Birthers, Deathers and ShamWows

CANTEL MEDICAL CORP. (NYSE: CMN – News) announced that on August 20, 2009 it received a letter of resignation from Ms. Elizabeth McCaughey as a director of the Company. Ms. McCaughey, who had served as a director since 2005, stated that she was resigning to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest during the national debate over healthcare reform.

Betsy "death Panels" McCaugney is out. Another right-wing shill fallen from grace. Has anybody been counting?

It would actually be funny stuff, if the ShamWowers weren't so gullible. "Death Panels to decide the fate of grandma!" What a hoot. But, of course, 'they' believed her. Not only did 'they' believe her, but they ran with it, shouted it from the highest hill: "Obama wants to kill grandma!"

When will it ever end?

I think never and here's why. There is a need for it. A longing inside these people for revenge. Revenge that their man lost the election-- and to a black man! Shudder.

'They' are like ShamWows, eager to soak up any and all bits of gossip, pieces of 'information' which meets their need to prove Obama wrong. They are a bitter lot. Gossip becomes fact; opinion, god's truth. Anything they can get their hands on [ears on] to vilify Obama and the Democrats.

ShamWows- sucking up the dirt and spreading it around.

The Right-wing Noise Machine as Hucksters

They blather all day long on Clear Channel radio- endless anger, hate and other sordid pap. FoxNews is a bit more subtle, yet the outcome is much the same. Radio and TV outlets that give validity to the fears and hate that circulate around in the heads of their steady customers. Fox and Clear Channel are reaping billions in advertising revenue as they provide the fodder for the fools who actually believe the tripe spewed out by the radio jocks and TV personalities.

The masses must be fed. Their anger stoked. The money rolls in. Perfect!

The poor victims, though, like my brother-in-law, have no clue about the ponzi-like scheme in which they participate. No clue. They think it is a reality show. They believe what the hucksters are pitching. In fact, that is why the corporate sponsors love this audience- it will 'buy' anything. Gullibility incarnate.

If my brother-in-law hears it on the radio, it is true. Really. Absorbed like a ShamWow. I must give him some slack, though, that I will not give to younger right-wingers. As he is in his 70's, he grew up with radio news when the newsmen reported factual information. He learned to trust the radio broadcasters.

The younger group, the 20 and 30-something, on the other hand, surely must know that people like Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage, Beck and others are right-wingers just like themselves, not middle of the road, honest newsmen. Or do they?

Whatever, old or young, the radio and TV stations and the personalities are making a fortune pimping their audience with the spice, hate and emotional jargon that seems to 'satisfy' their audience. Pimps, prostitutes, and johns. A perfect match.

"Hey, mister, want to hear something about Nancy Pelosi...?"

In the Beginning God Created Two Prokaryotes

The writers of Genesis might have been on to something, but their science-deficient brains could not imagine two ancient microscopic organisms 'getting together.' Thus the myth of Adam and Eve and all of the other hogwash therein.

Two prokaryotes got together and here we are. Not only we animals but those mutant cousins, the plants. ScienceDaily explains:

ScienceDaily (Aug. 20, 2009) — Humans might not be walking the face of the Earth were it not for the ancient fusing of two prokaryotes — tiny life forms that do not have a cellular nucleus. UCLA molecular biologist James A. Lake reports important new insights about prokaryotes and the evolution of life in the Aug. 20 advance online edition of the journal Nature.Endosymbiosis refers to a cell living within another cell. If the cells live together long enough, they will exchange genes; they merge but often keep their own cell membranes and sometimes their own genomes.
Lake has discovered the first exclusively prokaryote endosymbiosis.

And the rest, as they say, is history. In fact about 2.5 billion years. Our microscopic Adam and Eve kept on 'doing it' for billions of years and, abracadabra, here I am writing about our collective genealogy and our plant cousins, once-removed.

The Most Righteous and Bamboozled Christian

My comment moderation mail box lit up this morning. Usually I have one or two. Today I had seven. Six of them from THE most blessed and righteous fundamentalist christian in all of Toledo and Maumee. The person whom I asked NOT to comment on my blog time after time after time after... She is obviously in her mania state. It happens about once a month, replacing her menstrual cycle which gave out long ago.

She and they loved George Bush and Dick Cheney. George nearly 'walked on water' for them, so they voted heavily for them both in 2000 and 2004. Those one-issue fundamentalist chrisitans, of course. Abortion. Funny, how easily pimped fundamentalist christians are. THE most righteous fundamentalist in all of the Toledo [Maumee] area said on her blog that she would have voted for the pair a third time if the damned Constitution hadn't gotten in the way.

The Constitution.

