Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" Has Turned To "Let's Move Some Urine"
Nick Gillespie argues in TIME for phasing out the Office of the First Lady (just after the current First Lady came out with some utterly unscientific crap about drinking more water...the follow-up to her advice, not based in science, on how to eat):
Consider this: The country's leading health-and-nutrition buttinsky has not just one but two Ivy League diplomas and earned over a quarter-of-a-million dollars back in 2006, before the Great Recession destroyed the hopes and dreams of entire generations, including those not yet born. Now she makes no salary at all and provides diet-and-exercise information that doesn't even require a GED.I speak of course of First Lady Michelle Obama, whose bold new initiative aims to get Americans to drink more...water. "Water is so basic," Mrs. Obama told residents of Wisconsin's Watertown (a coincidence, I'm sure). "And because it is so plentiful, sometimes we just forget about it amid all the ads we watch on television and all the messages we receive every day about what to eat and drink....The truth is, water just gets drowned out."
Screw "Let's Move," Mrs. Obama's previous crusade, which was designed to make us exercise. Now it's time for "Let's Drink." But only water. Even in this economy - and despite ubiquitous government surveillance, constant rumors of war, and the slim but real possibility that any of us might accidentally show up on her husband's secret kill list.
Can we please make it stop? And by it, I don't just mean Mrs. Obama's seemingly non-stop nagging and noodging about our weight. (In 2010, she transformed the South Lawn into a fitness boot camp for the White House Easter Egg Roll.)
And I don't just mean her high-profile faux pas, such as when she showed up to dish out food to the homeless while sporting a pair of $540 sneakers. Or her pricey Christmas displays whose extravagance calls to mind both Marie Antoinette and Nancy Reagan.
No, I mean the entire Office of the First Lady, which consists of about two dozen people whose salaries are paid for by taxpayers. Isn't there a budget crisis going on? Money is supposed to be so tight at the federal level that White House tours have been canceled and the president is down to employing just two (count 'em) calligraphers. And yet we can afford a publicly subsidized entourage for the First Lady?
It's not simply a question of money, of course. And it's certainly not a question of gender, either. Who can imagine what fresh horrors await the American public if and when Sarah Palin or Hillary Clinton gain the Oval Office? Could official "Let's Snowmobile!" or "Let's Kegel!" crusades be far off if Todd Palin or Bill Clinton become First Dude?
JFK 1963: "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."
Michelle Obama 2013: "Pee all that you can pee!"
;-)
qdpsteve at September 13, 2013 11:15 PM
Just Say No
Just Drink Water
jerry at September 13, 2013 11:35 PM
Now, I've seen everything. In light of all the sugary sodas and enamel-eating, obesity inducing fruit juices (which are touted as healthy), we're ready to burn the First Lady at the stake because she encourages us to drink water.
I'm curious, but will you haters never stop? This is truly the limit. We've been told all our lives that we need six to eight glasses of water a day and most of us are under-hydrated anyway. Then when Michelle Obama actually echoes this advice (which is a hell of a lot better for you than the aforementioned drinks), you haters just snarl like rabid beasts, determined to clutch at any available straw to demonize her for it.
"How dare Michelle Obama remind us to drink water? Who the fuck does that arrogant bitch think she is?"
Patrick at September 14, 2013 1:28 AM
Thank you Patrick.
Jen at September 14, 2013 3:52 AM
Patrick and Jen are right.
Who cares that it costs several hundred thousand dollars a year to employ a gaggle of yes men to carry out the directives of someone who holds no actual office?
Who cares that it costs several hundred thousand dollars a trip provide for the transport and security someone who holds no actual office?
lujlp at September 14, 2013 5:45 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/09/14/lets_move_has_t.html#comment-3915325">comment from lujlpWe've been told all our lives that we need six to eight glasses of water a day and most of us are under-hydrated anyway.
We've also been told we should eat a low-fat, high-carb diet -- advice not based in science that has been making Americans fat and diabetic. Michelle Obama has promoted this advice.
The fact that we've been told to drink all this water doesn't mean we are "under-hydrated."
Amy Alkon at September 14, 2013 6:07 AM
I'm curious as to who "you haters" is, and wonder if Michelle will run for President.
Radwaste at September 14, 2013 6:15 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/09/14/lets_move_has_t.html#comment-3915377">comment from RadwasteP.S. I don't "hate" Michelle Obama. I've said here before that I think she's pretty and stylish. I just think she should shut the hell up about what Americans should eat since she wouldn't know dietary science if it crawled up her pant leg while she was pretend gardening for the media.
