What can we do to counter this? Send our own busload of rowdies? I'm certainly big enough, loud enough, and mean enough to qualify. And I make John Lennon seem like a conservative when it comes to ideology.

But serious, what can and SHOULD we do about this? How do we take action to bring sanity to this issue? I've got ideas but I'd prefer to hear others' ideas first.

Extremism in the face of socialism is no vice. Merkley is a fully strung marionette of the unions and people know it. He should do what smart lefty politicians do--quit pretending to represent the entire state and just travel the five or six reliably blue counties which elected him.

After awhile, if he lasts, he can quit pretending to represent the people altogether and get reliably reelected on the inertia of jackass votes alone to do whatever he wishes.

Is there video of this event?

First, a few thoughts: Ask these bussed-in folks: Where are you from?

Then follow them. Talk to them. Tape them. Get a good long running tally of these bussed-in disruptors.

They're Democratic Terrorists. They don't believe in Democracy. They believe in Rush. And Fox. And Hannity. Not in America.

Are the humiliating Comment-makers and name callers all paid CHICOM Netizens or just paid ACORN activists? Thank God for Attny. Taitz and her actions to save the US Constitution and the US, itself. Ever notice: On ALL the search engine searches (Read they've been suppressing pro-birther results) the criticisms of all us "Birthers" is the same as they do in Red China? There, the government employs a horde of "Netizens" to go to sites to humiliate & denigrate & suppress anti-government talk. They're paid about $.25 per input, I've read. Just like these apparent ACORN operatives do, they ALWAYS humiliate, denigrate, and use varying terms of "Mental Illness" in volume! Buzzwords like "Wingnut," "Birther," "Insane,"Unhinged, "Delusional,"Tin-hat," "Conspiratorialist," etc. That's what happens to the average Chinese when they type out loud, and the CHICOMs have even more "Mental Health" Prisons as do the Russians. The apparent wave of the future for us here in Obamaland? Is this why The Great O is building more prisons on military bases? The CHICOMS have been waging economic and PSYOPS warfare on us a long time, at least since JFK (Oooh.. LISTEN TO THEM HOWL, NOW!). They've apparently continued their terroristic use of Biblical prophesies and Feng Sui (Remember what they did on 6/6/6? On 7/4/6?) by creating as part of The Big 0's Economic Manchurian Candidate grooming and Legend, that he's "Actually the Anti-Christ" (Imagine the desired conquer-and-divide reactions.) That his name, "Barack Obama," as pronounced, means "Antichrist," in ancient Hebrew from the Book of Luke, according to a religious researcher. The video, actually a good one, can be seen at this YouTube video on World Net News. I bet the CHICOMS knew this when they choose his Legend name. http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=105527 is the site. This creation of a well-groomed "Legend," part of an overall economic warfare agenda, taking over at the top, is as old espionage craft as is planting ads in prominent Hawaii newspapers, making myth become "The Truth." .I lived in Hawaii when they were contemplating that legislation for the COLB's. At first it was touted as being "Generous" for the cheap immigrant Filipino sugar cane workers, because it allowed them access to Hawaii's huge entitlement programs. But when the Legislature found out hat it could potentially let a foreign, hostile, espionage agent in as US President, they RUSHED to pass that bill. HI is half-way to Red China IN EVERY WAY YOU CAN THINK OF. Very asian-based racist, they love to rip off tourists of any color or race, but there is not a school in Hawaii that does not have "Kill Haole Day," the first day of school, where any Caucasian kid who doesn't want to get beaten stays home. Hawaii politicians are more corrupt and racist than NJ or Chicago. Call ME a conspiriatoralist? For my own anti-drug work, I was beaten three times. Twice by the Lahaina Mafia, and once by the MPD. You could ask Sen. Inouye about it - He wrote to say it would be investigated. These people who know not that major criminal and espionage crime are, indeed, CONSPIRING, ought to get off their high horses, and stand among common men such as myself, in the know, and in the craft, for a change, before flinging their verbal spears at others.

And what's it like for the "Kettle to call Obama black?" I'm a life-long Manchurian Candidate, myself, being the illegitimate son of a very high-ranking East German Stasi General, Markus Wolf. http://www.rickhyatt.freeservers.com for My Life In Espionage. Takes one to know one, right?

As sick and wrong as this teabaggery is, we need to be honest. Many of my friends have been doing the exact same thing, or something closely related. Single payer people came to disrupt Earl's town hall with Howard Dean. Even Dean called them out for attempting to create havoc at town halls, Democrats' town halls, across the country. We started it, but they are going to take it to a whole different level.

Just saying . . .

<ii>You either believe in free speech or you don't.

One either speaks up or one doesn't. Wallflowering and "feeling cheated" ain't exactly worthy of Voltaire.

Rick A. Hyatt, The next US Senator from Oregon. With rhetorical jiu jitsu like that, he ought to be able to wipe the floor with Wyden. Look out all you CHICOMS, your PSYOPSes aint gonna work anymore, Rick A. Hyatt is ready to take all comers?!?!

Then again he may have to run against stiff competition from Pavel G. who, himself, is no rhetorical slouch.

i think: shame. start the event with someone who has a story to tell about how the current health care system failed them - badly. let them show their true colors by attacking a victim of our current system.

Plenty of folks in this country have had their fill, and then some, of victimhood and victimology.

"I feel your pain" has been passe since Bill Clinton rode it into the ground.

Hey T.A. and Kari (you too, Carla):

First, let me state I'm not really a fan of Randi Rhodes; I worked hard to overcome my Texas accent, but I can't seem to shake my Texan reaction to New Yarwkahs' accents... That's a joke for you literalists.

However, Rhodes had an idea on her show today that seems reasonable to me, and that's to simply ask for ID for town hall attendees for district-level events. Kindly explain to out-of-district attendees trying to gain entry that time is valuable and these meetings are for locals to address local issues.

This won't work for statewide office holders, and I'm sure folks will scream about exclusion and restricting rights. To which I respond, let them.

Another solution is to request law enforcement presence at the meetings, announce the rules of decorum for the town hall, and have disruptive individuals who don't adhere to the rules removed from the meeting. This is a risky proposal, of course, because a picture can be worth a million words if some cop drags out grandma...

As for those arriving by bus for statewide office-holder town hall meetings, perhaps a simple solution is to require bus drivers provide proof of who hired his/her services upon their arrival, and then make the announcement of who paid to bus the people in for the meetings. (Don't get mad at me, Bus Project alumni. To my knowledge you've never been disruptive or antagonistic in public.)

And we certainly need to dig deep to find out who sponsors these disruptive tactics, and press to ensure that information is widely publicized.

Still another way for both district or statewide-oriented town hall meetings is to make them party-specific; a town hall for Democrats, a town hall for Republicans, and an open town hall. It's not an optimal solution either, but these pseudo-violent and intimidation tactics we've seen about health care reform discussions this past week aren't just hooliganism. This sort of organized mob motivation has been used before to success. Of course, those folks wore starched and pressed brown shirts.

