Once again, the crowd arrived early. I pulled into the parking lot at 5:20 pm for a scheduled 6:30 pm start and the line was already half a block long.
The lady in the bright green suit is Linda Taylor. Ms. Taylor was the first to arrive at 4:30 pm. She wanted to make certain that she got into the meeting and was hoping for a chance to ask a question. She told me that she was there to express her opposition to HR 3200. She did get her chance to ask a question, which was “why should she be forced to pay for someone’s insurance when they are carrying Gucci bags, iPhones, driving BMW’s, etc.” Her point was that many people do not have insurance because it is their choice, not because they can’t afford it. The congressman didn’t have an answer for that one, relying upon his 47 million estimate and 230,000 in his district that do not have insurance, not all of them by choice.
By the time the congressman arrived at 6:10 pm, the crowd outside had become restless and agitated. The photo id check-in process was extremely slow, only one computer to start before adding a 2nd, and it was hot. When Rep. Green and his wife Helen arrived, they had to be escorted by Sheriff’s deputies through the unruly crowd.
A man walked up and asked me who I was. After telling him, he introduced himself as Jim Horn (no relation to Joe Horn). I asked him why he was there, after all he wasn’t carrying a sign or anything. He explained that he thought it was important for people to come out and show their dissatisfaction with the way Congress is acting, not listening to the people. I then asked if he was going to ask a question and he told me he wouldn’t be allowed in because he lived in Ted Poe’s district.
Does he look 70 to you? Me neither but he is. The last thing he told me was the I’d better tell the truth. Yes, sir!
The very first question of the meeting is an illustration of how not to act in public, regardless of the venue. A rather large older man interrupted Rep. Green’s opening remarks, asking when the question and answer period would start, he was tired of hearing from Rep. Green. And it went downhill from there. Check out the video.
Once again, that is not the way a normal person should act in public. But then, people that are still yelling about an elected president’s citizenship aren’t exactly normal. Unfortunately, the media uses clips like this to demonstrate how the MOB acts and against Republicans in general.
There were a total of 107 chairs setup and it was standing room only.
Supporters of reform were outnumbered 50-1 in this meeting. That’s right, I could only find 2 people inside the room that were for the bill. One was a retired, disabled veteran that didn’t want his name used. The other was a doctor that Rep. Green knew by name, saying he knows more about this stuff than anyone.
Outside, there was one lone supporter, surrounded by 150 protesters. Her name is Kathleen and she has been at several other meetings. The good thing about the “Mobs” is that she was completely safe, was never harassed and was free to express her views. Quite unlike the SEIU thugs.
I noticed a woman in a wheel chair that had a sign reading “Seniors have a right to life” so I approached her. Her name is Charity Stone and she is 90 years old. She wants the right to live. Period.
While the meeting was going on, the protesters outside had their own meeting. The San Jacinto Tea Party brought a bullhorn and were having a ball.
Terry Schiska with the SJTP says that their goal is to have Congress create a bill and then present it as a referendum for the people to vote on. When I pointed out the inconsistency with that goal and the usual Tea Party rhetoric of following the constitution, which has no mechanism for a referendum, she stated that the constitution wasn’t working any longer and that, because this bill affects everyone, it should be voted on.
About that time, Rep. Green and his wife Helen exited the building and were escorted to their vehicle.
Ouch.
I’ll leave it at that. No real news came out, at least not yet. Perhaps more will come out after people view the unedited photo dump here.
Or maybe some news did come out. Fire Dog Lake tried to stack the meeting with pro-HR3200 plants. They even had 16 confirmations. Oops. Didn’t happen. Only Kathleen was there. Good for her and good for the huge crowd of constituents, who have concerns about HR3200 that Rep. Green continues to ignore.