[for reference]

ghassan's trip to lebanon

[for reference]

"It is way worse than I thought it would be."

Right-wing tough guy talk show host Mancow [sorry, not gonna link] does the Christopher Hitchens:



and Keith Olbermann declares Sean Hannity unnecessary:



Veterans of Valor

Alan Grayson and the Progressive Economists

via

Apparently some of my crew have been daylighting while I've been at work

SINGLE PAYER NOW NOW NOW!

from the inbox:

Dear [hipparchia],

This week, Congress will make crucial decisions on two issues: single-payer health care and the widening war in Afghanistan/Pakistan.

1. Single Payer Health Care

On Monday, the for-profit health industry promised President Obama to cut costs by 1.5%, but we can only laugh.

For-profit insurers will always put profits first - ahead of Obama's cost-saving goals and ahead of our health care needs, even our lives.

The only serious way to reduce health care costs is to move from for-profit health insurance to a single-payer system like Medicare.

Thankfully, Rep. John Conyers has a serious single-player plan, H.R. 676, which has 75 co-sponsors. But we need 218 votes in the House to pass H.R. 676, so we must pressure every other Representative .

First, sign our petition and forward it to everyone you know who is sick of - or sick from - for-profit health insurance:
http://www.democrats.com/single-payer-petition

Then, if your Representative not a co-sponsor, call him/her at 202-224-3121 and demand to know why not.

Then tell the Senate Finance Committee to stop laughing at (and arresting!) single payer advocates like us, and put a single-payer plan "on the table":
http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum982.php

And if you're near Washington DC on Wednesday May 13, join Progressive Democrats of America in a Day of Action for Single-Payer Health Care:
http://pdamerica.org/articles/news/2009-05-11-12-29-05-news.php

2. The Widening War in Afghanistan/Pakistan (Af-Pak)

This week, Congress will vote on another $85 billion for Af-Pak and Iraq. But our careless bombing in Af-Pak is only making things worse. And there are horrifying new reports we used white phosphorus against civilians.

This week, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) will propose an amendment for an Afghanistan Exit Strategy. Please sign our new petition to your Representatives and Senators:
http://www.democrats.com/afghan-exit-petition

Thanks for all you do!

Bob Fertik

p.s. Thanks to Ed Schultz for asking fans of The Ed Show to sign our single-payer petition. Many of us love Ed's radio show, and now we can see him fight for working families every weekday at 6 p.m. ET on MSNBC. Visit:
http://WeGotEd.com

While you're at wegoted.com, vote no.

Flood MoveOn.org's Dr Dean email inbox

I get mail... from Democracy For America:

hipparchia -

Next week, Congress will begin making the actual decisions about what reforms will make it into this year's healthcare bill.

Our actions over the next few days and weeks will be critical in building the support we need to win.

Meanwhile, conservative groups have launched a new assault on inclusion of a public healthcare option like Medicare. Their million-dollar ad campaign claims that healthcare will be rationed and "bureaucrats" will "decide the treatments you receive." It's an old message that you and I know isn't true, but it will stick if we don't fight back with our message of Choice, Competition, and Comfort.*

So we're holding an emergency online briefing on Monday night with Governor Howard Dean, M.D. at 9pm Eastern to make sure we're all ready for the fight ahead. This is a joint Stand with Dr. Dean event hosted by MoveOn, one of our biggest campaign partners.

All you need to join in is a computer with speakers and an internet connection. Please join us.

Emergency Online Briefing with Dr. Dean Monday, May 4, 9pm Eastern

Hosted on MoveOn.org's web site

[...]

P.S. If you would like to share a personal healthcare horror story or submit a specific question for Dr. Dean before the event, you can do that by clicking here.

Every time DFA sends me an email, I reply asking them to unequivocally support single payer. Imagine my glee at being given the opportunity to fill up yet another email inbox with

HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676! HR 676!

I'm also planning to listen in on the forum, if RL doesn't intervene.

Meanwhile, some choice tidbits from the Stand with Dr Dean website FAQ [yes, I've, um, edited it a tad] --

MORE ON WHY WE NEED A PUBLIC OPTION

CHOICE

Americans deserve the right to choose their own healthcare. Congress must act to give Americans more choices for their personal healthcare by allowing universal availability of a public healthcare option like all of us to have an expanded and improved Medicare. Limiting choice to for-profit insurance or a quasi-public plan modeled on existing for-profit plansonly, is the same broken healthcare system we have right now.

COMPETITION

Capitalism thrives on competition. The more healthcare choices the American consumer has to choose from the harder the healthcare supplier will work to be chosen. [And when you can't beat the competition, you can always join them, or eat them.] A public healthcare option would bring new competition into the market without driving lower prices and incentives for better service and care.

COMFORT

There is no need to create something new or unfamiliar to the American people. Americans already know about for-profit insurance and they already know about Medicare. Medicare has been around for over 40 years. Most people know someone over the age of 65 already on Medicare. There is nothing new about Medicare and people are comfortable with it, now we need to make a public option like Medicare available to all Americans.

There, fixed it for ya, Dr Dean.

Meanwhile, as long as you're sitting at your computer, 1payer.net has a new fax flood campaign this weekend, this one to the Senate Finance committee.

If you haven't already sent them a few $$ to put Dr Jess on tv, you can do that here. The first Mike Farrell ad is on! Yay!

And if you've got a well-heeled group with money to burn, you can put Dr Jess on your local tv airwaves too!

12 cats a blanket do make

but I think somebody's got me beat: