Editor’s Pick
SEPTEMBER 10, 2009 12:15AM
To the "Gentleman" from South Carolina... (UPDATED)
For eight years my taxes funded a war I opposed which was fought under false pretenses, begun with false information and driven by false motivations. Never once did someone scream, “LIAR!” at the President of the United States during a Congressional address.
I watched as my last president stared forward, dazed and confused, stunned and inactive as my nation was attacked. When he did not address the nation or comfort his people, he blamed it on security. The Queen Mother of England (God rest her soul) did not leave London during the Blitz that my family endured, yet he blamed his inaction and inability to comfort his people on security. Yet, no one dared scream, “LIAR!” in the chamber of our Congress.
As the last president cleared brush and fiddled as my country burned, no one dared to shout him down as he addressed Congress.
It doesn’t matter what issue we discuss as a nation – the sentiment most loudly screamed is the same. Obama is more of the same. The Congress is more of the same. Nothing will ever get better. Nothing will ever change.
I refuse.
I refuse to believe that my country is dumber than other countries. I refuse to believe that my fellow Americans are too stupid to ever do anything better than hit the lever to receive the cheese. I refuse to believe that if I do enough, write enough, think enough and try enough that nothing will change.
I’m fed up and I’m sick of it. Cynicism is holding this country back. The very people who loudly proclaim that our president is powerless, our congress is corrupt and our people are too stupid are the ones who are ruining our country. We are being brainwashed by the media and fear mongers like you to believe that nothing will ever change. If you just shout us down loudly enough, then you won’t have to change. You can go on collecting your fat paychecks, ignoring people who are less fortunate than you are and consuming everything in sight.
Your hate runs deep, sir. You are so afraid that an illegal immigrant will get something for free that you are willing to deny basic health care to your constituents. You would rather see thousands of Americans die or go bankrupt than see illegal immigrants treated in a hospital. Your beef with the proposal is that the system would provide care for foreigners visiting our country, just as every other country in the industrialized world does already. (Other than the U.S., of course)
Any person who does not believe that Americans can improve, innovate and provide for our people has no business in Congress. Any person who would shout at a president in the middle of address doesn’t deserve his seat.
You have free speech but it was not your turn. You have your turn each day in congress and in the media. We have stood politely by while right wing extremists have brought rifles to health care forums and organized flash mobs of seniors to flood faux town hall meetings.
The republicans had their chance. Eight years of war and economic disaster caused the mess we are in right now. Grumbling about how silly the ideas of reform and hope are doesn't help anyone.
I am no longer willing to be cynical about our country. If we never expect better, we will never do better. I will not be quiet about wanting a better country. I will not blindly accept that I am powerless.
Over the next few days you’ll be called all sorts of things from both sides – patriot, hero, coward, fool – but never forget that when you had your chance you blew it. You are angry and regretful about that. I understand your position. However, I expect more from you. If a democrat had shouted that at George W. Bush I would have admittedly laughed my ass off. I would also have been ashamed that someone in my party would stoop so low.
I am not a politician, but I am a mother. So, I’ll speak to you as an American mother:
Sit down.
Wait your turn.
Be respectful.
Don’t name call.
Mind your tone.
Above all…
Share.
I believe that corporations and special interests have convinced quite a bit of the right-leaning population that if they believe that things can improve that they are naïve. As they lose their jobs and their homes and watch their friends and family circle the bowl, the only comfort they have is that they aren’t “fooled” by the idea that hope and change can come. Their cynicism is all that remains. Hope is a joke and change is a lie.
It’s a win-win situation for right wing thinkers – if they are wrong, their lives will improve along with the rest of the country’s – if they are right, they get the satisfaction of being so much smarter than everyone else. Unfortunately, that uncooperative attitude will be self-perpetuating.
I am a patriot who believes that with faith in each other and love for our country all things are possible. If a middle class mother with no power can believe that, why can’t an elected official?
You may have made your apology to the president, but you have
307,406,053 more apologies to go.
If you'd like to aid in removing Joe Wilson from office, please visit BBE's helpful action post.
Update:
(Come on, you know me better than to think I'm letting this GO, right?)
Oh yes. I sent it to him. I imagine it will be a single drop in the flood that he is currently experiencing.
If you'd like to be part of that flood please use this information to the best of your ability.