Bwah hahaha. Oregon Nazis in Madras and the entire press corps of the state missed it?

Hyperbole much?

Martin: Best solution all night. ID the Bus, the driver, the cargo.

Law enforcement presence. Nice.

Separate Town Halls for Democrats, Republicans and everyone.

Mr. Hyatt: Pick up the white courtesy phone. The Black Helicopters are calling. They want Chief CHICOM Rupert Murdoch back for PSYOPS!

Although I understand the frustration, you can't start all these measures just to keep people out. When the left uses these strategies, people consider them principled (aka the single payer crowd as a recent example). It is true that free speech is free speech. I love that we sit here and think of ways to keep them out, but I think the real answer is to get our own progressive asses in those seats instead. They are in the minority. I think we have to give credit to the folks that we put into office that if all they are hearing as an excuse not to pass real health care reform is that Obama is a Nazi and conspiring to murder our grandmothers, I don't think that they are going to take them very seriously.

Solution to the disruption: OUT ORGANIZE THEM!

We on the left find ourselves in this situation all the time. We always fragment and question and belittle each other and loose sight of the big picture. It's taken them a long time to figure it out, but the right understands community organizing now and we have to keep up. We don't need to be disruptive, just show our strength in numbers.

Portland Progressive:

Certainly you raise decent points. However, if a bus load, even if just 10 people intent on disruption show up at a meeting, a 1000 progressives in attendance will not be able to stop the disruption. Yes, we all need to be more active on the progressive side.

But from experience I know that the only way to prevent organized disruptors from being successful is to keep them out of the meetings. I wish the world worked otherwise.

These events need better security. Perhaps local police unions could provide volunteers to help maintain order. People who disrupt these events should be asked to leave, and it they refuse, they should be arrested for disorderly conduct and spend a night in county jail.

For congressional meetings, ID should be checked. Out-of-district persons should be turned away.

These goofballs can scream and holler all they want outside of the meeting, it is their right. They have no right to disrupt the meeting.

Sadly, this is highly effective across the country. Health care reform is DOA. The right has learned how to co-opt popular images (Obama as The Joker) and use Brooks Brothers' "riots" to stall. You have to admire their effectiveness!

What a hypocritical article! The link you posted that was supposed to prove that the conservatives were bused in and planted to disrupt the meeting says exactly the OPPOSITE! Here is the text of the link you quoted:

By Nic Anthony August 2, 2009

I attended the rally in Madras (Held at the Madras Senior Center). I saw a sea of gray hair on the offensive! They asked great questions. They were polite but to the point. The Senator had what looked like to me to be planted people around the room. Too evenly spaced to be natural and their statements were not questions rather comments designed more to shift the discussion. He had a way of selecting them after there were too many hot topics. I saw some of them winking at each other so they knew one another for sure. I was proud how the conservative people stuck to wanting answers. Nobody sounded like a nut job. The Senator only talked for about 45 minutes but said the hour was up. They called him on that too! He never actually answered many of the tougher questions, and totally moved on without answering some others. Must have been a government hour. Probably the same numbering system they use to figure jobs produced/saved, and costs of programs. There were some younger people there and they were listening and understood what was being asked. They were not fooled, that was obvious in their comments to each other and others. I found the experience made me feel that there just might be some hope if we keep up the pressure. We're making a difference. God Bless America! You missed a good show!

Sadly, the right does not have a monopoly on this sort of disrespectful behavior.

A few years ago, I saw a similar hijacking of one of Rep. DeFazio's town hall meetings. A group of activists disrupted the meeting to demand that Rep. DeFazio sponsor a resolution to impeach then-President Bush. They made it very difficult for anyone else to bring up their concerns. What made me especially angry is that these people had apparently done the same thing at the previous town-hall meeting in the area. I left the town hall meeting pretty angry.

As someone who thought George W. Bush was a pretty awful and corrupt president, I would have been receptive to a push to impeach him. But I was so angry, I chucked the pro-impeachment people's literature into the nearest recycling bin.

What these rude people don't get is that when you're rude and disrespectful, you turn people off. You make it so people who might agree with you otherwise don't even want to be associated with you. I'm all for protesting and speaking out. I am all for speaking truth to power. But you have no right drown everyone else out, no matter how right you think you are.

I'm getting sick of people who don't l;ike socialist's policies being labeled like they were some lunatic fringe. Let me point out that htere were vewterans like myself at the meeting who are residents....not bussed in like the suggestion by the author who clearly spoke without getting any facts. We had good tough questions because we don't like the current way the administration is increasing the government despite the contrary wishes of the public. I'm a veteran...I fought for the right to keep America great. I don't know who side the democratic party is currently on. but it's not the interest of the way we want this country run. I'm an independant by the way. I usually vote liberatarian. But I will not support people like Pelosi and Boxer or Hussein Obama

Raven,

You guys are acting like a lunatic fringe. Won it.

And buy a dictionary. It's in the best interest of the Country you do so.

Well, Carla, if you want to see the t-baggers in action they're planning to attend Rep. David Wu town hall on August 10th in McMinnville. They've been disrupting his town halls for over a month. Effective? I doubt it, Wu won last year by 72%, a bunch of right wing yahoos high jacking his town halls is unlikely to influence him one way or the other.

BTW, Wu, DeFazio and Shrader are all on the new RNC list of targeted races for next year. The criteria they supposedly used was Dems that won by less than 55% and/or districts that McCain won. Neither Wu nor Defazio meet that criteria, both running essentially unopposed (Wu had a "Republican" opponent who actually ran to his left). Shrader barely meets the threshold.

Even Walden's own guy says that it was the most extraordinary thing he'd ever seen in this regard. This is way above and beyond anything the left has done. No way this is the "exact same thing".

And it's well-funded (by Freedomworks) and coordinated.

If we can get any kind of documentation of this being a coordinated, insurance lobby driven effort, it'll be game, set, and match.

We know that this was done during the Florida recount in 2000 and in that case many of the "concerned citizens" were congressional staffers flown in from DC to form the Instamobs.

So far I've heard Keith Olbermann, Rachael Maddow and you all assert bussing and coordination. IF anyone can provide evidence, we'll have something to work with.

Here's how to handle it:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/4/761608/-Tea-Baggers-FAIL-to-disrupt-Health-Care-meeting,-lessons-shared.

Greg Walden holds Town Hall's all the time. Why the swipe at him? Everyone knows he flies home every week end and drives all over his district.You don't live here, you might at least check with someone who does. But then why let pesky facts get in the way

The choice of the word "busing" may be unfortunate to this story since it implies using buses; whereas, most of these people probably drove up from Deschutes County (26 miles from Redmond, 42 from Bend). Their site is very helpful, though, in letting us know the gender, if very few real names, of these courageous "patriots."

One effective way of handling these teabaggers is for the speaker to ask these people questions that they can't answer or would have a problem doing so.

For example, "You asked me (whatever). Did I get that right? ... Now let me explain ... (Interruption) ... Do you want me to answer your question or are you just here to disrupt this meeting? ... How can I answer your question if you interrupt me? ... You're not really serious about debating this issue, are you? What is your real agenda in being here?"

