Is this how the People should be treated?

This is completely appalling and an embarassment for me being a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Rep Moran actually asked for this man's ID before allowing him to ask a question?



Just when you thought things couldn't get crazier, now you have a Congressman demanding proof of identification to ask a question..


Speechless

Rep Moran says it all.
I guess they a type'o' on his birth certificate.
Should have been MORON!!
More importantly, What on Earth was the civilian thinking, by forking over his ID?
Don't think that the Rep. is not going to have police harass the grass off of this man, after some time passes and people forget about it, now that he knows his name.
I would say that the stupidity of the situation ran deep that day.


[edit on 8/27/2009 by reticledc]

That's awesome.

What use is it to see the ID? It's not like lack of ID would negate the question or justify tossing the guy out.

Seems like some stupid default stalling measure. People in positions of 'authority' pull this one out a lot. When there is absolutely purpose or reason for it they just have to see that ID.

reply to post by JacKatMtn


Well the guy was probably trying to make sure he only answered questions from priorly approved "citizens".

It was a pretty rowdy townhall, and the Rep laid out the allegation that many weren't from his district, I guess this man was one he thought was from somewhere else.

I am no fan of either side of the aisle, but it is beyond me how the voting public are being treated right now.

It's like they,(elected), know something we don't and whatever they do doesn't even matter anymore.. :shk:

Not a good feeling


ed:clarity

[edit on 8/27/2009 by JacKatMtn]

This is what probably got the Rep riled up however it does not excuse what he did.



Looks like an anti-abortionist was there and disrupting the meeting which is equally appalling, I don't know who that man is or even if he is from Virginia, but he earned his ticket outside IMO.

Does it equate to an excuse for asking for the citizen's ID?

Not in my eyes.

Why don't they just require everyone entering the building to show their ID? That would help immensely. The ones who are there legitimately wouldn't mind, would they?

reply to post by Hazelnut


The powers that be would gladly obtain any ID needed to fill the room with shills for the anti-citizen crowd! This moron needs to remember he is also a representative for the USA at large, not just his fiefdom!
Zindo

reply to post by Hazelnut


No one should have to show ID at town hall meetings.

A slippery slope should that start happening IMO.

The disrupters should be escorted out.. I can see some booing or cheering but that guy was way out of line.

What Moran did was totally unacceptable for an elected member of Congress, you notice he didn't provide his ID for the citizen

Originally posted by JacKatMtn
reply to post by Hazelnut

 

No one should have to show ID at town hall meetings.

A slippery slope should that start happening IMO.

The disrupters should be escorted out.. I can see some booing or cheering but that guy was way out of line.

What Moran did was totally unacceptable for an elected member of Congress, you notice he didn't provide his ID for the citizen

You are right that no one should have to. Since the town hall meetings are being disrupted by (pick a side) overenthusiastic disrupters, those who act like imbeciles should be escorted out and their identities made public knowledge. In that way, the troublemakers true origins would be made clear and would stop the back and forth accusations of who is using the platform to cause trouble.

I'm no apologist for any member of Congress. But just to pose it from a different angle, if I go to a town hall meeting with the expectation that I'll be able to get some personal interaction with my representative, I'm not going to be thrilled with the idea of people from outside the district taking up my time.

Back in the '60s there was a term frequently used, "outside agitators", to describe and marginalize in some cases, people with a contrary opinion. I think there's some significant evidence to indicate the town hall meetings are in fact being infiltrated (if that's not too harsh a term) by out of district people looking to push their agenda.

There's a time and a place. Town hall meetings are meant for the citizens in the district. If you want to influence outside that, pony up like the insurance companies do.

Some sarcasm in the last sentence there, but I hope I've made my point clear. Your opportunity to converse with your congressman is limited. If the guy was looking to protect the time of his constituents, I have a hard time finding fault with the intent.

Freaking unbelievable.

At one point, Moran said he did not like a man’s demeanor, so he checked his ID to make sure the man was the one whose name was called.

Moran did eventually apologize to the man for checking his ID.

www.humanevents.com...

Mr. Moran then apologized to the man whose identity he had questioned and added his 2 cents aboutwhy tort reform was not part of any bill. He said if it were, such a bill would have to go through the judiciary committee, which he said was one of the most partisan in Congress and would never have reported it out.

prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com...

At least the Representative was man enough to apologize for his stupidity.



