Santorum a symptom of the GOP’s very deep ills
For those who don’t have video access, here’s what Rick Santorum has to say in the interview above:
“In the Netherlands, people wear different bracelets if they are elderly. And the bracelet is: ‘Do not euthanize me.’ Because they have voluntary euthanasia in the Netherlands but half of the people who are euthanized — 10 percent of all deaths in the Netherlands — half of those people are euthanized involuntarily at hospitals because they are older and sick. And so elderly people in the Netherlands don’t go to the hospital. They go to another country, because they are afraid, because of budget purposes, they will not come out of that hospital if they go in there with sickness.”
A few quick points:
1.) The remarks above come from the frontrunner for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, a man who in late February is still leading the race by some 10 percentage points nationwide.
2.) This statement was made not five years ago or 10 years ago, but earlier this month.
3.) Not a shred of what Santorum says is true. There are no such bracelets in the Netherlands. They exist only in the same reality in which green men from Mars exist, and in fact the Dutch press is laughing at Santorum’s claim that “we in the Netherlands delight in murder of the elderly.”
While the Netherlands does have a euthanasia law, a total of 3,136 terminally ill people took advantage of that option in 2010, a far cry from Santorum’s claim of 10 percent of all deaths in that nation.
Under Dutch law, the attending physician must certify in writing that the patient has made “a voluntary and carefully considered request” to die. The physician must also certify that the patient is undergoing unbearable suffering and that the patient’s condition is terminal, with no hope of recovery. As Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post further notes, “the patient must voluntarily and repeatedly request the procedure, and another doctor must provide a written opinion agreeing with the diagnosis. After the death, a commission made up of a doctor, a jurist and an ethical expert also are required to verify that the requirements for euthanasia have been met.”
Say what you choose about the merits of euthanasia. Feel free to debate it. But Santorum’s claims that half of euthanasia deaths in the Netherlands are involuntary — i.e., outright murder — and that senior citizens are terrified of going into the hospital lest they be killed in order to save on health care costs are absolutely ludicrous. It is ignorant fear-mongering, and as the gasps and moans on the tape reveal, people swallow it.
4.) Did I mention that this man leads in every national poll for the Republican presidential nomination? As a Dutch writer notes, “It would be laughable if not for the fact that Santorum is still very much in the race for the Republican nomination against Barack Obama for the presidency of the most powerful country in the world.”
Look, every party has its Maxine Waters and, to a lesser degree, its Dennis Kuciniches. However, Waters did not just win three presidential primaries, as Santorum has. When Kucinich ran for president in 2008, he got all of 1.35 percent of the vote in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary and then dropped out.
I honestly find it depressing that a major American political party has come to a state of affairs verging on collective madness. It’s obviously not a healthy sign for the Republican Party, but it’s also bad for the Democrats, who need a sane and vigorous opposition to keep them honest. Most of all, it’s bad for our country and bodes poorly for its future. I know for a fact that there are millions of very sane, decent Republicans in this country; I just wish they would begin to speak up and take their party back.
– Jay Bookman
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832 comments Add your comment
jm
February 22nd, 2012
5:36 pm
sfd 5:32 – you forget. I was a Dem, strongly supportive of Clinton. Clinton was, however, a fiscal conservative. Obama isn’t within a million miles of qualifying as a fiscal conservative.
Paul
February 22nd, 2012
5:38 pm
aaaannnnddd… pogo uses a diversion to accuse Jay of diverting.
It’s right out of the Saul Alinsky playbook, I tell ya’ -
jm
February 22nd, 2012
5:38 pm
“I’d say those 1994 numbers don’t mean a damn thing.”
Jay thinks the Journal of Medical Ethics is a right wing publication apparently. What a maroooooooon.
md
February 22nd, 2012
5:38 pm
“3.) Not a shred of what Santorum says is true.”
Time for a retraction Jay….or does that not happen in the opinion pages?
jewcowboy
February 22nd, 2012
5:39 pm
“Jay thinks…”
jm evidently does not comprehend the linear movement of time.
