Taking Direct Action to the Max (Updated)

It is unknown just what exactly Leeland Eisenberg meant by “insurance” problem, how active he was in trying to help people with this “insurance” problem, and just how calculated this action was. Since he is characterized as a “mentally unstable” individual in the press releases published all over the Internet, it is entirely possible this was alcoholism or psychosis rearing its ugly head. However, I wonder why more Americans aren’t engaging in actions of this nature.

One man, Leeland Eisenberg, stood up for America today. He may not have known it. He may not have realized what he was doing. But he did bring attention to a plague that has infected Americans all over: insurance.

An excerpt from the press release reads:

According to police, the drama began shortly before 1 p.m., when the man walked into the office and peeled back his jacket to reveal what appeared to be a bomb duct-taped to his chest. He took several hostages, but let a woman with an infant go immediately.

Eisenberg had a hostage call CNN three times and spoke to network staffers during the standoff, CNN reported after the ordeal was over and all the hostages were safe. Eisenberg said he wanted help getting psychiatric care, but had been turned away because he didn't have the money.

''I need to speak to Hillary Clinton,'' CNN quoted him as saying. ''Something's got to change. Ordinary people need help'' with their insurance.

The network described Eisenberg as ''well-spoken, articulate and impassioned about his cause'' but increasingly agitated. His third phone call was laced with profanities, CNN said.

After trying to phone or email all the candidates, I can understand how road flares may be the only possible way to convey the urgency of some of the messages we are trying to get across to these Democratic candidates who we so much wish to believe will stop being tools for the corporate establishment or spineless, gutless, hapless politicians who fail to stand up for the truth, the people, and our Constitution.

Let’s consider the fact that Eisenberg isn’t the only American out there wiling to take these types of direct action. That said, you can see why the politicians and the Bush administration wish for the government to quickly setup a Center for Excellence under the Homegrown Terrorism and Violent Radicalization Act so that Americans like Eisenberg do not get to take direct actions of this nature to bring attention to his or her issue. S. 1959, introduced in the Senate, and H.R. 1955, which passed 404-6 in the House, both put forth in motion plans to institute greater infringements on our civil liberties. When looked at alongside the PATRIOT Act and the Military Commissions Act, Americans must ask themselves the question, “If we let this Homegrown Terrorism bill pass, will we have any civil liberties left?” Americans also must ask, “How much more freedom are we willing to give for so-called ‘safety’?”

So far, not a peep has been heard from presidential candidates running for president with the exception of Democratic Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich who spoke about it in a forum that can be viewed on YouTube. John Nichols was present with Dennis to talk about the Homegrown Terrorism bill too.

Eisenberg seems like a man who was at the end of his rope like many Americans are today. He sought an immediate remedy for a perceived ill. He chose to try and solve a problem major institutions in America are not addressing. Naturally, the next President of the United States was a good choice for making demands in regards to fixing insurance problems in this nation.

But Hillary doesn’t care about people’s insurance woes. And the media will make people not care about Leeland Eisenberg by making him out to seem like a wacko. And Hillary will get off scot-free because...

...People aren’t supposed to care about wackos. They aren't really Americans. At least, they are not Americans the people running our country wish to connect with and understand.

People aren’t supposed to care when people like Mark David “Malachi” Ritscher make “sane” decisions to pour gasoline on themselves and light themselves on fire in the middle of an expressway to make an anti-war statement.

People aren’t supposed to care when Iraqi war veterans commit suicide or kill people because they cannot take it anymore.

 1  |  2