Another Week, Another Town Hall. Ho Hum.

Last night I went to Brian Baird, my own congressman's, town hall. Due to family obligations, I had to miss the one here in my own city, so I had to drive a few miles to the south and attend the town hall in the next county over.

Of course there was someone from "the other side" taking names ... in a way -- she demanded of everyone coming through the door where they lived. My buddy Ralph told her he lived in Thurston County, "which is part of the Third Congressional District" he added, as a reminder to the neandethals living in Lewis County that they are not the center of the universe. In return he got a sneer that silently called him a carpetbagger. Or worse.

I just uttered a guttural "third district" and pushed past her. Somewhat to her surprise and chagrin, it appeared.

The town hall, by the way, was held in the auditorium of the local community college, which, surprisingly, is now the home of the controversial "Twelve Labors of Hercules" mural. The mural, an almost-abstract study in black and white, adorned the state House of Representatives chamber for a number of years. Until the Republicans took over the state government and then, in true form, found the murals "pornographic" and draped them. After almost ten years, the community college in Centralia adopted them and now they are on display there.

So it was good to see them again, still alive, after all these years.

I think the steam is running out of the opposition. Since Lewis County is the home of that infamous Uncle Sam billboard and is top heavy with NRA guns-n-god wackos, I really expected more in the way of wingnut craziness -- you know, this health care proposal goes against the constitution, Obama is out to enslave us, the Democrats are gonna take away our goddam guns, blah blah blah. But by and large, even though the knuckledraggers outnumbered the smart people about 4 to 1, the crowd was pretty well-behaved.

Damn it. I was hoping for some of that good old fashioned fascist-thug-shouting-down-the-opposition stuff.