OVER-REACTION @ PITTSBURGH UNIVERSITY

D.C. MARCH ON HEALTHCARE--NOT EXACTLY A MENSA MEETING

Massive crowd marches against Obama's agenda -- la times.com: "Tens of thousands of protesters marched on the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, airing a wide range of grievances rooted in a shared sentiment: seething anger at President Obama and his far-reaching agenda.
Led by a fife and drum corps in period costumes, the demonstrators filled Pennsylvania Avenue and swarmed the Capitol grounds with a sea of bobbing placards and hand-lettered signs that spelled out a catalog of dissent.
There were antiabortion protesters and term-limit advocates. Critics of financial bailouts and the federal investigation into CIA interrogation techniques. Marchers who were worried about rekindling inflation and upset about the soaring national debt. Pickets opposed to Obama's health care reform plan and challenging the legitimacy of his election.
'Is This Russia?' one sign said. 'Traitors Terrorists Run Our Government,' read another. 'Don't blame me. I voted for The 'American,' ' a third stated.
The protest -- touted by organizers as the largest-ever outpouring of political conservatives -- was organized by a loose-knit coalition of anti-tax, small-government proponents, and widely promoted by sympathetic voices in the blogosphere and on TV and talk radio. Park police declined to provide an official crowd estimate."

Not exactly a MENSA convention judging from some of the signs pictured above....."Obama care....hands off my body" (yes, we are for mandatory abortions and want to dictate which doctor you go to), "you can't fix stupid," "save freedom, stop Obama" (save freedom by limiting CHOICE on health care--obviously an Aetna employee), "armed and dangerous...with my vote," and "the greatest communist President ever."

There hasn't been a larger collection of morons since the last graduating class at Arkansas High School. But, at least they want to be heard, they care, and there were no Obama pics with Hitler mustaches.

What we need desperately to see is a group of uninsured families to assemble and march on Washington, complete with their children. Then, and only then will you see that Obama is desperately trying to protect good people, good citizens and their kids health. Then, and only then will you understand what the fight is all about. Not taking away rights, not insuring illegals, not federally funding abortions, and not deciding who lives and who dies. Just speaking out for Americans....40 million of them who need a little help providing healthcare for their families, and providing a little competition with the insurance companies who actually ARE getting away with murder (financially at least).

I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRDS SCREAM

At base level I am at heart a child of the seventies with a love of all things political. The memories of Vietnam protests are still burnt in my memory, which helped form my deep love of politics...so much so I majored in political science in college.

I grew up with the Weather Underground, Abby Hoffman, the Chicago Seven trial and the SLA. I have seen this country go from Kennedy and King to the election of the first Black President, and everything in between. I have seen the devastation and aftermath of natural calamities and I have cowered in front of the television as my parents watched live reports of the Watts riots, an area all too close to where we lived. The act of protest is, and always has been, a part of free speech and an engaged electorate. But until now I had yet to detect the stench...the palpable stench of fear I see that exists across this country at present.

As I watch each health care town hall meeting, I have seen the usual protests, of course. But I have also seen fear. I have witnessed American citizens who still bare the scars from 9/11 in fear. We have all seen these angry, out of control citizens screaming and interrupting the meetings out of fear, and a desperate sense that this time..... this one time they have to be heard and they will be heard, because this once great republic they grew up loving is at risk. At risk, and they are terrified. Possibly for the first time in their adult lives, they are scared that the dream of this great republic might be in jeopardy. And these for the most part, are not organized nut jobs. A lot of them are tax paying good guys who are scared. Scared and ignorant, pushed and emboldened by the bully pulpit media who tell them to fear. Fear and hate, and that is a dangerous combination. The kind of fear, hate and ignorance that gets large groups of people to listen, and believe damn near anything.

This is about more than just health care. This is about broad stroke philosophies of government that strike at the core of our nation. The majority of these town hall protesters aren't political savvy operatives. I get the feeling many of these voices are coming from concerned citizens suddenly awakened, and suddenly engaged. These are good people answering a clarion call from extremists who have been given a pulpit over our airwaves, and because they have these public pulpits, it gives them a degree of legitimacy, and a perceived level of intelligence they may or may not hold.

