;)
The Commentariat -- Oct. 29, 2013
Erik Eckholm of the New York Times: "A federal judge in Texas on Monday blocked an important part of the state's restrictive new abortion law, which would have required doctors performing the procedure to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. The decision, one day before the provision was to take effect, prevented a major disruption of the abortion clinics in Texas. It was a victory for abortion rights groups and clinics that said the measure served no medical purpose and could force as many as one-third of the state's 36 abortion clinics to close. But the court upheld a second measure, requiring doctors to use a particular drug protocol in nonsurgical, medication-induced abortions that doctors called outdated and too restrictive." Here's the text of the ruling. ...
... P.S. Rick Perry is still a jerk. ...
... Jeffrey Toobin & Jake Tapper of CNN discuss the judge's ruling:
Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times: Today House Republicans will question Marilyn Tavenner, head of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversaw the development & implementation of Healthcare.gov. ...
... Kevin Drum points out that the "sticker shock" sometimes associated with ObamaCare -- when people discover their new policy will cost more than their old policy -- is often deceiving. The new policy costs more because it provides more coverage. Drum cites a pregnant woman who complained of her premiums almost trebling, but her old policy most certainly didn't cover her pregnancy & delivery; the new policy does. And must. ...
... Igor Volsky of Think Progress: AND under the new law, the woman's pregnancy cannot be used against her as a "pre-existing condition," something insurance underwriters have been doing for years. Volsky has more. ...
... Kate Pickert of Time: "The Obama Administration released a report late Monday showing that a significant share of young, single Americans will be able to get inexpensive coverage under the [ACA], sometimes for less than $50 a month. But the report's conclusions only apply to subset of the uninsured young people, leaving unanswered the overall effect of the law." ** CW: The report is here. Hilariously, as of 9 am today, the HHS report was not readable (all except the first letter of every line of text is off the page), likely because of a coding error.
... Joan McCarter on the right's new War on Sick People. Coming soon to a town hall near you. ...
... Michael Scherer of Time: "A security flaw in the original design of HealthCare.gov that could have disclosed e-mail and other account information to hackers was eliminated Monday during an overnight fix...." ...
I'm concerned about the fact there seems to be a war on the poor. That if you're poor, somehow you're shiftless and lazy. You know what? The very people who complain ought to ask their grandparents if they worked at the W.P.A. -- Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio), speaking of Republican lawmakers
John Judis of the New Republic predicts the Tea Party is done for & its adherents will drift toward other nutso groups. Judis writes, "I would estimate that the people who actively participate in Tea Party groups number no more than 75,000 -- considerably less than 1 percent of likely Republican voters." CW: If he's correct, that's astounding -- that 75,000 bitter, ignorant loons could jam up an entire nation. ...
... Anna Palmer of Politico: "Mitch McConnell ... stood up over the weekend and said he wanted to address the 'elephant in the room' at a fundraising retreat in Sea Island, Ga. Speaking before roughly 300 K Streeters and big donors, McConnell said Republicans will not come close to defaulting on the nation's debts or shutting down the government early next year when stop-gap government funding and the debt ceiling are slated to be voted on again.... McConnell and [Sen. John] Cornyn [R-Texas] were very specific about directing their fire at groups like the Senate Conservatives Fund, whom they believe have actively misled donors about what is legislatively achievable in order to raise money off of their frustrations, according to another attendee." CW: McConnell is facing a Tea Party challenger in 2014; Cornyn has no serious winger opposition. ...
... NEW. Mario Trujillo of the Hill: "A group of Senate Democrats is slated Tuesday to introduce a plan allowing the president to raise the debt ceiling without the approval of Congress -- a tactic dubbed the "McConnell Rule." The plan hinges on a solution devised by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) during the 2011 debt-ceiling standoff that saddled President Obama with ultimate responsibility for raising the limit. It was used again in the deal to raise the debt ceiling and reopen the government earlier this month. While Congress would be able to halt the borrowing increase by a vote of disapproval, it would be subject to a presidential veto and have little chance of gaining the necessary supermajorities to override it." CW: This is something we discussed here in Comments on Reality Chex a few weeks back; I'm glad to see Democrats are taking my advice & proposing to extend the "McConnell Rule."
