U.S. Senator Gordon Humphrey spoke at the Hands off Healthcare rally last night in Rochester. Here is what he had to say and below the video is an article from Foster’s reporter Adam Krause.
By Adam D. Krauss
akrauss@fosters.com
ROCHESTER — After a fiery speech slamming the Democrats’ health care legislation, a hush fell over the crowd as former U.S. Sen. Gordon Humphrey prepared to read from the Declaration of Independence.
He had been railing against the "growing lawlessness and tyranny on the part of those in Congress," the threat posed by the legislation and the "Chicago-style politics and King George-style tyrants" ruining the land.
By now some in the crowd, who had come out for a "Hands Off My Health Care" rally, were at the edge of their seats, and the former senator had been speaking with such force he was eliciting shouts of "Amen!" from the audience.
"Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed," Humphrey read from the Declaration before sending a message to President Barack Obama.
"We will not consent, Mr. President! We will not consent!"
The crowd of about 100 couldn’t withhold its approval any longer. Across the function hall of the city’s Elks Lodge, chairs began to get pushed aside as people got on their feet, whistling and hollering and clamoring for more from this two-term Republican senator, who served from 1979 to 1990.
He had promised them he wouldn’t hold back.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to say some things today that you wouldn’t expect to hear from a former United States senator but these are dark times," he said at the outset of his remarks. "These are dangerous times. These are, as it was once said 250 years ago, times that try men’s souls.
"They’re being tried! We’re going to try them in the end!"
Humphrey evoked the strongest reaction of the night among the speakers, which included House candidate Frank Guinta, Senate hopeful Ovide Lamontagne, Seacoast businessmen and possible House contender Sean Mahoney, gubernatorial candidate John Stephen, Sen. Jeb Bradley and local businessman Fenton Groen, who confirmed he’s again running for state Senate.
Humphrey referred to his audience as participants in the "Tea Party revolution," and heralded the courage and patience they have shown.
"Does Washington pay any attention to you?" he asked.
"No!" the audience yelled.
"They ridicule you, they … question your patriotism, your sanity," he said. "But thank god for each one of you. You’ve changed minds of a lot of American people."
Just not those in Congress, he added.
"They are determined to shove this Frankenstein monster, so-called reform, this misguided, dangerous … madness down our throats whether you’re liking it or not and you’re not liking it and you will not abide by it," he declared.
And with that, the crowd bellowed once more, "Amen!"
