Thursday, August 13, 2009

Clearly Sarah Palin has a new Facebook speech writer. But the crazy still shines through.

Yesterday President Obama responded to my statement that Democratic health care proposals would lead to rationed care; that the sick, the elderly, and the disabled would suffer the most under such rationing; and that under such a system these “unproductive” members of society could face the prospect of government bureaucrats determining whether they deserve health care. (He did not exactly respond to Palin's statement, but rather the irrational fear that it created.)

The President made light of these concerns. He said:

“Let me just be specific about some things that I’ve been hearing lately that we just need to dispose of here. The rumor that’s been circulating a lot lately is this idea that somehow the House of Representatives voted for death panels that will basically pull the plug on grandma because we’ve decided that we don’t, it’s too expensive to let her live anymore....It turns out that I guess this arose out of a provision in one of the House bills that allowed Medicare to reimburse people for consultations about end-of-life care, setting up living wills, the availability of hospice, etc. So the intention of the members of Congress was to give people more information so that they could handle issues of end-of-life care when they’re ready on their own terms. It wasn’t forcing anybody to do anything.” [1]

The provision that President Obama refers to is Section 1233 of HR 3200, entitled “Advance Care Planning Consultation.”
[2 ] With all due respect, it’s misleading for the President to describe this section as an entirely voluntary provision that simply increases the information offered to Medicare recipients. The issue is the context in which that information is provided and the coercive effect these consultations will have in that context.

Section 1233 authorizes advanced care planning consultations for senior citizens on Medicare every five years, and more often “if there is a significant change in the health condition of the individual ... or upon admission to a skilled nursing facility, a long-term care facility... or a hospice program." [3] During those consultations, practitioners must explain “the continuum of end-of-life services and supports available, including palliative care and hospice,” and the government benefits available to pay for such services. [4]
(This, of course, is already something that happens with EVERYBODY'S current health insurance plan. The idea is to determine what is the best course of action for the patient and if it is covered by the insurance company. But it is disingenuous to say that a health insurance plan offered by the government would be less likely to cover certain procedures than an insurance plan whose CEO makes millions of extra dollars a year if he can keep costs low.)

Now put this in context. These consultations are authorized whenever a Medicare recipient’s health changes significantly or when they enter a nursing home, and they are part of a bill whose stated purpose is “to reduce the growth in health care spending.” [5] Is it any wonder that senior citizens might view such consultations as attempts to convince them to help reduce health care costs by accepting minimal end-of-life care? (They will only wonder that if unscrupulous ex-governors and other GOP operatives misrepresent the data to scare the hell out of them.) As Charles Lane notes in the Washington Post, Section 1233 “addresses compassionate goals in disconcerting proximity to fiscal ones.... If it’s all about alleviating suffering, emotional or physical, what’s it doing in a measure to “bend the curve” on health-care costs?” [6]

As Lane also points out:

Though not mandatory, as some on the right have claimed, the consultations envisioned in Section 1233 aren’t quite “purely voluntary,” as Rep. Sander M. Levin (D-Mich.) asserts. To me, “purely voluntary” means “not unless the patient requests one.” Section 1233, however, lets doctors initiate the chat and gives them an incentive -- money -- to do so. Indeed, that’s an incentive to insist.

Patients may refuse without penalty, but many will bow to white-coated authority. Once they’re in the meeting, the bill does permit “formulation” of a plug-pulling order right then and there. So when Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) denies that Section 1233 would “place senior citizens in situations where they feel pressured to sign end-of-life directives that they would not otherwise sign,” I don’t think he’s being realistic. [7]
(The problem with this argument is that it relies on a built in mistrust of government as a whole. It preys on people who believe that the DMV likes to make you wait for hour upon hour in line. Or that the post office reads all of your magazines before delivering them to you. Or that our government is actually spying on our citizens. Well that one is actually true, thank you George Bush. But the facts are that insurance companies, are far more likely to treat you like a disposable human being once you are no longer paying premiums than is the United States government, who is not interested in making a profit, but rather in keeping health care costs manageable and affordable.)

Even columnist Eugene Robinson, a self-described “true believer” who “will almost certainly support” “whatever reform package finally emerges”, agrees that “If the government says it has to control health-care costs and then offers to pay doctors to give advice about hospice care, citizens are not delusional to conclude that the goal is to reduce end-of-life spending.” [8] (Eugene Robinson also said: It's irresponsible for politicians, such as Sarah Palin, to claim -- outlandishly and falsely -- that there's going to be some kind of "death panel" to decide when to pull the plug on Aunt Sylvia.)

So are these usually friendly pundits wrong? Is this all just a “rumor” to be “disposed of”, as President Obama says? Not according to Democratic New York State Senator Ruben Diaz, Chairman of the New York State Senate Aging Committee, who writes:

Section 1233 of House Resolution 3200 puts our senior citizens on a slippery slope and may diminish respect for the inherent dignity of each of their lives.... It is egregious to consider that any senior citizen ... should be placed in a situation where he or she would feel pressured to save the government money by dying a little sooner than he or she otherwise would, be required to be counseled about the supposed benefits of killing oneself, or be encouraged to sign any end of life directives that they would not otherwise sign. [9]

Of course, it’s not just this one provision that presents a problem. My original comments concerned statements made by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a health policy advisor to President Obama and the brother of the President’s chief of staff. Dr. Emanuel has written that some medical services should not be guaranteed to those “who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens....An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia.” [10] Dr. Emanuel has also advocated basing medical decisions on a system which “produces a priority curve on which individuals aged between roughly 15 and 40 years get the most chance, whereas the youngest and oldest people get chances that are attenuated.” [11]

President Obama can try to gloss over the effects of government authorized end-of-life consultations, but the views of one of his top health care advisors are clear enough. It’s all just more evidence that the Democratic legislative proposals will lead to health care rationing, and more evidence that the top-down plans of government bureaucrats will never result in real health care reform.