... Tim Egan: "Real Americans, the wind-chapped toilers so often invoked by politicians in a phony froth, lost real money from the real pain inflicted on their livelihoods by the extortionists in Congress this month.... So, who pays? ... The economic hit on millions of Americans didn't come from government -- it came from one political faction in the House of Representatives.... The states hit hardest by the shutdown, it now appears, were those where Republicans prevail." Americans can't sue the government, can't sue the Tea Party, can't sue Ted Cruz -- for the income they lost during the shutdown. The only place they can make the Congressional miscreants pay is at the ballot box.
CW: Rand Paul Is Still Insane. Here's the headline on Philip Elliot's AP story: "Rand Paul warns eugenics on horizon unless conservatives stand up against abortion rights." I rest my case. (The story also covers the McAuliffe-Cuccinelli race for governor of Virginia.) ..
... It seems Dr. Randy gets his science education (and his fear of the future) from the movies. ...
... CW: I thought Akhilleus was kidding us. (See today's Comments.) Let's be clear -- you cannot reason with these people.
Posner for the (Self-)Defense. In a New Republic piece, Judge Richard Posner says all his critics misunderstood him when he suggested he made a mistake in approving Indiana's voter suppression law. Of course he skips the important criticism -- that he placed the onus on the wrong party. Pretty pathetic. And his claim that he had no evidence is bogus; see Justice Souter's dissent (linked in the October 27 Commentariat) in the Supreme Court case for a thorough reading of the evidence. ...
... AND More Weasling. Jack Gershman of the Wall Street Journal: The Huffington Post asked Posner, "So do you think that you and the court got this one wrong?" (speaking of the Indiana case). Posner replied, "Yes, absolutely." Now Posner is claiming maybe he didn't hear the question or misinterpreted it or the dog ate his brain. This guy is a judge! He would laugh a lawyer out of court for claiming that "yes, absolutely" means "not really." ...
... Dahlia Lithwick: Those voter suppression laws the GOP is so fond of may suppress the votes of more conservative women than of liberal women. Why? Because conservative women are more likely than liberals to change their names when they marry. CW: The Texas law is astounding: "... the new Texas voter ID law demands that 'constituents show original documents verifying legal proof of a name change, whether it is a marriage license, divorce decree, or court ordered change.' Photocopies will not be accepted. If you don't have those original documents, you must pay a minimum of $20 for new copies. So in some states, female voters face two hurdles -- showing they are who they claim to be and producing original documents indicating that they really are married and divorced." Ladies, do you know where your original divorce papers are? I'm not sure I ever had mine. Have you got an original marriage license handy? I don't. But, hey, it doesn't matter. I do have a certified birth certificate, & what with being a socialist-commie-liberal & all, the name on it is Marie (Middle Name) Burns. Ha!
Scott Wilson & Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "In the midst of the controversy over U.S. surveillance this summer, top intelligence officials held a briefing for President Obama at the White House -- one that would provide him with a broad inventory of programs being carried out by the National Security Agency. Some of those programs, including the collection of e-mails and other communications from overseas, had already been disclosed because of leaks from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. But Obama was also informed of at least one program whose scope surprised him: 'head of state collection.'" CW: Stories about what Obama knew & when he knew it have been flying around for the past 36 hours or so, but Wilson & Gearan's piece seems about as definitive as these things get, UFN. Definitely need Darrell Issa to get on this, tho. Also, I would like to have a head-of-state collection. Perhaps of the bobble variety. Thank god the shelf life of the Berlusconi model has expired; I'm not sure which head bobbles on that one. ...
... Update. Or Not. Ken Dilanian & Janet Stobart of the Los Angeles Times: "The White House and State Department signed off on surveillance targeting phone conversations of friendly foreign leaders, current and former U.S. intelligence officials said Monday, pushing back against assertions that President Obama and his aides were unaware of the high-level eavesdropping. Professional staff members at the National Security Agency and other U.S. intelligence agencies are angry, these officials say, believing the president has cast them adrift as he tries to distance himself from the disclosures by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden that have strained ties with close allies." John McCain wants an investigation: 'Obviously, we're going to want to know exactly what the president knew and when he knew it,' McCain told reporters in Chicago," [CW:] beating Darrell Issa to the punch. Thanks to cowichan for the link. ...
