| We've heard about Sarah Palin's infamous Facebook message blasting the "Obama death squads." Now Liz Benjamin has uncovered a link to our very own state Senator Ruben Diaz!
That's right. Sen. Diaz even went so far as to write a letter to Rep. Henry Waxman, who chairs the Energy & Commerce Committee, worried that the section of the House bill (H.R.3200) that caused Palin to talk of "death squads" may "diminish respect for the inherent dignity of each of [senior citizens'] lives."
The problem is that Section 1233 of H.R. 3200 merely requires Medicare to pay, no more than once every five years, for a consultation if a senior citizen wants information on things like living wills, durable powers of attorney, healthcare proxies, etc. In other words, this provision gives senior citizens the knowledge they need to decide for themselves what they want, and who they want making decisions for them when they cannot make decisions for themselves.
(Side note: The bill is not "House Resolution 3200," as Sen. Diaz refers to it, but "H.R. 3200" -- maybe he needs to learn a bit about federal legislation.) |
| Perhaps it's time we talk about the "death squads" that exist right now.
Insurance companies have secret boards, or committees, or individuals, or whatever they call them, whose job is to deny people medical care -- or at least the means to pay for such care. The result is that people are dying because they can't get the treatment they need.
In other words, insurance companies employ death squads.
If I were a real Frank Luntz disciple, I might use the term "Anonymous Insurance Death Squads," or "AIDS," for short. After all, who wants AIDS?
Memo to Sarah Palin and Sen. Diaz -- if you're so concerned about preserving life, then shut up! Your words are helping to kill people, making you an accessory to legalized murder. |