Two revelations in the past two days about that old piece of paper: seems that the Bush-Cheney team didn't care all that much about the Constitution. Of course, we who have our eyes open knew that from the get-go. The pie-eyed fundamentalists may have [repeat may have] just found out something: the Bush-Cheney Administration violated the Constitution. Blink, blink. Yes, you god-fearing numskulls, Bush and Cheney violated the Constitution. Blink blink.

Assassination hit-squads and raising the terror alert level for political purposes. Either one is a violation of the Constitution. Sort of like those 'abominations' in Leviticus and Deuteronomy. But surely those are more important. Which is why it's ok to shred and trample the United States Constitution- in the minds of the dopey believers.

So, if one wants a theocracy, rather than a democracy, one ought to back up and head for one- like Saudi Arabia or Iran. The mumbo-jumbo of ancient tribal scribblings is important than the United States Constitution. Imagine that- John Lennon.

I wonder what right-wing radio is talking about today. Surely not these violation of the Constitution by their beloved Bush and Cheney. No, wouldn't want to go there- guilt feelings and all. Their dumbed-down audience doesn't give a damned about laws and the Constitution anyway. All that these miscreants worry about is their precious taxes, immigrants, blacks, guns, and the imagined intrusion of the Federal government into their meaningless lives.

Tea baggers, birthers, deathers. What a motley crew. On a rudderless sinking ship adrift on an imaginary sea in a time and place that does not exist. Pirates, to be sure!

WSPD Radio- Goof-Ball Paradise

Right-wing hate radio in Toledo, WSPD, gave out the private cell phone number of a Democratic candidate for Toledo mayor yesterday. Surprise, surprise, its goof-ball listeners called the number spewing hate, profanity and threats at the candidate. Not only that, but one of the dittohead listeners personally confronted the candidate at the elevator near the office of candidate Ben Konop and had a knife on his belt."He was yelling at me - to the best of my recollection - 'Why don't you go on WSPD?" said Ben Konop.

As a result, the Sheriff's Deptartment has ordered a deputy to accompany Mr. Konop. The Blade reports:

Brian Wilson, WSPD's program director and host of a drive-time talk show, broadcast Mr. Konop's personal cell phone number during his program Tuesday.
"As far as I know, he urged his listeners to call me and yell at me for not going on his shows," Mr. Konop said.

Right-wing extremist nuts! Agitated by hate-radio. Is this where America has fallen to? We are moving backwards rather than progressing as a society. Only in America, it seems, does society regress rather than progress. How sad.

How Stupid are the Obama Haters?

So if you want to know more about this woman, here she is in another interview. Notice that she has 'biblical values' but hates President Obama and Sen. Reed.

Not only that, but she has NO plan for health care reform other than voting out Obama and Reed.

These are clearly the most STUPID AMERICANS alive today.

We DID Come From Outer Space

Just like the 50's SciFi thriller, we humans came from outer space, or at least one essential ingredient of life did. ScienceDaily (Aug. 18, 2009) — NASA scientists have discovered glycine, a fundamental building block of life, in samples of comet Wild 2 returned by NASA's Stardust spacecraft.

"Glycine is an amino acid used by living organisms to make proteins, and this is the first time an amino acid has been found in a comet," said Dr. Jamie Elsila of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "Our discovery supports the theory that some of life's ingredients formed in space and were delivered to Earth long ago by meteorite and comet impacts."

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That's one more nail in the well sealed coffin of Adam and Eve, the fruit, the serpent, and the Garden.

Comet dust. Genesis 2 ought to read,

"Before any plant had appeared, before any rain had fallen, while a mist watered the earth, man was formed out of comet dust from the sky."

Of course the writers of Genesis had no idea what a comet was- just a terrible moving star- nor did they know that the earth was round and stars were billions and trillions of miles away, not just above the clouds. A barrier, in fact, separated heaven and earth, according to the writers. The 'firmament' suggests a solid ceiling between the two. Often we read of the heavens 'opening up' as if there was a trap door. Jesus purportedly ascended through the door and other figures dropped down from it.

Funny stuff, but fully-believed by the fundamentalist thumpers.

Sorry to point out the stupidity of it all, but science often makes a mockery of religious voodoo.

He's Baaak! Joe the Dummer

Just when you thought it was safe to walk the streets of Toledo, Ohio at dusk! No longer: gather your children and your grandmother and lock them in the house before sunset. Joe 'The Plumber' Wurtzelbacker is back in town! He's the one who said recently that he'd like to take Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, behind the woodshed and slap her upside the head. if granny looks like a Democrat, she could end up there too!

Yes, Toledo, Joe is back and is now on local right-wing radio. His debut was yesterday afternoon on WSPD, a Clear Channel station.

