Link: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitol-briefing/2009/11/nine_arrested_...

Updated 12:51 p.m.
By Philip Rucker
As thousands of activists converged on the lawn of the Capitol for a midday rally against Democrats' health-care reform legislation, Capitol Police arrested nine protesters Thursday morning in the Hart Senate Office Building.

The protesters were arrested about 10 a.m. on the seventh floor of the Hart Building and were charged with unlawful entry, a Capitol Police spokeswoman said.

"They were inside an office and didn't leave," Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said.

A noon rally was scheduled for the steps of the Capitol in protest of the health-reform bill that House Democrats plan to take up for a floor vote Saturday.

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) is leading the "Hands Off Our Health Care!" rally and has said she plans to lead protesters through congressional office buildings for a series of "House calls" orchestrated to intimidate members against voting for health-care reform.

Patients First activists from Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia are expected at the rally, and other activists across the country plan to visit their local congressional offices.

"Thousands of grass-roots Americans from across the country will make congressional house calls to their representatives today -- in both D.C. and at local district offices -- to urge them to vote no on a 2,000-plus-page health care bill that will take the decision-making power away from patients and put it into the hands of Washington bureaucrats," said Phil Kerpen, policy director of Patients First. "President Obama, Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader [Harry] Reid refuse to listen to American taxpayers that have clearly demonstrated through rallies, phone calls, and congressional visits that they don't want to pay for a trillion dollar government-defined health care plan."

The congressional members expected to receive visits from protesters include:
-- Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.)
-- Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.)
-- Sen. Kay Hagen (D-N.C.)
-- Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.)
-- Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.)
-- Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-Ariz.)
-- Rep. Chet Edwards (D-Tex.)
-- Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D-N.H.)
-- Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-Md.)
-- Rep. Gary Peters (D-Mich.)
-- Rep. John Salazar (D-Colo.)