On 29 August, 2009, I attended a Town Hall meeting in Spring Valley, CA, that was held in a school gymnasium hosted by Democratic Congresswoman, Susan Davis. Over one thousand people were in attendance, both in the gym and out in front. In full disclosure, I consider myself a conservative (becoming increasingly decoupled from the Republican Mainstream), and though I am becoming more knowledgeable on the details of the Health Care debate and salient issues, my primary motivation for attending was based more on my fundamental right as an American to protest my elected officials, and exercise dissent against its policies and actions. I have never been “politically” active in such a way, and other than voting dutifully, I have always been an observer of such action. Yet now, I, like millions of Americans, am becoming more concerned, becoming frustrated, as the political and media elite, primarily illustrated by the Left, has skewed and maligned hard working, concerned citizens as “manufactured”, “cronies”, “thugs”, and even “racist,” simply because they disagree and have deep concerns for a policy that at its core would fundamentally impact the socio-economic foundation of the greatest and most envied political and economic experiment in history.

My friend and fellow concerned citizen (former military colleague and long time friend…”extremists” I know!!) and I arrived just as the Town Hall meeting was commencing. There were several hundred in the hall, and about three hundred people out side the hall, separated as “protesters” and “supporters” to the Health Care policy by County Sheriffs in the parking lot. There was a ratio of about 3-2 protesters to supporters. As we arrived, there were signs and bull horns, on both sides…but the differences in the crowds were stark and quite revealing. The first noticeable difference was the way the “supporters” were dressed. As if they were in some kind of uniform, they displayed both bright green and red tee shirts, from both a local San Diego Union Group, and ACORN. They were dutifully lined up in three groups of about 30-40 persons each, holding pre-manufactured, professionally designed and slick-printed hand held signs. The signs read, “Yes We Can on Health Care”, and “Health Care Now”, each with a graphic resemblance to the very recognizable “Obama” rainbow of red, white, and blue for the campaign. These were the vast majority. There were other smaller pockets of “supporters” that took on other personas; that of young student types (goatees and side burns, jeans and Obama tee shirts, but very few...maybe 4-5) and then the fiery eyed, frizzy haired 50 plus year olds looking like college professors and hippy age throw backs, and some “Volvo” liberal types” in their very nice pressed shorts, designer glasses, Gucci bags, and Obama buttons, just kind of taking it all in as if they could tell their other Starbuck, half  & half-decaff, Green Chai hold-the-foam liberal friends “I hung out with the rabble today…shouted ad hominem slurs at the Neanderthals” Each of the groups (those in the “uniforms”) had a kind of cheerleader in front of them, each with a bull horn, and a clip board or folder. They were the “commissars” of the “supporter” crowd, obviously displaying that this was not their first “rodeo” and were manically and desperately coaxing their respective group in the stale worn out chants. “What do we want? Justice, when do we want it? Now!”, and “Yes We Can”, “Honor Ted” (which really stunned me), blah, blah, blah…etc...However, in considerable contrast to the fiery and effervescent “commissars” in the front with their bull horns, the people in the groups were very stoic and non-animated, almost exclusively people of color, and many with a dazed “foreigners” gaze one might see from tourists as they mouthed the chants with the enthusiasm reminiscent of those standing in the DMV line…more on this later.

My buddy and I (who both had to negotiate rather vigorously to get our respective “kitchen passes” to shirk our litany of standard Saturday “honey-do” errands from our wives to go play protesters for 2-3 hours) walked right into the protester side of the mix and held up our homemade signs proudly. It was like a couple fish to water, and it was therapeutic to actually stand with people that agreed, vehemently, with your cause and position. As for the protesters, the crowd was an eclectic and diverse group of…well, Americans. Husbands and wives, young couples with children, older couples hand in hand, multi-ethnic and multi racial, though the slight majority were Caucasian and males from about 30-50. It could have been the line to a movie, or a fire works watching crowd...typical people, yet doing a very atypical act….expressing their First Amendment rights. They all stood about 2-3 people deep in a long spread out line with really no organization or real clue as to how this all was supposed to transpire. One gentleman had a bull horn in the back of the protesters chanting “Jesus Saves” and “Abortion isn’t Health Care” but he seemed to only be organizing himself.

