The Osterley Times: 'Concerned father' on Fox: Obama's health-care reforms 'sentencing our families to death'.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

'Concerned father' on Fox: Obama's health-care reforms 'sentencing our families to death'.

One of the things which astonishes me about Fox News is the way they allow clearly misinformed citizens air time and treat those citizens concerns as if they are perfectly valid.

Sola: What you are doing is sentencing our families to death.

We lose the right to life. Old people are discarded. Those who cannot fend for themselves are discarded. There is no liberty under your plan. And that's the problem -- the people have seen it, the people know it, you can't hide it from the American people anymore.

If I'm a thug, fine. Don't call my son a thug, and don't call those old ladies and old men that are senior citizens like I am, thugs, and a mob. We are not. We are American citizens who want one thing: To be heard before you put us down.

The notion of "death panels" is simply too ludicrous for anyone to take remotely seriously and yet here, on Fox News, such views are discussed as if they are a fact.

This is what I find most disgusting about the right wing attack on Obama's plans for the US health system; it is almost fact free. They feel uncomfortable making the argument of, "why should I pay for your health care?" - which is what they really object to - and have instead started arguing a series of utterly bogus points concerning the killing of children and the elderly.

These are people who believe it's objectively true that the Obama administration's health-care reforms will lead to a mass killing of the elderly and denial of treatment for Obama's opponents. If you want to know why teabaggers are so worked up, this is why: They really believe this stuff.

This kind of alienation from fact-based reality was a significant component of the dynamic behind the "Patriot"/militia movement of the 1990s. It's embodied by the selective "skepticism" of such folks: Anything the runs counter to their belief system is dismissed as "the official story" which is only believed by "gullible" folks (and indeed is more evidence of the ongoing conspiracy), while any kind of outrageous nonsense that supports their belief system is seized up on as "secret truth".

It was a decidedly unhealthy trait when manifested among a relatively small group of people like the Patriots, because these beliefs formed the foundation for a broad range of radical extremism, including violence and armed standoffs with federal authorities.

The prospects of it now becoming a common pathology among the general conservative-movement population -- thanks to its open support from folks like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and Newt Gingrich (not to mention Fox News) -- are very disturbing indeed.

It's no surprise that there are some Americans unhinged enough to believe this stuff, but it is shocking to witness how keen the Republican establishment are to feed such nonsense and to treat these utterly paranoid concerns as if they have some form of validity.

It's the final proof that the Republicans have ran out of arguments on this subject and are now simply feeding the insanity of what remains of their supporters.

UPDATE:

This is how out of touch these Republican supporters are. Remember Kenneth Gladney? He's the new pin up of the right wing after he claimed that he was assaulted by union thugs for speaking out about Obama's healthcare plans. Well, it turns out he's uninsured and is seeking donations to pay for his medical bills.

The irony is that Gladney’s situation underscores the vital need for health care reform. He was recently laid off and lost his insurance (14,000 Americans suffer a similar fate each day). Because he has no affordable health care option available, Gladney is now soliciting donations to pay his medical expenses:

Less than 48 hours later, protesters gathered Saturday in front of the union’s offices, many of them holding signs with a slightly different version of the message: “Don’t Tread on Kenny.” [...]

Gladney did not address Saturday’s crowd of about 200 people. His attorney, David Brown, however, read a prepared statement Gladney wrote. “A few nights ago there was an assault on my liberty, and on yours, too.” Brown read. “This should never happen in this country.”

Supporters cheered. Brown finished by telling the crowd that Gladney is accepting donations toward his medical expenses. Gladney told reporters he was recently laid off and has no health insurance.

Commenting on the Gladney incident, The Moderate Voice writes, “Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up. If anything was more calculated to make the Right look foolish than this St. Louis incident then I’d love to see it.”

And yet he was out protesting against the notion of universal healthcare? What planet are these stupid people from?

UPDATE II:

Booman:

Even though I know I am living in one of the most advanced civilizations in the history of man, I am reading about a level stupidity in my fellow citizens that simply defies imagination.