I happened to watch the vote from the US House of Representatives last Saturday night and Twittered a live feed as the vote took place. Here are some random thoughts about nationalized healthcare / insurance reform / socialized medicine / whatever-the-heck that House bill was supposed to be.

The bill's projected costs are supposed to be $1.2 trillion dollars over the next ten years. Why aren't more people worried about that figure? Have we become so complacent with government spending that we've forgotten what an astronomical amount of money that is to spend?

Does anyone - anyone at all - really believe that this bill won't have a cost overrun at least five to ten times the projected amount?

Over the next few months, now that the bill passed in the House, we'll begin to discover thousands upon thousands of pork projects hidden in the bill, most of which will have absolutely nothing to do with health care.

Does anyone believe that government only serves the altruistic purposes of the people of the United States rather than serving the special interests of the highest bidder? The answer is yes, and apparently one has to be a convert of liberal doctrine to buy into this otherwise obvious lie. Other liberals reject this lie, yet convince themselves that it doesn't matter because socialized healthcare is the only way to "solve the mess."

Are we so naive that we don't see the dangers in an ever-growing, ever more controlling government?

How long can we sustain out of control spending and taxing before our country collapses or gets bought up by China? Does anyone really believe that we will suffer no serious consequences from such government interference?

Have so many Americans become such shallow thinkers to believe that Marxist ideals really work? What kind of Utopian world do you think we'll have with such a forced redistribution of wealth? I can think of several examples such as the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela.... Are we naive enough to believe that such power cannot rise up, even in the US, and create another absolutist state?

How can we believe such axioms as: "power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely," yet we see no duplicity when we hand power over to our government in the hopes that it will provide a safe and easy life for everyone?

How come the only people who Tweeted me back to complain of my views, all complained about George W. Bush as a response? I didn't really think that Bush Derangement Syndrome existed until the other night. Now, however, I am a believer.

Why would anyone argue that because George W. Bush started a war, that I should accept socialized healthcare? I received a dozen such responses from various Tweets. What on earth does Bush have to do with this bloated, expensive, dangerous piece of legislation? Do people really believe Bush single-handedly destroyed the healthcare industry in the US? The disconnect astounds me.

Why is it that when government steps in and screws something up, liberals think that the only solution is to have government step in and "fix" it? Government has been mucking with healthcare for decades and now we believe Nancy Pelosi can fix it?

Did anyone else get just a little sick by Nancy Pelosi's gloating outburst, declaring the healthcare bill officially passed? After she broke into tears, I was reminded of Tammy Fay Baker's fakery from her good-old televangelism days.

Is anyone else worried that the current Congress is willing to spend more money in one year, than just about all other Congresses in our history have spent combined? Don't forget the Cap and Trade bill is still wandering around the Senate....

How do people elect Representatives like Alan Grayson and keep a straight face? His ignorant and vile accusations during the vote sounded like a bad parody of Howard Beale on Network. I know, I know - it's because he feels such sympathy for those who couldn't afford healthcare. He's such a sensitive guy.

Does anyone in the US government seriously value the limits of the Constitution anymore? Can we seriously hold up this healthcare bill to the Constitution and find some mandate for such government control and spending? Of course we can't. Does this mean, however, that we should give up trying?

From Euripides

There you stand, in an elevator or in line at the post office, when a liberal decides to strike up a conversation with you. During the conversation, you hear some familiar words that refer to ideas like rights and freedom, but in context, they don't seem to make any sense to you. Never fear! I've compiled for you, gentle conservative, a list of the most frequently used terms in liberalspeak with their definitions. Learn these few terms and you will be on the path to understanding what your liberal friends are talking about.

I hope you find this list useful and a means of coming to greater understanding of the liberal left.

Abortion: The absolutely fundamental right of every women to choose. This right is the only one guaranteeing equality of the sexes and must be preserved at all costs. See Rights.

ACORN: A poor, benighted charitable agency that got mercilessly attacked by right wing nut jobs.

