Radio silence & healthcare protests

Updated 7:53 pm with local newspaper coverage of the protest (see below)

Why have I been so quiet lately? Well, I've been busy, busy, busy making money and working on various projects. (Think geology and development communications). I've also been dealing with an IT issue that was making my teeth itch and had me pulling out wads of hair. Luckily, all seems resolved now.

Today I attended a small, but polite protest in favor of health insurance reform and keeping the public option in whatever plan passes. The protest was organized by the brand spanking new Lawrence, Kan., MoveOn.org local council, which is being spearheaded by former mayor Jo Anderson. The MoveOn folks had about 30 people in front of Blue Dog Democrat Dennis Moore's local office.

Here's a tiny snippet of MoveOn's side of the street.



About 6 to 8 counter protesters held their signs up across the street. I talked to several of the counter protesters at length, and I hope to write more about their ideas later. One woman identified herself as a former Obama voter/donor/volunteer who was unhappy with the president. Most of the counter protestors said they voted for Chuck Baldwin for president and are members of the Constitution Party. Others said they reluctantly voted for John McCain. One woman was a huge Sarah Palin fan.

Both Jo (Disclosure Alert: We're long-time friends) and I thought this sign was interesting. Jo wanted the sign for herself because she thought it made MoveOn's point. I do give this fellow points for his very fine lettering skills.

By the way, I started my writing career in newspapers, and I have to admit that this half-baked post is one of the weirdest bits of journalism I've ever done. In the old days, I would have written a lengthy story with complete details. Alas, time is short, so I thought folks might, at least, like to see what I could post quickly.

Actually, I lied a bit about the old days. In the old days, a protest like this might not have even been covered, or it would have been a one paragraph story. And so life in the new media age goes.