We wish to thank the Editorial Board of the Hartford Courant for crystallizing the entire argument on what is at stake with the current debate over our nation’s health care system/

Yes, it is about what kind of role government will play in decisions than affect the health and lives of all 350 million Americans, but it is also a test of our representative Republic and the ability of our citizens to seek redress from their elected leaders.

Wednesday, The Courant took issue with our comments on the lack of access U.S.  Rep. Joe Courtney, CT-2, is giving his constituents to speak to the health care reform bill, which Courtney is an unabashed supporter. The Courant, it seems, is not impressed with the hundreds of Connecticut residents – elderly, veterans, parents, single mothers and others, who have confronted both Rep. Courtney and U.S. Rep. Chris  Murphy, CT-5, on their support of a “public option” and other big government concepts. Rep. Courtney, and U.S. Rep. John Larson, CT-1, has used teleconference calls to discuss issues.  No one doubts it is one tool of communication, but teleconferences can be controlled  in both the selection of the callers and the choice of questions.

Rep. Courtney has announced more open meetings on Sept. 2 at Montville High School at 6 p.m and on Sept. 7th at the Russell Mercier Senior Center in Hebron at 10:30 a.m. with the insufferable State Sen. Edith Prague, D-Columbia. Where anyone can get a word in edge-wise with Sen. Prague in attendance will be a miracle.

Rather than quote selectively, here is the text of today’s effort from the Bards of Broad Street:

‘Screamers’ Denied A Stage

TOWN HALL MEETINGS • Teleconferencing by Rep. Courtney, others, reaches more people

U.S. Rep. Joseph Courtney’s decision to hold a town hall meeting on health care by telephone Monday was ridiculed — unjustly, in our book — by Republican State Chairman Chris Healy, who made it sound as if the 2nd District Democrat from Vernon lacked backbone.

“You can’t phone it in; you can’t do Congress by remote control, and the people of the 2nd District elected Courtney to represent them, so at the least he owes them a face-to-face meeting,” Mr. Healy said.

In the first place, who could blame Congress members for not wanting to do a face-to-face town hall meeting at the moment? At too many of them across the country this summer, they get screamed at by rude, angry folks, many of whom aren’t interested in an exchange of ideas.

But Mr. Courtney’s office said fear of angry outbursts played no part in his setting up a telephone conference call on health care — as other members of Congress are doing. He has held face-to-face town hall meetings on health care before and he says he will do them again.

The teleconferences have advantages, however. Thousands of people can dial in. A member of Congress can finish a sentence without interruption. And it’s easier to control the questioning — although it’s also important not to screen out negative questions. We trust the congressman will not do that.

More people and more varying points of view will probably be heard by the thousands taking part in a teleconference town hall than would be the case at a rowdy 2009-style, face-to-face meeting.

Democracy, it has been noted aptly, is not a spectator sport. No one has ever been threatened in Connecticut with bodily harm, just a few raised voices in the hot summer night. People are scared the government is going to take their doctors away from them and make them pay more for less quality care.

If you can’t  raise your voice on that issue, you’re not entitled to complain later when this nightmare becomes a reality,

Keep screaming, Connecticut.

(Photo: Hartford Courant).