Man Looses Finger at Health Care Clash: And so it Begins

In a sign that the zombie apocalypse has surely begun, 65 year old William Rice lost a finger today when a confrontation between rival sides of the debate over health care reform turned ugly. While the details of this breaking story are continue to come in, it appears that approximately 100 protesters in support of reform when a counter-demonstrator approached the group and got into a physical altercation that ended with the loss of a pinkie. Rice was rushed to a hospital where he was treated under his Medicare coverage. The violent protester quickly fled the scene and has yet to be identified. According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, the perpetrator could be facing serious jail time if identified and found guilty of the mayhem with a sentence that could range from two to eight years.

On a positive note, at least we now know why people were showing up to the debates so heavily armed.

In a nationwide debate that seems to be bringing out the worst in just about everyone, today's violence is the escalation of a bizarre (evolution) of a deepening social rift over the subject of health care reform. In recent weeks, we have seen news headlines that describe heavily armed militiamen inexplicably showing up to health care town hall meetings with rifles, handguns and even semiautomatic weapons, exercising their Constitutional right to both bear arms and confuse the hell out of everybody, evidently. As Obama failed to present a clear plan for health care reform and pundits on both sides of the debate ratchet up their rhetoric, misinformation and fear mongering seem to be ruling the day. Fueling the flames of social discord is the face more and more Americans are becoming entrenched on their side of the issue to the point that they have no understanding of where the other side is even talking about.

The timing of this bizarre story coincides with Obama's announcement that he will be present a clear plan for health care reform and will addressing both congress and the nation to try to clear up the confusion. Hopefully, he will take advantage of the power of the bully pulpit to take some of the power away from those who benefit from panic and fear. It's time for our leaders and our media to say that people need to just pull themselves together and calm the hell down.

Video (caution:graphic):

http://www.mofopolitics.com/2009/09/03/video-mans-finger-bitten-off-by-obama-supporter-at-health-care-town-hall/

Sources:

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hAkLGsyNutX4LzUQhcc2zUSHXqYgD9AFU16O0
http://blogs.abcnews.com/george/2009/09/health-reform-opponents-finger-bitten-off-.html