Into the Lions’ Den
November 16th, 2009
Inspired by “At the zoo, no escape for a deer in the lions’ den” (Washington Post 11/09/09), “Health Care Passed in House, Women Used As Political Poker Chip” (Change.org 11/09/09), Post Pundit contest Maame Gyamfi’s “Sophie’s choice: Health-care reform or women’s rights” (WashingtonPost.com 11/10/09), “Stupak’s Flaccid Amendment Needs No Viagra” (Huffington Post 11/12/09), “How Stupak’s amendment could change the whole insurance market” (WashingtonPost.com 11/13/09), and “Republican Abortion Hypocrisy” (Chang.org 11/15/09). Watch the video of the deer in the lions’ den below, along with John Stewart’s 11/12/09 report about the Stupak Amendment. And be sure to SIGN THE PETITION below in opposition to the Stupak Amendment.
The frightened deer probably didn’t know
Exactly where she was trying to go.
In fear of the crowd she jumped over a wall
And into a moat full of water did fall.
She must have realized it was a mistake when
She saw she’d jumped into two lions’ den.
She was caught, escaped, then was caught again,
But managed (barely) to get away in the end.
The crowd cheered her on in that unequal contest
With shouts of “go, go, go” at her addressed.
We Americans like to root for the underdog, you know
(Or in this case, the under-doe).
Similarly, the healthcare bill made its way through the House,
Trying to survive a game of political cat and mouse,
Pursued by powerful opponents used to getting their way
With a lobbying budget of $1.4 million per day.
Like the deer, the bill sprinted towards safety–
It looked like it would make it (if only barely).
But it too was mauled (by Republicans and Blue Dog Dems)
In a way that the bill (possibly) to death condemns.
Republicans (and some Dems) oppose government healthcare intrusion
But I guess that principle is just an illusion.
They fully support using government decrees
To eliminate abortion coverage from private insurance policies.
They want to keep government out of the examining room
But are fine with forcing it into a woman’s womb.
They rail against medical meddling by a government bureaucrat
But government intrusion doesn’t get more personal than that.
Then again, the Stupak Amendment is really just a poison pill.
I hope it won’t kill reform, but there’s a chance that it will.
House leaders had no choice but to choke the pill down
And make plans to try to get rid of it the next time around.
I believe that abortion should be legal, but minimized
And oppose the Right’s attempts to have it criminalized.
I’m OK with current regulatory control.
I don’t get why pro-lifers also oppose birth control.
But abortion is such a swamp of political ill will,
There’s no way to resolve it in a healthcare bill.
The only solution for now is to maintain the status quo
And that’s not where the Stupak Amendment will make us go.
Should healthcare reform mean giving up a woman’s right to chose?
Should healthcare reform because of abortion rights lose?
Neither option is a real winner
(Like choosing which lion you’ll provide with dinner).
Though that deer managed to get away,
It unfortunately still didn’t live to see another day.
It had to be euthanized because of a serious wound.
To see if that happens to healthcare reform, stay tuned.
***
Here’s Johns Stewart’s piece.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Preggers Can’t Be Choosers | ||||
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Here’s the video of the deer escaping from the lions.
Here’s the petition. Sign it by clicking the link below send a letter to Sen. Majority Leader Reid to stand firm against the abortion ban.
Finally, watch the video below from the Center for Reproductive Rights, and sign this pledge to tell Congress that women’s healthcare needs are NOT a joke.
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Tags: abortion, Blue Dogs, DC, Ezra Klein, Freedoms, Healthcare, Lobbyists, National Zoo, Petitions, Republicans
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