Degree of Madness

They just don't get it. Gang of Six "starting to reach closure" on health care takeover.

UPDATE BELOW, WITH CONTACT LINKS.

Bipartisan compromise:

The Senate Finance Committee's "Gang of Six" is working to strengthen the citizenship requirements for obtaining health care coverage - a hot topic highlighted by Rep. Joe Wilsons "You lie!" outburst during President Obama's congressional address.

The group also is looking at a new medical-malpractice provision, pursuing Mr. Obamas call for such a money-saving measure that is coveted by Republican lawmakers.

Committee Chairman Max Baucus, Montana Democrat, also said Friday that members of the bipartisan negotiating team could have a response to Mr. Obama's proposal on Monday. Mr. Baucus plans to release a formal health care overhaul proposal early next week, with or without Republican support.

"We are starting to reach closure," he said, adding that Monday could be the Gang of Six's last meeting.

It's not just about illegals getting taxpayer funded health care.  It's not just about tort reform.  The whole damn thing is an abomination, an insult to free Americans and a bureaucratic nightmare.  It represents nothing short of a total government takeover of our health care system.  The government makes the rules, enforces the rules, and punishes those who don't obey.  Welcome to The United Socialist States of America. 

The federal government can't run the Post Office, it can't manage Medicare, it can't manage Medicaid, it can't control illegal immigration, it can't manage Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  But praise the Lord and pass the bread it's going to try its hand at running health care for over 300 million people.  A bunch of damn politicians, led by a community organizer.  Are you kidding me?

***UPDATE 9-15-09***

Gang of Six, click name for contact information

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.)

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.)

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont)

Sen. Jeff Bingaman( D-N.M)

Joe Wilson for Truth Czar

Another great sign from the Washington Tea Party Rally/Protest:

(More great pics at TOMLLEWIS)

The Party of HELL NO

So many great signs, so little time.  Responding to Obama's derogatory comments about the "party of no": 

I don't belong to the party of No, (I'm) with the party of HELL NO.

Gotta love it!

Via: Michelle Malkin

George Washington speaks

Via Vodkapundit.

9/12 Tea Party. Can you hear us NOW?

I guess Obama's answer to that is No.  Apparently he left town.  

An early picture of the rally:

Great turnout, this will be huge.  Many, including me, could not be in D.C. today for various reasons, but we support this Tea Party and back the protesters 100%.  Obama and the Dems can ignore us at their peril.  Obama is convinced he has the power and authority to ram his socialist heath "care" plan down our throats.  His speech Wednesday night proved he has not listened to the American people and has no intention of ever doing so:

Like a petulant child, Obama has assumed that the problem is that he hasn’t spoken often or loudly enough, which is one of the reasons that his speeches on health care have not changed an iota in substance but have gotten louder and angrier in tone.

Obama couldn’t sell ObamaCare, and now he wants to scold America for not agreeing with him.

WE will not be scolded.  WE know when we're being lied to.  WE know what's at stake here:

Activists were derided as amateurs who couldn’t turn out a crowd. Then they were smeared as corporate shills. They were criticized for not having a coherent message. Then they were mocked for ideological single-mindedness. They are resented by professional strategists who accuse them of organizing empty protests that won’t translate into electoral gains. But the movement has given birth to a new generation of movers and shakers who have rejected establishment partisan politics for nimble, Internet-facilitated, issues-based advocacy.

We will not back down or go gentle into that good night. 

'But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be
weary and they shall walk and not faint.'

(Compliments of Lucianne's Home Page)

Aaron Horwitz: A legacy of love, laughter and happiness

Never forget:

He seized souls, not letting go until he made them merry. He met a guy in a toy store and, moments later, the two were having a hula hoop contest. He insisted a concierge stop weeping over a bad breakup, then called her at 2:30 a.m. to make sure. He sweet-talked hostesses at four-star restaurants into producing tables for eight (and their phone numbers for dates) and persuaded a street masseur to let Mr. Horwitz give him a massage.

On September 11, 2001, 24 year old Aaron Horwitz was in the World Trade Center, Tower 1.  He was an incredible young man.  Full of life, he could light up a room.  He was also unforgettable:

I just read the last entry in this guestbook before mine and I decided I had to write something too. I was also at the wedding that Michele Kowalski wrote about; my cousin Shawn Jones married Jeannine Damiani. I too that night noticed an exuberant young man, dancing the night away, with Jeannine and Shawn and all of the others from Cantor that night in June 2001. It was your son Aaron, and he was dancing up a storm and had the hugest smile on his face. After September 11th, when Jeannine was tragically taken from us, I asked my sister if she knew if the other people from Cantor who had been at Jeannine's wedding had also died. I specifically asked about Aaron, I didn't even know his name at the time but the image of him dancing at that wedding was something I could not get out of my mind. I am so sad and angry that someone that full of life is not with us anymore. I think about September 11th all the time, I think about Jeannine, I think about my cousins beautiful wedding and all those people from Cantor enjoying life and dancing the night away, and Aaron always pops into my head. I hope you find even a tiny bit of comfort in the fact that people who did not even know Aaron were touched by him and still think about him.