Okay well I read the "offending" portion of this bill and I can assure you that it does not, in any way, read as if it is designed to encourage ANYBODY to quickly give up on their life and sign it away to make room for the younger more vibrant Americans who need care. That is a COMPLETE misrepresentation of the facts.

Now let me admit something. If this were a bill that was created and encouraged by the Bush administration, then I too would be very, very paranoid. But that is because the Bush administration really DID treat the American people as if their rights simply did not matter.

And if Sarah Palin were an outspoken advocate for a Bush administration bill, after hundreds of Alaskans died under her leadership, then of course I would be terrified of what might be hidden within its many pages.

But this is not a bill drawn up by the same guys who spied on us after 9/11, and tortured people on our behalf, and lied us into an unnecessary war. But the people who DID do that are now using the ginormous mistrust they created to generate panic about this health care reform.

It is almost like the unscrupulous security firms that burglarize your house one day and show up the next to offer to sell you an alarm system. The Republicans frightened the American people and are now mining that fear to protect their benefactors, the insurance companies.

So do yourself a favor, and actually read the proposed bill. And once it is passed if you do not want to sign up for it, then just stick with your current health insurance plan. I mean let's face it. If nothing else, this is going to bring ALL health insurance costs down in order to stay competitive. And that benefits ALL of us.

And here is a helpful tip. Sarah Palin is a compulsive liar. If she tells you something, you can bet the farm that the opposite is in fact true.

Trust me, I would know.

Update: Gawker was also quick to realize that our dear Sarah could not have written this.

74 comments:

  1. she thinks the POTUS is talking to her? She needs a long rest in a quiet padded room.

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  2. Anonymous6:51 AM

    There is no way that Sarah Palin is writing these things. There are complete sentences, nouns and verbs used correctly, not a chance it is her writing. So not only is she a phoney and a liar, but she's trying to deceive people into believing that she has gained some intelligence since July 26. I'm amazed at the audacity of this person.

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  3. Barack Like Me7:00 AM

    Ooh...look, everyone! An Alaskan bi-polar bear!

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  4. Jimbo7:17 AM

    And not a single mention of "the troops". Definitely not our $arah's work.

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  5. not that sarah7:22 AM

    SArah Palin's desperation to be seen as on par with the President is as laughable as it is absotuely appalling proof of her insatiable ego, failure to see herself clearly, and intractable arrogance.

    She thinks the POTUS is responding to her? the POTUS ignores her. The man is, after all, both sane and busy. He doesn't have time for games with crazy people who aren't taking their meds and talk sedition for fun.

    Laugh, people, because she's crazy. But never forget that she, like bush, think this is a holy war. And she thinks she's chosen by god to lead us to end times.

    In other words, don't let those 21%s elect her to any office. ever. Oh, did she write this?

    Yeah, pigs fly. Pigs with lipstick fly. Please. The woman can't organize her thoughts clearly enough to make one sentence with both a subject and verb. she's quite simply mad as a hatter.

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  6. Anonymous7:27 AM

    GIven that most of her "base" are drawn from the poor, uneducated, underemployed, and generally unhealthy, one would think they'd WANT European-style health care. There's a reason we rank about fiftieth in the world when it comes to lifespan, infant survival rates, etc. Personally, I have GREAT insurance. It's, um, funded by the US Government.

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  7. Anonymous7:28 AM

    Has Sarah joined the ranks of Alaska bloggers? I wonder if she hates herself. Maybe she felt left out and wanted to use that Journalism degree to become part of the media.

    Now that she is a blogger, in honor of the troops, I wish Sarah Palin would stop making things up.

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  8. Doesn't matter what type of facility you enter at THS point in time. You will be asked "do you have a LIving Will, or Advanced Directive". Normally people do these things in advance because they want control over their own lives. However realistically there are people who REFUSE to face the fact that at some time they WILL die or cannot take responsibility for what they "want" and under "what" circumstances. Most reasonable and intelligent people have thoughts on these things and prefer to make their own determinations - often in consult with their own families, physicians and attorneys. Perhaps some believe their families will take actions they do NOT want.

    If you choose to do this with a lawyer OR with a physician, it will cost you $$$. Especially an attorney. Or you can choose to wait, and hope you are conscious when you are admitted, OR that whoever takes you to the hospital has YOUR best interests at heart.

    All this bill does is OFFER the service as a covered (paid) service. Instead of the patient paying for it - the government includes it in Medicare as a covered service if desired.

    And no way did Sarah write it - it has big words and punctuation. And the thought that President Obama is even aware SP is breathing is ia giant joke. She's a private citizen...just another fundy with a big mouth, bad attitude and major stupid.

    Are the American people SO stupid that they actually believe this right wing idiocy? The elderly have MEDICARE - are any of them giving it up? How about social security?

    If your house is on fire, do you turn away the Fire Dept? How about 911?

    Geez ....

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  9. womanwithsardinecan7:30 AM

    She definitely didn't write that. In fact, I doubt she had any input at all except to say to her non-grammar-challenged right wing scare-mongering speech writer that she wanted to rebut Obama. I'm wondering if she fired Megamouth too. After all, she was getting paid BIG bucks to parrot Sarah and get her into even more trouble. Looks like she has a new crew on board.

