Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on August 25, 2009

The recent town hall meeting in Clark County, Washington had more than the usual flare-ups about ObamaCare with a Marine veteran challenging a member of Congress. The first two videos below are about that town hall meeting and retired Marine David Hedrick’s and Rep. Brian Baird’s encounter.

Marine vet David Hedrick’s, YouTube summary:

I, David William Hedrick, a member of the silent majority, decided that I was not going to be silent anymore. So, I let U.S. Congressman Brian Baird have it. I was one questioner out of 38 that was called at random from an audience that started at 3,000 earlier in the evening.

Not expecting to be called on, I quickly scratched what I wanted to say on a borrowed piece of paper and with a pen that I borrowed from someone else in the audience minutes before I spoke. So much for the planned talking points of the right wing conspiracy.

Clark County, Washington Town Hall Meeting: U.S. Congressman Brian Baird & Marine Veteran David Hedrick

I fervently hope that this young man won’t be vilified like Joe the Plumber was by the MSM for having the audacity to ask his congressman if he intended to uphold the oath he swore to honor.

FOX: Interview with David Hedrick, Marine Vet who took on Congressman Baird (D-WA, District 03) of Washington State

This last video with Congressman Brian Baird troubles me. He is a licensed clinical psychologist who has served in Congress for several decades. Because of his background in both counseling and politics, he should know better than making wildly groundless, erroneous claims as he does in the video. His claim is greatly offensive to all people who attend town hall protests. I consider his remark to be particularly dangerous, because it indicates a hostility for and irrational bigotry towards many of his constituents.

Rep. Baird, to the best of my ability of research, never met nor spoke with Timothy McVeigh, so has no evidence to support his claim that people are saying at town hall protests is “eerily reminiscent of the kind of things that drove Tim McVeigh to bomb the federal building in Oklahoma.” And how exactly does Baird know what “drove Tim McVeigh” to being a part of the 1995 OKC terrorist attack, having not ever interviewed or evaluated him? Utter arrogance and deliberate smearing of your constituents, Mr. Baird, because you do NOT know what drove McVeigh, or what drove the other murderous terrorists that McVeigh partnered with, to do what they did.

Reprehensible Comparison: Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA-03) accuses protesters of driving people to violence like Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh

Timothy McVeigh had many psychological and sociological problems, and far worse than the “eerie echoes of protests” that Baird cites was McVeigh’s complicated views of people, of his upset over the massacres at Waco and Ruby Ridge, of his anger that the government not adhering to the principles in the US Constitution, and of his gradual seduction into the grandiose bombing plan by his partners in terror. It was not an overnight decision, but one that McVeigh eventually decided was the correct course of action. While he had claimed he wasn’t a loner, he did keep to himself much of his life. The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995, marked the second anniversary of the Waco Siege, a significant date for McVeigh.

By his own admission, McVeigh’s de-evolution into a cold-blooded terrorist (although he never considered himself that) was gradual and complicated. Excerpt from Time Magazine interview with Timothy McVeigh, 1996:

“I don’t think there is any way to narrow my personality down and label me as one thing or another as many people have being trying to do. That’s what they try to do with the psychological profiling, with the handwriting, et cetera, et cetera, and it’s all pretty much a pseudo-science that I really laugh at when I read. I’m just like anyone else. Movies I enjoy would be action-adventure movies, comedies, sci-fi movies and shows. I can talk to almost anybody. The big misconception is that I’m a loner. Well, I believe in having my own space and being on my own sometimes. But, that in no way means that I’m a loner, which the press likes to equate with an introvert. That’s a complete misconception. Women, social life. I like women (chuckle). I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.”

A group of clinical psychologists can determine, but without consensus, any number of similarities between all radical psychopathic murderers who blow up a federal building filled with government workers and small children inside. It is doubtful that exercising one’s right to freedom of speech and government dissension is one of the primary ones.

Baird’s fallacious conclusion, with no apparent evidence, could also be drawn on any number of other universal preferences… enjoying cheeseburgers, being a dog person, being afraid of snakes, watching the TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation. McVeigh liked Star Trek: The Next Generation, so claiming that all people who like watching Star Trek: The Next Generation bear an eerie resemblance to murderer McVeigh demonstrates blatantly flawed logic. It’s obvious to most observers that liking the same TV show is inconclusive or utter nonsense to be a predictor of violent behavior.

However, conclusions using this flawed process are not so obvious when it involves ideologies, faith, demographics, philosophies, military background, or other deeper issues.

The Star Trek similarity would be quickly dismissed as laughable. Not so if the “similarities” being evaluated by a statist involve conservatism, Christianity or Catholicism, socio-economic or a military background. This capricious line of reasoning and conclusion-drawing is stepping upon a dangerous road of phony science, bigotry, and witch-hunting. It lacks any scientific or quantifiable evidence. It’s irresponsible for an elected politician such as Baird to spread such a groundless rumor anywhere, let alone on national television.

I want to be fair to Congressman Baird, and not label him a left-wing extremist with a socialist mentality. However, people who “jump the shark” in comparing the actions and speech of law-abiding Americans at a government protest to those murderous, heinous, evil actions of Oklahoma City bomber McVeigh, based on pure speculation and/or an arrogant diagnosis with no evidence or statistical facts, are usually left-wing extremists with a socialist mentality.