Soothsayer
February 22nd, 2012
5:39 pm
RepugNOwecan’ts: name your poison. Which one of these candidates can beat Barack Obama in November? Which fantasy candidate miraculously appearing at a “brokered convention” can beat Obama?
Jay
February 22nd, 2012
5:39 pm
Not.
a
shred.
Paul
February 22nd, 2012
5:40 pm
Jay, this is great.
I hit ’submit comment’ before entering a comment.
The post came up with my name and the familiar script telling me where to enter my comments.
But the best part is, I relooked at it and it says my comment is awaiting moderation!
Doggone/GA
February 22nd, 2012
5:40 pm
“Jay thinks the Journal of Medical Ethics is a right wing publication apparently. What a maroooooooon”
Methinks you need to work on your reading comprehension. It is sadly lacking.
Peadawg
February 22nd, 2012
5:41 pm
“As a Dutch writer notes, “It would be laughable if not for the fact that Santorum is still very much in the race for the Republican nomination against Barack Obama for the presidency of the most powerful country in the world.””
Geeze…the rest of the world is laughing at the GOP.
They BOTH suck
February 22nd, 2012
5:42 pm
Soothsayer
If there is a brokered convention that guy name Republican better get nominated………
He must be the secret weapon
jewcowboy
February 22nd, 2012
5:42 pm
Peadawg,
“the rest of the world is laughing at the GOP”
So is more than half of this country.
Thulsa Doom
February 22nd, 2012
5:43 pm
pogo,
You only pointed out a mere 7 or 8 of Obama’s blatant lies. You still got another hundred or so to go.
jm
February 22nd, 2012
5:44 pm
Look folks. Vote Mitt. He’s as close to Libertarian as you will get in this election (if that is your political orientation). He’s socially moderate and fiscally conservative. Center of the fairway.
And he can do what needs to be done to put our fiscal trajectory and economy on a sound footing.
Brosephus™ - Browning America Since 1973
February 22nd, 2012
5:44 pm
“I’d say those 1994 numbers don’t mean a damn thing.”
Jay thinks the Journal of Medical Ethics is a right wing publication apparently. What a maroooooooon.
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Aquagirl
February 22nd, 2012
5:44 pm
Time for a retraction Jay….
Or he’ll steal your anti-death squad bracelet.
Jay
February 22nd, 2012
5:45 pm
Paul, I pulled down that empty comment … just keeping a tidy house, ya know.
Brosephus™ - Browning America Since 1973
February 22nd, 2012
5:45 pm
Paul: aaaannnnddd… pogo uses a diversion to accuse Jay of diverting.
Doesn’t he get bonus points for doing that though? It’s not like using a double negative in a sentence or something, is it?
Paul
February 22nd, 2012
5:46 pm
So,is no one on the Right going to comment on how Santorum, at this stage of his career, could put out information so obviously, stunningly wrong?
Any justification for it?
Any excuse?
Is he flat-out ignorant?
Is he deliberately misleading?
Or blatantly manipulating the base?
Peadawg
February 22nd, 2012
5:46 pm
“He’s as close to Libertarian as you will get in this election (if that is your political orientation). He’s socially moderate and fiscally conservative. Center of the fairway.”
How can you tell with as much flip-flopping as he’s done? I don’t know what the hell he stands for. Atleast Santorum and Obama are consistent.
Doggone/GA
February 22nd, 2012
5:46 pm
Thank you Bro! We needed that.
Peadawg
February 22nd, 2012
5:46 pm
“He’s as close to Libertarian as you will get in this election (if that is your political orientation). He’s socially moderate and fiscally conservative. Center of the fairway.”
How can you tell with as much flip-flopping as he’s done? I don’t know what the hell he stands for. Atleast Santorum and Obama are consistent.
md
February 22nd, 2012
5:48 pm
It started in 1984 Jay……formalized in 2000.
