“Unfortunately, the health insurance reform discussion has become clouded by a misinformation campaign that has deliberately spread myths and half-truths in order to frighten people about this legislation and protect the big insurance companies.” That is only the opening sentence in the purely propaganda pieces handed out at John Dingell’s (I call him Dingbat) Townhall held Thursday August 6, 2009 (one hour time limited, he’s gotta get his sleep lol). The handout goes on with more of the same, as we’ve already heard ‘tested’ from Obama’s Dis-Information Czar (Linda Douglass, how appropriate is it that her name is spelled with two “s” characters at the end lol) and their request for the ObamaYouth to ‘inform’ them on their Parents if they spread supposedly/potential “fishy” Facts (read: The Truth) about the House Legislation via flag@whitehouse.gov.

Is there a grain of truth in that opening remark? Sure, right up until trying to lay off the blame onto Health Insurance companies. However, we all know the “fishy” Facts (read: half-truths, as they put it, and/or outright lies) are coming from those trying to push the passage of the HR3200 HEALTH CARE TAKEOVER. They try to tie their lies to some grain of truth they then go on to distort with carefully worded twists and turns. Here is your chance to join with me and list SPECIFIC (please) propaganda pushed by the Democrats at any Townhall that may have been held near you. Your chance to “inform” or report to your fellow citizens (not the Obama regime) how pieces of the Bill are being distorted and/or framed out of context in order to pretend it is one thing when the language will implement the worst of the worst of Democrats’ Socialized Health Care TAKEOVER plans.

Feel free to post any YouTube video you may have from your local event. Please list out (in text) your favorite part to highlight and entice us to really want to watch and know if it is something more than the canned “Astroturf” lol chants. It may be true some of the same questions and responses from the Grassroot activism being demonstrated at these events, because they refuse to actually address the ACTUAL language of the proposed Bill.. Of course we are all going to be asking the questions over and over again - we are waiting for an honest and realistic addressing of the questions/concerns as it really relates to the only plan currently under consideration being the HR3200 Bill!!! They dodge, and we have to ask AGAIN!

The real “Astroturf,” which I will now hereby name “Crab Grass,” comes from the Left, of course. “Crab Grass?” Yep, it infests/infects the Grassroots (that otherwise really wouldn’t exist, which is why they have to manufacture it and try to label our efforts as ‘phony’ to deflect from what they do), just like the real Crab Grass detracts from your nice Kentucky Bluegrass Lawn. Or perhaps they are Grubs? eating away at the (Grass) roots of the Lawn!?!?

As for the Dingbat Townhall, before I get into the specific propaganda — Was about the same old tired script… There were thousands lined up all the way out and around the outside of the building far more than would fit the room of a few hundred people and, of course, mis-reported by several of the local newscasts I watched specifically to see how they would slant it (Fox 2 local WJBK, was the only one that challenged Dingell in an Interview following it directly).

SEIU shirted thugs abounded and the first several rows of seats were filled (let in another entrance) before the rest of the crowd was let in (several easily identified “pro Health Care extortion” were pulled from line directly behind me and paraded (right before our eyes) in another door - sure enough, they were up there in the front 3 rows of seats.

The fiasco began with the usual… an AARP hack went on for 5 minutes about why they were for Health Care Reform but addressed NOTHING in regard to “this particular ‘reform.’” They then had an attendee give the sob story of how HER UNIVERSITY EMPLOYER didn’t give her coverage, but they refused to say what University when it the Question was asked (wonder what State she was shipped in from) nor any answer to why she isn’t out protesting her UNIVERSITY demanding they pay for her coverage.

The only honest/unscripted moment occurred (and Video picked up by Foxnews Live Desk) when a man (Mike Sola and his wife) there with their Son (Scott), wheel-chair bound (so he was able to get in to the front - where Democrats, no doubt, expect that anyone Disabled would be Pro Takeover and Handouts), demanded his question (on behalf of his Son) be answered. He demanded to know why his son with Cerebral Palsy would NOT be able to receive any aid/help under the Bill.

