The Reaction in review (August 14, 2009)

By Carol Gee

A week's Reactions that deserve a second look:

There's much about the craziness of Republicans vs. health care reform . . .

Thursday

By Carl: "Evolution inaction" -- Skillfully, Carl analyzes the health care reform issues and notes: "We liberals have to begin to make the case that the Obama administration has been unable to: healthcare reform will save and prolong lives, and not force the elderly into euthanasia."

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "Despair" -- Michael insightfully explores the reasons for his increasing despair about the state of American democracy, including declines in opinion polls, media's making lies and truth equivalent, and our failure to sift through spin. See also: Mobs-(1) 8/14/09, (2) 8/14/09, Palin-8/14/09, Grassley vs.Murkowski-8/12/09, Gingrich & Palin-8/10/09, on guns-8/12/09, and on Ambinder-8/12/09, Sullivan 8/10/09, and Frum-8/9/09.

By Capt. Fogg: "Rationing, death panels, and takeovers, oh my!" -- Fogg's terrific post lays bare the projections of the health care industry, providing chapter and verse for their use of certain words concluding, "They are chosen with surgical precision so that using them as accusations, the corporate death panels, the corporate rationing of healthcare and the monopolistic trusts that indulge in them are protected from the truth."

By Creature: "The real healthcare crazy" -- Creature's great little post helps us regain perspective regarding what is the real deal with the need for reform. See also: (1) 8/14/09, (2) 8/14/09, 8/11/09-video, (1) 8/11/09, (2) 8/11/09, 8/10/09, 8/9/09-video, 8/9/09-comics.


Sunday

By Creature: "Legitimizing the healthcare reform lies" -- First with a post about "death panels," Creature criticizes media's adoption of false equivalents.

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "Conservative Critique: David Frum on what a Republican victory over Obamacare would mean" -- This post adds important insight about the consequences that would ensue with the defeat of health care reform.


Saturday

By J. Thomas Duffy: "Trig in 2012!" -- Taking his cue from Sarah Palin's FaceBook page on how her "baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama's 'death panel' . . . system is downright evil," Duffy presents his own insanely funny scenario of the next presidential election.


. . . And there's everything else:

Friday

By J. Thomas Duffy: "Guitar legend, inventor Les Paul passes away" -- Duffy's fine tribute to Paul begins: "It is almost impossible to measure Les Paul's impact and imprint on music;" the post includes a great Gibson Guitar news release and a number of other good references for all us Les Paul fans.


Thursday

By Mustang Bobby: "Welcome to Canada" -- Bobby's traveled to Stratford, Ontario for Shakespeare, reflects in his post on the long and deep relationship the U.S. has with our neighbor to the north, and is curious to see how Canadians feel since Obama's election.

By Carol Gee: "Frozen in place: When conciliation is a bad thing" -- This post looks at former Vice President Cheney's current willingness to talk about how he truly feels about his former boss, whom he believes went soft during his second term.

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "Toronto-area high school takes To Kill a Mockingbird off Grade 10 reading list over language complaint" -- Michael's post takes on a decision (that "is a form of censorship,") decrying that a book that teaches about racial injustice was removed because of a single parent complaint about bad words, and is "a cowardly act for which there is no excuse."


Wednesday

By Mustang Bobby: "Everybody gets caught" -- Bobby thinks that revelations of Karl Rove's involvement in the politicization of the Bush Justice Department may finally land him in front of a grand jury, unlike the Valerie Plame case.


Tuesday

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "Burma's totalitarians convice Nobel winner Suu Kyi" -- In another of his important posts on "Burma," not "Myanmar," Michael examines the recent show trial conviction of Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and restates his support for Burma as the true name of the junta ruled country.

By Michael J.W. Stickings: "Will there be a jobless recovery? Maybe not, but the economy is still in terrible shape." -- Michael's done an excellent analysis, concluding "economy . . . has improved, at least relative to its recent slide, and, for that, there is government, the "Big" government so loathed on the right, to thank."


Monday

By Carl: "The trouble with viruses" -- Carl writes an excellent about the pending H1N1 flu pandemic coming back to the U.S. this fall, noting one bright spot: ". . . in all this nervous-making anxiety. . . this flu might be the final key in unlocking true healthcare reform, albiet at a tragic and hefty price."

By Capt. Fogg: "Rounding up the Righteous" -- Fogg takes on Glenn Beck's fear mongering regarding the Obama administration, calling out "Mr. Beck and Senator Cornyn and the other professional traitors and haters of honesty [who] are afraid someone will get to the bottom of it all and trace the sabotage, the lies and the psychotic ravings back to the RNC . . ."

(Cross-posted at Behind the Links.)