Some of these town hall meetings on health care have gotten a little testy. Last week a fight broke out in St. Louis between members of the Service Employees International Union and the Tea Bag Coalition (naturally each side blames the other, but that's not the point).
Unfortunately, one of the Tea Bag coalition, Kenneth Gladney, was injured. Now he is accepting donations for his medical care due to the fact that he was just laid off from his job and has no health insurance...after suffering injures at a rally against universal health insurance.
Irony meter explodes...
Snow shoveling heart attack warning
2 hours ago
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9 comments:
I am sorry that this man was injured, that truly is a terrible thing, but that's funny. I think my irony meter has also exploded.
I have more of an issue with your use of the dergotory term like Tea Bagger, given what it actually means. So based on the blue state/huffy post/moveon playbook I could call the SEIU the the bj's, cause they suck, or the anal warts because thats what kind of pain they are. I got it. How about the dirty sanchezes cause they give it too you both ways. Funny also how you didnt report about the Dirty Shanchez (SEIU) members who were arrested for the assult on this Tea Party Member. Believe what you want, but for a person who has an issue with labels and retoric, you seem to be pushing some of your own. This may be extreme, but I am trying to make a point.
Right or wrong, these town hall meetings have become forums for people to express their outrage with all government policies. I think the powers-that-be have underestimated the degree of dissatisfaction in the land. And I think they're fools for not recognizing that the internet and networking are rapidly changing how the electorate receives and processes information. The web makes it so much easier to disseminate information and misinformation, and to organize people.
Of course, much of the upheaval could be avoided if politicians simply stopped lying to us. Ha-ha! As if that will ever happen . . . There will be firestorms and holocaust destroying the countryside before the swine squeal on themselves.
Stu, to be fair, I did not use the term "Tea Bagger". That was intentional since I know that can be insulting (although I will admit I had to look it up at first since my knowledge of that slang is lacking!) I accidentally referred to them as the Tea Bag Party which, after rereading the article, I see should have been the Tea Party Coalition. Noted and I will get it right in the future.
I didn't report who was arrested since the article I cited stated there were six arrests, but not who. Feel free to post more info as it becomes available.
And for the record, I don't read the Huffington Post...if you look at some of their science coverage, you would see why they offend me on a regular basis (even when I agree with them their coverage is just awful as they don't have people who understand science well enough to write about it without screwing it up). Total donations I have made to Move On: $0.
Hale,
I respect your response and recind what I said. I get the tea bagger thrown at me alot, so I am touchy about it. As always you are a constant professional.
Stu, how is the term Tea Bagger or Birther anymore offensive than the derogatory use of Liberal during the Iraq war build up? I remember how nearly all discussions over going or not going to war in Iraq were resolved with a contemptuous "You must be a liberal" and the equating that anyone not all for the war was also a terrorist and unAmerican.
A few weeks ago I noticed how the pendulum had swung the other way and the term Birther was getting air time. It concerned me as I really don't wish to see discussion ended with such simplistic insults.
There are far too many sheep on both sides that don't think their views through and merely forward half truths and refuse to bother looking to see if the propaganda they so quickly toss to their out boxes with "send all" instructions has merit or truth.
The damage lies-and-half-truths cause by not checking facts is impossible to eradicate because once decimated, people embrace the lies as truth because it fits with their molded world views.
We're being played and the Puppet Masters are ugly.
Huck, my liberal friend (and I mean that with respect) Birther I have no issue with. Tea Bagger I do, just for what it means to be a "Tea Bagger".
Who's buying the beer? Are we all duked out and friends again?
Birther? I squeezed out three kids. Should I take offense to that term? :o
I am kind of with Stu on this one...parents don't need to be explaining that sort of thing after watching the news.
As I have mentioned in the past, I am a longtime (since grad school in the early '90s) supporter of the Concord Coalition. They advocate fiscal responsibility and advocated getting out nation's finances in order. Although I may not agree with everything in the Tea Party Coalition, I don't think they are totally crazy on this point.
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