Congressman Brian Baird continued his criticism Tuesday of people who disrupt town hall meetings on health care reform across the nation, calling the efforts “un-American” and counterproductive.

During a lunchtime speech before the Pioneer Lions Club at the Monticello Hotel, Baird defended his decision to hold his own town hall last week by telephone conference call, saying he and other members of Congress have received death threats.

“There has been a willful and conscious effort, not just to express opinion … but a concerted effort to disrupt town halls,” Baird said.

He cited Web sites that provide tactics to disrupt public forums hosted by members of Congress, including shouting people down.

“They say such things as, ‘Don’t let there be any intelligent discussions. … Try to intimidate as early as you can,’ ” Baird said. “If you have an environment like that, it’s intimidating to the general public who want to actually have a serious discussion about a topic like health care, which is profoundly important.”

Baird, who was escorted by a Longview police captain for his safety Tuesday, said he’s never seen the political environment so charged with hatred and threats of violence. “In this environment you’ve got to be attentive not just for my sake, but for others.”

He said he’s hosted roughly 300 town hall style meetings since he was took office in 1999 and said he’s no stranger to contentious forums.

“It’s never been like this before, not this level of vitriol,” he said in an interview following his speech. “And it’s widespread now. … I have never seen a coordinated effort with specific instructions to tell people, ‘This is how to make sure an intellectual discussion doesn’t happen.’ ”

Congressional town hall meetings across the U.S. have descended into chaos and threats this month. One Congressman was hanged in effigy. At another forum, a member of the public carried a tombstone with a Congressman’s name printed on it.

“What we’re seeing right now is close to Brown Shirt tactics,” Baird, told the Columbian newspaper in an interview last week. “I mean that very seriously.”

Conservatives countered that Baird was labeling those who oppose health care reform as Nazis. Former Cowlitz County Republican Party chairman Keath Huff privately and cordially confronted Baird about his remarks Tuesday, saying Democrats have been known to intimidate and disrupt meetings as well.

“It gets to a deeper problem where we can’t have a dialog. … A lot of party insiders don’t want this dialog to happen,” Huff said. “I hold you to a higher standard.”

“Your point is well-taken,” Baird responded. “Whether it’s on the Left or the Right, it’s not acceptable.”

Baird said during Tuesday’s speech that he never would characterize opponents of health care as “Nazis or something like that.”

Critics of reform “have every reason and right to express disagreement,” he said. “But this question of suppressing and intimidating is un-American, and somebody’s got to call it for what it is, because that is going to corrupt our democratic process. And on matters as important as health care and the other things we face, we just can’t have that.”

Baird said he planned to host a series of smaller meetings with businesses and health care professionals to discuss the reform bill. He said he also may hold additional public forums structured in a way to prevent disruptions.

“I’ve been to Iraq. I’ve been to Afghanistan,” he said after the speech. “In fact, I wish now I’d been to the fire base in Afghanistan, which was my choice, but I came home to meet with constituents. I’d have been safer there.”

On Tuesday, he told the Lions that he isn’t sure how he’ll vote on a final health care bill after the August recess.

“But here’s what I do know,” he said. “I do know that in the wealthiest country in the history of the planet, it’s not right that we spend more per capita than any other country on earth for health care and yet our outcomes trail many industrialized nations and we have more than 40 million Americans with no health insurance.”

Baird also sought to clear up rumors that are rocketing across the Web and being repeated by prominent politicians and pundits. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin posted on Facebook on Friday that reform would mean her baby, who has Down syndrome, would have to be reviewed by “Obama’s ‘death panel.”

Baird did not refer specifically to Palin, but he said similar rumors that people will have to visit a doctor every five years to determine how they wish to die are “absolutely, patently a lie. Not just false, but a lie. … It’s not in the bill. It’s not in the bill anywhere.”

What is in the bill, he said, is an option for patients to talk with doctors about their last wishes.

“I think it’s rather telling and rather disturbing that that provision has been twisted to try to scare people and say this is going to force you into end-of-life decisions. And some people are even saying that Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama are Hitlerian euthanizers. That’s pretty harsh language to say the least.”

Baird also noted that he would not support a so-called “single-payer” system, under which the government controls the health care system and private insurance plans are abolished.

“This notion that this is establishing a socialized medicine system for the entire country is absolutely false. There will still be private insurance. I support that,” he said. “Absolutely disabuse yourselves of this notion that we’re going to create a socialized health care system. … If the private insurers provide a competitive product, quality health care, quality physicians, etc., consumers can keep that.”

Related articles:

Column: Baird, Smith take different approaches to town hall meetings  (Aug. 11)

Baird talks to 6,000 on health care during telephone town hall  (Aug. 8)

Baird explains he didn't want anyone hurt in an uproar  (Aug. 8)

Baird defends choice not to hold town hall meetings  (Aug. 7)

Fearing 'ambush' from foes, Baird opts for 'telephone town halls'  (Aug. 6)