Today at the GOTV Rally for Ron Kind at the UW-La Crosse Campus, the LaCrosseWatchDog tried to ask our congressman why he wouldn't meet with us when we were in Wash DC last Oct, 2009 to protest the ObamaCare law. Ron Kind immediately becomes agitated and tries to grab and push the camera away from the LaCrosseWatchDog blogger. Ron Kind had the option of walking away. Instead, he crossed the line by creating a physical altercation. Watch Ron Kind Becoming UnKind below.
Message From Blogger Who Asked Ron Kind The Question:
As described in the video, I went to Washington D.C. last October to protest passage of the health care bill during the second of two rallies in opposition to this monstrosity. This event was the one spearheaded by MN Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann. I spent two days in the Capitol, with thousands of others, visiting various offices including my own Congressional Representative, Ron Kind. On both visits to the office, I was told that the Congressman was unavailable. Apparently, some of the elite in Congress are not too inclined to meet with those they purport to represent - even when this constituent travels half-way across the country to be heard on a major bill of great importance. Of course, the Legislature entirely ignored and dismissed the overwhelming popular opposition to this grotesque bill, along with other horrendous legislation. Let's be sure they NO LONGER HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO IGNORE US AGAIN !
You can clearly see from the video, I was NOT in Ron Kind's face at any point. I respected his personal space, and was even quite discreet, holding the camera close to my body below my left chest. He had to REACH OUT an arm's length to make contact with me and my camera. He did this only after being told that the health care bill was bad legislation - a policy disagreement. He attempted to enforce his request for "courtesy" with a very UNcourteous physical aggression.
This was NOT a matter of "gotcha journalism" or a fishing for 15 min of fame on you-tube. I had sincere and serious questions for my representative about his conspicuous unavailability and he refused to give any explanation for his elusiveness. We posted this video NOT to draw attention not to ourselves or lacrossewatchdogs, but to expose the elite attitude and hostility displayed from a PUBLIC SERVANT toward a constituent. Lacrossewatchdogs does not exist to seek fortune and fame, but to fill the void left by the main stream media in covering news and holding public officials accountable - the PRIMARY purpose and responsibility of the press. .
This is the latest example in a series of incidencts where Ron Kind and his supporters (UW-La Crosse Administration, League of Women Voters, and WXOW 19) have done everything they could to stop the LaCrosseWatchDog from filming him. They even went as far as to have one of us arrested for simply showing a video camera at a recent debate before it had started. Ron Kind had the option of walking away. Instead, he crossed the line by creating a physical altercation.
