Posted on 08/09/2009 3:52:05 AM PDT by Man50D
Hundreds of people crowded into the BRIDGES building in Downtown Memphis on Saturday for a congressional town hall meeting that quickly deviated into a raucous shouting free-for-all, requiring extra law enforcement officers to watch over the scene.
The meeting, hosted by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Memphis, was scheduled to address constituents' concerns about Social Security and veterans' benefits, but the real topic of the day was health care reform legislation being crafted by Congress.
Most people in the crowd of close to 500 were in loud opposition, although Cohen supporters held their own, waving signs that read "Health Care Now."
And as one heckler yelled, another shouted back, "Shut up! I want to hear my congressman. You shut your mouth!"
Within 15 minutes of the start of the event, a nearly nose-to-nose confrontation between individuals with opposing views became so heated they had to be separated as Shelby County sheriff's deputies and Memphis police officers called for reinforcements. No arrests were made.
With town hall meetings greeted with similar protests across the nation, Cohen was prepared.
"This is America, this is Memphis, Tennessee. Take two aspirin and come back in the morning," he yelled over out over the room.
Cohen invited area physicians to share their opinions on health care reform.
Dr. Neal Beckford was roundly booed when he said 50 million people were without health insurance.
However, he pointed out that as a society Americans need to decide what they want.
"And when we've decided what we want and how much it cost, we then need collectively to decide what we are willing to pay," he said.
Cardiologist Dr. James Klemis believes that ethically the poor must be taken care of. But this bill is being rushed and is too similar to Canada's and Britain's socialized medicine, he said.
"The problem is, government can't be the solution. It's got to be within the community," Klemis said.
Dr. Laura Bishop shared her disdain for insurance companies but is no fan of Washington's plan.
"Government getting involved in deciding what health care you are receiving is not the way to go," Bishop said.
Honesty, said Dr. Autry Parker, must be part of the conversation on health care reform.
"This issue will not be solved by people shouting, it will not be solved by people telling lies over and over again," Parker said. "Yes, I have read it and I do not agree with everything in it, but there is absolutely nothing in the bill that is going to euthanize grandma."
One of the signs waved by a plan opponent said "Don't tell my gigi how to die," referring to allegations that the bill would allow senior citizens to be euthanized, something the nonpartisan group FactCheck.org said is false. Cohen also denied that the bill would pay for abortions -- another claim made by opponents.
Roger Fakes, 70, said he sat quitely during most of the meeting, but Cohen's insistence that citizens would be able to keep their private health care drove him to his feet.
He argued that changes to private insurance would force citizens into the government plan.
"There are some of us old gray-haired folks that don't want the government involved in any of our business," he said.
The nearly all-white audience was not a snapshot of the mostly African-American 9th District that Cohen represents.
One of those who came from outside the district was Mark Mullis, 67, of Olive Branch, who was treated for cancer two years ago. He's afraid of what the plan will do to his insurance coverage, a combination of Medicare and retiree benefits.
"I know some people think a 25-year-old has a whole lot more to give. Maybe I've got seven or eight more years. To me all life is precious no matter what age," Mullis said.
Also from outside the district was bill supporter John Miles, 21, of Tupelo, Miss., who debated with opponents during the meeting.
"The purpose of this is to ask questions and receive answers. These people had all the answers," Miles said. "It's frustrating. It seemed that side in particular was doing a lot of yelling and screaming and booing. I just felt like yelling back."
Cohen is also proposing an amendment to the bill that would create a national pilot program on infant mortality, an issue of grave concern in Memphis, where infant-mortality rates are like those of a Third World country, he said.
Despite the boos, jeers and general disorder Saturday, Cohen said that after 33 years in public service he wasn't rattled.
"I expected it to be a lot worse," Cohen said.
There sjhould be a website where the names, faces Locals,and hometowns, of the Union Mobster Violent Goons, are posted after every event they are caught on video, doing the Criminal orders of Obama, Sebelius, Pelosi, Reid, Markham(?), and their Union Mobster criminal bosses.
” This protest movement is only partly about healthcare.
IMO a lot of the energy and fear and anger are due to the idea that Obama and his supporters are simply taking control of America...whether the voters like it or not.
Healthcare is one of the first fronts, but if Obama succeeds here, the march to complete control continues with even greater force. “
Exactly!!
