Just watched Sotomayor, J. get sworn in, and it was the first time I’d ever heard the oath:

“I, [NAME], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as [TITLE] under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God.”

Just like this guy:

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Now that political theater has descended into comic anarchy, we suspect public opinion will take care of itself. God bless Republicans — they always overplay their hand.

Health Debate Turns Hostile at Town Hall Meetings [NYT]

Welcome back, Talibunny!

The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.

Health care by definition involves life and death decisions. Human rights and human dignity must be at the center of any health care discussion.

Good to know. And who is your insurer? With service like that, we’d be happy to sign up.

Statement on the Current Health Care Debate [Sarah Palin/Facebook]

It’s an Orly Taitz remix, because I have nothing else today:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rky03elvlU0

American life expectancy is ranked 47th in the world. Our infant-mortality rate ranks 43rd. We spend twice as much on health care per capita than any other country. Half our bankruptcies are due to medical expenses. Medicare operates with a 3 percent overhead, compared to 16 percent for nonprofits and 26 percent for private insurers.

And yet we love our insurance companies.

We love them for the coverage they deny us. We love them for their refusal to pay the claims we file. We love them for jacking our premiums 87 percent since 2000. We love them for the enormous profits they make, instead of wasting that money on our health.

We love our insurance companies to death.

The purpose of the Darwin Awards is to celebrate people who, by dint of their own stupidity, remove themselves from the gene pool. Although we do not control the nominations, we nevertheless proclaim a special collective 2009 Darwin Award for the American public. You may collect your trophy at your local town hall meeting. Careful you don’t get hit by a bus.

Health Care Statistics in the United States [HealthPAConline]

An anonymous prankster appears to be claiming responsibility for the Kenyan birth certificate:

Fine cotton business paper: $11

Inkjet printer: $35

1940 Royal Model KMM manual typewriter: $10

2 Shilling coin: $1

Pilot Varsity fountain pen: $3

Punkin’ the Birthers: Priceless

Dave Weigel has the full photo display, and while there’s no telling whether the demonstration is authentic, it certainly shows how easily it could be done — especially if the mark is gullible enough to accept the forgery without having a close look. But how could that be possible?

‘Punkin’ the Birthers: Priceless’ [Washington Independent, via Sully]

Bonus update! WorldNetDaily wipes its hands:

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Insatiable in its mission to turn America into a company town, Wal-Mart has cast its Happy Face of Sauron at its next target:

Wal-mart has fake Girl Scout cookies in ‘beta’ distribution, on their way to a national rollout. Because the cookies are ‘reasonable facsimiles’ of the authentic Girl Scout cookies (I sampled them myself at BlogHer ’09 last week) and are being sold at an everyday low price, these cookies are poised to snatch cookie sales right out of the hands of the Girl Scouts themselves.

Thin Mints alone account for 25 percent of Girl Scout cookie income. While similar chewies are already on the market, Wal-Mart appears to be the first to knock off Tagalongs. Thanks to the free market, America will finally have a choice.

Wal-Mart Knocks Off the Girl Scouts [Authentic Organizations, via Sully]