“In 1984 the Dutch Supreme Court ruled voluntary euthanasia was acceptable, provided doctors followed strict guidelines. But, under Dutch criminal law, physicians could still face prosecution.
In the fall 2000, the Dutch parliament voted to formally legalize the practice, making the Netherlands the first nation in the world to do so.”
Either way, the claim that Santorum was totally not telling the truth is false.
bman
February 22nd, 2012
5:48 pm
anyone, but Obama .. .. and Santorum.
jewcowboy
February 22nd, 2012
5:48 pm
jm,
“He’s socially moderate and fiscally conservative”
I’m so confused.
“‘Roe v. Wade has gone too far.” vs.”I believe that since Roe v. Wade has been the law for 20 years we should sustain and support it.”
“I respect and will protect a woman’s right to choose.” vs “I never really called myself pro-choice.”
“This is a completely airtight kennel mounted on the top of our car.” vs “They’re not happy that my dog loves fresh air.”
“I like mandates. The mandates work.” vs “I think it’s unconstitutional on the 10th Amendment front.”
Soothsayer
February 22nd, 2012
5:49 pm
It’s all about perpetual war for profit!
Paul
February 22nd, 2012
5:49 pm
Jay
Well, considering all the comments that are ‘empty’ in a philosophical sense, you might want to give Molly Maids a call -
Brosephus
Does pogo get bonus points? Better yet!:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXA338ro1mo
AmVet - Stop the GOP War on Women.
February 22nd, 2012
5:49 pm
Ah yes, another of those idiotic, say nothing phrases adored by the know nothing fake conservatives – “fiscal conservative”
What a laugh.
They are so uninformed they have no idea that capitalism, the very capitalism that they pretend to admire and know something about, is EXTREMELY liberal.
Just more proof that your garden-variety neo-con has NO earthly idea of what conservatism is, nor that their misuse and hijacking of the term is a long running, albeit very bad, joke…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes.[1] It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and private property in the means of production. Although economic liberalism can be supportive of government regulation to a certain degree, it tends to oppose government intervention in the free market when it inhibits free trade and open competition, however it can also lead to the support of government intervention in order to remove private monopoly, as this limits the liberty of the poor. Economic liberalism emphasises that people should make their own choices with their money, so long as it doesn’t infringe on the liberty of others.
Jay
February 22nd, 2012
5:49 pm
the claim that Santorum was totally not telling the truth is totally the truth.
Brosephus™ - Browning America Since 1973
February 22nd, 2012
5:50 pm
How can you tell with as much flip-flopping as he’s done?
Very good question, and it’s one I’ve had for a while now.
————————
Doggone
No problem. I figured everybody had that same reaction.
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
February 22nd, 2012
5:51 pm
Well, most of us men don’t wear a bracelet to tell people we want to live. We have our own form of euthanasia. It’s called a wife. How many of you guys have tried to sleep with one eye open when the little woman’s mad at you? I mean, with her saying “You can’t stay awake forever, sucka”? If you don’t get a Bobbitt you’ll get a slug in the back of the head.
I’m against euthanasia. The reason is because if the rest of us have to suffer thru marriage and paying bills and dealing with kids and being bossed around like a yard dog, everybody else should too. You go thru all that and then when the Lord calls you home they hold your funeral and there’s always some a-hole that comes up to the coffin and says “Don’t he look natural?” The answer is always “No, a-hole. He’s dead! Do you understand dead? That’s about as unnatural as you can look.”
Anyhow, that’s my thoughts on the subject. Besides, we’re going to have our own Death Panels pretty soon if the Supreme Court don’t save us from Obamacare. I don’t need to be worried about what’s happening in Holland.
I would write more but Fox News is about to give us our Talking Points and I wouldn’t want to miss that. Have a good night everybody.
Peadawg
February 22nd, 2012
5:51 pm
anyone, but the GOP nutjobs
Doggone/GA
February 22nd, 2012
5:51 pm
“Either way, the claim that Santorum was totally not telling the truth is false.”