Call it ‘culture war’ if you will - this is a battle in the larger war against ‘Omniscient, Omnipotent Government’ - whether or not most of the participants realize it.
We can only hope that this is the beginning of the ‘Final Battle’.....
The frustration stems from the fact that the Obama regime has already decided prior to any discussion what they want and what they are going to do.The town halls are only meant on their part to demonstrate to the serfs that this is what is going to happen.
Well sorry,but this is not Hugo Cavez Land yet....
This is America and WE the PEOPLE decide what we want.
In a short 7 months Obama has presented himslef not as a leader but as a dictator.
Not going to work.
Townhall Meetings turn ugly after President Joker releases his SEIU union thugs on the crowds.
Not one incident of violence before the SEIU thugs showed up.
” If this gets as ugly as we think it will, my husband and I AND our money will just move to another country that respects the elderly. “
Pretty slim pickins’ out there — certainly no place that stacks up against Texas... (I’m assuming that your ‘nick’ means what I think it means...)
Wellll, I meant to say, if Texas should secede we will stay here! Texas is a pretty good place.
If he gets to control your healthcare, you'll find out.In the extreme, I can imagine a scenario wherein one is scheduled for a relative harmless procedure, but after awakening from the anesthesia finds a leg or arm has mistakenly been amputated...or perhaps a really troublesome protester falls into a coma and doesn't awaken from the anesthetic at all.Mysteriously, the computer will somehow not approve the appropriate treatment for anyone in your family...or worse.
This is why I hope King Willie wins this seat. I don’t think he will be a Pelosi stooge.
Did Code Pink show up?
In actual fact, this is called a red herring. Fact Check says no euthanasia, and this is close enough to true to be solid. But, thats not the charge, the charge is that government bureaucrats and planners will set up system where granny just doesn't merit that knee-replacement, cancer drug, or by-pass. So she dies quicker of "natural causes."
And this is a plain fact about this plan. The Baby Boomers who have been paying the Max Social Security and Medicare Tax will get into their late 60's and early 70's and be told you are too old for that "enter life saving care option here" and thus, why don't you consider hospice?
I’m afraid we have only begun to see the tip of the iceberg of what this creep is capable of.
He sent in the union thugs this time but I would not be surprised if he sent in the National Guard next to subdue us. He literally thinks he can get away with murder.
Then next item on the agenda will be amnesty for all the millions of illegals in this miserable economy with all the unemployed masses. Just watch him arm-wrestle that one through. Gotta buy those votes.
King Barry does not fear anyone and he’s got millions of brain dead zombies behind him. I know several myself who are real proud of him. It’s absolutely astounding. We are living in the twilight zone.
I’m not mobile and this may sound dumb and even severely simplistic, but I feel blessed to have been born where I have and blessed with the opportunities I have been afforded. I myself would stay to contend it in every way possible. I am a young(and probably naive) man though.
I notice “fact check” puts forth a straw dog argument so it can shoot it down. There doesn’t have to be some explixit euthansia clause in the bill. Withholding care or putting it on indefinite hold will do the job just as well as formalized euthanasia. People will die on waiting lists of things that could have been prevented and their gov can still technically claim they aren’t being “officially” euthanized. They’re just the collateral damage from being denied access to a free market in health care.
This is possible.
“The Net: Part I-V”
“He literally thinks he can get away with murder.”
“We are living in the twilight zone.”
I can see posters.....but can’t make them.
Oh, and of course, we need one for “I can see dead people.”
Agreed. I think Texas will secede before that though. We see what happened when South Carolina decided to secede. They weren’t the only one.
There's enough flexibility in Obamacare for bureaucrats to have a lot of discretion in deciding who gets what medications and procedures. Right now he's collecting a massive email and articles data base of people who oppose him, all of which is instantly and digitally searchable. The FEC records of nearly all campaign contributions are also digitally searchable. It would be incredibly easy for an Obama bureaucrat to run such a search against you, me, or anyone else to see if any of us was politically qualified to receive a needed drug or procedure.
A presidential occupant (NOT a legitimately elected president) who's supposed to be the country's chief law enforcement officer who deliberately incites mob violence against ordinary citizens and refuses to enforce the Voting Rights Act against two thugs who commit the most blatant violation of that act in 40 years is fully capable of enacting a political qualification test to determine who gets needed medical care. Obamacare isn't about health care; it's all about gaining totalitarian domination of each of us through our health care needs.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.