I think one’s passion and concern in this debate can be measured as to the personal attention and artistic creativity one puts into their sign. They become some what of a personal moniker, and capture feeling, frustration, spirit, and one’s outrage and dismay as to how they feel. As for the protesters, the signs were obviously homemade, very colorful and expressive. Most with the theme “Down with Health Care”, but other more broadly based themes ribbing the Administration as socialists and Neo-Bolsheviks, comparing Obama to past socialist/communist leaders, and Rahm Emmanuel as a “Berea” figure from the heydays of the darkest periods of Stalin’s Pogroms. Most were much lighter, but equally as effective illustrating the “change” voted in was not the “change” desired, and so forth. The signs my friend and I were carrying read “Who Is Van Jones?” (a reference to the incredible appointment as White House Adviser on “Green Issues”, a man who is a convicted criminal, and devout, self proclaimed Maoist-Marxist-Leninist advocating the overthrow of the US Constitution, and considers America an apartheid nation…yep, you can’t make this stuff up), and the other side read “A.C.O.R.N.- Alinsky Communists Organized to Ruin our Nation” (yes…I came up with that!). My Brother in Arms had “Obama Lied, Grandma Died” and “Team Astroturf”… Many of our new Brothers and Sisters in protest had similar type signs addressing kitschy and clever plays on words, and railing against Health Care Policies and the Administration in general. Though contrary to statements from Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, there were no visible crass or “fringy” signs or even comments that made reference to any bigotry, racism, or blatant intolerance, even by “politically correct” American standards. Most people were energized, but with no real guidance, and just seemed like popcorn kernels popping their concerns and slogans. Some choice ones were “Say No For Mary Jo” in direct rebuttal to one of the supporters holding a sign and chanting “Honor Ted”, no doubt attempting to elicit sympathy for the late Senators’ passing…(though for the life of me I can’t begin to see the threads of this nonsequitur argument...but I digress) 

Ms. Davis addressed the crowd for nearly two hours. She made it very clear she was for the Health Care Bill (whatever that is in its present form) and was met with very…very strong opposition. Every time she regurgitated one of the President’s talking points about “won’t loose coverage…keep the coverage you have…no rationing…plan is budget neutral...Health Care is a Right” etc…she was met with open defiance and even chants of “Liar, Liar”…My observation was the “left” as defined by the “participants” at this rally, is quite simply stunned. All the momentum that was exhibited during the campaign, the fainting, and chants of exultation, Messiah-like reactions from the Left was nowhere to be seen. In fact, with the exception of a few truly crass and uncalled for outbursts from “supporters” in the form of “You are all crazy racists”, “You want another Auschwitz” and even one radical young woman “flipping off” a group of protesters as she walked by in clear frustration and deep anger, the other “supporters” had that look that athletic teams get when they know they are losing big, and its going to be a long, long game.

As the event was closing, the crowds from in the building began to pour out. Both Protesters and Supporters walked side by side, each with their respective type signs as if they were exiting a sports event from some stadium. They would walk by those of us now on the outside, separated by police line tape as if transiting some kind of gauntlet. Originally, the “supporters” were closer to the entrance of the building, but when the event finished, the cops shifted both crowds, and by happenstance, the “protester” crowd was now lining the long path way as all the participants had to transit to leave the premises. There were approximately 150-200 “protesters” lined up behind the tape, and that is when the fun began. Now, the whole group inside, plus the media and even officials conducting the event had to walk through the chants and slogans from the participants. As the “protesters” walked by, someone on the bull horn would say “Give a hand to the brave Americans exhibiting their rights today”…and the crowd would erupt. As “supporters” walked by, the bull horn would ask, “Why would you sanction something for the people, their own representatives wouldn’t utilize?” or, “Your ACORN sponsored air-conditioned bus is waiting for you with juice boxes and wine and cheese platters compliments of George Soros”…and the limousine liberal types were quite embarrassed as they slunk on by…”Other shout outs were “Why won’t you insist your representatives read the damn bill before they vote yes on it?” Again, there were blank stares underscoring either rhetoric brain lock, or utter dumbfound-ness as to the sheer numbers and volume expressed against this proposal.

My only up close and personal engagement with the “enemy” was as I was asking/chanting, “Who is Van Jones?” Clearly, none of the “supporters” knew, as they stared with complete indifference lined up in their military style formations holding their pre-fabbed signs. However, nearly all the “protesters” who were walking by knew who he was, and I was getting scores of people coming up to me saying” That is an excellent question,” and “How did he get into the White House?”