Nope, it isn’t. Santorum spoke in the present. Information based on circumstances in the past have no relevence. How about some information from NOW? Got any?
CJ
February 22nd, 2012
5:51 pm
He’s socially moderate and fiscally conservative.
If only.
In fact, his previous tax plan would raise taxes on the poor and middle class. He took a mulligan on that one, and is now announcing a Bush style tax plan with across the board tax cuts on top of Bush’s across the board tax cuts…since it worked out so well the first time.
Brosephus™ - Browning America Since 1973
February 22nd, 2012
5:51 pm
Paul
josef
February 22nd, 2012
5:52 pm
JAY
“… just keeping a tidy house, ya know.:
Are you free on Thursdays? Do you do floors and windows?
The thread…
How f-ing off the hinges are we when somebody this looney toons is taken seriously?
Brosephus™ - Browning America Since 1973
February 22nd, 2012
5:52 pm
Y’all have fun, gotta split…
md
February 22nd, 2012
5:53 pm
“the claim that Santorum was totally not telling the truth is totally the truth.”
We must be reading two different journals then……….don’t know about you, but I can definitely understand if some Dutch folks are a bit skittish about going into the hospital.
Lord Help Us
February 22nd, 2012
5:53 pm
dude, Santorum said, ‘Because they have voluntary euthanasia in the Netherlands but half of the people who are euthanized — 10 percent of all deaths in the Netherlands — half of those people are euthanized involuntarily at hospitals because they are older and sick. And so elderly people in the Netherlands don’t go to the hospital. They go to another country, because they are afraid, because of budget purposes, they will not come out of that hospital if they go in there with sickness’
Is this true?
Thulsa Doom
February 22nd, 2012
5:53 pm
Bro just had to go and lighten things up a bit. Too damn funny.
Doomy do loves the hand on the head.
josef
February 22nd, 2012
5:56 pm
Oy, the sad thing is that he IS what’s passing for socially moderate…that’s how bat sh*t crazy and off the wall that pack of expletive deleteds are…
md
February 22nd, 2012
5:57 pm
“Nope, it isn’t. Santorum spoke in the present. Information based on circumstances in the past have no relevence. How about some information from NOW? Got any?”
Based on the historical data in the journal, I’m guessing there are plenty of skeptical Dutch, so tell me how this part may not be true.
“And so elderly people in the Netherlands don’t go to the hospital. They go to another country, because they are afraid, because of budget purposes, they will not come out of that hospital if they go in there with sickness.””
That is a statement based on past occurrences……….
bman
February 22nd, 2012
5:58 pm
ripoff alert
Chevron
400 Cobb Pkwy N & N Marietta Pkwy $3.99/Gal
jewcowboy
February 22nd, 2012
5:59 pm
josef
“that’s how bat sh*t crazy and off the wall that pack of expletive deleteds are”
President Santorum:
http://youtu.be/OuxdPm3sjCQ
Mr. Right
February 22nd, 2012
6:00 pm
Jay
February 22nd, 2012
5:35 pm
Well md, given that euthanesia wasn’t legal in the Netherlands until 2001, I’d say those 1994 numbers don’t mean a damn thing. In fact, the Dutch law was passed specifically to give some legal structure and discipline to what was already occurring informally.
I’d further suggest that a similar survey of US doctors and hospitals today would produce numbers very close if not higher than that.
Here we go again, first allow people to kill babies, next it will be old people! And then if you are against that you are far right and stupid!
md
February 22nd, 2012
6:00 pm
And for the record, I would have a hard time voting for Mr Santorum……but hit pieces like this deserve some rebuttal.
Paul
February 22nd, 2012
6:01 pm
Jay
“the claim that Santorum was totally not telling the truth is totally the truth.”
Ever thought of moonlighting making commercials?
