I've been mostly a silent participant in these discussions so far, but I have to say that as an outsider I find it bizarre that so many people are opposed to something so basic and fundamental as universal healthcare. Perhaps other non-US members have different opinions, though.
I find myself wondering how opinions break down in terms of immigrants or US citizens who've spent time living abroad. Y'know, people who've experienced such systems in action.
Also, I miss Ustwo. It's been a long time since he's told me that the healthcare system I rely on is in a perpetual state of near-collapse.
As for the sign, not being an American citizen and being only passingly familiar with your history, I had to look up the quote in question. What I found was this:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Thomas Jefferson
The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
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Taken in the context of some of the rhetoric swirling around President Obama, this seems like a pretty clear message to me; I doubt he's calling for the blood of patriots to be spilled. Adding the gun in that context is a bit of an odd choice on his part -- perhaps he was hoping that the secret service agents would be as poor history students as I am.
The whole thing is merely an aside, though.