House Speaker Pelosi said something today that expressed this deep seated unease I have about the level of hostility being shown towards the health care reform and president Obama. She says it's reminiscent of the violent gay rights battle in San Francisco in the 1970's, the one that resulted in the assassination of Harvey Milk and George Moscone. I am concerned about the level of anger and hate in comments made by critics, including the statement "You lie!" when Obama was addressing congress. Pelosi points out that inciting anger through such comments in the general population may lead to violence, as it did in San Francisco. As I've followed the debates over health care reform, as well as other actions by the Obama administration, I get the sense the debate is going to escalate as people gain momentum, and not only is it dividing us as country, but I worry about the actions of less stable folks. Pelosi thinks that being allowed to speak your mind is a great thing, but also that people need to take responsibility for how their words and actions might influence others. Keep the debate civil and factual people!
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Pelosi speaks
