President Barack Obama presented top British scientist Stephen Hawking with the highest US civilian honour on Wednesday. The award was only tainted by some rather bizarre and ill-informed reporting by the right wing media in the USA who, in their irrational fear of public healthcare reform, put out a report that pointed a finger at the UK's National Health Service, claiming it doesn't work and provides an example of why the US shouldn't change its own system. Unfortunately for the dolts that put the report out, it was totally inaccurate.
They published the following:
"People such as Stephen Hawking wouldn't have a chance in the UK, where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless".
I think they were attempting to break the world record for the most inaccurate and insulting single sentence ever published in a newspaper?, they seemed blissfully unaware that Hawking is actually British, not American, and in a later disparaging rebuttal is quoted as saying he owes his very life to the NHS.
Not only was the piece an insult to Hawking, the inference that the UK operates some Orwellian euthanasia scheme via the public health service is frankly disgusting. These selfish and small minded morons are an insult to intelligent people all over the USA; the self deluding, gun toting, god loving, money grabbing, war mongering right wing had their chance under Bush, they screwed it up; perhaps some humility wouldn't go amiss?
2 comments:
I have to say that photo is unfortunate, and looks like Obama is trying to strangle Hawking!
Anyway, I am hearing lots of rubbish from my American friends saying things like America has the lowest mortality rates in the whole world due to their excellent health care (huh? the US is 39th in infant mortality, as an example, and yet 1st for the amount of money spent on healthcare). Further they say that it's scandinavian and european countries with their socialised health care that are so bad off (huh? it's exactly these countries that number 1-38 for infant mortality).
And yes, now the latest thinking is that we put old people out on ice floes after their 65th birthday in the UK.
I think the prominent issue is: We Fear Change. And the dishonesty starts as a result of the intense fear.
Hi Lisa, you hit the nail on the head as usual; fear makes people say and do some very irrational things!
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