... Or Not. Later in the L.A. Times story, there's this bit: "Obama may not have been specifically briefed on NSA operations targeting a foreign leader's cellphone or email communications, one of the officials said. 'But certainly the National Security Council and senior people across the intelligence community knew exactly what was going on, and to suggest otherwise is ridiculous.'" ...
.. CW: I'm not sure why intel "people are furious" at President Obama since the WashPo story specifically states that the President doesn't fault them. What we have here are dueling CYA stories. The White House story, whether true or not, is justified. The intel leaders are crybabies, less interested in national security than in themselves -- or in harming Obama. They are the kinds of so-called whistleblowers I wouldn't mind seeing prosecuted, & I'd say the same thing if Dubya were still president. On something like this, the POTUS should be allowed plausible (or implausible) deniability. If the story comes out after s/he's out of office, there's little harm done to national security. This isn't waterboarding, for Pete's sake. It's gathering intel on world leaders whose interests are different from ours. Ed Snowden, BTW, is still a fucking traitor, & the leakers here aren't a helluva lot better. ...
... Mark Landler & David Sanger of the New York Times: "President Obama is poised to order the National Security Agency to stop eavesdropping on the leaders of American allies, administration and congressional officials said Monday, responding to a deepening diplomatic crisis over reports that the agency had for years targeted the cellphone of Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. The White House informed a leading Democratic lawmaker, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, of its plans, which grew out of a broader internal review of intelligence-gathering methods, prompted by the leak of N.S.A. documents by a former contractor, Edward J. Snowden.... The crossed wires between the White House and Ms. Feinstein were an indication of how the furor over the N.S.A.'s methods is testing even the administration's staunchest defenders.... The White House said Monday evening that no final decision had been made on the monitoring of friendly foreign leaders. But the disclosure that it is moving to prohibit it signals a landmark shift for the National Security Agency, which has had nearly unfettered powers to collect data on tens of millions of people around the world, from ordinary citizens to heads of state...." ...
... Basta. Jeremy Herb of the Hill: "Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Monday called for a 'total review' of all intelligence collection programs as she criticized the National Security Agency for spying on foreign leaders.... Feinstein has been one of the NSA's staunchest congressional defenders amid the uproar over its phone records surveillance, but she said that the spying on foreign leaders without President Obama's knowledge was a 'big problem.'" ...
... Gene Robinson on "the out-of-control NSA."
Joe Drape of the New York Times: "Penn State has agreed to pay $59.7 million to 26 sexual abuse victims of the former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky in exchange for an end to their claims against the university, the school announced Monday."
Gubernatorial Race
Laura Vozzella & Peyton Craighill of the Washington Post: "Democrat Terry McAuliffe has opened a double-digit lead over Republican Ken Cuccinelli II in the race for Virginia governor, in a new poll capturing increasing dissatisfaction among voters with Cuccinelli's party and his conservative views." CW: Now let's see if Virginia's new voter suppression law will help out Li'l Kenny. It might. But probably not enough.
News Lede
Washington Post: American forces are assisting local troops in African nations in an effort to capture Joseph Kony, leader of the Lord's Resistance Army..., which "has spent years kidnapping and killing villagers ... across a wide swath of central Africa."
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Reader Comments (16)
Obama the innocent?
http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-spying-phones-20131029,0,3235295.story#axzz2j5xZNyPV
Today’s Washington Post has a front page story that seeks to explain why tea-party type politicians are so adamantly anti-Obama. The reporter says that they reflect the views of their constituents, who remain among the most hard-hit by the weakness of the U.S. economy, and who blame the president for not doing enough, or doing things (e.g. Obamacare) that hamper their prospects. The reporter uses a specialty butcher, going out of business after five years in his startup, as an example of the sentiment.