Anti-American: Anyone who doesn't agree with the current liberalized system of government. This includes anyone who agrees with capitalism, limited government and many democratic principles. See Mob.

Barack Obama: The only president who has ever had the capacity to selflessly change America into a Utopian state. If Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and the mob would only leave him alone, he could finally work out the solution to governmental perfection. See Glenn Beck. See Rush Limbaugh. See Mob.

Bible: An ancient document that has absolutely no connection with modern reality, especially morals and legal codes. See Religion.

Bill of Rights: An unknown and forgotten list of ideas which have no relationship to the modern vision of rights and freedoms. The Bill of Rights only gets in the way of such things as denegrating religion, gun control, and creating a statist federal government. The Bill of Rights, like other ancient documents such as the Bible, no longer serve any useful purpose. See Bible. See Constitution. See Rights.

Birthers: Uneducated idiots who will stop at nothing to attack Barack Obama. See Barack Obama.

Climate Change: The idea that if you rename something and broaden its definition to be all inclusive, despite any relation to reality, you can still tax it. See Global Warming. See Taxes.

Constitution: An old and outdated document that might have been good for something except for the enshrined dogmas of a past generation. It now has little relevance to a modern, sophisticated way of governing. See Rights.

Entitlements: See Rights.

Equality: The idea that individual rights must be suppressed and submit to the group mind. Anyone who disagrees with the correct group is considered anti-American or racist. See Anti-American. See Racist.

Fairness Doctrine: The idea that some media have an unfair advantage over other media because it is Anti-American. See Anti-American. See Glenn Beck. See Rush Limbaugh.

Feminist: Anyone who agrees that abortion is the absolutely fundamental right of every women to choose. Anyone, including women in power, who do not subscribe to absolute fundamental right of abortion are not considered feminists. See Abortion.

Fox News: A radical, right-wing media outlet, no better than the worst, hack blogging. No one worth knowing actually watches Fox, and those who do drink deeply of the Fox Kool-Aid. See Free Press. See News.

Freedom: The right to do what liberals want, when and where they want, with no regard to the rights of others, even to disagree. See Free Speech.

Free Press: The government subsidizing of media such as the New York Times or MSNBC, but not such media as Fox News. See Anti-American. See Fox News. See News.

Free Speech: The right, guaranteed by the Constitution, to intimidate anyone who disagrees with liberal doctrine. See Bill of Rights. See Politically Correct.

Gays: A group of people who self-identify according sexual preference, who only want to be treated as equals and to have their rights. See Equality. See LGBTQQ. See Marriage. See Rights.

Glenn Beck: Satan or the Great Evil One. See Anti-American. See Fairness Doctrine. See Rush Limbaugh.

Global Warming: The idea that a good crisis is worth all the taxes in the world. See Climate Change.  See Taxes.

Government: The only institution that can properly run a modern state. The more government, the better. Despite fear mongers, the American government can never turn against its people as long as liberals are in charge.

Greed: A human vice that occurs when they form corporations, but not, for example, when they are elected as a liberal to government office. Corporate owners are always greedy. Liberal politicians are always altruistic, working for the good of all people.

Hate Crimes: The idea that crimes committed against individuals of protected classes are more heinous than the same crimes committed against conservatives.

Healthcare: The government regulation and control of health-related industries such as insurance companies. See Government. See Greed.

 LGBTQQ: A community of gays and others who self-identify as protected class citizens to gain equality and rights. See Equality. See Gays. See Protected Class. See Rights.

Marriage: The union of any two people for the purposes of gaining equal rights and protected class status.  See Equality. See Gay. See Protected Class. See Rights.

Mob: Anyone who disagrees with modern liberalism and dares to speak up in a public forum. Most recently applied to those who spoke against healthcare. See Healthcare. See Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.

News: Anything said or implied by any news media except Fox News. For example, Balloon Boy and the death of Michael Jackson were news. The downfall of ACORN was not. See ACORN. See Fox News. See Free Press.

