RedState Posts Video That Corroborates Valle's Story

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Wednesday October 27, 2010 · 3:29 PM PDT

2010/10/27 · 15:29

The whizzes at RedState posted an exclusive video that was supposed to justify the manhandling of Lauren Valle at the Paul-Conway debate this week. But in fact, if you watch it closely, you can see Lauren Vale running away from a man who appears to be Mike Pezzano, the guy who wrestled her to the ground and held her down.

maha

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Monday September 14, 2009 · 10:50 AM PDT

2009/09/14 · 10:50

This is a follow up to the recent "Tort Reform for (Doctors Who Are) Dummies" post. Over the weekend I found more ammunition for my argument that physicians and others are misinformed if they think tort reform is essential to reducing their malpractice premium cost. Further, while the high cost of malpractice premiums is an issue that needs to be addressed, it's not a critical factor in the nation's overall health care costs.

For years, conservatives blamed out-of-control malpractice litigation for rising health care costs. Today it's an article of faith on the Right that the nation's courts are clogged with greedy plaintiffs bringing frivolous cases against doctors in the hopes of getting a jackpot jury award (much evidence to the contrary). If only that were stopped, they say, health care costs would drop like a rock.

maha

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Friday September 11, 2009 · 7:09 AM PDT

2009/09/11 · 07:09

When I meet someone who says he was in lower Manhattan on September 11, I apply a little test. Yes, I was watching from an office building on West 17th Street, I say. A high-rise. We had a clear view. Where were you, exactly?

If the answer is vague -- standing on a corner or watching out a window -- with no specific details offered, I figure the guy is blowing smoke. He wasn't there. People who were there launch into The Story. The Story varies, of course, but the usual details involve the precise location, such as street name or building, where they stood to watch the towers collapse; where they had just been; where they had planned to go; the people they knew who were, or might have been, in the towers; and if they were close enough, mention of the flaming objects, and people, they saw falling from the sky.

maha

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Tuesday September 08, 2009 · 1:34 PM PDT

2009/09/08 · 13:34

Many physicians are holding out for federal tort reform, which they believe is key to lowering their malpractice insurance costs. The doctors' perspective was expressed this weekend in the Washington Post by Dr. Arthur Feldman, who wrote in "10 Things I Hate About Health-Care Reform":

Malpractice costs rise each year, as do the number of frivolous lawsuits. Our practice has seen a 10 percent increase in malpractice expenses this year. Sure, doctors make mistakes, and patients deserve fair compensation for their injuries and lost wages, but in this area of the law, physicians and hospitals are too often at the mercy of capricious juries.

I've got a message for you doctors: You're being snookered.

maha

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Monday August 31, 2009 · 6:16 AM PDT

2009/08/31 · 06:16

Tort reform is an issue continually raised by conservative pundits and angry anti-health reform hoards. Indeed, if you do a news google for "health care reform" you will no doubt find a bounty of recent editorials, like this one in the Nevada Appeal, and on Sarah Palin's Facebook page, thundering that tort reform must be part of any federal health care reform package.

But there are some facts about health care the Right doesn't want you to know. In fact, most righties won't admit the truth about tort reform to themselves. These are:

maha

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Saturday August 08, 2009 · 11:42 AM PDT

2009/08/08 · 11:42

Last Sunday, August 2, the Orange County Congregation Community Organization held a prayer vigil for healthcare reform at the St. Callistus Parish in Garden Grove, California. From their website, I take it this organization holds several such gatherings every year, on various topics.

Here is a PDF of the program. As you can see, there were several speakers, most of them from local churches. The program included prayers, a choir, and a dance company. One of the speakers (listed under "Focus on National: Healthcare Reform") was Rep. Loretta Sanchez, who was asked to give a five-minute presentation.

