You might remember that a few days ago SEIU members were accused of brutally attacking and beating a man at a town hall meeting. Well, the act was video taped and the video doesn’t bear out that accusation. In fact, at the beginning of the video, there is an SEIU member on the ground with someone standing over him and Gladney, who said he was attacked, appears to be going toward the downed man on the ground when Gladney is shoved aside. Don’t get me wrong, I do not approve of violence, but I also don’t approve of making shit up to demonize the opposition.

For a man “brutally beaten” he sure does jump up quickly, there appears there isn’t a mark on him. And he certainly wasn’t rushed to the hospital as he is up walking around and talking to people. Was Gladney knocked down? Yes he was and he shouldn’t have been. Was he beaten, much less brutally, no he wasn’t.

In the account of the supposedly brutal attack on Gladney no one mentions how the SEIU member ended up on the ground FIRST. That part of the fracas is completely ignored. While Gladney was shoved aside and down it appears it may have been an effort to protect the member on the ground.

But, the most ironic part of the whole thing, Gladney’s lawyer puts out this statement:

Gladney did not address Saturday’s crowd of about 200 people. His attorney, David Brown, however, read a prepared statement Gladney wrote. “A few nights ago there was an assault on my liberty, and on yours, too.” Brown read. “This should never happen in this country.”

Supporters cheered. Brown finished by telling the crowd that Gladney is accepting donations toward his medical expenses. Gladney told reporters he was recently laid off and has no health insurance. SOURCE

Excuse me? He’s taking donations for his health care because he’s uninsured? Yet, he’s there protesting health care reform? In my opinion, Mr. Gladney has a lot more problems than whatever minor injuries he received in the scuffle, he needs his head examined. It’s amazing how Republicans manage to convince so many people to vote against their own best interests in favor of the best interests of big corporations.

Here’s a clue for the clueless…..a jar at the local mini-mart for donations to a cancer patient is NOT a health care plan. Taking up donations from a duped crowd who foolishly believe Gladney was beaten is NOT a health care plan.

Watch the video and ask yourself WHY did the right wing bloggers make up a story of a brutal beating even saying Gladney was rushed to the hospital for his injuries. Ask yourself, too, who loses if the health insurance industry wins. And please consider the fact that, (unless little purple fairies rule your world), you could be the next person to have that little jar on a counter with a sign begging for donations so you can get the treatment that might save your life.

UPDATE:

For one, Brown said, contrary to recent reports like this one from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Gladney wasn’t laid off and has health insurance. “He’s just unemployed,” says Brown, and “has insurance through his wife.”

Although Brown initially identified Gladney as “a friend,” when I asked him what line of work Gladney is in, he had to go ask Gladney about that before he could report back to me that about a year ago, Gladney worked for an optical store. Brown said he thinks Gladney’s wife is a social worker, but he’s really not sure.

Meanwhile, though Gladney appears to be just fine in the video right after he was supposedly beaten up, he showed up the next day at a tea party event in a wheelchair. At the event, Bill Hennessy, the organizer of the St. Louis tea parties, asked the crowd to donate money to Gladney to help him pay for his injuries, despite the fact that he now says he has insurance. When I asked Brown about this, he said: “Well, who doesn’t need a donation? If people want to give him a donation because he’s injured and unemployed, that’s up to them.” Brown said Gladney has raised about $1,100 in donations so far.
Brown also told me that Gladney is not a conservative activist. He was just selling the 18th-century patriotic resistance flags to try to make some extra money. Brown said Gladney plans to sue both the individuals he says attacked him and the SEIU, since the “attackers” were wearing union T-shirts and “unions have a 100-year history of intimidation.”SOURCE

If this is a true account then this guy is not uninsured and is taking donations for fake injuries. Unbelievable.