Scene outside Stuart health care forum turns to shouts, spitting
by Cara Fitzpatrick | August 18th, 2009STUART — What began as a semi-friendly discussion outside a health care forum tonight quickly turned ugly with nearly a dozen people shouting at each other and one spitting on another.
Everett Wilkinson, chairman of the anti-tax South Florida Tea Party, found himself the unsuspecting victim of a spittle attack just minutes after joining the argument.
The altercation had begun with just two people having a semi-friendly discussion outside tonight’s health care forum at Indian River State College’s Chastain campus on Salerno Road. U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Tequesta, is holding the forum inside The Wolf High-Technology Center.
Trying to make himself heard as proponents and opponents yelled about socialized medicine, Wilkinson raised his arms over his head and shouted: “It’s a great flight to Cuba!”
He turned then and found himself in the middle of an already heated argument between two men. One of the men questioned whether the second man, who was wearing a camouflage jacket, was a veteran.
The second man stepped up to the first and yelled: “I joined after Sept. 11. Do you remember Sept. 11, you ***?!”
Wilkinson and another man, John Fels, of Port St. Lucie, tried to intervene, fending off shoves from the man in camo. Both turned to leave, but the man followed and spit on Wilkinson’s arm.
Deputies arrived just as the crowd split up.
“It’s pretty sad that we can’t have discussion,” Wilkinson said.
Where's the money? Use The Post's interactive database of who wants and who's getting federal dollars.
Use these interactive graphics to find and contact Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast legislators.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:17 pm
Wow, what a bunch of nuts. These folks need to calm down, stop the insane posturing, and look at the facts. Especially with the Palinesque “Death Panels”. I don’t know where I stand yet…the message remains foggy at best, but I do know this: Medicare needs serious reform. Currently, Seniors are entitled to unlimited medical care. A 90 year old senile woman can receive millions in tax payer monies to keep her alive an extra year. Of course I love my grandparents and folks, but this is the worst example of runaway, bloated government. There is no bottomless pot of money, and someone has to make difficult decisions soon. The question, of course, is who. I may not have the highest degree of trust in my elected representiives, but I trust them more than I trust health care executives. Governments are accountable to the electorate. Corporations are accountable to the shareholders. Who do you trust MORE?
August 18th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Palin was right. The Senate took the death panel out. They did not call it a death panel, but it was. They took it out like 3 days ago. The feds cant run cash for clunkers, medicade or medicare and we want to turn over the whole thing to them? What are we thinking as Democrats? Even our President said the post office cant get anything right. He said the private companies like Fed Ex and UPS are great examples.
I am sorry I voted for Obama. I will not do again. I just hope he does not ruin our party for years or decades to come. I agree we cannot keep spending, both parties are guilty.
We are going to protest the whole government on 9-12-09 in Washington DC.
I cannot believe our own party attacking regular people in person, on TV and in the town halls.
August 19th, 2009 at 11:15 am
I am really tired of hearing about how the “cash for clunkers” program failed. It worked perfectly. The program was designed to run out of its first allocation as a trail run…with $2 billion in reserves to use if it worked. It did and the reserve money was allocated. It ran exactly as it was supposed to. Look at the news today…a car plant was re-opened and more are expected.
Our country’s biggest problem…we are lazy and form our opinions based on 30-second sound bites created by well paid pundits on FAUX News.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:38 am
[...] foes have accused him of being afraid to face his constituents on an issue that has sparked some heated exchanges as well as some viral video in other congressional districts this summer. But Klein, who drew about [...]