It's a tactic as old as time, yell down and shut down the opposition. The people bringing guns to the town halls are doing what the Klan did in the 1870s and 1880s to discourage reform voting. It is intimidation. It needs to be called out.

I actually think that bringing out a bunch of Democrats and getting into fights every time WOULD stop this. They aren't really ready to be violent. And the police would be forced to stop them from the yelling and provocative name calling and lies. Just like the state government in Louisiana stopped the Klan when blacks started firing back, it would stop now.

Yes, they are angry. SO what? I'm angry too, but I have enough self-control to know how to behave. WHy should they win because they are angry. It's time for angry back. It's time to stand up to them. It's time for them to be swamped.

The problems with the progressives are that they are too well behaved and unwilling to physically fight. The old union people did fight. Try to channel Walter Reuther. These people don't care about truth, honor, or ethics. And many of them ARE racists, as well as hypocrites. WHen they are happily on Medicare and SSI and are yelling about socialism, they are giving you a big clue that "rational" isn't their thing. WHen they scream about "those people" not working to provide health care while on Medicare, SSI, or welfare themselves, you have a racist.

Let conservatives denounce them, the way Obama had to denounce Wright. Let the conservatives denounce the lies and the name calling. Let the GOP apologize. They won't, because they are making out like bandits. Stop trying to be nice and start getting in some faces.

This is only happening because good people are being silent...Stop being silent. Scream back. Get some respect. Because right now they take your silence as consent.

I don't care about the letter writer's writing style as much as the fact that none of us are sure of (a) the facts, or (b) what she's actually asking.

All that dream stuff aside, is she asking whether this woman in her driveway will ever "wake up and figure it out" like she did? Or whether she'll ever go away? Is she concerned about her own lack of empathy or is she just disgusted that this woman can't get it together?

Does she actually not understand that dropping the kid off on Monday morning knowing she won't see him for two weeks or whatever makes the kid's mom cry?

Is the letter about empathy, or lack of it, or a question of whether she should try to help, or some existential musing on how things work out for some but not others, or a recrimination for those of us who failed somehow to get a life as perfect as hers?

Is this really a question of how people change or is it a well-couched whine about her husband's loser ex expecting her to be all, like, compassionate 'n stuff. Wahhh!

It's hard to say, with all the rambling. No LW has to be a great writer here, but at least be clear about what you're asking.

-- mattielisbon

True. It's hard to care when you aren't sure of the context.

This letter could go all sorts of ways. There's so many holes that you can't know.

I'm sorry. I know how much it means to all of you liberals, but I just don't want socialized medicine. I spend a lot of time in Canada and I know how healthcare goes up there. It isn't pretty. A friend of mine with MS in Europe fares about as well as those who have MS in Canada. I have MS, too.

Headlines today shows that the top doc in Canada has said that their healthcare system is "imploding." You won't see that headline mentioned here on Salon today, but if you do a little digging, you'll find it.

-- Margot62

Where? Not MSNBC, not ABC, not CNN, not Fox, not NY Times, not Chicago Tribune. It's not the mainstream press.

I live near the Canadian border. People love their healthcare there. You are just lying now. I have friends with MS there who rack on our care here. Please.

At some point, just lying is NOT going to persuade people, especially after so many Canadians and British have contradicted you. You've got to do better than that, after the CNN lovefest on British and Canadian care yesterday. You can't assert that in the face of so many who are testifying that their system is better than ours.

Ya'll think we're stupid.

If those cameras were broken, they should have settled. They are going to be massacred at trial. Basic protection for a reasonable person is a camera that works in a parking lot or tower.

I'm not getting the people who think she doesn't have a case. People have easily won cases where property owners did not take due care. After Billy Milligan (the Ohio case in the 1970s were he killed nurses in the Ohio State University hospitals tower) liability for this was a given. All I can think of is that some of the people here are very young. The hotel absolutely has a duty to guests to provide basic security.

The company is trying to outlast her and bury her is filings. Now they have a massive PR problem. They should have settled. Dumbasses. I won't be staying at any of their properties, either, if they allow security cameras to be broken like that.

Hope Marriott likes bankrupcy.