The article is here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/at-the-source-of-the-shutdown-the-economy-falters--and-anger-at-obama-runs-high/2013/10/28/67d51c90-3fe2-11e3-a751-f032898f2dbc_story.html?hpid=z3
Nowhere in the story does the reporter (Tankersly) note that most U.S. small business start-ups are out of business in five years, and that that has been the case since well before President Obama took office (almost five years ago).
http://smallbiztrends.com/2012/12/start-up-failure-rates-the-definitive-numbers.html
The piece is interesting in that it gets to the depth of the feelings involved. Yet any journalist worth your eyeballs’ time should throw in the objective situation to make the story “true,” i.e. that the sentiments of the TP constituents are based on feelings, not facts. And it is a fairly well-known fact that small business start-ups tend to fail. It is also interesting that this is a front page piece in WaPo, not a piece held for the weekly magazine, Outlook section or the Business section.
There are a lot of other sentiments expressed in this piece of journalistic junk, such as that businesses struggle because banks won’t lend under new financial regulations – not that banks tend not to lend to businesses with falling revenues, and business revenues fall because of consumers’ retrenchment and competition from competitors who offer lower prices. Mr. Potter is now telling small business owners that “I’d be happy to lend, but Obama won’t let me.” I guess that makes it easier for Mr. Potter to live among his small town neighbors.
The reporter could have made this a story about delusion, but wrote it as an illustration of TP districts’ focus on the President as the cause of their problems. Until we get some decent journalists (or editors) at the major media outlets, the public’s ability to educate itself is severely constrained.
So – thank heavens for RC!! Too bad it is not a major media outlet.
@Patrick. You are exactly correct about small business failings. For several years I wrote a monthly feature for the local paper on women in business....at the time of the interviews, everyone one of these entrepreneurs was enthusiastic, eager, had invested extensive time and effort, developed business plans, etc. etc. As time went on, I had in the back of my mind to do a five-year look back, revisiting these business owners for a feature article. Had they achieved their goals/dream/success? Expanded? What had they learned? Where were they now? Sadly, I realized that such an article would not get written. The independent caterer with what seemed a thriving, in-demand following was now hostess at a restaurant. The restaurant owner of a charming French bistro had thrown in the "serviette" in less than two years, the ceramicist with a seemingly prosperous mail order business went back to school to become a teacher. The gift store owner wrapped it up. Most did not make it five years before shuttering the door.
It is quite typical. Yep, and all this happened before Obama!
@ "Middle Name" Burns; "Thank god the shelf life of the Berlusconi model has expired; I'm not sure which head bobbles on that one. ..." That's funny.
But I think you need to look in the "State of Head" collection for the Berlusconi model.
@ Patrick; Yea, I got a good idea; a specialty butcher shop. We'll call it "Hog Balls and All". Good start-up in times when yesterday's ground round cost 2.50@pound at Safeway.
@Patrick. Good analysis. Tankersley & even the "victim" do mention that "the opening of a Publix grocery store peeled off more [of the butcher's] precious customers," but still, the business closed because ... Obama.
I can't tell from the story whether or not Tankersley thinks blaming Obama for everything is delusional, but he sure doesn't counter the wingers' "analyses" of the causes of their problems. Nowhere does he even hint that the very bozos these guys vote for are the ones who have obstructed all Democratic efforts to stimulate the economy.
Even when Tankersley mentions facts -- like Georgia Republicans' refusal to accept the Medicaid expansion -- he doesn't explain that those things are among the causes of local small business failures. The reader can make the inference, but the only opinions Tankersley reports are those of the deluded anti-Obama contingent. If not for those banking regs, for instance, the bankers (if they're subject to federal regulations, & it isn't clear that they are) would be more free to screw the borrowers. The notion that federal regs are forcing banks not to make loans to viable small businesses is ridiculous, but Tankersley never reports that.
Also, about the jerk who blames Obama for "costly" health insurance -- he doesn't have any health insurance now -- because he needs surgery. If not for ObamaCare, there's not a chance a private insurer would cover his pre-existing condition. Moreover, Tankersley never explains that even tho Georgia Republicans won't allow the guy to get the benefits of the Medicaid expansion, he is almost certainly eligible to get a tax credit, effectively lowering his insurance premium.
All in all, it's a horrible report. The gist of it is this sentence: "If you want to understand the congressional Republicans who have forced confrontations with Obama on the 'fiscal cliff,' the government shutdown and the debt ceiling — and whether those lawmakers might feel encouraged to force more confrontations in the future — you need to understand the economic struggles of the Republicans’ home districts." Then Tankersley goes on to explain -- through his interviewees' POVs -- why the President is to blame. At the least, Tankersley should have asked the Obama administration for comment. Instead, a handful of yahoos are sitting around the Rome, Georgia, Hardee's (or McDonald's, but not Ma & Pa's Biscuits & Gravy) this morning boasting about how the Washington Post gets it: all my problems are Obama's fault.