I don't know how the law is on this, but it would seem to me freedom of speech doesn't apply when people are disturbing the peace, which might make this a possible case for law enforcement.

Below is a letter I had published in the Bend Bulletin after a local "tea party." There were no responses in the Bulletin op-ed page. Presumably, the fact that the Bulletin doesn't accept anonymous rants had something to do with that.

"The recent nationwide “Tea Party” included an estimated 1,200 celebrants/protesters in Bend. The general theme was a protest against the Obama administration and its alleged liberal agenda. What meretricious nonsense!

"Case in point: one of the charges from an irate correspondent alleging in The Bulletin a liberal government takeover of the banks. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in a moment of unusual candor for a politician said recently that the banks 'own' the senate. He might well have said the banks are also part owners of Congress and the White House regardless of the incumbents' party affiliations. If the government takes over any bank it will be for one of two reasons: The bank is either threatened with financial failure or wants to unload its troubled assets on to the taxpayers.

"The protesters expended a lot of hot air about spending money, democracy and liberty. Where were these “patriots” when the Bush administration and most of Congress – Republicans and Democrats - were shredding the Constitution and initiating an illegal war that has been estimated will eventually cost taxpayers two to three TRILLION dollars? Where were these “patriots” when the Bush administration and a bi-partisan Congress rammed through the Patriot Act and tossed habeas corpus in the toilet? Where were they sitting with their thumbs pressing their mute buttons?

"There should be concern for our declining democracy but more for reasons other than those that seem to have agitated the tea partygoers."

There has to be security and ground rules. The Dems have to be ready or there can't be town hall meetings.

Good idea, TA.

I recall Jan. 1996 when Ron Wyden was running for US Senate. Some big rally in Portland with Al Gore and Wyden.

Smith activists over in the corner tried to disrupt. People with Wyden signs surrounded the disrupters, and a chant or something went up to drown them out.

From the stage someone, and I think it was Gore, made a very loud statement to the effect that Oregon had turned its back on such nastiness--or something like that.

Starting with a local story is a good idea. Announcing that questions will be answered but civility is expected --want an exchange of ideas, not a shouting match--is another idea, "there are people here who came to have questions answered, and you are just alienating them if you are rude" sort of thing. "What is your solution, or do you think the current health care system works fine for everyone?" would be another good idea.

Calling on friends is another idea. So is security--expelling those who are too disruptive, just like they do in Congressional hearings.

@Boats

Would you mind defining the following:

1. Compassion
2. Empathy

This is great: a thread about disruption by teabaggers and birthers ITSELF gets disrupted by teabaggers and birthers.

YES, Ilegal Aliens WILL get this not really Free new Health Care as the Democrats keep making sure of it! As their leaders, the National Council of The Race-La Raza, has demanded it. They Don't want to piss off the Illegal alien Voting bloc that gave Hussein Obama that slight winning count ya know...

Another House Committee Rejects Closing Health Coverage Loophole for Illegal Aliens (08/03/09) Last week, another committee in the House of Representatives had a chance to close one of the many loopholes in the House health care bill that would open up taxpayer-funded health care benefits for illegal aliens. Unfortunately, by a vote of 28 to 29, the Energy and Commerce Committee narrowly defeated an amendment offered by Rep. Nathan Deal (R-GA) that would close one of those loopholes. (Amendment Language and Vote Results).

Congressman Deal's amendment would have continued to require that the government verify whether someone enrolling in Medicaid is not an illegal alien. (See video of Rep. Deal explaining his amendment). Section 1702 of the House bill reads that States "shall accept without further determination the enrollment… of an individual determined… to be a non-traditional Medicaid eligible individual." Concerns have been raised about whether a "non-traditional Medicaid eligible individual" would include illegal aliens and that the prohibition against verifying eligibility contained in Section 1702 would allow illegal aliens to enroll in Medicaid.

These "tea-baggers" have been either bought and paid for or duped by Freedom Works(a lobbying group owned and run by Dick Armey--no virtuous patriot, he!) and other right-wing think tanks to stop healthcare reform in any way and with any method that is effective. They shout, intimidate, bully and use every thuggish method in the book. I noticed a preponderence of grey hair among the ranks of protestors, which leads me (and I am 66, so I'm not prejudiced against oldsters) to believe a lot of fear-mongering (what a surprise!) was used with the vulnerable elderly to make them think that Obama is out to "eliminate" old people by withholding healthcare from them to cut costs. What a bunch of bull!! The best way to fight this is found in several solutions: limit town hall audiences to identified constituents of the representative(s)of that district; start each session with a statement of the rules (be respectful, don't shout down questioners, ask pertinent questions, etc.) and note that anyone who does not abide by the rules will be removed. Have a local police presence and remove people who are disruptive and do not allow others to ask reasonable questions and receive reasonable answers. DO NOT BE BULLIED BY THESE THUGS! Like that "birther" woman in the Delaware town hall last week--WE WANT TO TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK...FROM THE VIOLENT PROTESTORS WHO HAVE AN AGENDA WHICH IS NOT VALUABLE TO THE COMMUNITY. And, finally, have several reasonable citizens stationed around the venue with video cameras. Many of the protestors would think twice about their stupid actions if they think they will be revealed to the public at large as the thugs they really are. Maybe this will help, maybe not. In any event, progressives who want to help their government return to representing THE PEOPLE and not THE CORPORATIONS must become as active and as vocal (in a smart, respectful way) as those who wish to disrupt the real democracy we are trying to restore.

Without referring to Jeff Merkley in particular, in fact at all, but with reference to the disruptive tactics of opponents in general, one of the problems seems to be a lack of wit among politicians when it comes to coping with hecklers. This may be a combination of generational differences and a lack of facility in the use of language among most of the current crop of politicians, many of whom appear to be chosen more for loyalty to their prospective parties than to some principle or aspiration while feeling obligated to pleasing all the people all the time - at lest in public.

There was that classic put down when Lady Astor told Winston Churchill that if he were her husband she would put poison in his tea. Churchill replied that if he were her husband he would drink it.

Dennis Kucinich came up with a choice comment that set back George Stephanopolous during a primary debate. The question was, "Do you believe in prayer?" Kucinich, who had been ignored most of the time by despicable intent, responded by saying he had been praying for about 45 minutes that someone would ask him a question. Stephanopolous, at least, had the decency to look appropriately embarrassed.

Thirty-some years ago I was in a hotel lounge in Hong Kong listening to an African-American playing the piano and entertaining the patrons with jokes. A group of white Americans suffering from the boorishness derived from their upbringing in the then-segregated South thought they could get away with making jokes about the piano player. Without so much as striking a false key on his keyboard or a change in tone in his voice, the piano player demolished his would-be tormentors with subtle comments that delighted the rest of the audience and had his antagonists quickly skulking out of the lounge. Compare that with Michael (Kramer) Richards' racist tirade a couple of years ago.

Then their is that tantalizing quote by Oscar Wilde: Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.

