For all of those shocked, appalled, horrified and fainting at the presence of the “political terrorists*” showing up at town halls with members of Congress, and who are reassured at the thought of the AFL-CIO** coming in to calm tense constituent meetings, a query: Exactly what forms of objection and protest do you find acceptable for citizens who disapprove of the health-care proposal before Congress?

Hey, I hate the heckler’s veto, and want the folks yelling at Blue Dog Mike Ross to give him time to point out where he disagrees with Obama. Yes, it’s stupid to use Nazi imagery in protest signs, I’m glad that after eight years of “Bushitler” you guys have finally figured that out.

But what is okay in your guys’ book? Besides curling up and dying***?

Yeah, I’d prefer if all of these meetings looked like Norman Rockwell’s poster, but anybody who’s attended any political event knows they often bring out the people who are a little odd — the ones who seem just a little too enthusiastic, who don’t seem to have much else in their lives to get excited about. Maybe their eyes get a little too wide when they talk, or they spit a bit when excitedly make a point. Maybe our rallies have a bit more of the guy who mumbles to himself and laughs too loud; your rallies seem to disproportionately represent the Crazy Cat Ladies of our great nation. These people are activists, and they actually make our democratic system work, because they knock on the doors, they stuff the envelopes, they actually care about this political stuff even when the Black-Eyed Peas aren’t doing a free concert.

You want to establish some ground rules, that’s fine, but you’ll get a lot more agreement when you start enforcing them on your own side.

* Hey, Stephen Pearlstein, did it ever cross your mind to use that phrase in connection to William Ayers? No? ‘Cause applying it to grandpa isn’t so cool.

** Bringing in the AFL-CIO to pacify a tense situation is like bringing in the Hell’s Angels to handle concert security.

*** Or as it will be called under future versions of the bill, “end-of-life counseling conclusions.”