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November 12, 2009 MSNBC The ED Show
Robert Greenwald and Ed Schultz discuss the new cover story of The Nation Magazine "How The US Funds The Taliban"

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It seems like everybody at Fox is whining that liberals are just saying No Thanks to their entreaties. Hey, why don't these folks want to subject themselves to routine humiliation at the hands of Fox anchors and producers just so they can be on Teevee? Jeeesh.

Bill O'Reilly -- who likes at other times to dish out lectures on name-calling and civility in our discourse -- named Howard Dean his nightly "Pinhead" on Friday because Dean said this:

Dean: One of the reasons I don't go on Bill O'Reilly's show -- the only reason I don't go on Bill O'Reilly's show -- is because I saw him take apart a 23-year-old who had lost his father in the World Trade Center and tell him he was unpatriotic because he didn't support the war. Those kinds of people I don't hang around. Because they're not good for the country, and they're not good for -- they're not good human beings.

The Loofah Master was outraged at this, of course:

O'Reilly: Well, it's a complete lie. A gross distortion. The guy Dean is referring to blamed the United States for 9/11. It had nothing to do with any war. OK? He blamed the USA for the 9/11 attack, and I did take him apart.

Just for kicks, O'Reilly gets his revenge by sending out Attack Poodle Griff Jenkins to gnaw on Dean's ankle about another quote altogether. This schtick is not aging gracefully.

We've added an excerpt from Robert Greenwald's marvelous documentary, Outfoxed, which features an examination of the Jeremy Glick case.

As you can see, a war was involved: O'Reilly attacked Glick in part for questioning the invasion of Afghanistan.

And Glick didn't "blame the USA for 9/11" -- he signed an ad that accused the United States of committing acts of terrorism itself.

As usual, O'Reilly finds it easier to just lie. Especially because it always makes him look better. And as you can see, he has a long history of doing just that with the Jeremy Glick matter anyway.

From Brave New Films, The Health Insurance Racket: Getting Rich by Denying Americans Care:

UnitedHealthcare CEO Stephen Hemsley owns $744,232,068 in unexercised stock options. CIGNA’s Edward Hanway spends his holidays in a $13 million beach house in New Jersey. Meanwhile, regular Americans are routinely denied coverage for the care they need when they need it most. Welcome to the American health insurance industry. Instead of helping policyholders attain the health security they need for their families, big insurance companies get rich by denying coverage to patients. Now they’re sending lobbyists to Washington, DC to twist the arms of lawmakers to oppose reform of the status quo. Why? Because the status quo pays. Learn more about the glamorous lives of billionaire health insurance executives and tell us your story of being victimized by their greed. Then contribute to Brave New Films so we can continue to get the word out about the health insurance racket.

And the HuffPo-- Denied Claims Placed At Health Insurance CEO's Doorstep:

A new video puts denied health insurance claims on United Health Care CEO Stephen Hemsley's doorstep.

The video, made by Brave News Films' Robert Greenwald, intercuts stories of people suffering because of denied claims with images Hemsley's fancy homes, along with details about how much money Hemsley's got ($744,232,068 in unexercised stock options, for example).

Holly Bailey says in the video that United Health Care refused to pay for medicine she couldn't live without.

"They kept telling my local pharmacy...'Oh we're just waiting for one more letter, or we're just waiting for one more script, and then we'll start paying,'" Bailey said. "This went on for six months, and December 4th both the pharmacy and I received a letter from United Health Care saying they deemed it medically unnecessary and that they were not going to pay any of it.

"I tried to explain to them that if I do not have this, I will die. And the only response she gave me was, 'OK.'"

Joanna Joshua, whose child's treatment was denied, asks, "Stephen Hemsley, how are you able to sleep at night?"

The piece aims to gin up the sort of pitchfork-style outrage against health insurance CEOs that so beset Wall Street executives after their industry was bailed out by the government.

"It's definitely similar and in some ways worse, because these are dollars are literally being taken away from you that could help save lives in order to build bigger mansions," said Greenwald in an interview with the Huffington Post. "We hope it will begin a part of the discussion that has not happened: Who is gaining from the current system, and why are they resisting?"

Via the Brave New Foundation, Democrats.com and Peace Action West, a new documentary from Robert Greenwald looks at the problem with expanding the war in Afghanistan and the likely effect on Pakistan:

The war in Afghanistan and its potentially catastrophic impact on Pakistan are complex and dangerous issues, which further make the case why our country needs a national debate on this now - starting with congressional oversight hearings.

Sign the petition to help make hearings a critical first step and then send this trailer to all of your friends and family. Imagine someone like Andrew Bacevich having the ear of Congress as he explains the perils of war. Now imagine a national dialogue filled with rational, thoughtful discussions on the issues surrounding Afghanistan. That is our goal.