In a wing-nut world, Granny is toast

By Ellen Goodman
Boston Globe

August 7, 2009

I AM AS HAPPY as anyone at signs of an economic recovery. But I confess to having mixed feelings about the resurgence of the wing-nut industry.

We now have “The Birthers’’ manufacturing myths that President Obama was not born in the United States and therefore is serving illegally. They are following the business plan of those earlier entrepreneurs selling the idea that Obama had killed his grandma. Consider the scare-biz Internet scribe who penned the memorable line: “Obama flies to Hawaii to visit his grandmother and just a few days later she winds up dead. Coincidence?’’

But now the industry has ratcheted up from accusing Obama of killing his grandma to accusing him of trying to kill your grandma.

The campaign is based on a small provision in the healthcare bill that would allow Medicare to reimburse doctors for time spent consulting with patients about their end-of-life choices.

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