A Town Hall Meeting: The Ruckus in Ruckersville
August 11, 2009
While Senators and Congressmen are on break, they’re taking the opportunity to hold town hall meetings to discuss the healthcare reform that is being proposed. The insurance industry is also taking advantage of the opportunity as well, mobilizing their forces and rallying folks to kill any discussions of the real life consequences/concerns about of our current profitable-for-some system.
The news coverage of these town hall battles has been abundant. Here’s a clip of “Smirky” Sean Hannity praising a “concerned citizen’s” outburst at one of these meetings.
I’ve been watching some clips on The Rachel Maddow Show, so when I heard that my Congressman, Tom Perriello, was going to be holding these meetings, I had to travel 10 miles up the road to Ruckersville for… The Ruckus in Ruckersville!
The sign-holding that greeted me upon entering the Ruckersville Elementary School reminded me of the live pro wrestling events I am so fond of. I know how hard it is to make one of those things and have them be legible from more than 100 feet away. And there’s no spell-check with a bold tip Sharpee. So a little of the magic of the town hall meeting was stripped away when signs were being given out to people on both sides of the debate.
Lame.
My attitude is that, if you really think “Obamacare = Death Sentence For Grandma” is such, you should have some Sharpee ink on your hands that said you put in the time. Actually, that sign was sloppy, and I had no questions as to whether the man holding it was the arteest. I know, I know, “Shawn, why didn’t you get a picture of that?” Well, I don’t have enough clotting factor to brave that photo op and, quite frankly, the sign was kind of scary. His grandma probably does have a death sentence- the hard-earned kind.
But that, for some, is the point. To scare the hell out of people. One of my Tool Academy Alumni, Rep. Virginia “Crazy Like A” Foxx, got on board to ring the death tolls for the elderly.
So, what exactly happened at the Ruckus in Ruckersville?
About 250 people gathered. The local news said that the majority were conservative, but I’m thinking that most of the people who weren’t sneering or shouting were in favor of something being done, or getting genuine questions answered by their representative in the House. Perriello himself said- when the one microphone they had on hand wasn’t shorting out- that as it stands now, he’d vote “No”… but wants to be a “Yes”. He seemed open to a good plan, but not willing to just sign anything because he’s a Democratic congressman, having voted no on the Bailout and yes on the Stimulus.
He was boo’d for the Stimulus, which he thought was necessary to prevent the entire United States from falling into California’s fiscal position.
I don’t pretend to know everything about the healthcare reform, but I do know that whatever goes through will not put Sarah Palin’s child with Down Syndrome in front of a Death Panel, as she stated on her Facebook page. The scare tactics are out of control as to what could happen if our evil government tries to encroach on Mister Roger’s Hugs & Healthcare monopoly, and irrational fears are being stoked because there’s a lot at stake.
What bothered me were people who grandstanded on the mic. I wonder where they imagined they were as they spoke- on cable talk show? Jerry Springer? The mic was supposed to be used for a question before being passed to Perriello, but most times it was taken hostage. Maybe Bill Clinton should moderate all these debates… okay, bad idea.
But so is the idea of handing someone a microphone. In pageants, the host always holds the microphone, and for good reason- it’s not un-American to cut some blabbermouth off. If it’s good enough for Miss America, it’s good enough for Ruckersville Elementary School. Plus, the event was only an hour and about 50 people lined up to ask a question. So when one ass asked 3 questions, and didn’t even get to the first one until the five minute mark, it was quite painful.
Probably the most succinct person on the mic was a guy with Down’s Syndrome. He had a stutter, that cheap-ass microphone didn’t help his cause. I’m not being a dick, that’s how it went down, and I’m telling this story not to be a dick, but for a reason. Glad you’re back with me. He told Tom that he would like the healthcare reform to not overlook those with mental disabilities.
Everyone clapped.
When Perriello said that the VA was a federally-run health care system that has provided the best healthcare for our veterans because they deserve nothing less… everyone clapped. My question is this- don’t we all deserve decent healthcare that doesn’t go up 20% from one year to the next?
A self-described “conservative leaning” man in his thirties was upset that some in attendance wore blue tape on their arms to show support for reform. He said that he’s had a couple friends who were diagnosed with cancer, and came out of treatment fine. He was worried about the financial toll of healthcare reform affecting our nation’s ingenuity…. All I could wonder was how he would feel if those friends didn’t have decent healthcare and had to sell everything to cover their chemotherapy because their insurance “found a loophole” and decided to poke their dicks through it and subsequently screw their client into the poorhouse?