You’d be, like, soooo totally good at it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5ze1neVziE&feature=related
josef
February 22nd, 2012
6:03 pm
Of course the Netherlands needs to have the doctor’s do this…it’s largely below sea level, so you can’t very easily push Granma in her wheelchair over a cliff…
md
February 22nd, 2012
6:03 pm
“I’d say those 1994 numbers don’t mean a damn thing.”
And I’m welling to lay odds that they mean a great deal to any Dutch person that read those numbers and may be looking at a trip to the hospital.
But that just may be silly old me………
Lord Help Us
February 22nd, 2012
6:04 pm
In addition to the growing threat of Sharia Law, we must now be vigilante against Dutch law.
We are not safe…
jewcowboy
February 22nd, 2012
6:04 pm
“And then if you are against that you are far right and stupid!”
Mr. Right wins the award for drama queen tonight.
Joe Hussein Mama
February 22nd, 2012
6:05 pm
Mr. Right — “Here we go again, first allow people to kill babies, next it will be old people! And then if you are against that you are far right and stupid!”
. . .
. . .
No, I can’t. It’s just too easy.
rivercard
February 22nd, 2012
6:05 pm
md – let’s try to break this down.
“In the Netherlands, people wear different bracelets if they are elderly. And the bracelet is: ‘Do not euthanize me”
true or untrue?
rivercard
February 22nd, 2012
6:07 pm
md – part 2
“Because they have voluntary euthanasia in the Netherlands but half of the people who are euthanized — 10 percent of all deaths in the Netherlands — half of those people are euthanized involuntarily at hospitals because they are older and sick.”
True or untrue?
Aquagirl
February 22nd, 2012
6:07 pm
Based on the historical data in the journal, I’m guessing there are plenty of skeptical Dutch
Thank goodness we have someone to tell the Dutch what’s going on in their country.
Soothsayer
February 22nd, 2012
6:07 pm
The problem is nobody really understands Little Rickie.
jewcowboy
February 22nd, 2012
6:07 pm
josef ,
“it’s largely below sea level, so you can’t very easily push Granma in her wheelchair over a cliff…”
Granma Abigal mulch makes the tulips bloom. Made from Granma Abigal! And Granma Lijsbeth. And Grandma Margriet. And…
Jay
February 22nd, 2012
6:08 pm
md, your entire argument is absurd for myriad reasons.
1. The paper that you cite says that back in the mid-’90s, “the practice of voluntary euthanasia remains beyond effective control.” Reacting to such evidence, the Dutch pass a law in 2000 that does bring the practice of voluntary euthanesia under control, creating a structured system of checks and balances and oversight.
Yet you still want to cite pre-reform statistics from 15 years ago to describe what’s going on today?
2.) Let’s accept your absurd premise and say that those previous statistics are valid today. Fine. Which of Santorum’s claims become true?
He says that 10 percent of deaths in the Netherlands are the result of euthanasia. The paper that you cite from 15 years ago says it was 2.4 percent.
Off by a factor of four. Totally false, in other words. Not even close.
He says that half of deaths by euthanasia were without permission, or roughly five percent of the total deaths. The paper that you cite says 0.7 percent of total deaths were “life-terminating acts without explicit request.
Off by a factor of 7. So totally false.
He says that Dutch elderly are so scared that they wear bracelets demanding not to be euthanized. False. As in, “See, Mars, little green men from….” false.
So please, even accepting your entirely dubious claim that the stats from 15 years ago under a previous legal structure are accurate to describe today’s reality, which of Santorum’s claims can be dubbed as “true?”
pogo
February 22nd, 2012
6:08 pm
After looking at earlier posts, Jay actually stated that he did not trust the Wall Street Journal and their article about the impact of Obama’s raising the taxes on dividends and the impact of this on the people over 50. That article spelled out the metrics but Jay’s only rebuttal was that he didn’t trust them and that they had a history of biased reporting. He had nothing else to offer. And this was coming from a person who has a blog on a small-time rag with a heavily liberal bias (the AJC). The AJC has become the political equivalent of the National Enquirer. Quite frankly, it is an embarassment to the state of Georgia. And God knows we have enough embarassment’s already.
