#98QBKiller Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Dumbasses. http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/3457015 By William Douglas, McClatchy Newspapers William Douglas, Mcclatchy Newspapers – Sat Mar 20, 7:21 pm ET WASHINGTON — Demonstrators outside the U.S. Capitol , angry over the proposed health care bill, shouted "******" Saturday at U.S. Rep. John Lewis , a Georgia congressman and civil rights icon who was nearly beaten to death during an Alabama march in the 1960s. The protesters also shouted obscenities at other members of the Congressional Black Caucus , lawmakers said. "They were shouting, sort of harassing," Lewis said. "But, it's okay, I've faced this before. It reminded me of the 60s. It was a lot of downright hate and anger and people being downright mean." Lewis said he was leaving the Cannon office building across from the Capitol when protesters shouted "Kill the bill, kill the bill," Lewis said. "I said 'I'm for the bill, I support the bill, I'm voting for the bill'," Lewis said. A colleague who was accompanying Lewis said people in the crowd responded by saying "Kill the bill, then the n-word." "It surprised me that people are so mean and we can't engage in a civil dialogue and debate," Lewis said. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver , D- Mo. , said he was a few yards behind Lewis and distinctly heard "******." "It was a chorus," Cleaver said. "In a way, I feel sorry for those people who are doing this nasty stuff - they're being whipped up. I decided I wouldn't be angry with any of them." Protestors also used a slur as they confronted Rep. Barney Frank , D- Mass. , an openly gay member of Congress . A writer for Huffington Post said the crowd called Frank a "faggot." Frank told the Boston Globe that the incident happened as he was walking from the Longworth office building to the Rayburn office building, both a short distance from the Capitol. Frank said the crowd consisted of a couple of hundred of people and that they referred to him as 'homo.' "I'm disappointed with the unwillingness to be civil," Frank told the Globe. "I was, I guess, surprised by the rancor. What it means is obviously the health care bill is proxy for a lot of other sentiments, some of which are perfectly reasonable, but some of which are not." "People out there today, on the whole, were really hateful," Frank said. "The leaders of this movement have a responsibility to speak out more." Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside the Capitol on Saturday as the House Democratic leadership worked to gather enough votes to enact a health care overhaul proposal that has become the centerpiece of President Barack Obama's domestic agenda. Most were affiliated with so-called tea party organizations that originally sprang up during last summer's protests of the health care proposals. Heated debate has surrounded what role race plays in the motivations of the tea party demonstrators. During protests last summer, demonstrators displayed a poster depicting Obama as an African witch doctor complete with headdress, above the words "OBAMACARE coming to a clinic near you." Former President Jimmy Carter asserted in September that racism was a major factor behind the hostility that Obama's proposals had faced. The claim brought angry rebuttals from Republicans. On Saturday, Frank, however, said he was sorry Republican leaders didn't do more to disown the protesters. Some Republicans "think they are benefiting from this rancor," he said. House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D- S.C. , said Saturday's ugliness underscored for him that the health care overhaul isn't the only motivation for many protesters. "I heard people saying things today I've not heard since March 15th, 1960 , when I was marching to try and get off the back of the bus," Clyburn said. "This is incredible, shocking to me." He added, "A lot of us have said for a long time that none of this is about healthcare at all. It's about extending a basic fundamental right to people who are less powerful." ( James Rosen contributed to this story.) MORE FROM MCCLATCHY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Any evidence of that happening? video of that time period Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy Burner Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Any evidence of that happening?video of that time period None. It would be credible if there was an independent source to verify. There are politicians who are willing to break the law in order to pass this bill. There are politicians who are willing to say anything in order to get this bill passed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnhay Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Seems like it would have happened right after that, if it happened at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 There are politicians who are willing to break the law in order to pass this bill. Please, provide specifics. There are politicians who are willing to say anything in order to get this bill passed. Yeah, good thing there aren't any politicians willing to say anything to kill it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Seems like it would have happened right after that, if it happened at all. You would think a news crew would catch it if so. http://www.washingtontimes.com/weblogs/watercooler/2010/mar/20/congressman-claims-health-care-bill-protesters-hur/ The Washington Times caught up with several health care bill protesters, all three of whom are black, and asked their thoughts on the allegations regarding the racial epithets. Bill Owens Jr., a Tea Party Express leader from Las