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  10. The sad, pathetic and disgusting thing here is that the elderly and intellectually challenged, poor and uneducated are being "used" and "manipulated". They don't ask questions -they YELL.

    The old man who was screaming he was "73 and they want to pull my plug" is quite frankly, barking mad. He is Medicare eligible (old white guy) and undoubtedly availing himself of all sorts of Govt services.

    But the right wing has found their target audience.

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  11. Good work. As someone who cares for an elderly parent I can attest to the fact that without my help she would be lost. She is still sharp mentally at 92, but does not have the stamina to deal with all the insurance companies and doctors. She has planned ahead, but I think she is the exception. So many elders have no one to help them through all the necessary decisions that need to be made with end of life care. It is not about killing people, it is about letting people make informed and diginifed decisions. Without the proper paperwork on file you are at the mercy of hospitals and systems that will prolong a suffering life. I saw my father go through this. He was put through procedures that were called for because a living will was not in place. Now my mom, husband and I all have living wills that make the decision process easier. But that takes time and money to get to an attorney and have that created. This bill seems to make that process easier. And as people get older they need to have things get easiser, not more complicated. They simply don't have the energy it takes to ask questions and listen for the answers. Most have lost the ability to hear accuratley anyway.

    I will get off my soapbox, but I find it represhesible that anyone thinks that elders don't need help. Not everyone has a loving or supportive family they can turn to for this service.

    Thanks for keeping up the information chain. I know you are preaching to the choir, but the more we can raise our voice the better to fight the ignorance and fear of some. Best to you, Pam

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  12. In total agreement with you all. Mrs. Palin had some major help here. Did she forget to credit that souce. This has footnotes!!!

    Maybe she needs to learn that she could have more honestly called this a "guest post."

    Double dare her to give this as a speech with follow up questions. (And no evil teleprompter, either, since she thinks those are bad-unless she is the one using them.)

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  13. Emily8:00 AM

    @Anonymous at 7:28: Well, consider the rumors that Palin would join the mainstream media in some way... If she's becoming a blogger, she's already becoming part of what she hates most-- well, she may have started that trend by becoming part of government.

    Palin's opposition to these consultations for the terminally ill makes it sound like she wants people to be ignorant about their options, rather than having all the information but, God forbid, actually having to think about what the best decision might be. Perhaps she's assuming that everyone is like her. But the underlying issue here is that she, like so many on the Right, is opposed to Obama's plan just because Obama wrote it, and they refuse to believe he's President.

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  14. NEWS: sarah palin is the LAST spokesperson anyone needs for any sort of health care. Ask the families of the 230+ folks she let meet her death panel. hypocritical media whore.

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  15. majii8:03 AM

    Palin is trying to stop the decline of her ratings in the polls and will say anything to achieve this goal. Whoever wrote this put their own spin on it for political purposes. President Obama was not specifically speaking to her when he made the statement about death panels. IMO he was talking to all of those who have been pushing this false meme and putting fear into the hearts of our elderly citizens. She is probably trying to lash out at Senator Murkowski at the same time. I've got to give Sen. Murkowski credit. She stated clearly that there were no items in any of the bills that authorize the setting up of death panels. Sorry, Sarah, this dog won't hunt. She wants the prez to respond to her in a personal way, but he won't, so she'll keep waiting and waiting and waiting. She has one of the thinnest skins I've ever seen in a politician in recent history. I am so glad she and McCain are not leading the country, because if they were, it would be in the sewer line by not, not just in the toilet.

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  16. Anonymous8:09 AM

    As governor, Sarah could go on a listening tour and actually represent the voice of the people. As a private citizen, just who are the people that she represents-- the loonies who write those hateful remarks at pee-in-the-sea? Are those the voices that she responds to?

    Here's the good news. In the same way that moderates and independetns took one look at Mrs.Crazypants as a potential VP and said "Thanks but no thanks," she is doing the same thing for health care. People may actually look at some of the provisions in the bill, now that she calls attention to it with her outlandish statements.

    And, for Sarah's information, most people's insurance company would take a look at ongoing treatments that failed to work, and they might also have the same reaction as Sarah's Death Panel. We really have to thank people like Sarah, Michele Bachmann, Glenn Beck and every other far-right crazy for driving away any middle-of-the-road independent thinkers.

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  17. pam: I suspect there are MORE people who have already considered and dealt with this issue in advance.

    I am curious though. There is an "order" of who is "in charge" when a patient is not competent or capable of making decisions. In most states, it falls to the spouse, then children on down. Was your father making his own decisions?

    My father actually called a social worker to his bedside and gave me Medical Power of Attorney because his wife had advanced Alzheimer's - her physician had attested to this) and wanted EVERYTHING done and he did not. He was afraid she would have to make the final decisions.

    It was awkward but I did what he asked. We talked about it prior - so I knew he was secure with turning his care over to hospice. He was NOT stupid and he KNEW what was happening. So I did - she went to the Hospital Admin - but I adhered to HIS wishes and he died 4 days later, comfortable and with his wishes followed.

    Fortunately all the legal ties were in place and the physicians supported his decision - and the social workers were involved. So I was in no legal jeopardy -

    These things happen every day. Not everyone is secure with the fact that we all die at the end of our life. But since it happens to all of us, why not plan for what we want as individuals?

    Why not make our own decisions? I know neither of us will ever leave those decisions to our children. It isn't fair and neither of us trust them to do what WE want and not what THEY want.

