[Peace-discuss] Fw: We're unstoppable

Tue Aug 18 17:46:53 CDT 2009

Is there a source on this, Wayne?  You see, the reason I want to know is to assess the credibility of this reported event and other allegations therein.  That's important, because anybody can make up anything.  For example, in this email you forward below the author - whoever that is - refers to the Obama Admin's health care proposals as "socialist"  (the baldest nonsense, no matter whether you think the plan is good or not).  Such rantings in my opinion probably impugn the witness here substantially, but since I don't actually know what happened at this event I would like to keep an open mind.

However, this is already pretty difficult given this characterization of support for the "socializing" health care as originating with MoveOn and "hired thugs".  As you may know Tim Johnson's meeting locally in the library was quite different.  Supporters of the much-touted "public option" and the much-maligned "single payer" idea were not "hired thugs" but local community members dedicated to health care and organized by excellent organizers - whether you agree with them or not.  Perhaps this did happen somewhere.  We can't tell from this anonymous report.

You may be right that purists on both sides are wrong, and maybe if we had a beer at the White House or something we'd agree that there is good and bad in the plan.  The fact remains that in the richest, most powerful country on earth millions of people are without real health care options, most of them children and older Americans, some of them AWARE-istas from way back and dedicated individuals to the peace and social justice, others very good people who may be dedicated to helping their fellow human beings in other ways, or people who have worked hard their whole lives only to be robbed of their health care and so on at the end.

Many will eventually die because of the simple neglect of their society, perhaps after last-minute attempts to save their lives at ERs across the nation - which the opponents of reform will ultimately pay for along with the rest of us - but not as high a price as those without health care.

I claim this is what this debate is ultimately about: what do we value most, our creature comforts (SUVs, TVs - more sets than people in the average home, according to Nielsen http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/media_entertainment/more-than-half-the-homes-in-us-have-three-or-more-tvs/, etc.), narrow political or ideological advantage, or our fellow human beings.  

Some high-minded folks on this list will likely claim I'm being simplistic or disingenuous, but that's what it really comes down to, no matter whose name's on the bill, who supports it, what color their skin or electoral map fill, public or private, perfect or imperfect: what will do the most good for the most people?  How can we get the most we can and make it stick?

I think that's probably single-payer, which it appears we won't get this time (but we shouldn't give up), which the Obama plan isn't of course.  But consider this analogy: you're suddenly homeless, but you have a job with an office.  You can sleep there, but you'd have to be out at 6am every weekday morning.  The building has toilets, and there's a gym where you can shower (group shower - at 6:30am usually occupied by jocks and ROTC recruits).  You're unlikley to find better for six months or so, but by then hopefully you can marshall your resources and try again.  OK, the analogy isn't perfect, but it's authentic and the life lesson applies: you don't turn your nose up at options when you're desperate, you get what you can and keep trying.

My 2c.
Ricky

"Speak your mind even if your voice shakes." - Maggie Kuhn

--- On Tue, 8/18/09, E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag> wrote:

From: E. Wayne Johnson <ewj at pigs.ag>
Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Fw: We're unstoppable
To: "Jenifer Cartwright" <jencart13 at yahoo.com>
Cc: "Peace-discuss" <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2009, 5:01 PM

This is an actual item I received today.  I am convinced that the groups on 
both "sides" of the health care debate and debacle are in error.

Left-Wing THUGS Attack Americans Opposed to "ObamaCare 
It's getting ugly out there. All across the country, left-wing extremists are disrupting congressional town-hall meetings
with venomous attacks on anyone who voices their objections to Barack Obama's plans to socialize American health care.

· At a town hall meeting with Rep. Kathy Castor in Tampa, Florida, as she was introduced,
the reaction was overwhelmingly against her, with boos and chants of "You work for us."
In the lobby, you could hear the counter of Planned Parenthood representatives shouting,
"Healthcare Now." Shortly thereafter, violence erupted, where three big "goons" came out
and started pushing and roughing up the people in line and in the hallway, at one point
even using a chokehold on one of the people.  Police officers on the scene did nothing to 
prevent the violence being perpetrated on these citizens trying to exercise their free
speech rights -- citizens who far outnumbered those who were allowed to stay.