....

I have still not come to terms with never seeing Aaron again, having him make me laugh or spending time together either in NYC or Raquette Lake, his second home. For all that knew him, he has left behind only memories of happiness. Any time Michael Jackson comes on, or another of Aaron's classic songs by the all time greatest pit party thrower, I cannot help but feel a great loss. After the initial sadness, I am always left with a smile, cause that's all Aaron knew how to do, make people smile. He is missed everyday by his friends, brothers and parents. Aaron made the most of his time here and he would want us to do the same.

Aaron was one of 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees who died that day.  And there were so many more.  As the years pass, the shock wears off.  The horror of that day fades.  That's why this tribute is so important.  To remind us of our loss.  Of who we lost, what we lost.

Rest in peace, Aaron.  What a difference you made in such a short time, what a legacy you left behind:

Aaron,
Your legacy of love, laughter and happiness lives on. You are missed today and everyday.

What happens when we elect a community organizer? We get...

All that energy in the White House:

Not that we're inclined to do so, but it would be a mistake to write off Van Jones as a one-off nutjob in the Obama administration. He signifies. The Obama team sought him out and signed him up for his job as green jobs commissar precisely because he is who he is.

Listen, for example, to Obama alter ego Valerie Jarrett pay tribute to Jones before a friendly audience earlier this year: "Oooh. Van Jones, alright! So, Van Jones. We were so delighted to be able to recruit him into the White House. We were watching him, uh, really, he's not that old, for as long as he's been active out in Oakland. And all the creative ideas he has. And so now, we have captured that. And we have all that energy in the White House."

Who do they have in the White House? A self-proclaimed Communist. A vulgar Marxist twice over. A supporter of cold-blooded cop killer Mumia Abu Jamal. A 9/11 Truther . A racist hater, whose hatred extends to the United States. And insofar as his current job is concerned, we have a man who sees the "green jobs" con as a tool for overthrowing capitalism. We have, in short, the complete left-wing nightmare package.

Jones also signifies the meaning of the Obama administration's delegation of authority to a profusion of "czars." As Michelle Malkin observes with perfect concision: "Obama czardom is the deliberate end-run around transparency." No messy Senate confirmations required.

So much good, as in "necessary to know", information in the links from the Power Line post, especially regarding Obama's "alter ego" Valerie Jarrett.  Jarrett is one of Obama's Chicago pals whose company managed Grove Parc Plaza, the Chicago slum home to so many of Chicago's poor.  She did such a good job  Obama decided to bring her to Washington so she could do for to the rest of the country what she did to Chicago:

Fun fact: Jarrett oversees the White House Office of Urban Affairs, home of pay-for-play corruptocrat urban czar Adolfo Carrion.

How appropriate.

Jarrett is obviously a big fan of Van Jones.  Wonder if she can save him?

Now, obviously, he has to go and will. For instance: How, exactly, will Jones do his job when cap-and-trade comes up again? Does the White House really want a 9-11 Truther/Marxist whackadoodle being its "green jobs" mouthpiece on the Hill? How will that go over with the Blue Dogs?

"Whackadoodle" Jones could be thrown under the bus but Obama's czar obsession, his deliberate end-run around transparency, will still be with us.  It's all part of the plan.

***UPDATE***

Under the bus:

The White House says President Barack Obama's adviser Van Jones is resigning amid controversy over past inflammatory statements.

Listen to David Horowitz

He knows what he's talking about. 

Horowitz, son of card-carrying communists and a former radical himself, is uniquely qualified to comment on the agenda of the far left, the agenda of the Obama administration.  He knows it intimately, from the inside.  His book, Radical Son, is must read for those who would ignore Obama's radical agenda or give him "the benefit of the doubt".  For those who doubt such extreme radicals exist in this country or who believe they only represent the extreme and could not possibly infiltrate our government.  In fact they are now running our government - and our country.  Where did these people come from?  Radical Son tells you.

The Shadow Party is another very important book by David Horowitz.  We are in dangerous times and it is imperative we understand the agenda of the Obama administration (and the Democratic Party) and the motives behind that agenda.