Joe, who is not a plumber, and not in the McCain-Palin Administration as ambassador to Moronland, is apparently looking for work. Not unexpectedly, his book isn't selling too well either. He said on WSPD,“Just because I’ve become Joe the Plumber, do not believe I’ve become a millionaire,” he impressed upon listeners as the hour came to a close.
“Notoriety does not necessarily mean a big bank account — the reason I’m doing this is because I want my son to have the same opportunities I had.”

His son....opportunities I had... Like public high school? Like living in your dad's house? Maybe when, god forbid, grandpa passes, Joe will at last have a house of his own and then allow his son the 'opportunity' to mooch off of him. The American dream, eh Joe?

Although a registered Republican [can you imagine?] he's not happy with his party. Why? Here's what he said:

“I am registered as a Republican, but that being said, I do not like where they’re at; I don’t like where they’re going; I don’t think they know where they’re going,” he said, taking issue with, among other things, the fact that he sees too many Republicans moving to the left."

Oh, Joe, say it ain't so! You really didn't mean what came out of your mouth, did you?

Dumb as dirt [apologies to the soil]. Yet, he is a classic spokesperson for 'his group' of dumbed-down citizens who get all of their 'facts' from FoxNews. God help the once-grand Republican Party!

By the way, it is better to spell dumb, 'dum' in certain cases.

Three out of Four Fox Viewers Believe the Lies

A survey came out today that showed that those who get their 'news' from Fox are much more susceptible to lies than those who watch CNN and MSNBC. Three-fourths of Fox viewers believed that the Obama plan included death panels, money for abortion, and health care for illegal immigrants. Of course, as we all know, none is true.

What is it about the Fox viewer? A psychology masters thesis or doctoral dissertation is waiting to be written on the type of person who believes that what they hear on Fox is true. Seventy-five percent believed! So does Fox lie more consistently than MSNBC and CNN? Or are those who choose Fox looking for the lies? Perhaps it is a symbiotic relationship.

Whatever it is, it is a curious and deadly combination for this democracy. Feeding the dissenters 24/7, revving them up, making them an angry lot, giving them permission to hate the President and Congress is a dicey game to play in this democracy.

Fox rakes in the advertising money and the right-wing nuts are fed. Parasitic.

The Authority of Holy Mother Chruch and Other Tripe

I hit the wrong numerical combination on my TV remote this morning and found myself listening to a sermon on EWTN, the very conservative Catholic network. "The next time you are challenged about the authority of holy mother church," the priest was saying, "ask them about the resurrection of Jesus and the empty tomb and the thousands of Christians eaten by the lions in Rome."

The camera panned the audience: stoic faces, absorbing the pap like an ink blotter.

Authority of the church; holy mother church. A church where mothers are not welcome behind the altar rail and their daughters need not apply for the deaconate, let alone the priesthood. But, mothers, send us your sons for sex.

The authority of the Bible, as the Baptists and evangelicals teach, is just as firm, just as stoic, just as mind-numbing.

Who gave away the 'authority' in the first place? Why do some kowtow to mystery, magic and myth? Where is their humanity, their will, their common sense? I can't, for the life of me, understand how otherwise perfectly intelligent people numb their gray matter with this spiritualistic voodoo. The Bible as authority? Bunk. It is a mythology loosely wrapped around the misadventures of a hapless nomadic, Semitic tribe wandering the deserts, rocks and plains of the Middle East. A mythology not even theirs, but plagiarized from the Egyptians, Indians and Sumerians.

Biblical authority, church authority, and tripe. Quelle différence?

Our National Moment of Wisdom Evaporated

We Americans are a fickle lot. Fickle may not be the right word. Rather, perhaps mercurial. The only metal that is liquid. Metallic but not firm, steady like iron. I remember foolishly playing with the slippery silver stuff on the playground when some kid in my class brought a tube full from his dad's work. It shined dimes splendidly, but shattered into a thousand little pieces when dropped onto the asphalt. Unpredictable.

Americans were clearly duped by Bush and Cheney into cheering on an unnecessary war on Iraq in early 2003. Flags, yellow ribbons, patriotic music, TV screens lit up like glorious fireworks displays in what became known as Shock 'n Awe. Some of us stood on street corners warning the people not to jump into a foolish war. We were booed and spat upon.

Then came the election of 2008. Hopes rising, change on the way. A new direction for America. A young black man elected over an old war hero. Who would have believed that? Not just a win but a landslide.

The summer of 2009 has been odd, not only in terms of the weather. It is the people who are odd. What has happened to the People? Eight short months ago the nation was revelling in change and hope. Today, angry voices, nasty placards, and fear has gripped this land. Just how fickle can we be? Or rather, just how easily propagandized are our citizens?

