an open letter to my fellow Americans

I began to realize something today that has brought my heart no end of sorrow: maybe we can't win the grand prize of free health care from them. Maybe we can't even fight them in the next major election cycle because even when they lose, they win. I have seen this whole episode playout before, over and over, time and time again and still it's the same group of fat fucking rich white guys who get their panties all twisted in a bunch shouting, "They'll give all your daughters abortions!" or "They will pull the plug on you when your old!" or "You can't even choose your own doctor!" to the old tried and true saw "It's socialism!" or whatever else they can think of to fill their airwaves with. And why? Because they don't want me to have free health care. They don't want you to have it or you or you. Why? Because they know they'll have to pay for it out of their millions and billions. And what is wrong with you America? Don't you want free health care? I mean isn't that what Jesus would do? Care for the sick and needy? Doesn't he teach that "as you have done to the least of these, you have done unto me also"? Could it be we forget about Jesus' compassion in favor of his War God status? What if, god forbid, something terrible happens to you like an accident? I've heard horror story after horror story about people fighting the insurance company to hold up their end of the bargain for all those premiums you paid them. People have lost their homes because of that. HMOs? Instituted by Nixon to help insurance companies avoid their obligations to their customers. Who doesn't know someone with a story about that? So help me understand this. Why can't you have free health care? What about your kids? Why can't they? The simple truth is they can. You can, I can, we all can. Trust me: I was in Canada for a year and let me tell you free health care kicks ass! Free Canadian health care literally saved my life and you can't give a bigger recommendation than that. And all that crap the Republicans say about the horrors of the Canadian health care system? Not true, not one bit of it. In fact all the Canadians I asked about it laughed and wondered why we Yanks always believed such nonsense about their way of life. Now those rich folk? They don't have insurance because they don't need it: they have private physicians who work for them. And the Republicans, they get free health care by working for the government. So what makes them any better than the rest of us? Their money? Well who helped them get all that money? We did. The whole country did. America did. So while we helped them for better or worse, through sickness and health, they keep digging in their heels and resisting giving all of us what is right, what is honorable, what is decent and American and by God is what is owed to us after all of our sacrifice and hard work. But no, say the rich. So they lie and they lie just like they always do and whip the people into a frenzy over those lies because they hope you will be stupid enough to believe in them. In fact, this whole health care showdown is part of their political efforts to regain the House or Senate and the White House after that. Is that what we the people want? 8 more Bush style years of Republican governance? Really? I don't think so but some of you sure do act like it. So can we win? Can we beat them? Stand up America and claim your birth right! Or are you Esau, ready to sell it for a pot of stew? The rich don't care about you and they don't want anything from you but more money. Today I decided to get active and volunteer for the Democratic cause. Next I got in touch with my elected Representatives and told them what side of this debate I was on and I heartily encourage all of you to do this. Call them, e-mail them, do whatever it takes. Or give up. It's up to you.