I was in Portsmouth on Tuesday broadcasting “On The Air With Jennifer Horn” live from outside President Barack Obama’s town hall at Portsmouth High School. I had a firsthand view of the protests that took place, and there is no question that there is a certain “Astroturf” sensibility to some of these protests.
But, at least in Portsmouth, it was not the anti-government, health care protest that looked manufactured. With charter buses dropping off crowds of protesters from other states, professionally printed signs and an AFL-CIO banner, it was the smaller group of pro-government health care protesters that had the appearance of corporate organization.
Since when have we, as a nation, demonized the expression of free speech? For the past few weeks, citizens across the country have been attending the town halls of their elected representatives to express their concerns about the massive redefinition of health care delivery contained in H.R. 3200, and they have been excoriated and attacked for doing so.
Since when? I think it was January 20, 2009. That’s when dissent stopped being the highest form of patriotism. Related thoughts here. “Michael Crowley, although white and a man, and rather angry at the Angry White Men who are angry at Obama, is not an Angry White Man. That’s because he’s on the Left and an Obama supporter, so that makes him immune to the charge.”
UPDATE: Here’s Sissy Willis’s blog report from Portsmouth, with lots of pictures.