Carla,

Where was your outrage about the flag burning masses who caused far worse disruption, chaos and damage when President Bush came to Portland in 2002? Where was your outrage at those on the left who would amass in the streets, calling president Bush and Vice President Cheney terrorists and comparing the actions of the men and women in our military with those of al qaeda? Where was your outrage at the bleeding heart freak show that used to parade around a local fur business in downtown Portland, harassing its employees and its patrons? Your silence was as deafening then as your disingenuousness is now.

I'm not advocating for anyone being disruptive at town halls...and I'm not much of a fan of protesting in general either..i genuinely consider that a craft of the disgruntled, America-hating fringe left...and they usually accomplish no more than making asses of themselves by showing just how ineffectual they are at shifting policy. I'm not part of the tea party movement, I believe that Barack Obama is a home grown president (a shockingly horrendous one, but home grown nonetheless),and i do support some healthcare reform (definitely not that absurd public option however)....but perhaps those of you on the left who are prone to holding up picket signs and setting fire to old glory could learn a thing or two from these folks...at least they are having some success getting their message across....

Besides..Jeff should have been pleased that so many people even know who he is at this point....he's only got 5 1/2 years left in that job so he may as well try enjoy the publicity while it lasts.

Really Jack, do you think you will persuade anyone here that Geo. W. Bush, who used our democracy as his personal toilet, deserved better than to have to brave a screaming-protester gauntlet to get a venue here? No point made, Senator Merkley deserved better.

JJ is right, W. & "the Dick" were terrorists of the highest caliber.

The lesson that should be learned from this is that town halls are easily co-opted by unruly protesters, of either party, especially when they are trained to do so (split up your seating, don't let others speak, chant, etc).

I hope as a result we will see far less of these useless things.

Politico article on how this is sweeping the country: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/25765.html

I'm going to Merkley's next metro-area event to demand a copy of his birth certificate. Please join me.

There seems to be some ties between these tea-baggers and the corporate insurance industry: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/inside-the-tea-partiers-anti-health-care-organizing-campaign.php

Re: "Single payer people came to disrupt Earl's town hall with Howard Dean"

The most obvious way this was different from the town hall in question: Dean and Blumenauer actively discriminated against the single payer advocates by not allowing them in to that non-town-hall farse.

Dean/Blumenauer was an attempt to marginalize the majority, refusing entry to a large group of single-payer advocates in spite of the fact that many seats were empty. Tickets were given to party elites and refused to the rest, contempt for democracy of the most obvious sort. Proves again that the DP are still kings of hypocrisy.

Don't listen to Acorn Activist. I know for a fact that he was part of the Clintonite conspiracy to cover up Vince Foster's murder.

A lesson from the Democratic Alliance of Northern Indiana A town hall meeting at a public library. It is notable that police were present and people screened at the door. There has to be some security present to escort out disruptors or those who try to intimidate or threaten violence. Or we will have come to the end of the democratic town hall as an institution. I should also add that rude and violent thuggery generally is counter-productive to the cause it represents. It is also notable that many of these tea baggers are extremists who not only opposed any health care bill now, but also oppose Medicare or any govt. health care.

<hr/>

Tea Baggers FAIL to disrupt Health Care meeting, lessons shared http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/8/4/761608/-Tea-Baggers-FAIL-to-disrupt-Health-Care-meeting,-lessons-shared.

"There seems to be some ties between these tea-baggers and the corporate insurance industry:"

More ‘Town Halls Gone Wild’: Angry Far Right Protesters Disrupt Events With ‘Incomprehensible’ Yelling

Besides the anger and noise that emanates from these protesters there is the constant frequency of evidence most of these people don't know what they are talking about.

Consider this from Paul Krugman: "Health Care Realities - http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/07/31-4 At a recent town hall meeting, a man stood up and told Representative Bob Inglis to “keep your government hands off my Medicare.” The congressman, a Republican from South Carolina, tried to explain that Medicare is already a government program — but the voter, Mr. Inglis said, “wasn’t having any of it.”"

There are countless ill-informed people out there. The solution is not to outshout them but to engage them and persuade them to consider they might be wrong. Not an easy task, but that is common with challenges that need to be faced.

I'm a steady reader of the op-ed pages of the Bend Bulletin. From this experience I have a perception that the letters and opinion pieces from correspondents have become less right-wing than in the past with more authors contributing commentary that might be described as closer to the center or center-left and less partisan. This is one of a number of areas where people need to be engaged.

While I have a couple of reservations about the conservative bias of the Bend Bulletin's editorials, it has the advantage over the likes of Blue Oregon in not permitting personal attacks from people incapable of countering the message with reasoned argument or admitting they are wrong.

Some lessons from a Town Hall meeting organized by the Democratic Alliance of Northern Indiana. I note in this case police were present as the site was a public library and there were indications of disruption and violence ahead of time. This kind of security is important to escort people who want to disrupt or intimidate with threats or shouting people down. People were screened at the door and directed where to sit. Democracy can't happen in the public square where any kind of rude thuggery like this exists.

<hr/>

Tea Baggers FAIL to disrupt Health Care meeting, lessons shared

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/8/4/761608/-Tea-Baggers-FAIL-to-disrupt-Health-Care-meeting,-lessons-shared.

@Boats

Would you mind defining the following:

1. Compassion
2. Empathy

"Alex, 'What are two overly cited emotions that have little or no place in public policy debates?'"

Well if you look at history-

During the Great Drepression Oregon Governor Charles "Ironpants" Martin, a Democrat, advocated putting patients at the State Mental Hospital "to sleep" as a budget cutting measure... I kid you not my children it is true!

Now about the Madras townhall- the only way to beat that crowd is not to engage them- deny them the stage they want and control the events.

Yo Jack Roberts, what about Barack Obama's birth certificate? Don't you think you ought to bolster your political base by publicly musing about the "troubling issues" surrounding the birth certificate?

Oh wait. Jack Roberts is one of those guys whom the birthers would call a RINO. So maybe there's no point.

Mr. Roberts, having rested your case on a lack of appreciation of cogent facts, I consider myself lucky not to have hired you as my lawyer!

What W. did in taking apart the protections of democracy to the furtherance of his personal agenda of vendetta and self-aggrandizement went far beyond the partisan differences between Sen. Merkley and the organizers of an anarchical campaign to torpedo health care reform. That is what earned W. the disrespect that was heaped upon him. What do you think Sen. Merkley did to earn that disrespect?

Why do you assume (and you know what happens when you assume) that those that disagree with health care reform are "teabaggers" and why do you feel the need to call names at all? Is it because deep down you are insecure about your own beliefs? Is it not possible that these people are actually Americans who are concerned and angry about the road Obama and the democrats are taking us down? I do not want government involvement in health care, at all. I do want my "representatives" to hear me. Obama himself said that because his own grandmother was dying from cancer, should she be able to get the hip replacement she needed when she fell and broke her hip. That, to me, screams of cutting off care to the elderly, those that are no longer "productive" members of society. Barney Frank said he was in favor of a single payer system, but that it could not be instituted because the American people would not go for it, so rather they are trying to get that very type of system in through the back door by having government competing with private insurers, thus putting them out of business. The elderly have a right to be concerned...I am concerned for them! As the lady who spoke at Arlen Spector's townhall meeting, Medicare is broke, SS is broke, the cash for clunkers program is broke, and now the goverment wants control of the health care industry...NO THANK YOU!