Marie
If I were Ramblin' Rand Paul, I'd fear the might-not-have-beens of eugenics, too. Don't blame him (or his usual audience) for worrying about the possible elimination of defectives...
BTW, does anyone remember Lonesome George Goble? Paul's delivery reminds me a little of his, similarly quiet and hesitant, but too nasally superior to be nice. Goble had a wide TV (and radio?) audience in the 50's because he was intentionally funny and presented himself as a pleasant, unassuming man....while Paul's outrageous statements, like so many we hear from the Right, are so ignorant they are unintentionally funny and often mired in sheer nastiness.
Maybe we should think of Paul as the designated Tea Party jester. He seems perfect for the post.
Bred for it, you could say.
In deep space, a race of gelatinous creatures abandon their dying world. Pushed through the universe by solar wind, they make their way to Earth* and land in Washington D.C. Some fall on plant leaves, assimilating them and forming small pods with pink flowers that find their way into the congressional halls of Congress by pod people masquerading as florists. The flowers will soon develop into large pods, invisible to the naked eye, and will soon take over the identity of whomever they wish. Their mission is, of course, to take over the country, bring it to its knees, pattern it to their will. Now, I'm sure many of you will be skeptical of such a plot, but I assure you the signs are everywhere. How else to explain Randy's Sci-Fi configuration or Rubio's dismissing his own immigration bill or that darling Darrell Issa behaving like an absolute twit about matters so small you couldn't see them without a microscope. And last year I swear I saw someone that looked just like Donald Southerland or was it Lindsey Graham, standing on a corner screaming with his finger pointing at what looked like Ted Cruz. It has taken me a long time to realize what is happening here, but people, listen up––we are being invaded slowly, methodically, and will surely be on our way to doom and gloom in ways we never dreamed. I'd advise all of us to get the hell out soon––go to Belize or some place warm but keep your eyes out for truckloads of pods––those suckers might try to take over the whole world.
* the first part of this message was snatched from Wikipedia's site re: "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers" which was a film, but since I lack imagination I have to plagiarize–––we can now coin this practice as a Randian Risky Twist.
It’s interesting, in a kind of sad and disgusting way, how wingnuts are only interested in science when it suits their burgeoning and ever expanding sense of victimhood.
They don’t believe in climate science, don’t trust medical science, think geology is a fraud and evolutionary science a hoax. But when Teabagger Hee-roe (more on this in a bit) Lil’ Randy Paul Revere jumps on his horse and rides through wingnut villages shouting “Eugenics is coming, eugenics is coming!”, they’re all ears (of the cauliflower variety, no doubt).
Pretty soon we’ll see ‘bagger signs warning of “Ugenics” (similar to signs I’ve seen in photos of 'bagger rallies where they warned of “Youth in Asia!”). They probably think Ugenics is a tribe in Africa coming over to scoop up de white womens. Never fear, ‘baggers, Lil’ Randy, he of the “Freedom means keeping blahs out of your place of business” persuasion, will ride to the rescue and save you from those nasty liberal scientists. Randy warns his flock of winger sheep that a swab from the inside of their mouths will help scientists decide whether to keep them alive, as slaves for the Ugenic tribe, or to kill them, grind up their bodies and feed them to the poors as a substitute for food stamps (let’s see, how ‘bout some milk, eggs, bread, ground wingnuts….).
Ah yes. Science. One more conservative bogeyman. As if they needed another one. Someone should create Conservative Bogeyman Playing Cards. There's more than enough wingnut bêtes noires.
But back to this business of Lil’ Randy: Hee-Roe! The WaPo article makes several references to Randy as a hero of the teabag party. Yet another word that has been bastardized by obscenely incorrect usage and flatly inaccurate application.
Let’s examine the Little One’s qualifications for Hero-hood.
Here’s a few definitions of “hero”. Let’s see how many fit Aqua Buddha Boy.
