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Hecklers Are Fools
“A fool hath no delight in understanding” -King Solomon
Years ago, I was sitting in a town hall meeting at our local library. The man who represented our congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives was answering questions from his constituents. Most of the meeting was cordial and informative, and then…
A young man, probably at the time in his late twenties or early thirties, stood to make a statement.
After making an extended and lengthy statement and then pausing, the congressman began to respond. The young man then cut him off and railed at him. This went on for a bit. The congressman would try to respond, only to be interrupted and yelled at by this young man.
Finally, a couple of people in the audience called out, “Let him speak!”
To this, the young man turned and started screaming at the audience members.
Everything devolved into “Shut Up!” “You shut up!” “Shut up!”
Our congressman patiently endured this until finally, the young man exhausted what he had to say and left. Then, the meeting resumed.
This happened sometime in the early 2000s — the first decade of this century. It’s only gotten worse since then. I remember thinking then: “If this is where we’re headed politically…