Amy Alkon at September 14, 2013 6:41 AM
Sayeth Saint Nick: "Who can imagine what fresh horrors await the American public if and when Sarah Palin or Hillary Clinton gain the Oval Office? Could official 'Let's Snowmobile!' or 'Let's Kegel!' crusades be far off if Todd Palin or Bill Clinton become First Dude?"
At which point, Nick Gillespie destroys his entire argument. "Let's shoot mooses!" "Let's sneak out and chase women!" As long as we aren't funding a First Scold, the entertainment value alone makes the office worth having.
Old RPM Daddy (OldRPMDaddy at GMail dot com) at September 14, 2013 6:46 AM
qdp Steve - brilliant.
Amy Alkon at September 14, 2013 6:57 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/09/14/lets_move_has_t.html#comment-3915430">comment from Amy AlkonHamblin in The Atlantic lays this out well:
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/09/why-drink-more-water/279591/
Amy Alkon at September 14, 2013 7:24 AM
One wonders how much money we'd be saving if we got rid of the so-called office of the First Lady, to you mental giants who are so worried about it. She still requires Secret Service protection wherever she goes. So, she'd probably cost the tax payers a tidy sum anyway. And without this office, she'd probably be going out a lot more than she does already.
In the grand scheme of things, I'm not sweating a couple of hundred thousand dollars for her office, or even a couple millions. Yes, in my hands, that's a lot of money. However, when you think of what other things we're wasting money on, it's nothing short of asinine to worry about how much money we'd save by getting rid of the office of the first lady. Pointing out that we could save money be removing the office of the First Lady is a lot like praising your oncologist for removing a minor sliver from your finger, as he neglects the treatment of the cancer that is ravaging your body. Yes, it really is just that dumb. Get a brain, retreads.
"Duuuuuuuh...we're trillions of dollars in debt...but we could save 3.5 million if we just get rid of the office of the First Lady."
Not yet sunken in as to just how asinine this article truly is? Poor dears. Try thinking about it just a bit longer. This is a badly-disguised hater-piece, obviously written by someone with a major mad-on for the President, clumsily pretending he's only looking for ways to save money.
And what was she supposed to wear while serving food to the homeless? Would you have felt better if she dressed like she was homeless? I also couldn't help but notice that she was photographed by a homeless person carrying what looked to be a pretty sophisticated cell-phone camera. That was no free Obama-phone, that's for damned sure.
Patrick at September 14, 2013 7:25 AM
At least she's doing something harmless, like telling people to drink more water, and not inspiring decades of retarded drug policy.
MonicaP at September 14, 2013 7:52 AM
MonicaP, thank you! Excellent point.
It's all right when the First Lady tells us to just say no to drugs, like someone who's pushing drugs on kids would take no for an answer.
But when the First Lady tells us to do something beneficial, we're all up in arms! "The Office of the First Lady must be ended!"
Patrick at September 14, 2013 8:02 AM
I'm not a hater, just butt out of my life . I'm also sick of those two in the WH hating on me.
Mbruce at September 14, 2013 8:31 AM
Pointing out that we could save money be removing the office of the First Lady is a lot like praising your oncologist for removing a minor sliver from your finger, as he neglects the treatment of the cancer that is ravaging your body.
Of course the fact that someone will always argue
"Pointing out that we could save money be removing the [insert waste of money here] is a lot like praising your oncologist for removing a minor sliver from your finger, as he neglects the treatment of the cancer that is ravaging your body" FOR EVERY DIME the government spends is exactly why we are trillions of dollars in debt
lujlp at September 14, 2013 8:42 AM
The White House spends $1.2 billion a year, last I checked. That number can and should be a lot lower.
My problem with Michelle Obama is that she does not just tell us to eat healthy food; she's a heifer who restricts the caloric intake of 17-year-old athletes. Ever heard of all the changes to the school lunch programme under her watch? The "We Ae Hungry" video? The fact that active kids need more than 650 calories for lunch?
Hell, at least Clinton jogged and has now gone vegan. I would rather listen to someone like that.
She needs to stop using my money to tell me how to run my life. I don't care if it's a dollar of my tax money or thousands; she needs to butt out. I doubt that Todd would tell us that we had to snowmobile; he might tell us that it's fun, or a challenge, but he would not use our tax dollars to tell us how to live our lives, simply because he married someone who won an election.