Vegas, said he did not experience or witness any racial hostility. "I had a chance to be among these people. It's not about pigmentation. You have race issues going on all the time; however, I'm not seeing anything significant from these rallies. It's just not there," he said. "Does a person find a racist once in a while? . . . Sure, you find that anywhere. These people are concerned about the issues of where you stand, not what color you are." Charlene Freedman, a health care bill protester from New Jersey, has been to Washington four times, since she first attended the 9/12 rally. When asked if she witnessed or heard any racial hostility from the crowd, she said: "Absolutely not . . . just well-wishers. I didn't see color. They didn't see my color. We're just American citizens, and we're here to say, 'Keep America free.' I’ve heard nothing about racism . . . nothing at all." Jay Jarbo came to the health care protest from Atlanta and explained: "I just want to see them follow the Constitution, and they're not doing that. Anyone that tries to throw around the racial thing, just squash it, because this has nothing to do with race. I haven't heard anyone say anything about race at any one of these events," Mr. Jarbo said. "Honestly, this is the type of thing people bring up to distract from the real issues, and it's always about race in this country, and its always the last card in the deck that everyone plays." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The 12th Commandment Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I don't think there's any doubt it's ugly. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/03/21/emotions-run-high-ahead-showdown-health-vote/ "Rallies outside the Capitol are typically orderly, with speeches and well-behaved crowds. Saturday's was different, with anger-fueled demonstrators surrounding members of Congress who walked by, yelling at them. "Kill the bill," the largely middle-aged crowd shouted, surging toward lawmakers who crossed the street between their office buildings and the Capitol. The motorcade that carried Obama to Capitol Hill to whip up support for the bill drove past crowds waving signs that read "Stop the spending" and "Get your hands out of my pocketbook and health care." Many booed and thrust their thumbs down as Obama rode by. As police held demonstrators back to clear areas for lawmakers outside the Capitol Obama's speech, some protesters jeered and chanted at the officers, "You work for us." Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., told a reporter that as he left the Cannon House Office Building with Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., a leader of the civil rights era, some among the crowd chanted "the N-word, the N-word, 15 times." Both Carson and Lewis are black, and Lewis spokeswoman Brenda Jones also said that it occurred. "It was like going into the time machine with John Lewis," said Carson, a large former police officer who said he wasn't frightened but worried about the 70-year-old Lewis, who is twice his age. "He said it reminded him of another time."" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney B Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Yeah, good thing there aren't any politicians willing to say anything to kill it. Well, since you brought it up: Boehner: Health care bill will 'ruin' America http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2010/03/20/VI2010032001781.html?hpid=topnews Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 This is my POV. I think it happened. I don't think it was a "Tea Party" thing. I think it was a few localized idiots thing. There are a lot of angry people protesting on the Capitol right now. Some of them are doing so for honest reasons, others for ideological, some for political. Amongst those thousands, I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few dozen racists and idiots who got lucky enough to close enough to shout audibly their idiocy. I was on the Red line yesterday and happened to be traveling next to a several groups of people who were planning to protest. You could see a difference in the signs, a difference in the way they discussed the issue, but even amongst that sampling of maybe twenty people I did hear a racist epithet. Most of the others on the train, including the other protestors, looked unhappy and uncomfortable about it. That doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It also doesn't mean that it's a large factor within the protest movement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnhay Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Yeah, it doesn't sound very believable to me. I'd definitely believe that maybe a few of the people there used the words, but saying there was a "chorus" sounds like it's probably an exaggeration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewCliche21 Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I can't believe that people are denying this. Did the Parkinson's story not happen, either? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnhay Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I can't believe that people are denying this.Did the Parkinson's story not happen, either? Were you there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
