"Take a Stand" Town Hall Bashes Congressman Dent, But Takes No Stand

If you were among the 230 people who attended last night's Dent-bashing rally at Bethlehem's Van Bittner Hall, it's very likely that the first person you saw was our very own smiling Walter R. Garvin, Chairman of the Northampton County Elections Commission. He was wildly waving a "Support the Troops - End the War" sign, and directing people where to park.

Funny thing. When I approached Walt to snap a photograph, he suddenly stopped smiling and quickly put that sign behind his back. He actually seemed ashamed of what he was doing. Was he afraid I'd complain that it's just a tad inappropriate for the chairman of an elections commission to be actively participating in an event aimed at smearing Congressman Charlie Dent? Maybe Bossman Long might think Garvin was taking this peace thing just a bit too far. Who knows?

So much for Take a Stand. When Garvin had the opportunity to do so, he cut and ran. And that's my problem. People were quick to blast Dent's Iraq votes. But no meaningful solutions were offered.

Last night's town hall was not so much a grassroots peace movement as a campaign rally. I saw several Democratic committeemen and candidates, all with name tags emblazoned upon them. Working the room like a champ was none other that Sam Bennett. Everywhere I turned, I saw her. I snapped a few pics, but the room was too dark. I'm a worse photographer than a blogger.

Joining hands with the usual gaggle of septuagenarian peace groups were the Steelworkers' Union, Pa. Social Services Union and the Lehigh Valley Democratic Coalition. So much for nonpartisan.

Of course, there was the obligatory empty chair for Congressman Dent, as well as several pointed references to his absence. "We are gathered to deliver a message to Congressman Dent, whether he's here or not. He can stand with Bush's disastrous war or the overwhelming majority of his constituents."

Following a five minute video that no one could see, we were treated to three speakers. First was a young Iraqi who hasn't been in the country for years. He talked about the terrors of the Persian Gulf War, not the current conflagration. Then a religious studies expert droned on for too long about the "just war" theory. He threw out Latin phrases, like bellum justum, to prove he's pretty smart. Bright as he is, he couldn't take a stand. "I don't pretend to have an answer." Finally, an ex Air Force captain read excerpts from The Nation and New York Times. Incidentally, she's never even been to Iraq. Although she's already met Dent twice, she still wondered aloud why Dent wasn't running the gauntlet at Van Bittner Hall. She demanded to know whether Dent would follow the Iraq Study Group recommendations.

After all the mini-speeches were over and the shocking evidence was in, our humorless facilitator asked this important question: "Where do we go from here? How do we take a stand?"

Incredibly, his answer made him sound just like George Bush on one of his "hard work" tirades. "We have lots of work to do. It will be hard work. But think how hard it will be if we don't do this hard work." He then suggested we could "take a stand" by grabbing a few bumper stickers and yard signs. Huh? That's about as meaningful as those goofy yellow ribbon magnets. I suppose we could also vote for Sam Bennett, like that would accomplish anything.

I didn't stay for cake. Too many people there know me, so I cut and ran myself.

Speaking of taking a stand, Congressman Dent joined Democrat Mark Udall this June in co-sponsoring legislation that calls for implementation of the Iraq Study Group recommendations. An identical bill has been introduced in the Senate by Democrat Ken Salazar, and is co-sponsored by both Democrat Bob Casey and Republican Arlen Specter. Call me crazy, but I think that's a little more meaningful than throwing a bumper sticker on a SUV.

In truth, last night's shindig had little to do with taking a stand, as Walt Garvin proved almost immediately, or meaningful solutions in Iraq. It was simply an opportunity to dump on Dent, quickly seized by Sam Bennett.