The Rise of Cobra and the Return of Sarah Palin

Is Mosselini Back?
As a kid, I loved watching GI Joe cartoons on Saturday mornings. Our real American heroes would thwart the dastardly plans of the evil Cobra Commander as he tried to take over the world. Cobra Commander was a somewhat menacing looking figure in a Darth Vader / Dick Cheney sort of way. As such, he would often have to turn to his femme fatale, the Baroness. With long dark hair, black-rimmed glasses and an Orly Taitz accent, the ruthless beauty carried a menancing gun. In one actual episode, she travels to Alaska where she steals the seal of Alaska and tries to kill Snake Eyes, his pet wolf and Kwinn the Eskimo.

Now, the Baroness is back from hiding. No, I don’t mean the Baroness from the feature length GI Joe film. I mean the real Baroness. The one with the funny accent. The one who delights in shooting wolves from planes cause yah gotta eat. The new accent doesn’t fool me. I know its her. The one who gave up the great seal of Alaska with 18 months left in her term. She has gone from killing wolves to killing health care reform. She wants to attack your COBRA benefits.

In her state of the union?,....no, press conference?...wait that's not it...television interview?....nope... speech before Congress? getting warmer...ah yes Facebook update, former Governor Sarah Palin stated: “Who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course.” Palin goes on to write “The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s ‘death panel’ so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their ‘level of productivity in society,’ whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.” (I imagine her other facebook updates include of who Becky is taking to the prom and her favorite Jonas Brother. Coupled with her writing a cheat sheet on her hand, you can almost imagine Palin as one of your kid's misbehaved school friends.)

Palin's statements and actions have rubbed me the wrong way. Death panels? Sounds like a weird spinoff of American Idol. Imagine Paula Abdul, Simon whats his face and David Hasselhoff judging whether or not grandma is gonna make it. The ratings would be amazing. Actually, what bugged me about Palin’s statements was that she immediately dragged her poor kid into the center of the debate. Considering she relentlessly decries the media for mentioning her kids, why does she intentionally throw them on stage. If she doesn’t want media coverage of her family, stop trotting them out every five seconds. Why not throw a blanket over Bristol’s head. It worked for Michael Jackson’s kids for years. You live in Alaska. I am sure you have plenty of blankets.

Actually, what really bothers me about her statements is that she is injecting more misinformation into a highly charged debate. For better or worse, a segment of our society believes in her. Healthcare is a complex issue. Calling the proposals “evil” and suggesting it will kill babies and old people is shameful. Making a website hitlist of politicians to target with gunscopes over their locations is morally incomprehensible. She told her feverent followers that it was time to reload. What is wrong with this lady? She has really gone off the deep end. It's irresponsible and shameful.

For someone who has higher political aspirations, these are not the actions of a statesman. I would have preferred if she offered an alternative plan. I never liked scare tactics in politics. They cloud the issues. They misinform and manipulate. In my humble opinion, there are far many more suitable female candidates in the Republican party. Her 15 minutes of fame should have been "shovel ready" when she quit on her state and left the governorship.

So where does this grandma killing misinformation come from? Who is telling you that there is a boogeyman in the closet? In addition to Palin’s evil comments, Rush Limbaugh has stated that “they” are going to counsel you on how to die. Healthcare opponents usually point to language in a House bill that offers senior citizens free counseling meant to answer any end of life questions they may have. This is voluntary counseling that includes advice on will preparation, medical power of attorneys, resuscitation wishes and other pertinent matters. It does not mean that Obama, the Kenyan born communist wants to kill grandma and use the extra money to pay for abortions. The truth is Palin is suggesting that we let our seniors loose into the Alaskan wilderness where they will be shot at from planes. Survival of the fittest. It’s really more humane.

Over the years, I have found that if the counter argument is led by the Rush Limbaughs, Sarah Palins Glenn Becks and Orly Taitiszeses of the world, it may behoove you to take closer look at the truth. Truth of the matter is such consultations are nothing new. Health care facilities have been required to provide end-of-life information to patients since 1990 when Congress passed the Patient Self Determination Act. I believe that was under the reign of George the First. Similar actions were brought under George the II as well. According to Politico: “In 2003, under the Bush administration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality issued a 20-page report outlining a five-part process for physicians to discuss end-of-life care with their patients.” [Politico, 7/28/09].

We need more affordable options. There is no reason Canadians should be living longer than us. ( Granted the reason may be that they sent Celine Dion to the United States. Studies show that American life expectancy shortens 5 minutes everytime they hear the theme to Titanic). Americans should not be forced to choose between visiting a doctor or putting food on a table (or having the HBO package on their television set). The healthcare system in our nation needs to be fixed. Stop with the scare tactics. Start with the solutions. PS Did you hear that Obama wants to take away Rascals from Senior Citizens. He says they add to global warning. He also plans to take the batteries out of your Life Alert.

(Editors Note: Gov Palin's new reality show debuts appropriately on April Fool's Day. I hear it will have a Martha Stewart feel to it. I particularly enjoyed the segment on making tinfoil hats and how to skin a caribou.)