Well, I guess this is where we live now, huh?

This times a billion.

Here's what Phil the Bad Astronomer had to say about it, if you're interested.

Best customer reviews and photos ever. (Be sure to click through to the amazon ad so you can see them.)

So I went to this awesome HIV conference today in Dayton, blah blah blah whatever. On the way home, I got passed by this geezer in a red convertible with a license plate that read "MEANDME" and all I could think was, I guess "IMADOUCHEBAG" wouldn't fit, huh pal? (Or maybe it was already taken.)

...I found myself wondering this morning if so many prominent people would be lining up to defend Roman Polanski if he'd drugged and raped a thirteen-year-old boy instead of a girl. Would we still be having this ridiculous argument over whether "times were different in the 70s" and claiming the victim wanted it, because he was trying to advance his career? Just wondering.

Watch this. Because this issue isn't really about people milking the system, or "choosing" not to have health insurance. It's not about a government takeover of anything, or Obama's birth certificate, or socialism, or any of that other bullshit. For most of us, it's about what this woman is going through -- having a valid health claim denied by your insurance company, insurance that you've probably been paying on for years, even though the premiums have been skyrocketing... only to be told, when the unthinkable happens, that you're on your own.

(And Sen. Coburn, precisely which of this woman's neighbors is she supposed to call upon to be able to provide skilled nursing care to her husband following his traumatic brain injury? She did all the things she was supposed to do, and she's still getting screwed -- just like all the rest of us.)

Make no mistake -- that man was sent home by the insurance company to die, because they made a calculated decision that paying to keep him alive would be too expensive. It would cut too much into the shareholders' profits this year. They knew the man had no recourse, so it was a win-win for them. Never mind the human cost. That will be borne by others.

Do you want to know why I'm immune to the scare tactics about the so-called death panels? It's because we already have them -- they're headquartered at Blue Cross and Aetna and Humana and Cigna and every other "managed care" company in this great land of ours. Except you don't get to stand in front of an actual panel, oh no. You don't get to look them in the eye, plead your case and beg for your life. Some doctor you've never met, who has never examined you, looks at your claim and decides whether you really need the treatment... even though your doctor, who has examined you, has already decided that you do. Your physician's opinion is less important. In fact, it really isn't important at all, because the insurance company holds the final trump card. They can always simply refuse to pay.

Sure, you can appeal, but it's all on paper -- good luck getting any of those bureaucrats on the telephone. It's a big game. There's big money in the insurance racket, after all. Of course, for us, the stakes are a bit higher.

I know we're all sick, and we're tired, and it seems like Washington isn't listening, but this time we really need to MAKE THEM LISTEN. Call your congressional representatives, call your Senators, write the President. I have. We have to get money out of the health care game, because when money comes into the equation, humanity disappears. We need an affordable, dependable public option to compete with the private insurers. Right now, for most of us, our options on insurance are to take it or leave it. That isn't good enough. If you like your insurance, great -- stick with it. I would like a choice. Because reform without choice is ultimately meaningless.

These bastards don't care about us -- all they care about is the bottom line. It's time to make the government servants start doing their jobs and work for us for a change, instead of the lobbyists who are lining their pockets. Make a call, write a letter, do something. Please.

As for our leadership... Anne Lamott says it better than I ever could.

For those of us who couldn't quite follow what was going on in Total Eclipse of the Heart, here's a flow chart.

You're welcome. Happy Wednesday!