Ahhhhh..The Return of the ANGRY MOB!

I love America. Seriously, this is without question the most awesome place in the world to live in. I wish I was even more grateful for the supreme privilege of having been born here, at this time and being raised by two parents who loved me and took care of me and gave me options and chances in this great country. Even with those awesome parents it would be impossible for me to have this much opportunity anywhere else. But we are spurning all this bounty. Spurning it so we can be divisive, unhappy and angry.

Congress is going home on break and in traditions held for past decade or so they are convening town hall meetings to listen to and converse with their constituents. The tea party protesters are getting energized not to take part in these meeting but merely to come in, shout down the congressmen and disrupt the meetings and "be heard". Congressmen Tim Bishop's case is typical:

"In Bishop’s case, his decision came on the heels of a June 22 event he held in Setauket, N.Y., in which protesters dominated the meeting by shouting criticisms at the congressman for his positions on energy policy, health care and the bailout of the auto industry. Within an hour of the disruption, police were called in to escort the 59-year-old Democrat — who has held more than 100 town hall meetings since he was elected in 2002 — to his car safely."

You have got to feel good about this. Angry mobs showing up and being obnoxious. Not interested in expressing their views and listening to other views BUT only in disrupting and punishing Democratic legislators. This is not happening to republican leaders. Only Democrats.



Glen Beck had this to add to the discussion:

http://glennbeck.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/08/05/are-you-a-right-wing-extremist/

This is what one tea party site is urging:

"One tea-party friendly group has disseminated a strategy memo for other anti-reform and anti-government groups, outlining what they consider best-practices for protesters who plan to enter and disrupt town hall events hosted by members of Congress over the August recess--practices that, according to the memo, "could be useful to activists in just about any district where their Congressperson has supported the socialist agenda of the Democrat leadership in Washington."
The memo, authored by Robert MacGuffie, who runs the website rightprinciples.com, suggests that tea partiers should "pack the hall... spread out" to make their numbers seem more significant, and to "rock-the-boat early in the Rep's presentation...to yell out and challenge the Rep's statements early.... to rattle him, get him off his prepared script and agenda...stand up and shout and sit right back down." I like it. It promotes discussion and democracy.I know a lot of people who are angry. Angry with the government. Angry, because it is pointless. They are ANGRYy with the President. Angry about all the spending that is unsustainable. I cannot argue with any of them. THEY ARE ANGRY! When your angry you cannot listen. I am not even trying to say this healthcare plan is good or even tolerable because THERE IS NO HEALTHCARE BILL! there are snippets and pieces and a long draft of one in the House but I keep coming back to the same question which is why are people so angry?

The angry people I know are not missing any meals. They are not missing house payments. They are not losing jobs. They have not paid a penny more in taxes yet. The economy had already gone to hell before Obama came in and his initial moves were to continue the ones begun by his predecessor. The economy has not crashed yet. It still might and I think we are on a long slow slide to the bottom but that is still preferable to the free fall that we were in. Obama said what he was going to do. He got elected by a pretty large majority. It remains to be seen whether it can be done or should be done. People should be going to town hall meetings and expressing their views but shouting and disrupting legitimate efforts by our deeply flawed legislators t connect to their constituents is small minded and reeks of the kind of herd mentality that sets up my country, the greatest country in the world for another demagogue. Someone else who can channel all that hate and heat and passion for their own agenda and to the damage of the greatest country in the world.

I am going to take action and inform my legislators my feelings about health care reform. It needs to be reformed but my only message is going to be a simple one. If you do not make sure that you are part of whatever system you put in place, I will remember and I will take it out on your ass when I vote next time. I will not shout it at them. I will not shout down other people. I will see if they respond. I will report.