A loud right-wing contingent at a September 2nd town hall meeting on health care jeered when Palo Alto mayor Peter Drekmeier introduced Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, and booed when she called for a moment of silence for Ted Kennedy.

Eshoo was frequently interrupted by shouts from the hecklers. In response, a few health care reform proponents tried to shush those interrupting, insisting they let the Congresswoman speak. Audience members had been asked to write questions on cards instead of speaking aloud.

Eshoo still had about 200 cards with questions she did not have time to answer at the end of the meeting. She said she would respond to all of them by email or letter. She added that the majority of Americans showed they support health care reform when they voted for Democrats last November.

A queue formed for entrance to the auditorium for well over an hour before the meeting began. Health care activists carried signs supporting reform as they stood in line and the Raging Grannies sang while the crowd gathered; "Grannies love Medicare -- A Government Program" read one of their signs. About twenty "tea party" protesters, most of whom appeared old enough to be receiving Medicare benefits, held American flags and placards saying "No Obamacare" and "Government out of my health care". No signs larger than a sheet of paper were allowed in the theater.

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