What Did You Do Today, Tracy?

/ Tracy Abell

  

Why, thank you for asking!

Today Zippy and I drove up to Brighton for our representative’s (Congressman Ed Perlmutter) Town Hall Meeting on health care reform.
Maybe you’ve heard about the organized disruption of Democratic representatives’ meetings as they try to talk health care reform with their constituencies.
The situation has gotten ugly.  Beyond ugly.
Zippy and I really didn’t want to go but felt obligated to push back against the lunatic fringe.

Oh, my.

I brought two signs.
This one spoke to my feelings on the issue:

Plus I wanted another sign to convey my feelings without having to scream them at people:

The second one came in real handy when the guy wearing the U.S. flag bandana,
swinging the U.S. flag (nearly poking me in the eye)
chanted "Hitler Care!  Hitler Care!"

Goethe’s quote was also useful when I was confronted with signs like this:

and this:

and this:

That last sign was pretty popular.
A group of people took turns holding it.
This woman here:

was taking her turn with the Death Pill sign when she came up to me,
presumably because of my Active Ignorance sign,
and said, "Honey, God gave me plenty of brains and I know what’s in that bill."
To which I responded by pointing to her Death Pill sign and saying, "Clearly, you’re informed.’
Then I tried taking her picture but she slammed her sign into my camera. 
That was okay since she mixed it up with everyone there,
giving me ample opportunity to document her shrieking and finger-jabbing.

Later some other woman (sign-less) asked what my Active Ignorance sign meant.
I explained it was in response to ridiculous claims such as the Death Pill.

Oh, my.
That comment unleashed a Death Pill / pacemaker rant.
Google revealed that she was apparently referring to a partial, out-of-context video clip.
Here’s the full version of Obama addressing pacemakers and end-of-life care.
(Who knew this was a raging issue on the lunatic fringe?)

Lest you think the crowd was one hundred percent nutters,
here are some signs I really appreciated:

and

and

and

The thing is, I don’t really care how much it would cost to provide quality health care to everyone in this country.
No one asked my opinion about invading and occupying two countries,
and the billions of dollars those occupations cost each and every month.
I’d rather my tax dollars heal rather than kill.

Unfortunately, a lot of fear-based, angry people descended upon a grocery store parking lot today
to shout their disagreement.
              

43 thoughts on “What Did You Do Today, Tracy?”

  2. Good for you for going. Good for you for sanity.
    I used to work in the health care industry. The way we decide who gets coverage is crazy. Here in Oregon, they don’t have nearly enough money to cover people who qualify for the Oregon Health Plan. So they have a lottery.

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  5. Wow. Proud of you and Zippy for attending, and for your signs. Love that last one (Hope over Selfishness), and all the Who Would Jesus Deny signs – that’s a point I keep making. The Christian right has their knickers in a twist over this, but it’s largely because they’ve been manipulated by big pharma and misinformation. Also, were they actually following the teachings of their Lord and Savior, they’d be all over universal health care. “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.” Etc.
    Sorry about the rabid jabbing woman.

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    • “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.” Zippy suggested this for my sign but we decided it was too long. But the sentiment is right-on.
      I’m proud we attended but not so proud that we got into ridiculous “discussions” with people. My blood pressure soared. Sigh.

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  6. “I’d rather my tax dollars heal rather than kill.”
    Amen to that.
    Thank you for being the voice of reason, Tracy. I admire you and Zippy for facing down the irrational arguments of the fringe “astroturf” protesters. To co-opt a phrase S. Palin used in her concession speech a few weeks ago, “In honor of our troops’ sacrifices, why don’t ya stop making things up?!”
    I’m upset with Obama, though, for making back-door concessions to Big Pharma. Good grief, he’s backed away from a bunch of his campaign promises, hasn’t he? That’s a topic for another day…
    Peace out. 🙂

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    • I wasn’t really the voice of reason. And neither was Zippy. We tried but allowed the whack-a-doodles to get our ire. It wasn’t pretty at times. Ah well.
      I’m with you on the Obama/Big Pharma issue. Pisses me off. Makes me want to throw up my hands and pretend none of it is happening. But I can’t…

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  7. Ugh. What a bunch of dumbheads. Thank you for going and pushing back against the lunatic fringe.
    Years ago, when we were on our way out of this country because of the bombs our prez at that time was dropping, our family went to a Peace Rally held outside of a plane hangar at Lowry. Bush was there, raising tons of money on a luncheon, and when the dumbheads who paid hundreds or more for rubber chicken came out of the hangar – mind you, they were all tan and fancy dressed – and got into their expensive cars and limos, we held up our Peace and No Bombs signs, chanting behind the line that was drawn out for us. Do you know what those finely dressed folks did? They flipped us off. Gave us the middle finger. Ooooh, classy people indeed. And me? I shouted, “How dare you!” Good one. I know. It was the best I could come up with on short notice.
    It’s difficult to fight intelligently against such stupid people. Thanks again for doing so in Brighton.

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    • I was at that rally! I remember those people flipping us off! I remember being so angry, and feeling so unheard/invisible/powerless. Those were dark days, for sure.
      And now we’re experiencing full-on angry/ignorant/violent people. Another version of darkness.

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    • Thanks for the awesome vote, but as I admitted above, I let them get me going a few times. I thought my sign would help me maintain my cool but it didn’t always work.
      I don’t have a DailyKos account, or whatever it’s called, so I don’t think I can post this. But I agree, people need to know how important it is to attend these town hall meetings.

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  10. Go Tracy! There is so much ignorance mixed up with the truth of things, and I’m glad you were there to bring in a voice of reason. Brave woman, you are. 🙂

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    • I might’ve been a voice of reason but I was also (a couple times) a voice of emotion. I let them goad me into stooping to their level, and it makes me feel bad. I tried, though.

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  13. I wasn’t really the voice of reason. And neither was Zippy. We tried but allowed the whack-a-doodles to get our ire. It wasn’t pretty at times. Ah well.

    I’m with you on the Obama/Big Pharma issue. Pisses me off. Makes me want to throw up my hands and pretend none of it is happening. But I can’t…

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  14. I was at that rally! I remember those people flipping us off! I remember being so angry, and feeling so unheard/invisible/powerless. Those were dark days, for sure.

    And now we’re experiencing full-on angry/ignorant/violent people. Another version of darkness.

    Like

  15. Thanks for the awesome vote, but as I admitted above, I let them get me going a few times. I thought my sign would help me maintain my cool but it didn’t always work.

    I don’t have a DailyKos account, or whatever it’s called, so I don’t think I can post this. But I agree, people need to know how important it is to attend these town hall meetings.

    Like

  16. Re: not so random commenter

    Thank you for checking it out. I hope others are inspired to attend their town hall meetings, too. We can’t let the irrational voices be the ones heard.

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  17. Re: not so random commenter

    you are so right, I wish I had more time to get involved. Also I wish they didn’t have a lot of their meetings as such during the day when I am at work :0/

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  18. Re: not so random commenter

    That’s not good if they’re meeting during work hours. My congress-critter schedules all his town hall meetings for Saturdays. I wonder if yours really wants people to show up?

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  21. Re: not so random commenter

    I have been trying to get rid of some of the Ohio government for years now, and everytime I think we have someone new who is good, it turns out to be the same political trash, very disapointing…I have become a little disilusioned with the whole thing I am sorry to say. :0/

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  22. Re: not so random commenter

    I’m sorry to read this but am not too surprised. There’s a basic flaw in our system ($$$$) and so real reform isn’t possible until we change the system.

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