Politically Correct: A misnomer from the vast right wing conspiracy to discredit the only, true way for all Americans to think. See Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.

Protected Class: The concept that some people are born more equal under the law than others, because they believe in liberal doctrine and self-identify with a liberal group. See Equality.

Racism: Attacks on anyone who identifies with any special interest group or liberal belief, regardless of race, considered properly in favor with liberal doctrine. See Anti-American.

Religion: The freedom to believe in some sky-daddy, as long as such belief never enters into the public arena in any way, shape or form, since the Constitution guarantees a separation of church and state. See Bill of Rights. See Freedom.

Rich: A class of citizens who represent one of the major barriers to developing a Utopian society. This class must be taxed into extinction, unless, of course, the individuals adhere to liberal doctrine.

Rights: Any thought or action liberals deem appropriate to a shifting society, with no regard to Constitutional enumeration, or public opinion. Also, any number of government mandated expenses or entitlements. Recognition of such entitlements as rights is central to liberal doctrine. See Constitution.

Rush Limbaugh: Satan or the Great Evil One. See Anti-American. See Fairness Doctrine. See Glenn Beck.

Sensitivity Training: The idea that, if caught early enough, conservatives can be turned into liberals or at least to discover the homosexual hiding within.

Separation of Church and State: The enlightened interpretation of the outdated 1st Amendment to the Constitution. See Bill of Rights. See Constitution.

Sex Education: When taught in schools, this is only possible means for children to learn how to properly use condoms in the belief that there is such a thing as safe sex. Before sex education, all children were at the mercy of their parents to pass along incorrect sexual mores and attitudes. See Marriage.

Tax: Redistribution of wealth. A means of controlling corporate greed and the rich. See Greed. See Rich.

The One: See Barack Obama.

Vast Right Wing Conspiracy: A group of people who, if properly educated and who would give up religion, would become liberals. See Religion.

From Euripides Latest

The Snarky Files. Snarky means several things. I prefer the definition of "sharply critical." Here's my take on some news stories this past week. No real news here, just snark.

Camelot
Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy died at age 77 after a battle with brain cancer. I won't be making any rude comments about how much the country will benefit because he is gone. I won't snidely remark about his abuse of power. I won't make any remarks about killing a girl in the Chappaquiddick. I won't even make fun of his little red, inebriated nose.

What I will say is this: Isn't it convenient, now that Kennedy has passed on, that every news media from one side to another memorializes Kennedy and his dream for nationalized healthcare?

Kennedy was a longtime advocate of healthcare reform, a signature issue of Obama's presidency. Obama said on Wednesday he was heartbroken to hear of the death of Kennedy, a crucial supporter of his presidential candidacy. (Reuters)

I'll bet Obama is heartbroken. Really. And I mean that most sincerely.

In the wake of Kennedy's death, who wouldn't have predicted that Nancy Pelosi would start channeling him?

"Ted Kennedy's dream of quality health care for all Americans will be made real this year because of his leadership and his inspiration," Pelosi said in a statement.(Breitbart)

Yes, it's politics as usual in Washington, where liberals never let a good crisis go to waste and Nancy Pelosi never lets a comrade's death help to further her own, corrupt agenda.

GLAAD to Protest
Gay activists continue to try and stir up public shame over same sex marriage, despite the fact that their campaign to neuter the institution of marriage has stalled in the public arena, and public support for same sex marriage has declined this past year.

Case in point: GLAAD attempted to make a big deal out of a small, Utah-based newspaper refusing to run a "wedding" announcement for two homosexual men. The St. George newspaper refused to print the announcement, stating its policy to only announce marriages legal in Utah. Of course, the two homosexual men were outraged at being treated so unfairly and turned to GLAAD to help set things right for them. GLAAD, in turn, made some phone calls and the story made it to the news. (AZCentral)

What does the news story turn around and do? Once again, the media vilifies the Mormon church in an attempt to alienate it as a major stumbling block to gay rights.