There’s no quick fix, but something has to be done, and real concerns over what sucks about the proposed bill need to be heard, studied and rectified. I have faith my Congressman, and wouldn’t wish his job on anyone. I mean, really, he kept his cool. Even when he was talking about the 6-figure expense of a woman who has a child premmaturely and how decent prenatal care could lessen the likelihood of a child being born early, only to have some idiot shout, “Abortion!”
Maybe it was as bad as the clips on TV warned me. But still, overall, aside from the morons, I was glad I went. The people who spoke, whose minds were already made up one way or the other, seemed transparent. Perriello did a good job of explaining the reality of the health care system, both already in place and what is being proposed. If I can think of a cool sign to make I just might go again tonight, when he does it all over again here in Charlottesville.
Maybe I’ll make an “I’M HERE TO SAVE TRIG PALIN!” sign. Or maybe I’ll just go to listen and learn, and hope something happens because I fear the position that other positoids- who are walking “pre-existing conditions”- face with our current health insurance industry. Doing nothing is great if you got it made- and I think that’s why so many resources are being put into spreading fear and lies among people for whom not a whole lot would actually change.
As for Palin’s comments, in my America, “Death Panel” should only be used when referring to the panel of judges on American Idol. And I’m talking about the classic panel of Simon, “Dawg” Jackson and Paula Abdul.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Reagan Statue, Like Prez Himself, Is Silent on AIDS
June 11, 2009
Last week a 40-foot bronze statue of Ronald Reagan was unveiled in Washington DC. Here’s a speech given by Congressman John Boehner, who cries, yet again.
Boehner, like many Republicans, has a soft spot the size of the national debt for Reagan. But for people with AIDS, Reagan is not a symbol of a better time. He’s the chief enabler of an act of domestic terrorism. Harsh? Reality can be. Can you imagine 40,000 people dying today and the president saying nothing? (I’m including W. in this hypothetical, too.) Ten Americans get the sniffles today, and Obama would be on CNN with a box of tissues and a tear in his eye.
But then, when Reagan finally spoke, his words were dickish. You can hear them here.
“… let’s be honest with ourselves, AIDS information can not be what some call ‘value neutral.’ After all, when it comes to preventing AIDS, don’t medicine and morality teach the same lessons.” Ronald Reagan, April 2, 1987
Maybe I’m missing the point here. Perhaps that statue isn’t the worst idea, because it will provide school children with an excellent lesson on exactly how Reagan dealt with the crisis, which went on to kill millions upon millions more. “Kids, any questions for the president about AIDS?”
Positively Yours,
Shawn
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Sean Strub on Activism
June 8, 2009
Through my boyish charm and way with the written word, I was able to catch up with Sean Strub online and get his thoughts on the early days of AIDS activism, as well as what went down in Hollywood last Friday at the protest…
Hey Sean, how did the protest in CA go?
Sheryl Lee Ralph was amazing, passionate, well-informed and rallied the crowd. She spoke several times. There was no civil disobedience. The crowd was lively and worked up, but not especially large.
Sounds good. Do activist groups like ACT UP have more potential for change with Obama in the White House as opposed to Bush?
I think it depends on the specific issue at hand. Certainly the potential for change with Obama is vastly greater than with Bush, but the process to affect that change is much different. With Bush, we were totally iced out; with Obama we have people like Jeff Crowley, the former deputy director of NAPWA, as his federal AIDS Policy Coordinator. He’s just one example, but across the administration the level of expertise and experience with the epidemic is vastly greater and comes from a different perspective.
It’s seems like you’d have to be nicer with an administration that might actually help you, but then again, it’s easier to get angry at someone whom you expect more from...
I wish they would have already lifted the ban on needle exchange and other things, but the single most important thing the Obama administration can do for people with HIV is to get universal health coverage. If everything else, in terms of the epidemic, needs to be put on hold in favor of that priority, for strategic reasons, then I am willing to be patient.
While you are being patient, care to reflect on a favorite personal ACT UP moment from the past?
In terms of specific moments the two that first come to mind are when Peter Staley, and I were on top of the roof of Sen. Jesse Helms’ house, unfurling the giant condom.
I love that one. It’s a Will Ferrell movie waiting to happen.
