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Thursday, September 08, 2011

The Rotary Club and Paul Ryan: Low-Brow and Self-Serving

Paul Ryan was on the hotseat at the Whitnall Park Rotary Luncheon where the general public was invited to pay $15 to hear him speak. After opening his speech with "I'm a Federal guy and ...we have a debt crisis," which was his way of saying "keep district issues out of this," at least a dozen brave citizen heroes angry over local joblessness immediately called the congressman out on his tax cuts/debt crisis voodoo economics and demanded to hear about his job proposals. Well, he has none. But the anger was right at the surface for many and in some cases boiled right over.

Unfazed by their hardship, Ryan continued, "Most of our debt in the future comes from our entitlement programs," when suddenly a brave new world senior couldn't resist any more bullshit from the detached and emotionally cold congressman and spoke out, "Hey! What is this you're trying to pull?"

Watch it:



After the senior is tackled and taken to the floor, the immature congressman then mocks the man's predicament "I hope he's taking his blood pressure medication," which gets a hearty "ho, ho" laugh from the disappointingly low-brow Rotarian crowd. The fact that Rotary club members seem to think it’s funny to crack jokes about 71 year-olds being tackled to the ground for daring to speak their mind to the congressman is simply disgusting. We already knew Paul Ryan has no shame, but the Rotary Club? This definitely raises some questions about this once proud and benevolent institution.

Rotary Foundation Mission statement:
The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.

The Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world.

Rotary officials should have made some effort to stand with their invited guests and make some adjustments allowing each a minute or two to speak to the congressman. That would have gone a long way to lowering the temperature. Plus, it's not like any of this came as a surprise. They knew well in advance this luncheon with the embattled congressman could be rough around the edges. Instead they threw their mission statement in the trash can and became intolerant and combative.

Ryan pretty much jokes and shrugs his way through the rest of the luncheon. Apparently, he thinks he can propose legislation straight out of anti-American Ayn Rand's dark fictional world of labor exploitation, wealth worship and selfishness, and decent compassionate Americans are expected to take it all laying down with smiles on their faces. Rotary Club members too have seemingly abandoned their mission statement for the sake of a few dollars. Shame on them.

Very sad indeed.

Lots more below:

Politicusa - Constituents arrested for asking questions at Paul Ryan Luncheon

Uppity Wisconsin - 71 Year Old handcuffed and arrested at Paul Ryan meeting

Blogging Blue - Paul Ryan Trilogy

DailyKos - Paul Ryan Takes A Cheap Shot At An Elderly Man

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

5 Kicked Out and 3 Arrested at Paul Ryan Town Hall For Asking Questions

http://www.politicususa.com/en/paul-ryan-town-hall-arrest

I have at this time filed a complaint with International Rotary and the Whitenall Park Rotary Club and I can only encourage all who are concerned about the US Constitution, Freedom of Speech and the treasonous overreach of these NEOCON SLUGS to do the same.

There much be Rotary members reading this thread so please bring this issue up with the Rotary Leadership.

Anonymous said...

Let me get this straight... If any member of the audience decides to take over the program, he or she should have been given a minute or two to bloviate at will?

I understand that people don't like Ryan and how he votes. The solution isn't to act like an idiot. The solution is to either run against him or support the person running against him! To do otherwise is anarchy.

Lou Kaye said...

Nobody tried to "take over" a program. Although the Whitnall Park Rotary still tries to pass this off as a private event, they invited the general public. I recall when about two dozen people showed up UNINVITED to a private meeting Sen. Kohl held with the Rotary membership in Janesville during health care reform in 2009 and about two dozen people showed up UNINVITED. The Rotary here made exceptions to the rule and allowed guests in. Nobody was arrested or called stupid because they disrupted the event. Instead of making provisions to accomodate the possibility of angry citizens speaking out against Ryan, Ryan and the Rotary made a pre-determination to have up to 40 police officers and two paddy wagons at the event. Anonymous 9:33 PM, to call disssent, criticism or speaking out of turn against a congressman "anarchy" is ignorant.

Anonymous said...

Try doing the same at an event featuring Barrack Obama. Trust me the Police tackle much lighter than the Secret Service after they have had a few drinks in them. Something the Presidential Detail has been known to do the last four years.

Lou Kaye said...

Rep. Joe Wilson interrupted Obama's SOTU speech with "you lie," he wasn't tackled and arrested. Obama was interrupted during a recent speech in the Rose Garden by a reporter, he wasn't tackled either. Obama is interrupted and heckled quite often actually, just google it. There is a huge difference too between the security for the President and that of a member of congress as there should be. There was no excuse for that man being treated as he was. Ryan should be ashamed of himself.

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