Sarah Palin resigns as Governor

[BVS]

Sending death threats and plants does not = speaking YOUR mind. Wake up tea partiers!

 

[Jeannieco]

Wow, wasn't it just last year that dissent was the highest form of patriotism? Now it's a psychosis !!

Just to be clear. Blowing up an abortion clinic is a crime, speaking your mind at a public forum on an issue that will directly affect the lives of each and every citizen is a constitutionally protected right.

Blowing up your fellow citizens is not what Thomas Jefferson meant when he said "dissent is the highest form of patriotism." You really need a lesson in civility. The last time I checked planting bombs that kill innocent people was considered murder, not peaceful protesting. If you want to voice your dissent I will be the first one there to defend your right to say it... regardless of what you say. Shouldn't you do the same? That's the most patriotic thing you could do, if you love your country.

In 2004 in DC I marched in a peaceful peaceful protest at the inaguration and carried a sign with those very words on it, and I was chastised and yelled at by right-wingers for being unpatriotic. Nice.

 

[torn vinyl]

From her Facebook page

Statement on the Current Health Care Debate

Yesterday at 1:26pm

As more Americans delve into the disturbing details of the nationalized health care plan that the current administration is rushing through Congress, our collective jaw is dropping, and we’re saying not just no, but hell no!

The Democrats promise that a government health care system will reduce the cost of health care, but as the economist Thomas Sowell has pointed out, government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost. And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.

Health care by definition involves life and death decisions. Human rights and human dignity must be at the center of any health care discussion.

Rep. Michele Bachmann highlighted the Orwellian thinking of the president’s health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the brother of the White House chief of staff, in a floor speech to the House of Representatives. I commend her for being a voice for the most precious members of our society, our children and our seniors.

We must step up and engage in this most crucial debate. Nationalizing our health care system is a point of no return for government interference in the lives of its citizens. If we go down this path, there will be no turning back. Ronald Reagan once wrote, “Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.” Let’s stop and think and make our voices heard before it’s too late.

- Sarah Palin

Holy fucking shit. My country is pretty fucked up but how in hell could that ... there is no phrase that accurately describes her ... how was she elected, chosen to be vp; why do people like her...but most of all... do people actually buy that camel shit about public health care?! fucking hell. Later internet. I hate you.

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

Everything about her makes my skin crawl and makes my blood boil. I honestly hate this woman.

What is a death panel?

 

[Irvine511]

Holy fucking shit. My country is pretty fucked up but how in hell could that ... there is no phrase that accurately describes her ... how was she elected, chosen to be vp; why do people like her...but most of all... do people actually buy that camel shit about public health care?! fucking hell. Later internet. I hate you.

John McCain picked her to be his running mate. she won no election to get such a title.

and, the moment he selected Palin, McCain thoroughly disqualified himself from being anything close to a credible candidate for the presidency.

 

[Irvine511]

What is a death panel?

Palin was trying to make people think that, should the government be involved in health care, that we'd have a "Logan's Run" kind of future where a group of health care czars would force women to have abortions and would kill old people.

it's all they can do to scare people.

 

[U2isthebest]

Sarah Palin is fast becoming President Obama's biggest ally. It's irony, you betcha.

 

[anitram]

The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care.

If we're going to have a panel contemplating the level of productivity in society, I'd really like to start with Palin herself...

 

[financeguy]

I think that Sarah's instincts are usually very good, very noble. However, she sometimes misreads things. She is - quite rightly - pro-family, but she cannot see that neocon policies, as represented in the imperialist conquest of Iraq, for example, are ultimately the most anti-family and anti-community thing one could possibly imagine.

As I've said before, I do think some of the criticisms of Sarah are due to left wing misyogny.

 

[financeguy]

If we're going to have a panel contemplating the level of productivity in society, I'd really like to start with Palin herself...

Interesting. Some would start with the lawyers.

But actually, Palin's comments are against the view of assessing individuals by their levels of productivity in society, so I don't know what point you are making.

 

[No spoken words]

Palin was trying to make people think that, should the government be involved in health care, that we'd have a "Logan's Run" kind of future where a group of health care czars would force women to have abortions and would kill old people.

it's all they can do to scare people.

Fucking carousel.

