Credit: Garrett McCulloch

Stranger intern Garrett McCulloch drove up to Everett this afternoon for Congressman Rick Larsen’s town hall meeting on health care reform.

The protesters:

Opponents.jpg
  • Garrett McCulloch

The supporters:

Supporters.jpg
  • Garrett McCulloch

More, including what happened inside the town hall meeting, tomorrow on Slog.

Eli Sanders was The Stranger's associate editor. His book, "While the City Slept," was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. He once did this and once won...

17 replies on “Among the Town Hall Tantrum-Throwers”

  1. good thing that guy holding the sign in the background didn’t go to any of our socialist public schools!

    otherwise, he’d know how to spell

  2. The ones that always yell the loudest are The Ones That Already Have Theirs and they don’t want anyone else horning in on that. I worked with a prim li’l schoolmarm who was always shoving pro-life walkathon sponsor sheets in our faces. Turns out she’d already had her abortion years ago when she and her boyfriend were shooting speed. Nice.

  3. Almost all of these anti-health care freaks are white and older. We should abolish social security for them; it’s socialism!!!

  4. I learned today that my insurance company is cutting me off of my prescription for chronic acid reflux. According to their algorithm, I “should be able to stop taking it”, as if it was just that easy. Just stop taking it! I never thought of that. My GI says I’ll like end up with esophageal cancer if I quit taking the meds, but the chances are 50/50, so I’m not too worried. (And yes, I’m on a completely restricted diet that I follow religiously. I have a physical defect that allows a continuous rush of acid into my throat.) So now, even though I pay huge insurance premiums every month (AND on top of that I get taxed on my partner’s insurance since he’s on my plan, because we’re not married – see how that works!), I’m looking at another $500 out of pocket every few months. I dread to think what people with real, serious chronic illnesses go through.

    I’m really at the point where I want to go punch these protesting assholes in the mouth.

  5. I just got back from this event. Here’s something you may not know:: the anti-gay Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW) was walking around, sticking cameras into the faces of reform supporters and taping their responses. They did, of course, not identify themselves nor tell anyone what their testimony might be used for. I can only assume that they will be using it to depict the reform movement negatively, based on their sketchiness and initial refusal to provide me with their identities. This may not be technically illegal, but it is downright deceitful. Keep an eye on their website for footage of the event: http://www.fpiw.org.

  6. @3: Abolish both social security and medicare, the existing socialized medicine program most of the these asswhipes are on. Not to mention unemployment and disability insurance.

    Stupid. We grow them stupid in America.

  7. @6

    They spoke at a public event, at a place where anyone had the right to tape them.

    Kind of like signing a petition and having your name made public, eh?

  8. I see the Glenn Beck Brain Trust is out in force today. I’ll bet if there were a NASCAR event and an extra-special Matlock marathon showing this afternoon things would be calmer up at Town Hall.

  9. @5 thecatnextdoor

    Oh that guy was hilarious. (although sad he thinks the way he does)

    I love how proud he was of his little “call girl” joke.

  10. @11: Maybe there’s a difference. “Socialism” is OK. It’s “socialisim” that’s bad. Kinda like “community” vs “communism”?

  11. Ok calling all experts out there.

    Is there ANY other country in the world that even has the gall to use health care coverage and pre-existing condition in the same sentence other than the US of cat-shit crazy A?

    How come this never comes up ANYWHERE?

    Life is a pre-existing condition that will result in death.

    So I should never give you any coverage, you’re just gonna die anyways. I have seriously never heard of any other country trying to get away with this kind of fine print, legal SLEAZE. Someone please prove me wrong.

    I can’t think of any country in Europe that would ever even try to get away with anything as blatantly evil as that – with a straight face + a shit eating grin.

  12. @8- Sort of, except of course petition signers know (unless they’re being lied to) what it is they are signing and who is presenting it to them. Interviewing people on false premises is not illegal, but it can be unethical.

  13. Anybody going to start nagging teabaggers who, say, went to state colleges? I’d really like to know how they justify that socialism being okie dokie.

    And did you ever notice, these are often the same folks who hate folks who went to private coleges? ELITISTS!!!

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