Replies

Well, I'm reporting back.

I cannot even begin to describe how disgraceful this public event, this "Town Hall Meeting" — organized under the auspices of my congress-crittur, Nikki Tsongas, fifth district, Massachusetts — really was.

I only learned of this event yesterday, via a telephonic "robocall" from Tsongas' Office. So I was primed and hot to go.

Then this evening, I got there.

BIG surprises there, my friends.

I thought to get there a little early, so showed up about 20 minutes before the official kick-off time of the festivities. I subsequently learned that I was already way too late to put any question of mine into the mix. At ten minutes to seven, there were already two lines formed some thirty deep each, and they were in that line because they showed up at five o'clock or earlier. I was already way too late to put my question to Ms. Tsongas. Which was: "What happens to doctors, under this new system?"

I mean, Obama tells us we cannot be pried away from our regular doctors under his proposed new regime. But what does such assurance mean, when the very role of the doctor is being magically transformed before our very eyes? From a person who — under the Hippocratic Oath — is devoted to the welfare of each and every individual patient, to a person who has been effectively converted into a pure functionary of the State? Under ObamaKare, you may be looking at the same person you have known and trusted for your health care for years. Under the "old system," that person was always working for your and your best interests.

But if your doctor has been turned into a mere functionary of the state, whose sole role is to make effective in your life, in your own personal medical situation, the decision reached by a body of elite experts — then kiddos, we are no longer speaking of "health care." We are no longer speaking of the sanctity of the doctor–patient relationship. We are speaking of massive cultural change. Finally, we are speaking of the plans of the would-be wielders of absolute political power, whose sole mission in life is to "instantiate" an unlivable "reality" .... With our cooperation, of course. The victims are invited to embrace their own demise in such matters. Just drink the KoolAid kids....

So I showed up too late to put my question. Bad on me. But what happened before I was admitted into the auditorium in the first place is what really makes me mad, what I find so terribly disturbing.

At the "outer door," I was questioned as to what event I thought I was attending. So of course I said, "I'm here to attend Nikki Tsongas' Town Hall Meeting." I was told (in effect): You may gain entry; but of course you also know that you may not bring any personal "bags" into this [public] meeting."

The person who said this to me was a person who must have known that to separate a lady from her personal handbag, or purse, is an unforgivable sin in a civil, free society. Nonetheless, that was the very proposition that I had to face, and comply with, just to gain admittance into the room [i.e., the public discussion].

Naturally, I asked: Why are you relieving citizens of their just property (my money, my credit cards, my personal identification papers) as some kind of "admission price" into what I supposed would be a First Amendment dialog on critical public policy issues?

I asked. The answer was "There had been 'calls'."

So I asked, "What kind of calls? Were they threatening calls? Were there any "calls" that put the Hudson citizenry into danger, let alone Nikki Tsongas?

Their answer: "There were 'calls'." You couldn't drag any further information out of them on this score.

But "they" were very serious about me leaving my handbag behind, in the supposed safe custody of three lovely oriental women whom I never met before in my life — and that was my "price of admission" into this event. So, who is this "they" or "them?" It was actually one person — an elderly grey-haired person who obviously had complete authority about who would get into Nikki's "town hall meeting," and who would not. At first, I thought this must be a plain-clothes Hudson police officer. I have had second thoughts about that subsequently. Now I think this person was a party operative.

When he challenged me about bringing my handbag into the event, I invited him to search my handbag, thus to answer any question of public danger I might pose in his mind, so to let me keep my handbag about me.

He told me he did not have the authority to do that. His instructions were simple: No one goes into Nikki's auditorium with any kind of "bag" whatsoever.

So delicious, my friends.

So, I handed over my handbag, leaving it to the tender mercies of the three lovely oriental ladies (who swore to me that they would die defending it unto the end of time — I kid you not), and went into the auditorium.

I lasted about ten minutes in that room. I recognized that the whole deal was a carefully controlled put-up scheme. Plus I was really worried about the safety of my handbag. So I left this wonderfully "transparent" public meeting, retrieved my handbag, and set about the business of just going back home. Which all things considered, seemed the most rational course under the circumstances.

On my way out, a "LaRouchie" encountered me with leaflets. The very guy who seized my handbag in the first place evidently found my behavior so interesting that I do believe I was positively surveilled by him, in my exchanges with the LaRouche person whom I never met before in my life. Nor have I any sympathy whatsoever with any form of "conspiracy" theory, be it LaRouchian or otherwise.

But this particular "LaRouchian" gentleman — I can hardly describe him as anything less than gentlemanly — was a real, highly intelligent, and deeply concerned human being who cares about the same things that directly concern me — i.e., the "public option" of ObamaCare. He was also a person of color.

Anyhoot, what I found disturbing was that the "authority figure" who seized my handbag in the first place seems to have been deeply interested in my conversations with this "LaRouchie," who's name is David. The Enforcer (seems to be that was what his main function in this "public event" all along) found me out, and was standing maybe three–four feet away from us throughout our conversation — surveilling me (and/or him), as it were — but WHY???

Anyhoot David and I had a lovely chat, I took away his literature and promised to read it. And even gave him $4 for his troubles. (He eventually asked for a monetary donation. I asked him if he would be content to receive whatever I had in my wallet. Which was four dollars exactly. He welcomed the gift, although it was puny enough. Hey, I do as much for homeless people....)

And so David and I parted company, under the keen observation of this (what seemed to me) increasingly suspicious person. The Enforcer that is. The guy who took my handbag as the price of attending a public meeting....

But I still wasn't completely "talked out" yet. So I went looking for other "worthy correspondents." And instantly found a group of females organizing themselves under a large poster which said, "Healthcare Reform Now!"

So, I went over and asked them: "In what way do you think healthcare should be reformed? And in what way do you think HR 3200 — "America's Affordable Healthcare Act of 2009" — reforms it in ways that you find beneficial?"

Well, the dear ladies were dumbstruck. Especially when I started citing section 1233 E&F of that nefarious bill. They had never heard of such a thing before, and so certainly, such a thing could not possibly be true.

The next thing I heard was: "Well I'm with her — and she's driving. So I have to leave now." End of that conversation....

Such a satisfying evening wouldn't you say, all the way around — wouldn't you think????

Anyhoot, I mean to write to Nikki Tsongas, to indicate to her what a total, utterly deplorable disgrace to We the People her Town Hall event was this evening.

I'll post it here when it's done.

As ever, dearest sister in Christ, thank you for your kind support....