Bridget at September 14, 2013 9:09 AM
"However, when you think of what other things we're wasting money on, it's nothing short of asinine to worry about how much money we'd save by getting rid of the office of the first lady."
Annnd here we go again with fallacies.
To determine if an activity is cost effective, the activity's cost is compared to its return on the investment.
You have just used the Two Wrongs fallacy to defend the office of the First Lady by claiming that other costs justify hers.
If you admire Ms. Obama and her work, or think the office is worthwhile, say why. Others will say why it is not.
Radwaste at September 14, 2013 9:14 AM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/09/14/lets_move_has_t.html#comment-3915685">comment from lujlpluj is exactly right:
Amy Alkon at September 14, 2013 10:10 AM
I don't hate Michelle - it's not like she killed her ex-boyfriend with a car or anything.
I'm more in the camp of "Your name recognition does not confer expertise". Like Jenny McCarthy. Hot chick and recognized as such, but not someone to turn to for advice on vaccinations.
When Jenny speaks out of school, the proper response is "Nice tits!". When Michelle speaks out of school, the proper response is "When is your husband going to shut down the TSA?".
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at September 14, 2013 10:11 AM
The issue here is not whether an admonition to drink more water is good advice, it's whether the admonition has any business coming from the "Office of the First Lady".
The First Lady is fully funded in her role as National Nutrition Nanny. White House tours are cancelled. That tells me all I need to know about the Obamas' priorities and their attitude toward the common folk.
In line with Mbruce's comment, I am so unbelievably tired of not being left alone to take care of myself and my responsibilities -- or not -- and to accept full consequences if not. And this is not a partisan comment. I have been tired of this for most of my adult life.
cpabroker at September 14, 2013 10:18 AM
Speaking of Obama's priorities vis-a-vis American values, here's an oldie but a goodie.
Obama congratulates Falcons on letting dog-killing torturer Michael Vick restart his career.
No word on whether Vick could have been his son.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at September 14, 2013 10:44 AM
[i]qdp Steve - brilliant.[/i]
Thank you Amy!! :-)
qdpsteve at September 14, 2013 11:15 AM
Mainstream Media pundit tired of non-believers living in America.
The rest of you atheist scum don't have to live here.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at September 14, 2013 12:26 PM
Let's try that link again ...
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/09/09/fox-news-host-atheists-dont-have-to-live-here/?hpt=us_bn3
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at September 14, 2013 12:39 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2013/09/14/lets_move_has_t.html#comment-3915987">comment from Gog_Magog_Carpet_ReclaimersMeanwhile, "under god" was added to the pledge.
http://oldtimeislands.org/pledge/
Amy Alkon at September 14, 2013 1:06 PM
Gog, Obama still has not learned to confine his discussion to things that are his business. Which wouldn't be so bad if he wasn't always on the wrong side. He sided with Gates over the Cambridge Police Department. He was wrong then. He sided with Trayvon Martin, portraying him as the innocent victim of a vigilante, he was wrong there, too. And now he thinks Michael Vick should have his football career back. So, of course he's wrong there, too. Michael Vick can go to hell.
Patrick at September 14, 2013 2:44 PM
I'm beginning to think someone in the White House set this up as an elaborate troll: "What can we have Michelle say that's the most innocuous thing in the world, just to watch the reaction?"
"Drink water?"
"No, that's too ridiculous."
"Let's try it anyway!"
Good Christ. Are we that politicized that someone in a ceremonial position -- a position that has, in the past, included advocating planting flowers and getting breast exams -- gets shit for something like "drink water"? I'm hardly an Obama partisan, but good Lord, some of you in this thread sound deranged.
This professional-outrage society of ours has gotten ridiculous.
As for me, I'm NOT going out and planting flowers tomorrow. That'll show that bitch Lady Bird Johnson who's boss.
Kevin at September 14, 2013 4:58 PM
google: marathon too much water
( articles.washingtonpost . com/2011-10-24/national/35276787_1_hyponatremia-marathon-runners-hilary-bellamy )
Marathon runners who drink too much water are at risk of hyponatremia
=== ===
[edited] Every couple of miles, the 30,000 or so runners competing in the 36th Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday will pass stations stocked with water and sports drinks. Most won’t stop unless thirsty. Some will follow outdated advice and will drink according to a preset schedule, even drinking all they can hold.
That can cause exercise-associated hyponatremia, which killed Hilary Bellamy of Bethesda two days after she competed in the 2002 Marine Corps Marathon.
