The left is trying to turn Kenneth Gladney, who was beaten up by union thugs for protesting health care nationalization, into a poster child for health care nationalization, after reports the Gladney doesn’t have health insurance. That’s pretty much the definition of chutzpah.
Plus, it appears it’s not even true. An article in the Washington Independent that is generally unfriendly to Gladney reports that he does have insurance. It looks as though the St. Louis Post-Dispatch saw that Gladney was collecting money to defray his medical expenses and jumped to conclusions. (Medical treatment can be expensive even with insurance.)
POSTSCRIPT: Incidentally, I think it’s a mistake to make too much of a hero out of Gladney. We don’t know much about him (although, if Joe “the Plumber” Wurzelbacher’s experience is any guide, we soon will). Also, it’s not clear how seriously he was injured, really. But whoever he is, it’s not okay for union thugs to jump him. That’s where the focus needs to be.
POST-POSTSCRIPT: My own personal experience suggests that this is not uncommon where union toughs are in attendance. Shortly before the 1992 election, I participated in a protest of Bill Clinton during a campaign stop in Pittsburgh. I was threatened and a friend of mine was attacked. (My friend was okay; the attack took place right in front of a police officer who quickly broke it up.)
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