Monday, March 22, 2010

Water cooler chat topic in a secular work place: Lack of civility around Health Care debate

I stayed to cover for a sick co-worker at my second job at the medical center. Other folks were chatting about the name calling, physical aggression and other demonstrations that took place in the weekend run-up to the health care vote. There was genuine shock at the lack of restraint.

Some were upset with the Tea Party/"Kill the Bill" side, but it was pointed out that there were also Democratic Reps and their staffers interrupting Rep. Ryan (R - WI) inside the Chambers - the Chair actually had to "shush" them several times,



And then there's the widely reported shout of "Baby Killer" while Rep. Stupak (D - MI) was trying to speak,



Our national discourse is shot through with intolerance, incivility and anti-intellectualism rationalized under various high sounding categories of speech. It is hard to see how things will not get more chaotic and uglier in America. If it is like this now, consider how we might function under the added pressure of a natural disaster like Katrina, or a terror attack within our borders, or the significant worsening of the economy.

Satan has very successfully disunited the Church, providing no counter example to those already living under the influence of "the world, the flesh and the devil."

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