"Stop Lying"

From Josh Marshall at TPM:

Obama isn't saying the right thing. He should be saying, "Stop lying." Or maybe he should send Biden out to say it. That's probably the best thing.

I'm not basing this on some misguided sense that being aggressive is what's required. Rather, I'm basing it on how the MSM works. They report what politicians say. And they don't fact check them. That's the system -- maybe you don't like it. I don't like it either. But it's not changing any time soon.

That's a key point, so I'm going to repeat it. All the broadcast MSM does is report what politicians say. They don't fact check them. Afterwards, they have blowhards sit around in panels and have disingenuous spin-meister discussions about whether or not what was said is playing well with the general public.

And the public option is probably dying a slow, painful death.

From the New York Times:

PHOENIX — The White House, facing increasing skepticism over President Obama’s call for a public insurance plan to compete with the private sector, signaled Sunday that it was willing to compromise and would consider a proposal for a nonprofit health cooperative being developed in the Senate.

The “public option,” a new government insurance program akin to Medicare, has been a central component of Mr. Obama’s agenda for overhauling the health care system, but it has also emerged as a flashpoint for anger and opposition. Kathleen Sebelius, the health and human services secretary, said the public option was “not the essential element” for reform and raised the idea of the co-op during an interview on CNN.

So. There we are. And I find it quite depressing.

Cold Feet

Tomorrow afternoon, I have an appointment with an ophthalmologist in the next town over for a consultation about cataract surgery, but first thing in the morning, I'm calling to cancel the appointment. I'm getting cold feet about having the surgery at all, and I'm not sure that I want this doctor to be my surgeon. If I keep the appointment, I'm afraid the whole situation will take on an air of inevitability, and I will end up with him doing the surgery, but not really being at peace with the decision. I think I want to go to New Orleans to have the surgery.

In my lifetime, I've had a good many surgeries, and I'm generally not afraid, but I'm queasy about surgery on my eyes, and I want to make the arrangements so that I can be as peaceful as possible about the procedure.

Say a prayer that I find a good surgeon and that I can move forward in this situation, as I seem just about paralyzed right now. I've already delayed for several months, not that it really matters, because there is no emergency.

Thought For The Day

The saints amongst us may resist the temptations that inevitably follow upon the assumption of positions of power, but they are few and far between.

Really, I Wish Her Well....

A few folks have taken my words in this post as being critical of the appointment of Canon Dr Alyson Barnett-Cowan as Director for Unity, Faith and Order at the Anglican Communion Office. Folks who know her and have worked with her attest to her many gifts and believe that she is an excellent choice for the position. I have no reason to doubt their opinions. I'm sure that Canon Barnett-Cowan is a fine person, and I hope that she will do an excellent job during her term in the office. I support her wholeheartedly, and I shall pray for her.

My reference to Maggie Thatcher in the previous post was a joke, and not meant as a judgment on the Canon as a person or on her ability to do the job. In truth, I'm quite pleased that a Canadian woman was appointed to such a prestigious post.

I repeat that the title of the new office in the AC reminded me of a combination of Rome's Holy Office and The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the office which was in charge of pursuing the policies of the Inquisition in earlier periods in the history of the Christian church. In addition, the acronym for the title is unfortunate and is likely to be the butt of jokes, and not just by Adrian and me. Rowan's determination to concentrate authority in his office and in the Primates causes me to cast a suspicious eye on the restructuring, but not at all because of Canon Barnett-Cowan's appointment.

In my humble opinion, Pluralist's fantasy of an imaginary meeting between the Canon and the archdeacon is hilarious and not at all meant to demean her. Of course, I could be wrong. I hope that Canon Barnett-Cowan has a robust sense of humor, for I believe she will need it in her new position.

In "The Very Core Of English British Culture"

From WalesOnline:

AND you thought it was just warm, tasty and calming...

Academics have found that the humble mug of tea actually performs a “culturally-rooted, symbiotic function between mind and body”.

The study by researchers at London’s City University investigated why a cuppa is the most common British response to a crisis. Nearly seven out of 10 people told the researchers that putting a kettle on was their favourite way of taking the heat out of a dilemma.