HERO
1a : a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability
Nope. Ron Paul: Zeus? Nahh.
b : an illustrious warrior
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha. Nope again.
c : a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities
Achievements? What achievements? A silly, nothing-burger filibuster?
Sorry Randy. That's a nope.
“Noble”?
Nople.
d : one who shows great courage
I guess he might have shown courage in demonstrating what a racist pig he is. But that’s more stupidity and outright racism than courage.
Nope there too.
2a : the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work
Well, in his tiny ‘bagger brain he may think of himself as John Galt, but that’s delusion not heroism.
Nope, nope, and nope.
b : the central figure in an event, period, or movement
Well, this one he might fit. But we’re talking about the Teabag Party here. You could also say the same about Jim Jones.
Maybe.....but....ah..., nope.
Sorry, Lil’ Randy. You might be a legend in your own mind but you’re no hero. Saying you’re a hero to ‘baggers is like saying you’re the worst snake in the shithole. And calling people like Randy Pauly a hero demeans the word.
(Cue BIG FAIL buzzer sound).
@AK: Your "Youth in Asia" stymied me for longer than I dare to admit––three minutes maybe? I thought, what the heck does that mean exactly? Then I said it aloud and like the bop on the head by those awful "You coulda had a V8" folks, I got it. That's really very funny.
You made a convincing case that Lil' Randy is NOT a hero and yet––and yet there are those that would sing that song from Cabaret, "If you could see her [him] with my eyes"...even though the buzzer sound is loud and significant––lots of stone deafers that would fight to the death––or so they say––to place their guy in the hero category because, darn it all, "we just think he's super." sigh~~~~~~~~~~~
Nah! I hadda stop watching John Boehner's eulogy. Gawd, besides a lifetime membership in AA, he needs a drama coach.
The inappropriate inflections, the odd pauses, the ummmms, the urrrs, all cry for help from Uta Hagen. Was insincerity ever projected so deftly? Alas! Poor Tom Foley, I knew him barely.....
Re: No way; way; No way; WAY!; Ak, have we been "Merry Prankstered" ? Those protesters with the "Asian yute" signs are funnin' right? That kind of gag reminds me of a younger me. Come on, really? Nope, can't be. Too clever by half. Or youth in Asia really do want to kill grandma. Sweet and sour grandma, killer, hell cooker. Grandpa? Crockpot.
JJG,
I'm tellin' ya, man. Those Asian Youth are dangerous! Ya gotta watch out for that stuff.
You never know when they'll step in front of your Tom Clancy autographed All-American foreigner-killing tank with a flower and ruin your whole day of knocking off people with working brains, or rip off some American punk rock girl-band and add some guitar riffs full of sly Asiatic harmonic dissolution, diminished chords with the flatted fifth in the bass, masquerading as artistic embellishment. Yeah, you know how that shit works. They're sneaky, those Yutes in Asia!
Wingnuts are right to be concerned. Next thing you know, they'll be Yellow Scarin' your ol' stars n' bars granny into her grave.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. The next spring roll you eat could be your last.
Just in case anyone thought I was kidding with that punk rock girl-band quip, here's a clip of one of my all time favorite bands, Shonen Knife, singing "Space Christmas"...I know it's a bit early for this stuff, but you simply cannot listen to this song and not smile from ear to ear. This is not just an homage to kick-ass antecedents like the Ramones (pace, Joey), this is a band that makes it their own and rips it up on their own terms.
Plus, dig that great Gibson Flying V that Naoko Yamano is playing. Man, what I wouldn't give for that axe.
You go on'nanoko!
Youth in Asia really do kill! (musically, that is)
What? No David Sedaris fans here? Youth in Asia is an halarious piece from his collection "Me Talk Pretty One Day". I think it may have been published at the start of his career.
BTW...It would be my guess that those aren't wingnuts with the Youth in Asia signs. Those are a couple of liberals making fun of the wingnuts. Trust me. David Sedaris is not a favorite of the Tea Party.
@Haley Simon: You could be right, but I can tell you there are quite a few sites on the Internets where people confess to thinking that "euthanasia" was "youth in Asia," along with stories by people credibly claiming they encountered others who didn't know the difference. It seems more than slightly possible than among these confused people are more than a few Tea Partiers.
Marie