Silly season has turned into mad dog days

OK, a few weeks back I was referring to the Republicans in Congress as silly clowns, and it was as much amusing as it was maddening.

But now the silly season has turned into the mad-dog days of August.

A man came to President Obama's town hall meeting on health care reform in New Hampshire today with a loaded gun strapped to his leg. Not a concealed weapon; he apparently has a permit to carry a gun. Ostensibly exercising his 2nd amendment rights, yes. But he was also carrying a sign that quoted Thomas Jefferson: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time . . . " And the rest of that quote is " . . . with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

Now does anyone else find this ultra frightening? With all the anger out that ginned up by the right wing and the special interests in killing health care, and the paranoia that's coming out of the woodwork and being aimed at Obama -- I find it horrifying.

Chris Matthews took this man to task but could not get anything out of him except that he was there in a totally non-violent capacity; and, as he said, no one was hurt.

The man did not go into the meeting itself, but was on private property in an adjacent parking lot, and made no attempt to go where Obama was. The Secret Service was on the job. They left the man alone, but not for a second did they take their eyes off him. And I'm sure they were poised to act if he so much as reached for it.

I knew there would be opposition to health care reform, but I did not expect the craziness that has nothing to do with discussing the issues and everything to do with politicians distorting the truth, telling outright lies, and then exploiting the resulting anger.

Won't the summer please hurry and be gone. Maybe cooler weather will help.

Ralph