We find ourselves like our founders at a turning point. Do we try to incrementally change our way of being governed even though the Court of St. James isn’t even listening to our pleas or do we put our necks out and try to change this country from the outside?

Chris Hedges has a piece on "Truthdig" on health care reform being "More Like a Rip-Off Than Reform". At the end of the article he has a very interesting statement by David Himmelstein, head of Physicians for a National Health Plan:

“We are considering a variety of striking efforts for early in the fall,” Dr. Himmelstein said, “includingprotests outside state capitals by doctors around the country, video links of conferences in 70 or 80 cities around the country, with protests and potential doctors chaining themselves to the fence of the White House.”

Make sure you join them."

Tuesday, on Firedoglake book salon, Matt Taibbi discussed his new article in "Rolling Stone". In the discussion Taibbi said:

"I think that’s probably one step [voting people out]. The other step is probably boycotts of some kind, maybe tax strikes. There has to be some kind of drastic consequence, because this whole deal proves that simple voting with in the current parameters doesn’t work."

Taibbi also thinks that if there is no public option and progressives vote against the bill, "that would be a big deal."

At this point, I am with Taibbi. We must work like hell from all angles and some people should continue to work inside D.C. But I think the real action will come from outside the beltway.

We must not fall in line. We must not back down, as Johnny Cash would sing. We have cajoled and pleaded with our representatives. It hasn’t worked very well. We have been side lined at listening sessions if we advocate for HB 676. Time to bypass them and talk to our neighbors and get them educated and righteously angry. Time to join with the Physicians and the Mad as Hell Docs who are heading to Washington. Look at their itinerary on line at: Mad As Hell Docs
That’s why the 18 Montana Democratic Central Committees formed a coalition that would address the lack of response from our Senator. In a progress report Tuesday, the Chair of the Coalition said:

Finally, the Senator was giving his strongest supporters in Montana the attention and respect they deserved and was responding to them face to face (or, at least,phone to phone).

The official response from the Senator’s office to the coalition was:

"Senator Baucus included a public option in his November 2008 White Paper, which is essentially his blueprint for reform and a public option has always been on the table," says a Senate Finance Committee aide. "Senator Baucus has said all along that he wants to hold the insurance companies’ feet to the fire. He believes reform must ensure quality affordable care, lower costs, hold insurance companies accountable and — most importantly — one that will pass the Senate."

Thanks, Celinda, for those great buzzwords.

Both political parties are damaged goods. They are compromised, craven, and are almost non-functioning. The collapse of free market crony capitalism and bailouts of the banksters has made most Americans, left and right, justifiably mad as hell. It is our duty as citizens, community leaders, and citizen journalists to say "Enough". There will be no more business as usual.

Listen to Green Day. "Silence is the Enemy".

Footnote: The Montana Democratic Party Officers Convention is Saturday with cocktails Friday night with Max and Brian. Wish the Coalition luck.