Welcome to the Tea Party

[Coondog]

I suppose I should be feeling nostalgic for the zany antics of the 1960's when likes of Abby Hoffman and Jerry Ruben elevated civil disobedience, anti government protest and pointless, petty criminality to an art form. But, I observe news coverage of the ongoing "Tea Party" movement with mixed emotions.

Organized public dissent is a good thing. It evidences the continuance of freedom of expression. It occasionally effects social change and, more rarely, influences governmental attitudes towards this issue or that.

Today's much touted indulgence into "teabagging" exemplifies a number of uniquely American characteristics.

We should not dwell on the fact that right wing extremists, along with Fox News and friends managed to hijack the Libertarian Party's long standing initiative. (a fact that the Libertarians don't seem to be too fond of)

We should, likewise, not dwell (beyond the obligatory snicker or two) on the fact that the "teabaggers" probably don't understand the connotations of that label.

We might dwell, briefly, on the diffuse message being bandied about as it appears unclear whether it's Taxes, Obama, Socialism, Selective Memory Loss or a combination of several perceived inequities which serve as the basis of the newly energized protest.

Having, today, neither the time or inclination to participate, I have had no opportunity to gauge the extent to which this phenomenon has prospered. Suffice to say, it is a healthy sign of democracy when people who have no idea exactly what they're talking about band together in a concerted effort to get that message across.

Hats off to the conservatives, though. They managed to take Libertarian Ideology, Democratic Methodology and Republican Negativism and combine them into a Three Ring Circus of historic proportion. The upper 1% must be very, very proud!

Coondog

You say you want a revolution..............

[Neck-aint-red]

I might have been sippin' tea with all those fools, but I did what I always do, crash all day to pay my !(&^%$*%^#@! Taxes.

barrel-pants.gif (8.64 KiB) Viewed 9830 times

Every April 15 America's literary geniuses, by the millions, write amazing fiction.

[Coondog]

Headline – April 22 – The News-Gazoo

Economic Policies Assailed at Rally

Local ’Tea Party’ Draws over 100

Yes, over 100 people turned out to protest taxes….in a public park presumably
Maintained by Tax Money.

But, taxes were not the only issue. Presumably we should abolish the Federal Reserve along with taxes. Posters expressing displeasure with anything Obama, ranging from his economic policies to, apparently, his mere existence. Something to do with respecting the constitution. A microcosm of right wing conservatism as organized and portrayed across the nation where 'Obama is Hitler' and 'Drill Baby Drill' or, simply ‘Secede’ embellished the profusion of slogans having much or little or nothing to do with taxes.

Meanwhile 43 people (nearly half as many) showed up for the annual Easter egg hunt on
Applebutter Lane. This inherently more interesting news item can be found at the top of page 8. No pictures. No interviews. The best that can be said is that these 43 people had, at least, some commonly defined, coherent purpose.

At a time when rational conservative input into national policy conversation is desperately needed, the right leaning citizenry has bound itself in cult like idol worship of divisive, radical crackpots with neurotic obsessions who offer nothing more than infantile dispersions cast over every subtle nuance relavent to Obama’s presidency.

Tea parties are for aristocrats and small children. If one wants to be taken seriously on adult issues, one might consider emulating neither.

Coondog

Any more.....tea?

[Juggler]

[youtube]tyv_Oqsr9f8[/youtube]

[Uji]

We might dwell, briefly, on the diffuse message being bandied about as it appears unclear whether it's Taxes, Obama, Socialism, Selective Memory Loss or a combination of several perceived inequities which serve as the basis of the newly energized protest. ... Suffice to say, it is a healthy sign of democracy when people who have no idea exactly what they're talking about band together in a concerted effort to get that message across.

Thanks, dog. Nicely said and with your usual mix of good sense and humor.

I'm afraid the GOP is bringing about the very holocaust -- Dem control of both houses -- that they most fear. They've learned nothing from the last two years and, come the mid-term elections in another year, will be gone from the legislature completely.

I won't be sorry to see the present GOP go, but I sure will be disappointed that some rational branch of the party doesn't survive to offer a damper to the more enthusiastic members of my own tribe.

Still, if you reap what you sow, the vitriol, fear-mongering, and any-means-justifies-our-ends philosophy of the present bunch has died in the field. Time to plow it under and plant something new. As you point out, dog, our republic is only healthy when we've got political give and take. And, unfortunately, the present opposition has nothing to offer but "whatever you're for, we're ag'in." (Their new found "conservative core values" are hard to take seriously since, when their guy was in power, those "values" were apparently out to lunch.)

And as if we needed any more evidence of the ideological bankruptcy of the GOP, Arlen Specter jumps ship. Arlen Specter is just the sort the GOP needs to retain. And what's the GOP's response? "Don't slam the door on the way out, Arlen; good riddance!" They'll let the top-1% PAC's run all the moderates out until there is nothing left of the party but Rush & Fox News.

