They're being used

To all who descend on town hall meetings to foment confusion, all you courageous birthers, deathers and truthers: Thank you for your passion and your patriotism.

You ought, however, to check the truthfulness of those who encourage you. Your passion and patriotism are being used and abused by talking heads who, when pinned down on their lies, blame the very people they have whipped up. ("Wasn't me. Was the people. All I did was reflect their will.") These folks believe that you are not only passionate and patriotic and proud, but also dumb as a fence post. They count on your outrage to be so incendiary that you won't stop to question anything they tell you.

You are being fed deliberate, easily countered lies. You are being set up as loose cannons who will destroy the very programs that will help you and yours the most.

Check the Factcheck.org Web site. Check out what the AARP says about the proposed health bill. No computer? Ask any librarian! He or she will be thrilled to help you! Don't wait until your great-grandkids see your picture in their history book in a chapter about "attack goobers."

KATHERINE E. WATTAM
Bellevue