If the AJC wasn’t free on the internet, it would be done for. Nobody would pay for it. It only exists because it can attract enough advertisers on the internet to stay afloat. If the AJC actually charged people for internet access to it, they would go out of business very, very quickly.
jewcowboy
February 22nd, 2012
6:08 pm
“But that just may be silly old me…”
Bingo!
AmVet - Stop the GOP War on Women.
February 22nd, 2012
6:09 pm
This is all just good fun.
Though he appeals to, and will garner the votes of the most right wing extremists in the bassackwards parts of the republic, he’ll share them with the Slimy One from Georgia,
Ricky S has as much chance of winning the nomination as Auburn does of winning next year’s NCAA championship.
And poor Ron Paul. He wants so desperately to not be just another con sellout, but he just can’t help himself.
That Flip is even remotely challenged by these three nitwits is a testament to what a lousy candidate he is…
TaxPayer
February 22nd, 2012
6:09 pm
So, is md backing up Santorum’s claim that the old folks in the Netherlands wear bracelets telling folks not to euthanize them or what.
josef
February 22nd, 2012
6:09 pm
Jewcowboy
And we wonder how it happened in Iran? Khomeini didn’t have nothin on this one…
Paul
February 22nd, 2012
6:11 pm
rivercard
http://factcheck.org/2012/02/santorums-bogus-euthanasia-claims/
jewcowboy
February 22nd, 2012
6:12 pm
TaxPayer,
“So, is md backing up Santorum’s claim…”
Again: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/07/11/how_facts_backfire/
“In reality, we often base our opinions on our beliefs, which can have an uneasy relationship with facts. And rather than facts driving beliefs, our beliefs can dictate the facts we chose to accept. They can cause us to twist facts so they fit better with our preconceived notions. Worst of all, they can lead us to uncritically accept bad information just because it reinforces our beliefs. This reinforcement makes us more confident we’re right, and even less likely to listen to any new information. And then we vote.”
They BOTH suck
February 22nd, 2012
6:12 pm
Without putting words into MDs mouth………. I think what he was trying to say when he posted “hit piece” was that it didn’t fit his ideology and he didn’t like a Republican candidate being called out for what they themselves said………
MD……… Glad I could help. Seems they were ganging up on you for a minute
Redneck Convert (R--and proud of it)
February 22nd, 2012
6:13 pm
Because they have voluntary euthanasia in the Netherlands but half of the people who are euthanized — 10 percent of all deaths in the Netherlands — half of those people are euthanized involuntarily at hospitals because they are older and sick.”
Well, it would sure fix the Social Security and Medicare problem. Dead people don’t draw pensions or need medical care. We could just arrange for the local SS office to make a call on a person’s 65th birthday and say they need to talk to him about his benefits. When the geezer got there he’d meet a bunch of people in white coats and . . . heck, do I need to spell it out for you?
It would be alot better than a tax increase. Anything but a tax increase. Can you tell I’m a Republican?
Jay
February 22nd, 2012
6:13 pm
Mr. Right wins the award for drama queen tonight.
It’s WAY too early to award the prize, jc. We’re not even to the swimsuit competition yet.
Aquagirl
February 22nd, 2012
6:13 pm
He says that Dutch elderly are so scared that they wear bracelets demanding not to be euthanized. False.
Aw, and I was just headed over to eBay to look for one. I love trendy accessories!
They BOTH suck
February 22nd, 2012
6:14 pm
pogo @ 6:08
Yet you come back over and over to post
The irony has surely not gone over your head
Thulsa Doom
February 22nd, 2012
6:14 pm
Folks in the Netherlands avoiding health care in their country because they may die? I dunno if that’s true but there is no doubt that Canadians have to come to the U.S. border cities to get treatment in their health care rationed society.
http://www.freep.com/article/20090820/BUSINESS06/908200420/Canadians-visit-U-S-get-health-care
http://blog.heritage.org/2010/02/09/the-canadian-patients%e2%80%99-remedy-for-health-care-go-to-america/
jewcowboy
February 22nd, 2012
6:15 pm
Jay,
“We’re not even to the swimsuit competition yet.”
