DISSENT IS THE HIGHEST CRIME AND MISDEMEANOR

The Committee will now allow you to speak:

“As we continue our research into this issue, we are instructing you to immediately discontinue all such mailings to beneficiaries and to remove any related materials directed to Medicare enrollees from your Web sites,” said a notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

“It is wholly unacceptable for insurance companies to mislead seniors regarding any subject — particularly on a subject as important to them, and to the nation, as health care reform,” Baucus said Monday, disclosing the HHS investigation. [...]

“The health care reform bill we released … strengthens Medicare and does not cut benefits,” said Baucus. “From lower prescription drug costs, to free preventive care, to better treatment for chronic conditions, seniors have so much to gain from health reform — and I’m not going to let insurance company profits stand in the way of improving Medicare for seniors.” [...]

An “investigation”? An “INVESTIGATION”? REALLY? That has the stink of totalitarians about it. What’s to “investigate”? Somebody said something you didn’t like–big deal! It happens to everybody else every day. Suck it up, sugar, and move on! Damn.

Where do these Soviet sovereigns get the “right” to tell a private company what it can and can’t say to its customers?

Try this thought experiment: let’s say Humana supports health care reform and Senator Baucus and the HHS are adamantly opposed; can they still silence them?

I’ve been around a while but I’ve never seen political censorship like this in America, except perhaps when Negroes were still being lynched.

Insurance companies can suck. They can be wrong. And so can governments. But only government can send armed law enforcement to silence you. That’s why we need free speech.

It’s not about the merits of the positions; it’s about the right to take a position without asking King Max Baucus’ permission.

UPDATE: How come HHS and Baucus don’t get to censor Sen. Rockefeller?

“This [new tax on expensive plans] will mean higher premiums for coal miners who are getting very good health care benefits for a very good reason. That is, like steelworkers and others, they are doing about the most dangerous job that can be done in America.”

“So that’s not really a smart idea,” Rockefeller continued. “In fact, it’s a very dangerous idea, and I’m not even sure the coal miners in West Virginia are aware that this is what is waiting if this bill passes.”

Of course, Rockefeller is such a free speech extremist, he believes in leaking top secrets to the Times. But how come he gets to object but Humana doesn’t?

And catch this lede paragraph:

“The Obama administration warned insurance companies Monday they face possible legal action for allegedly trying to scare seniors with misleading information about the potential for lost benefits under health care legislation in Congress.”

Are you kidding me?

Democrats have been “trying to scare seniors with misleading information about the potential for lost benefits under health care legislation in Congress” SINCE BEFORE I WAS BORN! That’s been their bread and butter for decades and decades! They’re just jealous some one else is committing their patented “crime”!

All this turns the Constitution on its head. Free Speech is a core principle of a free people, not a Party favor to be handed out by officials to supporters and denied to opponents.

The First Amendment was written to protect the rights of citizens to challenge government officials, not to empower a ruling class alone with free speech rights. And certainly not to give them the right to silence citizens for disagreeing with the legislation they plan to shove down our throats. Exactly backwards.

Like everything else since we elected these arrogant jackasses.