Saturday, February 6, 2010

Disgraceful Gateway Pundit Attacks Melanie Shouse

I try to avoid gratuitous name-calling, but I really don't know what to say about someone this sick. Right-wing blogger and St. Louis tea party leader Jim Hoft, aka Gateway Pundit, today attacked Melanie Shouse, a progressive activist who died last week from breast cancer because she couldn't afford preventative care. Hoft wrote the following about Melanie:
It’s just too bad this woman didn’t call St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Louis. They offer free breast exams to women who are in need of assistance. I suppose that’s Bush’s fault, too.
after writing
There really is nothing they won’t do or say to get this nationalized health care bill rammed through Congress.
Furthermore, as the update in his post makes clear, Hoft made his comments before even bothering to find out about Melanie's story. It's amazing that he would make such a disgusting attack without even having the decency to research the story.

How someone could not be moved by Melanie's story is beyond me. But of course Hoft and his fellow right-wing demagogues are not moved by the 45,000 people/year who die in the current health care system either, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. That's what was so amazing about Melanie; she was so moved by the suffering of others that she could not quit fighting for change even while struggling against cancer.

This is why it's so important for those of us who actually have the human emotions of compassion and empathy to fight to make the world better. People like Hoft are out there every day working to get rich off spouting the insurance company talking points, and they will win if we aren't out there fighting twice as hard.

2 comments:

  1. Someone should check out his claim for "free breast exams. I'd bet either he's talking about the state program that provides mammograms but is dependent on income, or they ONLY provide mammograms but follow up care has to be paid for. I doubt highly they provide free mammograms and free follow up to every woman who needs it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anon, you are right. But, Gateway Pundit can't let things like facts and details get in the way of a point he is making. Besides that St Anthony's was probably the furthest (is that a word?) hospital from Melanie's home.

    ReplyDelete