[edit on 27-8-2009 by jam321]

reply to post by MrDesolate


I understand what you are presenting but I would venture to guess that some of those people holding those preprinted AFSCME and Organizing for America placards weren't voters in his district either.

But I do agree it is a rare opportunity for voters to discuss issues with their Rep.

They should have their say, and the disrupters can protest outside.

I thought what Rep Jackson-Lee did in her town hall with the cellphone deal was bad, this is nothing compared to what Moran did.

Why can't they be like Sen Spector or Sen McCaskill who also had some upset constituents, however both of them handled the situations very well IMO.

I also applaud them for carrying on the Town hall meetings when many of the elected have cancelled or changed their plans to have telephonic meetings.

I suspect this isn't the last of the fireworks concerning townhalls, we shall see.



ed:clarity

[edit on 8/27/2009 by JacKatMtn]

If I had any authority at all, I would have had those disrupters (from the second video) tossed out on their asses. These are town hall meetings, not protest venues. These people make me sick and embarrassed, shouting down the opposition. That's the coward's way.

But that doesn't at all excuse the arrogance and pompousness (is that a word?) of the representative. What a jerk. He should be willing to answer ANY question presented to him, whether it was from his district or not. He should take a lesson from Barny Frank.

Originally posted by MrDesolate
I'm no apologist for any member of Congress. But just to pose it from a different angle, if I go to a town hall meeting with the expectation that I'll be able to get some personal interaction with my representative, I'm not going to be thrilled with the idea of people from outside the district taking up my time.

I'm not in your district, but if the guy sits on committees that have an effect on me, I have the right to ask him questions also. You do not pay his salary, the government pays his salary, so he answers to all taxpayers, not just the ones from his district. If you want personal interaction with your representative, become a page.

reply to post by SpacePunk


Ohh I couldn't disagree more. This is a representative republic and as such I have the ability to vote for only the representatives from my district. Sure I have the right to petition any congressman by any appropriate method. But the Town Hall meetings are by design, set up for a direct communication between the representative and the people from the district he represents. Ultimately he "answers to" the people who have the ability to reelect him, or toss him out as the case may be. If you want the ability to take up time in the town hall meeting, move into the district.

If I take my time and effort to attend a town hall meeting specifically for my district, I don't want to have to compete with x number of out of district people to make my point or ask my question.

Don't horn in on my restaurant reservation, my doctor's appointment, or my town hall meeting. Specific time, specific place, specific function.

reply to post by MrDesolate


Then we will disagree. I, as one that rejects the divide and conquer strategy used by our politicians. You, as one that embraces their divide and conquer strategy.

They do it so they do not have to face us as a nation. If you choose to 'interact' with your representative as a slave in a feudal district, so be it. I will face him as a free man.

reply to post by SpacePunk


That makes literally no sense. How does my view in any way "embrace divide and conquer"? How is my wanting to take advantage of time set aside for me without being elbowed out by people inappropriately taking up my time make me a "slave in a feudal district"?

Characterizing my stance as something it obviously isn't and then attacking it has a term. Do you know what it is?

Hint: Rhymes with "flaw fan".

Here's a piece from someone who attended the Moran townhall meeting. It seems like a fair unbiased article so for those interested:
Here's an interesting snippet...

A Friend Reports from a Town Hall Meeting

The event started at 7 p.m. The doors opened at 6, but MoveOn.org had suggested we get there before 5, and it's a good thing we did because the lines already snaked around and around. I don't know if we could have gotten in if we'd come any later. While waiting in line, we saw lots of protestors who were part of Lyndon Larouche's group (he lives around here; I don't know if their anti-Obama hate campaign is national). They had the Obama signs with the Hitler moustache. But I don't think they actually came into the meeting--just walked up and down the waiting line. (I believe that the doorkeepers were checking to see if everyone entering was from this Congressional District; but they obviously failed in at least one significant case--so I don't know how carefully they tracked this.)

While this is written by a supporter of the healthcare reform, I found it refreshing that it was free of the usual name calling/ sensationalism that is rampant on both sides of the issue.

She thought that the doorkeepers might have been checking those going in... wonder if that can be verified or not, but anyways it is another perspective of the events of that particular townhall and I believe we should have as much info as possible so we can decide on our own how things went down.

It hasn't changed my mind on Moran's conduct but it's worth the read..