As I was talking to a group of fellow “protesters” as to whom I thought Van Jones was, one of the more vocal “commissars” leading the “Stoic” Brigade came over to me. Separated by only the police tape and the “neutral” water bottle trash can compliments of the county (thank you…) she walk over, and initially very calmly, almost condescendingly said to me, “Van Jones? Oh, he is a well known community organizer, who founded the (unintelligible, but not “STORM”) Group, and has written numerous articles and spoken in many venues on the need to embrace urban Green projects”…blah, blah...she waned on poetic about how he is a true man of the people and how he was recognized and brought on by the President because he has worked in the “trenches” and really understands what the “people’s” need. I was cordial and respectful as she spoke, and waited until she was finished. I asked, “Tell me Madam, those books and speaking engagements, were those between prison stays, and his founding of STORM, and his espousing of Maoist-Marxist/Leninist views, claiming the US is an environmental apartheid state?” I asked. She said, “He does have some socialist views, yes, but to try to label him as a communist is wrong.” she said emphatically. I retorted, “Madam, I didn’t call him a communist, he calls himself one, on numerous video and audio appearances, again exulting the virtues of Marxist ideology and the revolutionary dogma of the socialist/communist figures seen in Latin America, Asia, and Africa.” She pointed her finger at me and defaulted to the classic liberal/socialist tactic when confronted with the facts, “You are just bigoted to different political points of view”, and she started to leave. I said, “the according to you, Madam, Nazism is “just another point of view.”…She turns around and says, “You all supported all those Nazis in the White House for 8 years….”…I went on ”And according to you Madam, Charles Manson was not a murderer, he was just a rambunctious sort with another point of view, right? Madam, more people died from the secular “isms” of the 20th Century, mostly Communism, and you would support that?”…She scurried off back to her “group”.

Speaking of “group”…remember the “stoic” dazed folks I commented on earlier? Well, as the event broke up, I witnessed nearly all the dazed ones around the corner of the building, as they returned their pre-fabbed signs, and many took off their tee-shirts. I briefly spoke to one older woman, who was of Filipino descent. Having grown up in the Bay Area with many “Pinoy” friends, I picked up a little Tagolag along the way. I said hello to her and asked how she was in Tagolag…she smiled and said, “Mabutay, Mabutay”…fine, fine. I noticed she and about 20 of her fellow older Filipino lady friends didn’t speak much English, and didn’t appear to me to be the fiery political types”. The other group of “supporters” was clearly of East African origin, either Somalis, Eritrean or Ethiopian. Having lived and worked for a time in East Africa, I concluded that is probably where they originated. They too, seemed to only speak their language and almost all of the women were shrouded in the traditional Islamic head dress. I tried to ask one of them his position on the Health Care debate, but he walked passed me with that typical look one has when they do not understand a word you just said, smiling and avoiding eye contact. Though I can not prove it, I am confident these groups didn’t speak much English at all, let alone were concerned citizens burning and yearning to express their “outrage” for the need to pass Universal Health Care. Having witnessed stage protests while living in the Former Soviet Union, I am quite convinced this was nothing more than some vulnerable, ignorant folks scooped up at some community center and given some form of compensation for their time. Seeing many of them pile into vans driven by their once energetic “commissars” only solidified my conjecture.

I concluded what my gut feeling was all along…there is genuine outrage and vocal dismay and frustration about the potential passing of Universal Health Care by both Conservatives, and independents (and as witnessed, even Democrats with serious buyers remorse). The passion, fire, and nearly Rome-like coliseum crowds of the campaign in support of President Obama were nowhere to be found. I am more appalled by what I saw by local “news” coverage, that masked the whole affair as something “even-steven” or that it was equal and balanced as to the “protester-supporter” levels of dissent…this is a complete and utter fabrication and skewing of the truth. The “protesters” were overwhelmingly more energetic, grassroots, and greater in numbers. The “supporters”, though some genuine, were much less energetic, almost dejected in their spirit, and far less convincing. If Ms Davis doesn’t see this for what it is, then she deserves to be out in 2010 for sheer ignorance, arrogance, or perhaps both.