And frankly, to jump to such biased, unjustified conclusions raises the question if that politician—any politician—is suitable to be a servant of the people. ALL the people.

Related reading:
Arlenearmy’s Blog: Oklahoma Townhall Meeting: Elderly Concerns About Mandated “End-Of-Life” Counseling
Ohiobelle: Thank You David William Hedrick!!
Evan Sayet, Big Hollywood: My Day At the Doctor
Fire Andrea Mitchell!: David William Hedrick – Marine Corp Veteran destroys Brian Baird at townhall
Obi’s Sister: Fun With Numbers, Semper Fi, and Trog Gets a Nod
Track-A-’Crat: Another Health Care Victim
Gateway Pundit: Socialist Maxine Waters Blasts “Neanderthal” Opposition to Obamacare
Let Freedom Ring: The Death Book for Veterans
Lisaintx’s Blog: Born to be Free
Gary Graham, Big Hollywood: Yes We Canadian! — The Public Option
Nice Deb: ObamaCare AARP “Listening Session” Organizers Refuse To Listen To Members’ Concerns
Leaning Straight Up: Debating the debate about the debates or something…a quick round up of insanity
Sister Toldjah: Maxine Waters: You’re a “Neanderthal” if you don’t support the public option
YankMcCain: Recess Rally Updates
POLITISITE: Politics from the RIGHT Side of the WEBAARP has not endorsed H.R. 3200, nor any comprehensive health reform bill from the Congress or administration.
CNN Politics: McCain: Health care reform has sparked a ‘peaceful revolt’
Right Pundits: Obama AARP Endorsement Claim: Not Exactly Correct
NEOAVATARA: Obama’s Health Care Townhall
Stop The ACLU: The Point Of A Public Option Is To Create Competition?
Iowahawk, Big Hollywood: Wake Up, Mrs. Petrowski
Scott’s Slant on Politics: David Hedrick asks Congressman Brian Baird the right questions and The AARP has betrayed its members
Gerald Warner, Telegraph: Legal outsourced suicide for Britons would be a decline into Netherlands-style degeneracy
The Powers That Be: Obama May Visit Kennedy to Breathe New Life Into Obamacare
CNN Politics: America ‘traumatized’ by health-care debate, key Democrat says
Behind Blue Lines: How About Those “Death Panels”?
Goodtimepolitics: Young Americans Abandon Obama During Healthcare Fight and If Sarah Palin’s dim and Obama is brilliant, how did he lose the argument to her? and The Dirty Dozen: 12 New Obama Administration Policies That Undermine Civil Society
VotingFemale Speaks!: Obama to Baby Boomers; Don’t Fear the Reaper – Death by ObamaCare Rationing and Obama v Palin; Obama Blinks; Ready to drop ‘Public Option’; Way to Go Sarah! and Socialists: My Way or the Highway; Will Go it Alone to Force ObamaCare; Can You Spell Obama Waterloo?
The Daley Gator: ObamaCare is unconstitutional
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Fascist Nightmare: Obama’s Back Room Deals with Big Pharma… Obama’s Relationship with Drug Companies Exposed (video) and Nearing the Socialist Rat Hole… Obama’s Radical Past: Sean Hannity’s Disturbing POTUS Exposé (6-part video) and No Chaos at Oklahoma Townhall Meeting on ObamaCare: Sen. Coburn Addresses “End of Life” Question and San José, California Protest… Protest Outside Sen. Barbara “Don’t Call Me Ma’am” Boxer’s Book Signing at Barnes & Noble and San Francisco’s Pelosi, Feinstein, Boxer Refuse to Host ObamaCare Town Hall Meetings… Citizens Will Hold Their Own Mock Town Hall Meeting and Candle Vigil (UPDATE: Boxer’s Book Tour) and Trojan Horses and Bold-Faced Lies: Obama’s Own Words on Eliminating Private Health Insurance (video)
Michelle Malkin: Rep. Melissa Bean [Illinois] charging $25 entrance fee to town hall and Pretty sneaky, Congresswoman Bean and Wild Misrepresentation Watch: Obama lies about AARP endorsement and Axelrod’s profits: Uh, who’s on the take from the drug lobby again?!?!
Scared Monkeys: So are These Folks Senior Thugs and Nazis Too? AARP: “Do you work for us or do we work for you?”
Ztower: Seems Sarah Palin Was Right…President Obama’s Appointee, Ezekiel Emanuel, Yes – Rahm’s Brother, Thinks Doctors Take The Hippocratic Oath Too Seriously And Medical Care Should Be Reserved For The “Non-Disabled.” Well, Mr. President?
The Substratum: White House Using Twitter and Facebook To Spread Lies About ObamaCare And What You Can Do About It – New Petition From ACLJ
Founding Bloggers: Malkin: “In Obama World, Some Health Care Industry Ties Are Less Suspect Than Others.”

Categories: Bless Our Troops, Government, Health, Social and Political Climate, Videos, Audio Files
Tags: Brian Baird, Congress, Constitution, David Hedrick, David William Hedrick, government-run health care, health care, Marine, nationalized health care, ObamaCare, OKC bomber, Oklahoma City bomber, radical, Rep. Brian Baird, socialized health care, tea parties, tea party, Timothy McVeigh, town hall, town hall protest, universal health care, video, Washington, YouTube