Photo Essay: Heroes Fighting for Single Payer Arrested in Philly For Civil Disobedience

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By Rob Kall (about the author) Page 1 of 2 page(s)

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For OpEdNews: Rob Kall - Writer

All across America, protesters are ramping up the fight for real, solid healthcare reform-- single payer-- by protesting and engaging in civil disobedience. Over 100 have been arrested in the past weeks. I witnessed and documented the protest and arrest of 13 demostrators at the Philadelphia Blue Cross Blue Shield headquarters in center city Philly.

The Dems seem to be on a path to giving a gift to the health insurance industry, selling out America in the process of trying to sell we the people a weak public option at best. So we need to keep on fighting for single payer.

The protest started on the street in front of the building. Not a bad building for a non-profit-- like OpEdNEws is a non-profit too. Looks more like a multi-billion dollar corporation to me.

The street protests lasted for about 45-60 minutes. Some SDS members were banging real and improvised from paint-bucket drums.

There were tons of police there, uniformed and the plain clothes Civil Affairs Unit team.

I had a chance to meet, briefly, the protesters who were planning to engage in civil disobedience. It felt good to be able to claim that OpEdnews probably has more content items on universal single payer than any other site-- well over 1000
Here are some of the OEN tags they are listed under.

Health Care Universal - Single Payer (622)
Health Care Costs (613)
Healthcare Reform (518)
Health Care Establishment (456)
Health Care Benefits (417)
Health Care Socialized-Nationalized (401)
Health Insurance (401)
Single-payer (240)
Health Care HMOs- PPOs- Insurance- Etc
Health Policy Failures (234)
Health Insurance Deprived (227)
Health Insurance Horror Stories (110)

Eight of 13 protesters who later engaged in Civil Disobedience

BC/BS employees were watching the protesters. They were nice people, but for all we know, they may work on death panels or may be the people who inform patients that their treatments or meds aren't covered... the first time, until a doctor or lawyer calls, or a TV show intervenes and they reverse their position. Of course, we know that only a small percentage fight for reimbursement. Many just take that first no. Or maybe they just handle claims or questions from doctors. But they make a living working for a company that is fighting for health care reform that will save lives. The protesters should also have been carrying signs saying things like.

This Company Has Death Panels

This Company Issues Death
Decrees and Kills People.

This Company Destroys Families
(makes them go bankrupt)

When anti-abortion, "pro-live" protesters protest at family planning centers, they carry signs and verbally go after employees. There's something to learn from them.

Then, the demonstrators moved the protest off the city streets to the area in front of the BC/BS headquarters.

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Rob Kall is executive editor, publisher and site architect of OpEdNews.com, Host of the Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show (WNJC 1360 AM), President of Futurehealth, Inc, (more...)

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.

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