Free Republic

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius held a brief conference call with SEIU members this afternoon. She hailed them as her “brothers and sisters” and urged them to show up at town hall meetings. She gave the same stultifying mini-lecture about the sanctity of Medicare. “Change is not easy,” she droned. “We need to roll up our sleeves.” No mention of how SEIU thugs rolled up their sleeves and attacked a black conservative protester in St. Louis or ran interference in Tampa Bay. In an attempt to reassure SEIU members that senior citizens would not suffer under Obamacare, Sebelius said “Saving lives...

The anger at the town hall debates is turning very confrontational and even dangerous. At this town hall in Tampa there was a near riot.

The tensions and passions flaring on both sides of the health care reform battle are starting to overshadow the substance of the debate itself. It's a tinderbox that threatens the health of the reform package being pushed by Democrats. Both sides of the aisle are playing hardball. Though Democrats first accused Republicans of leading "mob rule" at health care meetings, health care reform supporters are now responding in kind. The sides are engaging each other outside town hall meetings. Sensational footage of rowdy participants at a town hall forum in Tampa, Fla., drew heavy attention Friday. So did footage of...

Political groups on both sides also recruited members to attend. Opponents included the 9-12 Project, the Free Republic Web site and the Hillsborough County Republican Party. Proponents included unions involved in sponsoring the event and Organizing for America, a liberal organizing group that grew out of the Barack Obama presidential campaign. Advocates on both sides said they urged their members to behave respectfully at the meeting.

From poster's info about the video: We were able to get in because the Union people thought we were with them. It was obvoius that Union people, who were brought in from surrounding areas had reserved front-row seats. We were also given instructions on how express our support by one of Kathy Castor's goons. They handed out pro-Obamacare signs to us initially. Then they realized their opposition had "don't tread on me" and various other signs they didn't want in. So they told everyone they weren't allowed signs at all and took our signs back. They handed out lolly-pops/suckers. They...

TampaBay.com has a great photo sequence of a woman slapping a man in the face at yesterday's explosive town hall meeting in Tampa held by Rep. Kathy Castor and the goons from SEIU and Obama's Organizing for America.What the Tribune failed to disclose was the fact that the woman doing the slapping is a local Democratic party official, specifically the treasurer of the East Hillsborough County Democratic Party Club.In the eight-photo sequence, two men are seen arguing face to face, with one man wagging his finger in the face of the other. A woman standing behind the finger-wagger reaches around...

Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) had a town hall meeting in YBOR City just east of Tampa August 6, 2009. It sounds like Castor had this meeting planned to exclude protesters that were in opposition to the ObamaCare health care debacle. I received this e-mail from my County Republican Chairman: Here is an eyewitness account of someone who was there last night and wanted me to get this out: “I was one of the first people in the forum.

According to a Just released Rasmussen poll a plurality of voters (41%), view the Town Hall health care protests favorably. That number is weighed down by the Democrats polled, 48% of Independents view the protests favorably and 63% of Republicans. Forty-one percent (41%) of U.S. voters have a favorable opinion of the people opposing health care reform at town hall meetings now being conducted by members of Congress, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. But 35% view the protesters unfavorably. Twenty-three percent (23%) are not sure what they think of them. Given the partisan anger prompted by...

Fla. Town Hall Meeting Takes Explosive Turn Hundreds Turn Out For Health Reform Talk Shut Out; Scuffles Break Out TAMPA, Fla. (CBS) ― Angry protesters and strong supporters clashed at a health care reform town hall meeting in Tampa, Florida Thursday. The meeting which was scheduled to begin at 6:00p.m. drew hundreds of people who quickly began to overwhelm staff and event organizers at the front entrance. As the building filled to capacity and police started denying people entry. Hundreds were locked out of the event at the Children's Board Building and some of them started banging on windows and...

Missouri and Tampa town halls turn violent, but the violence is coming from one side, which one?...hmmmmm

Jim Hoft was there and claims that’s exactly what happened. Funny coincidence: Some people at the town hall in Tampa where the fight broke out saw a curiously large number of SEIU people there, too.

Libertarians to Democrats: Call off the thugsWhite House orders Dems to ‘punch back’ as union organizers attack citizens WASHINGTON -- America’s third largest party Friday called on Democrats to end what appears to be a budding campaign of union violence targeted at citizens who differ with the White House at town hall meetings across the country. Libertarians oppose not only the White House’s plans for government-run medicine, but the use of violence to achieve political or social goals. A Tampa Bay Tribune story and a video posted to the Drudge Report both report physical assaults on dissenting citizens by union...

In Ybor City, Florida, a town hall meeting turned into a scrum with protesters screaming "Tyranny! Tyranny! Tyranny!" at Congresswoman Kathy Castor, D-Tampa. The St. Petersburg Times dscribed the scene as something akin to a wrestling cage match with some in the audience screaming, "Tell the truth! Tell the truth!" "Read the bill!" "Forty-million illegals! Forty million illegals!" According to the paper's reporter, those who weren't allowed into the overflow room because of fire code restrictions were left pounding on the doors. "They can't even run a meeting, and they want to run health care?" a Tampa printing business owner...

Shortly thereafter, violence erupted, where there were 2-3 big goons came out and started pushing those in line, and roughing up one in the corner (see top left screen) as well as another being put in a choke hold.

PLEASE to those who have the ability, download the Youtube videos and store them on your local hard drives. Repost these videos on other websites. A YouTube account from someone inside the entire meeting, Many new uploaded short videos: Link to johnsmithers77 youtube profile

I can’t believe what the union goons are doing at town hall meetings. I first heard about their presence when Mike Gallagher read the news story from the Huffington Post yesterday morning. Below is a video from the Tampa Bay meeting. Below the video are a couple links from news stories of the events. The comments may be more informative than the news stories themselves. One story mentions that a lady that had been very vocal on behalf of health care reform was arrested in St. Louis and had been sprayed with pepper spray. I like what one of the...

A concerned citizen, who hoped to attend the Healthcare Townhall meeting in Tampa, FL with Congresswoman Kathy Castor, was attacked as he tried to enter. Union members assaulted him as he stood near the doors waiting to enter.

From the YouTube description: As Rep. Kathy Castor was introduced, the reaction was overwhelmingly against her, with boos and chants of "You work for us." And in the lobby, the counter of Planned Parenthood representatives shouting, "Healthcare Now." Shortly thereafter, violence erupted, where there were 2-3 big goons came out and started pushing those in line, and roughing up one in the corner (see top left screen) as well as another being put in a choke hold. Directly in front of the gentleman in the plaid type shirt, is one of them in a flower print. (eleven o'clock from the...

From the YouTube description: As Rep. Kathy Castor was introduced, the reaction was overwhelmingly against her, with boos and chants of "You work for us." And in the lobby, the counter of Planned Parenthood representatives shouting, "Healthcare Now." Shortly thereafter, violence erupted, where there were 2-3 big goons came out and started pushing those in line, and roughing up one in the corner (see top left screen) as well as another being put in a choke hold. Directly in front of the gentleman in the plaid type shirt, is one of them in a flower print. (eleven o'clock from the...

They let people in the back door, while people waited for hours to get in the front door, (2 Videos + Video report from local news)