Well, at least they'll be entertained.

[Coondog]

Here's a nugget of sophisticated wisdom circulating around the e-mail circuit which I'm sure all rational thinkers can wrap their intellect around.

Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al:
We have stuck together since the late 1950's, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let's just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.

Here is a model separation agreement:

Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking a portion That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.

We don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we'll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell (You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them).

We'll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys, hippies and illegal aliens. We'll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO's and rednecks! . We'll keep the Bibles and GOD and give you NBC and Hollywood .

You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we'll help provide them security.

We'll keep our Judeo-Christian values.. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley McClain You can also have the U.N.. but we will no longer be paying the bill.

We'll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Subaru station wagon you can find.

You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors. We'll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right. We'll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the National Anthem, and we will salute the flag when the Anthem is played. I'm sure you'll be happy to substitute Imagine, I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing, Kum Ba Ya or We Are the World.

We'll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we'll keep our history, our name and our flag.

Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like minded liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I'll bet you ANWAR which one of us will need whose help in 15 years..

Sincerely,
John J. Wall
Law Student and an American
P.S. Also, please take Barbara Streisand &Jane Fonda with you.

[Frank Strickler]

Hello good people of Rockbridge County.

I just finished reading an excelent book about The United States of America. The title is "Liberty and Tyranny" by Mark R. Levin.

If any of you have not read this book I would recomend it to you.

If any of you have already read this book, I would be interested in reading your comments on it.

Frank Strickler

[Frank Strickler]

John J. Wall wrote "Here's a nugget of sophisticated wisdom circulating around the e-mail circut which I'm sure all rational thinkers can wrap their intellect around.

Bravo, Jphn J.

I'm in complete agreement with the e-mail, however since you aimed it at "rational thinkers" I believe it's wasted effort as there is very little intellect in liberals. The ratio is about an ounce of brains to 1 1/2 tons of liberal. If they really thought their positions out to the end they wouldn't be liberals in the first place.

Frank Strickler, construction worker, vetran, American.

[Wise One]

Frank ...

I love ideas, discussion and debate, but I have to tell you that your last two messages don't provide even a beginning. Here's why:

• You recommended a book, but you gave no hint of what it contains or why you think it is a good one. What is your contribution to this discussion?
• You expressed agreement with somebody else's letter. So? What is your contribution to this discussion?
• You hurled a hyperbolic insult regarding the brain masses in liberals, accusing liberals of lacking intellect. What is your contribution to this discussion, for example a cogent statement of your point of view drawn from your own intellect, with evidence that might persuade others?

So far, you are only ranting insults. I find not a scintilla of knowledge, analysis, or wisdom in what you have written. If you have evidence and persuasive argument, please let us hear them.

PS. We have something in common. I also have a name, an occupation, a civic history, and a nationality.

[Frank Strickler]

Wise one,

Your points are well taken.

You are right. My last post was way out of line. I was venting over my anger at what I feel the liberals have done to hurt my country and I had no right to be insulting. My apologies to all you liberals.

As for the book, I'm not sure how it got on this discussion. I intended it to be a new subject. I'm only asking for input from those who read it. It is about Americas founding and what has happened to America in the last 70 years. I think it's a good read for anyone who is interested in our countries history and well being.

Frank Strickler

[Coondog]

I wasn't around when the founding fathers hammered out the framework for what the country has evolved into, but from what I've read, they had some serious disagreements over issues which were not solved by adopting the viewpoints of extreme elements on either side.

Polarization, however, is nothing new. We did fight a Civil War. In some sectors, we are still fighting it. There is little evidence that liberals are stockpiling guns and ammunition in gleeful expectation of fighting another one. Chalk one up for the liberals.

The Jeffersonian conservative viewpoint that "that government is best which governs least" has many valid points, yet, the character and complxity of the country has (whether one believes in it or not) evolved. This requires being able to think beyond what the founders intended....or were able to imagine.

You can't say you're for health care reform while, after failing to initiate it, then demonizing someone else's attempts.

You can't say you're for limited government when you support the government pouring vast, needed resources into unnecessary military conflicts.

And, as I've said before, you cannot accomplish anything in government if you believe that government can't operate anything well. When you hear this from Republican congressmen, it might occure to one that maybe they're the reason for it.

Interestingly enough, when the question of government proficiency switches from the topic of health care to the military, those same voices are patronizingly singing a different song.

Nothing has been done by liberals to adversely affect the country. It suprises me that anyone who, by all rhetorical evidence, supported the Bush Administration's policies would have the gall to say such things in light of the ever developing evidence of prior constitutional depravities.

The really neat thing is, we can all say such things today with even less apprehension of ending up on some kind of watch list.

