All across America, protesters are ramping up the fight for real, solid healthcare reform-- single payer-- by protesting and engaging in civil disobedience. Over 100 have been arrested in the past weeks. I witnessed and documented the protest and arrest of 13 demostrators at the Philadelphia Blue Cross Blue Shield headquarters in center city Philly.

The Dems seem to be on a path to giving a gift to the health insurance industry, selling out America in the process of trying to sell we the people a weak public option at best. So we need to keep on fighting for single payer.

The protest started on the street in front of the building. Not a bad building for a non-profit-- like OpEdNEws is a non-profit too. Looks more like a multi-billion dollar corporation to me.

The street protests lasted for about 45-60 minutes. Some SDS members were banging real and improvised from paint-bucket drums.

There were tons of police there, uniformed and the plain clothes Civil Affairs Unit team.

I had a chance to meet, briefly, the protesters who were planning to engage in civil disobedience. It felt good to be able to claim that OpEdnews probably has more content items on universal single payer than any other site-- well over 1000

Here are some of the OEN tags they are listed under.

Health Care Universal - Single Payer (622) Health Care Costs (613)Healthcare Reform (518)

Health Care Establishment (456)

Health Care Benefits (417)

Health Care Socialized-Nationalized (401)

Health Insurance (401)

Single-payer (240)

Health Care HMOs- PPOs- Insurance- Etc

Health Policy Failures (234)

Health Insurance Deprived (227)

Health Insurance Horror Stories (110)

Eight of 13 protesters who later engaged in Civil Disobedience

BC/BS employees were watching the protesters. They were nice people, but for all we know, they may work on death panels or may be the people who inform patients that their treatments or meds aren't covered... the first time, until a doctor or lawyer calls, or a TV show intervenes and they reverse their position. Of course, we know that only a small percentage fight for reimbursement. Many just take that first no. Or maybe they just handle claims or questions from doctors. But they make a living working for a company that is fighting for health care reform that will save lives. The protesters should also have been carrying signs saying things like.

This Company Has Death Panels

This Company Issues Death

Decrees and Kills People.

This Company Destroys Families

(makes them go bankrupt)

When anti-abortion, "pro-live" protesters protest at family planning centers, they carry signs and verbally go after employees. There's something to learn from them.

Then, the demonstrators moved the protest off the city streets to the area in front of the BC/BS headquarters.

The Police Civil Affairs Squad (in suits and sport jackets) blocked the protesters from entering the building. The women in the foreground are BC/BS employees I later spoke to. The Asian women with a hat with bright green was a legal observer.

This woman in the turquoise was watching the whole thing, throughout, so I asked what her connection was. "I'm the director," she replied."

"What's your name," I asked.

She refused to answer. Anyone want to research it?

The protesters sit down in front of the doors.

They read a letter to BC/BS.

there's more, but the site is giving me a hard time posting the rest. Will get it on the site asap.

Continue to part 2 of the photo essay

Author's Bio:

Rob Kall is executive editor, publisher and site architect of OpEdNews.com, Host of the Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show (WNJC 1360 AM), President of Futurehealth, Inc, inventor . He is also published regularly on the Huffingtonpost.com

With his experience as architect and founder of a technorati top 200 blog, he is also a new media / social media consultant and trainer for corporations, non-profits, entrepreneurs and authors.

Rob is a frequent Speaker on the bottom up revolution, politics, The art, science and power of story, heroes and the hero's journey, Positive Psychology, Stress, Biofeedback and a wide range of subjects. He is a campaign consultant specializing in tapping the power of stories for issue positioning, stump speeches and debates, and optimizing tapping the power of new media. He recently retired as organizer of several conferences, including StoryCon, the Summit Meeting on the Art, Science and Application of Story and The Winter Brain Meeting on neurofeedback, biofeedback, Optimal Functioning and Positive Psychology. See more of his articles here and, older ones, here.

To learn more about me and OpEdNews.com, check out this article.

and there are Rob's quotes, here. To Watch me on youtube, having a lively conversation with John Conyers, Chair of the House Judiciary committee, click here Now, wouldn't you like to see me on the political news shows, representing progressives. If so, tell your favorite shows to bring me on and refer them to this youtube video

My radio show, The Rob Kall Bottom Up Radio Show, runs 9-10 PM EST Wednesday evenings, on AM 1360, WNJC and is archived on www.whiterosesociety.org Or listen to it streaming, live at www.wnjc1360.com or download older shows at here.

Or check the archived interviews at: whiterosesociety.org

Follow me on Twitter

A few declarations. -While I'm registered as a Democrat, I consider myself to be a dynamic critic of the Democratic party, just as, well, not quite as much, but almost as much as I am a critic of republicans. -My articles express my personal opinion, not the opinion of this website.

Recent press coverage in the Wall Street Journal: Party's Left Pushes for a Seat at the Table

www.opednews.com/articles/Photo-Essay-Heroes-FIghti-by-Rob-Kall-091031-958.html