"Jesus Wants Health Care"
This morning I drove down to Fremont hoping to sit in on Democrat Congressman Pete Stark’s town hall meeting (one of three held in 1 1/2 hour intervals, the other two in Alameda and San Leandro). Stark has been in Congress since 1973 representing the East Bay. His bio states:
”In January of 1985, Stark became the Chairman of the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee. As Chairman, he presided over major reforms to the Medicare system. While cutting billions of dollars in waste, fraud, and abuse, Stark expanded benefits for tens of millions of Medicare beneficiaries, provided COBRA health continuation benefits to workers, and made numerous improvements in the quality of our nation's health care. Stark champions universal health care, and speaks out for peace, freedom of choice, and protecting our environment. He is a tireless advocate for children, families, senior citizens, and people with disabilities, as well as the residents of the 13th Congressional District.”
Sadly, the Senior Citizens’ Center chosen as the venue for this town meeting could accommodate only about 340 people, leaving several hundred, including me, outside. No outside loudspeakers. I peered inside through a tinted window and could discern no ruckus or commotion. Have heard nothing about how the meeting went, but understood the Congressman would be not taking any questions. Smart. Not really in the spirit of a town hall meeting, but smart, given what’s been going on elsewhere. Grouping the meetings tightly, about 15 miles apart was smart too, preventing protesters intent on disrupting the meetings from attending more than one.
As it turns out, the show was really outside. I caught the highlights on my video camera. If I can figure out the editing software, I’ll attempt a modest documentary of the event.
In all, I was quite proud of how my fellow citizens comported themselves. I witnessed many knots of people debating the health care issue earnestly, vociferously in some cases, but with civility, disagreeing without being disagreeable for the most part. Democracy in action.
The signs were about 70:30 pro and con health care reform. The pro signs tended to be straightforward (“Health Care Reform Now” “Public Health Care Now” ) whereas the con signs tended toward the vituperative (Obama with a Hitler mustache “Cut the Moustache, not health care, Larouche PAC” “ObamaCare Will Make You Sick” “Government Medicare, Government Social Security, Government Post Office, Government Health Care” I don’t Think So!” For them it was what they were against, not what they were for.
The main discordant note was struck by a handful of “true believers,” sporting T-shirts proclaiming “Jesus Saves From Hell,” “Turn to Jesus or Burn — Trust Jesus,” “Repent or Perish” carrying signs like “Warning to all Fornicators, Unbelievers, Homosexuals, Adulterers, Thieves Sodomites, Greedy, Drunkards, -- JUDGMENT” and “Jesus Forgives Sin” (but apparently not Fornicators, Unbelievers, Homosexuals, Adulterers, Thieves Sodomites, Greedy, Drunkards).
Unfortunately my videocam was on “Standby” when I thought it was on “Rec” so I failed to video the most precious exchange of the day between a buzz-cut, GI-Joe bull of a man sporting the “Turn to Jesus or Burn --Trust Jesus” T-shirt, and a delicate, waif-like woman carrying a sign “CA. Got Health Care?” GI-Joe was in the woman’s face shouting like a drill instructor about how ObamaCare was a step on the road to perdition and eternal damnation, and Jesus was the answer, to which the woman replied plaintively:
“I love Jesus too. But he was gentle and kind. He healed the sick. Jesus was for the poor. Jesus wants health care.”
Without a word GI-Joe turned and walked away.
Priceless.