Let's get to the bottom line on this one. Gay rights is failing, not because of some religious group which has insignificant influence on public opinion, but because Americans are waking up to the fact that gay rights is trying to hijack civil rights. It attempts to equate with race, the sexual preferences of two homosexuals. It attempts to redefine what marriage is to validate homosexuals living together. It attempts to create protected class status for a group based on sexual preference and some nebulous considerations of "fairness" and "love."

Gay activists have offended religious groups, racial minorities and middle America. Let's see if they can turn moderate liberals against them as well.

A Bridge Too Far
In relation to the previous, leaders of Equality California, a gay activist group trying to force neutered marriage in California, announced that it will wait until the 1012 election to try again to push same sex marriage on Californians. (LA Times) Equality California leaders say they want to make sure they can win the next time around.

Why? Because with every failure of the political issue of same sex marriage, gay activists understand that their chances will diminish of neutering marriage and forcing protected class status for homosexuals.

Note that despite gay activists spending millions these past five years or so, despite the constant gay campaign, despite buying off elected officials, despite courting Democratic party favor, despite all these, public support for same sex marriage continues to dwindle.

Apparently, Americans as a whole aren't fooled by the same sex marriage mantra of gay activists.

Liberals and Race
In my article Liberalism's Peculiar Institutions, I asserted that liberalism supports race and class warfare in the US. By clinging to race within political discourse, liberals perpetuate and extend the problem - in effect creating class warfare to maintain the liberal agenda.

Case in point: New York Governor David Paterson is not doing well in his bid to win reelection next year. Does he blame himself for his heavy-handed policies dealing with the state legislature this past year? Does he blame pushing unwanted liberal programs on New Yorkers? Does he blame his support of unwanted institutions (like same sex marriage)? Does he blame his 18% approval rating?

Heck no. Instead he blames the news media turning against him because of race. (NY Daily News)

Yep, he's spoken like a true liberal. He's bought into the big lie of liberalism, that all failures can be blamed on identity politics, rather than on personal failure. Worst of all, he perpetuates race as a divisive issue in this country, cheapening the real racial problems yet to be solved by wrapping himself up in the protective cloak of race-baiting.

In connection with this approach, Paterson also had this to say:

“The reality is the next victim on the list, and you can see it coming, is President Obama, who did nothing more than trying to reform a health care system,” Mr. Paterson said. (New York Times)

All of which proves my earlier assertion: By clinging to race within political discourse, liberals perpetuate and extend the problem - in effect creating class warfare to maintain the liberal agenda.

Castro Knows
Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro says that Obama's trying to make changes in the US but that right-wingers hate Obama because he's black. (Reuters)

Doesn't that absolutely prove what I've said about leftists and race warfare? Absolutely.

By the way, I think that Americans should be really worried when the current administration gets an endorsement from a communist dictator such as Fidel Castro. That's not something I'd point to as a highlight for Obama, even if he did travel to court favor among the most insidious dictators of our modern world.

Deficiter and Deficiter
You heard the news that the Obama administration recently raised the 10 year deficit projection from 7.1 trillion dollars to 9 trillion. (Reuters) This news doesn't surprise me in the least. It does, however, raise a few questions.

• How did the Obama administration miscalculate the deficit by two trillion dollars?
• Why does Obama continue to insist on more expensive programs, such as healthcare, after such news?
• Why do the talking heads in Washington think creating such a huge deficit was good for the economy?
• When (not if) will Obama raise everyone's taxes to help pay for the deficit?
• When (not if) will we get blasted by runaway inflation? (The Hill)
  
• Who is it, exactly, who benefits from all this overspent government money?
  
• How come no one on The Hill, or in the news media, asks these questions?

Along the same lines, Obama's office also announced that millions of Americans face shrinking Social Security payments because of the havoc of the Medicare system that the Bush administration helped screw up. (Breitbart)

Put these two stories together and then ask yourself the question of whether or not you really want government mucking up healthcare even more? What makes anyone believe that government has the answers to such problems?