Linda, thanks for the canned message! You can't have seen the above comment by Bill Bodden at 1:47:38. You have taken the role of the antagonist to Rep. Bob Inglis. "The Gummit" already has a large role in health care. If you don't want to be called names, stop allowing yourself to be a dupe of corporate creeps defending their scam.

"Why do you assume (and you know what happens when you assume) that those that disagree with health care reform are "teabaggers" and why do you feel the need to call names at all?"

The "teabaggerfs" invited that name by flaunting teabags as their symbol of identity.

I don't have time to comment on all your points, Linda, but let me address this one - "Medicare is broke, SS is broke, the cash for clunkers program is broke, and now the goverment wants control of the health care industry...NO THANK YOU!"

Medicare is not broke. It just isn't being funded as well as it should. Social Security (SS) is not broke and it won't be broke for several years. In the interim, as non-partisan commentators have said, it can be organized to last for a very long time. This - "the goverment wants control of the health care industry" - is really choice. The health care industry (along with the military-industrial complex, Wall Street, and others) is a part owner of the government. Check opensecrets dot org for how much they paid for their share, then consider what they stand a chance of getting, and you'll see what a bargain they got.

If we didn't keep getting into wars to help out the military-industrial complex and Wall Street, we could have the best schools and health care system in the world instead of being behind all other developed nations.

Sunday I attended this town hall meeting in Madras. I must say, those of us who were "not of the fringe" had a very diffictult time asking questions and if we did have that opportunity we were jeered and disrupted and cast sideways with continued jeers during the attempt to ask the question. Their behavior was beyond anything I have ever seen. Senator Merkley laid down some basic ground rules at the beginning and they were ignored. The rowdies were not there to listen, they only wanted to disrupt and they held that tone for the entire meeting. Much to his credit, Sen. Merkley was thorough in his response, thoughtful and all in all very impressive. I suggest we put our collective thinking to work and develop a protocol that can be put in place for future town hall sessions. What I experienced on Sunday is not civil, it is very disruptive and a waste of time for our elected officials. We all deserve better!!

They do this to get a reaction from the media and their sworn opponents (aka, people who hang out at Blue Oregon). I'm really glad the media didn't cover this accurately, that must have pissed the protesters off to no end. But it's too bad that BO has fallen right into the trap. These teabaggers are LOVING this debate, and they're using it as ammunition for future protests. ("Over at Comrade Oregon, they are trying to use the police to exclude us from future events. Show them what it means to be an American who loves freedom, come to the next town hall on blahblahblah.")

They showed up to disrupt the event and succeeded. Who cares? They'll do it again, and they'll succeed. But if we simply ignore them, they'll get bored and hole up in some cabin in Idaho with all their guns and grenades waiting for the U.N. to take over. It's not like we're losing some great civic tradition by sacrificing these town halls for awhile. The answers you get are no different than if you simply write a letter to your congressman.

IGNORE THEM.

Dear Melissa:

I am one of those teabaggers and what we say is the whole truth and nothing but the truth. What happend at the meeting in Madras was also very disruptive by your blue buddies. The lady sitting directly behind me told those of us who asked Merkly questions of concern to us that we were out of order. This was a meeting of purely Democratic rederick, and it was Merkly that controlled the meeting and to set the record straight and not follow your intimidating garbage there were only four teabagggers as you refer to them as that were there and they were not bussed in we came from Bend. I used to be a Democrat myself and in fact I voted for Obama unfortunately and wish I had not. Obama is a complete and absolute failure, liar and deceiver of the people and does not support the Constitution or defend it. He is most definately a wolf in sheeps clothing and is leading all those following him right off the cliff of insanity. I personally refuse to live under a tyranical government like he and his one world elitest buddies want to start and if he tries to force this down America's throat, then expect another revolution not too unlike the one that formed this Great Nation.

If you choose to follow this idiot and his fellow idiots then you deserve what you get in the end. I refuse to live under a dictator without a fight to the end should it come to that! All of the people that want the government to take care of them deserve a dictator like Obama and to suffer under his tyranny.

A Founding Father of the United States of America namely Benjamin Franklin once penned the following statement that said that if the People are willing to surrender freedom at the cost of safety; deserve neither.

I am Jeffersonian Constitutionalist not either a Democan or a Republicrat. I support only the Constitution as it ais written and says and not in what it does not say.

I am asshamed to call you whimpy cry baby Democrats as fellow citizens, who can not take care of themselves but needs the government to do it; how pitiful and sad indeed.

My last post to make a correction was meant for Carla Axtman to read not Melissa; my mistake sorry!

Thanks for the blast of red-neck rhetoric, T. E., but I was unaware one had to be sworn-in to disrupt a town-hall. Of course if you had been you'd now be liable for perjury!

Here is what then candidate Obama said last fall about civic engagement:

“I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face,” he said.

This is from an sfgate.com article.

Apparently the LaRouchies have joined forces with the tea-baggers. Birds of a feather! http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/08/teabaggerlarouche_alliance.php#more?ref=fpblg

If the point of all this is to sway Dem. members of Congress away from the Obama Health Care Agenda, seems like being a bunch of rude, ignorant thugs will hardly win friends and influence people.

"I've been to town halls where lefties have shown up to advocate or protest. The worst I've ever seen is standing in the back and shouting once or twice."

You here when Bush ever tried to visit Portland?

The reason you don't see it is because we jsut don't have thea many REpublicans.

All of you should be ashamed of yourselves. I was at this town hall and I can say that yes, Senator Merkley conducted himself very well and professionally. He took questions and he was the only one to select the questioners who raised their hands for recognition, rose when recognized and then "said their piece". By using the term "said their piece" I mean that some people had well-thought-out questions and some had rambling treatises they wanted to deliver and some were very nervous at speaking out in public however Senator Merkley listened to each of them even though in some cases the majority of the audience thought their questions or comments were banal or irrelevant.

I live in Madras some of the time and I recognized some of the people in attendance but for anyone to hint that the audience either was bussed in or came in a caravan is uninformed at best and malicious at worst. I sat in the front of the room and could easily see the entire audience and can only say that the comments made here are either wild exaggerations or fantasies.

There was a round table immediately in front of me at which several people were seated seemed to be invited guests or people in the senator's party. I did overhear one of the women at that table announce to the table as the audience was exiting that she "is one of the ten Democrats in Madras." I don't know which party gets the most votes in Jefferson County I haven't been here that long but what all of you have described here is exaggeration and just not real.

I would like to point out that we are not helpless.