There’s also the moment during the Stop the Church! demonstration at St. Patrick’s cathedral when I took communion. The group I was part of (were we called the “Hail Marys”?) all took communion and when the priest held up the consecrated host and said “The Body of Christ” we would say something like “Safe Sex is Moral Sex!” or “I support a woman’s right to choose!” or whatever. I said “May the Lord bless the man I love who died a year ago today” as it was the anniversary of Michael Misove’s death.
That’s hardcore, Sean. And I love that phrase, by the way, “Safe Sex is Moral Sex”. Thanks for sharing the activist insight, and if there’s ever another home that needs to be fitted with a giant condom, count me in.
You bet.
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Blocked by a Boner
January 28, 2009
The Medicaid Family Planning State Option was dropped from the stimulus package after a public outcry from House Minority Leader, John Boehner (pronounced “BAY-ner”).
This would have either: a) provided health care coverage for 2.3 million women while generating savings for states and the federal government or b) funded the pro-abortion business. That’s depending on whether you side with Planned Parenthood or John Boehner.
My thinking is that contraceptives and condoms are secretly viewed as abortions by many lawmakers. As a sex educator, I support the Medicaid Family Planning State Option as part of the stimulus package, because I do think that unwanted pregnancies (which are usually followed by unwanted marriages, unwanted families, unwanted in-laws and unloved children) are quite costly on so many levels. And I don’t think income level should dictate whether someone has the right to have access to the pill. Guys like Boehner feel differently.
Now, I know what it’s like to live with HIV, it hasn’t always been easy and yes, it’s probably shaped the way I feel about about promoting condom usage. I imagine Boehner had a rough adolescence, too. Can you imagine being a boy, and being called “boner” by your friends in the presence of girls as you went through puberty?*
That would suck.
Former Miss America Judge (2006) and current Hardball host, Chris Matthews, got in on the act, too, applauding President Obama for removing Family Planning from the package, claiming that the United States is not like China and shouldn’t dictate how we procreate. Comparing this to China’s two-child mandate was buffoonery of the highest order.
I know the abortion issue is touchy. But my thought on the matter is that, if abortion is the ultimate evil, then support of contraceptives and family planning to prevent the likelihood of an abortion ever taking place is an obvious conclusion… am I wrong here?
If you think Family Planning should be part of the stimulus package, call the White House at (202) 456-1111, or email them here.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
*NOTE:Shawn Decker has no proof that John Boehner was, is or has ever been referred to as “boner” by his friends or colleagues in the House and Senate. If that is not the case, and Decker is wrong, he apologizes for the error and thinks Boehner’s friends are nimrods for missing such an obvious way to ridicule their buddy.
Bush’s Last Day
January 19, 2009
I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the historical value of this fine day: Bush’s last on the job as the most powerful man in the universe. (Sorry, He-Man.)
I just hope we all learned our lesson on this one. And that next time we elect a “Washington outsider”, we make damn sure he isn’t secretly the son of a former president. (Who knew?!) And also, if we elect someone because they’d be cool to have a beer with, let’s make sure they didn’t swear off alcohol due to a lack of self-control.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
PS… I voted for Obama because I’d like to shoot pool with him… does he even shoot pool???
Power to the Positoids
November 11, 2008
I recently wrote about how cool it would be for Sean Strub, founder of Poz Magazine, to be appointed as the AIDS Czar by the Obama Administration.
The New York Times has already endorsed Sean. Not for AIDS Czar, but for having a cool home and being one of the best ambassador’s us positoids have. In the article, Sean says, “One only needs to look at the invisibility of AIDS in this year’s presidential contest to see how our political muscle has atrophied.”
And that’s why we need him. Badly.
The good news about Obama and the AIDS epidemic is that he has already endorsed condom use as a means to prevent HIV transmission. And when he recently spoke about getting his girls a First Dog, Obama mentioned the possibility of rescuing one from the shelter. Just like Sean Strub did. Hmmmm….
If President Elect Obama doesn’t see it my way, I live two-hours from D.C. and have a closet full of foam board and markers. I will drive there and picket if I have to. We need people living with AIDS in positions of political and social influence, and having a knowledgeable, compassionate positoid as the AIDS Czar would be incredibly inspiring.
Yes we can.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
The New President, and a New AIDS Czar
November 5, 2008
Obama won handily and currently holds 348 electoral votes to McCain’s 173 finish: Barack Obama will be the next president of the United States.
In his last Mavericky move, McCain quietly submits his write-in vote for “Daffy Duck”.
