WE THE PEOPLE: The circus comes to town

Opinion

September 2, 2009

By John Wund/Chronicle contributor The Crossville Chronicle Wed Sep 02, 2009, 08:54 AM CDT

And what a circus it was outside the Palace! The secretary of a prominent Cumberland County official carried a sign accusing President Obama of treason (a capital offense), thus subtly licensing violence against the president and his supporters. Another political worker wearing a brown dress and a tri-cornered party hat held a “Don’t Tread on Me” sign.

A man in white shirt and tie pulled me aside and asked if I wanted to see The Bill. I asked if he meant the health care reform bill, HB3200. Yes, he affirmed, and opened a black folder in which he had a half-dozen or so pages. He pointed to passages calling for forced abortions, euthanasia for seniors and the reduction of Medicare benefits.

I told him his paper was a fraud (the authentic bill is over 1,000 pages long). “Well, it’s the heart of the bill,” he said. “Another good Christian gave it to me and I trust him.” I challenged him, as a literalist, to read the original (available at http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090714/aahca.pdf) instead of trying to pass off insurance company propaganda. He dismissed my suggestion, however, apparently unconcerned about bearing false witness.

A Republican politician from Oak Ridge was there, dressed like an undertaker and carrying a pitchfork. Why would someone come so far to stoke anger at a meeting being hosted by our Congressional representative? Was the pitchfork another veiled threat?

I pointed out that Oak Ridge wasn’t in our Congressional district. The Republican politician rejoined that some people living in the Third District voted in the Fourth. This seemed like a clear admission of voter fraud to me, but I let it pass. “I’m from the Third District, too,” someone in the crowd offered, further confirming the presence of organized, out-of-district interference.

The Pitchfork Politician, when asked about health care, said he thought people should take care of themselves. He, too, claimed to be a Christian, yet appeared to forget the part about being a "Good Samaritan" or treating the "least of these" as he would treat Christ. He informed us that God didn’t want government directives but wanted us to make choices. I suggested that would make God pro-choice, wouldn’t it? He moved away.

People were being tricked by verbal shell games. Veterans railed against socialized medicine, but the government owns and runs the VA hospitals. Seniors ranted against government health insurance, but that’s what Medicare is!

The private health insurance industry is pouring millions of dollars into an effort to frighten, misinform and confuse the public. Right Wing media talkers are serving as their echo chamber. Leaders in “The Party of No” continue to play their obstructionist role, behaving like sore losers and inflaming unrest instead of responsibly addressing our problems.

Only a villain would put a gun to your head, demand $1,000 and then pull the trigger if you didn’t (or couldn’t) hand over the cash. In essence, however, this is how our corporate, for-profit healthcare system now operates. “Your money or your life!” is their de-facto motto, and how people who call themselves Christians can oppose reforming such a disgustingly immoral system is beyond me.

P.T. Barnum believed “there’s a sucker born every minute,” but promoting the “general welfare” requires informed deliberation based on accurate information. Will we wake up and reject the flim-flam, or has America entered the decadent imperial era of just enough bread and circuses?

Text Only

Opinion

Gary's World: The magical Star Wars summer of '77
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

May 24, 2012
Lion and the Lamb: When politics and religion meet
Several wealthy contributors to the Republican presidential campaign are once again trying to figure out how they can use a video clip containing three words that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright used in a sermon on April 13, 2003. Wright, now retired, had been pastor of the 6,600-member Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago when Barack Obama was a member there.

May 22, 2012
Random Thoughts: Returning vets fight fire
Cemeteries are given special attention this week in preparation for Memorial Day next Monday. During the Civil War gracious ladies of the south laid flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers from both sides. The custom spread across the country and was called Decoration Day until the early 20th century.

May 22, 2012
Tidbits: Finding more time in your day
If we had another two hours in every day, we'd all probably still be begging for just a little bit more to get all our stuff done before that clock strikes midnight and it's game over.

May 21, 2012
Stumptalk: Hooray for the innovators
In his brilliant article in the Free Market, Daniel Sanchez says, “There will always be a one-percent. The well-being of the 99-percent depends on who makes up the 1-percent: innovative entrepreneurs or the state and its cronies. This in turn depends on the ideologies adopted by the 99-percent.” This is the way societies have always been organized and always will be.

May 21, 2012
GARY'S WORLD: Graduates, create your own opportunities
Time flies. One day you have a baby boy who is fascinated with stuffed Miss Piggy and Kermit rattles and the next day he wants to wear his cowboy boots and hat with every outfit no matter what the occasion. Before you know it, he's playing in the elementary school band, going into high school, learning how to drive, driving to school, going to prom and graduating.

May 17, 2012
RANDOM THOUGHTS: Truly a January in May
“It’s June in January” became a popular standard after Bing Crosby introduced the song in 1934. A strange thing happened last week. I call it a tale of ‘It’s January in May.’

May 15, 2012
LION AND THE LAMB: Our challenged nation
Three major social justice issues have been a source of contention in our nation over the years, and interestingly, each of them has involved the subject of equality.

May 15, 2012
WE THE PEOPLE: Repressing the ‘Grapes of Wrath’
Sometimes a hole appears, ever so briefly, in the curtain that hides the plans of those who control our government. One such opening occurred when Alan Greenspan testified to the Federal Reserve Board on Feb. 26, 1997. During that testimony, Greenspan revealed that “worker insecurity” was (in his view) a boon to the economy, allowing productivity to increase without causing workers to demand increased earnings.

May 15, 2012
TIDBITS: Never stop moving forward, grads
This week is a week of celebration. According to my files of graduating seniors, Cumberland County will see more than 550 students earning their high school diplomas this week. Now, those youngsters will venture out into the world, armed with the knowledge and character instilled in them by their parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, teachers, principals, classmates, coaches and others.

May 14, 2012
More Opinion Headlines

Opinion

Search Results

WE THE PEOPLE: The circus comes to town

Site Map

Contact Us