Stay true to the dreams of thy youth

• A Task for George W. Bush - The Atlantic

  **While I find most of Goldberg's articles to be abhorrent Israeli propaganda, he makes a few good points in this article** "Americans who seek the marginalization of Muslims in this country are unwittingly doing the work of Islamist extremists. I am not arguing that there are no radical Muslims in our midst -- the Ft. Hood shooter, among others, has proven that there are -- but I am arguing that the vast majority of American Muslims are law-abiding citizens uninterested in either committing terrorism against their country, or in seeking to impose shari'a, Islamic law, on it."

• East Texan Louie Gohmert lacks evidence of "terror babies" so he just yells at Anderson Cooper - Dallasnewsdallasnews.com

  **What is wrong with these people?** "The debate over the existence of terror babies continues to generate more heat than light. First, Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, went on Anderson Cooper's show on CNN and claimed illegal aliens were coming into America to have babies, take them back home for indoctrination, then send them back to the U.S. in 20-30 years as terrorists. "

• Scientists Create Invisibility Cloak Made From Silk - Huffington Post

  "Scientists at Tufts and Boston University have created a small "invisibility cloak" made of a gold-etched silk. The 1-cm square "cloak," made of a unique new metamaterial, works only on terahertz waves (T-rays) for now, but researchers hope in the near future to apply the same principles to make the material work at other wavelengths, and, with time, visible light spectrum."

• Medical Care Prices Fell for First Time in 35 Years - NYT

  "Then again, maybe the deflationary apocalypse really is upon us: For the first time in 35 years, the one sector of the economy always guaranteed to get more expensive suddenly became a bit cheaper in July. According to a report released today by the Labor Department, consumer prices over all grew 0.3 percent in July, on a seasonally adjusted basis. The medical care index, however, fell 0.1 percent in July, after three and a half decades of constant increases."

• Alvin Greene Indicted On Obscenity Charges - TPMMuckraker

  "South Carolina Senate candidate Alvin Greene (D) has been indicted by a grand jury on two charges relating to an incident last November in which he allegedly showed porn to a college student. Greene was indicted on one felony count of disseminating obscenity and one misdemeanor count of "communicating an obscene message to another person without consent." "

• US, Saudi sale, with helicopters, said to approach $60bn - Arabian Business

  "A proposed US weapons sale to Saudi Arabia of Boeing Co F-15 fighter jets also includes as many as 132 Boeing Apache attack helicopters and United Technologies UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters that bring the total value of the package to around $60 billion, according to a government official familiar with the plan."

• Health overhaul first provisions start to kick in

  **Socialism, communism, fascism!! Poor 1 million Americans are being forced by the fascist Obama government to receive health care...** "The first stage of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is expected to provide coverage to about 1 million uninsured Americans by next year, according to government estimates. That's a small share of the uninsured, but in a shaky economy, experts say it's notable. Many others - more than 100 million people - are getting new benefits that improve their existing coverage. "

• Heavy, rough and hard – how the things we touch affect our judgments and decisions | Not Exactly Rocket Science | Discover Magazine

  "When you pick up an object, you might think that you are manipulating it, but in a sense, it is also manipulating you. Through a series of six psychological experiments, Joshua Ackerman from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has shown that the properties that we feel through touch – texture, hardness, weight – can all influence the way we think."

• Clinton offers support for Georgia - Europe - Al Jazeera English

  **Despite the alleged "reset" in US-Russia relations, the US has undertaken several controversial and antagonistic moves against Russia this week - Russia spies, missile defense in Poland, support for Georgia, etc.** "Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, has reiterated Washington's support for Georgia and criticised Russia's "occupation" of two breakaway Georgian regions during a visit to Tbilisi. Clinton also urged Moscow to abide by a ceasefire agreement that stipulates its forces must return to positions held before the 2008 Georgia-Russia war over South Ossetia and Abkhazia."

• Syrian prisoners 'disappeared' - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

  "At least 52 prisoners have disappeared from a Syrian jail following disturbances in 2008 that left 22 people dead, human rights groups have said. Families of the missing men say they have not been heard of since violence broke out at the Saydnaya Military Prison on July 5, 2008."

• China Sentences U.S. Citizen to 8 Years Over Secrets - BusinessWeek

  "A U.S. geologist was sentenced to eight years in prison by a Chinese court after being convicted of violating the state secrets law by selling a database on the country’s oil industry."

