Wednesday, September 9, 2009

There is Little More Disgusting Than a Traitor Begging for $$$$$ in Front of the Entire Nation

Well, actually it is even more disgusting for the traitor begging for money in front of the entire nation, to be let off for his craven treachery. We'll see how this plays out in the media.

In President Obama's health care speech Wednesday evening, South Carolina U. S. Representative, Joe Wilson shouted "You Lie!!!" at President Obama, as Obama stated the truthful fact that no contemplated health care legislation would pay for the medical care of illegal aliens:


If I had my way, South Carolina would be another country, and Wilson wouldn't be allowed to disgrace the public discourse. A lot of South Carolinians would like to secede, so it might be doable. Many South Carolinians weren't, aren't and never will be "real" Americans, to purloin a term used by one of their current heroes, secessionist fan, Crazy Woman of the North.

Does 21st Century South Carolina traitor Rep. Joe Wilson equal 19th Century South Carolina traitor, Sen. Preston Brooks in his mendacity?

It was on the same floor that this despicable traitor yelled "You Lie!!!" at President Obama, that, 153 years and four months ago, Wilson's South Carolina predecessor in the U.S. legislature, Sen. Preston Brooks, helped precipitate the most costly war in our nation's history, by another cowardly attack. South Carolina Senator Preston Brooks may be the biggest coward in U.S. legislative history:

At first intending to challenge [Massachusetts Sen. Charles] Sumner to a duel, Brooks consulted with fellow South Carolina Rep. Laurence M. Keitt on dueling etiquette. Keitt instructed him that dueling was for gentlemen of equal social standing, and suggested that Sumner occupied a lower social status comparable to a drunkard due to the supposedly coarse language he had used during his speech. Brooks thus decided to attack Sumner with a cane.


Two days after the speech, on the afternoon of May 22, Brooks confronted Sumner as he sat writing at his desk in the almost empty Senate chamber. Brooks was accompanied by Keitt and
Henry A. Edmundson of Virginia. Brooks said, "Mr. Sumner, I have read your speech twice over carefully. It is a libel on South Carolina, and Mr. Butler, who is a relative of mine." As Sumner began to stand up, Brooks began beating Sumner on the head with his thick gutta-percha cane with a gold head. Sumner was trapped under the heavy desk (which was bolted to the floor), but Brooks continued to bash Sumner until he ripped the desk from the floor.


By this time, Sumner was blinded by his own blood, and he staggered up the aisle and collapsed, lapsing into unconsciousness. Brooks continued to beat Sumner until he broke his cane, then quietly left the chamber. Several other senators attempted to help Sumner, but were blocked by Keitt who was holding a pistol and shouting "Let them be!"

As most American school children who aren't kept out of class for trifles know, South Carolina, five years after this cowardly incident, began the war that killed more American young men than Kaiser Wilhem, Mussolini Tojo and Hitler combined. That's right - South Carolina is responsible for more dead Americans than Hitler and Tojo.

South Carolina is responsible for 200 or more times as many dead Americans as Al Qaeda.


Wilson is just one of the most recent in a long line of South Carolina traitors. Good people who live there have to deal with that.

But Wilson was probably being more cynically craven than his predecessor, the cane-wielding Sen. Brooks. What Wilson was actually doing, by yelling "You Lie!!!" was baying for money.

From corporations.

The health care battle is, among other things, about attenuating rapidly growing corporate power. The people fighting against sensible health care reform aren't the "Don't Tread on Me" Xianist teabaggers, so much as they are the behind-the-scenes corporate funders of this movement that has sucked in so many innocents, through the corporate-encouraged fear invoking imagery and tactics.

Today, the same day our president had to carefully say very little that would encourage true progressives in his health care speech, because Obama is also baying for corporate money, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that I predict will vastly increase corporate power over our political life, and to the secrecy of people who donate to corporate campaigns that erode democracy and the basis of our Republic.

Here's NPR's Nina Totenburg's report:


It is an excellent report. The claim made by people seeking to overturn almost all existing campaign finance reform law through this case, who state "money is speech," and "people should be able to articulate free speech," are speaking for shadowy, immensely powerful global corporate interests, who are already able to claim the unique advantage of being "persons" who never die, and know no national borders, yet are able to be represented in our courts as if they were you or me.

Here are Sen. John McCain and Sen. Russ Feingold, speaking about today's high court hearing:


It is interesting that Sen. McCain, a man whose closest chance at the U.S. Presidency - in 2000 - was shut down in a South Carolina primary election, refers specifically to Teddy Roosevelt's early 20th century efforts at campaign finance reform. Roosevelt's efforts were spurred on by his disgust at heavy-handed and secret machinations by insurance companies. Roosevelt also, as a 1912 presidential candidate, campaigned aggressively for health care and health insurance reform. South Carolina voted against him.

American history is as rich in irony, as it is in tragedy and treachery.

16 comments:

CGinWI said...

I agree that Wilson was baying for money. I got mad, then I did what I could to get even by making a contribution to his opponent.

Anonymous said...

I hope your research will receive a much wider distribution!
Thank you for the history lesson!

Kelly said...

Wilson apologizes -- ASAP

September 09, 2009

Joe Wilson (R-SC) has issued an apology for heckling President Obama, about an hour after the speech -- a clear sign the GOP realizes just how damaging his performance was.

His statement:

"This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the President’s remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill. While I disagree with the President’s statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the President for this lack of civility."

