Celebrity worship

I am continually both amazed and disgusted by the way people worship celebrities in our culture. I am proud to say that I did not watch or read any of the coverage of Michael Jackson's funeral yesterday, unlike the untold millions who stopped what they were doing for most of the day to mourn a man who did nothing but sing songs. Some of the grief was particularly over the top. Take, for instance, this Facebook status post by a girl I went to elementary school with:

"I thought I was done mourning over Michael...I really feel as though I have lost a part of my family...."

Seriously?! I would wager that two weeks ago, before he died, most people hadn't even thought about Michael Jackson for months. (Granted, this girl is black and liberal, but still.) I almost left her a comment ("Give me a break!") in reply, but I refrained.

I hate the fact that Us Weekly, People, InTouch, and other celebrity gossip rags are among the best selling magazines, while Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood continually draw millions of viewers, along with vapid garbage like American Idol and Dancing With The Stars. Contrast this with the fact that the vast majority of Americans can't tell you who their Congressional representative is--and a significant number can't tell you who is currently vice president. Nor do most people have the foggiest notion of how government works (or is supposed to work), or of how their liberty is constantly being eroded in Washington. Then again, too many of these people don't want liberty--they want security, provided by the government teat.

As my friend UMCMatt wrote earlier this week, the media might not report on so much of this rubbish if there weren't so many people consuming it. We are being led like sheep to the slaughter, and we don't even know it because we're too busy reading about Britney Spears' latest embarrassing antics or trying to see photos of Brad Pitt and what's-her-face on the beach. Americans worship these people like gods, and so many of them aren't even worth pissing on. I wish there were some way to get the dumb masses to wake up and become aware of all the things that are in desperate need of our attention.

My lame attempt at live-blogging the ObamaCare infomercial...

Here we go...I'll see if I can keep from throwing up on the TV (or throwing something at it).

His grandmother died recently...yeah, from injuries suffered when he threw her under the bus during the campaign.
He gets letters every day from people who can't afford insurance...yeah, I believe that about as far as I can throw him with one arm.

I would like to punch Diane Sawyer in the face.

Who decides what coverage is adequate, Mr. President? You and your government bureaucrats? I want to decide for myself, thank you very much.

Damn right they're paid fees for services. IT'S A BUSINESS. Changing the incentive structure is going to chase good doctors away. Why invest in medical education and training if you can't make a good living by it?

The initiative HAS been forthcoming, you twit. It's called profit.

There's a difference between "access to care" and "ability to pay for care." People have access to care. They can choose to pay for it directly or to pay for medical insurance; unfortunately, some people choose to pay for cars and houses they can't afford, or for cell phones, cable TV and big-screen TV sets and other toys they don't need instead. It's a matter of priorities.

Back from commercial...

Government bringing down costs. HAHA! I almost fell off the couch just then.

Medical students with large student loan debt making practice decisions based on how much they can make...So they're going to make more money under your socialist system? Right.

Goverment is the answer...blah...blah...starting to run together...

46 million uninsured only comes to about 15% of our population. 15 percent! We're going to completely wreck the system for 15 percent of the people. And a sizable number of them are uninsured by choice! (More on that later or tomorrow.)

Remember when the AMA booed our Dear Leader last week?

Sorry, AMA prez, he's not going to answer that question...after the break they'll just pretend it was never asked.

Maybe he'll answer it after all.

You keep saying people will get to keep their plans...but what's going to happen to private insurers when their customers defect in droves to take advantage of free ObamaCare? Many of them may fold, or raise their prices. What happens to my private plan then? Also, you forgot to mention that you're planning to tax my insurance premiums.

So, Mayo Clinic Guy, we'll just kill them off rather than continue treating them? Did you forget about the Hippocratic Oath?

If you think for one second that a 99-year-old woman would get a pacemaker under this plan...you're dumber than you look.

Mr. President, my living will is going to say "you better not think about pulling the plug on me."

