Posted on 08/15/2009 8:19:51 AM PDT by La Lydia
...In the past week town meetings have been just like primary schools, but without teachers or principals, and crowded not with children but with adults behaving worse than children, shouting, shoving and almost coming to blows. The American town hall gathering, with its venerable history dating from New England self-governance in the 17th century, has always inspired some mix of revulsion and respect. Just like democracy everywhere. But as Congress has abandoned Washington for the month with unfinished business, namely health-care legislation, and with the public riled by genuine fears and ginned-up misinformation, the town hall meeting has never looked quite so absurd...
It most certainly doesn't look like the town hall meeting depicted in a 1943 Norman Rockwell painting based on Franklin Roosevelt's famous Four Freedoms speech...
Compare that with a viral video of Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) dealing with a man accusing him of cronyism and ungodly behavior. "I'm going to speak my mind," the fellow bellows, without speaking his mind. But he does threaten divine sanction: "One day God's going to stand before you, and He's going to judge you and the rest of your damned cronies up on the Hill. And then you'll get your just deserts." ...
But even a writer determined to mock small-town aesthetics couldn't depict something quite so unruly as what we've seen the past few days, which is less about governance than theater. A population that never tires of being counted, in polls and surveys, in e-mail group lists and comments pages, in tweets and Web hits, is showing up to be counted yet again. And thus democracy with a small "d" comes crashing against the decorum of republican governance with a small "r," and August has its new meme...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
When there’s legislation without deliberation the people have a legitimate right to say whatever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want, however they want, to whomever they want....
Is Phillip Kennicot too stupid to notice all the paid hacks in these meetings? Hired ACORN shills - union goons - up against real citizens? Maybe, like Maureen Down he’s impressed with the faces of the “young idealist” ( paid rent a crown street people and unemployed students who don’t give a flip about the issue) ... Ahhh, how today’s journalists love to have the wool pulled over their eyes... - well, by dems. This is a “let me vomit” piece.
I bet this writer was first up complaining about the anti-war loons and their Bush-Hitler dress ups.
Full speed ahead.
“public riled by genuine fears and ginned-up misinformation”
The ginned-up misinformation is all coming from the dems.
... Ahhh, how today's journalists love to have the wool pulled over their eyes... - well, by dems. This is a "let me vomit" piece.
An ad to hire the shills to stand up against concerned citizens:
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Date: 2009-08-03, 11:59AM CDT
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PostingID: 1303502752
tickleddragon on August 6, 2009 at 9:23 PM
And when Code Pink disrupts meetings and hearings with their inane antics, this Washingotn Post Marxist reporter said—??
Crickets chirping.
Another lying, hypocritcal commie at the Post.
Ho hum.
Oh GEE. Congress has had 7 or 8 months of meetings with lobbyists, union leaders, business leaders, and other proponents of government health insurance. NOW THEY COME HOME LASTLY TO THE PEOPLE, WITH THEIR MINDS MADE UP ALREADY, TELLING US WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO “GIVE” US INSTEAD OF ASKING IF WE WANTED GOVERNMENT CARE!
OF COURSE WE ARE PISSED! THE PEOPLE ARE THE VOTERS. NOT THE LOBBYISTS. CONGRESS IS SUPPOSED TO WORK FOR US!!! But in their eyes we are little peons only important during election years.
Obviously congress is missing the point as to why the people are pissed. This is the ultimate mirror of taxation WITHOUT representation. Marxism. Fascism.
Ivory Tower Anarchy.
hmmmmmm, an idea is forming...
$400-$600 a week...hmmmmm...
And next “THE CROWN” will burn down the town halls. And then the towns.
read
Perhaps someone needs to report this writer to flag@whitehouse.com for spreading misinformation about health care “reform.”
Completely overlooks that there was no shoving or violence until Obama called out ACORN and SEIU. Misses that people are frustrated over the governement spending them into the poor house. If Governement doesn’t listen this time I think we are hading for a time when people just say fine, I’m not paying anymore and will just stop feeding the beast.
You mean the one with the lone plebe who stands up to have his position heard and ignored by the politician at the front of the room?
Sometimes it takes a little more to get your point across. That's what's happening now, and naturally the liberals at the front of the room (and their supporters like the writer) are upset about it.
Good idea. He probably doesn't get that "flag" is a heavy handed totalitarian move. Easier to take on old people who object to the government rolling 'em... He must be quite a man - big bully with older citizens who dare to raise their voices - blind sweet puppy dog with totalitarian thugs.
More reportage from the straight-arrow, non-biased Hussein supporters in the government owned media!
Good idea! We should report any articles we find with fishy pro-govt-healthcare misinformation.
His last paragraph.
________________________
But people will still wait quietly and peacefully for a chance to have a genuine back-and-forth with experts. As a recent photograph in the New York Times shows, they came by the thousands to the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The Forum is an arena. The experts were doctors. The enticement was a free health care clinic.
_________________________
The enticement was free health treatment, even for those who could afford it but didn’t want to pay.
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