South CarolinaPing
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Posted on 08/23/2009 10:56:59 AM PDT by Jet Jaguar
Chuck Lustig thinks the federal government hasn't done anything in the last 50 years without screwing it up.
Lusting, 74, retired from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel after 21 years of service and flew aerial reconnaissance during the Vietnam War. He loves his country but is extremely worried about the future.
"I'm afraid we're going to lose our country," he said on Saturday afternoon, as he held a sign with pictures of two South Carolina congressmen — Rep. James Clyburn, D-6th District and Rep. John Spratt, D-5th District — wearing dunce hats. The sign's message didn't mince any words: "Can't fix stupid," it read. "Vote them out!!"
Lustig was one of about 20 people — many who were clad in American flag shirts or wore red, white and blue — who stood outside Spratt's Bultman Drive office on Saturday to protest health care reform, the Obama administration and the Democrat-led Congress.
"All of the above," the Sumter resident explained. "We actually have an oligarchy here. They're arrogant."
The retired airman pulled out a red, pocket-sized book that contained the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution.
"It's 58 pages," he said, looking at the book, "and they built our country around it. The (health care reform) bill is over 1,000 pages and nobody understands it."
Spratt, he said, has voted "straight down (Speaker of the House Nancy) Pelosi's line," which was one reason Spratt's office was chosen as the site to protest, he said. Lustig said he's e-mailed Spratt several times but simply receives a form letter reply.
"Ten years ago I never dreamed I'd be standing on a street corner holding a sign," he said, sipping some iced tea handed to him by his wife, Murph, 74.
I'm here for my grandchildren," Murph Lustig, who served as an Air Force nurse, said. "I refuse to let the burden (the deficit) get passed to them without fighting."
Don Odom said the protest came about because of concerns shared by many of his friends. The 62-year-old owner of Southern Pride Catering wore a T-shirt with pictures of President Obama and Speaker Pelosi with the slogan "Government Gangsters," underneath. Pelosi is saying, "Hey look, a taxpayer," and Obama replies, "Quick. Get some of their money."
Odom's sign asked, "Want to buy a house?" with a photo of Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank, and the slogan "Barney Frank sucks," underneath.
"Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac — he's responsible for the housing crisis," Odom said, which "brought the country down."
Odom's ire was targeted on politicians, Democrat and Republican alike.
"All they want is to be re-elected," he said, "and they'll tell anybody anything to get the votes."
Carol McCaskey lived in Spain about 10 years ago, she said, and participated in that country's government run health care.
"It was extremely expensive," she said, while holding an American flag.
McCaskey, 65, had been out on the corner since about 11 a.m. and said the responses from motorists passing by was mixed, but mostly supportive.
"We're getting beeps and we're getting the finger," she said. "Positive and negative."
Spratt was unavailable for comment.
Ping.
If he retired from the Air Force he might well say that.
They might have also added that he's not very competent.
When he's not busy orbiting Uranus.........
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