Pelosi and Hoyer Op-Ed Calls Anti-Obamacare Protesters UN-AMERICAN

The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions,
that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong,
but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then." Thomas Jefferson letter to Abigail Adams, February 22, 1787

Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels -- men and women who dare to dissent from accepted doctrine. As their heirs, we may never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion. Dwight D. Eisenhower Speech, Columbia University, 1954

"To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men."    Abraham Lincoln

Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.                     Harry S Truman message to Congress, August 8, 1950

'Un-American' attacks can't derail health care debate,                              Nancy Pelosi and Steney Hoyer, USA Today, August 10, 2009

One of the prime examples of what makes America more free than any other nation in the history of the world, is protest. Its not just that protest was allowed by our government, but it was encouraged, right from the beginning up until, this past inauguration day.

With our present government in power, those who protest are thought as somehow un-American, when they are in fact one of the most American things you can do. Take a look at this op-ed in today's USA Today, written by the two leaders of the House of Representatives, and how they try to tell the country that Protest is Un-American:

'Un-American' attacks can't derail health care debate


By Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer Americans have been waiting for nearly a century for quality, affordable health care.


Health coverage for all was on the national agenda as early as 1912, thanks to Teddy Roosevelt's Bull Moose presidential run. Months after World War II came to an end in 1945, President Harry Truman called on Congress to guarantee all Americans the "right to adequate medical care and protection from the economic fears of sickness." From President Lyndon Johnson to President Bill Clinton, to President Obama's winning campaign on the promise of reform, there hasn't been a more debated domestic issue than the promise of affordable health care for all.


We believe it is healthy for such a historic effort to be subject to so much scrutiny and debate. The failure of past attempts is a reminder that health insurance reform is a defining moment in our nation's history — it is well worth the time it takes to get it right. We are confident that we will get this right.


Already, three House committees have passed this critical legislation and over August, the two of us will work closely with those three committees to produce one strong piece of legislation that the House will approve in September.


In the meantime, as members of Congress spend time at home during August, they are talking with their constituents about reform. The dialogue between elected representatives and constituents is at the heart of our democracy and plays an integral role in assuring that the legislation we write reflects the genuine needs and concerns of the people we represent.


However, it is now evident that an ugly campaign is underway not merely to misrepresent the health insurance reform legislation, but to disrupt public meetings and prevent members of Congress and constituents from conducting a civil dialogue. These tactics have included hanging in effigy one Democratic member of Congress in Maryland and protesters holding a sign displaying a tombstone with the name of another congressman in Texas, where protesters also shouted "Just say no!" drowning out those who wanted to hold a substantive discussion.


Let the facts be heard


These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views — but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American. Drowning out the facts is how we failed at this task for decades.


Health care is complex. It touches every American life. It drives our economy. People must be allowed to learn the facts.


The first fact is that health insurance reform will mean more patient choice. It will allow every American who likes his or her current plan to keep it. And it will free doctors and patients to make the health decisions that make the most sense, not the most profits for insurance companies.


Reform will mean stability and peace of mind for the middle class. Never again will medical bills drive Americans into bankruptcy; never again will Americans be in danger of losing coverage if they lose their jobs or if they become sick; never again will insurance companies be allowed to deny patients coverage because of pre-existing conditions.


Lower costs, better care


Reform will mean affordable coverage for all Americans. Our plan's cost-lowering measures include a public health insurance option to bring competitive pressure to bear on rapidly consolidating private insurers, research on health outcomes to better inform the decisions of patients and doctors, and electronic medical records to help doctors save money by working together. For seniors, the plan closes the notorious Medicare Part D "doughnut hole" that denies drug coverage to those with between $2,700 and $6,100 per year in prescriptions.


Reform will also mean higher-quality care by promoting preventive care so health problems can be addressed before they become crises. This, too, will save money. We'll be a much healthier country if all patients can receive regular checkups and tests, such as mammograms and diabetes exams, without paying a dime out-of-pocket.


This month, despite the disruptions, members of Congress will listen to their constituents back home and explain reform legislation. We are confident that our principles of affordable, quality health care will stand up to any and all critics.


Now — with Americans strongly supporting health insurance reform, with Congress reaching consensus on a plan, and with a president who ran and won on this specific promise of change — America is closer than ever to this century-deferred goal.


This fall, at long last, we must reach it.'

Not only do the "Two Amigos" about not understand the constitution, but they don't understand why people are protesting. No body is arguing that our health care system needs fix-up, we just don't like your fix-up

And if some of the town hall protests have gotten angry, it is because Pelosi, Hoyer, and the other Democrats in congress are frustrating us because they simply are not listening.

It is precisely people like Pelosi and Hoyer that cause the American People to mis-trust Congress.