serious” Objection To The House Health Reform Bill
It still gets a lot of play, even among congresspersons: "The health care reform bill is over 1,000 pages long!" I'm not sure what that objection really means. Are they suggesting that, because it's a huge bill, it must represent a massive government program? If that's so, why don't they say it's a massve government program? Or, are they complaining that … Read More
How The Internet Sees You
I don't quite understand this: Personas is a component of the Metropath(ologies) exhibit, currently on display at the MIT Museum by the Sociable Media Group from the MIT Media Lab. It uses sophisticated natural language processing and the Internet to create a data portrait of one's aggregated online identity. In short, Personas shows you how the Internet sees you. … Read More
Five [Update: Six] Predictions About Gay Marriage
Over at NRO's The Corner, columnist Maggie Gallagher is compelled to present five predictions about the short term effects of same-sex marriage in those states which recognize it. I'll address her predictions one at a time. (1) In gay-marriage states, a large minority people committed to traditional notions of marriage will feel afraid to speak up for their views, lest … Read More
A Pox On Both Houses?
Barney Frank took a protester to task after she refered to Obama's "Nazi" health care reform. He asked the woman "on what planet" does she live, and said that trying to have a serious discussion with her about health care would be like talking to a dining room table. Now, comes the tut-tut of the conservative media. How both sides … Read More
David Sedaris On Health Care
Not that he carries any weight, but I'm seeing his show in a month-and-a-half, and he got the question during a live chat, asking him to compare health care systems (he's lived in France for some time). Here's his reponse: Allow me to answer with kidney stones. I had my first one at the age of 34. At the time … Read More
Health Care Without Republicans
It's becoming clear that trying to work out health care reform in a bi-partisan fashion ain't gonna happen. The "public option" itself was a compromise. Obama and most left-leaning people would prefer a "single payer" universal health care system like most advanced nations. The single payer system would, effectively, do away with insurance companies and treat health care like we do our … Read More