Dingell caught off-guard and reeling let slip truth about rationing and/or denial of care with his answer. Dingbat told him he sponsored AN AMENDMENT to the Bill to correct the problem. WOW! If there is no RATIONING of what and/or whom is covered - why would any amendment be needed and why/how was this “condition” excluded?!?! This was/is in direct contradiction to the propaganda handout item #2 “Page 29: Admission: your health care will be rationed.” Their refutation, “In no way does this section stipulate the rationing of care.” If there are NO DENIALS OR RATIONING OF CARE there would have been no need for an Amendment to the Bill to address an exclusion!!!

Another obvious careful choice of wording to avoid the Bill’s truth was when a question about “Euthanasia.” OBVIOUSLY the word is NOT represented in the Bill and allows for them to DENY it could/would occur under the Bill. The Truth, of course, is that “rationing” can/may/will lead to that in effect by denial of treatments. But back to the top of the meeting….

Then Dingbat went into his pre-approved Talking points we’ve seen/heard in YouTube video time after time almost verbatim. Followed by questions collected from the audience, which of course, meant they all came from the folks they pre-loaded into the front of the room (important to note, they did an exact repeat of the same questions, in the same exact order, in the 2nd session [I stayed for both to report to RedStaters] they added to accommodate more of the folks that showed up, but still not all were able to get in and another date TBD was promised to be announced) with the predictable repeating of the propaganda points - to which those of us having more knowledge about the Bill than Dingell had NO OPTION but to yell out the Section and Page number that directly refuted their false contention about what they want to lead people into believing the Bill says rather than what it says.

I spoke on camera with Gibsons’ crew, but who knows if they’ll use any of it or try to distort the context (I tried to be concise to avoid any chance of it, which makes me think they’ll just not use any of it). I also spoke with WJR AM 760 (without whom most would still not have known anything about the event happening as we called into the local shows to report how Dingell’s own website DID NOT advertise the event in order to keep the turnout down to only the SEIU, AARP sellouts, and other cronies), Fox 2 WJBK News, and Detroit Public Radio, as well as the Detroit (NOT SO) Free Press. The local ABC station (WXYZ ch 7) didn’t even pretend to care to interview anyone but those with PRO-Socialised Medicine signs and/or Dingbat signs and went out of their way to play the “Mob” Democrat script from the DNC.

People did shout out questions and responses (pointed out each time what page of HIS OWN SPONSORED BILL he was lying in reference to for anyone actually paying attention to review the facts over the BS). There was no other way for the supposed “dialogue” and/or feedback to the Congresscreeper and their intent to ensure it went that way was obvious.

There was a great moment that the crowd erupted into laughter when Dingbat tried to float the notion that this will all be REVENUE NEUTRAL.

As for a couple of specifics from the Dingbat Townhall…

The first myth or issue the Democrat Talking Points wanted to address was:

“Page 22: Mandates audits of all employers that self-insure!”

TRUTH: This is not an “audit,” it’s a study….

No sense bothering to go on further with that one. Simple point one is when did the spelling of the word “study” change to A-U-D-I-T? Why doesn’t the Bill say “study” then? as the specific term “audit” has far more LEGAL accounting implications/consequences. For those on the Left that will want to jump in and claim it is just semantics. Well…. If it is indeed just a study why not word it that way.

Further, if it is just a study - why not make it a voluntary participation study? Of course, it is about a fishing expedition and to learn how to eliminate those functional plans. We Conservatives, of course, are NOT going to concede to even “voluntary participation” in such a study because we know far too well how Liberal intrusions that are supposedly “voluntary” quickly get changed to REQUIRED participation.

This is yet more big government interjecting itself where something isn’t broken!!! Mechanisms exist by which if there is a suspected Fraud in a program to then audit it for Criminal activity. So none of this has any business being in a supposed Health Care Bill, which they are now spinning to be “Health Insurance Reform” - finally an honest admission that it has NOTHING to do with improving peoples access to Health Care - it’s about Liberal Takeover and Government control.