Really?
http://tinyurl.com/7p57943
Mr. Snarky
February 22nd, 2012
6:15 pm
They’re desperate. They lie. And they shall be defeated.
Jay
February 22nd, 2012
6:15 pm
How off the hinges are we when somebody this looney toons is taken seriously?
Now THAT is a serious question, Josef.
Midori
February 22nd, 2012
6:16 pm
“3.) Not a shred of what Santorum says is true.”
Time for a retraction Jay….or does that not happen in the opinion pages?
you first.
just yesterday you were spouting nonsense about Obama, all by his lonesome, raising credit card interest rates.
rivercard
February 22nd, 2012
6:16 pm
Paul,
Thanks, but I know it’s false. I am just trying to break it down for md into small pieces so he can’t spew his broad based nonsense.
In the last few years my disagreement with the right has morphed into complete disdain. They have become unhinged. I love the looks on their faces when I tell them that quite honestly Obama is much too conservative for my taste.
Jay
February 22nd, 2012
6:17 pm
jewcowboy, now THAT’S a drama queen …
… or Moby Dick, the great white whale, I’m not sure which.
josef
February 22nd, 2012
6:19 pm
“They shoot horses, don’t they?”
–Thomas Jefferson
Soothsayer
February 22nd, 2012
6:19 pm
Well, good night everyone. I’m off to watch it all on the tellyvision. WARNING! Blatantly religious content!
Lord Help Us
February 22nd, 2012
6:19 pm
Thanks for the photo JC. After looking at that phot, I bought a ticket to Amsterdam and I am NOT going to wear one of those bracelets…
jewcowboy
February 22nd, 2012
6:20 pm
Jay,
“or Moby Dick, the great white whale, I’m not sure which.”
Appearance deceives, he is actually Captain Ahab, and the GOP is Moby Dick.
“to the last I grapple with thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.”
Paul
February 22nd, 2012
6:21 pm
rivercard
“my disagreement with the right has morphed into complete disdain.”
No pity? Not even a shred? It’s the Christian thing to do. “Forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
“I love the looks on their faces when I tell them that quite honestly Obama is much too conservative for my taste.”
Worked in a place with a guy who loved to hold court and quote the latest Rush stuff. One day I walked by his gathering, looked at him and said “you know what your problem is? You’re too damn liberal” and I kept on walking
A couple of the more astute types laughed at the look on his face.
Paul
February 22nd, 2012
6:22 pm
jewcowboy
So many good lines to put in the thought bubble above Newt.
unfortunately, none of them would ever make it out of moderation, except for “I wonder how long ’till Calista gets back?”
jewcowboy
February 22nd, 2012
6:23 pm
Anywho…now that I’ve left that lovely image seared into the minds of you dear folks, let’s hope it doesn’t return in your dreams this evening.
As Ralph Wald Emerson was so apt to say, “I’m outta here suckas!”
md
February 22nd, 2012
6:23 pm
As for the bracelets, he was a tad off:
“In 1990, the Dutch Patients’ Association, a disability rights organization, developed wallet-size cards which state that if the signer is admitted to a hospital “no treatment be administered with the intention to terminate life.” Many in Holland see the card as a necessity to help prevent involuntary euthanasia being performed on those who do not want their lives ended, especially those whose lives are considered low in quality. (31)
In 1993, the Dutch senior citizens’ group, the Protestant Christian Elderly Society, surveyed 2,066 seniors on general health care issues. The Survey did not address the euthanasia issue in any way, yet ten percent of the elderly respondents clearly indicated that, because of the Dutch euthanasia policy, they are afraid that their lives could be terminated without their request. According to the Elderly Society director, Hans Homans. “They are afraid that at a certain moment, on the basis of age, a treatment will be considered no longer economically viable, and an early end to their lives will be made.” (32)”
Jay
February 22nd, 2012
6:23 pm
… still awaiting word on what Santorum got right.
