Tuesday Funnies: People Who Don’t Bow To Japan’s Emperor
As NewsBusters reported Saturday, President Obama caused a bit of an international incident this weekend when he bowed before Japanese emperor Akihito. Not surprisingly, his adoring fans in the media have done everything in their power to cover for this peculiar demonstration by the most powerful man in the world. With this in mind, the College Republicans at the University of Connecticut have put together a marvelous video to demonstrate how world leaders across the globe have addressed the emperor recently without bowing (video embedded below the fold, h/t Andrew Malcolm):
Now THAT'S entertainment!
You can arrange to have President Barack Obama send signed greetings and congratulations to US citizens for many of life's milestones. The White House will send signed greeting cards and recognition to US citizens to commemorate special events and accomplishments. Requests need to be received six weeks prior to the event, in most cases. Greetings will be mailed from the White House about ten days before the event.
All Greeting requests must be submitted in writing* to:
The White House
Attn: Greetings Office
Washington, DC 20502-0039
Requirements
US Citizens Only
Advance Notice Required: For all requests but wedding congratulations and newborn acknowledgments, six weeks in advance of the event date. The White House makes every effort to honor all requests but cannot guarantee a greeting if this guideline is not met.
Birthday Greetings: Birthday greetings sent only to those who are 80 years and above.
Anniversary Greetings: Anniversary greetings only to couples who are celebrating 50th wedding anniversaries and above.
Other Greetings: Limited special occasions will be recognized for the following events:
Wedding - send request after the event
Baby's birth - must be born during the Obama Administration; send request after the baby's birth
Eagle Scout Award
Girl Scout Gold Award
Bar / Bat Mitzvah or equivalent
Required Information
Name & Home Address of Honoree(s), Form of Address (Mr., Miss, Dr, etc.)
Exact Date of Occasion (month, day, year)
Age (for birthdays)
Number of Years of Marriage (anniversaries)
Wedding (include couple's married name and current or new address)
Baby's Birth or Adoption (include baby's date of birth and full names & addresses of baby & parents)
Requestor's (Your) Name & Daytime Phone Number
Any Specific Mailing Instructions, if other than to honoree's address
*Requests made via email will not be processed.
Okay so now Bill Clinton comes out of nowhere and says that Obama will accomplish the impossible, which is to get America onto a national health care plan. But can we really believe it this time around, I mean is this truly going to happen, after nearly 80 years of going back and forth? Is this endorsement official, sort of like Colin Powell's last minute endorsement of Obama or is this just wishful thinking?
I've heard everything from arguments that we already have health care for everyone in this country because anyone can go to the emergency room and get treated to tort reform which would make it more difficult for someone to sue their doctor or insurance company. None of these ideas seem to address the issues; for one there is a clear reason why doctors were getting sued to begin with, not to say that everyone who has sued a doctor was necessarily right, but malpractice is an issue in this country. If you prefer taking the same drugs forever without any real promise or idea that you are getting better, then go right ahead. As far as the poor being able to go into the emergency room, the cost of their doing so is part of the problem.
People say that it is best to leave the big decisions to them but they are not always proactive themselves. Most people would just continue to put off going to the doctor until they are literally falling apart without this health-care initiative. If they do not have to pay to go to the hospital they may at least consider doing so before they are really sick. A lot of people are out there putting the rest of us at risk because they wait until something major happens before they get treated.
The biggest obstacle the President is going to have in selling this initiative is explaining costs. We have already seen Joe Wilson call the President a liar with respect to the idea of whether or not illegal immigrants would benefit from the plan. Bill Clinton suggests that Republicans may vote to block the bill out of political pressure even though the vote may have nothing to do with the bill at hand. The thing is, are Republicans coming out against the bill with arguments that, at the end of the day, have nothing to do with the provisions in the bill? Bill Clinton has a lot of interesting ideas about Obama should do, but he is not active at this time, so it does not matter. Now whether or not Bill can persuade said Republicans to support this bill remains to be seen …