Urgent- DO NOT ALLOW this to happen again!

Cross posted from El Marco
http://www.lookingattheleft.com/2009/08/organizing-for-america-stages-show-in-denver/

The following photo essay is a repeat of what many of us saw in the primaries- we cannot allow this in America! Do not allow this in America. This may be our very last opportunity to be free- if we lay down we will lose this – let us not go down without a fight!
Go to every town hall you in your district, arrive early, insist on being admitted, refuse to sign anything, take pictures, do not go alone, document everything , carry a voice recorder and camera. Remember – your representatives are supposed to represent you – if they do not – remember that and start to groom someone for the very next election and let them know that very night.

Organizing for America Stages Show in Denver

Denver –  August 29 2009 – The Obama administration has sent out Organizing for America – the successor organization of Obama for America, which was Obama’s campaign organization, to drum up support for his unpopular Obamacare initiative. The coast to coast bus tour arrived in Denver Friday.

Shockingly, opponents to Obamacare are being bullied, and consent manufactured by the White House and Obama activists. Although the White House denies their single payer goals, that seemed to be the main message at the rally in Denver, where the message was carefully controlled.

I arrived early at North High School for Friday’s, Organizing for America rally in Denver. OFA community organizers were hard at work. 

This organizer was instructing volunteers to hand out signs to anticipated crowds. Ed Perlmutter is scheduled to speak to his constituents about Obamacare. 

Here, hand-manufactured signs on sticks are mixed with a ream or two of signs without sticks. Approximately 50 signs. In boxes are printed signs with UPS One Day Air receipts on them. From D.C.?  Maybe.

Here another organizer gives similar instructions. Another 50 or so fake grassroots signs waiting to be distributed.

 

I went to the adjacent street, West 32nd Street, and here is what I saw. 

 

 

 

 

Some media showed up after a while and zeroed in on the guy with the Ted Kennedy sign. The reporterette at center showed no interest in interviewing the man on the right or others. 

 

I checked back at this same area about 20 minutes later to find that the Astroturf Brigades had arrived in force and were beginning to be a nuisance. 

 

These two are Organizing for America people sent from the high school staging area which is approximately 300 feet to the right of the green shirt.

 

This proud DenverCrat was eager to pose for my camera. I’m pretty sure he made his own sign, which took tremendous initiative no doubt. 

 

Much to my chagrin, he began to berate anyone who made eye contact with him. He spoke, er, bellowed eloquently enough. He sounded like Ted Kennedy on the campaign trail. He marshaled many of the main democrat talking points quite admirably. 

Democrat Party passion and a tightly clenched fist. With a makeover, he’d be a perfect candidate.

These green shirts blocked the north entrance to the high school parking lot. All who wanted to enter to hear Representative Perlmutter had to go approximately 1/4 of a mile to the west entrance. They said everyone had to sign in for security reasons. Following is an email from a severely disabled Denver Prager Listener Group member:

“I was at that rally and was parked inside the fence because I had arrived very early. I walked outside the west side of the fence to meet friends and then re-entered when they called and said they were on the other side of the parking lot. The “green shirts” came toward me with their clip boards and wanted to know where I was going. I told them I was going to my car and they reluctantly let me pass. When I got to the other end of the lot, several “green shirts” approached me and asked where I was going. I told them and they also reluctantly let me go past. When I met my friends I told them what had happened and that I was really afraid of those people because they came across so aggressively. One of my friends found a couple of police officers and he told them I was afraid these people wouldn’t let me back in to get my car. The officers talked to the “green shirts” and they were quite irate that I felt the least bit intimidated by them!! Well, a couple of hours later the Obama Bus arrived and a little while after that I needed to leave. One of my friends offered to walk me to my car. When we got to the gate the “green shirts” had tied yellow “CAUTION” tape (it looks like police tape!!) across the entire gate opening and it took a couple of minutes for my friend to convince them that I was just going to my car and he was walking with me. 

It is so deplorably dishonest for these “astroturf” bullies with their professionally printed signs and buttons to forcibly extract signatures from people and then for Perlmutter (my Congressman also!!) to knowingly use those signatures ~ I believe that in any other arena this would be fraud!!!” 

The woman who wrote this lives in constant extreme pain and is not a threat to anyone.  

