On the Juxtaposition of Legislation and Entertainment.

Well, as usual, long time no me, but-like it says above-I'm "Saving the world whenever I can show up, just like you." (The laundry simply must be done!)

Today I'm going to try to highlight an issue that has been going around about having Hollywood stars read the Senate Health Care Bill to somehow stick it to the GOP for their vicious obstructionist tactics.

I received an e-mail from my friend Matt Saroff-a magnificent advocate for "The Democratic Wing of The Democratic Party" whose great blog can be found here:

On this specific issue he writes:

"As you no doubt are aware, any US Senator can demand that the full text of the legislation be read on the floor. I think it's almost certain that they will use this tactic to slow things down.

For a bill that long, doubtless, they would use multiple readers, and there is now a meme going around the internet suggesting that, for an hour
or so, instead of speed readers, we allow some celebrities to read the text of the bill.

Specifically, it has been suggested that William Shatner, Christopher Walken, and Jack Nicholson be recruited to read the bills, each in their own unique verbal styling.

It is thought that this would provide for a piece of absolutely stunning video on CSPAN, while simultaneously making the Republicans look like jerks, so it's a win-win."

With respect, I deeply disagree. It could be a "lose-lose. I don't think it would be a good idea to use Hollywood folks. As a matter of fact, I think it's a bad idea that could seriously backfire on us

It could make us look silly and give the Great Right Wing Lie Machine much fodder about "Hollywood Elites, our being frivolous about the issue, disrespecting the 'Heartland' and all those wonderful 'Teabaggers' who are the only really true Americans' and much, much more.

It would be a serious mistake to give them an opening like this.

What I think should be done by the Democrats is to have folks, perhaps children, who have serious illnesses and no health insurance take turns reading the bill.

That, that would really stick it too them. Stick it too them with no risk of hearing from the right except for their usual whining about "Exploiting People." People who everybody knows the right has no interest in helping at all anyway.

However, we must protect these people from the Wing Nuts and their possible violence.

Michelle Malkin and other deranged whack jobs actually stalked the children who survived because of the SCHIP insurance program and then testified about it before Congress.

Michelle Malkin literally went and looked in the windows of 12-year-old Graeme Frost's home, in order to decree that his family was clearly too well off to qualify for SCHIP. Of course conveniently overlooking the fact that his dad is a carpenter, and has been fixing up the house with his own hands for a decade.

I think that with health care reform, which would likely condemn Republicans to more than 20 years in the wilderness, we most likely see some of the advocates, even children, KILLED, so we simply must protect them. Perhaps going so far as to hire private security for them during the reading and for the period after while the Brown Shirts throw their predictable tantrum.

Below is the link to Matt's blogging about this matter, and I recommend bookmarking and regular reading of his site for the many, diverse issues he raises.

"40 Years In The Desert"

I humbly think my idea has more potential punch. Now let's see if we can make this happen!

Be seeing you!