SOMEONE'S gonna need health care

[Harlowe]

They are a far, far cry from Beck though. Honestly, his antics are almost as embarrassing as the people that fall for them.

[Fallakin Kuvari]

I view must of his antics as entertainment, honestly.

It's basically the exact opposite Stewart/Colburn.. you take their "news" with a grain of salt and sit back and enjoy the show.

A few things Beck has been good on:

Cars.gov story (The legal text indicating that computers using the system were henceforth deemed government computers)
Who the Czars are and What they've done (I'm sure theres stuff hes not telling there too, you know.. stuff that doesn't help his case.)
Acorn web
Investigator General Gerald Walpin, the guy who was fired after investigating Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.

[Lurker]

A few things Beck has been good on:

Cars.gov story (The legal text indicating that computers using the system were henceforth deemed government computers)

Ha!!!! Beck claimed that anyone going to cars.gov would be granting the Government access to their computer. That claim was false.

The site did contain language that suggested the government could get into the user's computer files. But it was only on the part of the site accessed by dealers completing Cash for Clunkers transactions, not the general public.

Beck had it wrong and misinformed his viewers. Shocking, I know. I'll check the other things "Beck has been good on" when I stop laughing.

[Fallakin Kuvari]

He actually went through the text from the dealer disclaimer on the site. If he was so wrong why would the DoT remove that text from the disclaimer by Monday? (Note: Show aired on Friday)

I thought he made it pretty clear that it was dealers computers that were subject to this.



This is what he followed that up with on Monday.

[Lurker]

Here's the transcript from the original Beck segment. It's pretty clear he was trying to fill his audience with fear about Big Brother coming after them, and he had only one throwaway line about a "dealer logging in to cars.gov" surrounded by a bunch of nutballery tricking his audience into thinking the Government was coming right into their homes to infect their computers with malware. "Do not do this at home," he warned his audience.

Sure, he walked it back a few days later after everyone pointed out how moronic he was, and the bit was removed from the website to avoid this sort of crazy paranoia. God forbid the Government keep tight control over a program that's giving out 3 billion dollars.

BECK: Let me bring in Kimberly Guilfoyle. She's here. She's a FOX News anchor.

Kim, I wanted to bring you in because the Cars.gov -- and I recommend, America, do not try this at home. I'm going to show it to you. This is somebody else's computer. I took it from their office, because I wouldn't do this on mine.

KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Yes.

BECK: Cars.gov. This actually came in a tip from what I call a constitutional watchdog. I'm asking my radio listeners earlier all this week to watch these things, because 10 million eyes on radio, and God knows how many millions of eyes here on television watching things that we can't watch. This is a frightening thing.

GUILFOYLE: It really is.

BECK: Yes.

GUILFOYLE: Don't -- people shouldn't go on it right now while you're doing it. Don't do it.

BECK: Do not do this at home. Trust me. You'll understand why.

OK. Can you take a shot here of this, Oscar?

Here is Cars.gov. Let's say you go in. If I understand this right, I go in and I say, "I want to turn in my clunker." The dealer goes to Cars.gov, and then they hit "submit transaction." Here it says "privacy act and security statement," and it's like, oh, it's the Privacy Act of 1974. Whatever. I agree.

Now, this is how bad this system is. It probably won't pull up, because the system is so overwhelmed. You know, it was a $19 million Web site.

GUILFOYLE: Right.

BECK: So, let me -- it's not going to pull up now. Watch. It's thinking. It's trying really hard.

Let me show you what it does say when you pull it up. Can you bring up the full screen on what it says?

A warning box comes up, and it says, "This application provides access to the DOT CARS system. When logged on to the CARS system, your computer is considered a federal computer system and it is property of the United States Government. Or -- any or all uses of this system and all files on this system may be intercepted, monitored, recorded, copied, audited, inspected, and disclosed to authorized CARS, DOT, law enforcement personnel, as well as authorized officials of other agencies, both domestic and foreign."

Good God Almighty!

GUILFOYLE: Could it be any more broad and frightening? Here you are trying to be a good citizen and make a charitable contribution, do something that's good -- and guess what? They are jumping right inside you, seizing all of your personal and private.

BECK: Yes.

(CROSSTALK)

GUILFOYLE: And it's absolutely legal, Glenn. They can do it.

