More symptoms of insanity on the American right

[fpb]

In yesterday's American Thinker, a man with the Italian name of Bonelli wrote the following, extremely offensive statement:

The United States is different from most other countries in many ways. One unique aspect of our country is that our elected officials, officers of the court, and the military, all pledge their allegiance to the Constitution and not to an office, individual or party. This assures continuity of the ideals set forth by the founders.

As an Italian citizen, I have personally sworn to defend the Constitution of my country when I served in the Italian army. The presumption involved in this ignorant display of insular arrogance is an insult to every constitutional government in the world.

Comments

Re: The cultural exception argument

[marielapin.livejournal.com]

The story about Stephen Hawking was ridiculous and offensive and deserved an apology.

However, I am wondering what on earth you are reading that you only find such arguments against this legislation. Most of what I read has no problem with the idea itself, only the way in which it is done. The right-wing hard line conservatives are not the only conservatives in this country. A lot of the arguing in town-hall meetings has been over coverage of abortion, not over the expansion of health care itself.

The US Bishops and The Catholic Medical Association have rejected the current health care bills. Why? Not because we as Catholic do not believe that health care should be available to all, but because of what is in the bills themselves. The last link I am posting is an op-ed article on alternatives to Obamacare. You will not see one reference to Europe at all.

http://www.ncregister.com/daily/u.s._bishops_reject_all_current_health_care_bills

http://www.ncregister.com/daily/problems_remain_with_health-care_reform_bills

http://www.cathmed.org/assets/files/Open%20Letter%20to%20Catholics%20and%20Catholic%20Organizations%20FINAL%203.pdf

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204251404574342170072865070.html

Re: The cultural exception argument

[fpb.livejournal.com]

Yes. And the US bishops are in the crosshairs of the conservatives within the Catholic Church because they have said that they would favour a national health service apart from the matter of abortion. My impression is that a lot of conservatives are using abortion as an excuse (some of them favour it) to get support from Catholics and other Christians, but their main argument is always that "socialized medicine" is some sort of tyranny. This is the same kind of people who insist that Fascism and Nazism were branches of Socialism.

Re: The cultural exception argument

[marielapin.livejournal.com]

The conservatives within the Catholic Church in America oppose the bishops? Excuse me but I fit in that category! The christians who oppose nationalized health care are mainly Protestants of the fundamental flavor.