    So we made it easy for them - WE made our choices. And we will respect each other. I believe that is the way it should be for all of us.

    Just my humble opinion.

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  18. Anonymous8:17 AM

    I just want to know when the msm is going to start asking her who is writing these things. it's obviously not her, and when the media says "sarah said this or that" they're not being honest. she's not being honest either, and she needs to be called on it.

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  19. pam - Medical Powers of Attorney and Living Wills can be purchased at Hallmark Stores. They are legal and comply with the law of the state you are in. They require only a notary, not a lawyer. But make about 15 copies and paper your walls with them.

    And for heaven's sake, do NOT call 911. They cannot NOT resuscitate unless there is an order visible within the home.

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  20. Anonymous8:22 AM

    Wasn't there a gap of time when the Sarah Palin camp "went dark?" When there was nothing forthcoming for, I don't know, maybe a week or so? My bet is she cleaned house--fired staff and got a new "speech" writer, maybe even a new spokesperson (has anyone seen or heard from Meg Stapleton lately?). This stuff is NOT written by her. She must think we're stupid not to notice the difference.

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  21. Anonymous8:26 AM

    I have a family member who passed away last year. She was going to do the living will thing, but never got around to it. When her illness finally kicked in, she was very angry at life, the situation was very poor. The nursing homes and rehab facilities were hard pressed to help in the best way, because she had not make previous arrangements. It was a quite a mess. I believe she could have gotten much better care during the last six months - 1 year if she had planned better.

    This one small part of the bill is definitely an asset if it puts the last wishes out there.

    10cats

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  22. Her hypocrisy is stunning. What she is neglecting to tell her base is that her children and husband are already covered, or can be covered by FEDERAL GOVERNMENT health insurance, no cost to them, via Todd's Upinak heritage. Does that contain a "death panel"? I think not. I have worked in advanced care directives for years. They're called "health care power of attorney" and "living will." Clients request these documents, most hospitals now require them and the people signing them find great comfort in knowing their wishes will be carried out. This woman is dangerous in her continued ignorance and lying to her base by not telling them that her children and husband have US government health insurance.

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  23. kerryann638:38 AM

    Having had to make the decision to "pull the plug" (and can I say how much I HATE that expression) twice in my life, for both a parent and child, I find it disgusting that the conservatives are twisting this section of the bill. Being a firm believer in kharma - I want to be a fly on the wall when they get to those pearly gates they're so fond of. I think they're going to be very surprised at how fast they're shuffled off the the express elevator going down.
    My mother did not have a living will, she was very young when she found out she was sick and it never occurred to her that she would need one at 48 yrs old. She was also insured by Medicaid, because she was not able to continue working, and could not afford to have an attorney set one up for her. It caused her a great deal of pain and suffering during her illness because she was not able to have any control over her treatment. I think this provision is wonderful and years late in the making. This is the last thing that a person should be worried about paying for when everything else is falling apart around them.
    How these people sleep at night in anyone's guess.

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  24. Anonymous8:48 AM

    I don't think that Megamouth wrote this either, she must have hired someone. In any case this is just as phoney as the "hockey mom" "just like you" persona that she tried to pass off during the campaign. I guess that there are people so dumb as not to see the contrast between the two. Maybe it's multiple personality disorder. who ever wrote that is not the same person that did that Couric interview.

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  25. Anonymous8:52 AM

    Has this woman, or others with the same viewpoint, never been in a hospital with a critically ill family member? My 86 year old grandfather has been hospitalized 5 times last year. He has a living will, as do I. With doctors running in and out of his room in the emergency department, several of them asked about a living will and whether he would want extraordinary measures to sustain life. He doesn't, but we were careful to clarify that if there was a reasonable chance of recovery with a meaningful life, we wanted them to do what they could. Each time I thought I would lose him, but each time he recovered.

    The doctors have to know what the patient's wishes are at such a time. I am so grateful that he has his wishes written down so that I would not be forced to make difficult decisions without knowing for sure what he would want.

    Even if the crazy idea that lawmakers were even subtly trying to encourage seniors or other critically ill patients to ''just die'' were true, that would require the complicity of doctors and hospitals. My experience has been that all the doctors---some good, some not so good, in my opinion---sincerely worked hard to care for their patients according to the patients' wishes.

    Instead of using this provision to try to scare people, how much better it would be if it could be used to open up discussion about the importance of deciding NOW how you want to be treated medically if a critical situation arises. I know some people don't want to even consider such a thing, but it's sort of like making out a will and deciding who will raise your kids, etc., if you die. No one wants to think of such an awful outcome, but we owe it to ourselves and to our families to do so.

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  26. Sarah Palin continues to be unethical.
    She has had somebody else write this article and let it appear that she wrote it on her own facebook page. That is deceitful and certainly in character with her lying and fudging the truth she did during the campaign and as governor.
    There is a whole lot of stupid with Palin and her crowd.
    Do they really really think that those conversations don't happen every day, right now to every person, senior or not who becomes seriously ill?
    They do not think people change their minds, on their own as a disease progresses?
    Or if lucky, their prognosis is better?

    As I said, these people are stupid. Either they are too stupid to think for themselves or they are evil and are lying for whatever reason.

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  27. Anonymous8:57 AM

    Gawker noticed the inconsistency as well. Hilarious. Can't link, but please check it out.

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  28. Anonymous9:01 AM

    One of her "ghostwriters" has been found out:
    http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2009/08/13/sarah-palins-facebook-alter-ego-gets-found-out/

    After reading the messages from her supporters, this screenwriter pretending to be Palin on Facebook had this to say, “This was not a political movement. This was a religious movement – her faith-based values and her social agenda are what make her followers so loyal.”