166.025 - Disorderly conduct (1) A person commits the crime of disorderly conduct if, with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof, the person:

(a) Engages in fighting or in violent, tumultuous or threatening behavior;

(b) Makes unreasonable noise;

(c) Disturbs any lawful assembly of persons without lawful authority;

These people are committing a Misdemanor act. Therefore:

133.225 - Arrest by a private person (1) A private person may arrest another person for any crime committed in the presence of the private person if the private person has probable cause to believe the arrested person committed the crime. A private person making such an arrest shall, without unnecessary delay, take the arrested person before a magistrate or deliver the arrested person to a peace officer.

(2) In order to make the arrest a private person may use physical force as is justifiable under ORS 161.255.

So show up to your townhall meetings, and if things become to riotous or they attempt to disrupt the public meeting, stand up and ask for assistance from others in making a citizen's arrest. Just make sure you are catching it on film for later testimony.

Mike M:

As someone who has attended town hall meetings for decades, I have discovered that the way to get a point across is not to be disruptive, but to ask a hard question based on voting record or public statements, "You said----- but previously you said___, which is it?" sorts of things. Of course, that takes thought.

Shouting down a speaker takes no thought, just a bunch of loud bullies. There are people who will stand silently with their back to a speaker but not say a word because they think shouting down a speaker is anti-free speech and only makes such people look like boorish bullies.

I clicked on the link you provided. There is a big difference between this from the article,

"And now he tells us that he's the one who's going to take on the old boys network," Obama said. "The old boys network. In the McCain campaign that's called a staff meeting. Come on."

McCain generally has been more cutting in his own remarks, and he got more personal on Tuesday.

"Let's have some straight talk: Sen. Obama is not interested in the politics of hope; he's interested in his future. That's why he's hurling insults," McCain said as he and running mate Sarah Palin addressed a rally in Ohio.

<< and the sort of disruptions at the town hall meetings.

Far cry between sarcastic insults in a close race and persuading people to a cause by discussing it with them. I don't believe Obama was asking people to be disruptive in public meetings, but rather to ask those they knew why on earth they would support McCain.

I was once subjected to a true "in your face" situation which backfired on those who did it.

There was a ballot measure back roughly a quarter century ago which split Democrats. I had friends on both sides and thus had not publicly entered the debate or contributed to the campaign on either side, although I had voted against a state party resolution I disagreed with on the subject .

I was in the old Salem Democratic party office when 2 people (who had not been at the state party meeting) literally stood on each side of me and one yelled into each ear YOU ARE NOT A REAL DEMOCRAT because I disagreed with them on this issue. Never mind I'd had a title in a local presidential campaign, been a national convention delegate, was a member of state and cong. district as well as county party, had contributed thousands of hours of my free time over the years to Democratic campaigns, if I didn't agree with them, I was not a "real Democrat".

A close friend of mine was co-chair of the committee against the ballot measure.

I found the address of the committee in favor of the measure. I wrote them a check enclosed in a letter saying "I've not been involved before because I have friends on both sides, but after what happened today I am writing you the largest check I can afford".

Then I wrote a letter to my friend who was the anti- committee co-chair, "Dear Cathy, you know I had stayed out of this ballot measure camapign because I have friends on both sides. However, after what happened today..." and told her about being yelled at and then writing the check.

After sealing both those envelopes and putting stamps on them, I called the office manager of the party office and said, "next time you see either of those 2 people, please let them know what I did".

Next time I saw the woman involved, her greeting to me sounded very sheepish.

There is a line from the JFK Inaugural Address "Civility is not a sign of weakness, but sincerity is subject to proof" (didn't look it up but think that is the whole quote).

Anyone taking camera phone pictures of these folks?

What will be interesting is if any of the teabaggers etc. try campaigning for something they want to pass--tax measures if they qualify, candidate next year, etc. All it would take is someone to say "I remember you--you disrupted that town hall meeting last year. Any candidate you support I don't want to vote for." Ands the word might be spread "Don't vote for____ because one of those teabaggers who disrupted a meeting in 2009 is working on that campaign."

Don't kid yourself--votes have been decided for lesser reasons than that. And there are people who won't support any campaign if someone they think is crooked or extremist is working it.

"Candidate is either as bad as them or a lousy judge of character" is a line I first heard over 3 decades ago from an otherwise non-political relative who decided not to vote straight party ticket because of someone a candidate had hired.

"I refuse to live under a dictator without a fight to the end should it come to that! "

Tom E: We are not (yet) under a dictatorship. The United States is run by an oligopoly composed of associations for corporations (Wall Street, Insurance, Energy, etc.) and factions within Congress representing these corporations and, in some cases (McCain, Boehner, etc.), their inflated egos.

Obama is nowhere near a dictator. He is a front man for the Chicago wing of the Democratic Party in league with the corporate oligarchs. Like the Wizard of Oz, he is what you see stumping around the Eastern United States or on television, while the consiglieri from the corporate mafia are behind the curtain pulling the levers of power in Washington: Ken Salazar for Big Energy, Kathleen Sibelius for Big Insurance and Big Pharma, Summers and Geithner for Wall Street, etc. The northeastern wing of the Democratic Party has Biden and Hillary taking care of their and their own interests.

You may not like Obama as president, but things could be worse. You might get Hillary replacing him in 2012 or one of those hypocritical wretches from the Republican party.

Obama Gives Powerful Drug Lobby a seat at Healthcare Table

It does look like Obama might issue a dictatorial edict on behalf of the "health insurance?" industries:

"Meanwhile, with a “mandate” herd of cash cows on the national horizon, the health insurance industry is licking its chops. The corporate glee is ill-disguised as the Obama administration pushes for legal mandates to require that Americans buy health insurance -- no matter how dismal the quality of the coverage or how unaffordable the “affordable” premiums turn out to be for real people in the real world." Click here for the rest of this article.

Bush and Obama - What's the difference?

HCAN (Health Care for America Now) Prepares Pro-Health Care Reform Activists For Responding To Town Hall Disruptions, Plans To Disrupt The Disrupters

I find it incredible that when people question the direction of the elected officials, a direction that is certainly taking our country into territory that has been proven to eliminate the middle class, eliminate enterpreneurs, eliminate the very foundations on which our country is based, all of a sudden those people are to be kept out of town meetings and free speech is no longer available to them. These people, many of them, are just real folks who want answers. The elected officials choose to put those who disagree with them in a vacuum with extremists, and they're NOT extremists! LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE. The shame should be pointed to those who would deny free speech...SHAME ON YOU. I hope all that voted for "hope and change" are satisfied when the "hope and change" turns to ONLY government jobs, government run businesses, and government say in who lives and who dies. It's coming, and it's coming fast. Make no mistake. There has been a silent majority who will be silenced no longer. You can try to keep them out of your town hall meetings, but the voting majority will make their voices heard and heard very loudly. This isn't a dictatorship, yet.

I recommend that every freedom loving Progressive read up on their state statutes regarding public disturbance and making a Citizen's arrest. Here in Oregon we have:

166.025 - Disorderly conduct (1) A person commits the crime of disorderly conduct if, with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof, the person:

(a) Engages in fighting or in violent, tumultuous or threatening behavior;

(b) Makes unreasonable noise;

(c) Disturbs any lawful assembly of persons without lawful authority;

AND

133.225 - Arrest by a private person (1) A private person may arrest another person for any crime committed in the presence of the private person if the private person has probable cause to believe the arrested person committed the crime. A private person making such an arrest shall, without unnecessary delay, take the arrested person before a magistrate or deliver the arrested person to a peace officer.

