You win again, reality

You know, I had a nice little idea for a Broken in Brief piece. It was called "Man brandishing assault rifle at Presidential speech not sure why everyone thinks he's a lunatic". But then stupid reality has to cut in front of me at the buffet line and walk away with all the stuff I wanted to feast on.

One sight was perhaps a little unnerving to those in charge of making sure everybody remains on their best behavior.

A man, who decided not to give his name, was walking around the pro-health care reform rally at Third and Washington streets, with a pistol on his hip and an AR-15 (a semi-automatic assault weapon) on a strap over his shoulder.

"Because I can do it," he said when asked why he was armed. "In Arizona, I still have some freedoms."

Two police officers were staying very close to the man.

Yes, because the most 'extra free with special freedom eagle sauce on top' way to express your freedom and your anger over the prospect that you might get health care coverage or cheaper health care coverage is......to walk around carrying a rifle at a Presidential speech. But it's not like he was alone, there were a dozen people at this particular speech carrying firearms. There's no possibility that this will ever turn bad. I mean what could possibly go wrong when a bunch of people who believe the President is an illegal Kenyan interloper trying to kill their loved ones with government controlled health care, who are also carrying around guns openly in an attempt to intimidate everyone around them with a differing opinion, get involved with heated political protests outside a Presidential speech?

It is surprising that one side is bringing ideas about how we can get better health care and the other side is bringing conspiracy theories and tactical assault weaponry. But then again "it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." But hey, I'm not expecting a man who regards the possibility of cheap health care the final assault on his freedom to recognize that kind of prescient understanding on the part of Mombasa Barry. Where were these people when actual freedoms were being threatened?