I say it's time for America to get a grip on their emotions and stop listening to every ignorant voice on the Internet and in the media. Stop listening to the ignorant voices who claim Obama is both a socialist and fascist (an impossibility by definition, by the way), and a Hitler incarnate.

It's time for the base of America to do a little research and listen to some saner, quieter, more intelligent voices. The ones who don't preach hate and gloom and doom. Maybe this is the only way for America to get its collective confidence back, and maybe even a little of its swagger back. There is nothing, but nothing that will slow down the economy faster, or prolong the recession than a nation without the confidence to re-enter the market and the confidence to go out and spend a couple of bucks.

I see positive signs already in the market......I see an administration that cares, and wants to find a middle ground, a bi-partisan effort to get this country back on its feet. I also see an opposition that wants it to fail. Wants it to fail because it is the best way for them to win, even if it results in additional body blows to our countries well being.

Things are getting better... or at least aren't getting any worse, and that is a blessing in itself considering where we were headed a scant 200 days ago.

True recovery will take time, but we should have a little more confidence in our government, and the people we have elected to serve us. At least we should have a little more confidence in our Senators than we do in these radio and TV zealot entertainers and reactionaries who are trying to convince middle America and our middle class that we are turning into Fascist Germany, for gawd sakes.

We have all heard the famous quote..."the only thing we have to fear...is fear itself." I am not sure if that applies any more. The only thing we have to fear, is fear and ignorance itself. Wake up America. Wake up, have a little confidence, and do a little research. And believe. Not in hope, not in change, but in a still proud nation that won't let a little hard times destroy it, or get us down. We still are that proud nation. We still are that world leader that everyone looks to when times are a little rough. And I'll be damned if I am going to let eight years take that away from us. We'll be back. Bigger, brighter, and healthier than ever. And I for one, am going to take that confidence to the bank. God bless you, and may God continue to bless America.

And that is the world...."The World According to Kimba." Thanks for reading.

TOWN HALL MEETINGS BRING OUT THE NUT JOBS

I don't get it. One is a madman who orchestrated mass genocide on the Jews, and aspired towards world domination. The other is a man who wants to make sure everyone in America can afford to go the doctor without declaring bankruptcy. Could it be that you have drank the kool-aid and actually believe the scare tactics of an Obama death panel, a modern day Hitler T4 program (see the destruction of lives unworthy of life). Preposterous. It's preposterous to think the Obama administration is seeking a modern day genocide of the elderly through "mercy deaths." And equally preposterous that our government actually values the almighty dollar over human life.

Also strange is the caption "I've changed"...it's not like his desire to change our broken healthcare system wasn't a major focus in every single stump speech he delivered for over a full calendar year....so how has he changed? It is estimated that over 38 million Americans have no health insurance, a minimum of 9 million of those being children. So how can you not want to find an afforable program to cover them?

YOU CAN'T ALWAYS GIT' WHAT YOU WANT...

Yesterday, my alma mater, the hallowed grounds of Westwood, the campus of U.C.L.A., hosted a political "get out to vote" rally for Barack Obama. Only he couldn't be there; he was campaigning in Delaware. His proxy speakers were Caroline Kennedy, Michelle Obama, Stevie Wonder, and a talk show host from Chicago. In case you missed it (it was also televised on C-Span), here is an example of the kind of insight the day had in store for my fellow Bruins...

"You can't learn wisdom,

You can't git' it from the workplace,

Wisdom is a gift from God...."

Oprah Winfrey

Needless to say, Barack Obama was so entrusted with wisdom, as a act of God of course. Which is good for us, since you can't git' it anywheres else. Flabbergasted, to say the least. With the language, the ignorance, and especially with the audience who treated each syllable from these four like it was the nectar of the Gods. Poor little sheep, being driven to the polling booth for slaughter like that.

One thing is definately for sure, Oprah didn't git', or learn any wisdom. But, what do you want for a billion dollars? Oprah Winfrey ladies and gentlemen, Chicago's answer to Jerry friggin' Springer.