WITH MY FAVORITE:

(2) In order to make the arrest a private person may use physical force as is justifiable under ORS 161.255.

You are not helpless. Show up at townhall meetings and start arresting the thugs.

Sandy Fisher's confused rant is a good snapshot of the thoughts and emotions of many Americans who have been poorly educated, vacuously entertained, and thoroughly propagandized by corporate journalism and marketing.

She is right that the middle class is shrinking - even if she does not understand how our broken healthcare system contributes to that.

She is right that government often screws up - even if she fails to understand the dangers of corporate hegemony and the need for government tempering of capitalism's extremes.

The interaction of government and the economy in a nation of 300 million people is complex, and our citizens are ill-equipped to understand it. Sandy has come under the sway of of corporate PR working through the likes of FoxNews and various political and social conservative organizations. I doubt she is an evil person - she is simply confused.

If things get really bad, we will have more to fear from folks who support a "strong father" dictator than from those who think as does Sandy that socialism is the devil.

Double post, sorry.

@ Sandy Fisher. I do not believe that anyone on this board is suggesting that people should not have their say at a townhall. The issue is the intentional disruption of the Democratic process by these "protesters" and their blatant hostility. They have the right to organize and protest, to contact their congress people, silently protest during townhalls. They do not have the right to disrupt a lawful public meeting with the intent of disruption. If they do, they are committing a misdemeanor crime and should be prepared to face the consequences of their actions.

LT,

Thank you for your thoughtful follow-up.

I too have been to many public meetings, and most of them were quite civil. I'm also the kind of guy who does not yell, scream, or pout. My engagement with the public people at these meetings is always civil, and my questions are asked only after doing research beforehand.

The premise in this thread is that many people have different perspectives on what may have transpired at this town hall.

Those in attendance who are against what is being proposed for healthcare are painted with a very broad brush as being tea-baggers, republicans, insurance industry plants, etc. Never once is it considered that the opposition might be everyday, ordinary people who are against the program. Hey, perhaps many may even democrats or NAVs.

Several attendees have spoken up in this thread, illustrating their views of what actually transpired, and I thank them for that. Note well, that each has a different perspective, depending on their expectations for healthcare reform. Perhaps the best thing to do is to record all of them so the public can see with their own eyes.

Civil discourse is always productive.

Despite what you wrote, Obama did say what he said. Your anecdote does not alter that.

On several public matters, I too have been on the forefront of community issues, with my name front and center - in the press as well as on websites. The ORegonian did cover our efforts for several months. I am happy to say that all of our public discourse on the subject was quite civil, with nary a raised voice from any involved in the debate. If anything, my supporters as well as detractors praised the dialog we had. The details are unimportant. One other positive outcome is that the public meetings I was involved in are now all recorded for anyone to listen to, as previously the minutes did NOT tell the entire story of what transpired.

Earlier in this thread, the holier than thou proclaim that neither democrats nor progressives would ever stoop so low as what is taking place at town halls around the country. I would counter with the fact that memories must be quite short as there are numerous examples of uncivil behavior by this group - recorded for prosperity and available to all on YouTube and several other venues.

Neither side is justified in using this type of disruption. It doesn't help at all.

President Obama promised to go in a new direction - he just needs to remind all sides of this promise again, and again.

Finally, it's easy to blame the right, the tea-baggers,the republicans, etc. Easy target, but not really being truthful. Rasmussen polls show that there are quite a few people opposed to the direction being taken with health care reform. Even the proponents here seem to ignore that Senator Wyden's plan is a reasonable one that does get us some level of reform.

Oh please, not the theoretical silent majority of Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew! They're ba-ack!

"President Obama promised to go in a new direction - he just needs to remind all sides of this promise again, and again."

To the contrary, the people need to remind Obama of his promises - real and implied. Check the link above at 10:40:39 and let us know where the change is other than the superficial one of race.

As Posted by: Tom | Aug 5, 2009 8:33:25 AM

"I would like to point out that we are not helpless.

166.025 - Disorderly conduct..."

Um- you might want to look at some case law regarding ORS 166.025 before you back somebody into a false arrest law suit-

Like:

“Fighting” and “violent, tumultuous or threatening behavior” describe physical acts of aggression, not speech, and in prohibiting such physical acts paragraph (1)(a) does not run afoul of Article I, section 8 of the Oregon Constitution. State v. Cantwell, 66 Or App 848, 676 P2d 353 (1984), Sup Ct review denied

  Whether speech may properly be restrained as “unreasonable noise” depends on whether restraint is applied to inhibit noncommunicative elements of activity such as time, manner or place or to stifle expression. State v. Rich, 218 Or App 642, 180 P3d 744 (2008)

In addition to traditional free speech arguments the US Constitution First Amendment states the right to peaceably assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. And also the lesser know Oregon Const. Article 1, Section 26. "Assemblages of people; instruction of representatives; application to legislature. No law shall be passed restraining any of the inhabitants of the State from assembling together in a peaceable manner to consult for their common good; nor from instructing their Representatives; nor from applying to the Legislature for redress of greviances."

So one I think IMHO at a Town Hall with a federal representaive you are going to need some pretty good facts to support a Disorderly Conduct charge.

I'm wondering if the GOP and the Corporate Insurance Industry aren't really hurting their cause by being associated with the wack-job teabaggers? Yesterday we had incidents of a mob yelling at Sen. Dodd he should commit suicide for his cancer treatment. A Cong. Rep was assaulted. Another had to be escorted out by police because of threats from a mob of thugs.

"Yesterday we had incidents of a mob yelling at Sen. Dodd he should commit suicide for his cancer treatment. A Cong. Rep was assaulted. Another had to be escorted out by police because of threats from a mob of thugs."

This has an ominous echo of events in Germany when Hitler and the Nazi party were seeking power.

Bill Bodden--your numerous posts in this thread are of two sorts: (1) Obama is a fraud and no different from Bush. (2) The disrupters, tea baggers etc. are homegrown brownshirts whom we should legitimately fear.

Just wondering how these two themes fit together. I mean, I thought those brownshirts were staging the verbal and physical assaults because they see that Obama is distinctly NOT Bush.

You needn't approve of everything that Obama does (I sure don't), but jeez louise, I cannot follow your logic.

Then there is the fraudulent use of letterheads, this time on behalf of the coal industry.

"Just wondering how these two themes fit together. I mean, I thought those brownshirts were staging the verbal and physical assaults because they see that Obama is distinctly NOT Bush."

Where did you get this stuff about the protesters opposing Obama because he isn't Bush? From what I have read almost all of the protesters are doing their thing solely because they are against Obama's and others' health care plans. Can you cite an example of protesters raising hell because Obama isn't like Bush other than some peripheral comment when their main focus was on the health care issue. I gave an example above of a quote by Paul Krugman about protesters giving a Republican congressman a hard time and he was most likely pro-Bush.

