It is being widelyreported that mayhem occurred at a pro-Obamacare rally in Los Angeles area yesterday, but I'm having trouble figuring out what happened.
Some of the headlines have changed back and forth.
The confusion is evident at FreeRepublic.com, as evidenced by earlier comments like these before the story was changed:
Rabies shots.
[...]
Whoa- no wonder people are showing up to these things armed. The radical left is out of control.
[...]
Figures. Sissy leftists bite. Hope the old guy doesn't get AIDS.
[...]
That's sad and it speaks volumes about what kind of person Obama is.
[...]
Cannibals for Obamacare!
[...]
Death Cult Nazi Eats Senior Citizen Alive
[...]
Bunch of rabid foaming at the mouth libtards. They shoot rabid animals don't they?....just sayin'
[...]
Judging by the picture and the account, the Obama thugs had the real Americans outnumbered about 25 to 1. No wonder they felt so bold.
Etc. I'll spare the picture of Mike Tyson. There's that pathological part of me that wants to see this as funny, but that might be taken the wrong way.
It illustrates the tediously partisan nature of politics that the biter was presumed to be a "typical" Obamacare supporter until the story appeared to change. (What the story is, I honestly don't know. There are more versions being added as I speak.)
But if he appears to be on the other side, then the rabid partisans on the left can claim victimhood.
And then there's me. I have this blog, and I often feel pressured to "weigh in" on these things, and the process is so crass that it almost reminds me of an Eagles fan in Philadelphia "weighing in" on an adverse decision by a referee. It's human nature, but it's not why I started blogging.
I think the same things I always thought about socialism (to which I am unalterably opposed) and about healthcare (which is up to the individual), and I think that whatever demonstrator bit the finger off whatever other demonstrator was the one who did it, and whoever punched the other guy first was the one who punched the other guy first. (Most likely, someone started it, and someone had the right to self defense.)
The combatants do not represent anyone else, least of all me, and I don't see why I should be expected to weigh in for or against them, then switch my position later, depending on which side the biter happens to be on.
For my own edification I'd like to know exactly what happened, but frankly, I'm not seeing much of a political analysis or a moral lesson in this.
MORE: There is no doubt bias in the reporting of this story. Both sides would probably prefer to be the victims of the biter and have the biter on the other side.
My view is that the biased reporting matters more than the identity of the biter.
And earlier I saw "MoveOn.org Supporter Loses Finger After Punching Anti-Obamacare Protester at Rally (It was bitten off)" later become "MoveOn.org Thug Bites Off Protester's Finger At Obamacare Rally!" at a leading conservative blog.
Hence my cautiously worded post title of "Man Bites Man."
Now I'm thinking maybe it should be the other way around.
UPDATE: A day later, it's clear that the man who did the biting was pro-Obamacare, and the man who lost his finger was counter-protesting the MoveOn.org event. Video interview here.
And in an Editor's note, it is explained that there was a "surprise reason Rice was really at the scene (it wasn't about health care)." The man explains that health care is a pretext.
I'm sorry he lost his finger, but regardless of his views or those of the biter, they speak for themselves.
Whether or not the perp belonged to MoveOn is really immaterial. As conservatives, we believe in individual responsibility, not group guilt. Nevertheless, this does demonstrate -- again -- that most of the violence in these protests have come not from Tea Party activists or gun-carrying protesters, but from the counterprotesters from unions and left-wing groups.
posted by Eric on 09.03.09 at 10:23 AM
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://classicalvalues.com/cgi-bin/pings.cgi/8729
Comments
As a moderately-well-off midwestern white male professional with a suburban home, a wife, 2.9 kids and several pets, several non-clunker autos and an expanding waistline, I feel that the participant most representative of me in that altercation was the finger.
bobby b · September 3, 2009 12:41 PM
The MAN who had his fingered bitten off the the Rabid man was AGAINST obama care. The GUILTY party/dog was the biter! Get the story straight! Nice try liberal loonies!
Mic · September 3, 2009 03:21 PM
What do you want to bet, anti-health care, anti-socialist, bitten finger dude gets his injuries covered by socialist medicare. What a bunch of hypocrites.
Joe · September 3, 2009 04:46 PM
Even though I stated above that I felt the finger best represented my place in this hard-fought and bitter controversy, I'm going to try to be charitable and understanding about other people's deeply-held beliefs, and, in the spirit of that charity and understanding, I'm now giving that finger to Mic and Joe.
bobby b · September 3, 2009 05:25 PM
It sure is funny how whenever another story of a crazed Obamacan cult member the media complex and all the liberal blogs cant seem to get the facts straight? "Oh there are varying accounts but some say this some say that". Funny when events portray liberals in a bad light nobody really knows what happened. Well since this blog could not do it, and it opted to report the testimony of one of the "biters" friends (another move-on wacko)instead of the facts I will reiterate in enlightened terms.
..........................................
The Obamacan cult members protesting across the street were according to events "emotionally out of control", they resembled a "code pink" sort of group with bull horns and uniform printed signs, the works.
A rabid man who was suffering from delusions of grandeur was among a large group of patients recently released from a local psychiatric hospital, MoveOn.org after easily recruited the individuals sent them to the street where they chanted and screamed at passer bys. At one point one of the newly recruited members (to what authorities are calling the "Obamacan Cult") walked across the street to a small counter protest (not making this part up) and was lobbying insults at the group and yelled "do you all support universal healthcare?" they replied "no" he then went up to a smaller gentleman in the group who was 65 years old and screamed "Your and idiot!" "your an idiot!", the old man "popped him in the nose" and the crazed moveOn obama supporter pulled him into the street, bit off his finger somehow and spit it out as he ran off. He ran from the event and police could not find him. Contrary to reports the old mans finger could not be re-attached.
Andy Dufrane · September 3, 2009 08:57 PM
The new anti Obama-Care slogan -- "Don't taste me, Bro!!"
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler
Don?t bang your head!
As a moderately-well-off midwestern white male professional with a suburban home, a wife, 2.9 kids and several pets, several non-clunker autos and an expanding waistline, I feel that the participant most representative of me in that altercation was the finger.