He says "I don't want bureaucracies making those decisions." How else are government decisions made? Do you have any idea how our enormous federal monster works?

No rational, non-kool-aid-drinking person honestly believes that a government program is going to be able to eliminate any kind of waste. If you believe that, there's a nice bridge in San Francisco I'd like to sell you.

After the break...should there be government insurance for people? Well, how the hell else are you going to provide insurance to all those uninsured folks?

If the CBO estimates $2 trillion over the next 10 years, it will end up costing $10 trillion.

He keeps saying the same thing over and over. "If you're happy with your plan, you keep it."

Eliminating preexisting conditions...basically, he is going to force insurance companies to take risks they wouldn't otherwise take. Just like the mortgage lending industry took risks they shouldn't have taken (partly thanks to pressure from liberal groups who wanted to increase minority homeownership). They never learn, do they?

Good Lord. Spend, spend, spend. It's not money we're already spending. It's money you're going to have to either borrow, raise through taxes, or print out of thin air. Why can't they just keep their grubby hands off it?

BHO asserts that government intervention is going to help the health care industry be more profitable and save more money. And, as Wayne Campbell once said, maybe monkeys will fly out of my butt.

Hat tip to @mkhammer: "O shifting to say he'd like everybody to keep their HC, but last week he said, "No one will take it away. No matter what."

Of course there are "some" who want to tax benefits "at certain levels." You're one of those "some," Mr. President.

Yes, we've taken a "body blow" to the economy. So how is government intervention in a significant sector of the economy--the health care industry--going to help things? Government intervention sure hasn't helped any other sector of the economy.

Taking another break. I think I've had enough of this. It comes down to the fact that PrezBO and his ilk think that America is great because of its government, rather than because of our (seemingly forgotten) commitment to personal liberty.

Sort of like a meteor game

(In case you're curious about the definition of "meteor game," the Georgia Sports Blog has a nice explanation here.)

I have a deep-seated loathing for the Black Eyed Peas "band" (after all, they are responsible for one of the worst "songs" in the history of music--recorded or otherwise). I also abhor the very existence of Perez Hilton. So when I read earlier that the two of them clashed in Toronto last night, my first hope was that a "meteor game" sort of event had occurred. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

However, I found it curious that Hilton--an in-your face homosexual who is apparently quite proud of the fact that he lets other men pack his fudge--admitted to provoking the assault by calling Peas "singer" will.i.am a faggot. Interesting, isn't it, that a gay person would attempt to insult someone else by...calling them gay! I imagine the irony is lost on him, though.

Rhode Island to allow marijuana sales

Rhode Island just became the third state in the Union to allow chronically ill patients to purchase marijuana, despite the governor's opposition to the bill.

State lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to override a veto last week from the Republican governor, who warned the system could put people at risk of federal prosecution, would encourage illegal drug use and send conflicting messages to children about substance abuse.

I can understand his concerns--look what the Imperial Federal Government has done to people using medicinal marijuana in California in the past.

Marijuana remains illegal under federal law, but U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has said the Obama administration will not target dispensers that follow state law.

I wish I believed him, but I don't. Still, it is good to see these states' rights issues coming to the forefront.

Holocaust musem shooter a Mensan?

Yesterday I was reading The New Editor's coverage of the shooting at the National Holocaust Museum, and they had a link to the (alleged) shooter's Web site. On the site was a link to the guy's bio, where he claims (among other things) to be a member of Mensa.

This made me curious, so I searched the member directory. I did not find any listing for a James W. von Brunn (or any other variation of his name). I'm not sure if the directory lists only current or active members, or if it includes both active and inactive members. I'd guess that the former is true, and that the guy was just trying to play up his "qualifications." However, he did claim to be a combat veteran and a college graduate, so it's conceivable that he could have been telling the truth. After all, the only qualification for Mensa membership is this IQ score--they don't test for sanity or extreme political beliefs.