I headed over to the west entrance to see what was going on. I passed a group of grassroots supporters of Obama on the way. Others in the group had signs which were foul and offensive. Disgusting, really. So I have spared you the necessary after-viewing shower by not showing their photos.

 

A young mind is a terrible thing to waste.

 

At the western entrance I asked this young man what kind of liberal he is. “Jeffersonian” he replied with a big grin. 

Below is the processing area inside the gate. Everyone was required to give name, address, phone number and email. Media had to sign a separate form with employer name, etc. I put “Pravda” as my employer. The tables on the left contain clipboards where all the information is gathered. Anyone who did not want to give their data was asked to leave under implied threat of police escort.

 

Outside the line proceeded very slowly even though there was no security check whatsoever. Only data gathering. In this line I saw one person with a homemade pro-Obamacare sign. She can be seen below center in red. The two ladies on the right were told by two greenshirts they would have to leave their signs outside. 

 

 

Here is an email forwarded by  another Prager listener:

“I just returned from a rally for health care reform held at North High School in Denver. As Erin and I were entering the staging area we were approached by people carrying clipboards. We were told we could not enter without signing our name and address on the form. I asked why they needed this information and was told they must know who was entering the area.This was a tax payer supported high school property hosting public speakers and I was being denied entry unless the clipboard form was completed. I was very uncomfortable with this request and remained outside the chain link fence to listen to the speakers. The first speaker was my very own repesentative, Ed Permutter who thanked all who had signed the clipboard form and stated that all these signatures would go on to to Washington showing support of the Obama Health Care Plan. I could not believe what I heard. Never was it stated that this form was a support of the health care plan. I just wonder how many people were dooped into signing this when they do not support the bill or do not know enough about it to make a decision.People carrying signs supporting the bill were permitted entry with their signs, those opposing had to remain outside.

 Whether you support this bill or not please ask yourself……do I live in a free country where all are welcome to a public forum without restriction? Can a petition obtained with deception go onto Washington in support of a bill that no one can understand? Do our elected officials respect the wants of the people or are they ramming their agenda down our throats?”

In some third world countries this is a common union scam tactic. Invite workers to a meeting, sign a book at the door and they are trapped into the union without ever being asked if they wanted to join. When enough workers are signed in their employer is shoved aside and the union sets up shop. Very sneaky.

 

This is the scene of the podium from the photographers stand. 

 

 

The union workers were out in full force. 

 

Here we see a green shirt distributing signs to astroturfers. This is the last step to create the “grassroots look’ that is the goal of David Axelrod. This creates a false positive impression among the television audience. Not all signs found willing Astroturfers and were ignored. Some people came to hear their representative, not to play partisan stooge. 

Some in Canada argue that national single-payer healthcare as a human right, was enshrined in Canada’s first constitution, The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1982 . In 2005 the Superior Court of Canada ruled that the Canadian government was in violation of every Canadian’s basic human rights. Canadaian Chief Justice, Beverly McLachlin, wrote that “Access to a waiting list is not access to health care.”

A fundamental human right was violated here at this rally. And that, of course, is the now apparently antiquated right of free speech which was enshrined in the first American Constitution in 1791.

 

 

Astroturf by Axelrod.

An organizer drones on as the crowd awaits the arrival of the OFA bus carrying Rep. Perlmutter. The bus is late. 

A commotion in the parking lot caught my eye. A green shirt aggressively berates two dissenters in the parking lot .

They are ejected by two male organizers in red shirts. While still on school property, the two ladies decided to hold their ground, resisting excessive trampling of their rights as law abiding Americans. 

 

This is a standoff. Who would have thought a scene like this could occur in America? 

 

The red shirts stay to monitor the situation(above background left). At no time did I see these ladies argue or fuss. They appeared only calm and insistent on their rights.

 

Meanwhile, the Astroturfers who were sent to confront the legitimate dissenters on W 32nd St, are now among the crowd waiting to cheer Perlmutter.

And here’s the bus. Police were positioned around our hardy dissenters, for the safety of the public no doubt.

WHOOPEE!!! Let the show begin!

 

 

The bus was followed by several black SUV’s. Looks like Tony Soprano sent some of the boys over in case things got out of hand. 

Perlmutter ranted about fighting and fighting and human rights and the Constitution. 

 

Organizers positioned this banner to block the view from the two camera stands. Should have sent a taller green shirt. Alas, the best laid plans of mice and men…