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Comments
"I believe that corporations and special interests have convinced quite a bit of the right-leaning population that if they believe that things can improve that they are naïve. As they lose their jobs and their homes and watch their friends and family circle the bowl, the only comfort they have is that they aren’t “fooled” by the idea that hope and change can come. Their cynicism is all that remains. Hope is a joke and change is a lie."
That worries me because of the accuracy of it, and the cynicism and apathy aren't just on the right. Anti-progressive forces (read, big money) have worked for decades now to fool Americans into thinking that they CAN'T make a difference, that it's not even worth trying, and they've been so successful at doing it that it's almost a truism in our culture, even though it's also a lie. By working to promote distrust of the government and a sense of futility in the electorate, they've succeeded in fooling that electorate(or large portions of it) into disenfranchising itself. We've got a lot of work to do if we're going to turn that around.
I'm sick of the tone in this country.
Decency is not a joke.
Thanks for your comments everyone. I've been working out my snit since the speech ended, so I'm headed to sleep. It's after midnight here. I will tilt at windmills tomorrow.
Be excellent to each other.
Party on.
And I've posted Wilson's fax numbers on my blog for those outside of SC who want to share their outrage about his behavior directly to the source.
The only good thing to come out of something like this is that the GOP keeps throwing up poster boys and girls that embarrass the better people in the party. Or at least, John McCain.
Joe Wilson is the new Sarah Palin. For a minute.
Jodi, send this to the Wilson office. And demand a televised public apology to America. Well done and rated as high as OS will let me rate this.
You have vented for all of us!
But I'm a little more of the eye for an eye mindset than you are.
And if you want a little payback, check out my blog.
http://open.salon.com/blog/tony_wang/2009/09/09/pissed_off_at_joe_wilson_heres_what_to_do
By DAPHNE EVIATAR 9/9/09 10:32 PM
I guess Rep. “Joe” Wilson (R-S.C.) — actually, Addison Graves Wilson, Sr. — found out about that secret Democratic plot to provide all illegal immigrants with free health care.
What else could explain his outburst — “You Lie!” — during President Obama’s speech on health care reform, responding to the president’s statement that “the reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally”?
Perhaps Wilson believes that illegal immigrants ought not get emergency medical treatment, which is the only medical benefit they might qualify for — when they show up in a hospital on the verge of death, for example.
Or maybe it’s just because Wilson’s last campaign was supported by the Americans for Legal Immigration PAC — a restrictionist group that supports deporting all illegal immigrants in the United States rather than offering any opportunities for legalization, or “amnesty.”
ALIPAC gives Wilson an “A” for opposing “amnesties and ‘guest worker’ programs for illegal aliens along with other rewards such as in-state tuition and driver licenses.” I guess because he supports keeping them uneducated and untraceable if they get into a car accident.
Meanwhile, as MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann pointed out on his show tonight, Wilson has been writing op-eds spreading the rumor that Obama wants to install “death panels” to hasten the death of grandma.
So who’s lying?
http://washingtonindependent.com/58391/rep-joe-wilson-unearths-secret-plot-to-provide-illegal-immigrants-with-free-health-care
The GOP doesn't need whips (well, maybe in extreme cases), they need a Mommy. And one who will teach them some manners, and wash their mouths out with soap when they're rude to their president in public.
Incredibly rated, and Brava!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/esther-j-cepeda/whos-a-liar-in-search-of_b_281560.html
are you sure you aren't Canadian?
I DVR'd three hours of Fox News that followed the president's speech, so I've been up most of the night going over those. Doesn't seem they've changed their position one iota. The right (yet, still wrong) are doing the bidding of the insurance giants and have no intention to back down. We must all get more vocal and more proactive to get this thing done. I will relish this battle, Jodi and your words will only make my resolve stronger. Let's get busy and stay busy! We need to motivate each other we are not helpless. Our voices need to be heard.
Oh, they of little faith. xox
I've been thinking about this Illegal Alien thing. These are not people just loafing about in the streets and, like gays, "choosing" a lifestyle that gets them officially despised. (Who does that?) They are here (well, there - I'm in Canada) because there is work they will do for a pittance. They are there because the rest of America benefits from their presence and their work. Illegal or not, they are part of the fabric of the country and must be (haha) integrated, and partake of the privileges (such as they are) of being part of the country.
