Lie, Spin, Cheat Your Way to "Reform"

Offices have been vandalized, free speech has been violently suppressed and appendages have been violently severed in the continuing struggle between health care reformers and those opposed to the currently proposed health care legislation. If you think that the "Tea party protesters" have gone too far, you're not alone. And you're wrong. You're not wrong in thinking that these actions are reprehensible and that their perpetrators have crossed the line, you're wrong in attributing them to the "Tea Partiers."

A Los Angeles man approached a group of counter demonstrators near a pro health reform demonstration organized by "moveon.org." According to the A.P., William Rice simply wanted to find out what was going on. One of the "moveon.org" demonstrators then crossed the street and started a violent confrontation during which he bit the tip of Rice's little finger off at the first knuckle. Rice had not taken sides in the debate, was not carrying a sign or opposing anything. He just happened to be in the path of this rabid lunatic who lumped him in with the rest of the counter demonstrators.

When the Democratic Party headquarters in Colorado were vandalized recently, the vandal left behind an "anti health care reform poster." The chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party, Patty Waak, called the vandalism "an effort on the other side to stir up hate." As it turns out, the vandal was a paid canvasser in 2008 for a Democrat running for the Colorado state House as well as a paid canvasser for the Colorado Citizens' Coalition. Oops.

Several members of the Service Employees International Union beat a protester at a town hall meeting for handing out "Don't Tread on Me" signs. The SEIU later issued an ad decrying violence at town hall meetings. The ad featured edited and non sequential clips from the video of the incident. The editing left the distinct impression that the union members were victims of the violence rather than the perpetrators. The truth, however, is clearly evident in the unedited version. The lie is blatant. The reasoning given by the attackers? "He attacked America."

If you attributed any or all of these events to conservatives, "Tea Partiers" or Republicans, it's not entirely your fault. That's the distinct slant that the media has deliberately given coverage of these events.

I was disappointed to hear, in the mainstream media, reports that an opponent of Obama's health care proposals had brought a handgun to an event where the president was scheduled to speak. I should have known better than to take the story at face value. The man was not "near" where the president was to speak, he was three miles away, at a church, hours before the president was scheduled to arrive. He also did not "bring a gun to a protest" so much as he showed up at a protest openly carrying a handgun as he does every day whether protesting or not.

This perpetual misrepresentation of facts by the Democrats indicates an inability to stand firmly on their own issues. Instead, they must attempt to undercut their opponents through deceit, intimidation and smear tactics. This begs the question: If you have the support of the people, why do you have to lie to them? More importantly, since it's the people themselves who oppose the legislation, why must you lie about them?