· At a town hall meeting with Rep. Russ Carnahan in St. Louis, Missouri, police arrested six people for assaulting constituents who
were opposed to the health care takeover. As reported locally, "Kenneth Gladney, 38, a conservative activist from St. Louis, said he
was attacked by some of those arrested as he handed out yellow flags with 'Don't tread on me' printed on them. He spoke to the
Post-Dispatch from the emergency room at St. John's Mercy Medical Center, where he said he was awaiting treatment for injuries
to his knee, back, elbow, shoulder and face. Gladney, who is black, said one of his attackers, also a black man, used a racial slur
against him before the attack." 

Many Representatives have announced they won't be holding any town-hall meetings after seeing that their constituents are OPPOSED
to the socialist "ObamaCare".  We've got a plan to fight back against these radical left-wingers. Barack Obama's "Organizing for America" group is sending out
Alerts to get their people to come out to townhalls to shout us down with "powerful voices". MoveOn.org has hired skilled "grassroots
organizers" -- meaning, people like the union thugs in those videos -- who are working at townhalls across the country to give the impression
that there's ANY support for Obama's plans to socialize health care in America. They've built new online tools to track events
across the country -- and to make sure MoveOn members turn out at each one.
They're raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to push their far-left agenda, against the true grassroots uprising we're witnessing in
America.

WE'RE FIGHTING BACK -- but we need the help of patriotic Americans like YOU to succeed!
Can you chip in a donation today to support our work?

If the bullying tactics of the left-wing goons are successful at suppressing the only true grassroots voices our senators and representatives
hear over the recess, we'll have a hard time stopping the socialist plans of Obama, Pelosi and Reid in September.
That's why we're getting the word out about Town Hall meetings across the nation -- we've created a new ad for television and radio,
we're sending millions of email to our members to fight back with a strong town hall turnout, we're offering personalized blast faxes to
every single member of Congress, and we're activating an energized network of on-the-ground constituents who aren't afraid to speak
out against ObamaCare and the bullying tactics of the Left.  This month could decide the future of health care in America-and we're already one week in. If you've been sitting on the sidelines,
now's the time

On 8/18/2009 3:07 PM, Jenifer Cartwright wrote: 

Definitely not just another Dem rubber stamp. Glad that Dean's still a staunch supporter of public option... and getting a lot of air play these days, even a bit on MSM.
 --Jenifer 

--- On Tue, 8/18/09, Gov. Howard Dean, Democracy for America <info at democracyforamerica.com> wrote:

#yiv130095858 #yiv1850833162 {
font-family:Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:10pt;background-color:#fff;margin:5px;}

Jenifer -

Here's what I know: When we work together, we're unstoppable.

As my brother Jim said yesterday, the media has it wrong. The campaign for the choice of a public health insurance option will be over only if we quit or we've won. That decision is ours to make. Not the media's decision - Not the insurance industry's decision - It's our decision. 

We have the power and we're going to win.

Make no mistake, victory won't happen overnight. Just like President Obama's campaign for President, this campaign is a long haul. Congress returns in September for the final stretch to pass reform by the end of the year. 

We must have the resources to fuel this fight. If we raise $200,000 by Monday, we can hit back immediately. Congress will know we're not backing down in the face of pressure. We're standing up to get the job done. 

CONTRIBUTE RIGHT NOW AND DELIVER THE RESOURCES TO WIN 

Victory takes courage, conviction, and commitment. It takes you. The power to change America is in your hands. It always has been. 

Thank you, Jenifer, for everything you do to win.

-Howard 

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.
Founder, Democracy for America  

Democracy for America relies on you and the people-power of more than one million members to fund the grassroots organizing and training that delivers progressive change on the issues that matter. Please Contribute Today and support our mission. 

Paid for by Democracy for America, http://democracyforamerica.com/ and not authorized by any candidate. Contributions to Democracy for America are not deductible for federal income tax purposes. 
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