What a country we live in! No matter how you feel about President Obama (I'm pretty okay with him myself) or our entire political system, it's great to know that we live in a free democracy where rights like free speech are protected and that even the little guy (under 5' 2") can have his say in our society. Try that in some places in the Middle East or Asia and you could end up being imprisoned, tortured or killed (or worse, exiled to Detroit.)
Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) drove home the point the other night during Obama's Health Care Reform speech when he shouted out "you lie!" when the President said that under the new health care reform bill illegal aliens would not be eligible for coverage. Sure, it was a tactless, stupid, rookie mistake to insult the President during a televised joint session of Congress during one of the most important speeches of the President's term, and sure there was quite a backlash from people from both sides of the aisle, but it really drove home two things to our neighbors around the world.
The first thing it shows people is that all of us are created equal, no matter how idiotic we may sometimes be, and that we are living in the most free country in the world where even people like Rush Limbaugh can spew hate and fear and insane rantings disguised as truth and get away with it. Secondly, it points out the sad truth that South Carolina is governed by total assholes for the most part. Well, South Carolina is unfortunately destined to remain that way until some intelligence somehow invades their collective gene pool, and in a state where school is the devil and being smart is a sin against the Lord, the odds of that happening are not good.
I have to wonder what it would have been like if that screwball Joe Wilson had been around for other speeches of note in the past. History is full of seminal moments that united a country and stirred the passions of Americans the world over. How inglorious a moment they might have been with just a bit of southern intervention.
Patrick Henry - "Give me liberty, or give me death"
Joe Wilson - "You Lie!"
Abraham Lincoln - "A house divided among itself cannot stand"
Joe Wilson - "You Lie!"
Martin Luther King - “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Joe Wilson - "You Lie!"
John F. Kennedy - "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. "
Joe Wilson - "You Lie!"
So no matter what the discussion is, whether it is health care reform, illegal immigration, or the war in Iraq, be content in the knowledge that our country will allow any fool with a pulse and a hankering to speak his piece the freedom to express himself publicly. And though it may be cause for embarrassment for some, others (like Rush Limbaugh fans, the KKK, the NRA and most anyone south of the Mason-Dixon line) appreciate the balance it provides those Americans whose intellects hover around the 4th grade level. Thank you, Joe "the Heckler" Wilson, for pointing out what's good about America! We Salute You! (You Big Frickin' Idiot!).
hahaha awesome. I need to look this up now.
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