I'm sure, however, Obama will find some consolation in comments from Democrats that though they don't like what he is doing they are with him - right or wrong. Have you noticed how the war in Afghanistan is ratcheting up with calls for yet more troops? It's looking more like a high-desert Vietnam.

Those poor misled gray-haired dissenters! Any fool knows that the government can run things far better than the private sector. The evil big insurance must have deceived them. We need to tax those evil profiteers and make them pay for the rest of us who cannot do for ourselves. All praise be to Obama -er, Alla….

Bill Bodden,

There is a consistent complaint among the teabag, birther, anti-healthcare crowd that Obama is leading the US toward socialism. That would be, I think, distinctly un-Shrubby, whether true or not.

Still, there is no reason you cannot object to these astroturf protesters while criticizing Obama on more fact-based grounds than they do.

thank you, Kari

"There is a consistent complaint among the teabag, birther, anti-healthcare crowd that Obama is leading the US toward socialism."

When he and most of Congress are owned by corporate America? What are these people thinking of? Do they understand what socialism is? Fascism is more plausible than socialism.

Bill,

As you know, socialism can exist on a continuum, as it has in the US for a long time. It would not be accurate to call Obama a socialist, in the sense that Eugene Debs was a socialist, but Obama supports more socialist ideas than did Shrub.

Corporate influence is powerful in all US politics. Obama is certainly not immune to it.

Re: "Obama is a complete and absolute failure, liar and deceiver of the people and does not support the Constitution or defend it. He is most definately a wolf in sheeps clothing and is leading all those following him right off the cliff of insanity."

Anyone to the left of the DP agrees as well. Not for the same reasons, unfortunately.

Yes, Obama is better than Bush. He is also better than Hitler.

"Marshall told Shapiro that Walden had suffered this type of attack at his town halls - Walden holds town halls...? That's news -"

Carla,

I've been involved in at least five of Walden's Town Hall and other meetings over the past two-years in Crook County alone. Just FYI.

Joel Dan Wallz: stop wit' da Louisin'. Jeez someone else!

This memo proves my point: those assholes are just terrified that someone will catch them at Reckless Endangerment as a result of wanton lack of ability to write, spell, punctuate. Pitiful. Foolish and pitiful just to read their best work possible as presented in that dreadful memo.

Someone needs to hire them a second-grader to watch over their work product. Mayhaps their thought product, eh?

Thnx, Carla for covering this important issue. I'm hopeful it will backfire with moderates and people of reason. Take the high road everyone, it's more pleasant to travel and you meet better-caliber people on it. mam

WOW!!! The bloggers here are certainly left wing democraps. For the most part. Let me tell you something I have gone to town meetings to protest this so called "Health Reform Bill" and I am quite angry about page 425 of this bill. In case you haven't read it please be my guest and do so. I am not paid by any big insurance company nor am I involved in shouting down others. However you all should really read through this bill and maybe, just maybe you can see what the rest of us have see. This has Nazi Germany written all over it!!!!!!!!!!! If you want to live in a socialized government controlled country then by all means vote that bill in and trust me you will be very sorry. But then again you have to pull you head out of the sand and get your facts. Not the rhetoric that has been shoved down your throats by a party that is certainly not the Democratic of my parents.

I have a hard time believing that "Melissa Shapiro" would "recognize" everyone at that town hall meeting! Over 5,000 people live in Madras and probably 5,000 in the outlying areas like Shaniko,Antelope,Ashwood,Metolius,etc. So, she is talking off the top of her head about knowing the people who are speaking! I certainly would not know who she is!!! She certainly doesn't know who I am!!!! You need to get your information from more than one source so that you are objective about your reporting.

I for one, believe that people are upset about all the issues that Obama is trying to shove down our throats....what happens when something is shoved down your throat? You gag. I will not label anyone for having a dissenting (emotional) opinion about what is happening to our country. I believe in free speech , including the right that pro-obamaites have to voice their own opinion.

Both sides of this have to stop labeling people who are genuinely upset and scared. We are heading for a civil war in this country! We need to stop looking to our government to referee this situation and start sitting down with each other to "talk" like civilians.

We are all Americans and that is nothing to be ashamed of. I know many , many local democrats who are genuinely afraid for their future in this Obama-nation. So much so, that some of them have become independents!! I for one have become an independent and I have been a republican most of my life.

Yes, it is time for a change we can believe in....change this present two-party system (which is a sick monopoly that throws the American citizens under a bus!!!) into a genuine democratic republic with healthy competition and term limits!!!!! WE THE PEOPLE!!!!

I am one of the people you use the demeaning term "teabagger" to describe. I don't want mandated health care and especially health care that is going to have a "option" for end of life counseling that slides the slippery slope to state-decided euthanasia.

I have worked in government bureaucracy and have watched arrogant and non-productive workers make social decisions for citizens because they are enlightened and knno what is best for others.

Also, cowardly US Congress members won't mandate this care system for themselves and federal workers. I would like to see the Oregon state union members get this single-payor option.

I would never disrupt a town meeting but I sure would like to see our US millionaire legislators allow opposition to ask questions.

Do your homework Carla. Deschutes Tea Party people didn't organize the effort nor did any group knowledgeable to those of us I know who were also in attendance. Also, No one "bussed in", etc. Didn't see any Republican or third party officers either.

At most, I recognized about 15 people my family knows, both from Deschutes and Jefferson Counties.

By the way, your posters' language is a tip-off as to where their heads are at. Yours too.

Carla,

Thanks for admitting your bias.

You may want to review your bio on the contributor page to remind yourself what a fellow at Blue Oregon is chartered to do:

The BlueOregon Fellowship is a paid fellowship in progressive blogging - and the Fellow is expected to post several times a week with original hard-hitting commentary and in-depth investigative coverage.

On the other hand, no one is paying me to be here. No one is forcing me to support any particular point of view other than my own.

I enjoy reading the many viewpoints expressed, and the sometimes engaging debate.

Thanks to Blue Oregon for sometimes having intelligent and thoughtful exchanges.

Hey Carla,

As soon as you find the funding source, let me know, I'd like to know who to send my receipts to.

Geoff

Lots of talk about free speech, and then planning to Silence it in the same breath . . .

Get a clue folks - Instead of blowing all of this off, you might look a little deeper. Americans are FED up with the direction this country is going in, and finally they are standing up. They are tired of the same old politically correct responses to people's questions. Don't you think our congress men and women should have to abide by the same laws we do? (e.g. social security, realistic salaries) We are in a war for the culture of this country, our freedoms, our children's future. We must demand MORE from all our public officials regardless of party affiliation.

"Dick is a hired gun lobbyist whose firm represents Bristol-Meyers Squibb. Last year, the Wall Street Journal nabbed Freedomworks for rinky-dink websites that promoted Armey's lobbying interests."

Carla, you would not have an idea about when the Wall Street Journal's article was published would you?

What's the difference between teabaggers and blackshirts?

Blackshirts drank espresso.