The violent outbreaks at town meetings over health insurance reform may be befuddling this particular conversation, but there is an underlying ill effect this is brewing that could have a much more insidious outcome to our democratic process.
Sure, pure socialism wouldn’t be good for the American Way. And remember how we all cringed when Bush used the “dictator” word a little too freely? That certainly wouldn’t be good either! But what would be worse than any of that rearing its ugly head in our society, would be if people just stopped caring enough about what happens in our nation to participate.
History proves the American people will not stand for injustice, nor will they allow themselves to be hoodwinked for very long. Our right to protest is sacred, because with it, we stand up for what we believe. But when that right to protest is taken over by synthetic, “bussed in,” corporate funded and staged circus performers, the purity of the people’s right to assemble could be jeopardized beyond redemption.
When that happens, people will just stay home. And when people stay home, the nation becomes vulnerable to all sorts of takeovers, coups, and other nasties that could bring down this great nation of ours.
This is NOT a game, folks. When the people fear gathering together to talk about issues like civilized, concerned citizens should do, the entire process of democracy will suffer.
