So this is what it comes to. After eight years of protesters hanging George Bush in effigy, calling him a Nazi, disrupting conservative speeches on campuses by taking over stages or throwing pies, creating websites and movies that wished for Bush’s death, and a myriad of other indignities…. After all this time, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer discover what it means to be “Un-American.”
In today’s USA Today, Pelosi and Hoyer brand those speaking up at town hall meetings “Un-American.”
“Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. “
Now you tell us. Drowning out opposing views has been standard fare for almost a decade, but never a word of complaint when the views drowned out were conservative.
What does it now mean to be Un-American? For people, many of them elderly, to stand up at town halls and demand to be heard on the Democratic health care proposals. Rather than the tightly controlled puff pieces which politicians love, the town halls have turned into the one outlet people have to let politicians know how they feel.
Almost all other outlets have been shut down; the mainstream media is overwhelmingly liberal and supportive of the Obama administration, as is academia. We have single party rule in Washington, and it is almost impossible to criticize the Obama administration without being falsely branded a racist.
Town halls have become a primary forum for people who have no voice to be heard. While people attending town halls should not disrupt the proceedings to the extent of shutting them down, people do have a right to voice their opinions loudly if the way the town hall is being run is meant to stifle not encourage debate. Other than the internet, town halls may be the only forum where ordinary people, not connected to the party in power, have a voice.
It is too late for Pelosi and Hoyer to shut down opposition through name calling, because increasingly people are willing to speak out. That fact must be really frightening to Pelosi and Hoyer.
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Comments
She is right. So why is she drowning out my opposition to her view?
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, Obama's top advisor on the healthcare overhaul, says he opposes euthanasia. But when you read his actual writings it is clear that he thinks some lives have more value than others. For example, the elderly have less value because they have less years of productivity left. This logic is absolutely consistent with the idea of useless eaters propagated by Dr. Josef Mengele's Nazis. Now who is obfuscating whom?
Yeah, what do they consider what they are doing with the name calling -drowning out opposing views.
@Thingumbobsquire: There's a pretty good discussion about Dr. Emanuel a few posts back, titled "An inconvenient truth about the Death Panels." (Short answer: I'm pretty sure the writing you're referring to is actually about the medical ethics involved when you have one donor heart or liver, two or more patients who might not last another 24 hours without receiving one, and a decision has to be made as to who gets the organ. Opinions differ, but from what I've read, Dr. Emanuel (& company; there were 2 other authors to the journal article) is offering a system of ethics that is more compassionate & fair than the one UNOS is using currently, in my opinion.) I'd read the whole threat… someone even mentioned the Nazi angle.
I'm pretty sure that the author and every other person whining about this understands the difference between protest and drowning out opposing voices, no matter the feigned outrage. Marching in the streets to express your point is one thing; smashing windows to get your point across is another. Even though both activities fall under the heading of "protest," those who speak out against window smashing–perhaps by calling it "Un-American," even–are not maligning all protest.
Same goes here. Speaking out is very American. Shouting down your fellow Americans –both those who're elected, and your neighbors–in public meetings designed to express various points of view, and thereby not allowing those who oppose your point of view to be heard… Yeah, that's kind of un-American.
I'm not saying there isn't a time and place for being rowdy in response to what you see going on around you… …but that doesn't absolve you of being criticized for it, especially if others think you're jumping the gun and acting like hooligans for your beliefs, prematurely.
In a lot of places here in America, speaking in turn is patriotic, too.
“I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration somehow you’re not patriotic. We should stand up and say we are Americans and we have a right to debate and disagree with any administration.” – Hillary Clinton
Listen to the mobsters in YouTube videos, on Rush, etc. They are turning the insults upside-down. These people will not be intimidated nor silenced, which is what the Left has always counted on being able to do. These so-called mobsters are the former Silent Majority – and they are Silent No More. When you've riled peaceful grannies and stressed out doctors, you have utterly lost the debate and message.
I'm gathering paraphernalia for the 912 Project protests and meetings in D.C. Our family will be decked out. We're collecting Angry Mob and Don't Tread On Me apparel. I now expect union thugs or worse to meet us all in D.C.
Myhon,
It really lacks something without the shrill shrieking.
"We have single party rule in Washington…"
The single party rule is the result of our vote. It happens when the majority of voters do not even go to the polls on election day.
Voting is the great privilege and responsibility. This is how we can make our voice heard.
Stolen elections, ACORN fraud would be irrelevant, if more people go to polls.
Just my opinion.
American people have no one but themselves to blame for the single party rule in Washington.
Voting is the great privilege and responsibility. Still, the large number of American citizens do not go to polls on election day.
Congress has obviously failed in its oversight responsibilty. I recommend a new oversight committee. We could call it uh, uh, got it! How about "The House Unamerican Activities Committee"?
As for this shouting down business:
If you get a bunch of people together to discuss a contentious issue like healthcare, you are bound to have people shouting and interrupting. However, for the most part, despite people shouting out, the townhalls continued and people were able to ask their questions, express concerns/support, etc. I did notice a trend though- if the representative is lying to them and feeding them talking points- people tend to get a little PO'd and start with the booing, chanting etc. It might be rude, but it's not purposefully disruptive nor "un-American". I think it's a natural reaction people have if they feel they are being lied to.
What I noticed with the Dems is their constant need to have a villain. So when the townhalls were somewhat raucaus and people were actively challenging the congressmen, they tried to portrayed them as people who weren't interested in debate, shouting the congressmen down. Then they became organized protestors who wanted to shutdown debate. Then they became angry mobs with fake anger determined to destroy Obama. Then they became Nazis (Pelosi). Then they became un-American. There's this concerted effort to try and demonize those who have genuine concern and who can become upset if they are lied to, manipulated, dismissed, shutdown, called dispicable names, etc. There is an effort to dehumanize those who disagree.
As for Dr. Emmanual, he is a proponent of the "complete live system" which is a combination of what they feel are the best parts about UNOS, QALY and DALY systems. To say that is is more compassionate is complete bunk in my opinion.
Keep in mind that all these systems are used in cases of scarcity. (Something that is bound to happen in any sungle payer system.) UNOS is the system for determining who gets a new organ. There principles are bases on the sickest people first, first come first served and those who stands a better chance of accepting the organ. The complete lives system explicitly states that those who are between ages 15-40 should be prioritized for medical treatment because they stand the better chance of living a complete life. While UNOS is not perfect, it does allow people an equal chance to have their life saved. However, the system proposed by Dr Emanual is barbaric because it allows a bureacratic systems (hospital, government, etc) to decide who is more worthy of life and treatment. In healthcare, that is a personal decision that is to be left to the individual. It should not be forced upon them.
It's always funny how the libs play both sides. When GW was around they could protest everything under the sun (even soldier's funerals) and when we take up issue it's being un-American.
I think that when citizens, who are patriotically exercising their free speech rights to petition their government, get labeled by our leaders in Washington, DC as Nazis, racists, mobsters and un-American, then those leaders just might be, to quote a prominent American, "acting stupidly."
I say we should "Sentence Serial Spenders to
Time Already Served."
On another note, thank you for including the links on Honduras. Ten years ago our family visited Honduras as volunteers to build some housing. We pray for the Hondurans to come through this crisis safely and with a stronger country. I disagree with the knee-jerk reaction of our president and State Department in this matter.