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Thursday, September 10, 2009
News Thank goodness for the 1st Amendment
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Thu, Sep 10, 2009 at 11:14 AM
Did you watch the president's speech last night? If you did, you probably noticed he had a brief encounter with a heckler. Who was it? No, not a protester.
The president was heckled by Rep. Joe Wilson, a Republican from South Carolina. In obvious disagreement with President Obama's statement about how health care reform will affect undocumented immigrants, the Associated Press reports that Wilson yelled, "You lie!" while stabbing the air with his finger.
Rude? Yes. Classless? Yep. Was he wrong? Dead wrong.
While undocumented immigrants will be able to buy private health insurance, under the House bill, it won't be provided for them at taxpayers' expense.
*shrug* Guess Wilson didn't read the bill.
The First Amendment never said you had to be classy or in-the-know to speak your mind. And, if you look back in history, the floor of the Congress isn't like an old-fashioned library -- it's historically a rowdy place. (Although, he did violate his own party's rules of decorum.)
Sure, it's a bit embarrassing for South Carolina residents who aren't on the same side of the political fence as Wilson. (As an Alablamastan native, I know that feeling you get as you wince when your elected officials make the news for being a dumb ass all too well.)
But, it's his right to speak up. It's his right to put his ignorance on display. Bully for him for being brave enough to stand his ground.
Of course, now that millions of people are bombarding his Web site and office phone line with the facts, maybe he'll read the bill he's so opposed to before he makes a decision that could impact everyone in the country.
Let's hope. Even dumb asses can learn new tricks every once and a while.
In other, more important news, did you notice how the Republican side of the house was acting like snotty children, determined not to participate?
What in the hell are they in Washington for if they're not going to work to make our country a better place? Get over yourself, Party of No. You lost the election. Now it's time to get to work. Got a better idea? Spill it.
Read more about what happened from The State.
Here's how it went down:
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