• 'Israel trying to block U.S.-Saudi Arabia defense contract' - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News

  "Israel is trying to prevent a big defense contract between the United States and Saudi Arabia from going through, a senior defense source told Haaretz. The deal includes the purchase of scores of new F-15 fighter jets and the upgrading of the 150 F-15s already in the Saudi air force. "

Sarah Palin's Playground
If only all political issues were debated in the language of childhood.
By Hart Seely

Sarah Palin scored points Wednesday at a Minnesota fundraiser for Rep. Michele Bachmann when she framed her view of President Obama's nuclear arms reduction deal with Russia in "common sense" terms: "You know, that's kind of like getting out there on the playground, a bunch of kids ready to fight, and one of the kids saying, 'Go ahead, punch me in the face, and I'm not going to retaliate. Go ahead, and do what you want to with me!' No, it is unacceptable." In this era of unintelligible, lawyerly doubletalk, Palin's refreshing use of childhood imagery could launch a breakthrough in political discourse. Imagine how it might work with other issues.

On the war in Iraq
"You're wrestling Molly behind the bus garage, and you finally got her into a headlock so you can wail on her, but somebody ran off and told the principal, and now, old man Biden is coming to break it up. You'll both get put on detention, and it won't be over with Molly, because you'll have to fight her on the walk home tonight, so you're thinking, 'If I can put some good gouges onto Molly's pretty little face, she won't want to tangle with me again! Don't bind my hands, Biden! Molly needs to learn her lesson!' "

On immigration
"You're holding a birthday party, and Maria Rodriguez is not invited—but not because she's Spanish or anything. Anyway, you're trying to keep it hush-hush, so Maria doesn't find out. Unfortunately, the teacher's pet, Barack Obama, gets up in class and says, 'Who-all is going to Sarah's party? Let's carpool so our mommies can save on gas!' So now, everybody knows, and Maria not only will come, but she'll bring her relatives, and there won't be enough cake, and your birthday will be ruined."

On protecting wilderness areas
"You're wearing your favorite jacket, when the richest kid in school, Kennedy, comes up and says, 'That coat is so nice, everybody should enjoy it. Give it to me, so I can hang it on the flag pole, so we all can see it.' And you go, 'No way, it's my jacket, and I want to wear it.' And he goes, 'It's too nice for just you. Besides, the Earth is heating up, so you don't need a jacket anyway!' Then, he takes your jacket and doesn't even put it on the flag pole, but he and his coat-hugger pals run around the school, wearing it."

On the banking bailout
"In the lunch line, the fattest kid in school asks for your ice cream cup. Now, you're willing to give him your green beans or mashed potatoes, but not the ice cream. So he says, 'If I can't have your ice cream, I'll fake a heart attack, they'll close the cafeteria, and nobody will get their ice cream cups.' So you give him your ice cream cup. Later, when Principal Summers finds out, he says, 'You should be ashamed of yourself, giving Fatty your ice cream! Because of you, he's fat.' As punishment, nobody gets ice cream, except Fatty, because he moved to another school, where he's pulling the same deal."

On unemployment
"You and Molly have nothing to do and want to go to mall. So you go to your mom, who's sitting around feeling sorry for herself, watching TV, because she doesn't have a job, and you go, 'Hey, Mom, we need a ride to the mall!' But she can't leave the house, because she's waiting for a phone call from Barack Obama, who is supposed to call any minute, offering her a job. But the phone never rings, because Barack Obama is talking about health care, so nobody goes to the mall, and it closes."

On universal health care
"You've got a tough math test coming up, so you tell your mom your head hurts and you need to stay home. But you don't get to skip classes and hook up with your boyfriend after hockey practice, because the school nurse comes to your house and spends the whole day taking your temperature and asking you trick questions. You end up having to lie in bed and study math, it costs the school so much money that they cut hockey, and then you find out you're pregnant!"

Become a fan of Slate on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
Hart Seely is the author of Mrs. Goose Goes to Washington: Nursery Rhymes for the Political Barnyard.

A few thoughts for the day:

First, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's take on the health care debate.

News to read:

• Jewish politicians are taking Jerusalem's name in vain - Haaretz - Israel News

  Israeli politicians doing there best to talk about an undivided Jerusalem, while screwing over the Arab residents

• PepsiCo Develops 'Designer Salt' to Chip Away at Sodium Intake - WSJ.com

  odd

• SPIEGEL Interview with Avigdor Lieberman: 'It Is a Clash of Civilizations' - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International

  Interview with a true religious terrorist

• Report: Netanyahu to ask Obama for weapons to strike Iran - Haaretz - Israel News

• James Baker's advice for Obama on forging Middle East peace - Haaretz - Israel News

Want to reduce the number of abortions in the United States? Expand universal health care.

There's a direct connection between greater health coverage and lower abortion rates. To oppose expanded coverage in the name of restricting abortion gets things exactly backward. It's like saying you won't fix the broken furnace in a schoolhouse because you're against pneumonia. Nonsense! Fixing the furnace will reduce the rate of pneumonia. In the same way, expanding health-care coverage will reduce the rate of abortion.

At least, that's the lesson from every other rich democracy.