BECK: There's nothing -- you know what? In a million years, I wouldn't click "continue." In a million.

GUILFOYLE: You can't.

BECK: You can't.

GUILFOYLE: Because guess what? They can continue to track you basically forever. Once they tap into your system, the government, of course, has like malware systems and tracking cookies and they can tap in anytime you want.

Now, look, I'm not suggesting that the government engages in any kind of nefarious activity.

BECK: No. That would be crazy!

GUILFOYLE: I wouldn't -- no, that they do that.

BECK: No.

GUILFOYLE: But, you know what? They said "for any intended use, purpose, foreign, domestic -- it's so broad that they can just about do anything with it, saying that it's in the government's interest that they're trying to protect against fraud and that type of thing.

BECK: I have to tell you. I mean.

GUILFOYLE: Can you believe that? I mean, seriously, they can got all your information.

BECK: Yes. Actually, I do, because I know who our czars are now. And I think these are -- this collection of these czars, these are evil people. These are wicked.

GUILFOYLE: Right.

BECK: . crazy, frightening people.

GUILFOYLE: Yes.

BECK: Jonah -- where do you even go with this? Where do you even go with this?

GOLDBERG: Yes. The thing is, is that we can separate out what the intent might or might not have been. I mean, maybe it's just someone being really stupid in the federal government.

BECK: No!

(LAUGHTER)

GOLDBERG: But the reality of it is, it's possible. It's possible.

BECK: Really, is it? OK, you're right.

GOLDBERG: Look, as a conservative.

BECK: Tell me the one about goldilocks.

GUILFOYLE: Yes.

GOLDBERG: Look, as a conservative, you always have to hold out the possibility that government people are just stupid rather than evil.

BECK: Well, let me tell you something.

GOLDBERG: That said.

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: You know, I went down that road, Jonah -- I went down that road for a long time, but all of this stuff fits together. When you see the czars that they're putting out there.

GUILFOYLE: It makes sense.

BECK: . it all makes sense. These are people that just think that they're smarter than us, and not only have to take care of us, but they need to make sure that they take care of the things they need to take care of, because it's better for the collective.

GOLDBERG: Now, look, I agree that there's -- that it's all very troubling. And, look, let me give you a hard example of this. Say you use Skype or some other Internet phone system, right? If you're on the phone while logged in on this thing, according to this, according to a lawyer I talked to before -- Kim can verify this -- the government can legally listen to your phone call. They can check out what Web sites you've been searching.

GUILFOYLE: That's correct.

GOLDBERG: Because it says that the government -- your computer is a government's property.

BECK: That's -- wait, wait, wait. That's correct?

GUILFOYLE: One hundred percent correct. It's legal. There is nothing that you can do about it.

BECK: If you log on to this at your home.

GUILFOYLE: Right.

BECK: . everything in your home is now theirs?

GUILFOYLE: Basically, and there's nothing you can do.

(CROSSTALK)

BECK: Well, not your couch, just your computer.

Wow. I sure feel informed.

[Partha]

Breaking from DailyKos, more concessions for Republicans, birthers, teabaggers, and other assorted....yeah.

Dear Republicans,

Over the past week, we have seen your passionate protests and heard your concerns about Democratic proposals for health care reform. We have considered your insightful and well reasoned arguments, and on behalf of progressives everywhere, I am here to say: OK! We give up! We are willing to compromise on the proposals that concern you. You've won! Yay!

In accordance with your cogent and potent criticisms, these are the terms of our concession:

1. We will not euthanize your grandmother. This is the big one, and I really hope you guys appreciate how much of a concession this is on behalf of the progressive movement. Since the days of the Bull Moose Party, progressives have wanted nothing more than to slaughter old people by the millions. That much is obvious. After all, if we wanted senior citizens to have long and healthy lives, why would we have created Social Security and Medicare? Think about it. Death to grannies has long been the core of progressive policy, so it's not without some consternation that we give it up. So there: no euthanizing old people. You've got it.

2. Rahm Emanuel's brother will not kill Sarah Palin's baby. While this will require us to gut HR 3200 "America's Health Choices and Murder Sarah Palin's Baby Act of 2009," we're currently working with Henry Waxman to remove the extensive Sarah Palin's baby-killing provisions from the final bill. While this will probably cost us Andrew Sullivan's support, we recognize that this is a necessary sacrifice for securing broad bipartisan support of health care reform.