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  29. Anonymous9:02 AM

    well if lil missy is "blogging" on facebook I imagine she is sitting in her mothers basement wearing pyjamas and lipstick... while spewing vitriol online...

    F$%K off SP... you are an insult to the entire nation, let alone those of us who blog or read and subscribe to blogs...

    BTW... who are you paying to write that junk on your facebook page? your word salad brain couldn't conjure up a cogent piece of crap like that...

    stupid is as stupid does...

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  30. Note to Sarah:
    Shut the F**k Up!
    Quitting your position as Governor makes your point totally insignificant. Except for your rabid base, NO ONE CARES about your bat shit crazy interpretations of the health bill.
    If you really want to help America, fix your dysfunctional family first.
    The more you speak, the more moronic you become.

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  31. Anonymous9:13 AM

    Anyone who has a family that they care about should take steps to ease their family's burden should they meet an untimely fate. This includes having a will an a living will. One of my irrational fears is that I end up in a vegetive state, kept alive by machines. To prevent that, there is a 'do not resuscitate' clause in my living will. I'm not old and I expect to live a good bit longer, but you never know. It just makes good sense to be prepared, to make sure that your family and your doctors are aware of what you want at the end because we are all going to get there sometime.

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  32. Anonymous9:20 AM

    Well, I think she has at least three people writing for her now. We all know that the reason she is posting these things on her facebook page is because she certainly can't go on TV. Could you imagine her answering anything coherently?

    I think this is why she is going the facebook route. Unfortunately for her you can read her "quitty" speaches and anyone with half a brain knows she is not writing this garbage. It is not helping her that is for sure. She needs to just quietly go away. Everything she does at this point just makes her look worse.

    debinOH

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  33. Anonymous9:27 AM

    anonymous at 8:57... you stretch truth... that man was NOT a GHOST WRITER, he was an absolute imposter...

    you stretch the truth by making it sound he was in cahoots w the Palin bunch... bad on YOU

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  34. L.A. in S.F.9:37 AM

    The Grifter is a celebrity, a tabloid celebrity at that. She is no longer a politician. I don't care what she thinks about oil prices or public health. She should not now, and never should have been, part of the national conversation. So, let's not even pay attention to her public policy statements. She's an idiot. Instead, let's focus on the fun stuff shall we? As for me, I think all the kids are "on" limits here. I think the whole family is fair game. And I think the sooner that Babygate comes out, the happier I shall be.

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  35. Well done piece Gryphen. No that was NOT written by either sarah or meg, they both have ruined their 'brand'.

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  36. I agree with all the earlier comments. Her graniose sense of self-importance, inability to see herself as she truly is, lack of empathy, arrogance and her demands of admiration are evidence of Narcissistic personality disorder. The lying and conning, failure to plan ahead, irresponsible behavior and aggression are traits of Antisocial personality disorder.

    She is dangerous because she has a public platform and loyal followers. Let's keep educating others about her and her lies.

    While she may not have much traction in some places, I assure you that she is popular in Texas. The inability of her followers to see outside of their paradigms is scary.

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  37. I am of mixed feelings, but I like the idea that sarah is spending more of her ill gotten gains on van flea and ghostwriters. I am sure that their cost will go up because IF their actual collaboration with this whack-job gets out their reputation(brand) is in the sewer.

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  38. Anonymous9:46 AM

    We all know she did not write this, she does not even have the intellect to read that much of this bill. That is why she blurted out about the death panel. Agin, she is writing this much to confuse the people of the real issues. Thank you for reading her facebook page, because just reading the beginning I could not stomach her word salad. And this is the person that complained about bloggers sitting in their parent's basement in their pajamas. Where is she writing all this? at home probably in her pajamas, that's why I know that she did not write all this. too much knowledge!!!

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  39. Anonymous9:47 AM

    She is a compulsive liar. You can't believe a word she says. HOWEVER!

    Despite the fact that even Maddow is giving Palin a pass on it, and everyone else in the MSM is treating the matter as if it is invisible --

    Why is anything on Palin's Facebook reported as news OR as being her own work?

    If she holds a news conference, or sits down for an interview -- that would be news. Going to her Facebook page to pick up a quote from a ghostwriter? That's pathetic. That's pandering.

    We've all seen Palin's writing. It has dashes, and lots of exclamation points. Sentence fragments and logical deadends. She's running up to 50, so her language skills are going downhill, not suddenly embracing the art of the semicolon.

    Political personalities have speechwriters. We accept this, and accept those speeches as the politician's opinion. Palin is no longer a politician. She does not get that indulgence. When she posts the writing of someone else on her Facebook, a public, personal site, it is blatently disingenuous.

    I don't care if Brian Williams, Olbermann or Colbert are "reporting" on her latest post. Or if it's one of the anti-Palin sites, however well-run. If the article accepts and promotes the lie that posts under Palin's name are anything other than the work of others, and fail to make it clear that Palin is nothing more than a conduit for divisive rhetoric...

    I've gone and lost my point now. I think I was going to threaten to eat worms.

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  40. Anonymous9:48 AM

    My husband and I had living wills done in our early 30s. Bottom line is that we all go some day, and neither of us wanted extraordinary measures taken, to be hooked up to machines indefinately, the list of things that we don't want in the event of a disaster is endless...

    We paid to have it done thru an attorney, and I am so relieved that it is on paper. One less thing to worry about in this crazy world.