1. Those on the left are looking to Howard Dean as the liberal leader for the Democratic Party.

2. Walmart looking to cut costs further by strengthening its supply chain, cutting out middle men in the process.

3. World's tallest building, Burj Khalifa opens in Dubai.

4. Democrats in US Congress to use informal negotiations to reconcile House and Senate health care bills.

5. BeautifulPeople.com expels 5,000 people from their dating site for getting fat over the holidays.

I've been rather entertained in recent months by the levy of charges being leveled against President Obama and his assortment of ambitious and bold policies (not all of which I agree with). One week he is a fascist, the next a socialist Arab, the third week, a Communist Muslim, and then once again he is a fascist.

I've also enjoyed the random countries which conservative commentators compare the United States too, arguing that if we pass health care reform we will end up like Britain, Canada, France, Switzerland, USSR, Zimbabwe.... etc. For an entertaining view on this, see The Daily Show's analysis below:

But a Swiss-style system of universal coverage would be a vast improvement on what we have now. And we already know that such systems work.

So we can do this. At this point, all that stands in the way of universal health care in America are the greed of the medical-industrial complex, the lies of the right-wing propaganda machine, and the gullibility of voters who believe those lies.

Below is a good article by Krugman on why we need government involvement in health care - so the insurance companies do not deny all claims for needy medical procedures.

The original link can be found here.

Op-Ed Columnist

Health Care Realities
By Paul Krugman

At a recent town hall meeting, a man stood up and told Representative Bob Inglis to “keep your government hands off my Medicare.” The congressman, a Republican from South Carolina, tried to explain that Medicare is already a government program — but the voter, Mr. Inglis said, “wasn’t having any of it.”

It’s a funny story — but it illustrates the extent to which health reform must climb a wall of misinformation. It’s not just that many Americans don’t understand what President Obama is proposing; many people don’t understand the way American health care works right now. They don’t understand, in particular, that getting the government involved in health care wouldn’t be a radical step: the government is already deeply involved, even in private insurance.

And that government involvement is the only reason our system works at all.

The key thing you need to know about health care is that it depends crucially on insurance. You don’t know when or whether you’ll need treatment — but if you do, treatment can be extremely expensive, well beyond what most people can pay out of pocket. Triple coronary bypasses, not routine doctor’s visits, are where the real money is, so insurance is essential.

Yet private markets for health insurance, left to their own devices, work very badly: insurers deny as many claims as possible, and they also try to avoid covering people who are likely to need care. Horror stories are legion: the insurance company that refused to pay for urgently needed cancer surgery because of questions about the patient’s acne treatment; the healthy young woman denied coverage because she briefly saw a psychologist after breaking up with her boyfriend.

And in their efforts to avoid “medical losses,” the industry term for paying medical bills, insurers spend much of the money taken in through premiums not on medical treatment, but on “underwriting” — screening out people likely to make insurance claims. In the individual insurance market, where people buy insurance directly rather than getting it through their employers, so much money goes into underwriting and other expenses that only around 70 cents of each premium dollar actually goes to care.

Still, most Americans do have health insurance, and are reasonably satisfied with it. How is that possible, when insurance markets work so badly? The answer is government intervention.

Most obviously, the government directly provides insurance via Medicare and other programs. Before Medicare was established, more than 40 percent of elderly Americans lacked any kind of health insurance. Today, Medicare — which is, by the way, one of those “single payer” systems conservatives love to demonize — covers everyone 65 and older. And surveys show that Medicare recipients are much more satisfied with their coverage than Americans with private insurance.

Still, most Americans under 65 do have some form of private insurance. The vast majority, however, don’t buy it directly: they get it through their employers. There’s a big tax advantage to doing it that way, since employer contributions to health care aren’t considered taxable income. But to get that tax advantage employers have to follow a number of rules; roughly speaking, they can’t discriminate based on pre-existing medical conditions or restrict benefits to highly paid employees.

And it’s thanks to these rules that employment-based insurance more or less works, at least in the sense that horror stories are a lot less common than they are in the individual insurance market.

So here’s the bottom line: if you currently have decent health insurance, thank the government. It’s true that if you’re young and healthy, with nothing in your medical history that could possibly have raised red flags with corporate accountants, you might have been able to get insurance without government intervention. But time and chance happen to us all, and the only reason you have a reasonable prospect of still having insurance coverage when you need it is the large role the government already plays.

Which brings us to the current debate over reform.

Right-wing opponents of reform would have you believe that President Obama is a wild-eyed socialist, attacking the free market. But unregulated markets don’t work for health care — never have, never will. To the extent we have a working health care system at all right now it’s only because the government covers the elderly, while a combination of regulation and tax subsidies makes it possible for many, but not all, nonelderly Americans to get decent private coverage.

Now Mr. Obama basically proposes using additional regulation and subsidies to make decent insurance available to all of us. That’s not radical; it’s as American as, well, Medicare.