I don't believe that I have witnessed such gullibility in our citizens since the run-up to the Bush War. Now, it returns. The People believing the fear-mongering lies once again. It is obvious that we do not learn the lessons of history. Why is that? It was just 6 years ago. Six years and the People hare victims of propaganda once more.

It is quite disheartening.

Unwitting Spokespeople for the Insurance Industry

As if we didn't know, CNN has a commentary by a former insurance industry pitchman who exposes the sad truth:

So the next time you hear someone warning against a "government takeover" of our health care system, or that the creation of a public health insurance option would send us down the "slippery slope toward socialism," know that someone like I used to be wrote those terms, knowing it might turn many of the very people who would benefit most from meaningful reform into unwitting spokespeople for the industry.

He is Wendell Potter, former head of communications for one of the nation's largest health insurers, CIGNA Corporation. He is a man of conscience, a quality sorely lacking among the corporate leaders in America. He said of his job:

"The higher I rose in the company, the more I learned about the tactics insurers use to dump policyholders when they get sick, in order to increase profits and to reward their Wall Street investors. I could not in good conscience continue serving as an industry mouthpiece. And I did not want to be part of yet another industry effort to kill meaningful reform."

"The industry goes to great lengths to keep its involvement in these campaigns hidden from public view. I know from having served on numerous trade group committees and industry-funded front groups, however, that industry leaders are always full partners in developing strategies to derail any reform that might interfere with insurers' ability to increase profits."

We know this. Yet the dumbed-down reactionaries out there, the people that Potter says are, "the very people who would benefit most from meaningful reform," have become the mindless zombies shouting and screaming at the town hall meetings.

When will these citizen wake up and realize that they are no more than shills for the insurance industry? When? When its too late.

Betsy McCaughey- Her Death Panel Lie Exposed

How does a simple lie turn into a grand scheme? It's easy: just say something outrageous and 20% of American will believe it because you said it. That's the sorry state of affairs in dumbed-down America.

Enter former New York GOP lieutenant governor, Betsy McCaughey. She is a fellow at the conservative Hudson Institute and, not surprisingly, on the Board of Directors of Cantel Medical Corporation.

During the Clinton years, McCaughey spent much energy and lots of OpEd ink condemning the Clinton Health Care proposal back in the 90's writing many columns against the plan in the conservative New Republic. Many of the claims she made were false, yet Andrew Sullivan, The New Republic's then-editor, later acknowledged "I was aware of the piece's flaws but nonetheless was comfortable running it as a provocation to debate." Provocation rather than fact.

Fast forward to July 17, 2009. Ms. McCaughey learned that, no matter what the facts are, there is an audience that will 'believe' what she says. No doubt encouraged by Cantel Medical and the Hudson Institute, McCaughey said in a radio interview on that date,

"Congress would make it mandatory, absolutely require, that every five years, people in Medicare have a required counseling session that will tell them how to end their life sooner."

It was a lie. A pure bald-faced lie. Just like her OpEd lie 15 years ago, she said whatever was in her clients best interest.

And the 20% ran with it, swallowing the lie, and burping up their ignorant anger!

Man Tan John Boehner moved the lie forward 6 days later, and the none-too-bright Sarah Palin enhanced it 14 days after that with her dopey, "evil health care" statement.

That's all it takes here in the land of the free and home of the dumb. One needs only a few 'authority figures' to say something and the 20-percenters run with it as if it came directly from the preacher's mouth on Sunday.

In fact, that is my point.

I have come to the conclusion that there is a wild knot of people here in America who are very easily bamboozled by 'authority figures,' both in the pulpit and in politics. I think that one as led to the other. The mind of the evangelical, fundamentalist christian is such an easily manipulative sponge that whatever the preacher says, the congregation says, 'Amen!'

The right-wing of the Republican Party learned long ago just how easy it is to capture the sponge-mind of these people. The abortion issue is the prime example. The GOP and its minions 'preach' the anti-abortion pap that is quickly absorbed and 'believed' by the fundamentalists. The GOP politicians are elected, Roe v. Wade remains. Hoodwink.

Enter Betsy McCaughey. To the angry, sponge-minded people who are still upset with the election of Obama, she spoke the 'truth' that they wanted to hear. And they ran and babbled it wherever they could.

Now, after the lie was revealed, they are labeled the Deathers. Some must feel some embarrassment over being pimped, but the vast majority, I bet, don't give a damn- they still hate Obama and will look for any talking head, any OpEd column, any talk-radio host to feed their anger and resentment. The truth is not important. It is what they' believe.' And the fundamentalist christians patsies lead the propaganda parade.