Disrupting Town Halls... The Absence of Reason

[gwojtowy]

clip from MSNBC




In all my 50 years, I have never seen anything as shocking and pathetic as the irrational opponents of health care reform!

I remember as a boy how proud I was to see a copy of Norman Rockwell’s series of paintings known as "The Four Freedoms." Freedom from want, freedom from fear, freedom of faith - freedom of speech!

That last one I remember very well....

It was a depiction of a young man in a light brown calf-skin work jacket, with a shock of black hair, unsure of his articulation, rising from his seat in the town hall and having his say. Around him were men who were better dressed and no doubt by their demeanor, leaders of the community.
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The man in front of the young man had files, charts, and graphs with him. Behind the young man, was a wizened old man, some banker, or something? The young man had only a rolled up newspaper stuffed in his coat pocket. But it was stuffed in neat - as if he had just finished reading it. In addition, he stood erect as he spoke, looking the presiding entity square in the eye.

Moreover, all the other men listened to the young man with deference if not respect. They let him have his say.

That was how Norman Rockwell was depicting his America.

And what kind of America did I see before me this month, this year, this century?

That young man could stand up in that hall with a quiet dignity a say his piece without fear.

I saw no place for that young man in today’s assemblies.

I saw instead people who had no dignity. Those people were not there to have any meeting! They were there simply to force their fears and ignorance down the throats of others who came to discuss their concerns and have their fears answered.

We were robbed!

They stole our Freedom of Speech!

They robbed us of the ability to discuss a dire problem, and the consequences of not addressing it.

I began this column wanting to defend health care reform, but after what I saw happening at Claire McCaskill and Arlen Spector's affairs, they could have been discussing new drapes in the library for all that mattered.

I heard people screaming at the top of their lungs and not letting the speaker get a word in edgewise. I heard otherwise intelligent people spout the old wives’ horror stories fed to them by the vested interests intent on keeping the status quo. And I felt depressed as if I were watching rats following their Pied Piper to their doom.

In addition, nobody can tell me that they were not duped by special interests! I posted one of the smoking guns, an instruction manual for disrupting town hall meetings. Only one town hall meeting, that of the President had any civility, but even that one was not immune as someone brought a gun to the vicinity along with a sign quoting Jefferson.

The instances of racism and ignorance at these meetings are frightening not only in and of themselves, but also because all of us will lose due to this. In 10 years, when their premiums reach 50%, and they have no Medicare to speak of, will that 30 year old woman who "suddenly woke up" this year, will she "wake up" again to see how she mortgaged her children's futures, and see what a dupe she was?

In addition, was it racism as well as ignorance that sent her over the edge?

Swastikas and depictions of Obama as Hitler serve to show how poorly educated people have become, but they portray as well the paranoia of these people.

And I must lose my health care system to them?

Let it be known then, that after 60 years of talking of the need to establish a health care system, when it came down to it, they gave in to fear.

Let it be known that after decades of complaining they were serfs in the insurance fiefdoms, that woman was ignorant enough to put the shackles back on.

Let it be known that the future of my two little nieces, will be sacrificed because this country lost it's nerve.

Confront these people.

Agitate their leaders! Demonstrate in front of their headquarters! Confront them one on one everywhere you see them! Whenever you see a lone demonstrator ask that person to list all the reasons, why they oppose health care reform. Then item by item show them why they are wrong.

But above all else, make them see the damage they are doing to the country they claim they want to save! A democracy can slowly erode due to expediency and surrendering to impulses and rash actions!

When they wake up in 10 years to the bleak country they've created, they will seek whom to blame. They will find that person in the mirror.

We are saving our democracy now! Restore the civil discourse!

[Doctor_J]

1. Unfortunately it's only going to get worse

there is literally no one to stop them from doing whatever they want.

[bertman]

2. An eloquent plea. Your ideas are good. Going to town hall meetings with posters and

and demonstrating that you favor healthcare reform is another form of free speech that we can ALL exercise.