AmVet - Stop the GOP War on Women.
February 22nd, 2012
6:23 pm
I’m hoping that Mr. Santorum will prove his spiritual mettle in tonight’s “debate” and start speaking in tongues…
Wow. The always interesting Ted Turner pens a fantastic article titled, “Stop Keystone pipeline before it’s too late.”
Great stuff here with a ton of compelling facts…
http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/22/opinion/turner-keystone-pipeline/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
F. Sinkwich
February 22nd, 2012
6:25 pm
What I can’t understand is why O’bozo isn’t touting Obamacare as a major achievement during his first term. Santorum regularly uses this legislation as an example of government excess and overreach. Oh, maybe this is why:
“According to the latest Rasmussen poll of likely voters, Americans support the repeal of Obamacare by a margin of 15 percentage points — 53 to 38 percent. This marks the 27th consecutive Rasmussen poll, spanning nine months’ time, that shows double-digit support for repeal.”
Excuse me for a few minutes, I have a hot dog to roast on my flambé de la quran.
Lord Help Us
February 22nd, 2012
6:26 pm
Bracelet = card in wallet
1990 = 2012
Still havn’t gotten to the part where Santorum was correct anywhere in his statement…
rivercard
February 22nd, 2012
6:27 pm
Paul – is every office required to have a Rush regurgitator? I may steal your line next time I get a chance.
They BOTH suck
February 22nd, 2012
6:27 pm
dang it md @ 6:23
I was trying to help you……………….. “Some men you just can’t reach………………..”
Lord Help Us
February 22nd, 2012
6:27 pm
‘What I can’t understand is why O’bozo…’
And, I stopped reading…
md
February 22nd, 2012
6:30 pm
“just yesterday you were spouting nonsense about Obama, all by his lonesome, raising credit card interest rates.”
You may want to research why the credit card company’s raised their rates before looking so silly…..
And yes, Mr Obama signed that bill………..
Paul
February 22nd, 2012
6:31 pm
“… still awaiting word on what Santorum got right.”
It took less time for the Buddha to receive enlightenment than it’ll take for that answer to arrive -
Pleasant evening, all -
rivercard
February 22nd, 2012
6:32 pm
F. Sink – that 53% will be the first ones in line to sign up their previously uncovered 23 year old child. Same as the family leave – hate it till they have it. Nature of being conservative- Scared of change even when it is positive. We would still be figuring out how to round off that wheel if we depended on conservatives to move the world forward.
Lord Help Us
February 22nd, 2012
6:32 pm
Why is it the one demanding retractions is the one most in need of issuing retractions…
Jay
February 22nd, 2012
6:32 pm
md, if I have to write a retraction, I have to know what I’m retracting:
What specifically did Santorum get right?
Ragnar Danneskjöld
February 22nd, 2012
6:33 pm
I also heard that Santorum correctly predicted that Satan would take America in 2008!
Doggone/GA
February 22nd, 2012
6:33 pm
“Here we go again, first allow people to kill babies”
Except we don’t.
md
February 22nd, 2012
6:34 pm
“Reacting to such evidence, the Dutch pass a law in 2000 that does bring the practice of voluntary euthanesia under control, creating a structured system of checks and balances and oversight. ”
Jay…..they implemented guidelines in 1984 too…..and if one cared to do the research will see that part of the problem was doctors not following the guidelines……falsifying death certificates was mentioned in several articles I looked at. To follow that up, recent surveys have Dutch doctors admitting there will always be bad apples……..
Not a problem……you are more than welcome to participate in their hospital system knowing the above, but it seems there is a percentage that would prefer not to.