It is, however, good to see some good old right wing conservative input on this forum. I'd like to see some moderate conservitive input, but I don't believe there are any left out there. Maybe we can change that. Maybe not.

Coondog

[Sam]

According to Buddha, "Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world."

Hey people, the way I see it is no one is listening to each other.

[Uji]

According to Buddha, "Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world" Hey people, the way I see it is no one is listening to each other.

Well said, Sam. And if we want others to listen, then we might offer something that rewards listening -- a point of view expressed as clearly as we are able, or an analysis as well thought out as we can manage, or simply a thoughtful observation like the one above.

We can get all the sound-bites, name-calling, and righteous indignation we want on other media. Here, it would be nice to talk -- and, as Sam reminds us, listen. The alternatives is -- well, just turn on the TV.

[Sam]

It appears that 57% of the people would like to replace Congress.

[lexingtonrick]

Say it isn't so, Ron Paul......

[Wise One]

Good News and Bad News. The good news: scurrilous lies and insults from the right are not a horrible new thing. The bad news: it's just the same stuff they've dished out for decades, and always will.

[lexingtonrick]

Best comment about the absurdity of wing nuts actually attempting to dictate policy and effect change based on religious beliefs and the inability to understand American history.

Frank Schaeffer appearing on the Rachel Maddow show http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/hea ... -subcultur

"A village can not reorganize the village to suit the village idiot".

[Coondog]

"A village can not reorganize the village to suit the village idiot".

Maybe not! But, what about a village full of idiots?

I read with ever growing dismay the sort of letters displayed in today's News Gazoo. Mass hysteria, at some dark and fetid level, has seemingly taken root. In three separate instances, Glen Beck (not his real name) is cited either as a (the) reliable source or, along with Rush Limbaugh, crucial to the preservation of free speech.

Is this what it comes to? A modern day pudgy, bug-eyed equivalent of Peewee Herman reenforcing delusional paranoia and fear among the otherwise blissfully uninformed? Idiocy!

Here's a few dull ideas: Keep the government out of out schools! Good call! Home schooling is an excellent alternative. Much cheaper, and we wouldn't have to be continually hearing about teacher salaries. The selectively uninformed can pass incivility and ignorance directly along to future generations.

Obama is trying to Grab Power by (supposedly) having the FCC require broadcasters to adhere to some kind of standards, thereby opening a path to tyrany and oppression. Surely, having standards for broadcasters would be inequitable to those who place their faith in Talk Radio. Truth, after all, is so much less entertaining than hatred born of pure, unbridled imagination.

Obama hates America! Sure he does! He wants to take away all the guns, socialize all the businesses and financial institutions, control what little media he doesn't already own, abort whom ever he wants, euthanize old fogies, tear up the constitution, indoctrinate school children, abet terrorists, drown kittens, promote pornography, sex, drugs and unfettered nose picking. An agressive left wing agenda to say the least!

And so it goes! Ah....if I had only the time (or inclination) to address all the latent signs of epidemic dementia....all the trumped up, self serving fantasies....the St. Vitus Dance of loathing and depravity......! But, heck! Why bother? It's there every week in newsworthy black and white for any concerned patriot to view and revel in.

Let's not let anything like logic or reason (or sanity) interfere with a good, righteous rant!

Coondog

There is no I in Team, but there are two I's in Idiot!

[Wise One]

Jon Stewart does Glenn Beck, wonderfully sending up a most blatant tea party-er.

[Coondog]

February 5, 2010
Tancredo opens Tea Party Convention with a bang
Posted: February 5th, 2010 12:37 PM ET

From CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser

Nashville, Tennessee (CNN) – Tom Tancredo opened what's being billed as the first Tea Party Convention with a bang.

The former congressman from Colorado and 2008 Republican presidential candidate blasted President Obama, saying "people who could not even spell the word 'vote', or say it in English, put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House. His name is Barack Hussein Obama."

Tancredo made his comments as he gave the kickoff speech for the convention, which is being held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville.

Tancredo's speech received polite applause among the 600 attendees at the convention.

"So the race for America is on right now. The president and his left-wing allies in Congress are going to look at every opportunity to destroy the Constitution before we have a chance to save it. So put your running shoes on. Because I'll tell you, I've heard we need a revolution. My friends, we already had it. We lost. I mean, what happened to us in that last election was a revolution," said Tancredo, discussing the 2008 presidential contest.

Tancredo also slammed that election's Republican presidential nominee, saying "thank God John McCain lost the election."

The former congressman known for his strong opposition to illegal immigration also attacked "the cult of multiculturalism, aided by leftists, liberals all over who don't have the same idea about America as we do."

I guess he IS glad McCain didn't win, cause the republicans would have him thrown in the basement at Guantanamo for remarks like that.

Coondog

600 attendees - I can buy a keg of beer and get more people than that to show up at Zollmans.......................