Compare and contrast

American with America's great private health care:

Before Napientek was wheeled into an operating room Oct. 27, his doctor obtained a preauthorization number. The surgery went well, and within weeks Napientek was feeling much better.

Until April. That's when the couple began receiving a series of letters from the insurance administrator with chilling news: Claims for the surgery had been denied, leaving them on the hook for the heart-stopping total of $148,000.

American in dirty hippie France with their awful socialized medicine:

Another woman told me that the emergency surgery, with two doctors working nearly an hour, was going to cost me a grand total of 100 euros, or 140 dollars (really only 100 dollars if the exchange rate weren't so out of whack). Added on to the basic emergency room visit and consult fee of 23 euros (32 dollars), that meant my emergency room visit and emergency room surgery came to a grand total of 172 dollars.

Hey, this is depressing

Headlines from CNN.com this morning:

Palin: 'I am not a quitter; I am a fighter'

Palin's every word, breath satirized

Image in a tree Michael Jackson? Jesus?

Squirrel-in-cleavage gal explains acts

Brief history of toilet paper


And, of course, "live, instant updates" from the Michael Jackson memorial service, as if something is going to happen. What, I dunno - mass suttee by his fans? Resurrection?

Meanwhile Governor Sex Machine gets a slap on the wrist from the Sou' Ca'lina GOP:

Members of the South Carolina GOP's executive committee approved a resolution censuring Sanford for conduct that demonstrated "repeated failures to act in accordance" with the party's core principles and beliefs, according to GOP sources on the teleconference.

The resolution also reprimands the governor for "falling below the standards expected of Republican elected officials."

Yeah, he should have been cruising in a men's room or giving speeches to white supremacist groups, f'crissake. What was he thinking?

Unmentioned of course is (merely) the latest GOP racist incident. Nice to see the GOP getting so much use out of the "delete" button.

So, let's review - Michael Jackson's face in a tree and a woman with a squirrel in her cleavage: newsworthy. The GOP's latest lurch towards just busting out with the "N" word in referring to the President: not newsworthy.

Well. Priorities.

And as far as Palin goes - Major Kong over at Sadly, No! had it right: "Heat…….kitchen…….etc."