    This issue is one that all people need to discuss with their loved ones &/or physicians, and if it can be covered under Medicare/Medicaid/Insurance, that's great. I think it's pretty obvious though, that SP and her followers are not playing with a full deck, those who are buying into her arguments will buy into them regardless of rational arguments that are counter to her stated position. That she attracts so many of those most in need of the tax cuts, medical assistance & educational assistance that she decries (while taking advantage of it herself within her own family, see PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE HEALTH COVERAGE FOR TODD AND THE KIDS) is a horrific bit of irony.

    SMR

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  41. Anonymous9:49 AM

    So I wonder if all of her followers "who are just like me" because they speak the same you betcha kind of language are lost now with these facebook messages. Too much reading and comprehension skills needed. Will they fade away in disappointment that she is no longer just like them?

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  42. Anonymous10:11 AM

    As soon as I read the FB page--I assumed it was written by someone else. I'm simply waiting for the other shoe to drop, as to who that is.

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  43. Anonymous10:20 AM

    Anonymous @9:20--That was my attempt at humor--I was not intending to portray the screenwriter as part of the Palin crowd. Not cool to be an imposter, but interesting insights added to the mix of information coming out about Palin.

    ReplyDelete
  44. My guess is the infamous RAM is now doing her writin'. just makin' stuff up I am !

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  45. Anonymous10:46 AM

    I'm probably repeating something already posted, but there is no way SP wrote this. Are we all supposed to believe she became rational, intellectual, capable of thought and punctuation in a mere matter of days? I think this gawker article says it best:

    http://gawker.com/5336475/theres-just-no-way-sarah-palins-writing-her-facebook-notes

    Ayerishgrl

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  46. I don't even know where to begin. Does anyone think that $P's most loyal subjects are able to understand anything in that piece? And how is it that they will remain blind to the extreme differences between how it was written and how she actually writes and speaks?

    Crazy, man, just crazy. "More evidence" that this government is out to getcha! Oh really? Well, she should come right out and damn the Republican who put the free consultation provision in the bill, then, right?

    And just once, I'd like to hear her lay out a plan to fix the BROKEN health insurance system we have now. But no. Not her. Not anyone else either. The say-no'ers' primary purpose in stirring up fear and inciting violence is to make sure this attempt at reform fails. And fail for two reasons: one, so it looks bad for President Obama, and two, so the ripoff insurance companies and the rest of the for-profit health care industry can continue to rip us off.

    It's enough to make you sick if you aren't already.

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  47. Anonymous11:09 AM

    I hate to sound sexist, but I hope someone else is taking over and she is being a mother now.

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  48. Anonymous11:14 AM

    Someone should ask her to clarify a point in one of "her" posts. That will let everyone see that she is not capable of thinking.

    and then ask her what "Orwellian" means and what it refers to....hahahahaha

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  49. Her supporters are stupid enough to think she is writing these post. One even posted wow and to think people call her stupid, we need her for POTUS. All her references to prove she is right are from writers for Rupert Murdock papers or conservative foundations. The clip of the president is cut to make is sound like he said just take a pill. They are too stupid to listen to the whole exchange and find out this is just another evil lie by these a..holes. Anyone with a brain knows that the conservatives are doing nothing but lying. There is no reason to believe a single thing they say. That should serve them well in the coming years as more and more people reject them. Then they can cry see they are persecuting Christians. No we are calling out your lying, evil ways. $arah Palin is an evil, lying, despicable, excuse for a human being. The sooner she goes away the better America will be.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Gryphen, please read this article by
    Ariel Gonzalez:
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ariel-gonzalez/what-sarah-palin-and-othe_b_258277.html

    He says that the damage SP is inflicting upon the country, in her misguided attempt to be a patriot, makes her a "patriotic traitor."

    "When I call Sarah Palin a patriotic traitor, I'm not equating her with Benedict Arnold, Vidkun Quisling, or Kim Philby. She's not aiding and abetting a foreign power. Note the adjective. I have no reason to doubt that she loves the United States. But like the general in Seven Days in May, she'll do whatever is necessary to maintain her parochial and jingoistic image of it. As would Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, the tea baggers, the birthers, and the deathers."

    They don't see their hypocrisy:

    "Their cognitive dissonance is so profound, they really believe everything they hear that conforms to their primitive belief system."

    He nailed it. This is the difficulty--they believe what they say because, in my words, they are unable to see reality. Someone should intervene and help them with their "cognitive dissonance."

    This is what we are dealing with--people with primitive belief systems and a parochial image of the United States and our government.

    ReplyDelete
  51. SouthernMiss11:51 AM

    kerryann63, Please accept my condolences on the loss of your mother and your child. My heart goes out to you.

    My mother has alzheimer's disease and my father is dying of terminal lung cancer. Hospice comes to my house to help him stay as comfortable as possible. They have been an absolute godsend.
    My father, a pragmatic man, has made his wishes known in writing and verbally to all of our family. So when some in the family want him to be given blood or to resume chemo. I tell them "no", knowing, as his advocate, I am doing exactly what my father wants. That living will and that medical power of attorney allows me to give my final gift to him --- making sure his choice of whatever treatment he does or doesn't want is respected and followed.

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  52. Anonymous11:54 AM

    Blog posts by $arah's followers show they LOVE her more scholarly facebook post. It has LOTS OF FOOTNOTES. That smacks down Obama, oh boy. They really think she's got him scared. Uh huh.

