Howl.

So Sarah Palin (who has obviously become a bugbear of mine) recently posted to her Facebook page this gem: “The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s ‘death panel’ so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their ‘level of productivity in society,’ whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.”

Such a system would be 'downright evil,' indeed! It would be as if certain people had jobs which were rather arbitrarily decided to be worthwhile and deserving of healthcare (i.e., 'productive'), like C.E.O.s and Governors of Alaska, and others were equally arbitrarily decided to be not deserving, like the caregivers at daycare centers helping children with special needs.

This quote has been passed around the Intertubes, and Timothy Egan mentions it in the NYT today. I read Egan's post, and then scrolled down to the comments, expecting liberal solidarity, if not even groupthink. Instead, I found THE HORROR, THE HORROR, Real Americans:

'TJ': Yet, being an illegal citizen, who doesn’t even have the right to be in the US in the first place, will be eligible to have free health benefits, off the taxpayer’s money."

'Barbarian': Just attack the messenger, the only one with the spine to look at the fine print and the implications for privacy rights and human dignity...Personally, I don’t want my government, that also taxes my estate, getting involved in recommending a living will. LOL." [Is your estate worth a lot more than most, these days? Because the Estate Tax was basically repealed by your friends, the Republicans. I'm just sayin', LOFL.]

'Ogre' : "I see the combination of Obama, the Democrat Senate & Democrat House as a real danger because there is no real debate, no balance to hold the reins of a government that is growing, gathering power and repressing more & more personal rights." [ What a fascinating time to become concerned about all three branches being controlled by one party. It is CERTAINLY unprecedented.]

And, The One Who Made Me Stop Reading, because I do not have nearly enough hard alcohol in the house (let alone anti-depressants, which I can no longer get because I don't have healthcare, but what the hell, I'd be the last to say I'm a productive member of society) brace yourself for: 'Nancy Rody,' who writes,

"You still don’t get it. We are NOT Abortionists or Euthanasia supporters. We are Christians. We believe ALL life is sacred from the moment of conception. All life weather useful to society or not. It is that special quality that defines us as human beings.

God’s people are those who reach outside of themselves to love and care for others. I do not consider this a health bill but a death bill. A bill that sets up a commission to decide on who will live and who will die. It is promoted as being good for all Americans but it is a lie pushed on the American people by supporters of “Planned Parenthood” and other groups that helped form this legislation.

This comment may end up on Obama’s email blacklist. Put there by a politician who has not read the bill or a “Death Care” supporter but I would rather be on that list than to stand before God and say I did not fight back against this legislation. Also, please make sure my name is in bold extra large lettering. I admire John Hancock for putting his life on the line by signing the Declaration of Independence in a bold and large hand."