 

[anitram]

Interesting. Some would start with the lawyers.

OMG! A lawyer joke/snark! I've, like, never heard one of those before! Not 7000 times or anything!

 

[financeguy]

Palin was trying to make people think that, should the government be involved in health care, that we'd have a "Logan's Run" kind of future where a group of health care czars would force women to have abortions and would kill old people.

it's all they can do to scare people.

Not a very inclusive point of view, is it? Have you considered that people with Down Syndrome kids might have very legitimate concerns about such issues?

 

[2861U2]

Blowing up your fellow citizens is not what Thomas Jefferson meant when he said "dissent is the highest form of patriotism." You really need a lesson in civility.

First, Thomas Jefferson never said that. It's a quote that is often mis-attributed to him.

Second, Jefferson did say after Shay's Rebellion in 1787 "a little rebellion now and then is a good thing. The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." I'm not defending threats of violence (or physical attacks like we saw from the other side in St. Louis last week), I'm just making a factual point that Jefferson saw dissent- even extreme dissent- as somewhat of a positive.

Third, why on Earth did you bring up abortion clinic bombings? Talk about painting with a broad brush... I could make a list of Republican politicians (or, you know, even recent Republican presidents) who have had death threats made against them, too. As has been said, there are crazies on both sides, and for people like you and Pelosi to make them out as the norm is very damaging to your side, and you seem to be unaware of it. The people who would ever in their life even start to consider bombing an abortion clinic is probably a good 0.000000001% of all the people attending these town halls, or *gasp* even the evil tea parties! I assume it's ok for me to act like most Democrats think Bush is as evil as Hitler, then, since once or twice I saw a poster at a rally with a Hitler mustache on President Bush. Because that's the logic that is being used here.

 

[anitram]

Not a very inclusive point of view, is it? Have you considered that people with Down Syndrome kids might have very legitimate concerns about such issues?

Yes they should, because all those other places with universal healthcare, like Canada and the UK, routinely deny healthcare to Trisomy 21 individuals, and then euthanize them.

 

[Diemen]

Not a very inclusive point of view, is it? Have you considered that people with Down Syndrome kids might have very legitimate concerns about such issues?

Except for the fact that this "death panel" issue Sarah Palin and others are concerned about has absolutely no basis in reality.

 

[financeguy]

Yes they should, because all those other places with universal healthcare, like Canada and the UK, routinely deny healthcare to Trisomy 21 individuals, and then euthanize them.

No, not quite. They just passively encourage abortions of non-productive kids (er, sorry, I meant random collection of non-viable cells) by means of abortion on demand policies.

 

[financeguy]

Except for the fact that this "death panel" issue Sarah Palin and others are concerned about has absolutely no basis in reality.

I agree, I'm just saying it's easy to understand why a mother with a Downs Syndrome kid could have this reaction.

 

[anitram]

I agree, I'm just saying it's easy to understand why a mother with a Downs Syndrome kid could have this reaction.

I don't see this as a concerned mother having a reaction but as an opportunistic woman who is flat out lying and using her quasi-leadership position to influence a policy debate by introducing untruths to her followers who are uninformed and likely to believe what she is saying. Which is a 100% lie.

For such a good Christian woman, she sure doesn't have a lot of qualms about bearing false witness...

 

[Diemen]

I agree, I'm just saying it's easy to understand why a mother with a Downs Syndrome kid could have this reaction.

Agreed, presuming the mother is ignorant of the facts. Which is the issue. Scare tactics rarely sway the well-informed. You would think the main voice of opposition a political party would want to put forth would be a rational and intelligent one, not one meant to prey on the ignorance of others.

"Death Panels!? How awful! Down with national health care!!"

 

[Diemen]

I don't see this as a concerned mother having a reaction but as an opportunistic woman who is flat out lying and using her quasi-leadership position to influence a policy debate by introducing untruths to her followers who are uninformed and likely to believe what she is saying. Which is a 100% lie.

Bingo.

 

[Jeannieco]

Talk about painting with a broad brush... I could make a list of Republican politicians (or, you know, even recent Republican presidents) who have had death threats made against them, too. As has been said, there are crazies on both sides, and for people like you and Pelosi to make them out as the norm is very damaging to your side, and you seem to be unaware of it.