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  53. Anonymous11:57 AM

    Even I were to buy any of this ghostwritten nonsense (oh, sure: babies before "death panels" just meant she was worried seniors needing hospice care might feel "pressured" to cut costs. How could anyone possible have miscontrued that "death panel" thing?)....where exactly are those "death panels" in these provisions? And where is there ANYTHING that suggests these provisions could, even sifted through the fog of the most opportunistic and obtuse mind, mean that Down Syndrome infants (or anyone else) will be called in to defend their lives?

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  54. Anonymous12:08 PM

    Miss Wasilla was in favor of Death Panels last year, go to dailykos to see the new diary. I would paste here but it won't let me do that.

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  55. Palin can't put a sentence together, so we know she's not writing anything on her Facebook; she can't appear on TV because she makes a fool of herself-for everyone to see; she can't appear on radio because her worshippers can't see her cutsey winks and facial/hand expressions, and we all know she can't carry on a meaningful interview. The only thing she has left is to hire somebody to do her dirty work. Enter Meg Stapleton, a/k/a "word slinger," "hack writer" "Pen for hire." Meg will do anything for a buck. She spouts all of Palins deceptive and misleading untruths.

    Read the Rusmussen Reports article, "The Real Death Panel." It's pretty informative. Palin and Meg should also read it. They need to educate themselves on the real issues - not the issues in their delusional minds.

    http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/political_commentary/commentary_by_joe_co:

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  56. Anonymous12:12 PM

    One of her fawning fans suggested she hold her own Town Hall meeting on health care reform. Sign me up for the pay-per-view because I would pay to see her spontaneously answer substantive policy questions on live tv.

    This whole death panel idea is cribbed from what Newt said a few days earlier.

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  57. Anonymous12:14 PM

    Gryphen - see ThinkProgress - Sarah the Gov. was for "death panels" before she was against them.

    Of course!

    http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/13/palin-deathpanel-flipflop/#comments

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  58. Anonymous12:19 PM

    Gryphen, sorry for the long post but apparently she was for the socalled "death panels" before she was against it.
    -----------------
    WHEREAS, Healthcare Decisions Day is designed to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for healthcare decisions, related to end of life care and medical decision-making whenever patients are unable to speak for themselves and to encourage the specific use of advance directives to communicate these important healthcare decisions.

    WHEREAS, in Alaska, Alaska Statute 13.52 provides the specifics of the advance directives law and offers a model form for patient use.

    WHEREAS, it is estimated that only about 20 percent of people in Alaska have executed an advance directive. Moreover, it is estimated that less than 50 percent of severely or terminally ill patients have an advance directive.

    WHEREAS, it is likely that a significant reason for these low percentages is that there is both a lack of knowledge and considerable confusion in the public about Advance Directives.

    WHEREAS, one of the principal goals of Healthcare Decisions Day is to encourage hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, continuing care retirement communities, and hospices to participate in a statewide effort to provide clear and consistent information to the public about advance directives, as well as to encourage medical professionals and lawyers to volunteer their time and efforts to improve public knowledge and increase the number of Alaska’s citizens with advance directives.

    WHEREAS, the Foundation for End of Life Care in Juneau, Alaska, and other organizations throughout the United States have endorsed this event and are committed to educating the public about the importance of discussing healthcare choices and executing advance directives.

    WHEREAS, as a result of April 16, 2008, being recognized as Healthcare Decisions Day in Alaska, more citizens will have conversations about their healthcare decisions; more citizens will execute advance directives to make their wishes known; and fewer families and healthcare providers will have to struggle with making difficult healthcare decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient.

    NOW, THEREFORE, I, Sarah Palin, Governor of the state of Alaska, do hereby proclaim April 16, 2008, as:

    Reesie in VA

    ReplyDelete
  59. I am a mother of five children. ( Unlike Sarah, I care about them, love them and have their best interests at heart). Each time I was admitted to the hospital to give birth, I was asked to sign a "Living Will" in case anything were to go wrong. You know, whether to be kept alive on machines or not, questions about if I wanted a religious person administer last rites, etc. Each one of my children were born in different hospitals and two different states. I did not confuse any of this formality as a "death panel".
    Also, when my mother was dying, they took my sisters and I into a room and asked us what her wishes were. She could have been kept alive a little longer, with great pain and suffering. We decided on a morphine drip, no nutrients. This in no way resembled a "death panel".
    This whole supposeded misunderstanding is about situations similar to these. How the hell can this confuse people? Even someone with a Lizard Brain ought to understand the motive. The motive is to let the patient die with dignity. This is a great idea to have a living will drawn up alongside a regular will. It's not just for Senior Citizens. It's for anyone who is suffering from a terminal disease or who has had a fatal accident, etc.

    ReplyDelete
  60. Snowing in Alaska12:50 PM

    @ LisanTX

    Of course she's popular in Texas! Many Texans have the same blown up attitudes & feelings of importance as many Alaskans (Palin, WAR, many more) and usually get on famously with same. But you know who else is in TX? Taking her down and all the others, a chuckle and a slap at a time? Margaret of Margaret & Helen's now famous blog. And many more great folks like YOU.

    So cheer up dear heart, and keep doing what you are doing. We are fighting back, and we get tougher by the day. It's easy to be on the wrong side of truth like Palin - we know how she likes the easy path. Our road is harder, longer but has many rewards awaiting us - and we will never have to be afraid to look in the mirror, or to "meet our maker".

    It's happening on our watch, so we need to be there as so many countless good folks were there before us - pushing back the fear and intolerance in our great land. History reveals that the seeds of action and thought will turn into movement and change. Since the whack jobs don't want ANY change, they are limited, and stuck.

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  61. "she thinks the POTUS is talking to her? She needs a long rest in a quiet padded room."