3. The government will not nationalize hospitals and other health service providers. This is another big one. Though the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has correctly pointed out that current Democratic proposals involve adopting the British health care system, we now recognize that this is not politically viable. The final bill, accordingly, will not involve the nationalization of hospitals and other health service providers. This will be a major setback to Obama's well known communist agenda, but again, we progressives agree with the Blue Dogs that we need to reach a broad national consensus by responding to Republican concerns.

4. We will make the health care reform bill available for all Americans to read as soon as possible. I know that conservatives and pundits have been eagerly anticipating an opportunity to read the final health care reform bill, and after extensive discussion, we have decided to comply with your request. While we would like to have unseen drafts languishing in committee forever, we have asked Senate Democrats like Max Baucus and Kent Conrad to deliver a bill as soon as possible in order to allow the public to read it. As you know, progressives wanted nothing more than to keep these drafts hidden for as long as possible, but in the interests of transparency and bipartisan consensus, we recognize that it's vital to move the legislative process forward. In fact, it is our hope that Baucus and Conrad will return from the August recess early in order to ensure that the public has as much time as possible to inspect their work.

5. We will not subsidize abortions with your hard-earned tax dollars. Despite the fact that both FactCheck.org and Politifact insist that we already made this concession months ago, we're going to make extra-special-super sure that we did. Just give me a second...

...

...

...

... yep, we did.

6. We will not allow the government to have direct access to your bank account. I know several conservatives I've spoken to are deeply concerned about this measure, and while we progressives are always looking for new ways for the government to unlawfully violate your privacy and steal your money, we have decided to remove this provision from the final bill. While we may include a way for individuals to voluntarily set up an electronic funds transfer with their insurance provider, we will no longer push for government access to all individual bank accounts. You've won this one.

7. We will not provide illegal immigrants with unlimited free health care. Though progressives want nothing more than to provide unlimited social services to illegal immigrants while denying them to everyone else, we now recognize that this plan was, perhaps, a bit inequitable. However, while they will not be receiving unlimited free health care, each illegal immigrant will still receive a pretty pony. I'm sorry, but we have to draw the line somewhere.

8. Private health insurance will not be eliminated. Though, as Drudge recently pointed out with a damning YouTube video, the long-stated Republican goal of moving away from employer-based coverage somehow means "eliminating private insurance" when Obama talks about the same thing, we've decided to preserve private insurance plans for those who want them. However, we have yet to convince ultra-socialist Charles Krauthammer to drop his communist crusade against employer-based (i.e., according to Drudge, "all private") coverage.

9. You will not be issued a "National Health Insurance ID." While we thought this was a fun idea, the final version of the health care reform bill will not require you to have any kind of ID when you're pulled over for drunk driving or found loitering outside of a military base. In fact, you are hereby encouraged not to carry any proof of insurance whatsoever. Trust me, it's a terrible idea!

10. There will be no super-secret-awesome health care program for ACORN employees. Though we love our election-stealing squirrels, we have decided that they'll have to settle for the same options as everyone else.

With these concessions having been made, I trust that we can now move forward on health care reform with a broad, bipartisan consensus. Blue Dogs and Republicans, you can now rest easy knowing that the concerns of the town hall protesters have been met. While the progressive dream of a nation in which old people are slaughtered to pay for the abortions of ACORN-employed illegal immigrants will again have to be deferred, we are willing to settle for a bill without these measures in the name of bipartisanship.

Congratulations, Republicans. You've won this round

[Lurker]

Investigator General Gerald Walpin, the guy who was fired after investigating Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson.

I suggest you read this. Beck did a shitty job on the Walpin story too.

Acorn web and the Czars is too broad and nutty to debunk.

=====

Yeah, that was pretty funny, Partha. Mission accomplished protestors!

[Fobbon Lazyfoot]

Sarah Palin likes Facebook.

I don't know how to link to the specific blog entry so it might be a little farther down the list as time goes on. The plan is still evil, but I guess its not evil enough to yell.

[Eidolon Faer]

Okay...this is unprecedented.

Partha seems to be getting my point about how to respond to Republican cockblocking. I may have to re-examine the Turing Test he failed all those years ago.