Aug 312009
 

Take one minute and 36 seconds to watch this. Most importantly… the last 12 seconds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIKPKjl0-pg

For more on the story, go here:

http://freedomeden.blogspot.com/2009/08/wesley-cheeks-jr.html

It may be a minor story in and of itself, but it seems to be part of a larger trend that just does not bode well.

 Posted by at 11:49 pm

  17 Responses to “Watch this video. Just watch it.”

  1. Seeing that the second link goes to a page which mentions “Obama Deathcare” I think it can safely be consigned to the rubbish bin.

  2. > I think it can safely be consigned to the rubbish bin.

    Huh? Is the fact that the protestor may be a bit of a crank mean that it’s ok for cops and security guards to trash the Constitution on a whim?

  3. Perhaps I was a little too quick off the start with my first comment Scott.

    What I should have said was:

    The fact that this person seems to have taken in the ‘Death Panels’ propaganda ‘hook, line and sinker’ would indicate to me that he is a moron. I usually find that the concerns of the moronic rarely converge with my concerns.

    And looking at his video I, unsurprisingly, have a few issues with his reaction and conclusions.

    1) He displays a defaced picture of a black man in the presence of a black police officer.

    2) Despite the history of black men and women either being turned into gross caricatures by a racist society, or being aped – as with the Black & White Minstrels – he is genuinely surprised when a black man takes offense at this.

    I’ll grant that the best reaction from the police officer would have been to ignore the fool – but his reaction could in no way have been construed as anything but the actions of a man pissed off with behavior that seems racist to him. As to the ‘this ain’t America any more’ comment: even if the meaning is ‘Totalitarianism starts now!’ as opposed to the more likely ‘This ain’t the good ol’ USA of yore anymore’ – he’s one police officer expressing an opinion in the heat of the moment. That’s all. One man in a nation of 300 million odd souls.

    Storm in a thimble

  4. > The fact that this person seems to have taken in the ‘Death Panels’ propaganda ‘hook, line and sinker’ would indicate to me that he is a moron.

    Uh, suuuuurre….

    > Despite the history of black men and women either being turned into gross caricatures by a racist society….

    Blah, blah, blah. Bush was regularly portrayed as a vampire, a moron, Hitler. It comes with the fricken’ job. What’s Obama? Special?

    > he’s one police officer expressing an opinion

    Actually, he’s one private security guard lying about his ability to make up laws on the spot in order to eject opinions he disagrees with.

    The more important point, rather than discussing the merits of a slightly cranky protestor or a seriously stupid rent-a-cop (where is Barky on this? Will there be a lunch meeting at the White House?), is the ease with which people can today decide that Constitutional freedoms can be discarded when they conflict with glorifying The One.

  5. “The more important point, rather than discussing the merits of a slightly cranky protestor or a seriously stupid rent-a-cop (where is Barky on this? Will there be a lunch meeting at the White House?), is the ease with which people can today decide that Constitutional freedoms can be discarded when they conflict with glorifying The One.”

    People today? With a sample size of one? No offense, but that’s nuts – statistically speaking.

  6. “Blah, blah, blah. Bush was regularly portrayed as a vampire, a moron, Hitler. It comes with the fricken’ job. What’s Obama? Special?”

    Well, he’s not so special that he can’t stop members of the public making errors of judgement on his behalf, no matter how understandable the errors are.

  7. > With a sample size of one?

    Far more than one. Note the union thugs that do their damnedest to prevent the expression of views they don;t like at vaious town hall meetings. This particualr incident is just one of a very great many; it’s of interest not because it’s unique, but because it’s succinct.

    > he’s not so special that he can’t stop members of the public making errors of judgement on his behalf

    Got *that* right. Many people still think he’s not an out-and-out socialist nutjob. If only he could have stopped more people from making that error in judgement before November, we’d be stuck with the underwhelming McCain rather than the disaster we actually got.

  8. thugs that do their damnedest to prevent the expression of views they don;t like at vaious town hall meetings.

    Ah, I see – one side is pure evil, and the other is as pure as the driven snow. Right.

    It’s be nice to discuss actual policies and their likely advantages and drawbacks.

    Instead from one side there’s ‘Death Panels’, ‘Socialism’, and ‘Obama Wants Your Foreskin’.

  9. > one side is pure evil, and the other is as pure as the driven snow.

    Strawman arguement. One side has union thugs. The other does not.

    > Instead from one side there’s ‘Death Panels’, ‘Socialism’,

    And where is either one of those factually inaccurate? “Socialism” is, in fact, precisely what Obama wants. Look at the policies he supports. Look at the people he chooses to surround himself with as advisors. Look at the organizations has has write his bills. “Death Panels” is in fact a brilliant piece of rhetoric, substantially more accurate than the Left’s attempt to portray opposition to their schemes as “racism.”

  10. Really Scott?

    so I guess FreedomWorks don’t do their damnedest to twist debates in Town Hall meetings either?

    I’d also like some references to the ‘Union Thuggery’.

    “Death Panels?” Brilliant piece of rhetoric? I guess if you’re happy with lying out your arse, or in Sarah Palin’s case out of the top of her head then yup, it’s brilliant.

