During the Bush years, when anti-science fervor was at its peak (or so I thought) I dreamed of a day when we could say to these ignoramuses, okay, you think that the Bible is the last word?  Then you are not allowed to take advantage of any invention or advance since that time.  You can eat roast goat, but you can't get it delivered by refrigerated truck to a grocery store.  You can't drive a car, use a lightbulb, get your water from a tap.  You can't use any modern medicine.

Now my dream seems within grasp.  Let's create a  single-payer, public insurance system that everyone EXCEPT Republicans  and their shills can use.  That's it.  I'm no longer for universal health care.  I'm for health care for everyone except anyone who stands in our way.  Go on record as against the public option (I'm talking to you, Landrieu) and you don't get to use any publicly funded medical services.  NOT ANY.  You don't get to go to a hospital that uses federal funds.   You don't get to use a doctor who took out student loans from the government.  You don't get to use any medications developed by scientists who took money from the government. 

Please make my dream come true.

The one issue that touches every American where we are most vulnerable physically, psychologically, and economically is health care.  If you are blogging about anything other than healthcare, no matter how well-intentioned you are, you need to get down to business on this issue.  There is only one story right now:  passing the public option. Not co-ops, but a public insurance system.  In fact, we ought to be organizing for and demanding--as noisily and crazily as possible, if that's what it takes--a single-payer system.  We won't get one, but if we don't demand that, we have no bargaining room at all.

It needs to be a 24/7 nonstop, full-court press response NOW.  Perhaps the White House leaked this information in order to galvanize us, perhaps not.  Whatever.   If you want our country to survive, we must pass the public option this September, and make it available NO LATER THAN JANUARY 2010.  Not 2012, for crying out loud. 

And forget about what Obama is and isn't doing.  The action is at the Congressional level.  Whining about Obama is a waste of time.  Obama can't create this legislation.  Get to work.  Okay, by all means, FAX the WH, email the President.   But it is MUCH more important that we create the MSM MEDIA perception for these "representatives" that a vote against the public option is a vote against Americans.  We have to make sure that they understand that they will be vilified IN THE MSM.  So all of you who hate the MSM--too bad.  The MSM is what Congressmen care about.  So we have to care about it too. 

We need the equivalent of a Seattle, a Civil Rights gathering in Washington, a boycott, something dramatic.  And we need it quickly.  We need to scare the shit out of the Democrats so that they get their act together.   For example, we could to take out a full page ad in the NYT that is endorsed by MILLIONS OF DEMOCRATS saying 1) we want public option; 2 ) we won't vote for any incumbent who doesn't support public option; and 3) we will not give a DIME to the DNC or DSCC if a public option doesn't emerge in September. I don't give a f*** that Rahm Emmanuel thinks liberals shouldn't attack Conservative Democrats.  Rahm wants to pass something--f*** him.  We want REAL health care reform. 

If you live in Louisiana, you need to get organized now against Landrieu as well as Vitter.  If you live in Montana, you need to get organized against Baucus.  Get organized against Conrad.  Picket their offices, picket their homes, create media events to get yourselves on TV.  Find your most articulate and best spokespeople and demand to be on your local TV station.  77% of us want this option.  How DARE they deny us?  I agree wholeheartedly with the post (sorry, I can't remember who posted it today--whoever you are, you rock) that the MSM only reports what people say to them.  So start talking!

I'm an older person, not a very creative person.  But I know that there are many of you out there who are great organizers, talented communicators, savvy with media, and creative as all get out.  so HELP!  This is the defining issue of our day, not just because it's about health care but because it's also about whether a tiny minority of completely amoral jerks can get their greedy ways simply because the rest of us let them. 

Okay, that's the rant.