Randall Terry Opens "Don't Kill Grandma Tour" to Raves; LaRouchies Push "Obama Is Hitler" Meme
Video edited by Mike Flugennock and photographed by The Town Hell Posse.
Still photography by Isis, via Flickr.
"Nick" writes at the DC Independent Media Center:
On the evening of August 25, 2009, thousands of Virginians attended a town hall meeting on federal health care reform in Reston, Virginia.
The event was held at South Lakes High School and featured Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean.
While the majority of attendees at the facility were explicit supporters of health care reform, numerous right-wing individuals disrupted the event.
In one instance, a right-winger punched an Obama supporter in the face without provocation. The right-winger was subsequently pushed away from the area by several individuals and Fairfax County Police later evicted him from the property.
The man was wearing a CATO Institute t-shirt. The institution is a libertarian think tank based in Washington, D.C.
In another incident, several conservative military veterans surrounded an elderly man and physically intimidated him in an attempt to censor the man who supported health care reform.
Countless conservatives held signs of President Obama that prominently featured the president's face with a mustache painted under his nose meant to resemble former German dictator Adolf Hitler.
Others held signs that portrayed President Obama as the cartoon character The Joker. The images of Obama as The Joker resembled old minstrel shows whereby actors of European descent applied facial makeup in a mocking attempt to resemble individuals of African descent.
Several conservative supporters of status quo health care flew "Don't Tread on Me" flags and attempted to silence anyone who "does not support freedom," has "socialist" tendencies or did not serve in the U.S. Military.
Before the town hall meeting began conservative pro-life activist Randall Terry mocked "baby-killing" by stabbing play dolls and pretended to assassinate a woman resembling a "grandma." Terry protested Obama's health care reform legislation and called it "baby killing and grandma killing."
Terry told a local reporter "there's no way to pay for [Obama's health care reform] without killing granny."
The prominent activist and his supporters later interrupted former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean's speech only to be chased out by local Virginians.
Several right-wing activists held signs that read "Obama Lies, Grandma Dies." When questioned about the signs several right-wing activists replied by warning of "socialism" and "death panels."
Several local media outlets described the event as turning into "near chaos" as supporters and opponents clashed inside and outside the high school.
