You know people have crossed a line with a reputable news organization like McClatchy deems it newsworthy to print State of the health care debate: Talk radio attacks an 11-year old. In it they describe how Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin have viciously attacked the 11 yr-old orphan by lack of health care insurance. The story of his mother is heartbreaking:

Tifanny Owens died in June 2007 of pulmonary hypertension, which is described as high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs that can lead to heart failure. The disease is considered rare. While there's no cure, it can be treated.

The treatments can cost as much as $100,000 a year and must be "consistent and constant," said Katie Kroner, the director of advocacy and awareness for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association.

"It's extremely important to have health coverage," she said.

Owens was an assistant manager at a fast food restaurant when she became sick in September 2006. As she became sicker, she missed work and was eventually fired, leaving her without health insurance. She was treated twice in an emergency room and died at age 27 after a week of unconsciousness. Gina Owens has custody of Marcelas and his two younger sisters.

Gina Owens said her daughter didn't qualify for Medicaid. State officials said that without knowing the details, it was impossible to speculate on whether Tifanny Owens would have qualified.

Tifanny Owens might have been eligible for Washington state's basic health care plan, which is aimed at the working poor. The plan has had a long waiting list for some time, said Sharon Michael of the Washington state Health Care Authority.

"Right now, we have 100,000 people on the wait list," Michael said.

The neo-con punditocracy not only doesnt believe the story, but Beck insisted, without actually giving specifics, that Gina Owens had other alternatives. Limbaugh and Malkin had the nerve to parrot the same and even worse: that there was no proof his mother would have lived longer anyway since her condition is allegedly incurable.

Unbelievable.
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Fucker.

From ImmigrationProf Blog: Healthcare for Undocumented Immigrants?:

Tonight, President Obama will be having a press conference to push his healthcare reform agenda. Asked by CBS News' Katie Couric in an exclusive interview yesterday whether undocumented immigrants should be covered under a new health care plan, President Obama responded simply, "no." But he said there may need to be an exception to that policy for children
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It has been just over a year since I learned about the site Free Rice. I got addicted, then forgot about it. Now I am reminded of it again and getting readdicted.

Free Rice is fun and feeds the poor around the world. You play educational games and for every answer you get right, rice is donated to feed the hungry. Last night my wife and I had a nerdy good time with world capitals, chemical symbols and famous paintings, and in the process donated some 16,000 grains of rice to feed the hungry. Given that sometimes I get addicted to this kind of nerdy game anyway, it''s nice to be able to feed some people as well.

Do you know the capitals of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan? How about the difference between a Fanz Hals and a Bruegel? Learn math, science, Spanish, French, famous paintings, etc. while helping to feed the hungry. What could be better?

About a year ago I introduced readers to a neat little site called "Free Rice." Basically back then you could play a vocabulary game and for each answer you got right sponsors would pay for 20 grains of rice to feed the poor around the world. In their first month of operation last year this effort raised enough to feed 50,000 people for one day. Not a huge thing, but a nice little effort.
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COME WATCH ME change my clothes. On MTV's dime. The newest vlog titled News From Nezua [1] is freshly-shorn and waiting to entertain you with nifty editing and news of Oregon. True, a volatile mix, but Creosote is my middle name, chula. Either that or Pine Cone...it's hard to make out the writing sometimes.

This piece was originally covering about six stories, but I ditched the rest of the footage in the editing process as I suddenly realized it would be a fifteen minute spot, if not.

Program provided here. See you at the proscenium arch, baby.

Crossposted at The Unapologetic Mexican, Jesus' General, and OpEdNews.

In 2006 I wrote about the idea of a "Community Candidate," a candidate who has already shown his dedication to the community before he even asks for your vote. I based this on a conversation I had with a UAW member who attended a political event in Brooklyn. He expressed frustration at the political process because it was so often based on nothing but hollow promises. He wanted to see more candidates that have an existing track record of serving the community. In other words, he wanted to see some results in advance. This led me to the idea of a "Community Candidate." This is also the idea behind the organization who operate in Michigan and New York State. Over in Oklahoma, Democrat Andrew Rice is showing the kind of dedication to his community that I am looking for in a Community Candidate.

Oklahoma State Senator Andrew Rice (also a candidate for US Senate in Oklahoma) was a driving force in setting up a task force to study hunger in Oklahoma...and the report is now out. Those of us who have watched average Americans get hit by the double blow of two Bush recessions AND the Republican "Drown America in a Bathtub" philosophy, it is no surprise that the report is a rather grim one. You can read the report here (PDF).
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Hi John,

This is not one of those letters. I've met Elizabeth and know that even though she is shorter than me, she'd easily kick my butt. Although, in truth, it's not one of those letters because I honestly am a total fan girl of your wife and there's nothing more than I would love than to see her face plastered everywhere as First Lady.

This is a letter that I've been mulling for some time because you've truly exceeded my expectations.

When I was ready to throw my support to you, the blogger fiasco happened and I was taken aback by the way it was all handled. I know, I know. There are no perfect candidates. Yet at that time I wasn't clear as to what you were bringing at the table as a presidential candidate.

Then you started talking about poverty and the state of the "real people's" economy. You evangelized about the two Americas. You demonstrated how there is a tremendous economic and political disconnect in this country. How what you've seen and talked with people in all your travels seems not to affect the people who are supposed to represent them in Washington. You talked about the evil of corporate handouts and the shadow rule by lobbyist.

You are talking about everything that nobody wants to talk about in Washington.
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