My homestate of Virginia went a bit Daffy Duck, going blue for Obama. I wasn’t entirely surprised only because I had the opportunity to drive around rural Virginia with Gwenn, reminding “sporadic Democrats” to vote. There were more Obama/Biden signs out in yards in the sticks than I was expecting to see, which was refreshing, especially since I live in the liberal-minded Charlottesville.
McCain’s concession speech was very gracious and, coming down the stretch, he was able to show signs of why he was so well-liked back in the 2000 race, in oddball ways like his hilarious visit to Saturday Night Live. (I think he was “reverse Gored”, in the same way Al Gore was handcuffed by his Democractic advisors in 2000.) During Obama’s acceptance speech, he made it clear he’s going to do his best to accomodate the more than 50 million voters who supported McCain. I remember Bush saying the same thing in 2000 and, being anti-Bush, I felt like I needed to not be a dick and take the man at his word.
Then, a couple of days after he was sworn in, I was walking through the Charlotte airport with Gwenn, on the way to one of our talks, and we passed a newstand. USA Today had a headline, “Bush to Close White House Office on AIDS”, the story lhad been eaked to the press.
The AIDS community went nuts. Bush retracted the statement, then silently killed the office by placing incompetents and condom-doubters in high positions of influence and power. I was free to be as much of a dick as I wanted in terms of how I viewed the new president.
Now, we have the highest voter turnout since 1908. People will be watching and, hopefully, letting their voices be heard as we all do our parts to support this country that we love- AIDS, warts, and all.
I have a lot of hope as to how Barack Obama will handle the domestic AIDS crisis. If nothing changes, his young daughters, in twenty years time, will be in a demographic where HIV is the leading cause of death. It’s time to get real about the epidemic, and utilize people who get it.
Which leads me back to the White House Office on AIDS and, ultimately, the AIDS Czar. I know who would make a perfect one: Sean Strub, founder of Poz Magazine.
He’s from Iowa, a rural guy who moved to the big city of New York and started an AIDS magazine in the 90′s, which gave information to rural positoids in doctor’s office all across the country, empowering people to get knowledgeable about their own health. Sean knows the AIDS community inside and out, is politically active and aware and has a unique combination that Obama shares: an inspiring mix of intelligence and heart.
Oh, and he’s a gay man. And after the passage of the anti-gay Proposition 8 in California, as well as in other states, the gay community needs to be elevated into as many positions of influence and power. I was very happy to hear Obama include the gay community in his acceptance speech.
Sean Strub’s rise to the position of AIDS Czar will come to be known as Proposition AIDS. By putting someone with over twenty years of experience living with HIV in there, we’d have a real voice looking out for the concerns of those living with HIV, while doing everything possible to prevent the spread of the virus.
Please join me as I wholeheartedly support Sean Strub for AIDS Czar.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
Vote Tomorrow, Or Not
November 3, 2008
Tomorrow is the election- vote. It’s kind of a big deal.
If you are undecided, never mind what I just wrote. If you don’t know by now you won’t figure it out, and it’s not something you can re-do the next day if you feel like you got it wrong. My advice is to sit this one out, and hope there are two candidates that are a bit more distinguishable from one another the next time around.
Plus, it’s not fair to someone who has been jazzed about McCain or Obama for months now.
If you have HIV, you should know that Obama is already focusing on thedomestic AIDS issue, and supports the funding of the Ryan White CARE Act.
I live in a state that could go either way- Virginia, which means there’s been some nasty business here. Reverend Wright commercials are playing around the clock, and some have even distributed flyers informing prospective Democrats to vote on Wednesday to avoid the rush… (Republicans, of course, are advised to vote on Tuesday.) There have also been reports of robo-calling in Florida, incredibly up for grabs as well, telling people they can vote by phone.
A lot of polls seem to be indicating that it will be Obama who prevails on Tuesday. But me? I’m still not convinced. Truth be told, I’m scared. So scared, in fact, I am refusing to take off my make-up from my Halloween costume, Frankenstein’s monster, until this whole thing is over.
Positively Yours,
Shawn
“ArrrrrARGhhhGH!”
(Translation: “I am Joe the Plumber.”)
life in photos
I am frightened by ceilings. A terrible phobia to have.
Today's assortment of treats: tea for Gwenn, a mocha for me and a cookie to share.
My buddy Sharanya preparing my mocha with just an extra dash of love.
Hanging on wall in our guest bedroom. Couldn't agree more!
Speaking About Sexual Health
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