#98QBKiller Posted March 21, 2010 Author Share Posted March 21, 2010 You could see a difference in the signs, a difference in the way they discussed the issue, but even amongst that sampling of maybe twenty people I did hear a racist epithet. Well, since it wasn't captured on a 48-second youtube camera-phone video then it obviously didn't happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodBits Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I'm absolutely shocked. :doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Yeah, it doesn't sound very believable to me. I'd definitely believe that maybe a few of the people there used the words, but saying there was a "chorus" sounds like it's probably an exaggeration. A chorus could be 20 or 50 people out of 10,000. If the mob of fifty are close to you it could sound like a loud chorus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosperity Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 protesters.... the bums need to get jobs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aREDSKIN Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I can't believe that people are denying this.Did the Parkinson's story not happen, either? There's plenty of video that offers proof and which does not support any claim of what Lewis et al are alleging. If you have any video that supports you allegations by all means please provide it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnhay Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 A chorus could be 20 or 50 people out of 10,000. If the mob of fifty are close to you it could sound like a loud chorus. True. But Frank's quote is "People out there today, on the whole, were really hateful," Maybe the article uses the quote in the wrong context, because everything leading up to that quote talks about the racial epithets, so I took "hateful" in the race/sexual orientation context. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Well, since it wasn't captured on a 48-second youtube camera-phone video then it obviously didn't happen. To make the accusation of it used as a chant repeatedly and in a headline you would think some evidence might exist. There is no denying racism and racial epitaphs are used everyday unfortunately,which was never my point. As in Bur's example,if you get 20 people in public transportation together discussing any controversial topic it is likely to come out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 protesters.... the bums need to get jobs I find that does eliminate the spare time and changes focus Working for the Man is keeping me from free expression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosperity Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I find that does eliminate the spare time and changes focus Working for the Man is keeping me from free expression. I thought you were the Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 True. But Frank's quote is "People out there today, on the whole, were really hateful," Maybe the article uses the quote in the wrong context, because everything leading up to that quote talks about the racial epithets, so I took "hateful" in the race/sexual orientation context. I suspect (but I'm not sure) that that was a bad juxtaposition by the writer. My guess is that Frank thought they were being hateful, because they are angry and hostile to his position and probably a lot of them said angry, rude things. I would guess a large percentage if not most of the protestors deserve to have the mouth washed out with soap. That doesn't mean, however, that the anger and the hostility expressed was by and large racial or homophobic. It may, but I suspect it was more of the general run of the mill loud mob disrespectful incivility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 The motorcade that carried Obama to Capitol Hill to whip up support for the bill drove past crowds waving signs that read "Stop the spending" and "Get your hands out of my pocketbook and health care." Many booed and thrust their thumbs down as Obama rode by. Hey, see? Obama has brought change to Washington. The previous administration wouldn't allow anybody who didn't agree with the administration anywhere within sight of the motorcade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 This is my POV. I think it happened. I don't think it was a "Tea Party" thing. I think it was a few localized idiots thing. There are a lot of angry people protesting on the Capitol right now. Some of them are doing so for honest reasons, others for ideological, some for political. Amongst those thousands, I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few dozen racists and idiots who got lucky enough to close enough to shout audibly their idiocy. And the people who spent hours, months, a year, telling these people that if any health care bill whatsoever passes, then the government will kidnap their children and torture them to death, have no responsibility whatsoever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgundy Burner Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I suspect (but I'm not sure) that that was a bad juxtaposition by the writer. My guess is that Frank thought they were being hateful, because they are angry and hostile to his position and probably a lot of them said angry, rude things. I would guess a large percentage if not most of the protestors deserve to have the mouth washed out with soap. That doesn't mean, however, that the anger and the hostility expressed was by and large racial or homophobic.It may, but I suspect it was more of the general run of the mill loud mob disrespectful incivility. You have got to be kidding me! It was VERY civil. Yelling "kill the bill" is not uncivil. It was VERY respectful. I saw no one throwing objects at these politicians. I never heard a single bad word - not one. These were Americans expressing their anger and frustrations in an organized and civilized manner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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