The Nightwatchman's "Justice Tour"

Saturday, April 30, 2008

Boston, Mass.
Berklee Performing Arts Center

Justice: Healthcare-Now!

The Justice Tour's partner for the 6th stop on this eye-opening road show, in Boston, Massachusetts. They are a campaign supporting the movement for a single-payer, national guaranteed health care plan in the United States. It is their mission to eliminate health care injustice for ALL in the United States, by working to implement Bill HR 676, The National Health Insurance Act.

This bill means a single payer system covering every person in the U.S. for all necessary medical care, including prescription drugs, hospital, surgical, outpatient services, primary and preventive care, emergency services, dental, mental health, home health, physical therapy, rehabilitation (including substance abuse), vision care, chiropractic and long term care, AND end deductibles and co-payments. In addition, it would save billions annually by eliminating the high overhead and profits of the private health insurance industry and HMO's. So really, why wouldn't this pass? Well, like many of the areas we've been discussing on this tour ... follow the money.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Of all forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane" - but just watch Michael Moore's genius film "Sicko", and you'll see that that very injustice is RAMPANT in this country - he had so many stories he could've made that film hundreds of times over. I am personally feeling this giant problem in our country with my infected spider bite drama WHILE in Boston for this Health Care Now Rally - how's that for irony?

The United States is the ONLY advanced country in the world that does not have Universal health care! Doesn't that bug you? Does it bug you enough to do something about it? If so, listen up - Single payer means that health care providers will only have to send their claims to ONE place to get paid - the National Health Insurance Program, instead of thousands of different insurance companies. Doctors and patients will no longer have to wait: everyone contributes and everyone gets health care. So if that sounds basic and logical to you, and it should, you call your congress member and ask that they support HR 676 (I just did). Toll free, 1-866-338-1015. Do it now, I'll wait ... Hey, Thanks for doing that!

The day of our Rally in support of Healthcare - Now! dawned rainy and grey ... but at least I was at the hotel and out of the hospital. I reunited with my tour mates, happily, and Tom, The Freedom Fighter Orchestra (Kid Lightning, Breckin Meyer, Wayne Kramer), Boots Riley and State Radio piled on a bus to head over to Boston Commons for the rally. We unloaded and huddled under a gazebo in the middle of the park to do a quick sound check.

As they got all set up, we looked across the park, and saw about a hundred people marching across the park through the rain, on their way to the rally from a screening of "Sicko" up the road. Young and old, matronly and punk, they walked towards the gazebo, many of them carrying signs, only slightly wilted from the rain. "Health Care For ALL!" "Stop Corporate Greed!" "Health Care Is A Right, Not A Privilege!" "PASS HR 676!" I love people that make signs. Going that extra inch is sometimes what can make a difference, like now I know about HR 676, because I saw that sign and asked about it. And now you all know about it, and so on and so on ... so, THANK YOU, Sign Makers!

Donna Smith, from "Sicko" thanked Tom for standing with them for the fight for Universal Health Care for All, and Tom (in his new IVAW hoodie) thanked them for all their work on our behalf, and picked up his "Whatever It Takes" acoustic guitar, once again fitting for the organization and people before us on this wet day. "Flesh Shapes The Day" sounds as good in the rain as it does anywhere, and the growing crowd of people standing in the rain applauded for it whole-heartedly. It was cute to see the little old ladies in the crowd tapping their feet along. The Nightwatchman covers a broad age spectrum these days, a delight to see.

Especially for the people fresh from the screening of "Sicko", or starring in it, Tom played them next the moving, "Alone Without You" that runs over the end credits of that movie. He dedicated the song to them by first saying, "Health care in the United States is not a tragedy, it's a crime - for profit." (like much else that our current administration has done or neglected to do) - and they should be prosecuted for ALL of it. That much has become beyond clear these past few weeks ...
Verdict: GUILTY! As the song goes, "Unforgivable, but true."

We all stood freezing in the gazebo and my thoughts wandered to . o 0 O "How much DO spider bite bills cost? Why do I have to worry about that when I'm just trying to get well? What is WRONG with us in this country that we've let it get so bad for basic human rights?" And I hope we all continue to ask and ACT on these same type of questions. Geez!

Tom picked up his little drum and beat it for his recently deceased Aunt Isabelle, who he always sent postcards to from the road, because she was never healthy enough to join him on his trips. "I can't send her postcards now, but I can play her this song" and he played "St. Isabelle" for her - and us - on a rainy day in Boston Commons, that made it all the more poignant.

"BOOOOOOts" Riley came up to join Tom for his song, "Everythang", which may have won him a few elderly fans in the process, because I saw some older hips moving. He's a crowd favorite now, wherever we go.

Boston's own State Radio offered their song, "Democracy In Kind", which was perfect for what the Healthcare-Now! folks are trying to get done. How can we call ourselves a democracy anymore when we leave so many people out of so many decisions, about even their own health? Again, keep asking these questions, keep demanding the answers.

Wayne Kramer came up and said, "It's time to ...." and a lady in the crowd yelled "PASS HR 676!" which cracked everyone up. Though she was right, it was also time to "Kick Out The Jams!" This was an all acoustic version, which was interesting and seemed right for this mellower, kind of melancholy day. Breckin went out into the crowd as a clapping cheerleader, and that got them moving, and probably a lot more warmed up too.

Tom thanked everyone for "Braving the elements for health care with justice and dignity" and then told the people that at the end of "This Land Is Your Land" he wanted to see everyone "Jumping the fuck up!" He glanced around at the mixed aged audience and said, "Sorry for the language, but sometimes the fight for justice is R-rated" and pointed at an elderly woman with a cane and said, "This little old lady with a cane jumping up and down is the template!" After the last "This Land Is Made For You And Me!" ... sure enough, glancing over at that woman, she was jumping better than anyone around! That's the kind of energy these shows - even in the rain in a park - inspire. Tom struck the last chord, saying, "Nobody wins unless we all win!" That is also true for our health care system. We depend on each other, remember that and make your voices heard!

The head guy for the Boston rally (I couldn't catch him to get his name, forgive) said, "Thank you, Tom, and the Justice Too-ah" (Boston accent) and again, in another example that it all ties together, reminded that "the Iraq War takes millions of dollars away from Health Cay-ah", and we need to get the work done to end ALL of it.

The rally was over and people scattered to get warmed up over some chowdah. We all felt better than we did before the rally, because that's what happens when you know that people are working together to do good things. Health Care - NOW! I think it should be Healthcare - RIGHT NOW! It's already too late for so many people struggling with health issues, and there's really no time to waste. So please head over to: www.healthcare-now.org/takeaction to see what part you can personally help with RIGHT now. Every little bit really does help. My ass thanks you.

- Carol Gronner

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