On Tea Parties

I'd heard about the Tea Party thing, because there was one in Lexington a couple of weeks ago, and the Tea Partiers were upset that our local paper didn't cover their event. I thought that the Herald-Leader probably didn't have enough reporters, seeing as how they'd just laid off a bunch of staff.

This past Saturday, Allan and I were walking around Pittsburgh's North Side Shore Side Shore, when we happened upon a Tea Party. Alan Keyes was the keynote speaker, and while we didn't stick around to hear his speech, we did get to see him dump tea (or some facsimile thereof) into the Allegheny River.

I took a few photos, which you can see here. We did hear some words from the man who organized this particular Tea Party. I didn't catch his name, but he did say that Congress passed the stimulus bill without even reading it. The crowd cheered, and I said "What about the PATRIOT Act?" No one heard me except Allan and maybe the woman with the Sarah Palin button on her hat; we were on the Roberto Clemente bridge, and the speakers were on Allegheny Landing.

And then the man said, "There are laws, laws we have to obey. Can you imagine that I had to get a permit to exercise my First Amendment rights?" The crowd cheered, and I said "Maybe because it's a question of public safety, and no one is infringing on your First Amendment rights?" He went on to say that the government was above the law. I'd say it is, because no one challenged George W. Bush's decimation of our Constitution.

I can't say I didn't understand some of the sentiments I witnessed on Saturday. I did. But most of the signs the folks were holding had me saying "Really?" à la Kyle (or Stan — I can't remember which one said it, in which episode, but it was a high-pitched, head-tilted question) from South Park.

I also can't say I'm happy about the whole stimulus thing, but I'd like to know what the opposition has in mind, and I want them to spell out how it will be better than what the Obama administration has done so far.

Comments

[Beth]

I wonder how long it will take for the citizens of this country to be able to have rational political discourses again.

The Right is so pissed off that Obama won the election (never mind that McCain lost because he came across as out of touch, his running mate came across as an idiot, and the Republicans have so decimated this country that there was no way an Elephant was going to win) that they're actively rooting for him to fail (thanks for that, Rush; very patriotic of you).

I have friends who are Conservatives (I don't know how that happened; we had the same upbringings) and they're so unhinged at this point that it's impossible to talk to them.

To them, Obama is a Socialist who will ruin the country, his entire Cabinet are tax cheats, and this is the end of days.

I don't bother to point out that they didn't seem to have a problem with a President and administration that bald-face lied to the country to take us into a war we shouldn't be fighting.

They don't want to hear that.

But Obama, who's inherited an enormous mess, is a horrible evil man because he's trying to clean it up.

Baffling.

[Denise]

WORD.

[Denise]

Oh, and thanks SO much for posting those photos. Now I'm all pissed off. ;-)

[Margaret]

WELL said, even though not that many people heard you. I have very mixed feelings on the stimulus plan--but something had to be done. Did some people want the government to just let the country crash? (then blame Obama of course!)

[newwavegurly]

Here's a quote from an article on the tea parties from today that I read on Yahoo! that I really liked (and seems to go along with what Beth posted as well):

"There were several small counter-protests, including one that drew about a dozen people at Fountain Square in Cincinnati. A counter-protester held a sign that read, 'Where were you when Bush was spending billions a month 'liberating' Iraq?' The anti-tax demonstration there, meanwhile, drew about 4,000 people."

Perspective. It's all a matter of perspective. Too often, people see and hear what they want to see and hear, instead of really examining all the surrounding issues that have impacted the turn of events they're busy rallying against.

[The CEO]

I like your post. I guess living outside DC, I'm more used to protests than you are. The tea parties seem pretty benign to me. They have their points, no Administration is perfect. Jack Welsh, former CEO of General Electric, and as Republican as you can be rated Obama an "A" for leadership, so things aren't quite as unbalanced as they appear.

The 'protest that made my blood boil was the one led in DC by the American Nazi Party in 1971. The one where George Lincoln Rockwell,their leader was assasinated by his own people. My mother-in-law made me swear I wouldn't counter-march. She was prepared to tie me to a chair. They also had to register to march, probably a public safety thing. I hope that DC sent very big, very bad Jewish and black cops to protect and defend. Not that I would ever have an opinion.

It's hard for Democrats or Republicans to get to me after 1971. They all get together and cut deals when it works for them. I feel bad that the Democrats and Independents weren't organizing demonstrations against Bush during his Administration, there would have been more people attending than there were at the tea parties.

[fd]

Allison, your comments are exactly the ho-hum nonchalance , these people are just kooks for caring about socialism, that is destroying this country. You say you 'didn't stick around to hear" Dr. Keyes. Watch him on You Tube. Listen to his words. He speaks the words of Jefferson and Lincoln. He says: only the people can save this country. Not the "only government can save your soul" of Obama and his synchophants in the media. If you disagree with him, you are saying the Declaration of Independence and Constitution are no longer valid. If that is so, than just put the crown on Obama's head and let us end this charade we call America. Those of us that still believe, like Jefferson and Keyes, that our rights come from our Creator and NOT the government, and still believe in the foundation of this country are the only ones sounding the alarm to the sheep that the wolves are among you. Watch his speech. If you aren't moved you should just folow the herd behind Obama off the cliff.