If they're here, and in great numbers, THEY HAVE TO GET HEALTH CARE TOO! Perhaps this is a basic hypocrisy that is a stumbling block... If you're going to have health care for everyone, then you're gonna have to have health care for EVERYONE. And why not? They contribute to keeping the place going... Are they to be turned away at health facilities? We (you!) benefit from their labor and then treat them like dogs (less than dogs, which you take to the vet) when they are sick?
Oh boy, what a mess...
As I said on Nan's blog, good luck with all this.
#2. The NIMBY tone of so many in this country when they talk about "illegal immigrants." I have one such "illegal" to thank for the existence of my grandchild. Without immigrants we wouldn't be a country, and we can't even imagine what kind of hardship drives them from their homes to seek some kind of comfort in the US.
Thank you for addressing them both. Rated.
As an American who has lived outside of the US for the past 19 years, I am often struck with something like horror watching the political and social goings-on in the States--particularly those you had mentioned in your initial paragraphs regarding our previous president. But what strikes me even more is the pessimism of people I meet when I go back--the feeling that nothing can be done, and nothing can be changed.
People need to hear "It does not have to be this way." People need to be reminded that we do have the power to make it better. And we can do it while maintaining common decency and respect, even for those we disagree with.
Thanks for your message of quiet outrage coupled with hope for change.
We can drive a revolution against the idea that in order to be a patriot you have to maintain the status quo.
I constantly see these bumpers stickers that say, "Stand Up For America! Be An American!"
I asked The Man what that means.
He said, "It means 'Don't Be a Mexican.'"
Our people are dying and going bankrupt - even with full health coverage from these predatory insurance companies. That is WRONG.
Everyone who thinks that they don't have a stake in the lives of their fellow Americans should bring their copy of The Fountainhead as they follow the advice they have given me for the past eight years:
"Respect the office if not the policies. If you don't like 'Merica - then get the hell out."
We found a better way. We elected a Democratic majority in both houses and a Democrat for president.
Finally, I invite you to read Do You Know How You Got Here? It is the story of how my father's family came to this country.
If believing we can do better as a country is wrong, then I don't want to be right. It's time to stop calling people naive and stupid for trying to change the world. Have a little pride and TRULY "stand up for America."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/09/AR2009090902298_2.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2009090903520
Claim: Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.
False.
That’s simply not what the bill says at all. This page includes "SEC. 152. PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION IN HEALTH CARE," which says that "[e]xcept as otherwise explicitly permitted by this Act and by subsequent regulations consistent with this Act, Claim: Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.
"False. That’s simply not what the bill says at all. This page includes "SEC. 152. PROHIBITING DISCRIMINATION IN HEALTH CARE," which says that "[e]xcept as otherwise explicitly permitted by this Act and by subsequent regulations consistent with this Act, all health care and related services (including insurance coverage and public health activities) covered by this Act shall be provided without regard to personal characteristics extraneous to the provision of high quality health care or related services." However, the bill does explicitly say that illegal immigrants can’t get any government money to pay for health care. Page 143 states: "Nothing in this subtitle shall allow Federal payments for affordability credits on behalf of individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States." And as we’ve said before, current law prohibits illegal immigrants from participating in government health care programs."
d
Rules.Rs@mail.house.gov
Great post Jodi. thumbified as you say.
I did not call for an Apology, however, because the non-apology he gave was lame. I called for a Resignation.
I'm just very thankful the DA wasn't from Tex-us this time.
Very well done, Jodi.
Amen to that.
I have no problem whatsoever believing my country is dumber than other countries. Dumber is far too mild a word in fact.
Thanks for your influence!
This is pasted from a comment I made on another blog, but I think it is important:
Last night, my 11-year-old son told his sister to, "Shut up" at the dinner table. I immediately pulled him away from the dinner table, sat him down and had a talk about respect and dignity for the next 15 minutes.
This morning, he apologized (again) to his sister and gave her the last banana as a courtesy.
Sometimes, we have to spend some time outlining what common decency is to people so that they might learn kindness and respect. My son will never forget that lesson. Evidently, Joe Wilson won't be forgetting this anytime soon, either.
We set the tone for this country. What is and is not acceptable is all a matter of what we choose to expect from our leaders. I would have been horrified and ashamed if a Democrat had screamed that at President Bush - no matter how true I may personally believe it to have been.