Overhydration reduces the concentration of sodium in the blood. Cells absorb the excess water and swell, most threateningly in the brain. This can cause seizures, coma, respiratory arrest, and even death. Lesser symptoms include nausea, vomiting and cramps.
=== ===
Makers of sports drinks spread the theory that you can't tell how thirsty you are when you are exercising, so drink (say) Gatorade before you get thirsty. But, we are designed to tolerate dehydration better than drinking too much, and our thirst mechanism is not suppressed by exercise.
Michelle wants people to substitute water for other drinks, but the message is a bit confused. Bottled water sells well; people must have already caught on.
And then there is this definition by Abrose Bierce
The Devil's Dictionary
=== ===
POTABLE, n. Suitable for drinking. Water is said to be potable; indeed, some declare it our natural beverage, although even they find it palatable only when suffering from the recurrent disorder known as thirst, for which it is a medicine.
Upon nothing has so great and diligent ingenuity been brought to bear in all ages and in all countries, except the most uncivilized, as upon the invention of substitutes for water. To hold that this general aversion to that liquid has no basis in the preservative instinct of the race is to be unscientific — and without science we are as the snakes and toads.
=== ===
Water has been dangerous to drink for almost all of human history. Before public water purification, people drank weak beer rather than risk their health drinking water.
Andrew_M_Garland at September 14, 2013 6:28 PM
Clearly Michelle Obama is trying to kill us. Do we know where she was vis-a-vis Hilary Bellamy of Bethesda two days after the 2002 Marine Corps Marathon? No, we do not. MEDIA COVERUP.
I'd look it up, but that unelected buttinsky Barbara Bush was trying to push READING down our throats just a few years back, so the hell I will.
Kevin at September 14, 2013 7:25 PM
Kevin, thank you for the commonsense responses. With the exception of you, Jen and MonicaP, I think common sense is a bit scarce in this thread, to say the least.
Loved the Ladybird Johnson joke.
Patrick at September 15, 2013 1:10 AM
"How dare Michelle Obama remind us to drink water? Who the fuck does that arrogant bitch think she is?"
Indeed.
I am a Citizen, not a serf. I've managed to keep myself alive this long without Mrs. Obama's "assistance", I think I can manage on my own.
Now, can we zero out the Office of the First Lady's budget? there are government employees who live less luxuriously than the First Lady who are being forced into unpaid furloughs.
Surely she can help shoulder the burden? or should those employees just console themselves with cake?
I R A Darth Aggie at September 15, 2013 7:59 AM
Since yesterday, I've read up on this a bit: It's truly a huge controversy among some, isn't it? Man alive.
We've had a President's Council on Physical Fitness since 1955 (that's 11 presidents), we've had First Ladies "butt in" on major "controversial" issues like reading and volunteerism, and people are in a swivet over DRINKING WATER?
How long before we have people "going Galt" and not drinking water? As I wrote that sentence, I meant to joke, but the second I struck the period I realized it could very well happen.
I shudder to consider what would happen if Michelle Obama suggested people tell their kids that they love them.
Kevin at September 15, 2013 12:37 PM
"I think common sense is a bit scarce in this thread, to say the least."
Irony, from the demonstrably fallacious.
Radwaste at September 15, 2013 1:37 PM
Kevin, when they can convince me they were this upset about the "Office of the First Lady" when Bush was President, I'd believe in their sincerity.
Or how about Reagan, when his wife started that wrong-headed (and frankly dangerous) "Say No To Drugs" nonsense?
Gee, when First Ladies were dispensing even more horrible advice, we were all just peachy keen with their policies.
Now, when a First Lady advises us to drink water, we're all up in arms.
Kevin, if Michelle Obama advised us to tell our children that we love them, the posters on this blog would be advising us all to backhand the little brats across the room.
Patrick at September 15, 2013 3:55 PM
Kevin, when they can convince me they were this upset about the "Office of the First Lady" when Bush was President, I'd believe in their sincerity.
Well thats a lie, isnt it. Becuase despite nearly ever person who has criticized the waste on money that is the office of the first lady is also on record as criticizing Bush, and you always conveniently ignore that fact
Kevin, if Michelle Obama advised us to tell our children that we love them, the posters on this blog would be advising us all to backhand the little brats across the room.
Damn right, if she did it anywhere other than the White House. We dont need the governemtn spending millions of dollars to have ANY non elected spouse to trumpet common sense
lujlp at September 17, 2013 8:44 AM
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