    I’ve also got to say: for someone who got royally screwed by a big corporation I can’t really understand your hatred of unions.

    In finishing, I’d like to ask you a question. Feel free to ignore it if you find it too personal:

    Could you afford to get sick?

    Eamon

  11. >I’d also like some references to the ‘Union Thuggery’.

    SEIU.

    > “Death Panels?” Brilliant piece of rhetoric? I guess if you’re happy with lying out your arse…

    It’s not a lie. It’s an extrapolation of what the system will inevitably morph into.

    > for someone who got royally screwed by a big corporation I can’t really understand your hatred of unions.

    Then I’m sure you also could not understand why someone would be opposed to both Nazis *and* Communists.

    > Could you afford to get sick?

    Yes. I’ve been quite sick in the past. I will be in the future. I coudl more easily afford to get sick in the future if the government would get the hell out of the health care system, and take the damned trial lawyers with ’em. Open the health care system up to market competition.

    Instead of using the blunt force of Government Power to create “universal health care,” the better long term solution would be to actually lower the cost of health care. Look at what drives high cost.

    In finishing, I’d like to ask you a question. Feel free to ignore it if you find it too personal:

    Could you afford to starve to death? If not, then I suggest you go buy yourself some food.

  12. No Scott – actual reports.

    It’s not a lie. It’s an extrapolation of what the system will inevitably morph into.

    Insane.

    Then I’m sure you also could not understand why someone would be opposed to both Nazis *and* Communists.

    Nope, I can grok that.

    coudl more easily afford to get sick in the future if the government would get the hell out of the health care system, and take the damned trial lawyers with ‘em. Open the health care system up to market competition.

    And what if the market deemed you a poor pick? Who’s going to bet on a lame pony?

    Could you afford to starve to death? If not, then I suggest you go buy yourself some food.

    That would depend on what I was being paid to starve to death…

    To turn your question around, and shake it up a bit:

    “Could you afford to die of a preventable condition? What if you can’t buy insurance for your condition as it is pre-existing.”

  13. It’s an extrapolation of what the system will inevitably morph into.

    Insane.

    Oh. Right. Because government takovers of large sectors of the economy are always well-run and efficient models of caring.

    And what if the market deemed you a poor pick?

    The market doesn’t give a damn. Just pay the man, and you’ll get what you want. Same goes at the grocery store, the power company, the bank holding the mortgage and the gas station.

    “Could you afford to die of a preventable condition? What if you can’t buy insurance for your condition as it is pre-existing.”

    Oh, I *love* that one! The current plan by the Leftists is to make it so that it doesn’t matter if you have a “pre-existing condition,” you will still be able to buy insurance on demand with no penalties. What will this do?
    1) Those who don’t feel they need insurance (the young, frex) won’t buy it
    2) And when they suddenly need it, *then* they’ll buy.
    3) And this person who has never paid a dime for insurance will now extract tens or hundreds of thousands.
    4) Which means that the suckers who’ve been paying all along will see their rates increase to cover the costs.
    5) the system collapses, leaving the Governemnt to pick up the pieces and – GASP! – be the sole provider. Who could’ve seen *that* coming?

    The US has the best health care in the western world, with the longest non-trauma lifespan (76.9 vs 76.0 for Japan and 75.7 for the UK), and the best five-year survival rate for most cancers. If you do not have the money to pay for some treeatment or other… you can *get* the money. Not only are their charities galore and doctors/hospitals ready and willing to do pro bono work, there are also fundraisers up the wazoo. If you are willign to spend a quarter million dollars for a house, why balk at tens of thousands for life-saving medical treatment? In contrast, when the government is in sole charge, that’s the end of the story. And there’s yer death panel, right there.

  14. The US has the best health care in the western world, with the longest non-trauma lifespan (76.9 vs 76.0 for Japan and 75.7 for the UK), and the best five-year survival rate for most cancers.

    Got any references for those?

    If you do not have the money to pay for some treeatment or other… you can *get* the money.

    So I guess that half of all personal American bankruptcies do not result from medical issues?

    Ref: Health Affairs, 2nd February 2005
    Link: http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/hlthaff.w5.63v1.pdf

  15. > Got any references for those?

    Yes, I do. Posted ’em on this very blog not so long ago. I’ll let you look. It’ll do you some good.

    >>If you do not have the money to pay for some treeatment or other… you can *get* the money.

    >So I guess that half of all personal American bankruptcies do not result from medical issues?

    Non-sequitur. I’ll let you try to puzzle over why your point is… pointless.

  16. >”Got any references for those?”
    >Yes, I do. Posted ‘em on this very blog not so long ago. I’ll let you look. It’ll
    >do you some good.

    I’ll pass on that then – whilst your blog is often informative and interesting it is also a mess.

    >”So I guess that half of all personal American bankruptcies do not result
    >from medical issues?”
    >Non-sequitur. I’ll let you try to puzzle over why your point is… pointless.

    Don’t worry Scott – I shan’t. If you wish to make you point clear then that’s fine. If you wish to dodge the question – that’s a reflection on you.

  17. > I’ll pass on that … I shan’t.

    Shrug.

    > If you wish to dodge the question – that’s a reflection on you.

    If you wish to not be bothered to do a little research and thinking…

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