There are lines we should not cross. When we cross them, we deserve everything we get. He chose to make himself the symbol of the futility of the cynicism and degradation that is dragging this country into the gutter. THAT is the issue that matters. Nothing will ever get better as long as we ignore the foolishness that is holding us back. (Rifles at health care forums, anyone?)
I think people should have enough pride in themselves and their country to work for something better, rather than smugly amusing themselves by dragging everyone else down. He chose to make himself the poster boy for nasty behavior. I refuse to feel badly for discussing that.
I am Canadian and the few glimpses I've seen on the news of the so-called "town-hall meetings" full of vociferous, rabid complete idiots shouting down health-care reform has left me absolutely stunned and appalled. They are shooting themselves in the foot, hanging themselves by the noose if they honestly believe health-care reform will be the Death of America. The way things continue now will be the Death of America.
They are so completely devoid of actual facts as to how health-care reform will help them and their fellow citizens - and unwilling to listen to any facts offered! - it boggles the mind, truly.
Yes, government-aided health-care systems in Canada, Britain, elsewhere are not perfect, but they are certainly not the bastion of the devil or a haven of socialism, and hey, upside, you are not bankrupt for life if you have to tend to a major medical problem in your life.
The fact that FOX news has refused to air the President's speeches 3 times now (thereby ensuring the mass of ignorant townhall idiots who most likely tune in solely to that channel for all their "news", in fact remain ignorant), shows the unfortunate direction your country is heading towards.
I'm sending a link to your post to absolutely everyone I can think of.
Republican or Democrat, agree or disagree. There is a time and a place, a way to disagree, and just plain respect.
And I'm not going to dignify the "Representative" with any kind of response from me. I am, however, going to cheer on his opponent in the next race, even though I don't live in SC. (I read in The Nation that SC's State Senate has NO WOMEN. NONE. Maybe we feminists ought to ask them why?)
"Our goals are generally the same, whether we're Democrats or Republicans, and in fact, most Americans don't even think about those labels all that much. They are turned off when they see people using wild accusations, false claims, name-calling, sharply ideological approaches to solve problems. They want pragmatism; they want people to stay focused on the job. And I hope that some of the fever breaks a little bit.
The media can always be helpful by not giving all the attention to the loudest or shrillest voices, and try to stay a little bit more focused on the issues at hand."
And all the time remembering that it is your own brother or sister that you deny the privilege as has been shown to either you or your forefather at some point. Pulling the ladder once you have crossed will not keep the wall up forever. They will come and they will do what we all have done for a billion years.....survive.
Well said.
And then I sent a contribution to his opponent for 2010, Rob Miller.
Well said, Jodi. I took some of your language about manners and put it in my email.
Love this:
I am not a politician, but I am a mother. So, I’ll speak to you as an American mother:
Sit down.
Wait your turn.
Be respectful.
Don’t name call.
Mind your tone.
Above all…
Share.
Excellent post.
http://mediamattersaction.org/factcheck/200909090009
current bills in congress and section pertaining to immigrants
love the post
-rated-
So how does it feel to be so wrong?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBxmEGG71PM
Look at the 2005 State of the Union Address given by President Bush. There you will see the Dems booing the president. So while it should not have happened, the left started it years ago.
Now let's talk about illegals getting health care. Yes, HR 3200 put in a section that they can not have them. However, it's unconstitutional an Obama should know it. He is a constitutional lawyer is he not? With the survivability clause in the bill, it's just a back door to get health care for those who broke our laws to get here.
A few years ago the fine people of CA passed one of their famous referendums on providing health care to all the illegals there. It went to the federal courts where it was declared unconstitutional. It was appealed and the federal court of appeals upheld overturning the law as unconstitutional. It went, as you can guess, to the US Supreme court which declined to hear the case which has the effect of upholding both lower court rulings.
So by settled federal court cases if you provide a benefit to one person here, legal or not, you have to provide them to all. You can not cherry pick which ones everyone will get and which ones will have limited scope. It's all or nothing.
Obama and Congress know these rulings. They are not new. Obama was just hoping that enough of the people are stupid and don't pay attention to things and they will back door them in.
As for abortion not being funded. It's not in HR 3200. In fact the Republicans offered that amendment and it went down on party lines.
As for Republicans not offering anything. What you saw in their hands were the bills that they introduced that went down on party lines as well.