Kinder, Gentler Interrogation
In a move, sure to appease touchy-feely liberals everywhere, the Obama administration also announced that it will now monitor interrogations of foreign detainees and set new standards for such interrogations to ensure that no more torture be inflicted on any terrorist or potential terrorist.

I don't know about you, but I feel safer already knowing that the White House will now take over the interrogations of Gitmo detainees and other terrorists. The folks in the Obama administration certainly know a lot more about such matters than anyone in the CIA.

Wee Obama Jokes
I just couldn't pass by the week without saying something about Obama's falling out with the national press. Obama commented on the media, saying, "everybody in Washington gets all wee-weed up." (Washington Examiner)

The news media, responding to Obama's statement reportedly said, "Oh yeah? Well, Obama's just a big poo-poo head!"

Who let this guy into office anyway?

Don't answer that. It was a rhetorical question.

Land Wars
In the movie The Princess Bride, Vezzini, the evil mastermind behind the evil plot to kidnap Princess Buttercup, informs the masked man that he committed a great blunder: "Ha ha! You fool!" he said. "You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia."

It's too bad that Obama never heard of that classic blunder. He might have saved himself from Afghanistan. Unfortunately for him (and for Bush in Iraq) Obama has now mired himself into a military and political position ideal for al Qaida and for the Taliban.

The situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating along with U.S. public support for the war, Washington's top military officer said on Sunday as he left open the possibility of another increase in troops. (Reuters)

Soon enough, Americans will have to ask the tough questions about our increased involvement in Afghanistan and its utility in destroying the Taliban and in rooting out bin Laden.

Stimulation
Finally, the following government-funded projects give us a whole new definition of "stimulus." The National Institutes of Health awarded funds for studies that would:

* Examine "barriers to correct condom use" at Indiana University, at a cost of $221,000.

* Study "hookups" among adolescents at Syracuse University. Study's cost: $219,000.

* Evaluate "drug use as a sex enhancer" in an analysis of "high-risk community sex networks" at the University of Illinois, Chicago. That study will cost $123,000.

* Study how methamphetamine, thought to produce an "insatiable need" for sex among users, "enhances the motivation for female rat sexual behavior." Some $28,000 has been awarded for the University of Maryland at Baltimore study. (NY Post)

It's great to see our tax dollars at work spending so much for so very little.

Over at Comments on the Contemporary, James posted the lyrics and commentary to America the Beautiful. I appreciate his sentiments but realize that in the modern day, such a pipe dream from days long past doesn't reflect the modern, progressive standards of today's discerning American. With this in mind, I offer a new version of

America the Beautiful - Liberal Style!

O beautiful are liberal eyes
That see better than you
A government far overspent
And Congress' deep doo-doo!
America! America!
What has become of thee?
Thy grand allure
Is cow manure
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for cap and trade
For spending without fear
For greenhouse gases thought manmade
And taxes we hold dear!
America! America!
What has become of thee?
We'll pay the debt
Of government
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful our president
Obama is our man
Though maybe not a resident
He tells us Yes we can!
America! America!
What has become of thee?
Replace the Good
With Obamahood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for wordly praise
We give apologies
To ev'ry foreign government
And to our enemies!
America! America!
What has become of thee?
Praise on our lips
For dictatorships
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for gay desires
For same sex marriages
For overthrowing civil rights
And family heritage!
America! America!
What has become of thee?
Sex ed in schools
Will bend the rules
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for women's choice
Abortion's now our meme
For feminism's identity
We can't hear fetus screams!
America! America!
What has become of thee?
Our children's cries
Are now despised
From sea to shining sea!

May common sense prevail in our great country and restore America to its rightful place - and beauty - in the world. Remember what our founders fought for during the Revolutionary War.

John Adams: "There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty."

George Washington: "Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action."

Thomas Jefferson: "The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object."

Patrick Henry: "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"