o the Republicans announced at a press conference that they are preparing for the Supremes to reject Obama's health Care Reform bill. There are several excellent ironies at work here. Perhaps the most laughable is the fact that the health care reform bill is the very one which was originated by the Republicans themselves, and which, from the moment the words passed over Obama's lips, is now referred to by right-wingers as Obamacare; and, of course, this is delivered matter-of-factly with only the slightest screwing of the upper lip and adjacent facial muscles into a sneer. In the manner of an excessively delicate lady catching the smell of dog shit on her shoe. But that is far from all of the fragrant irony. There is also the video of a certain Republican Congressman, who held Town Hall meeting not so long ago, where he invited large numbers of his constituents into a school gymnasium or something similar. In a voice dripping with triumph, he announced the Republican agenda to dismantle all sorts of government programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid; and then, unable to constrain his glee, unveiled the master plan to abolish Obamacare.
How dumbfounding and disappointing it must have been when an outraged constituent stood up and demanded the one thing the lawmaker was ill-prepared to answer.
"What," the man said, "are you going to replace it with?"
How infinitely rude!
The man did not just ask the one question but plowed on with his brief but brutal discourse. "You want to take away our Safety Net! We need that Safety-Net simply to live. Do you want to kill us? Is that what you and your party are really up to?"
"NO," said the Congressman, "Heavens no!" Suddenly the crowd turned angry eyes whose pupils were tiny dots of fury, and they were focused on him.
The lawmaker could only stammer and run for cover.
Now, the Republicans are at it again.
At least the three Stygian witches of mythology had an eye amongst them; but these neo-Republicans seem not to have a brain amongst them. Every move they make inspires one more group of voters to walk away. Their disgraceful conduct as the party of NO, lost more would-be constituents than it tickled. Their attacks designed to make Obama look bad, backfired more often than not. Obama came out smelling sweet as a rose.
Now once again, they are the far-right wing partisan Supreme Court 5 are taking their time not quite sure which way to go with the health care reform bill. Should they declare the whole thing unconstitutional or just the part where it says that everybody has to have health insurance. If they reject it wholesale, it is tantamount to saying what critics of the entire bill have said all along. It is lame and unconstitutional to boot; AND it was the best the Republicans could come up with, since, as we all know they dreamed it up in the first place.
But here is the part that made me sit down and bang out this post: They have chosen this moment to announce that they are seeking to create an all new health care reform plan. And perhaps they are. And I am sure it will be as ugly and as outright stupid as Paul Ryan's budget proposal where he takes money from the poor and hands it to the rich. But that as we know is the goal of all Republican thinking. But with the thinking about a new health care plan and the announcing of such thinking, that are sending out a signal to the ultra-conservative Bush-appointed majority of the SCOTUS that they would like to have the entire bill rejected.
Needless to say, this will only complicate the right-winger justices dilemma. They are, if anything, viewed throughout the voting population of the USA as being more divisive, more partisan, and ultimately more destructive of American values that made this country great than even Congress itself. And polls now show that out of a hundred points voters across the USA give Congress around 6 points.
That's dangerously low.
That could spell fighting-in-the-street rebellion.
I hope so!
bviously, the title says it all. Two years ago, a Portland, Oregon police officer, unprovoked, shot an unarmed young man in the back. When questioned, the officer of course, claimed that he feared bodily harm or worse. Fear of bodily harm is all it takes. They don't even need to fear threatened for their life. The officer was suspended with pay, it seems. And City Hall promised to look into it. And managed to drag their feet doing so. But citizen's groups stormed City Hall demanding that, at the very least, the officer be fired. They claimed wrongful death at the least. City Hall was able to stall for several years. But finally, they had to deal with it --- so they called in a mediator. Actually, one ought to say, a MEDIATOR. But I won't say that. The mediator heard the case; read the reports; and ruled.