As for the lying, cheating no good scum bags, um... yeah. Some people just can't be reached. Everyone thinks that isn't them.
Boo, indeed.
People have booed in Congressional chambers for centuries.
If he's so right, why is he apologizing?
Why did McCain immediately call for an apology?
Why is the right scrambling like ants on a hill to cover their Miss Manners books?
The party either knows it was actually, truly wrong or they are cowards.
Take your pick.
We all know what happened there.
I'll let you know how being wrong feels when being an a-hole becomes right.
I didn't say it was right. I said it shouldn't have happened. He should have said he was sorry to the President and the public. I just made the point that being rude to the President is beyond what manners calls for, I don't care who does it, and that nobody was upset when the Dems were rude to President Bush.
And you are right about one more thing. Nobody thinks it them.......
Great job here.
I am joing ThinkBlue and donating a few bucks to whoever is running against this embarrasment of a "representative."
Brave.
Rated.
They are both just plain wrong. We don't do that stuff here. We don't insult the speaker, by name calling or making rude sounds, we don't fight like they do in some places, none of that. It's all wrong. It's not us, and I don't care what side of the isle you sit on or who is speaking. What I do object to is people who claim you were more rude than we were or something of that nature. If you are going to be outraged over one, then you had better be out raged about the other.
Was the President wrong, that's a different debate. Yes he was, see my earlier remarks, but him being right or wrong is not part of the liar/booing debate.
Just because a CA case was not heard by the Supremes (which by the way could have been for a million reasons, including that they thought it should have been a decision made on the CA Constitution) does not mean that that would be the ruling for federal health insurance (a federal law). NOT hearing a case does not a precedent set. I do not know where you are getting your information but if it's from Limbaugh or the Fox News crew, no wonder you have the opinions you do. Branch out to other news sources. Please.
The even handed, reasoned, opinion on this is at the following link: FactCheck.org. It says that the bill would not cover illegal immigrants.
denese
To Representative Joe Wilson:
Sir,
I am appalled at your behavior on the floor of Congress during the recent address by the President of the United States. As a South Carolinian, I find myself continually fighting against the notion that we are all redneck hicks with no education, and to have the representative for my state act in a manner that proves to a national audience that we are all that they stereotype us to be is, frankly, infuriating. As a representative to the United States Congress, you should be willing to give respect to the elected leader of this country, whether you agree with his position or not. Further, allowing another to have his say uninterrupted is basic courtesy that we should all have mastered at our mother's knee.
I insist that you account for yourself, and give a better example of civilized discourse in the future. Were you to think about the consequences of refusing to consider the health care needs of millions of citizens and work to insure the greater good, that would be even better.
Sincerely,
Rae Lovvorn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztnFV13zEao
Let's see what happens!
Thank you for that from a Denver Democrat and small business owner who's anxious to see not only a public option but also some intelligent, humane and less fear/discrimination-based solutions to illegal immigration. Those "aliens" you hate so much that you would refuse healthcare to us all rather than risk letting one of those "aliens" sneak thru the cracks and take advantage of our (currently failed) healthcare system are humans first in my eyes.
So, next election, when you're wondering what happened, just know that some of my Denver bucks went into booting you out of office. Good luck getting health insurance with your new job. Prepare for your next interview. Can you say, "Do you want fries with that?"
Ever grateful for radical reactionaries with big mouths that betray themselves to an otherwise unwitting public,
Jim Moore
One or the other might be forgivable, but not both at the same time. If some Congressman had rudely called Bush a liar whenever he WAS lying, which was often, I would have applauded him. But breaking with decorum just to serve your own political agenda is gross.
I don't believe it was an outburst. I think it was premeditated, but we'll never really know.
Personally I think it would be better to provide basic coverage to illegal immigrants to avoid problems like spreading communicable diseases that could be prevented or controlled by basic medical care. Or spending much more for emergency room/hospital care for illnesses that could be prevented or mitigated by good primary care. And I speak from experience as a pediatrician in an inner city whose patients are mostly immigrants (legal and illegal).
Keep urging us all to fight the good fight!
I must have made not made myself clear. No one but two federal courts have said that it violates the federal constitution, not CA's constitution.
So what makes you think that the Congress can pass a law that violates the federal constitution? They can't and the issue has gone all the way through the federal court system. The end ruling is if you provide a benefit for one group or class of people, you have to provide it to all.
Kyle Dykman