Protesters use racial, homophobic slurs toward congressmen

Sunday’s health care vote has drawn intense passions from both sides, which can be a good thing because it encourages more people to become active in the political process. 

But something occurred that made me question which century we are living in.  I looked at my calendar, and it said the current year is 2010. But on Sunday, I honestly thought it was the 1950s all over again. 

While Congressmen John Lewis and Andre Carson were at the Capitol to cast their votes on the health care bill, they said some of the protesters shouted racial slurs at them. They were angry because they were going to vote in favor of President Obama’s health care plan. 

Meanwhile, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver said he was spat on by a protestor, and Congressman Barney Frank had homophobic slurs hurled at him by protestors.  A CNN producer overheard Frank being called the slurs while he was in the Longworth building.

Call me crazy, but this seems somewhat reminiscent of the 1950s and 1960s when protesters screamed racial obscenities at blacks and spat on them if they tried to enter a white school, or if they tried to vote, or if they tried to sit at the front of the bus or if they tried to “step out of their place.”

So, excuse me if I am a little confused about which century this is.  For a second, I thought I accidentally stepped into a time machine that sent me 60 years into the past. 

If you don’t support the bill, you are more than welcome to protest or express your opinion.  But using racial slurs, homophobic slurs and saliva will not help you get your point across. 

In fact, those disrespectful actions had the opposite affect, and the health care bill was passed by the U.S. House. 

Some Republican Congressmen have denounced the actions by the protesters, but some of them didn’t think it was big deal. 

On NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Congressman Steve King said “I just don’t think it’s anything.  “There are a lot of places in this country that I couldn’t walk through. I wouldn’t live to get to the other end of it.” 

On the CSPAN network, Congressman Devin Nunes said ”When you use a totalitarian tactics, people, you know, begin to act crazy. I think that people have every right to say what they want. If they want to smear someone, they can do it.”

Apparently, those two congressman don’t think it’s an issue.  I’m curious what my U.S. congressional representatives from Oklahoma have to say. 

Surely I’m not the only person who was disturbed by this incident. 

Tim Henley