Two thirds said they brewed up to tackle a stressful day at work, more than half cited office politics, a quarter said they needed a cup of tea after an argument, while 21% said it could soothe a broken heart.

The academics were even able to put a figure on the amount of tea needed to restore calm: 1.6 cups of tea with milk and 1.5 sugars

Psychologist Dr Malcolm Cross concluded: “The ritual of making and drinking tea – particularly during times of stress – is at the very core of British culture.

How in heaven's name did I get situated in "the very core of British culture"? I blame the shockingly long list of English novels that I read in my impressionable teenage years.

I love the taste of tea, and the ritual of making tea is nearly as soothing as drinking tea. Tea with loose tea leaves, that is. The teabags don't do it for me.

I drink two mugs of tea in the morning, each with half a teaspoon of sugar and a little milk, a bit more than the optimal amount that the academics conclude is just right, and the occasional cup later in the day. I confess that the tea works quite well to calm my morning shock at having to wake up and face the day.

The tea in the picture would be weak tea, indeed, for me, so perphaps I'm not so steeped in "the very core of British culture" as I believed.

PS: Thanks to Ann for the link.

Story Of The Day

Living in the Past

I've always liked living in
the past best, she said. It
takes less money than I
make now.

From StoryPeople

Part Of The Act

From Doug. The other clippings were too - ahem - something for my blog.

More Prayers, Please

From TheMe:

Beloved
...is laid low at the moment with Bacterial Labyrinthitis so will not be posting at Pen and Paper, for a few days at least.

Poor Petty Witter. The symptoms sound dreadful. I pray she doesn't have the worst of them and that she recovers quickly.

Pluralist Launches Missile No. 2 At UFO

This time, I give you pure Pluralist, without commentary, because in our previous post, some of you didn't understand our commentary. If you have questions about Adrian's post, please take them up with him.

This dispatch also goes forth from the Holy Office of the Laity. Just saying.

Letter To Conservative Christians

From God's Politics:

An Open Letter On Health Care to Conservative Christians in the U.S. - by Brian McLaren 08-11-2009

...I have been growing more and more deeply troubled by the way so many from my heritage in conservative Christianity – in its evangelical, charismatic, and Roman Catholic streams – have allowed themselves to be spiritually formed by various conservative political and economic ideologies. It’s been disturbing to see how many Christians have begun to follow and trust leaders who live more by political/media/ideological codes than by moral/spiritual/biblical ones.
....

Now, in the debate about health care, I am similarly disheartened to see the relative silence of thoughtful Christian voices as counterpoint to the predictable rhetoric of the more reactive voices. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been getting mass e-mails and Web links from evangelical and charismatic organizations that present frightening and outlandish claims about what President Obama is planning to do regarding health care. I’ve checked into these claims, and in case after case, they are simply false. They’re based on rumors spread by certain dramatic radio and cable-tv personalities, but they are not based in truth.

H/T to Andrew Gerns at The Lead.

----------

From David@Montreal:

dearest Mimi & Paul
I'm forwarding this e-mail from David Axelrod in case the link to the 'reality check' or any of the other details might be of use in your blogs.

the circus & ugliness around this issue really saddens me.

love you both

Dear Friend,

This is probably one of the longest emails I’ve ever sent, but it could be the most important.

Across the country we are seeing vigorous debate about health insurance reform. Unfortunately, some of the old tactics we know so well are back — even the viral emails that fly unchecked and under the radar, spreading all sorts of lies and distortions.

As President Obama said at the town hall in New Hampshire, “where we do disagree, let's disagree over things that are real, not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that's actually been proposed.”

So let’s start a chain email of our own. At the end of my email, you’ll find a lot of information about health insurance reform, distilled into 8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage, 8 common myths about reform and 8 reasons we need health insurance reform now.

Right now, someone you know probably has a question about reform that could be answered by what’s below. So what are you waiting for? Forward this email.

Thanks,
David

David Axelrod
Senior Adviser to the President

Learn more and get details.

P.S. We launched Reality Check this week to knock down the rumors and lies that are floating around the internet. You can find the information below, and much more, there. For example, we've just added a video of Nancy-Ann DeParle from our Health Reform Office tackling a viral email head on. Check it out.