I said the people making the death threats were the same psycho's that are likely to blow up clinics. I was not broad brushing good ole mom and pop at the town meeting trying to "voice" dissent. Obviously you took it as such, and it's not what I meant, I apologize for not spelling it out for you clearly enough.
Oye veh.

Peace out, I'm outta here...

 

[Irvine511]

She is - quite rightly - pro-family

wtf does this even mean?

i would think that universal health care coverage is about as pro-family as you can get. can you list for me the other Palin pre-August 2008 policies that are likewise pro-family? and you'll have to stick to domestic issues since she has no record of having any opinion on any international issues prior to the GOP convention.

Not a very inclusive point of view, is it? Have you considered that people with Down Syndrome kids might have very legitimate concerns about such issues?

no. people with DS kids should be more concerned that their child will become a "pre-existing condition" that might prevent them from getting coverage from a profit-driven corporation rather than some Orwellian "death panel" forcing women to abort DS kids.

No, not quite. They just passively encourage abortions of non-productive kids (er, sorry, I meant random collection of non-viable cells) by means of abortion on demand policies.

who "passively encourages" abortions? that's a massively biased and self-serving reading of the pro-choice position.

do you feel the same concern for little gay babies who might one day have the discovered "gay gene" and christofascist not-pro-life-in-this-case women might choose an abortion? or, worse, try to thump some heterosexuality into the boy at a young age?

 

[No spoken words]

Oye veh.

Peace out, I'm outta here...

As a well known official spokesperson for the Israeli Government, it's my duty to say that it's spelled "oy vey".

 

[BVS]

wtf does this even mean?

i would think that universal health care coverage is about as pro-family as you can get.

who "passively encourages" abortions? that's a massively biased and self-serving reading of the pro-choice position.

Exactly

These ignorant generalizations are getting quite tiresome.

 

[Irvine511]

As a well known official spokesperson for the Israeli Government, it's my duty to say that it's spelled "oy vey".

and that's the only minute expression of remorse that the western imperialist New York and London funded pig Zionists will say after you nuke Iran into a sheet of glass.

 

[elevated_u2_fan]

As a well known official spokesperson for the Israeli Government, it's my duty to say that it's spelled "oy vey".

What is the Israeli Government's opinion on health care anyway?

 

[Jeannieco]

As a well known official spokesperson for the Israeli Government, it's my duty to say that it's spelled "oy vey".

My bad I'm not up on my yiddish.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Media Matters

Palin's spokesperson reportedly said Palin's assertion was a reference to House bill's "Advance Care Planning Consultation" provision. On his blog, ABC's Jake Tapper reported:

Asked specifically what the former governor was referring to when painting a picture of an Obama "death panel" giving her parents or son Trig a thumbs up or down based on their productivity, Palin spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton responded in an email: "From HR3200 p. 425 see 'Advance Care Planning Consultation'." [Political Punch, 8/7/09]

Provision Stapleton pointed to requires Medicare to cover voluntary end-of-life counseling sessions. Section 1233 of America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 -- which includes "p. 425" -- amends the Social Security Act to ensure that advance care planning will be covered if a patient requests it from a qualified care provider [America's Affordable Health Choices Act, Sec. 1233]. According to an analysis of the bill produced by the three relevant House committees, the section "[p]rovides coverage for consultation between enrollees and practitioners to discuss orders for life-sustaining treatment. Instructs CMS to modify 'Medicare & You' handbook to incorporate information on end-of-life planning resources and to incorporate measures on advance care planning into the physician's quality reporting initiative." [waysandmeans.house.gov, accessed 7/29/09]

Numerous media conservatives have advanced myth that provision provides seniors mandatory counseling to end their lives. On July 16, former New York Lt. Gov. Betsy McCaughey falsely claimed that the House health care reform bill would "absolutely require" end-of-life counseling for seniors "that will tell them how to end their life sooner." Since then, numerous media figures -- including Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Rush Limbaugh -- have echoed McCaughey's claim -- even after the falsehood was debunked and McCaughey herself backtracked.

 

[kellyahern]

So talking to people about living wills and DNR requests now equals "death panels".

Nice job, Sarah!