The Bill specifically (Section 113 pages 21-22) says it is to audit to “ensure that the law does not provide incentives for small and mid-size employers to self-insure!” They want to ensure no new businesses can/will self-insure and drive people into the Government plan “Choice” as they put it. It is NO CHOICE when all the other options are removed! (additional material at LC.org)

“Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free health-care services.”

TRUTH: Pages 50-51 contain a provision stating that discrimination will not be allowed in the provision of health care services. Nowhere does the bill state that non-US citizens will be provided free health care services.

Well, thanks for proving the point with the first sentence of his “supposed” Truth (those pesky Democrat ‘known-facts’) “contain a provision stating that discrimination will not be allowed in the provision of health care services.” I mean HELLO, did they read their own answer?!?!

Further, Dingbat goes on to explain that the Bill (no specific on where that language is, of course) PROHIBITS payment to “undocumented immigrants.” Thanks for the obvious dodge yet again. No reimbursement to them for paid services, but that has NOTHING to do with payment(s) to Health Care Providers for Services rendered in the treatment of an Illegal. And, of course, they will be looking next to Amnesty to make them all citizens anyway.

None of that deals with the issue that people will STILL go to the Hospital Emergency rooms for every sniffle, ache, pain, etc, as Urgent Care Centers and many Doctors’ Offices expect co-pay payment at time of Service. Hospitals cannot demand that.

Conclusion:
I could go on and on, point by Democrat Talking Point, and maybe I’ll share more in the Diary comments as you all chime in. You get the idea. Every answer was very carefully crafted to be a non-answer to the direct/specific issue/concern for what the Bill actually says in print, rather to try and imply something the Bill doesn’t really mean what it says - but, I guess, they are just not smart enough to actually craft a Bill that could SAY WHAT THEY supposedly MEAN!?!?

Please share the dodges and/or out-right lies from your Townhall.

[update: Aug. 22: "pre-approved/selected questions is the norm sham/scam" comment made in Jay Vance's Things I wanted to say at the Healthcare Townhall I couldn't get in Diary worth reading. -- I have been involved in putting on Townhalls and there is NO EXCUSE, if there is any concern about needing to be Fair and have NO appearance of "funny business" questions can and should be hand written by anyone wanting to ask one, placed into a Bingo-barrel (in plain site the whole time) by the questioner, and then mixed and randomly drawn out to be read, ALL in front of everyone. The Democrats, of course, MUST plant their questions because they cannot RISK dealing with real questions they don't have prepared carefully worded responses to in order to SPIN their BS.

PLUS: From this Moe Lane Diary: The Democrats know full well that they could put on fairly reasonable Townhalls and therefore people WOULD NOT BE AS ANGRY… (if it even appeared they even remotely cared about opponents concerns and/or holding an open/honest forum). But/however, we all know that is nowhere what they want. They want them staged and OBVIOUSLY staged so that people get even more enraged than they were before they came!!! They want this show and have their MSM friends playing up the Democrat Narratives of Angry, Astroturf, etc., BS….. Again, I hope they keep it up, because it is going to turn some! Some of those ANGRY folks are Democrats!!!!! others that have been completely Brain-dead or just in DENIAL we have been Frustrated with (Dealing with our Frustration with the Politically Brain-dead) have joined in the ANGRY and while Liberals won’t listen to us they are more open to hearing from those DEMOCRATS with “concerns.” -- The MSM is complicit in avoiding dealing with the FACTS of what is in the HC TAKEOVER plans.]

The Republicans need to be the Party of HELL NO [to Socialism] not the Party of SLOW[er Liberal Incremental-ism] — and proud to exclaim why!

Regards, as always, from NoMoTown (the motorLESScity)

[UPDATE: Part TWO (or, a sequel) is at More Townhall hi-jinks and then more in a seemingly ever growing series: HC Townhall: Like Hollywood, Democrats used new Actors to replay the same Script., HC Townhalls: Steny Hoyer (D-MD) edition., HC Mandates - How 'bout some others? Welfare Warranty? College Coverage?, and a HC issues summary
]