Only awareness, timely and reasoned arguments and demand respect and a political space for our voices to be heard on health care and other issues
The work in making this American republic more just is far from over. There will be a backlash in the form of a discourse centered on bad-faith and demagoguery. Democratic legislators at all levels and progressive people in the United States must be ready to debate publicly the issues in forums and Town Hall meetings. They must meet intimidation with courage, cacophony and angry noise with a firm demand for respect and the right to be heard. Liberals, progressives, democrats, and people with a genuine sense of social justice are Americans and Patriots too, these are not labels exclusive to conservatives and people of the angry and racist right-wing. Reasonable, common-sense Americans should not let their ideological adversaries to assign them epithets like fascist, communist, nazi, or socialist. These say more about the political pathology of the ones who say it: fanatics obssesed with the mythical and mystified (and certainly distorted) idea of absolute individual freedom (meaning social isolation and unhealthy hatred of government).
Before you continue reading, check out this blog-post from my friends at truthout
t r u t h o u t | Joe Conason | Right Wing Gone Wild
Truly, how can one realize individual freedom if you're afraid of having an accident at, or on the way to work and wonder whether your medical insurance will cover your care. Individual freedom is about self-reliance, true, but not at the cost of others, and definitely not at the cost of total isolation from your fellow human and the governmental institutions that conform, along with us, society. Genuine self-reliance is about solving your own problems when you can. When things go catastrophically or terribly wrong, when events spiral out of individual control, it is convenient to have the assistance of a functioning government standing at your side, not intruding, not repressing, but assisting in achieving some kind of normalcy.
When facing an angry fanatic yelling about socialism ask him or her to put some perspective into the argument. What is socialism? Can they define it? Better yet, ask what is the alternative to the great social policy upheaval that just occurred. Ask them if they would truly prefer to bear the brunt of a natural disaster alone (like it happened in Katrina), if they would prefer to find out that their insurance providers would not cover them or their loved ones from a catastrophic illness and they can absolutely do nothing about it, because it is a business decision and the present statute allows them to do so almost with impunity. Can you sue your insurance? Sure, can you afford to?
Ask if their fanatical tea-party spokespersons who are more than happy to blabber about individual freedoms are in the same position as they are. I'm sure they can afford the best health care for their loved ones with the millions of dollars that government haters just paid to hear them talk or buy their books. How's that for an inconvenient truth?
Ask them if their world would be much better if there were no Social Security, or Medicare. Ask them if they are willing to bet their financial stability if the Republicans win in the2010 mid-term elections and dismantle health-care reform like they promised they would. Our soldiers enjoys good quality health-care, they've earned it; why can't we, as hard-working, tax-paying Americans vie for the same? They will jeer you, threaten you, intimidate you, will not let you speak. Stand and listen to this disturbing scene, they carry the venom given to them by their fanatical leaders. Ask yourself, is this true republicanism? Only awareness, timely and reasoned arguments and demand respect and a political space for our voices to be heard on health care and other issues will counter the cacophony of yells from these ugly Americans. Bring your courage, for it will not be pretty. Their true selves as the truthout article argues will show in a timely manner. Actually, it already has in Idaho.
There are many reasons to engage these fanatics in a public debate. Mostly, they help themselves in showing their anti-democratic, disrespectul disposition by disturbing displays of public cruelty.
Are these the acts of a true American patriot? Why do we allow with our silence and inaction to let this man treat another human being in such a derisory manner? How did it come to this? Let me show you another visual, this time with courageous Americans willing to speak out in favor of health care reform,
Ask yourselves if these people are communists, socialists, or fascist. Can we look them at their face, straight into their eyes and tell them that we'd be better of without health care reform?
To the brave souls who voted for this extraordinary piece of social justice legislation. Thank you.
Now...tell me what you think.
Before you continue reading, check out this blog-post from my friends at truthout
t r u t h o u t | Joe Conason | Right Wing Gone Wild
Truly, how can one realize individual freedom if you're afraid of having an accident at, or on the way to work and wonder whether your medical insurance will cover your care. Individual freedom is about self-reliance, true, but not at the cost of others, and definitely not at the cost of total isolation from your fellow human and the governmental institutions that conform, along with us, society. Genuine self-reliance is about solving your own problems when you can. When things go catastrophically or terribly wrong, when events spiral out of individual control, it is convenient to have the assistance of a functioning government standing at your side, not intruding, not repressing, but assisting in achieving some kind of normalcy.
When facing an angry fanatic yelling about socialism ask him or her to put some perspective into the argument. What is socialism? Can they define it? Better yet, ask what is the alternative to the great social policy upheaval that just occurred. Ask them if they would truly prefer to bear the brunt of a natural disaster alone (like it happened in Katrina), if they would prefer to find out that their insurance providers would not cover them or their loved ones from a catastrophic illness and they can absolutely do nothing about it, because it is a business decision and the present statute allows them to do so almost with impunity. Can you sue your insurance? Sure, can you afford to?
Ask if their fanatical tea-party spokespersons who are more than happy to blabber about individual freedoms are in the same position as they are. I'm sure they can afford the best health care for their loved ones with the millions of dollars that government haters just paid to hear them talk or buy their books. How's that for an inconvenient truth?
Ask them if their world would be much better if there were no Social Security, or Medicare. Ask them if they are willing to bet their financial stability if the Republicans win in the2010 mid-term elections and dismantle health-care reform like they promised they would. Our soldiers enjoys good quality health-care, they've earned it; why can't we, as hard-working, tax-paying Americans vie for the same? They will jeer you, threaten you, intimidate you, will not let you speak. Stand and listen to this disturbing scene, they carry the venom given to them by their fanatical leaders. Ask yourself, is this true republicanism? Only awareness, timely and reasoned arguments and demand respect and a political space for our voices to be heard on health care and other issues will counter the cacophony of yells from these ugly Americans. Bring your courage, for it will not be pretty. Their true selves as the truthout article argues will show in a timely manner. Actually, it already has in Idaho.
There are many reasons to engage these fanatics in a public debate. Mostly, they help themselves in showing their anti-democratic, disrespectul disposition by disturbing displays of public cruelty.
Are these the acts of a true American patriot? Why do we allow with our silence and inaction to let this man treat another human being in such a derisory manner? How did it come to this? Let me show you another visual, this time with courageous Americans willing to speak out in favor of health care reform,
Ask yourselves if these people are communists, socialists, or fascist. Can we look them at their face, straight into their eyes and tell them that we'd be better of without health care reform?
To the brave souls who voted for this extraordinary piece of social justice legislation. Thank you.
Now...tell me what you think.
jrr
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