I hope you read this - I want to apologize for any harsh words against you. It was unkind and unnecessary. I'm sorry.

I'm not interested in flame wars. I just can't believe - jaw-droppingly can't believe - the contents of these pages. I can't believe that dyed-in-the-wool liberals, as Kate claims to be, would EVER let an issue as devastating to so many people become a cynical game of Obama-bashing. Can't believe that principled Republicans - the grand old party it was once called - like Readerreader would stoop to disenfranchise untold masses of fellow countrymen for cheap political snark.

Can't believe that Joan Walsh and her usually compassionate writers, who lavish attention and liberal concern on torture and abortion issues, would slough off reportage of healthcare reform - an epidemic of pain in this country that affects millions - as politics as usual.

As usual? As usual to fucking whom? To the 14,000 losing their coverage every day? To the one in six without a prayer of getting major health problems taken care of?

Who the fuck do you arm-chair naysayers and chicken-little bashers think you are? Just because YOU have coverage, the rest of the country has to suffer? Or because YOU have a better idea, in the comfort of your living room, an active solution has to die, after decades of gestation?

When this country doesn't get health reform, and when you start to lose your own benefits after, god forbid, your job, the reason won't be in Congress - it'll be right here in these pages. Alex Koppelman, Mike Madden, and the United States of Nimby.

Not right now you're not - you're not running substantive articles about healthcare - except for Reich - at all. You're article last night was atrocious, a snide dismissal of the ISSUE of healthcare so that you could make political points. You had your Obama-stand worked out 6 months ago, and it still works for you.

But don't try to cover up journalistic malfeasance with day-after omnibus.

And the letters sections - usually a hotbed of trivial and trolling response to healthcare, has all the response you need today.

YOU are one of the problems. YOU are treating this like American Idol, instead of a burning issue.

And many others on this board and I are calling you on it.

No punches pulled: I'm ashamed to be a member of Salon these last few days. With the exception of Robert Reich's attempts to explore healthcare reform implications, you're closer to American Idol than Walter Cronkite.

I'm a dedicated Salon reader and poster, I've stayed with you while the country was near-pitch-black Bush, and watched with amazement as we've lifted ourselves out of his horrific non-policies.

Here's one of the shining examples of how a humane compassionate society can take care of ALL it's members, not just the rich, or the pundit class. And you guys are all over the sports reporting. Well if you want the latest "results", Huffington has you beat by a mile.

Shame on Salon for treating this like political badminton.

You're title was "Warning: May Cause Drowsiness". That's mainline snark, period. Alex Koppelman's response to the same press conference was about the White House visitor files ONLY, which were released.

I expect more from you guys. I admire you, daily, and follow you religiously. But I expect you to tackle this one with your heads not your asses. Obama has laid out facts, which are in process. Congress is grappling with them. YOU should be discerning, rather than waiting for an official telegram.

I don't give a DAMN if the press conference was staged, or Madame Tussaud's waxworks. There is a burning issue on the table here, which will require us to come together as a country, just for a moment, to make real. The timing is crucial, not to be frittered away. The stakes couldn't be higher. Any time that you waste with cheap political points, harm is done.

And it's not about Obama, so put away your blunt knives - it's about millions who won't see any change to their precarious existences unless the default political inertia - the default political evil in this case - gets pierced. The hell with you if you can't understand how important this it to ordinary people.

You guys should be leading the way, not being sideline skeptics.

Thanks for responding with substance - I appreciate it.

If you've got a great alternative to health care, get it on the board here, on the web, on supermarket message boards. Get it to your Congressman, pronto, and make it the official alternative. Solutions R us.

Can we reach the 14,000 who'll lose their insurance today? Is it that ready to go? No pre-existing black-outs? Catastrophic covered? Good man.