By Glenn Thrush 10:18 PM

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0909/Wilson_apologizes__ASAP.html

Philip Munger said...

Geoffrey Dunn has penned his own scathing essay:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/geoffrey-dunn/rep-joe-wilson-is-an-assh_b_281640.html

Anonymous said...

More professionalism from the Republicans. Why are the Democrats accused of being uppity? They keep their cool.

Oh, my word verification today is "coping" LOL

Bones AK said...

I posted this on Dunn's piece last night, but for some reason HP did not let it pass:
I concur.
I have also tried to email joe wilson, got the same message, sent and email anyway. Tried his phone, it was busy.

I did get an email off to Speaker Pelosi, by her expression, she was not a bit happy, I suggested she consider censure.

Keith Obermann made him Worst person in the World tonight and will have a Special Comment for him tonight.

Of interest joe wilson is a retired colonel in the Army Reserves, and had served as Staff Judge Advocate for the S.C. National Guard. He retired in 2003.

I do not know if the UCMJ covers retirees or not, it would be nice to court marshal him as this was overt disrespect to the Commander-in-Chief in front of millions of viewers.

I checked with ActBlue.com and they have gotten 2,425 Supporters and $80,776 Raised TONIGHT! for his up coming opponent. It is now up to 9,895
Supporters and $361,486


Rove thought it great as did Rush, but neither ever wore a uniform (BOTH ARE COWARDS) but he did! I would love to see his pension yanked at the very least and have him thrown out of the House of Representatives on his sorry ASS!

South Carolina sure makes Alaska good lately, and that is pretty hard to do what with Sarah Palin and all.

Unknown said...

Hi Phil,

I just listened to Max Blumenthal on Terry Gross/Fresh Air/NPR.

It was awesome. I hope you can get it from the NPR site or somewhere else if you missed it.

Michelle

Anonymous said...

Good lord.

Sometimes I can't believe what I read on this blog.

Phil, you get into borderline crackpot territory whenever you start comparing people such as Sarah Palin or Joe Wilson to Stalin or Hitler.

Palin or Wilson, as far as I know, have never once in their lives gassed a Jew.

You so grossly distort and malign these people, plus you just flat out make shit up (impending legal trouble for the Palins quoted by some law enforcement official) that it really is hard to take you seriously anymore, not that I ever really did.

Classy dude, really fucking classy.

Philip Munger said...

Anon @ 1:55,

I compared Rep. Wilson to Sen. Brooks. Are you the same anon I recommended for a reading comprehension class? If you took it, you should ask for a refund.

Anonymous said...

WHO CARES? Why is Sen. Begich not passing BO's Health Care?
That is what matters!

KaJo said...

News this morning indicated that the only reason that reprehensible dirtbag Wilson "apologized" (without admitting he was wrong) is because his Republican caucus leaders buttonholed him right away last night and more or less forced him to issue an apology, so that he doesn't become more of a poster boy for Republican stupid than he already is.

However, neither they nor he will admit he's gotten his background "facts" on which he's based his shout-out from an old, outdated rough draft of one of the 5 versions of the health care reform bill.

He never did admit that what Obama was saying last night was a revised version that more likely than not was a nod to bipartisanship.

What's even worse than THAT is that none of the Republicans are admitting that Obama updating them with a revised version of the proposed health care reform bill is a GOOD THING! They're all acting like he's shifting the pea from one walnut shell to another.

Anonymous said...

So you didn't compare Palin to Hitler ?

You're a liar too.

Philip Munger said...

anon @ 4:28 am:

I see no comparison in this essay of Palin to Hitler.

I do see comparisons between the relationship of Christianist groups to shadowy proto-fascists in the USA now, to the relationship of Christian organizations in the late Weimar Republic and early years of the 3rd Reich.

Wilhelm Reich's book, "The Mass Psychology of Fascism" documents that scary relationship in page after page. Max Blumenthal's new book, "Republican Gomorrah" makes similar comparisons. So doesw the work of several other authors, most notable David Neiwert. All of these are backed up with reams of fact, but they certainly aren't comparisons of Palin to Hitler.

I've posted cartoons of her as Hitler a couple of times, but mostly, I compare the fear and hatred generated at many of her appearances and the blind adulation toward her we've all seen, to that shown toward Hitler. I haven't compared the two peoples' personalities, though.

That certainly isn't comparing Palin to Hitler, either. It is historical analysis.

Anonymous said...

"If I had my way, South Carolina would be another country, and Wilson wouldn't be allowed to disgrace the public discourse. "

You're such a prissy , little baby when it comes to your Messiah getting roughed up. I notice you didn't issue a single peep or whinny when Nancy Pelosi was calling US citizens "Nazis" or Harry Reid was "Creeching "evil-mongers" at fellow Americans or when Obama called Palin a liar. Considering the amount of slime you guys have been puking up when it comes to hitting Palin , maybe y'all should just toughen up a little when it comes to "public discourse"....if you can't take it - don't dish it out.Simple really.

Anonymous said...

." Max Blumenthal's new book, "Republican Gomorrah" makes similar comparisons."

Instead of drooling in awe over those that reinforce your bigotry why didn't you do yourself (and us) a favor and start trying to expand your worldview....angry, misogynist and bitter is no way to go through life.

Anonymous said...

"Xianist teabaggers,"

Wow, mighty mature for a grown man ! Do you have any evidence that all those who oppose Obama are Christians who suck each others testicles or is this just your own private fantasy. Do share !