The Rise In Militias: Palin's "Rallymen" Coming Home To Roost!

According to wikipedia.com, a town hall meeting is "an informal public meeting derived from the traditional town meetings of New England. Similarly to those meetings, everybody in a community is invited to attend, voice their opinions, and hear the responses from public figures and elected officials, although attendees rarely vote on an issue."

It sounds so...civilized, doesn't it? Certainly the furthest description from some of the meetings occurring this month. The rhetoric is misinformed and extremely crude, the people unabashedly unruly and the discourse has turned into a scream-fest against something. (Sidenote: ever noticed that the screamer is always against something, but never for anything?).

I'm afraid to say this, but these meetings are beginning to look like Sarah Palin's old campaign rallies. And from her latest rhetoric, it looks like she's enjoying the honor: her take on health care gave her the chance to coin the phrase "death panel." She also stated:

Rep. Michele Bachmann highlighted the Orwellian thinking of the president’s health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel..."

What she really proved to the public, however, was that she didn't write her statement. Can you imagine Sarah Palin (much less Michele Bachmann) using the term "Orwellian"?

No. I didn't think so either.

Of course, she's got the GOP's clown (sorry) crown prince Michael Steele in her corner, she has the conservative seal of approval:

When you’re talking about panels that are going to be imposed, that will be making life and death decisions, that will be making decisions about whether or not you get health care or don’t receive health care. I think that’s perfectly appropriate. (On Fox News with

So what hath Sarah Palin and her "Rallymen" (hey, I can coin a term too!) wrought? The feeling is something akin to a Pandora's box of hatred and bigotry: idiotic "birthers," Christofascists and now - militias.

From Southern Poverty Law Center:

One federal agency estimates that 50 new militia training groups have sprung up in less than two years. Sales of guns and ammunition have skyrocketed amid fears of new gun control laws, much as they did in the 1990s.

The situation has many authorities worried. Militiamen, white supremacists, anti-Semites, nativists, tax protesters and a range of other activists of the radical right are cross-pollinating and may even be coalescing. In the words of a February report from law enforcement officials in Missouri, a variety of factors have combined recently to create "a lush environment for militia activity."

"Variety of factors," like an African American President who "pals around with terrorists" and proposes a health care plan that is "downright evil."

Yesterday, a town hall scene was broadcast of a woman being taken away by security from a town hall meeting. However, according to the cameraman of this video:

This is what actually happened at the event. The news only showed the woman being escorted away by the police. What happened was the women walked in with signs, the crowd booed and yelled at the women. The women rolled up their posters and put them down. A photographer/reporter approached the woman on the end and wanted to see what the poster was. As the woman went to show the photographer/reporter what the poster was, a man from the bleachers stood up and snatched the poster from the woman and photographer/reporter. As the woman went to retrieve her poster the police stepped in and escorted the woman and the man from the building.

The poster was not of Obama, it was not pro health care, the poster that was taken from the woman and wrinkled up into a ball was of Rosa Parks.

From an argument over an unknown poster to the rise of militias, the country is witnessing a path to civil war, riots, or anarchy.

Who will fire the first shot? My money's on a wacked out right-wingnut.