    Along with the other voices in her head. When she looks in the Mirror and asks, Who is the Fairest of them all?" They answer back and say "You dearest".

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  62. Anonymous1:10 PM

    what's going to be funny is how the posts on facebook that are not written by her are going to stand in contrast to the 'real writings' of sarah palin. this is going to get pretty funny.

    seems like someone with more than half a brain would have considered how obvious these things are going to look. praise the f-ing forces this woman did not become vp. but hey, maybe she would have quit by now anyway.

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  63. Shouldn't the Facebook entries be credited to the person that actually wrote them?

    For certain, it is not Palin writing this unless she increased her ability to read, comprehend issues and actually write a coherent sentence in these few short weeks since she aborted her Gov'ship.

    Unless of course she's been sequestered at a Sylan Learning Center remedial writing and reading program for the last 18 days. Then perhaps she could have acquired these skills in such a very short time, but I'm still doubtful.

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  64. SouthernMiss: I'm sure that your parents had great faith in your ability to stand up for their end-of-life decisions. It is never an easy thing to do, but it honors our parents wishes and is a tribute to their choice to control their own destiny.

    If people could only be aware of how every day INSURANCE COMPANIES are rationing by denying care. It's gone on for years.

    The true "death panels" are Barbie and Bimbette, your local Insurance clerk.

    In many ways Sen. Grassley WAS absolutely correct. These ARE decisions that should be made at least 20 years before the "end of life" but often it is not done because people don't think about it. If you visit an attorney to make out a will, they will also include Medical Directives and a Living Will as part of the package.

    But about those people who did not think about their final directives - should we just not offer them an option to choose?

    It's easy to say it should be done early, but people being people, it isn't always done that way. So why punish those who would take advantage of this as a Medicare covered option?

    Not everyone operates at the same speed. Those of us who have done all of this, usually have gone through an experience with our parents and tend to think about things for our own wishes.

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  65. Anonymous2:39 PM

    Can anyone truly believe that she is so freaking stupid as to think President Obama is dialoguing with her?

    Why would he waste his time talking to a big fat nobody?

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  66. FEDUP!!!3:07 PM

    So, the guy who opened the fake palin account on Facebook got canned because he is an imposter.
    Wouldn't it be logical for Facebook to cancel Sarah's account, also, too, because, after all, IT IS NOT SHE WHO IS WRITING THOSE NOTES, but an IMPOSTER (i.e. a ghost writer)...
    Maybe we could try to get this message across the facebook owners?

    Oooh! I just checked around a bit, and this here might actually be the site to use...:
    http://tinyurl.com/qf7xb8

    ReplyDelete
  67. Lisabeth3:30 PM

    Even CNN is laughing at Sarahs post on facebook. They said it looked like a "term paper." And they did a fact check that said she is WRONG (her ghost writer can't read either!) they said there is no panel at all. Everyone is getting very very sick of $carah Palin and her lies. What she is doing now is another form of outright lying. She is implying she wrote this. Of course most know she didn't but a few people might be unaware of how inarticulate she is. Everything about Scarah is a big fat lie.

    What's also pathetic is her mode of communicating. On facebook??? Give me a break. How can anyone take her seriously. Be an icon to your followers, that is your right! But please Scarah stay put of politics. You aren't smart enough and you do not have the right temperament!

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  68. In another life, I was a paralegal for the Legal Services corporation here in NC; I ran what we called the Elder Law program, federally funded legal assistance for those age 60 and over. A huge part of my job was educating seniors on Living Wills and Advance Directives; our lawyers drafted the documents and I, as a notary, helped a couple of hundred of them get signed. The federal funding covered anyone 60 and over, no matter their financial situation. So...the "feds" have been funding education and prep of these types of documents for decades.
    My sister was recently faced with these decisions as she entered end-stage cancer, and I have to commend and recommend hospice as an agency truly helping families. They were compassionate and professional and totally dedicated to my sister's care and comfort, and they made sure we all had a chance to ask questions and understand what we could expect. Medical care professionals, not insurance company bureaucrats.....

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  69. Snowing in Alaska--Thanks for your response!

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  70. Anonymous6:00 PM

    Palin is treading in very dangerous political waters by passing off a ghost writer's statements as her own. At some point, she'll be speaking again in public, and the total disconnect between skillfully written Facebook statements and her poor oral and intellectual ability will clearly demonstrate her scam.

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  71. Anonymous11:54 AM

    Stapletounge did not write this either. This is out of Washington or NYC....look at former NYT columnist and also a certain husband of a certain TVeeee hack commentator....one of them most certainly is doing her writing and will continue to bait.

    If anyone knows who Trig's mother is it is definitely time to step up to the plate. It is time for sarah to find another interest that is a little less damaging to the country.

    Please someone up there rake the muck!

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  72. Regarding Dr. Emanuel: I wonder if any of the right-wing nutjobs would recognize the irony of this story:
    http://bonecounter.blogspot.com/2009/08/dr-death-and-unos-collaborate-to-ration.html

    ReplyDelete
  73. Condolences to everyone!

    @ LisanTX

    I remember reading at fivethirtyeight.com after the election that, sometime between 2016 and 2020, Texas will become as blue as California. There's a good chance that Texas will be a SWING STATE in 2012!! It's all about the shrinking base, so unless the GOP gets its act together ASAP... :)

    ---

    Usually, when I read something, I imagine a voice saying it. When I read Her first "death panel" post, I imagined SP actually reading it aloud.

    I can NOT imagine her reading this!

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