Shawnee.  Both the political Left and Right held health care reform rallies outside Shawnee City Hall today. 

The Left scheduled a march from a nearby park to Shawnee City Hall at 9:45 AM.  When the Right learned of this event, they scheduled a rally to be in front of Shawnee City Hall to begin at 9:30 AM.

Unlike Overland Park police who try to segregate opposing groups during rallies, the Shawnee police let the groups commingle — but most from each side stayed on one side or the other.

Both sides annoyed and provoked the other.  The “power brokers” at this event were the ones with megaphones!

 

Highlights in video:

• 0:04  Right:  Kansas State Senator Mary Pilcher Cook (R-Shawnee)
• 0:15  Left:  shouting ”Mary Pilcher Cook:  Cancel your government health care”
• 0:20 Mary Pilcher Cook talking but Left’s shouts make hearing her difficult
• 0:50 Right:  Patricia Lightner’s comments about 10th amendment
• 1:00  Left:  “Health care for all”
• 1:07  Right:  “If you are provoked, you are not to respond”
• 1:12  Left:  “Tea baggers”
• 1:16  Right:  Recites pledge of Allegiance to the Flag
• 1:23  Left:  shouting “Mary Pilcher Cook: Cancel your government insurance”
• 1:27  Left:  Some march from nearby park to Shawnee City Hall
• 1:33  Left:  “What do we want?  Health care.  When do we want it?  Now.”
• 1:38  Right: asked to explain complicated chart of the health care plan
• 1:42  Right:  “Restore the constitution.  …  We the people.  … We want freedom.  When do we want it?  Now”
• 1:57  Right:  “No more freebies”
• 2:08  Left:  “Public option”
• 2:16  Right:  “83% of your statistics are made up”
• 2:19  Right:  “Retire Dennis Moore.”  “Read the Bill.”
• 2:31  Left:  Intense:  “Get out of here.  Go somewhere else.”
• 2:44  Left:  “We are the majority … What do we want?  Health care.”
• 2:59  Left:  “We will not lay down”
• 3:07  Horn honking.  But for which side?
• 3:10  Confrontation:  “The Constitution doesn’t say anything about health care.”  Someone else:  “Shame on you.”
• 3:15  Right:  “What do they want?  Our money.  When do they want it?  Now.”
• 3:23  cacophony
• 3:28  Left:  Personal stories
• 3:34  Left:  Sister with scoliosis
• 3:57  Left:  “It’s our country, too” 
• 4:08  Right:  “Kill the bill”
• 4:13  Left:  Kansans without health care.
• 4:24  Left:  “Yes we can”
• 4:28  Right: “No you can’t”
• 4:32  Left:  “Health care now”
• 4:36  Right:  “Would you like to pay for them yourself?”
• 4:41  Left:  “Public option.  Public health care.”
• 4:45  Right:  “No government option”
• 4:48  Left:  Angrily:  Friend who broke his arm and owes $13,000.
• 5:10  Left:  “This is about power versus us.  This is about money versus us.”
• 5:19  Left:  “Yes we can”
• 5:24  Right:  “No you won’t”
• 5:26  Right:  “Stop ACORN now”
• 5:26  Left:  “Thank you for coming out”
• 5:33  Left:  discussion with local press (Fox 4)
• 5:38  Right:  Mary Pilcher Cook:  How constitutional amendment is passed in Kansas.
• 5:53  Right:  “We the people.  … I’m with Mary”
• 5:59  Right:  “We’re going to call it a wrap for today.  … I believe the government needs to get out of my job and out of my health care.”
• 6:10 end

Fearing federal government mandates and loss of freedom in Kansas, KS Senator Mary Pilcher Cook is planning to introduce a proposed Kansas constitutional amendment, the Health Care Freedom Act, to assert Kansas sovereignty under the 10th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  Briefly, the 10th amendment restricts the Federal government to powers given it in the Constitution.  All other rights are reserved for the states and the people, but only when the Courts agreed.

Many on the right fear that government health care, and especially the “public option,” will ultimately drive free-market insurance companies out of business and there will be no competition.  The intention of the proposed Kansas constitutional amendment was to tell the federal government it doesn’t have the constitutional power it is asserting on the states in health care reform.

But the Left sees this as limiting options, since they fear a  ”public option” would be restricted by a Kansas constitutional amendment.  However, the proposed amendment would allow citizens to opt in to a governmental health care system, and also guarantee citizens the right to provide for their own health care.

The Left’s solution, the public option, would ultimately be the only “option” as free-market insurance companies are driven out of business.  Government control of health care, according to many on the Right, would result in no options eventually with government-rationed health care.

The event was held in Shawnee, which is the area covered by State Senator Mary Pilcher Cook’s State Senate district.

One long-time Kansas political observer guessed about 250 attended the rallies, but made no attempt to try to determine the size of each side.

Related

• Health Care Reform Rally Pics!, Forward Kansas, Nov 7, 2009.
• Health Care “Freedom” Act — Designed to Limit Choice, Forward Kansas, Nov 6, 2009. 
• Concerned Citizens visit Congressman Dennis Moore’s office, Kansas Watchdog, Nov 5, 2009.
• Montana Now 20th State to Defend Health Care Choice, American Legislative Exchange Council, Nov 5, 2009.
• Legislators Propose Health Care Amendment to Kansas Constitution, Kansas Watchdog, Oct 27, 2009.

Media Videos

• Kansas Health Care Rally Turns Ugly, Fox 4, Nov 7, 2009.

  

I saw the last part of the “shoving” incident described in Fox 4 video, but I wasn’t recording then.

• Health Care Rallies Boost Both Sides, KMBC, Nov 7, 2009.
• Kansas Protesters Face-Off on Health Care, KSHB, Nov 7, 2009.

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The Kansas Watchdog invited two people from each side to share their views on four questions related to health care reform. Videos of the opposing viewpoints will be released this week:

• Monday: What’s good or bad about the “public option”?
• Tuesday: How should health care reform be paid for?
• Wednesday: What if government wants more, e.g., taxes, for health care?
• Thursday: Is the 10th Amendment important?

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Technical notes:  This was a challenge to cover both sides. At times I simultaneously recorded video of one group on my regular camera and the other group with a flip camera.  I asked a friend to capture audio during the initial talks so I could capture video elsewhere.  At times there was a cacophony of voices.  efg