this protest brought to you by...

"But it's worth asking: Are these protest strategies citizen participation at its finest, or democracy gone haywire?"

There is no doubt this hysteria has been well funded by vested corporate interests. I wish this story had dug a little deeper, not doing that the article almost appears to legitimize corporate manipulation.

What is more tragic is that you see so many mature adults in these mobs. It is difficult not to wonder about the state of democracy when our largest demographic, our elders, seem so easily manipulated. That is, unless they are on the payroll and that would just be despicable, as I believe retirees are the largest group of beneficiaries of publicly subsidized healthcare in the US. Anyway, the world seems upside down from the view of this debate.

When you are a minority act like morons.

few voices seem to think that if they are louder they will give the impression of being many. It is a case of ignorant people who have no information that might sway an opinion using volume to drown out any opposing view. It is an attempt to win by intimidation and boorishness.

It always amazes me that we in Canada seem to try to get closer to this kind of horror. The less America influences Canada the better. I'll even take a lower standard of living if it means we don't have such moronic behavior here.

Where's Michael Moore these

Where's Michael Moore these days??

The latest in this criminal

The latest in this criminal propaganda campaign seems to be that universal medicare will give ethunasia pills to old people.

Where on Earth do these crooks come up with such lies, and how can anybody have such low intelligence to believe them ?

So where are our local so called "conservative" trolls demanding the end of universal medicare?

Ed Deak.

All Quiet On the Western Front

The Weimar Republic floundered on it's ability to control the insanity of street level militia's (ie: roving gangs), like those led by Joseph Goebbels, who participated in shutting down screenings of a movie that dared to provide an alternative (and personal, as opposed to national) perspective of the war they had just lost.
These roving gangs screamed and yelled throughout the movie, hurled items at the screen and finally, turned to viciously beating up the patrons.

Never underestimate the power of laying blame (Palin makes a perfect politician in this respect) to ignite violence in the ignorant or the hopeless.

It will get much, much worse in the U.S. before it gets better.

Democracy in Action

Having watched the fraudulent and unread Cap and Trade legislation sail through the House of Representatives largely unread, the right in the US was not about to let a profoundly flawed health care bill go unopposed.

However, this is a part of a much larger story: the Tea Party movement which is protesting the overall thrust toward larger government and larger deficits.

Just as Soros funded Move-On there are certainly wealthy individuals who are putting up some money for these protests. But it is not obvious that, unlike the pro-Obama people - these protestors are bought and paid for.

Our American friends are in for some very interesting times in the next few years.

Non-partisan

If you watch some of the videos on youtube, it's clear that it's not only 'right wing nuts' that are up in arms about this bill. It's bluedog democrats and independents too. Spending another trillion dollars of money they don't have seems to stoke popular dissent across the board.

The bill isn't proposing single payer healthcare like we have here in canada, regardless of how many representitives think that's the best way to go. The health insurance companies hold too much sway to allow that option to be tabled (as Bernie Sander's said at a press conference yesterday).

It's cloudy as to what they're really proposing as the bill they're debating now in the townhall meetings is not going to be the one that passes (or fails).