Now the Right is using a video of Rep. Sanchez's part of the program to accuse her of disguising a "townhall" meeting as a prayer vigil.

maha

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Tuesday July 28, 2009 · 4:52 AM PDT

2009/07/28 · 04:52

According to today's New York Times, the health care bill is being held up by six "centrist" senators who meet daily to put together a bill that would have "broad bipartisan agreement"; as opposed to a bill that would, you know, reform health care.

Also according to the Times, this wrecking crew already has tossed out the public option. Many in the House and Senate are waiting for their eventual proposal. According to the Times, the bill from the Sellout Six is the one most likely to pass. Because, you know, it's bipartisan.

Did I mention that at least some of these senators get big campaign contributions from Big Pharma and other stakeholders in the medical-industrial complex? Also, the populations of the states they represent added together come to 8,444,956 people. To put that into perspective, the population of New York City alone is approximately 8.3 million people.

maha

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Wednesday July 08, 2009 · 12:22 PM PDT

2009/07/08 · 12:22

There are a number of treatments for early-stage, slow-growth prostate cancer. These treatments range from "watchful waiting" -- not treating the cancer at all, but just keeping an eye on it -- to surgical removal of the prostate gland, to high-tech proton radiation therapy using a proton accelerator. The costs for the various treatments range from a few thousand dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

However, there is little evidence that the more expensive treatments are any more effective than the cheap ones, including watchful waiting. Indeed, for an older patient, watchful waiting makes sense, as there is a high probability he will die of other natural causes before the prostate cancer becomes a problem for him. On the other hand, younger patients, meaning men under the age of 65, might benefit from more aggressive treatment. Which treatment? The answer to that question tells us much about why health care costs are out of control

maha

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Saturday July 04, 2009 · 4:52 AM PDT

2009/07/04 · 04:52

As we approach another 4th of July weekend, there are news stories about veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who are suffering terrible diseases because of exposure to "burn pits." These burn pits are not some fiendish enemy weapon. They are the creation of contractors hired to "support the troops," paid with American taxpayer dollars.

Massive open-air pits in Iraq and Afghanistan are used to incinerate medical waste, including human body parts; garbage, plastics; lithium batteries; unexploded ordnance; miscellaneous hardware; gas cans; entire humvees; and building rubble, including asbestos insulation. The burn pits generate black, toxic smoke breathed daily by military men and women serving in the area.

maha

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Thursday June 11, 2009 · 1:25 PM PDT

2009/06/11 · 13:25

We shouldn't be surprised that the American Medical Association has come out against government-sponsored insurance plan. In recent years the AMA has increasingly been a tool for promoting right-wing ideologies. Although it still pretends to be the voice of American physicians, in fact it has been losing membership steadily for the past several years. The most recent information I could find says that about a third of American physicians are members. It has struggled financially with dwindling membership dues.

The AMA these days has many concerns other than medicine. It is a main proponent of "tort reform," a vast right-wing conspiracy to enhance corporate profits by denying citizens' 7th Amendment rights to sue for damages in court.

maha

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Wednesday May 13, 2009 · 1:44 PM PDT

2009/05/13 · 13:44

Even though the Bush Administration has officially faded into history, the U.S. attorneys appointed by President Bush have not been replaced by President Obama. And given the U.S. attorney scandal, allegations of misconduct by federal prosecutors need to be examined especially critically.

This may mean nothing, or it may mean something. But at least it's worth noting that the same conduct that caused our new attorney general, Eric Holder, to drop all charges against Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska also led to the acquittal of the W.R. Grace Company, which had been accused of massive environmental contamination charges. Both results were courtesy of Bush-appointed U.S. attorneys.

maha

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Saturday April 11, 2009 · 10:40 AM PDT

2009/04/11 · 10:40

The Right is blaming Barack Obama for Somali pirates, or at least the lack of a response to the Somali pirates. Short version: Barack Obama is Jimmy Carter.

I thought you might like to read a Wall Street Journal story about Somali pirates published while George W. Bush was still president:

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